"Well ... my night was ... eventful," Issy replied after what she could only assume was obvious hesitation. She had considered lying and pretending that everything was fine but deciding at the last moment against doing so. Massillon had never deceived her outright, to her knowledge, and she didn't want to do so to him. Although the devil playing advocate at the back of her mind reminded her, the male had yet to give her a straight answer about his intentions in courting her.
It was obvious the male had picked up on her hesitation and the phrasing of her answer as those green eyes lost their playfulness, going cold. The expression on his face of being at ease no longer genuine.
"Tell me."
The statement was a demand by a male powerful enough to believe he was deserving of an answer simply because he demanded one. Gods above, it ruffled Issy's proverbial feathers, but she forced down the urge to buck at the male. She had had quite enough fighting for tonight. It also left a stream of emotions that she actively chose to ignore.
"ahhhhh..." she sighed, " family, can't live with them, can't commit double homicide."
The male's lips quirked into an also smile for a second or two before taking one a more serious parlour.
"Care to elaborate, my Lady," he added.
"To begin, my dearest mother is throwing a freaking ball in my quote-unquote honor and didn't even have the forethought or perhaps the decency to tell me. Like what the fuck!" Issy swore as the embers of anger rose once again.
"I am aware, my invitation came late yesterday morning, via email I believe, " Massillon added quite calmly, seemingly undisturbed by her language. Then again, Issy reminded herself, the male had quite a filthy mouth when it suited him.
His comment, however, only served to add fuel to Issy's anger where her mother was concerned, but then she realized the implications of his words.
"And have you accepted?" she replied as her nerves started to kick in.
"Yes," Massillon replied without hesitation, his too observant eyes never leaving her face.
"Oh..." was all she could get out as she started down her new best past time; overthinking.
Massillon was going to be there, and no doubt she would have to be at his side because they were officially courting and it would be cause for gossip if she avoided him like she usually avoided everyone else that these types of events. The Lady Isalinah was their House's resident highborn introvert, and everyone had long given up on trying to get close to the female. They were a few vampires that she spoke to on occasions but generally Issy preferred the company of her immediate family. Everyone was going to be watching the two interact, which means her mother was going to be able to watch them too. Fucking hell, Issy swore, this was her plan all along, to get us together where she could see and... interfere, her mind rambled on.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when Massillon called out her full name. When she focused on the screen she realised he was staring intently at her with one perfectly manicured eyebrow raised. She had actually allowed her mind to wander while in a private conversation with a Doeshar. Before she swore like a pirate and now she was ignoring him. Too many social mistakes and Issy could feel her cheeks heat in embarrassment.
"Tell me what were you thinking just now."
That commanding tone was so sexy and got under her skin at the damn time, Issy thought before shaking herself mentally to refocus on his request because that what she was choosing to interpret them as; requests.
"I was thinking about what fun this ball is going to be," she replied, her words dripping in sarcasm.
"I am sure it will not be all that bad Isalinah," Massillon replied.
"Uh-huh," was all that she could let out without letting the male know just how terrible she was with crowds. After all, he was a Doeshar, and they were always at these types of events. Her father did his best networking and scheming at these types of events. Massillon was no doubt the same.
"I am aware that you aren't a traditional social butterfly, but I would enjoy your presence and company every much, " the male was choosing his words quite carefully and Issy found herself smiling as it warmed her to realise he cared enough to do so. Again Issy found herself almost basking in his adoration. It was a heady feeling and she was sure that she could very easily become accustomed to it. A dangerous habit to acquire, her subconscious was quick to remind her.
" Hmm... I recall you mentioning something about a double murder, so which another member of your family has cause issue?"
Her face fell despite her best efforts. Issy had hoped that Massillon would forget but he was a Doeshar and it seems nothing escaped their notice.
"Well Arion, my brother and Doesharee of my House.." Issy paused to make sure Massillon was following and knew whom she was referring to before carrying on, " yes well we kinda got into it tonight at midnight meal."
"Got into it... forgive me, my Lady, but my English is very good but sometimes the idioms escape me," Massillon stated, looking a bit confused.
" Oh sorry Massillon, what I mean is that we had an argument."
" Ahhh, can I know what the argument was about?" Issy broke out into another smile as was becoming commonplace whenever she was dealing with this Doeshar. The male simply had a way of making her feel comfortable and valued even when he was seeking personal information. Even though that note of authority left much to be desired.
"Well, it was about you, " Issy responded.
"My brother is convinced I am much too innocent to be courting a male such as yourself, " she continued. Issy could admit that she could hear the note of anger in her own voice.
After a long pause, she looked earnestly at the screen trying to gauge Massillon's response to her next bit of news.
"Massillon, he know that we were... well you know, intimate on our first official private meeting." Issy stated in as steady a voice as she could.
"I see..., " was all the male responded. His face betraying nothing.
