The Ing's Consort

“How have you been feeling, Caitlin?” Dr. Gray sat across from her in the front room, having just arrived via cab at the steps of the mansion. She’d brought only a medical bag and her personal effects. The courier would come by later to drop off her more sophisticated equipment.

Caitlin lounged as casually as she could on the couch. She wanted to ball up, to bring her knees to her chest and sink into the cushions. Instead, she glanced to her newly trimmed nails, then back up as if she couldn’t be bothered to care. “I’ve been fine.”

The doctor did not look as if she believed her, eyeing her up and down with flat brown eyes. She was a mousy sort, with straight dark hair that hung in a strict ponytail, and she was of average build, but deceptively strong, though she was

only

human. “I mean, after the contractions. You haven’t felt another onset?”

“Oh.” Caitlin reddened, realizing she meant her

physical

health. She’d not discussed this with Kalen, but she had a feeling she could be candid with the woman. “No. Um, that day, and after- after Amandine gave me her blood, they haven’t come back.”

A perfectly trimmed eyebrow rose. “Did you feel it coming on before that? Were there any signs that you noticed?”

“Not really.” She looked back on the episode in her mind’s eye. “My morning sickness was worse than usual. I was recovering from it when the contractions crippled me. If Amandine hadn’t been there-” Caitlin couldn’t even finish the thought to say the words.

The doctor stood from her seat, bringing her bag with her to sit by Caitlin. “I will need to run some tests, just in case this is something more serious. Oftentimes, pregnant women will experience what’s called Braxton Hicks contractions. They might be alarming at first, but there’s nothing to worry about. It’s sort of your body’s way of getting ready for the main event. Though-” She pulled out a stethoscope, tucking the tips in her ears. “-you’re a special case.” Althea put the bell to Caitlin’s chest. “Take a deep breath for me.”

Caitlin complied, taking the cues as she was instructed. At least there weren’t any needles... yet. When the doctor was satisfied, Caitlin did pull her knees to her chest, disregarding propriety for the sake of it. The doctor had seen her in much worse conditions. “Do you think the blood helped?”

Althea was much less skilled at maintaining impassivity than Kalen was, but her grimace was only slight. “The problem is, I can’t tell for sure. Again, I’ll have to do some tests, draw another sample to see what your blood count, is, to make sure you’re not suffering from anemia or a blood disease.”

Caitlin’s heart dropped, but she didn’t let it show. “Is there no other way you can do it?”

“Unfortunately, not.” The doctor tucked away her stethoscope. “However, I can’t do it now because my supplies haven’t arrived yet. Let’s reconvene tonight and we’ll take care of everything all at once, so you don’t need me to poke you more than necessary.” She closed her case, offering a heavy-hearted look and a smile. “Your color is good, though. I would be surprised if I find anything abnormal in the results. Hang in there.” She patted her arm and stood to collect her things.

Caitlin smiled in return and nodded a farewell. When the doctor left the front room, her smile disappeared as she recalled last night’s encounter with Kalen. Shame welled up inside her, forcing her to remember her request. She should have known it would only bring out his basest nature. But surely, that wasn’t all he was composed of. It couldn’t be.

She’d seen his fierce, protective side when his father handled her, and she’d seen that true light in his eyes when he rescued her from Gabriel’s clutches. But he didn’t seem to see it, himself. Caitlin’s mistake was asking him to expose his nature to her, to take a human life in her presence. Though she was an idiot for asking, it wasn’t entirely unfounded.

If he expected her to become one of

them

, then she’d have to accept the act of killing. Maybe their nature was such that it stole their remorse from them, as well as their humanity, when they made the transition. But that couldn’t be it, either, or Kalen would have shown no remorse towards her last night.

Some

of his humanity was retained, despite never having actually been human in the first place. And she was determined to find out how much.

Caitlin stood from the couch abruptly and swept up the stairs. After yesterday, she’d abandoned the silly dresses for simple riding clothes. There was no reason to dress up, for him or anyone else at the mansion. They only kept her from performing a basic range of motion. And she needed all the range she could get, with what she was about to do.

She dashed into her bedroom and slipped through the handle-less door at the back, where a walled-off study was prepared for her use. When she’d first returned home from Gabriel’s bunker, she’d found something in her patient gown pocket that hadn’t been there before. It was a familiar tool that fit well in her hand, but it brought forth too many memories, so she tucked it away in the back of her desk.

