by R. J. Lloyd
“That is fantastic. However, I am not here for that. I was actually just showing my guest around Everwinter. She is a lover of the written word.” Kane moved to allow me to step up next to him. “Auriena, this is Alret. He owns this small establishment. Alret, this is Auriena Raulson.”
Alret’s gaze fell on me, a smile reaching up to his eyes. “Welcome. If you are a guest of our king, then you are welcome to all we have on display. Just ask, and it is yours.”
Kane chuckled. “He makes that distinction because Alret here specializes in hard to find tomes and books of magic.” He leaned in and whispered. “Those are not on display.”
“Yes.” Alret tipped his chin with a grin. “He is correct.”
“Well, we will have to become acquainted so maybe I can be privy to those as well one day.” I took the room in, letting my fingers dance over the cover of a nearby book.
“I am sure we shall.” He stepped back around the counter.
Kane led me around a series of bookcases. “I find it curious that you are not more drawn to and fascinated by magic. Even people of my world are, at the very least, curious,” he observed.
“That has not been a side of me I’ve wanted to delve into much, as I’ve explained. Therefore, if I get curious about it around me, then I not only give it power, but I also bring my own attentions to my own powers.” I flipped a book over and looked at the back cover before setting it down.
"You told me of your history… of your parents. And how you come from two magic borne bloodlines. I believe you called them Gypsy and Druid? So, you have your own magic? A unique blend of your own?" he asked.
I hadn’t really thought of it like that, but yeah. I supposed, in a way, I did. I’d never met anyone like me, especially not with the combination of gifts I had. “Yes. It stems from both my mother’s Gypsy magic and my father’s Druid side. It makes for an interesting combination I guess.”
"So, what all can you do? Show off for me." For the first time, he showed an interest in my powers.
“Show off?” I scoffed and wandered off to the shelves against the wall, letting the tip of my finger graze a long row of book spines. I was nervous being put on the spot, but my abilities had never failed me nor faltered. And they’d only seemed to have grown since I arrived on Naelyra. “The book thing? It is more instant here, but either way, you know how that works. You’ve seen it. I also feel emotions or see someone’s past but I see it like a scene in my mind. Often, I see someone’s emotions as if I’m seeing a vision of what they want to have happen. But I have to choose to see it. It is not a constant flow of information, just like when I send my own thoughts, history, feelings out to someone. I can...”
I stopped, letting my finger rest on a book a moment before continuing. “I have a lot of natural powers. My energies sometimes rely on drawing from the earth… well nature. But I can draw from another being as well. The more powerful they are, the stronger it makes me. The only cost is what it can do to the being I draw from. But like I said, I’ve not nurtured that side of me. Oh. And as you saw, I can borrow someone’s powers. It’s as if my mind sees the pattern of how to do the magic through them and learns it. Sometimes it’s permanent. Sometimes it’s only when they’re around. And before you ask, I don’t know why.”
He followed me like a bloodhound on my scent as we weaved through the shelves. "How are you going to tease me that you have these talents, but not use them?"
My eyebrows pull in as I spun around to face him. My hand came up to his cheek, resting gently. “You mean like...”
His eyes rolled back into his head flicking back and forth almost violently. "Fuck me."
He fell to his kneels holding my hand that was touching his cheek as he absorbed all that I was pouring into him. I had only intended on showing him a snippet of what I wanted him to know, but things came out of my so fast, and I couldn’t stop it. My heart raced as I struggled to get myself back in check.
Locked in that pose for a long moment, only releasing after the flood of information stopped. He fought to catch his breath as he blinked and looked up at me, growling, "That was a bit much."
I pulled away, never having seen that reaction before, my hand clamping down on my mouth. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think that would affect you like that. I'm so, so sorry! I mean, you wanted to see, but I didn't know that would happen!"
He shook his head, trying to get his bearings back, his face contorted. "That's some strong magic. I can do a similar thing when I feed, share memories and such but not as simply as with a touch like you. And not as fast." He stood again and brushed off his pants, his stance rigid.
I stepped back a couple paces, holding my hands to my own chest. "I'm so sorry..."
I looked around, trying to find an exit and darted for the back door when I found it. There was no softness in how me moved, and I was sure that I’d messed up. I had just become a threat. And I wasn’t about to stick around and feel what he did to people he saw as threats. I took off for the closest door.
My heart was racing, threatening to burst out of my chest. All at once, my mind spun out of control, yet everything slowed as I reached for the doorknob. But then everything came screeching halt.
For the first time, he used his speed around me to get the lead to stop me from leaving. I was convinced I had hurt him, and he was about to inflict some sort of punishment on me. Why wouldn’t he? I’d just overloaded his brain. And not only that, he knew that I was capable of doing it with just a simple touch.
"No. Don't you run out on me." He held his hands out toward me but cautious not to touch me.
I skidded to a stop, trying not to collide into him, holding my arms up to protect myself. “Please! I didn’t mean to.” I tried to calculate any possibility that I could borrow his speed and get around him without him catching me.
