The next morning, there was a knock on my door shortly after dawn. I groaned, knowing who it was before seeing his dark head walk through my door.

"It's rude to walk in uninvited," I said, glaring at Arthur. 

He looked around the small cabin that was now my own space. His black t-shirt and pants only emphasized his wild, overwhelming presence. He didn't belong inside a small, caged space.

"This island is mine. I don't need an invitation."

I couldn't handle him first thing in the morning. I'd purposefully overslept to avoid the guilt of standing him up, but apparently, I had no reason to worry. His eyes swept over the place again as he approached the bed where I laid under the covers.

"What?" I asked when he kept staring.

"Are you always grumpy in the morning?"

"Only when I get unwanted wake up calls from overbearing vampire lords." I said pushing off the covers and sitting up in bed. My hair must be all over the place, my t-shirt was crumpled and one leg of my pajama pants was up to my knee.

A deep chuckle and a tug on a wild strand of my hair. I glared up at Arthur who was clearly amused.

"Get up, I'll wait outside." He walked away, calling over his shoulder, "don't be late. And bring your sword."

I grumbled as I changed into a sweatshirt and cargo pants, pulled on my combat boots. My hair would just have to wait until after I dealt with Arthur. I grabbed the sword. The weight brought back unwanted memories, but I gritted my teeth and pushed open the door.

Arthur was holding his sword. He glanced at the sword in my hand and raised a brow, "you're going to fight with a sheathed sword?"

"I told you, I'm not fighting with a sword."

"But you're carrying it," he said, "if you truly did not want to fight with it, you wouldn't have brought it out even when I told you to. Especially when I told you."

I blinked, and realized he was right. I usually rebelled against his orders on principle. I didn't bring my sword just because he told me to. I looked down at the weapon.

"Alright," Arthur walked up to me, "why are you opposed to using a sword?"

I glared at him, "I'm not opposed to using it, I just don't want to."

"you're not making any sense," he said, stopping close enough for me to see the individual strands that escaped the long waves of his hair and settled on his forehead. "When was the last time you fought with it?"

I shifted on my feet, "does it matter?"

"Yes, it matters. Tell me when's the last time you used a sword." He paused, "please."

I couldn't help but smile. I looked at the lightening sky, "eleven years ago. When we fought Martin Malone and his cronies."

"What happened?"

I looked down as I passed the sword to my other hand, tightening my grip on the hilt. "Nothing particular happened. It was just... ugly."

There had been so many of them. A close call. By all means, I should've died that day, but uncle Robert had put himself between me and the enemy on more than one occasion. Eventually, he took a blow that led to his end.

There was so much blood, so much death. Limbs and heads strewn all over the forest floor, the stink of blood and gore permeating the air, and utter silence. Even predators were too afraid to roam close by. It was the first time I was truly and utterly alone. I had realized then that a sword was not enough.

If we had more people, just two or three well trained fighters, we would have survived, maybe uncle Robert wouldn't have died. But we didn't. It was just the two of us.

And yet after that day, I continued being a loner. I had no choice. An immortal in the world of humans couldn't get too close.

Now, for the first time, I had someone in my corner. I wouldn't have to fight my battles alone. But I was still afraid.

Arthur let go of his sword, it floated in the air next to him. He grabbed mine, unsheathed it and threw the scabbard aside. He then handed it to me hilt first, holding it by the sharp end.

"What are you doing? It's silver!" I grabbed the sword and took his hand in mine to see the damage. His palm was unharmed, unsurprising really, considering his age and the short contact he had with the silver.

"Are you checking if I'm okay?" he asked, a smile in his voice. I dropped his hand and scowled.

"Shut up."

"Thank you for your concern," he grabbed his sword off the air, "now, let's get this fight going, I have places to be."

"No one asked you to do this," I said, pulling my sword away when he went to touch it with his.

"I know," he said, then clashed his sword with mine successfully. It was only a small nudge, but the sound of swords clashing made me wince. I heard it on a regular basis in the training arena, but it was not the same when I could feel the slightest vibrations through my arm.

"Stop it," I said.

