Page 31 of Rite of Blood and Secrets

"That seems foolish, there's a lot to be learned from the past."

"Perhaps, but when so many of them have lived it, I suspect they don't see the point," Linc responds. "And not many newly-turned vampires think to learn about the history."

"I've always wished I could read more," I say as we climb up the stairs. "We had a book of children's stories when I was little. Da used it to teach me and my brother to read, and once I was able to, I'd read it over and over. I could probably recite them by heart now if I wanted to. But I've never been able to come to a place like this. My whole world changed yesterday. I discovered that the man I thought was my father, wasn't. I have no idea who I am or where I come from, and I want to find out more about it."

"A wise choice," Linc responds. "And not one I made when I first became a vampire."

"What did you do?" I ask curiously.

"Drink." Somehow, I don't think he means blood.

"So you do that a lot?"

"I'd never touched a drop until five years ago," he admits. "But after what I saw on my Golden Moon, there was no going back. But you don't want to hear that."

I do. Hearing someone dislike the whole thing as much as I did is helpful, but I can tell from his expression that he's not going to tell me more about it.

"Here we are," he says, gesturing to a dark bookcase full of leather-bound books. "The history section."

I run my hand down the shelf, looking at them and trying to decide which one to open first. "Do you have a favourite?"

His whole face lights up and he reaches for a blue tome in the middle, pulling it out. "This one." He hands it to me.

Carefully, I open it. "The Rise and Fall of House Sanulieon," I read slowly. "Who are they?"

"They used to rule the court," he says.

I flip the page and squint at the words, trying to make sense of them. Even at first glance, I can tell this is nothing like the children's book I used to read. The writing is much smaller and more condensed, and the author hasn't held back on using lengthy turns of phrase.

Linc clears his throat. "Why don't we take it over to one of the tables? I have my own book to read, but you can ask me if you're struggling with any of the words."

I bite my lower lip. "How could you tell?"

"Your expression. And you said you only had one book at home."

I nod, hating how my lack of education is making me look. I know it's not my fault that I'm not able to read better, but it is a slight flaw in my plan.

Linc shows me over to one of the tables and sits down with his own book.

I make myself comfortable and try to make sense of the words on the page. Whoever wrote it doesn't have the most legible writing, which makes it a lot harder than it has to be, and I feel like I'm reading the same sentence over and over again while not making sense of it.

Tears well up in the corner of my eyes and I turn away so he can't see them.

Linc gets to his feet and disappears, giving me a moment to compose myself and wipe away my tears. I'm not sure exactly why he's left, but I'm grateful for it. I don't want him to think I'm weak, especially when I'm newly arrived here.

I turn my attention back to the book, but unsurprisingly, it hasn't gotten any easier to read. I take a deep breath and read the same sentence again, but between the complicated handwriting and the old-fashioned language, I'm not getting anywhere.

Footsteps sound, and I look up to find Linc accompanied by a servant. They set down a tray of tea and biscuits without saying a word, and disappear.

Linc sets a book down in front of me. "You should take this back to your room with you tonight."

"Am I allowed to do that?" I pick up the book and turn it over in my hands.

"It's from my personal library, not this one," he says. "It's a children's history book. I should have thought about the fact that you said you hadn't had much practice and not suggested one like this."

"You still have a children's history book?" I ask. "But I thought you said you were a dhampir before this?"

"I knew who my father was," he responds. "My mother was his mistress for a long time before she died. I was sheltered from some of the darker realities, including being a vampire, but I knew the basics. It meant I was able to read children's books about our history before I came here, I just didn't know they were about vampires."