"'We have met,' the man said firmly. 'It is not wise for children such as yourself to be so rude to your elder,' he chastised. The children grumbled, pouting when he refused greater explanations.
"'My mother took me around to tour her people`s homeland,' Priscilla whispered from behind his broad back. 'I t-t-talked to him there,' she stuttered.
The other children took a single step away from her in unison. 'Her mother,' one whispered. 'The daemon,' another said. 'I hear they like to burn the trees,' another muttered in disgust.
"Hey! Don't be so rude," I said. They looked at me in surprise, then her.
"'It's not rude if they're monsters,' one shouted. 'Everyone hates her family, even our parents,' the little girl with a knife added. When I glared at them they ran away like a flock of startled starlings, ready to return whenever the coast was clear.
"Priscilla stood by, suddenly, convulsively squeezing my hand harder than ever before. I looked down at her face, even paler than usual. I instinctively caught her up into a giant bear hug. Kneeling, I set her down again and looked her straight in the eye. 'I can stick with you,' I said seriously. "How about I be your contractor and stay by your side?" I smiled, holding her hands in kind.
"'Are you sure about that,' she asked. I nodded. 'Okay,'" she whispered.
"I mean, people who are as good friends as us shouldn't be anything else," I said, standing and twirling her around. She giggled, a smile finally splitting through her frowns.
Dürin blushed, breaking off from his reminisces. "I was determined to stay by my friend after that. Since we started the bond when she was so young, part of her identity is dependent on my nearness anyways, so we are connected even more strongly than most. It doesn't hurt her, mind you," he added. "Besides, my contractee is one of the most powerful of her race."
The girl blinked and shook her head in confusion, blond hair falling on her golden skin. "Was he talking to you," she asked casually. The vampire seemed a little surprised that she was so nonchalant about the whole matter.
"Injured?" Layel asked. He brushed a hair off her face. With concern he leaned in to inspect how well she was doing. She blushed scarlet, leaning away from his presence. "Scared?" he asked in concern. She silently shook her head emphatically, staring at the floor. He nodded and handed her a cookie. "Eat if you like. Please wait to leave until I am sure the shifters are gone from the area," he added.
She nodded solemnly.
He smiled at her as he went out into the rest of his home.
CHAPTER THREE
Dark Foretellings
Layel's Hall was soon filled to bursting with more than just young Priscilla taking up his guest rooms. The vampire king, Cillean, and his right-hand man, Daerick, had stopped by as well with Priscilla's big sister, Jackie, knocked out on their shoulders.
Cillean and Darien went in to the guest suite to check on their charges again. Jackie was still passed out in her room. Normally, the effect of vampire breath would knock a Mundane human out for half an hour or so, but a nymph was another matter altogether. Their species was prone to sleeping decades away in their contracting trees or bodies of water, so the short-term sleep spell tended to be a little too effective on their bodies. Cillean busied himself setting a damp cloth on her brow, while Daerick was tasked with setting a time-delayed enchantment that would switch her old clothes, worn from weeks of traveling, with fresh ones once they had left the room.
"Um, sirs," a tentative voice from the doorway came. Both of them looked to see the owner of the Hall standing in the doorway. He swept his hair out of his face to see them more clearly, revealing his features, much darker than the other two vampires. It was clear he had been Latino when he was still alive, though centuries serving his king had given him a strongly Eastern European accent. "I have something of great importance to speak with you about, your majesty." Both of them turned to face him. He wrung his hands. "Well, you see...," he started to say.
"An old friend has come to visit," Aeron interrupted, stepping into the room by pushing the subordinate blood sucker aside. The vampires both jumped in surprise, then dashed forward to greet the man.
"Aeron my man! Come for a drink or two?" Cillean asked, his fist rubbing the dragon's head.
"Nourishment is necessary on extended journeys," Daerin chipped in.
"Search and rescue was my plan for this trip, but it didn't end up being such a long journey after all," Aeron responded, smiling. "That said, some lunch wouldn't hurt," he said. Cillean gave a great guffaw, slapping the dragon on the back. Daerin was silently excited as well.
"I always thought dragons were meant to be speedy and breakable, but you're pounding as heavy as a bear claw, and I've seen before that in battle you're faster than a leopard. It's not fair or decent for you to be so energetic," Aeron complained.
"You didn't know?" Cillean asked. "I`m the first of my kind, a half-breed vampire. Paving the way for future generations. Huzzah," he said dryly.
"It is this trait that makes him so important," Daerin agreed.
"I thought it was because he was ancient," Aeron joked.
"Nah. There's plenty of ancients among us, and
