Everwinter (Chronicles of Naelyra Book 1)

by R. J. Lloyd

  He grinned evilly at me. "Mind Blowing?"

  I feigned pouting. “Oh great. Now I only have the best you’ve ever had to shoot for.”

  He rolled his eyes. "Oh, you are full of sass, aren't you?"

  “Just as you like me.” I flipped my hair and sauntered off toward the platter of food.

  "I do like you very much."

  Rifling through what was left, I found one last piece of dried meat. Popping it in my mouth, I washed it down with nearly an entire glass of water. “Show me your city please and teach me about it and it’s ways. If I’m going to be here any length of time, I should know.”

  He nodded. "In due time, let us just curl up and take in one another for a while longer.

  “Don’t want to let me go, huh? I didn’t take you for the sentimental and cuddly type.” I plucked a few remaining pieces of fruit and a couple crackers out. Refilling my water, I found a seat near the fire.

  "Believe me I'm very much not. So be happy with that." Tossing the sheet to the floor, he walked past me, letting his hand trail up my arm.

  I took his hand as he diverted his path and walked around in front of my chair and kneeling down. With him before me, his hands on my thighs, I played with his hands, running my fingers in and out of between his, drawing abstract lines on his skin. I was curious if he felt my touch much and if he liked me touching him like that. If he enjoyed me caressing him.

  I attempted to see if my ability to sense emotions worked there as well but quickly stopped, feeling like it betrayed something between us. I knew I had been catching glimpses of how he felt, but every time I thought of poking around in my powers, something held me back. I’d shied away from magic on my own planet, but something about how much stronger that side of me felt on Naelyra scared me.

  “Yes. That makes me even happier that you are like this with me.” I kissed his cheek. “If you’re not ready to take me around your kingdom, tell me about you then.” I was genuinely curious about both.

  "We can take a tour around the castle." He slid away from me and continued on to the bathroom.

  I sat up and reached a hand out to him. “One thing. One thing about you and then we go. Okay?” I batted my eyes.

  "What do you want to know?" Kane turned on the faucet, filling the sink.

  “Ummm... I don’t know. What’s your favorite movie? Do you have movies here? Or how were you turned? Or where are you from and what was it like? Or ... something.” I was baffled at his lack of wanting to talk about himself and what that could say about him. Both making me even more intrigued. I found myself curious about how and why he was so far removed from his humanity being as young of a vampire as he said he was.

  "What is a movie?” He peeked out at me with a curious expression before leaning back in. “I honestly don't know that word. As to where I am from… I can show you in the library." Steam from the water rolled up over him as he splashed his face.

  I chuckled. “You don’t know what a movie is?” I stood and looked around to find my clothes. “And a library? Not that I should be surprised. But is there one nearby? In your city?”

  "It is within these walls. I took you in there when you first arrived." He peeked out again, confused. “Or had the cold gotten to you on our journey? Were you so distracted that you’ve forgotten?”

  I blinked for a moment, thinking back. Laughter escaped me as it dawned on me, remembering the large hall of books with the celestial display. It had been massive and gorgeous. But he wasn’t wrong. I was very distracted. Not just by its beauty or my circumstances, but I had been distracted by him as well.

  Pausing by the fire, I rubbed my hands together. "That massive room is your library? May I find something to wear? Or must I go nude.?”

  "I would love it if you were to wear nothing." Returning to the bedroom, Kane started to dress, looking me over and appreciating my figure openly, making me blush.

  I pursed my lips, shaking my head. "Lady. I. Am. A. Lady. And you'd do good to remember that." I walked over and pressed the tip of my finger to his chest and winked. Seeing what appeared to be one of his shirts flung over the back of a chair, I sauntered over to it and pulled it over my head, straightening it a little over extravagantly. Holding my arms in the air a bit, I did a turn. "Presentable?"

