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“What would a soul gem be doing here?” Balthazar asked.

“Precisely,” Caemorn murmured.

But despite all of this being perfect for Caemorn and Balthazar could have sworn that Caemorn liked them--perhapsmorethan liked them--the Kaly Vampire had turned on his heel and asked to look at every other single room in the palace.

“That suite is clearly tailor-made for you! I don’t understand why you’re looking for something better!” Balthazar cried. He felt undefinedly insulted that Caemorn would turn away from those rooms.

Caemorn crossed his arms at the wrists behind his back and said coolly, “If youwishme to take those rooms rather than choosing my own, you just had to say--”

“No, no, no, do not twist my words!” Balthazar interrupted. “It’s just… they’re perfect.”

“Yes.”

“So why aren’t you choosing them?”

“I will not have my future planned out,” Caemorn answered. “I willchoose.”

“You are choosing. You’re choosing those rooms or whatever rooms.”

Balthazar resisted the urge to tear out his hair. Christian taking one hand in his helped that. Uneven hair pulling was just not satisfying.

“Balthazar and I would definitely like it if you chose rooms close to ours. Those rooms are closest,” Christian said succinctly, boiling down all he’d felt into one simple sentence. Then Christian added with equal grace, “But we want you to choose those you like the best.”

Caemorn regarded Christian, unblinkingly, then turned his eyes to Balthazar. His mind was curiously blank or, more likely, he had up one of his many mental defenses. Since he had accepted himself as Kaly, he’d gotten much, much better at keeping Balthazar out and that bothered him. Not because he was worried Caemorn was scheming--actually, Balthazar wassurehe was scheming, just not against them--but because he was protecting himself. As if he expected Balthazar to be the one to betray him.

“You would have looked in all the rooms yourself, wouldn’t you?” Caemorn finally asked him.

“Yes, of course, I’m going to know every nook and cranny of this place,” Balthazar answered with enthusiasm.

He had determined he was going to sit in every chair and sofa, lay down in every bed, read every book, look out every window, and smell every flower. He even intended on running naked through the man water features no matter if that was thought childish. He wanted to feel like this place was truly his. Right now, it still felt as if it were a hotel--a glamorous, exquisite, perfect hotel--but not home. Not yet.

“So Christian is right. Your annoyance is not about me looking everywhere, but you worrying I won’t wish to be near you,” Caemorn remarked.

“In rooms that areperfectfor you!” Balthazar had to get in. “It’s like the only thing you object to is that you’re near me!”

The Kaly Vampire’s expression seemed to soften though Balthazar would not have thought it hard before. And, even now, most people would see it as calm and unexpressive. Caemorn’s emotions were shown in the briefest, tiniest, micro-expressions. But he could tell the difference even as he forced himself not to try and find a crack in Caemorn’s mental defenses to check he was right.

Privacy, remember?Christian reminded him.

We are Eyros Vampires. Reading minds is like breathing for us,Balthazar said.

Yes, true, but Caemorn is intensely private. He would not like it if you rifled through his mind,Christian stated simply.And the whole goal here is for him to be happy.

That’s not the whole goal!

“You want me near you?” Caemorn asked.

“Well, yes and no… whatever!” Balthazar couldn’t seem to control anything coming out of his mouth at that moment. “I… I mean if you want to be elsewhere… it's not like you’ll hurt my feelings!

“Hurt your feelings?” Caemorn’s voice was soft.

“No! I mean that’s ridiculous! It’s a room! Who cares if you want to be as far away from me as possible! I won’t take that badly!” He crossed his arms protectively over his chest. Maybe Caemorn didn’t want his friendship. Balthazar wouldn’t care! Absolutely not!

Balthazar felt Christian wincing with every word out of his mouth. It was as if his mouth was intent on revealing everything his brain was trying to deny.

“I see.” Caemorn stared at him for another silent moment, and then as if coming to a decision said, “I choose the rooms nearest to you. Theperfectones.”

Again, Balthazar did his best impression of a goldfish. “G-good.”