“Why?”
He hesitated.
“Don’t think about it,” I ordered. “Go with your gut instinct. I want to hear what you think.”
“He’s dying,” Galen replied. “Jareth told you that Declan’s biggest problem was that he wasn’t immortal like a true vampire.”
“Lilac told me vampires aren’t really immortal,” I argued. “She said they eventually grow bored with life and want to rest.”
“That’s probably accurate but that’s a choice. Vampires can live as long as they want.”
“And the dhampirs can’t,” I mused.
“No. I think being a dhampir is a better deal. You can be out in the sun more. You have a long life but not an endless one. You can still eat steak.”
He made a compelling point. “Maybe it’s not about the immortality so much as what it represents,” I said.
“And what’s that?”
“Declan has daddy issues. He came here to seek out Jareth because he wasn’t getting anywhere with his own father.”
“He sought out Jareth because he wanted ideas on how he could extend his life,” Galen corrected.
“But he would have gone to his father first,” I argued. “He wouldn’t have even known to go to Jareth if he hadn’t gone after his father first.”
“I guess that’s a fair point.”
“Did Jareth’s brother live here?” I asked. “I’ve never heard anything about him. I didn’t even know he had a brother.”
“I never met him. My mother might have. I vaguely remember her telling a story about meeting him at a dinner party.”
“What was her opinion?”
“What is my mother’s opinion on anything?” Galen scowled. “She didn’t like him. She thought he was crass and rude. She said he walked around with a goblet of blood, which she found gauche.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s disgusting.”
“My understanding is that Jareth is the exact opposite of his brother.”
“I like Jareth,” I admitted. “He’s a little creepy — like, I wouldn’t want to cuddle up with him on a dark and stormy night — but he’s a good person.”
“He’s a vampire, and vampires are always scary. Jareth is always respectful, however, and he has a good work ethic.”
That was high praise from Galen.
“We might need to go back to Jareth at some point,” he continued.
“If you think he might open up to you about his brother, I’m guessing that’s not an option,” I countered.
“What makes you say that?”
“He was uncomfortable talking about him. It was obvious he was upset.”
“Maybe he was upset at the thought that Declan was back. You said that Jareth was under the assumption that Declan was gone for good. The possibility of his return might have been too much for him.”
“Jareth doesn’t strike me as the sort who panics,” I argued. “He was thrown. I think he’s trying to figure out his own way to get to Declan.”
“Which is another reason we should be working with him. Jareth and Declan would make for an interesting matchup, and it is his fight if he wants it.”