  He furrowed his eyebrows. "I know you are a lady, but I am confused on what that means for you and wearing nothing? Is this a thing with your world?" He looked over my attire choice. "I can still take you in that, so sure."

  I grinned, walking over to him, placing my hands on his chest. "Being a lady means having some semblance of modesty. Not walking around all boasting over one's figure or wealth or whatever. Having manners, prudence, sophistication and all that. And being treated with respect. So, for instance... with you toward me? You protecting me like I'm something special and to be guarded, not shown off like an accessory. Just like we talked about with your servant women coming in unannounced. Why would you want to let all the men see what you are having, only to make them want to try to take it from you or to encourage the women to try to steal you away?"

  He scoffed, buttoning his shirt. "I normally don't stick with one partner, so I guess I never cared that much. Animal world, especially for vampires. I see your point however." He wrapped his hands over mine. “Beyond that, there is nobody in my kingdom that would dare challenge me on many things, my chosen mate being one. But I’d like to see them try.” He kissed my forehead.

  My breath caught as I looked down at our hands. In that moment, I actually felt the truth behind his words that I was special to him. But even more than that, he had called me his chosen mate. MATE. The earthly human part of me wanted to be offended. But the primal part of me knew what that meant, and I wanted to ask. I wanted him to verbally confirm for me what he meant. But there was that part of me that was still a scared little girl, curled up in a closet, witnessing the worst thing imaginable. A little girl that never stopped being afraid of everything. So, right then, in front of Kane, my hands in his, I felt the connection between us and ignored my urge to speak on it or even run from it.

  My eyes grazed over his strong, muscular frame on their way up to his handsome face. "Are you sticking to one partner now?" I was both scared and hopeful, the thought of my home planet as far away from my mind as the planet was from me physical right then.

  "For now. Absolutely. You have all my interest. Not to mention my clothes apparently." He pulled me in closer. "Shall we go to the library so I can answer that question for you? Then we can go into town so I can show you off.”

  "For now, huh?" I huffed but tried to shrug it off. "Sure. Library. Showing stuff. Sounds good."

  He smiled wickedly. "You still want to go home. So yes. for now. This is my world. I fully intend to stay here." He offered his hand to me.

  But before I could take it, there was a knock on the door. I hadn’t requested anything form the servant, so I wasn’t sure who it was.

  Kane made his way to the door, opening it and greeting a man standing on the other side. “Saarzlairn. Greetings.”

  “Good evening, my king.” The man bowed and then glanced past Kane and to me, quickly diverting his eyes. “I bring information sent from the portal guardian.”

  Kane looked back at me, tilting his chin. “Please. Finish getting ready to head down to the library. I will return in a moment.” He didn’t wait for a reply before exiting with the man.

  I stood for a moment, perturbed that he had to seek privacy from me for his conversation. But I reminded myself of what he had been reminding me of before Saarzlairn knocked – I was planning on going home. Or at least I thought I was. Even if that thought was standing on shaky ground. My mind was already committing mutiny with the intention of staying.

  The water from the sink in the bathroom was refreshing as I splashed my face before brushing my hair and slipping on a pair of the softest knee socks I’ve ever felt and my fur lined boots. Taking a seat, I turned the chair so I could see when he returned.
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  It wasn’t but a moment later when he came through the door. He was alone, and his expression was pained. Looking at me, his expression shifted. He held his hand out to me again. “Ready?”

  Slipping my hand into his, I went with him, my other hand wrapping around his bicep. I kept my green hues on him as we walked, the ornate decor of the hallway catching my attention. "If I didn't choose to go home... what then? And what did that man have to say? He said it was news from the portal guardian?"

  He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you not want to return to your home world? Is it that bad?"