"Why?" he clashed the swords again, putting more force into it.

"Because I said so," was my reply as I took a step away. He stepped forward.

"I didn't take you for a coward," he put the sword to my throat, "it's just a sword."

"You know nothing," I said.

"Maybe. But you don't have the luxury of choosing how to fight anymore. A sword will give you the best chance against the powerful immortals we'll meet in Europe."

"I have my magic."

"Believe me, there are instances where you will not be able to use your magic," he cocked his head to the side, pushing his sword the slightest fraction until it grazed my skin. The metal was cool. "You're a good fighter, but that will not matter if you can't get close to your opponent."

I moved away when the silver burned my skin. Arthur cocked his head to the other side, eyes fixed on my neck.

"Come on, Ellie. Are you going to let a bit of metal defeat you?"

"Don't call me that." 

The flare of anger and pain made me raise my sword and push Arthur's away with it.

"Why?" he pointed his sword at my throat again, "did Robert call you that?"

"Knock it off," I said, anger replacing the hurt of the past. My magic heated up, but I held it tightly inside.

"I remember he was great with swords," Robert said, "I wonder what he would say if he knew you can't even hold one properly."

I pushed his sword with mine again, only to have it at my neck a second later.

Arthur clicked his tongue, "all his efforts in vain."

He went too far with that one. All he fury surged out of me like a tornado. I lifted my sword, and in a move that my body remembered from years ago with the familiar weight of the sword, I pushed Athur's blade away from my neck and attacked.

The loud clash of our swords echoed around the clearing, the sharp blades glinting under the first rays of sunshine. Instead of the fear and apprehension that gripped me every time I thought about holding a sword, all I could feel was pure exhilaration. Unmatched delight as my body moved as it was always supposed to, with a sword in my hand.

And we danced. As the sun rose and the world brightened up, we clashed. The sound of metal hitting metal became more and more pronounced as Arthur and I exchanged blow after blow. We weren't using our bodies to attack or our magic, it was simply a battle of swords.

At one point, it felt as though I was back in that clearing by our old cabin again, clashing swords with uncle Robert. But although Arthur was good with a sword, his style of fighting was different. Where uncle Robert was a storm, pushing his physical strength and force behind every swing of the blade, Arthur was smoother, lighter. His blade moved sinuously until you thought its blows wouldn't hurt. That, of course, was an illusion. Every single time our swords met, I felt the impact in my bones.

Arthur laughed when my sword swung a little too close to his neck. I thought it was time to spice things up. So, breaking the unsaid rule that this was only a swords' fight, I let my magic flow from my hand through my sword, extending the blade's reach. And this time, when Arthur thought he'd dodged out of the way, the blue flames erupted from the blade in a sharp line and grazed his chest, scorching his clothes until they touched his sun kissed skin.

We both paused. I hadn't actually thought my attempt at touching him would succeed, and by the look on his face, he hadn't either.

He lifted his eyes to meet mine, "You used your magic."

I shrugged, unapologetic. His wound would heal in a matter of minutes, I was sure. "We didn't agree on not using it. Besides, I'm fighting one of the Five, I can't win if I don't cheat. " I was out of breath, barely got the words out.

He stared for a long minute, then he threw his head back and laughed. It was the sound of someone having the time of their life, someone enjoying the moment. A deep, hearty sound that made my insides flutter in an unusual way.

The wide smile suited him much better than the blank expression he often wore.

My magic pulsed in oddly, as if wanting to reach out and touch Arthur's face. I shook my head and the sensation disappeared.

"Ah," he sighed, his cheeks still creased in a wide smile, his lone dimple winking, "Elle, Elle, Elle."

"How come you're not even winded?" I asked, irritated by the fact I was sweating buckets while he wasn't even breathing heavily.

He walked closer and stopped within arm's reach, "I fought battles that lasted for days. You need to work on your endurance."

Ironic, that was the first lesson I'd taught the juniors. I looked at the sky. "How long have we been at it?"

"A few hours."

Damn. No wonder I was tired. I looked at the sword in my hand. How weird. Something that felt so important only hours ago seemed so silly now.

