Please read: I know a lot of people didn't get notifications last chapter since Wattpad is having major issues at the moment. So if you didn't know, there's a chapter before this one I uploaded like two days ago.

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Lincoln's P.O.V

Elven. Kalem was elven.

No matter how often I repeated the words to myself, both from my mouth and in my mind, the words never seemed to make complete sense. The words made me want to laugh with how ridiculous it all seemed, but it wasn't ridiculous, it was reality - our new reality.

Throughout the many weeks where we'd all searched for what Kalem truly was, all whilst trying to craft the foundations of my clan to be, I'd prepared myself to accept whatever the outcome came to be with open arms, and I had, but I'd never once placed elf on that spectrum of possibilities.

I'd honestly thought him to be some mix of fairy and something else from this realm, not something from an all-together separate realm, and certainly not the elven one at that.

Elves may have been the strongest of the known supernatural species, but they were also one of the foulest species known throughout all the realms. And that was solely due to their sour personalities that they made no effort to curb when it came to other species, so easily they found fault in every and anything that did not originate from their realm. They were also undeniably powerful and ahead of us all, though many didn't like to admit it, that raw stroke of power they all possessed is what also made them incredibly dangerous.

Placing Kalem on the same plain as Malcolm's unruly, holier-than-though elf, seemed illogical to my troubled mind.

Kalem's comatose shifting takes me from my mind's rambles as he tightens the hold he had on my right hand and brought himself even closer to me so that he was laying on top of me completely. His body releases a content hum when I give him a light squeeze in response, with that he relaxes into me and speedily drifts back to sleep.

Studying his relaxed features, I take the offered moment to enjoy Kalem's unmatched beauty. He wasn't handsome or pretty, he was beautiful, both inside and out. His warm hazel eyes were always curious and full of that pure type of excitement that got snuffed out with age or insight into the world's horrors, somehow Kalem managed to retain it. It hid beneath his long lashes like a sweet secret he only gave to those who earned it.

I'd often described him as angelic, with his creamy, unblemished skin that was soft to the touch, his slightly pouty lips that could unravel the purest of intentions and his high cheekbones that seemed to be just a little unnatural.

Kalem, to me, was always some sweet, kind ethereal thing that was far too good for anything in this world, I'd seen him as my angel, but I'd never envisioned that my words would turn out to ring so true.

Not only elven, but an angel and a demon - a Nyphilim.

The species wasn't new to me, though I'd known them in general terms as Nephilim which wasn't too far in terms of translations from what Malcolm's elf had provided as a name. I'd read of them in passing literature but the information was more so bits and pieces, scraps with blurred lines and even blurrier details - nothing concrete.

Scriptures from the Holy Bible marked them as workers of God, others named them giants and few fallen angels. There were different versions and with none to be found living in this realm, it'd turned to be fiction at best. But there was a central point if one could even call it that, one point where the most links could be found, and that was in historical texts which marked the species - in this realm - as one that laid between a human and an angel.

I'd never paid the information much truth, but now it no longer seemed to be so far fetched.

From Aias' brief explanations, the scattered scraps of information made much more sense than ever before. The fallen angel, the workers of God; they weren't two possibilities but rather one and the same, and perhaps the giant mentions referred to Kalem's first form which Aias had mentioned in his brief explanation.

I sigh gently as my mind tries to comb through it all. I understood all the pieces of information I'd been given, individually they made some sort of sense. But when I tried to piece it all together, things started to become entirely too complicated.

The biggest of all being the demon aspect to Kalem's nature. There wasn't a single thing in Kalem that I could equate to as demonic on first glance or first thought. He was far too kind, far too innocent in my mind for me to find a fault that could be considered evil or sinful.

But on further inspection, I suppose it could make sense from a certain perspective, a familiar perspective - one that focused entirely on Kalem's love for all things sexual.

If I looked at Kalem's sex drive, his ability to cum so many times, to self-lubricate, and how keen he always became whenever things took a sexual light, then his behaviour was quite close to an incubus'. There were several species with demonic origins, such as the incubi, and they were mostly like any other species, though with considerably more perverse points of focus.

More research would have to be done to understand it completely, which meant more conversations with a certain elf who I now realized held far more secrets than I'd initially suspected.

Everyone held secrets, that never bothered me, but if his secrets would cause trouble for Malcolm, then that would be an issue that would most definitely bother me.

