Gerome stared at his reflection in the mirror in the main bathroom. He looked like shit. The command from his father that he wanted dinner with him and Luis didn’t bode well. Usually, if his father had something to say, he simply called. A formal dinner typically brought bad news.
He had enough trouble with his mate. He didn’t need other problems in his life. His fingers shook as he ran them through his hair in an attempt to make himself more presentable. Feeding would be necessary soon. The dinner wouldn’t bring much for him, despite his father’s awesome cook. The food tasted great, but he’d have to get some blood afterward. He just didn’t know where he’d get it. Blood banks were a possibility, but he hated cold blood.
He could drink from a human, but Luis probably wouldn’t hesitate to stab him in the back if he tried to feed on him. Because biting was a highly intimate process, he didn’t want to go to a stranger. In the past, he’d picked up guys at clubs or bars and fed from them, but with Luis in his life, it felt wrong. Even if he couldn’t stand the sight of his mate, he didn’t want to cheat. Feeding alone wasn’t cheating, and he’d already fed on some of Josh’s blood to make him believe they were mated, but he couldn’t do that with a stranger.
He’d have to suck it up and get some blood from the blood bank later. That was the only way.
He stepped into the shower and started making himself presentable while trying not to think about the things his father was going to demand. And he was going to demand something. Gerome couldn’t remember him being any different, and he wouldn’t change now.
Only Gerome still lived at the palace. His siblings all moved out as soon as they could. But he, as the heir to the throne, had to stay. How he hated this sometimes. At least, his father gave him a lot of freedom.
At five to seven, he knocked on the door of the guest bedroom in the hopes of finding Luis ready. He didn’t know what he’d do if the man refused to comply. Beating him was out of the question, even though it was a common method of putting a mate in place. He couldn’t hurt Luis, no matter what the custom was.
But somehow, he had to get Luis to understand that he needed to comply. Gerome wiped his hands on his trousers. They shook. Luis could never find out how little power Gerome really had.
The door opened, and a freshly shaved Luis peeked out. He was ready. Thank the heavens.
The new linen trousers and shirt Gerome had told the butler to deliver looked good, and Luis had carefully styled his long blond hair. His face still looked gaunt, but it was something a shower wouldn’t change. Only Luis could do that by finally accepting that there was no way out of this mating. Once he understood this was the only way, they’d get along better. Much better. But then, it couldn’t get any worse than it was right now. Gerome, however, wouldn’t mind ignoring and forgetting about Luis altogether. Could they maybe simply coexist?
“Ready to go?” he asked instead of further mulling over ideas.
“Yeah.” Luis didn’t meet Gerome’s eyes.
“That’s ‘yes,’ if we’re in the presence of company. You better remember that.”
Now Luis looked up, catching Gerome’s eye. He pushed his chin forward a bit. “Yes.”
“Okay. Then let’s go.” He didn’t like his mate’s expression. The dark circles under his eyes didn’t speak of it, but he had an air of fight about him. Something he didn’t think he’d ever see in Luis. He just hoped his mate wouldn’t choose to pick a fight or rebel at dinner.
Gerome turned around, confident that Luis would follow. They made their way through the corridors connecting his apartment to the other rooms of the palace, all of them tastefully decorated with a touch of the queen’s unmistakable style. Where Gerome preferred dark colors and earth tones, his mother went for light and soft.
The heavy doors opened to a spacious dining room where his parents, seated at one end of the long table, already waited. Only four place settings. So there wouldn’t be other guests. Great. Just great. No one else to harass would join them. His siblings never visited, so only Elders or other high-ranking vampires were ever invited to dinner. No other guests meant the king wanted something specifically from Gerome,
“Mother, Father. Good evening.” Gerome, trusting Luis would follow, strode toward his parents with a fake smile on his face.
“Gerome, welcome. Thank you for joining us tonight. Please, sit down,” the king said, nodding to the empty seats.
They took their seats next to each other. The king resided at the head of the table, with the queen on his right, across from Gerome’s seat.
Silence settled over them. Luis still hadn’t said a word. Was he deliberately being rude or was he just intimidated?