In a matter of twenty four hours, I had told others of my identity, spilled all my secrets and fought with a sword; something I thought would be much harder to do.

Arthur reached up and brushed away the strands of hair that stuck to my sweaty face.

"Are you ready for Europe?"

"As ready as I could be," I said, "when are we leaving?"

"Three days from now."

I nodded. Europe. It seemed so far yet so close. A touch on my cheek. Arthur's fingers cool and rough against my heated skin, his gaze warming my face. I jerked my head away and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Stop it."

He dropped his hand, "stop what?"

"Doing this..." I gestured between him and I, "whatever it is you're doing."

"Why?" he cocked his head, "does it bother you?"

His hand had just moved an inch up when the point of my sword was under his chin. "It doesn't matter whether it bothers me or not. Just... stop doing stuff like this."

The arrogant ass had the gall to grin at me. I looked at him like he was crazy, put my sword away and walked back to my cabin.

"Get ready for the trip." He called, the smile noticeable in his voice.

***

Three days later, we boarded the plane that would take us to Europe. Jesse and Irene stayed behind to oversee Arthur's territory in his absence. So it was only Amanda, Harvey, Charles, Kat, Arthur and I in his private jet. Because of course, he would have a private jet. And here I was worrying about how he and the others would blend in with the other passengers in a commercial flight. Silly me.

When we boarded the plane, the pilot greeted Arthur and everyone else like an old friend. He was a vampire, a relatively old one. His handsome features hinted at South asian origins, though his accent was perfect english when he spoke.

I was the last one in line. The pilot's dark eyes looked me over, then he smiled, his teeth stark white against the smooth warmth of his skin, "you must be the lady everyone speaks about. A pleasure."

"Likewise," I smiled at him, though his words set off all kinds of alerts in my mind. Was I really that much of a topic? That did not bode well for me.

The others had already taken their seats inside. The interior of the plane was all plush cream leather seats, glossy wooden tables and a brown carpeted floor. Arthur, who was standing next to me like an unmovable mountain, put his hand on the small of my back.

I glared at him, but he didn't remove his hand. The pilot cleared his throat, the beginning of a smile on his lips.

"Please settle down. The weather is perfect, so the flight will hopefully go smoothly," he nodded at Arthur, whose hand was still warming my back, and walked into the cockpit.

"Do you like your hands?" I asked as I took an empty seat.

"I do," Arthur replied with a smile, sitting across from me.

"Then keep them to yourself." 

I unstrapped the sword from my back and set it on my lap. Arthur held his hands up.

"You're in a great mood," he said.

I looked out the window. He was right. I'd woken up in jitters. My heart refused to settle down and my mind kept inventing wild scenarios of everything that could go wrong once we landed in Europe.

I sighed, "I'm just worried."

"Mhm, you should be." Arthur said.

"You're very comforting," I deadpanned. Amanda, sitting behind us with Harvey, laughed.

"I'm telling you the truth. You should be worried. The instant we land in Europe, we're in hostile territory, and you will be the center of attention of every interaction we have. Keep your guard up."

Right. The infamous fae with a human aura.

"He's right," Harvey said behind me. I looked over my shoulder at him, sprawled over the cream colored leather seat with Amanda tucked in beside him, "many immortals become bored with life as they age, they will see you as a nice diversion from the monotonous existence they lead, a mystery to be solved."

"Well, it hasn't happened so far," I said. The people on the island that I occasionally met were very polite; no probing questions, a few curious looks, some of them suspicious, but nothing that made me feel like a clown in a circus.

"That's because we were in Arthur's territory," Amanda replied, her oversized white t-shirt, pajama pants and fuzzy slippers so at odds with her mate's crisp suit. "And you haven't left the island. No one would dare Arthur's wrath by approaching you without permission."

"Huh..."

Two flight attendants checked on us, asked for our preferred drinks. One was a witch and another a vampire.

"You don't employ humans, do you?" I asked Arthur once the flight attendants told us to buckle up for the take off and left.

"No," he replied, "why? You think I should?"

I shrugged.

