Donny took me back downstairs and through a maze of hallways. This part of the castle was not nearly as extravagant as the main area but it was still nice. He brought me to a quaint room with two beds and a bathroom. There was nothing wrong with the room; it was very basic.
"It's Donny, right?" I asked.
"Yes, miss."
"I'm Anna," I said. I held out my hand to him which made him smile.
"Nice to meet you, Anna. Don't get too many friendly ones through here."
I shrugged. "Yeah, well, what's the point in being rude to everyone?"
"Glad to see a positive spin on your situation. Now, the prince gave you a couple weeks to get acquainted with everything so enjoy it."
"Hey, do you know what happened? Why he was like that?"
He seemed a little uneasy but he looked around. "The prince found them about half way to Cain's, dead."
"Dead?"
"Yeah. He's king now."
"Is he okay?"
"Concerned, are we?"
"Of course. He just lost his parents."
"He seemed kinda out of it on the way back but Liam's tough. He'll get through it."
I nodded absently.
"Get some sleep. I'm sure you're tired."
"Yeah. Thanks," I said.
"No problem. Have a good one."
Donny left and closed the door. I sat on one of the beds and glanced around the barren room. It hadn't hit me yet that this would be my home for eternity. I would always live here, always share a room. I would never be anything more than this.
I tossed myself back on the pillows. The bed was surprisingly comfortable. I expected some dark, dingy, room with a hay mattress and rag clothing but everything seemed very typical of a middle income family. Of course the royals hadn't dumped an extravagant amount of money into their servant's living quarters but they were by no means degrading.
Just as I started to close my eyes, the door was thrown open and Bridget rushed at me, crying hysterically. She threw her arms around my neck and cried into my shoulder.
I tried to relax her but she was inconsolable. The more I tried, the worse she got. I stroked her hair and rubbed her back to try to calm her down.
"Liam's lying! He said my parents are dead! Make him stop, Anna," she cried.
"Look at me, Bridget," I said softly.
I pulled away from her for a moment and wiped her tears from her cheeks. Her wide red eyes broke my heart. She wanted Liam to be lying. She wanted it to be a nightmare but it wasn't. There was no use in trying to convince her it was fake. There was no use in shielding her from the truth.
"He's not lying. He wouldn't do that to you. Your brother loves you, okay?"
"But I don't want them to be dead," she wailed.
"I know it hurts, Bridget. Remember how I told you about my brother?"
She nodded.
"Remember I talked about how sad and how angry I was?"
"But why would they leave me?"
"Remember, God needs them more than we do. He knows we love them but He needs them for something better."
"Do you think they're in Heaven?"
"I bet they are. They probably miss you so much but they want you to be brave, okay? Liam needs you to be brave."
"But my heart hurts, Anna."
"I know. It will hurt for a long time but it will get better. God would never give you something you couldn't handle."
She nodded and laid her head back on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her and hoisted her up. I started out of the room to take her back to her own. I was sure she wasn't allowed to sleep in a servant's room.
"Anna, can you sleep in my room tonight?"
"Anna," Liam said.
I jumped at his sudden presence. I hadn't been expecting him and he shocked the hell out of me.
"You scared me," I breathed.
"Stay with Bridget for a couple days. I'll put her nanny on some other duties."
"Are you okay?" I asked carefully.
His jaw was tight but other than that, he looked angry. I couldn't tell if he was upset or apathetic. I had never seen anyone conceal their emotions quite like that and it was unsettling.
"I'll be out of town for a few days. If you have any questions, Donny and Richard will help you."
He turned and walked away without another word. I really was worried about him. I shouldn't have been. I should have been happy he was suffering but I couldn't be, not when I had Bridget still softly crying in my arms. It was a very real moment for me to see him so hurt by the loss of his parents. Despite everything, I did feel bad for him. I knew what it was like to lose someone and I never wanted anyone to feel what I felt. It was horrible; the mistrust of everything, the anger, the sadness all converged into one overwhelming sense of loss and knowing there was nothing I could do about it made it worse. The sadness and anger were manageable but the loss of control and realizing how fragile life can be was the hard part.
I made my way back through the maze, surprised I actually remembered, and took Bridget to her room. I set her in bed but she still clung tightly to me so I laid down with her.
I wondered how this would ultimately affect her. I knew Liam would be king and, I assumed, very busy. Who would raise Bridget?
Finally, I felt her hold on me loosen and her breathing steady. I wasn't tired anymore and the sun rising threw me off. I didn't know what the time difference was but it seemed extreme.
