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As he tapped his fingers on the arm of the cushy chair, he looked forward to finally hanging out with Nora again after his meeting. He'd seen her at dinner the last two evenings, but it wasn't exactly private and they hadn't been able to discuss anything deep or meaningful.
And while she hadn't exactly been avoiding him completely, she'd definitely been doing her best to not be alone with him.
He couldn't blame her, really. It was probably overwhelming as fuck to suddenly find your fated lord, breathe, and even discover how kissing could be enjoyable instead of forced and disgusting.
Although his wanting to be alone with her this evening was twofold—yeah, he wanted to see her, but also his nightmares were worse, and her presence seemed to ease them a bit.
Hazy memories of being sliced, and burned, and even shocked kept waking him up, although the details faded within seconds. It was a miracle he could get an hour or two of sleep. And without it, he was healing way slower than normal.
It was only a matter of time until all his memories from his captivity rushed forth and River would have to deal with the aftermath.
The door swung open and River remembered the etiquette Yesenia had drilled into him. He stood and turned toward the fae witch, who held so much fucking power over him in this century, and nodded in greeting.
William Khan was tall with black hair and medium-brown skin. But it was his dark brown eyes that made him blink. In his gaze there was no shortage of self-assurance or confidence about his place in the world, far above River, and he knew it.
Although as a doctor, River sensed an aloofness about the Dark Lord that wasn't natural but constructed on purpose. He really needed to learn more about what Khan could do with his powers, because the title of Wielder of Nightmares didn't share much in the way of details.
Khan moved to a far wall, crossed his arms over his chest, and ordered, "Sit."
River frowned, nearly asking why he would stand over there along the wall when there were plenty of chairs, but shrugged and sat.
The Dark Lord studied him and River didn't fidget. After a few beats, the other fae witch finally spoke up. "I've heard you're a doctor from the twenty-first century, and that you're the fated lord of Nora Yates. What else should I know about you?"
Surely his sister had shared some information about him. She regularly corresponded with Khan, although Yesenia never shared what they wrote about. "Um, well, should I be completely honest?" Khan nodded and River continued, "I'm somewhat lost, trying to figure out sh—, er, stuff here. And I'm still healing from being held prisoner, where they beat and tortured me."
"Who held you and did those things?"
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Khan to fuck off—River didn't like admitting one of his greatest failures—but he resisted the urge and forced himself to answer. "A group of vampires sent by their mob boss back in Boston, one my father owes a huge debt to, captured me and kept me for months." He hesitated but decided what the hell, and added, "And I don't remember most of it."
Khan tilted his head. "That's the short version. Tell me the one with more details."
River quickly recapped what had happened, including how Yesenia marrying Derrick Yates had been the way to erase his father's debts, but made sure to keep his captivity fucking vague. If Khan asked for details, he'd have to find a way to deflect. What little he did remember wasn't pretty, and he didn't want to trigger his contained memories in front of a stranger and possibly lose his shit.
When River finished, Khan studied him a beat before saying, "If I understand the timeline correctly, your captivity startedbeforeyour sister was due to marry this vampire king of the underworld."
The Dark Lord was smart. "Yeah, by at least a few weeks. Apparently, Derrick Yates wanted to have an extra incentive to ensure the marriage happened. My captors taunted me with it, actually, since I had no idea before they nabbed me. They threatened both of my sisters too. That much I do remember." He paused, took a deep breath, and added, "Which is why I'm really worried about our sister Meadow. Even before I was taken, I hadn’t heard from her in a while."
Khan nodded. "I'm aware of her situation, as Yesenia's told me a lot about her goals in bringing the both of you here." The corner of his mouth ticked up, the closest thing to a smile River had seen yet on the other fae witch. "Your older sister has become quite the skilled negotiator. I suppose that's what happens when you marry a vampire, as they love making deals and Leopold Yates is one of the best at them." River was about to ask what the hell Khan was talking about, but the fae witch waved a hand in dismissal and spoke before he could. "I'm already helping Yesenia as much as I can to bring your other sister to safety. However, my main concern in the present is about you and Nora Yates, as well as your future here, in this time."
He frowned. "I thought we were going to talk about what you'd allow me to do here in the vampire's patch of London."
"Part of this meeting will address that, yes. But until you decide what to do about this vampire female, the rest can wait. It's only a matter of time before she goes mad, unless she claims you."
River grunted. "I know that. And I plan on helping her before that happens."
If she'd let him, but he didn't say that part out loud.
Khan raised his brows. "Do you wish to marry her like Leo did with Yesenia?"
River blinked and his decorum slipped at the bombshell. "Did you just fucking ask me if I'm marrying Nora after just meeting her?"
Khan nodded. "So?"
River ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I like her, but she has a past and it makes things difficult. Besides, we haven't known each other long. As far as I've learned, people date and get to know each other in the nineteenth century too, before deciding on something as monumental as marriage."
"Normally, yes. However, things have been strained between the vampires and fae witches for nearly a century, until the truce ten years ago. Yesenia stays here with the vampires and my people accept it because she's married to one. You, on the other hand, are an unattached fae witch stuck inside a vampire's territory. It won't be long before my people start grumbling and demanding you come live with us, in your rightful place."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I'm trying to understand how things work here. But keeping everyone segregated seems like it only reinforces fears and stereotypes of others." He lowered his hand. "I mean, we all sort of live together in the future. Sure, not as many humans like living near a paranormal as we do each other, but it's not unheard of. I'm not a peacekeeper or a politician, but I would think having shifters, vampires, and fae witches all interacting more with each other would help smooth things over quicker, no matter how shitty the past."
