Page 117 of Caller of Crows
Cale's features softened. "So that's really it, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," Sven confirmed. "That's it."
Silence fell upon them after that as they contemplated Sven's declaration and Sven's gaze went back to his mother's tombstone. He'd expected that it would hurt to look at it, but he knew that she was with him, watching over him, happy for him. That was another gift Altair had given him unwittingly in the process of turning him. Sven never felt alone now, and he suspected he never would again.
"So what's it like being a vampire?" Cale asked. "Do you really drink people's blood every day? Does it give you special superpowers?"
Sven huffed a laugh. "I do enjoy blood, but it's all ethically sourced or synthetic. I do not have superpowers… at least not yet." A week after his turning, he was still a baby by vampire standards, and while he did have the ability to connect his mind with Altair's, that was probably more an extension of Altair's power than his own. And besides, Cale didn't have to know about that. "I enjoy life in the coven," he said to distract from the topic. "They're a weird bunch for sure, but they're starting to treat me like one of their own."
"I see," Kieran said with a small nod. "Let us know if anything ever goes wrong."
"Honestly," Sven said, "at this point, the thing I'm most worried about is losing next month's game night." Keegan had already made a comment about getting his revenge by making them all play Scrabble, and Sven wasnotgood at Scrabble.
"Game night?" Cale questioned, lifting an eyebrow at Sven. "Really? You're dating a vampire now and your biggest problem is that you're gonna lose next month's game night?"
Sven shrugged, grinning. "Yeah."
Kieran chuckled. "Maybe we should try visiting that club sometime."
"Definitely," Sven said. "We have drinks and snacks for non-vampires too, and I can introduce you to everyone." He gave his friends another smile, and then he looked up at the sky. There was some time yet before the sun would rise, but Sven knew that Altair would worry if Sven wasn't back home well before that. Altair might be able to suffer the sun and get away with just his skin burned, but Sven was still young enough that the first rays of dawn might be deadly. "I need to get going." He hugged both of his friends in turn. "Thank you so much for coming. It means a lot to me."
"If you need our help," Cale said, "you'll call, right?"
"I will," Sven promised. "And I'll let you know when it's a good time to come by." He glanced at his mother's grave one last time and then said his goodbyes to his friends.
* * *
Altair pretended like he hadn't been worried at all when Sven got home, but Sven knew better, of course. Thanks to the connection between their minds, he picked up on Altair's concern for his safety, no matter how hard Altair tried to hide it.
Instead of commenting on it, though, he walked into the rec room with a bright smile on his face. "That was a good night."
"You enjoyed meeting your friends?"
"Yeah." Sven plopped down on the couch and snuggled against his mate. "I think they're gonna swing by the club sometime."
Altair slipped an arm around Sven's shoulders. "I'm glad they're so accepting."
"Yeah, me too."
Altair ran his hand along Sven's arm. "The nights are growing longer now. You'll have more time to run around soon."
"I'm not worried about that," Sven said, although, in all honesty, he did miss seeing the sunrise, sometimes. Especially now, in autumn, when the colors of the sky were at their most vibrant.
Altair looked at him silently, studying him. "Close your eyes," he whispered.
Sven frowned but did as his mate instructed. "Now what?" he asked after a few seconds.
"Be patient."
Then, Sven sensed it, a connection to Altair's mind, a thread he could follow, and when he did, he saw things through his lover's eyes. His vision was fuzzy at first, blurry at best, but after he took a few deep breaths, it steadied. He saw himself sitting next to Altair, his head leaning against the vampire's shoulder.
Weird.
He was about to open his mouth and say something, but Altair shushed him. "Focus."
Altair's eyes closed, and so Sven's vision went dark as well, but only for a moment, then, what he saw changed. He saw the sky.
He gasped when he realized that he wasn't seeing through Altair's eyes anymore. He was seeing what one of Altair'scrowswas seeing.
