She frowned at his words. It was like he described someone else entirely. “You don’t seem like you’ve ever been beaten by anything.” He was too proud and strong for that.
He handed her another drink. “See that’s the thing… You can’t look at someone and tell what they’ve been through. The scars that hurt the most are never visible on the surface. You’re a princess and everyone would assume you’ve had a life of luxury with servants doting on your every whim.”
“So not true.”
< height="0em" width="27">“My point exactly. And that’s one of the things I really hate about being with my real father. His crew of people have turned me into something I don’t want to be.”
She was baffled by his words. “A prince?”
“No. That I don’t mind. When I’m around them, they make me a judging snob. Sad thing is, it’s not the poor I’m judging like they do, it’s them.”
That she understood more than she wanted to. “It’s odd, isn’t it? The poor hate the rich for having a life they think is easy and for the fact that they think the rich only got the money by screwing them. The rich think the poor are all rustics lacking manners and grace who are unwilling to work as hard as they do to get the money. Both groups see each other as thieves out to steal everything they’ve earned.”
He nodded. “You’re right and what I find most ironic… I’ve never been screwed over by anyone who was rich. Judged, but never screwed. It was always the poor or middle-class people I’ve known who’ve fucked me over for money. My poor friends have always been the ones who were jealous and petty. If I have two credits more than they do, they start in on the ‘it must be nice’ and then feel justified to tear me down because they think I’m getting a big head and that they need to bring me down a notch. People with money have too many other things to worry about than what I have or don’t have in comparison with them. In fact, it’s people like Darling, Nyk, Syn and crew, the ones who are seriously loaded, who’ve helped me while all my working-class friends have either abandoned me or tried to take what little I’ve earned.”
“People see their own sins in others.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He returned to sit closer to her.
Desideria tried to remain nonchalant, but his nearness was so distracting that it was hard to focus on anything other than how much she wanted to curl up in his arms. “So what’s the worst thing that’s happened to you?”
He pulled away.
“Caillen?”
She saw the veil that came down over him, shielding him from what he obviously thought was a probing question. “I have many to choose from and really don’t want to talk about any of them.”
“I’m sorry.”
He scoffed. “Don’t be. As my bud Nyk says, life makes victims of us all.” He took another drink. “So what about your father? Is he on the ship with your mom?”
“No. He died a long time ago.”
To her shock, he put his arm around her and gave her a tender squeeze. “I feel your pain. It sucks to lose someone you love when you’re too little to really understand why they’re gone.”
“Do you ever really understand?”
Caillen paused as he considered that. “No. Death sucks always.”
Yes, it did. And she really didn’t want to think about that right now either. Instead, she went back to something he’d said earlier. “Do you really think my eyes are pretty?”
He flashed her a wicked grin. “Baby, if it wasn’t for the fact you’d slap me, I’d show you exactly how beautiful I think all of you is.”
She blushed. “I am so not used to being around someone as outspoken as you.” Or anyone who complimented her on anything.
“Yeah. I’m told I’m unique unto myself.”
“That you are.”
He pulled his arm back to his body. They sat on the floor, their hips barely touching. Her legs were stretched out before her while his were bent at the knees and he kept one arm braced on his leg. It was a decidedly masculine pose.
His eyes flashed as he offered her an odd half smile. “You are not what I expected the first time I saw you.”
She gave him an arch stare. “I think I’m closer to what I appear to be than you are.”
He laughed. “True. I’m not much of a prince.”
There he was wrong. He was closer to one than anyone she’d ever met before. And that turned her thoughts back to what they needed to do. “Shouldn’t we be leaving and getting—”
“Too much activity right now. I’d wait at least another two hours and then we’ll try for it.”
That made sense. “What did you find when you went out?”
“A lot of Andarions.”
And he certainly looked the part. Though to be honest, she was getting used to his long black hair and those creepy weird eyes. Even the fangs were starting to grow on her.
“Does it hurt to eat with the fangs in?”
“Only if I bite my cheek.”
She laughed.