fear that my father’s curse lingers inside of me and that my offspring will be only human.”
“Would that be so bad?” I asked.
A smile that had disappeared as he spoke of his family returned. He reached across the table and gently squeezed my hand and said, “No. It wouldn’t be bad at all. In fact, it might actually be better. The mother’s survival rate of giving birth to males of the vampire line is very low, especially pure-breed males. And considering that male births dominate in my family, there’s a very strong possibility of my offspring being male. So yes, it might be something I would prefer.” He continued to tell me more about the vampires and their past and I soaked in every word he said. He also told me that one of our American wars was against a vampire race but he wouldn’t tell me which one, but did mention that no human army could stand against the vampires now. That the vampire race had learned from the mistakes of their past and were not doomed to repeat them. He had a sparkle in his eyes as he spoke of the old days and how things were before the first war. He referred to it as the dark time at one point, and he’d occasionally throw in a word that didn’t seem to fit. Like he wasn’t originally from this country. He wouldn’t tell me where any of this took place or in what years. He just told me the details that I couldn’t trace. But I didn’t care. He’d shared openly with me. And I treasured that.
“Thank you,” I said once he seemed like he wasn’t going to share anymore.
“For what?” He asked before blowing another large bubble.
“For sharing. Oliver always tells me it’s not his story to share.”
He grinned crookedly at me, his sky blue eyes grinning too. “Well, that’s the difference between him and me. He’s protective of you. I’m here to protect you.” His smile continued to spread across his face. “And who says it’s not my story to share? It’s my history, they’re my people.” He blew another bubble and seemed delighted with himself at how large it got.
I smiled at his honesty and the innocence that radiated from him.
“Well,” he said as he rose from the table that looked minuscule next to him, “we’d better get ice cream for the others and head back.”
I tossed my empty cup into the trash and followed him back into the quaint little shop.
I was holding a cold bag full of ice cream on my lap and rubbing the side of my head as we drove back to the house. I wasn’t sure whose house it was anymore. Should I call it the lair? The vamp cave? I made myself giggle a little and it took away from the tinge of pain my head was feeling. Felix apologized again for elbowing me in the noggin when he was paying for the others’ ice cream. It wasn’t bad. Kind of funny now. I don’t think I’d been thumped in the head like that since I was little and was at elbow range on Lilly. Thinking about it, I realized I was the size of a child compared to Felix. Now that was funny!
I brushed it off and thought of something else to say so he’d stop apologizing repeatedly. “You know we have the same last name?”
“Yep,” he smiled happily out the windshield as he drove. “It’s not my given name though. My given name is Ryant.” Ryant had been the only royal name that he had given me of the royal survivors of the war. He wouldn’t share the other three with me. He had said it was confidential. Then he began telling me something different that distracted me all together.
“You know she was never a part of his plan.” He glanced over at me, then continued, “Oliver needs things in order, it’s his personality. Julz was never a part of the plan he had for his life.” We’d arrived back at the “Lair” and were parked in the same place as before we had left.
I looked down at the cold bag in my lap and asked very quietly, “Was I?”
“You always have been,” he reached a hand
“Would that be so bad?” I asked.
A smile that had disappeared as he spoke of his family returned. He reached across the table and gently squeezed my hand and said, “No. It wouldn’t be bad at all. In fact, it might actually be better. The mother’s survival rate of giving birth to males of the vampire line is very low, especially pure-breed males. And considering that male births dominate in my family, there’s a very strong possibility of my offspring being male. So yes, it might be something I would prefer.” He continued to tell me more about the vampires and their past and I soaked in every word he said. He also told me that one of our American wars was against a vampire race but he wouldn’t tell me which one, but did mention that no human army could stand against the vampires now. That the vampire race had learned from the mistakes of their past and were not doomed to repeat them. He had a sparkle in his eyes as he spoke of the old days and how things were before the first war. He referred to it as the dark time at one point, and he’d occasionally throw in a word that didn’t seem to fit. Like he wasn’t originally from this country. He wouldn’t tell me where any of this took place or in what years. He just told me the details that I couldn’t trace. But I didn’t care. He’d shared openly with me. And I treasured that.
“Thank you,” I said once he seemed like he wasn’t going to share anymore.
“For what?” He asked before blowing another large bubble.
“For sharing. Oliver always tells me it’s not his story to share.”
He grinned crookedly at me, his sky blue eyes grinning too. “Well, that’s the difference between him and me. He’s protective of you. I’m here to protect you.” His smile continued to spread across his face. “And who says it’s not my story to share? It’s my history, they’re my people.” He blew another bubble and seemed delighted with himself at how large it got.
I smiled at his honesty and the innocence that radiated from him.
“Well,” he said as he rose from the table that looked minuscule next to him, “we’d better get ice cream for the others and head back.”
I tossed my empty cup into the trash and followed him back into the quaint little shop.
I was holding a cold bag full of ice cream on my lap and rubbing the side of my head as we drove back to the house. I wasn’t sure whose house it was anymore. Should I call it the lair? The vamp cave? I made myself giggle a little and it took away from the tinge of pain my head was feeling. Felix apologized again for elbowing me in the noggin when he was paying for the others’ ice cream. It wasn’t bad. Kind of funny now. I don’t think I’d been thumped in the head like that since I was little and was at elbow range on Lilly. Thinking about it, I realized I was the size of a child compared to Felix. Now that was funny!
I brushed it off and thought of something else to say so he’d stop apologizing repeatedly. “You know we have the same last name?”
“Yep,” he smiled happily out the windshield as he drove. “It’s not my given name though. My given name is Ryant.” Ryant had been the only royal name that he had given me of the royal survivors of the war. He wouldn’t share the other three with me. He had said it was confidential. Then he began telling me something different that distracted me all together.
“You know she was never a part of his plan.” He glanced over at me, then continued, “Oliver needs things in order, it’s his personality. Julz was never a part of the plan he had for his life.” We’d arrived back at the “Lair” and were parked in the same place as before we had left.
I looked down at the cold bag in my lap and asked very quietly, “Was I?”
“You always have been,” he reached a hand
Similar Books
