Page 45 of The Vampire King's Victory

Christian blinked rapidly. “My skill set is ill-suited for this!”

“What?” Balthazar gave him a small, confused smile.

“Balthazar, whoever explains this to people has to be able to read them. Have a good report with them. At the best of times, I wish to crawl out of my skin when there are too many people I do not know in a room,” Christian struggled to explain. “I do not make people feel at ease.”

He’d never had much trouble expressing himself with Balthazar, but the Eyros Vampire was so non-judgmental. And likely since Balthazar could read people incredibly well--not just their minds, but their body language, all of it--he’d always known just how far to push Christian and when not to. There was always the gentle touch on his back when Christian started to get tense. Or the warm embrace of his mind when Christian wanted to flee. Balthazar did things for him, without seeming thought, to make Christian be his best, at least in the realm of dealing with people.

“Hmmm, that is an interesting perception of yourself. One that is completely false by the way,” Balthazar told him. “Oh, not about how youfeel. What we feel is what we feel, and is legitimate. But you actually make people feel quite calm.”

“I can’t believe that.” Christian shook his head. “Julian is always running interference for me. I accept that this is part of myself.”

“Julian is a more outgoing person, yes. He’s a natural in front of the camera,” Balthazar agreed. “But you really experience everything that other people are feeling. It’s because you feel it so deeply that it can become a burden to you at times. But you understand people and take on their emotions. That’s how you were able to help Elgar. He is a basketcase and yet, with you, he is a kitten.”

Speaking of kittens, Meffy mewed piteously at being jostled. Balthazar gave the kitten a head kiss.

“Elgar is so diffident.” Christian shook his head and couldn’t help the smile that crept across his lips as he spoke of his elder Blood Brother. “He tries not to take up any space in a room. He fades to a shadow. Helping him is like helping myself a decade ago.”

“Exactly! You understand him and what he needs!” Balthazar slapped his thigh.

Another angry mew. Another head kiss. Christian began to wonder if Balthazar was being too loud to disturb the kitten on purpose only to sooth the little black furball.

“I would like a kiss too,” Christian said.

A lifted eyebrow and he got one on the mouth that was long and sweet.

Take that, Meffy!

“You are not jealous of the kitten that youinsistedI get, are you, Christian?” There was a mischievous twinkle in Balthazar’s eyes.

“That would be absurd and illogical,” Christian said quietly even as he gave the kitten a narrow-eyed glance. “Just make sure he doesn’t hog the bed tonight. His little feet dig into me and--what?”

“He weighs like two pounds, if that, and he’s able to push you around?” Balthazar looked ready to burst out laughing.

“Cats take up quite a bit more room than it would seem physically possible, but they do,” Christian told him, knowing it was nonsense and yet was true. “But enough about your shadow! Let’s go back to humanity.”

“If we must.” But Balthazar looked happy enough to discuss anything and everything.

“It won’t be just religious people, but scientists that will be affected,” Christian pointed out.

“Oh, yes! They are going to flip their lids at the possibilities of Vampire blood, aliens, after all, Immortals really are aliens,aren’t they? And so much more. The Ever Dark and the gates will throw them for loops. Not that we’ll let them look too closely at that,” Balthazar said.

“Moonfall is out of time. That will completely rock them,” Christian said.

“It rocks me,” Balthazar confessed.

At that moment, they rounded a corner and the Eyros Palace was before them. They both stopped dead in their tracks. It was a crescent-moon shaped structure with the palace curling around a spectacular half-enclosed courtyard. A central path led to a grand staircase that reached glass and silver doors, which were open as if waiting for them to walk inside.

The palace was five stories tall with each floor slightly reduced in scale from the one below it. There were french-style doors everywhere leading out to wide beautiful terraces with places to sit or even lay down.

Like with Ravenscroft Manor there were flowers everywhere. Most of them appeared similar to roses, but the colors were deeper. They flooded planters and hung off of the edges of the terraces. They fell in luxuriant waves across some of the doorways. The Eyros Palace seemed to be made of as much stone and glass as flowers.

Dark purple and crimson blooms lined that central path to those front doors. Delicate lamps, which looked to be made out of spun glass, were hung on silver poles at even intervals, casting a clear light, to illuminate their way to that entrance. Christian went near one to see if there was a bulb inside, but instead he saw something that flitted and glowed inside a crystal prison. No electricity here.

“Do you see this? What do you suppose is inside? Something alive?” Christian asked as he turned towards Balthazar.

Balthazar had stuffed his face into one of the rose-like flowers and was breathing in deeply. Meffy was practicallyyowling as he was going to lose his perch. His sharp kitten claws, however, were keeping him from tumbling onto the path. Christian bit his inner cheek as, for at least a moment, Meffy was ignored for a rose.

Balthazar rose up though and easily adjusted the kitten. His eye lids were at half mast. He looked almost dreamy, perhaps even drunk, on the scent of these flowers. Considering the amount of them, Christian had thought that their scent would be overwhelming, but they merely released a slight sweetness into the air that was incredibly pleasant.

---