When we landed Nik got a taxi. He decompelled me before texting. We got out at a hospital. I was surprised when Tristan and Aurora appeared. I took a step back.
"Hello Lucien, Klaus." Tristan greeted.
"Yes, nice to see you." Nik replied. "Lucien is back. Did Aurora tell you what I told her?"
"Quite. Now if you will excuse Lucien, my sister, and I we will be on our way."
"Tristan-" I began, trying to wheedle my way out of what I knew was coming.
"Silence Lucien." Tristan ordered. He grabbed my forearm and we vamped away from Klaus and into a house. There he sat me in a chair followed by forcing Aurora into a chair. Apparently, we were both in trouble.
"Tristan, if you give me a minute to explain-" He gave me a dark look and I looked away from him. I know that look. He's about ready to throw one or both of us over his lap.
"I don't want any excuses from either of you." I looked back at him sullenly. He had his arms behind his back, hands together at the lower part of his back. Aurora shot up but was shoved back in her chair.
"What did I do?" She demanded, almost screaming.
"Well you murdered those monks so you could come to New Orleans when it was obvious you were strictly not to. Then you teamed up with Lucien to kill our sires. You also poisoned Lucien's witch who could have been useful to find out what was really going on with Lucien. Need I remind you what you did Lucien?" I glared at him.
"No, actually I think I quite understand what I 'did'."
"Well then. On to business. Since you two have been unruly children, I have no choice but to punish you. As such you will both be grounded for a whole week, starting tomorrow of course. Today I would suggest catching up on your feeding schedule because you won't be getting any blood for two weeks. Any consumption of blood will result in an added lesson on disobedience. You will both be receiving five lessons. Not in the same day, though. I do not wish to be cruel. You have a week, seven days, to choose from. As I have said, you both will receive five lessons. You two need not choose the same day. Lesson five, however, will have to be agreed upon the date by both of you. If you do not agree which day to receive lesson five, then I shall deliver lesson five on Sunday. Finally, lesson five cannot occur before the other lessons. We will be going in sequential order. I suppose the both of you know how to count?" He waited for an objection, when he got none since we could both count to five, he continued. "Am I understood?" This time he wanted a 'yes'. This reminded me of the time, the only time we 'misbehaved' as bad as we 'have' was when Tristan grounded Aurora and left her in a building and I went and rescued her, killing the guards he'd left. We couldn't sit for weeks afterward.
I stood up to get in his face, while he didn't flinch a bit. "I will not abide by these silly little rules you make anymore, Tristan! You lost all the authority you had over me when I stopped being your servant!" He flipped me around and delivered three swats to my rear. I hissed more in surprise than the pain.
"You're right about one thing Lucien. You are not my servant any longer. You are in fact something much more dear." He delivered another three swats to my bottom. Then he flipped me around and looked me in the eye. "You are my little brother. Something much more dear to me than a servant boy." To emphasis his point, he delivered a kiss to my forehead. "Sit." I sullenly obeyed him. "Am I understood?" He asked again.
"And if we refuse, dear brother?" Tristan returned Aurora's bright smile with one of his own smiles.
"Then I will simply have to give you both a lesson right now while still planning on the original five lessons as well." Aurora and I looked away, blushing. We had no choice. I met Aurora's gaze and she sighed.
"Fine. I understand."
"Without the tone please, dear sister, otherwise I think you're being sarcastic."
"I understand Tri." Tristan looked at me.
"What about you Lucien?" I glared at him, huffing.
"I understand, my liege." Tristan was not amused.
"Lucien!"
"I get it Tristan." I replied. He gave me a warning look before lighting up.
"Very well. I'll allow the two of you to decide if you want to feed before these two weeks without blood. I suggest you take advantage." With that he planted about twenty blood bags on the table. Aurora and I got up and approached the blood bags, knowing it was best to feed now than regret it later.
"You do understand what Tristan said, right?" I asked Aurora when we were alone in the room.
"Five lessons, seven days." She replied. I sighed. Obviously not.
"What is seven minus five?" I asked absent mindedly, determined not to make Aurora think I was calling her stupid.
"The answer is two Lucien. Like the two of us."
"Oh! So we have only two days for a break during the whole week." Her eyes widened.
"That is so unfair." I smirked.
"I know." She rolled her eyes.
"There's nothing we can do about it though. Tri will just send the Strix after us."
"Unless we kill the Strix."
"Good luck." She replied. I sighed, leaning back as I continued to feed. "We can't even stand up to him together." She shivered. "Remember last time?" I grimaced.
"I'd like to not think about painful memories really. Especially at this point in time." I replied. "So… you killed my witch."
"Yes. I didn't like what she told me."
"Nik has a worse temper than you, yet he didn't kill her, despite how many times he abused her."
"Oh poor Lucien, what will you do without your fortune teller."
"She was more than a fortune teller, Aurora." I retorted. "We're getting off track. If we only have two days for a break, then much of the week Tristan will be-"
"Wait if there's only two day break, much of the 'lessons' will be taking place on the same day!"
"Yes, that too." I replied, happy she was beginning to think and understand what Tristan had told us.
