19. Coming of age.

**Kieran**

If I didn't leave a few things behind, I wouldn't run into Ocean and Octavius at breakfast. I'm not surprised - they are close, have been since day one. But the huge bruise that's formed on her face makes me lose whatever composure I have in me. "Who the fuck did this to you?" The words leave me before I register what I have said. I don't notice as I rush to Ocean's side, hold her chin in my hand and force her to look up at me. My blood boils; whoever did this to her will pay the highest price possible. I don't tolerate abuse in my household, especially not when it comes to someone I own. Hell, I wouldn't tolerate someone breaking something I worked my ass off for. I wait a minute, maybe two, but she continues to stare at me as if she's seen a ghost, and no answer comes. So I exhale to seem calmer and repeat myself. "Who did this?" For a split second, I notice her take a quick glance at my brother, and something tells me she's not trying to ask him for help. The action makes me suspect she's pointing at the guilty one without saying a word. I don't let go of her and turn my face to Octavius. "Who the hell did this? Answer the question, or do you want me to fuck her in front of you to get some fucking closure?"

My threat seems to move my brother, for he jumps up and runs his palm over his face. "She jumped in front of a disobedient servant. Ocean wasn't supposed to get slapped in the first place." His head hangs low. I know my brother; he is ashamed of himself and his actions. But the fact that he's ashamed doesn't absolve me of the anger I feel for his actions. I couldn't give a damn about a servant who keeps concocting dirty tricks; I have had to slap some of them back to reality myself. And yet, despite his nature-given gift of speed, he had no chance of stopping his hand when a human jumped in front of him? Yeah, right, like she could be even half as fast. I guess he wanted to see any kind of mark on her body as long as it was left by him.

"You dumb fu..." I raise my voice, but a small hand gripping my wrist catches my attention.

I look down at Ocean and notice her eyes glistening with tears. She shakes her head as if to stop me from saying more. I throw my brother a look and grab the chair, placing it next to Ocean's. She just sits there like a kid who misbehaved and now has to suffer the consequences. She shouldn't be the one feeling bad because I don't think she did anything wrong. It's not like anyone explained what happened or why she jumped in front of the servant. I mean, yes, she did it to take the blow, but why? What exactly made my brother so upset that he would take such a drastic step and raise his hand to someone? Octavius is not the physical violence type. He's more the manipulative type. "Alright, can you explain what happened?" I shift my gaze to Ocean to let her know I want to hear her side of the story.

I watch as she keeps looking at Octavius and me as if trying to figure out how much she's allowed to say. I'd prefer it if she was honest and didn't hide any important details, but it's pretty easy to spot a person who's lying, so it's still up to her. "Master Kieran," she starts, and those two words immediately throw me off.

I shake her hand off mine and jump to my feet. "What the hell did you do to her?" I yell at my brother. I don't notice as I grab the chair and throw it at him until the object hits him. "I've been away for a few days, and this shit is what I return to? It's not enough that you hit her hard enough to leave a fucking bruise; on top of that, she's now addressing us as masters? Is she your maid or a servant now? I should have known you would do anything to brainwash her! Tell me, brother, is she now submissive enough for your sick fantasies? Is she perfect? Is she fuckable enough for your standards, or have you made her better than you expected?" Every word that passes my lips, I mean it. Deep down, I knew Octavius would do anything to change her. It's part of his nature. My brother was already her favourite, while I didn't bother to make myself look better in her eyes. He, on the other hand, did everything he could to come off as the good guy. This isn't the first time we have tried to take a human in and put a collar on them. Ocean is the first to wear a collar with the logo of our joint house for good reason. She is the first one who isn't of age as she lives here. At least he thinks so.

Women who came to our home before her didn't live more than a week. Octavius knows no boundaries and never bothers to stop and think. For him, it's all about the ride, not the destination or the time spent with someone. If he is happy to feed on someone or fucking a person- he doesn't care if she lives longer than a few hours. As long as he gets his dose of pleasure, she can be dead as long as he cares. And if I don't take care of this wild vixen, she'll end up in the same place others have ended up- in a grave.

"It's not what you think; just listen to me." And that's exactly what everybody says. It's never what it looks like, right? Wrong. Most of the time, it's precisely how it seems when it comes to my brother.

I point my finger at Ocean while my gaze is fixed on Octavius. "I'd rather listen to her."

"Fine."

He's acting strange. He hasn't bothered to start any stupid drama over the chair I threw, nor is he trying to stop me from questioning Ocean. Am I really wrong? There's no way he's telling the truth. Well, if he is- I'll be damned, miracles do happen.

