Clara's P.O.V

Clara's heels clicked against the wooden floors as she headed towards the mahogany double doors. Her boss had sent word for her to join him in his office and she was immediately nervous. Whenever someone was to join him in his office, they were usually getting fired. She had filled out all of her reports and emailed them to him before the deadline, so why does he want to see her?

The gold and black name plate gleamed "Prince Devitt". Clara took a deep breath and tapped her knuckles against the door. There was some shuffling of furniture and then silence.

"Come in" his heavy Irish accent called from behind the door.

Clara pushed the doors open and stepped inside. She hadn't been in there since she was hired in six months ago. The ivory walls made the room welcoming. The black furniture contrasted against the snow white carpet which made Clara not want to step foot into the room. He was standing by the large window panes on the right side of the room, that framed the setting sun as if it were a motion painting. His office was gorgeous.

"Hello Mr. Devitt"

"Hello Miss Pearson. Please have a seat"

Clara carefully stepped into the room. She looked over her shoulder to make sure she didn't leave any dirt behind her. Prince cracked a grin at her, his blue eyes crinkling in the corners.

"It's alright Miss Pearson. You won't hurt the carpet"

Clara sat down in the soft leather chair and waited for Prince to join her by his desk. He cleared his throat and opened a folder laying on his desk. He looked up at her through his dark lashes and smiled at her again.

"I bet you're wondering why you're in here"

"I am sir"

"Well for starters I want to congratulate you on the work you've accomplished since you've been here. You've been doing a fantastic job here at F&F Enterprises"

Clara slipped her hands underneath her thighs to steady them from shaking. Was this the calm before the storm? Prince unbuttoned the top button of his black shirt. Clara's eyes followed as his fingers worked on his shirt.

"Th-thank you sir"

"No, thank you for allowing us to have you here. I asked you to come in here because I wanted to offer you a position in the advisory department"

Clara's throat closed up. The advisory department worked fairly close with him and his other partners. Only the best of the best get considered for that position.

"Me? In advisory? I would love that. Thank you so much Mr. Devitt"

"It's not a problem at all and please, call me Prince"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you Prince"

Prince looked out of the window at the darkening sky.

"Thank you for your time Miss Pearson. May I walk you to your car?"

"If you'd like to"

"I'd love to"

Prince walked Clara out of his office. Clara could feel the eyes of some of the other employees watching the two of them walk to the elevator. She only guessed that he doesn't do this often. Prince pushed the little white button on the black marble elevator. Clara's nerves were ricocheting through her body. The smell of Prince's cologne was getting stronger and stronger. The musky scent would be embedded in her memories for a while.

The doors opened and Prince invited Clara to go in first. Clara bit down on bottom lip to stop it from trembling. Her nerves were definitely getting the best of her. Her eyes kept cutting over to him, standing opposite of her. His arms were placed behind his back while his head rested against the wall. Why did he have to be on the twenty-sixth floor? It's as if everything was moving in slow motion.

Ding Ding

The doors slowly opened and Clara stepped out onto the fifteenth floor. Prince followed close behind her as she headed over to her cubicle to retrieve her belongings.

"Hey Clara, did you still want to come to my place toni-oh"

Clara turned her head to her left where her coworker, Lynn, was leaning on the wall of the cubicle.

"Hi Mr. Devitt" Lynn squeaked out.

"Hello Lynn, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Were there last minute rounds that I didn't hear about?" Lynn asked.

"Not at all. I was just going to walk Miss Pearson to her car" Prince explained.

"Oh, well then. I guess I'll talk to you later Clara"

"Yeah, I'll call you before I head over to your place"

"That sounds like a plan"

Clara grabbed her purse and jacket and faced Prince. The two walked back to the elevator. Clara was silently praying that the ride to the parking garage would go faster. She watched as each number lit up, getting closer and closer. When the doors opened for the parking garage, Clara looked around before walking out.

"Been mugged out here or something?" Prince asked.

"No, I'm just used to being out here alone and I always look around before going to my car"

"Smart woman" Prince joked.

Clara walked over to the small black mustang. After she unlocked it, Prince opened the door for her.

"Thank you Prince"

"You're welcome Clara. Have a good night"

Prince winked at her before closing the door. He stood off to the side and watched as she pulled off. Clara looked in her rearview mirror and saw him watching her drive away. As he turned to walk away, he stopped shortly to shake his head. He looked back once more and walked away.

