8. ADAPT

ADAPT

J ulian stared at Daemon's palace with open-mouthed awe and delight. Taking in the whole thing was nearly impossible; it was so huge. Like a massive layer-cake it spread endlessly to the sides and rose impossibly upwards into the night.

It had elements of Greek and Egyptian architecture, along with many other styles that he only half-recognized and didn't know the names to. The central part of the palace appeared to be a gigantic step pyramid with other buildings attached to it as if they had grown organically out of it.

There were sweeping balconies with classical Greek columns. There were hanging gardens that allowed waves of greenery to flow over the walls. Night blooms as large as his head in every color imaginable erupted from elegant stone planters. Their delicate heady scent perfuming the night.

There were long, glass-enclosed rooms that simply jutted out into the air so that one could view any part of Nightvallen unimpeded. He saw arched galleries and majestic multi-storied rooms with inlaid panels that were works of art in themselves. There were domes of crystalline glass and towers so tall that they appeared to be spearing the night sky.

There were so many questions in his head about what came first. Did Daemon and Immortals bring these styles of architecture to Earth or did they take what they found there over the ages and bring it here? Considering how long it seemed Daemon had been asleep, it almost ruled out any other possibility than that they had introduced humans to them.

So much for ancient aliens! Julian snorted. They were really ancient Vampires!

The palace was not dark and dead or cloaked in dust and debris of ages long past as Julian had expected it to be. It was clean, pristine and well-lit. When he and Christian had come here none of the buildings had any lights on. They had been closed and locked. It had reminded him of people leaving their homes before a hurricane. They meant to come back, but the places were boarded up tighter than Fort Knox.

But that was not the case now.

It seemed every single door and window of the palace was thrown open. Julian could see curtains moving in the soft, night breeze along many of the gracious balconies. There were warm rays of light shining out of almost every room. He saw the crackling flames of fires in massive fireplaces casting warm pools of golden light before them. There were torches and candles and lanterns all lit, but giving off no smoke.

The whole aspect was welcoming as if the palace was awaiting party guests. Julian half expected to see servants flitting about in tuxedos with trays of canapes and glasses of champagne from room to room, while others would be making sure that all was ready for the return of the king. Fresh bedding and dusted mantelpieces, along with well-aired furniture and glasses laid out with fresh decanters of blood.

"There's nobody else here, right?" Julian asked Daemon.

The Vampire King had been silent and had allowed Julian to slow their pace and just gaze upon the palace with large eyes.

"No," Daemon answered simply.

"But… but this place looks like somebody got it ready. The fires are lit. The candles… they would have burned down to pools of wax since you were last here," Julian argued. "Did you pop back when I wasn't looking and tidied up a bit? Did you like light some fires, air out the rooms--"

"No, my darling. The Ever Dark is merely welcoming us." Daemon pressed a kiss to Julian's temple and held him tighter.

"Wait, so… the city's… alive? What do you mean? Are there werewolves like Tarn and Farun changing bed linen or--"

Daemon laughed and rewarded him with another kiss, which was quite nice but not really an answer. "The Ever Dark makes itself into whatever I need. The palace is ready for us and guests."

He still wasn't quite sure how that all worked. Was it like that house in an old 1970s movie he saw that repaired itself? Perhaps! But it was magic so maybe he didn't need to understand. Maybe all he needed to know was that the Ever Dark lived for Daemon, became more alive for Daemon, and adapted to please him.

"Guests? This place is so huge it seems like all of the Vampires on Earth couldn't fill it," Julian remarked with a shake of his head.

"There won't just be Vampires and Immortals here. We will need humans to sustain us as well. We cannot expect Eyros' Acolytes to provide all we desire in terms of blood," Daemon mused.

Julian nodded slowly. "It's still weird and hard to think of… that. But I drink from you, and you need to drink from a lot of people to sustain yourself so..."

