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Resources. There was only one true resource that vampires would care about. Blood.
“When you say resources, you mean the human population?” I glanced back at the maps.
“Yes, long ago, Europe was the height of the world; now other nations like the Americas have the most in population.”
“So, that would mean the Swan family, and whoever is ruling over India and China, must be very powerful. Yet so far, everyone seems more apprehensive or at least respectful of your family.”
“Because we are the strongest,” he corrected. “Like Africa, no one family controls China or India. They lack the power. My family is the longest-ruling vampire family there is. Just like the humans have wars between each other, and even rebellions, we have gone through those, and our family has never faltered because of our gifts.”
“You mean your true immortality?” I wanted to know just how many times he had been killed, how many wars he had fought in.
“Yes, the fact that I can never remain dead makes others not even attempt to bother our family most times. My gift is a deterrent. However, I alone am not the reason my family stands strong. After all, I do die, even if it is only for a period time, and return. It is possible that someone could attack my family while I was dead if that were the only gift we had to protect us. But each of us is strong. My sister-in-law, Melora, the mate of my eldest brother, Ulrik, can control water. On the surface, it does not seem so grand until you’ve seen her part seas or drown cities.”
“Drown cities?” I repeated.
He nodded. “Not every flood is the work of nature. And the gifts do not stop there. My younger brother, Arsiein’s gift, is cloaking. He can hide the presence of himself or others, even things, preventing them from being discovered. Full armies have moved in plain sight because of him. Everyone can do something grand in my family. There are many more, too. Due to our gifts, we have maintained power, and in doing so, there is order. And if you ask me, peace in Ankeiros.”
“And humans have no idea there is a different society all-around them, ruling over creatures that could end their life? In books, there is always one ruling group or family for vampires. Who would think there were nations?”
“Why would they know? The lines were drawn before them, and if they were to shift, they would most likely be causalities of those wars. Besides, it is ridiculous to think one vampire or one group of vampires could control the world. By the time they were to find out who was causing a problem in one part of the world, the humans would most likely already know as well. But I digress,” he said, lifting his pencil to move back to his maps. “What I wanted to show you was this. Apparently, I left Ankeiros in July of 1920, three days after my mother told me of you.”
He lifted the map of the Americas. “I first came to pay my respects to President Swan, here in Montréal, a month later in August. I told him of the lie Taelon explained.”
“And then?”
He pointed to spots all over the map. “I arrived here. I was met by vampires who all recalled the last time they saw me.”
“You got around,” I said, staring at the dozens of dots with dates all over the Americas.
“I was searching for someone important.” He smiled, and I ignored him to point to the east coast.
“You were on this side a lot.”
“I was. Now, look at these series of dates.” He pointed to one date in particular.
“August 25, 1997.” Four days after my fourth birthday.
He pointed to the next one. “September 30, 1997?”
“Look how close they are,” he explained before moving his pencil across the map at another point. “Everywhere else, I would leave and not come back for at least five years or more. Yet, all of these points—”
“Are within a few weeks. The longest, two months.” I slowly understood. “You were staying close.”
“There is only one reason for that.” When I looked to meet him, our lips were almost touching. He looked over my face and smiled. “I found you, Druella.”
“You found me,” I repeated; that was the only reason I could think of, too.
“So, why do you not remember me, either?”
Chapter 14
What?
“Of course, I don’t remember you, Theseus; I was four.” I wanted to laugh at how silly his question was, but he was serious, deadly serious.
“And you were sixteen when I came this year,” he said, pointing to a dot directly where the one where I was at four-years-old. “It is logical for you not to remember me as a child. But in your teens, you would even if in passing.”
“You might not have said anything or come close.”
