“By like, what, twenty years?” I moved to the center of the salle, falling into an en garde position. “That hardly counts when you spend most of your time terrorizing undergraduates instead of actually practicing. Besides, I’ve got a hundred years more life experience on you.”
“Terrorizing is such an ugly word,” she said, mirroring my stance with fluid grace. “I prefer ‘educating through creative intimidation.’ Besides, you know I’m just keeping them safe in case the Purity Front decides to get frisky again.”
We began with a few simple exchanges, testing each other’s reflexes and timing. Lila was good, annoyingly good, but she fought with the kind of reckless aggression that came from knowing she could heal from almost anything. I, on the other hand, had learned to fight when a mistake could actually kill you. Swords were still heavily during my time before being turned.
“So,” she said, executing a particularly flashy attack that I parried with ease, “this mystery human of yours. Did you get his last name?”
“Nope,” I replied. “And before you ask, no, I’m not planning to look him up on social media like some lovesick teenager. I’m not that interested.”
“Again, could’ve fooled me.” She thrusted forward, aiming for my face, but I parried her away in time. “So what’s the issue with him then? You thought he was hot, and the sex was good.” She paused for a moment, her face curling up into a devilish grin. “Was his dick really small?” she asked. “They make potions for that you know.”
“Illegal ones,” I replied, swatting her sabre so hard it nearly flew out of her hands. “And his dick was wonderful, if you must know.”
“Then what’s the problem?” she pressed, advancing with a series of quick cuts that forced me to give ground. “You found someone attractive, you had great sex, you fed well enough to last months. Sounds like a perfect night to me.”
I riposted with a thrust toward her shoulder that she barely managed to deflect. “The problem is that I can’t stop thinking about him,” I admitted, the words coming out more forcefully than I’d intended. “And that’s not like me, Lila. I don’t getattached to humans. I certainly don’t spend the morning after fantasizing about seeing them again.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what you need,” she said, her blade work becoming more aggressive as we moved across the floor. “When’s the last time you actually wanted to see someone again? Not just for feeding, but because you genuinely enjoyed their company?”
I parried her attack and stepped back, lowering my sabre slightly. The honest answer was never. In three centuries of existence, I’d perfected the art of meaningless encounters that satisfied my supernatural needs without creating complications. But Archer...
“He made me laugh,” I said quietly. “Really laugh. And when we were talking, I forgot for a while that I was supposed to be pretending to be human. It felt natural with him.”
Lila’s expression softened, and she lowered her own weapon. “Valen...”
“But it doesn’t matter,” I continued, raising my sabre again and falling back into position. “He thinks I’m some European college student, not a centuries-old vampire professor at a supernatural academy. Even if I wanted to see him again, which I don’t,” I added quickly, “it would be impossible.”
“Would it?” she asked, resuming her stance. “I mean, you could always?—”
“No, I couldn’t,” I said, cutting her off. “Even if I found him again, and we fell in love, it couldn’t last more than a decade or two. When he’s thirty-five, people will think I look good for my age. But when he’s forty-five, they’ll start asking questions. And past fifty? Well, there’s just no way to hide it anymore. Then I’ll have to leave him and we’ll both be broken-hearted. He’ll get over it and find someone else, but I’ll remember him forever, Lila.”
She stared at me for a long moment, her expression one of concern and deep understanding. She knew exactly what I was facing because she was facing it too. Eternity, alone. Vampires were decent company, but that’s all they could be. It was impossible to feed off of one another and knowing someone for centuries wasn’t always a good thing. Lila and I were good friends, but out of the hundreds of vampires I’d ever met, she was the only one I’d been able to stand all this time.
“You… You could turn him,” she offered, her voice barely above a whisper.
“No, I wouldn’t.” I dropped my sword to my side, looking her dead in the eyes. “And besides, it’s not that easy. You and I were turned before the Elder Council put those laws in place. Before vampires were even allowed in paranormal institutions. There’s a reason they thought we were all actual monsters.”
“If I turned someone without council approval, they’d hunt us both down and execute us. And getting approval...” I shook my head. “They’d want to know everything about him, his family, his magical lineage. Except he doesn’t have one, because he’s human. They’d never approve turning a mortal, no matter how I felt about him.”
Lila’s face fell. “Right. I forgot about the new restrictions.”
“Besides,” I added, picking up my sabre again, “I barely know the guy. I’m not about to damn someone to an eternity of bloodlust and political bullshit based on one night of good sex, no matter how incredible it was.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, raising her hands in surrender. “Point taken. But maybe you could just... enjoy the memory? Instead of torturing yourself about all the reasons it can’t work?”
I considered that as we resumed our duel. The truth was, I had been torturing myself a bit. Picking apart every moment, every touch, every laugh we’d shared, as if analyzing it enough would somehow make it less meaningful. But maybe Lila wasright. Maybe I could just let it be what it was. One perfect night with someone who made me feel human again, even if it was just for a moment.
“You know what the worst part is?” I said, executing a complex attack sequence that forced her to retreat toward the wall.
“What?”
“I didn’t even get his number.” I laughed, shaking my head at my own stupidity. “Three centuries of experience, and I forgot the most basic rule of modern hookups. If you want a repeat, get a number or at least an Instagram handle.”
“Well, that’s just tragic,” Lila said dryly, managing to slip past my guard with a quick thrust that would have caught me in the ribs if we weren’t using practice weapons. “Though knowing you, you probably would have stared at his contact information for weeks without ever actually calling.”
She wasn’t wrong. I had a habit of overthinking things to death, especially when it came to anything resembling emotional attachment. It was safer that way. Lonelier, but safer.
“Alright, enough psychiatry,” I said, stepping back and lowering my weapon. “I need to get the salle ready for tryouts. Are you planning to come back and terrorize the hopefuls, or do you have other people’s days to ruin this week?”