  A lump formed in my throat as I could feel myself torn. "Bad? No! Well... no. Not really. I just… I mean... it's just... we are..." Crap! I wanted to slap myself for saying anything. I felt foolish as embarrassment reddened my cheeks. "I was just curious. Who knows even if you can get me home, right? Is that not what the man came to say? To confirm the portals are not working? Or what if I decide I love it here? We never know, right? I just might love it here. I just wasn't sure. Curious if I stayed... you know…"

  He followed along with my stumbling words, chuckling that he had obviously hit a nerve. "I don't know for a fact that I can get you home, no. The portals and such have not been working at all unless it’s gone unreported. Saarzlairn came to tell me that they have not found an explanation for your portal so far, but they are still looking into it. So, honestly you might be my guest till we figure it out."

  We wandered down four flights of stairs and half way down a very long corridor. His words gave me pause. "You're not answering my question. And what do you mean they're not working, and you're not sure if you can get me home?"

  "Do you want to know if I would fall for you if you stayed? I would like to think so. Yet, we don't know each other well enough.”

  I reached up and touched his arm. "I think I like the idea of that if I stayed.... if."

  He turned his head, almost as if he was hiding the smile that formed on his lips. “As far as the portals are concerned, the magic is out in the crystals. There was a war in the world that controls all of that. I fought in it. Our side won. And yet, when I tried to get home, I barely arrived in one piece. Since then, we have not been able to summon another portal. No one that I know that know has been able to either,” he explained.

  My eyes cast down and I shook my head. "So much war on every human-like planet. It's sad. But what about other magic? I've not tried a lot, but I think my powers are still working here if not a little stronger. Is that normal?"

  With a snap of his fingers, fire appeared, floating just about his skin. He leaned into me and pressed his lips to mine. "Seems there is plenty of magic between us."

  I thought about nudging him, giggling about how cheesy that line was, but I saw how his eyes held mine, heavy with emotion. His lips parted.

  Instead of kissing me again, he cleared his throat and spoke, “But to answer your question, magic is still very much alive here. But I do not know how a mortal’s powers work once they’re on Naelyra, because I’ve never met anyone with magic from your planet, let alone see how it reacts on mine. I can only speak of those from other planets. If I think about it, I cannot recall anyone from Earth coming here.”

  I let myself feel his emotions, letting my ability to feel others’ feelings and thoughts seep into me. And his emotions hit me hard, mirroring my own. I could feel my walls crumbling, my heart running away with the shared attachment we were forming. But I snapped back when he spoke again.

  My voice was low and soft, masking the depths of which I was trying desperately to pull myself back out of before he noticed. "So, just the portals, not all magic is gone." I was relieved. "Tell me about magic here? Vampires on my planet don't really have magic. At least not like you seem to have. What else can you do?"

  He motioned for me to walk in front of him as we passed through a doorway. "Magic here is more about controlling the elements aside from illusionists; they have a kind of magic that causes you to see illusions and messes with your mind to cause pain or pleasure. Necromancers have undead magic. Healers enhance nature’s healing elements to heightened levels in order to speed recovery or even save those that would die otherwise. Dark healers can use those same elements to kill. My magic is practiced from my days of being human, my family’s lineage, and it’s derived from fire. It’s residual. Once turned, vampires cannot learn to wield the elements since our connection to it is strained. So, not all vampires have magic. If I don’t practice often, I could lose my connection.”

  He took me by the hand and led me through another doorway. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a woman walking down the hallway as we entered the library. I was sure the woman scowled at me, but it was fairly dim, and I wasn't positive. Shaking it off, I tried to ignore it as we rounded the corner.

  "Your magic here seems set up so different than at home. My powers are varied. Similar in nature but not focused on one aspect. People like me are born with it. It’s not learned. We can work to grow our abilities and gain more control, but the gifts we have at birth are it. Humans in my world are not naturally connected to the elements.” I dropped his hand and let my fingers graze over a stack of books, letting the words from the top one seep into my mind. It was a beautiful story of two lovers finding each other after years apart, their souls calling them together. The beauty of their story causing me to smile.