Massillon took the time to digest that particular tidbit of information. For some reason the fact that her brother knew about that they had had sex was distressing to the female. That fact alone made Massillon uneasy. This courtship was turning out to be far more complex than he had originally planned. It was supposed to help him get over the female, not burrow deeper.
The most bothersome thing about the whole situation was that he was angry now. How dare that male seek to interfere in Massillon's private affairs. It was irrelevant that they involved the male's blooded sister. It was clear that the male had forgotten his place!
Forcing down much of his outrage, Massillon decided to deal with the matter as best he could without betraying his feelings to the female.
"Do you think of yourself as too innocent for me, little Issy?" Massillon challenged the female.
For her part, she looked rather shocked at the question. Massillon knew that calling her "little" had not helped the situation either.
"I am not innocent child to be coddled. I am sick and tired of everyone treating me as such. But really Massillon, for some reason I expected you to be more understanding. Clearly, I was wrong. Forget I mentioned the situation entirely."
The female's tone was dismissive but under it, there was genuine disappointment. She had assumed that Massillon would take her side.
Massillon chuckled softly to himself, an action that caused most of the sadness to drain from the female's big doe eyes, only to be quickly replaced with anger, this time that thinly veiled emotion was directed at Massillon.
"Well... I believe it is time I bid you good night, your Grace," the female stated.
It was the practiced, dismissive tone of a highborn female who had dismissed many from her presence. The action, from any other female would enrage Massillon as a male of the highest social standing, but his emotions were never what they should be where this particular female was concerned.
Massillon could feel the burn of arousal shoot through his system at the female's tone. Thankfully, this was a conversation over the phone and the female could not scent him. It would do him no favours if Isalinah knew how much of an affect she had on the powerful male. For such knowledge held power. She had not yet earned the right to buck at Massillon. Yet, his treacherous mind taunted. Mentally shaking those thoughts away, Massillon chose to focus on reigning the angry female in.
"This conversation is not at an end, my Lady," Massillon commented, ensuring his voice carried enough ice to cool her rising anger. The female for her credit seemed to realize she had crossed a line, as she lowered her hard stare, no longer meeting Massillon intent one. He had won that row, but Massillon was not convinced she was cowering from him. The Lady Isalinah was simply not the type. She was well trained in the art of being a Lady and a part of that training was knowing when to back down.
"I forgot myself, your Grace. Forgive me," Isalinah mumbled just loud enough that Massillon could hear. There was no reason for him to think the apology was genuine but it was sufficient so satisfy protocol and he didn't wish to make a mountain of this particular mole hill.
"The matter is forgotten," Massillon stated quickly, before returning to the topic at hand, "I will ask you to consider my question again; do you think you are too innocent to entertain the attentions of a Doeshar. Because that is what I am, Isalinah, I am male vampire so I require food, sleep and sex just as any other male would require, but I will not pretend that that is the sum of my parts. My title is my birthright and it is a part of me, that will never change."
Massillon decided to be completely honest with the female in this matter. He enjoyed the feeling of peace that close contact with Isalinah brought to him when they were alone but it could prove disastrous if the female allowed herself to think of Massillon the male, as separate from his title as Doehsar. Massillon had more than enough experience in that area when dealing with a female.
Isalinah seemed to have shed the façade of contrition as considered the full meaning of his words.
"I grew up in a House ruled by a Doeshar,"
"It is not the same as being courted by one, Isalinah," Massillon interjected.
It is not the same as being mated to one.
"Let me finished, please," Isalinah insisted, continuing only when Massillon inclined his head for her to do so.
"I also grew up in a home with a Doeshar as a parent and was raised alongside a male being groomed to become one. From a young age it was drilled into me that Raphael was never simply my parent and but his time and energy belonged to our House. His duty to our House came first."
Chuckling softly to herself, she continued, "I use to love to watch, discreetly of course, whenever a Doeshar would come to visit my father. There was always something almost alien about them. One might say I was a bit fascinated. I believed I had studied your kind so completely that I could pick you out of a crowd when ever and wherever you were."
"And then I jumped into the arms and bed of a stranger and I didn't even notice who or what you were. Looking back I suppose there were clues that you were more than a rich high born male but I didn't even consider the possibility of you being a Doeshar," Isalinah shared.
"I say all of that because I want you to know that I understand the position of otherness, even among your closest companions or family, that your title places you in but I also know that Massillon the male isn't nearly as buried as you may have convinced yourself he is," she finished.
Massillon had to fight back the surge of emotions that wared within him as the female spoke. There was true wisdom beneath the beauty. This was the key reason he wished to have a female of her breeding as his mate because she would understand what his position truly meant and the toll it could take on one's emotions; the otherness. He never quite felt like he belonged with the other young in his House, highborn or otherwise. They always treated him like he was different, even his cousins moved with a deference where he was concerned. As a mere babe it was the best thing in the world to know he always got to pick the games and the best team, but as he grew older and understood the compulsion that his title incited in his cousins and friends, the joy seemed to drain out of most of those games. It made for a lonely existence.
"Your brother is a fool, my Lady,"