Arthur leaned back, "humans are fragile. The farther they are from our world, the better it is. For their sake."

I looked out the window, recalling the years I spent with humans. There had been many instances when I thought they were truly fragile, very easily harmed, their lives fleeting flames that dwindled away too quickly. 

There had also been times when I thought they were as capable of cruelty as immortals. And there had been times when I thought that the world would not last without them.

"You lived with them for a while," Arthur asked, "with families."

The way he said the word had me shifting my eyes back to him. But whatever emotion I heard in his voice was nowhere to be seen on his face.

"Foster families," I clarified, "I was moved from one house to another."

"Why? You didn't get adopted?" Amanda asked. I could tell everyone was listening with rapt attention.

I realized that apart from seeing them in the city and dealing with law enforcement, they had no real contact with regular humans and their regular problems.

"It's not that simple," I said, "and some foster families are only in it for the money, they don't really care about the kids they take in."

"Your foster families didn't care for you?" Arthur asked, he leaned forward in his seat, his eyes attentive. His entire being seemed focused on this moment, this conversation. It was intense, being the subject of his focus.

"Some did, some didn't. It doesn't matter. Once I hit eighteen, I took care of myself," I shrugged. That part of my past seemed very far away, though it hadn't even been a full decade yet. Some memories with the other foster kids were ones I would cherish as long as I lived, while others I'd rather not recall.

My favourite one, though it probably shouldn't be, was of the first foster father I had. He hosted three other kids. Two young girls, a boy and myself. I remembered getting a very bad feeling the first time I met him, and once we reached his place the feeling intensified.

The three children were very subdued, skittish and rarely spoke. I was sixteen at the time so I thought it was the age gap that didn't make them warm up to me. And to be honest, I wasn't the best company at the time. I had just spent two years in the wild by myself, my only companions were wild animals. So my social skills were a bit rough.

It didn't take me long to find out the reason for the kids' behavior, though. My very first night in, I shared a room with the three children. The bastard got into our room long after the lights were out. I thought he was just checking on us, so I pretended to be asleep.

But when I heard the rustling of covers and a soft whimper, my eyes shot open to a sight I wish never to see again. The man was laying down behind one of the little girls, his hand inside the covers. Even in the dark room, I could see the sick, satisfied expression on his face and the fearful but resigned look on the child's.

I saw red. It was the first time I experienced such intense emotions after uncle Robert's death. I didn't realize what was happening until I had the man by his hair off the girl's bed and on the floor.

He screamed, looked at me in surprise before he tried sitting up, an ugly sneer covering his disgusting face. "You-"

My foot hit the side of his head with enough force to break something in his face, I would later learn it was his cheekbone. When he tried to make a move towards me, I grabbed his fragile, human forearm and broke the bone on my knee. He screamed, cradled the arm to his chest and curled on the floor.

The kids were huddled on one bed and looked at the scene with wide eyes. It was only their faces that made me stop, thankfully, otherwise I would've broken every single bone of his body, and I wouldn't have regretted it.

Just for good measure, I kicked his balls. Then his ribs. Then I called the police.

When they reached the place, they couldn't believe a frail looking sixteen year old girl was able to beat an adult man the way I had. I told them what he was doing, they called social services. It was a mess, but after the social workers confirmed my story with the kids and I told them that I beat the old man with a broomstick, they let the matter go. The kids, surprisingly, supported my version of the story. And by the end of the night, I had the trust of three, precious little souls, and one pedophile monster was in police custody.

Of course, after that I had to take a youth violence treatment program. Something about the severity of his injuries, and how I hadn't stopped when he could no longer move. Which was a load of crap in my opinion. 

What were they expecting me to do? Have a conversation with him in order to convince him of the error of his ways. No, I would beat him again if I had the chance, just so he would know how it felt like to be vulnerable and helpless. Dickless asshole.

"Anyway," I told Arthur, "some humans aren't as vulnerable as you think. Headhunters are humans, after all, and they hunt down rogue immortals."

"They're very rarely sent after strong ones," Charles said from where he sat with Kat across the aisle from us.

