Nicon

XIII

XIII

ELYSIE WASN'T SURE how to look past the ever-growing uncomfortable silence and initiate a conversation with the man who had been so unwavering on his decision to have her accompany him for an evening meal. It seemed absurd to her that they would still remain in silence after nearing the main course. Her ears were practically ringing from the soundlessness; the only spurs of noise were the sounds of metal scraping against the plates.

She hadn't become entirely comfortable using utensils yet, and the idea that she couldn't see what she was eating sent an unnerving feeling through her chest. I wouldn't put it past the King to poison my food, she thought amusedly.

"You stopped calling me by my name." Breaking the silence, the King startled Elysie so much that she dropped the knife she was trying to use and it clattered onto her plate noisily. For a second, she had forgotten that their bond was growing stronger and she could feel his presence in her mind.

"I feel uncomfortable. I hardly know you. Why should I be privileged enough to call you by your name when others are not?" Elysie didn't expect to be so straightforward in her answer, but she was feeling rebellious tonight and felt like openly speaking her mind.

"We're mates. You earned that privilege the moment you entered the boundary of my territory." His voice remained calm and the scraping of his knife against the plate did not stop. Elysie tentatively searched her plate for her own knife.

"I thought you ruled over all territory?"

She imagined he smirked in response. "That's correct."

Elysie shook her head slightly, sick of his mind games. She put down her fork.  Using it was impossible, anyway.  "Why am I still here?"

"I fancy your company."

"You fancy my company so much that you risk lying to everyone to keep me here?" Elysie was fed up with this charade. Why should she stay in a place she was obviously unwelcome, if not by the King than surely by others like him? They were murdering humans just because they didn't possess supernatural powers!

The King growled. "We're murdering humans because they are weak and have started a war against this race they cannot see through to the end."

"Stop prying into my thoughts!" she yelled, her anger surfacing all at once. Hot tears of anger filled the corners of her eyes as she breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down. The girl had an awfully unfortunate habit of crying when she was troubled with rage.

"I wouldn't have to if you would speak your mind!"

"I've spoken my mind more to you in these short days than anyone has in the entire time they've known you! They are terrified of you."

"And yet you're not," he replied, calm once again. The knife had stopped scraping against his plate and she could not hear any movement on the King's side of the table.

"Why can't we have civilized conversation as mates are supposed to?"

"I may be blind but I'm not foolish. I know you don't want a mundane human as your mate."

Nicon frowned, watching her face as she spoke with such exasperation, her eyes lit with a burning fury. Her blue eyes were milky and covered in a cloudy white sheen. He could make out a few freckled dots of green and the centers of her pupils seemed clearer than they had hours ago. His heart beat with excitement.

Elysie's face was impatient as she waited for a response, and her eyebrows quickly furrowed in confusion, as the King did not respond. He continued to stare at her and she sensed it, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"I'll admit, at first, I was appalled." Nicon could barely stand being in the presence of the human when Killian first carried her bloody body through the doors. "I've had a change of heart."

Does he even have a heart?

He ignored her thought, knowing it would aggravate her further if he commented on the fact that he heard it. As much as he liked hearing her voice in his head, once she accepted him, he would help her understand how to block her thoughts so she could have privacy.

The King watched her expression for the entire time he spoke. She was staring off to the left, her eyes holding a vacant intensity.

"Alright."

"Will you agree to attempt to accept the mate bond we share?"

"Will you agree to not keep me in the dark?" Her choice of words was ironic for someone sightless.

"Yes," he agreed. "The meal you ate tonight was not poisoned, in fact, and from now on I will tell you what we are having. Will you join me for a meal tomorrow night?"

As much as she despised him hearing her thoughts, a small smile formed on Elysie's face. "I'll consider it."

A small growl escaped Nicon's throat.  Elysie thought it was almost playful.