“Enjoying the evening?” A deep, cultured voice sounded behind Serapha in the dark. Before her change she might have jumped, startled, but she’d been aware of the man standing behind her for the last few minutes, his breathing and even his heartbeat audible to her enhanced senses.

“Yes, I am,” she replied politely, turning slightly to see who had addressed her. As she had suspected, it was Captain Gabriel Young. He had watched her suspiciously during the whole voyage to the eastern continent, and Serapha had been glad to reach land and get away from him. It had been just her back luck, as far as she was concerned, that his ship had been still in port when she’d returned from Queen Tara’s tower with the second medallion. And worse yet, no other ship was making the journey to the north continent, so she’d been stuck with Captain Young again.

“Miss Rhiannon, or may I call you Serapha?” He paused a moment and then went on when she remained silent, “I’m sorry to intrude on your evening, but I’m afraid I have a certain streak of curiosity that needs to be satisfied before we reach our destination. I’ve noticed that you never seem to eat with any of the other passengers, and that you tend to sleep during the day. Could I ask you why?”

Serapha’s heart might have started racing if it were still capable of doing so. She tried to mask her nervousness as she responded. “I have a somewhat restricted diet, Captain,” she said.

“Please, call me Gabriel,” he responded, “And I had guessed you had special dietary needs. I think I’ve guessed the reason why as well. I’m curious to know if I’m correct. I believe that you’re a vampire, Serapha. Not,” he added as she gaped at him, “the sort of vampire one might expect of course. Not any kin to the infamous Lord Drago, for example.”

Serapha shook her head. “You’re mistaken,” she stammered. “I’m not…”

“I think you are,” said Captain Young. “I’m quite certain I’m not mistaken. But you don’t need to fear. I have no intention of harming you, or of telling anyone else of my discovery. I find the condition of vampirism fascinating. And I find you quite intriguing. You’re very beautiful you know.”

Serapha went wide-eyed in astonishment, giving Captain Young a startled look. He smiled down at her, his eyes, blue as her own, seeming to twinkle warmly in the dim lantern light that illuminated the deck. The breeze that propelled the ship forward ruffled his close-cropped blond curls. He was in his early twenties, young to captain a ship of his own, but apparently quite capable. And also, now that Serapha actually looked at him, quite handsome.

“I won’t bother you any further tonight,” he said with a smile, “but I hope you will answer a few of my questions on some future occasion. As I said I’m rather fascinated by the condition of vampirism, and this is the first chance I’ve had to speak to one directly. And to have a chance to satisfy my curiosity and to enjoy the company of a beautiful young woman such as yourself at the same time is an opportunity I simply cannot pass up.”

Serapha’s head reeled, her mind unable to really digest what had just happened. One moment she’d been braced to defend against accusations and prejudice, and now she was being complimented instead. Nobody’s ever called me beautiful before, she thought in a kind of pleasantly stunned bemusement. Before she could gather her scattered thoughts, Captain Young reached out to take her hand, and to her further surprise he bowed over it and kissed it. “Goodnight, Serapha,” he said, and vanished back into the darkness.

He did indeed seek her out the next evening, and the one after that as well. In fact Serapha spent at least part of every night on the return journey to Snowcap in the company of the charming Captain Young, or Gabriel as he insisted she call him. They spent a certain amount of time discussing various aspects of vampirism, comparing the many myths that Gabriel had heard with the actual facts of Serapha’s condition, but the conversations strayed across many subjects, and Serapha found the Captain to be both witty and knowledgeable. When they docked at Snowcap Serapha disembarked with a certain feeling of regret. She also left the ship with a series of wide yawns. The new medallion she wore protected her from harm, but her body was telling her that daylight was time to sleep, and it was all she could do to keep her eyes open.

As she stepped onto the ramp down to the dock Gabriel’s voice sounded behind her. “Serapha!” She turned to see the captain hurrying up behind her. He once again took her hand and raised it to his lips. He smiled at her warmly as he released her fingers from his gentle grip and said, “I’ve quite enjoyed our discussions, and I sincerely hope we have a chance to speak more at a later date. I must sail south tomorrow, but I plan on coming back to Snowcap in a few weeks. May I have the pleasure of your company when I’m next in town?”

Serapha blushed faintly and smiled back. “Of course, Gabriel.”

“Then I will look forward to seeing you again as soon as possible.”

Alan silently watched Captain Young turn and vanish below decks as he had silently observed most of his sister’s meetings with the handsome young man. As always he said nothing, simply storing the information away. He knew his sister very well, and she wouldn’t welcome advice from him at this point. So with the nearly infinite patience he’d long ago mastered he waited until she would be ready to hear what he had to say. Instead he asked, “Do you want to rest in town today, or would you rather head straight home?”

Serapha yawned again, but shook her head, a certain unease visible on her features. “I’d like to had straight home,” she said. She tried to ignore the little voice in the back of her head that was telling her she was a coward for not wanting to go to the inn and speak with Michael. It’s not as if I’ve done anything wrong, she rationalized to herself. Gabriel and I did nothing but talk, and anyway, I don’t belong to Michael. He’s just a friend, that’s all. And besides, I need to get home as soon as I can and give Dad back his medallion.

Alan simply nodded, and it wasn’t long before the pair were again winging their way through the sky, headed home.