My Brother’s Mate
Chapter 69

Emily's POV

I am awoken by a knock at the door.

"Emily, Liam it's time for dinner." I hear Cyran say. I didn't even realize I fell asleep. I stretch out and drape my arm over Liam's stomach.

"Morning beautiful." He says.

"It's not morning." I reply.

"I know, but it's weird to say good evening, when we wake up next to each other." I lay my head on his chest.

"I wonder how long the trip will be." I say.

"I hope not long. I'm going to miss our alone time." He teases. He rolls over on top of me and kisses my lips. I feel the weight of his body on top of me and I melt into his kiss. His lips trail down my neck. "We're going to be late for dinner." I say.

"Maybe I want you for dinner." He says. I chuckle and wiggle myself out from underneath him. I manage to get out and I crawl out of bed reaching for my clothes. I hear him groan as I get dressed.

"Come on babe. I'm actually hungry. And I haven't even packed a bag yet." I plead with him.

"Fine. To be continued." He says as he gets out of bed. He gets dressed and I slip into the bathroom. I brush my hair and splash some water on my face and then come out. Liam and I head out of the room and go downstairs. When we get to the dining room, the other vampires have joined us. Mia and Marcus are flirting and Ashleah and my mom are chatting together.

"Well look who decided to join us." Marcus teases.

"Oh Emily, is this your mate?" Mia asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yes, this is my mate Liam. Liam this is Mia." I say.

"Nice to meet you Mia." He says as we take a seat at the table infront of Mia and Marcus.

"Emily, all the men you've brought here are so attractive. I'm going to have to keep you around." Mia says, winking at me.

I giggle and grab my self some food. We're having roast beef and some mashed potatoes. Thank goddess I'm getting kind of sick of eating rabbit.

"So Angela, did you get a chance to read through some of the books I recommended?" Marcus says to my mom.

"I did, a lot of interesting stuff, it's taking me some time to be able to recognize the names they have for some herbs. Did you know they call rosemary 'dew of the sea?"" My mom says.

"Ahh yes the old names, that must be a pretty old book. The newer ones just use the common names. Cyran where did you get the books from? Or better to ask when." Marcus says with a chuckle.

"Oh Uh I think Frederick brought most of the books on magic, is that right Samson?" Cyran says,

"No, Milton." Samson says between bites.

"Yes, that's right Milton, did." Cyran's replies as he scoops himself some mashed potatoes.

Wait a minute. Cyran and Samson are eating. Mia is eating. Vampires can eat food!? I don't remember ever seeing either of them eat in Millerborg.

"Wait a minute. I don't want to be rude, but I thought you guys couldn't eat?" I say to Cyran.

"We can eat but we don't need to. I didn't feel comfortable eating the food in Millerborg. It felt strange to take it when I knew there were probably hungry people who didn't have anything to eat in the outer city." Cyran replies. "But on our way here you and Samson never ate the rabbits."

"Never much cared for cooked rabbit." Samson says. Cyran laughs.

"Well food won't replace blood, we still need that to survive. But, yes some foods taste better to me now than they ever did when I was a human, some things I used to love now I can't stand." Cyran says.

"Interesting. What foods taste better?" Liam says.

"Well anything raw, obviously." All the vampires laugh.

"But other than that, well mashed potatoes are particularly delicious." Cyran raises his plate to show his pile of mashed potatoes.

I think back to when Me, Liam, and Marigold were in the market and Marigold refused the hare on a stick. She really sat there and told them she couldn't eat it because she was a vampire. I chuckle to myself. I miss her. The conversation continues over dinner, when we finish I know I need to start packing.

"Mia, can I borrow some clothes for the trip?" I ask her.

"Oh I already packed a bag for you. I couldn't resist." Mia says.

"Thanks Mia." I say smiling.

"We really should be getting ready to head out." Samson says. We get up from the table, the guys go to grab their bags and Mia brings me the bag she packed for me.

"Here you go missy." She says.

"Thanks so much Mia. This means a lot." I take the bag from her and we head to the front foyer.

"It's no problem. Just be safe out there. Ok?" She says.

"Of course." Liam, Marcus, and Samson come down the stairs.

"Let's get going. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back." Marcus says. He winks at Mia and she smiles. I roll my eyes and the four of us head outside. The night was a bit chilly and the air was crisp. "This is my favorite type of night. This weather, the cool air, the full moon." I say to Liam.

"It's going to get colder the further north we get." He says to me.

"I know, I hope Mia packed me something warm to wear." I say. We walk for a few hours before taking our first break. Marcus builds a fire to warm us up.

"So how long do you think it will take us to get there?" Marcus asks Samson.

"Based off the map, we should be there in two days depending on how often we stop. We can walk for a few more hours tonight. And then we'll stop to make camp." Samson says.

"Samson, do vampires have a way to communicate with each other? You know, like how werewolves and witches do?" I ask.

"Yes we do. We can even control human minds. We have a great deal of powers we don't talk about. Secrecy is very highly regarded to vampires." He says.

"So then why are you telling us?" Marcus says with a smile.

"I'm telling the Tribrid because she will one day become a vampire. You are just over hearing." I giggle at Samson. Look at him being smart.

"What does it feel like, the first time you wake up as a vampire?" I ask.

"That was a long time ago. But I do remember feeling disoriented at first. It's an odd feeling and it's difficult to explain. You know when you feel hungry for food?" He asks. I nod my head.

"Well that hunger isn't for food anymore. It's for something else."

"Blood." I say.

"Yes, and that is a craving you will never satisfy. But since you will be part werewolf, part witch, and part vampire, I imagine your experience will be quite different than most." Samson says. I wonder what that will be like. "Do, do you remember dying?" I ask, I don't even know why I asked this. Do I really want to know?

"You do at first, but after awhile.. well let's just say time fades all things. But I guess it also depends on how you die."

"You said you died in the war, right?" I ask him.

"Yes, I got shot in the leg and actually died from an infection of the blood. It was painful, but it could have been worse I suppose." He says.

"How did Cyran die?" I ask.

"That is a story he should tell you."

"What would happen if you were beheaded, or dismembered? Would you still come back as a vampire?" Marcus asks.

"You need a body to come back. Your body will heal itself from any injuries you sustained during your death, but I'm sure there are some things that even vampire blood couldn't fix." Samson says.

"So are you like indestructible now?" Marcus asks.

"There are certain ways to kill a vampire." Samson says.

"Like what?" Marcus asks. Samson stands up.

"We should keep moving." Samson says.

"Guess that's a no." Liam says and we put out the fire and keep walking north. After a few more hours of walking we decide to make camp for the rest of the night. Liam and I replace a place to sleep under a tree. Liam's body heat keeps me warm and I fall asleep quickly. I wake up the next morning cold, achy, and hungry. I open my eyes and see Liam cooking something on the fire.

"Morning." I say drawing Liam's attention.

"Good morning beautiful. Come have some breakfast." He says taking the meat off the fire. I blow on it to cool it down. I peel off a piece and take a bite. "What do you think?" He asks.

"It's good." I say. Liam and I eat while we wait for Marcus to wake up.

"Where's Samson?" I ask.

"I'm not sure. He was gone when I woke up." Liam says. After a little while Marcus wakes up and joins us for breakfast. Samson shows up soon after that. "Where'd you run off to?" Marcus asks.

"Blood." Samson answers him.

"We should leave now, it will be the warmest in the day light. The further north we get I fear the less and less we will be able to travel in the darkness." Samson says. We get ready and head out again. I have a feeling the cold won't be the only thing waiting for us in the dark..