She focused on immediate goals. She still needed to finish the cure for the Elixir virus. She needed to control her hunger.

After that?

“Baojia said I’d need to be isolated for at least a year.”

“That’s the typical period of time,” he said, still scribbling in his notebook. “Individuals vary based on training, personality, violence of the change, and many other factors. I’ve seen immortals blooded for five years and still out of control. I’ve seen others at six months who were nearly Zen masters. It varies greatly.”

“I’ve never heard the term blooded before.”

He glanced up. “It’s archaic and comes from the Latin word for the process of turning someone, which is sanguinem. If you use the term, you date yourself.”

“How old are you?”

He stopped writing, looked up, and held her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”

“I’m spending eternity with you,” she said. “Small talk has to start somewhere.”

“Two things.” He started writing again. “You’re not spending eternity with me. Do you see me hanging on my mother’s hem? You’ll be independent soon enough. And two, don’t ask vampires their age.”

“Impolite?”

“Imprudent,” he said. “Age is a good indicator of power—though not the only one, as you’ve seen with Baojia—so asking someone directly how old they are is the vampire equivalent to the crude human phrase ‘dick measuring.’”

“Hmm,” Makeda said. “I’ve never had any need to participate in that particular activity.”

“Neither have I. You still shouldn’t ask my age.” He closed his notebook and put it to the side. He walked across the converted hold and sat in the seat across from her. “I know we don’t get along very well, but it’s my responsibility to teach you what you need to know in this life, so please listen to me.”

“Baojia has already taught me—”

“Baojia is an infant.” He didn’t let her finish her thought. “He’s my friend, and I have a great amount of respect for him. He’s highly intelligent, and I trust him, which is a rare thing, even among those I count as friends. But you have to understand, Makeda: I sat at the foot of kings in my infancy. My teachers were emperors, and my mother is a god. What Baojia counts as wisdom is nothing to me.”

Makeda’s heartbeat picked up and she felt her fangs drop. She didn’t understand her reaction.

Was she fearful? Excited? Hungry?

Aroused. She frowned at the realization. The promise of so much knowledge aroused her.

Drawing in a deep breath, Lucien sat back and stared at her. “You like that,” he said. “The power attracts you. It’s a predictable—”

“Not the power.” Her voice was heavy and slow. “The… knowledge.”

“Interesting.”

He stared at her as if she were a bug under a microscope. It should have felt clinical and cold, but it didn’t. His examination heated her skin. She couldn’t look away from his eyes, which perused her body with such focus she lost track of time. He traced her legs, lingering on her ankles and her thighs. The silent attention to her breasts should have enraged her, but it didn’t. His gaze slid over her body like a caress.

Had it been hours or minutes?

The plane began its descent, and Makeda snapped out of her spell at the quiet murmur of the captain’s voice. She strapped herself in and made ready to land, ignoring Lucien’s unwavering attention. She pretended the roaring in her ears was the sound of the engines and not the pulse of her blood.

It didn’t matter. He knew.

The tires bumped on the runway, and his eyes finally returned to hers. There was the hint of a smile on his lips. “Welcome home, Makeda.”

“I guess I’ll see.”

“See what?”

“If reality is better than dreams.”

Saba

Alitea, Aegean Sea

She flew in his arms, wrapped around Ziri as he transported her across the water and into the heart of Laskaris’s domain. They landed in the highest balconies of the sea fortress, the walls rising up against the crashing waves below.

Alitea was no natural island.

It had been formed millennia before by the careful partnership of Sofia, an earth vampire of ancient lineage, and Eris, her sister and a fire vampire of singular skill. They had formed the island off the coast of the mainland as a haven for immortals, shaping it from the volcano Eris had called. After Kato had retired from his empire, Laskaris came and shaped the currents in his own way, adding his mark to the island haven. Jason and his people had been the most singular of craftsmen, flying above the trees and bays of the island, carving the rock that formed the outer perimeter walls into terraced luxury before he took his place on the council throne. Mortals from all over the ancient world had been brought in to build the lavish temples and palaces before they offered their lives as blood sacrifices to the living gods of Alitea.

Ever since, the council had hidden Alitea from human eyes. In ancient times, they had draped it in legends that kept the mortals away. Tales of shipwrecks and cursed waters still kept modern humans at bay. Mortals were not welcome on Alitea. Its residents hunted elsewhere, bringing back offerings for their gods.

Saba watched a group of water vampires climb from the moonlit water of the harbor and walk toward the temple at the base of Eris’s volcano. All carried skins she would guess contained blood. All looked flushed and healthy.