Mara - The Lady Grief (Completed)

24 Personal Questions

2651 B.C.E., City of Tmari-on-the-Euphrates

Early Fall, Month of Ululu, One Year and Six Months after Mara's Rebirth

Mara

I bury myself into the light grey blanket I have wrapped around my shoulders. It smells of Thelios. Poppy is sleeping again. I introduced her to Banio this morning and they took to each other right away. Most likely due to the instant bonding over sweets. It was a hectic morning, with every postite fawning over my daughter. Even Patriarch Salbin called her a sweet, albeit expensive, little mite. She is exhausted.

Since I have recently discovered that I am a blood-sucking Oragoo fiend I have decided that I can just stay right here in my rocking chair until I turn into mold. I won't expend any energy and I won't ever need to drink Thelios' blood again. Problem solved.

A knock on the door makes me hurry to answer before Poppy wakes up. I swing it open, only belatedly realizing that the fist was pounding much higher and more insistently than I am used to.

Because it is a pig-headed Recondite Captain that I'm desperate to avoid on the other side.

I open my mouth to say something harsh to him when my words falter. His eyes are such a light grey that they appear to glow in his tanned complexion. He looks so controlled, but underneath the icy exterior is a seething mass of hurt and anger. Grief.

"What happened?" I breathe out. Questions, scenarios, all more horrible than the last races through my mind.

"Where is the baby?"

"Sleeping," I whisper.

"Mara, tell me what you meant in the pool." Thelios holds out his hand to me.

I had forgotten that slip-up. I drank his blood, for the gods' sake. Everything else seemed unimportant. My eyes flit down, the cut he made, that I drank from, is healing already.

Thelios curls his fingers at me, a reminder. I take his hand. His hand envelopes mine. It feels cold to the touch. Where has he been?

With a tug, I am pulled to his body. He bends his head, pressing his face to my hair. He inhales, once, twice, his heartbeat thudding slowly against my ear. "Tell me about Thane of the First. About Mara, daughter of Nateos. Tell me how I protect you, how I keep the filth of this world from your pretty hands when you shut me out and refuse to talk to me?"

I start to cry. I can't stop the tears any more than I can stop my fangs from popping out of my gums to seek Thelios' beautiful life-giving vein.

He pulls away slightly when he feels them nip at his skin. "Are you thirsty again, love?" he asks. His eyes have darkened back to their usual grey. He looks forlorn. He knows about Thane and I, or at least knows of Thane. It must be breaking him apart.

I shake my head, "no, I'm not-not thirsty." Ugh. Thirsty, not hungry. Because I drink blood. I shake my head again, to rid myself of those thoughts. Thelios wants to know about Thane.

"Can I tell you something, Thelios? I've never told anyone before. I never told Patriarch, or even my own mother, when... it happened. Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy, if it never happened and I've just made it all up, but it's real. I - it's real-"

"Mara," his voice is nothing more than a soft croak, "tell me."

I inhale, but not much air seems to reach me. "He didn't reject me at first," I say it quickly. "He - when he first saw me he was happy, then, I think maybe upset, but I was so thrilled to meet him I didn't realize he was hesitant." I'm rambling, I want to confess this, this dark humiliation, but it's hard to order my thoughts. "He, he never told me he was contracted to Bond to Anthea. He pretended as if he thought I was beautiful and precious." My voice trails off. Nateos, it still hurts. Even with Thelios here, enveloping my body in his large, muscled arms, it hurts.