Chapter 4
Donnell looked apprehensively at the plate sitting on the table. Kieran grinned at him and pushed it toward him a bit more. “Come on, taste something,” he urged. “It's all fantastic, I guarantee it. Try it, you’ll like it!”
The way he said that, so brightly, made Donnell frown at him. His eyes were dancing as he tapped the edge of the plate with one long finger. “Don’t be scared,” he urged.
“I’m not scared!” Donnell snapped, his dark eyes burning as he glared at Kieran across the small table.
A wicked laugh. “If that’s true, then you won’t have any problem taking a little bite, right?” he lifted a small square of fudge from the plate and held it out to Donnell. “It's no big deal, is it?” he added, smiling evilly.
Donnell looked at the piece of fudge and swallowed a little. His salivary glands were activating in anticipation of what it was going to taste like. He considered slapping Kieran’s hand away and storming out of the shop, but the truth was that even though this person was driving him crazy, having any kind of company was still far better than being alone. He didn’t know how much more solitude he could stand, especially when he was surrounded by people on all sides. So he steeled himself for the worst and reached out to take the square of fudge, putting it to his lips and very carefully nibbling off a tiny bit.
A moment - and then flavor exploded in his mouth! Deep, rich chocolate with a hint of walnut skated over his tongue, and made him shudder helplessly in his seat. He groaned deep in his throat. This was awful…and the most spectacular thing that had happened to him in ages. Both at the same time. It had been so very long since he’d tasted anything but blood, and he’d NEVER tasted anything like this before…
His eyes opened, and he saw Kieran watching him intently. A small, slightly smirking smile graced his lips, and he looked triumphant. Donnell had the sudden urge to smack him briskly across the face. Taking pleasure in his inability to control his reaction to this sudden assault on his dormant taste buds…bastard! Kieran’s smile widened, and he picked up something else from the plate. “This is a yummy cherry cheesecake,” he told Donnell. “You’ll like it. And since it's not made with chocolate, the flavors will be totally different. Try it.”
Donnell’s mouth tightened as he glowered at the impudent Kieran. “I’ll not be the guinea pig for your amusement,” he growled.
Kieran blinked at this accusation. “I’m only trying to give you some new experiences,” he said innocently. “What's wrong with that?”
So many things that Donnell couldn’t express them all at once. Kieran sighed. “Look, if you don’t want to I’m not going to make you,” he said to Donnell. He set the bite of cherry cheesecake back down on the plate. “That’s not what friends do to each other. We can go now. I just wanted to make you happy, that’s all.”
Donnell had gotten hung up on one word in this sentence and had lost his sense of ire. “Friends?” he said stupidly.
Kieran cocked his head. “Yeah. We’re friends, right? Maybe we’re brand new friends, but that’s all right. Everybody has to start somewhere,” he added with a quirky grin.
The muscles in his abdomen were tightening treacherously, and there was a weird burning sensation in his eyes. Donnell didn’t know what it was that was causing this, but he also found that he didn’t care. Kieran calling them friends had completely thrown him off balance. He reached out with hands that were shaking a little and grabbed the plate of sweets. He pulled it toward himself and grabbed the bite of cherry cheesecake that Kieran had just set down on it. When the human looked like he was going to protest, Donnell glared at him and snapped a small bite off of the confection.
He gasped and shook a little at the new tastes that burst into life across his tongue. It was…Heaven. The only one he’d ever know, because as far as he could tell vampires probably didn’t have souls. They were the undead, not creatures of God. Blindly he reached out for something else, not giving himself time to recover from the last bite. If he was going to do this, he was going to go all the way.
A bite of a lemon square, a pecan turtle, a piece of sea foam and a dark chocolate truffle later, Donnell felt wrung out and exhausted. He set his head in his hand and tried to work up the energy to try something else, but he just couldn’t. His reactions were just too intense. It was as though he’d just had sex six times in a row without pausing to rest. He panted a bit, wanting to cry with weariness. Not something he could allow himself to do, though. His tears were blood red, something people were bound to notice and comment on.