“Why are you afraid of me, Auri?” He stepped back, almost as if my reaction to him was a physical blow landing on him.
“But I hurt you. I took you to your knees. Are you not furious with me? Are you not about to retaliate?”
He reached out but recoiled when I flinched. “Retaliate?”
I tried unsuccessfully for the exit again as he stepped in my way. My heart was breaking, and the fear I thought I’d conquered rose up in my throat like an erupting volcano. “Yes. I’ve seen your temper. Your intolerance. I know how you swiftly handle those who upset you.”
“I would gladly get on my knees for you… without the flood of information. I do not break easily, but I would rather fight for you, not against you.”
“I hurt you, Kane.” My voice cracked.
A light chuckle escaped him. “Are you trying to convince me to punish you? Or are you convinced I will?”
I swallowed back a lump in my throat. “Neither.”
He raked a hand through his long, blond hair. “Auri, I was sure that we had grown a trust and respect between us. Do you trust that I know the difference between an accident and an attack?”
I stopped looking for way out and cautiously stood before him, assessing his posture to see if it matched the softness in his tone. “You don’t see me differently? In a bad way? You don’t want to destroy me knowing I can do that to you? Why would you get on your knees for me? Why would you fight for me?” My mind was reeling.
He opened his mouth and showed his fangs, his eyes a deep, blood red. The corner of his mouth twitched as he lit up both hands in flames. "I fucking know what it looks like to be feared, hated, and hunted. To be seen as a threat." He waved his hands and the fires went out. He covered his face for a moment before returning to normal. His piercing blue eyes returned to mine. "Why would I ever want to destroy you? I want to embrace you, in every way possible. I find it an asset that you have strengths that rival most. I do not see you as a threat.” He knelt and went to kiss my hand, staring up at me.
“Don’t.” I looked around to be sure nobody was walking by. “You don’t belong on your knees unless we are in the bedroom or you’re proposing
marriage. Please. Get up.” I tugged on him. The look in his eyes sending waves of desire through me. “I love the idea of you like this but only when you’re pleasuring me.” I wanted to rush into his arms, but I was still nervous.
"Spoken like a true queen already." Rising to his feet, he reached out for my hands, but I flinched away. “You are a reader, not just a seer. A much rarer form of magic. Use your talents to read me now. Do I mean you harm?”
With one hand on his, I held my other arm and closed my eyes. I centered myself and let my energies reach out to his. It was so natural how his essence pulled mine in and entwined together. It felt like nothing I had ever felt before, like we had been searching for the other our entire existences.
There, in that moment, our energies synced. When I pulled back slightly, I didn’t know what part was mine and what was his. I was about to say something when Alret rounded the corner to the isle they were in.
A bit of surprise tugged at his smile. “Is malady planning on a long visit?”
Kane placed his hand on my waist and stood again. “I am planning on her staying. She has not decided yet. But perhaps with enticements such as this place, it may sway her.”
My smile grew as I looked up at Kane. “Perhaps.” I was still in awe, feeling completely connected to him, wanting so much to know if he had just felt what I had.
He kissed the top of my head before turning back to Alret. “See that my love is welcome to anything you would allow me access to any time she returns.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Alret nodded in respect, not giving an inkling as to if he agreed or disagreed with the king’s orders.
I allowed Kane to take me by the hand and lead me back outside. “I could show you every establishment in Everwinter, but I do believe we were headed to a specific location. Someplace you can order a beverage.”
I took in a breath. “Kane?”
His shoulders pulled back. His fingers grazed my neck as he pushed my hair back over my shoulder. “I don’t believe in fate, little one. Remember?”
“But?” My eyes searched his, our energies wrapping around us both.
I could feel them almost as boldly as his breath on my ear as he leaned in to whisper, “Some things just are whether we believe them or not.”
His lips crashed down on mine, and my legs nearly buckled. Helping me regain my balance, he smiled, and we started walking again. We walked in silence for a moment, arriving at a doorway a few blocks away.
"My love?" I turned toward him, slowly, cautiously.
“Yes, little one?” He ran his hand up and down my back.
"Did you say... love? Did you call me your love to Alret?”
He smiled down at me. "You say that as if I have not said that before. Come. Let's get you out of the cold."
I took another step but stopped again. “But have you?”” I planted my hand on my hip.
“Have I said I love you?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“What?”
He laughed. “I have not told you.”
My head tilted as I waited for him to say something more. But he didn’t. Instead, he chuckled, kissed my head and wrapped an arm around me, guiding me toward the door. “This is a good day. Shall we?"
I let it drop, puzzled by the sly grin on his face. “Where are we?”
“It is the tavern where the humans gather, mostly." He leaned against a pillar of marble. One of two that flank the entrance.
The carved, mahogany wood door decorated the front of building. I thought for a minute. “How will they take you coming in there? Let alone you coming in with a human woman? And one dressed like I am?”
He lifted a shoulder. "Vampires go in here all the time to feed on the humans, so..."
I pondered his response for a moment then tapped my foot. “You skirted the rest of my inquiry, other than that point, Kane.”