Forgetting the elf, now that we knew exactly what Kalem was, a new world of those against us was suddenly introduced, a realm to be specific.

I'd always intended to protect Kalem from all that posed a threat to him or his joy, both on the planet and in this realm. I hadn't marked the elves as an enemy, but with the details Aias had provided, they most certainly would be if they ever learned of Kalem's existence.

Which made securing my position in the vampire world all the more important. Protecting Kalem from those in this realm was one thing, protecting him from the elves, that was a new matter entirely. But it would be done, with the appropriate measures put in place, I'd ensure his safety.

The list that was against us may have grown longer, but the objective remained the same - protecting Kalem and his happiness, that was all that would ever matter to me.

So as the still of night swept through the castle halls and time followed on its never-ending path, I held my heart close to my chest and let my mind work out exactly how I'd ensure that he stayed exactly where he belonged, with me.

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Looking over the expanse of loose papers and spread books that covered the top of my desk, I circle my head in an effort to release some of the tension that was building in my neck and shoulders.

Pushing my glasses up, I focus my eyes back on the sketches of the castle that Kalem had made as a makeshift blueprint. He'd done a spectacular job laying out every level of the castle by its wing, marking off every room with what it was meant for and what it contained.

It made the task of trying to allocate spaces for the incoming Anouk Clan so much easier but sadly it didn't take away all the troubles of this specific task.

The castle was enormous and more than capable of catering to a clan of five hundred, but deciding where every single member would be allocated was a tedious mission that had to be done. If I left them to chose for themselves, it would only bring issues I didn't want to deal with to greet me in the future, it was better to have it dealt with now.

Alexandra had been meticulous is listing every member of her clan with their position, age and normal duties with recommendations for where she thought they'd fit best in the new scheme of things. It helped with choosing how I allocated duties and sleeping quarters, having all the newborns together would be a disaster, spreading them out with a few of the elder clan members amongst them was far more promising.

I marked off the rooms I'd chosen so far with little stars for Kalem to know which he'd been cleaning later. For a moment I felt bad for having Kalem do so much cleaning, then a laugh immediately followed when I remembered Kalem's exact reaction to being told that we'd need to be preparing the western wing of the castle.

"Does that mean I get to clean it?! Oh Master, please can I do it?! Please! Please can I do the entire wing?! Please!!!"

Kalem had all but gotten on his knees begging and when I begrudgingly agreed, some mixture of a scream and squeal had broke from him before he tackled me in a hug so tight my bones had ached afterwards.

I didn't know if it was the knowledge of what he was or his improving figure the more he ate, but Kalem was growing stronger and stronger. In the past, he'd only displayed his strength once before when he had me drink his blood but beyond that, I hadn't seen any more of the quiet strength. But more and more, little demonstrations of that power came about when he was particularly happy or riled up.

It made our training sessions far more strenuous on my end.

Speaking of which, we had one scheduled today and then a visit from Malcolm and his elf to further discuss details on Kalem's species. A quick glance at my watch warned me that I only had an hour more before I'd have to meet Kalem for our session.

With that, I get back to mapping out the western wing for the Anouk Clan members.

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"Today, I'd like you to try incorporating your popping into your movements," I say to Kalem while I wrap his fingers in elastic tape. Despite the way he still panted from our warm-up, Kalem still managed a giggle as he looks up from the hand I held and to me, "what's so funny?"

"It's funny when you say pop Master," Kalem explains before biting his lip.

"Well you're the one who came up with it love," I reply with a loose smile, "should I call it something else?"

Kalem shakes his head quickly, his eyes proudly displaying his love, "it's funny but that's why I like it when you say it, it makes me feel good inside."

"Then pop it is," I reply and Kalem giggles again before he presses himself up on his toes to gift me with a kiss that makes my hands freeze just as everything around me did in the wake of having Kalem's lips on mine.

We part only when we're both satisfied with our refills of each other and I quickly finish wrapping up Kalem's fingers while Kalem watches me patiently. Once done, we waste no time carrying out our usual routine; weights, sit-ups, some partner drills and then the punching bag.

Kalem slips on his gloves without having to be reminded and takes in a deep breath before he takes his stance and lays into the bag of sand. I hold it steady and pay special attention to the force of Kalem's punches while sharing words of encouragement and correction when needed.

When we'd first started these sessions, Kalem had none of this confidence that he held now as he moved around the bag, striking it from every directed angle. He'd been terribly frightened of learning to fight, seeing it as an act of violence and Kalem hated violence.

