For Vincent, the date of conception had been burned into his memory so deeply, that he would never forget it.

It had been nearly a month since their honeymoon, and he had been so busy with work, that Vincent and Kira had hardly spent any time together.

‘Uinseann.’ Vincent heard Kira’s voice echo through his mind as he began to dig his way out of the paperwork that had been piled on his desk throughout the day. Some of it had procured from the office girls whom were too eager to get off early, and had pleaded with him to turn their paperwork in, instead. Most of it came from the King himself, which included his majesty’s daily paperwork he pushed off onto Vincent, and the leftover paperwork that the King had procrastinated in giving to his assistant from the week before.

And audits were due this week, as well.

‘Yes, Kira.’ Her sweet, soft tone brought a small, relaxed smile to his features. Closing his eyes for a moment, he replayed the foreign nickname she had given him, enjoying her beautiful voice. It took him from his desk for a minute or so, and off to a place where only she existed.

Sometimes, it was not enough to just be married to her.

‘What would you like for dinner?’ Pondering on her question, he pushed aside the idea of responding with his normal answer. For once, he found it cliché.

‘Steak?’ he asked, hesitant. Kira was vegan, aside from the small amount of cheese and yogurt she consumed every once in a while, due to her inability to digest animal products. When it came to preparing meat, she did not always deliver the best results. Although, Vincent would argue that a hot meal every night was ten times better than the take-out he used to consume from his bachelor days.

Kira’s cooking, or not.

‘Will you be coming home late?’ That was now the most common question she asked him, since summer was coming to an end.

‘I’m afraid so,’ was his usual response. He had stopped trying to explain why he would be late. Kira got lost during his technical, paperwork explanations, and he had started to feel as though he was making excuses as to why he was not home on time. Vincent was thankful she never accused him of cheating. She was not that type of woman.

‘Okay. Would you like anything else with the steak?’ A glass of wine came to mind, but he was avoiding any type of alcohol after work. It forced him to break the habit of having a glass or two when he had a bad or long day at work.

Kira’s father was a drunk. Not an abusive one, but enough of a drunk for her to not like the smell of it.

‘Anything, really.’ Opening his eyes, he realized he needed to get back to work.

‘Okay.’ She never bothered him more than she needed to, which was nice when he was extremely busy. ‘Have a good day.’

Vincent smiled. ‘I love you, Kira.’

He did not wait for a response, getting back to his paperwork. He never asked what Kira did during the day, since she did not work, and he really never knew. With that knowledge, he was not surprised when she did not answer. She was busy, as he was, and he would leave her be.

His telepathy quieted for him to focus on his work for the next five or six hours.

By the time nine came around, he began packing up his things, and collecting the mail that would need to be dropped off at the post office before returning home.

He packed up his briefcase, slipped on his coat and locked up the office. The janitor would not be in for another hour or two, if he remembered correctly.

It was a twenty minute ride to the post office, and another thirty minutes home. By the time Vincent unlocked the door to his apartment, it was after ten.

He reset the alarm, hung up his coat, put his briefcase away, and headed over to the coffee table. The laptop was where he had left it, and the printouts of houses for sale for Kira to look over were still untouched. He could smell the steak in the oven, still warm from when his wife had made it. However, the apartment was empty.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and paused before calling her. A small gut feeling began to grow inside, and he turned to sit on the couch. Dinner would come later, when Kira returned. He propped his feet up on the table and pulled his computer over his lap, opening it up. The endless tabs of houses he had been browsing through still cluttered his screen, and he began flipping through them.

The minutes crawled by slowly, and Vincent found himself reverting to his paperwork, actually finishing it. After paperwork, he put his computer away, and pulled out his rifle, slowly fiddling with it.

Two O’clock was years away, and it was announced when Kira opened the screen door to their balcony, back from whatever endeavor she had traveled off to. When Vincent looked up at her, he smiled, her soft creamy skin glowing against the black background of the night sky.

In a soft, salmon blouse and creamy skirt, Kira shivered. Her long red hair, which was braided down to her waist and tied in a black ribbon, was completely soaked with water. “Uinseann.” She breathed, her soft lips closer to an icy blue.

