Page 29

“There is a sheet on the wall. Pull it free to let the light in.” He lifted his hand and pointed.

Pan strode over, his boots crunching over glass. The sheets had been stuffed into what must have been the glass over a light tunnel that went to the roof. He pulled the sheet free, and light flooded the room. Sharp and unfiltered.

He blinked a couple of times and then turned to the vampire.

The vampire held his hand over his face as if adjusting to the light. But from where Pan stood, the changes were obvious. The man’s cheeks were lined as though he were a human of eighty, and his skin was the dull gray of a week-old corpse.

Slowly, he lowered his hand. “I am only thirty. Barely blooded. Imagine the faces of those who are older.”

Pan frowned. Vampires looked like elves, eternally beautiful. They had once been the same kind, but long ago, their bloodlines had split when vampires had chosen blood magic. He had vague memories of the split; it had been acrimonious, and there had been bloodshed over whose use of magic was correct. Over time, the use of blood magic had changed them enough that they were no longer elves.

“The lack of magic took your beauty.” Pan’s voice was soft.

“That is the best theory anyone has suggested.”

“Your uncle put his vanity above the well-being of his people. I will not mourn him. You should not mourn him.”

“He raised me, and he has abandoned me.”

Pan clamped his teeth together to stop the words from spilling out. He failed to stop his eyeballs from rolling. Was he going to have to do everything himself?

Apparently, so.

“I must return to the humans. They have offered food…perhaps the unblooded may appreciate a meal. Or do you intend to let them starve while you hide?”

“They have food. I’m not a monster.”

No, but humans might think he was. Vampires were something humans had feared for a long time, though he wasn’t sure why. He could imagine that vampires had misbehaved in this world and earned their reputation at some point.

“Your balcony door leads into a human tavern. The people who own it are under my protection.” Which amounted to a whole lot of fuck all at the moment. “Do not harm them. Or eat them. They are busy befriending the dragon. The dragon will not like it if you eat the humans who are feeding him.”

“You don’t need to threaten me with my own dragon.”

Well, what did he need to do?

“Would you consider meeting with the humans? Or sending some servants or guards, someone to assist with the search for the missing dragon and to gather your people? Can you give orders even if you cannot face the world?”

“I will think about it.”

Pan cursed in a language that had been long forgotten on this world and raked his fingers through his hair.

“I can see that you care about our people,” the vampire said, slumped in his chair.

“Of course I fucking do. Their worship gives me magic. The sooner I can gather them and receive prayers, the sooner I can start fixing shit. Do you see my problem?” He paced, the green boots squeaking on the floor.

“Do you think a few prayers will bring back your power? You said there was no magic in this world.”

Pan waved his hand. “That’s like saying there is no water in a desert…there is, it’s just very hard to find and not enough to sustain me. Yet, I have tasted the tiniest raindrop, and it has given me hope.” And that raindrop was called Noah.

Pan vowed that he’d do whatever it took to hear Noah call out his name and truly mean it. It was too easy to imagine basking in the afterglow and bathing in the magic.

The vampire considered him for several heartbeats. “You are in Beita. And while I am not ready to face this new world, I can offer you fresh clothing and to safeguard the coat.”

The cry that it wasn’t enough formed on his lips, but he released it as a sigh. It was an offer, which wouldn’t lead to more if he slapped it away. “Thank you. It will be nice to no longer smell of death.”

“I will request a pitcher of water and soap so you may bathe as you are offending my nose. While you do that, tell me what you have seen in this new world and what you remember of it from your last visit.”

“You cannot order a god?—”