“You have current troubles?” Claire looked back at him questioningly. “Consider my interest piqued.”

“We all have current troubles, don’t we?” he responded, “It’s just a question of how good we are at dealing with them, or at least ignoring them,” he added. “But I’m glad I can still stir your interest,” he added with a pointed smile, the two exchanging knowing, if somewhat awkward looks with one another momentarily.

Trying to push past the obvious innuendo, Claire replied, “Is this about you and Summer parting ways?”

Lucian couldn’t help a small smile playing at his lips at the fact that that was her first assumption. “As I said, that happened a while ago,” he reiterated. He then added, more quietly, “Though I must admit that things have gotten a bit more problematic since her departure.”

Claire narrowed her eyes at that statement before asking another question, her curiosity indeed piqued, “So, why did the two of you part, anyway?”

“Claire, are you showing an interest in my love life? That would be a good method of sidetracking me from my troubles I suppose,” he returned wryly, leaning forward in his seat slightly.

Claire scoffed, though looked down to hide any emotions betraying her expression, “Well, she did used to be my husband’s lover, as well as very good friends with my.. other lover. So hearing that she’s left the life of another former lover of mine, well it does inspire a bit of curiosity, I suppose.”

“So many lovers,” Lucian teased, causing her to avert her eyes once again, “but I am quite pleased to be counted among them, especially after only one night,” he couldn’t help adding, that charisma of his never fully hidden, no matter the conversation.

“Don’t make me regret wanting to help you with whatever troubles you were speaking of earlier,” she warned him with a scowl, playful though it was. “Besides, I’m over three hundred years old. There’s bound to be a few colorful nights in my past, isn’t there?”

Lucian grinned over at her, “Oh do tell. Maybe the details of such nights of passion could also help me to forget those troubles of mine at least for one evening.”

She just shook her head back at him, trying to bite back a smile at his flirtation, “You want my help or not?”

“Oh I would love to be helped by you,” he teased once more.

“Lucian,” she scolded.

He finally allowed a sigh of concession, not wanting to push his luck too far with her. At least not yet. “Fine, if you’d like to talk of things dire, rather than things I desire,” he smirked again before adopting a more serious expression, “we can, but I must warn you...” he paused trying to find the best way to finish his sentence.

“Warn me of what?” Claire asked after a few seconds of his silence.

“The troubles I was referring too earlier, they may tend to bring up some... less pleasant memories than the ones we were just alluding to.” He paused again, “For both of us,” he added more quietly.

That caused her questioning look to deepen, “For both of us?”

Another sigh before he continued, “As I said, my problems have grown since Summer left. It’s rather hard to always keep your eyes open when you’re forced to slumber through every single day.”

“Meaning?” Claire asked.

Lucian steeled himself to broach the subject he was only skirting thus far, “My problems are of a parental nature, oddly enough for that to be a problem our kind have. But that’s why you’re someone who might actually be able to relate,” he dared, watching her closely.

“Me?” Claire returned with further confusion.

Another deep sigh as he got to the less pleasant part he had been referring to earlier, “When I died, I had just lost the mother of my only daughter, and was left with the prospect of having to be an only parent to a daughter just entering her teens.” He took a moment to make himself continue onward through the subject of the most painful part of his life. “And then I met Awsha, and she took my life, as well as my daughter.” He sighed again. “Then I spent the next fifty years mourning the loss of my daughter, and my life. Then Kirielle came into that life, and now... she’s the closest I’ve come to being a father again, and she’s just passed the age Lenore was when I lost her. So, this is all new territory for me, on many levels.”

“And I’m someone who can relate?” Claire asked, her voice just above a whisper.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“You said Erica was, what, twenty when you lost her? So you did have to deal with being a Kindred parent to a teenage human daughter, at least for a while, did you not?” he explained, though kept his voice low, as he didn’t relish the idea of bringing up those painful memories for Claire either, especially when she had seemed to be in surprisingly high spirits for once that night.

“Yes, I suppose I did,” Claire’s voice remained a whisper, “but I obviously didn’t do a very good job, did I?”

“Darling, stop there. I have no desire to foul your mood, I just wanted your advice, if I could dare to ask for it.” He then added, “Besides, wasn’t it an earthquake that killed her? I doubt any vampire, no matter how powerful, could have stopped that fate.”

