“Then, why isn’t she here?”
“Because Eric isn’t here.”
“I don’t understand.” She turned to look into his eyes. “It’s the annual summit and Eric Drekinn isn’t here? I thought an ancient clan like yours would never miss such an event.”
“And we didn’t. I represent Eric and Clan Drekinn.”
Avelyn paused for a second and studied his face. She had no idea why, but she got the impression that Viggo had suddenly become a bit… sad.
“Is there something I’m missing? Viggo, you can tell me.” She stepped closer to him, and because he was so tall, she had to crane her neck to see his golden eyes. “I thought I’d never be able to forgive you for…” she swallowed heavily, “… for Sabine. But what’s done is done, and now my best friend is part of your clan. If she accepted your offer, she knows why she did it, and I fully support her. I hope we can be friends… you and I. I hope our clans will keep working together and supporting each other, because I want to be close to her. She’s my best friend, and she’s done so much for me.”
“Wolves and dragons… now that’s an alliance that’ll go down in history.”
“Yeah, and you know what the funny thing is?” She chuckled and he finally looked down into her blue eyes. “It will be wolves and dragons brought together by a Vulpes bride and an Aquilae bride.” He laughed, but he didn’t ask her what she meant by that. He knew, then. Delyse had told him she wasn’t supposed to be in House Lupi and that she had all the traits of House Aquilae. That was a good thing. Her friend had always liked to be completely honest.
Viggo stopped laughing and went back to his serious, professional expression. “Eric Drekinn is still asleep.”
“What… what do you mean?”
“Exactly that. When a dragon-shifter falls into a deep slumber, he or she can only wake up during a total solar eclipse. Just as the wolves have a strong connection to the full moon and the foxes to lightning, dragons are bound to solar eclipses. Eric has woken up a couple of times in the past 700 years, but he always wanted to go back to sleep right before the solar eclipse ended. By our calculations, the next total solar eclipse will be in three years. Then, when he wakes up, I hope Delyse will be the one to convince him to stay awake.”
“Wow! That is one fucked up tradition!”
“It’s not a tradition… We can’t change it. Our slumber is entirely dependent on the total solar eclipse. We can’t fall into it or wake up from it as we please.”
“I see… But what about Delyse?”
“She will stay at Alma Venus Boarding School three more years and wait for her husband. I’ve already talked to Miss Delacroix and her father, and they agreed. There’s no other way.”
Avelyn looked at her glass of champagne, but she didn’t feel like drinking anymore. Three years. It felt like an eternity. But if it felt like an eternity to her, who wasn’t directly involved, what did it feel like to Viggo, who had to fill in for his Fyrstur three more years?
“So, three more years of loneliness for you…”
“What do you mean?” He was genuinely confused. Why did Avelyn Blackmane care about his personal life?
“You can’t take a bride before your Fyrstur. You’ve already been alone for over 700 years. Surely, you must want a wife and children by now. If Eric does wake up and decides to stay awake for Delyse’s sake, then maybe you’ll be free to finally build your own family.”
Viggo studied her carefully, surprise dancing in his beautiful eyes. She was, indeed, a very interesting woman. And a good friend. A friend who cared.
“Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t. Who knows?”
Avelyn wanted to ask him why he was being so vague about it, but changed her mind. It wasn’t her business. For some odd reason, she realized she wanted him to be happy.
“I’m getting hungry. Let’s go back inside,” she said.
***
“Are you tired yet?” Max’s arm went around Avelyn’s waist and pulled her body towards his. She snuggled into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Oh, I’m really tired. But it’s been a fun night.”
“The longest night of the year…”
They were on the same balcony where she had talked to Viggo hours ago, waiting for the sunrise. Her feet were killing her, and she was feeling a bit tipsy, but she was in a great mood.
“This has been one hell of a ride,” she said.
“You bet.” He kissed the top of her head. “But I’ll dare say the future looks promising. Once the Council issues the new law, the fox-shifters won’t be a threat anymore. Even Councilor Willamar had to admit that without the information Karl and I brought we might have gotten into huge trouble soon. Getting back our positions as advisers is just a matter of time now.”