Serious talk

" Oh yeah, And just what do I smell like" Harper ask curiously

"Hum let's see" he hummed and stopped walking again as he turned to face her wrapping his long arms around her waist. He pulled her closer as he leaned forward and took a deep breath from the curve of her neck ,his hot breath splashed on her skin "You smell flavorful and expensive like Saffron but you also smell sweet and alluring like the champaca flower."

Her eyes widened " I smell like all that"

"Yes you do darling, you smell heavenly"

She smiled shyly as they held each other in the middle of the garden. "Wow, that's a lot of sweet talk there Your Majesty. Are you trying to seduce me?" She teased

" It's not sweet talk darling, I'm just telling you the truth. But to be honest you have been seducing me all day by just standing next to me." He flashed her a devilish smile " I believe you're bewitching me darling, with your girl next door innocents,alluring sent and mesmerizing emerald eyes." He stated as a fact.

" Oh, you're so smooth." She cooed

He cocked a dark brow " Smooth?" He questioned " Are you doubting my sincerity again darling?"

"Sincerity for?" She ask curiously

Releasing his hold on her he took her hand, "Come darling let's set " he demanded as he lead them towards a small bench in the middle of the garden ,"I believe it's time for us to have a serious talk."

" Okay" She agreed, as her brows pulled together in confusion and she obediently walked beside him not understanding why his mood changed suddenly.

They took a seat on the bench, as he held onto her hand.He closed his eyes and took a deep breath filling his lungs with her seductive sweet sent.

" Harper darling, I'm going to be totally honest with you. As you know already I was married and my wife passed away. Well that was a very long time ago, and since then I haven't had a women by my side. Simply put darling, I had no desire to be in a relationship with another woman. And that's exactly what I want from you. My only concern is , is that what you want?" He patiently waited for her to answer.

" A relationship?" She breathed , his words sounded heavy making her dizzy as she tried to process everything he just said.She knows vampires have soul mates and their relationships move rather quickly after they find their mates. Actually she had witnessed it first hand with Prince Jackson and Karmen. Prince Jackson became almost a totally different person going from a partying player to a devoted fiancé within a few short days. However King Evander has already been married before, so the possibility of her being his mate was very slim.

As she was processing his words he took the liberty to read her thoughts and choosing his words carefully before replying. " Yes darling a relationship. I'm not proposing marriage yet and my feelings have not evolved into love. But I can tell you honestly my attraction to you is real. As I've already told you darling, your sent is the most alluring and captivating I have ever came this close to." A carefully chosen statement and very true fact because he has always kept his distance from witches they are dangerous evil creatures.

"And I find your innocents very refreshing, you see darling there's not many people in this world that aren't out to manipulate and deceive others." Another true fact "

And your big emerald eyes, they're not only beautiful, they are the window to your soul. A soul so pure and innocent that it makes me feel unworthy to ask you to be mine. And all those things put together makes you a very beautiful person inside and out .A women that I would willingly give my heart to." By choosing his last words carefully he hoped to dismiss any negative thoughts she was having about them not being mates. There's a big difference between being a soulmate and a chosen lover. It's true when you lose your soulmate part of you dies also, but there's no reason to live a lonely life. Everyone with a heart is capable to love.

However her reaction wasn't what he had hoped for. When he seen a tear fall down her cheek with no time to read her thoughts he panicked. He gathered her into his arms desperately asking for answers " Darling please don't cry, tell me what's wrong." He gently kissed the top of her head holding her firmly in his embrace in a desperate attempt to console her. " Please darling talk to me." He begged. " Open communication is the only way we will be able to move forward." He rambled in a last ditch effort.

" Oh Van!" She sobbed into his chest

" Tell me darling." He coaxed her. His hold on her becoming tighter as rubbed his hand down the length of her hair hoping his honesty wasn't too harsh.

" Th...That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me." She sobbed honestly, she truly felt the sincerity in his words." I truly feel like you're not just trying to seduce me now."

He chuckled, relieved that she wasn't rejecting him as he continued " There's more darling,as much as I would love to seduce you and claim every inch of you as mine. Now is not the right time. I need you to trust me, to give yourself to me willingly without fear or doubts . I don't just want your body darling. I want your heart, not to break, but to cherish." He pushed her away and pecked her lips and continued " You my dear ,are a rare find. A beautiful treasure and I'm lucky to have been the one to have found you." He smiled, leaning back to look into her eyes "Are you willing to give this a try?"

" Yes" she chimed without hesitation .

Seeing she is becoming a little more agreeable he decides to take this a step further to get things moving in his favor. "Darling there is one more thing we need to discuss and that's distance." He said as he released her from his embrace bringing his hands in front of him. " Now there's many things I can do." He stated as he counted on his fingers " one ,I can provide you with on line classes, two, a phone and internet, three ,a private jet to visit your family. I can even arrange for your family to come visit you."He paused momentarily to read her expression and continued "However I can't move my country here."

