“Just your friend, please. It’s rude to leave him waiting. But Daka?”
“Yes?”
“You mustn’t get your hopes up,” said Mahu gently, his voice soft. “My answer is still no.”
It was obviously too late for such a warning. Daka’s hopeful nature was irrepressible, and though his shoulders caved almost imperceptibly at Mahu’s words, the hope never drained from his eyes.
“I’ll get him,” said Daka on his way out the door.
Mahu took a careful breath, as deep as he dared, and let it out through his nose. The rattle in his throat brought the urge to cough, but Mahu had grown accustomed to the irritation. He ignored it as best he could.
Daka returned with a handsome man at his side. With his fair coloring and lithe, willowy frame, he looked as if he hailed from distant lands. He offered a polite smile and bowed his head.
Mahu gave a nod in greeting as Daka made the introductions. “Mahu, this is my friend Temaj. Temaj, this is my Mahu.”
“Thank you for coming,” said Mahu even though the sentiment wasn’t quite right. What did this creature expect of him? And what was he prepared to do to stay in Daka’s good graces? Surely Daka wouldn’t turn Mahu to a vampire against his will, but would Temaj? What sort of man was he?
Temaj stepped forward. “Thank you for having me. I’m sorry to have surprised you like this. I didn’t know Daka hadn’t told you he’d sent for me until I was already here.”
“I won’t hold it against you. Daka didn’t tell me either.”
Temaj cast an amused glance at Daka as he spoke to Mahu. “Naughty, isn’t he? Shall we punish him by speaking alone?”
“That would be a good beginning,” Mahu agreed. “Dakarai, would you bring Temaj a chair, please? Then perhaps you could boil water for drinks?”
“Of course.” Daka placed the wooden chair by the bed for Temaj. If it bothered him to be sent away, he didn’t show it. He’d probably been expecting as much.
Temaj took a seat as Daka left and closed the door behind him, giving them the privacy Mahu would need for this conversation. Mahu studied him. He didn’t look like a demon, but neither did Daka. Mahu had learned the demons of his religion and the real ones living their lives were two entirely different species. Temaj looked like an ordinary man. Friendly, young, curious. The sort of man Mahu would befriend, one he’d have a beer with and play a round of Senet.
“How are you?” asked Temaj. “If you’re too tired for this or feeling ill, I can come back another night.”
Mahu gave a small shrug. “This is about as good as it gets these days, I’m sorry to say. I’m always tired, but I don’t want to sleep all my time away either. I’d like to speak with you.”
“I’d like to speak with you, too. Daka is besotted with you. I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Mahu was besotted with Daka as well, but he didn’t say so. Soon he would be gone and his own feelings wouldn’t matter, but Daka’s would need great care and nurturing. “He’s young, with many a romance yet to come in his future. I’m only sorry his first will end in tragedy.”
Temaj crossed one leg over the other. “You know what he wants?”
“I do.”
“And it’s not what you want?”
“It isn’t.”
Temaj nodded as if he’d known without needing to ask.
Mahu continued, “I’m sorry he has troubled you to make this journey when my answer has always been no.”
“It’s no trouble. For Dakarai, I’d have done even more. He doesn’t realize the full consequences of his wishes. And not just for you, for myself as well. Taking on a fledgling vampire is no small matter.”
These tidbits flared Mahu’s natural curiosity. “But you’d have done it for him?”
“I’m not certain. Even if you wanted it, which you don’t, we’d need to be sure we got along well enough for the kind of relationship we must have afterward. And my own lover, Solon, must be considered. His permission and blessing would be crucial to my decision, and he is away at the moment.”
When Mahu remained silent, Temaj continued, “There are other problems. Amongst the things Daka has not thought through, the fact that as an incubus, he’s tied to this land, and as a vampire, you wouldn’t be. You could go anywhere, but Daka must remain near the black lands or risk his own vitality.”
Mahu hadn’t known any of this. He’d never wished to leave Kemet anyway, and now, he didn’t have the strength to. But why couldn’t Daka leave if he wanted?
