Further experimentation kept them busy for quite some time. Much later they lay curled up together on the bunk, it narrowness making it necessary for them to cuddle close together, which neither of them minded at all. Aidan’s arm was around Flame’s waist and one wing was draped over her. He closed his eyes and listened to her even breathing. He loved this, simply being close to her, enjoying her warm presence. “How did I ever get so lucky?” he murmured softly.

“I could ask the same thing,” she said. Then after a long silence she added, “I wonder sometimes, why did you ever ask me? I mean me, of all people. I’m not even human.”

Aidan kissed the back of her neck. He didn’t want to move and it was the only thing he could reach without moving. “Because you’re just wonderful,” he said.

She gave a soft little laugh. “Is that the only reason?”

“You really want an honest answer?”

“Yes. I look back and I just can’t figure it out. Why me?”

Aidan thought back to those days. It seemed like ages ago, though it had been little more than three years. “To tell you the truth, I’m not entirely sure. I’d been alone and unwanted for so long, I think that was a big part of it. You accepted me, warts and all. Nobody else seemed to want a scruffy thief. And back in my Earth days, nobody was interested in the scrawny geek I was then. I’d never even dated a girl. And then all of the sudden here’s this beautiful woman who likes me, wants to be with me, makes me want to be my best self. I thought about how I’d feel if you ever left me, and I just couldn’t stand the thought of being so alone again. So I did the only thing I could think of to be sure you always stayed. It’s kind of funny but I don’t think I really and truly fell in love with you until afterward.

“While we’re making true confessions,” Aidan added, “what made you say yes? I mean I was just a scruffy kleptomaniac with a knack for getting in trouble. Why me?”

There was a long silence as she thought, then she said, “It’s kind of the same story, actually. A lot of my friends in the Clan were pairing up. Everyone seemed to be in love, and I was completely alone. I was the only member of my species on the entire planet,” he could hear the echo of an old loneliness in her voice as she said that, “and I thought I’d never find anybody who would want to marry a firecat. And I couldn’t take anything less. With humans you can give your heart many times, but in our language there is no word for divorce, and we have no such thing as a one-night stand. A firecat gives her heart but once, and that’s forever.

“I’d just about given up hope of finding anyone I could give my heart to, and then you practically dropped into my lap. You were kind, funny, gentle, intelligent, and you didn’t seem to mind that I wasn’t really human. When you asked me if I’d marry you, I thought all my dreams had come true. The funny thing is, thinking about it now, it was more the loneliness than anything else that made me say yes. Like you said, it wasn’t until after, when I really got to know you, that I actually fell in love.”

Suddenly Flame laughed. “You know, on our wedding night I was absolutely terrified. I was sure I wouldn’t know how to make love as a human and I’d do something really stupid and ruin it all.”

Aidan laughed and kissed the back of her neck again. “Well, you didn’t need to worry about that. As I recall it was perfectly wonderful.”

Perfectly wonderful might have described the journey back to Baron Almaric’s castle, but the peaceful interlude was all too short. Soon they were pulling into the harbor. Aidan looked up at the castle that loomed above and sighed. He would be very glad to get off this world and hopefully back to his normal self, but all the same he felt a sudden pang of regret. It didn’t make any sense, being here had been little but misery and gloom, but all the same there was something… Ah, emotions are so illogical and messy, he thought. Why in earth would I miss this horrible place? What’s there to miss about being a vampire? I can’t wait to get out of here.

The Baron was waiting for the little group in the courtyard. Brianna, looking bone-tired and somewhat decomposed, handed him the amulet wordlessly. The Baron took it and examined it.

“Well, you have been true to your word. Does my sister yet live, or did you have to kill her to get this?”

“She lives, Baron. Lavasida struck up a friendship with her and got the amulet without a fight.”

Friendship huh? Is that what you call it? Aidan grinned a bit at the thought.

“Very well. Here is the crystal you seek.” He waved his hand and a liveried servant stepped forward with an ornate box in his hands. He opened it and inside was a long shard of glittering bluish crystal. Brianna stepped forward and then hesitated.

“Take it,” said the Baron. “This is the thing you’ve come in search of, is it not?”

“Yes,” said Brianna, “but… if we take the shard we will be transported away from this world. And Drago still holds some of our friends here. If we leave…”

“Drago has already left. I sent him back to his shadow realm. Your friends surely are there now. You cannot reach them from here.”

Brianna closed her eyes. She seemed to wilt, the burden of tiredness on her bearing her down even further. “Then we will go. Thank you Baron,” she said, and reached for the shard. As her hand closed around it the world melted away and we were thrown into a swirling nothingness.

When reality came back to itself we were standing in an open meadow with trees all around. “I wonder where we are now?” asked Flame Song, looking around. “There’s something almost familiar about this place.”

Aidan wasn’t too interested in the place, he was busy examining himself. He was back in his normal clothes. And… yes! Running his tongue over his teeth his fangs were gone. He was normal again! With that done he took a look around. He saw trees, grass, mountains in the distance… and Brianna and Lon hugging each other like they were never going to let go.

“What’s with them?”

Lavasida gave Aidan a contemptuous look. “You’re pretty dense sometimes. Tell me, what is it that Lon does?”

“He’s a cleric.”

“Right. And for the last couple of weeks what has Brianna been?”

“A zombie, but why…” suddenly it dawned on Aidan. Here he’d been wallowing in pity because of his vampirism, and he hadn’t even noticed Brianna’s greater curse. Her husband was a cleric, and she had been undead. They hadn’t even been able to touch for the entire time! “You’re right, I’m pretty dense. And pretty self-centered. Here I’ve been throwing myself a pity party, and Brianna and Lon have been so much worse off than me.”

“Well, now you’ve seen the light. But I think our first priority should be figuring out where we are. The place looks very familiar, and I wish I knew why.”

“I know why,” said Brianna, finally loosening her grip on Lon. “It’s the meadow just behind Queen Tara’s tower.”

“What? You mean we’re back in Mysteria?” said Aidan.

“Maybe. Let’s go find out.”