It would be her bargaining chip, tonight.

Caitlin pulled the drawer open, feeling blindly for the false backing, and pulled it open. There, on a kerchief of gold and red silk, lay the obsidian knife. Not even Kalen seemed to know she had it, and she never mentioned it to anyone, seeing as it was the only material that could kill his kind.

For the first time since her brother’s death, she picked it up, feeling its weight in her hand. The cool stone sapped the warmth from her palm as she held it close. Caitlin moved the innocuous black orb on the desk from its holder, and the fireplace behind her shifted into the wall.

She turned to see the narrow stairwell that would lead her down to his sleeping chamber.

A mausoleum, more like

, she thought, tracing her hand against the rough stone wall, taking one cautious step after another into the blackness.

With the knife clutched at her breast, she descended into his lair.

Her breath was loud in the muted darkness, but she knew the way by heart now. Five more steps, and she’d be in a cold stone hallway. When he slept, she could feel his dark energies eke out into the space around him. There was no mistaking that shroud of darkness that lay just beyond the wooden door. Caitlin’s eyes were adjusting to the space and, with the help of the sliver stream of light from her study, she could see the entrance just ahead.

Tonight, there would be no candle lit, awaiting her presence. And maybe he already knew she was coming, but could he detect what she carried with her? Caitlin took a small breath, rubbing the bump of her belly before entering as quietly as her slow, human limbs could muster.

She could only see his coffin by the way the darkness roiled out of it. But, as she watched, the energy began to change. He

did

know she was here, and already, he was rousing. Caitlin had a scant moment to throw the coffin open and pin him there with his only weakness. He’d showed her exactly how helpless she was these past months, and it was only fair for her to return the favor.

But when the coffin opened, he, and his energy, were gone.

“Is there something you’d like to say to me?” His voice was behind her, sending her hairs on end. She turned on her heel to see his silhouette in the doorway. Kalen tilted his head to one side, his next words dripping venom. “Surely, this is not where you’d prefer to be spending your time after our

discussion

, last evening.” If only she could see his face, to know if he meant what he said.

Caitlin stepped forward, letting go of her fear. She allowed her arm with the knife rest at her side, so he didn’t see it glimmer in the dim light. “Kalen, I- I don’t understand what happened. It was all so sudden.”

He paced towards her, plunging her in his shadow. “As always, you seem to have the most inane requests at the most inappropriate of times. Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve survived as long as you have, my fool of a consort.”

She blinked, stunned by his cruel words. Caitlin almost forgot the knife, her fingers going slack around it. “You took

me

, remember?”

Kalen took the final step to her, so that she had to crane her neck to see his face, cast in shadows. His mouth was a thin line of disapproval, but he didn’t seem to lack control of his basest nature. “Have you considered that I might not be so-”

“I had a feeling,” Caitlin cut him off, pressing the tip of his knife to his chest, just below the sternum. “-so I brought this. Prince Kalen, second of your name, we need to talk.”

He glanced down at the knife, then a smile formed. “When I think I know you.”

“

Don’t

you dare quote me.” She pressed the tip harder into his shirt. “Maybe I am a fool, but you have

made

me your consort by force. I didn’t ask to come here, or to have my mother follow. It’s

your

nature that inhibits our freedom, and your nature that will kill me, so-” She tilted the knife, as if to get a perfect angle to his heart. “-as your consort, and your future Queen, I demand you listen to me. Without your teeth, without your cruelty, just-

listen

.”

The roiling energy around him seemed to settle, and the darkness abated. “I am listening.”

Caitlin took a breath, suppressing her disbelief. She’d actually commanded a creature such as he, and her limbs were buzzing with excitement. But she steadied her hand and glared up at him. “There are two sides of you that I’ve become intimately familiar. The first is easy to understand. You are that monster everyone expects of you. You take what you want, do what you like without any regard for the rest of us. Of course, it’s not difficult to see. You barely bother to conceal it at all. You’re hiding behind that mask of indifference as if it will protect you from those who

care

about you.” She took another breath to steady herself, making sure he was still listening. “But there’s another side to you. I’ve seen it when you let your guard down-” Caitlin recalled his face when he was scrubbing her clean from the attempted rapists, when he didn’t think she was looking. “He’s the man I fell in love with, and the only thing keeping me from driving this knife straight into your heart right now.”