"You are worrying that it is like slavery, but it is not like that. Or will not be," Daemon assured him. "People will want to do this."

"In the hopes that they'll be made into Vampires?" Julian grimaced.

"Some, for sure. Others will simply enjoy the experience of being fed from. I know dear Dr. Stone is not a fan, but he is among the minority," Daemon told him. "In the coming time, we will not need people in high places to cover up our mistakes. Our existence will be common knowledge. Only those who wish to be Acolytes will be."

That had Julian feeling rather better.

With a rather rueful look, Julian admitted, "I think I'm rather a hypocrite, Daemon, because, on the one hand, I don't want to prey on anyone, but on the other, I need their consent to feed, and that is to be in a human's power. I'm not sure I'm fond of that either."

"You will feed from me alone for a very long time so do not worry about that right now. But you do understand that the human in the feeding relationship is both controlled and in control. If you treat them as people and not simply food in any case," Daemon said.

"Yeah, that makes sense. I'm sure it won't be a problem to get humans to join us. You're the king, after all," Julian said. "We'll have to fight them off really."

"Yes," Daemon simply answered with a nod.

That certainty--and no false modesty--still made Julian smile and shake his head, even though he knew it was really a profound "yes". Daemon didn't need to appear humble about these things, even if others would. He was the king and people would want to serve him. Whatever those people's additional motivations, to please the king was paramount.

"And there will be servants, of course," Daemon continued on his list of people who would exist in the palace and in Nightvallen. "We shall need them when representatives of the Houses come and take their places here to ask for aid or advice or simply to pay homage."

Julian blinked. "Pay… homage ? This royalty thing still gets me. I guess people will, of course, want to have someone here even with the palaces for the other Immortals nearby."

"Those palaces will be packed by the members of those Bloodlines. There will be much jockeying for space and power. Only the elite of the elite will be allowed in our palace." Daemon's expression was quite calm at the thought of that, as if it were quite understandable and he would expect nothing less.

Having just met a few of the Vampire Houses, Julian realized how true that would be. Balthazar would enjoy every second of it, of course. He, the exile, now would have people vying for his friendship and just to be in the same space as him. Julian hoped that he didn't end up finding the false friendship they offered too tiring. But, he realized then, that since Balthazar had Daemon--just like he had Christian--it wouldn't matter so much.

There were plenty of people who wanted to befriend Christian and him because of their show, wanting to be near even the barest of celebrities, not caring about them at all really, but since he had Christian, his heart remained mostly untouched. Balthazar might just enjoy the schadenfreude of it all, but find his true happiness with his real friends.

"I'm sure that Balthazar will find a way to take over a wing in the palace even with his own palace so near," Julian said with a grin.

"Yes, I would often find him sleeping in my bed in the past. Lolling about. Or trying on my clothes. Or perched on the arm of the throne. Never in the seat, mind you, but close enough," Daemon said with an affectionate shake of his head.

Julian's eyebrows rose at the mention of the "bed". "Did you and he… well, I guess you would… I mean… you've lived a long time and you're clearly close so--"

"Yes, we have had a physical relationship, Julian. It is one based on love and trust, but not romance," Daemon said with a warm smile. "It's nothing to how I feel for you or he feels for Christian. It was something that was comforting to us both."

"Yeah, no, I'm not jealous or… or anything," Julian said, feeling a little jealous.

But then he shook himself. He knew how much Balthazar meant to Daemon and vice versa. They were friends and, sometimes, Daemon was a father figure to Balthazar. There wasn't any competition there for him. It was something Daemon and Balthazar both needed. He would not resent or stand in any way in opposition to their friendship.

"I'm glad you understand," Daemon murmured as he clearly caught wind of Julian's thoughts. "You are my treasure. My one. There can only ever be you."

