Page 10
Maybe it was the wine I’d had with the meal and later on with Zareth, or maybe it was the cider, but I decided to trust him, despite his sinister air.
Oddly enough, his brother, who had been the one who wanted to bite me in the first place, did not seem threatening.
However, there were two more vampires with us.
One I’d never seen before sat in a darker corner.
He’d been staring out the window at the two moons in the sky when I’d entered the parlor, but now I realized he was watching me and I had no idea how long he’d been doing so.
But I did sense danger and power from him.
He’d been fighting with a sword as well.
One of those narrow swords that the Shyr warriors of Aisthanesthai favored.
Nik’s preferred blade. He even looked like a Shyr warrior, with jet black hair tied in an intricate braid down his back, golden skin, and dark, heavy-lidded eyes that took everything in and gave nothing back.
Razvan followed my gaze. “This is Shen Li, Enforcer to the Lord Vampire of Coeur d’Alene. This is only his second visit to Aisthanesthai, so he’s a bit overwhelmed.”
Shen’s gaze shifted to Razvan and he frowned with thunderous disapproval.
“I can speak for myself.” His attention returned to me. “I understand that you are from yet another world, yet you and Nikkita fight in my people’s style. How did that come to be?”
I explained the rescue missions when Earth’s magic was being stolen by the evil one and how the Shyr people came from Earth in the first place and a warrior taught Kerainne, Nikkita, and me how to fight with a blade.
Somewhere in the process, a second hard cider was in my hand.
By the third, I found myself telling them about Kerainne, but it all came out in a muddled mess.
“And when I saw him tonight, smiling at her like that, after what he did to her, I felt so helpless. I know Xochitl said I shouldn’t make it about me, but I want to kill him and I hate that I can’t.
And Xochitl… I wronged her so badly. And in ways she probably doesn’t know about since her anger is directed at me for what I did to her mother.
But I want to make up for it and I want Kerainne back. I love her so much!”
Embarrassingly, tears leaked from the corners of my eyes.
I wiped them away, took a big swig of cider, and my foolish mouth pressed on.
I knew I sounded pathetic, but I couldn’t stop.
“And now Zareth is banishing me from the tower. I’m to move in a guesthouse somewhere in the village.
He says I may visit for war councils and such, but I want to be here more.
I understand his reasoning, with the crowding and his worry that my presence will hurt Kerainne.
But I want to heal the hurt I caused her. ”
I wiped my eyes again and slumped back in my chair. Aside from the humiliation of blubbering in front of three vampires, and the annoying way the room sometimes tilted and spun, I felt such a catharsis.
Razvan regarded me, stroking his thin, pointed beard. I was grateful for that beard, otherwise, with the state I was in, there was no way to tell him from his brother, who was clean-shaven.
“I have an idea,” Razvan said.
Then both he and his brother spoke at once. “Rayven.”
I blinked as my sodden mind tried to recall who that was. Then I remembered. “The high sorcerer who’s mated to Nik’s and Delgarias’s daughter?”
“Yes.” The twins said together before Razvan picked up the thread. “He will be coming here to court often. Befriend him and accompany him and then perhaps you’ll be doing your own courting.”
Radu chuckled. “It will be challenging. Zareth is ill-tempered, but Rayven is even more so.”
“Wonderful,” I said in a despondent tone that made all three vampires laugh.
“You must also gain Xochitl’s approval. But do not try to do so directly at first. Start with her friends.
That cousin of yours would be a good place to start.
” Razvan took another draw of his pipe and blew out a cloud of smoke that smelled like cherry and tobacco.
“And to do that, you need to get well-versed in their music. I can bring you all of their albums, along with those of the bands who influenced them.”
He then went off on a cheerful accounting of musicians he loved.
I recognized a few names from when Gabriel talked about the music he loved.
The last thing I remembered was thinking about how only I knew that Gabe was here and maybe he could help me.
Then being envious that he’d be able to stay at the tower, but I couldn’t.
I awoke the next afternoon in my bed with no recollection of how I got there. My head ached and mouth was dry and tasted sour. When I emerged from my soon to be former guest room, Zareth arched a brow and summoned a hangover cure tea.
Once I had it down, I nibbled on a dry biscuit and guzzled a large cup of spring water. Then it was time for Zareth to show me to my new home.
The house in the village was bigger and better than I’d expected. A large manor house with an even larger garden. Built with gray brick with a slate roof, it had covered porches in the front and rear. There were even four fireplaces.
“I hope this will be sufficient,” Zareth said in an apologetic tone. “And I did mean it when I said you may visit often. Especially if you meant what you said about us sharing a common enemy and your wish to fight by our side.”