"It's my fault I have a bruise on my cheek. Master Octavius overheard my conversation with one of the servants. The woman, along with many others, has been spreading false rumours about me, badmouthing me at every opportunity and trying to harm me in some way. I told her I did nothing but avoid trouble, and it just so happens Mater Octavius heard that that's all. I fully realise that the servant had to take whatever punishment was deemed appropriate at that moment, but I didn't want anyone to suffer because of what I said. They did indeed do many immoral things, but I spoke up about it, so technically, it was as much my fault as her fault. The bruise forms on my cheek because I am human, a fact that is well known- we bruise easily. I wouldn't worry about it, I have been through worse, and this won't be the first or last time I have had such an experience. As for the question regarding whose choice it was to use the correct terms, it was my choice. No one told me that I was obligated to address anyone by anything other than their name. But when the situation with the servant escalated, I had enough time to think about a few things. At the end of the day, I am not free, have no rights, and, most importantly, am a piece of property. Slaves have no rights or freedom, and I feel like one. So I have decided that from now on, I will avoid insulting anyone by calling them by their first name. I have learned where my place is, and I accept it, Master Kieran." I am speechless. There are many things I would have expected her to say, but nothing comes close to her words.

Octavius seems as shocked as I am. After her words, we both wonder if our behaviour has given her a clue about how to act around us. He steps closer to us and stops at Ocean's side. As always, he places a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart, I never wanted you to abide by those stupid terms. The only reason servants do is because it's part of their contracts. You don't have a written contract with us, we don't pay you to be here, and so on. You are not a slave, but you're not completely free either; it's complicated." His words are sincere, and I have a hard time understanding what is what. He hit her, maybe it wasn't a deliberate attack, but he did it anyway.

Since she's staring at her lap and not saying a word, I decide to change the subject. "Has she eaten yet?" They were supposed to have breakfast together, but I don't see any dishes on the table, so I assume distracting Ocean with food would be a good idea.

"No, she hasn't." Octavius immediately replies.

I call for a kitchen staff member. "Abigail!" The woman almost runs into the dining room and stops a few steps away from us. She doesn't speak unless I give her orders, so I immediately tell her what I need. "Bring the lady some food and tell everyone to stay out of our business. I will personally deal with anyone who so much as looks in her direction, let alone dares to stick their nose in our business. Do you understand?" The tone of my voice grows harsher as I speak to her. On any other day, I wouldn't sound this angry, but for some reason, I can't get the thought out of my head that the servants might mess with Ocean. She's off-limits to everyone, and the people who work in our house are no exception. Plus, they are lower than she is, so these idiots broke the law without thinking of the damn consequences. I'll have a chat with the whole gang a bit later when Ocean is too distracted to notice.

"Yes, Master." Abigail turns and hurries back to the kitchen. It would be better for the staff if they didn't screw up a single detail in everything they do.

I grab another chair and pull it closer to Ocean again. I can feel my brother's eyes burning holes in my face, but I ignore his stupidity. "Let's sit down; it looks like we have a lot to talk about." I have more serious things to do at the moment. All I had to do was come home, pack a few things, and leave. But then I run into them, and they are already facing many things that went wrong while I was away. I've never been the one to keep this household in order, but for some twisted and rather sick reason, it seems I am the only one who can fix this mess. I clear my throat and wait for Octavius to sit down. "So, what have you been up to?" It's the stupidest question I could ask, but at least it will distract everyone from the shitstorm that constantly surrounds us.

Octavius is way too quick to answer my question. It seems he is as desperate to change the subject as I am. "The same as always, brother. And a little more, but you have already figured that out, haven't you?" Or not so desperate. Oh, I'll hear whining and complaining from him as soon as Ocean disappears from his sight.

Fortunately, I don't have to answer his stupid question because one of the servants brings the food for Ocean. The woman sets it down in front of her, bows, and leaves. Octavius and I stare at the tiny-looking human like maniacs until she grabs the fork and cuts off a small piece of meat. A small smile creeps onto my lips as I watch her. For all I know, at least she won't die of hunger now. Only the gods know if she would even eat after everything that happened with Octavius. Or maybe she would if my idiot brother told her to. For a few minutes, until she puts down her fork, we sit in silence. I know I said we have many things to talk about, but I don't want to mention any of them until she's full. It's funny talking to people, no matter what they are doing- it's really easy to distract them. If I were to start talking, asking her questions or discussing anything with Octavius, she might forget about the food and drop it because it's cold. It wouldn't be the first time I see a human doing that.

I get used to the silence that surrounds us and enjoy what little I have. However, though I don't expect anyone to speak up, Ocean does. Out of everyone in the room, she's the one to break the silence. "I am coming of age in a few days," she announces. The look on her face says it all; she wants some kind of reaction from us. Not that I didn't think this topic would ever come to light, but needless to say, I didn't expect to talk about it so soon. Her words erased any other thing I wanted to discuss before.

"But that's wonderful, sweetheart," Octavius chimes in; a wide grin spreads across his lips as he moves a little closer to her.

"Yes, just a few days." Ocean repeats herself, and the way my brother is acting irritates me. He's way too touchy for my liking.

I don't know what's gotten into me, but instead of praising her, my tongue becomes my worst enemy as I spit out the truth. "You just came of age a few days ago, actually."