'Can I have her, Nevelic? Can I choose? Chiyo. I love her too, but I feel like Sabriel is my own.'
'It's because she chose you. Chiyo was commanded to be Sabriel's maid,' he spoke slowly into the dim lit room over a glass of wine. 'Sabriel chose you because she felt a connection as well.'
I sighed heavily, filling my glass again. 'It makes me so tired.'
'Look,' he said shortly. 'The girls are sleep; the day is over; let's not talk about the girls. If it's not too much to ask, I would like to know about you.'
'Me?' I was taken aback, feeling a little bit of embarrassment. 'Me? I'm not interesting. I'm just a librarian with a simple quiet life.'
'Quiet and simple,' he said to himself with mockery. 'You went to school. Tell me about school. I'm a cat. I wouldn't know what you enjoyed and what you didn't enjoy. Tell me.'
I laughed a little. 'If I told you I was a nerd, would you believe me?'
He laughed this time. 'I wouldn't rule it out.'
I snorted. 'Okay. So I was jumping to foster home to foster home. I never really made any long term friends. But I did meet this teacher during my senior year that showed me that I loved books. She gave me a book to read, and I kept reading after that. So when I went to college, I kept to myself. My social life was nil. So, here I am. I'm not interesting, Nevelic.'
'You act life your life is a crime.'
I rolled my eyes.
'Do you want to marry?'
I made a face. 'I never really thought about it, but I know I want two children after Sabriel and Chiyo leave.'
'Talk, Marishkah! Elaborate!'
I giggled. 'What about you? You watch us humans care about time and what to do every moment of the day. We are too busy to notices things. Tell me about you. Who was your mother?'
He sipped from his glass. After a moment of silence, Nevelic said, 'My mother is Thisus, now the protector of our kind. I was born to a man named Conner along with two sisters and a brother. We never seen Conner before and neither has my mother in so many years. She wanted to experience a life as a human, so her father allowed her. She did not like the world of humans after Conner left her. She returned a few months pregnant before she really knew, so here we are.'
I shook my head. 'If your mother is half human, than shouldn't you be more human than cat?'
He shifted as he thought. 'No, it has nothing to do with'' he trailed off slowly then grinned broadly. 'Werewolves. It's in our genetics. Werewolves don't change on the full moon as the myths say. They change at will; as do every other animal. Most don't even know they can.'
I continued to gaze at him in amazement. He ran his hair back, his golden brown skin radiating in the firelight. He smiled at me; his gold eyes flashed. 'Do you wish to know your father?'
'When I was younger,' he answered truthfully.
I didn't want to seem rude, but I was curious. 'How old are you exactly?'
'How old do I look?'
I examined his strong manly structure. He still had a little bit of growing up to do, but he was grown. 'Twenty-four? Twenty-five?'
He laughed that kind of laugh that said he knew something I didn't. I flushed, despite myself. I had never been one to guess someone's age even close. 'Try again.'
'Twenty?'
'Lower.'
I gawked. I didn't think I was that much off. 'Sixteen?'
'Lower.'
'Nevelic! Ten?'
'Lower.'
'Two?'
'Higher.'
'Five?'
'Lower.'
'Three,' I demanded.
'And a half.'
'Oh, my gosh!'
Again, he laughed. It was louder this time. 'I age faster than you do.'
'Does that mean you'll die before I do?'
'I got another five hundred years, give or take.'
I rolled my eyes, happening to notice the time. I wanted to know so much more, now know that he had a brother and two sisters. I wanted to know how his mother came to be the protector of their kind and what did it mean for him to be her child. Or the reason he was chosen to be with me during this battle for supremacy instead of anything else, but I had a life to live still. 'Geez. I have to get to bed. I have work in the morning.'
'You don't have to work. I can catch you a deer.'
I laughed out loud, nearly choking on last of my drink. When I turned my attention back to him, I noticed that he was actually being serious. My heart sank. I was sure I insulted him or his abilities.
'Oh, Nevelic, don't take it personally.'
He didn't respond. He continued to watch my eyes.
'It takes a lot more than just food to live anymore. They demand more than just a little payment for living in a house. The world is in such demand for everything.... Don't be mad, please?'
He smiled. 'Goodnight, Marishkah.'
Dismissed in my own house, that's a first, I thought as I got to my feet. 'Night. Don't let the bedbugs bite.'
'Couch bugs.'
I flashed him a smile over my shoulder before going down the hall to my room. I didn't check on the girls. They were more than just fine. And frankly, so was I.