The black ribbon was the only remnant left of her mother that she possessed. And she had not worn it in weeks. Just after they had gotten married, to be exact. It was the only physical material that she never parted with. Unless it was taken.

Taking things was always Brian’s M.O.

“Kira.” He jumped up and rushed over to her, bringing his arms around her shoulders and taking her in to lean against his chest. The instant he touched her, he knew. It was not the smell of her hair, or the feeling of her skin. Or even her silent posture.

Vincent knew. Kira had been with Brian. Vampires had always left their mark on their prey, and Brian was no different.

“Did you eat?” Her voice was a little more than a whisper. Kira’s voice had always been soft, but this was quiet, even for her.

Slowly, he combed his fingers through her hair, his eyes staring back at himself from the reflection of the balcony glass doors. “No, I was waiting for you.” He knew that something was wrong, and the more she talked, the more he knew that she knew something was wrong, as well. Kira was actually talking to him, physically, not telepathically. And she only spoke when she had something important to say.

“You should eat, Uinseann.” She slowly pulled away and took his hand, leading him to the table. Once again, she was trying to make sure he was cared for, regardless of what her news could do.

“Kira.” Vincent did not move. He pulled back on her hand, not letting her go. His strength was much greater than hers and it was easy to pull her back to face him. “Tell me what happened.” His voice was soft, and stern. It was clear that he was not going to drop it.

Kira met his eyes, her blue ones the same hue as the night sky before it began to turn purple with dawn’s approach. The color they turned when she was miserable.  “I kept my promise, Uinseann. I do not think I will see Brian again.”

She kept her…? Of course he would.

Brian had convinced her to promise him.

No. Kira had promised to give herself to Brian. Looking down in her eyes, Vincent knew that it was never going to stop, unless she stopped. “Kira.” He would not explain to her what she had done wrong. The girl knew herself. Lifting her chin up, he brushed her cheek with his thumb, and then her lips. “Promise me you will never see him again, Kira. Ever.”

His tone was strict, something he never used when speaking to her. It was commanding, and dominating, and he did not care. He wanted her. And he wanted Brian out of the picture, for good. The only way to do that was for her to stop seeing him.

Kira looked surprised at his tone and request. “Vincent…” His name. She had used his name. “I don’t understand… You told me I could keep my promises. Why are you so angry?”

“You know why I’m angry, Kira.”

“But you knew, Vincent. I asked you before I said yes to being your girlfriend. And I asked you again when you asked me to marry you. You should not be angry if you knew.”

“You never told me what your promise was, Kira.” If it had been a year ago, he would have allowed her ignorance to pass as truth. But, he could see in her eyes that she understood. “Promise me, you will never go to him again, Kira.” He was being demanding, but he had to be.

“You never asked.” She stared up at him. She felt the guilt. She did not know why. Maybe it was because she knew that this would hurt him, and she hated seeing him unhappy. She kept silent for a moment, watching him, and trying to understand her own feelings. Finally, she looked away. “I promise, Vincent…” Her words were hardly above a breath.

He brushed his thumb under her eye, expecting a tear to be there. It was dry. He smiled, but only slightly. “Thank you, Kira.” Leaning down, he kissed her softly. He would prepare a nice hot cup of tea and bundle her up in blankets to chase the chill away. Vincent would make sure that Kira never regretted her decision.

Gliding his hand down to her waist, he gently took ahold of the end of her braid, and held the ribbon within his grasp. Now, it was truly over.

… At least, he had believed that, up until he held his newborn. Smoothing the white filaments along Asher’s little head, Vincent leaned back as he rocked the child gently. Brian had so cleverly woven himself within their lives, leaving his mark like bleach stain on their children.

The younger male had broken the only rule he followed in his code of women. No adultery. Vincent still should not have been surprised. It was Kira and Ashley; the two Brian could not get enough of.

He pushed the shock away, and settled his mind in a state of content. He would make Brian pay, in a way the younger man would not be able to handle, emotionally.

Brian had left something behind with Kira, and Vincent would make sure Brian never got it back. Asher was his and Vincent would show Brian how happy Asher would be with him, forcing Brian to watch from the outside, looking in.

And he would make Brian regret ever messing with his wife.

 

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