The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 133

too.

My bag was mostly packed and still on my bed. I rushed around my room, packing things in the bag, pulling out a small duffle for a few other things. I would carry the clipping of my grandfather. He died before I was born and it was the only thing I had of him. I was betting Sean would love hearing the stories of my grandfather. I smiled and wondered what sort of fae Sean would be. I could imagine him with the delicate wings of a pixie. It would suit his thinner frame. The leaves in his hair like a nymph would be gorgeous, He reacted perfectly to my vines this morning. I could imagine wrapping them around his wrists and thighs, whipping them lightly along his tight little a*s. I shivered and felt my d**k twitch at the idea of his moans while I gave him a gentle lashing. This morning had given me hope that he would be into the same things I was.

Once I had everything packed up, I headed back to the living room. Everything was coming together. I couldn't wait to go home and get my things put away. Maybe I could take Sean out to that little clearing I saw while running this morning. It was off the beaten track a bit and far enough from the perimeter to be out of the way of the patrolling wolves.

The glimpses I'd seen of it and what the trees told me of it made it seem perfect for some public-private time. I'd been turned on at the idea of being caught in the library. It was even more tantalizing when it really happened. Sean had been a little embarrassed, but the way he kissed me when we got back to our room made me think he liked it too.

I walked into the living room and froze. Either I spent too long packing, or my father's spies were faster than I remembered. He was standing in the living room, staring at my boyfriend sitting on the couch. "What did you say to me?" My father growled.

"I said, you need to leave." Sean replied standing and glaring at my father.

"Maeve, why does this human think he has the right to order me around in my own lands?" He scoffed.

"I told you, Hollis. I have company and you were not invited. These are my lands. You rule the forest and our village there. I rule the human lands." Mom insisted.

"I am your husband. I should be able to come see my wife whenever I want."

"You asked where Rosario was. He's not your wife. You came here to hurt him again and I won't allow it." Sean said firmly.

Seeing my fragile human mate standing up to my father made my heart flip and my stomach sink at the same time. It was a terribly irritating feeling. I set my things down and entered the living room entirely. "There he is. Tired of hiding in the shadows, boy?" My father scowled.

"I wasn't hiding. I was assessing the situation. You are welcome to stay and visit with my mother. Sean, come with me. We'll get my things and leave. Thank you for having us, mom." I said politely and crossed to Sean. He took my outstretched hand and held it in his. I had him now. I felt he was safer now than he'd been a few moments ago. I could protect him.

I turned my back on my father. Never a safe idea, but I wanted to show him that I valued Sean in this interaction, not him. I caressed Sean's face and pulled him toward where I left my things.

"What, precisely, is going on here? Who is this human, Maeve?" He questioned in sylvan.

"This is Sean Flowers. He's Rosario's boyfriend." Mom answered, also in sylvan.

With a shocked expression, I turned back to her. How dare she call him my boyfriend and not my mate! My father looked at Sean disdainfully.

"You let him date a human, Maeve? I knew I shouldn't have let you raise him! He's weak! He's been weak since he was a child and he's grown into a weak man! How could you let this happen?" My father shouted.

"He is not weak! I let our son grow naturally, just like our other children. He's not weak because he loves a human. If you would stop holding him up against his sister and brothers, you'd see that Rosario's a very strong man and a good leader." Mom told him. Sean was searching my face. He got close to me.

"What are they saying?" Sean asked. "You look upset."

"Same argument they always have. Come on." I said and turned back toward the hall.

I didn't need to hear this again. I knew he was disappointed in me. I knew I wasn't good enough in the eyes of 'King Hollis'. I didn't need him. I had Sean and I had friends who thought I was amazing.

Sean stopped moving. I turned back to look at him. He had a worried look on his face. I returned to where he was and looked into his eyes. Sean stepped forward and raised his hand to my cheek.

Closing my eyes, I savored the feeling of his caress. His hand moved past my cheek and traced along the outer edge of my ear. My eyes flew open and I stared at him as he stroked my ear. I couldn't contain the groan that built up inside me.

"Now that I've gotten you out of your head, please tell me what's going on." Sean murmured as his fingers traversed the length of my pointed ears.

