Caster couldn’t stop looking at him. He was so vulnerable, but the memory of the strength he’d displayed when he’d attacked Bastian, the ferocity of his rapid movement belied any weakness. Everything he said now made sense, if impossibilities were real. Still, it took everything in him not to touch the loose strands of hair on his forehead to ease the hurt that lay under his flushed skin.
Mark shrugged. “I don’t get it either.”
He was trying to be casual about it, but Caster could only imagine what he’d endured. He missed the essence that made him a vampire if he went a day without accessing it. How long had it been this way? He was certain Mark was done sharing, but given what Julian discovered, he could guess. Ten years.Was his affliction related to that event? Had Bastian done this to him?
Mark’s rumbling stomach interrupted the dark turn his thoughts had taken, and they both smiled. That smile was rare and the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Did you eat today?” He asked even as he instructed Kyle to send Sophie to his room.
Mark shook his head. “I was too busy.”
It didn’t take long for the young Made-Vampire to enter. Mark startled as she did and looked at Caster, his mind awash with questions. Sophie had been his cook for a few years, and he thanked the Goddess she was too young to see the images Mark’s mind had conjured.
You need to fortify your mind better. And no, she’s here for you. Females don’t interest me in that way.
A blush colored his cheeks, but his mind fell silent.
“You sent for me, Your Highness?” Sophie glanced at Mark for a second.
“Sophie, this is Mark, and he’s hungry.”
She brightened. “Of course, I can get you anything you want.”
Mark glanced at him and then back at Sophie. “Whatever you have is fine.”
Sophie smiled, her blue eyes brightening with genuine joy. “Your brother said you like your steak well done? That is unusual. Both your brothers like theirs rare, almost raw.” Then she nodded to herself. “I can get you that…”
“Sure.” Mark seemed a little taken aback by Sophie’s kindness, and Caster smiled. Her uncanny ability to befriend anyone was the reason she was a valuable part of his household.
Her smile brightened, making her seem much younger than her 150 years. “And ice cream? What kind?”
Mark frowned.
Sophie didn’t skip a beat. “Your brother said you love ice cream.”
Ice cream, huh?Mark worked too hard to ignore his question, and Caster smiled.
“Chocolate chip?”
Sophie nodded. “Of course.” She turned to him. “Do you need anything, Your Highness?”
Caster shook his head. “No, thank you, Sophie. I’m sorry if we woke you.”
“No. I was preparing for tomorrow.”
Shit. With everything going on, he’d almost forgotten his mother’s imminent arrival. He dismissed Sophie with a nod, and she went to her task.
Mark looked at him with a guarded expression. In the short time he’d known him, he’d grown to hate that look. “What else do you like?” Perhaps mundane conversation would help lower the guardrails he’d erected.
Mark frowned at him, almost as if he didn’t expect the question from anyone.
Caster shrugged, the need to break down those guard railsgrowing in him. “Tell me about yourself.”
“Why?”
“Goddess, you are wound tight.” He leaned back, the energy of their inexplicable connection unmistakable even as he worked so hard to ignore it. “If you need to be close to me to access your powerful animal, it follows that we will be spending a lot of time together. I just want to know who I’m sharing a foxhole with.” He held up his hands in surrender when Mark’s frown deepened. “Nothing more.”
Mark settled further into the couch, angling to face Caster, the frown easing. “How are you so comfortable with this?”