* Sorry for the hiatus. Back to the grind.

Chapter 21

The night before

Reiji had tried to forget the incident that happened. Her mother was hovering though, watching from a distance. Oleta didn't really notice and continued as she always had, the school and instructors had excused her from most of her classes since she had more than passed all of them. He was so proud of her. Loved her. The fact that her mother had come forward bothered him, Reiji didn't want to share her. If Oleta knew her mother was alive, not only would there would be an immense amount of drama but her mother would want to 'catch up'. Oleta's little robot had won some awards and showed him the letters, she was so happy and proud and so was he. Reiji made sure to the entire house knew of it. Laito glared at him and walked away, for someone who didn't want his progeny to get attention from other men, he made sure she was in the lime light.

He watched her fumble about, trying to organize code that she had designed for an 'app' she had come up with. Reiji watched everything she was doing, he had to be honest, Oleta was a bit clumsy for a vampire but she could be anything she wanted as far as he was concerned. Still, his father's invitation for dinner loomed over their heads like an anvil but she thought nothing about it. Why would she? How could his little progeny know that her mother was the one she kept seeing and skulking around? What was this game his father was playing at? It made sense though that his father would pick a useful woman, but he hadn't thrown her away yet and now….? If any designs were made on Oleta, he wouldn't have it!

"Reiji…? Reiji…, are you okay?" Oleta smiled innocently. "You seem a bit distracted lately? Is it your father again? I know you don't like him..."

"Ah, I guess you're right. My father is an enigma and you never know what he wants until he wants it. That's why unexpected invitations like this are not exactly something to look forward to."

"I have to be honest, your father scares me but… I try not to think about it. I know you'll be there with me and that's good, right?" she smiled.

How he loved that smile. If his father did anything to hurt Oleta…, "yes, I will be. I'll make sure you're safe." She kissed him and giggled, then he made love to her. Reiji wanted a child. He had decided. "I want an heir, Oleta…."

"Now?"

"We don't have to force it...but I won't be as careful, I've decided. Do you understand?" His stare was direct and meaningful. "I love you and I've been waiting but my instincts say otherwise…," she did nothing but kiss him and accept what he gave her, if her sire wanted to impregnate her, then so be it.

They rutted like wild animals for the rest of the night, clawing and dominating each other, Reiji especially. His howling and grunting angered Laito and Shu but only annoyed the rest of the house. Ayato held his hands to his ears, "couldn't he wait until they moved into their own house? I mean, we have good installation but seriously...he's clearly trying to put a child in her!"

Yui smiled, "he's been holding back, I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner..."

"How can you smile with all this racket?" Then Ayato looked curious as Yui stripped and made face.

"Why don't we give them something to compete with?"

….

Reiji did decide to hold back because he thought better about it. Oleta had much to do and they had time, so he worshiped her instead, "I have a gift for you."

"You don't have to get me anything, you've already given me everything I need."

"Yes, and I'm giving you something else you need?"

She looked confused for a second and then opened a long, thin box. Perhaps flowers but she wasn't really a girl that enjoyed flowers. And there it was, a rapier. Holding it carefully, it was a well balanced sword made just for her size and the weight was perfect. It was beautiful as well, engraved with an elegant design, clearly made for a woman. "Ah...is this for my sparring?"

"I had it commissioned while we were in France, it's made a highly revered sword maker who knows what families like mine expect. You've finally progressed enough to where I can give you this. It comes with a specific poison that effects us. If you find yourself in a situation, apply it and it will slow down your attacker. You're fast enough to get one good strike in." Reiji saw Oleta's face and she looked fairly sad, "I wish this wasn't a thought, that I could say to you that nothing bad will ever happen...but I've had offers to buy you, to taste you even after the wedding. That boy's parents, the one that approached you, have made offers as well."

"Wait, what…? He's too young! He wouldn't even know how to…. It's so...so…," there was this disgusted look across her face.

"Tacky," her husband finished and smiled when his wife nodded. "Regardless, if you were a pureblood they wouldn't dare asked. I told you, the turned are not viewed as their own being, they are viewed as property, property that can be sold and traded."

"But, the sire..."

"It's rare for a pureblood to turn a human because they love them, they turn them to have a useful servant if they're sensed to be special. Still, their son wants you. If I were to give you to them, you would play with him and help take care of him and when he was ready to mate, you would yield. If you were his favorite, you'd be a concubine but never a wife. Partly because you were made by another and partly because you are not a pureblood."

"It sounds like a horrible life..."

"They would have taken care of you, mostly because the boy would demand it. Yet I know they sensed your value and are just using the boy as an excuse," he said, "it doesn't really matter anyway. I'm sure I'll see him when he's grown at some point, challenging me and then wishing he hadn't."

Oleta put the sword away in a safe place, it was a beautiful weapon but a weapon nonetheless. Then she heard Yui and Ayato and giggled, "guess they're in competition."

"Honestly, I can't wait until the house is done."

"Won't it bother you not to have people to order around besides me?"

