12. Vameer
Vameer
Thirty feet above the ground, my pulse sprints.
“Dammit, girl.” I pause, but the startled sensation lessens almost immediately.
There is no danger.
Part of me wants to infuse gravito into my heart, locking down our pulse so nothing raises it. But until I have her in my sights, this is the only way for me to know if anything is happening to her.
Not that I can help from so far away.
I shut that thought down.
Worrying will only force my own pulse to race. And my mate has enough of her own stress; she doesn’t need mine too.
The fact that I am probably the cause of her current stress is not lost on me. Nor is the fact that with each passing second, the bond between us grows. Making it less and less likely that I will be able to stay away from her once I find her.
But before I find my mate, I need to understand the world I’m walking back into.
I release my gravito and drop.
A moment later, my bare feet connect with the earth. The vibration of my landing blends with the music coming from inside the building before me.
Even though I was curious to look at all the new things, I jumped past the large city.
I needed someplace smaller. More private. With fewer lights. But with enough people around for me to talk to.
And this place seems to fit my needs.
I think it’s a bar. From above, I couldn’t read the sign on the door, but the smell of alcohol permeates through the back door into the small grassy area where I’m standing.
It’s on the edge of town, the top floor looks like a residence, and there is nothing but vegetation behind me.
Voices blend in with the music, proving it’s not empty. So between the people who probably live upstairs and the people inside the establishment, I should be able to find someone who isn’t too frightened to talk to me.
While I ponder the best plan of action, I curl my tongue around the point of my fang.
I’ve run into humans who have seen vampires before. And depending on the experiences they’ve had, their reactions vary. But the humans who have never seen a vampire before… their reactions are usually much louder.
The back door of the bar opens. And I don’t have to decide how to get someone alone.
A man steps over the threshold, shouting over his shoulder. “Eejit.”
I tilt my head, trying to place the language.
He laughs as the door bangs shut, cutting off another man’s reply. But the quick glimpse inside the building confirmed what I already know. Things have changed.
Music I don’t recognize. Paved roads everywhere. Clothing made of materials I don’t know.
Things have changed a lot.
Then the man strikes a match and lights the end of a cigarette.
Okay, not everything has changed.
Hopefully humans still like money too.
In this spot, ten steps away, standing beyond the yellow pool of light from the lamp above the door, the man doesn’t see me. So I must make myself known.
I step out of the shadows. “Me gustaría comprar información.”
“Shite!” The man stumbles backward, thudding against the door, as he coughs out a cloud of smoke.
Oops.
He pounds a fist against his chest as he looks up at me with wide eyes. “Ya don’t even need them fucking teeth. You’ll end me with a heart attack.”
My brows furrow. “Irish?”
“Yeah, I’m fucking Irish.” He bends over, putting his hands on his knees, the lit end of his cigarette about to singe his leg hair. “But give me a fucking minute.”
I look up at the stars, verifying that I’m still in the southern hemisphere.
I am.
Not to mention I’ve traveled a greater distance today than his island is long, so to be in Ireland would be impossible.
The scent of burning hair hits the air.
“Fuck.” The man swats at his leg and stands upright.
“My apologies.” I keep my tone as gentle as I can. “I didn’t intend to frighten you.”
“Course not. Just a big-as-fuck vampire standing in the dark with a fucking sword is all. Nothing scary ’bout that.”
I lift a brow. “You know I’m a vampire?”
“Uh, yeah.” His tone implies this is obvious. “Even without the size. The horns and”—he uses his empty hand to point to his eyes—“kinda give it away.”
“Who do you know?” I narrow my solid black eyes at the Irishman.
“Uh.” He eyes me warily. “I don’t catch your meaning.”
“What vampires do you know?” I try to figure out if this man might actually be a foe.
“None, boss. You’re the first.”
His heart rate has been elevated since he saw me, but it doesn’t increase as he speaks. And he doesn’t smell like lies.
I continue to watch him. “Then how do you know what I am?”
“Everyone knows what vampires look like.” He shrugs. “The horns and shit.”
I take a step closer. “What do you mean everyone knows?”
His pulse jumps. But his scent is laced with fear, not deceit. “Just everybody. People’ve known forever.”
People have known forever.
Pressure builds in my chest.
Forever. Longer than this man has been alive.
“How d’you not know that?” His brows furrow.
“I’ve been…sleeping.” The admission grates out.
He would not be able to detect my lies, but the truth will help me get the information I need.
The man presses his lips together, then he exhales. “For how long?”
I have to concentrate on keeping my heart steady.
That is the question.
