47. Maybe He’s Born With It
47
Maybe He’s Born With It
Aliza
S unlight was streaming into my room at Nairsgarth when I woke only a few hours later. Exhaustion gritted my eyes, but I resisted the urge to snuggle back into my pillow and sat up, squinting blearily.
An alabaster-skinned, dark-haired man with eerily light irises grinned at me from the armchair that had been positioned beside the fireplace last night, but now sat in a pool of bright sunshine near the window.
“Bonjour, ma belle.”
My sleepiness evaporated. “Jacques!”
At my request and much to Sage’s chagrin, the vampire had spent the night in my suite, waiting to put my theory to the test. It was a mark of my trust for him that I’d managed even a wink of sleep while he lurked, wide awake and probably peckish, in my room. Apparently, the undead didn’t need sleep, and now, it seemed they could exist in sunlight without third-degree burns.
“It worked!”
The vampire’s grin widened as he let his head loll against the back of the chair, basking in the light. His long, pale fingers, tipped with black painted talons, fluttered idly at the window. “I have missed this. ”
I leapt out of bed and pressed a hand to his cheek. His skin still lacked the warmth of a living thing, but it carried a faint residual heat, like a rock after a day in the mild, British sunshine. There wasn’t even a hint of redness, and certainly no burns or blisters. It was a miracle of science. This could very well turn the tides of the war, if only Torsten would agree to my bargain.
He’d freed the witches last night, a show of good faith, he’d said, while he considered my terms. The poor women had been existing on the last dregs of their blood, barely strong enough to draw breath, never mind walk out of the caverns under their own steam. In the end, vampires had carried them to the mouth of Sage’s portal, and the High Priestess, Jacques and I had hopped back and forth through the swirling void, delivering one witch after another to safety. Now, they were recuperating in the same ward I’d been taken to when Jacques had gotten a little mouthy with my carotid arteries, their blood replenished by Sage’s potion.
“It doesn’t hurt?” I manipulated Jacques’ head, tilting it this way and that, examining every inch of flawless, alabaster skin.
“It prickles a little, but it is nothing brave Jacques cannot handle.”
A victorious laugh bubbled free of my mouth as I snatched the sunscreen bottle from the floor beside the chair. I’d packed it for a long-ago hike on a summer’s day, never expecting it to prove as invaluable as it had. Mum always insisted on factor fifty, claiming it was the key to youthful skin. Well, now it was the key to my potential new allies creeping out of the dark to fight at my side. It wasn’t just going to save us from wrinkles and melanoma, it was going to give us a real chance against Maelgwyn .
My smile almost split my face in two. “We’re going to need a lot more of this.”
“That’s the last of it. You’re sure you can manage it, love? It’s heavy.”
I didn’t tell Dad that my new body was stronger than the old one had ever been. I wasn’t convinced I’d have managed to lug a suitcase crammed with sunscreen anywhere as human, and if I was being honest, I wouldn’t have fancied my chances as a fae.
Luckily, I’d brought backup.
Mabli perched on the edge of the sofa, watching proceedings over the rim of her coffee cup. Mum had offered us a drink the moment we’d arrived late that afternoon, both tired after a long trek through the Blood Gate and Fairy Glen, and an even longer train ride. I’d spent much of our journey stewing over the fact that Idris could have teleported me straight into my living room, if only he hadn’t been such a self-destructive arse. Poor Mabli had never visited the human world, let alone my parents' house, and we’d been forced to make the trip in the long-winded mortal fashion. The Fairy Glen had been devoid of kidnappers on this occasion, but even that had only made things slightly less awful. At least my magic tutor was a newly converted fan of a human-made smooth roast. Unlike Idris.
My stomach twisted into knots at the mere thought of him. Was he in Tir o Gwanwyn, relishing the victory, or had he retreated to the cabin in the woods? If he had, would memories of me haunt his every waking moment, as he haunted me ?
Being back home… he’d sat in that armchair, gagging over his first taste of coffee. He’d sat next to me on the sofa as we worked our way through a mountain of treats and watched a movie. He’d thrown me over his shoulder and carried me on two occasions, once to my room, once back to Neath. All in all, he’d spent less than a week here, but he was everywhere I looked, forever woven into the fabric of my life.
The ball was just a few days away, and I would come face to face with him for the first time since he’d saved my pathetic arse from withering away in the mortal world. Not that I was grateful; it was his fault I’d accidentally teleported, after all.
Today, Mabli would teleport the cases—and a bag crammed full of my personal effects—back to Nairsgarth, and then come back for me. At least we wouldn’t have to make the return journey on foot.