It's taken many conversations driven by patience to explain to Kalem exactly how there was nothing wrong with knowing how to fight and exactly why it was so important to defend himself. I'd started these with the goal of being able to one day be confident that if Kalem ran into trouble and I wasn't there to save him, he'd be just fine on his own.

But that was before I knew he could pop, if anyone some managed to succeed in taking him away from me, all Kalem had to do would be to think of home and he'd be safe. But it was still important to make sure he was able to defend himself properly, especially with what came with his glamoured genes.

Now, Kalem looked forward to these sessions and even requested I'd add another to our week, I think having a chance to release any tension built up by his mind's stress helped him relax for the days which followed after a normal session. It clearly did well for his mental state as well as physical, which was a double win for us both.

"Alright," I say bringing him to a stop after five minutes had passed. Kalem steps back with deep, careful breathes as he settles himself and takes his water bottle for a few gulps. "Take a few minutes to cool down then we'll finish with a sparring match."

Kalem nods and begins walking the length of our makeshift gym while I got in my own time on the bag. It'd been years since I'd put any effort into maintaining and increasing my strength but now that I was back to doing so, I found it only marginally less sufferable than I had in the past.

Despite being built for it, my body never managed to find any kind of pleasure in straining it in this manner. I always favoured doing literally nothing just as I favoured being alone, I was a recluse at heart and it came with the territory, nothing to be done about it.

But still, I pushed myself, focusing on how glorious it would be to put an end to Diablos and all his little minions, and how I'd make it hurt, truly hurt. I'd always despised Diablos, his willingness to follow along to the destruction the witches wanted and the way he enjoyed it, I'd known from the moment I'd looked into his eyes that he was soulless.

Putting an end to him would be a service, to everyone, including him.

I finish a couple of rotations before I still the bag and focus my attention back on my boy who was waiting patiently with a look of determination on his face. Getting Kalem to fight me had been far more difficult than getting him to train, but I'd managed it and now he didn't cry whenever he managed to get a hit in.

"Ready?" I ask and Kalem gives a quick nod while he moved on the balls of his feet.

I rush at Kalem making his eyes widen in surprise since I never made the first move, but he reacted quick enough and popped himself to where I'd been moments earlier. Kalem looked mildly surprised when I turned to face him, as if he'd move on instinct rather by thought and that made me smile.

Sensing my approval, Kalem relaxes a little and readies himself to carry on. I rush at him again but Kalem blocks me this time, using one hand to catch my incoming wrist while the other moved to strike my side. I twist from his grasp and take a step back but Kalem follows me, not letting up on his attacking strike until one hit and then another.

There was slightly more force to Kalem's hits that there usually was, but it did no damage and I was far too proud to give it any notice. I reign in my strength for my blows to Kalem, giving him just enough to feel it but never enough to hurt him. Kalem reacted perfectly to them all, taking them in stride and using them to boost his next attack.

"You're only using it to defend," I say once while we move around one another, referring to his popping, "use it to attack as well, it'll help."

"Okay," Kalem agrees after a moment.

We carry on but things remain as they were, Kalem not managing to get any attacks in of that form. Weighing my options, I decide to incorporate my own speed with the hopes of coaxing Kalem to do the same, but with his abilities. Shock and panic tangled Kalem's movements when I came with him using my predatorial speed, making his usually firm stance falter and everything else quickly after.

I don't pull back though, maintaining the pressure of my attacks while he popped around the room in an effort to escape. If it was a larger terrain, it'd be extremely hard to reach him so quickly, but the room was small enough that by the time Kalem appeared somewhere new, I was only a few seconds behind him.

When Kalem appears next, I rush to him but stop in my tracks when he reappears directly in front of me, giving me only a moment to register his presence before his fist collided with the side of my face.

I find myself on the floor with a wicked ache in my jaw that lingers for a few dreadful seconds before my blood washes the pain away. Well, that was certainly an attack if I asked for one.

"L-Lincoln," Kalem whimpers as he crashes down on his knee beside me and takes my face in his hands, eyes filling quickly with awful shame and apologises ready on his tongue, "I-I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to Master."

Placing a hand over Kalem's, I offer him a smile while I tongue the inside of my cheek that was now nothing more than a dull buzz. "Nothing to be sorry for love," I assure him, keeping my tone gentle for him, "I told you to attack and you did, and very well at that. I'm not mad at you, I'm proud Kalem."

