T H I R T Y-F I V E

The vampire had black hair, or maybe it was a really dark brown, he couldn't tell. From where he stood slightly hidden behind a pillar on the balcony overlooking the group of vampires, it wasn't his fault he didn't have the greatest view. The boy leaned his head on the cylinder stone and sighed. He was hypnotized by the vampire's eyes, as well, when he caught sight of them. They were a beautiful ocean blue and their secondary color was a mesmerizing navy. The boy was going to venture further, expose himself, but he was startled before he could.

"Young prince! Get over here right now!"

The boy turned when he heard his nurse's harsh whisper. Allison wore a long black dress with white sleeves, which waved as she motioned over to him.

"You know you can't be here."

"I'm doing no harm. I'm just watching."

"Well, it's prohibited until you're sixteen. Why even explore here?"

The prince made a disagreeing face. "I can't interact with them until I'm sixteen. I don't think it's a sin if I simply watch them."

The nurse sighed and walked up to him, lifting her dress in the process so she didn't trip. She stood next to him and peered down at the training vampires. "What is it with you and the vampires? You asked about them a few days ago, and now you're here every chance of the day."

The prince rolled his eyes, "Is there something just so wrong with watching them?"

"I know it's a casual thing but I just want to specify that you observe them a bit..often than most."

"How could I when I'm practically buried under paper all day?"

"Oh!" The nurse suddenly perked up, "That reminds me, you have unfinished work." The nurse grabbed the prince's shoulders and started steering him to one of the exits to the balcony.

"Why did I have to say anything?"

The nurse chuckled and held his arm while they walked, not wanting to risk him slipping away. Again.

"Your father is very stern about you completing your work."

"How is doing all this going to prepare me? A King protects his kingdom," The prince suddenly jerked away from his nurse. "How do I do that if I don't train?"

The nurse frowned, "You aren't implying what I think you are..are you?"

When the prince tilted his head the nurse rushed up to him, "You want to train with the vampires!?" She whispered it like it was dangerous to mutter out loud.

"What? No. I'm just saying all I do is work all day. It's boring. Isn't there more to a King?"

"Sure there is."

Iris and his nurse glance up the stairs when a much more authoritative voice answered his question. He frowned up at his dad, the King

"You just have to go through the boring stuff first."

"Of course." Iris said bitterly and turned away from Allison and started walking up the stairs, past his dad.

"Iris. Can you stop ignoring me for once?!"

The prince paused, glancing at Arlo, before scoffing and continuing up.

The King and Iris's nurse, glanced at each other when they heard his door slam shut all the way from upstairs. Arlo gave the nurse a small smile, tired smile. "Was he watching the guards again?"

"Yes. I do wonder why he's so interested in them."

"He's just curious. Besides the other royals that hardly visit, some of those vampires are close to his age."

Allison pursed her lips, "I understand that, but..vampires. You aren't even the tiniest bit worried."

While the King and the nurse walked down the stairs, Arlo shook his head to say no. "I don't necessarily trust the vampires, but I believe they're smart enough to know what will happen if they go beyond the rules I specifically set for them. So they won't."

"Or you hope they won't."

Arlo quirked a brow at her, "You question my trust?"

"Oh, no! No, I'm just-I question my trust..apparently so."

The King chuckled and linked his fingers behind his back as they walked down the hall and aimed for the kitchen door.

"I'm only kidding. But I will say that my son is a smart boy. Whatever he does, he does it for a reason."

††

Once again, Iris's room was void of his physical presence. His work laid incomplete on his dark oak desk and his ink was left to dry.

Allison sighed as she leaned her shoulder on the doorframe while her eyes scanned the empty room. This was twice today he's been distant from his work. She had little authority over Iris, even though he was her temporary responsibility. Allison didn't want to take the job lightly, but the prince of Vridora made it especially hard to do her job.