“I meant every word.” I’d originally meant my words for that battle alone.
Gabriel was the one who had the foolish idea that we could bring all the people of Luminista into the war.
But an image of Mephistopheles’s insolent red eyes raking over Kerainne in that disgusting territorial manner flashed through my mind and brought forth a fresh wave of nausea. “Even more than before.”
Zareth nodded with such intense understanding in his lightning-struck eyes that my throat tightened. “Good. Then we shall have much to discuss during your visits.”
I took that as tacit permission to come to the tower the very next evening. My new vampire allies would be awake then.
I spent the rest of the day exploring my new home and planning the changes I’d make and the décor I’d add.
I found myself excited at the prospect. All my life, I’d lived in my mother’s palace, and though I could arrange my apartments to my liking, it wasn’t the same as having an entire property to do with as I wished.
I had plenty of funds deposited in a secret bank account on this world.
A trick I’d learned from Nikkita and Kerainne, who’d both wanted their own finances that their parents couldn’t oversee.
I imagined much interest had accrued in mine.
I worked well into the evening, hoping to sleep as much of the next day away as possible so nighttime would come sooner.
Alas, I awoke too early, so I went to the bank, then made rounds through the village shops for food and supplies.
I made sure to get myself every type of music player there was so I could follow Razvan’s advice and listen to Kerainne’s daughter’s band.
The errands burned off some of my excess energy, but even after I’d showered and dressed in navy suede pants, a blue silk button-up shirt, and a long navy frock coat. I was more nervous and keyed up than I had been the first night I came to Zareth’s tower.
That nervousness spiked when I saw a tall figure in the black hooded robes of a high sorcerer standing by the gate stone. This must be Rayven. The man I’d been advised to befriend.
He whirled around to face me, looking even more hostile and formidable than I’d been warned. The crystal on his staff lit up in a warning blaze, promising he could blast me away where I stood.
I held up my hands to indicate I was harmless. “Lord Niltsiar, I presume? We never had the opportunity to meet. I’m Lucian Jagwolfe, and I believe you and I are here for similar purposes.”
Rayven’s scowl turned into a furious glower. “You’d better not be. Tiana is mine.”
Heat flooded my face as I shook my head. “No. I’m courting—well, trying to court Queen Kerainne. And they’re going to make it even more difficult for me than they are for you.”
“Don’t be so certain of that. Had you not heard of the animosity between the King and me?” Rayven’s voice was rife with frustration. “And her father is the Keeper of the Prophecy, though I suspect her mother is more to fear.”
“Oh, she is.” I nodded agreeably. “I’m going to have to work almost as hard at winning Nikkita over as I will for Kerainne’s daughter.
Either way, I’m glad I’m not the only one having to come here with my hat in hand.
” I conjured a bouquet of lilacs and offered to do the same for him. “What is your lady’s favorite flower?”
Rayven’s features softened and he smiled with genuine love in his eyes. “Garlic.”
“Garlic has flowers?” I was embarrassed at my ignorance. While I did like to garden, I usually focused on ornamental plants rather than herbs and spices.
The sorcerer’s brusqueness returned. “I take it you didn’t train to be a mage. Or a cook.” He snapped his fingers, and a bouquet of what looked like purple balls made of tiny flowers appeared in his grasp. I guess he didn’t need my help there.
I tried not to sound defensive. “I did, many centuries ago, but Kerainne far outranks me, being a Queen and a high sorceress of the black robes, as her daughter informed me.”
Finally, I cracked Rayven’s composure. His eyes widened in shock. “Kerainne wears the black robes?”
“Both she and her sister do. But given their royal ranks, they can wear whatever they want.” I fixed Rayven with a measuring look. “We could make good allies. I have lots of information and a house in the village if you want to remain closer to your love.”
Rayven’s strange gold eyes continued to narrow with distrust. “And what do you want from me?”
I regarded him with a sly smile and willed him to hear the truth in my words. “If we come here together to do our courting, the hostility will be split between us instead of it bombarding me full force.”
Rayven laughed, and his eyes warmed further. “I suppose that would be mutually beneficial.”
But when we rang the gate stone, Zareth appeared, regarding us both with suspicion and Rayven with outright dislike. “Lucian, you may go ahead, though I can’t promise you that Kerainne will speak to you. I need to speak with Rayven alone.”
I shrugged and gave Rayven a sympathetic look before I went into the forest that I could have passed through all along.
Being incapable of fear was sometimes an asset.
As I walked under the pine and firs, my skin tickling at the magic that emanated a sense of pure terror for all except my kind, I remembered the more foibles from my early days of courting Kerainne.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10 (Reading here)
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57