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The air froze in my lungs as I tried to take in this new information. People's eyes didn't glow green and they certainly didn't move with that kind of speed. And yet, this man had both of those features. Before my next blink, the man whirled on Maximus who I just now noticed had been holding him back from attacking me.

A sick feeling gripped my stomach as another thought came to me, how had Maximus moved that fast? My head spun as the man was thrown forcibly back into the tree I had previously admired. The bark splintered and dented with the force behind the throw.

My mind screeched in denial as I watched Maximus advance on my attacker, that kind of strength wasn't possible! However, before I could even begin to try to logically analyze the situation, the man lunged forward and bit deeply into Maximus's shoulder. Blood rushed to the surface as Maximus let out a grunt.

I let out a choked scream when the man viciously shook his head as if trying to rip a chunk off of Maximus's shoulder. The scream died in my throat when Maximus's eyes glowed an eerie green to match our attackers. Terror gripped me as one thought came clearly, He isn't human.

Dimly, I felt myself shaking but I couldn't focus on anything other than my date, my date who wasn't human. It felt impossible, ridiculous to even contemplate, but there was no other explanation. He had unnatural strength, his speed was just a blur to my eyes and his eyes glowed. While I had no clue what he was, human wasn't it.

The fight was over almost as soon as it began. Maximus yanked a blade out seemingly nowhere and shoved it into the man's chest. My stomach lurched a final time as the man's body started to shrivel. I barely had the time to shift over the arm of my chair before I lost the contents of my stomach.

I heard Maximus curse, but I stayed bent over my chair as my stomach demanded I heave up every last drop of its contents. When I could focus past the awful taste in my mouth, I realized that hands were holding back my hair and stroking my back. Instinctually I jerked away from the touch, my voice came out broken and raw when I snapped. "Don't touch me!"

The hands disappeared so fast it made my head spin, the thought of not human, not human, not human! Repeating endlessly. My head pounded as my breathing increased to a dangerous rhythm. Before I could even think to breathe normally, I felt the onslaught of an attack start and I could tell this one was going to be ugly.

I sucked air into my lungs desperately, feeling as if I was suffocating despite logically knowing I was making it worse. My hands shook before I gripped the arm of my chair in an attempt to ground myself. Maximus's voice broke through my panic, I was too far gone to understand him but when I lifted my head I met his pained gaze.

He looked beyond worried, his hands half raised but obeying my command to not touch me despite the tips of his fingers twitching to do so. This time when he spoke, I understood him through my blind fear. "Zelda, I know this must be terrifying for you, but I can explain all of this. However, you need to calm down. If you don't want me to touch you again I won't, but you need to slow your breathing down. Can you breathe with me?"

The part of me that was still scared wanted to snap at him to stay far away from me, but something in his eyes stopped me. The previous happiness from not thirty minutes before was replaced by a gut wrenching pain, as if someone had taken his hope and shredded it into tiny pieces in front of him. The stormy eyes seemed to beg me to listen, to not reject him, so despite my fear demanding me to wheel myself in the other direction as fast as I could, I stayed.

I still couldn't think clearly enough to speak, but I nodded and was immediately rewarded with his relief. He moved to stand next to me while still not touching, "Okay, just breathe with me. Two in and one out." And so the minutes passed with me copying his breathing until I felt the worst of the panic die down and I could think again.

Immediately, questions began bombarding my mind one after the other with no pauses in between. What was he? Why had he taken the time to calm me down? Who was the man that attacked us and why? My head span from all the questions and I gripped it as a headache pierced my skull.

Forcing my eyes to his, I asked the first question that came to mind. "What are you?" Maximus grimaced, his hands fisting at his sides.

"I will explain what I am in detail later, but we need to get back to the castle now. I don't know if this was part of a plot to kidnap you and there are more enemies nearby or if it was a one off. We aren't safe here."

I couldn't stop myself from snapping, "And I'm safe with you?" My fear making the question drip with sarcasm. His face twisted in pain, the sight tugging on my heart before I stuffed my emotions back, now was not the time.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, but please cooperate with me. I can explain some of it on the way back but we need to move." I didn't like knowing that I put that pain in his eyes, but the thought of getting into a car with him while I didn't even know what he was didn't sit right with me.

