Page 12 of The Vampire King's Victory

“Did what?” Julian blinked.

“Summoned a gate for us!” Caemorn flashed a smile. “Very well done.”

Caemorn went over to the back wall. He used his fingernails to draw blood from his right wrist then he made an infinity symbol on the stone. The wall turned opaque. Caemorn gestured for them to go through. Julian put a hand over the gems in his pocket, feeling their warmth, and then he thought of Daemon and Balthazar.

“Right, let’s go,” Julian said.

Christian nodded and the two of them moved to the gate. But Caemorn remained standing to the side.

“Aren’t you coming? This place is falling apart,” Julian said, pausing for a moment.

“There’s time yet. I have some things I need to do and then I’ll be following after you,” Caemorn assured him.

Julian still hesitated. “Don’t wait too long, okay?”

Caemorn flashed him a smile. “I will be there when you get back. And I will be back in my time for you as well. Do not worry, Julian.”

“I’m not! I’m just… okay, okay, I am worried. Just stay safe, Caemorn,” Julian told him, feeling awkward yet somehow wanting to say this.

“Julian, Christian,” Caemorn said as they were both turning towards the gate. They both looked back. “When Eyros said it wasimpossiblefor things to be different between us, he didn’t know about the two of you. You both changed everything.”

Julian shook his head. “You were willing to change, Caemorn. That was what mattered.”

And, with that, Julian grabbed Christian’s hand and the two of them went through the gate.

SHOCK AND AWE AND FUN

Daemon opened his eyes the moment that Julian and Christian practically flew out of the gate. He stood up in a graceful movement. The communion ended as he moved from knees to feet. But he did not need the comfort of it right now. His Childe and Christian had returned.

“Daemon!” Julian cried.

“My king!” Christian got out.

And then they could say nothing more as Daemon had swept them both into his arms and crushed them against his chest. There were muffled “oomphs” and “ahhhs” and “we’re okay” and “sorry, had to do it” and “love you”. He just squeezed them and rocked them and kissed both of their foreheads.

They wereunharmed.

They weresafe.

They hadsucceeded.

He could feel fate aligning like puzzle pieces slotting into place to fill in the big picture. He smiled so hard that his face hurt with it. His heart leaped with joy. He closed his eyes again, but this time with happiness, and buried his face in the boys’ hair, breathing them in, and rocking them as if they were true children. They hugged him back.

He wasn’t sure how long they spent like that. But both boys were calmed down when he pulled back to see their faces. And to allow them to breathe. Bright eyes looked up at him. Faces were flushed with excitement and knowledge and so much to tell him. He could have just read their minds. He could have just looked into the future. But he held himself in the moment.Thismoment.

“Daemon, we’re okay!” Julian blurted out.

“Yes, I can see.” Daemon smiled broader.

He had feared never hearing Julian’s voice again. A voice that was utterly precious to him. Time to him had little meaning so though he had known Julian for a very short time in the grand scheme of things, Julian was still the person he had been waiting for forever.

“We’re sorry! But we had to do it!” Julian’s eyes searched his face for understanding, not daring to touch Daemon’s mind.

“You should not be sorry, especially when it was something you had to do,” Daemon told him.

“But still… I know…” Julian broke off. Hehadtouched Daemon’s mind. There was a wound there just from having Julian and Christian gone for… what? Not even an hour of this planet’s time. “If we hadn’t done it--”

“Things would not have gone well here.” Daemon nodded. He pressed another kiss to Julian’s right temple and held his lips there. “I know you did what was best. I did not have the strength to… to ask you to do it.”

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