But since I don’t know the answer, I ask my own. “What year is it?”
The man’s eyes widen, and he swallows before he tells me.
And when he does…
My power rolls inside me.
The ground starts to vibrate.
And I put all my focus on my heartbeat.
My Little Human needs me to remain calm.
I can do this for her.
Gravito seeps out of me. Thickening as it twists itself around my body. Calming the storm building inside me.
The Irishman presses back against the door, my gray smoke having the opposite effect on him.
He may know about vampires, but it looks like sentient gravito is still a rarity.
I rein in my power, and the ground stills beneath us.
And I accept the truth.
I knew time had passed.
Knew I had messed up.
But… the enormity…
I guide a wisp of gravito down my arm as the rest dissipates.
It circles my wrist, wrapping my mate’s bracelet in a layer of protection.
“So, uh, how long were ya sleepin’ for?”
I exhale. “One hundred and three years.”
“A hundred!” The man leans forward, forgetting his fear of me. “How?”
“It was a mistake.” There’s no point in pretending otherwise.
He reaches up and presses his hands to the sides of his head. “One hundred and three years. That’s… fucking nuts.”
This fool is going to light his hair on fire. Again.
I lift my hand.
My gravito is back to its standard invisibility, so the man doesn’t see it dart between us.
It pulls the cigarette from the man’s hand and deposits it in my own.
He gapes at me.
“Fucking nuts,” I mimic his accent. Then I take a drag off the cig.
The shape is basically the same as I remember. But it smells, tastes, and feels different.
He grips his hair as he lets out a slightly hysterical laugh. “This is fucking nuts.”
I don’t argue. Because it is.
“That why you’re in that getup?” he asks.
I look down at myself.
The too-short robe.
The ancient belt.
The sword in my hand and bare feet.
I shrug.
“So.” He drops his hands and nods to mine. “If you’ve been outta touch for the last century, I should probably tell ya that those things are unhealthy.”
I look at the burning stick in my hand. “That sounds about right. But…” I take another slow drag. “I can’t get sick.”
The human dips his chin. “Fair point.”
I look at the ember on the cigarette and feel for my Fire Touch. But even with the energy I gained from the whale, it’s still quiet.
I lift my gaze back to the man and repeat my original request, this time in English. “I’d like to purchase some information.”
He shakes his head. “Ya don’t gotta pay for it. Whaddya wanna know?”
“Everything.”
He snorts. “That’s gonna take a while.”
“I have tonight.”
I’ll allow myself that, because information is a weapon in its own right. But then I need to search for My Heart.
“Can you read?”
“Sí. Do you have newspapers?”
The man shakes his head slowly and grins. “Nah. But you’re gonna love the internet.”
“What’s the internet?”
“It’s…” He laughs as he shrugs. “Trying to explain it will make us both feel like eejits. I’ll just show ya. But you can find answers to literally any question you have with it.”
My brows raise. That sounds useful. “Where is it?”
“It’s…” He blows out a breath. “Boss, we have phones that fit in our pockets now. And the internet is on the phone. So, my internet is sitting inside on the bar.”
A lifetime of battle taught me the importance of hiding your weaknesses. And not understanding a single damned thing he’s saying feels like a weakness. So I don’t react.
“I’ll bring it out.” He uses his thumb to point at the door behind him. “Unless you’d like to come inside? I can kick out the locals if you don’t wanna crowd staring at ya.”
I look at the door, curious to get a closer look. “You run the bar?”
He nods. “Yeah, me and my girl and my buddy bought it a couple years back. We were looking for an adventure.”
I grunt in understanding.
“So, you’ll come in if everyone leaves?” he asks hopefully.
“Sí.”
“Deadly! Give me like, ten, to clear the place.” He turns and reaches for the door handle.
I stop him. “When you say that everyone knows about vampires…”
He lowers his hand and faces me.
“Does that mean—” I pause, focusing on my heartbeat.
I need to know. And I need to be prepared.
“Have you heard of a vampire named Volik?” My chest aches as my heart tries to race.
Please, fates. Let him be alive.
The man’s eyes widen as he stares at me. “Everyone has heard of Volik.”
That ache increases. “Is he alive?”
“You know him?” There’s caution in his voice.
“He is my brother.” My words are thick. “Is he alive?”
The man nods. “Volik lives. Your brother’s alive.”
I close my eyes.
I close them, tip my head back, and breathe.
Volik.
Emotion gathers beneath my lids.
Thank the gods.
My little brother is still here.
The door creaks, then closes.
Alone, I open my eyes and look up at the stars.