Page 78 of Caller of Crows
Mordyn leaned back on his stool and regarded Sven. "I heard that Alt's being an asshole about letting you attend your mom's funeral."
That caught Sven off guard, and, funny enough, his first reaction was to defend Altair. "He's trying to protect me."
"By locking you inside the coven like Rapunzel in her high tower?" Mordyn snorted. "Listen, I love the man like a brother, but he doesn't know how to deal with emotions. And that makes him a bit of an idiot."
Sven couldn't argue with that. Altair certainly had his moments. "He does care," Sven insisted. "I just need to make him understand why this is important to me."
Mordyn shook his head, smiling wryly. "Oh, believe me, I know he cares about you. It's obvious to everyone in this place." The vampire paused. "He's set in his ways, though. Stubborn. He won't change his mind easily." He glanced over at the two vampires still sitting at the far table and then back to Sven. "If you want to go to this funeral, you'll have to do it without his knowledge."
Sven blinked at him, not sure what to say in response. "Are you offering your help?"
"Yes. Alt's my best friend, and I think you're good for him. I don't want to see you break up because he's too much of an idiot to let you get closure. So yeah, I'll help you. On one condition."
"What's that?" Sven asked suspiciously.
"Don't get yourself killed, or Alt's gonna kill me."
"Deal," Sven said after some hesitation because Mordyn was right; he did need closure.
Mordyn grinned, looking delighted, and Sven's lips nearly twitched as well. He didn't know how Mordyn managed, but his cheerfulness seemed almost contagious.
"You're not worried about another vampire coven snatching me up?" Sven asked.
"Nah." Mordyn waved him off. "You'll be the one organizing this little get-together, right? Just make sure the ceremony's early enough that you can get back to the club before sunset."
Sven thought about that. "There's no vampires who could attack me in daylight?"
Mordyn shot him a long look. "No vampire in this city can step into the sun without suffering injuries. You're worth quite a bit, but not that much."
Sven wasn't quite certain whether he felt insulted or not. "Right." He looked down at his plate, trying to sort through the thoughts in his head. When he glanced in Altair's direction, he noticed that the vampire was getting up.
"Let me know what you decide to do, and when," Mordyn said, slipping Sven a small bag that felt like it had bird seeds in it. "To distract the crows." He winked, and then he disappeared, just like that, leaving Sven to stare at the spot where he'd been.
A moment later, Sven looked at the small, black leather pouch in his hand and slipped it into his jeans pocket, just as Altair reached him. Altair glanced at the chair where Mordyn had sat just seconds ago and frowned. "Where's he off to?"
Sven shrugged, trying to look innocent so the vampire wouldn't try to read his mind. "I don't know. He just said he had some business to take care of."
"Hmm," Altair said and sat down in the seat Mordyn had vacated.
Sven studied Altair. "Did you manage to sort everything out?"
The vampire nodded. "For the most part," he agreed. "I'm still waiting on a few reports, but that will have to wait until tomorrow."
"You're tired?" Sven asked, studying him closely. The vampire looked worn out.
Altair shook his head at the question. "No," he replied softly. Then he sighed, his shoulders drooping ever so slightly. "Well, yes, maybe. It doesn't matter." He gestured at Sven's plate. "You still haven't finished your food."
"Maybe I'm tired too." Sven took another bite, though, because he didn't want to add another worry toAltair'splate. "I've thought about the funeral," he said. "You're dead-set against letting me out of here?"
Altair looked away and sighed again. "I wish you would understand."
"I do understand, I just don't agree with you. I have to do this. Please, Alt." Sven hated that he sounded like he was begging.
Altair's expression was pensive as they looked at each other and Sven waited for the rejection with a sinking heart. He should have known this was going to be a pointless discussion, but it had been worth a shot.
"I'd be back before sunset," Sven added. "No one's going to attack me while all the vampire world's asleep."
Altair studied him, and finally, he relented. "I'll think about it."
