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“Your cheeks are so round when you laugh; it’s cute.”
Rolling my eyes, I tried to get him back on topic. “Magic is…”
“Magic is fearlessness. It is wonder,” he answered, letting go of my face. “When the mysteries of this world do not scare you, but intrigue you, propel you to act even, you tap into magic, and your desire is realized.”
“But I do get scared…”
“I’ve seen you get nervous or worried, but I have not seen you truly afraid. Not paralazed by fear.” He looked disappointed, but before I could ask, he spoke first. “Which also means in the face of danger Druella, you act without considering the consequences.”
My mouth dropped open a bit. Did he hear himself? “You do the same thing!”
“Exactly.” He placed his forehead on mine. “I am rash and swift to action, and look at all the trouble it gets me into, however, I’m immortal so there has never been a need for me to worry much of consequences—now I have you and must do so. Had I not said anything about Jason, had I not killed those witches…”
“The witches were trying to kill you, and had you not said anything about Jason, he could have done serious harm to who knows who later. You made the right choice—”
“Druella,” he said softly, and immediately I calmed down, staring back into his eyes. “I simply meant that with our personalities, I think Daiyu is right to expect chaos from us if we do not start treading more carefully.”
Now I understood.
“You’re upset that I showed them my gift.”
“You had no choice,” he muttered. “Neither of us had many choices, and that needs to change, so we spend less time running from one disaster to another and more time getting to know each other no matter how much fun you are having.” He was mocking me a bit there.
“Of course, it’s not fun when it’s happening,” I said quickly.
“Hmm.” He nodded, and my head moved a bit with his. “But you enjoy having your own stories to tell now, too.”
A small smile grew on my lips.
He sighed and sat up. “I cannot wait for us to reach Ankeiros. At least there I will know you are safe, and your magic and my temper will not cause any wars.”
“You sound like an old man who just wants a nice, peaceful afternoon in the park.” I snickered.
His eyebrow raised. “And you sound like a young revolutionary looking for a cause. What a strange pair we are.”
An unkillable vampire and a vampire with the powers of a witch—what strange pair indeed.
PART II:
ANKEIROS
Chapter 20
He was fighting sleep and clearly losing every time his eyes shut for longer than a minute. However, he caught himself and forced them back open again.
“I thought you were too old to deny yourself sleep,” I questioned softly so the human flight attendant would not hear. “We’re already in the air. You can sleep for a bit.”
“Not until we are in Ankeiros,” he muttered. “There are vampires on this flight, too.”
The Swan Jet couldn’t take us across the Atlantic, so Taelon had booked us first-class tickets on a commercial flight. I wasn’t sure what kind of pull the Swan family had with the human world, but no one questioned us or even bothered making sure we went through security. The Swan seal on our tickets was all that mattered. We were even on the plane before anyone else boarded. No one else was in the first-class cabin, and the flight attendants offered us everything from champagne to grapes and even dessert—all of which we declined—before we even got off the ground. They settled on leaving us some water before just waiting on standby.
I did notice there were vampires, which I actually liked. The fact that there were everyday vampires living their lives, trying to get from point to point like everyone else was comforting, to me at least.
“You’re taking it for granted. If I could sleep, I would. I’m jealous you can.” I really was. What was the point of making the chair into a bed if I couldn’t close my eyes and drift off? “I miss sleep. How long does it take before I’m old enough to get to indulge, too?”
He thought back, and when he did, his mind and eyes seemed to drift, focusing on the memories. His voice was low as he spoke. “My first nap happened when I was about five hundred. It wasn’t long, a few minutes, and I didn’t need to sleep again for almost two more centuries. Then around eight hundred, I slept a full day. It was beautiful. It was the first time I dreamed. I craved it more but didn’t need to sleep again for fifty years. By nine hundred, it was every few decades. Once I reached millennium, it was as if I was knocked on my ass the moment the sun came up. It is different for everyone, but do not expect to shut your eyes and sleep for at least a few more centuries. It’s worse for me than my elder brothers, Ulrik and Hinrik. I’m out like candlelight, while they are still a bit alert…they are soldiers and war could break out at any moment.” His eyes widened as he joked about them, speaking with a heavier, harsher accent, with more emphasis on each of the words. It was harder to place than I thought.
“What accent is that?
