“So, my young friend,”
Rikard said early the next evening, “I presume you’re hungry. Shall we go
hunting?”
Seth looked at him in
surprise. “You’ll go with me? Oh wait, I get it, you want to make certain I
don’t kill my ‘victim’.”
“Not at all,” Rikard
responded seriously. “I don’t think you have it in you to do that. I would just
like to get to know you better.” He smiled then. “I miss having a young one
around to tell the truth.”
Seth was surprised again by
his words. “Then you were serious about letting me stay here for a while?”
“If you’re willing, yes. I
won’t try to limit you in any way. I learned my lesson about that with Owen. Too
late, I’m afraid.”
As Seth put on his jacket he
asked, “If he’d become involved with anyone other than a dhampir, would you
have cracked down so hard on him?”
“A very good question and
one I really can’t answer. Kemp was the first one he ever fell in love with, so
I had nothing to compare with. I’ll admit that the fact that Kemp was a dhampir
colored my emotions.”
“He seems to be a good kid,”
Seth commented as they left the house.
Rikard shot him an amused
look. “You’re barely older than him you know.”
“I’d hardly say two hundred
years constitutes ‘barely’,” Seth shot back.
“Technically you’re correct
of course. However in some aspects, Kemp is wise well beyond his years. He’s
matured greatly since I first met him. You on the other hand, well I’ll have to
wait until I know you better before I decide if you’re mature, or just wise to
the ways of the world because you’ve been in it for a while.” He paused to make
a decision about where they should go, and then strode forward towards a small
shopping area a few blocks from his house.
Seth kept pace, telling
Rikard that he’d never been in this area of the city before.
“You’ll like it I think, and
it’s not too far from the Quarter, which is where Kemp works.”
“And I should care about
that why?”
“Because, young man, I think
you find him at least interesting, if not more. Otherwise, why would you be so
concerned about his welfare,” Rikard added before Seth could protest.
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