Page 18 of Blood Lord

"So, what is a vrakken? You're magic. You can fly. What else?"

"Well, we're all magic, but only some of us can fly."

That's interesting, and for some reason, it makes me believe him more. I cock my head, staring at his wingtips. "Why?"

"I think that the newer generations aren't as pure, honestly. Before, when we were all closer generation to the First, we had wings. But as the generations have gone on, less and less have wings. Those that do are faster and stronger and better with magic."

I grin. "So, you're one of the elite?"

He shrugs. "I'm not without my limitations, of course."

"Like what?" I edge closer, and the way that his eyes skate down my body, not unlike how I keep doing to him, makes the conversation feel flirtatious.

"Why do you want to know?" He wiggles his eyebrows and I giggle. "Are you afraid of me? Need to know my weakness?"

Though he says it teasingly, I think it is a true concern of his, so I say seriously, "No. I'm curious about you. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He waves it away. There's a cocky air about Raziel that makes a bit more sense now that I know his wings make him special. "I don't think you can use it against me anyway. I can't go in the sun."

I shake my head. "What?" I blurt out. The concept is so ridiculous that I almost laugh. He does have porcelain white skin so I hedge, "You mean you burn easily?"

That taunting smile returns. "You may burn easily," he teases, looking at my skin that's only a shade or two darker than his. Honestly, he's the only being I've ever met that I am darker than. "But I cannot go in the sun at all."

"What will happen?" I breathe, and for some reason, my heart starts to thunder.

Raziel trails his hand over his skin. "A few minutes will only blister my skin. It's painful but it will heal. But more than that and it will start to bust the blisters, ripping open my skin until I am nothing but open sores."

"Third degree burns," I murmur, and he cocks his head, studying me.

There's a faint recognition in his eyes as he says, "Exactly." I wonder if his humans have said that to him before.

"So, you're a night owl then," I tease, trying to lighten the mood, but in reality, I feel like I'm choking. My chest squeezes painfully tight as I stare down at his arm, imagining his beautiful skin burned and blistered to such an extent just by passing through the sun's rays.

"I am."

I nod. "I guess that you finding me during the circus makes sense then." I rattle my brain, trying to think of any more questions I have, and then one of his earlier ones strikes me. "You asked about my family, but you didn't tell me about yours."

His eyes dart away from mine as he rubs the back of his neck. "I had one."

I feel a little guilty as I press. "You had one?"

Raziel clears his throat but doesn't meet my eyes. "Before. On Earth, I had one."

"But they didn't come with you?" A tight shake of his head, and I almost don't ask the next question. "Why?"

His head snaps to face me and then his eyes go past my shoulder, toward the mouth of the cave. He rocks up onto his heels, shifting into a crouch before standing up—or at least as much as he can—and it's clear that I've hit a nerve. The cave isn't tall enough to accommodate his height.

"It will be light soon," he tells me. "I need to go get you food before the sun rises or you'll have to wait another day."

He takes a few steps forward before stopping, twisting around to look at me with a hint of confusion. "Humans do still eat, right?"

I giggle, wondering what kind of humans they have underground. Do some of them not eat? But I decide not to pester him with any more questions for now, only saying, "Of course we do. Don't you?"

It was meant to be teasing, but his face falls a little. His mouth presses into a grim smile, and he mutters, "You could call it that."

I don't have time to ask him about that before he strides off, calling over his shoulder, "Stay put. The forest is dangerous."

And then he disappears out into the night, leaving me alone to contemplate all that I just learned.

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