“You did infer that I was a thief – or do you forget your own words..? '[i]Try to 'steal' someone's family member,[/i]'” Alistair let out a genuine chuckle this time, rolling his eyes at Trixy before turning back to the girl once more. “But no matter. I think Miss Mira should educate you as well on the proper way to discuss something with a rival family – calling the head of the Blackmoores a 'child'? There was a time when that would be considered an invitation to war,” he said. It was all too political for him, the old days, and while he had no intentions of staring a fight with the Kingstons they seemed dead set on it. 

“What world do we live in where childhood is synonymous with innocence? Hah! It is in [i]experience[/i] that you are a child. You can't be older than... two fifty, maybe three hundred, tops, but I don't [i]respect[/i] one who hasn't experienced brutal war within our kind. Girl, I couldn't care less about a turncoat Blackmoore – I have more than enough loyal to spare – and if it [i]was[/i] someone I... cared about...” he had to nearly spit the last two words out, that was how wrong they felt. “They would at least be [i]alive[/i]. When you have lost tens of friends on a battlefield you can't complain about one walking a different path.”

Alistair felt the world dimming to a bloodlust – not for blood itself but for [i]violence[/i]. When was the last time he had bitten another vampire? He was sure his eyes were glinting with open malice now, and he choked down the venom slicking his teeth. “Be sure to recognise who is starting the argument here, child, as I had not a single issue with Maria and this Lucien until you walked over. Now, [i]leave[/i] before I go against all my morals and actually harm a woman, consequences be damned, or worse, start monologuing.”