He released the hold on me first and untied a squared brown pouch on his belt. “I got this for you. As an apology.”
“You didn’t need to get me anything.”
“I wanted to.”
“Alright, thank you.” I took the leather pouch and lifted the flap. Inside, a set of new carving tools waited. Different-shaped blades with glazed wood handles. I ran my fingertip over the burnt black runes on the handles. They were used in my village, so I knew them well. The five tools each had a unique rune with a different meaning:brave, heart, courage, soul,and the last was feminine,strong woman,sometimes used for a queen or a woman warrior. Raw emotion rose in me, and my throat tightened. I blinked back tears and threw my arms around his hard torso. “Thank you,” I said, softly.
His body shook with light laughter, and he hugged me back. “You’re welcome. So, you like the set? I admit I don’t know much about carving, but the man at the shop said it was a great set for any carver.”
“I love it, Viper. It is a great set.” I pulled back and excitedly placed it on my bed so I could pull out each one. I hadn’t gotten a new set since my fifteenth birthday, and it was in the shop, probably being used by one of my siblings now. When I was forced to come here, I didn’t know if I’d ever carve again. I missed the way it took my mind off everything else. “I’ll carve you something. I’m not sure what yet, but I will.”
I wrapped them back up and set it on my nightstand. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something, but I don’t want Smoke to get into trouble, so promise you won’t tell.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked tense. “Did she do something wrong?”
“No.”
“Alright, I promise.”
I thought back to the night of the games. “She said that she overheard you and Falcon talking about a vampire who’d broken into the mages’ building. How would they have gotten inside the wall?”
He visibly relaxed. “We don’t know yet, but he’s being interrogated. I’m sure he’ll crack sooner or later.”
“If the vampires get a mage able to create a spell for them, how long before they fully attack Nighthaven? Does a mage keep their magic if they are turned?”
He rubbed his chin and seemed to go somewhere dark in his mind. “Well, that depends on the mage and how many times he or she can cast the spell. It would take a celestial event to turn any significant number, I think. From what I’ve read, vampirism eats away at magic. They lose their power quickly. And even if the vampires find a mage thatcouldturn them into daywalkers, it doesn’t mean the mage would.”
“But if there are daywalkers at all, it means there were mages in the past that willingly turned them.”
He nodded. “Not everyone will die for the good of others. And many people are corruptible, even mages.”
Later,after I finished taking notes about some of the things Vander had told me that day, when everything was quiet and themoon was at its apex, I couldn’t sleep. I stared at the curtain, wishing it wasn’t there. I wanted to see him. Did he wish he could see me? I doubted it. If he knew I was staring at the curtain, imagining what he was doing on the other side, he’d probably think I was odd.
I rolled over and quietly pulled the bedside table drawer open and took out the book from the library. I might have browsed for something else if Celine and Falcon hadn’t ambushed me. I sat up against my headboard and opened to the first page with a thrill of excitement to read about a young woman finding love for the first time. To read a new book at all, actually.
I turned up the lantern light beside me and delved into the story. I lost track of time I was so immersed in the characters about to get to their secret wedding night. I knew what happened between a man and woman on their special day. I knew basic anatomy, and the mechanics of sex, but beyond that I’d only heard the jokes of men at the pub, and sometimes the quiet giggles of women talking about a night of passion.
“You’re still awake?”
Vander’s voice made me jump. I lowered the book to find him standing near the end of my bed. My cheeks flamed, and I quickly threw my arm over the cover. “Uh, yeah, I couldn’t sleep.”
“What’s that you’re reading?”
“Nothing, just a... book.”
He chuckled. “I can see that it’s a book.”
My pulse hammered, and I wanted to sink under the blankets. “It’s about vampires. You already know about that.”
His smile widened. “Why are you hiding the cover?”
“I’m not.”
One moment I was clutching it near my chest, the next the scandalous material was in his hands. I dove at him, clamberinghalf across his body to reach for it. Laughing, he curled it against his stomach, and I tried to pry his arms open.
“Give it to me!” I squealed. “You’ll just make fun of me.”
“It must be bad if you’re this desperate.” Using the moves he taught me, I was able to hook my legs around his backside and attempt a chokehold. He fell back, pressing me into the mattress. I wasn’t even sure how, but he flipped around, and his chest was heavy on mine. I grabbed onto his arm, reaching for the book he held just above my head.
