Page 32 of The Vampire Castle in the Sky

“Hector,” she sighed. “What if I leave and something bad happens?”

“What if you stay and something worse happens?”

“I’ve never defied a vision before,” she argued, a stubborn crease between her brows. “Destiny is not something to disregard so easily.”

I did not believe in destiny. I did not fear unseen gods and invisible threads. The only thing that scared me was her agony.

A sudden knock on the door made Thea jump forward, seeking cover in my arms. Part of me ached seeing her so frightened. Part of me was relieved that her first instinct was to curl her fingers into my shirt and hide her face in my chest.

This was the root of my conflict. This was why I kept wavering between bringing her closer and letting her go. My endless, physical longing for her had made me believe that there was no safer place in the world for Thea than in my arms. No harm or misery could ever find her so long as she was with me. But, in truth, the very entanglement of our worlds was putting her in harm’s way.

It had been different for my parents. Eron was the husband of Esperida, and I was not Esperida. Far from it, if today had proven anything.

Slowly, Thea untwined her body from mine, mouthing a flustered,Sorry.

The fullness of her body lingered upon my limbs. I had to clear the desire from my throat before I turned toward the door. “Come in.”

Roan’s face came into view, wrapped up in an expression of wary curiosity. “Are you two alright?”

“Thea isn’t feeling very well,” I announced steadily. I was good at lying. I was good at being whoever and whatever I needed to be depending on my company. I would say it was a vampire’s skill, as deception and illusion often accompanied the other darker attributes of my kind, but I had yet to meet a creature—vampire or otherwise—who didn’t lie, even if it were only to themselves. “She’s thinking of going to Lumia to see a physician.”

As Roan turned to face her, I wasn’t sure if the flicker in his eyes was one of disbelief or genuine worry. I just knew I didn’t like it. “Well, my husband, Tieran, happens to be an excellent physician. Unless, of course, your ailment is of a feminine nature, I assure you he’s more than capable of providing you with the care you require.”

“No, it’s fine, really,” Thea croaked, touching a tremulous hand at the base of her throat. “I was just feeling a bit lightheaded. I didn’t drink enough water today.”

It took everything in my power to conceal my indignation. She was too stubborn for her own good, too fearful of her own magic. It shouldn’t surprise me that she’d rather face a group of bloodthirsty vampires than roam beyond the limitations of her power. Her whole life she had dreaded living outside the lines of destiny. But the cursed creature in me couldn’t help but wonder what the point of free will was if not to challenge these gods-made constructs.

“Are you sure?” Roan persisted.

“I’m feeling much better already,” Thea claimed.

Roan offered her a polite, if not a bit dismissive, smile. “In that case, can I have a private word with Hector? I promise not to monopolize him for too long.”

“Of course,” said Thea courteously, walking backwards toward the exit.

I went to open the door for her, my hand sliding down her arm to close around her wrist. Her pulse beneath my fingertips quickened, her round lips parting in a silent question.

I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Don’t go far from me.”

Was it eight, nine years ago that I’d spoken these words for the first time? The Castle was visiting Thaloria, and Thea and I were scavenging the Dragonfly Forest for a pixie nest. Lumia, a magicless kingdom as it were, was diligently avoided by the fairy folk, and in the newness of boyhood, I was burning with curiosity, for the only magical thing in our woods was the Castle. So we searched by nixie-infested brooks and mushroom-littered willows until we got separated on the path close to Fairyland—a dreadful place for a little human to be near indeed.

Once I found Thea, after the longest and arguably the most agonizing fifteen minutes of my life, I closed her in my arms and implored her,“Don’t go far from me again.”

We ended up saying this a lot growing up, every time one of us left or sometimes even as a greeting. Part of us, I thought, had always known a greater separation was coming.

Now, her gaze trapped mine in its unbeatable confidence, and I felt the uncertainty of our situation washing away from my body like dirty water. “Never again,” she promised.

I watched her go, but even after her lithe figure disappeared in the candlelit shadows of the corridor, I could still feel the warmth of her skin buzzing over my fingers. I flexed them at my side, hoping to ease the tension. I didn’t know what kind of magic that was. I just wished for it to stop.

Roan made an impatient sound deep in his throat.

I veered, forcing myself into a more companionable mood. “I’m listening.”

“I want to apologize to you,” he said.

I cocked a brow. “Shouldn’t Camilla be the one apologizing to me?”

“Oh, please,” snorted Roan. “Camilla hasn’t apologized for anything in her entire life. You know how she can be. She just likes the drama. She didn’t mean anything by it.”

---