Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) - By Paula Flumerfelt Page 0,74

mumbled.

“Excuse me?” His tone was teasing, getting a bit of revenge.

Huffing, the man ran long fingers through his blond hair. “I’m just over six hundred, alright? I’m still young for my people but to you humans, I’m old.”

“Your people?”

“Wow, this kid really doesn’t know anything.” Darcia was giving him an exasperated look.

Solomon shook his head slightly, bemused. “How did I end up in this conversation? Well, since you don’t know, I’ll explain a bit. Okay, so I’m what you Unithians might call a vampire. I’m sure you’ve heard of those.” He rolled his emerald eyes, exasperated. Mathieu nodded an affirmation.

“However, that’s actually inaccurate. Back in the old days, vampires were a real species, but over the years, part of them died off and the rest mutated into something different. My sister and I are distant descendants of them. We inherited their longevity, along with slight physical enhancements. She has an exceptional sense of smell, and my eyes are unparalleled. We don’t need blood and we don’t avoid the sun, like the original vampires did. We can die from blood loss just like you guys. The only real difference is that we live longer and are stronger. It’s our gift.”

Mathieu mulled over what Solomon had said. He could tell that the other man was embarrassed of his age, his abnormality. “That’s cool. I’m jealous. My power seems rather…uncool now.” He winked and the blond man flushed, looking away. Mathieu rubbed the newfound marks on his shoulders. “But really, I want to hear more about you guys and the past. This is all so interesting.”

Kiev smiled at him. “I guess it would be for someone new. To us, these are old stories. But I suppose that’s how it is in families.”

“Family…?”

“Come on, you don’t think you’re an outsider, do you?” The blonde female smiled at Mathieu, tilting her head. “When you’re not moping or anything, we like you quite a bit. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t tease you, Duchess.”

“I don’t mope! And I’m not a duchess!”

“Do too, and you so are.” It was Solomon this time. “But truly, tell us about your childhood.”

Mathieu looked across the room to the broken mirror that he was reflected in. The spider web of cracks mutated his reflection, making him look distorted and broken. He guessed it wasn’t that far out of line from the truth. Swallowing hard, he put aside his hatred for talking about his past. These people called him family, so maybe he would just have to trust them. “Well,” he considered, “I grew up in an orphanage. I didn’t know either of my parents and until I met Avian, and then you guys, I was always the black sheep. I didn’t fit in well because people could tell that I was different, a freak.” He shrugged, making sure not to go into too much detail.

Kiev leaned over and hugged him. “You’re not a freak. Solomon is, but you’re not.”

Solomon scoffed, “Gee thanks, Kiev.”

Mathieu leaned into the hug. “The past makes up who we are. If we don’t endure, then we’ll never know happiness, and if we never know loneliness, then we can’t appreciate the company of others.” Mathieu looked at her, his posture relaxing. “But it means a lot to me that you care.”

Darcia drummed his fingers on his shoes. “You lived with the royal family, right?”

Mathieu nodded, thinking carefully before he answered.. “Yes. I protected the Princess. And you see how well I succeeded at that.” He mumbled.

“Not really your fault. He got the drop on you and if Nathan hadn’t distracted you, you wouldn’t have let him get her. We all have off days and we all make mistakes.” Darcia said.

“…Sure.”

The raven rubbed his chin. “So the castle, huh. I’ve only seen it once. How does it compare to living here?”

This was a topic Mathieu was slightly more comfortable with. “Well, it’s…different. Things there run on a strict schedule, every moment planned. If Avian and I wanted time to ourselves, we had to run off and hide. But Narrie, she’s gifted too, would always drag us back by our ears, hollering about responsibility.” He chuckled, “It took some getting used to, but it was comforting in a sense. I mean, I always knew where I should be and what I should do. I didn’t have to think much. But this place is…more relaxed. Things obviously have to get done around here, but they happen as they happen. The whole place won’t fall apart if it takes some time to get