Page 121 of Seared Fates

“While we wait for Kai to wake up, Maker, why don’t you tell me about Kai. I only met him, after all.”

“Sen,” Lucero warns. But my eldest waves him off, nodding at me to start.

Where to even begin?

I trail the curve of Kai’s jaw, how to describe my greatest love when I’ve never been a man of words. Or rather, all the wrong words. How to explain the way Kai makes me feel when he looks at me, a teasing glint in his jade eyes. Or his hidden smile, even when I’ve annoyed him.

How my chest swells with pride every time he faces his fears.

“Kai is my everything.”

And he just needs to wake up.

In the distance, something grumbles. Sen stands, my other offspring coming into view as they circle us.

I don’t bother to look up, even as it grows and the stink of fumes irritates my nose.

“Is that…” Lucero trails off.

The grumbling increases until a small car drives into view. It parks, the engine dying before a door opens and closes.

“Apollo?” Rurik whispers his name.

Hesitant footsteps hit the pavement until the little vampire is standing in front of me, ripped jeans, covered in Forget-Me-Not tattoos, and face lost in the foggy sunlight.

“Hey, Vidar.”

My gaze drops back to Kai. I have no time for anyone else.

I’ll wait forever if I have to.

“What are you doing here?” Rurik asks.

“You alright, Kai?” There’s an unfamiliar quality to Apollo’s soft voice. “I remember that thing I forgot. Sorry it took a while, lad. My head’s all over the place these days.”

Rurik stands behind his mate, and for once, Apollo doesn’t snap at him. Only glides to his knees and looks Kai over.

“Careful,” I warn.

“Always,” Apollo replies gently. “Ya know, Kai, making a human into a vampire carries risk. Sometimes they die.”

I flinch, his words a physical pain. I’m quick to shake it off. Kai isn’t dead; he’ll wake any second.

“But you ain’t all human, are you, lad?” Apollo leans closer, whispering in Kai’s ear like he’s sharing a secret. “Summer didn’t think it would matter. But it does, trust me.”

I tilt over my soulmate, having no idea where Apollo’s going with this, but needing to protect Kai. He’s already been betrayed by one friend.

“I ain’t all the way human either, but I didn’t know that when I was turned. I also didn’t know there were different rules. Why would a light mage—or a demon—need to be turned into a vampire, anyway? They’ve got their own ways to immortality. It’d be like adding water to water, hoping to make water.”

“But hecanbe made immortal, right?” I snap, desperate to hear the ‘yes’.

But Apollo isn’t talking to me.

“I forgot the rules, I’m sorry. It was all too…too much. Too—” Apollo swallows like someone has their fist around his throat. “Too close.”

Behind him, Rurik pales.

“But I know what to do now.” Reaching towards his boot, Apollo pulls out a knife I hadn’t noticed.