“True, I suppose,” she made herself admit, “though it doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

“Understandable. If it’s any consolation, I could very directly be blamed for what happened to my daughter. I mean, I got drunk and shagged a vampire. The worst one I possibly could have shagged it seems. And we see how that turned out.”

Claire tried to push through the dark memories of Erica’s death and return her thoughts to the present as best she could, “I suppose I can try to offer advice. I remember Erica at fifteen very well. That was a... particularly stressful year.”

“Oh dear, should I even ask?”

Claire scoffed, “Ironically, it was actually Awsha’s fault that that year was so terrible as well.”

“Awsha? How so?” he asked worriedly. His immediate thoughts moving to his last meeting with his sire, and her implication that Lenore could very much still be alive, after all this time, and still under her complete control. It wasn’t a comforting thought, in any way, which caused him to want to know what Awsha could possibly have to do with some other young girl, as Claire was implying now.

“I suppose the short version is that she used her powers to control Erica from the time she was around seven, until she was fifteen. She would make her think things about us, me, that weren’t true, she would make her lash out at us.” Claire forced herself on, “And as she got older, Awsha found more creative ways to make her do that.”

“Creative?” Lucian responded worriedly.

“We are a clan known for our creativity. And if it’s channeled into the wrong things...” she just shook her head, her mind also going to what little Rion had told her of his time with Marina. Claire was not absolutely positive that Awsha had fully become antitribu, but it was very highly likely, considering the things Awsha had done, and the man, nay snake, that she had been beholden to for so very long.

Lucian went silent for a very long time, thinking deeply on her words, without providing any of his own. Though Claire couldn’t read his thoughts, and could only get the faintest impressions about his feelings, due to Awsha’s blood having made him nearly as powerful as Claire herself. But regardless, knowing that Awsha had taken his little girl away from him all those years ago, she could easily imagine what those thoughts of his now were upon hearing about another young girl’s experience with the woman.

“And you’re worried about Kirielle now?”

“Well, yes. I’m unable to be much of a parent at all to her during the day. Yes, I have a servant, but he’s normally taking care of my patients during the day. So, I can’t help wondering about what may happen during all those hours I can’t be there.”

Claire looked down thoughtfully, “At least you know that Awsha, or the girl’s mother, won’t eventually be an issue during the day, at any rate,” she attempted to offer some comfort.

“And when was it that Awsha’s ghouls murdered her own sire?” Lucian couldn’t help pointing out bitterly.

Claire allowed a sound of defeat at the reminder. She then looked back up, “You’re not worried about Awsha actually having any reason to go after Kirielle are you? How would that even benefit her?”

Lucian thought a long moment before trying to find a response to that question, “She still may hold out some hope of me helping her at some point. Who knows with that woman’s ability to hold a grudge and hope for the impossible? And, we know she’s willing to use children we care about to achieve her ends, don’t we?”

Then it was Claire’s turn to maul over his words before replying, “Well, if I can find a job for Kirielle, I have several of my own servants scattered throughout the staff here. It helps me know what Palmer might be doing when I’m not around,” she added. “I’ll make sure that my servants know to do all they can to keep her safe as well. If that helps ease your fears any at all?” she asked him hopefully.

“It does, a little,” he returned, managing a smile, thoughtful though it was.

“If there’s anything else I can do to help, please let me know,” Claire offered.

Lucian’s eyes moved over her with a bit of mischief, only meeting her eyes again when he noted her looking back at him, awaiting a response. “Oh, you meant with Kirielle?”

Claire couldn’t help a wry chuckle, “You are in rare form tonight, aren’t you?”

“Apologies, it must have been all that talk of former lovers earlier. Yes, let’s blame it on that,” he added with a cheeky smile.

“You’re incorrigible!” she complained, though her smile belied her words.

“Incorrigible or encourageable?” he returned.

Claire let out another little laugh, “Is that even a word, Dr. Ellsworth?”

“Probably not, but I find myself not caring at the moment,” he continued with a bit of sultriness.

Claire narrowed her eyes at him again, “And here I thought Kirielle was the one who dragged you here tonight. I’m beginning to suspect the opposite.”

A slight chuckle from him then, “Despite how much I may or may not have wanted to set eyes, or anything else, on you tonight, I assure you, the girl is more than enamored with what you’ve done here. And the fact that you’re a woman who’s done it? She may be more infatuated with you than even...” but he only let his voice trail off then, casting those impossibly dark eyes away from her again.