Page 101 of Caller of Crows
Altair cupped Sven's cheek and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose. "There is nothing in the world that can stop me from protecting what belongs to me," he vowed, staring straight into Sven's eyes. "Nothing."
And oh God, those words made Sven melt. Because Altair was telling the truth; Sven could sense it deep within him.
In that moment, Sven was Altair's. Utterly and wholly.
And, more than anything, he wanted Altair to be his in return, to understand everything about him, to know him fully.
"Did you love him?" Sven blurted out. "Your brother? Or did you hate him?"
"Love is not a word I would use," Altair said softly. "There were other things between us, but not love." Emotion flickered behind Altair's eyes. For a second, Sven thought that the vampire wasn't going to say anything more, that he would shut himself off again, retreat to somewhere Sven could not reach him, but then he spoke once more, his voice softer than Sven had ever heard it. "My brother and I used to be very close as children, but things changed when I turned into a vampire. You see, mortals were already on the verge of dying out at that time and my family was furious that I'd switched sides. They were very anti-paranormals." His lips twitched, almost as if trying to form a bitter smile, but not quite making it there. "Neph was the only one who'd still talk to me at all. He didn't approve of my decision, but he didn't judge me for it." Altair paused.
"What happened?" Sven asked.
"I was young and stupid," Altair said. "As a new vampire, I thought I was invincible. I got injured, badly, and the only thing that could help me recover was feeding on mortal blood. My brother offered his assistance and I accepted, not realizing that the act would destroy his life."
Sven shook his head. "That doesn't make sense."
"Oh, believe me, it does. I drained so much of his blood, there was hardly any left for him to survive on." Altair's expression hardened. "I had to turn him so that he wouldn't die."
Sven gasped. "You turned him into a vampire?"
"There was no other choice." Altair ran one hand through his hair as his eyes fixed on something in the distance. "He hated me for it." He chuckled darkly, but his laughter faded quickly, and sadness crept across his face. "He blamed me for everything. Our people considered him a traitor, same as me. His wife left him. He lost his job, of course." Altair swallowed heavily. "Even his kids became terrified of him."
"I'm sorry," Sven breathed, heart breaking for the pain in Altair's voice. "You didn't mean for that to happen."
"No." Altair turned to look at Sven once more. "But eventually he became the monster everyone thought he was."
Sven shivered involuntarily at hearing Altair talk about Nephariel that way. The vampire had been a cold-blooded bastard, there was no denying that, but it was clear that Altair hadn't wanted anything that happened tonight to happen.
"Do you regret killing him?" Sven inquired carefully.
Altair's fingers brushed over Sven's lips, trailing over his lower lip in a featherlight touch. "The truth is, I should have killed him much sooner. Years ago. When he became something other than himself. But I let him be, and he got his revenge on me by turning my mate against her will, the way I did to him." He closed his eyes as a pained expression crossed his face. "She never deserved to suffer for my sins. And neither do you."
Sven stared at Altair as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place inside of his head. All this time, he'd thought it had been Altair who'd turned Isabella, but it hadn't been. Nephariel did that. All to hurt his brother.
And when Nephariel had gotten his hands on Sven, Altair had done everything in his power to stop history from repeating itself. Including killing the monster he'd created.
A wave of affection hit Sven as realization washed over him. His own pain and fear faded, replaced by a yearning desire to comfort this man who'd gone through so much pain and loss. He shifted closer to Altair, pressing their bodies flush together, chest to chest. He traced his thumb over Altair's cheek and kissed him tenderly.
He never wanted to leave this man's side again.
This was where he belonged.
He smiled and wrapped his good arm around Altair's waist, keeping him as close as possible as his heart brimmed over with emotion. Then he whispered the three words he'd never spoken aloud to anyone, except his mother: "I love you."
For a split second, Altair went absolutely still. Even his eyes remained frozen, his expression blank.
Then he exhaled slowly, closing his eyes and kissing Sven deeply before moving back just enough to murmur against his mouth, "You deserve better than a vampire's life."
Sven's heart lurched, and he scowled at the vampire. "Can't you just repeat the words back to me, you stubborn asshole?"
Altair blinked at Sven's tone, then frowned. He was silent for several moments as if processing what Sven had said. Finally, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Sven's ear, nuzzling his earlobe lightly. "I love you," he whispered in a rough voice. "If youreallyneeded to hear it."
Relief flooded Sven and he laughed. "That wasn't so difficult now, was it?" He brushed his fingers through Altair's hair lovingly.
"Yes," Altair groaned dramatically. "So difficult. Never again."
"Liar." Sven grinned and kissed Altair's throat.