"True, but you wouldn't send your junior soldiers after the strong ones, either."

He pursed his lips. I looked back at Arthur, "my point is, you're ignoring the existence of humans unless it has to do directly with you guys. I don't think that's healthy. Humans make up more than three quarters of the world's population, it doesn't matter if they're weak or if they can't wield magic. Also, they have something immortals don't."

"What's that?" Kat asked.

"A short lifespan," I replied, "and with it comes the motivation to leave their print on the world. Not all humans have that motivation, of course, but those who do achieve different things, whether on a personal level or on a bigger scale. Immortals can't understand that, they have the luxury of time- however delusional that can be, because at the end of the day, no one is truly immortal."

That was part of the reason why the vast majority of the artists and scientists who made breathtaking art and ground breaking discoveries were humans.

Everyone fell silent after that. Arthur stared at me with a thoughtful frown, not really seeing me. I looked out the window as the plane lifted off the ground. Soon, we were flying over the Atlantic ocean, blue as far as the eye could see.

The flight attendants served refreshments, goblets of blood for the vampires and some finger food that didn't even fill me up.

Ever since I started using my magic regularly, my appetite had expanded to that of a baby elephant. I looked at Arthur's blood.

"It's not as tasteless as it looks," he said.

"Right." I replied. I wonder how they kept blood from clotting? Hmm...

During my stay on the island, I hadn't seen him feed off anyone. Only glasses of blood and regular food. 

For vampires, feeding was what you made it to be. It could be an intimate act between lovers, or a charitable gift between strangers.

When I was growing up, uncle Robert had fed off me several times when the winter was rough and humans preferred to stay indoors in the closest villages to our forest.

Since my blood was potent, he only took droplets every few days, nothing that would endanger my health. Never anything that would endanger my health. And since I was immortal, I never felt any weaker afterwards.

In uncle Robert's case, feeding off me was an act of family bonding, my way of protecting him as he was protecting me, a fatherly affection. Because uncle Robert was my father in every way but one.

Fortunately, Arthur asked for lunch to be served after that. I immediately dug into the plate of stir fry.

I was honestly expecting some silly miniature food on a plate with a droplet of smudged sauce on the side. I sent a quick thanks to whoever made the menu and dug in.

Halfway through, I looked up to find Arthur looking on with a soft smile, glass of blood still in hand.

"What?" I asked after swallowing, then glanced down at the rice I was in the process of demolishing, "I'm hungry."

"Mhm," he nodded, that stupid smile on his face made my magic buzz and swirl like it was high on crack.

Knock it off.

I held onto my magic tightly and continued eating, ignoring the gaze boring onto my face. He really needed to stop playing games like that. I had no intention of being his temporary playmate.

Right then, the pilot made an announcement that made me forget all about food and Arthur.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be flying over Dragon Island in a few minutes. There's a chance you'll spot a dragon flying nearby if you have any luck. Watch your windows."

My eyes widened, I put down my fork and stuck my nose to the window.

"Really? Will we see them?"

"If you're lucky," Arthur said, the amusement in his tone not even registering to my overly excited self, "they're surprisingly shy creatures, but every once in a while you can spot one if you fly close enough to their island."

Dragon Island was one of the rare places on earth where dragons made their dwellings. Such places were protected by humans and immortals alike from poachers and hunters stupid enough to try and take on a dragon. A full grown dragon could reach the size of a big airplane.

A long time ago, one humanity no longer remembers, dragons lived close enough to people. Like wild animals, they lived deep in the woods or in mountains, and could be seen flying over towns and villages once in a while.

I realized I was in the presence of someone who could maybe remember that time. I kept my face stuck to the window while I asked, "do you remember when they lived close to people?"

"Mhm," he paused, "a long, long time ago. There were more of them back then, a lot more."

"What happened?"

"Humans, immortals, we all covet beautiful things to the point of ruining them," he said. 

After a long pause, he continued. "Dragon scales were highly valued. We usually took them when one of them died, before the family of the deceased dragon burnt the body.