His hand's twitching increased as desperation added itself to the cocktail of emotions I could see on his face. "Zelda, I would never do anything to hurt you. You have to believe that, if nothing else. I haven't done anything you haven't wanted since we met, I've stayed inside any boundary you've given me, and that was before you knew what I was. Nothing has changed, I'm still me. You just know more about me now."

His voice pleaded with me to not push him away, to not reject him for whatever he was. Biting my lip, I shivered as the cold bit through my blouse. He had a point, he could have hurt me at anytime if he wanted to. He could have walked away when I started to panic, but he stayed because he was worried about me. That should count for something.

"I don't know what to believe right now, I don't even know what you are, but do you promise to tell me everything when we get back to the house?" He nodded, relief showing plainly at my grudging acceptance.

"Just as soon as we get back, I'll tell you everything. But first I need to get you to safety and inform Vlad about this." I nodded, slowly moving to follow him as he gestured back toward the car while giving me a wide berth. Once we were settled into the seats and on our way, I leaned against the car door and wondered. Just what have I gotten myself into?

The surprises didn't stop coming when we reached the house, "You're all vampires?" If I sounded anymore incredulous my eyes would roll out of my head. Leila grimaced across from me, but nodded. We were sitting in the same room we had been in before, but now there was different tension to the air.

I was having difficulties swallowing this new information, supposedly not only was Maximus a fabled creature of the night, but so were both my sister and her husband. And pretty much everyone else in this place. My head throbbed as I took it all in, even as a part of me tried to find any other explanation I knew that what she was saying was true. Humans didn't have the strength and speed I saw Maximus use by the pond, which means that he wasn't human. Did it really matter what kind of species he was?

Vlad stood behind the couch, his eyes intently staring at me as I tried to comprehend all of it. His hands hadn't left Leila's shoulders since we had all sat down. The thought that my reactions could potentially hurt her sat like lead in my stomach. I hadn't gotten much time to talk to her yet, and this new information was terrifying to say the least, but as I remembered how excited she had been to hear about how my date would go and her helping me get ready so happily, I couldn't bring myself to hurt her feelings on purpose.

If I stayed here while I went over everything I would probably say or do something insensitive, in the hopes of avoiding that I spoke up. "This is a lot to take in, can I please go back to my room to think it over before I even try to come up with questions for you?"

Leila sagged with relief, furthering proving my decision was a good one, I would have felt guilty beyond belief if I had snapped at her from misguided stress. I noticed Vlad seemed to relax slightly as well, again I felt glad Leila had him. If my brief meeting with our father was anything like how he treated her then she would need all the love and support she could get. Leila's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Of course you can, I know that everything is stressful and it's terrifying to suddenly have your world flipped on its head. I'll be here when you want talk, I can answer any questions you have. Just have Maximus come and get me or bring you to me."

The mention of Maximus made me partially turn to where he lurked near the doorway. He hadn't moved since he had finished explaining the situation to Vlad. His eyes were trained on me, and they held the same exhausted resignation as they had in the park.

Speaking up before I lost my nerve, I turned back to Leila. "I need to discuss some things with Maximus later and most of my questions will probably be answered in that talk, but I would appreciate it if I could bring any other ones to you?"

Her eyes softened in understanding, she nodded her acceptance with no hurt in her gaze, to my relief. I moved to roll away only to stop when she shifted her arm out in the invitation for a hug. I could tell she was unsure where we stood again and while I felt like my skin was crawling with nerves I accepted the hug. I didn't let her hold on as long as before, but even the few seconds she did was difficult for me to hold still for. She must have sensed that, because she pulled back without hesitation.

Vlad's voice directed my attention away from her, "If you choose, I could remove the memory of what we are from your mind. You would keep everything else and you could still visit with my wife, but you wouldn't have the burden of this knowledge." He stood behind Leila, his eyes had lost some of their previous sharpness but were still intense when they looked at me.

I almost accepted his offer, the fear was overwhelming when faced with all the things I didn't know about the world I lived in, but I stopped myself. I glanced at Leila, who looked both hopeful and wary, and then to Maximus who had dropped his eyes to the floor, apparently already accepting my soon to be memory loss.

