Damien's POV

Aliya looked stunning; sitting across from me with her hair tied up in a messy bun, a few pieces of her hair fell on her face moving ever so lightly with the gentle breeze of the AC. The sunlight kissed her beautiful face giving it a magnificent glow.

How could she manage to look so effortlessly pretty all the damn time?

It took every fiber in my body to hold myself back from reaching out and touching her. I promised myself I would keep my distance, as nothing good would come out of this.

Due to the same reason that she was human and I was a vampire.

But her beauty and innocent face made it extremely difficult to keep that promise.

She tucked a strand behind her ear as her eyes met mine, she didn't say anything but it seemed her eyes were talking to me silently.

This was my paradise, she thought.

It surprised me to no end. I knew I was invading her privacy by reading her thoughts, but sometimes I found myself doing it unintentionally. When she was near, our undeniable connection became stronger and her presence and thoughts would consume me. I couldn't focus on anything else but her.

Why did the gods decide to torture me like this, by binding me to something I could never have?

Besides, why would she think of this place as her paradise?

I was too stunned to even ask.

Then she would definitely know I was again being a creeper and reading her mind.

"I honestly still don't know what kind of life I want for myself," she admitted, after a moment of silence.

"Well, what do you like? What are your interests?" I asked her, something that I had never asked someone before.

It sounded strange, but I wanted to know everything about her.

"I don't know... I mean, I never had any hobbies growing up. I was only allowed to read to pass time," she mentioned, still trying to think of something that she enjoys.

Her words cut deep, like a blade. I was the reason she didn't grow up to explore her creative side.

"You'll probably find it childish; but I do have like a bucket list," she smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

A bucket list?

What the fuck is that?

Not wanting her to think I'm that old where I don't even follow the latest trends, I asked her what was on the list instead.

"It's a bunch of things that I want to do, like learn how to swim, eat at a rooftop restaurant with city views, umm learn how to drive for sure. I took a few classes but it's a work in progress. I also want to bake a cake, a chocolate cake because I love chocolate. I also want to go to a snowy mountain! I've seen pictures of snow but never seen it in real life, and-"

"That's a long list, princess," I raised my eyebrows at her. But watching her go on and on about the experiences she would like to witness was fascinating, her eyes gleamed and the way she spoke seemed like she could almost picture everything in her head.

I was surprised to find how normal and common her wishes were. I thought it would be a list of stuff that she wants, I was expecting to find some materialistic things on it like a Gucci bag or a pair of Jimmy choos.

I rolled my eyes mentally at my sister's current obsession.

Instead of wanting something physical, Aliya longed for experiences and good memories.

"Yeah it is, I'm not going to do everything in a day, but over the course of a few years. Besides, half of those things wouldn't be any fun on my own."

"Who said you're alone?"

"You're right, I have Emma to-"

"I wasn't talking about my sister," with a swift motion, I stood up and started to make my way out of the tub.

Gladly, I was wearing shorts and not bathing fully naked like I usually did. Or else, we would be in a completely different situation and there wouldn't be any talking involved.

"Where you going?" Aliya's question stopped me in my track, I looked back at her.

I never had to dismiss myself from anybody before, and neither would they ever dare to ask where I was going. But this girl didn't seem to care about the fact that I was the king. The weirdest part was that it didn't make me mad, it was a change that I was willing to accept.

"Don't you want to cross off a few things on your 'bucket list'? Come on, I know a place where we can start," holding out my hand to her, I waited until she placed her hand into mine.

I pulled her up and she immediately wrapped her arms around herself, shivering from the sudden cold air. Grabbing a towel from the nearby rack, I wrapped it around her body, bringing it forward to rest on her shoulders. Noticing the small distance between us, I took a step back. She instantly grabbed the towel with her own hands and kept it wrapped around her.

After urging her to take a shower first and get ready, I went back into my room to find something to wear for tonight. After searching through piles of clothes, I finally came across a suit which was perfect for the occasion.

I stopped in my track as I realized something.

Did I just ask her out on an actual date?

***

Aliya's POV

"Damien, where are we going?"

The only thing visible from the car window was the ocean surrounding us. Ocean, lake, or whatever it was. All I could see was water stretched so far out until it mingled with the blue sky. As I looked towards the windshield, I could make out the tall sky scrappers and the enormous bridges between the city streets. We were on the long and straight road that connected the castle grounds to the city, I remembered it being a ten minute drive from here.

Which was too long for me to not question where we were going and what to expect. The anticipation was taking over my body as I looked down at my dress and wondered if it was appropriate for the place.

The dress was a perfect combination of casual and classy, Damien had helped me pick it out since I had no idea what I should be wearing when I'm out and about with the vampire king himself.

The last time we went somewhere together, it was to buy clothes for me back when he finally came to his senses and released me. If I was to compare the two situations, I would say I definitely felt a little less on edge. My mind wasn't racing with a million ideas of how he could kill me; like pushing me into the ocean and driving off like it's a normal day.

