“Vlad the Impaler,” he read aloud, squinting at the page. “What’s impaling?”
I pointed to the image of men, speared through their mid-sections on sticks rising up out of the ground. “He would sharpen the tips of stakes, oil them up so they slid in slowly, then tie the legs of his victims with ropes strapped to horses and other objects, then have them lowered onto the point very, very slowly. It could sometimes take days for them to die.”
I didn't know it was possible, but the vampire nearly turned green. “Yeah. Um, I think I’ll pass. Got any books on sports?”
I laughed out loud, my heart warming to the sound of Jason’s chuckle coming from across the room.
“What’s up, Nate?” Jase said, cupping hands with him then bumping shoulders. “Not feeling too good?”
“How can you guys talk about that stuff like it’s on topic at a Bible reading?” he shoved the book away, closing it.
“We’re used to it,” Jason said, massaging my shoulders gently.
“Well—” Nate looked up to the wall of books. “I think I’ll try the comedy section. Arthur says I should read Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.”
“It’s on the second floor,” I said, smiling as Nate walked away. “He’s a sweet guy.”
“Yep. One of the better vampires in this community.”
I nodded, shuffling the papers on the desk. “I never knew him in life, but everyone said he was a good guy. Seems to be true.”
“You don't…like him, do you?”
Insult littered my upturned lip. “Jason!”
“Sorry.” He stepped back, palms raised. “Just asking.”
“God, I don't like every guy that walks in the room.”
“I'm sorry. It’s just…you know, there’s a lot of guys around this place, and—”
“And there are a lot of girls, too.”
“Yeah, but you don't notice the girls.”
I huffed, folding my arms. “You wanna know why?”
“Why?”
“Because boys aren't whiny and nosey and bitchy. I like video games and running around and joking about things of bad taste. The girls don't. They’re boring. All they wanna do is shop and talk about boys.” I held my hands up. ”I'm sorry, I just don't enjoy that sorta thing. I never have.”
“You’ve got a point.”
I slumped down lower in the chair. “Why does everyone always think the worst of me?”
“I don't, sweet girl.” He turned my chair and squatted down in front of me, a hand to my knee. “I just…you talk about the boys all the time. You laugh with them, joke with them, but it makes sense—you getting along better with boys. It all makes more sense now.”
“I know the lines now, you know.” I looked into his warm green eyes. “I can think a guy is cute, I can want to give him a hug when he’s down—care about him, it doesn’t mean I'm falling for him.”
“I know.”
I twiddled my thumbs in my lap. “I don't blame you for thinking that, though. I mean, I never really understood the lines before. I never knew the difference between what it felt like to love a friend and what it felt like to love someone more. But it’s clear now. And I think Nate is sweet and an absolute gem of a person, but I don't have feelings for him other than a friend.”
He nodded, looking down at his hand on my leg. “I'm sorry, Ara.”
“Don't be sorry, okay.” I stood up, agitation coming with me. “I kinda—I guess I just get sick of Mike always thinking I'm gonna cross lines with people, and then telling the guards to watch me for it.” I ushered a hand to Falcon, walking too casually past the door—again. “I’ve changed. And Mike can't see that.”
“Maybe he just doesn't want to see it.” Jason came up behind me, his fingers draping my shoulders.
“What do I have to do to prove to him that I'm not that confused, messed-up little girl I was when I left him at the altar?”
Jason’s fingers tightened comfortingly; he pressed his lips to the back of my head. “Give it time, sweet girl. He’ll see one day—he’s just gonna be the last, is all.”
I nodded, touching my hand to his.
The cuckoo clock chimed eight and, right on cue, Arthur walked in, carrying a set of keys. He waltzed straight over to the middle of the room, shifted the oak table aside like it was plastic, and kicked the rug back, bending down.
“What are you doing?” I appeared beside him.
“Opening the scroll room hatch.”
“Hatch?”
“Yep, hatch.” Jason grabbed my arms gently and walked me backward as the ground sunk where I was standing.
Arthur pulled the giant key out from a dent in the stone and stepped back, too. “Jason, go get a lantern, please.”
I leaned closer and peered into the cold, musty-smelling space, coughing into my hand. “When was the last time anyone was down there?”
“A few weeks ago. Morgaine came down to make a copy of the scrolls.”
“Does she know we’re going in there tonight?”
Arthur hesitated. “No.”
“Hey, Nate?” Jason called out, passing a lantern to Arthur.
“Yerp?” Nate’s head popped over the railing on the next floor.
“Keep watch. Anyone comes, holler.”
“Sure thing.” He saluted and disappeared over the railing again.
“All right. Let me show you my theory,” Jason said, tweezing a corner of the scroll to flatten it.
I leaned in to look closer, holding the candle up to see the text. “That's a lot of weird symbols.”
“Yup. So, I’ve interpreted these runes to the ancient language.” He pointed to a sheet of paper beside the scroll. “And here, I've translated the ancient language to English. Now, see the words in brackets here?”
“Yeah.”
“I've underlined those words on this page. What that means is that there are a few different interpretations from the symbols to the spoken words, and even to English. We have several words that can mean what these do—” He pointed to the three underlined words.
“So, this symbol that looks like a fork with curly prongs can mean…” I tried to read the words in the ancient language on the next page, but couldn't even begin to pronounce them, so I went straight to the English translation. “Pure one, noble or even clean?”
“Yep.”