I couldn't do that to them, if I let Vlad erase my memory then I would be rejecting a major part of who they were. I wouldn't even know about my rejection, but they would and it would hurt them. "No, I appreciate the offer, but I want to keep my memories, all of them."

Maximus's head swiveled up to look at me, the previous downtrodden look disappearing behind a mixture of surprise and hope. I had to look away, the hope pulled on something in my chest that was too much to think on right now with everything else already on my mind.

I quickly made my exit before anyone could say or do anything to add to my already overwhelmed state. I only released a sigh of relief when I rolled into my room and shut the door. Now I could stop and try to figure this mess out…
_

It took the better part of three hours for me to calm down and analyse all of the new information, but by the end of that time I was moderately confident that I could speak rationally with Maximus. I had plenty of questions and we still had to have a very important conversation, I've learned that it is easier to do difficult things quickly so they were out of my way.

Rolling to the door, I peaked out into the hallway and called out. "Maximus?" I could barely count to three before his form blurred into focus in front of me. I was reminded of how quickly he caught me the night in the kitchen, I had written it off to reflexes then but I knew better now.

His face was carefully neutral as he stared at me, "Yes?" Even though his face gave no indication of what he was feeling, his eyes were as expressive as ever. They sparked with nerves and a wariness I wanted to wipe away, but before I could even think about that we needed to have a talk.

"Can we talk? We have a lot to discuss and I have loads of questions." He nodded, following behind me as I reentered the room. I fiddled with my hands as I put my words together and decided where I wanted to start.

"First, I want to thank you for staying to calm me down in the park. No one has ever bothered to stay to help me through an attack like that before and it really helped." He blinked, the only sign he gave that I had surprised him.

He tilted his head up with his eyes never leaving mine, his voice the same low caress as before. "Of course I stayed, I care too much for you to leave you in such a state. Especially considering I was partially responsible for your fear."

I smiled with no humor, "Well you did more than anyone else in my family has and I appreciate it." Losing my smile, I stared at him as I thought on my next words. "You really do care, don't you?"

He nods as his mouth twists sardonically, "If that isn't obvious by now then I'm going about this completely wrong." The attempt at humor pushed a weak chuckle from my lungs.

Even though his answer amused me, it confused me just as much. "But why? I'm nothing special, when you add in my emotional baggage most people would say I'm several miles below average." My voice was tinged with bitter pain as memories of various friends and family members words echoed back to me.

Maximus's eyes hardened as determination replaced his wariness. "Most people are idiots and can't see past their cocks. Nothing about you is anywhere near below average. You're beautiful inside and out, and if you would give me the chance I would like nothing more than to show you how you should be treated."

His eyes never left mine, as if he believed staring long and hard enough would convince me of his truthfulness. His frame was tensed as if expecting a blow. Maybe, he was expecting a hit, an emotional one. I closed my eyes, but I could still feel his gaze on me. I didn't know anything about him, besides him being a vampire, but I could fix that…

Opening my eyes, I made my decision. "Before the interruption, I was having a great time with you on our date and you're no different now than you were then. You haven't given me any reason to not trust you and I feel safe when I'm with you. I want to see where this goes, but you have to promise me that there are no more secrets. I can't be in a relationship with you if it means always wondering what else there is I don't know."

Maximus stared in disbelief, he hadn't dared to hope after how their date had gone that she would be willing to further their relationship. When he spoke, conviction range clearly in his voice, "I swear by my blood that I will hide nothing from you in regards to our relationship."

Before my next blink, he had a blade in his hand and dragged it across his palm. Jerking forward with a cry of surprise, I latched onto the arm with the knife. "What the hell are you doing?!"

A slow smile curled on his face, as if me stopping him from maiming himself were such a great deed. "Vampire's swear on our blood, it binds us to our promise. With this, my promise is bound in my blood and I will carry it out."

Shaking my head as the adrenaline rush drained out of me, I sat back and released his arm. "Next time say that first, I thought I was going to have to stop you from jamming that into your chest."

He chuckled, but nodded his agreement. The knife disappeared into his coat again and he turned to face me. His face was expectant and it took a minute for me to remember what we had been discussing before my heart attack.

