TWO

NATHANIEL/HUNTER POV

 

Damn!! Damn!! Damn!! That did not go how it was meant to. All I wanted to do was see and spend a little time with my sister before our birthday tomorrow and all the chaos that will be happening around the castle with the blood moon ball.

 

We have grown up with Phoenix connected to Scarlett because he says that they are mates.. but is it really true? How did he know? She was only a baby when he declared that she was his. There is also the fact that he is nearly as old as my father is. I know there are a lot of years between him and my mother, but watching them and then looking at Phoenix with Scarlett it just doesn't seem right; she is too young... Maybe it was his plan to make her think she was in love with him, so instead of being only the second to my father, it makes him family and able to take the throne if he so desires.

 

I didn't mean to hurt her and as she practically threw her birthday gift at me and then turned; I saw the hurt and the tears that she was fighting. There have been many people telling her over the years that she is too young to be in love, to back away from him and look for someone around her age to hang out with. I didn't want to be like them, but I guess I just was. I sense how upset she is through our twin bond and know the exact moment she gives control over to Ruth for a run outside.

 

"Patrick, Scarlett has gone for a run as Ruth. Please keep a distant eye on her, make sure she doesn't run into any trouble!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

 

I had made a blood bond with both Patrick and Ethan after my mother was taken. I just feel a little better if he follows her and makes sure nothing happens, since I am the cause of this run. I go back to my room and look at the gift in my hand and then at the one I have sitting on my desk for her. I went out yesterday and thanks to Cole; we found a beautiful antique bracelet. It was light blood-red stones surrounding a larger dark blood-red stone set in gold with red and gold beads making up the bracelet chain.

 

I set my gift from Scarlett on my desk next to my gift to her and go to find Phoenix. I really need to know that it is true, what his intentions are with her, and that he will look after my little sis.

 

It takes me a little while, but I eventually find Phoenix in the training field. I get to the edge of the field and watch him sparring on his own. I take a deep breath.

 

"PHOENIX??" he stops as I approach him

 

"Your highness Nathaniel" he bows and continues "What can I do for you?"

 

"I um... I wanted to talk to you about my sister!"

 

He grabs his towel and wipes his face. "And what did you want to know about Scarlett?"

 

"I want to know if you really are her mate? What do you intend to do with her?"

 

"Oh, really?? How about you spar with me and I will tell you anything you want to know"

 

"I'm not really dressed for sparring but okay." I strip down to just my trousers, removing everything else, including my shoes and socks.

 

We get into the fighting cycle and start our sparring set. "So what did you want to know?"

 

"Is she really your mate?" I duck a punch and counter with one of my own which he ducks too

 

"Yes, she is!"

 

"How did you know? She was only a baby?"

 

"That was Soren. As you know, Nathaniel, a male vampire, has a frozen heart, and it usually takes his female mate a while to thaw it, but what most don't know is there is usually a reason behind the male's frozen heart. Like for your father, his heart froze when his parents, your grandparents, were killed by someone they trusted to protect them. Now the entire kingdom took it hard, especially the ones of us that knew them. My heart froze, but not by much. I just became cold and enjoyed doing whatever your father wanted to do at the time."

 

"But that doesn't answer the question..." I duck another punch but manage to connect one to his shoulder

 

"Nice shot. I was getting to that, the day you and your sister were born was the end of an interesting few weeks, your mother and father had just had the coronation of her being queen, then the wedding and then the tour of the clans to introduce your mother to each clan, while announcing the soon arrival of you. No one but the closest people knew about your sister before she was born." he goes to kick me and hits my knee, sending me to the ground, but I come back with a punch to the ribs and get back to my feet.

 

"Now, being around your mother, as you know, she just makes everyone she meets like her. She had already started the thawing process in some of us others, Sebastian and me being the main ones affected, as we were always around her. After your mother had you, she had your sister not long after. Now we don't go on scent as much as werewolves do, but it does come into it. Her smell was intoxicating to me as I approached the car with the blanket they wanted to wrap her in, and then Soren felt something, a pull of sorts and as they placed Scarlett into my arms we both just had this unnerving need to protect and love her, Soren was also chanting in my head that she was our mate!"