Julian just absorbed those words. They were meant in a way that few other people could ever mean them to someone else. They were also incredibly precious. This was Daemon saying this. A being who had existed for who knew how long and, somehow, Julian mattered to him. The last time they had been in Nightvallen together, he'd thought that Daemon was rejecting him forever. It had been a cold, hard wound in his soul. But now he knew that was not true. Would never be true. Daemon loved and treasured him.

Finally, Julian was able to say, "But Eyros is your best friend and longtime companion. I get it. Christian is the same for me. And no matter how much you mean to me, you don't replace Christian in my heart just like I don't replace Eyros in yours. So stupid to be jealous. If even for a second.."

"Nothing you feel is stupid." Another kiss.

Julian felt a little dizzy from those words and those kisses. He couldn't wait for his parents to meet Daemon. What would they think? They'd be amazed by him. But would they be worried about how entwined he and Daemon were? Or would they see their own love in him and the Vampire King? He was going to find out. Caemorn would bring his parents back.

"In addition to the Vampires, there will be the humans who will want to come here representing their governments," Daemon continued on with his list of guests again.

Julian blinked once more. "Of course. All the world leaders. I mean they'll want to have someone here too."

"There will be embassies, of course, in the city. And I'm sure there will be scientists and artists and media and… well, just people who will want to live here," Daemon explained with a broad sweep of his arm to encompass the whole city. "Perhaps a lottery. We mustn't let only those with money or influence get here. But everyone should have an opportunity. And then there will be the school of course."

"The school?" Julian's forehead furrowed. "Caemorn mentioned something about that--"

"Yes, yes, but that's for later," Daemon said with one of his cat-like smiles. "Shall we go in?"

"Ah, yeah! Definitely!" Julian cried as he realized that while the outside of the palace was magnificent and worthy of long study, he wanted to see the inside. He'd had glimpses of it through Daemon's eyes before, just the bedroom. But there was so much more to see!

As they walked towards the low, marble steps that led to the magnificent front entrance, a large, round fountain with a cloaked and hooded statue holding a pitcher in their arms, suddenly started to run. A stream of silvery, icy water splashed from the pitcher into the formerly dry pool around the statue's feet. It appeared like the statue was pouring water into the pool. Julian nearly jumped ten feet into the air and clutched at Daemon as the water splashed happily.

Julian let out a laugh. "Oh, man, that scared me! I guess I'm a little jumpy."

"You need not ever be afraid here again, Julian. You are perfectly safe," Daemon told him as he gently set Julian back firmly on his feet. "The Ever Dark will protect you as well, especially in Nightvallen. You are free to wander here without restraint."

Julian couldn't help but think of that terrified sprint through Nightvallen from Heath and Selene. But this place hardly felt the same to him anymore. Even though his heart was still in his throat about the fountain.

Damn water.

"Really? Yeah, I guess I feel that. I mean this place is incredible," Julian said though he did keep a tight hold on Daemon's arm. "Christian and I just filmed a little bit in here before--well, before we met you. I kept thinking how people were going to love seeing all of this. I also thought, of course, that it would expose Vampires so I suppose both are true if we actually showed the footage."

"I think your viewers will enjoy your show when you start filming it again. Ever Dark is the perfect location for that," Daemon said.

Julian brightened. "You really want Christian and me to do the show? Here?"

"Of course, it will be very important in how we recruit people for the school and in how people, generally, view us," Daemon said.

Again, with that school!

But Julian wasn't about to be waylaid with questions about that. "I could totally see doing a show on someone deciding on whether they want to become a Vampire."

"Yes, and the benefits of each Bloodline," Daemon nodded along with him.

"We could start with ‘ so you know you want to be a Vampire? But what Bloodline would be best for you? Well, here, today, we're going to talk about the Kaly Bloodline .' And then we'd interview Caemorn or something," Julian said, deepening his voice as the announcer. "Then again, maybe Lisette would be better. Caemorn might scare some people. Everyone's going to want to be an Eyros if we interview Balthazar. I'll have to beg Fiona to come on with him, just to balance him out."