Poor Dad had been confused when I showed up on his doorstep and sent him trailing around the shops, buying as many bottles of factor fifty as he could find. He’d found enough to strike up a global shortage, but it wasn’t enough for all the vampires of Fjallar, so he’d made a bulk order online, though it wouldn’t arrive for another week. I’d paid him in gold ingots from the coffers of Nairsgarth, a debt I’d have to repay if I ever found myself on the throne, despite Sage’s insistence that it was a gift. It would be a small price to pay to bring the vampires out of the dark and into action.
They were a powerful species, though being starved of human blood had weakened them. Jacques had slain a berghest while starving, and after a good feed, he’d held his own against Idris. A few thousand more like him wouldn’t hurt our chances. They could hurt the humans though, which was precisely why I would withhold the sunscreen until King Torsten had agreed to my bargain. I would only hand them another weapon if they agreed to wield it for me, not against my people.
“Mabli can teleport,” I said, answering Dad’s question. “It’s fine. Thanks for this, Dad. I know it wasn’t cheap.”
“I’ll take the cases now.” Mabli drained her mug and stood. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She’d be able to teleport directly to the house now that she’d been here, like some oversized, magical homing pigeon. Mabli shouldered my bag, grasped the handles of both cases and disappeared into thin air.
“I’ll never get used to that,” Mum muttered, massaging her chest. “It looks better than driving, I’ll say that much.”
“It’s honestly not.” I wasn’t looking forward to teleporting back to Nairsgarth, or rather, the outskirts of the ward protecting it. If a car had been an option, I’d have snapped it up. “You haven’t experienced travel sickness until you’ve teleported.”
“Then let’s hope I never do. But it’d be nice to visit you in your new… world,” Mum suggested doubtfully.
I grinned. “That’ll take some getting used to, too. You can come and visit soon, once things are settled.”
“I know you don’t have a choice about going back, but are you sure it’s safe, love?”
All my blood plunged to my feet. I’d spared my parents the details of the war, but they knew Idris had turned me fae to save me. They knew I’d needed saving. That I’d been ambushed and almost killed. They didn’t know I’d actually died, and that if it happened again, there would be no miracle cure .
I sighed. “Things are unsettled at the minute, as you know. There are some people who aren’t happy I broke the curse. They’re being dealt with, though. Once it’s all sorted, you can come for a holiday. Have you given any more thought to… living there?”
Mum laughed. “One step at a time, eh? Though it’d be nice to see you more often.”
“Even though it costs us a bloody fortune every time you show up,” Dad grumbled, but there was affection in his eyes. “What will the bank say when I try to pay the mortgage in gold ingots?”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “They don’t have pounds in Neath.”
“And we don’t have them here, not now you’ve cleared us out.”
“It must be lovely and sunny in Neath,” Mum said, her brow furrowed with doubt.
Should I tell them? I’d struggled with the truth all afternoon, purely because it sounded ridiculous. Mum and Dad might have accepted fae and magic, but vampires? Was that a step too far? It felt like it, but what if they stumbled across one? What if it hunted them? Torsten was yet to agree to my bargain, and until he did, no human was safe, including my mum and dad. Until then, I’d rest easier knowing my parents knew what lurked in the moonlight.
“It is in places, but the sunscreen is for the vampires.”
For the longest moment, they both stared at me, open-mouthed and nonplussed, and then Dad shook his head in despair, muttering, “I’m not even going to ask.”
“Did you say vampires?” Mum squeaked.
“Yeah, they’re real, and breaking the curse means I’m not the only thing that can get through the rifts. Just be careful, yeah? Don’t invite any strangers in… probably best not to go out after dark too, just in case.”
“You failed to mention that when you were sending me to the bloody shop for snacks at all hours,” Dad groused again, but I knew him well enough not to take him seriously.
Mabli chose that moment to reappear. She grinned at me. “Done. Are you ready to go?”
My heart spasmed. I was far from ready. Tears welled in my eyes as I stared at my parents. What I’d give to stay, but the clock was ticking and Mabli’s power was depleting with every second that sped by.
“I’ll be back in a week for the rest of the cream,” I said in a wobbling voice. “I’ll see you then, yeah?”
“Course you will, love. Stay safe.”
“You too.” I stepped into Mum’s waiting arms, squeezing my eyes shut as her comforting scent filled my nose. For a moment, I was a little girl again, and everything was okay because I had my mum. “Remember what I said. Be careful.”
Before I could convince myself to stay, I straightened and hugged Dad.
“We’ll be fine,” he assured me, patting me between the shoulder blades. “See you soon, love.”
Sniffing and nodding, I stepped back, grasping Mabli’s hand.
“Thanks for the coffee, mister and missus O’Shea.”
Mum beamed. “Our pleasure. Off with you, then.”
Mum and Dad were snatched from view as a familiar darkness swept in.