"I've never done the whole dating thing with any degree of success, so you're going to need to walk me through it. What all does it entail?" I hated how unsure my voice was, but this was one of the most important questions I had before we started a relationship in earnest.

His face brightened, "I would take you on dates as often as my schedule allows and get to know you better. I enjoy spending time with you and would like to see where our relationship goes."

A smile pulled at my mouth, "You don't need to take me out on dates all the time. I enjoyed when we went out, but I liked baking cookies with you just as much." Although the idea of going out again without the big secret between them sounded divine in its own right.

"I know that and I figured some of our dates could be here on days you would prefer to be alone. I can bake more than cookies, after all, and I intend to show you every aspect of my talents." His smile was warm with promise of happiness, but his words and their double meaning brought my attention to another issue we had to discuss, but this one was much less pleasant.

"If we're seriously going to try this, then there's something you need to know before we get too far. I can't…do certain things, intimate things, thanks to the attack that took my legs. If you want me to talk about it I can, but I won't go into details. It's still too painful." After telling Leila, I was confident I could tell Maximus with no problems, but the idea of going into details was enough to make me queasy.

Stepping forward, Maximus sat on the bed next to me to be closer in height. His hand hovered over mine but didn't take it. I suddenly remembered my command in the clearing, I had told him not to touch me and he hadn't since. He was still abiding by that, even hours later. Warmth spread through my chest as I carefully linked our hands. His next words further cemented my belief I had made the right choice to trust him.

"If you feel like talking about it then I'm here to listen, but if you don't want to don't make yourself. You don't need to tell me why you don't want something, just let me know what not to do." Oh how I had craved to hear that sentence over the past few years!

His reassurance that he would follow any of my boundaries without needing explanation is what made me tell him. It came easier this time, it still hurt to remember the humiliation and pain of Lance's treatment of me, but it was also freeing. It had hurt when I tried to tell people before about my situation only to be brushed off as lying for attention. I knew that Maximus would never do such a thing and it was a nice feeling, that assuredness.

By the end of it, my hands shook in his but my eyes were dry. When I raised my gaze to his I jerked back at the brilliant glowing green that met me. He closed them immediately, taking my reaction the wrong way. Before he could pull back further, I cupped his jaws and soothed. "I was just surprised, I'm not used to your eyes yet but give me time and I will be. Can you open them for me?"

He seemed reluctant, but slowly he lifted his lids to reveal the same glowing green. This time I took my time examining him, the green wasn't disturbing once I was expecting it. I would even go so far to say it looked striking on him.

My new calmer examination seemed to wipe the wariness from him, my next words made a smile tug at his lips. "I think I prefer the grey, but this is interesting too."

His hands came up to cover mine, his fingers ghosting over the backs of my hands as he calmed down. After a moment, the green subsided into a thin ring around his irises. "Apologies, but hearing what that meat bag did to you kicked every instinct I have as a vampire into high gear."

Curiosity poked at me, but I pushed it back to be addressed later. All questions about the details of his species could be handled later, right now I needed to focus on the relationship questions so they were all out of the way. "Don't apologize, I appreciate your reaction. It just shows that you care and I could use some more of that in my life."

Taking a fortifying breath I pushed on, wanting this subject to be done so we could move on to better ones. "Could you be happy in a relationship with me, with no promises of when or if we'll ever have sex?"

Maximus's eyes stared intently into my own, he gently brought my hands to his lap before intertwining our fingers. "I am an almost millennia old Templar Knight and in the time I've lived I have learned a great many things. One of those is that physical pleasure, while nice, doesn't hold a candle to having someone who cares about you as a person waiting for you at home, metaphorically speaking. I have been used as an instrument of pleasure before and I can say with full confidence that it isn't satisfying. Over the centuries I have watched various friends meet their chosen partners and fall in love, all the while never receiving a second glance past the bedroom myself. Even if you were to decide to never lay with me in a sexual way, I would be happier lying by your side knowing that you care about me as a person than I ever could be lying next to someone else who only cares what I can do for them."

I nearly choked on air when he said his age, barely recovering enough to listen to the rest of his words. What he was saying was what I had ached to hear ever since my injury, it all seemed too perfect… Taking another breath, I continued with my questions. "What would you want out of our relationship?" We had already covered that sex was off the table for an unknown amount of time, possibly forever, so what did that leave him?

