by Emma Glass
“The woman is a powerful magic-caster, to be sure. Perhaps she can make an equally powerful ally in the times to come.”
“Perhaps,” I agreed. “Yet, I hear whispers that she privately meets with my sister after dark. Servants have seen them speaking in dark alcoves and in abandoned parts of the castle. I wonder if it is wise to keep either of them around…”
“Elliott, they are both useful.”
“Yet they scheme, where they think I cannot find them. But I know you have a point. I do see how useful they are,” I reminded her coldly. “My sister has spent the last century wandering the mainland – living among the people, listening to their stories. For all her insanity, Nikki proves indispensible in her survival knowledge and skill with reconnaissance…
“Whereas, keeping a sorceress at my disposal with Sabine’s skillset has uses even I can’t fathom. It would be imprudent to send her away, instead of putting her to work as a member of my circle. If she craves a spot at the table, perhaps giving it to her would keep her… predictable. But how?”
“As I first took the throne, magic was highly unrefined,” Lorelei noted distractedly. “Distrust ran rampant. There was no place for a magician in the court of a vampire lord, and no system to put one in place.” She lifted an eyebrow. “But there is a way to circumvent that.”
It occurred to me that Lorelei was actually being helpful, but I had no intentions of jinxing it. “What do you mean?”
“The vassal system,” she noted obliquely.
“Right…” I’d nearly forgotten about it. “It’s been a long time. Tell me more about it.”
Lorelei blinked oddly; her eyes looked strange for a moment, and she turned back to me. “It isn’t important for now. Hard to believe, perhaps, but I did not come here to reminisce over the past and its flaws. There is no use in that.”
Well. That certainly lasted long. I knew this was too good to be true, a Lorelei who actually dispensed advice… “Fine,” I rolled my eyes, making a point to venture into the library to ask Sebastian about this vassal system, as soon as I was done speaking to this insufferably woman. “Why did you come here, then? Just to taunt me further with your disapproval at my choices?”
She turned to me coldly. “I must leave soon.”
The words struck me like freezing water. Go? After throwing me beneath the weight of this entire hold and watching me flounder for a year, you dare to… simply leave me?
I knew she’d never answer to that.
“Where are you going?” I asked instead.
Lorelei sighed, but her demeanor didn’t lose a scrap of self-importance. “I must go to the eastern wilds to fulfill my role in what comes next…”
“What comes next?”
Lorelei sighed, but her eyes stayed on mine. “There are many things we must discuss together, but I don’t have much time. In a few days, I’ll need to be on the mainland, and there are preparations I must attend to first.”
“Convenient that I woke up now, then.”
She chuckled without a single ounce of joy in her throat. “If you had taken any longer, I would have had your nurses pull you back prematurely. My time is valuable right now.”
“Somehow, I’m not even remotely surprised. Always such a caring mother, you were.”
Lorelei switched her hanging leg for the other and clasped her hands tighter. When she leaned forward, her face lit up with an unnatural smile. The sight sent shivers down my spine.
“My son, of the many lessons you will have to learn, one is to forgo your obsession with getting in the last word… now, would you like to finally learn why I gave up the throne?”
I told her yes.
It wasn’t long before I regretted it.
12
Clara
It felt good to get out and stretch my legs. It seemed as if I’d been stuck in bed for days!
Which… was technically true.
The Knightly Trio led me around Craven Keep for a few hours. They kept me restricted to areas away from any of the servants; I found my way to the nearest balcony and gazed up at the beautiful half-night sky outside.
“You seem to love that sky,” Viktor told me.
“Of course I do! It’s nothing like what we have back on my world.” I pointed up to the way that the stars shone through the daylight – their sky always let a little night through the air, mostly in the highest reaches. “Like that wonderful cosmos up there. You see those purples and pinks? That’s better than anything us humans get. We have to wait until night falls to see the stars.”
“Really?” Asarra asked. “That is so boring.”
Wilhelm happily smirked. “I know, right? I mean, who has the patience to wait for…”
When I noticed that his words trailed had off, I pulled my attention down from the sky. He, as well as the other two, stared behind us. I followed his gaze to the figure quietly watching nearby and almost squealed with delight.
Elliott Craven leaned against the doorway, his arms folded. As our eyes met, a sly smile began to cross his face, and he unfolded his arms to take a few swaggering steps my way.
The sight of him stirred something warm and tender within me. I could feel it rising from deep in my heart. He looks so effortlessly handsome…
The vampire narrowed his eyes at the others with a slight grin.
Viktor swallowed. “We should…”
I felt a pair of strong hands on my shoulders. Wilhelm snickered cheerily at my back. “Alright kids, have some fun. And you!” He feigned his sternest, paternal voice at his boss. “You have her back here by ten o’clock, or I’ll have your throat!”
Elliott’s smile darkened. “Oh?”
My guardian chuckled nervously. “Right… oh, wouldn’t you just look at the time? I have to run. Believe I left my, uh, my cat on…”
I bit back laughter as the room cleared around us. The Knightly Trio slunk from sight; they took positions just outside the balcony door as it closed behind them.
