Vivienne snickered and elbowed him in the side. “I can see that.”
Marius snorted, reaching into his pack and pulling out an apple. Thefruit never grew very large in Eleyta since the cold weather kept apples small and bite-sized. Rubbing the ruby flesh on his cloak, he raised it to his lips before frowning.
“Does it bother you if I eat in front of you?” he asked, the apple frozen midway to his mouth.
Vampires couldn’t taste food, but they could consume it. According to his sister, everything turned to ash in their mouths.
His bodyguard raised a red brow. “Does it bother you that vampires need to drink blood?”
“No, of course not. That’s how you survive.”
Any strangeness he might’ve had about vampires and blood had left him long ago.
“That’s exactly how I feel.” Vivienne’s smile was gentle. “Go ahead, prince. Eat. It doesn’t bother me. I used to love food, once.”
With her blessing, he bit into the apple, letting the sweet juices fill his mouth. It was delicious, and he devoured it in four bites. Tossing the core to the side, he wiped his hand on his cloak.
They walked silently for a few minutes, the ruins drawing steadily closer.
“Do you miss it?” he asked, the lingering flavor of the apple still coating his tongue. “Food, I mean.”
Vivienne played with the hilt of her sword. “Sometimes. Mostly just bread at this point. Warm, fresh out of the oven.” She moaned, and Marius’s heart almost stopped at the sound. “It was my favorite, and I used to eat it daily.”
His stomach rumbled, and he groaned. “I love warm bread. When I was young, my diet consisted of bland foods that wouldn’t upset my stomach. Now, the richer, the better.”
She chuckled. “Do you have a favorite food?”
He didn’t have to think about the answer. After being cured, he’dtried hundreds of foods, and many were delicious. One stood out among them, though.
“Warm maple taffy.” Marius smacked his lips, the ghost of the treat sweet on the back of his tongue. “Janis, one of the cooks in Castle Sanguis, makes it using syrup imported from Ithenmyr. It’s to die for.”
When he was fourteen, he’d eaten so much taffy that his stomach had hurt for days. He hadn’t told anyone, scared that Luna would be upset and forbid him from ever eating it again, so he suffered in silence.
It had been worth it.
She hummed. “It sounds delicious.”
“It is.” He’d have to ask Janis to make more when they returned.
The conversation ebbed, and a comfortable silence settled between them. It wasn’t awkward, solidifying that Marius had made a good choice in bringing Vivienne with him.
By the time they reached the black arches in front of the ruins, they’d been walking for hours. They stopped in unison, tilting up their heads and staring at the imposing structure.
“Something’s carved along the top,” Vivienne remarked.
The sprawling text must have been centuries old, faded in parts, and battered by wind and time.
Marius stepped closer, tapping his fingers on his thigh. For the first time in his life, he was grateful for his sister’s insistence that he spend hours studying with his tutors. He’d hated it as a child, but now…
He reached for the stone.
“Careful, Marius,” his bodyguard hissed. “It might not be safe.”
He frowned. She had a point. Who knew what kind of old spells lingered here?
Moving slowly, he tested the air and waited for the familiar buzz of magic to creep over his skin. His Fortune Elf side was silent, and he didn’t feel anything strange in the air.
“I don’t think it’s enchanted,” he told her over his shoulder.