I loved it when my father was away. Those were the best times of my childhood.

“You’re already different, Jun. Not like anyone I’ve ever met.” Jae is so sincere when he says these things. His smooth, lighthearted accent is like sparkly sunlight reflecting on a glassy river.

I could tell him I feel the same. That even though things started out rough, he’s the most intriguing and delightful creature I’ve interacted with in a very long time. That he surprises me over and over, which is not an easy feat.

But it’s too early to show my hand. Instead, I say, “I’m assuming you mean this in a positive way?”

“Obviously,” he says, breathing a laugh. “In the best possible way. I’m looking forward to you coming home…”

I smile, giving in a little. “I am, too. I want to see you, and I need to compile a list of all the places to show you. You’ve been here almost five months and you haven’t seen anything.”

“That’s not true. I’ve seen the inside of the Lawson’s around the corner from my flat a hundred times. I’ve also seen multiple train stops on the JR Kishin Line—”

“Ha-ha.” I smirk. “Maybe we should start with Kobe. There’s a beautiful little town called Kitano that I love—lots of history there—and it has one of my all-time favorite Thai restaurants. Do you like Thai?”

“Y-yes, absolutely.”

“Thank God. I’ve met more than my share of picky eaters. Always humans.”

“Vamps aren’t fussed about brussels sprouts or broccoli?”

“No, we’re not. We’re picky drinkers, though.”

“Ah yes, well, that figures. Do you feed from humans, Jun?”

“I don’t, as a practice. But I have. It’s not the best.”

“Makes sense…” Jae takes a breath, and I can almost feel the wheels in his head turning through the phone, so I wait. “If… something so fundamental to you isn’t satisfying with humans, why bother? What’s the appeal?”

“Feeding is fundamental to my existence, but I’m not bound by it. It’s not the sole motivation of my everyday life. It’s just a thing that I have to do to survive.”

“That’s… unexpected. I always imagined feeding to be a very important and pleasurable thing for vampires. But you make it sound mundane—like breathing oxygen or drinking water.”

The thing is, I’ve been feeding from the same creature since my skin developmentally hardened. Also, I kind of hate him. So, yeah, feeding isn’t some magical experience for me. If anything, I dread it and wish I didn’t need to do it. I’d be much better off.

“For most vamps, it is,” I confirm. “But not for me. Instead of being driven by the way someone might taste, I’d much rather look at the whole picture. Their talents and character, the genuine kindness they exude in their sincere desire to help others, their bright smile or the way the sun catches the warm blonde highlights in their hair. For me, those things are a higher priority.”

“I… Yeah. That does sound much nicer.”

“You do realize I’m talking about you?”

Jae laughs. “Well, I was hoping, honestly, but I wasn’t quite sure.”

“Rest assured.” I smile. “You have my full attention.”

Thirteen

Jae

I’m now working on the budgeting part of the surrogate program proposal, which I had intentionally saved for last, because I had likened it to digging my eyes out of their sockets with a dull spoon.

Good news, though. It isn’t like that at all. In fact, I have learned some very fascinating things: realm leaders collect taxes from their aristocracy members. I had no idea. It works differently from region to region and country to country, but in Western Japan, there is full transparency between the realm leaders and their aristocracy members—delivered electronically in quarterly reports by Haruka’s manservant. The realm leaders pay a lump sum of taxes to human governments to avoid double charging, then they collect and use the members’ monies to fund various society events. The refugee programs for the Socotra purebreds are being funded by this.

Also fascinating, when you have two bonded purebreds from differing countries (as with Haruka and Nino), the money and resources between the two aristocracies become fluid—like an infinity symbol stretching between Okayama and Milan. We can’t pull everything we need from this singular resource, but Risa assures me that at least twenty-five percent of our funding will come from that. She also thinks Haruka and Nino will make a healthy donation to the program from their private funds.

It amazes me, the way these vampires support each other and make certain that their people want for nothing. Incredible.

I’m editing a chart filled with line items and their projected cost when my phone buzzes. I yawn, and it makes my eyes water as I look down at the screen.

[Why aren’t you sleeping?]

Smirking, I grab my phone and type out a response.

[Maybe I was? Until someone texted me and woke me up?]

The response comes quick.

[Should I stop?]

Now I bite my bottom lip, frowning.

[No…]

My phone rings, but it’s a video call and it’s like my phone has suddenly turned into a live explosive, the way it’s stressing me out. I pull my glasses off, rub my fingers against the inside corners of my eyes to make sure there isn’t any weird goop there and quickly run a hand through my hair. Shit. I wish I had time to wet it a little.

“Hey,” I answer. I look like I haven’t slept in days, and the lighting is yellow and dull from the desk lamp in front of me, but everything else around me is drenched in shadows. Not exactly the makings of a sexy late-night call.

Of course, Jun looks flawless. He’s outside on a balcony of some sort and the sky is bright blue and partly cloudy behind him. “You’re sitting at your desk and fully dressed. Clearly, I didn’t wake you?” He cocks one eyebrow up, and his black eyes are shining and playful.

“I said maybe. I thought you’d be at the airport by now?” He told me he was planning to fly back tomorrow. He’s currently in Prague.

“I got a last-minute request,” he says. “So I had to delay my flight a couple days. When’s the last time you had a good night of sleep, Jae? You’re up every night.”

Rubbing my palms against my face, I inhale and exhale a breath. My gut has been on a rampage now for weeks, and I have no clue what to make of it. “I can’t remember, but I sleep sometimes. I’m alright—don’t worry.”

“If you need help with the proposal, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Are you worried about budget planning? Remember, you don’t need to have everything perfectly figured out. Just estimates, and I can help with that as well.”

“It’s not that. I’ve got it, I promise.” Dropping my hands, I look into the screen and smile. I know it’s a weak attempt, but I give it my best effort. It’s nice that he’s concerned, but I’m really okay. I always manage.

There’s a soft moment of silence where we’re just looking at each other and he’s not saying anything. His face is serious. “You don’t have to do everything by yourself, Jae.”

The words hang in the air between us, but the impact is like a punch to my gut. Which is the last thing my gut needs—further agitation. I take a breath and swallow, but it goes down like cotton is stuck in my throat. It’s too much and I’m too tired. I shake my head. “I’m fine, Jun. But thanks.”

He stands, moving the camera as he goes. “It’s just a feeling I get from you—like you think you’re an island. But I’m here if you need me.”

“Okay…” Definitely not going there.

He fumbles with the camera as he moves. “Look at this.” The screen flips to the other side, and now I’m looking at an aerial view of Prague. It’s like something out of a Shakespearean play: rolling hills backed against a blue sky and white, fluffy clouds hanging listless over red-brown rooftops. There are towers with pointed corners, a wide, glassy river and a series of stone bridges as far as I can see. I’ve never been to Prague, but this scene is stunning and makes me wish I was there with him.