information with us,” Lucian said.
“Whatevs, here’s my deal—you two are here to help. If you don’t know everything, you can’t help. So, can I ask how old you are? I know you’re human, but the stuff we read tells me you are way older than you look.”
Lucian smiled. “Oh thank goodness, there’s another one of us.”
Quenton nodded. “Yes, she is.”
“What?” Joelle exclaimed. “I asked a question.”
“Exactly,” Lucian said, “you ask. You don’t dance around the subject or subtly question. You just jump right in.”
“Cool, so how old are you? And don’t try and fib, because I know you’re from somewhere in the mid-seventeen fifties.”
“How do you know that?” he asked, glancing back at Feral.
“Journal,” Quenton supplied. “We have a journal that Feral kept at the time you met.”
Lucian nodded. “We wondered where it had gotten to. But, you know, the older you get, the more things accumulate and somehow get misplaced.”
Quenton nodded. “That’s where I come in. I try to collect and preserve as many letters and journals as I’m able. As well as keep them out of the hands of humans.”
“Well then to answer your question I was born in seventeen twenty-nine, which makes me nearly two-hundred and eighty-five.”
Quenton knew Lucian was old, but had no clue he was born nearly fifty years before the American Revolution. The idea that a human had survived as long as he had was astounding. What kind of power did the Ancient/Liaison bond have when it could halt a human’s natural aging cycle?
“Did no one tell you?” Lucan direction his question at Joelle.
“Tell me what?”
“When an Ancient and human bond, you don’t die,” he said, matter-of-factly. “As long as Feral lives then I live and vice versa.”
“I’ve never met anyone else bonded to an Ancient. Okay, that’s not true, Aislinn is, but Talon and I were first. So really, she doesn’t count. We’re really new at this.”
“Oh,” Lucian said in surprise. “Well, don’t you worry, I can fill you in on all the gory details. I will tell you everything I can.”
“Good, because, dude, we stumble from day-to-day without a clue on what’s going on.”
Quenton relaxed a bit. Finally, they were going to get answers. He hated not knowing what to tell Joelle or Aislinn when they came to him with questions. He felt he should be able to help them, but with nothing in the library, they were literally flying blind.
Talon and Grimm entered the room, followed by Kenshin. Quenton rose and began to introduce everyone. Lucian bubbled with personality as he greeted each person while Feral, as with all Ancients, nodded coolly. Joelle pulled the chair out beside her for Talon, but he ignored it as he picked her up and sat down with her in his lap.
“Really?” She eyed him.
“Your fucking cat knocked over the flowers I brought you. The vase broke and water went everywhere.”
She shook her head. “That cat is a total assface. Oh, and he’s our cat, honey, not just mine. He’s like our baby.”
“Yeah, well, if he doesn’t straighten up, I’m going to hang him by his tail from the light fixture,” Talon pronounced darkly.
Joelle laughed. “No, you won’t. I see how he snuggles up on your chest at night. He loves you.”
Quenton couldn’t even imagine Talon allowing anything to curl up with him, much less the cat. He’d mellowed some since bonding with Joelle, but no one would call him cuddly. Except Joelle, he imagined, but didn’t want to speculate on their relationship. He was just getting to the point that he could stand to be in the same room with Talon. If he thought about their relationship too hard he’d probably break out into hives and puke.
Finally, Aislinn reappeared with Charon. She was slightly out of breath, and her hair flowed around her instead of tucked back in her normal braid.
“Wow,” Joelle said, “your hands must have been so dirty.”
Aislinn rolled her eyes and
“Whatevs, here’s my deal—you two are here to help. If you don’t know everything, you can’t help. So, can I ask how old you are? I know you’re human, but the stuff we read tells me you are way older than you look.”
Lucian smiled. “Oh thank goodness, there’s another one of us.”
Quenton nodded. “Yes, she is.”
“What?” Joelle exclaimed. “I asked a question.”
“Exactly,” Lucian said, “you ask. You don’t dance around the subject or subtly question. You just jump right in.”
“Cool, so how old are you? And don’t try and fib, because I know you’re from somewhere in the mid-seventeen fifties.”
“How do you know that?” he asked, glancing back at Feral.
“Journal,” Quenton supplied. “We have a journal that Feral kept at the time you met.”
Lucian nodded. “We wondered where it had gotten to. But, you know, the older you get, the more things accumulate and somehow get misplaced.”
Quenton nodded. “That’s where I come in. I try to collect and preserve as many letters and journals as I’m able. As well as keep them out of the hands of humans.”
“Well then to answer your question I was born in seventeen twenty-nine, which makes me nearly two-hundred and eighty-five.”
Quenton knew Lucian was old, but had no clue he was born nearly fifty years before the American Revolution. The idea that a human had survived as long as he had was astounding. What kind of power did the Ancient/Liaison bond have when it could halt a human’s natural aging cycle?
“Did no one tell you?” Lucan direction his question at Joelle.
“Tell me what?”
“When an Ancient and human bond, you don’t die,” he said, matter-of-factly. “As long as Feral lives then I live and vice versa.”
“I’ve never met anyone else bonded to an Ancient. Okay, that’s not true, Aislinn is, but Talon and I were first. So really, she doesn’t count. We’re really new at this.”
“Oh,” Lucian said in surprise. “Well, don’t you worry, I can fill you in on all the gory details. I will tell you everything I can.”
“Good, because, dude, we stumble from day-to-day without a clue on what’s going on.”
Quenton relaxed a bit. Finally, they were going to get answers. He hated not knowing what to tell Joelle or Aislinn when they came to him with questions. He felt he should be able to help them, but with nothing in the library, they were literally flying blind.
Talon and Grimm entered the room, followed by Kenshin. Quenton rose and began to introduce everyone. Lucian bubbled with personality as he greeted each person while Feral, as with all Ancients, nodded coolly. Joelle pulled the chair out beside her for Talon, but he ignored it as he picked her up and sat down with her in his lap.
“Really?” She eyed him.
“Your fucking cat knocked over the flowers I brought you. The vase broke and water went everywhere.”
She shook her head. “That cat is a total assface. Oh, and he’s our cat, honey, not just mine. He’s like our baby.”
“Yeah, well, if he doesn’t straighten up, I’m going to hang him by his tail from the light fixture,” Talon pronounced darkly.
Joelle laughed. “No, you won’t. I see how he snuggles up on your chest at night. He loves you.”
Quenton couldn’t even imagine Talon allowing anything to curl up with him, much less the cat. He’d mellowed some since bonding with Joelle, but no one would call him cuddly. Except Joelle, he imagined, but didn’t want to speculate on their relationship. He was just getting to the point that he could stand to be in the same room with Talon. If he thought about their relationship too hard he’d probably break out into hives and puke.
Finally, Aislinn reappeared with Charon. She was slightly out of breath, and her hair flowed around her instead of tucked back in her normal braid.
“Wow,” Joelle said, “your hands must have been so dirty.”
Aislinn rolled her eyes and
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