“Is that all?” he asks. “Just the smithy for you?”
“I’m not sure… Perhaps some travels, perhaps a family… I think I want to figure it out as I go.” I yawn. “What will you do when you are free of the curse?”
“The council agreed three thousand years ago when the long night began that the vampir lord or lady to break the curse would be our ruler. All the lords and ladies chosen in the line of succession were selected based on how close they were in title or bloodline to the throne when the night began. So, if—when—we break the curse, I will be king.”
I try and imagine it. My thoughts are becoming murky and dreamlike. I imagine a throne room, somewhere in this castle that I have yet to see. The throne is iron, like the crown resting on the statue of Solos in the chapel. He is swathed in a cape of crimson velvet and everything shines. The world is bright. Tempost is warm.
“You’ll be a good king,” I murmur, lids heavy and slowly closing.
“I will try. For the vampir…and for the humans of Hunter’s Hamlet.”
“Do you promise?” I ask, vaguely realizing that in none of our plans was a mention of what the future was for him and me.
“I swear it to you. As long as I draw breath, I will protect you and your home.”
* * *
Dawn breaks through the window. I’ve only slept a short while. Most of my nights these days are spent awake, tumbling between the sheets with him, my love, my king, my bloodsworn.
Long, elegant fingers rake through my hair, stroking it from my face. As I stir, he places a kiss on my forehead.
“Good morning, Loretta.”
Loretta? That’s not my name… Awareness overcomes me, enough that it pulls me away from the bed. No longer do I feel the man’s nails lightly on my scalp.
A man and woman lie together underneath silken duvets, furs piled atop their feet. White hair frames him, splayed out on the pillow behind him. I see his face sharp and clear for the first time. A brunette is curled at his side, covers up to her chin. They share a smile and it’s then that I notice their eyes—his gold, hers green. He’s a vampir and she’s human.
Light glitters off crystal-cut chandeliers, casting rainbows on the fine upholstery of the walls. The castle is as glamorous as I imagined; I vaguely recognize the carvings of the bed. I turn to face bookshelves, full of trinkets, framing a familiar fireplace.
I wake with a start,throwing the covers off me. The sunlight is blinding. I shiver in a cold sweat, my head splitting with pain.
“Floriane?” Ruvan groans, turning over.
I stare at him, wide-eyed. His snowy hair is splayed on the pillow. Shorter, but just as silken as that of the man in my dreams. The man who has been haunting me at every turn has a possible identity now. Given Ruvan’s distant lineage, it would make sense…but it seems too impossible to be real.
“We have to go back to the room you first took me to.” I stand, scrambling for my clothes.
“What… What’s happened?”
“My dreams. I think I know who they’re about.”
“They’re still persisting?” He props himself up, eyes clearer and more focused.
“They never really stopped,” I admit.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Ruvan frowns slightly.
“We’ve been busy.” Tugging my shirt on, I give him a pointed look.
“Fair… But I still want to know.” He sighs.
“Moreover, whenever I try to think about them my head hurts.” I rub the back of my skull. The ache is present, but I’m not going to let it deter me. Not this time. I fight to recall the details of my dreams, wincing slightly. “I think I might know who Loretta was.”
“How? Who?”
“All of my dreams have had two things in common: a human woman and a man with long, white hair. This was the first time he used her name—he called her Loretta and they were in that room at the edge of the old castle. I know how it sounds but I keep feeling as though there’s something—someone—calling out to me.”
“What else do you remember of your dreams?” He pulls himself upright.
