Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ezra
At the arrival of the winter solstice, I find myself buoyant with a newfound fierce fulfillment. I’ve learned what true happiness feels like, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Gale has taken to his new vampire nature as if it were meant for him. He delights in every new ability. And I revel in his pleasure. I’m afraid I’ve become insufferably besotted. So much so that Eulie teases me over it every chance she gets.
“You’re softer than goose down these days,” she says, smiling. “Never thought I’d see it.”
I’d roll my eyes, but it’s no use. She sees right through me.
Jack and Marissa have decorated the game room beautifully for the holiday.
The fresh scent of pine mixes with cinnamon-spiced wine to create a fragrant, festive bouquet.
Greenery hangs in arcs along the hearth and windowsills.
Sprigs of holly with its cheerful crimson berries dangle from the ceiling.
Our gathering is a bit of a fashion show this evening, with everyone decked out in the new clothes we’d sent for.
Amaris’s cheeks are as pink as her new frilly dress, for as much as she’s a tomboy at heart, she won’t deny her feminine side the right to lace and finery.
“No spitting when you’re in that dress,” says Marissa. “It’s unbecoming.”
Amaris screws her face. “But spitting in a blue dress isn’t? Perfect. I’ll remember that.”
“No, that’s not—”
“Let it go, Mar,” says Jack. “She wouldn’t be our little sister if she wasn’t spitting over something.”
Gale chuckles from his spot pressed against my side.
He looks dashing in his new green doublet and black leather trousers.
Marissa’s idea, he said. I must remember to thank her for her genius.
The color brings out his eyes. If I couldn’t resist him before—and I couldn’t—I’d have utterly no chance now.
Speaking of Marissa, she’s in blue, which, by Amaris’s logic, she could spit in if she so chose. She won’t, but thinking of it makes me grin. She and Amaris couldn’t be more different.
“What’s got you smiling like a jackal with a stolen bone?” asks Eulie, grinning right back at me.
I know better than to mention spitting again, so I curl my arm tighter around Gale. “I think you know already.”
She’s lovely in her new buttercup-yellow ensemble, her knowing gaze cast warmly on me and Gale. “I might have a clue, yes.”
Her fingers fly over her knitting. She’s making a brown scarf for Jack to match all his new clothes.
He looks like a younger version of Chester.
The two of them sit across from each other with nearly matching brown leather doublets, both clutching a mug of spiced wine.
Steam curls in spirals from the hot liquid.
I can think of no better way to spend the solstice than with this enchanting group of people.
A night of laughter and stories and love. All of us at the threshold of the solar cycle where the old wanes and the new waxes. Seeds and roots stir beneath the frost, eager to explore. Dreams wait for their dreamers to slumber, ready to unfurl their sprawling fantasies.
We linger into the wee morning hours, celebrating the longest night of the year together, our little family, all cozy and lounging under quilts by the fire. Glowing logs crackle in the hearth. Golden light from the flames flickers prettily across Gale’s cheeks.
I’ve never known such contentment. Not even in my younger days, before I knew what sorrows life would have in store for me. All worth it because those long years have led me here, at peace at Gale’s side.
As our little fire burns down its last embers, the others head to bed one by one.
Gale and I stay awake, savoring each other’s company.
After a pleasant silence, Gale turns to me. “Let’s take a walk, shall we? I’d like to feel winter’s chill on my face.”
“As you wish.” I’d agree to anything that makes him happy. Of course it helps that I no longer need to fear him turning blue and freezing to death.
We stroll along the outer walls of the fortress, covering the grounds with no particular path in mind. In no hurry. With no agenda. Ice crunches under our boots.
The clear sky boasts a sparkling collage of faraway stars, diamond-sharp against the velvet dark. Romantic. Or perhaps that’s simply my overall mood lately.
“May I ask a question?”
I chuckle. “Do you think you could hold back if I said no?”
“I’d try.” His cheeky grin tells me he wouldn’t try all that hard.
“You’d fail. We both know it.” I bump our shoulders together. “Ask away.”
“Are there any other vampires in Luminia?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I doubt it. If there are, I don’t know them.”
“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 that you aren’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.”
“Yes, well, without me, he never could have crossed, so I must bear my fair share of the blame. But worry not. I don’t dwell on those old mistakes now.
I was punished, and since then, I’ve performed my duties to the best of my ability.
I believe my penance to have been paid over the centuries, and I don’t linger on the shame of my youth. ”
“What happened to him?”
“Jailed. Here in our fortress, but not for long. We knew not the strength of a vampire as old as Alaric. He freed himself and very well could have escaped, but that’s not what he did.”
“What did he do?”
“He sought the sunlight. If he could not have all, then he chose to have nothing. You’d think I would be glad to be rid of him, but I was crushed. And very alone. And in many ways, have been alone ever since…” I squeeze Gale closer to my side. “Until you.”
This time his little gasp is quite real. A quick breath. A softening. “Oh my, what a tragedy you endured.”
“Not a tragedy.”
“What then?”
I shrug away the past like brushing fresh snowflakes off the cuff of my sleeve.
“A difficult youth. A lonely era. And now, a partner.” I lean in to kiss the soft curls at his temple.
“The love of my life. A happy future. For me at least. And I will do everything in my power to make it one for you as well.”
“Oh, it is.” Gale swings me around to face him and presses our mouths together firmly. “And don’t you doubt it for one second. I’ve wanted you my whole life, and now you’re mine.”
“Completely.”
“You’re everything I need,” he says, green eyes fierce. “You’re enough, just as you are.”
His heartfelt words lighten my heart and caress my very soul. They chip away every burden I’ve ever carried and make me feel whole.
I’ll never know why such good fortune has found me after all these years, but I shall strive my best to earn every second, every kiss, and every night with my Gale from now until eternity.
“Oh, Mooncalf, I love you so.” I kiss him under the chilly northern starlit skies.