In My Blood

"I was dating a girl a few years back. I got her pregnant. I got this apartment. She moved in with me, and we dedicated this room to the baby. Once we found out it was going to be a boy, we painted the room. Or rather I did. She had no clue about what I was. She went in labor and gave birth to a stillborn baby boy who she named Caleb..." Cain trails off.

"What happened to her?" I push even though I probably shouldn't. I don't think that I should let him remember anything about this.

"She stayed for a few months after saying that there was nothing we could have done, but I know it was because of me that she couldn't have given the birth to the child. Clan vampires usually can't reproduce with humans if we have that ability. The human really can't carry or care for the clan vampire in the womb. But I couldn't tell her that. I just agreed with there wasn't anything that we could have done." Cain goes over to one of the walls and slides down to a sitting position. I go over and sit next to him.

"Eventually, she noticed that I was getting edgier and edgier. Most clan vampires aren't able to keep a stable relationship with a human without that person being the queen, you know? I cared about her to an extent, but it's nothing compared to how I feel about you. She left me. She told me that she didn't know what my problem was and 'maybe if we're apart for a little while, we might be able to get used to our new situation.' Imagine that? Next thing I heard was that she moved back to her hometown in Maine." Cain laughs without humor.

"That's awful," I remark. "She didn't even try to talk to you before she left?"

"No. She up and left. I think she just couldn't stand it here in New York anymore. I just let her go on her way. Her name was Stacy by the way." Cain looks at me with a sad smile.

I watch as he gets up and pulls me up with him. I follow him to the kitchen. I notice that he looks paler than usual. I don't let it bother me though. I just put it to him remembering that terrible past. "We need to fix that room to something else," I say.

"Why?" he looks at me curiously.

"I don't want to go in there and remember that story. And also, an empty room not being used? That isn't fair to the apartment." I glare at him. He looks back at me and laughs.

"You're so funny." He pours some tea into two glasses and gives me one of them.

I take it and drink a little from it. "Yeah, whatever. You know that I'm right." He just dismisses me with a shake of his head. I hear him mumble, "Whatever you want," before going to sit on the couch. You're so stubborn. I project to him.

Yeah? I know I am. I also said that do what you want to with that room. I don't care. It's ancient history He looks over at me from his seat on the couch.

If you didn't care, you wouldn't be making a big deal about me doing something with that room. You care. You just don't want to, Cain. It's about time that you got over the past. I lean against the counter. I glare at him. Don't ignore me.

"I'm not ignoring you. I know. I still care to an extent, but even if you did something to that room, I would still remember it," he calmly says.

"Yeah, but it'll be the first step to move on. It'll help you move on in your life instead of being stuck in the past like you are!" I exclaim.

He doesn't say anything. He gets up and goes to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. I think I hear him lock the door. "Well, fuck," I mutter. "I'm such a great fucking queen."