Page 88 of Tempting the Fae Lord
“If there are, they’re too afraid to approach you. Isn't that what you mean?”
“Probably.”
“Why aren’t there others?”
“Vampires are creatures of the earthly realm. Not welcome here.” The urge to bite back my words rises as soon as they’re out of my mouth. “Not thatyouaren’t welcome. No one would dare question your presence at my side.”
“I wasn’t worried about that. You’re fairly intimidating. Though it might be fun to see them try.”
“Then what concerns you? What brought up this line of thinking?”
His deep breath gives me pause. “If there are no vampires here, then who made you?”
I’m accustomed to shutting down inquiries of this nature rather harshly, but I won’t do that to him anymore. Besides, the past can’t harm me now. It no longer holds the power over my heart. I’ve given that exclusively to Gale.
So I can give him this too.
“One of the Vartija from the other side. They guard—used to guard—the gate from the stronghold in Rovaniemi. His name was Alaric.”
“What happened to him?”
Though I could sense this question coming from leagues away, it still halts my stride midstep. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’ve never told this story, so I’m unsure where to begin.”
“You don’t have to tell me at all if you don’t want to. If it will make you sad. Or mad. Or, erm, I don’t know. It’s all right if you’d rather not. Truly.”
I tuck my hand into the crook of his elbow, give his forearm a soft squeeze, and resume our walk. “I appreciate that. But you are an inquisitive soul at heart, and I won’t stymy that in you. Besides, it was a long time ago. The memory is distant, and so are the emotions that once went with it.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Hmm. I suppose we can start with a few facts. When vampires hit a certain age, three millennia give or take, a madness of the blood overtakes them. They weaken. They lose touch with reality. But fae blood can prevent this malady. Not much. A few sips here and there are enough. This is how I came to meet Alaric.”
“He needed your blood?”
“Precisely.” If I close my eyes, I can still see his face, so I keep them open. Wide open. Better yet, on Gale’s thoughtful countenance. “I was young then. New in my duties. Eager to please.”
“I can’t imagine you young and eager,” says Gale with a grin in his voice. “It’s like imagining upside-down rain. Impossible.”
I nudge his ribs. “I was young once. Granted, that was before your grandmother’s grandmother was a gleam in her grandmother’s gaze, but it’s true. I even made a few youthful mistakes of my own back then if you’ll believe it.”
“You?” He gasps with false sincerity. “Mistakes? Never.”
“Not as many as you, Mooncalf. Trouble didn’t cling to me as it does you.”
“That’s… probably fair, actually.”
I laugh. I didn’t imagine the telling of this tale could be this easy-going and simple. But Gale is a miracle worker.
“One mistake I did make was to believe everything Alaric told me. He spoke of a future, of love, of ruling both sides of the gate together as one. But he meant none of it. He only intended to use me to access the fae realm. He thought if a little blood from one fae was powerful enough to keep the malady at bay, then a lot of blood from a lot of fae would grant unlimited power. Looking back, I’m ashamed I didn’t see through him.”
“What a toad.”
“Indeed.”
“In fact, the comparison is rather unfair to toads, isn't it?”
“I would have to agree. I admit Alaric took full advantage of my naivety. He turned me into a vampire against my wishes. At that point, my father stepped in. The old queen of Luminia, Aurielle’s grandmother, was sent for. They put a stop to his crimes before he could cause a great deal more damage, but fae died because of my stupidity. For that, I’ll always be sorry.”
“Other people’s actions are not your fault, Ezra.”
