by Amber Lynn
Krinla glanced over at Hunter to see how he was absorbing what was being said. The intent look focused in her direction let her know he wasn’t surprised by what was being said.
“There isn’t much said about the duo sanguine,” Krinton took over whatever explanation Rya thought she was getting at. “It’s the only love story that has ever been told in our culture, so even if there were more stories of their life, it was a story we overlooked more than anything else. I was once told that it was unequivocally true, but until now, even I never really believed it. What can’t be questioned about it is that it tells of a Dracul couple whose love led to a new time for our kind.”
“Do you think it could really be us?”
It wasn’t clear who Hunter was asking, but his eyes were stuck on Krinla. He swatted Noah’s hands away from him and walked back over to his spot in front of Krinla.
“You said you’re a doctor, right? I’m not aware of exactly what a doctor does, but I’ve heard they give out medicine to make people better. Is there medicine or something he should be taking?”
Krinla tried to look around Hunter to see Noah. The younger man moved with her, making sure her attention stayed on him.
“I’m not that kind of doctor, but I am starting to worry about his health. He’s never been a romantic, or even brought a girlfriend home to meet me, so I’m extremely confused about his obsession with you.”
Krinla could’ve taken his words as a dig against her, but she was just as confused. Unlike her, Hunter wasn’t questioning what he felt, a fact he made clear as he leaned forward and brushed his lips against Krinla’s.
Chapter Seventeen
The heat Krinla felt almost pissed her off. It wasn’t right that a simple touch of Hunter’s lips could make her feel that way. At the same time, she was helpless when it came to pushing him away.
“Anyone have a bucket of water we can pour on them?” Rya said in mock disgust. “Do I need to point out the fact that she’s not pushing him away?”
“Shut up, Rya.”
Knowing the girl could hear Krinla made her feel better that her thoughts were getting across to someone. It didn’t stop Rya from blabbing on, though.
“She can pretend she doesn’t feel their connection all she wants, but they’ve spent approximately one position of the sun together and they’re in love. I think we’ve already pointed out that pretty much doesn’t happen for Draculs, so you tell me if it’s possible you’re the duo sanguine.”
Well, at least someone answered Hunter’s question. Krinla didn’t think any of her questions were getting proper answers, but her lips were getting more attention than they ever had. Hunter kept sticking out his tongue to probe them.
As far as Krinla was concerned, that was playing with fire. The desire to bite down on the plundering appendage increased every second. Her teeth felt like they were tingling with want, and it was his blood they wanted.
“Okay, yup, you better separate them. When they get locked like that, Princess doesn’t exactly care whether she kills him or not, and I think it’s better we make sure she’s thinking clearly before we travel down that path.”
Rya was full of suggestions, which didn’t help Krinla’s rocky mood. It only got worse when Hunter bit down and started nibbling on her lower lip. She growled at the action, and then growled louder as hands wrapped around her waist and started pulling her away.
“Down, kitten,” her father said softly.
When her arms tried to reach out to grab Hunter, Krinton firmly held them in place. After all the talk about her and Hunter being destined to be together, it was frustrating to have them stop her.
“He bit me, it’s only fair if I bite him back.”
Krinla sounded like a child, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to stomp her feet and throw a tantrum like she’d never thrown before. Hunter wasn’t being held back, but he also wasn’t trying to attack her. The smile on his face made Krinla narrow her eyes and growl again.
“Do you feel anything like that when you kiss that guy you’re supposed to marry?”
Krinla struggled against her father’s hold. She didn’t know whether Hunter was trying to piss her off, but he was pushing some buttons he couldn’t know existed.
“His lips have never touched me, but if you want me to zip back to him real quick and check, you can hand me back that little button thing and I’ll let you know.”
Hunter’s head shook from side to side. “No, I don’t want you to find out if you don’t already know. I was trying to prove a point that there’s something special between us.”
“You don’t feel that every time you kiss someone?”
Krinla wasn’t sure how she wanted the question answered. It was part of her culture that she didn’t kiss anyone other than the man who’d become her husband. The comment from Noah about Hunter not bringing girlfriends home made her think human culture was a little different.
“I have never felt anything like that in my life. Do you know how hard it is to not touch you?”
Since she was being restrained, the question seemed irrelevant. Krinton tightened his arms around her, apparently believing the mention of touching would incite her. Krinla settled for just narrowing her eyes even further and not saying a word.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Krinla didn’t know what in the world Hunter was talking about.
He shook his head in response. He seemed to have to do that a lot around her.
“It’s just a saying we have. So, what are we doing here? Are you suggesting we spend some time getting to know each other or are you going to hurry up and make me like you so we can go deal with that slimeball who hurt you?”
Krinla knew there were other choices, but Hunter had a look of determination in his eyes that said he wasn’t considering anything else. She thought a better use of their time would be figuring out what all the words or phrases he said that she didn’t understand meant. It would be a tedious task, but it would get them away from the topic of killing him.
