Chapter Three – Tindra
The king's expression didn't change after her outburst, but Tindra still felt heat rush to her face. She twisted her hands, dropping her gaze. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, born from the many times her mother said things about needing grandchildren (but only after she had grown up a bit, as it was clear that she would be a lousy mother with her current state of character). She had hoped that among vampires the pressure would be eased, at least.
"Sorry," she mumbled at last. "It was unexpected."
"Hmmm." He didn't respond otherwise, just walking away.
Tindra let out a deep breath, shaking her head as the door closed. What was wrong with her? He was a freaking king. She couldn't just go around blurting out things like that. It would be nice if Thor had bothered to do more than just put her in this room and disappear, though. She had been at the palace for a couple of days, enough for her to get to know Ingrid and Hilda, and she still didn't know what exactly was expected of her.
Shortly after Rollon left, Ingrid and Hilda returned. The two blonde sisters looked more like mother and daughter than sisters. Hilda had apparently been changed almost two decades before Ingrid. According to Ingrid, those years had been difficult, and if it wasn't for Rollon, she didn't know if they would have survived.
"When is Rolly coming home?" Hilda sighed. "He promised to hire tutors for me soon. I'm studying solar panels this year," she added proudly to Tindra. "Last year it was wind turbines. But I like solar panels better. I want to make them look like gargoyles so that we can put them up on the roof and have them come to life at night!"
Tindra's eyes brightened at that. "Cool! Could you make them light enough to fly, too?"
"I don't know." Hilda chewed on her lower lip. "I haven't studied aerodynamics since the Wright brothers. I suppose with the right materials . . . "
"Your sketchbook is on the desk." Ingrid propelled her sister away before settling down next to Tindra. "I take it the meeting with the king didn't go so well?"
Tindra glanced away. "Why would you think that?"
"I could smell your embarrassment from the hall."
"You could not!"
Ingrid shrugged with a wry smile. "No. But it was written all over your face when we came in. Tell me what happened. Did you yell at him again?"
"No. Sort of. I don't know."
Tindra ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. This was so confusing. Why did she have to feel more drawn to the king than the guy who actually picked her? Maybe she should just go home . . . forget all about this whole vampire nonsense. Thor could literally have his pick of any woman off the streets. It wasn't like it would break his heart if she left.
Ingrid squeezed her hand. "Look, I'm not an expert when it comes to men, but I do think you need to talk with Thor. Now, preferably."
"Okay . . . "Tindra stood. "Are you just kicking me out so you can clean up my comics?"
"Go."
Tindra reluctantly left the room. Her feet dragged against the thick carpets as she headed for Thor's office. If he wasn't there . . . but he was. Half a dozen vampires were filing out of it as she approached, and Thor gave her a wide smile and gestured her in. She smiled back, waiting for her heart to flutter or her stomach to clench. Nothing. Maybe it was that he looked too young . . . She would have placed him in his early twenties if she hadn't known he was super old.
The prince took her hand and kissed it before closing the door, leaving the two of them in the office together. "What can I do for my lovely lady?"
"I need to go home," she blurted. "I'm all wrong for you."
The prince’s smile widened. "You are absolutely correct. You aren't any good for me."
Tindra’s jaw dropped. She had known it, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing when he said it. Was that why he hadn't tried anything with her? If he regretted his choice, why not just send her away? Was he just too busy? She found herself shrinking back, thinking of Rollon. If she left . . . would she ever see him again?
The prince chuckled. "Good thing I didn't choose you for myself."
Tindra stared at him for a long time What was he going on about? Eventually, she sat down in a chair and folded her arms. "Okay. I’ll bite. What does that mean?"
Thor continued to smile at her. "Ingrid told me I had to let you in on my little scheme, but I wanted to see how you got along with him first."
‘Him?’ Excitement and dread mixed together in her stomach and she held her breath, waiting.
"You see, my father is a very lonely man. He has been for a long, long time. True, he enjoys the company of many vampire ladies—"
Tindra couldn’t stop a strangled noise from coming from her throat.
Thor paused a moment. His eyes sparkled. "Jealous?"
"Of course not." She just didn't want to hear about Rollon’s conquests. Jealousy had nothing to do with it.
"In any case, he needs a companion. Since he would never take that step himself, I decided to take it for him. When I went to the choosing, I was looking for someone for him. Not me." He winked. "I thought you would be just his type."
Tindra couldn't stop herself from smiling. "How very Parent Trap of you."
"That may be where I got the idea. You won’t be competing against an evil stepmother, though. Just against my dad's stubborn head."
She surveyed him. Would that mean Thor could end up being her son? She didn't like the pressure of being told she had to have kids, but Thor was already grown. It wasn't like being his stepmother would be any real sort of mothering. She clasped her hands over her knees.
"I want kids of my own eventually. On my own time, though."
Thor nodded. "It would be expected."
"I don’t want it to be expected. That’s the point . . . " she trailed off. "I don't think your father has much interest in humans."
Her voice gave away her disappointment, but it was the truth. He didn't show anything but a cool, haughty look when they were in the same room together. That fierce, kingly aura around him made her want to both shrink back and throw herself all over him. Probably it was just as well that he had no interest in her.
She stood. "I should leave before I make a fool of myself."
"Sit down. You don’t know my dad. My mother was a human. I assure you he has interest."
"Your mother . . . So how come you’re a vampire? Were you born one?"
"More or less. I grew up fairly normal. Started taking blood around puberty, and then when I was in my twenties I just stopped aging." He shrugged. "Old enough to understand but young enough to enjoy immortality. And I’ve been like this for, oh . . . a hundred years?"
Tindra nodded. She was shell-shocked by the fact that he was born a vampire. According to what she had always heard, vampires were human until they became vampires through a mysterious process that was kept under closely guarded secret by the king.
Thor leaned back in his chair, letting two legs lift from the floor. He really did look like the younger, less experienced version of his father. But while Rollon oozed sexuality from every pore, Thor had a more playful aura about him. Like sex and romance weren’t on his mind. Which, Tindra supposed, was good for her. If he had been interested in her while she harbored these feelings for the king, things could have gotten very awkward very quickly.
"So. You say you want kids but on your own time. Care to expand on that?"
Tindra folded her arms. "You said it would be expected that I would have kids. And Rol – I mean, the king said something about wanting to see me ripe with a child soon. What’s that all about?"
Thor was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No. No, I’m not the one to tell you about all that. Sex and babies and all that . . . not my area." He actually shuddered. "Nope. Right now, I want to know about you. Why so reluctant to have children right away?"
"You mean besides from the fact that I don’t even know if your dad likes me?"
Thor shrugged.
Tindra picked at her thumb before muttering her answer. "My mom is always pressuring me to get married and have kids. Is it too much to ask that I live my own life? I know I have a lot of growing up to do before I can properly take care of a child."
"Growing up? In what way?"
"My comics, for one thing. What kind of mother would read comic books as bedtime stories? But they make me happy. Why can’t I just be happy? It’s not hurting anybody. I don’t have kids and–" She cut herself off and shook her head. "Forget it. It’s like I’m arguing with my mom and she’s not even here."
"Hmmm. Comic books. I don’t see any reason why that means you can’t be a good mother. But that is something you’ll have to discuss with your mate once you two are together. For now, we have to work on getting you together. So. How about a dinner between the three of us where I get mysteriously called away?"
Tindra couldn’t help but smile as she leaned conspiratorially toward him. "Too obvious. Any other ideas?"
"Well . . . " His eyes sparkled. "There is one."