Page 14 of The Vampire King's War

HIS MASTER'S VOICE

Earlier…

Balthazar watched Christian vanish beneath the sea of ghosts. They flowed over the top of Christian’s head like a wave. Bitter fear filled his mouth. The urge to reach for his fledgling’s mind to comfort himself that Christian was all right filled him. But that would distract Christian. Yet if he just did it for a minute, surely that wouldn’t be that problematic, would it? He shifted from foot to foot. Fiona grasped his right forearm. He frowned at her.

“What? I’m just--”

“Anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof?” She lifted an eyebrow.

“I’m not--”

“About to crawl out of your skin?” The other eyebrow lifted.

“Well, really! I’m--”

“Going to distract your fledgling from doing what he has to do because you are a mess?” Now it looked like both of her eyes were lifted too as well as her eyebrows.

His lips flattened and he crossed his arms over his chest. She had a point, but he didn’t want to concede it. Her mouth twitched into a smile.

“It’s okay to be worried, Balthazar. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be. I’m worried, too,” she confessed with a one-shoulder shrug. “But Christian has to do this and the best thing we can do for him is to not be a distraction. Have confidence in him. He’s meant to have this particular gift.”

Balthazar’s shoulders slumped. “But he’s so new to all of this! I’ve just got him, Fiona! And here he is risking his Second Life again!”

She smiled fully at him and patted his forearm. “What can you expect? He’s your fledgling.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t get into trouble!” The moment those words left his mouth he let out a sigh. That was such a lie.

“You don’t get into trouble? Only Vampire that’s killed his Master in what? A millennia? Maybe more?” Fiona shook her head and the beads clacked together.

“He deserved it,” Balthazar sniffed.

“Yes, he did, and you saved a lot of people by ending him. Christian is doing something just as important,” she told him.

He looked at her closely. Her expression was relaxed. She was clearly concerned for Christian, but he had never seen Fiona so open about her feelings and comfortable with herself. She had certainly never stated that she appreciated what he had done for others by killing Roan. She’d always complained about how he’d destroyed Arcius’ life because the Confessor had left the vampire world with him.

“What’s changed?” he asked her.

She turned towards him, eyebrows up again, but this time in surprise. “Changed? What do you mean?”

He gestured towards her as he tried to find words that wouldn’t offend--which for him and Fiona that was a change as well--and finally said, “You. Me. Us. There’s no…”

“Rancor?” She laughed then became serious though still amused. “I don’t know. I’m sure we’ll be sniping at each other in no time.”

“Probably.” He was smiling though too.

“You trusted me to take care of Christian,” she said suddenly as they both gazed at the sea of ghosts.

“Yes, and you let him release Caemorn and take one of the weapons--”

“Yes, yes, but you’re not mad. Not too mad anyway,” she said the last under her breath with a grin.

“I just wish that Christian hadn’t been afraid to tell me his plans,” Balthazar admitted.

“He doesn’t want to worry you.”

“He’s all of 28-years-old! He’s new to being a Bampire! How can I not be worried?” he demanded.

She snorted softly. “Do you remember being 28-years-old?”

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