Elliott and I were finally reunited.
Reunited, and alone…
“You’re up earlier than expected,” I smiled.
“Yes, Lorelei came to talk to me. As you might imagine, she is quite skilled at getting my blood boiling... but enough about that. You worried me,” he smiled softly.
“I know I did, and I’m sorry.”
His smirk devilishly lit up his face. “I know it wasn’t your fault. “
“Of course not,” I grinned. “It was yours.” The smile faded from Elliott’s face, and I laughed even harder. “I’m just kidding. We both know you were just trying to protect me from the dangers of your castle. I wasn’t safe here.”
I stepped closer. “But I am now. Now that I’m here, with you.”
Elliott tilted his chin and blinked once; with the warm, peaceful expression that slipped across his face, and the love reflected in his eyes, it was a small sign of endearment.
“I haven’t been myself without you, Clara.”
My eyes trailed to his strong, capable arms, hanging down by his sides. Gingerly, I placed my fingertips along his pale skin, running them up his firm muscles and onto his shoulders. As our bodies pulled together, my arms settled around his neck and I felt his hands on my hips.
Without a single syllable, Elliott and I slowly swayed to music that wasn’t playing. We had our own silent sonata together; our feet moved to the trailing rhythm of the tranquility. Of all the times in my life, this moment was the one that felt the realest. Beneath that impossible sky, everything seemed snapped into place, all where it belonged.
“Did they tell you?” I quietly asked him.
“Tell me what?”
My chin nuzzled into his hard shoulder. “It’s my birthday today.”
I heard him suck in a small breath. “Is it?”
“That’s right,” I chuckled. “Seventeen now.”
“Seventeen years old…” He pondered it in his head, and I wondered what he thought of that. Safe to say, that’s a pretty
strong age difference…
“How old is that?” Elliott asked. “Compared to the rest of an average human’s lifetime, remind me where that age falls… give me context.”
I smiled against him, enjoying the feeling of our closeness as we moved together in harmony. “I love that you thought to ask that. You could’ve just drawn your own conclusions, but you didn’t.”
“Of course not,” he replied kindly. “To be a capable man, I always require perspective outside my own. I must always ask questions, even when the answers seem plainly obvious, because it will never matter how smart I might be if I entirely rely on my own experiences.”
He extended me out in a swaying movement, separating us by all but a hand; with a deft motion, he pulled me back in.
“Context is everything, Clara. Tell me yours.”
He completely enamored me. The tales of his utter recklessness against the monster fell to the wayside as I gazed into his youthful eyes.
“Seventeen years old…” I paused to think how I could word it to make the most sense to Elliott. “It varies around the world, but I’m considered an adult back home in England. Have been for a year. I can even drink alcohol. But I still have one more year of my education before I’d have to choose: go into debt but stay in higher schooling, or try to join the workforce…”
It was getting harder to remember the details, to my total surprise. I’ve really only been here for a few weeks, but now my life back home feels like a distant dream…
“…By now, I’d be married in other cultures. I might even have a child. Two hundred years ago, I’d have at least one or two at seventeen.”
“A child?” He blinked, surprised.
“Yes, is that weird?”
“Children are rare,” he replied casually. “How do your people determine whether or not children should be born?”
“What do you mean, ‘determine’?”
“Surely there is a system. How else could your people expect to keep the world population from exploding beyond its means?”
“…They don’t.” The idea perplexed me. “Well, I say that, but a few countries have tried it. China was one of them.”
“China?”
“Yes, a major world superpower. It’s probably one of the closer things to a ‘hold’ that we have, to use your words. China is an ancient civilization in the modern day, and one of our largest economic nations.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s a large chunk of Southern Asia, north of the peninsula and below Russia.” When I saw his confused look, I chuckled with faint recollection. “Right. I almost forgot for a moment – different worlds. Let me think, I have to remember what your maps looked like… oh yeah!” I smiled up at him with warmth in my eyes. “You call that place ‘Alevorra’ here. It’s a pretty name.”
“Ah yes, Alevorra,” he repeated. “A sprawling tropical paradise, and home to a great civilization. The largest city on the planet is there – a great city of stone temples and powerful relics.”
“Stone temples? Like Angkor Wat?”
“Angkor Wat?”
“Yeah, that’s the capital of, oh, what did they call that again…” It’s right on the tip of my tongue. Such a fascinating culture, and one that they have almost no records for– “The Khmer Empire. That’s right, a huge Asian civilization that disappeared a long time ago. Most of the temples are buried in the ground now, but we still have the decaying ruins and sanctuaries of Angkor Wat to go by…”
“Sounds like you’re talking about present-day Alevorra. The vampires out in those parts live in a lush, thriving jungle where the air is too hot and wet for most of us. I suppose it’s somewhat telling that so many there have become natural seafarers over the millennia…”
We continued to sway with our own music, and I held him just a little tighter. “You know, I’ve come to love these little differences between both our worlds. I enjoy hearing you talk about the rest of these civilizations. They’re so exotic.”
