Raphael looked strangely sad at that, but it was gone too quickly from his face for me to question it. I knew I had an unpleasant youth—not many ten-year-olds were sentenced to Greymere. But it was more than that.
“Then it’s a good thing the bond is in place, isn’t it?”
I scoffed. “I wouldn’t go that far. I want it gone.” Needed it gone, but like I’d told him before—semantics.
“What if there was a way to do just that?”
“I thought you couldn’t end it.”
The male looked at me, an infuriating brow just slightly edging up in an unspoken retort.
“Raphael,” I growled.
“I propose a bargain. We’ll be in Limanos for a little over a fortnight. For that time, while the Skyflame Celebration is underway, I would ask you to try living as a vampire. And before you argue you have been, I meantrulyliving. Discovering your new powers, your body’s new capabilities. Resisting the urge to spend your time hating yourself and cursing me, and instead exploring this new world that you never expected to find yourself in.”
It sounded like a waste. Wasn’t trying to master mynecromancerpowers, so I could stand by my witch brethren, the most valuable use of my time? Not that I could exactly say that. Still, I opened my lips to argue, but Raphael pressed on.
“Just because it’s not the life you planned for yourself doesn’t mean it’s bad, and just because it came from a terrible thing doesn’t mean you owe it to that miserable bastard to hate every moment of existence after it. I want you to come with me to explore the city’s sights and let yourself want things without fighting every desire.” He paused. “In exchange, I’ll help you break the bond.”
I wasn’t sure which part frustrated me more: the fact he apparently knew how to break this bond the entire time or the fact his assistance hinged on me… what? Frivolously indulging in every desire? Learning to thrall humans? Not hating him for turning me? “Why won’t you just help me break it, if you knowhow? Surely it’s not pleasant for me to be tied within six hundred paces of you at all times.”
Raphael shrugged, resting his arms on the seat rest once more. “Perhaps the two sides of the deal aren’t entirely unrelated.”
Clearly, Raphael knew more than he was letting on, but he held tight to his leverage. Still, maybe I could work to undo the bond if I figured out what was needed. If going along with this would let me move freely away from him—let me escape on my own terms—then it might be the answer to several of my problems.
Ineededthis bond broken. I should leap on the offer, but somehow what he’d laid before me felt more terrifying than any deal we’d made before—unlocking his chains, demanding answers from Librarians who could kill with a glance, even offering my blood. Because this wasn’t something I could go through the motions of. I would have to truly try to accept my life as a vampire.
I waited for the thought to come into my head, that I was a monster for even considering living a moment not filled with self-loathing. It was there, but… quieter.
“Two weeks of… what, exactly?”
“Of an open mind. Of not cutting off your instincts when they tell you to enjoy the moment. Two weeks of seeing what could be.”
“And then you’ll break the bond between us.”
“And then I’ll help you end the fledgling bond that keeps you tethered to me,” Raphael corrected. “Do we have a deal?”
There was no more time for hesitation. I nodded.
“Then we have a deal, Samara Koisemi.” My name felt like a grave vow in his mouth.
“We have a deal, Raphael…” I trailed off and blinked at him. “I don’t even know your last name.”
“Damerel.”
I cocked my head. The same name as the kingdom’s capital? “We have a deal, Raphael Damerel,” I repeated. Perhaps that was the custom, for monarchs to take the name of their seat of power, the way nobility in the Witch Kingdom were named for their magic.
Raphael looked pleased. A little too pleased. “There’s only one final thing to do to seal our bargain. Custom dictates certain agreements between vampires are sealed with a kiss.”
Oh, he had to be joking. “We can skip that, surely.”
“Reneging so soon? Part of living like a vampire is honoring the customs.”
“We never did that before.” We’d made plenty of agreements without him ever mentioning that as a requirement.
“You weren’t a vampire before. But, if you feel I’ve been remiss, and we need to make up for those other deals…”
I wasn’t about to encourage him to collect for agreeing to teach me to ride. “Fine.”
