“I’m sure he wouldn’t,” Vasile replied, picking up the stack of books. “Let’s go see what will tickle your tastebuds. Knowing Brady, there’ll be a lot of choices.”
Glancing up at the powerfully built vampire, Lucius asked, “How long have you and Brady been friends?”
“Many years,” Vasile replied, chuckling. “He’s my oldest and dearest friend…I consider myself very fortunate that I met him because at that time, vampires never spoke to magic users, much less hired them for legal work.”
Lucius’ eyes widened. “Will other vampires be angry because he’s my mate?”
“That was long ago,” Vasile said. “Times have changed and, thankfully, vampires no longer keep themselves isolated from the world.”
“You mean the paranormal world, right? Because the only vampires I ever saw when I was a human were in the movies.”
“Ahh, yes…the fictionalized version of vampires humans create,” Vasile grinned. “Don’t be shocked, but vampires have lived in the human world for the last five hundred years.”
Lucius’ eyes grew huge. “That can’t be. I never saw one when I was human.”
“Vampires are masters at blending in. You could be standing next to one and never know it.”
“But…but, what about blood? I think I’d have noticed if some dude sank his fangs into my neck and sucked.”
“You might feel his fangs pierce your skin, but trust me, after he was finished, you wouldn’t remember it at all.”
“Why not?”
“Vampires are required by the Paranormal High Council to wipe the memory of any human they drink from…no memory, nothing to remember,” Vasile said, ushering his charge out of Brady’s office.
“Can every vampire do that? Wipe someone’s memory?” asked Lucius quietly.
“As far as I know,” Vasile answered. “Why?”
“Just wondering,” Lucius muttered, thinking of his first meeting with Valarian. “You’re sure it removes all the memory? There’s no way to get it back?”
“Positive…are you concerned your master wiped part of your memories?” asked Vasile.
“I wish,” Lucius snorted. “I remember everything…my life as a human…the night I met Valarian…and every single moment after I woke up as a vampire.”
Vasile was once again speechless. Neither Brady nor Mystia mentioned that important fact to him and he wondered if it resulted from the genes Lucius received from the witch and the demon—or maybe it was normal for all turned vampires. This was a part of his world’s history he knew very little about since he’d never met a human-turned-vampire until Lucius. Pushing his questions on the subject aside, he followed Lucius into the kitchen, setting the books down on the counter. Time was marching on, putting Lucius closer to danger the longer they stayed. Turning to Lucius, he smiled. “So…what’s for lunch?”
~/~/~/~/~
After arriving at the rendezvous point, Smoky gently lowered Harte down on the soft grass growing near the edge of a lake. Bending over him, he checked Harte’s pulse, frowning at the threadiness of it. The man was getting weaker. Running his hand through his hair, Smokey considered using another of his grandfather’s incantations, but was hesitant due to Harte’s condition. Discarding that option, he did the next best thing he could think of.
Stripping off his clothes, he gathered Harte into his arms, and stepped toward the lake. Kev’s father was too weak to shift, but even so, his narwhal would respond to the water. Wading in, Smokey kept a tight grip on the unconscious man, not sure what would happen when they submerged. Just before the water covered Harte’s face, Smokey inhaled deeply, placed his mouth over Harte’s, and slowly exhaled as they went under.
Five…four…three…two…reaching one, Smokey pushed off the shallow lake bed, ascending in the murky waters until they were bobbing on the surface. Gulping in a lungful of air helped relieve the fear roiling his stomach. Lack of oxygen brought back bad memories of a past mission gone wrong, but if it meant saving Harte, he’d just have to suck it up and carry on.
Wading to the shore, he kept his eyes on the man in his arms, willing him to wake up. By now, Harte should have regained consciousness and alarm bells began to sound in Smokey’s head. Setting him down gently, he glanced at Elen who was trying hard to keep a brave face. “He’s doing better.”
Elen’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. Kneeling down next to her mate, she picked up one of his hands, placing it against her heart. Unable to do anything else for him, she began to softly sing the song of his narwhal people. As the soulful notes hung in the air, her memories of Harte teaching her them flooded her mind. It was a time filled with laughter, teasing, and love. And as she stared at Harte in the golden glow of the late afternoon sun, she vowed that their song of love would not end on the bank of a muddy lake.
~/~/~/~/~
Stepping into the exam room, Ian’s eyes searched until he found the patient and his mate. Pulling a chair over to them, he sat down. “Mac will join us in a minute. How are you doing, Norm?”
Shifting his gaze from Theo, Norm zeroed in on Ian. “I’m worried about him. He hasn’t been himself and now this…we’re supposed to get married beforethiscan happen… I just don’t understand.”
“Are you sure neither of you said the commitment words? Even to just practice them?” asked Ian.
“I know I didn’t, but I guess Theo could have. Why?”