“Exotic, yes.” His expression clouded for a few moments. “Exotic but highly dangerous.”
“Oh, surely they can’t all be that bad,” I spoke with what I hoped was a charming air. “After all, there are still vampires living there, right? Were they all that dangerous, wouldn’t half of them be long dead?”
“The vampires themselves are a large part of the problem,” he clarified pensively. “The deeper into the great wilds you venture, the thicker the magic you find. Scholars all across the world have theories about the longstanding effects. There are schools of thought that living in such a strong level of magic, especially for your entire life, does unforeseen things to the mind.”
My mouth moved before I realized I spoke. “Is that why you fear the other vampire lords?”
Elliott stiffened.
“I didn’t mean– I’m sorry, I–”
“No,” he replied contemplatively. “I fear them because they are great and powerful creatures, far more dangerous than any mere tatzelwurm…”
He disappeared into thought for a moment.
“No,” I whispered softly. I pulled his face back towards mine with a light finger beneath his chin. “Stay here with me, Elliott.”
The vampire smiled.
It was the most handsome thing I’d ever seen.
“Don’t worry, my dear Clara. I’m right here. I don’t intend on being anywhere else.”
“Good,” I grinned. “You’d better not.”
We pulled closer, Elliott and I, still swaying to the soundless music in our heads. Soon, there was nothing separating our bodies as we lovingly held each other close. We moved together as one, with the only distance between us being our lips.
He leaned down into my smiling face.
With his kiss, even that distance was gone.
13
Elliott
Clara’s lips were like the softest velvet, warmly filled with life, as they brushed against my own.
I didn’t want them to ever part.
The kiss grew in strength as I felt the hushed whimper in her voice. In her humanity, she was such a fragile, endearing little creature. I know not what kind of spell you have cast over me, my dearest Clara, but don’t you dare abandon it now.
When we parted lips, she gazed into my eyes. Her vulnerability shone through like the brightest light in an otherwise cold and looming darkness.
“How strange…” she whispered slyly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you don’t seem so desperate for my blood anymore…”
I blinked. I’d almost forgotten about that.
“No,” I murmured. “I suppose I don’t.”
“Then you know what that means.”
My smile widened. “The spell…”
Clara’s eyes lit up with charming wonder. “It worked, Elliott. It was worth it. I’m safe now.”
No words have ever brought me such joy.
I pulled her into another warm, loving kiss. She cooed with delight as I held her close, tightly holding her warm, soft body against mine. My lips were addicted to her; I pulled them back less than half an inch, only to press them down again.
“Oh god, Elliott…”
We kissed long and hard, holding each other as if we were young, naïve lovers. Of course, that’s exactly what we were – wrapped up in the sudden strength of our bond. This impossible thing had happened to pull us both together from across the barriers between worlds.
It seemed fated, she and I.
After a few moments of our powerful kissing, I felt pangs of resistance. Clara pulled away with a sheepish frown, averting her gaze.
My heart trembled. I’d never known anyone I’d be willing to let have any power over me, let alone over my heart. Yet, it was increasingly clear that I’d already done that very thing, whether or not I’d realized it. Seeing the pained look on her face tugged at my heartstrings, pulling in ways I could never have imagined. “What’s the matter, Clara? Was that too much?”
“It’s not that,”
she murmured.
“Oh? I don’t think I underst–”
Her stomach’s loud growl interrupted us.
Together, we both bit down on our lips before descending into laughter. Without another word, I scooped her into my embrace and guided her back into Craven Keep. As her three guardians snapped to alertness and followed us down the stairs, I pushed Clara onward to the dining hall…
After making certain they all understood it was a very special night, I had my kitchen staff whip up a celebratory feast. My servants toiled quickly and diligently. Soon, our head server promised us an endless selection of truly delicious food – and that was just the first spread of appetizer plates.
Once I confirmed the selections and sent him back into the kitchen to relay them, Clara turned to me with a gasp.
“Oh Elliott, that’s far too much!”
“Nonsense,” I smirked. “It’s your birthday.”
Clara smiled and leaned closer. “Do you think it’s possible, you know, before they start bringing the food out… do you think we could have Nikki eat with us again?”
My eyebrow lifted. “What do you mean?”
“Well…” Her face saddened. “If it’s too much to ask, I understand, but… it’s been a really long time since I’ve had a proper birthday party. Not since my parents died, at any rate.”
“A birthday party?”
“Yeah.” Her eyebrows rose. “Wait…”
I shrugged. “What’s a ‘birthday party’?”
Clara gasped. “You don’t celebrate birthdays?”
“Not really,” I politely shrugged. “We have so many birthdays: hundreds of them, in fact. We’ve never seen much reason to treat them as anything other than just another day…”
Her expression moved me. “That’s so sad.”
“Tell me, what is it about birthdays that make them so important in your world?”
She thought on that for a moment. “You have to remind yourself, Elliot, that our lifespans are so much shorter than yours. Our generations come and go more rapidly, and our families spread out faster as a result. We use birthdays as a way to bring our loved ones back together to celebrate what we enjoy most about each other.”
