He’s worried that the vampir still won’t be on good terms with the lykin. Though, I try and remind him that the squabbles were three thousand years ago and brought on by a curse that’s now gone. Everyone who fought in them, or even remembers, is long gone. Ruvan is still cautious.
Up the hallway that’s now lit by polished sconces and into the main hall, noise bounces off the rafters, harmonized by Ventos’s booming voice. He has a firm hand on the new castle guard and Julia is constantly busy patching up new recruits being put through Ventos’s gauntlets. Even though he and I have always had an up-and-down relationship, I’ve never felt safer than with him at the charge of my guard. Winny at his right hand doesn’t hurt either in that regard. Plus, Julia is an unexpected and utterly welcome delight.
Drew and I don’t leave through the chapel. There’s no more balancing across snowy beams.
Instead, we head left, out into what once was the old castle. Scars of the long night remain. They whisper to me, tinged with the smell of blood spilled long ago. If I wanted, I could reach out and pull a memory from the remnants of the blood of the lord or lady or vassal who sacrificed themselves to try and bring us to this moment. But I refrain. My powers are still fresh and I’m still learning how best to manage them. Moreover, it seems intrusive to peer into people’s pasts without their blessings, so I avoid it for that reason too.
Drew keeps up his hood as we move through the castle. His hunter’s robes don’t mean much to the recently awoken vampir. But his not-gold eyes will.
I’m an expected anomaly, at least within the castle. And people know of my existence beyond. I move freely, just as I wanted. Ruvan has not hidden me in the slightest.
We’re almost to the receiving room when we nearly bump into someone. A half-shaved head, bright golden eyes. Lavenzia.
“Sorry! Oh, it’s you.” She smiles.
“Talking with Ruvan?” I ask.
“Getting orders to take back to the city.” She pats a folio. Lavenzia has been an incredibly worthy head of city planning. I never realized just how organized the woman was until she was tasked with leading up the rebuilding of Tempost. She’s as clever and capable with a pen and architectural drawings as she was with a rapier in the old castle. “We’re going to start in on the museum shortly, I have an idea for a new expansion to house relics from the long night.”
“Museum?” Drew echoes. I bite back a laugh, understanding his confusion all too well.
“You should see it when it’s finished,” I say.
“I could take you,” Lavenzia offers. “If you’re interested, that is.” She tucks some hair behind her ear, almost shyly. I’ve never seen Lavenzia look even remotely close to what I would callshy.
“Certainly, when it’s finished I would love to see it.”
“With me?” Lavenzia hesitantly seeks clarity.
“I’d love that.” My brother is perpetually oblivious. I bite back laughter as Lavenzia speeds away, fighting a massive smile and losing. “What?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head. I’m going to watch this unfold from the sidelines. There are some things that it’s best not to get involved in. And Ruvan and I have enough matchmaking on our plate leading up to Callos’s impending proposal to Winny.
In the receiving hall, Drew takes my hand and I step between the folds of the world. The darkness reminds me a little bit of the Fade. I almost imagine myself wandering through it every time I mist step.
“What are we doing here?”
I understand his confusion. Usually, I take him deep into the tunnel, right at the edge of the Fade. It’s far enough away that it’s no longer in the castle’s barriers. But this time, we stand along a rocky beach, cliffs reaching up behind us, cradling my new home.
“It’s the sea,” I say softly, squeezing his hand.
He beams. “Just like we promised.”
* * *
Today has gotten awayfrom me. After returning Drew to the edge of the Fade with a hug to pass on to Mother, I returned to the smithy. Callos, as the new head of the academy, has requested a great deal of my blood silver for study.
It keeps me busy until the sun has vanished. But I’m not the only one who’s working late.
I lean against the door frame, arms folded. Ruvan sits behind a desk, the moonlight framing him just the way I like it. Even though vampir can exist in the daylight, the night is so much kinder to them. No matter how much he objects, my bloodsworn is a creature of the night. The pale light caresses his cheeks, cuts sharp shadows, and highlights the hair that spills into his eyes—hair he’s constantly brushing away.
“If you’re going to keep staring like that, I’m going to expect a portrait.” He sets down his quill.
I smile at his running jest. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Yes, you did.” My king wears a lazy smirk as he leans back in his chair and away from all the papers littering the large desk in what he’s made as his office. The castle is large and there are still a lot of rooms to reclaim. Most living spaces are makeshift right now.
“Maybe a little.” I shrug and push away from the door, slowly crossing the room. “It’s getting late. Should I go to bed without you?”