“Hey, Donnell. That’s enough,” Kieran’s voice said gently but firmly. His hands pulled the plate away. “I’ll have them bag this stuff up and you can try more of it whenever you want. I’ll be right back,” he got up and went to the counter, leaving the poor vampire to recover a bit behind him.
Donnell rubbed at his face with one hand. One of the worst aftereffects of tasting those sweets was the fact that he was going to want to drink blood even less than normal from now on. While he had to do it to survive, he hated it. He’d always hated it. When he’d still been with Vassilly, somehow it had been tolerable. But once his Maker had departed, leaving him alone, doing what he had to had gone from a minor chore to something he loathed and had to force himself to do every time.
Kieran returned with a white paper sack in his hand. “Are you feeling well enough to go do something else?” he asked in concern. “Or do you want me to take you home?”
Donnell didn’t like this question. It made him feel like a small child who needed to be taken home for a nap. “I’m fine!” he snapped.
Kieran studied his face, then nodded. “Okay. How about something completely different? There’s a concert of Christmas music starting down town soon. We could go and do some shopping and listen to the music. That sound good?”
He shrugged as though this suggestion mattered not one wit to him. “As you like,” he said indifferently.
Kieran's duel-tone eyes twinkled. “Okay,” he said in a voice that wavered slightly. “Let’s go. I’ll pay for a cab again.”
Donnell managed to make it to his feet, although his legs felt a bit shaky. He followed Kieran out of the shop, wondering dimly why he hadn’t just gone home instead of letting this crazy mage drag him around the city like this. He’d gone daft himself, clearly. The prospect of having a friend had addled him.
In the cab, Kieran chattered away at him as Donnell sat in morose silence. The vampire watched the city go by beyond the window, thinking sourly to himself that all of these scurrying humans were just ridiculous for running around like chickens with their heads off. Did they think that racing about would somehow make their pathetic little lives last longer? That it would add even a few moments to their allotted span of life? Life, at least for them, was fleeting. They should just stop and enjoy it while they could, and not fritter their years away fretting over things they couldn’t change.
The cab pulled up at their destination, and Donnell got out before Kieran could offer to open his door for him or something else ridiculous. He looked at the plaza before them, which had a large decorated Christmas tree twinkling at its center. Neatly wrapped presents were stacked around its base, although he doubted that there was anything in the boxes. People in heavy coats were standing around chatting and drinking things that steamed from Styrofoam cups, while children ran around shrieking and playing.
Kieran sighed happily. “I love this time of year,” he enthused. “I’ve got to buy my family some gifts,” he told Donnell.
The vampire frowned. “I thought that they all believe that you’re dead?” he asked as Kieran began to walk along the sidewalk toward some shops nearby.
“Yes, they do. But for the last forty years or so, they’ve received presents from a Secret Santa. No address on the packages, and the cards are never signed. I’m sure they wonder like mad who he or she is, but they’ll just have to endure their curiosity.”
“I see,” Donnell said. “So you keep tabs on them still?”
Kieran nodded. “I cast scrying spells to see what they’re doing and how many kids there are now. That sort of thing. It makes me feel like they’re still my family, even though they all think that I’m dead. I’ll always look out for them, no matter what.”
He’d never gone back to his own small village once he and Vassilly had departed from it. He’d never felt much curiosity to see if he still had kin there, either. Donnell wondered why. Was it some lack within him? Or had he just been too scared to do so, because then he’d know in his heart what he did in his head…that his family were long since turned to dust. If he never returned to his home, then he’d never have to confront that reality. But now he wondered if he had any descendants through his siblings, and where they might be. Perhaps they’d emigrated. Or maybe some of them still lived in that small village? He’d have to find out.
Kieran led the way into a store that sold handmade toys, nicknacks, and decorations. There were Christmas things everywhere, from painted wooden stars to miniature Christmas trees made out of wire and decked out with tiny balls and tinsel. He made straight for one of these, a tree with a little star on top that was lit up.
“I’m going to buy this for you,” he told Donnell over his shoulder.
The vampire blinked. “What? Why?” he asked in puzzlement.
“Because I'll just bet that you don’t have a Christmas tree in your place,” the mage said shrewdly. “And everybody needs one. This is better for you than a live tree, and you can set it anywhere,” he picked up the tree carefully so that he could carry it up to the counter.
