Page 51 of Close Quarter
That choice was long gone for Silas. "No.
You have me." He paused and added, "If you want me."
"Idiot." Rhys spoke into Silas's chest. "I'd give my life for you."
That froze Silas's blood, chased every warm thought from his head. In the corner of the room, thelemur--the shade--of a long-dead fae lurked.
"Please don't. Don't ever."
Rhys lifted his head, confusion written in the lines of his expression.
"I don't want to live through that again."
RHYS SEARCHED SILAS'S face, then sat up fully. Terror hid behind that soft expression, those low tones.What happened to you?A memory--not his own--stirred. He sucked in air and exhaled. "Tell me about the soulless."
Silas's lips twitched, and for a moment Rhys thought he might refuse.
Silas wilted into the mattress and looked away. "I was young, by fae standards, when I fell in love." There was a distance to his voice Rhys had heard before, in his own voice when he'd recounted the tale of his father--tales ofDerrick.
"He broke your heart?"
Silas chuckled, a bitter and hollow sound.
"Oh no. He loved me back. Passionately. We were of an age when we didn't know any better. He was..." Silas furrowed his brow. "I've never told anyone this story before."
"You don't have to."
Silas sat up. "No, it's important that I do. You were right. This"--he waved his hand to encompass the room--"is about me. At least in part." Silas found his robe, pulled it on, and wrapped it closed.
"Most fae live in courts--groups of families led by one fae. A king or a queen."
"The summer court and the winter court,” Rhys said. "That's in the fairy tales."
"Those are Scottish. I was born in Campania --south of Rome."
"What was his name?"
The question carved Silas's mouth into a deep frown. He shook his head once and then spoke. "Vel Calavius Isatis."
It hurt to hear the pain in his voice. How long had it been since he had said that name? "Go on."
Silas rubbed his brow. "Life was idyllic.
Blissful. Until Phyrrhus of Epirus waged war on the Romans in the region. It shouldn't have been an issue. Wars washed over us like heavy rain. We held on, dug in deep, then cleaned up the mess once the humans were through with killing each other."
"But not that time."
"No. Phyrrhus brought more than just humans with him from Greece, though I doubt he knew it.
But the soulless are always looking for an opportunity to take life, and what better place than in war?" Silas pulled his legs in and rested his chin on his knees. "Fae are more appealing to the soulless than humans. Full of the energy they crave.
Humans die easily. We do not."
Rhys touched his neck. Just how attractive was he to the vampires? A battery--transformer-- whatever the hell he was? He shook that thought away. "What happened?"
"A soulless found Isatis and me one night while we lay in a field together. We were far from the battles, but it must have felt the court, scented us out. It surprised us and dragged me away. Isatis attempted to rescue me but failed."
"Died?"