“I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves,” Noah interjected. Krinla couldn’t see around Hunter to offer a look of gratitude, but she was thankful someone else in the room had some sense. “No one can deny there’s something going on between the two of you, which by the way I would love to study. I’ve never felt the particles in the room charge from people kissing. That being said, we’ve been going to the future to see if there are any clues to help fight the virus killing us, not to find my son a bride.”
Refraining from mentioning that Krinla couldn’t marry his son because he wasn’t a Dracul and she wasn’t about to toy around with making him one, she focused on the virus part of the conversation. It seemed like it was a safer topic, but before she could figure out a way to continue, Rya had her own idea.
“Am I right to believe you have people dying from this virus nearby?”
It seemed like an odd question to ask, but at least it was steering things away from the duo sanguine. Krinla breathed a sigh of relief and hoped the arms around her would disappear as the fuss in the room settled down. Being restrained wasn’t her favorite thing. In fact, she realized it was on the bottom of her list of most hated things, right next to Hulin.
“Sadly, yes. There’s a hospital not far from here where they’re doing what they can to treat patients. For the most part, it’s just trying to make them as comfortable as they can be, though.”
There was a lot of remorse built into Noah’s words. Krinla couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have people dying all around you.
“Perfect,” Rya said as she clapped her hands together. “Krinla doesn’t want to test our hypothesis on Hunter, so let’s get someone in here who’s dying and see if she can turn them into a Dracul. I’d try myself, but if anyone can do it, it’s going to be Krinla.”
Krinton prevented Krinla from turning around and glaring at Rya. It was probably for the best because there was a chance the scathing
look that took over her face would somehow kill the girl. That outcome was just as plausible as Krinla turning a human into a Dracul.
“Not happening,” Krinla gritted out as voices filled the room.
Even the soldiers, who had basically been forgotten by the key players, got in on the action. The soldiers and Noah seemed adamant that bringing someone sick into the building would risk the rest of them, a very valid point as far as Krinla was concerned. Rya remained silent after offering her horrible idea, and Krinton and Hunter apparently thought it was the most brilliant idea ever thought of.
It was a game of point, counterpoint, with uneven numbers on each side. As the sides argued, it seemed Krinton and Hunter were able to convert the others to their side, much to Krinla’s dismay. She tried to stay out of the conversation after her initial comment. She was sure when it was four against two, the four would win.
“If she can turn one of us, effectively killing the virus, maybe she can do it with others. Or maybe we’ll find there’s an antidote in her blood of some sort.”
After Hunter came up with that argument, the game pretty quickly came to an end. Noah had already stated that was what they were looking for, so it wasn’t surprising that his holdout arguments got quiet as he considered his son’s words.
“Do you think that could really work?”
Krinton had let Krinla’s arms go since he argued better when he had the use of his hands and Hunter was focused on making his points, so Krinla had been freed to look around the room again. Noah seemed to be calculating something in his head as he thought about his own question. Since he’d mentioned he didn’t know about medicine for his son, Krinla wondered if he was the kind of doctor that was working on the virus or if he was just the guy who built time travel, which he’d never denied.
“Maybe someone should explain the process my father thinks would need to happen.” Krinla hoped if they heard it all out, they’d see how crazy it sounded. “According to him, I would have to drain every drop of blood from the person’s body, letting them die in the process.”
Looking around at the faces in the room, no one seemed traumatized by the idea, not even the man who seemed on board with having the process done to him. Krinla shook her head and continued.
“Then, I let the blood settle in my system for a moment or two, before I force it back into the person’s body.”
“Is there any danger of the virus hurting you?” Hunter proved he had half a brain and could question the idea.
“No,” Krinton said before Krinla could respond.
Her answer wouldn’t have been as adamant. No one could know the answer to the question. Krinla wanted to insert some skepticism, but Hunter was back to asking questions.
“Are you going to need blood after the transfer back? It seems like you might be a little empty.”
It was wrong that there was hopefulness in Hunter’s voice, like he anticipated the answer would be yes and he got to be first in line to give her blood. It was all irrelevant because Krinla didn’t want to try the process, even with a sick body. There was no guarantee things would work the same on Hunter, so getting excited was premature.
“Something to top her off wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Krinton looked over at Krinla, letting his eyes linger on the way she had her arms crossed defiantly across her chest. “But nothing we’ve said has changed her mind as far as giving it a try, so maybe it’s something we should all sleep on. I’m not sure what time it is, but it feels like we’ve been standing around talking forever.”
That was an understatement. The more they talked, the more it felt like cycles were passing them by. Even though she didn’t technically need to sleep, Krinla felt the need for a nap.
Hunter moved over to put an arm around Krinla and pull her close to him. The move caused her to look sideways at him, not really sure what he was doing. He’d been fine standing a few arm’s lengths away from her.
