Page 38 of Losing The Vampire King

“Think about it like this,” I try to put things in perspective for her. “That is one less skin walker we have to think about. One very devious one. We should consider ourselves lucky if she is really dead, because someone did us a huge favor. We still have to watch out for the other skin walkers, though. The war is still raging on. Just because there is a quiet moment, it doesn’t mean that shit won’t hit the fan very soon. You know this.”

“Mhm,” she nods.

“So, remember to be grateful for the little things in life, Bianca,” I try to remind her lovingly. “Thinking about Gala, what she did and whether she is really dead or not is not something we should be talking about right now. She is irrelevant. By talking about her, we are making her more important than she is.”

“You’re right,” she sighs. “She doesn’t matter. She never mattered.”

“She was always jealous of you,” I remind her. “She never knew how to love herself or to live her own life, free from the judgment of others. If anything, she should be pitied.”

“Well now, pitied,” she frowns. “She almost killed us both. I will not pity her.”

“You don’t have to,” I smile. “You can feel however you want to feel. You are entitled to.”

“Yes, and I will– “

Only, she isn’t allowed to finish her sentence, because a storm of little feet comes barging in through the door. Orien is dressed like a little cowboy, with his fingers in the shape of a gun, and behind him, there is a little princess in a pink, sequin covered dress. Together, they look adorable, although their costumes seem to make very little sense together.

“Stick ‘em up!” Orien shouts at Eddie, who immediately does as he’s told.

“I surrender!” Eddie says, his hands in the air, laughing.

Bianca turns her attention to the princess, who walks solemnly and importantly amongst them, holding the sides of her dress as she does so.

“Are you late for the ball, madam?” Bianca asks, with a smile.

“Yes,” the little girl, with a million little blonde locks and eyes the color of summer sky nods. “I am looking for my fairy godmother. Are you perhaps her?”

“Well,” Bianca wonders, looking at her own clothes, a pair of pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt. “Do I need to be dressed in a funny way as well?”

“No,” the little girl shakes her head. “Fairy godmothers dress as they want to.”

“In that case, I so am your fairy godmother,” she replies, wrapping her arms around the little girl and lifting her up in the air.

Then, all four of us run outside and continue playing. This is my favorite thing to do, when I don’t have to be the vampire king, but just a loving husband and father to my two children. To be quite honest, I want more, but I could wait a little while longer. After all, it depended on what Bianca said. Her wishes and desires counted the most, always.

We all play until the sun went down, and then we play some more. Those were my favorite days, when I didn’t have any other concerns in the world. Everything was perfect. Even if it was not, it would find a way to rectify itself on its own. I didn’t need to do anything but love my family and be the best vampire king for my clan.

That night, after making love to my wife, I was awake for a long time. I didn’t know why. Nothing was bothering me. Nothing was clenching at my heart, urging me to be concerned. Nothing was wrong.

Maybe it was simply my desire to enjoy a solitary moment of silence and contemplation, knowing that everything was as it should be. Things are rarely ordered like that in life. But I truly felt that everything was perfect. I didn’t want anything to change, although I knew that this was an impossible wish.

My son would grow up. He was already showing signs of courage and curiosity, something that made a great vampire king. I was both thrilled and frightened of this moment, which was to come in the future. I had yet to teach Orien so many things about being a good king. I could only hope that me and Bianca would do a good job. Then, the rest was Orien’s responsibility. He had to make choices for himself and live with those same choices.

The same could be said of Rose. My sweet little daughter Rose. I wanted to keep her by my side forever. How I wished that such a thing was possible, to keep her safe and sheltered for the rest of her life. However, that was also something that could never be.

I shift in bed a little, adjusting myself.

“Can’t sleep?” I hear Bianca murmur, turning to face me. Half of her face was buried into the pillow, only one of her eyes open. She obviously didn’t seem to have the same problems. If I could call them problems. They were merely… observations. Hopes. Wishes. Not problems.

“One of those nights, I guess,” I smile, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. “When you think about life.”

“And what do you think about life, Eddie?” she wonders, murmuring gently.

“Oh, I think it’s grand,” I can’t resist chuckling. “How could it not be? With you and the kids, I have everything I could ever wish for.”

“Do you really mean it?” she asks, lifting her head up from the pillow, to take a closer look at me.

“Of course,” I nod, without a shadow of a doubt in my voice. “Sometimes, I think it’s unfair for someone to be this happy.”

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