Hunter let out a long breath. "Yes. He does. Sebastian."
"Very old-school," Twyla commented, trying to keep it light.
"He is very old."
"Oh." Twyla peeked at Hunter's sandwich roll. It looked ridiculous, simply too tiny in his hands. She could only move onto scones when he was done.
"Not many have seen him," Hunter carried on. Twyla remembered Sebastian sitting all alone on that massive throne. So far removed from the other vampires in their red cloaks. "He keeps to himself, even within his coven and court. There are rumours that he… disappears for weeks and no one knows where he goes or what he does."
Hunter finally picked up a scone and Twyla nearly leaped out of her seat and grabbed one.
"The orange ones are cheese scones," Hunter informed her.
"I… I'm okay with the uh… sweet one," Twyla responded and tried not to heap all the cream and strawberry jam onto it.
Hunter looked slightly disappointed but carried on. "A king's job is ruling his people, not running around the Isles," Hunter proclaimed.
Twyla didn't completely agree. If they didn't know what he was doing, then how did they know he wasn't doing something for his people? But maybe he should have left that to someone else and stayed with his people. Cream trailed down the side of her scone and she caught it with her finger. She popped her finger in her mouth and looked up to find Hunter's burning gaze on her finger. She licked the tip of her finger and watched as the fire in his eyes turned feral.
He growled under his breath.
"So, Sebastian?" Twyla said, smirking. She knew he didn't want to talk about the Vampire King right now. Her tongue played with her top canine.
Hunter rolled his neck, his muscles rippling down his shoulders. The fire in his eyes started a burning caramel.
"He has a private castle that is hidden just as this castle is. He holds court erratically. No one knows where it will be or when until the last possible moment. And while he may give all magical creatures a say, it does not make up for what he did. The border is a curse upon these lands," Hunter rumbled.
"How… how do you know he created it? I mean… I'm not questioning you. I'm just curious."
"This all took place long before I was born. I am not an ancient vampire," Hunter grinned. "The border was created by powerful, dark magic. The kind only held by the strongest vampires. The actual border is simply a part of the curse that was cast. The biggest part, sure, but not the only part. Magical creatures are all cursed in some way now. Nymphs are restricted to one type of magic. Sirens can only hear surface thoughts. Vampires have even been affected; walking only in the dark. But many believe that that was a mistake, an unintentional flaw in the curse. There is one vampire that walks in the sun…" Hunter tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.
"Sebastian," Twyla whispered.
"Yes. Why is he the only one who can? He is also strong enough to have created the border. But what is most telling, the border was created at the exact moment he came into power. No one knows how his parents died. It is hard to kill vampires. They are immortal and yet, both his parents, the king and queen, died at the same time. The next night he rose to power and the curse was struck."
"But… but… Did you not kill those vampires in the red cloaks?" Twyla stammered, not quite processing all the other bits of information.
Hunter let out a dry laugh. "Not even a little. I simply wounded them so that we could get away."
If Hunter could not kill those vampires, then what chance did Sofia have? She should also probably consider this Sebastian guy. It seemed like too many coincidences to be untrue. But… Correlation didn't mean causation.
"So that's why Arke wants to kill him?" Twyla asked, remembering the conversation that started this.
"Yes and no. Vampires seem to be the only creatures that can leave the border in groups. We do not know how they are doing it. But what we do know is that they are killing humans. Sebastian should not be allowing this. Yes, they need blood but they do not need to kill. And they sure as Isles, do not need human blood. Humans have been disappearing at an accelerated rate recently. That is actually why I was at the university. I am sorry that I lied," Hunter said, eyes downcast.
"My… my friend…" Twyla's voice broke. She had to clear her throat a few times before she got any words out. "She's been missing. I was looking for her. In the chapel. Do you think…?" Twyla looked at Hunter. Her eyes were wider with expectation and fear.
"I am sorry, Twyla," Hunter rumbled. His voice was gruff as he reached for her hand. It was comforting and his thumb rubbed against her knuckles. "I will ask my scouts to look out for her. Would you like some of this tea next? It is chocolate."
"Yes, please." She needed to get the thoughts of scary vampire kings out of her head. Even if it was just for a few minutes. And Hunter was going to keep an eye out for Sofia.
The tea was great, warm and sweet. Though Hunter did sigh when she put cream and sugar into her cup.
"Dessert?" Hunter asked, offering her a miniature chocolate tart.
She took one gladly. The rich chocolate melted in her mouth and she closed her eyes as she sighed.
"Happy?" Hunter quizzed.
"So happy."
He had a layered berry mousse on his plate but it was untouched. She couldn't see how he resisted the temptation. She didn't resist the temptation and stole a mousse from the cake stand.
"I do have something for you," Hunter revealed, shyly.
Oh damn. She didn't have anything for him. Her eyes widened in horror and her spoon stopped midway. "I didn't get you anything."
"That is alright," he smiled. "Here. I hope you like it. I asked Iynx to make it."
He handed her a little, pale blue box. She looked into his caramel eyes and gulped. At least it was too big to be a ring. The silver ribbon fell away as she tugged. She lifted the lid and in the velvet-lined box sat a gold necklace. The necklace sparkled in the light as she caressed the metal. A gold bird with a diamond eye hung off the chain. She picked it up. It was heavier than she realised, even for its less than dainty size. The diamond looked hollow even as it reflected rainbows. She tried to see inside.
"Would you like me to put it on for you?" Hunter questioned, his puppy eyes back.
Twyla was going to put it in a draw and uh… think about wearing it. But how could she resist those eyes?
"Yes. It's lovely."
Hunter stood up and walked around the table. Twyla moved her hair out of the way. His fingers brushed her clavicle and then her neck. She shifted her legs as his touch warmed her. She heard it click into place and felt a wave of affection flow over her. The necklace looked so much better when she was wearing it. He had gone through all the trouble of having it made.
His hands were still on her neck. She turned around and looked up at him. His hand ran down her arm. She stood up. They were so close now. He caressed her arm with one hand while his other hand tilted her chin up. His eyes were burning as he looked down at her. She stood on the tips of her toes as he leaned down…