Page 70 of The Vampire King's War

“You know he doesn’t blame you about Kaly? He told you that,” Christian reminded him, even as his eyes were drifting down to the crystal ball again.

“Yes, I know he doesn’t. But if I don’t have one of Kaly’s forms here within my grasp I can’t do what needs doing!” Balthazar threw up his hands in the air.

Meffy dug in his claws as he was nearly forcibly dislodged from his body. He let out a yell and a hiss. It took many kisses and pets to make the kitten calm down again. Caemorn and Christian exchanged knowing looks. He narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not like a cat! All claws and wild hairs! I’m fine!” Balthazar told them forcefully.

He told the whole hall actually. There were Vampires who stopped in their tracks as they were going down the hallways or passing through the great room. He smiled, nodded and gestured for them to move on. They did so, but only after casting suspicious glances at him. They were wondering about his sanity. He was wondering a little about it too, if he were honest. He changed the channel once again.

“Now, I want you to look closely at this footage. This young man. This is Christian Thorn,” the reporter, an Asian woman in her thirties with severely bobbed black hair, was saying to her cohost, a brunette with green eyes.

There was an image of Christian from the interview he had given last night. Well, it wasn’t exactly an interview, but a few words.

“And here he is again. And once more there. Look how he moves. Look at his eyes. They weren’t silver before, yet now they are. Like all the supposed Vampires,” the Asian reporter stated.

“Yes, Amy, I see what you’re saying. Let’s cut to some of his and Julian Harrow’s web series,” the brunette reporter said.

Behind the two women it showed Julian and Christian both in front of the camera in what looked to be an exotic location with a jungle and a mostly obscured ancient temple. Balthazar remembered that episode. He had greatly enjoyed seeing Christian’s white t-shirts cling to his chest as sweat plastered it over his lithe body. He did not have to look over at that lithe form now to know that Christian was at attention.

“I cannot believe I spoke to a reporter that night!” Christian shook his head.

“You were trying to help calm them down,” Balthazar reminded him.

“Yes, but… I don’t know, I sort of wanted to remain in the background. I always liked being more behind the camera than in front of it,” Christian admitted with a shrug.

“But the camera loves you.” Balthazar grinned especially when Christian blushed.

“Did you really watch our show?” Christian asked him.

“Every week, dear heart.” Balthazar winked. “And I thought of you often.”

“Is that supposed to be romantic?” Caemorn asked dryly. “You sound like a stalker.”

“I am not a stalker! I mean I may have done things that… well, I watched over you and enjoyed watching you, Christian,” Balthazar got out.

Christian smiled. He did though have high color in his cheeks. “I know. I appreciate it. Now. Though really if I were to have known I had a Vampire as a fan…”

The reporters were speaking again.

“Julian Harrow’s parents hosted a show called Believe on this network up until their deaths in a car accident, Eve,” Amy was saying to the brunette.

“Yes, and it has been rumored that there was something not quite right about their deaths,” Eve said with a nod that reminded him more of a bobble doll’s reaction.

Christian stiffened and his expression grew grave. “I wonder how Julian will deal with them digging into all of that.”

“He did want to expose the existence of Vampires and that his parents were killed by them,” Balthazar said, but he put no heat into his words.

Caemorn was rigid and staring down at the crystal ball. His hands were clenched over his thighs. Balthazar would have said that Caemorn was without the ability to feel shame or remorse before all of this had happened. But he knew that was not true now. Though Caemorn still tried to hide any weakness, his feelings about the Harrows were like a raw nerve.

Will Daemon still allow him to be free if he cannot bring the Harrows back?Balthazar wondered. And if he can do it… the world is going to shift on its axis yet again. Strange that a fledgling of Kaly should be able to do this and not Kaly themselves.

Something niggled at the back of Balthazar’s mind but he didn’t know what it was. He frowned, but he couldn’t quite catch hold of what was bothering him.

The reporters were speaking once more.

“There are rumors that Julian Harrow believed that his parents were killed by… well, by Vampires, and that he had a lead on proof of their existence,” Amy said to Eve.

“They must have watched the show. The last episode though wasn’t shared,” Christian said.

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