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Chapter One

Talyria

“ W ell, Mrs. Andreev, here it is,” Victor says proudly with a grand wave of his hand. “The Sea’s Bounty please forgive the name; it was my sister’s idea, and she was five years at the time. Honestly, I don’t know why father even let her name it.”

He turns to me, his brown eyes twinkling excitedly as the corner of his mouth turns up. “But I suppose you can just call it home.”

Surprisingly enough, Victor’s words actually cause me to feel a pinch of guilt rather than the usual smugness I feel when I’ve gotten the better of someone. As the queen of thieves, I’ve done many dark deeds and I’ve stolen many things, but never a heart.

And usually, I don’t have to look my mark in the eye afterward. I certainly don’t go home with them.

To Victor, I’m his wife, somehow, he has decided that I’m the great love of his life in such a short amount of time, and to me he is just an easy way out. Although it does help that he is fairly easy on the eyes.

Not to mention that he’s kind, his eagerness to share his home with me is endearing, even if it does make me feel emotions that I’d rather avoid, like guilt.

I glance toward the building that Victor gestured to. The inn does look like a fine building. It’s large and the exterior at least appears well put together. Ready to stand against the winds and storms that come from the sea here at this bustling port town.

Considering that just days ago, I was penniless, on the run, fearing for my life, and seething—I know that I could have done much worse.

Victor’s heart and my hand in marriage were a small price to pay to have a place to call home. I married the heir of a successful inn for security, stability, and anonymity which are all things I need desperately right now.

Fortunately for me, he was smitten enough to marry me immediately. Although I’m beginning to gather that's a human custom linked to their shorter lifespans.

“I hope you’ll find it to your liking,” Victor continues, blissfully oblivious to being used by me. “I know it looks quite large, but we don’t live in the whole building. Have to have room for the guests. And of course, we’ll be sharing with my dad and sister as well as my cousin. But we’ll have our own room.”

I reach out a hand resting it on his forearm. More to get him to cease his nervous prattling than anything. “I’m sure it will be lovely.”

He hesitates a second before he reaches up and awkwardly pats my hand. “Only the best for the Andreevs.”

I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to being called Mrs. Andreev. Especially since the passing on of a family name is a largely Lowlander custom. The Highlanders carry the name of their parents, and the elves either choose or earn their name.

I am Talyria Undying, but I suppose since I’m trying to not be discovered I’ll just have to accept the name Andreev as it is offered to me. Even if Talyria Andreev is a fairly lackluster name. At least I can keep my first name. With a last name like Andreev, no one will expect the Talyria to be me.

Not that there is anyone out there looking for me save for one.

The necromancer .

Creed Kotov. I’ve been his prisoner for nearly twenty years. I don’t know how I came under his control; I was trapped in a collapsed cavern for so long that I fell into a coma from not having anyone to satiate my vampiric thirst for blood. When I woke up, I was in his prison. Not only did he keep me locked away for so long, but he also somehow found a way to sap my vampirism out of me.

I hadn’t known that it was even a possibility for someone to no longer be a vampire. Such a blessing, or curse depending on who you asked, was believed to be irreversible.

One bite and then forever.

Without it, it feels as though I’m missing a part of myself. I’ve lost so much I don’t even know how to start rebuilding. All I know is that I must rebuild. To admit defeat is to allow men like Creed Kotov to win, and I could never let such a thing happen.

However, while I come to terms with my lack of vampirism, and this strange new world around me—much altered from how it was before I fell into my coma—I need a place to stay and someone to be.

And so, I’ll be Victor’s new wife, hiding in plain sight.

“Talyria?” he asks, his voice holding a small waver of uncertainty.

I blink, realizing that I have been staring at the inn wordlessly. I turn a smile to him. “My apologies, I was just thinking.”

“Happy thoughts I hope?” He raises his eyebrows as he smiles at me.

“Would you expect anything less?” I say, trying to match his hopeful, slightly shy, and yet eager expression. I’m not quite sure if I manage it.

Victor places a hand against the small of my back, a featherlight unsure sort of touch as he steps forward. With his other hand he gestures to the streets. “I grew up in this town. We are the last, largest port city before the spice islands. Many a guard passes through here.”

I press my lips together. He glances at me, tilting his head. “What is it?”

