“You do ask a lot of questions, don’t you?” Simon smirks with his words. He takes a deep breath. “Traditionally, vampires and lycan don’t associate much with each other, or if they do, it’s only for as long as necessary, and they go their own ways. Cyrus and I have beenfriendsfor the past ten years.”
“Ten years? How old are you?”
“Twenty-five,” he answers quickly. “Like the other lycan in the city, I’ve known of Cyrus since I was young. Unlike the rest of the bloodsuckers, Cyrus was kind.” He scoffs at his words. “I was a dumb kid, and like most fifteen-year-olds, I thought I was stronger than I actually was. I went after someone I shouldn’t have.”
“A vampire?” I interrupt.
“A vampire,” he confirms. “A very old and powerful vampire.” He nods toward the door Cyrus entered. “His name was Rafael, and he was an asshole.” Long fingers run through his already messy hair. “He’d been in St. Augustine since the beginning.”
“Like Cyrus?”
Simon nods, confirming my words. “He didn’t like lycan. Before I was born, he murdered my grandfather, the Alpha.”
“Oh, wow. I’m sorry, Simon.” I’m not sure why I’m apologizing.
“Thank you, but it was a long time ago. My father became alpha and still is today.”
“Does that mean you’ll be alpha?” I ask, not sure about the hierarchy of the lycan world.
“Only if my older brother Sydney dies.” He laughs silently. “At the rate he’s going, that possibility is growing stronger daily.” He looks back at me.
“I’m sorry to interrupt. Please continue.” I slide to the front of the bench, hanging on every word.
“My sister and I were out one night later than we should’ve been. She was two years younger than me but looked every bit of twenty that night. Rafael found us.” My stomach ties in knots, knowing where this story is going. “We thought…hell, I thought I was stronger than him. I was dumb. My sister wasn’t able to control her shifting yet, but I was. I shifted, trying to fight him…” He trails off in thought. “He drained Sabrina before I could stop him.” His words are softer. “I fought for as long as I could, but I was nothing more than a toy for him to play with.” He swallows heavily. “Rafael was on top of me with his teeth deep in my neck when something pulled him off.”
“Cyrus?” I fill in the blank.
“I had already lost so much blood that all I could do was watch them fight. Sabrina lay lifeless next to me as the battle destroyed several buildings.” Simon wipes a tear. “Cyrus defeated Rafael. The last thing I remember is watching him rip Rafael’s head from his torso. He nearly died to protect me.”
“I never liked that asshole anyway.” Cyrus adds from the doorway. “He made a horrible conquistador.”
Simon scoffs at his words. “I’ve been here ever since, filling whatever role he needs.”
“You know how much I appreciate you, Simon. However, it’s not necessary.” Cyrus looks at me. “To answer your questions, Violet, yes, we are friends. In fact, I trust Simon implicitly.”
“Thank you,” Simon says with a smile. “I consider my role here more as someone to get on your nerves.” Simon lightens the mood quickly.
“Then, it’s a job well done,” Cyrus agrees.
“Good. Mission completed.” I smile at their banter. Seeing them together reminds me of Ramona’s and my friendship. My stomach turns, thinking of what she’s going through right now.
“Violet,” Cyrus draws my attention away from sadness. “Would you accompany me to a dance?”
I stare at the vampire. “A dance? As in, people will be there, wearing fancy clothes, kind of dance?”
“That’s the one,” he answers with a smile.
“I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I think you’ll find what you need in your room. I took the liberty of having something delivered while we were training.”
Simon stands. “I guess I should get ready, too.”
“Was anyone going to tell me about this?” I ask.
“Cyrus just did,” Simon says, disappearing into the house.
……