  I pulled from the tome and turned to him. “I believe they once were, the humans… connected to the earth that is. Or at least, it’s a theory of mine. But they’ve strayed so far that they struggle to even believe there’s a connection between each other anymore, let alone true powers. Many don’t believe at all. I mean, there’s people that believe, but they can’t cast. But as for my kind? What few of us are left? Some of us shy away from that side of ourselves. It’s too dangerous.”

  “Here, people like you are revered. It is rare that someone is born with any abilities. Those that are either rise in the ranks of their station or are taken into sects to keep the balance of the element they naturally link with.” His eyes roamed over me. This time, not with lust but rather as if studying my character. “But it’s almost unheard of for someone to be born with gifts in more than one element.”

  I leaned into his arm while standing there as he spoke. “Wow. Yeah. People like me are taken and experimented on where I come from. Everyone fears us, so we keep that part of us hidden. But you are not only open about your abilities and that you’re a vampire with magic, but you also are a king and ruler of an entire world? All this and you’re only a little over 200 years old? I mean, I guess that’s even a longer time for me. But still. I’ve known vampires 1000 years old that have done nothing. Well, nothing other than feed on humans quietly and maybe boss around a couple hundred of their kind.”

  He looked confused. “Well, I am not sure if our years are longer or not. I know I’m older than some races that exist here now. Technically I am nearly three hundred years old in Naelyra. And by our standards, that is ancient.”

  “Okay. But now I’m curious if your years similar as Earth’s at all.” I was genuinely curious. “I mean, if not, then maybe I’m not 28 in your years. Maybe I’m 98 or… 2!” I started laughing.

  "Like I said, I don't know how much of a difference there is,” he replied stoically.

  I ran his hand down his arm. “Maybe there’s a book in here that can tell us.”

  “Perhaps, but I do not believe so. There’s been very little study on the matter if any at all. On anything earth related. I’m one of the few people that’s actually visited there.” He smiled at me with an almost youthful excitement.

  I stepped away and leaned against the table, looking up at him, crossing my arms over my chest. “You don’t have anything in this vast library about the comparison of years?”

  "Trips between worlds, are not common, little one. It is not a frequent mode of transportation, and there’s so much tension between the worlds that it is unsafe. Travel to some worlds,
such as when I went to yours quite a while back, are accidents. So, on those trips I can only carry so much back. When I went to your world, I had not meant to. I do know that my time there was what your planet considers a week,” he explained.

  “So basically, we can just say that you’re over 10,000 and I’m 5 months old. It would be cool to have some sort of person or council or something that documented all of this, no? The time span differences and stuff. That way, other people can learn about it.”

  “You are adorable. I love your enthusiasm for learning.” He kissed my cheek then walked over to a locked cabinet. "But you asked where I was from."

  He pulled a map from a stack of others. It was wrapped up with care. Unrolling it on a huge, marble desk, he pointed to an area nearby, north of Everwinter. The scrolling print said The Ruins of Saainborg. The colorful and detailed topography that was printed on the paper gave great detail to the lands.

  I leaned on the table’s edge, looking over to where he pointed. “So, that’s where you’re from. Where are we now?”

  He moved his hand a bit to the west. "We are here."

  “I see.” I took in the landscape of the map, studying its mountain ranges, cities and villages. “It is always so cold up here, right? Being from a cold climate as well as making your home city in the same kind of climate, do you not like the warmth?”

  “I used to dream of living somewhere warm when I was human. But the temperature makes no difference to me.” When he looked at me, there was a curious expression in his eyes. “Then again, there’s something about your warmth that I like very much.”

  I blushed. “Maybe I can see where you’re from some time.”

  His jaw set. "It's nothing but rocks now, my home. It was destroyed in the war.”

  I turned toward him with a deep sadness threatening my ability to talk as a lump formed in my throat. I could feel how deeply he still felt that. “Your original home is gone? Rubble? Nothing left? Where are your people?” I placed my hand on his arm. “Or because of being turned and how much time has passed, did you lose touch with everyone from your human days, including ancestors?”