“Hold on now! I didn’t say that I’d take that!” Donnell cried in agitation.
Kieran grinned at him cheekily. “Hey, I’m just buying my friend a present,” he told Donnell, silencing him yet again. This human was clever and evil both. He knew just how to get to Donnell.
Kieran bore the tree up to the counter and told the clerk that he’d be getting some other things too. She answered that she’d watch the tree for him while he shopped. He thanked her prettily and turned away into the store, with as fuming Donnell at his heels. The vampire suspected that he was getting the worst of it here, and he didn’t like that feeling. But he didn’t seem able to stop himself from falling in with all of Kieran’s plans and ideas. The human’s enthusiasm was rubbing off on him, much to his chagrin. How foolish was he, that he heard the word ‘friend’ and caved immediately? He was pathetic.
Kieran soon had an armful of gifts. He had also piled some into Donnell’s arms as well, and the vampire was a disgruntled pack horse as he followed the crazy mage around the shop. Kieran exclaimed in raptures over things that didn’t seem that amazing to Donnell, and insisted on playing with a bunch of little wooden toys. He shook his head silently. His new friend was nothing but a mad child. So why did he care so much about this friendship?
Because he had no one else, of course. Kieran was far better than nobody at all, and besides…it was actually rather fun to watch the mage get excited about everything. It somehow made him feel younger, too. At least Kieran wasn’t acting childish, even if he was very child-like. He was drawing Donnell into this experience whether he liked it or not, and the vampire found himself rather bemused as Kieran finally decided that he’d gotten enough gifts for his various family members - at this store, anyway.
Donnell found himself becoming curious as he looked at the price tags on the merchandise he was holding. “Kieran?” he said aloud.
The mage glanced over his shoulder questioningly. “Yes?”
“How do you afford these things? Do you have a regular job?” Donnell asked him.
Kieran grinned. “Not a regular job, exactly, but I do have work that I do for pay. I’m a magician.”
Startled silence as Donnell blinked up at him. “You mean…like a stage magician? The cards and tricks kind that you said you weren’t when we first met earlier?”
“Well, technically I’m not. I just make my living pretending to be one,” Kieran explained to him as they headed for the counter. “I use real magic in my act, and everybody thinks it’s a trick. I avoid getting too famous, but I do make a good living in spite of that fact. Why? What do you do for money, anyway? Now I’m curious.”
Donnell sighed. “Actually, I have to steal to keep myself,” he said glumly. “I can compel people to give me their money. In my defense, I have no job skills in this century. And I always make sure to steal from wealthy folk alone, so that I won’t be doing anyone a hardship.”
“Sort of like Robin Hood, except that you don’t give to the poor afterward,” Kieran said, his eyes dancing. “Well, you could do worse. At least you don’t kill people to feed. You don’t, do you?" he went on, starting to look a bit worried.
Donnell shook his head. “I’ve never killed anyone,” he reassured Kieran quietly. “I don’t have to, so I don’t see why I should. Normal humans lives’ are too short as it is. To kill them is to take away whatever time they have left. I couldn’t do that.”
Kieran smiled down at him. “What?” he asked warily.
The mage shook his head. “You’re adorable,” he told Donnell.
He frowned. Kieran’s words made no sense to him. Depressed, morose, miserable - those were all adjectives that he might use to describe himself. Not adorable in any way. This human was very strange. “As you say,” he replied, letting his skepticism show in his voice.
“Yes, I do. Come on, let’s go and pay for this stuff and then go and listen to the concert.” Kieran nodded toward the counter, and they walked up to put his purchases on it so that the mage could pay for everything. He chattered happily to the clerk, who smiled at him. Kieran apparently got along with everyone, a talent that boggled Donnell’s mind. Once everything was bagged up, they left the shop together toting them and headed for the plaza nearby. People dressed in 1800s style clothing done in green, red and white were gathering in a large group, all holding bells in their hands. A large crowd were standing around waiting for the singing to begin, and Kieran used his height and charm to cut a path for himself and Donnell through the crowd until they were at the front.
“You aren’t cold, are you?” Kieran asked in concern after as moment, glancing down at him.
