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25
That night and most of the next morning, Erik kept Mina close. She slept beside him once Aria went to sleep in her own room. She read while he reviewed his troop reports in his private library. Having her close kept him calm.
Sitting back in his chair, he watched her flip the pages with her lips twisted in a thoughtful pout. “That is certainly a quizzical expression.”
Mina looked up. “What?”
“You get this adorable little pout whenever you’re thinking hard about something, so I was curious what you’re thinking about,” he explained, unable to keep the smile from his face.
She laughed, stretching out across the window seat. “I was just reading about the conquest of the old king, and how he became a vampire.”
Erik shuddered. He remembered that day well. It had changed his life forever. “That man was a poor excuse for a vampire and turned out to be a horrible king as well. He wasted his immortality on petty insults and greed.”
“You make it sound like you knew him well,” she said, setting her book aside.
“I was his first lieutenant,” he admitted. “Once upon a time, I was his right-hand man, if you will. I was there for every atrocity, every crime, every horror.”
“And you killed him?” She frowned.
Erik nodded slowly. “Yes, I did.”
“Why?” She asked, no hint of fear or judgment in her eyes.
“To save my people. I had to. The king went mad when he turned. His obsession with power and blood grew out of control, and then finally it proved too much. He wanted to force the turn on everyone in the kingdom. He thought vampires were invincible, and by forcing the change on everyone he could build the best army and conquer the world. I couldn’t let him do that. I knew what it was to have that choice taken away from you.”
“It’s no wonder your people love you,” she mused.
“I don’t know about that.” He chuckled. “But I’d give my life for them.”
“Well, hopefully it’ll never come to that,” she said, getting to her feet walking over to his side.
Erik slid his chair back, and he pulled her down onto his lap. “How are you feeling after everything?”
“I’m okay,” she said. “Lucy’s healing is top notch.”
“Good.” He nodded, cradling her body against his chest. The scent of wildflowers filled his nose, and he squeezed her tight. “But I wasn’t exactly talking about your head. How are you feeling after everything, about the choosing, about being her, about me?”
She laid her head on his shoulder and sat quiet for a long while. The room grew so quiet that he could hear her heart pounding.
“For so long,” she said finally. “I was taught that vampires are monsters, that they’re a threat and they deserve to die. I was trained to fight, to kill. I learned about the other creatures that came down from the mountains, but all of that went away the moment you put me on your horse.”
“What do you mean?” He asked, running his fingers through her loose hair.
“I asked you to stop killing my father’s soldiers and you did. You saved me from dying on the wrong side of the vale when I tried to escape. You never even tried to punish me for trying to escape. You’ve been honest with me as far as I can tell, and you’ve been kind. Monsters aren’t kind.”
He tensed. “I will always do my best to be kind to you, Starlight, but do not forget what I am. I can be a monster when I have to be.”
“And that,” she said, cupping the side of his face with her hand, brushing her thumb over his lips, “is why you are a great king.”
“I try.”
“And that’s all we can ask,” she said, as the door to the room opened behind her.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,Your Majesty,” Lucy said, barging into the room. “But if Princess Mina wants to look fit for her ball tonight, she needs to come with me so we can get ready.”
Mina’s jaw dropped in protest. “But…there’s still hours before it begins.”
Lucy rolled her eyes and gestured for Mina to get up and follow her out the door. “You’ve been holed up in this room for hours. You have to bathe, and dress, and I’ll need time to adjust your dress in case I didn’t get the measurements right. Come on.”