He glanced from the knife to her. “But you should. You have every right to hate me for what I’ve done to you, and to your family.”

Caitlin’s jaw slid to the side in irritation. Her arm was beginning to tire, but she had him pinned, and willed herself to maintain her hold on the situation. “Is that what you really want?”

“No.”

“Then, what?” She looked up, surprised to find his countenance pained, so she gentled her tone. “What would you have me do?”

Kalen did not answer right away, instead, he reached for her face, and thumbed the skin of her cheek. “Do what you must.”

“That’s not an answer, Kalen. What can I do to get through to you? At the end of this road, whether you like it or not, I’ll be one of your kind. Unless, of course, you don’t intend on changing me when you have your heir.” She shrugged as if the notion didn’t bother her. “Either way, I am

only

human, and entirely at your mercy, my prince.”

His eyes were heavy when they met hers, guilty, almost. Kalen’s hand cupped her cheek. “When you first came to the mansion, I had to stop you from drawing your own blood in protest. I’d never met such a contradictory creature before. And, yet again, you surprise me with your resourcefulness.” A hint of a smile crossed his face. “I thought I’d taken a meek little farm girl from your hometown, I returned instead with a wildcat. One with claws, apparently.”

Caitlin’s arm was visibly shaking, but she held steady. “Don’t mock me.”

He grabbed the hand holding the knife, steadying it. “Oh, I’m not mocking you, Caitlin. Consider it a compliment.” He brought the knife away from his sternum, forcing their hands behind himself so she was pulled against his chest with an ‘oof’. “You haven’t killed me yet, so I’m calling your bluff.” His other arm caught her around the waist, squeezing her close. Kalen planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “I am sorry for last night.”

Caitlin caught hold of his shirt, that familiar musk making her heady. She looked up to see his eyes held that same, soft expression she’d come to know so well. “Will you allow me to see you as you are, then?”

His eyes roved over her face, then his brow crumpled. “It’s not so simple as that.”

“Why?” She pulled on his shirt tighter, as if she could yank herself up to his level.

“Because what I said yesterday still holds true. If I feed in front of you, I might not know to stop, and-” He took a breath and shook his head. “-I can’t lose you.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me.”

“I already have, Caitlin. Or don’t you remember?” He stroked the light scars on her neck from his first and only bite. “It took all my strength to stop myself from draining you, that night. I don’t trust myself with you.”

Caitlin caught his hand and cupped it. “I’ve noticed.” She made sure to capture his gaze before continuing. “But

I

trust you. That’s why I asked in the first place. If there’s even a trace of me left when I become one of you, I don’t want there to be any surprises.”

He considered her, watching with a slight twitch of his cheek. “I doubt there’s anything I can do to further prepare you for the change. But I will grant you your request.” Her heart swelled at the news, then reality sobered her. He was willing to

kill

in front of her, to show her his true nature in all its forms. “There will be stipulations, however. Safeguards for your wellbeing which are non-negotiable.”

She knew she would accept them, no matter what he imposed on her. But she had to know, “What are they?”

“So eager.” His words were said with amusement, but his face did not reflect it. Instead, it was dark, troubled. “I have a series of cages in the basement for just this purpose. Generally, I like to keep my stock full, though it’s been empty since you’ve arrived. I’ve recently preferred to hunt outside the mansion, when I’ve the time for it. Or when I go into the city on errands.” He glanced at her, his demeanor shifting to curiosity. “What’s the matter, Caitlin? Have you heard enough?”

At the word ‘cages’, she’d shivered, remembering the cage Gabriel threw her into. And, to the fact that Kalen kept a stock of humans before she arrived? The image he painted for her was quite clear, and she didn’t know if she wanted to hear more.

But she’d asked for this, and there was no going back. “No. Go on.”

An eyebrow rose, but he continued. “My stipulations are these: you will lock yourself in one of my cages with the only key. Then, I will bring my kill into the room, and you will see what it is I do. When they’re dead, and I’ve recovered from my bloodlust, you will release yourself from your confines and never ask me to do such a thing in front of you again. At least until you’ve been changed, and the danger of me craving your life has passed. Maybe then you will understand the depth of my self-loathing.”

