Petra’s eyes narrowed as she looked at me. “You include yourself among these vampires, but you seem to have no trouble with the sun.”

“I’m different. My light weakness was cured,” I replied. “We’re currently studying how that came to be, but I would much rather leave this subject for a more comfortable circumstance. Not out here, surrounded by soldiers.”

“So you knew we were coming,” Esme said. “You saw our shuttle before we reached Visio?”

“Indeed. Two days ago, our scholars saw you through the lenses we aim at the sky,” Zoltan replied. “We have frequent transports coming in from our neighboring principates, but yours looked different.”

“I suppose our shuttle did stick out,” I muttered. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but are the principates you mention the planets next to yours?”

Kalon grinned. “Let me guess. You made up names for those, too?”

“We weren’t that original in that endeavor.” I sighed.

Zoltan nodded. “They are our principates, yes. Part of the Visio Kingdom. Rimia is the red world, and Nalore is the ice world.”

“You’ve conquered them, then,” Tristan concluded, his voice low and slightly muffled by his mask. It earned him a scowl from Corbin.

“Is that a problem?”

“Oh, no, not at all,” Tristan was quick to reply. “Merely getting the facts straight, sir.”

“We knew you were coming, hence the welcoming party,” Petra interjected, drawing attention away from their principates. Inclined to distrust her already, I wondered whether there was meaning in her regression to the original topic of conversation.

“I see they don’t carry weapons,” I said. “Which, I admit, gives me great relief. We have no hostile intentions whatsoever. We’re merely explorers, nothing more, nothing less.”

“We’re Aeternae. We don’t really need weapons,” Kalon replied, his chin higher. He took great pride in this statement, and it made me curious. The name of their species was intriguing. Part of me was inclined to draw a connection to the vampires—it would’ve made sense, given that my day-walking protein had likely come from these Aeternae. What were the odds that we didn’t have a single thing in common, at the end of the day?

Minimal. Perhaps none at all, I thought.

“Would you mind telling us a bit more about your species?” Sofia asked. “The name itself is beautiful, but we’d like to understand you better.”

“We’ve been around for about four million years,” Petra said. “Of course, very few of our kind have survived since the beginning. We hold them in great respect. They’re our most valuable and beloved heritage.”

My brain moved to make the right connections, but I still had trouble processing. “I’m sorry, maybe I’m still reeling from our long journey, so maybe I didn’t get this right. You mean to tell us that there are four-million-year-old Aeternae still living here?” I replied, my heart already swelling and beating frantically, wrestling against my ribcage.

The high priestess nodded. “That is correct.”

This was it. The connection I’d suspected. These creatures lived for abnormally long periods of time. I’d never come across anyone who’d gathered so much time under their belt. Glancing at the soldiers again, I noticed the bare hands. It made sense. They used them in combat. Maybe they had retractable claws like us. Would they have fangs, as well? How could I ask without coming across as rude?

Every nerve in my body screamed, my synapses flashing, telling me we’d finally come across some kind of precursor or distant cousin of the vampire. We’d theorized about it before, but being here, standing before them now… I couldn’t help but feel entirely overwhelmed by the prospect.

Were the Aeternae the true day-walking vampires? Was that why the protein had worked on me, to begin with?

Esme

This was a dream come true. I’d always wondered if there were others like us out there, closer to our species than the Maras, who were native to the In-Between, but born, not made. This begged a question, and I had to raise it.

“You are practically immortal, then?” I asked.

Petra nodded. “We could live forever, yes. Fate doesn’t have the same plan, though. Unfortunately, we can still die.”

“I hope you’re not asking so you can think of ways of harming us,” Corbin cut in, looking at me as if I’d just taken a shot at his mother.

“No, not at all. It’s just that, in that sense, the Aeternae and vampires are very much alike,” I said. “We, too, can live forever, if not killed.”

This particular statement seemed to arouse their interest, as they exchanged glances. Kalon eyed me intently, and I had a hard time focusing. He was truly an astonishing specimen—the tall, dark, and handsome type I’d always had a soft spot for. The gray streaks in his hair were fascinating, casting silvery glimmers whenever the sunlight hit them.

“How can a vampire be killed?” he asked me. “If I’m to show you my weakness, you should show me yours first.”

“Removing the heart or decapitation,” I said, drawing concerned looks from Derek and the rest of the crew, my brother included. “Or keeping us in the sun, of course. This last one wasn’t hard to figure out, anyway.”

“Are you insane?” Nethissis whispered.

I shook my head. “Honesty entails honesty.”

“I guess we have methods of dying in common, as well, then,” Petra replied. “The Aeternae can only be killed through the same ways—with the exception of sunlight exposure.”

“Are Aeternae born or made?” I asked, unwilling to let this opportunity to gather intel go by. I’d tapped into a fountain of information, and I wanted to get as much as I could out of them before they changed their minds. There was an interesting aspect about curiosity—it made people more open, regardless of their species.

“Both, actually, though the latter is extremely rare,” Petra said.

“I see some differences in age, though,” I replied. “How does that work, if most Aeternae are born, not made? When do you stop aging, per se?”

“It varies from one Aeternae to another,” she explained. “We’ve yet to understand why that is, but it’s just different for each of us. Hence why some of us have a gray hair or two, while others are forever twenty-one.” A subtle smile flickered across her face.

“High Priestess, perhaps we should get to know our visitors a little better before we start revealing important things about our world,” Zoltan advised her, a warning in his tone.

“Forgive us, milord,” I said, bowing again. “We’re simply curious, since the similarities between our species point to at least a common ancestor. Up until some months ago, we didn’t even think there were other inhabited planets in our galaxy, let alone people with whom we seem to have so much in common.”

Petra moved slowly toward us, stopping in front of Derek and Sofia for a moment. The guards seemed on edge, but they didn’t move or say a thing. I could hear their hearts drumming, though. Their pulses quickened. Their sharp eyes fixed on the high priestess as she measured Derek, then Sofia, from head to toe.

She circled our group once, her expression shifting from restraint to childish curiosity. “You are all quite fast, even though you’re not from the same species. You’re fighters, too. I presume good fighters.”

“What makes you say that?” Derek asked.

“Your posture. The confidence with which you speak. The mere fact that you came out of your shuttle unarmed. I’m inclined to believe you have physical abilities that give you an upper hand in combat, since you didn’t think you’d need weapons. I mean, let’s be honest here. Who is insane enough to walk up to a completely unknown civilization without some form of defense? What guarantee would you have for survival, unless you had something to rely on for your defense?”

Derek chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. “Your assessment is impressive, High Priestess. We do have our abilities, yes. But we do not wish to use them here. Not unless we have to defend ourselves,” he said, briefly acknowledging Corbin, in particular.

Petra followed his gaze. “Worry not about the master commander, Derek. He leads the armies of Visio, but he cannot harm you without the council’s consent. Besides, our lord and lady would be furious if you were hurt before they even had a chance to meet you.”

She and Corbin didn’t seem to like each other very much. Then again, Zoltan wasn’t her fan, either, as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “High Priestess, perhaps we should move this conversation somewhere else. I’m sure our guests don’t appreciate standing in the sun for too long, regardless of their protective garb.”

“We’re your guests now?” I asked, smiling.

“Well, you’ve come all the way here, haven’t you?” Petra replied. “It would be a shame to turn you away without getting to know you better.”

“Besides, I’m thinking that if we’re good hosts to you, then you might welcome us to your world, someday, should we become curious enough to get out of our broad comfort zone,” Kalon added.