Annie Nicholas - Prima

The dull light of disinterest still shone in Pallas’s eyes though. In three centuries the world had changed. When he’d gone to sleep, horses had been the best mode of travel and America was just beginning its struggle for independence. Maybe he could find some relevance in this time period worth existing for.

Pallas’s frown grew deeper. “The council agrees with you.”

“For once.”

Pallas shot him a glare before joining him in a laugh. It wasn’t from mirth but resignation. Once more they were forced into duty against their will. It was an old song and dance that they knew all too well.

“We’ll leave tomorrow night. Stay here with me. You can use my resting space. I’ll bunk with Sugar.” He sighed at the prospect of having to creep into her bed. She’d been the center of his universe these last few years, such a short time. The flutter of nerves in his stomach should be from anticipation, not anxiety. He couldn’t spend another night staring at her back, wanting to hold her yet knowing any of his advances would be turned away with a sharp word.

He also hated to leave her side since she refused to become a vampire. Their time together was limited, and he wanted to savor every heart-breaking minute.

“You love her?” The incredulity was obvious in Pallas’s voice.

“Is that so surprising?”

He snorted.

Fine, Pallas had a point. Daedalus had never been a romantic. “People change.”

“We’re not people. Nosferatu are eternal.”

“For fuck’s sake, our lifespan, not our personality.” He rose, already tired of Pallas’s company even after his centuries of absence. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Sam, in his human form, hovering by the doorway. The Sigma’s protective nature couldn’t be controlled.

Daedalus waved him over. “Can you show Pallas to his room in the basement? Maybe introduce him to a television. I doubt he’s ever seen one.”

Sam quirked an eyebrow. “No joking?”

With a slow shake of his head, he left Pallas in Sam’s shocked care. He overheard the shifter mention something about the Playboy channel. Who had ordered that package? He suspected Spice, Sugar’s twin.

Silent as sin, he slipped into his lover’s room.

Sugar lay in the moonlight spilling through the window. It glimmered on her blonde hair, which reminded him of his long-lost sunlight, but it was the kindness in her soul that shone the brightest.

He lowered his head and sighed heavily. She was already asleep. It didn’t take much to exhaust her, and as she aged it would only get worse. What the fuck was he doing?

Immortality, or as he liked to think of it, immunity from death, was something he once considered a gift. However, in an endless conscious existence, bathed in a plethora of hedonistic sensation, he’d forgotten who he was until what remained of his human soul went dormant. Things had faded, and life had become one long routine until he met her.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he traced the lines of her face, committing them to memory. He could live another thousand years and he’d never forget. The traumatic stroke she’d suffered sucked away her energy, and she couldn’t remain awake late. He saw less and less of her light or heard the joy in her laughter.

Blood and death were a constant in a Nosferatu warrior’s existence. Be it aggressor or defender, he truly didn’t care. The Vampire Council had wielded them like a weapon, but he wanted to shrug off the yoke of responsibility and curl next to her forever.

He’d once been like Pallas. Disinterest had lived in his black soul.

Even when humans had learned of their existence and carefully embraced vampires to their bosom, the novelty of sharing their streets didn’t hold his attention long. Not until he received a plea for help from a small pack of shifters searching for someone to teach them how to fight. What a unique opportunity.

He taught them more than how to throw a punch. They were now the largest wolf shifter pack in North America, ruled by just laws and a good alpha. In return for his good deed, his heart had been stolen and consequently enslaved by their human friend. Fate had rewarded him, or at least he had thought so until recently. A broken heart was a difficult thing to mend when no wound actually cut through its flesh.

Unable to resist any longer, he ran his fingertips over the silken mass surrounding her face.

Her rosebud lips spread into a secretive smile. All that was playful and filled with joy in his Sugar had vanished.

The old Daedalus would have found the Asian pack and rained terror upon them so that even their great-great-great grandchildren would shudder at his name. He’d grown with Sugar’s guidance. The alpha responsible for the attack was dead. Killing his pack mates wouldn’t repair the damage done to her weak human body.

He hadn’t allowed himself a second away from her side to exact useless revenge. Maybe that was selfish. Maybe this was why she pushed him away. He didn’t understand, and no one would explain these things.

Her clear green eyes fluttered open and focused on his face. “Daedalus?” She blinked and searched the room. “Where’s Pallas?”

Daedalus lay next to her. Bending over her neck, he gave her a playful nip. “You are wearing too many clothes.”

She sighed and turned her face away. He’d said the wrong thing again.

He flopped onto his side next to her. “Sam is instructing him on the use of a television. With any luck, he won’t destroy it.” He wasn’t the only one worried about Sugar’s listless interest in the world. The pack watched her in earnest during the day while he slept.

“Why?” She struggled to sit, using her working arm to support her weight, and shrugged off his helping hand. “I can do it.”

“Have you taken your pills tonight?”

The look she tossed his way would have frozen any warrior’s balls. “Spice made sure I took them.”

He chuckled. Her twin sister could compete with him for the title of Bane of Sugar’s Existence. Together they worked to make sure she received the best of care. Sugar still had decades to live. If she’d let him, he’d make them the best she’d ever had.

He remained on his side, curled along her hip. “I’ll leave for Pal Robi Inc. tomorrow night.” Would she miss him?

She twisted to face him, not an easy feat. “They tried to kill you.” Was that a hint of concern in her voice? He could only hope.

“Not everyone working for me was behind the assassination. I’ve narrowed it down to five people. It’s time I take matters into my own hands.”

“Oh…” She stared at the ceiling for a moment then settled her head on his chest as if the space were made for her. “Will you be gone long?”

Decades of practice kept him from sighing. “I’ll be back before you know it.” The fake chipper tone he used wanted to choke him. Regaining control of Pal Robi Inc. didn’t pose a problem, but keeping it would.

Daedalus slept like, well, like the dead. The sun had risen, but the heavy shutters over Sugar’s window kept the rays from entering her bedroom. The world sat heavily on her shoulders this afternoon. She lay on the bed in darkness, staring at the ceiling.

He was leaving her.

Pressing her palm to her forehead, she fought back a sob. She’d known this day would come, however the amount of grief overwhelmed her expectations.

Ever since she’d been helpless in bed during her stay at the rehab center, she’d known she couldn’t bear to keep him close. The Sugar he’d fallen in love with was gone. She lay shattered in forgotten memories. What lived in this broken body was a mockery.

Getting to her feet, she shambled pass the metal-shuttered windows to the mirror. A white silk scarf hid her reflection. It was the one Daedalus had used to tie her to the bed years ago when they’d first met. He had snuck into her apartment bedroom through the window to seduce her. She missed the passion they'd shared.