"But greed made people seek out their young since they were the easiest to capture, take away their scales and leave them to die. It was heartbreaking, and difficult to stop until the dragons decided they've had enough and left. They now take residence in several islands around the world. We made severe laws to protect these islands, but there are always those who are too stupid to obey."

Dragons were smart. Perhaps as smart as humans, uncle Robert used to say. Their awareness of the world was closer to that of humans than animals. For creatures with their abilities and size, they were surprisingly peaceful.

There was a rumour in the immortal world, that the one who harnesses the power of the fire creatures was the one who would rule the world.

The fire creatures were dragons and phoenixes. 

Even more rare than dragons, a phoenix was something close to a myth than a real being. Uncle Robert had never seen one, and he didn't know anyone who had.

"Have you ever seen a phoenix?" I asked Arthur.

"A few times," he replied, to my surprise, "but it has been centuries since I last did."

"do they look like the paintings?"

"Close enough."

I truly envied him at that moment. The paintings that existed of phoenix birds were magnificent masterpieces of red and orange and blue, swaying flames and downy feathers. Of course, I had only ever seen them on a screen, but they were astonishing. I couldn't fathom creatures like that existed.

"Elle."

"What?"

"Look."

I glanced at Arthur, he was looking down below the plane. My breath hitched when I followed his gaze. 

A dragon was flying a distance beneath us and to the side.

Breathtaking. The span of the creature's wings was magnificent, even from a distance. Its pointed scales, a dark brown, almost black, must be as sharp as they looked. Its tail swayed in the air behind.

I breathed out a disbelieving breath as the dragon beat those massive wings and flew up beside the plane in a way that didn't bother the machine's aerodynamics. 

I held my breath. The dragon was as big as the plane, maybe even bigger.

The amber colored eyes were looking right at us. I felt my magic stretch, reach out, but I held it back. Releasing it inside the plane was not a bright idea.

The dragon then opened its jaws, pointed, gleaming white teeth peeked through. The sound it let out was a thunderous, rumbling scream that vibrated through the entire plane's body, a thrilling experience that sent shivers down my spine. 

It was simply magical, being in the presence of such an enormous being with a presence as old and commanding as that of the strongest immortals.

The dragon then angled its body and flew smoothly away until it was out of sight.

"Wow."

I hadn't even noticed I was sitting on my knees in my seat. I plopped down, my eyes wide and lips parted. Everyone else sat back down. At least I wasn't the only fascinated person on the plane. Even Charles looked jubilant.

"Oh, that was magical." Amanda said, her tone bright, "I've never seen one from such a close distance."

I had just seen a dragon. I grinned, remembering all the stories uncle Robert told me with a dragon in them and how I had wished I could see one in person.

"I just saw a dragon," I said, the grin hurting my cheeks.

"I think we all did." Arthur replied with a raised brow.

"Yes, but... it's a dragon!" I whispered.

He chuckled, "alright, settle down."

I looked over the back of my seat at Amanda and Harvey. "A dragon! Can you believe it?!"

***

After my excitement from seeing the dragon ebbed down, I finished my food and promptly passed out on the seat. At some point, I felt a brush of warmth on my face and a floating sensation. I was too sleepy to make sense of anything, so I simply relished in the comfort of the bed and drowned deeper into the soothing darkness.

Someone was brushing my hair.

My eyes cracked open at the thought. I was in a horizontal position, on a bed, with Arthur sitting beside me, his fingers threading through my hair.

"I thought I told you to keep your hands to yourself," I protested, but in truth, the sensation was relaxing. My magic hummed in delight.

"I remember," he said, his hand fisting in my hair for a moment before letting go, his fingers then strayed down my cheek to my neck. My magic's hum grew into a buzz I could feel all over my body. I pulled my head away.

"We're in Europe, the plane will land in a few minutes," he said.

I sat up, passed a hand through my hair, straightened my t-shirt and checked for drool on my face. All was good. 

I looked at Arthur, time to address the elephant in the room, "you need to get laid."

His brows shot up to his hairline, "Excuse me."