"Dear goddess. Do you see what that human is doing to your son in the middle of the f*****g living room?! How can you allow disgusting displays like that?!" My father snarled.

"If he wanted to take down Rosario's pants and fellate him right here, then he would be in his rights to. Sean is not just Rosario's boyfriend, he's his mate. I will not come between true mates. They are my guests and they are restraining themselves as much as possible." Mom responded.

"Enough." I said, in English. "That's enough. We're taking my things and going. I don't care if you think I'm weak. I don't care if you're disappointed in me. You will not talk about my true mate like he is an animal."

Sean looked shocked. His hand dropped from where it was teasing my ear. I missed the feeling of his fingers on my sensitive ears. I'd see if he'd be up for rubbing them later.

"Come on, babe. Let's go home." I whispered with a wink.

He blushed a little and nodded. We grabbed my things and I went to my mother to give her a kiss before I left. My father stood to the side, glaring at me. I gave him a little bow. It was only proper.

As I turned back to Sean, I saw a concerned look in his eyes. He set the cutting of my grandfather down, rushed over to me, grabbed my shirt and spun me onto the couch. I landed in just enough time to see my father's vines strike Sean's back.

Sean didn't cry out. He didn't fall. My father had struck a blow meant for a fae and my human mate had taken it, full force, on his back.

I saw red. My anger overwhelmed me. I jumped to my feet and lunged at my father. Sean grabbed me and held me back. I was shocked that he didn't want me to fight for him.

"Queen Maeve. I asked you if it was safe for me to be here and you vowed that no harm would come to me as your guest." Sean said in a low tone.

My mother covered her mouth with her hands. I looked at him. He was really going to use this to leverage something?

"Hollis. How could you? Your anger has made me an oath breaker." She whispered in sylvan.

"He wasn't supposed to get in the way. It wasn't me, but him that made you an oath breaker." My father insisted.

"You had time to pull back. You chose to keep going when you saw him move Rosario from your path. You stupid stubborn a*s!" Mom growled.

"After everything I've done for our people. After everything I've given up. None of this would have happened if you had come back to the village like I told you to all those years ago." He replied.

"You haven't done anything but stagnate! You preach tradition and hide away!" I shouted in sylvan.

"If that fucking vampire hadn't killed himself, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't be mated to a human. You wouldn't be weak. And your mother wouldn't be bound to grant a boon to your pathetic human." My father snarled. "He's not pathetic! He took that hit and barely flinched. He's more of a man than you! You attack the backs of others, too scared to face them!" I yelled. "You've drawn the blood of my mate. I could kill you for that!" "You could try, boy." He glowered.

I wanted to, but Sean's hand gripping my shirt kept me from attacking. I turned to him and saw the blood coming from the gashes on his back. If I couldn't attack him. I knew who could.

With every bit of focus I had, I tried to contact Echo. I told her to bring Talia to my mother's house. I needed Echo to heal Sean. He was losing a lot of blood.

"Is everyone done yelling?" Sean asked.

"I'm sorry, baby. I was so mad I forgot to speak English. We were just yelling at him for hurting you." I murmured and tucked some of his hair behind his ear. "Do you need to lean on me? Echo will be here soon. She'll heal you." "I'm fine. If my game is correct, I am owed a favor from your mother because I was hurt." He said softly.

"That's true. It's a requirement that she perform a boon to you since she broke her oath." I answered.

"What do you require to relieve me of my debt to you, Sean." Mom asked.

"Make me a fae. As soon as I'm healed, I want to become a fae." Sean insisted.

"I thought we would wait until the curse was broken." I said.

"No. I want it now. His problem with me is that I'm human. He had no other issues that I understood. You were all speaking a lot faster than I'm used to." He chuckled.

"You understand Sylvan?" My mother asked.

"A little. Tolkien's elvish is similar. There were some words I didn't quite understand." Sean said.

I managed to stop myself from hugging him. He was so cute and geeky. I couldn't believe he actually understood some of my native language. I would relish teaching him more.

"Even if you're turned fae, I'll never accept you." My father growled in English.

"Good, because I don't need the acceptance of asshats with anger issues." Sean scoffed. "You can go f**k yourself, King. You're not worth my time, or Rosario's."

