I had a feeling I was going to get it whether or not I wanted it.
Keven proved me right moments later. “Talk to your wife. Get to know her. I’m sure you can make things less… challenging.”
That would be nice.
“We might yet come to an arrangement that works for us,” I said.
Hopefully, it would be one where I wasn’t starving. As if in agreement, my stomach twisted into a painful knot. The heaviness that had surrounded Keven during his vision was gone, and he seemed like himself as he elbowed me in the side.
“You brought her here, to a place that is obviously bringing her joy.” He raised a knowing brow. “I think the two of you will be just fine.”
I hoped so.
Luna scribbled something else, her tongue sticking out from the corner of her mouth as she flipped through yet another book. I couldn’t tear my eyes from her.
“The princess seems rather intelligent,” Keven said. “She was asking questions about plants that grow in the north. There is a curiosity about her I rarely see. She is a good match for you.”
“She’s intelligent and outspoken.” I glanced at the Fortune Elf. “Do you know she yelled at me?”
He laughed. “You need someone like that.”
A booming sound came from the front of library, and a chilly breeze blew into the library as the main door opened. One of Mother’s Favorites strolled in, the red loincloth wrapped around his middle barely covering his nudity. A black-clad vampire marched after the queen’s pet, frowning as the door banged shut behind him.
Clearly displeased about being on Favorite duty, the guard stomped across the library floor. This human was new, and based on the way his eager eyes took in the expansive space, it appeared he was in Castle Sanguis willingly.
Interesting.
“I’d better deal with that.” Keven gripped my arm. “Good luck with your research. Remember your promise, Prince. Keep her safe. No matter what.”
The librarian spoke to the Favorite, pulling a few books before handing them to Mother’s pet. I watched over Luna, sorting through my thoughts.
Keven was right. Luna was different.
It had been far too long since anyone dared speak to me the way she did. Not even Athena, gods be with her soul, dared interrupt me. Luna was different.
She saw me, not the vampire.
Most of my kind had shadows or wings, but very few had both. When Isvana poured her blessing into me and I emerged from my Making with far more power than most vampires, I quickly learned a harsh lesson.
Friends weren’t for people like me.
Fear was the first response—usually the only response—from those who crossed my path.
I didn’t exactly blame them. Mother’s errands were not for the faint of heart. I’d done many things since becoming a vampire that my human self would have loathed. After I lost Athena, nothing mattered anymore. Seeing her body torn limb from limb had destroyed me. I’d given in to the darkness and shadows that resided within me, and for years, I had lived in a black fog.
But Luna, this short mortal who barely reached halfway up my chest, yelled at me. She pushed back when no one else did. It was incredibly endearing.
The rest of the night passed quickly. I ordered some food from a servant and a goblet of blood for myself before joining Luna at the table. We read in silence, the sound of flipping pages and scratching quills the only sound in the library.
By the time the sun was about to rise, Luna had a stack of notes in her hands. I shadowed us back to our room, and she fell asleep right away.
I remained awake long into the day, haunted by thoughts of Fortune Elves, the coming darkness, and the female who was quickly becoming the center of my life.