tidy his hair in this time we’d been apart. I kind of laughed a little. He looked…messy.
“ I’m fine, Arthur. Really. I…I guess I’m used to losing people I love.”
He looked at my smile, then down at his hands, frowning. “I’m not sure what to make of that, my lady.”
I shook my head and pulled my dress down over my knees where it rose up. “Don’t think into it at all. No one has ever figured me out, Arthur, and I guarantee you won’t be the one to do it.” When the silence lasted uncomfortably long, I turned my head, reluctantly, as I could feel his glittering grin in my direction. “What?” I said.
“ Do not be so sure, Princess, that I cannot figure you out.” He looked away again. “I believe I may be closer to your inner truths than you would allow.”
Yikes . “And what makes you so sure?”
His lip quirked; he looked so young, like the thirty years his face portrayed, not the hundreds his mannerisms did. “I’ve been around a while. You’re not the first moody, complicated young girl I’ve had the pleasure of befriending.”
“ Is that so?”
“ Yes.” He laughed, still not looking at me.
The orange glow all around us made his skin look tan and his eyes sparkle with a mix of blue and sunshine, looking almost green. I let myself picture David there, in his place, for just a second. “And you think that gives you greater insight into who I am and how I work?”
He turned to me then and took my hand delicately, the stiff, guarded Arthur gone, replaced by a guy with boyish charm. “You remind me very much of David’s aunt. Did he speak much of her?”
I nodded. “He told me how she died.”
Stiff Arthur reappeared, dropping my hand, a wave of darkness flooding his eyes. “It pains me to come back here. Her memory, and that of my nephews’, infects every corner of this place.”
“ I’m sorry.”
“ I am, too. But, despite that, I am here—for you, and if there is anything I can advise on or assist with, you need only ask it.”
“ Well, there is one thing.” I hesitated.
“ Speak it, my dear, and it shall be done.”
“ I want to free the prisoners, but I don’t know much about your law system—how things worked or where the prisoners are.”
“ Why would you wish to free them?”
“ Because, I…I don’t believe those vampires were imprisoned fairly.”
“ Amara—” He scratched his chin, sighing.
“ Look, just tell me where they are.” I folded my arms, making myself taller beside him. “I don’t care if you agree with me or not, I mean, why would you—you’re probably the one who put them all away. But I’m in charge now—”
“ Not yet. You have not taken your oath.”
“ Well, I will soon. And freeing those prisoners will be the first thing I take care of—aside from disbanding the Sets.”
“ Disbanding!” He sat taller. “Amara, you can’t—”
“ It’s. Not. Open. For negotiation.” I put a hand up between us. “You’re here to advise, not tell me what I can and can’t do.”
He blinked a few extra times. “And I endeavour only to advise , Princess. It is not my wish to govern you.”
“ Yes, it is. I can tell from your authorative stance— seat —that you want to make me do what you think I should do.”
He sat back a little, becoming smaller. “I’m sorry, my lady. I did not mean to come across that way.”
“ Just…can you please just tell me where they keep the prisoners?”
He exhaled. “Most are held at le Chateau Elysium, the Lilithian First Order in Paris, a few are in New Zealand and some in China. But while Drake still rules the vampire domains, we can free only those in Paris and the ones held here.”
“ Here? There are prisoners here?”
“ Of course—in the cellblock.”
“ We…we have a cellblock?”
“ Yes.” His lips spread, giving in to the dimples in his cheeks—his nephew’s dimples.
“ Well, that’s great, then.” I sat back and pushed my hair off my face,
“ I’m fine, Arthur. Really. I…I guess I’m used to losing people I love.”
He looked at my smile, then down at his hands, frowning. “I’m not sure what to make of that, my lady.”
I shook my head and pulled my dress down over my knees where it rose up. “Don’t think into it at all. No one has ever figured me out, Arthur, and I guarantee you won’t be the one to do it.” When the silence lasted uncomfortably long, I turned my head, reluctantly, as I could feel his glittering grin in my direction. “What?” I said.
“ Do not be so sure, Princess, that I cannot figure you out.” He looked away again. “I believe I may be closer to your inner truths than you would allow.”
Yikes . “And what makes you so sure?”
His lip quirked; he looked so young, like the thirty years his face portrayed, not the hundreds his mannerisms did. “I’ve been around a while. You’re not the first moody, complicated young girl I’ve had the pleasure of befriending.”
“ Is that so?”
“ Yes.” He laughed, still not looking at me.
The orange glow all around us made his skin look tan and his eyes sparkle with a mix of blue and sunshine, looking almost green. I let myself picture David there, in his place, for just a second. “And you think that gives you greater insight into who I am and how I work?”
He turned to me then and took my hand delicately, the stiff, guarded Arthur gone, replaced by a guy with boyish charm. “You remind me very much of David’s aunt. Did he speak much of her?”
I nodded. “He told me how she died.”
Stiff Arthur reappeared, dropping my hand, a wave of darkness flooding his eyes. “It pains me to come back here. Her memory, and that of my nephews’, infects every corner of this place.”
“ I’m sorry.”
“ I am, too. But, despite that, I am here—for you, and if there is anything I can advise on or assist with, you need only ask it.”
“ Well, there is one thing.” I hesitated.
“ Speak it, my dear, and it shall be done.”
“ I want to free the prisoners, but I don’t know much about your law system—how things worked or where the prisoners are.”
“ Why would you wish to free them?”
“ Because, I…I don’t believe those vampires were imprisoned fairly.”
“ Amara—” He scratched his chin, sighing.
“ Look, just tell me where they are.” I folded my arms, making myself taller beside him. “I don’t care if you agree with me or not, I mean, why would you—you’re probably the one who put them all away. But I’m in charge now—”
“ Not yet. You have not taken your oath.”
“ Well, I will soon. And freeing those prisoners will be the first thing I take care of—aside from disbanding the Sets.”
“ Disbanding!” He sat taller. “Amara, you can’t—”
“ It’s. Not. Open. For negotiation.” I put a hand up between us. “You’re here to advise, not tell me what I can and can’t do.”
He blinked a few extra times. “And I endeavour only to advise , Princess. It is not my wish to govern you.”
“ Yes, it is. I can tell from your authorative stance— seat —that you want to make me do what you think I should do.”
He sat back a little, becoming smaller. “I’m sorry, my lady. I did not mean to come across that way.”
“ Just…can you please just tell me where they keep the prisoners?”
He exhaled. “Most are held at le Chateau Elysium, the Lilithian First Order in Paris, a few are in New Zealand and some in China. But while Drake still rules the vampire domains, we can free only those in Paris and the ones held here.”
“ Here? There are prisoners here?”
“ Of course—in the cellblock.”
“ We…we have a cellblock?”
“ Yes.” His lips spread, giving in to the dimples in his cheeks—his nephew’s dimples.
“ Well, that’s great, then.” I sat back and pushed my hair off my face,
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