18 Questions Answered

"What makes me so special? Jason, you haven't answered the rest of my questions! Please tell me! You promised you would tell me everything." I begged while holding onto his hand as I sat on the bed looking up at him. He knelt in front of me, his hair slightly shaggy and his clothes disheveled.

"I know I promised you and I will tell you. But I don't think right now is the right time to tell you everything. The guests are still downstairs and I have to make sure I'm there when they leave. I want you to stay up here for the rest of the evening so the risk of you getting attacked is lower. You're marvelous and stunning in your dress and I'm flabbergasted when I first saw you but it's time for you to freshen up and get into some comfy clothes. The part where you needed to be there is already past and when the night is over and everyone goes home, I'll have some hot cocoa made and I'll bring it up with a plate of cookies so you can relax and get your mind off of Zack's incident. Then I'll make sure to tell you everything and answer any questions you might have. So please, stay here and get comfortable. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you." He said sincerely before he stood back up and kisses the top of my hand.

He let go and walked back to the door and closed it behind him as he went back downstairs. I let out a soft sigh once he was out of the room and laid back onto the bed. Looking up at the ceiling I felt a queasy feeling after remembering the incident that happened just moments ago. I sat up and shuffled to the bathroom to undress and take a warm bath. I pulled my hair out of its braided bun and placed the accessories on the counter by the sink. I turned the tub on and set it to a warm temperature as it filled up.

I unzipped my dress from the side and slipped out of it. I placed it on the toilet cover and took off the heels that were already starting to hurt my feet. I sat on the side of the tub and rubbed the palm of my feet before slipping into the partially filled tub. I picked up one of the soap bottles and filled the tub to create some bubbles.

I submerged to the point where the water level reached my chin and closed my eyes as the soreness started to slowly go away with the soothing warmth of the water and bubbles. Everything that happened today was enough to drive someone insane. Lucky for me I'm already crazy so it didn't send me running over the hills but I do want to get some sort of explanation.

I lifted my hand out of the water and watched the bubbles slowly drift down my arm and shake from side to side from the surrounding air. Some of them popped while others combined together to make bigger bubbles. I lowered it back into the water and submerged my head with my eyes closed and tried to think more about my situation. If I were to be Jason's so called 'princess' then what else was there to happen next? It sounded like he wasn't king and still the prince and that he needed me in order to complete his coronation but why me specifically? He told me he was looking all over for his perfect match but what made him think I was the one?

Then I remembered what Zack said. Jason must have took something from him and he was gonna use me to get back at him. But what could it be? Could Zack be his brother? Cousin? Was he supposed to be king next? Or did Jason take something special to him? A lover? An item of some kind? Was it really that important that you would take a person just to get back at someone? So many questions. I just hope the event would hurry up and end so I could get those answers.

I lifted my head out of the water and slicked my hair back before getting up and draining the water from the tub. I stepped out and into the shower to get the soap and bubbles off. I turned the knob to the right and the shower head let out a steady stream of rain like water. I stepped in to wash my hair and the rest of my body. Once I was finished, I grabbed the towel that hung on the nearby rack and dried myself off. I put my hair in the towel and wrapped it on top of my head and stepped out of the bathroom to look for some clothes to put on.

I looked through the closet and noticed it was stocked with clothes my size and felt my heart clench. I didn't know whether to feel grateful or worried that he had clothes already ready for me to live here. These must be the clothes in the bag that he had bought when we were getting my dress. Hannah, the employee that worked for him must have told him. It was sincere but everything felt like it was moving too fast. But I trusted Jason's judgement, if he thought this was necessary then it should be fine.

I started to hear less voices downstairs as conversations were finishing up before I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I hoped it was Jason with the hot cocoa and cookies. They knocked and I swung open the door to see Jason with a tray of two mugs with hot cocoa and a plate of sugar cookies next to them and moved out of the way to let him in. I smiled happily that he followed through with his promise and was anxious to hear what he had to say.

We both sat on the bed and he handed me my mug and I took careful sips while I held it with both hands as it warmed my palms. "Thank you for being patient Oli. So where should I begin?" He said before I shrugged as I took more small sips, careful not to burn my tongue.

"Let's start with me then. You know my family and I are vampires but we're not like the rest since were of royal blood. We still do feed but we've developed a special formula that substitutes it for us without needing to hunt anymore. It keeps us private without gaining suspicion and it keeps us sane. But we do need to drink at least one pint per year so we take daily doses to keep the hunger at bay. My formal name is Jason Cassisus Fane. Richards is actually my mothers maiden name that we both took to conceal us from suspicion since my fathers last name was fairly known to the humans in folklore. I will not tell you how old I am because to be fairly honest, I've stopped counting. My mother is a dhampir, my grandmother was human and my grandfather was a vampire. In result she became a dhampir and then she met my father and had me. A dhampire is the spawn of a human and a vampire just so you know the context." He explained while I tried to remember and wrap my head around it all.

"Now for the rest of it. My father became king after the four clans that had been at war finally made a truce and announced him as their leader. He has been out at sea handling treaties and contracts with other smaller clans to join our numbers and work together. He's retiring and has ordered me to start my coronation process and in order for me to complete it I need a queen to lead by my side. There is an entire process before I'm crowned which involves you but I can't tell you if you don't want to be with me. I don't want that process to scare you so I want to learn more about you and spend more time with you so you can learn to trust me. The choker...is an entire other lifestyle I had planned for us but it was on hold once I got word that I was running out of time. That's why this all feels so sudden but I promise you I will make everything wait just so you are comfortable and trust me in your own time. I don't wish to rush you but I hope you'll say yes to my proposal."

I didn't notice I had been sipping the hot cocoa that entire time that my lips were burning but I was too entranced in listening to what he had to say to pay any attention. I pressed my fingers to my lips to stop the burning sensation but took a bite of a cookie so the heat would dissipate. I looked up at him with more understanding and love that he wanted to take it slow and would let me take my time to make up my mind which I was entirely grateful for. It meant the world to me to hear him say that. I put the mug down and wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close.

"Thank you for telling me. I want to get to know you more and learn more about your family and everything that has happened." I said happily before letting go slightly so I could look at him. He smiled sincerely and kissed me on the lips passionately. "Then will you accept my proposal of staying with me and getting to know each other better?" He asked and I nodded excitedly and he picked me up and swung me around.

"Oh thank glox! Oli I can't wait to show you everything and spend so much time with you my darling. All the romantic places, all the happiest moments, delightful dinners, and loads of fun. You've made me a happy man Olivia, I just hope I can make you just as happy with me." He said before laying on the bed with me on his chest. He looked down at me as I laid ontop of him and kissed the top of my head as he brushed the back of my head gently.

I can't wait to see what he has planned. I wonder what it might be.