I wanted to check on Liam because I knew he wasn't okay. I could feel it but he also seemed like the type to want his space. I wasn't going to pressure him into telling me anything and I felt like I should be with Bridget. Liam was a big boy. He could take care of himself.
I laid in Bridget's bed while she slept for hours. When she finally woke up, she looked at me and started crying. My heart went out to her; she was too young to have her parents taken from her.
"I miss my mommy," she cried.
"I know. Remember what we talked about last night?"
She nodded.
"Good. They're still watching you, Bridget. Just remember that."
"But I wanna see them."
"How about you show me a picture of them."
She crawled over to her nightstand and pulled a picture off. She held it tightly as she scooted over to me.
"That's my mommy and daddy and Liam and me last year."
I looked at the picture of the family hiking in a thick forest. Liam and his father looked damn near identical and his mother looked more like she could be his sister. It was nice to see they weren't the stereotypical, rich, stuffy, royals that I tended to think of. They looked like a real family having a genuinely good time.
"You look a lot like your mom."
"Do you look like your mommy?"
"No. I look like my dad."
"Do you miss them?"
I nodded. "A lot."
"Can you see them again?"
I hesitated, "I don't know. I don't think so."
"Is Liam sad?"
"I'm sure he is."
"He didn't seem sad last night."
"He's trying to be brave for you."
"He doesn't wanna be king."
"No?"
"He told me so. He doesn't wanna do it."
"We all do things we don't want to do. Let's get out of bed, okay?"
She shook her head. "I don't wanna."
"You don't want to go outside?"
"No."
"Okay," I said softly. One day inside wouldn't hurt. She needed time to grieve.
"Can you see if Liam's okay?" she asked.
"Um, I think he might want to be alone right now."
"Please, Anna?"
I patted her hair. "Sure. I'll be right back."
I stepped out of the room, having no idea where to go. I didn't know my way around and I sure as hell didn't know my way to Liam. I thought about before when I felt Liam's presence. Maybe I could find him that way.
I closed my eyes and listened for anything. I let my feet guide me away from Bridget's room to another set of stairs. I thought it was weird and a little creepy that I could find him based on a feeling. It was unsettling because that meant he could find me, too. What if I did escape? He would be able to find me anywhere so it wouldn't matter if I ran.
I followed a hall to the end to another set of gold doors. I knew Liam was behind the doors but I waited for a moment. I wasn't sure that I was ready to deal with whatever was on the other side of the door.
I knocked lightly on the gold door, still hesitant but I wanted to know how he was.
When he didn't answer, I opened the door a crack and saw him standing by a huge window. I knew he heard me but he didn't stop me so I slipped inside and shut the door.
"Liam?" I asked.
I started to cross the room slowly.
"What do you need?" he asked. He sounded so cold, distant.
"Nothing, I-"
"Then go."
I bit my lip. Did he really want me to go or was he just being defensive? I stopped in front of him, unsure of what to do next. I wasn't used to comforting people but I seemed to be okay at it with Bridget.
I wrapped my arms around him, pulling myself close to him. I hadn't realized how much taller he was until we stood like that.
"I'm sorry this happened to you," I said quietly. I wasn't sure he heard me and he didn't move at all.
I started to let go but he wrapped his arms around me. He clung to me like his life depended on it. He wove his hand in my hair and held my head closer to his chest, the other wrapped around my shoulders.
I let him hold on to me as much as he wanted and stayed silent.
"What am I supposed to do now?" he asked.
"I don't know, Liam," I said softly.
"What am I going to do with Bridget?"
I pulled away for a moment, just enough to look at him.
"Bridget... she's going to be okay."
"How do you know that?"
"Because she has you."
"I don't even know what I'm doing."
I half smiled at him. "You're king. You know how to do this, Liam."
"I never wanted it."
"I know but... sometimes, we get thrown into situations and we just have to make the best of it."
"I heard what you said to Bridget last night," he mentioned.
"About what?"
"About your brother."
I shrugged. "It was a few years ago."
"What happened?"
"Leukemia. He was diagnosed and a few months later, he was gone."
"How did you do it?"
"I didn't for awhile. I was angry and sad all the time but I found God again."
"So you're telling me that you got over your brother's death because of God?" he asked. I could tell it irritated him but it was the truth.
"Death isn't easy, Liam. It's not meant to be. It's supposed to challenge your beliefs and faith."
