Chapter 23 #2
“That empire deserves to burn,” Kolvar rumbled.
I looked up at him, surprised by his violent words, but he didn’t excuse it, instead kissing the top of my head again.
When I looked over at Elijah, he looked on edge but didn’t comment on the action.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he knew about last night, especially with the tension I sensed simmering right under his skin.
I mean, we weren’t very quiet, and if he was in his room, combined with his heightened hearing… It seemed more than plausible.
“As you know, we don’t have Thralls here, so the process to be changed into a vampyre is different than what you’re used to,” Elijah drew out, trying to appear calm and measured.
“How so?”
“In order to be turned into a vampyre, you have to first apply for either military training or advisor training,” he explained. “If you stand out during that process, you’re offered a chance to be changed into a vampyre.”
“And if you don’t want to change?” What if someone wanted to improve their status in life but didn’t want to sacrifice being human? I thought I had understood, but now I wasn’t sure.
“You can choose to not accept the change and still keep your position,” Dakath assured. Oh good. I was happy that my assumptions had been correct.
“Does anyone actually do that?” I asked. I knew how valued being a vampyre was in Malakai’s empire, so it was insane for me to imagine others rejecting it. Don’t get me wrong, I completely understood it, but such a massive shift in societal standards was sort of throwing me for a loop, even now.
“I nearly rejected it,” Kolvar said, and I looked up at him in confusion.
“My family and I were extremely close,” he explained.
“I joined the program as soon as I could, eager to work for the empire like my father—he was in the military as well. When I was given the opportunity to change, I found out my father had also been offered a similar chance years ago but rejected it.”
“Why?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t pushing for too much.
His smile was warm. “He didn’t want to live without my mom when she eventually died as a human. Said he loved her too much to go on for years without her.”
“That’s sweet,” I murmured, and his throat produced a sound of agreement.
“But it made me realize that I would far outlive my parents and anyone else that I’d grown up with,” Kolvar said.
“It was a hard adjustment, coming to peace with that, but my parents encouraged me because they could tell it was what I wanted. I don’t regret the choice, but it was hard at the time to process.
Luckily, my choice ensured my parents will never be forgotten while I’m still around.
They are immortal in the way it matters—in my heart. ”
I smiled at his words because it was true.
“Was the choice hard for either of you?” I asked, looking at Dakath and Elijah sitting across from us.
“No.”
Elijah’s instant answer had me nearly smiling, because it wasn’t exactly surprising.
He continued to elaborate, though. “I grew up in less than ideal conditions. My parents tried their best, but at the end of the day, I felt more like a financial burden than anything else. So as soon as possible, I joined the program, and when I was offered the chance to transition, I didn’t hesitate.
I wanted to ensure I could do my job as well as possible. ”
Elijah’s loyalty to his empire was something I was starting to admire rather than begrudge for being the reason our could-be relationship was up in the air.
I nodded in understanding, wanting to know more about his family but figuring that was best left for a private conversation.
Instead I looked at Dakath, his eyes dark as he offered an answer that was heavier.
“It wasn’t hard, per se, but because of where I’d come from, I hadn’t realized it was a possibility.
I had the empire to thank for my survival, and I hadn’t thought past that as a reason to pledge my duty when I joined the military.
When I was offered the chance, I realized it would be a further extension of my ability to aid them, so I accepted. ”
There was something else there as well, something he wasn’t saying, that I had to assume was related to his past in Thaicia. I decided to shift the conversation, hoping to draw him from the dark place his mind was slipping to.
“I didn’t realize it was such a formal event, the changing process—it’s very unique.”
“Hurts like hell,” Kolvar grunted.
“How does the actual process of being changed work?” I would never have to go through it, but I was still curious.
“As you just saw, the Empress bites into their wrist,” Elijah explained, “opening a wound, then bites her own wrist. The mixture of her venom and blood dripping into the human’s wound, allows for the start of the transition.”
I’d always assumed it would simply require the bite.
“How long does the process ta—”
My words were cut off as a horn suddenly sounded. The ominous tone vibrated the very air, causing a chill of apprehension to roll over my skin.
What the hell was that?
I looked around at the three of them, each frozen in alert.
The horn sounded again.
My mouth opened to ask…but the horn sounded a final, third time.
“Fuck.”
“What?” I asked, feeling panicked. His harsh tone told me there was something very wrong.
“It’s a signal. A warning.” Elijah stood, his eyes flaring with something dark as his hands clenched at his sides and he barked in command, “To the private library.”
“A signal for what?”
“There’s an enemy ship approaching.”