His company wasn't as intimidating as before, to the point where I forgot to breathe in his presence. Don't get me wrong, he still somehow manages to knock the breath out of me, but in a good way.

There was comfort in his presence, which hadn't been there before.

And we also weren't trying to eat each other's brains out like all those months ago.

The progress.

"That's because I got a little break from your insanity. But I'm starting to question it again since you keep asking me the same question, knowing I'm not going to tell you until we reach," Damien glanced in my direction, before focusing back on the road.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop reading my mind?!" I scolded him.

"Funny, because I don't remember you saying that once."

"Well, I must have thought it then, and since you can read minds you should know how much I hate when you do that," I turned away from him, looking at the waves.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"You always say that, it sucks that you know what I'm thinking about while you always have this guard up so I can never tell what's on your mind," I tried to explain to him.

"Okay, I promise I won't have my guard up tonight. You can ask me anything and I'll be completely honest with you. How does that sound?"

His attempt at trying to lighten my mood made me smile a little, "sounds perfect."

Now we were talking.

***

We finally reached the destination that Damien had been so keen at hiding from me.

It was...

A set of elevators.

"Get in," Damien pressed the button as I followed him into the elevator. Without having a clue on where they would take me.

My eyes settled on the button that Damien had pressed and they almost popped out of their sockets, as it blinked three times to confirm that it would be taking us there.

102nd floor.

I looked over at Damien as if he was the craziest man I had ever seen. His calm posture as the elevator took us up in a swift motion made my body even more stiff, afraid that it would break any second now.

Thankfully, the time went by quick and we were already up at the highest floor of the building before I even knew it.

Damien stepped out of the elevator first, but not before grabbing my hand firmly and pulling me along him. I was grateful for the gesture or I would've stayed glued to the spot, too afraid of what lay before me.

But I had nothing to worry about since it was just more doors.

Damien pushed past them until we made it inside what seemed like a restaurant.

Restaurant. That was weird because Damien and food don't really go together.

I meant the actual food; not the blood he considers one.

There was a welcome desk directly in front of us, but that wasn't the first thing that caught me attention.

No, it was the view of the entire city and the floor to ceiling windows which covered every corner of the restaurant. It was almost identical to the king's bathroom back at the castle, but the once distant set of buildings were now much closer.

It felt like we were in the heart of the city, and also the tallest part of it.

A female in her twenties was standing behind the desk, as soon as she saw us enter the room, she straightened herself up and welcomed us with a bright smile, "Welcome to El Palacio, your majesty."

She only received a nod from Damien in return as he looked around the room for something, then relaxed.

There was no one else present in the restaurant and I wondered if the place was closed today.

"We are more than honored to serve you and your guest for a special evening. Your table is ready as per your request. But first, I would like to express my gratitude for your generous donation to reserve our place for tonight."

That answered my question.

Damien literally reserved a whole place to bring me out to eat? I recalled mentioning my desire to eat at a rooftop restaurant with city views earlier. Even though we weren't physically outdoors on the rooftop, this place was beyond anything I could ever imagine. It exceeded my expectations by a remarkable distance.

The host took us to a table located in the far center of the restaurant. Damien instantly pulled back a chair for me and I thanked him before seating myself back into the soft velvety material of the chair. He made his way around the round table and sat on the opposite side, opening the front buttons of his suit to make himself comfortable.

A waitress appeared with some tall glasses of water and greeted us.

She placed our menus in front of us and told us to take our time.

When she went back inside the kitchen, I asked him, "you booked the whole place for us?"

He nodded, "I don't like being out in the public unless it is absolutely necessary, people act like I'm some god and start taking pictures, or even worse, try to engage in a conversation. Trust me, I do care about my subjects but from a distance. I try to restrict my interactions with them within the throne room."

I guess that made sense, it must get pretty annoying being in the spotlight every time you step out of the castle when you're just trying to enjoy a meal or shop around.

"Unless they are hot female vampires, of course. Then I don't mind the attention at all," he added with a grin, showing off his perfectly bright teeth.

Sometimes he acted like a typical guy, and seemed almost human.

"I know, like how you were enjoying their company at the dinner last night," I reminded him.

He lowered his eyes at the menu, acting innocent, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Whatever.

It shouldn't bother me anyway.

"But I'm here with you tonight, aren't I?"

His statement warmed my insides, burning away the small hints of jealousy that had been there before. He was right, there were only the two of us here tonight.

Him and I.

Far away from the chaos of the castle and the glaring eyes of other princesses who were willing to fight to get a word with him.

"How thoughtful of you, your highness. Forever grateful for your company," I said with sarcasm.

"You should be, especially since not many can afford it."

Hate to break it to you, but probably because it comes with endless headaches.

Let's hope he didn't hear that.

"Yeah? Back in the human world, people can't afford my company either."

That's probably the reason why I didn't have any friends.

"Why? Are you the president?" He mocked me.

I ignored him.