Prince stared into the mirror inside of his office. All of his employees had gone home for the day. Prince would have been gone too but he had a last minute meeting with an important associate. He examined his blue eyes in the mirror and noticed a bit of redness. He blinked his eyes rapidly, hoping it would clear up. Prince walked over to the table on his left to pour himself a glass of whiskey. He would need it for this particular meeting.

"Hello there Finn"

Prince narrowed his eyes and glared over his shoulder. She stood there in an all-white dress with a red fur cowl around her neck. Her eyes were pierced through him as she pushed away the graying hair surrounding her face.

"Hello Siobahn"

Siobahn pursed her lips and laid her bag down on his desk. She crossed the room and draped her arms over his shoulders.

"Now is that any way to greet your mother?"

"It is whenever you call me Finn. My name is Prince"

"That is not the name I gave you. Your name is Finn"

Prince rolled his eyes and took a swig of his drink. Visits from his mother were rarely pleasant. She had a very imposing personality and hardly knew the definition of space. She never planned on telling him of her arrivals ahead of time. It was always a text message stating that she was however many minutes away.

"I've told you dozens of times that I changed my name. Finn is the name that you and him put on me. I'm a grown man now and can make my own decisions and that includes changing my name"

Siobahn leaned against his desk and crossed her arms.

"Speaking of decisions, have you found a-"

"No"

Siobahn rolled her eyes at her son.

"Finn we've talked about this. You must have an heir. Who else is going to inherit all of this once you go?"

"Mother, you and I both know inheritance isn't what you're concerned about. You want me to have a child so that thing you screw can have another soul to claim"

"That thing you are referring to is your father. And this isn't about souls Finn. This is all about life. When you die, and you will die, who is going to carry on the name and legacy of our family? Everyone in Ireland respects the Devitt lineage and I will not let my only offspring be the one to mess it up. Now you find a woman, so you can have children or next time it won't be me that comes to see you. It'll be him"

Prince rolled his eyes. He snapped his fingers and Siobahn disappeared. He never understood why she was so adamant about him having children. He refused to put the pain and heartache he experienced as a child onto an innocent baby. It just wasn't in him.

No more hiding.

Prince shook his head and tipped back the rest of his drink.

Let me out.

This was going to be a long night.

It's been three weeks since Prince promoted Clara and she was doing an excellent job. She was a fast learner and didn't give him any problems. Prince got the chance to get closer to her and get to know her better. He found Clara to be quite witty and sweet. He also started to take notice on how her eyes would sparkle when she laughed and how she would try hide her face when she was complimented on something. She was truly a gem.

He was sketching at his desk when someone knocked on his door. He pushed the papers to the side and called for them to come in. Clara pushed the door open and stepped inside of his office with a small box in her hand.

"Hello Clara"

"Hey. This was on my desk and it's addressed to me from you"

Clara placed the box on his desk and slid it over to him. Prince opened the box and sighed. It was a small note and crystal rose. The note was asking her out to dinner. He was sure his mother was behind this. She was always watching him.

"Clara I am so sorry"

"There's no need to apologize. I just didn't think this kind of behavior was appropriate for the work place"

"It's not and I am-"

"But if you would like to have dinner some time, I am okay with that" Clara finished.

Prince looked into Clara's eyes. He did like her but he was afraid of dragging her into his world.

"You would like to have dinner with me?" Prince asked

"Yes, I would"

"How about tonight? If you don't have plans"

"Tonight would be great"

Clara grabbed the box and turned to walk away when his sketches caught her eye. She hurried and grabbed the paper before he could and looked over it. It was a very distinct drawing of a person with strange markings and drawings over his body.

"You draw this?"

"Uh, yeah"

"It's really good. Is it an Irish thing?" Clara joked.

"That's very cute Clara. It's actually from a crazy dream I had last night. It's been on my mind all day"

"I'm very good at dreams if you want to tell me about it"

"I'll gladly tell you about it tonight at dinner"

"Tonight then"

Clara smiled at Prince and walked out of his office. Prince waited until she walked out of the room to look back at the picture. It seemed as if the person on the page was calling to him.

Set me free.

She couldn't believe that she was sitting here in his house. Prince had picked her up from her apartment and brought her to his Tampa home. He had told her he had food catered special, just for the two of them. He was standing at the bar by his patio doors, pouring two glasses of wine. Clara gently dug her heels into the red rug of his living room. This was so unprofessional but it felt so right at the same time.