"And we're not allowed to skip about the numbers, we have to go in order."
"Yes."
"So much for it not having to be on the same day. Tristan is being totally unfair about this!"
"So much for that indeed."
"I'm going to go tell Tristan how unfair he's being!" She looked at me, giving me a beautiful smile. "Will you join me?"
"Of course, he's more likely to change his mind if the both of us complain." I replied sarcastically. If anything we'd just get scolded. With that she turned and walked out the room, a blood bag in hand "Rora!" I called after her. She poked her head in.
"Aren't you coming?" She asked.
"Neither of us are." I replied. "Tristan won't care. He'll consider it rebellion he needs to squash."
"So what? We're just supposed to take it?"
"Pretty much. We can't run from it, we can't fight it. Consider it a problem we have to face. I don't want you getting in trouble with your older brother."
"You worry too much."
"You're acting just like your sire." I grumbled. She completely ignored me and her head was gone. Meaning she's gone to find her brother. I grabbed half of the rest of the blood bags and went to find a room to claim as my own. I'd love to go back to my pent house but that's all the way in New Orleans. Where Klaus will probably just take me back to Tristan. What type of sire is that? I for one thought we were friends.
It took a while but I finally found a room to claim and sat down on the chair, drinking my share of the blood bags. I was taking advantage of the ability to sit, and the ability to feed. What was it he had said about being grounded? Could I leave or was I grounded? It started tomorrow!
I quickly drained the blood bags before going out to find prey and feed. This way I could also take advantage of the freedom I had right now.
…
I'd been called back by Tristan to the house for dinner and I couldn't look him in the eye at all, knowing what was to come. I noticed that not even his sister could look him in the eye, instead she just looked sullenly off into the distance.
"How has your day been, Aurora?" Tristan asked. Aurora huffed.
"It was great, Tristan, until I heard what you had to say before lunch."
"I understand your sulkiness sister, but surely it couldn't have ruined your whole day?" Rora just pouted. Tristan then looked at me. "What about you Lucien? How has your day been?" I cringed my eyes closed before calming down enough to answer.
"Awful. I was powerful and now I'm not." I replied simply.
"Tristan?" Aurora said, speaking up of her own accord for once during dinner. We both looked at her, I was surprised. Tristan was happy. "You know how you can brighten my day?" She asked. Tristan suddenly looked suspicious.
"What might that be dear sister?" Tristan asked.
"If you say that you changed your mind about the next two weeks and instead take Lucien and I to the movies." She replied. Tristan gave a stern frown.
"How could I simply change my mind about punishing bad behaviour and instead rewarding it?"
"You could take us to see a movie we hate."
"This would not be as effective at deterring further abhorrent behaviour."
"Well what if it was just Lucien?"
"No." He said simply. I turned my head and glared at the lit fireplace.
"What if it's just me?"
"No." He said again. Rora batted her eyes and gave a dazzling smile, something that would have me say yes to anything she was begging for.
"Not even for me? Your favourite, dearest, youngest, sweetest, adoring, caring, sister?" She asked. Tristan smiled.
"No. Not even for my favourite, dearest, youngest, sweetest, adoring, caring, sister." I perked up.
"What about for me?" I asked.
"No."
"What if I were to ask if I could take Aurora's punishment?"
"I would have to tell you no."
"What if I offered to take Lucien's?" Rora asked.
"Again, I would have to say no. Are we done bartering now?" He asked.
"Not until you agree." I heard Tristan become more stern toward her.
"Perhaps I should send you to bed without a full stomach."
"Tristan." Rora complained. With that Tristan moved on.
"Since you won't be able to change the day you choose when that day comes, I would like to know if either of you would like to choose Monday." When Aurora opened her mouth to complain and I finally looked up at him to retort, he went on. "Or we could have a short lesson tonight." I looked down, blushing and Aurora went quiet.
"I- I would like Monday." She said hesitantly when we were getting dessert.
"Are you sure?" Tristan asked.
"Yes." She replied.
"Very well. What about you Lucien?" I glared at him.
"I'd rather wait, if it doesn't bother you all that much." He pulled my dessert away from me.
"I don't mind, however, I think it time you went to bed. You two have already been warned about your behaviour." I stared at him obstinately.
"I actually don't feel that tired."
"It wasn't a request."
"Oh, so it's a decree?" Before I knew it, I was out of my chair and my bottom lightly stung. I let him turn me to face him.
"That is only a taste of what you'll be receiving if you don't. Go. To. Sleep." He delivered a swat with each of the three words he said. He released me slowly and I headed out of the dining room and walked up the stairs to my room where I set a bath of cold water before getting in. Sad thing really. Vampires don't get cold.
When my bath was over, I got out and angrily pulled on pyjamas and got into bed on my stomach, head turned to the wall against my bed. I noticed the light flicked on for a minute before flicking back off. I heard footsteps and quickly closed my eyes. I felt a soft, gentle kiss placed atop my head and then I heard the footsteps fading before the door closed and the footsteps were gone.
I rolled over onto my back.
This week was going to be hell.