"I'm sorry, I am not used to having to answer to someone.” He frowned. “They won't really bat an eye at me. I stop in a few times when I am home just to check on things. Sure, they might find it unusual that you, looking as you do, are on my arm, but will they care? I do not know, nor do I care what the humans think."
“Kane?” I looked at him quizzically. “Do you look down on my kind? Is this going to be an issue between us for you to speak of my kind like that, therefore making me feel like I am beneath you?”
How brows pinched in. "You are from a different planet. You are not like these humans.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “How am I different from them? And would you not treat earth humans the same as Naelyrian or even humans on Aejynys?”
He lifted from the pillar and stood before me, studying my expression before speaking. "I am what I am, Auriena. I am a Vampire. I live off your kind. I apologize if that offends you. I do not have an entire world full of your kind to eat from. I have only maybe 100,000 or more. Most have either mutated into higher forms like my own or the Wornoichen. Many have died out. So, yes. I view these humans as livestock. My kind, and others, keep them alive so we have a food source. If they wipe out. I wipe out. So, in some ways, I also have respect for them. Above all, I respect you most. I do not wish to fight about this."
“I am not fighting. I am disagreeing with how you see my kind. Or at least how you speak of them to me. Your reference of humans like you do make me feel that it’s how you see me. Or will if you ever tire of me or get angry with me.” I stopped explaining my point as a man emerged from the tavern and walked up the road.
Once he passed, Kane held a hand out to me. “I guess I see it differently. But I see your point, and I shall cease if it makes you upset.” He opened the door and motioned for me to go inside.
A hush went over the place as the king walked in behind me. They all looked at me and then back to Kane before going back to talking. Only their conversations were a whisper in comparison to the jovial atmosphere I heard through the door prior to our entrance.
Kane waved at the bartender and told him the drinks were free for the night. As if a dam broke, the room roared to life.
“Of course, Your Highness. What shall I bring you and your guest to your booth?” the barkeep inquired.
Kane held a hand out. “A menu for my guest and a water to start off until she decides. And the usual for me.” He walked me over to a private table in the back with a view of the entire dining area.
I sat down and took the menu, rehashing all that I learned in what few books I’d gotten ahold of, in an attempt to order food and beverages I may like... which was proving to be more difficult than anticipated. Once he sat with me, I put the menu back down. “I respect why you feel like you do. But if you could tone down the coldness when you speak of my kind, it would help me. You don’t have to be warm to them. I get having a mental distance between yourself and your food. But it would help me not worry.”
"Yes. As I said, I understand. And I will endeavor to be less cold with you about this. It does make sense.” He leaned over and kissed my temple. “What are you thinking of having?"
He wrapped his arm around me as our beverages arrived. Taking a drink, he looked out at the people. So many eyes flashed back and forth at us, all trying to avoid being caught as they tried to steal a glance.
I opened the menu again and pointed at a dish. Struggling to pronounce the name, I laughed. “Sorry. I really need to read more of the language. I’m still learning.” I tried again, hoping he could understand. Feeling him drift mentally, I leaned into him slightly. “I didn’t mean to lecture you. I’m sorry.”
He snapped back, his eyes softening. “You are fine, Auri. I meant it when I said I understood.”
“Okay good.” I attempted the word again and failed… again.
The corner of Kane’s mouth upturned in amusement. "That's a hot drink that is a human festive treat. I think you will enjoy it. Many here do. But in regard to the humans, I recognize what you mean, and I think it's charming of you to stick up for them. I can be cold
and self-serving. I will try to speak of humans with less disregard” He signaled for a person to come and accept our order. Once they were there, he requested several items. “An order of moa legs, the three meat pie dishes, some dolyak milk with a zest of preccoli mint and the platter of dreitque. Do not burn it.” His tone was curt as he spoke, then he waved his hand dismissively, shooing them off.
“Thank you.” My eyes went over the menu again, having kept it when the server left, moving closer to him so I could ask questions. I wanted to say something about how he was with the help, but I left it alone. “That was a hot drink? I was sure it was food. I must be distracted if I’m struggling to grasp your language considering that I’ve been exposed to several books.”
He chuckled and kissed my temple. I was feeling like we were on a real date and loved it. Well, all except that people kept gawking at us. That part made me feel like we were celebrities. But in a way, there, we were. Probably the closest thing they had to what we, on Earth, considered celebrities anyways.
Part of me wondered if I should be cozied up to him like I was. A question I asked as soon as the server left. “Kane? Should I be so close to you? Is that inappropriate? Or are they just waiting to see some carnage when you kill me right here. Is that what they expect? They kind of seem nervous.”
"I do not know what they expect, but I might have left this place a real mess the last time I was here." He kissed my hand and placed it on the table, resting his over mine. His strong fingers lacing between my slender ones.
Our fingers gently caressed each others’. “You did what? What kind of a mess and why?” My drink arrived and I looked it over, taking in its aroma while waiting for a reply. It was sweet with a aromatic, floral aroma.
"I might have been really hungry last time I was here.” He watched and waited for me to take a taste. “How do you like it?”