He shook his head. “My body temperature always runs warm,” he told the mage. “I don’t know why. But I never even have to wear a coat during the coldest parts of winter. That’s why I would never live in a desert or other warm environment.”
“Okay. That’s cool. Oh, look, they’re ready to start,” he nodded toward the singers.
The group began to ring their bells melodically, then began a full-throated rendition of: ’God bless ye merry gentlemen.’ They were really quite good. Donnell listened to them, feeling rather odd. For so long he’d been outside of humanity, apart from it in the most essential ways. But now he felt as though he belonged here, among this crowds of families and humans of all ages. Kieran’s arm pressed against his on one side, and he felt the warmth and tingle from the magic that Kieran seemed to wear like a cloak. It made him feel energized and mellow both at the same time, a strange phenomenon.
Kieran’s breath puffed out in a cloud. He glanced down at Donnell and smiled, that (truly) magical smile that lit up his parti-colored eyes and made weird things happen in Donnell’s abdomen. He reached out, and to the vampire’s astonishment he placed his gloved hand over Donnell’s bare one and clasped it tightly. His mouth opened to protest, but the mage only winked at him and squeezed his hand. Donnell closed his mouth slowly, wondering at himself. He was becoming as mad as this mage. He looked back at the singers, who were now singing: ‘The First Noel.’ He was entirely too conscious of Kieran’s hand in his own, and the insidious way that the mage’s fingers(even through his gloves) were kneading his own. It made his breath come rather short.
When the concert was finally over, Kieran sighed happily and stirred. “Wasn’t that great?” he said to Donnell.
He shrugged a bit. “I suppose,” he replied as indifferently as he could manage.
Kieran grinned at him. “High praise from you,” he teased. “Anyway, can I take you home now?”
Donnell hesitated. “We’re friends,” Kieran pointed out in a wheedling tone of voice. “Isn’t it all right if I escort you home?”
He sighed. “Very well,” he said.
Kieran smiled as though Christmas had already come and he’d gotten the best present ever. “Okay, come on,” he dragged Donnell away with him to find another cab, and it was only then that the vampire realized that they were still holding hands.
Go to Next Chapter
Donnell looked apprehensively at the plate sitting on the table. Kieran grinned at him and pushed it toward him a bit more. “Come on, taste something,” he urged. “It's all fantastic, I guarantee it. Try it, you’ll like it!”
The way he said that, so brightly, made Donnell frown at him. His eyes were dancing as he tapped the edge of the plate with one long finger. “Don’t be scared,” he urged.
“I’m not scared!” Donnell snapped, his dark eyes burning as he glared at Kieran across the small table.
A wicked laugh. “If that’s true, then you won’t have any problem taking a little bite, right?” he lifted a small square of fudge from the plate and held it out to Donnell. “It's no big deal, is it?” he added, smiling evilly.
Donnell looked at the piece of fudge and swallowed a little. His salivary glands were activating in anticipation of what it was going to taste like. He considered slapping Kieran’s hand away and storming out of the shop, but the truth was that even though this person was driving him crazy, having any kind of company was still far better than being alone. He didn’t know how much more solitude he could stand, especially when he was surrounded by people on all sides. So he steeled himself for the worst and reached out to take the square of fudge, putting it to his lips and very carefully nibbling off a tiny bit.
A moment - and then flavor exploded in his mouth! Deep, rich chocolate with a hint of walnut skated over his tongue, and made him shudder helplessly in his seat. He groaned deep in his throat. This was awful…and the most spectacular thing that had happened to him in ages. Both at the same time. It had been so very long since he’d tasted anything but blood, and he’d NEVER tasted anything like this before…
His eyes opened, and he saw Kieran watching him intently. A small, slightly smirking smile graced his lips, and he looked triumphant. Donnell had the sudden urge to smack him briskly across the face. Taking pleasure in his inability to control his reaction to this sudden assault on his dormant taste buds…bastard! Kieran’s smile widened, and he picked up something else from the plate. “This is a yummy cherry cheesecake,” he told Donnell. “You’ll like it. And since it's not made with chocolate, the flavors will be totally different. Try it.”
Donnell’s mouth tightened as he glowered at the impudent Kieran. “I’ll not be the guinea pig for your amusement,” he growled.
