Chapter 193 - 192

Ash was huffing, his hair was sticking to his forehead and to his temples, wet from the sweat and his chest moved fast up and down, as he breathed in heavily. His eyes closed, a pained expression on his face. 

"Up! You have more to do!" Kai shouted and the boy returned to his fighting stance. 

More days than few had passed ever since Kai returned at the palace and the young scrawny boy he had brought in did not exist. A vampire's growth ability was remarkable when they were being fed well and were rested. The young man had meat on his bones now, he had even grown taller and his muscles were starting to get more defined as he trained with Kai. 

When he had first come to the palace the maids would pretend he didn't exist while now they would shyly look at him and giggle on their path. Ash paid them no mind, he had no idea of his rapid change or the fact that everyone viewed him as a handsome young man and no matter how many times Kai told him he didn't believe him. 

It was because his appearance did not concern him, even the nice clothes he wore, the black leather pants, the silk green shirt and the black jacket he wore them so he wouldn't shame Kai. he didn't care if he looked good or not but he was with the prince most of the time and he couldn't have people talking about him. All he cared about was training, from the moment the red sun on BloodBound rose to the moment it hid Ash would train, the thought that he lived to protect Kai rooted slowly in his brain. 

Kai had saved him, he had given him a home. More than a home actually, people around him that didn't hit him, he took care of him and listened to him, he told him he was actually quite smart and even brought in a tutor for him. By now Ash had learned to read and write and soon he would start learning math. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint the prince, the man who gave him a reason to live. 

Kai threw a wooden sword at him, Ash skillfully grabbed it with one hand and prepared himself for the swordfight. He still couldn't defeat Kai, he didn't even think he was tiring him but at least now he could last in a fight with him. At the beginning not even a minute later he would have lost his sword and in a real duel his life too. 

The wooden swords clashed and Ash pushed forward, trying to make Kai lose his balance and the prince smirked, pushing back with twice the strength and making him stumble. The young vampire landed on the floor on his butt and hissed, the sword leaving his hand. 

He heard Kai laugh, a bright expression on his face as he moved forward and offered him his hand. Ash took it, feeling his soft palm touch his rough hand and blushed. Even in a fight Kai did not look disheveled, he looked elegant, experienced and his every move was calculated in difference to him who couldn't control his growing limbs yet. 

"You did good. I think it's enough for today." Kai told him, patting his sweaty shoulder.

"The sun hasn't set yet."

"Yeah but you have to rest too. Overexerting yourself to the point you're in pain will make you lose a lot more practice days than just a free evening." the prince advised him and Ash nodded. He picked up his sword from the ground and Kai handed him his too, the young man placing him in an old wooden box in the training room. The objects fell, crashing with the rest of the materials and making a loud sound in the silent room. 

The third prince sat on the wooden floor, stretching his limbs and patted the spot next to him for Ash to sit down. 

Why do you practice so hard? Are you afraid I will kick you out if you slack off?" 

"No. I just want to be ready. No matter what happens." Ash told him strictly. He didn't act like his age. He was serious, his expression always stern and he never joked. A child who had lost his childhood too soon, that was how Kai viewed him and in that aspect they were similar, maybe that was the reason he empathized with him. 

"What could happen?"

"I don't know. You seem to like to cause trouble. The royals are disgusting, I hate them and I am sure they would be really pleased if something happened to you. I need to be ready, well trained so I can protect you." he told him and Kai smiled. 

"You really hate purebloods don't you?" he asked and the brown haired boy nodded, his blue eyes turning cold at the thought of them. All of the high ranked vampires, Ash hated them. He had seen them all his life live in luxury, seek the forbidden and do whatever they wanted with no consequences while he tried to steal some blood because he was hungry and he was almost killed. He had to act like a poor and broken child just so they would take pity on him and keep him alive.

"I hate them. If I could kill all of them I would, women or men, all of them are rotten. You know, my mother was a whore. I grew up in the district Lun's father ruled, her clients, most of them were purebloods, abusing her, treating her badly and even though they had so much money they never seemed to want to spend a penny more to her. The woman with the starving son. The more money you have, the more power you get, the more disgusting you turn." he stated. 

"Then why do you want to protect me?" Kai asked another question. Ash was quiet for a second, thinking of his answer before he turned his head, facing him with his midnight blue eyes as he spoke.

"Because you are not like them. You are worth my life.." the vampire told him, making his eyes widen.