Chapter 168

Chapter 168
Isla
Vlad's carriages are surprisingly nice and comfortable. I expected the same bullshit I saw at his mansion - complete with gargoyles to decorate the seats or something - but the coaches are light, airy, and the team of horses are swift.
At this pace, we'll be home in no time at all.
The night is cool and forgiving - not too hot and not too cold. Summer is coming, and the nights are starting to grow shorter and warmer.
Aeron's siblings and their brides are not in our carriage. They decided to fly home instead. Michael said something about visiting some other brothers and sisters they haven't seen in a 'hot decade or two,' and that they'll see us when they see us.
I didn't like the vagueness of it all, but Aeron was completely unfazed. He told me it's normal, and not to worry about it.
Einar is with us though, but he hasn't said a single word since we left Vladimir's home. He's just staring out at the trees flashing by, and every so often he sighs heavily, like a teenager who is angry at his parents but refuses to say why.
Vlad decided to bring a bride with him. A sullen woman with dark circles under her eyes, hair as black as midnight, and skin so white she's almost transparent. Every so often she looks up at me, scowls, and clings tighter to Vlad. Like she's afraid one of us will take him from her or something.
"We've been on the road for a good five hours now," Aeron says suddenly. "Daylight will be upon us soon."
"As always, you overstate the obvious, brother," Vladimir answers.
"Are you going to tell me why you so suddenly want to... visit with me, when you've never cared for me in the past."
Vladimir puts a finger to his lips and shakes his head. "It is as you say, I've never cared for you in the past. But recent... developments gave me pause and I had much time to think about my life and my family."
Curious I glance at Aeron, who has an amused little smile playing around his lips. "Is that so. Well, if that's the case, then I should be happy to oblige."
Then Aeron just stops. As if he's not dying of curiosity the same way I am.
It was easy enough to deduce that someone's listening. Or at least, Vladimir is under the impression that someone is listening and watching, but he's giving so little away that even the person or persons listening and watching must be bored by now.
I know I am.
Is this just life now? One boring day bleeding into the next? Trying to fill the hours with meaningless conversations, sex, blood, and long carriage rides as we boot, scoot and boogy into the jaws of death on repeat?
I try to take it all in. From the day I found Aeron to now. It's all just been one, long, never ending circle of death. At least, that's what it feels like.
And in-between the death, we make children, we fight with queens, we meet ancient astrologers, and we fuck.
What is the point of it all?
I can kind of understand why Elizabeth ended her life. It seems meaningless now that I'm immortal. When I was still human, all those things mattered because my short time here mattered.
Now, I keep feeling as if it can just... wait. No one's going anywhere.
Aeron abruptly turns to me. "I don't like the smell of your thoughts, my love."
"You can smell my thoughts?" I ask dully.
"It's a talent some of us have," Vlad says and inhales deeply through his nose. "Yours are sour. Why?"
I glance at Aeron. "Is it true?"
He chuckles and shakes his head. "Vladimir can read your body language and is making an educated guess based on what how you reacted. I can feel your emotions, your thoughts, through our blood bond. As you can feel mine."
"Oh," I mutter and look out of the window again. "Will we travel during the day?"
"Yes," Vladimir answers. "The carriage is light tight. Are you going to tell us what bug crawled up your ass."
"I like how you can switch between refined gentleman and unremarkable sewer rat," I say dryly.
"Thank you. I am pretty impressed myself."
I laugh. It's the first time since I met him that Vladimir isn't giving me the heebie jeebies.
"What do you do?" I ask. "With all the empty hours that lies ahead?"
"Ah," Vlad chuckles. "It's the existential dread kicking in." He looks at Aeron. "Do you want to tackle it? You are a philosophical cunt."
Aeron pinches the bridge of his nose, sighs and shakes his head. "It's not philosophy, it's just life."
"What?" I ask.
"It just means that... don't over think it. Take every day as it comes. Keep living as if you might die at any moment. Just like a human does. You are immortal, Isla, but you are not unkillable."
I stare at him, blinking slowly. "But... most of you live hundreds of years. Thousands."
"No, actually," Vladimir says. "Most of us don't. Most vampires never see a decade."
"It's true," Einar speaks for the first time in hours. "Back when we first started out, if our children lived past a year, we considered it a success. I still think it's a miracle that my very first son lived to become one of the ancients. Most didn't."
"You have dozens of children," I say, feeling my lips go numb.
"Not dozens," Einar answers. "Sixteen. I made over fifty."
"Shit. Really?"
I look at Aeron who nods. "I can't even remember everyone's name."
"Neither can I," Vladimir says. "There was a sister... Tanya-"
"I killed her," Aeron interrupts. "She was mad on Sorrowshade."
"Oh. I really liked her. She was one of the few... she got really sick after our parents made her, do you remember?"
Aeron nods, and his jaw starts to work, muscle flexing furiously.
"A druid saved her. I thought for sure she wouldn't live past a year. She was almost a miscarriage."
I hate that word to describe a vampire 'gone wrong.' But I guess there isn't a better one.
"What happened to her?" I ask.
"It's are Vladimir says," Einar answers.
"Like the dungeon vampires?" I ask. "She was like that?"
"Yes," Aeron answers. "Morvahn actually brewed a potion that saved her. He did it for Vlad. The two of them got along very well."
"How is the druid?" Vladimir asks.
Aeron blinks at his brother. "My son now. In my dungeon... where I hope he'll have the good grace to fucking die."