Tenebrae Immortalis

By Arcadia, Kain's Queen and Kain, Lord of Nosgoth

Disclaimer - Raziel and Kain are © Eidos and Crystal Dynamics, everyone else is © AKQ.

Summary - Never mind. You'll see.

Chapter Four - Dangerous Revelations

The girl stared at Kain, daring him to refute her words, daring him to deny what she accused him of. But she had some proof.. He never ate.. She had seen him on that night.. Had seen fangs.. There were those powers of his.. The man never came out during the day.. And she could see the darkness about him.. Could feel his unnatural state.. Knew that he wasn't human. Not at all. Her other hand snapped down and she removed a dagger from her left leg this time, holding onto both of them.

"Don't you touch me.."

A low, almost dark chuckle escaped his throat as he closed the distance between them. Folding his arms over his chest he looked down at her with a faint smirk. So there was more to this girl than he first thought. She had discerned his true nature, she was quite an intelligent young woman. She'd put the pieces together where as no one else had ever done so.

"A vampyre? Is that what you believe me to be? And you came to this conclusion.. how, may I ask?" His tone was calm enough, almost humorous, as if he was amused at her accusation.

Arcadia looked up at him calmly before she held up a hand, placing the dagger within her other grasp and began to tick off her points.

"One, you have never been seen during the day. While I understand you might have business reasons for that, you are too.. rosy.. to indicate having seen the sun. Two, you never eat. A true host would have eaten his meal with his guests and you did not. And don't give me that business excuse. Three, you don't age. I have heard of you since I was a little girl and everyone says you don't look a day older now than when you first got here. It's not natural. And my final point is the powers you have. You spoke to me without speaking. No mortal being can do such a thing. You've used that power to haunt my dreams, my thoughts. And finally.. You are steeped in blackness."

That was a rather confusing statement until she went on to explain.

"An aura of darkness surrounds you, permeates the air. It speaks of pain, suffering.. There is evil there, but good too. But I feel pain in this place, pain and darkness. Suffering.. Anguish.. Fear.."

Those blue eyes stared into the twin pools of gold, staring into him.. through him.. If one looked closely, they would see a glimmer of silver-white light perhaps in them for a brief second. But then that faded, leaving only twin sapphires of midnight azure staring up at him, as if she were judging him. But then, those slim hands wrapped about her dagger hilts, lifting up one of the blades.

"You.. my lord.. are a vampyre. I am not stupid. I am not ignorant. I remember rather clearly that night when I took the ring hanging around my neck. Will you kill me..? Will you lock me up and never let me see the light of day again..? Or will you honor your proposal and marry me?"

A clear challenge of a stare was to be seen in those dark eyes. Arcadia leaned forward, the ring sliding out to sway in the air in front of her breasts, staring up at him.

"Well, Kain?"

He simply laughed at her, tilting his head to one side, watching her a moment before he spoke.

"You are an intelligent young woman. Very well, then. I readily admit that I am a vampyre. Congratulations, you've found me out, Arcadia. Everything you said is right on the mark."

He made no obviously hostile moves as he stepped towards her, looking down at her before slowly placing his hands on her shoulders, his golden eyes meeting her blues.

"Vampyre I may be, but that does not mean I am honorless. I will honor my proposal to marry you, Arcadia. I won't kill you, nor will I lock you up for the rest of your days. There would be nothing in it for me. Besides, I'm intrigued by you. You stand before a vampyre, not only a vampyre, but possibly the most powerful one alive, and you are not afraid. I find you to be a most fascinating, and beautiful woman, Arcadia."

Taking a step away from her he allowed his hands to drop to his sides before placing them behind his back, wrapping the fingers of his left around his right wrist.

"So, what now then, Arcadia? What will you do?"

Lids slid down over her eyes, shielding them from his own as she thought. He had just admitted it, freely, amused by her words and seeming accusations. Wife.. to a vampyre.. A blood sucker.. Involuntarily, one hand lifted, touching her neck, pressing against it, covering it. Wife.. Would she be wife in the whole, literal sense..? Or wife in name only..? Either way, it was a neat, perfect trap for her. Finally, Arcadia lifted her head up and leaned back onto her hands, the ring resting upon the bosom of her dress.

"I will be a wife."

