“My kind are from a place called Damara,” he began.
Was he pressing his knee tighter against hers?Focus, Lo,she admonished herself.
“It’s a different realm,” Callon continued.“And as I told you, we are called beastwalkers.There are ten kingdoms that represent the different types of species we make up.”
“How did you end up in the human realm?Why are you in the human realm?Kingdoms?Like actual kingdoms with kings and queens?”The questions bubbled out of Lola, an erupting geyser and her imagination ran wild.“Are all ten kingdoms here in New York?How many of you are there?When you say species as in plural, what kind are we talking?All mammals, or are there water shifters?Insects?Birds?”Her head spun and spun with all the possibilities.
“Are you done?”he asked when she finally stopped talking.
“My bad.”Lola twisted her fingers together, clenching them tightly.
He gently grabbed her wrists and pulled her tense hands apart.He entwined their fingers together, his thumb drawing circles on her palms.“You’re curiosity, at times, is very endearing.Though things would move a lot faster if you’d just let me talk.”
“At times?”She pursed her lips.“I’ll remember you said that.And I make no promises,” she said with a half shrug.“My mouth does what it wants.”
Callon smirked.“Noted.”
Lola lifted one of their joined hands to cover her face as it heated with a blush.“So even non-human males have dirty minds.Good to know.”
He ignored her statement.“Shall I continue?”
She nodded.
“We came to the human realm because our Shaman found–”
“Your what?What’s a Shaman?”
“The Shaman are like religious leaders, they act as a governing body over all beastwalkers.”
“Politics and religion.Those never go together well,” Lola murmured.
He gave her a bland look, but just kept talking.“They found a way to connect our realms and open a portal.Our home was being destroyed by war.The kingdoms were constantly fighting for more territory, over females, or even just prejudice against another kingdom.If we had continued down that road, eventually, there would be nothing left of any of us.”
Before she could remind herself she was supposed to just let him talk, Lola asked, “How long ago was this?”
“It would have been the fifteenth century in your world, if I remember my schooling correctly,” he answered.“I never lived in Damara.Many of the originals from the migration have gone on to live with the Visata, our Creator.”
Lola’s eyes felt like they were going to bug right out of her head.“Many of them?Notallof them?”
His lips turned up revealing long fangs.“We’re a long-lived race.”
“Fifteenth century, Callon,” she gasped.“That’s not long lived.That’s ancient.”
He shook his head.“No, ancient would be fifth century.”
Lola pursed her lips.“Don’t get cute.”
“Can’t help what I already am.”
Her eyes narrowed.“You didn’t seem so playful an hour ago when I met you.”
His golden eyes softened.“You bring out a different side of me.”
Lola wanted to ask what he meant, but she also wanted to learn more about the history of his people.It was more fascinating than any book she’d ever read.She sealed her lips closed and knew she probably looked like an eager child waiting on an ice cream cone.She was practically salivating for the knowledge he had.And she wanted it to be true.“Just so you know if this turns out to be a hallucination, or some elaborate hoax, I’m going to cut you.”
He ignored her threat and continued.“The Shaman convinced members from every kingdom to come through the portal.The ones that did come were the ones that wanted peace.They knew that the future of our species depended on it.
“One of the first things the Shaman asked the rulers to do was to find new territories for their kingdoms.Spread out in this new world, and take some time and figure out what was important to them.How all of the kingdoms could learn to live in peace.”
