Siana

Cain didn"t even know where to start. He was against her being pulled into his mess but he knew full well that he had to give her an answer.

Nevertheless, he still didn"t want her to know too much as it could potentially be risky for her life. So, after some thinking he finally spoke up.

"Well, let"s see... Everyone knows about the existence of the underworld. But what people don"t know much about is the way it is operated. Nowadays, many big-scale businesses rely on the protection of the underworld. Moreover, there is a lot of illegal businesses that bring tons of profits. Thus, the more power you have the more fame you get and henceforth more monetary gains.

Before, the organizations, or the families as we call them, would fight each other for territories and resources to obtain more power. There used to be such a bloodshed among the big families that the heads decided to change the rules. According to the new regulations, every 15 years, a ruling family is chosen that has the rights to govern over others. This doesn"t prevent the internal fights but it does reduce the amount of bloodshed significantly.

We call the ruling family the royals: with the head being the emperor. Being an emperor is similar to being a CEO: there are shareholders but the ultimate decision still belongs to you."

He stoped to look at Sia who was now listening to him with outmost attention. Giving her a slight smile he continued,

"Three years before the 15-year-deadline, the ruling emperor names his successors who then fight for the throne. It is the fifteen-year-deadline this year. Most of the candidates for the throne have been eliminated with only two remaining: me known as The Dragon, and Luke Vallauris aka. The Lion."

He stopped to take a deep breath. He gently reached with his hands and held Sia"s small hands. Bringing them to his face he started leaving small kisses on each of them.

"Siana, in this b.l.o.o.d.y fight, having anyone close to you will be used against you, having someone precious will be seen as a weakness. I didn"t want you to be in danger in any way which is why, despite dreaming of our encounter, I couldn"t bring myself to get close to you. I couldn"t bring myself to risk hurting or, even worse, losing you."

By the end his voice became slightly emotional. Even if he wanted to conceal it, but just the thought of harming her or, the worst, losing her made him scared. He would rather die than let any harm come to her.

Sia looked thoughtfully at Cain. She had heard about the ruling families but she had no idea about the royals. She could understand his reasoning, but she still had some unanswered questions.

Raising her head she asked directly looking into his eyes,

"It makes sense, but with all that said, how come you are here with me now?"

Cain sighed heavily. The girl would never miss the key points. It was both good and taxing at the same time. Leaving a few more kisses on her hands, he held them near his face and avoiding her gaze said,

"It"s because of the way you affect me: you turn me into a reckless and an irrational fool in love.

The bodyguards I appointed to you reported about your day with Will, and I couldn"t help but feel... jealous... and also anxious that I might lose you. I wanted to meet you, I wanted to make sure that I can still make you mine. I didn"t know how, I just wanted to be with you.

As if the G.o.ds were on my side, the timing actually allowed me to see you personally. There is only three months left till the "coronation". I made sure to distract The Lion by creating an illusion of meeting with a supporter from the underworld, which in reality, I still plan to do. He will never guess that I am being this careful because of a woman. Before he can even suspect about your existence, it will be due the deadline, so he won"t pose a danger anymore."

Sia thoroughly observed Cain"s expression. She was having mixed emotions: she was happy that she could have such an effect on a stoic man like Cain, but she was scared of how bad her persistence to meet him could have ended. The thought that she might be used as a weapon against him petrified her. She wanted to support him, not handicap him. She needed to be strong, smart and patient for him. If he was losing his rationality because of her, she would ensure to not give him any reasons to do so. She would be his pillar of support, his safe haven in the crimson fight of his.

Cain saw the changes in her expression: from giddiness to fear to determination. He could make guesses as to what she was thinking, but he preferred to hear her say everything herself. He actually felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He was elated that she was so deep in thought that she forgot all about her restraints: he was now greedily kissing her palms, her knuckles and enjoying the unique smell she exuded.

But alas, his happiness was short-lived.

She looked at him with resolve and said with a smirk,

"I get it. I am glad you told me and sticked to your promise of being true to me. But, darling, I am afraid you are suffering from short-term memory loss," she said fixating her gaze at their intertwined hands near his lips.

"c.r.a.p!"

Cain looked at her with puppy eyes refusing to let go. No, he actually wanted more and he clearly conveyed it with his eyes.

"d.a.m.n woman! How can you be so heartless to me? Is your heart even beating? How can you be so tough on your man? Just let me kiss you some more."

Sighing Sia asked,

"How much time do we have left with each other?"

Her question shattered the bliss Cain was feeling.

"d.a.m.n the time, d.a.m.n everything. Why can I not be with her as much as I want to?"

Composing himself, he said remorsefully,

"We will have to separate as soon as the plane lands."

Sia took another big sigh, looking at his anguished expression she couldn"t help but move her hands to cup his face. With a smile she said,

"Okay, fine. Consider this my present for the start of our relationship. You can kiss me but only mmpff..."

She didn"t even finish her statement when the wolf in front of her pulled her towards him and shut her in the most primitive way: he sealed her lips with his own forgetting about anything and everything in the world.

He didn"t need any more conditions... All he needed was her approval... All that mattered was her...