Nino pushes the door to Haruka’s bedroom closed once they’re both inside. When he turns, the dark vampire drops himself down hard on the side of his bed. He hunches over in his tailored black suit, crisp white shirt and black tie, his fingers plunging into his silky hair. The longer they stood in that ballroom, the more miserable Haruka became.
They’ve only been at Hertsmonceux for a few hours, but it’s already overwhelming. Nino has been asked at least three times why he isn’t bonded (which seems like a personal question to ask within the first five minutes of a conversation). At least once, he’s pretty sure he was openly propositioned to try changing his unmated status during this weekend.
What Nino experiences is nothing compared to other vampires’ reactions to Haruka. He’s lost track of how many times someone has called Haruka “exquisite,” “beautiful,” “gorgeous” or “stunning.” What is his age and “my, how young” he looks. His lovely vampiric nature and “why on earth does he keep it enclosed?” It’s one thing to be showered with compliments, but Haruka is being drowned.
Nino thought he had it bad in his bar with humans playing guessing games and flirting with him about his age, but that seems like child’s play compared to tonight. When they had spent time together in Sidmouth, Nino wondered why Haruka chose to isolate himself in the English countryside. The reason is becoming painfully apparent.
“What’s going on?” Nino walks toward him. “I feel like I’m missing something. What bags is she talking about?”
Haruka is quiet, massaging his fingers against his scalp with his head down. Just as Nino is about to tell him never mind and that it’s none of his business, Haruka’s deep voice cuts through the silence. “Elsie is my source, but I do not feed directly from her. I ask that they medically bag her blood for me.”
Nino sits in a tufted armchair close to the bed. “Okay, why do that?”
“Because it keeps me from being strictly beholden to her, and to Emory and his family,” Haruka sighs, his gaze cast downward. “If I feed directly from her, it constitutes intimacy—which means I should spend time with her. If I monopolize her time and am intimate with her, then I am expected to eventually form a bond with her. I do not wish to form a bond with anyone, under any circumstances.”
Nino mentally unpacks everything Haruka has just expressed. He doesn’t want to bond. Very strong feelings there. He doesn’t want to be obligated toward Elsie, but her father has forgotten the bags of her blood. Now, Haruka needs to feed directly from her, intimately, in order to survive the weekend.
Haruka is distraught. He’s old blood—ancient, purebred blood. The restart of Nino’s familial bloodline can be traced back to the late 1800s, but he’s certain that Haruka’s blood origins reach back much farther.
It’s evident in the hidden strength of his aura, in the way he smells and how he carries himself. Old blood keeps detailed documentation going back five centuries. Old blood employs outspoken, steadfast third-generation vampires as servants. And old blood requires pure, high-level sustenance in order to function at optimum strength.
But Haruka is drinking the blood of a first-generation vampire who would attempt to corner him into submission. To put his well-being at risk.
Like a sack of potatoes, Haruka falls back hard against the bed. He exhales an exasperated breath. “Everything will be fine. I simply need to be careful to not over-exert myself for the next two days. Then I can return to my home.”
“Then what? Will you still keep feeding from Elsie? Even though she doesn’t seem trustworthy?”
Haruka’s chest quietly heaves up and down underneath his dress shirt, his black tie askew. “I’m not sure—I will figure it out later. It will work out.”
How? Nino sits back against the chair, his breathing shallow and his heart rate climbing as he grips the soft, faded upholstery underneath his palms. A thought slowly forms, pressing to the forefront of his mind.
Could I be his source?
Nino has never offered himself to anyone before. Not once (not even to his best friend—and she wouldn’t accept anyway). He’s never wanted to. The simple thought of it has always sent his mind into a murky place filled with painful memories. Images of his uncle’s large hands clasping Nino’s small shoulders, his thick fangs biting down hard into the base of his neck and hungrily pulling from him as if to wholly consume his life-force.
Nino shakes his head to rouse himself. He looks at Haruka again. The purebred drags his body up to sit on the edge of the bed, then adjusts his jacket and tie. He squares his shoulders. His grayish skin tone makes him look tired. His dark hair is rumpled from the impromptu scalp massage.
Haruka smiles. It’s a charming little expression that reaches his deep brown irises. “I sincerely apologize, Nino.” He lifts his arms to pat his hair, combing the mess of it through with his fingers. “It is… truly unseemly for me to behave this way in front of someone—”
“You don’t always need to be perfectly composed and polite,” Nino assures him. “I hope… that after all this is over, you would consider me as a friend? With friends, you can let your guard down.”
Unexpectedly, Nino’s heart is in his throat. Haruka is blinking at him and Nino doubles back in his mind. Does he sound like an idiot? Like a child? Why does he keep saying these emotive, revealing things?
But when Haruka offers a little grin again, Nino breathes a silent sigh of relief.
“I would genuinely like that,” Haruka says.
“Good.” Nino nervously rubs his hands against his thighs. “So… what can I do to help you? Let’s brainstorm.”
Haruka shakes his head, still grinning. “You do not need to do anything. Just being here and having the camaraderie of speaking freely with you is more help than I could have ever imagined.”
But you need more than that. He can’t say it. When he’d first met Haruka, he knew that something was off. After spending time with him and learning the subtle nature of his blood and his enclosed aura, Nino can see it plainly.
Haruka is malnourished. Secretly weak. He isn’t in any immediate danger and he isn’t starving. But he is constantly in a state of being underfed. His ancient bloodline requires higher-quality sustenance that matches his own. Purebred blood.
Blood exactly like Nino’s.