by Emily Knight
As Peter made his way up the dumbwaiter and into Ana's room, Roger climbed the basement steps and found Lysander in his study. The old vampire sat in his chair in the center of the room with the chess board set up in front of him on small table.
"I see you have our little game already set up," Roger commented.
"I trusted you would come," Lysander returned.
Roger chuckled as he sat down. He made the first move. "You do not trust me. You do not trust any one, not even your own daughter."
Lysander pushed forward one of his pawns with a single finger. "Who I trust is none of your concern."
Roger shrugged and took his turn. "I thought after we had known each other for so long there would be something between us," he mused.
"There is only our arrangement, nothing more," Lysander reminded him.
Roger hid his grin and instead took one of Lysander's pawns with his own. "You don't seem focused on our game, Lord of Contracts. Is something bothering you?"
Lysander grasped a small pawn and slammed it onto the board. "I am fine."
Roger glanced over the board and moved his bishop forward. "It isn't anything to do with that young man from earlier, is it?" he guessed. Lysander pursed his lips, but said nothing and only moved his piece. Roger tapped his chin with the piece he'd taken from Lysander. "Ana seemed very smitten with him. Young folks these days are very quick with everything they do. Chores, sports, falling in love."
Lysander's hand paused over the board, but he shook his head and placed his piece in its place. "She is too young to fall in love."
Roger leaned back and furrowed his brow. "How old is she now? She must be nearing a hundred and fifty. Surely that's old enough to fall in love."
"Then she is too young to know what she wants," Lysander argued.
"Perhaps she is a little young in vampire standards, but so was your wife," he countered.
Lysander's hand paused in midair with a piece clasped between his fingers. His eyes flickered up to Roger and narrowed. He placed the piece on the board and stood. "Checkmate."
Roger's eyes widened and he glanced down at the board. All the pieces had moved and ensured the checkmate. He frowned and glanced up at Lysander who strolled around the desk and looked out through the large bay window, his back turned to Roger. "No cheating by using your super speed," he argued.
Lysander's voice was quiet, but firm. "That's enough. Leave me."
Roger understood the warning in Lysander's voice. He stood, bowed his head and walked to door, but paused and turned to Lysander. "Her trust in you won't last forever if you don't trust her. Someday you'll have to trust her, and I think you can trust that boy."
Lysander didn't turn around. "We will see."
Roger left and Lysander glanced up at the cloudless night. He opened one side of the window and leaned out. The silence of the night was disturbed by wafts of voices from Ana's bedroom window. Lysander leaned his head out and glanced upward. The room was dark, but the window was open. He grasped the top of the bay window frame and pulled himself onto the wall above the frame. He planted his feet and cane on the wall and stood so his body was perpendicular to the ground. Lysander mocked gravity as he limped along the wall. His cane didn't make a sound on the stone walls. He stopped just below the window and leaned forward to listen to the conversation.
CHAPTER 12