Kieran blinked at this accusation. “I’m only trying to give you some new experiences,” he said innocently. “What's wrong with that?”
So many things that Donnell couldn’t express them all at once. Kieran sighed. “Look, if you don’t want to I’m not going to make you,” he said to Donnell. He set the bite of cherry cheesecake back down on the plate. “That’s not what friends do to each other. We can go now. I just wanted to make you happy, that’s all.”
Donnell had gotten hung up on one word in this sentence and had lost his sense of ire. “Friends?” he said stupidly.
Kieran cocked his head. “Yeah. We’re friends, right? Maybe we’re brand new friends, but that’s all right. Everybody has to start somewhere,” he added with a quirky grin.
The muscles in his abdomen were tightening treacherously, and there was a weird burning sensation in his eyes. Donnell didn’t know what it was that was causing this, but he also found that he didn’t care. Kieran calling them friends had completely thrown him off balance. He reached out with hands that were shaking a little and grabbed the plate of sweets. He pulled it toward himself and grabbed the bite of cherry cheesecake that Kieran had just set down on it. When the human looked like he was going to protest, Donnell glared at him and snapped a small bite off of the confection.
He gasped and shook a little at the new tastes that burst into life across his tongue. It was…Heaven. The only one he’d ever know, because as far as he could tell vampires probably didn’t have souls. They were the undead, not creatures of God. Blindly he reached out for something else, not giving himself time to recover from the last bite. If he was going to do this, he was going to go all the way.
A bite of a lemon square, a pecan turtle, a piece of sea foam and a dark chocolate truffle later, Donnell felt wrung out and exhausted. He set his head in his hand and tried to work up the energy to try something else, but he just couldn’t. His reactions were just too intense. It was as though he’d just had sex six times in a row without pausing to rest. He panted a bit, wanting to cry with weariness. Not something he could allow himself to do, though. His tears were blood red, something people were bound to notice and comment on.
“Hey, Donnell. That’s enough,” Kieran’s voice said gently but firmly. His hands pulled the plate away. “I’ll have them bag this stuff up and you can try more of it whenever you want. I’ll be right back,” he got up and went to the counter, leaving the poor vampire to recover a bit behind him.
Donnell rubbed at his face with one hand. One of the worst aftereffects of tasting those sweets was the fact that he was going to want to drink blood even less than normal from now on. While he had to do it to survive, he hated it. He’d always hated it. When he’d still been with Vassilly, somehow it had been tolerable. But once his Maker had departed, leaving him alone, doing what he had to had gone from a minor chore to something he loathed and had to force himself to do every time.
Kieran returned with a white paper sack in his hand. “Are you feeling well enough to go do something else?” he asked in concern. “Or do you want me to take you home?”
Donnell didn’t like this question. It made him feel like a small child who needed to be taken home for a nap. “I’m fine!” he snapped.
Kieran studied his face, then nodded. “Okay. How about something completely different? There’s a concert of Christmas music starting down town soon. We could go and do some shopping and listen to the music. That sound good?”
He shrugged as though this suggestion mattered not one wit to him. “As you like,” he said indifferently.
Kieran's duel-tone eyes twinkled. “Okay,” he said in a voice that wavered slightly. “Let’s go. I’ll pay for a cab again.”
Donnell managed to make it to his feet, although his legs felt a bit shaky. He followed Kieran out of the shop, wondering dimly why he hadn’t just gone home instead of letting this crazy mage drag him around the city like this. He’d gone daft himself, clearly. The prospect of having a friend had addled him.
In the cab, Kieran chattered away at him as Donnell sat in morose silence. The vampire watched the city go by beyond the window, thinking sourly to himself that all of these scurrying humans were just ridiculous for running around like chickens with their heads off. Did they think that racing about would somehow make their pathetic little lives last longer? That it would add even a few moments to their allotted span of life? Life, at least for them, was fleeting. They should just stop and enjoy it while they could, and not fritter their years away fretting over things they couldn’t change.
