Chapter 20: An afternoon of fun

 Darius first took the two to a bakery, and got them some lemon cakes. As they walked, they ate from the cakes. Next, Darius took them to the swimming pool. By the time they had gotten there, the cakes were eaten. Darius's swimming things were already in the building, but Anastasios and Prisila had to rent theirs. As they came to the pool, Darius took a ball, and jumped inside the water. 

"Anastasios, catch," Darius threw the ball at the vampire prince, who caught it, and bounced it in his hands. 

"I bet that I can out swim you," Anastasios said, with a wicked grin on his lips. The demon boy arched an eyebrow. Anastasios, out swimming him? No way!

"If I out swim you, you will give me a kiss," Darius teased, and Anastasios colored crimson. 

"Look, Darius, just because you claim I smell like home, it doesn't mean that..." any further words were stopped, when Prisila clammed a hand over her brother's lips. 

"He agrees. If you out swim him, he will let you kiss him. If he out swims you, you will buy us more lemon cakes," Prisila said, and Darius chuckled. 

"Deal," the demon boy said, as Anastasios handed the ball to his sister.  

"You sold out your brother for lemon cakes," Anastasios grumbled, but Prisila just poked out her tongue at him. 

"What is the problem? You won't win, and get the kiss. I know it," Prisila poked her tongue out, and moved away from her brother, who tried to tug at her ponytail. "What are you? A baby? No hair tugging." 

"Just wait until I catch you," Anastasios promised with a dark expression. He walked to the starting position, and got in the water. Prisila rose her hand, and then brought it down.

Darius was moving before him before Anastasios could even blink the water out of his eyes. Still, the prince did his best to catch up. Despite him being winded by the end, Darius still reached the other end before him. 

"Kiss, kiss," Prisila chanted, and Anastasios blushed. He got out of the water, and looked at a grinning Darius. 

"I suppose," Anastasios began, but Darius just placed a soft kiss on his crimson cheek, and backed away. 

"You have a very soft skin, Anastasios," Darius said, as the vampire got even redder. "So smooth, and so creamy. You are the perfect dream." 

"Well, you seem to be reading too many romance novels. It rots your brain," Anastasios protested, and then turned to his giggling sister. "Just you wait until you find your mate. I will be just as insufferable as you are now!" 

"So, you admit that Darius is your mate?" Prisila asked, her eyes twinkling. 

"I admit to nothing," at Anastasios's words, Darius wilted. 

Was it because he was a nobody compared to the prince? Just a peasant, who got to spend some time around royalty because he was persistent? Darius looked down at his hands, and sniffled. 

"Look what you did," Prisila said, going to Darius's side. "You will make him cry." 

"I won't cry," Darius tried to assure her, but his eyes were becoming misty. 

"There, there, brother. My mean older brother will know better, when you both grow up. Soulmates are the only people who can restart a vampire's heart. You will see that, once his heart stops beating at thirty, he will come running to you," Prisila placed a soft kiss in Darius's hair, and stepped back. "Believe me." 

"But that is so far away from now," Darius protested. He didn't want to have to wait for Anastasios to understand that they were in love when the vampire turned thirty. He wanted for his friend to associate him with home the same way that Darius did now. 

"I know. Which is why you have to work all the harder for his attention now," Prisila said. She looked to her brother. "And you. Don't you appreciate Darius?"

"I appreciate him more than you. He never annoys me," Anastasios told her with a scrunch up nose. 

"Oh, I know. If you could, you would have traded me in for someone else," Prisila said with the same voice she had said that sentence many times before. Anastasios rolled his eyes at his sister. 

"Drama Queen," the vampire prince muttered, and his sister giggled. Then, he turned to Darius. "You are my best friend. You know that, right?"

"I am?" Darius asked with wonder in his eyes. Was he really Anastasios's best friend? "Don't you have many other friends already?"

"They were made to be with me only because their parents willed it. You stick with me out of your own free will," Anastasios said, and Darius ran to him. He had the vampire boy in his arm, and tickling him, before Anastasios could protest. 

"Hey, stop that," Anastasios yelled, but he broke down laughing. Soon, he was tickling Darius as well. Prisila shrugged, deciding that the love life of her brother was filled with too much drama thanks to him, and entered the pool.

 As the two boys also entered, they began to race again, with Darius giving his all, but not always getting to be first. Many promises were extracted that day. At least five more kisses, by Darius. The promise that Darius would not forget their next meeting, by Anastasios. 

And, of course, a couple of lemon cakes, by Prisila. She showed the two boys that she could swim much faster than they, and decided to let them off the hook with just lemon cakes and calling her mermaid princess for a day. 

All in all, it was a pleasant day. They never made it to the archery ring, but Darius made up for that by spending extra time in the ring the next day. With his rune making being delegated to two hours in the evenings.

 His father didn't let him spend too much time on runesmithing because as far as Andy was concerned, his son needed his rest. And so, Darius got new memories to add to those he already had of Anastasios. Now adding Prisila to his small circle of friends.