"B-But I hurt you Master," Kalem protest, the words taking another regretful whimper from him.

"If we practice without either of us ever getting hurt, then you'll never get better," I argue before I pull his hand away from my face to kiss it despite the tape wrapped around it, "I'm not hurt, at all. You know I heal from any aliments, I'm fine Kalem, I promise."

Not convinced by my words, Kalem pulls his hand away to examine the spot he'd hit on his own. I sigh and let him, knowing he'd only be able to relax when he was sure the words were true himself. In the meantime, I push my memory back to the use of my name and let myself enjoy the sound of it for a moment.

Slowly, very slowly, Kalem was replacing Master with my actual name. It came when he wanted to make me happy or torture me with lust, but the fact that he was using it all, was a blessing of its own. I'd actually thought that there would never be a day where Kalem used my name without being forced to, but here he was, using it without even noticing it at some points.

The progress Kalem was making from when I'd first found him was astounding, and more than that, it was rewarding. I'd been patient with him, kind and patient, never once taking out my frustrations on him like he feared I would and now here we were, bearing the fruits of our labour.

"I'm sorry," Kalem whispers again when he's done his inspection, his eyes no longer haunted with shame but still carrying guilt within them, "I hit you really hard Master."

"You don't have to tell me," I reply with a chuckle Kalem didn't appreciate because he gave me a little shove before he climbed into my lap for a hug, "you did very well today Kalem, I'm so proud of you."

Kalem usually beamed with the praise but with the single kiss to my cheek I received in response, I could tell that today he didn't feel he'd deserved it. I wanted to press but I knew my boy, no amount of words could unravel his mind when it linked itself to his earliest lessons which I was sure declared that hurting a master deserved a punishment. The fact that Kalem wasn't asking for one was a testament that he knew he didn't need one despite that.

"Let's get cleaned up, Malcolm won't shut up about it if he finds us sweaty," I say as I stand with Kalem in my arms. He laughs a little at that and hangs on while I take us up to our shower for a lovely bath together.

We clean one another and I kiss Kalem until his guilt is washed away too, by the time we step out, Kalem was smiling widely again as he got dressed beside me.

"Do you like animals Master?" Kalem asks a little shakily.

Looking across at him, I frown a little at the random question that matched all the other ones he'd been asking lately. I wasn't sure what triggered it, but Kalem had been more frequently asking me questions about myself that I never even thought about.

From my favourite colour to my favourite book, what I liked to do when it was rainy and which flower made me smile. None fell in the same category and they were all so random I had a hard time trying to piece it all together and every time I asked Kalem why he was asking them, he'd try to hide away from me.

I'd concluded on the most likely scenario that Kalem simply wanted to know me.

From the moment we'd met the focus had always been on Kalem and happily so, he deserved happiness and freedom and I was more than happy to provide him with an ample sample of both. But for Kalem, it seemed he wished to do the same for me and that may have started with getting to know the man he'd fallen in love with.

The only problem was that there honestly wasn't very much to me.

"I don't hate them," I reply in what was my best possible answer.

"Which do you like best?" Kalem presses eagerly.

"None," I reply honestly and Kalem frowns deeply so I carry on, "they're all the same to me. I see a lizard the same way I do a dog, a shark the same a cat. I don't have any favourites, they're all sort of... there for me."

"That's weird Master," Kalem mumbles making me laugh.

"Do you want a pet?" I hazard with my fingers and toes crossed that he'd say no.

Kalem shakes his head quickly and I release a grateful breath to the Gods, "have you ever had a pet Master?"

"No," I reply readily before I stop as I tighten my belt, memory serving of a particularly friendly dog, "I didn't have one, but someone I once knew did."

You don't have to scowl every time you see him Lincoln, he's just a dog.

Memories of Timothy's easy voice poured in like a warm wave, bringing a smile to my lips as I remember his judgemental glares and knowing choruses of laughter.

"Aias' Malcolm?" Kalem questions, bringing my thoughts back to the present and away from the painful past.

"No," I reply as I turn to face him, leaning against the dresser while I licked my lips, "time ago, I had a... companion, he had a dog."

Kalem's eyes widen at that as he stops his own movements to look at me with his full attention, I could see a bit of nerve forming but he didn't shy away for the topic nor did he look hurt which shouldn't have been as surprising as it was.