The cab pulled up at their destination, and Donnell got out before Kieran could offer to open his door for him or something else ridiculous. He looked at the plaza before them, which had a large decorated Christmas tree twinkling at its center. Neatly wrapped presents were stacked around its base, although he doubted that there was anything in the boxes. People in heavy coats were standing around chatting and drinking things that steamed from Styrofoam cups, while children ran around shrieking and playing.
Kieran sighed happily. “I love this time of year,” he enthused. “I’ve got to buy my family some gifts,” he told Donnell.
The vampire frowned. “I thought that they all believe that you’re dead?” he asked as Kieran began to walk along the sidewalk toward some shops nearby.
“Yes, they do. But for the last forty years or so, they’ve received presents from a Secret Santa. No address on the packages, and the cards are never signed. I’m sure they wonder like mad who he or she is, but they’ll just have to endure their curiosity.”
“I see,” Donnell said. “So you keep tabs on them still?”
Kieran nodded. “I cast scrying spells to see what they’re doing and how many kids there are now. That sort of thing. It makes me feel like they’re still my family, even though they all think that I’m dead. I’ll always look out for them, no matter what.”
He’d never gone back to his own small village once he and Vassilly had departed from it. He’d never felt much curiosity to see if he still had kin there, either. Donnell wondered why. Was it some lack within him? Or had he just been too scared to do so, because then he’d know in his heart what he did in his head…that his family were long since turned to dust. If he never returned to his home, then he’d never have to confront that reality. But now he wondered if he had any descendants through his siblings, and where they might be. Perhaps they’d emigrated. Or maybe some of them still lived in that small village? He’d have to find out.
Kieran led the way into a store that sold handmade toys, nicknacks, and decorations. There were Christmas things everywhere, from painted wooden stars to miniature Christmas trees made out of wire and decked out with tiny balls and tinsel. He made straight for one of these, a tree with a little star on top that was lit up.
“I’m going to buy this for you,” he told Donnell over his shoulder.
The vampire blinked. “What? Why?” he asked in puzzlement.
“Because I'll just bet that you don’t have a Christmas tree in your place,” the mage said shrewdly. “And everybody needs one. This is better for you than a live tree, and you can set it anywhere,” he picked up the tree carefully so that he could carry it up to the counter.
“Hold on now! I didn’t say that I’d take that!” Donnell cried in agitation.
Kieran grinned at him cheekily. “Hey, I’m just buying my friend a present,” he told Donnell, silencing him yet again. This human was clever and evil both. He knew just how to get to Donnell.
Kieran bore the tree up to the counter and told the clerk that he’d be getting some other things too. She answered that she’d watch the tree for him while he shopped. He thanked her prettily and turned away into the store, with as fuming Donnell at his heels. The vampire suspected that he was getting the worst of it here, and he didn’t like that feeling. But he didn’t seem able to stop himself from falling in with all of Kieran’s plans and ideas. The human’s enthusiasm was rubbing off on him, much to his chagrin. How foolish was he, that he heard the word ‘friend’ and caved immediately? He was pathetic.
Kieran soon had an armful of gifts. He had also piled some into Donnell’s arms as well, and the vampire was a disgruntled pack horse as he followed the crazy mage around the shop. Kieran exclaimed in raptures over things that didn’t seem that amazing to Donnell, and insisted on playing with a bunch of little wooden toys. He shook his head silently. His new friend was nothing but a mad child. So why did he care so much about this friendship?
Because he had no one else, of course. Kieran was far better than nobody at all, and besides…it was actually rather fun to watch the mage get excited about everything. It somehow made him feel younger, too. At least Kieran wasn’t acting childish, even if he was very child-like. He was drawing Donnell into this experience whether he liked it or not, and the vampire found himself rather bemused as Kieran finally decided that he’d gotten enough gifts for his various family members - at this store, anyway.
Donnell found himself becoming curious as he looked at the price tags on the merchandise he was holding. “Kieran?” he said aloud.
The mage glanced over his shoulder questioningly. “Yes?”
“How do you afford these things? Do you have a regular job?” Donnell asked him.
Kieran grinned. “Not a regular job, exactly, but I do have work that I do for pay. I’m a magician.”
Startled silence as Donnell blinked up at him. “You mean…like a stage magician? The cards and tricks kind that you said you weren’t when we first met earlier?”
