Chapter 64

**MIHAI POV**

Mae was very reluctant about leaving the house today, in fact, she seemed to not want to celebrate her birthday at all. But somehow, we managed to leave the mansion, and now she is having a good time.
Of course, Luthor and i picked a restaurant owned by Nati, with staff to match, though i doubt she has even noticed that fact.
She is currently holding my hand under the table, squeezing every so often to get my attention. I used to hate contact with people, but with Mae, the more i am close to her, the more i want to touch her, and not just sexually.
I've had sex before Mae, and plenty of it, but i never wanted anything more than a quick fuck. I was happy to be on my own, i didn’t need to be responsible for anyone else, and that is how i liked it.
But that changed the moment she walked into my life. She changed me.
I've never told her about the blood slaves i had when she first came to me, and before that, i don’t need to. She is well aware that i am not a good person, but that doesn’t mean she wants the details.
I never once told her i was a good person, but i have told her what she means to me, and that is all she needs to know.
“Tell me about the family.” Mae says, turning to Luthor who has been on his phone for the last twenty minutes.
Why invite your daughter out for a meal if you are just going to ignore her?
Fucking rude. I'll be pulling him up on it later.
He may be a powerful Nati lord, but so am i, and i have more allies than he does.
Luthor finally puts the phone down and looks at Mae, a small smile in the corners of his lips, “You have three brothers and a sister.” He says, “Your brother Dren is the oldest, he lives with me a few cities away, he is going to be the next lord.” he leans forward, “He is really excited to meet you, they all are. Jeren and Blake too, they are twins. Then there is your sister, Lily.”
“I’ve never really had any close siblings, i have my mother's sons of course, but we weren’t the best of friends.” Mae explains, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “It was more like a competition between us, who was stronger and faster, who earned the most points in training. There was never any time to actually be a family.”
I'd like to kill Nathanial, with my bare hands. Who in their right mind makes children fight like that, brother against sister?
“Lily is especially excited to meet you, all she has known is three older brothers, and they are very protective of her, just as they will be to you.” Luthor laughs a little, “You are the baby of the family.”
“How old are they?” she asks.
Luthor thinks for a moment. “Dren is one hundred and fifty, the twins are in their late eighties, and Lily is seventy-two.”
Mae nods, and she’s silent for a moment, but then she asks; “Are you very involved in their lives?”
“I am.” He says softly, “Just as i want to be involved in your life.” he shakes his head, growling a little, “all these years I thought the hunter council had killed you, just like they did your mother.”
“Nope.” She mutters, “They just used me for a sick experiment instead. But they would have killed me, eventually, i know that now.”
The food comes at the silence stretches out around the table, Mae ordered a pasta dish, and so did Luthor, whilst i ordered a rare steak.
The waiter brings three glasses of blood, and three glasses of wine, Mae’s eyes widen at the sight, though i don’t think it is because of the wine.
She turns to me, “it’s a trap, they brought blood, i can smell it.”
I laugh, shaking my head, “It’s ok, they know what we are.” I tell her, “Half of the staff are exactly the same as us.”
Her eyes widen further, her body shaking a little, “I didn’t know. What if they heard me talking about my time with the hunters?” she whispers.
“You shouldn’t worry so much.” Luthor says from across the table, “you were a child, and you didn’t know what you were, all your crimes have already been forgiven.”
Mae frowns, visibly confused, “What do you mean?”
Luthor turns to me, urging me to explain.
“We have our own council of sorts, lords that have been alive long before the hunters, Luthor and i contacted them and told them the situation.” I say, squeezing her hand. “They have all agreed that you were a child, that you had no idea about your family, or what you were. Therefore, there will be no consequences.”
“Right.” she murmurs, pretending she understands. “Is that what you were doing on your phone for so long?” Mae asks her father.
“Yes and no.” Luthor chuckles, though ignoring your daughter is not a laughing matter. “I was speaking to your brother, Dren, he is on his way to the mansion and wishes to meet with you later. Mihai explained that you are going against the hunter council, and we would like to help.”
Mae looks relieved, “Are you sure?” she asks, “It would put you back on their radar.”
“I never left their radar, Mae, they have been hunting me for years, but i am always one step ahead of them.” He growls coldly, “It is time they are destroyed; they have been a thorn in the side of Nati for far too long.”
Mae nods, “They have tried to control me my whole life, and all i have done is enough to appease them, make them think that i tried.” She laughs, “I wish i never bothered, but i was trying to make the man who raised me proud. It is all i cared about. I wanted to be as strong as my mother.”
Mae stares at the blood in her glass like it burned her, she isn’t sure that she wants to drink it, but i know that she will be weaker if she doesn’t so i gently tilt the glass towards her lips.
“You are more like your mother than you realise.” Luthor says, smiling as he digs into his food.
Mae doesn’t seem to hear him, her eyes are focused solely on the blood in her glass, and as she lifts it to her lips, she inhales sharply, and then she drinks it all in one breath.
She wants to believe that she is still human, but she isn’t, not at all.
She places the glass down with a thud, and turns to me, tears in her eyes.
I squeeze her hand, “It is perfectly normal to crave it in the first year.” i tell her, “It doesn’t mean you have lost control.”
Luthor watches, but doesn’t say a word, he doesn’t need to, i have it under control.
Mae will always be safe with me, and I'd drain every human on this earth to keep it that way.
She is mine, and because of that, she will always be safe by my side.