His voice is rock steady when he answers, not a wobble or hint of doubt. "All I want is to call you mine and remain by your side, in any way that you'll allow, for as long as you'll permit it."

That can't be all he wants, can it? My disbelief must have shown on my face because he continued on. "Zelda, you may not believe this but I care for you, more than normal for someone I only just met true, but I would like nothing more than to be by your side. No strings attached and no expectations needed."

That sounded divine, in the past the idea of relationships was terrifying because of all the doubts and responsibilities surrounding them. What if I fail? What if I don't do something right? What he was describing would circumvent all of those problems.

Feeling my confidence build and my hope climb, I decided to go all in. He deserves to know what he is getting into with me. "All I know about sex is that it's uncomfortable at best and painful at worst." Maximus's face darkened at my declaration, rage flickering below the surface, but I didn't flinch. I knew that rage wasn't meant for me. "That's because you have never had sex, you've only been raped."

His blunt words made me flinch but his hands stroked mine to calm my nerves before he continued.

"If sex is painful then your partner isn't doing it right. Pain is a result of not taking the time you should to prepare your partner and arouse them enough for them to be properly ready to receive you. The wetter and looser you are, the better it will feel and if your partner is unwilling to be patient and wait until you're ready then he has no business being between any woman's legs, least of all yours." His voice rang with his belief in what he was saying, making something in my chest twist. I had no doubts that he was genuine in his interest and his next words made pleasant shivers work through my body.

"When done correctly, sex is a very pleasurable thing and not just for the man. Should you ever wish to explore it, I will be more than happy to show you everything the activity has to offer you." Maximus smiled at my shiver, his words sparking a long dead fire in me, but made no other moves, knowing with this topic he had to be careful.

If I had any left over worries he swept them aside when he continued. "I have a simple set of rules for any person I take into my bed. First and foremost, all participants must be willing and clear minded. That is the single most important rule. Next, the words no or stop will always be headed. One word from you ends it, it doesn't matter where in the act we are, and there will be no hard feelings. If my partner isn't enjoying what we are doing, then neither am I. Last but not least, I will never ask you for anything that I would not allow to be done to myself first. If I wouldn't enjoy it, why would I think you would?"

By the time he finished I was almost completely sold. His rules sounded perfect, making tears of longing claw at my eyes. How long had I wanted this? A man that understood and respected my boundaries without scorn over me having them in the first place. His next words made my decision for me. "If we ever do anything of a sexual nature, you will be leading and I guarantee you will feel nothing but pleasure."

The use of the word if, his vocal acknowledgement that we very well might not have sex but it was entirely up to me, made my heart thrum. Squeezing the hand that was still interlocked with my own, I smiled genuinely up at him. "Okay, then we're trying this."

Maximus beamed down at me, happy to finally have a chance at what his oldest friend had. "You won't regret it, I'll be sure of it."

I nodded, deep down I knew he was speaking the truth. I wouldn't regret this, no matter how it turned out. Looking again at our hands, I swallowed back my nerves before wrapping my arms around his waist in a hug. The angle was awkward with me having to lift my arms and twist in my chair to reach him, but the warmth I felt was worth it.

When I pulled back Maximus stared at me, his eyes had the barest flash of green in them. He stroked my hands, the contact sending small jolts of feeling up to my chest, as he tentatively questioned. "If you'd permit, I have an easier way of doing that where you won't have to twist so much."

His hand left my own to brush under my knee, making his idea obvious. I swallowed hard, we had already covered that his touch wasn't terrifying, but how close could he get to my injury without me having a reaction? I wouldn't have a problem with being in his lap, I don't think, but there was only one way to find out…

Pulling in a fortifying breath, I nodded. He smiled, the sight immediately relaxing me. This was Maximus, if the touch was too much for me then he'd put me back in my chair. No reason to worry.

His movements were slow, giving me plenty of time to change my mind, as he slid his arm under my knees while the other cradled my shoulders. If he didn't have advanced strength I would be nervous about him transferring me at such a bad angle, but with the knowledge I had I knew he would never drop me.

