Nino raises his eyebrow in a sly grin. “Well…”
“Alright, lover boy.” I smile. “Nobody wants to hear you brag about drinking ancient purebred blood.” Nino smirks and takes another pull from his glass. I turn to Sora. “Where’s hubby?”
Sora waves her free hand toward a general area. Unaffected. “Over there.”
“How are things at the hospital?” Nino asks.
“Busy—especially this week, with trying to reschedule appointments and make different arrangements for feedings. The lower ones love Doctor Jae. Is he alright? Have you heard from him?”
She’s looking at me, her head tilted. This week has been insane, but now that I think about it… “Not since… Tuesday?” I say. “Why? Have you not heard from him?”
“No, not since Wednesday morning. He no-showed yesterday and today, which is not like him at all. I tried calling him and texting him all day yesterday, but he’s not answering me. If you haven’t heard from him either, should we check on him? I don’t think he has any friends here…”
“We should check on him,” Nino interjects, his brow furrowed. “Jae said he’s never been sick before. Why is he sick now?”
I flick my wrist up and look at my watch. If I catch the next train, I can be there in forty-five minutes. Dammit. Why do I feel nervous about this?
“He came in Monday and looked exhausted and pale,” Sora says. “Gray.”
I sigh, setting my drink aside on a round high table. “I’ll go now.”
“I’ll go with you,” Nino volunteers. “Let me tell Haru real quick. He’s been invested in the doctor lately, but he definitely can’t leave right now. I can probably sneak away, though.” Nino stalks off toward his mate, standing in a crowd of vampires including the bride and groom.
I exhale a heavy sigh and run my fingers against the top of my head. My throat is tight and my heart is racing. God, I hope he’s just sleeping off some human illness. I haven’t had the chance to talk to Haruka and tell him I’ve fed from Jae.
Sora turns to me, grinning. “Jae’s demeanor is brighter the past few weeks. Cheerful and much more relaxed. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have the hospital director personally checking on him…”
I frown. “Sora, what’s your point?”
She shrugs. “It’s just interesting. For years, vampires in our aristocracy have been trying to figure you out and why you’re not bonded with Ren. I’m not one for gossip, but I feel like I’ve got the scoop. Does Ren know you prefer humans?”
I straighten my back and raise my eyebrow. “Ren lives in his own world and doesn’t care much about what other vampires like or don’t like.”
Sora laughs, bringing her wine glass to her lips. “He’s a real piece of work, that’s for sure.”
When Nino walks back through the crowd and toward us, he tells me he’s ready and we depart.
By the time we get to Jae’s apartment in Himeji, it’s eight o’clock, and there are still fissures of deep orange sunlight set against the darkened horizon.
We knock, then wait. No answer.
And again.
Nothing.
Shit.
“Shit.” I run my fingers against my scalp as Nino knocks a third time. When we’re met with the same hollow silence, he turns to me.
“I think I can unlock the door…” He focuses on the handle. “But I’ve never been given permission to enter his apartment. Have you?”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “If you open it, I can go inside.”
Nino steps forward and presses his fingertips against the lock mechanism. He closes his eyes, and I can feel the hum of his zesty purebred energy slowly radiating from his body. It’s warm, and feels almost… carbonated? Soothing, prickling bubbles against my skin. He opens his eyes, and they’re glowing. The color is like apricots. I hear a loud snap. He twists the handle, pulls, and the door opens for him.
“Impressive.” I smile, momentarily distracted by the focus and power he just exhibited.
He smirks in a laugh. “If you knew how many things I’ve destroyed in order to get to this point, you wouldn’t be.”
We both peek in, and the house is dark. A stench hits us both at the same time, because we both draw back from it. It smells stale and like something decaying. I shake my head, nearing full-blown panic. “Fuuuck.”
“Could he be dead?” Nino’s eyes are wide, his voice higher than usual. “I hadn’t even considered that.”
I frown. “Not helping.” The pair of us: two grown-ass vampires freaking out and being squeamish on a human’s doorstep. What good are we? “Shit.” I step past the threshold and straight into the main room, where the kitchen space flows into the living room. Nothing. Except a vase of wilting bird-of-paradise and lots of empty water bottles. So many. On the table, fallen onto the floor, on the counter. Like the man was dying of thirst.
Nino is standing in the doorway behind me. “I’ll open the windows from the outside? Air things out?”
“Thanks, Nino.” I look over my shoulder, and his eyes are alighted again. He lifts his hand, flicks his fingers, and the lock on the window just off the main room snaps loudly before the glass slides open.
Instinctively, I wander down a narrow hallway. It’s even darker here because there are no windows. I pass a door immediately to my right, peeking inside as I move. It’s a makeshift office space and there’s a floor table, cushion and papers spread out everywhere against the tatami. The room looks like a tornado hit it. No Jae.
There’s a door at the end of the hallway on the left. My senses are telling me he’s there. I reach the doorframe, and it’s a plain bedroom. There are more water bottles on the floor here, like the aftermath of sloppy picnic-goers.
Jae’s back is facing the door as he lies against the bed. He’s not moving at all.
Twenty-Two
Junichi
