“I overheard Elsie tell you they didn’t bring the bags,” Asao says, his voice a furious whisper. “What the hell? They’ve been giving me the runaround about this since we got here.”
“Wait,” Nino says quietly, confused. He’s sitting beside Haruka at a large rectangular dinner table within the busy banquet hall. Asao is crouched down on his haunches and behind their chairs. “How did you hear that?” Nino continues. “You weren’t even close by.”
Haruka is sipping water. He stops, leaning in toward Nino and keeping his voice low. “Asao has exceptional hearing. It is a skill that is unique within his family bloodline, so he can hear anything within a walled space if he focuses—no matter how large.”
Both Haruka and Asao watch Nino as his entire face scrunches. He draws back.
“What?”
“Shh,” Haruka admonishes him. The last thing they need is to draw even more attention to themselves.
“Why the hell wouldn’t they bring the bags?” Asao directs his exasperated whisper toward Haruka. “What are they playing at? This isn’t some kind of damn game—”
“Hold on,” Nino says. “Are you telling me that for the three days I stayed with you both in Sidmouth, you were always listening to us?”
Asao shrugs. “Not always. I have my own life, you know. But yes, I needed to make sure you weren’t some kind of crazy pervert vampire, so I listened fairly often.”
“Crazy perv—”
“Shh.” Panicked, Haruka presses his fingertips against Nino’s soft lips. But the second Nino’s wide amber eyes meet his own, Haruka removes his hand. “I—I sincerely apologize.”
“It’s okay…” Nino grins timidly. “I didn’t mean to raise my voice like that. Sorry.”
Silence. It’s as if they’re temporarily frozen in the awkward moment. Haruka’s heart is beating like a drum in his chest. He shifts his gaze down toward Asao, still crouched on the floor in between their chairs. The manservant’s eyes are flickering between them.
He smirks. “Cute.”
“Asao, can we please figure this out later?” Haruka asks, the heat of embarrassment rushing up his neck. “Now is not the time.”
“The schedule is packed full,” Asao says. “We won’t have time tonight.”
“Morning is fine. I will survive.”
Asao pauses again, this time staring directly at Nino. Thankfully, Nino has shifted his attention away and is taking a bite of something from his plate. Asao looks at Haruka, his face flat and his voice low. “Ask him—”
“No. Goodnight, Asao.” Haruka turns forward in his chair.
“Your grace?”
He blinks, looking up. Elsie’s older brother, Oliver, is sitting across the table from him. His intended mate, Gael, is at his side. Oliver favors his younger sister. He has the same slight build, but is taller. His thick, short chestnut-brown hair has an elegant curl to it as it lies swept back for the formal event.
Gael is tall and strong. Burly—like someone whose profession is exclusively lifting very large objects. He has wavy black hair and a square, handsomely stubbled jaw. When Haruka introduced himself earlier, Gael towered over his five-foot-ten frame. When they shook hands, he’d lingered. It was subtle, but just an uncomfortable second too long.
“I am absolutely looking forward to your reading of the certification after dinner,” Oliver says, his proper English accent bright with excitement. He truly seems pleased about Gael and the prospect of being bonded with him. “It’s such an honor to have both our family legacies recognized as we bring our bloodlines together—fingers crossed, anyway! Isn’t that right, darling?”
He leans into Gael, prompting him to speak. His heavily accented English booms from his large body. “Yes, we are grateful for you, Senhor Haruka Hirano. Senhor Bianchi.”
“Aren’t you excited to watch him read?” Oliver asks brightly.
A slow smile spreads across Gael’s mouth. “Eu poderia passar horas assistindo esse gostoso fazer qualquer coisa.”
Oliver laughs, laying his head on Gael’s large shoulder. “Love, you know my Portuguese isn’t where it should be. We spent the summer together in Brazil—thank God we got out of there before the uprising.”
I could spend hours watching this hot guy do anything. Understanding Gael’s words, Haruka takes a long pull from his water. He briefly wonders if he should pour it over his face to drown himself (although he has drowned once before by accident—terrible experience).
“The uprisings have been getting worse the past six months,” Nino says, stepping in where Haruka has faltered. “This is strictly an aristocracy issue, right? No humans are directly involved.”
“Right.” Oliver nods, concern resting on his angelic brow. His appearance and demeanor are those of a vampire who has never wanted for anything in his entire life. No hardships whatsoever. “The aristocracy in Rio de Janeiro is unraveling. I think the steady decline in the purebred population is making everyone behave irrationally. The loss of purebreds means the inevitable end of our race.”
“The purebred leader of Rio de Janeiro is pretty famous, isn’t he?” Nino comments. “What’s his name again?”
“Ladislao Almeida,” Haruka says. The Almeida Clan took control over Rio de Janeiro a century ago, traditionally ruling under a strict, classist-driven system. Purebreds mating only with purebreds, first-generations with first-generations and so on. A dogmatic attempt to keep bloodlines from mixing.
Six months ago, the very ancient clan leader overseeing the region died. His eldest son, Ladislao, has since taken control. So far, he’s cast their society in the complete opposite direction of his father—and to a fault. Many lesser vampires within his realm oppose his “extremist views.”