Seeing her stare blankly at him, he coaxed her to speak. " Like I said darling, I want open communication. Now is the time for you to tell me your thoughts on how we should continue this relationship."

" Uh...uh.. are you asking me to move in with you?" She stuttered nervously drawing her brows tightly together.

" Yes darling, I am." He said without beating around the bush.

Minutes ticked by as a million thoughts swirled in her mind. He patiently waited for her to answer because her thoughts were such a rambling mess he couldn't even process them. They bounced from one extreme to the other.Some logical as she thought about how Lexi moved into the castle to be with Alex. And some of her thoughts were really far fetched. For example like when she thought he was trying to kidnap her. It made him want to laugh out loud. It became extremely hard to hold his composure and he knew if he just started laughing for no apparent reason she would think he was a lunatic. So he got out of her mind and waited.

After what seemed like forever she nodded.

" Words Darling, I need words" he demanded

" Okay" she whispered

" Okay, what darling?" Thinking he might have sounded to hash he softened his tone and add "Darling like I've already told you before, you will have my private jet at your disposal. And you are free to come and go as you please. The only thing I ask from you is to be faithful."

"Okay , I'll do it." She breathed.

"Good," he grinned as he stood up taking her hand. " Now come darling, there's things we need to do."

" What things?" She ask confused

" You need to quit your jobs . He stated as a fact "Alex may need a couple of weeks to replace you. And don't forget your other employer is here also. You need to inform her ." He explained not giving her any room to wiggle out of the agreement to move into his castle. This little witch was his damm it!And there's no way in hell some slick law-school punk is going to make her the other half of his power couple.

" Now!" She exclaimed with a shocked expression.

He chuckled, " Yes Darling, right now. A relationship is a two way street, I also want comment and sincerity. And after we speak to Alexander we need to go to your father's house. I don't want him to think I kidnapped his daughter." He explained as he tugged her hand for her to start moving forward.

" But.. But.. what do you mean. You want comment and sincerity?" She stammered

He cocked a brow as he stared into her eyes. " Just what I said darling. I want to be certain that after your upcoming visit this week is over. You don't plan to just come back and act as if I never existed."

" Oh, okay but..will there be someplace in your country I can get a job?"

What the hell was she talking about He rolled his eyes exasperated " Yes darling if you feel the desire to work I'll give you a job."

" In your Castle?"

" In my office." He clarified " Now come darling we don't have all night. I've already made flight plans for us tonight remember we're going to Jackson's wedding."

With in a few minutes they were back in the grand ballroom setting at a table with Alex and Lexi. Everything was happening so quickly she didn't even realize when they came back inside the castle. It's seemed like her feet were moving on autopilot and she was following him obediently like a well trained pet.

"Harper " King Evander called ,bringing her out of the daze she was in." Do you need my to help with this." He ask seeing that she looked slightly disoriented.

" No, no," she said shaking her head, immediately she bowed her head to address Alex stumbling over her words slightly "Your Majesty, I ...I'm going to be moving so I won't be able to work for you anymore.But I can postpone my move until you find someone to replace me."

Alex was a little taken aback to say the least but his expression never changed. He gave a quick glance over to his great grandfather before he replied. " Well Harper, I'm sorry to hear that you're quitting. You have been an excellent employee but there's no need for you to postpone your plans. You already have all next week off so Julie already has someone scheduled in your place . And all I will need to do is text her and she can start interviews on Monday for possible replacements. And when I return from my honeymoon I'll make the final decision. So you see it want be a problem at all. I want to thank you for your consideration. I'm glad you didn't just leave without telling me." picking his phone out of his pocket. He ask " what address would you like me to send your last check to?"

" Uh... uh... I..." she stutter as she glanced over at King Evander.

" Send it to Weston Castle." King Evander replied with out missing a beat.

"Cough, cough " Alex choked on his martini Lexi's eyes bugged and Harper turned a deep crimson shade. The only person unaffected was King Evander.

" Carful there Alex are you okay" king Evander ask

" Whoa, yeah."

"Harper are going to live with Van?" Lexi blurted out

Alex put his hand over his mouth to hold back the laughter that threatened to escape. He desperately wanted to ask the same question. But didn't want to appear nosey.

" Yes, Your Majesty." Harper shyly replied with her face a deeper shade of red then before.

King Evander wrapped his arm around Harper's shoulder and pulled her to lean on him before addressing Alex and Lexi. "It's no secret, that Harper and I have started seeing each other. And as the two of you are well aware of distance in a relationship like ours can be a problem."

" That's so true. Moving here to Eddington Castle is the best decision I ever made in my life." Lexi gushed as she leaned on Alex's shoulder.