 

We do a few more blocks and get a few more hits when I ask, "So you intend to do the mating with her?"

 

He falters at my question and I land a nice right hook to his jaw, he stumbles a little but gets his feet back and returns the punch but I manage to block it, "I would love to complete the mating with her but what I intend and want doesn't matter because if she is not willing to allow me to do that, then I will not take anything that she is not willing to give me freely. I will not force her into anything with me, yes I am her mate, but she still has a choice of when, where, and how she wants to give herself to me. I will wait, I have waited nearly three hundred years, I don't mind and will wait for another three hundred if that is what it takes for her to be ready for and want me."

 

I go to kick him and he blocks it, he throws a punch in return which I then block "So you don't just want to use her as a way to become part of the Royal family?"

 

Ouch!!! I didn't see that one coming as he contacted with a rather hard combo of a punch to the jaw and ribs, knocking some of the air from my lungs. I go to my knee to get my breath back. "I guess that was a question I shouldn't have asked while sparring..."

 

"No! That was my answer to that question and I would have given it even if we were not sparring, to even suggest I would use your sister to join the Royal family... is.. is.. just an insult. We are done!!"

 

He bends down, picks up his towel, and walks away from me while muttering angrily under his breath. I curse myself as another conversation doesn't go how it was meant to, but I guess I got the answers I wanted. He is actually a good male and will be a great mate for my sister. I will find him again later after he has calmed down a bit and apologize to him.

 

I pick up my clothes and shoes and head back into the castle, where I bump into my father in the kitchen.

 

"Hey, Nat! You look like you have just had the crap beaten out of you... What happened?"

 

"Father, have you ever had one of those days where no matter what you say or how you say it, it always gets taken the wrong way?"

 

"Yes, nearly every day, especially when your mother is concerned. Why, what did you say?"

 

"Well, first I went to see Scarlett, to spend some time with her before the chaos of tomorrow, with our birthdays and the blood moon ball, but that ended up in her being hurt, throwing me out of her room and her going for a run as Ruth. Don't worry, I sent Patrick to watch over her."

 

"How did you upset her?" my father asks as he leans on the counter across from me

 

"I kind of... maybe suggested that Phoenix might not be her wolf's mate and that she wasn't necessarily actually in love with him..."

 

My father laughed and then sighed. "You have a lot to learn, Nat, especially when it comes to females. Give her time. She will calm down and maybe talk to you again. You said that was the first. What was the next?"

 

"You know both our wolves will mature on our birthday tomorrow right?" he nods "Well after talking to Scarlett, I wanted to talk to Phoenix about how he knew that Scarlett was his mate from when she was a baby and what he intended to do with her..."

 

"Okay, so why do you look like you have had the crap beaten out of you? If you just talked to Phoenix?"

 

"Well, he said he would answer my questions if I sparred with him, so I did, and he did answer my questions until I asked the last one..."

 

"And what was that question??" I look down at the counter, not sure I want to answer that one myself.

 

"Nathaniel??? What did you ask?"

 

"I.. I.. wanted to know if he was just going to use Scar, use the mating to her to become a part of the Royal family?"

 

"You did what??? Nathaniel you more or less just questioned his loyalty to this family and this kingdom. I wouldn't be surprised if he took it as an insult..."

 

"He did! It is where the bruise on my jaw and my ribs come from. It was his answer to my insult. I will find him later and apologize. I will apologize to Scarlett when she comes back later as well."

 

"Good luck, son!"

 

He then gets up, comes round and pats his hand on my shoulder, and leaves the room. I head outside again and stand on the porch. "Hunter? Would you like a run? And do you think you could find our sister?"

"A run would be nice and yes, I can find Ruth. You want to apologize, don't you?"

"Yes, I would. I hate fighting with her but I hate hurting her more."

 

I head to the edge of the woods, strip, and shift. I shake out our fur and let Hunter take over and lead us to our sister.