"What was he like?" Kalem asks carefully.

With a chuckle I think on the best way to describe the boisterous man that was Timothy, "Timothy Hansen was a pain in my ass," I reply and Kalem smiles a little at that, "he liked things his way, believed he was the smartest person in the room always and he loved to go to any party he could get his hands on."

Kalem smile grows a little as I carry on and he steps closer until he's in my arms, leaning against me while I played with a strand of his growing hair.

"He would've liked you," I tell Kalem, making his eyes widen, "every bit of you he would've loved. He'd of been fascinated with understanding you and the way you think."

"Where is he now?" Kalem asks and I could feel my smile grow sad.

"He died," I reply weakly, the painful swelling of my chest the same as always at the admission, "he was human and never desired to be anything else. He lived a long life, but his time did come and he left with a smile on his face."

The words caused my own smile to wobble, just a bit, as I remembered the way his fingers had loosen in mine just as his last breath slipped from his lungs, taking him from me. One minute he was there with me and the next he wasn't, and I was reminded of what eternity was and how I wasn't made to spend it with another.

"Did..." Kalem stops for a moment, unsure if he wanted to ask the next question. But when I nodded and pressed a kiss to his temple, he forced himself to ask it anyway, "did you love him?"

Timothy Hansen. Bright-eyed and never pleased, incapable of biting his tongue no matter the situation with a never-ending stream of laughter that could bring smiles to every room; he was a gift to this world.

"I..." I falter on my own response as I remember how I'd loved him so deeply, but never in the way he wished me to.

"It's okay Lincoln," He'd once said in his study while sipping on a glass of wine, "Not every love story is destined to have love in it."

"It should, I want it to," I'd argued and he'd simply smiled.

"Your love isn't for me, but I'll enjoy you while I have you," He'd insisted with a little laugh.

I'd tried to argue that I couldn't love, that that was the problem, the reason I couldn't give it to him. But Timothy never listened to that, he'd told me I was being foolish and to stop being foolish because he hated the foolish and he didn't want to hate me.

"We all can love," He'd said, bending down to put the loyal pup at his feet, "and I know you will, it's simply not for me to have your love."

He'd been right, Timothy was always right.

"No," I reply as I look down at the man I did love, the man who'd open that part of me without much effort in such little time. He hadn't even tried, he'd just smiled at me and I was his, always his, to be with forever.

Kalem owned my heart and my love, all my love.

"I never loved him, never could," I say honestly while I palm Kalem's cheek gently, "I've never loved another through all my years and I thought it was because I couldn't, but..."

Kalem leans into my touch, giving himself over to me the way he always did, full of trust and faith I handled with care, "but," he urges softly.

"But I love you," I whisper, heart bursting with because there was too much there to keep within, "I love you Kalem."

Kalem smiles gently, his eyes growing watery as he looked up at me, hazel eyes just as warm as the day I'd found him, shining with that special light he kept inside, the one that'd saved me from my own darkness and filled my world with it.

"I love you too Lincoln," Kalem manages, his voice tight with emotion that strained me as well.

Three words were all it took to do me undone, three words to remind me of just how lucky I was to have this, this beautiful thing I'd thought I couldn't because of what I was, what I'd done. I thought love wasn't awarded to the wicked and that I'd earned a spot amongst them.

But I had Kalem, and he loved me, and Gods knew I loved him.

Loved him the way I'd always ached to love, it was a gift and one I cherished daily, one I'd cherish forever. It was only three words, but they would always be so much more to me.

The sound of Malcolm's distant calls tears us apart with resting smiles as we finished getting dressed before heading off, hand in hand, to return to the rest of the world and all that awaited it.

But not before Kalem pulled me to him and delivered a soft kiss to my lips, so quick it hurt to part despite how perfect it felt, lingering in the forms of sparks that rippled through me when we parted.

"Love you forever," He whispered before tugging me back to the path we'd been on.

Three words. Three perfect words.

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I legit cried at the Timothy part and I have no idea why.

Thoughts?????????

Okay, maybe the tears are because I'm PMSing but I legit felt like I knew Timothy which is crazy to me. Ugh I mean it makes sense Lincoln was with other people and cared for them too, but man it hurt omg.

Vote and comment if you enjoyed it, and don't forget to leave all your thoughts!!!

I'll be doing Patreon next and then another Master.

Until next time,
Byeeeeee Humansssssssssssss