It only took a second for him to pull me up and situate me on his lap. His arms loosened until they felt like a shield between me and the outside world. Turning carefully, having to manually shift my legs to the side, I looked into his eyes and marveled at not having to crane my head. I ghosted my hands over his face, tracing his light stubble as I dragged them across his jaw.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my hands coming to rest on the muscles of his back that I had been admiring the previous night, as I leaned my cheek against his shoulder. I heard and felt the whoosh of air leave him, the breath flowing down my neck causing a shiver down my spine. His chin rested on my head as he breathed in the feelings I could practically see in the air. His arms tightened, not enough to be painful or caging but enough to feel him wrapped around me.

This was completely different than before when I let Leila hug me, while it was nice I had still felt the itching across my skin, but now that was gone. In its place was a warmth that seemed to overtake everything else.

We could have sat there for minutes, hours or days. I wasn't sure how much time was passing and I didn't care. This was the best I had felt in over three months and I was relishing it. When his arms loosened around my back, I pulled away enough to see his face. His eyes had no trace of green left, but they seemed even more intense than when they had been glowing.

When he spoke it was in a quiet voice, as if he didn't want to break the moment. "Is this okay?"

The fact that he thought to ask made me happy and I answered truthfully while cuddling closer into his neck. "Usually, I don't like anyone touching me. It doesn't matter where or how gently they do so, it makes my skin crawl, but you're different. Not only do I not mind your touch, I actually want it. As long as you keep away from the breast and groin areas I think we'll be fine. If I learn about any other problem areas I'll tell you."

Maximus nodded, his hands stroking up and down my back, the rhythmic motion almost putting me to sleep. His voice pulled my focus back to him, "Are there any other boundaries besides the obvious I should know about? Where do you stand on kisses?"

I tilted my head in thought, I had never given much thought to kisses until recently. To be fair I hadn't had anyone I was interested in kissing until now and whenever Lance forced his affections on me it had always felt violating.

I forced myself away from those thoughts, This is Maximus, he's different. I looked at him, taking in every detail of his face. My hand came back up to his jaw as I stroked it in thought. There was an easy way of finding out if I liked kisses. I moved forward, noticing his eyes widening momentarily before lowering to half drawn.

I hovered over his mouth, feeling a flash of uncertainty before shaking it off. Marshalling my courage, I brushed our mouths together, not putting enough pressure behind it to be considered a kiss. It was a tester to see how I would react and so far, besides a slowly building want to pull him closer, there was no reaction.

Taking that as a positive thing, I closed the distance between our lips. He wasn't warm, but that was normal considering his not beating heart. He wasn't rough, or forceful, not that I really expected him to be. His tongue stayed in his mouth and his lips were closed. Unlike my past experience of forceful entry and a sickening slimy feeling, this felt...nice.

There were no fireworks in the background, but there was a warmth that felt like it was bubbling in my chest. I liked the warmth better anyway, fireworks are too loud in my opinion, this feeling suits me much better.

When I pulled away an unknown amount of time later, I took stock of my emotions. Still no negative feelings, no fear and no revulsion. Good.

Glancing at Maximus, I let out a small laugh at his giant grin. My mouth twisted to match as the new but completely welcome feelings swirled around both of us. I felt drunk on it, but entirely clear headed. Dropping my arms to wrap around his chest again, I addressed his previous question. "That was very nice and I'd like to do that a lot more, but nothing more intense than that for now."

Maximus agreed easily, his mouth sliding against my cheek before moving up to my forehead. That kiss was the single most innocent action he had ever done with someone and he loved it. If the rest of their relationship was like that, he would be ecstatic with every innocent touch even if it never went further.

They rested together, enjoying the closeness and the other's presence before the clock chiming broke the moment. Maximus sighed, "I should get you to Leila, she may be worried."

I was reluctant to part from him, but I knew he was right. Leila had been nervous last time we talked and it was unfair to leave her in suspense just so I could cuddle for a bit longer. I pulled away, my arms reluctantly returning to my sides as he shifted his hand under me to transfer me back to my chair.

Before he could sit back down, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. My words were a whisper but I knew he would hear them. "Maybe we could do more of this after I finish talking with her?"

He returned the hug, nodding quickly against my shoulder. When we finally separated, I re-situated myself in my chair before following him to the door.

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