He expected this, but the way she's looking at him now... it still can't help but hurt. He owes her the truth, but he wants it to be with context. She may still decide, like Edgar, that it's not enough. He'll have to accept that if she does.
"I'll start by saying that it was Max's choice to allow me near him again. I am not invading his space against his wishes. I am also not, in any way, seeking to reclaim him. Now that we are away from the dangers of home, he is free and he will always be." Erik will rip the heart out of anyone who tries to change that himself, although he won't be the first in line. That honor goes to Valdis.
"My sister was also a vampire. She was, I am ashamed to say, an evil woman. One night, she attempted to take and eat Max. Through sheer dumb luck, Max was able to defend himself and kill her. In human law, this would be a non-issue, because it was in his own defense. In vampire law, it was another matter. A human had killed an Elder vampire of great influence. Retribution was expected. My sister's allies wanted his blood. But, because I was in the unique position of being her true next of kin, the claim of blood fell to me, first. To save his life, I enslaved him. I forced him to change his name, fake his death, and come live with me. He was to be under my watch for the rest of his natural life. If he ever left, or was caught alone, he might be killed by my sister's allies who still hunt him. I am not happy that I had to keep him a prisoner of circumstance, but there really was no other way to keep him safe."
no subject
"I'll start by saying that it was Max's choice to allow me near him again. I am not invading his space against his wishes. I am also not, in any way, seeking to reclaim him. Now that we are away from the dangers of home, he is free and he will always be." Erik will rip the heart out of anyone who tries to change that himself, although he won't be the first in line. That honor goes to Valdis.
"My sister was also a vampire. She was, I am ashamed to say, an evil woman. One night, she attempted to take and eat Max. Through sheer dumb luck, Max was able to defend himself and kill her. In human law, this would be a non-issue, because it was in his own defense. In vampire law, it was another matter. A human had killed an Elder vampire of great influence. Retribution was expected. My sister's allies wanted his blood. But, because I was in the unique position of being her true next of kin, the claim of blood fell to me, first. To save his life, I enslaved him. I forced him to change his name, fake his death, and come live with me. He was to be under my watch for the rest of his natural life. If he ever left, or was caught alone, he might be killed by my sister's allies who still hunt him. I am not happy that I had to keep him a prisoner of circumstance, but there really was no other way to keep him safe."