For a second I felt bad for not saying goodbye to Nicolae, but it would have been too awkward, too forced. Luckily, Arrick had saved me the trouble and explained he’d had a discussion with Nicolae before we’d left. That didn’t stop the guilt I felt for not saying goodbye to Evilyn… again; though she probably wouldn’t have wanted to talk to me or anyone anyway. I still planned to mend things between us when everything was over. Nicolae, on the other hand, I was still a little angry with him. I probably always would be.
Robin said her mother had gone back to the crypt. It was painful to see Mara so broken, but even more so to see the hurt she was causing Robin. She’d already lost her father; I didn’t want her to lose her mother too. I imagined it would be difficult for her to stay here and watch her mother spiral into depression, but it had to be hard to leave her as well. Robin was obviously trying her hardest to be strong, but she couldn’t hide how much she was still hurting. I could almost feel her anguish just from sitting beside her. I slipped my arm around hers and squeezed.
The drive to Naos seemed surprisingly shorter than it had before. Maybe because I wasn’t fleeing for my life. We spent most of the time answering Liz’s endless array of questions, most of which Robin was more than happy to answer. She loved vampire history, and giving Liz the run down on all the facts was right up her alley. To my surprise, Liz wasn’t as shocked about the truths as I had been; in fact, she was all the more fascinated. If she didn’t worship vampires before, she definitely did now.
“So, you’re telling me you can seriously run faster than this SUV?” Liz asked Arrick, completely flabbergasted.
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
“But you can go out in daylight, and they can’t?” she asked, pointing to Robin, Dmitry and me.
“Pretty much,” Arrick answered, sounding less uncomfortable being in her presence then he had at her house.
“Well, why aren’t all vampires like you then?”
“They aren’t allowed,” Robin answered. “The vampire high council in our region has only permitted a handful of Blood Mates to be created in the last hundred years.”
“That’s dumb,” Liz scowled, sounding offended.
“It’s more like they’re scared than anything,” Dmitry said, finally speaking.
“Scared of what?” Liz questioned.
“They believe Blood Mates are more powerful than vampires.”
“It’s true,” Robin commented, shifting in her seat so she could face Dmitry who was sitting shotgun next to Arrick. “I think in some ways they are. Maybe if we had more of them we would stand a better chance against Baal.”
“Baal? That’s the evil, mutant vampire guy, right?” Liz wrinkled her brow looking utterly confused with the situation. I didn’t blame her; it was a lot to take in. But, she was handling it rather well, considering.
“Yes,” Robin giggled, making us all release our own laughter, and easing the tension that we had been hiding inside.
Liz kept asking questions ranging from the kind of shops available in Naos, to what the weather was like and if it would affect her hair. She even asked me if I could hook her up with any available guys! Now wasn’t the time to go gallivanting around on a date, but could it really do any harm? I agreed that I would think about it, but I told her that she wouldn’t be allowed out of the Château without a guard. It was just too dangerous.
It was uncomfortable sleeping in the car, but it was our only option. Like the Mercedes we’d taken before, the SUV had blackout curtains that hid the sunlight during the day. Arrick drove the whole way, only stopping to refuel or get himself and Liz some food.
“Are we there yet?” Liz asked through a yawn after the sun had finally set and we were starting to wake up.
“Almost,” Arrick replied as he turned the SUV to the left. I was expecting us to come to a stop, thinking we’d made it to the parking location, and walk the rest of the way like we had before. Instead, I felt the engine roar as we drove up a steep incline. The sound of gravel crunched beneath the tires.
“Where are we going?” I leaned forward, placing my hand on Arrick’s shoulder. I missed touching him, being near him. I felt that same yearning emit from him, coursing its way through my fingertips