40-- A kiss?

UNKNOWN
The Vampire Prince's personal guard, Gaston, rode beside him. He tried not to let his disgust show, he was surrounded by both Vampire guards and werewolf guards and what infuriated him the more was the way they interacted freely with each other, like they were one species.
He supposed that Laura getting married to their Prince brought about such union but he'd never let that happen. The werewolf kingdom was his and he'd be damned if he let anything take it from him.
They had left the palace a few hours ago and still continued riding. The spoiled brat and this surly guard sitting beside him had carried out their own investigation and found out that Prince Nicholas had ventured towards the Kayaans, those brutal warriors. He really hoped that the Prince would be dead so that his work would be taken care of.
"Our men trailed his movements to the borders of the Kayaan territory." Gaston was speaking with one of the men and he ran his features over them all. Pale, vampiric skin and jaws that looked too sharp, like the fangs he had seen on one of the vampire guards who had been sucking from his own arm. Blood thirty abominations.
He still couldn't see why the King had decided to get his brat married to the vampire Prince. Sure, he had been the one to convince the king about getting Laura married off, but he thought she'd be given to the faeries or even one of their kind. Maybe a person he could manipulate.
Not the vampires. The King had pissed him off with that plan and he thought that the king's blindness was a good enough punishment for such an act.
He'd started poisoning the king little by little for a while and he hoped that during his absence, the king's condition would worsen. When he returned, he was going to finish the King off once and for all and no suspicion would arise because the King had been so sick. He smiled at how evil his mind and schemes were. Truly, he was finally getting to his goal.
He just had to do away with the vampire prince and the spoiled brat. Somehow, she had gotten herself attached to the vampire prince in the few days that he had been in the palace and won't take any news about anything bad happening to him likely.
Taking Laura out should be easy. She was naive and all round stupid and clearly gullible, seeing as she had fallen for the vampire prince's charms when he obviously has more interest in what he would gain from their marriage.
"We need to go this way." It was Gaston that spoke and he turned his face to him, slightly inclining his head.
"To the Kayaans, it's this way." He noticed that his horse, or rather him, had been moving away from the group and he was now a few paces from the little group.
He turned his horse, going over to Gaston and thanking him for taking him out of his deep thoughts. He needed to get his thoughts straight. Even if the prince was somehow not dead, he would take care of that task all by himself. And what an honor that would be.
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Prince Nicholas roamed around the village, looking for weak spots. He hoped that his intense perusal wasn't too suspicious ad he thanked Peelah for staying by his side, making him less suspicious.
The little boy hadn't left his side since and Nicholas would normally feel irritated, but the little boy endeared to him. He would trudge alongside Nicholas, shooting smirks at the little children who watched his bold stride beside the very feared vampire.
Vakeen, Peelah's brother had yet to make an appearance since the last time he had seen him and Peelah didn't talk about him as well.
"Do you think anyone could be turned into a vampire like that? Or maybe with a bite mark?"
Nicholas looked down at Peelah. He had been lost in his thoughts and didn't notice until later that Peelah had directed them both to a shade under an oak tree.
"What do you want to use such information to do?" He ruffled Peelah's hair as he hunkered down, stifling a wince when his prying hand was swatted sharply.
"I heard Baba Kazoh and Ralph, the high priestess boy, talk about the transportation."
Nicholas shook his head with a laugh. Peelah talked with a lisp that some times made his words difficult to understand and that made him all the more cute. "Transformation, Pee. Not transportation."
The boy simply nodded and stared at Nicholas, urging him to talk and bear truth to what he had heard. Nicholas sighed. "No, transformation doesn't work that way."
Peelah frowned, tilting his head to the side, deep in thoughts. "Then how does that work."
Nicholas cast his gaze at an old woman who came out of a building, trying hard not to startle when her eerily grey eyes rested on him. She looked away and he struggled to focus on what Peelah had been asking him.
"Now, why would I tell you that. It'll make me the bad guy because then, everyone would think that I'm trying to turn you." He stood from the ground, lifting Peelah off easily and they both walked back the way they came.
Truth be told, he didn't know where the boy lived. Peelah just appeared to him whenever he strolled around the village. Nicholas frowned and came to a stop. He had to stop this little hero worship this boy seemed to have of him.
"Go home, Peelah. And don't ever walk up to me when you see me about." The boy opened his mouth to speak but Nicholas cut him short, "I mean it this time. Or I'll drain you of your blood."
He watched the boy's face as a kaleidoscope of emotions crossed over his features, first confusion, then shock and a crestfallen visage. Then he got angry.