“Well, technically I’m not. I just make my living pretending to be one,” Kieran explained to him as they headed for the counter. “I use real magic in my act, and everybody thinks it’s a trick. I avoid getting too famous, but I do make a good living in spite of that fact. Why? What do you do for money, anyway? Now I’m curious.”
Donnell sighed. “Actually, I have to steal to keep myself,” he said glumly. “I can compel people to give me their money. In my defense, I have no job skills in this century. And I always make sure to steal from wealthy folk alone, so that I won’t be doing anyone a hardship.”
“Sort of like Robin Hood, except that you don’t give to the poor afterward,” Kieran said, his eyes dancing. “Well, you could do worse. At least you don’t kill people to feed. You don’t, do you?" he went on, starting to look a bit worried.
Donnell shook his head. “I’ve never killed anyone,” he reassured Kieran quietly. “I don’t have to, so I don’t see why I should. Normal humans lives’ are too short as it is. To kill them is to take away whatever time they have left. I couldn’t do that.”
Kieran smiled down at him. “What?” he asked warily.
The mage shook his head. “You’re adorable,” he told Donnell.
He frowned. Kieran’s words made no sense to him. Depressed, morose, miserable - those were all adjectives that he might use to describe himself. Not adorable in any way. This human was very strange. “As you say,” he replied, letting his skepticism show in his voice.
“Yes, I do. Come on, let’s go and pay for this stuff and then go and listen to the concert.” Kieran nodded toward the counter, and they walked up to put his purchases on it so that the mage could pay for everything. He chattered happily to the clerk, who smiled at him. Kieran apparently got along with everyone, a talent that boggled Donnell’s mind. Once everything was bagged up, they left the shop together toting them and headed for the plaza nearby. People dressed in 1800s style clothing done in green, red and white were gathering in a large group, all holding bells in their hands. A large crowd were standing around waiting for the singing to begin, and Kieran used his height and charm to cut a path for himself and Donnell through the crowd until they were at the front.
“You aren’t cold, are you?” Kieran asked in concern after as moment, glancing down at him.
He shook his head. “My body temperature always runs warm,” he told the mage. “I don’t know why. But I never even have to wear a coat during the coldest parts of winter. That’s why I would never live in a desert or other warm environment.”
“Okay. That’s cool. Oh, look, they’re ready to start,” he nodded toward the singers.
The group began to ring their bells melodically, then began a full-throated rendition of: ’God bless ye merry gentlemen.’ They were really quite good. Donnell listened to them, feeling rather odd. For so long he’d been outside of humanity, apart from it in the most essential ways. But now he felt as though he belonged here, among this crowds of families and humans of all ages. Kieran’s arm pressed against his on one side, and he felt the warmth and tingle from the magic that Kieran seemed to wear like a cloak. It made him feel energized and mellow both at the same time, a strange phenomenon.
Kieran’s breath puffed out in a cloud. He glanced down at Donnell and smiled, that (truly) magical smile that lit up his parti-colored eyes and made weird things happen in Donnell’s abdomen. He reached out, and to the vampire’s astonishment he placed his gloved hand over Donnell’s bare one and clasped it tightly. His mouth opened to protest, but the mage only winked at him and squeezed his hand. Donnell closed his mouth slowly, wondering at himself. He was becoming as mad as this mage. He looked back at the singers, who were now singing: ‘The First Noel.’ He was entirely too conscious of Kieran’s hand in his own, and the insidious way that the mage’s fingers(even through his gloves) were kneading his own. It made his breath come rather short.
When the concert was finally over, Kieran sighed happily and stirred. “Wasn’t that great?” he said to Donnell.
He shrugged a bit. “I suppose,” he replied as indifferently as he could manage.
Kieran grinned at him. “High praise from you,” he teased. “Anyway, can I take you home now?”
Donnell hesitated. “We’re friends,” Kieran pointed out in a wheedling tone of voice. “Isn’t it all right if I escort you home?”
He sighed. “Very well,” he said.
Kieran smiled as though Christmas had already come and he’d gotten the best present ever. “Okay, come on,” he dragged Donnell away with him to find another cab, and it was only then that the vampire realized that they were still holding hands.
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