Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
A small smile grew on my lips.
He sighed and sat up. “I cannot wait for us to reach Ankeiros. At least there I will know you are safe, and your magic and my temper will not cause any wars.”
“You sound like an old man who just wants a nice, peaceful afternoon in the park.” I snickered.
His eyebrow raised. “And you sound like a young revolutionary looking for a cause. What a strange pair we are.”
An unkillable vampire and a vampire with the powers of a witch—what strange pair indeed.
PART II:
ANKEIROS
Chapter 20
He was fighting sleep and clearly losing every time his eyes shut for longer than a minute. However, he caught himself and forced them back open again.
“I thought you were too old to deny yourself sleep,” I questioned softly so the human flight attendant would not hear. “We’re already in the air. You can sleep for a bit.”
“Not until we are in Ankeiros,” he muttered. “There are vampires on this flight, too.”
The Swan Jet couldn’t take us across the Atlantic, so Taelon had booked us first-class tickets on a commercial flight. I wasn’t sure what kind of pull the Swan family had with the human world, but no one questioned us or even bothered making sure we went through security. The Swan seal on our tickets was all that mattered. We were even on the plane before anyone else boarded. No one else was in the first-class cabin, and the flight attendants offered us everything from champagne to grapes and even dessert—all of which we declined—before we even got off the ground. They settled on leaving us some water before just waiting on standby.
I did notice there were vampires, which I actually liked. The fact that there were everyday vampires living their lives, trying to get from point to point like everyone else was comforting, to me at least.
“You’re taking it for granted. If I could sleep, I would. I’m jealous you can.” I really was. What was the point of making the chair into a bed if I couldn’t close my eyes and drift off? “I miss sleep. How long does it take before I’m old enough to get to indulge, too?”
He thought back, and when he did, his mind and eyes seemed to drift, focusing on the memories. His voice was low as he spoke. “My first nap happened when I was about five hundred. It wasn’t long, a few minutes, and I didn’t need to sleep again for almost two more centuries. Then around eight hundred, I slept a full day. It was beautiful. It was the first time I dreamed. I craved it more but didn’t need to sleep again for fifty years. By nine hundred, it was every few decades. Once I reached millennium, it was as if I was knocked on my ass the moment the sun came up. It is different for everyone, but do not expect to shut your eyes and sleep for at least a few more centuries. It’s worse for me than my elder brothers, Ulrik and Hinrik. I’m out like candlelight, while they are still a bit alert…they are soldiers and war could break out at any moment.” His eyes widened as he joked about them, speaking with a heavier, harsher accent, with more emphasis on each of the words. It was harder to place than I thought.
“What accent is that?
“Scandinavian.”
“Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian?”
“No.” He said. “All of them. My brothers, spent so much time traveling, fighting to be clear, that their accents are intertwined, as is mine, though I blame the British for that.”
I rolled my eyes, “Seriously, what did the British do to you?”
“Their English caught on way too fast.” He frowned, tracing his finger over the glass of water that neither of us drank. “And it killed the need for Latin and Greek.”
“Much of English stems from both of those languages, though.”
“Yes, but it is like drinking from deer instead of the real source,” he replied, and I watched his eyes narrow on the steward in front of him.
His grey irises went directly to her neck. The thought of what he might do made my mouth water instead of making me worried about the safety of the woman in front of us. Causally, his eyes drifted to me. “Are you worried or hungry, Druellea? Your scent shifted.”
“I was fine until you said something.” I looked away from her. But then I thought of what it would be like if we both drank from her.
No! That would most definitely kill her!
But the image of Theseus across from me drinking as I did, her sweet blood pooling in both of our mouths was…
“Druella.” He growled, gently placing his hand on my thigh. “Think of something else. As much as I think I would enjoy whatever it is on your mind, should we indulge, it may cause the other vampires to lose control.”