"I don't understand you."
"I don't expect you to but I do know a thing or two about loss. Don't forget that I just died, too," I said softly.
"I thought you weren't talking to me," he said.
I half laughed, "Yeah, well, you need someone to talk to right now."
"I'm glad it's you though."
"You know, Bridget might want to see you," I suggested.
"I don't think so. She was pretty upset last night."
"She needs you. You're her big brother."
He sighed. "Alright. If you think she wants to see me, lets go."
"Good."
We started towards the door when I remembered Bridget telling me about her nanny.
"Hey, question, why does Bridget hate Crystal so much?"
"She does?"
"She said Crystal is mean to her. I was just wondering."
"I don't know. She's always been nice to me."
I laughed. "Of course she's nice to you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Bridget told me she's only nice to you."
"Jealous?"
"Not a chance. Come on."
He followed me out of the room and took my hand in the hall. I glanced down but didn't question it. I figured he needed it even if he wouldn't say it. If he needed to hold my hand for awhile, I would let him. As long as he didn't think I would end up in his bed, I would do anything to make him feel even slightly better.
"Anything, huh?" he asked.
I looked up at him, confused, before I realized he had answered my thoughts.
"You shouldn't creep inside my head."
"Creep? I'm king now. Nothing I do is creepy."
"I would beg to differ. Answering my thought is a major creep move."
He cracked a small, barely discernible smile. "I shouldn't be enjoying anything right now."
"Don't do that to yourself. You said yourself you know there's a God, right?"
"Yeah, but my parents are dead now. I should be... I don't know. Not this way."
"If you know God exists, then you know Heaven exists and from what Bridget told me, your parents are in Heaven."
"Do you think they're happy?"
"I know they are. They're still with you, Liam."
He nodded absently.
"It's not like I can't see them again," he said.
"What?" I asked, confused by his statement.
"In Heaven?"
"What do you mean see them?"
"As in cross the portal and see them?" he said.
"Wait. You can cross into Heaven without dying?" I asked. I never even considered the idea. I just thought it was where I would go after I died.
"Well, you can't. I can."
"Why can you?"
"King."
"So?"
"So, who do you think I answer to?"
I really didn't have a response for him. I never thought of having a world order. It was a little unsettling to know that he would personally meet God. The idea was insane, actually. It flipped everything I had been taught and skewed my views on religion, God, and life. How could it be that Liam, a vampire king, would meet God?
"I don't know."
"You think because I'm not human, I shouldn't meet Him, right?"
"I didn't say that."
"You thought it."
"It goes against everything I've ever known."
"Well, you go against everything I've ever known."
"How?"
"I meant it when I said you were different. There's something about you...I mean, you're innocent but you're not naive. Just different."
"So everything I learned was wrong?"
"Not wrong. Just misguided."
"What's the difference?"
"You had good intentions."
"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
"Don't be so pessimistic. It's not you."
"You don't really know me."
He let go of my hand only to wrap his arm around my shoulders.
"Yes I do."
"Oh, really? And what do you think you know about me?"
"I know that you're not thinking about escaping anymore."
"Don't be so sure."
"I think you like me."
"You would be wrong."
"I'm not. I've seen inside your mind. I know you think I'm a good person even if you won't admit it."
I scoffed. "Who's to say I didn't plant those thoughts there so you wouldn't know my real plans?"
He smiled down at me. "Don't be so stubborn. Just admit that you think I could be a good friend."
"I think your ego gets in the way of being a good friend."
"My ego?"
I nodded.
"I don't have an ego."
"Only someone with an ego would say that."
"I can't tell if I should be mad at you for that."
"Be mad if you want."
"I don't want to be. You may not like me very much but I like you. I think you're entertaining."
"So glad I can amuse you."
"Me too. I'm glad to see my money wasn't completely wasted."
"Completely?"
"Well, you know, this is what I do. Buy young girls, convince them that I love them, then break their hearts."
I pressed my lips together, slightly embarrassed that he had heard that. I didn't mean to think it but I couldn't help it.
"If you want me to like you maybe you should give me some privacy. I shouldn't have to guard my thoughts."
"It's important to monitor you this early on. You don't know your limits and wants yet."
"That sounds like an excuse."
"It's not. Trust me. I don't want you listening in on my thoughts any more than you want me listening to yours."
"I don't listen to you."
"No?"
"No."
He seemed intrigued by my answer but we came to Bridget's room before he could question it further.