My father scowled, but his face entirely changed when Echo appeared. She had Talia with her, like I'd asked. My mom looked terrified.

"I-I didn't invite you in. You can't be here." She insisted, her voice quivering.

"I am the Traveler. I can go anywhere I desire, anytime I desire. Who has harmed this child? I smell his blood." Talia snarled.

"It was my father... again." I answered.

To his credit, my father had the sense to look scared in the face of the infamous Traveler. Echo made her way over to Sean, tore his shirt in half, and started pulling his skin together while focusing on the cuts. I watched her healing abilities start to work on him. I was sure the four cuts would be less work for her than the dozens I had on Wednesday.

"You seem to enjoy harming children, elf. Maybe I should see how much you enjoy being harmed by an elder against whom you have no defense." Talia said with a deadly expression on her face.

"I was merely disciplining my child. Like any parent would." My father replied in a less than confident tone.

"It seems to me that you weren't disciplined properly when you were young, King Hollis." She smiled.

"H-how did you know my name?" He asked.

"I am one of the oldest beings on earth. I know everything. Like how you helped Fenton Aimes with his spell on the fae." Talia smirked.

I stared at my father as he paled. My mother turned to him enraged.

"You did what?!? Hollis! How could you? Our people have suffered! You let our people suffer. Why did you do this? What were you thinking?" Mom pressed.

"I was thinking our people were safer in our village than in this neighborhood in the land of humans. I was right. You can't see that, but it's true. I did what was right for our people." He insisted.

"You hurt our people! I cannot believe you! How did you find this out, Traveler?" She asked.

"He just told me. I was thinking on what Lila said about something of the fae being needed for the spell that took away your glamour. It wouldn't have been some lower level fae, but one of the ruling family that could affect all of you. I thought, maybe Fenton stole a hair or something, but decided to press my luck with the guess that the king chose to help." Talia explained.

"What else did you help him with?" My mother snarled at my father.

"I don't have to answer these questions." He replied with a glare.

"Yes, you do." Talia said coolly. "Or I shall hunt you down and drain you for your part in harming, not only my childe, but your own."

"You'd have to find me first." My father scoffed.

"That would be the fun part." She laughed. "And, when I did, I would subject you to horrors far beyond your imagining. You see, I love my childe and his life is in jeopardy. If you have something that could help save him, I would t*****e you until I had all the answers. Or, you could answer now and be spared my wrath. Think quickly, though. I am very old and have grown impatient over the years."

My father looked around the room. He eyed the doors as if he were trying to assess his options for flight. I knew Talia was much faster than my father, he wouldn't stand a chance.

"All done." Echo said with a heavy breath.

I turned to see what she had done. Sean's skin was healed, but there were thin, shiny scars on his back. She looked at me.

"I couldn't get rid of the scars. I'm sorry." She murmured.

"It doesn't matter. It only matters that you healed him. He doesn't have to be in pain. Thank you, Echo." I replied.

"Thank you, Echo." Sean said.

"It's what I'm here for. Sit down and rest for a while. We need to hear what King Hollis did, so we can take the information back to the team." Echo told us, and guided Sean back to the couch.

I sat next to him and put my arm around him. My mother sat in an armchair. My father looked around and sighed.

"Fenton Aimes approached me. He knew I didn't like my people living with the humans. He told me Maeve had known about the affair his daughter was having with the vampire and chose not to tell him."

"It was none of my business and I don't like getting involved in the relationships and lives of vampires!" Mom said.

"It doesn't matter. I wanted you back in the village, where you belonged. I wanted our people safe and he told me about the curse he planned to lay upon our people. I liked the idea of no one being able to hide, because that meant they would have to stay in the village to be safe." My father admitted. "I helped gather ingredients he needed and gave him one of my hairs to use in the spell that countered our glamour."

For most of my life, my father had seemed like an infallible, unshakable, god-like man. I'd actually tried my hardest to make him proud of me for most of my life. All this time, he was the one who caused the greatest hardship for our people. He didn't even see it as a mistake. He thought he was in the right.

I would never forgive him for the hardships he put our people through. I silently vowed to be a better king than he was. I would let our people grow how they wanted to. I would never try to parent them like he did.