Page 118 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

She looks to the side, wiping away a stray tear as if she is angry that she ever let it fall.

“It doesn’t matter. She told me back then that it wouldn’t work, and she was right.”

“Because she got older?”

She finally looks at me and nods.

“And I never will, at least not in her lifetime.”

A memory from the orphanage comes to me—a lesson about how born vampires age far slower than humans, taking centuries to gain only a few years. The stronger the vampire, the longer they remain youthful. Someone as powerful as Piper will not show any signs of aging for a very long time. A sadness that I don’t expect to feel swallows me whole, and I blow out a breath.

“I’m sorry. Did you not think of siring her?” What the hell am I saying? Why am I even considering this idea?

“It’s not something that she wanted, and I respected that. I would never take that choice away from her.”

Her revelation causes me to pause. It may be the first time I have ever heard a vampire think of what a human wants before themselves, and the idea is so incredibly confusing.

“It would be a difficult choice,” I whisper.

She smiles, trying to hide the pain behind her eyes. “At least it’s something that you and Karius never have to worry about.”

“What do you mean?” I ask in confusion, and I see the moment that she realizes that she has said something that she shouldn’t have.

“Gods, I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not my pla—”

“Please just be honest with me.”

She lets out a breath and then looks around. “Karius sent us to an old friend who might know something about your bond. She didn’t know much in all honesty, but she has been alive long enough to have seen a similar situation to yours.”

“Similar how?”

“A human-vampire bond.” She pauses before lowering her voice to a whisper. “Your life is linked to Karius’s, so unless oneof you dies, then you will remain alive for as long as he does, aging only as he does.”

I shake my head. “I…I don’t understand. You mean I will be immortal?”

“Not immortal, no vampire truly is, but you will age incredibly slowly, live for maybe thousands of years if Karius does. The bond ensures that you will always have each other.”

I stumble backwards, shaking my head.

“I’m sorry. He really should have told you himself. I thought he had.”

“I’ve…I’ve got to go.” Before she can say another word, I run off, not even knowing where I’m going, just knowing that I need to get away from here.

I storm through Karius’s study door, surprising the three vampires that reside inside with him. All their dark eyes turn to me, but I’m only looking at him. Rage bubbles in my chest at the sight of him as Piper’s words play on repeat in my mind.Thousands of years. The bond ensures that you will always have each other.

I recognize a couple of the nobles as council members, and the disgust over my intrusion on their private meeting is written all over their faces.

“You can’t just barge in here, gir—”

“Leave.” Karius’s command cuts through the noble’s words as her face scrunches into a scowl.

“Well, you heard the prince.”

“I’m talking to you, Lena.”

She swings her head in his direction, not a single strand coming loose from the meticulous bun she has swept her hair into.

“But your majesty, we were in the middle of discussing important matters.”