I debate a moment what to say but decide that the best lies are usually concealed by truth. “I don’t like guards.” Then because that sounds too much like what a criminal would say, I hurry to add. “I find that they usually abuse their power and have little care for the people that the laws they are upholding are supposed to protect.”

Victor’s eyes dart to the side, an evasive gesture if I’ve ever seen one, before he says, “Not all guards are like that.” I’m considering asking him why he is suddenly so shifty when he clears his throat. “Anyway, we also get our fair share of sailors as well as just the regular townsfolk to patronize our inn. Not to sound too sure of myself, but it’s a fine establishment. My father does a wonderful job running it, and someday, I’ll take over.”

I note that he doesn’t sound confident or pleased by this assessment. More resigned to his fate.

“Are you glad to be home?” I ask as I turn to him, wondering not for the first time about the man I married. Our courtship was a whirlwind to say the least. We met on the road; Victor was traveling home and I lied and said I was going in the same direction. Our journey took us some days, and in that time, Victor must have decided he liked my company well enough because he asked me to marry him.

I’ve heard that the humans have short courtships and hasty weddings, something about their belief that marriage continues into death and their fear that they will die before they are wed and thus separated from their beloved in the next life. Elves are not so, at least not my people the Higher Elves. We typically live twice as long as humans, so long as we aren’t being murdered.

As such, we usually take at least a year to make certain that we have chosen the right partner. But I didn’t have a year and marrying Victor gave me a place to live, an income at an inn, and food every night.

If it turns out I dislike him, well that’s fine too. I’ll outlive him anyway so at least I’ll get out of this marriage without a broken heart. Unlike my last one, which still causes me pain even a thousand years later. Perhaps it is proof that mortals, even elves, were not meant to live forever, but I have spent much of my life as an unchanging vampire. Even without that, I’m not certain I can age because I am half Lower Elf and they are known for having such long lifespans that they are considered immortal.

An inheritance from a father I never knew, I suppose.

The corner of his mouth turns up. “I’m always glad to be home again. I enjoy being able to travel and see the world, but I’m only able to do so knowing that I can return to my father, sister, and our inn whenever I choose. Speaking of, I think it’s time you meet your family by law.”

I smile slightly at that. It’s been so long since I’ve had a family. Although for me, it does not feel that way. I don’t remember anything that happened in the thousand years I slept, but that just means that the pain of the loss of my family is still fresh.

A sister-by-law won’t replace the sister I lost just like I don’t expect Victor to replace Petrov. But something is still better than nothing, and it’s a start to rebuilding the life I once had.

I will settle for nothing less than everything that was once mine.

“We had better get hurrying,” Victor says, oblivious to the turn of my thoughts.

I pause, frowning as I glance at a man in a knit cap as he places boards on his windows. “What’s going on?”

“What isn’t these days?” he asks with a snort. I turn to him startled, and he shrugs. “There’s a necromancer that has been reanimating the dead in these parts. The constable can’t seem to catch him so there’s a curfew now. Anyone out after dark will be arrested.”

“Really?” I ask surprised.

Victor nods. “At least that’s how it was before I left, and given the way that the constable handles things, I doubt it’s been resolved anytime soon. Sometimes it seems like the entire world has gone jetting insane.”

That’s something we can agree on at least. What Victor doesn’t realize though is that it went mad a thousand years ago when my people’s halls were raided by allied men and Lower Elves that wished to eradicate us. I was forced to watch in horror as I lost everything, and suddenly nothing made sense.

I try to tamp down the horror I feel at the mention of a necromancer. There are many necromancers, so it isn’t necessarily him . Besides, from the way that Victor spoke it sounds like this necromancer has been practicing in this area for some time.

Unless Creed moved just after my escape this couldn’t be him.

“And to top it all off, there’s a storm coming in off the sea,” he continues as he raises the collar of his shirt up as a nippy gust of wind blows over us. “It will be a bad one.”

Sure enough there are dark clouds rolling in. I’m not sure if I would have noticed them if Victor hadn’t brought up the weather. “How can you know that?”

“I grew up off the sea,” he replies with a smirk.

I glance up at the hazy sun, still visible even though it has sunk far lower in the sky than it was when we stopped at a lone temple outside of town and asked a priest to wed us. The day is almost over. My first day married.

Red light reflects on the mountain peaks visible over the village, they jut into the sky like upside down fangs.

“But never you worry, there’s the inn just ahead. Let’s get you inside,” he says with a smile. “It’s time to meet the family.”