Picking up the menu, I briefly read over the descriptions of the most delicious sounding meals. Their wet chicken burrito sounded really good so I decided on that and moved onto the drinks menu.

Pineapple Margarita?

Conflicted if I should even get a cocktail after what happened the last time I was drunk, my mind settled on ordering just one drink.

That wouldn't hurt, I thought.

The waitress came back to take our orders, along with some appetizers that I didn't realize Damien had ordered beforehand.

Everything looked delicious and we both dug in at the same time. It was strange watching him eat since most of the times he would only be drinking blood. So I assumed he was eating to give me company, which was nice of him.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight," I looked up at him, "I feel like I really needed a breath of fresh air."

"For once I took upon your advice, that was no way of celebrating in the hot tub," Damien picked up his drink which seemed like a glass of whiskey and brought it to his lips, taking a quick sip before saying, "now this is a celebration."

"Are you sure you should be drinking right now? Your body is already dealing with toxicity," I said.

"Although your concern is adorable, you don't need to worry, I've survived much worse."

"You never told me who was behind the attack," I suddenly remembered.

"Who else would it be other than my brainless brother who likes to pick useless fights. His ignorance led him to believe he could defeat me," he huffed.

"Did you kill him?" I held my breath.

"No, but he's going to spend the next few days wishing that I did, due to the worse than death punishment I brought upon him."

"What did you do?"

"I killed his mate, which is what he deserved after messing with-" he stopped, as if struggling to find the right words.

My gasp escaped my lips, "his mate? The women who was with him at the party?"

He nodded.

Now that we were talking about it, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to ask him something. So without thinking much, I asked him, "do you have a mate?"

His eyes read surprised written all over them, that was the last question he was expecting from me. Why did it feel like he wanted to do everything in his power to avoid the question or distract himself, but my gaze prevented him from doing so?

He ran from any form of affection or love, so watching him freeze and process my words was a reaction that I was expecting.

"No," he finally averted his eyes from me, as if trying to hide something. Just like that, the staring contest was broken and I was left with a cold, straightforward answer.

Our food arrived and I thanked the waitress, before taking a sip of my own drink. It tasted sweet, but strong.

"But you have to admit they do exist right? Like, Eric and Emma are mates. Valentino had a mate who you brutally killed a few hours ago, what happens if your mate dies?"

I couldn't believe he was able to enjoy a fancy meal after murdering someone mere hours ago. I would be puking my guts out.

"I don't know, except the fact that he will soon join her. From what I have heard, if your mate dies it is only a matter of time before your body starts to give up and all your heart longs for is your other half, the agony is too much to handle for some vampires so they end up either killing themselves or die a slow and painful death."

"That sounds awful," I told him.

"Yeah, and that is why I would never want a mate. It only gets worse once you mark them, then the two of you are linked like never before and can feel exactly what the other feels. I know a few people who would love to use that as their advantage and I would never hand them that opportunity."

"But you said it was impossible for you to die, so how can the mate bond bring your destruction?" I asked him.

A few months ago, he had told me himself there wasn't a single way to end his life. He wasn't a normal vampire, his angelic side made him prone to any form of damage. Yes, his advanced healing could be slowed and there must be ways to tame him, but he said it's impossible to fully kill him.

"It's not me that I am worried about, I know I can withstand the toughest of battles, but it is her who I would be concerned about," his eyes softened at the thought of his mate, and it was the first time I had ever seen them worried or even the slightest bit concerned.

"But that should be her choice. Your mate's, I mean," I confronted him, "to decide whether or not she wants to be with you."

"She wouldn't understand the depth of her decisions, or the terrible consequences that comes with it. Being with me means spending your life in eternal darkness, where there is a threat at every corner. It means putting your own life on hold while you attend to the needs of others, what they demand from you. Because being my mate isn't just about being my mate, it's about being the next queen of vampires and all the other roles that fall under that umbrella," he said.

He was right; I didn't understand the gravity of his situation until now. Every word that he said was true.

"So you're trying to find someone worthy enough to fit those roles," I confirmed, my mind fresh with the memory of Emma's bridal shower. When the other girls gushed about his marriage proposals.

"That was the council's decision, not mine."

"The council?"

"They're my elders. There are some affairs that are beyond my control, and this just happens to be one of them. They want a queen on the throne to secure the future of the vampire world."

"And what do you want?" I had to ask him.

I wanted to know if he was going to obey their request and find a match.

Did he even have a choice?

"I'll find someone eventually," he said, frowning as he looked down.

Ouch.

Without another word, I picked up my fork and ate the rest of my food in silence.

There weren't many times when I was left speechless, but this was one of them.

I didn't know what to feel or how to react.

Knowing that he would be able to read my expressions and mind which were now clear as the day, I didn't want to feel anything.

But the thought of him finding someone to marry already sent my mind racing with the possible outcomes. It made me wonder who he would choose, who would be the lucky one out of all the girls back at the palace to win him over.

Win his heart.

Meanwhile, I would be losing mine.

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