Daybreak, BK 4 of the Lightwalkers

XXX - Jon

Jon

The morning light made the library bright enough to hurt my eyes. I'd followed Nickolas up the stairs with Carrie's help. I felt like I'd had the flu, a stomach bug, and had been hit by a bus, all at once. I hated how weak I felt, but I didn't want to think about what I needed to feel better.

Aw, why not? I'm sure one of the humans would let you have some. Or we could always order some take-out.

I shivered as Kain's laughter echoed in my mind.

"Have a seat here," Carrie said. She helped me over to a couch in front of the fireplace. The flames threw off a heat that felt as good as the blanket I still had wrapped around my shoulders, but no matter the warmth, I felt like I had ice in my veins.

Nickolas joined us by the fire, motioning for Carrie to take a seat in the armchair closest to my side of the couch.

I studied him in the morning light, slightly in awe that there was another vampire like myself. I know Michaela had mentioned that there was another like us, but actually seeing-

It's amazing. Yes, Kain's voice drawled in my mind. But she also said that there was only ONE other vampire like us, and that vampire is the Queen. Michaela never mentioned another Prince.

Perhaps Michaela isn't the end all, be all? Who said she knew all there is to know about the Vampire Court?

And just who are we supposed to ask?

I thought the answer to that was easy, but Kain just grumbled.

"Tell me how this all happened," Nickolas said, taking a seat on the far end of the couch from me. He looked kind, patient. Almost like I'd imagined what my dad to be like. That strong, quiet type, ready to help if I needed it.

I started at the very beginning. I told him about the camping trip, the attack, and meeting Michaela. The kid I fed off that first night. And then, I told him about how I first woke up that morning and even how Carrie had found me in the sun light when I'd tried to kill myself. Then I spoke about Michaela's reaction, how Kain had 'appeared', and the ritual where Michaela pushed the crystal sliver against my forehead. I brushed my hair aside, to show him, but it felt smaller.

"May I?" he asked, reaching forward.

I nodded. His touch was gentle, but the spark of power that jumped between us like static was anything but. I felt Kain's sneer of distaste in my bones.

Nickolas sat back, retracting his hand with a frown. "I must be honest, I'm not entirely sure what Michaela has done to give Kain control over your body in the evenings. But perhaps with Remington's help we can find a way to reverse it."

Oh, yes, I'm sure the castor could find a way, who else would know what to do?

Are you just going to argue about everything?

Sure, why not? There's nothing better to do to keep my attention.

Frustrated, I tossed off the blanket and stood. The sudden movement caused the world to tilt around me and I had to grab at the arm of the couch to keep from falling. Carrie reached to steady me, but I brushed her off.

"I'm fine." It was a lie, but she stepped back anyway.

Carefully, I made my way across the room, gripping the backs of chairs for support when I felt unsteady on my feet, until I finally came to the big windows that looked out over the expanse that had to be the backyard. The gardens were overgrown, weeds pushed up between the stone paths. The sun came in the window, falling on my skin, warming me more than the blanket or the fire had.

"Jonathan."

Nickolas came over to stand beside me in the sunlight, as if I needed the unspoken reminder that we were the same. But were we really?

"Do you have a voice in your head? Like Kain?"

The older vampire frowned and shook his head. "No, that is not something that is normal for us Lightwalkers. You are the first vampire I know of to have this particular... issue."

Great, I wasn't just odd for a Lightwalker, but I was an oddity for the entire vampire species. I focused on the grounds below us again, rather than watch the concern and pity on Nickolas' face. There was movement down below, Seth and his friend Bryson had walked out onto the overgrown paths. They were talking, but I couldn't tell about what.

"Jonathan, I don't know how much Michaela spoke to you about us, about Lightwalkers. We are different from the rest of the vampires. Yes, we can walk in the sun, but there is so much more to us than that." He glanced out the window, looking down at the others. "We are leaders for all the vampires across the world. Our sister maintains the largest supernatural court."

"Michaela and the wolves called me 'Prince.'"

"Yes, that is what you should be called. Just as I am Prince Nickolas, you are Prince Jonathon - or Kain, I suppose. That will need to be something we should address with our sister, the Queen, when we arrive at Court."

I looked at him sharply. "What? When?"

Nickolas' gaze softened. "Soon, but I figured we would stay here long enough to get your feet under you. Perhaps see if we can convince Kain to be a little more civil."

I gave him a half grin. "Good luck with that," I said, ignoring Kain's very uncivil response. I found Seth again in the garden below, watching as he and Bryson talked and laughed at something they found funny. I wondered what Seth would do without me, and immediately dismissed the thought. He'd managed just fine without me these last few weeks. He'd made new friends even. It wasn't Seth's job to be with me twenty-four-seven. I was glad that he's alive, but I needed to find my own path now. I needed to figure out how to be...

Me, Kain finished the thought for me, and I fought a sigh. Because, on some level, he wasn't wrong. We needed to figure out how to co-exist, somehow.

"Who all would go to Court?" I asked.

Nickolas turned away from the window, taking a seat in a nearby armchair. "Samera, my personal servant will be joining us. As well as Remi and probably Jay. I have also extended an offer to Seth, but he has yet to give me an answer."

I turned away from the window, intent on finding something else to focus on. I could feel Kain in the back of my mind, listening, eager. His questions were the same as mine. "What's it like at Court? Where is it?"

"Our Court is in Eastern Europe," Nickolas said with a smile. "All those tales about vampires in Transylvania aren't complete nonsense. The Court itself lies in caverns dug deep into the mountains there, under one of the great castles. At night, our subjects come up to the castle, where the Queen and I reside. There are others who make their home at our Court as well. Some of the Wolves, castors like Remi, others like Jay."

Silence fell between us as I stared at the wall behind Nickolas. He'd spoken of the Court like he was homesick for it. Like he'd missed it. I suppose it was meant to be comforting, but instead, it turned me off more. I wasn't a prince. Prince's were leaders, decision makers, rulers. I didn't even know how to be a vampire.

"Do I have to go?" I asked, without taking my gaze from where I stared at the wall.

"Yes, for a short while at least. But you won't have to stay there forever. I often travelled away from Court. In some cases, it's especially important for us to travel and meet with other vampires that don't have the resources to travel to us."

Vampire diplomats. Now that's a new one, Kain said, but his tone was thoughtful. I didn't like the thought of being a diplomat any more than being a vampire. How the hell was I supposed to be any of this? How was I supposed to be someone this important?

Oh, sunshine, that's easy. YOU don't have to be anything.