"Aren't you full of jokes? While I understand that I'll still have to clean up after Shu now and then, I would rather run my own house, you are a lot less of a hassle then my brothers and I look forward to you being able to focus on your work without Laito leering at you and challenging me. I should have never let him taste your blood but I thought it would actually be helpful." Reiji noticed how she looked at him, "what?"

"Nothing, you're just more casual with me now. Talking me like you do your brothers."

"Trust me, I'm not talking to you like I do my brothers but I'm more relaxed because the formalities are out of the way, you are my wife in vampire law now. Before there was still a chance that someone may try to interfere, now, no one can. Not even my own father."

"I see," Oleta sat in his lap. They purred at each other, being one with each other in a way no human or a pair of purebloods could understand.

…

Regina drank the blood that was given to her and looked up at her sire, "when will be the dinner party?"

"I have decided tomorrow night," Karl looked down at her. "I'm proud that you've managed to control yourself despite your maternal instincts."

"It has been hard, seeing my daughter…."

"Once she knows what happened you two can reconcile and know each other again. I'm sure it will be a shock to her but she'll embrace you without any issues."

"She'll want to know how we met, Karl. Why you took me from her father."

"I took you because I love you. Like her, you were not easily swayed. It was annoying but I got my way."

"By killing my husband."

"I am your husband now. Has she not been provided for? Had I known the she was in the car, I would have waited, but I was impulsive and I'm sorry. At least you're talking to me now."

"Well, you did wait all these years to tell me the truth...that you caused that truck to hit us. But at least you helped save Oleta..."

"I could have let them both die but it just wasn't in me. I have children myself, obviously. Ungrateful ones, but I have them. I may be a demon but I'm one that knows the worst fear of a parent...though my own sons don't think I would mourn them. Plus, if she had died, Reiji never would have found his true mate and we would have never known we have a special breed in the family and I, a daughter," the Vampire King smiled.

"Karl...you will protect her, won't you? I've heard of these cults and I worry...she's so gentle, she always has been. Kind. And I worry that might be used against her."

"Oh, it absolutely would be. Our world is a cruel one, you know this already. Being my wife has given you many benefits but also comes with many restrictions and deficits. So many have challenged you and I trained you well."

"You pitted me against them, what choice did I have?"

"Don't be silly. Had they tried to truly kill you, of course I would have stepped in and turned them to dust. But you needed practice."

Regina looked at him coldly, "there are better ways to train someone..."

"But I also had to prove you were strong enough to be my mate and I did. Now…," Karl waived his hand around the room. "Look, no one. I gave you my blood. A vampire king's blood. You might as well be a pureblood."

She sighed, "my point being is...please, don't...don't toy with her. She won't understand."

"I don't intend to. I have made my mistakes and sons are different than daughters. A daughter should be taken care of by her father, spoiled. Oleta will have anything she wants. 100 computers, her own labs and as many degrees as she wishes to collect. Of course you'll have to help her pick her outfits, don't leave it all to Reiji, she needs a woman's perspective."

Regina actually smiled, "true, I remember one Halloween, while all the other little girls wanted to be a princess or a mermaid, even a female superhero...she wanted to be a Rubik's Cube."

He laughed, "a Rubik's Cube?"

"She said that a few of the children said she was really hard to figure out and it made her happy because she said she was just like a Rubik's Cube, hard to figure out but everyone still always wanted to play with it. That was true. People had a hard time figuring her out, we didn't know if she had a disability or something else but everyone just loved her anyway. Then we moved to Japan and...well, this happened and...just her being an American and...it was the reverse but I'm glad she found her way."

"You were there, Regina. I just couldn't let you go near her because you were learning to control your thirst and she smelled lovely. It would have been too much of a temptation for you, you could have killed her. Now, it's different. Now you can have a family, one that cannot die so easily if at all. Enjoy it."

…..

Reiji was picking out the perfect outfit for Oleta to wear to dinner, holding the dresses up to her neck and deciding whether or not she should wear her up or down. She rolled her eyes, "just pick one...they're all pretty. And you have fifty dresses out right now, why so many?"

"All are different styles and different moods. You have heard that the clothes make the man, right? The same goes for women...Red is too flashy, plus you have red hair so that's redundant. Pink isn't really you, blue matches your eyes and green, depending on the shade, can either make you look elegant or like a Christmas tree."

"Then pick the blue one, it's a strong blue and it will bring out my eyes like you say..." Reiji cocked an eyebrow. "I do listen to you most of the time..."

"Fine. The blue then."

"I thought you didn't really care what you father thought?"

"He is still the vampire king, Oleta. We don't really dress for dinner here, but they will there. Plus, you are royalty now as well, a princess no less. You must dress the part."

Oleta started laughing, "you're joking, right? I'm a princess?"

"Yes. You're a princess."

"I don't really feel like one."

"Well, you don't act like one…."

"Reiji!"

"I actually meant that as a compliment."

"Sure you did," she said flatly.