Page 115 of Treasured
Unbidden, memories I had long since buried slammed into me like heavy bricks. They were a giant smashing into me, pushing me down, compressing my lungs, and making breathing nearly impossible.
How could the past have such a strong hold on me even after all these years?
Luna let go of my hand, and alarm pulsed through the bond. “Sebastian? What’s wrong?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but my throat was thick with emotion. Damn. “I… this… there are memories.” I bent, picking up a smooth onyx stone that fit nicely in my palm. I’d had one like this, once. I found it while skipping rocks with my brothers. It was one of the first memories I ever had. My fingers tightened around the stone.
The black waters lapping at the shore, the forest, and the village beyond spoke to me.
Luna’s eyes flashed with recognition. “That’s right. You grew up near here, didn’t you?”
She remembered. I’d only spoken of my family and life before my Making once, but she remembered.
I slipped the stone into my pocket, swallowing past the growing lump in my throat. “Yes.”
Her gaze searched mine. “Do you… Can you show me your home?”
I should have known she would ask, just like I should have known that coming this close to Brookton would drag up old memories. I had hoped that by shadowing us to the Black Sea instead, she wouldn’t make the connection.
I was wrong.
Running a hand through my hair, I frowned. “I don’t… I haven’t been here since…”
Since I left to find adventure, witnessed a horrible murder, and was whipped within an inch of my life before being Made.
Luna moved towards me, placing her hand over my heart. She leaned in close, her forehead resting against my chest. “Sebastian?” she whispered my name in the way that always made my heart skip a beat.
I held her close, dreading the direction of this conversation. “Yes?”
She worried her bottom lip, drawing it between her fangs. “I’d like to see where you grew up.”
“It’s not much,” I said, hoping to deter her. “Most human villages in Eleyta are the same. A couple of temples, schools, a blacksmith or two, a healer or witch in residence, homes, and small businesses.”
And, of course, the vampires that lorded over them all. That didn’t seem important at the moment, though.
Luna nodded. “I’m sure, but it’s more than just a regular village to you.” She looked at me, her black eyes wide and pleading in a way that I already knew would be my downfall. “Seeing the place where you grew up and getting a picture of your life before would mean a lot to me.” She paused, then added, “Please.”
That last word was my undoing. For Luna, I would do anything, including take her into the town I’d actively avoided for over three centuries.
My mouth opened, and I heard myself agreeing before I could think of better excuses. “We can go, but we have to remain cloaked in shadows.”
Brookton was still home to hundreds of humans, and any one of them could share our location with the queen if they wanted to. The people of this place no longer had any ties to me. Not anymore.
A soft smile spread across Luna’s face, and she stood on her toes to kiss me. “Thank you, Sebastian.”
Hoping I wouldn’t regret this, I nodded and released my shadows. They swarmed around me, dancing in the darkness alongside hers. The dark wisps cloaked us both, hiding us from sight until even other vampires would be unable to see us.
I laced my hand through Luna’s. The sooner we got this over with, the better. I summoned my wings and led her toward the blackened, overgrown forest. Wrongness was in the air, a thick fog that rendered even breathing difficult, and I couldn’t shake the thought that everything was broken.
My shadows urged me to hurry, and I heeded their call. We wove around trees, jumped over the frozen streams peppering the forest, and battled with the black overgrowth as the scent of smoke and life grew stronger. Hundreds of humans were nearby, their distinct smell permeating the air. Luna didn’t seem bothered by their presence, moving swiftly and without a sound, as though she’d been a vampire for years and not weeks. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe how much had transpired since our wedding. She was taking to her new life so well; I couldn’t help but be proud of her.
The trees were still thick when the wind carried faint conversations towards us. The humans who called Brookton their home spoke of everything and nothing, completely unaware of our presence.
Then, snow-covered roofs came into view. My heart sped up, and memories flooded through me, one by one, until differentiating the past from the present was impossible.
“Come along, Bastian,” Lucien, my oldest brother, called as he ran down the stairs. “It’s time to open the store, and Papa needs our help!”
He always needed our help on Market Days. These were the busiest days of the year, even more than Festival Days, and even I knew there would be no time for playing today.