"Here take a bite," said Damon waving a morsel of food in my face. "You need your energy."

But I didn't feel like eating. I felt dead inside. And worse still I felt as if it was I who had killed me.

"Don't be difficult Kira. Eat and I will tell you all you want to know, " said Damon offering the only enticement that was guaranteed to snap me out of my melancholy.

I took the bite he offered and then rose stiffly to sit up against the bed head. I realised then that I was feverishly cold. My blood was surely frozen in my veins. I stared up at Damon but he wavee the plate of food before me pointedly.

So I reached out a trembling hand to take the plate and he sighed heavily.

"Here I'll do it," he said before settling in the bed beside me to feed me my food.

I took the first few bites then stopped to look at him expectantly. I would have him talk to me as he fed me.

"Please, " I pleaded openly.

Shaking his head he begun his tale. " Six months ago you called my mother asking for help. Not for you but for Lucian. Between the two of you a plan was developed to lure Lucian onto our territory so we could capture him..."

" Wait!" I exclaimed softly. "Why was there even a territory? Why did you need to capture him?"

"I'll answer all your questions but no interruption please," said Damon soothingly before offering me another bite to eat. "The territory was because of you. Lucian and father lied to everyone about it though. Lucian claimed it was to exercise his rights as a new master and father claimed it was because of the new awareness of our existence and the pending unveiling of the originals."

I accepted another bite absent. I was absorbed in all that Damon was saying.

"The truth was that Dad wanted you gone or if not gone then dead. He had plans for Lucian and those plans included his wedding to Vanessa," said Damon then ignoring my gasp of shock he popped another bite into my gaping mouth. I absently chewed.

"Marriage to Vanessa would serve as mine did to Kathryn. He would have a child as did I. The child would be within wedlock and serve to unite two distinguished original families. There was a lot of great political alliance and deals forged behind the wedding you just attended. It was all much greater then the two individuals involved," said Damon.

"But that was not why you came to us. You were already dying. Father had no real need to push for Lucian to come to heel. Even though he did take every opportunity to do you in simply because he does not have a patient bone in his body. But he hadn't really needed to. And he knew that too. He could have just as easily waited you out. He had infact waited the five long years as ii were. Who ever heard of a scion, especially one in love with its master living past a year even. But your master loved you too. Lucian went out of his way to keep you alive at all cost but time was ticking against the both of you. And Lucian was his own greatest enemy in this regard. You see it was him who was ultimately killing you," said Damon again pausing to take advantage of my gaping mouth to stuff it with food.

I sat chewing in the silence that ensued. I knew Damon was giving me time to process what he had just said before he continued but there was just so much more to ask that I hadn't a clue where to begin. That Damien Pall had wanted me dead was the very least of it.

I chose in the end. "Lucian drank my blood? "