What else was she to do..? Yet, his words were true. She wasn't afraid of him, not anymore. Hard to explain, but she just.. Wasn't. Not now.. Not again.. A low sigh escaped the woman and she fidgeted, one hand coming up, finger toying gently with the ring, causing the metal of both it and the silver chain it hung from to glimmer slightly. Arcadia swallowed slowly, causing the veins upon her neck to stand out briefly before fading from view..

A faint smile formed on his lips as he bowed to her. As he rose his gaze fell upon her once again, though it was hard, it was not quite as menacing as it had been. For as long as he could remember his was a solitary existence, and he had intended on it to remain that way for the rest of his life, or unlife rather. But now he was obligated to wed this woman, this mortal, nothing good could possibly come from it, he thought.

"Well then, I trust you will keep my nature a secret? Or would you rather I be hunted down and killed, hm?"

Though she had agreed to be his wife, he did not trust her. She was a thief above all else, and thieves simply were not worthy of trust. She would have to prove to him that he could trust her or she would find her interaction with the outside world severely limited.

Her head snapped up and her fingers flexed, blue sparks spitting from her eyes.

"You question my honor?" she hissed, moving to stand before him, hands on her hips as she scowled up at the vampyre, not caring that he could kill her with a single finger.

One hand snapped up and she jabbed him in the chest harshly. Her brows formed a slight V over her eyes even as a thin line appeared between them..

"I am daughter of the Marquis of Heathglen. I have honor, Kain."

"Is that so? But it is said there is no honor among thieves, Arcadia. You are a thief as well. How can you have honor when you take what doesn't belong to you in the dead of night?"

His arms came up, folding over his chest as he glared down at her challengingly. Her answer would be a most interesting one, most interesting indeed.

"Do you see why I question your honor? You, the daughter of the Marquis of Heathglen, are also a thief. Where is your honor if you have not cast it aside when you took up your chosen 'profession'?"

Propping her hands on her hips, she tossed her head, causing white-tipped bangs to bob playfully in the air. But those sparks in her eyes just continued to spit at him.

"I have my honor, Kain. I steal from those like you because egos need to be knocked down a few pegs. I don't know how much esteem vampyres give to honor, but I sure as hell have mine."

Challenging stare was met with challenging stare.

"I have it and I will keep it in my good name as well as yours. I might be a thief, but I do it for a good cause. So, don't you be getting onto me about what I do."

"Ego? You think I'm egotistical? How little you know, Arcadia. And as for the amount of esteem a vampyre gives to honor, it depends entirely on the vampyre. In my case, once I give my word I am bound by it. So don't YOU question MY honor. Has any harm befallen you? Any real harm? No, and that is because I am honor bound. I gave your father my word that nothing would happen to you, and so nothing shall."

Those golden eyes narrowed as they flashed dangerously, it was apparent to the girl she was treading on dangerous ground by questioning his honor. In life and unlife he held his honor to be an important thing, it's what kept him from descending into the monstrous depths of his blackened soul. It's what kept him more or less human after all these centuries. He would say nothing further until she understood the dangerous game she was playing at this moment.

She narrowed her own eyes in return, leaning up until her face was close to his.

"Then don't you question mine. I am like you. Once I give my word, I keep it until oath has been fulfilled. So, don't question my honor, Kain, and I won't question yours. I might have breasts and wear dresses most of the time, but I know how to swear in six languages, I can read and write, I can fence and I know how to hurt a man. As I demonstrated with you when you grabbed me. I suppose even vampyres, at least men of your kind, still have that one important weakness."

A smug smirk as she remembered the way he had crumpled after she had kicked his manhood into oblivion. Well, she could feel proud of herself for bringing him to his knees via such a technique. Then, it vanished and she stood on tiptoe, her breath mingling with his as she spoke.

"I don't know how much of a wife I'll be to you, but I'll keep your good name in mind.." came her words, slightly bitter before she pulled back and away, turning so that her back was to him.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you did, and I will keep your good name in mind. You don't divulge my secret, I won't divulge yours." His reply was honest; they both knew something about the other that could be very damaging if it were made public knowledge.

A deep frown formed on his lips as he watched her, his eyes inexorably drawn to her neck. That smooth, soft pillar which hid a wealth of life, which could sustain him. But he had given his word no harm would come to her, and that would count as harm if taken without permission. He found himself entertaining the thought of biting her, tasting her. He wondered.. But no, such a thing he would not permit himself to do. A flash of hunger came across those gold eyes, mingled with something else, something more profound and deeper, something the vampyre wasn't familiar with. Was it desire? If it was, it wasn't of the kind he knew.