Gareth slowly wound the cloth around his face to hide his features. He didn’t feel right to be in Riez as Gareth. And he wasn’t even sure Greyfriar deserved to be here either.
He lifted into the sterile, frozen night sky and headed back toward the camp without feeding.
The first thing Adele realized when she woke was that someone held her. For a split second she thought she had merely dozed off and Anhalt was still in the room only hours after the event, but then she recognized the powerful steel arms of Greyfriar. Her breath left her in a contented sigh.
“Adele,” he called to her softly.
“Mmm,” she said, not yet ready to stir and leave the sanctuary of his embrace. “I was dreaming.”
His lips brushed the top of her head. “About what?”
“We had a cabin in the woods, and the fields outside were full of flowers. So many colors it was like an artist’s palette.”
“Like the hills of Corran in summer blanketed with violets. It sounds nice.”
“It was.”
“What were we doing?”
“We were raising mountain goats.”
Greyfriar grimaced. “I hate goats.”
Adele smiled against his chest, her eyes half-open as she played idly with the brass buttons on his jacket. “What do you have against goats?”
“They smell and they eat anything they find. It isn’t natural.”
Her humor only increased. “Do I detect some traumatic goat incident in your past? Did a goat attack you?”
“What? No. Although one of the goats belonging to Old Thomas in New Town ate my scarf once.”
Her laugh was boisterous. “Do tell!”
“No. I’ve said too much already.”
“I’m not sure I believe your whole goat story.”
“That’s probably wise of you.”
The war intruded just then with shouts and a jarring crash. Adele tried feebly to rise, but Greyfriar tightened his hold, easily able to prevent her.
“Rest,” he urged.
“How bad was the battle? How many men did we lose? Where’s General Anhalt? I need to hear reports.”
“We won the battle, because of you. Don’t worry about reports just yet. Everyone is gone from the building. It’s just the two of us. Another hour or so won’t matter.” His hand brushed the damp strands from her cheek. “Stay here with me.”
She didn’t have the strength to fight him, but it was impossible not to listen to the cries of pain and strife echoing from outside.
Greyfriar’s deep voice urged her to focus on him. “Ask me any question you like. What would you like to know about me?”
Adele shook her head, and even that took too much effort. “I don’t know,” she whispered, finding it difficult to drown out the exterior sounds. Finally, she asked, “Tell me about your mother? What was she like?”
“Like me,” Greyfriar related softly. “My hair is black like hers. She was regal and spoke her mind often. At least what I can remember of her. I was very young when she died.”
“I lost my mother when I was thirteen. She died giving birth to Simon.”
“I know.” He smoothed her furrowed brow with light fingers. “My father often spoke to me of my mother. I know her more from his tales of bliss than from any of my own recollections. I was a very rambunctious child, always exploring. I rarely stayed at home, much to their chagrin.”
“So your father and mother loved each other?” The concept of love among vampires amazed Adele. She was likely the only human who believed in it.
“My father loved her in a way I’ve never seen since. After she died, he took another queen who was Cesare’s mother. A political arrangement. She was cold and wary of us, rightly so. Then after Cesare killed her, my father remained alone to this day. He’s never again had the heart to seek solace in another.”
“What was your mother’s name?”
“Eleanor.”
Another sound intruded from outside, the low wail of a man’s sobbing. It carried past them and slowly disappeared into the distance. Adele tensed and Greyfriar quickly kneaded her aching muscles with his long fingers. She eased back against him almost against her will.
Greyfriar’s voice was a bit louder. “My father said she was attracted to charismatic and tenacious warriors.”
“Like himself.”
“He was that without doubt.”
Adele sank into the radiating relief of his touch. “What would your father think of me?”
“Well, if I brought you home, family meals might be a bit awkward, but I think he would admire you as a queen and a woman. Despite your inconvenient humanity.” Greyfriar was silent a moment, looking into Adele’s eyes. “I can say for certain that if you were a vampire, he would welcome you into the family with great enthusiasm.”