The butler announced the first course, leaving Gerome to wonder when his father would drop whatever bomb he carried. Hopefully not during the meal. But if he did, it would be over and Gerome could deal with whatever it was. He tried to wipe his clammy hands casually on his trousers. The butler served the soup, something creamy and delicious smelling.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why the formal dinner tonight,” his father said. Gerome looked up. He hadn’t fooled his father one bit.
“Yes, of course, I was wondering.” At least, his father wasn’t going to let him wait.
“I want to see Angela. After all, she’s my granddaughter.”
He what? What the fuck? He’d been against the pregnancy. He would’ve killed Alex. Now he wanted to see the baby! What the fuck was wrong with his father? Had he lost his mind?
The little girl was already six weeks old, and now he thought he needed to meet her! How nuts was that?
“Can you arrange it? I’m sure you visit her and her parents regularly. It shouldn’t be a problem for me to visit them, should it?”
Gerome nodded slowly. He would have to talk to Alex and Sam. His father wouldn’t lure them into an ambush. If he wanted to get rid of them, he would have done so already. And while his father was a hothead, he was fair.
“I think—” he cleared his throat, “I think I can do that. I’ll call Alex and see what he and Sam can do.”
“Tomorrow would be good.”
Gerome managed not to roll his eyes at his father’s typical behavior—demanding instead of asking.
“Harold, please,” his mother chimed in, her voice soft.
“Okay. Could you please ask if tomorrow would be good?” his father asked again, the impatience clear in his voice, but he tried at least.
“Yes, I can do that. I’ll let you know as soon as I have news for you.”
“Good. Then let’s eat now before the soup gets cold.”
That was it? Why the heck hadn’t he just called with this demand? Gerome didn’t understand. He’d been afraid his father would make demands, ask about Luis getting pregnant, their non-existent relationship... whatever. But no, he just wanted to meet Angela. Fucking shit. All day he’d fretted about possible reasons for this dinner.
They ate their soup, the taste full and rich, in silence. The cooks were superb, like everyone his father hired, except for a certain butler. “Do you know anything new about Allen?” They were already here, so he’d ask some questions as well. The butler remained in custody, and the king had killed Elder Adali during a fight for leadership.
“No, nothing. He hasn’t confessed, and until then, we can’t execute him. We have to wait because we don’t have enough evidence right now. He’s in solitary confinement. Maybe that will loosen his tongue. But for all I care, he can rot in jail. I’m not keen on killing him, although I wouldn’t mind it. If he serves his sentence locked away for the rest of his days, that’s enough for me.”
“You’re right.” Gerome took another spoonful of his soup and mulled the thought over in his head. When Alex had gone missing, he’d been hell-bent on killing the responsible vampires. But now, it was enough that they leave Allen to rot in jail. It somehow pleased him that the guy would have a lot of time to regret what he did.
“Luis, how do you like it here?” Gerome’s mother chimed in. Obviously, it was her attempt to get Luis to join the conversation.
Luis didn’t react. Looking into the creamy stuff, he stirred his soup as if he’d find answers in it. He couldn’t have eaten much if anything at all. Gerome nudged his arm with his elbow. Luis looked up and stared at Gerome.
“My mother asked you a question,” Gerome hissed, even though his parents could hear everything.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.” He smiled at the queen. “What did you say? I’ve been lost in thoughts.”
“No problem, dear. I just asked how you like it here.”
Gerome saw Luis avert his gaze again.
“It’s okay, I suppose. I haven’t been around much. I kind of miss my studies, but that’s only normal I think. It will take some time until I make friends here.”
“What did you study?”
“Art. I had three semesters left.”
“Maybe you can find another occupation here that you like. The mate of the future king is not allowed to work so I think studying will be out of the question, but how about decorating? That’s what I love to do.”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll see.” Luis stirred his soup. He didn’t sound good. Didn’t he know how to behave around the queen? He could mope around when he was alone. Now wasn’t the time, as it would fall back on Gerome when his mate didn’t behave. It was as simple as that.
He’d have to have a few words with Luis if he kept this attitude up.
“Did Alex and Sam give you a date for their wedding yet?” His father changed the subject, and therefore, thankfully, saved Gerome from more embarrassment over Luis’ behavior.
He told his father all he knew about the upcoming wedding, the plans they had, everything. Neither of them addressed Luis again.