With another sigh, the nurse shut Iris's door, picked up her dress, and started walking down the corridor. She had a thought, or perhaps a place, lingering in her head. Where she suspected Iris resided was a place she didn't care to venture. No one really did. The vampires weren't even that interesting to watch, Allison thought to herself, why was the prince suddenly attracted to them?

The the nurse stopped. Or had his attention always been drawn to them? With a shake of her head, she continue. She was certain she would've noticed if he was interested in them; but Allison kept the King's words in mind.

Iris did have a tendency of basing his actions off of valuable reasons. Well, ones he found valuable.

When Allison neared the south side of the mansion and walked onto the balcony looking down at the rectangular patio, she noticed her missing prince was nowhere in sight. Warily, she peered over the edge of the small wall. It seemed that most of the guards were hanging around in the shadows, all avoiding the golden, honeyed color light pouring over it.

It was a couple hours after noon, so they'd soon be moving into the other training area. Maybe that's where Iris was?

Allison backed away from the brick railing and started walking back inside. Back to the other side of the mansion. Did she mention her job was a lot of work?

Opening the door to the training building, Allison poked her head inside, not wanting to go further than necessary, and peered around.

Only three to five guard were inside. They glanced over at her, not very bothered by her arrival, then continued talking amongst themselves.

No sign of Iris. She sighed.

Where else could that boy be? Allison answered the question before she even finished it. The gardens.

The nurse picked up her dress and set her destination. She knew one thing, if Iris wasn't in the garden, panic was ready to corrupt her nerves; and she would be anxiously forced to inform the King, and ask for his help. Again. Allison didn't want to do that, she wanted to be able to handle Iris. But it obviously wasn't turning out that way. For a while it did, for a few months.

Iris wouldn't need a nurse, a vague caretaker, after he turned sixteen; which was in less that a weeks tims. Allison wanted to have even the smallest influence on him before that deadline came. To some, that's probably an impossible wish.

Since, speaking of time, the day was getting later, the sun wasn't giving off much heat to make Allison uncomfortable in her long black dress. But traveling down the wide stone walkway in her flats, and searching for the garden with the silver gates, wasn't very enjoyable.

Allison sighed as her feet touched the peach colored tiles. Somewhere, she hoped, Iris would be sitting and relaxing instead of facing the small amount of stress his work contained.

"Iris?" She called out while cupping her mouth. Small birds chirped above her. "Iris!" Worry expressed itself in her voice. She had always been the type of worry frequent and often than most. Allison cupped her mouth again but no words left her lips. Only a quiet, relieving sigh escaped her throat.

Iris appeared in the opening he created in the parted willow leaves. He stared at her with an almost confused expression.

"What?" He asked. He stepped forward and let the leaves sway back to normal.

Allison dropped her tense shoulders. "What?" She repeated with a dry scoff, "Why are you not in your room, Iris? I've been looking all over for you."

The prince shrugged with his hands. "I wanted a break."

"Iris-"

"I'm coming back, so you don't have to fret so much." He raised his hand at her with a sigh. While he wandered past her to the gate doors, Allison swore she detected a hint of disappointmnet in his tone. And it wasn't because he had to go back to being a prince; though it didn't seem that way to her.

"All day, you said, why didn't you just come look here first?" Iris asked with casual interest.

"Well, I assumed you would be watching the guards. I checked their training spots first."

Iris glanced at her before sighing and looking up at the cerulean sky. "Can you stop acting like I'm obsessed with them."

"Sure. When you stop acting like you are." Allison teased, which made the prince scoff, which ended up making the nurse forget all about her worry. And for a split second, Iris did, too.

††

I'm sooooo sorry for the super late update!! I've been studying for finals and today I took my first two! I was also a bit stuck writing the details. I usually base a chapter off of the big picture and add in the details and fillers while I go along. This chapter was a little different.

Vague excuse, I know, and I apologize. Another update will be up tomorrow and hopefully I can focus more on this book and update every 2-3 days; hopefully.

Thank you for your patience!!