Page 85 of The Vampire Castle in the Sky

He was inconsolable. “I miss them so much, Thea,” he sobbed. “And Arawn… He was in so much pain, and I didn’t do anything… It was right in front of me, and I…”

Heart shattering, I stumbled in corners of my mind, searching for the words that could explain the individual loneliness that separated one living creature from another, which was a lot like sunlight splashed across a bright yellow expanse. Something that, to everyone watching from afar, was undetectable. A shadow barely there.

“Hector,” I said gently, “it is impossible to know the depth of someone’s sadness unless they wish to share it with you. And even then it’s hard work. Most times we fail to understand our own and end up hurting the people we love the most because of it.”

When his tears dried and his breath slowed, he leaned in, cupped my cheek, and pressed a kiss upon my lips, catching mein the soft warmth of his mouth. “Thea,” he exhaled. “I promise to always share my sadness with you.”

The feeling in my chest was bittersweet. A hopeful kind of melancholy. I closed my eyes, touched my forehead to his, and vowed, “I promise to always share my sadness with you.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what?”

“Saving my life. In every way a life can be saved.”

“You saved my life too, you know,” I said.

He sighed resignedly. “I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever brought you trouble.”

“Yes, but I became stronger for it.”

We were not absolved of grief. We were not giddy with happiness or drunk with love. But we were together. And right now that was more than enough.

36

Thea

As promised, Hector returned an hour before dinner. Without so much as a word, he sailed up to his study and spent a minute or so shuffling through the drawers of his desk while I lingered by the door, curious, confused, and a little frustrated.

“So what was the meeting about?” I asked.

At last, he bent over his desk and signed at the bottom of a mysterious document. His hands were steady, full of conviction as he folded the paper down the middle and slipped it inside an envelope. Then, with a short exhale, he leaned against the edge of the desk andfinallymet my gaze.

“I think we should move,” he announced.

My bewilderment peaked. “The Castle?”

“Ourselves. To Thaloria. So you can finish your studies, and I can fix whatever damage Arawn has done there. I’ll assume his duties and appoint someone new Lord of Lumia. Roan, most likely. He and Tieran certainly deserve the honor.” He glanced over his shoulder at the still unsealed envelope atop his desk. “A property I’ve wished to acquire in the past has become available.”

“A property,” I echoed, unsurpassably dumbfounded.

“A cottage,” he clarified. “Like the one we always talked about. It only has three bedrooms, but the garden is beautiful, and it is a short hour from the Academy. A mere minute if I were to get you there.”

I felt my insides clutch in dismay as I began to understand what he was actually saying. “But the Castle…”

“I think it’s time the Castle became something else.”

“Hector,” I sighed, stumbling into the room, “I know you’re in pain, I’m in pain too, but we cannot abandon the Castle.”

Hector, to my further astonishment,laughed. I’d almost forgotten the sound of it. Rich and low and a little rough, like the rustle of autumn leaves.

“Of course we won’t abandon it.” Closing the distance, he cupped my face with his palms. “The Castle will always, always be with us, wherever that might be. But the Castle is also a sacred space. A place of knowledge, of magic and wisdom, and I think we should share that with the world. It taught my mother everything she needed to learn. It showed her a world of infinite possibility. And it can do that for others too. Not just creatures of the night but anyone who feels just as alone and lost as she felt when she found it.”

Perhaps it was the beauty of his vision, the hopefulness of his smile, or his warm fingers tracing gentle lines over my cheeks, but suddenly, all of my worries dissolved like mist in the sun. I felt polished, green as new grass. To this day, I still believe having a purpose is one of the greatest blessings of life.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, yearning for his closeness. “A school.”

“A sanctuary.”

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