"I don't like you." Peelah turned from Nicholas and ran, leaving Nicholas to feel more guilty about cutting off his only friend here. If he didn't add the Commander.
His thoughts went to the Commander and what had happened the previous day. How he had watched her take of that hideous mask. Why exactly did she start putting that monstrosity over her face? He had heard that very few had seen her face and he was surprised at the warm feeling that flooded his chest when he realized that he was one of the few.
She was too beautiful to hide behind a mask so grotesque when compared to her flawless features. Apart from the scar on bee forehead.
He frowned, she wore the mask simply to cover a scar that doesn't draw attention away from her beauty? Somehow, the scar made her more human, because she was too beautiful to be thought as one of them, human. She looked ethereal.
She looked like the werewolf Princess as well. The resemblance was uncanny but he didn't dwell to much on it. It wasn't a surprise that there might be two different people who had never met or have no link with each other to have the same physical features. It was just weird that the resemblance was striking.
He walked back to his rooms, deep in thoughts. He decided to let the Commander out of his mind and focus on how to use the Mating Book to his advantage.
He didn't know why, but something called and drew him to that book and although he didn't believe in fate, it felt more like so. He wouldn't waste on an opportunity that presented itself to him, so he had to think of a plan. Surely, he could devise a means to take over the Kayaans from the book?
He gave a little laugh. His Father would be so proud of him. They'd finally have more kingdoms under them, more riches, more power to own and wield. Nicholas could feel his Father's spite for him draining quickly as he thought on how he'd present this news to his father.
He got to his room, telling the guard that was standing outside to get him a stationery set. The guard hurried to do his bidding and for a little moment, Prince Nicholas felt that all was well.
Until he pushed open his rooms doors and came face to face with the commander.
She stood in front of him, her lips pinched behind her hideous mask. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her legs were spread apart, like she was taking a fighting stance, but still wanted to appear casual.
"If I knew such a sight would be waiting me as I walked through these doors, I would've gotten here sooner." Nicholas drawled, walking into the room and shutting the door behind him. He walked closer to the Commander and he could see how she stiffened, probably willing herself not to retreat after his closing distance.
"I came because of the book." This time, she stepped back, avoiding his gaze.
Nicholas walked to his bed, sitting down and pointing at the chair opposite him, letting the commander know that she could take a seat.
"How may I be of service?" His legs were crossed at the ankles and he leaned back on his arms, which were placed on the bed beneath him. Lily tried not to stare so much at the way his arms flexed, his skin shinning with a bit of sweat.
That shouldn't grab her attention, but she couldn't help the flush that rose from her chest and spread over her face. She averted her gaze this time, telling herself not to look at him again.
"I hadn't known that there was such a book about werewolves and truth be told, I don't know much about them, just the basics. And you seem to be interested in getting to know them, seeing as you said that your father has formed an alliance with their kingdom." She felt him sit straighter and she smiled on the inside. He was listening to her.
"Well, why don't we learn about them together." She wasn't the tiniest bit interested in learning about werewolves but she wanted to find out his interest in the matter. It didn't skip her notice that having an alliance with another kingdom wasn't enough reason to want to garner as much information about them. Except they had an underlying plan. A real reason for the pact they had made.
Nicholas watched as the commander looked far away in her thoughts. She was probably wondering why he wanted to know more about the werewolves. He wanted to know why he was so drawn to finding their secrets.
The Commander shifted towards him and he noticed her she kept averting her gaze from him, looking anywhere but at his face. He smirked, she really was wary of him.
Standing, he walked closer to her, squatting in front of her and staring till she was forced to meet his gaze. He smiled.
"Take off your mask, Lily." He loved the way her breath hitched, like she was shocked at his order but like she also wanted to carry it out and was struggling with that realization.
"I'm here to talk about the book. And we should." The pulse on her neck beat faster as he closed the distance between them.
"Take off your mask. I won't ask again."
He started to pull it off when she just sat there, staring at him. He stared in fascination as the mask slid up her face, over her lips and nose, her lashes and brows, and as it pulled over her scar.
He stared at her, her eyes closed as she breathed deeply. This wasn't his plan. He had meant to intimidate her so she'd be forced to look at him as he told her that he didn't need help from someone who didn't have the information he was looking on for the werewolves.
He was hooked now and he wanted to shake himself out of the trance he had gotten himself into. But instead, he drew closer to her. Till he could scent her, till his nose bumped against her cheek and his lips rested on hers.
He looked at her, saw her eyes opened wide, staring at him in shock. It was her eyes that did him in, that made him pull her closer by her luscious hair and deepen the kiss.