“My darling used to work closely with the Almeida Clan.” Oliver looks up at Gael, his eyes practically twinkling. “Didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Gael confirms. “But after the death of Senhor Almeida… many things changed. Foi terrível. I do not like Ladislao’s way, so I quickly leave there.”
“And I fell right into his muscular arms.” Oliver swoons. “Tonight is the third, so I’m absolutely positive we’ll be successful.”
“Many factors contribute to forming a bond,” Haruka rationalizes. Oliver is so excitable, Haruka feels he should temper his expectations. “It typically takes time and much patience, so please be prepared.”
“What kinds of factors? How do you know this?” Oliver asks. Gael stares as well, curious. The existence of Lore and Lust isn’t a secret, but Haruka rarely brings it up in conversation. As if ranked vampires need one more reason to obsess over the topic of bonding.
“My family has privately conducted much research on mating and which factors are necessary to establish a successful bond. It is the legacy of my father and grandfather.”
“It’s an entire book,” Nino chimes in proudly. “The information is incredible.”
“A book on bonding?” Oliver says, his eyes wide. “Oh my God—”
A light bell rings out. Emory is at the head of the long table, announcing that it’s time to start the certificate reading. Somehow, Oliver perks up even more. He reminds Haruka of an untrained puppy.
“It’s time!” Oliver squeaks, smiling from ear to ear and turning to Gael. “Are we ready?”
Gael looks directly at Haruka, his gaze suddenly intense. “Very ready.”
“Por favor, señor,” Nino begins, his expression stern. “No coquetee en frente de su prometido. Es asqueroso.”
Without another word, Nino stands and leaves the table. Haruka briefly glances at a scowling Gael before standing, offering a polite nod and following Nino out of the extravagant dining hall.
When Haruka catches up to him in the hallway, he grins, pleasantly surprised by Nino’s assertive behavior. “I did not know you spoke Spanish? Do you think Gael understood you?”
“I don’t know,” Nino fumes. “I understand a lot of Portuguese but I can’t produce it well, and I didn’t want to upset his fiancé by saying it in English. What an asshole. Why is he blatantly flirting with you in front of this guy that he’s about to bond with? We’re here for them. Because they’re supposed to be in love.”
They turn down an empty corridor in the castle and Nino stops to breathe, running his hands into the top of his wavy, coppery hair. Haruka leans with his back against the wall beside him. “I mentioned before that bonding is not always about love. A vampire can have a multitude of intentions and hidden agendas when wishing to activate a bond.”
“That’s disgusting,” Nino says.
“You are a romantic—”
“And you’re not? You don’t believe in bonding for love, Haru? Because you feel innately and naturally drawn to someone?”
Nino’s intense gaze is expectant, making Haruka pause. He shifts his eyes away. “I—I’m… not sure.”
“Is this how things are for you?” Nino asks. “Vampires wagging their fangs at you, creepily staring and making lewd remarks in multiple languages?”
Haruka breathes a laugh. “Yes. But today has been particularly unpleasant… You cannot imagine how much more unbearable it would be if I allowed my aura to rest outward—”
“But that’s their problem, isn’t it?” Nino says, his voice rising and echoing in the chilly hallway. “Not yours. You shouldn’t have to physically contort yourself to have some semblance of a normal life and interactions. Everyone should just fucking control themselves.”
Nino stops. He presses his back into the wall opposite Haruka so that they’re facing each other in the narrow space. He lowers his head. “I apologize for my language.”
“You can swear in my presence.”
“But I don’t want to.” Nino closes his eyes. He leans his head back into the wall. “Everything about you makes me want to be better. Just being around you… I know I can do better.”
The hallway falls silent, save for the nearby echoes of vampires moving back into the main ballroom for the certification reading. For the briefest moment, Haruka has a strong urge to step into him. He doesn’t know what he would do afterward, but something deep inside him is urging him forward—drawing him toward this warm, amber and honey vampire.
He stifles it, then stands from the wall and turns. They need to head to the ballroom. “Please do not try so hard to alter yourself,” Haruka says. As he speaks, Nino lifts his head and opens his vivid eyes. “I feel that you are lovely now. Just as you are.”
A warm smile brightens Nino’s handsome face, like the sun gradually peeking over a cloudy horizon. It makes Haruka’s stomach flip, so he shifts his gaze forward.
“Come,” he says. “You must listen to me read this tedious document.”
Snickering, Nino pushes himself off the wall to move beside him. “I meant to ask you… Elsie and Oliver said something about tonight being ‘the third.’ What did they mean by that?”
“Remember from the reference book that almost all bonds become activated sometime after three attempts, if all other factors are in line? So tonight will be the third time that Oliver and Gael have engaged in some form of intercourse while also exchanging blood.”
“Oh,” Nino says. His face sours as if he has swallowed something distasteful. “I don’t know why, but I assumed they were virgins—like we were watching their first time.”
“You are disappointed by this?” Haruka grins, raising his eyebrow. “You wish to watch from the beginning? Perhaps they are the type to use recordings—” Haruka’s breath catches when Nino playfully bumps into his shoulder as they walk.
His friend smiles. “You think you’re funny?”