Page 5 of His Realm

“Gideon hated Gaius because the king’s brother had devoted his life to idleness. Now, as he ages, his home on the island of Saint Lucia is run much like a resort, a place of constant rest and relaxation, but when he was younger, it would have made Sodom and Gomorrah look tame.”

“You’re saying that back in the day it was a twenty-four-seven orgy?”

“Yes. Centuries ago, clothing was optional,” Zev said with a smirk. “I understand it’s changed quite a bit now.”

“So that’s why Gideon threw Gaius’s name out, because he hated him.”

“Correct. Gaius Maedoc is one of the nicest men you’ll ever meet in your life, completely without a care. When I heard Gideon’s lie, I was astounded he’d settled on Gaius.”

“When Gideon told Nerilla and me, she didn’t believe it either.”

“With good cause,” he agreed. “Someday, when Andreas takes control of the estate and lands from his father, he will have to remove as many bed warmers as Varic will here.”

“And he’ll do that?”

“In my experience, fathers and sons go one of two ways. Either the sons grow into men who are mirrors of their sires, or they are their exact opposite.”

“You’re saying Gaius and Andreas are polar opposites, like Messina and Varic?”

“Yes. So now I beg you, please stop giving credence to any of Gideon’s false accusations.”

The fact that Gideon had been Zev’s love gave his words even more weight. He wasn’t deceived by Gideon, even in death, when it was easy to romanticize the beloved. Even now, Zev saw him clearly. He’d loved him despite his sins, but he was never blind to them.

“I promise.”

“Good. When the assassin wakes, I’ll question him.”

“About why Decimus sent him.”

“Yes,” Zev assured me blandly, looking me over as he held my foot. “Now, are you actually bleeding anywhere, or is this someone else’s?”

The cramp gave a last twinge, and then suddenly there was blessed relief. “Oh thank God,” I breathed out, happy that not only could Zev stop trying to break my leg, but that Dae-Jung could stop rubbing under my nose.

“Jason?” Zev prodded me. “Are you, or are you not, bleeding?”

“I’m fine,” I snapped at him.

“Jason,” Dae-Jung scolded, scowling. “Zev did nothing to receive your ire.”

I always felt like I was doing something extra horrible when he was upset with me.

“Sorry,” I apologized to Zev, who shook his head at me. When I turned to Dae-Jung, though, I got a smile and a tip of his head.

Lying there, knees bent, hands on my chest, I took several breaths, not yet ready to move. Zev walked over to where Sibel and Kamari were with the guards, probably to get the story of how the chase had begun as well as to explain why he wasn’t turning over the assassin. Dae-Jung lay down near me, not touching, simply there, close, in his jeans, T-shirt, and hoodie. He looked eighteen or nineteen, when really, he was well over a thousand.

“What was with rubbing under my nose?”

“It’s supposed to help.”

“Okay.” I let that go. If I asked how or why, I was likely to get a long, convoluted answer about how back in Goryeo—when Korea was called by that name—that was how it was done; other times he’d say he’d read it somewhere. “Tell me how you and Zev know about cramps.”

“Jason,” he began with a sigh, “vampyrs experience cramps, same as humans. Our bodies are quite similar, except that a genetic mutation makes us gain all our sustenance through blood, and you through food. As for myself, I’m perfectly happy not to have ever ingested any part of any animal. I find it barbaric.”

“And drinking blood isn’t?”

“Drinking blood is done through a vein or from a goblet. I don’t think you can argue that slaughtering an animal and masticating its flesh is better.”

“Chewing,” I corrected him.