“I’m not sure how any of us could sleep after everything that’s happened, but I’m game for a slumber party.”
Krinla didn’t have a chance to ask what that was. Noah was quick to put a hold on whatever plans Hunter was coming up with.
“The only thing we know about you is from what Hunter has been able to observe. As friendly as you guys seem, I’m inclined to not let you wander around without guards.” Noah held up an arm to make sure no one butted in. “I know there’s nothing I can do to stop you from leaving here and doing whatever you want, but I ask as a courtesy that you remain here where we can keep an eye on you.”
It wasn’t like they were going to run off. Krinton had already made it clear they were going back to their time. Krinla was more curious, and the request made her want to go see what the humans could be hiding from them.
“There’s nothing out there we’re interested in, so we’re fine waiting around here,” Krinton answered for the group. “Do you have a room you want to lock us in for the night?”
“She can stay in my room,” Hunter quickly offered.
Krinla was curious how long Noah would fight the determination in his son’s voice. Noah probably didn’t see the way Hunter gripped her a little tighter to his side, like he was trying to attach them at the hip.
The older man shook his head, apparently getting some of the interaction. “I’d prefer if you weren’t alone with them.”
There was a deep inhale of breath before he continued. For a moment Krinla thought he wasn’t going to say anything else, and judging by the tenseness in the body glued to her side, Hunter wasn’t going to deal with any separation well.
“That being said, I have no idea what’s going on between you two, other than I know there’d be a fight if I tried to separate her from you. Since she seems against the idea of taking the only family I have left away from me, maybe a little quality time between the two of you will be good. Liam, set up a team in the north hall. She can stay with him and the other two can either stay with them or spend time in the blue room.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Exactly how long is a position, or whatever your dad called it?”
Krinla and Hunter had been alone for only a moment when he asked the question. She’d spent the time trying to make sense of the room they were in. It was impossible to take in all the colors and items she’d never seen in the short amount of time. She understood the bed and the two dressers, but that pretty much ended her knowledge of the items in the room. One of the dressers had a large, flat black thing sitting on it that almost looked like a mirror, but it was too dark to be of any use.
“Hey,” Hunter said as he snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. “I can give you a tour of the room later. How long do we have alone?”
Krinla’s focus returned to him and the expectant look on his face. Krinton had told the pair they had one position to talk without others staring at them. Anything said would obviously be overheard, but it was nice to have a little time where she wasn’t being scrutinized.
“He said one position of the sun. I’m not a hundred percent sure it’s even up outside these walls, but we have an internal clock built in that lets us know its movements. There’s roughly twenty-four of them a day.”
“So about an hour, maybe? I think we can work with that.”
Hunter grabbed her hand and led her over to the bed. It looked lumpier than anything she was used to, which was reiterated when Hunter gently pushed her to sit on it. She took a moment to bounce a little on it, surprised that it wasn’t firmer and that the coverings on it were soft against her skin.
Rather than snap at her again, Hunter placed a finger under her chin to tilt her head up in his direction. She was happy to spend time trying to make sense of her new surroundings, but Hunter had other ideas.
“Let’s start with the basics, if that’s not too boring for you. My name is Hunter Mitchell Burnett,” he started, putting a hand on his chest as he spoke. “I’m nineteen years old, live in Washington, D.C. and love peanut butter.”
&
nbsp; Krinla wasn’t sure what he was looking for in a response, so she went with the most basic one she could come up with. “My name is Krinla. I’m almost eighteen years old, I live in my father’s castle and I have no idea what peanut butter is.”
Hunter’s arm had dropped down after his initial introduction, but upon hearing her response it went back up to his chest. The movement was accompanied by an odd, sad look on his face.
“No peanut butter? I think I might have to rethink you turning me into a Dracul and going back to your time with you.” His head shook from side to side. “I just can’t believe it.”
Krinla knew she should wonder what in the world the peanut butter he was talking about was, but if it being absent from her time was enough to get him to stop the crazy talk of her killing him, then Krinla was happy it no longer existed. So happy that she actually felt a smile forming.
“Don’t tell me you’re happy about my misery.”
It was unclear whether he was joking or not, but the idea of Hunter being in misery stung Krinla. She didn’t want to kill him, but she also didn’t want him to be unhappy.
“Not at all. I’m happy you don’t want to go back with me. Whatever this peanut butter is must be really important to you, so you wouldn’t want to leave it behind.”
Hunter laughed as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Krinton had been particular about them not letting their lips touch, but he didn’t say anything about their lips touching other parts of each other. The reaction wasn’t as strong, but warmth radiated on her forehead enough that after Hunter straightened up, she reached up to touch the spot where his lips had been.
Having lived her entire life without much difference in temperature around her, it was a tad overwhelming to experience all the new sensations she was going through. Temperature changes weren’t the only sensations, but they were easier to focus on. The man giving off the heat took a seat next to her and squeezed the hand he hadn’t let go.