The door opens before we get there, and Asao is grinning on the other side. He’s wearing a black suit as well, which fits his broad, square shape nicely. I’m suddenly wondering if Jun has dressed everyone in this room.

“Le petit doctor.” Asao grins, his eyes full of old-man mischief. “It’s good to see you again.”

I blink, utterly caught off guard. “What?” I look up at Jun, and he’s shaking his head at Asao, his lips pursed. Before I can recover from that, though, Cellina is floating toward me. Or at least it seems like she’s floating because her stride is effortless with the sway of her hips underneath the steely-silver gown she’s wearing.

“Doctor Jae!” She reaches down, taking hold of both my hands just as Junichi releases his hold. “Thank you so much for coming.”

Cellina is quite gorgeous and smells like something that might bloom in the springtime. Her intense gray eyes staring at me from underneath heavy, dark lashes is making me blush. Which is humiliating. “I—You can just call me Jae, please! Thank you for inviting me.” She smiles at me, and it’s like her milk-chocolate skin is glowing. Radiant.

She pulls me over toward Haruka and Nino, who are both standing with a fairly muscular, tall and handsome purebred that resembles Nino—but a bigger, slightly scarier version. She’s only holding one of my hands now, but I can still feel the heat radiating up my neck and cheeks. “This is Giovanni—my mate and Nino’s brother. I don’t think you met when Nino was in the hospital?”

I give a little bow. I have no idea why, but it feels like I should? This bloke’s energy is like a thick wall, and he’s standing here impeccably dressed and staring down at me with hazel-green owly eyes. “N-nice to meet you,” I manage.

His gaze flickers down to Cellina’s hand clasped in mine, then back up to my face. He lifts his chin. “Are you crushing on my mate right now?”

Bloody hell. “N-no—”

“G!” Nino turns to face him, his brow creased. “You’re being rude.”

Giovanni’s stony face breaks into a smile, and he reaches up and clasps the back of Nino’s neck in a rough but playful gesture. “I’m just joking, kiddo, calm down.”

“It’s not funny.”

“Oh my God.” Cellina’s free hand is massaging the bridge of her nose as she shakes her head. “Could you just behave for five minutes?”

“Nope. I’ve been behaving my whole damn life.” Giovanni wiggles his eyebrows, smiling at me and still gripping Nino’s neck, pushing him in a downward, bowing motion. “Nice to meet you, Jae. I know you’re new to vampire shit, but please remember that she’s bonded.”

“G!”

Giovanni only laughs, but Cellina lets go of my hand, and with lightning speed quickly flicks her mate in between his eyebrows. His palm releases Nino’s neck and flies up to the center of his forehead. “Fuck—”

“You’re doing too much right now. It’s embarrassing.” Cellina shakes her head and folds her arms as she looks him over.

“Hello, Jae.”

When I hear the deep, calming voice of the vampire pope himself, I take a breath and relax my shoulders. “Hi, Haruka. It’s nice to see you again.”

He smiles. “You as well.” I suddenly realize that he and Nino are wearing the exact same tuxedo. The color is similar to Cellina’s dress, but their bowties and pocket squares are sage green. Giovanni’s tuxedo is the same, except he isn’t wearing a bowtie and his shirt collar is casually gaped open.

“How are you feeling?” Haruka asks. “You had expressed concern about coming here and how your nature would react to everyone.”

Haruka and I have spoken at least once a month since I left Japan. But I try not to bother him too often because, well, I try hard not to bother anyone. I breathe in, assessing the environment as Nino comes and stands beside Haruka.

Giovanni’s energy is like a hard, vertical wall in front of him. But it feels like… a façade? An immediate show of power, but he’s exposed on the sides. There isn’t anything to back it up. And as for Haruka and Nino, well… the energy coming from them pulses all around us. It’s potent and drowns out everything in a strangely pleasant way. It radiates fully from Nino but feels stifled when I focus on Haruka.

I’m amazed at the varying levels of control and manipulation emanating from all of them. I suppose when you’re born and raised vampiric, managing your aura isn’t really an issue.

“Jae?”

“Ah—I’m alright. So far so good, although I would like to chat with you later, if you have the time?”

Haruka tilts his head. “Is that so? Nino has been adamant that I speak with you while we’re here. Is your matter urgent?”

“Not really. I just… I’d like to know how to control my, er… aura. Better.” It feels awkward even saying it. My “aura.” Christ.

“No no, wait.” Nino’s amber eyes widen and he turns slightly, reaching out and gripping Haruka at his waist over his suit jacket. The movement surprises him, because he jumps at Nino’s touch. “I’ll teach you about that—controlling your aura,” Nino assures me. He looks at his mate, and they exchange a pointed look before Haruka rolls his eyes. Nino scrunches his nose. “I’m good at controlling and manipulating it now, aren’t I?”

“Of course,” Haruka says.

“So I’ll help Jae.”

“What’s the problem?” Junichi walks up and stands beside me. I was only vaguely aware of him fussing at Asao in the corner after we walked in. Seems like they’re finished now.

“There’s no problem,” Nino says, leaning in toward Haruka’s cheek. “But if Haruka teaches Jae how to control his aura, maybe you’ll never see it again.”

Haruka shakes his head in a laugh that registers from his throat. “That is not true.”

“Mmhm,” Nino snarks, then presses a quick peck against his mate’s cheek.

“Well, I certainly don’t want that,” Junichi states. “But I don’t think I have a say in it.”

I look up at Jun, because it feels like there might be something hidden in the statement—some passive-aggressive undertone. But I’m immediately distracted by the luster and depth of his eyes staring down at me, and my nature (which had been very kind to me up until this point) does something like a somersault in my belly. I look away and take a breath. What were we talking about?

“They’re ready for us,” Asao says, standing by a door across the room.

“Okay, one more time.” Cellina joins the huddle, and Giovanni and Sydney close the circle behind her. With all the commotion, I hadn’t even noticed him. I smile in his direction, and he gives me a cheerful wave.

“Asao and Sydney are handling and orchestrating the waitstaff. First, Nino and Haru will welcome everyone with greetings as they enter the balcony, then Nino is standing with Haru while he reads the confirmation certificate, yes?”

Nino nods. “Yes.”

Cellina faces me and Jun. “Will the two of you stand as witnesses to our bond with our friends—Matteo, Mia and Sergio, and my brother, Cosimo? Our parents will be there too. You’ll all be sitting together in the first and second rows. You’ll only have to stand up and say ‘we do’ when the officiator turns to you. He’ll tell you when. Super easy.”

I blink, taken aback that I have even the smallest role in this massive, fancy ordeal. Jun finds my hand and gives my palm a soft squeeze. “Are you comfortable with that?”

“Of course! Sure.”

Cellina beams. “Perfect.”

Giovanni takes hold of Cellina’s waist from behind and leans over her shoulder as he addresses me. “You don’t need to be worried today. Just observe and try to have fun. There are a lot of purebreds at this ceremony from all over the world, and nobody is expecting to find a British one. They’d only know if you spoke, and even then, by the time everyone is drinking, I’m sure nobody will notice. So relax.”

Nino frowns. “Now you want him to relax? But you were rude as hell the second he walked in.”

“That’s because he walked in here looking like a skittish deer—that was a joke.”

“How was that ‘joke’ supposed to help?”

“Neither of you are helping right now.” Cellina is shaking her head again, and they both quiet down. Haruka clears his throat, and we all look at him.