Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(34)

I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes, considering his statement. Before I could finish questioning it, Nathan opened the doors, sunlight spilling across the foyer floor. I edged back when the light would have brushed me and stared at the golden rays as they danced across the wood. It was so pretty. It reminded me of summer days and cook-outs and chilling with friends by the pool.

I crouched and placed my hand right in the shadows next to where the sun's light faded. So close. All I had to do was move my hand an inch, and I'd be touching the sun for the first time in two years.

For all that I craved the light, wanting it with every fiber of my being—a great yearning that had been gnawing at me for years—I couldn't bring myself to move that last little bit. It was like I was stuck on a precipice, and one wrong move would send me tumbling into the abyss.

My desire for its warmth was only matched by my fear of its pain. The light had almost killed me once when I was too weak and starved for blood. How did I know it wouldn't hurt me this time? They'd told me repeatedly that I wasn't a typical vampire, my development somewhat delayed. How did I know this wasn't another area where I was seriously lacking?

Liam knelt beside me and set his hand next to mine. He held it there for several moments and then moved it, so it rested on top of mine. With slow movements, each one pausing to give me time to resist, he edged my hand toward the light.

I made an incomprehensible sound of protest and fear as we crossed that threshold between light and dark. Liam gave a wordless sound of comfort, turning his head and pressing his lips to my hair. Then it was over, my hand fully in the light. He released me and sat back.

I stayed there, turning my hand, feeling the sun on my skin. It tingled—the sensation not quite painful but not comfortable either. I could feel the strength I'd begun to take for granted fading and a familiar tiredness beneath it all. It wasn't so all-consuming that I felt like I needed to lie down, but it was enough that I understood why vampires preferred the cover of night for their business.

Liam brushed a tear from my cheek, and I realized they were wet. I brushed the tears away with the hand not in the light.

"Would you like to try standing in the sun?" Liam asked, his voice a quiet rumble.

"Is it safe?" I didn't know what the normal rules for this were. How much protection did I have from the sun? Enough to stand in it unsheltered? Or would that be the piece that sent me into flambé territory?

"My blood has strengthened you. At this time of day, when the sun is weak, you should be safe."

"So, if the sun was stronger?" I asked, turning to him.

His gaze was sympathetic as his eyes roamed my features. "It would mean considerably more pain and possibly death at your stage of development."

I nodded. Still, seeing a sunset again was something I’d never thought possible; reading between the lines, I took that to mean that the sun at midday wasn't necessarily going to always be out of reach. The stronger I got, the more of it I could take.

I made it to my feet and took a deep breath. Before I could think too deeply about the risk I was taking, I stepped forward. The knot at the center of my being uncurled, and I looked up, squinting against the bright light. Birds chirped, and I could hear cars and the noise of people going about their busy lives. All sounds I associated with summer.

Everything was so green and bright and shiny. The sun was hot against my cool skin. I forgot how frickin’ hot it could be when under its direct light. My skin prickled uncomfortably like it sometimes did at the beginning of a sunburn, the sensation a familiar one from my childhood.

I stepped further outdoors, Liam and Nathan at my back. My feet pointed me at the topiary garden before I could think. It had been so long since I'd seen flowers during the day, and I don't think I'd ever seen a topiary garden in sunlight.

The two let me wander for a long time, until the sun was setting, and the street lights had come on. It was only when the sun had fully sunk behind the horizon that I headed back to the mansion where Nathan waited. Liam must have slipped off at some point. Maybe while I’d been laying on a bench staring up as white, fluffy clouds made their way across a blue, blue sky.

"Liam had other duties to attend to this evening," Nathan said in answer to my questioning look.

And did those other duties have anything to do with a certain runaway werewolf? I slid Nathan a sidelong look, noticing the tight line along his jaw, as if he was waiting for an argument. I took that to mean he had no intention of telling me where Liam had run off to. I couldn't really blame him; I wasn't one of them. Also, I was planning on a little solo work myself.

"I had a few plans for the evening myself." I headed to the mansion. "I don't suppose you could give me a ride back to my place, so I can pick up my bike?"

He shot me a look that asked what game I was playing. "Why would you need your bike?"

I shrugged. "I have a few runs for Hermes tonight and need it for transportation."

"You're not working tonight," Nathan said. "You're slated for another fun-filled night in the mansion."

"I have to work, or I'm going to lose my job. Liam said it was fine. Check with him."

He frowned at me, not trusting my words for a minute. Smart vampire. In this case, I was telling the truth. I did have to work.

He pulled out his phone, hitting a button and then holding it to his ear as it rang.