Page 42 of The Star's Sword

“That’s Simon’s place,” Cayne said, pointing at the oddly-shaped but homey building painted in white with little pink accents, green shutters on the windows and ivy growing all over it. The bottom floor was bigger than the one above, and the top floor was the smallest, making his home sort of look like a birthday cake with a chimney.

The cottages around him were well-kept and a weird mix of modern and clean but also something you might find in an enchanted forest.

“This is where he keeps his personal, free-range humans. They haven’t even been fed on. He says they are part of a breeding program,” Cayne said, as we walked up to the huge, circular door that made up the entrance to his large home.

“The other castles house vampires and their personal thralls and the vamps they are training. And below ground we have the lower vamps and weres who aren’t safe around humans or thralls and have to stay down there except for specific times.”

“Sounds brutal,” I said, pitying the weres.

“Well, everyone else kills them, whereas Simon gives them a place as long as they contribute, so it is what it is,” Cayne said.

We knocked at the door and Simon opened, wearing a ridiculous, fluffy feather robe in blue and pink.

His black hair glistened as the sunlight flooded in, and his red eyes widened with surprise and joy as he saw us. Under the robe, he was wearing a sparkly jacket over sequined pants. So much more how he dressed at the sanctuary, and not the badass leather apparel he wore when at the keep with other vampires.

His eyes moved over my outfit, then to Cayne’s, where they flashed in disappointment.

“Cleo!” Simon said, pulling me into his house by both hands and spinning me. “You look ravishing!” He stepped back. “May I take it that you’ve taken my advice to heart about impressing vampires?”

“Sam made it,” I said.

“Sam!” Simon said, turning to him and then making a similar pout he’d made at Cayne. “Would it kill you two to dress up sometimes?”

“I don’t need fancy fripperies getting in my way,” Cayne said, stepping forward to back Simon up with his huge height, glaring down at him, especially at his pink, fluffy robe. Cayne reached out and grabbed the feathered edge, jerking at it. “What in hell’s name is this?”

Simon grimaced slightly, looking embarrassed, just as heels came tapping down a small spiral staircase that led upstairs that I hadn’t noticed because it was behind Simon.

The heels were followed by Vasara, wearing a white satin slip and a similar robe to Simon’s, though it was fluffy and white with white feather trim.

“Simon!” Vasara said with a huge pout, drawing her feathers around her. “You left me all alone. You shouldn’t do that when you’re entertaining.”

Cayne made a face I’d never seen before at that, and his eyes went so wide, despite the rest of his face staying still, I was almost nervous he was going to have some kind of fit.

But his jaw merely flexed, hard, and then his eyes relaxed as he cocked a hip and put a hand on his waist while glaring at Vasara.

“Get out of here,” he said. “I’m here to see my best friend.”

Vasara raised her head haughtily, and her blond hair was mussed, almost as if she and Simon had done something together. She looked about ready to fight Cayne, who looked willing to stand up to the challenge, but then she merely moved to Simon, putting her arms around his waist and her head down over his shoulder.

Simon for his part gave us a casual smile, but looked embarrassed.

“But he’s my guide while I’m at his keep,” she said.

Cayne folded his arms. “Isn’t this area only for humans?”

Simon pulled away from her at that, gently. “It’s true, dear. You should go.”

“You shouldn’t call her that,” Cayne growled. “She’s Cleo’s enemy.”

Simon slanted Cayne an irritated glare of warning at that, but then calmed. “We are all in this together, are we not?” He looked at Vasara, who was trying to grab at him again, and swiftly dodged back out of her hold. “We all want to save the world, don’t we, dear?”

Vasara nodded, pouting, but then gave Simon a fond look, brushing against the edge of his robe as she went. “He looks so adorable in my clothes though, doesn’t he?”

She gave me a glare. “Good to see you, Cleo.” Her tone couldn’t have been more fake. “You look less unfortunate today. Do give up on being the Morningstar before I have to kill you in the trials, mmkay?”

She looked at Samael, but I moved in front of him with a growl. I didn’t like how she interacted with any of my friends.

The way she looked at them.

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