Page 70 of Vampire's Breath

I clapped him on the shoulder, the tension between us finally lightening. “She simply called it a spirited ascent.”

“It still doesn’t mean I want to lose my lunch.”

I smirked. “Then don’t eat.”

Conall let out an exaggerated sigh as he stood, the legs of the chair scraping against the floor. He stretched and looked around. “I guess I’ll go gather my things. Are you going to shower?”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t the one running through the underbelly of the city last night.”

My brother smiled. “Yes, well… She tasted good.” He let the words hover in the air before heading to his room.

Within a few hours, we were back in the sky. Conall and I sat facing each other at the dining table, a flask resting between us. He took a sip, then extended it toward me. “You really ought to have some.”

I shook my head, the metallic scent curling to my nostrils, but I ignored it, my stomach bubbling. “I’m fine. I don’t need to eat nearly as often as you all think I do.”

Conall bit the inside of his cheek. “The last thing you want is for bloodlust to take over when you’re in the middle of searching for Briar,” he warned. “Or worse, when you find her.”

I wrinkled my forehead. “You seem to think something is going to go wrong.”

He shrugged. “I just want to make sure it doesn’t.”

I leaned forward, resting my elbow on my knee. “I promise you, I will be fine. There’s no way I would ever hurt Briar. I’ve controlled myself for the past nine hundred years. Nothing about this will make me lose control.” If only I believed that statement to be accurate, as the desire to be near her grew stronger by the hour. How could I tell my brother the truth—the absolute truth?

Conall didn’t argue, but he didn’t look away either. We both sat back in silence. The sounds of his soft inhale as he prepared to speak broke the hush.

“You know,” he said, “since we know where Briar is now, and you’re not supposed to be in Orkney long, maybe I should stay in Aberdeen.”

I arched an eyebrow. “You just want to avoid the next puddle jumper with Zadie.”

He rolled his eyes. “If Aiden’s tracking Briar, he’ll realize she passed through here. I can coordinate with Joshua and Patricia from Aberdeen to review ferry manifests, flight logs, and CCTV footage. Hopefully, I’ll see him coming if he moves. And if he does, I’m better positioned to intercept.”

I sat back, turning the thought over in my mind. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. If he comes through here, I might need to stall him the hard way.”

I gave him a tight smile, one of the first that wasn’t forced. “Just make sure it’s him before you break his neck.”

“No promises.”

I smirked. “Cormac won’t be pleased if you don’t attempt to solve this with diplomacy.”

Conall rolled his eyes but stayed silent.

My smile grew. “It’s been much too long since I’ve teased you like this.”

“Well, whose fault is that?” He took another swig from the flask.

I folded my arms across my chest. “I know it’s my fault, Conall. And I’m sorry that I ran.”

He exhaled heavily, his gaze drifting toward the cabin window.

“I heard about what happened in Waterford,” I continued. “The way Aiden tricked you into being there when he beheaded Charles. Runa never should have gone after you for it.”

Conall screwed the cap onto his flask. “Yeah, well, nothing like running from your home to save your hide.”

I took a deep breath, clenching my fists as they sat on the table, focusing on them. “I should have been there to help you. I shouldhave been there, as I always had been. I just… I wanted nothing to do with him. I still want nothing to do with him. Or any of this. I want to live in peace and not worry that our power-hungry brother is going to destroy my life, my family, at any moment.”

Conall drew in a heavy breath. “Then why don’t you stay and help us now?” His voice didn’t waver in the slightest.

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