"You need to get laid, and stop with this weird thing you think will happen between us." I told him. I wasn't blind to his looks and gestures. He didn't treat others like that. He needed to get laid so he would leave me alone. I wasn't interested in what he had in mind.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Why?" he tilted his head, "am I that bad?"

I rolled my eyes, "now you're just fishing for compliments. You're not bad. You're handsome, you're smart, you're powerful, you're good to your people, and you're also an arrogant ass. I don't want to be another one of your countless bedmates."

"Countless bedmates?"

"You can't tell me you've been monogamous your entire existence. I find that hard to believe."

"Mhm," he stood up, "you're right, I am no saint. But you're seeing things from a different angle when it comes to us."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned.

"Let's buckle up, the plane is landing shortly." 

He left. I stared after him, confused, only then realizing I was in a private room with a big comfortable bed and bedside tables. We were still on the plane. I couldn't believe I didn't wake up when he came into the room, I didn't even remember being moved here. Obviously, I was feeling very safe around him.

Everyone was already buckled up in their seats when I walked out. I took my seat. Arthur was frowning at the screen of a datapad in his hands.

His words were still fresh in my mind. What in the world did he mean by that?

Being in Europe was more than my mind could handle, so I ignored his cryptic speech and focused on calming my racing heart.

It would all be fine. This was the right step in the right direction. Now I only had to repeat it to myself enough times to believe it.

The plane landed and we were walking on European land in no time. Three vampires waited for us in the private hangar. Dressed in suits that rivaled that of Harvey, they bowed deeply as we approached.

"Lord Arthur. Lady Venus welcomes you to her territory." The one in the middle said. He was the oldest of the three, his light gray eyes were a sharp contrast to charcoal dark skin stretched over sharp features.

Those gray eyes shifted to me, a slight frown breaking through his stony expression. I held his gaze without blinking. It was like looking into a void. There was something chilling about this man, like he could slit your throat without batting an eye.

A touch on my shoulder. I turned my face slightly towards Arthur without taking my eyes off the gray eyed vampire. I had a thing about winning staring contests. More of a compulsion, really.

"Thank you, Osman." Arthur said, his hand settling more firmly on my shoulder. The vampire, Osman, tore his eyes away from mine to the ground and bowed his head again. Yay, I won. I blinked, feeling my eyes water.

"We have a vehicle ready for you and your company."

"That will not be necessary," Arthur replied, "I will personally contact my dear sister, but do relay the message; she's welcome to my estate whenever she pleases."

"I will," the vampire said, "she sends her regards, and is very impatient to meet the human fae."

He glanced at me before bowing deeply one more time, then nodded his head to Amanda. "Amanda, a pleasure to see you again," he said before walking away.

"Is that what they call me around here?" I wrinkled my nose, "the human fae?"

"Apparently," Amanda said, amused, "did you see the look on Osman's face, I've never seen him so expressive."

Harvey grumbled something under his breath. It hadn't escaped my notice how Osman had singled her out with his greeting. I raised my brows at her.

"History," she explained with a word. Harvey glared at the door through which the three vampires had disappeared. Amanda tilted her head to catch his eyes, strands of golden sunlight falling over her breathtaking face.

Harvey only lasted a second before he sighed and put his arms around her shoulders.

I looked at Arthur's hand over my own shoulder. He truly was persistent. I let my magic flow to the spot he was touching. It made a nice hole in my top, but it was worth it to see the look on his eyes when he jerked his hand away. Harvey and Amanda laughed as they walked forward, followed by Charles and Kat. Kat whose eyes settled on me with an indescribable emotion before glancing away.

Arthur's surprise only lasted a second, though, before a wide smile transformed his face from handsome to lethally so.

"That would send encouraging signals, honey," he said.

"Not if you're a normal person." I said. Then I realized that, of course, Arthur was anything but normal. He probably liked being singed with fire. Great, just my luck. I couldn't catch the interest of some kind, normal gentleman. It had to be one of the Five.

I looked at him like he was a mad man, then shook my head and walked away. Ignoring the way my magic kept rushing to the spot where his hand had touched my skin.

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Hi guys!

A longer chapter this time! How do you like it?

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Love,

Mia <3