Vampire King 2 Chapter 21 Part 3

"I never blamed you for that! Never..." Adrian said quickly, sitting forward. "You wanted to know if I would be disappointed in you. No, only in the fact I couldn't be there, son. I knew one day I'd get the chance to tell you that; I'm proud of how hard you have fought and I am sorry I wasn't there to tell you that." Bowen said, turning to meet Adrian's gaze. "I know it's been hard for you, being what you are then all those lies those guys filled your head with." He added gently. Adrian lowered his eyes, falling back into the chair.

"You can beat yourself up about it forever but you did what you thought was right and your brother wasn't exactly giving you a better example to live by. It was bad times, son. I don't fault you for doing what you thought was right. I just want you to know that." Bowen said, still watching him. Adrian found he couldn't look this man in the eye, not this man. He saw himself in his face now, in a face he hadn't recognized before. His eyes were the same and now that he looked... it was a mirror of his former self, before the change, before he took Nikolas' blood.

"Father... I can't believe..." Even saying the word, uttering it, seemed too strange a thing to believe. Knowing he spoke to the man that was a part of him, a side he had never touched before. A side he hadn't been taught to know. "Adrian, I'm going to ask you to do a few things for me. I want you to do your best. I want you to find a nice girl and have kids, have a family. I want you to be happy... that's what I want for you, can you do that?" Bowen said and smiled when Adrian finally made eye contact.

"I can do that..." Adrian answered. "Good. Well, I guess our times up, son. I hope we get a chance to talk again." Bowen said and stood. Adrian didn't want to leave, he had so many questions he wanted to ask yet none of them came to mind. He drew a blank and stood with his lips parted to speak. His father was much shorter than him, perhaps standing at six feet, but it did not make Adrian feel any less like a child at that moment. "Must I go?" Adrian asked, hesitantly. Bowen smiled. "Yes, son. But I'll be with you wherever you go. Just remember that you were made up of goodness, on both sides. Embrace them." Bowen said and reached out.

Adrian reached to take his hands but they faded along with the field and the cabin. "No... Father...? Come back!" He called into the nothingness but no reply came. "You sought him out even as a child, finding that field and the ruins of where you were conceived. Do you now feel more complete?" Lore asked, appearing from nowhere. Adrian wasn't sure how to answer that. Yes and yet, he felt terribly lonely now as well. "I suppose I do feel somewhat vindicated about my heritage... I used to look just like him and I never knew it." Adrian muttered.

"You will again, my friend. Now, I shall leave you in Nedian's hands. Till we meet again, my sweet hunter." Lore said and then she was gone. He looked around the empty space and waited. It wasn't long before delicate finger tips touched his shoulder and traced his arm... and chest. He looked to his right and saw another Princi female, though this one was not as innocent looking as the one before her. "I am Nedian... and you are exquisite." She purred. She dressed much the same as Lore, wearing little more than golden swirls of living armor.

Her hair was a deep red, contrasting harshly against her pale blue skin. "I am here to teach you of the many uses your body has and will have and all the exquisite things it can do. You are still so innocent of life's wonders." She whispered, circling him. "Do you remember the first time you realized your heart and lust were one? It was painful for you, wasn't?" She asked. She was so close to him, touching him deliberately, stirring memories he'd rather forget. "Yes..." He admitted. "You hurt someone dear to you that night... didn't you?" She asked and before he could answer, he was besieged by the memory he had almost forgotten.

It had been in a little town called Ash. He had been there with Raya and his other student, Callgard. They had stopped at an Inn and while the two were distracted down stairs, he had gone to the second level and paid for the company of a woman. He had told Raya and Callgard that he was getting information for their mission at the time but he was actually going to use her to feed. It had been many years since he had tasted of a human but he had needed the strength. He could remember how sweet the first taste was and he recalled how he had steeled himself against the rush of lust it brought on.

What he had not expected was the vision it had produced. He had spent years ignoring Raya's love for him while he suffered the same feelings in secret. Afraid to let her know what he was, he pushed her away so she could never find out his terrible lineage. The raven haired girl he drank from became the vision of his secret desire and he lost himself in the vision so deeply, he hadn't heard the rattling of the door handle or the voice beyond it, asking if he was alright.

Raya had caught him with the girl and assumed he had been sating his lust. She stormed out before she knew what he was really doing. It was the first time he had associated his physical need with his heart's desire and he had hurt Raya more than he ever wished to. He regretted how it all went yet he knew now she was happy, at least, part of her was. "It's really no wonder you are so bad at these things, Adrian." Nedian said, snapping him out of his memoriam.  "Yes... not to mention the first time I understood sexual excitement was with my brother in his secret basement room..." Adrian muttered.

Nedian raised an eyebrow. "Oh, do tell..." She purred, sliding her hands over his chest and shoulders, pushing his shirt off. It was strange how he had a shirt and felt physical contact here in this place. "It's really not that interesting. I think I was sixteen or seventeen. He took me down there and offered me my first taste of human blood. I have spent most of my life cursing him for it but now I understand what he was trying to do. I had no idea what it was to feel anything until that moment..." Adrian mused, thinking back on it.

Mael had been his idol, his hero... he would have done anything for him. Of course he had agreed to drink the blood, Mael had said it would ease the burning in his stomach. It did too, it eased the burn and made his body come alive. Perhaps too alive for that moment. "How did you... you know?" Nedian asked, licking her full lips. Adrian swallowed hard and averted his eyes. "I waited and I was back to normal after awhile." He said simply. "Goodness, it's so sad to see a delicious hunk like you go to waste... I promise, after I am done, you will be a greater lover than even your brother. You will easily seduce your pray as you should and awkward fear will be a thing of the past for you, my sweet."

Adrian raised a brow at her. "I'm promised to another... I can't-" He began but Nedian placed a single finger to his lips while pouting her own. "This is all in your mind, dear. Now shut up and kiss me... if you want to impress your future woman, you better know how to use what we are going to give you. After all, what good is a sword if you have no idea how to use it?" She chuckled, nipping at his lower lip. "I... I know how to..." He stuttered and gasped as Nedian was no longer the Princi female but a young blond girl he knew well... naked and wet...

"Adrian, you realize Abby thought she had made love to you in the shower, right?" Nedian laughed. "Well, I... she... I knew she was too innocent so..." He stammered, embarrassed. "Fingers don't count, darling. Even if she has her eyes closed and you tell her it's your junk... Now, let's see if we can't teach you a thing or two...!