“Is this why you’re agreeing to it? To prove you’re as much a monster as you claim to be?”

He scrutinized her before releasing her arm with the blade. “You are free to strike me. I will not stop you, if you insist.”

The obsidian blade was warmed from her hand, but it felt heavier than before. “What sort of person will you be killing in front of me? Will you choose them? Or will you pluck a random

human

off the street for your dinner?”

“Does it matter?”

She waited, refusing to answer such an obvious question.

Kalen sighed. “If it eases your mind, I have an agreement with the city prison. They deliver me the worst sort when I call on them, and I make sure their trash disappears. You can choose, if you wish.”

It was enough to know that he took his victims from a system that was overpopulated with murderers and rapists, but to have her choose? “I- don’t think I could do that. I’m not-”

a killer

. She almost said, then closed her mouth. She

was

a killer, just as much as he. Caitlin recalled Gabriel’s gasp as the blade entered his heart, and the thrust that tore his organs, making for a quick but painful death.

She did it to survive, as Kalen did.

“Well?” he asked, glancing down at the blade in her hand, her knuckles having gone white around its hilt. “You want me to choose, then?”

Caitlin lowered her head with a nod.

“Go upstairs and put your claw away.” His hand traced the nape of her neck, then brushed down her spine. “I will have everything prepared for tonight. Then we will put the whole thing behind us.”

Her head shot up. “Tonight?”

Kalen’s eyes closed as he nodded. “Yes, Caitlin. Tonight.”

*

“You’re going to feel a bit of a pinch.” The doctor brought the needle to the inside of her arm; an apologetic look crossed Althea’s face. They all knew she hated needles after Gabriel’s test.

But it had to be done.

Caitlin’s blood tests came back indicating she had mild anemia, but it was enough for Kalen to order a blood transfusion. And after Amandine’s ‘interference’, he wouldn’t take any risks.

He sat next to her on the couch in the master suite, as if their conversation hadn’t happened. In fact, he seemed entirely back to his old self, which bothered Caitlin more than if he were to have been suddenly aloof. Surely, she was overthinking the whole thing. It was some guilty prisoner that would die. Nobody would miss him or...

her

.

Or, whoever they are

, she thought, watching the needle descend on her vein.

She flinched back, but Kalen caught her arm and held it steady. “It’s alright, Caitlin.” His other arm wrapped around her shoulders, so she was caught between a prodding doctor and a pair of fangs. “It won’t hurt anymore. Open your eyes.”

Caitlin did with a wince, then realized he was right. She was so troubled by the next few hours, she didn’t even feel the pinch Althea mentioned. The doctor taped the intravenous tube to her arm, then started the transfusion. “That was good. I’d say you’re getting use to this.”

“Hardly,” Caitlin said, leaning into Kalen’s shoulder despite herself. As the fluid ran red through the tube, she closed her eyes again, trying to banish anything but the present moment. Fingers traced her arm. The light flit of his breath teased her hair. And cool fluid pumped through her veins, drawing warmth into her fingers and toes.

Kalen’s voice cut through the quiet. “Are you hungry? You’ve hardly eaten all day.”

Hungry

, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut. “No.” Far from it, she didn’t think she could keep anything down in her current state. Caitlin was too preoccupied by his savage needs to care for her own. Commanding him to do this thing seemed like the right thing to do, but now, with it looming in the very near future, she wasn’t sure.

They did have over two-and-a-half years of this. She hoped he’d consider pushing it out. But after they’d struck the agreement, he was so adamant about it being ‘tonight’, that she didn’t have time to process the deal. Once the doctor left, she’d speak further on the matter.

“That’s it,” Althea said, pressing a cotton ball to her inner elbow, then pulling the tube from her vein. “Hold that for a second, and I’ll get it wrapped.”

Kalen held it in her stead, pressing his thumb into the cotton. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes flickered from the doctor, who wrapped gauze around the cotton, securing it in place. Althea shot her a sympathetic look, but nothing more, packing her things and taking her leave of the master suite. When the door shut behind Dr. Gray, Caitlin finally spoke, unable to meet his eye. “Does it have to be tonight?”