Prince walked over to her and handed her the wine glass. She graciously told him thank you and took a sip. It was very sweet and she was sure quite expensive. She felt him watch her take the sips of her drink. Her eyes caught his and he didn't bother to look away.

"So do you want to tell me about your dream?" Clara asked.

"Sure. I was here in my home, just got out of the shower and the person in the mirror wasn't me. It felt like me but he looked exactly like the guy in my drawing"

"Maybe your dream is telling you that there's a side of you that you need to embrace. A side of you that you've been neglecting"

Clara saw something flicker behind his eyes. Confusion? Anger? She couldn't tell but it wasn't a friendly look.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe there is a side of me that I need to embrace or maybe there's a person I need to embrace"

"A person?"

Prince looked over at Clara. He gently grabbed onto her chin and pulled her closer to him.

"If you want me to stop, please say stop"

"Go"

Prince pressed his lips to her and pulled her body closer to his. His hands gently caressed the tops of her thighs. Clara grabbed on to the bottom of his shirt and pushed it up his body, breaking their kiss. Her eyes scanned his body and stopped at his beautiful abs. She was at a loss for words.

"Are you alright Clara?"

"I'm okay. I'm okay"

Prince gabbed onto Clara's thighs and pulled her onto his lap. His lips trailed down her neck and he gently bit down on her collar bone.

"Let's go to my bedroom, yeah?"

"Yes please"

Prince carried Clara to his bedroom down the hall. He laid her in his bed and climbed over her body. He unzipped her dress and pulled it down her body. He gently kissed the tops of her breasts before ripping her bra from her body.

"I'm going to go slow for you Clara"

"Please don't.

Prince stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom, staring down at the hickeys that scattered across his chest. The dark purple bruises stung a bit but it wasn't anything he couldn't take. He smiled to himself as he thought about the beauty that lay naked in his bed. The food had been forgotten as it still sits on the table in their containers. Prince couldn't help himself, and Clara was thinking the same thing. He knew his back resembled a war zone from the scratching she had done. Clara was indeed something special.

"Well it's good to see you son"

Prince jumped at the voice that came from behind him. He turned around to see his father, leaning against the bathroom doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to check up on my favorite and most problematic child"

Prince's father fixed the cuffs on his red shirt as he stared his son in the eye.

"What is it with you and my mother? I know why you're here and my answer is no. I am not going to get some poor woman pregnant just to spawn another monster into this world"

Prince's father laughed. It was a deep, warm sound that filled the room.

"You can be so dumb sometimes my child. I already know your decisions before you even make them and you will end up getting someone pregnant. In fact, it is the very same woman in your bed right now. You can try to deny it all you want but you are drawn to that woman in more than just a physical sense. You want her and you will have her"

"No. I won't do that to her. I'm going to prove you wrong"

"Have you heard his voice?"

"Shut up" Prince spat.

"I'll take that as a yes. You can't keep him contained Finn. Let him go"

Prince turned around to admonish his father but he was already gone. Prince knew deep down that his father was right. He didn't want him to be right but he couldn't help the inevitable. Maybe he should embrace who he really is. It is his destiny and he can't fight destiny.

Can we fight our true nature? Become something we are not? Can we use our light to conceal our darkness?

"No" Prince answered.

There are no more barriers for me. This mask I wear will soon melt away. All is mine. Tremble before me. I will tear down what separates me and become my true self. Accept me. Set me free.

"Yes" Prince growled.

A tingling sensation took over his body. Prince grabbed on to the sink to keep his body from dropping to the ground.

Don't fight. Accept me

Prince's body dropped to the floor. The feeling surged through him, causing his body to contort and shudder.

Name

"Prince"

Name!

"Prince"

What is your name?!

"Finn. Finn Bálor"

Good. Look at us. Take us in. Embrace the two of us together.

He picked himself up off of the floor and stared at himself in the mirror. He closed his eyes and slowly opened them again. This was who he was inside. He had to embrace it.

"Prince, are you okay?" Clara called from the other side of the door.

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine"

"Are you coming back to bed?"

"I'll be there in a minute"

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you"

Prince looked at himself one last time before he started to fade back into his human form.

"Finn Bálor. I can get used to this"

Prince walked out of the bathroom and headed back to his bedroom. It was time to start his new life, embracing his true form.