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“If that’s true, then why did he leave me alone?” I hated how cracked my voice sounded when the emotions slipped through.
“Because he wasn’t strong enough to be what you needed. It was for the best, trust me. You’re destined for far more than Astor.”
I wanted to believe that, but I couldn’t just let go of the chapter of my life. Not just yet. “I’m going to try to sleep now.”
“Goodnight, love.” He rolled on his side, and I pulled the covers tight against myself.
My arm brushed against the edge of his wing as he rested on his side. “Sorry,” I whispered as I tried to make myself comfortable.
The room was freezing cold, and the warmth in the blanket slowly dissipated. These rooms weren’t built for mortals. But, while he was usually cold, his body seemed to radiate heat as he lay still. I deduced that they still had blood pumping around their body, and his wings were warmer than the rest of him. Slowly, so as not to bother him, I inched closer to his wings, feeling the heat from them, even if they were tucked behind his back.
Flickers of touch ran between us as I turned, and he rolled over too. His breaths grew longer and more pronounced as his head leaned closer to mine.
I didn’t dare speak. His eyes were closed, from what I could tell anyway. I shivered, moving half an inch closer, curling deeper into the blanket.
“Are you cold?” His voice jolted me.
I breathed in the icy air. “Yes. I don’t remember it being as chilly back at the house.”
“We’re farther north.” He extended an arm, his touch lightly brushing against my hip. I flinched, and he paused. “You can move up against me. I won’t bite.”
“You’re cold too.”
“Not always,” he drawled. “Not when I’m resting. I just live in a cold climate with no need to keep myself warm. I’m not cold-blooded.”
I shuffled back against him, against all my better judgments. But I was far too cold to argue. His arm curled around my stomach as I turned my back to him, and he pulled me closer against his torso.
Together, our bodies generated heat which stayed trapped under the covers. The shivering subsided, and the muscles in his arm tensed. I shifted my hips against him, entwining my legs with his, wanting to steal all his warmth.
His breath whispered against the top of my ear. “You might want to stop rocking against me, unless you’re willing to do something about it.”
Tingling fluttered in my stomach. He had to be joking, but I wasn’t so sure. “No, no. Gods, I’m sorry,” I apologized, moving an inch away from him, leaving a gap between us. I glanced up and back, and I swore I saw him half grin before turning over.
I lightly touched his wings, staying close to them as I fell asleep, and to my surprise, he let me snuggle up against them. Sleep consumed me, lulling me into a place where my nightmares felt far too real, filled with a hundred scenarios of meeting the vampire king—my father. In less than fifteen hours, I would be face to face with him for the first time in eighteen years.
NINETEEN
Sebastian tucked his wings behind his back as we landed inside the large, stone walls of the royal castle. We stood upon the ancient cobbles of the walkway going all the way around the court. Moss clung to the gray-blue stone, the same color as the few forest-green trees beyond the wrought-iron gates.
Fog covered the area as we walked under the dove-gray sky with the sun hidden beyond clouds and mountain peaks. Tucking my fingers underneath the fake-fur coat Sebastian had brought up for me this morning, I found I wasn’t as cold as I thought I’d be, although my breath sent mist from my lips.
“It’s huge.” I marveled, craning my neck as I looked up at the arched windows emitting a yellow-orange hue, moving my gaze to the tall towers and spires which disappeared into a layer of mist. “I’m nervous,” I whispered as he walked us to the open double-wood doors.
He took my arm, pausing before we walked inside. So far, there were no sangaree guests outside, only two guards, both of whom acknowledged Sebastian and nodded for us to proceed.
Everything was said in the light squeeze to my hand and a half smile from him. Last night and our midnight encounter, I decided to call it. It had been awkward, and I expected him to act as much when we woke, but he pretended as if nothing happened. In fact, he wore an amused smile as he got ready and drank his breakfast.
The high, hand-painted ceilings were the first thing I noticed, as they portrayed scenes from a thousand years of vampire history. Oranges mixed with browns, reds, and golds swirled together to create figures from a time our world forgot. We kept to the ornate red rug outstretched over uneven stone slabs.
I stole a glance out the window and stared at the view. It was hard to believe minutes before we had flown over through those mountains.
How was I going to escape from here? I saw now why my mom had a vampire help her escape. This place was built for flying, except for one long, narrow road winding between the mountains and running up to the gate. A sea of trees stretched between the walls and the obsidian-black mountains and snowy crevices.
Sebastian nodded as we walked past the most beautiful vampires I’d ever seen. Women wore dresses that appeared as if they had been spun from the stars and moon in their shimmering colors. One had blonde hair, which fell in waves around her shoulders as she walked with three other ladies and a man, who was wearing a suit which even outdid Sebastian's three-piece.
I stared around, noticing that Sebastian somehow managed to look casual, even in a suit. His rolled-up sleeves and top-unbuttoned shirt showed off his tattoos. His blazer was folded over his free arm, and his smile as he greeted his people was enough to charm a kingdom out of its empire. No wonder he’d risen so quickly with the way he spoke, his body language and expressions. It was enough to make any person feel like the center of attention when he focused on them, and he was comfortable in his surroundings, as if he belonged here.
Many looked at me, of course, with a curiosity I had not seen in the city. Perhaps they were more used to sorcerers here. Finally, I spotted a mortal woman on the arm of a man, dressed as if she was one of them, and got my answer. Everything was an illusion, a place where the true barbarity of the kingdom was hidden behind eloquence and decadence.
