Page 55 of Across the Sapphire Sea
The urge to say,of course they do,came and went. The platitude would be a lie. Valeri hadn’t made himself an easy man to like. “I want you here. Since when have you cared what others think?”
“I care too much what others think,” Valeri whispered, his voice set low for Elias alone.
“So you do.” Elias took his hand and tugged him closer to the game. “Then here is your chance to beat us all at arrows.”
“Elias—”
“Please?”
Valeri pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “As you wish.”
“Thank you. It will be fun. You’ll see.”
Laurence reclaimed his seat, but both he and Remy continued to watch the proceedings closely. Though it felt nice to have allies, Elias had never wanted to be aligned against his own sire. He wanted to be safe on Valeri’s side.
Jemma gave Valeri a handful of darts. “Pointy end at the target. S’about time you learned to play.”
Valeri took them and graced her with a thin smile. “Thank you for the tip.”
“You’ll do fine,” Jemma said.
“I’ll do my best, but I’ve seen you at this game.” Valeri tipped his head. “There’s no beating you at arrows.”
Muscles deep in Elias’s chest unclenched and relaxed. With any luck, Valeri would hit the damn target.
* * *
Elias, One Year Ago
Elias concentrated, catching the doe’s gaze and pressing his will upon her. If he could calm her long enough to approach, to slide his teeth carefully into her vein, he could feed on his own.
Creeping forward step by careful step, Elias inched closer to the cautious animal. Gorgeous, with big brown eyes and a fluffy winter coat, she huffed and stamped a foot.
“Easy,” said Elias, his voice soft. He focused a soothing calm in her direction, willing her to relax and allow him the access he needed.
Valeri would do this for him any time he requested the favor, but Elias wished to learn the compulsion for himself. What came easy on humans was more difficult in animals. Their instincts were finely honed to alert them to danger, and they recognized vampires for the predators they were. Since Elias preferred to feed from animals, this was a skill that would serve him well, if only he could master it.
And frankly, what else was there to do? With Valeri off scroll-hunting more often than not, Elias had all the time in the world to perfect this particular art.
The deer stiffened, but before she could startle and race away, Elias renewed his efforts.
Calm, relax, peace.
They stood maybe four paces apart. This much Elias had achieved before, but no farther. He took a long slow breath. The air smelled of the spruce trees that surrounded them, spicy and sweet.
Calm, relax, peace.
Another step forward.
She watched him with eerie stillness. Her ears twitched, but the spell remained unbroken. Another step. Elias reached out his hand, allowing her to sniff. Another step.
Calm, relax, peace. I mean you no harm.
Elias ran a hand down her soft neck, scratched behind her ear, and made soft cooing noises. “Good girl. Thank you.”
He took the last step and bent down, bringing their faces together. “That’s it, easy. This won’t hurt at all, I promise.”
Delicately, Elias bit through her thick coat and into the vein beneath her pelt, all the while ensuring she felt at peace. Her powerful heartbeat sent surge after surge of blood for Elias to feast on. He didn’t need much. When he’d drunk his fill, he carefully closed the wounds and petted her flank.