"He charms everyone. I always had to counsel him to not grow his Bloodline too large," Daemon admitted. "When you know what someone thinks, you can tell them what they want to hear. He has to remember he cannot give them everything they desire, even if he knows what it is. But he has tried. He has always been on the lookout for interesting people who are a little in need."

"Yeah, I can totally see that." Julian bobbed his head. "I think he'll be a little less needy for people since he has Christian."

"Indeed."

Julian then couldn't help himself as he started to plan what he and Christian would need to explore the Ever Dark and all the interviews they could do. It was both overwhelming and amazing.

"We've got to get a ton more cameras here and our computers for the editing software," Julian listed out. "Mics and the right lighting. I want to look at everything and really map it out, you know? Show people how amazing this place is and all the people."

Daemon chuckled indulgently. "Of course. It is a good thing you are a Vampire, because what you see above," he gestured all around them as they mounted the steps, "is nothing compared to what's below ." He made a flick of his wrist to indicate the ground.

Julian's forehead furrowed as they reached the two large heavy doors that were carved with a scene of Daemon on a throne. "What's down below?"

Daemon's red eyes flared with amusement. "You shall see. But perhaps not tonight."

They strode together through the doors and Julian's breath caught in his throat. They had entered a domed room. The ceiling was made of glass so he could see the eternal night sky above them. A massive chandelier, sculpted to look like constellations, hung down from the center of the room, casting this remarkable silvery light that reminded Julian of starlight captured illuminated the whole of the room. The floor was that familiar white stone, but an infinity symbol in black mosaic inlay was centered beneath the chandelier. Julian looked at the mark on his wrist happily. They were the only two to have it. They would likely be the only two ever would.

He cast his eyes around them. The walls had inset panels where there were sculptures of creatures from the Ever Dark and beautiful men and women whom he assumed were Vampires or maybe the Immortals as one did look like Seeyr. There were large vases all filled with blood red or white roses. The scent of heady and he drew in deep draughts of it.

Ahead of them was another large staircase, as broad as the doorway behind them that had led into the palace. There was a blood red runner that covered the steps and led up to an arched doorway. Beyond it was another room that had Julian stepping towards it.

Julian squinted as the room was mostly dark. "Is that…"

"The throne room. Come, I want you to see it," Daemon said softly.

Still arm-in-arm the two of them went up the carpeted steps and walked into the throne room. It was rectangular with the narrow end the entrance and at the far end was the dais.

The moment they set foot into the room, fire whooshed to life along grates that lined the base of the walls. There were more whooshing sounds as grates ten, twenty, thirty, and forty feet above their heads lit up. The pale white stone was gilded with golden firelight.

The floor was white stone as well, but there was a vine pattern that snaked its way from the entrance of the throne room to the base of the dais. There were "branches" that broke off from the main vine and at the end of each was a symbol for every Bloodline. At the very top, of course, was the infinity symbol. There were then three steps before there were two thrones on the dais.

Julian stared at them with growing confusion. He was surprised that Daemon would have another throne there all this time. He had imagined there would be just one. Daemon was king and the king was Daemon.

The Vampire King made a soft sound and his arm tightened around Julian's. Julian quickly looked over at him. He was shocked when he saw a single tear trailing down Daemon's face. The Vampire King was smiling though and a quick touch of his mind told Julian that Daemon was not upset.

He was happy .

Incredibly happy.

Bursting with joy actually.

"Daemon?" Julian asked uncertainly.

Daemon turned and took both Julian's hands in his. "You're wondering about the thrones."

"Yeah, I thought… well, I thought there'd be one --"

"There was only one when I was last here," Daemon said, that smile growing even as more tears fell. "But now… there are two ."

Julian blinked rapidly. "The Ever Dark… Nightvallen… it adapts to what you need…"

"And it knows that not only do I need you, but so do our people, Julian," Daemon stated simply. "The Ever Dark welcomes you home as the Prince."