“That is not my plan.” Haruka straightens his posture, stretching his spine as he takes in his surroundings. Emory, Duke of Devonshire and father of one of the grooms, has truly outdone himself with this venue.
The ballroom they currently occupy is surprisingly cozy despite its grandiose nature. Beaded crystal chandeliers hang from the high ceiling, casting warm light against the milky-white marble of the floors and stone walls. The east wall has two stacked rows of stately, arched windows offering views of the snowy forest. The west wall is dominated by an oversized, burning fireplace.
Including himself and Nino, there are at least twenty high-level vampires in attendance. However, only the two purebreds will have the “honor” of overseeing the private confirmation.
“Is this normal?” Nino asks, his voice low. “For everyone to be subtly watching us like this? I feel like an animal at the zoo.”
“The vampires of the British aristocracy do seem a bit fervid in their behavior,” Haruka says, bringing his drink to his lips. They’re halfway through cocktail hour, having arrived early to settle and change clothes in preparation for the evening. Haruka casually glances at Nino beside him. He looks handsome in a pewter-gray suit well tailored to his frame. His shirt is starched white and his tie black satin. When Nino catches his eyes, he grins. “What is it?”
“How… are you feeling?” Haruka asks quietly. “You expressed much apprehension in coming to this event. Are you uncomfortable?”
“No, I’m okay. I think… us being here together helps.”
“I am glad.” Haruka sighs, glancing down at Nino’s suit once more. “You look very nice.”
“Thank you. You do too.”
Haruka calmly looks away. Internally, he feels anything but calm. His restrained aura keeps pulsing of its own volition. He shifts his spine again in a discreet stretch. What the hell is wrong with me?
A moment later, he turns his head to the side to watch a young first-generation female with brown, shoulder-length hair approach him. She is short—pixie-like in stature. She is Elsie, the Duke of Devonshire’s youngest daughter and Haruka’s feeding source.
“Good evening, your grace.” Elsie bows deep, her hair falling forward as she keeps her hands clasped behind her back. “You look quite handsome tonight.”
“Hello, Elsie. You are very kind. May I introduce Nino Bianchi of Milan. He will also oversee the ceremony.”
Elsie bows toward Nino, but when she speaks there is no warmth in her expression. “Are you the purebred that adamantly ignored our invitations?”
“That… would be me,” Nino says, his smile strained.
“He is here, nonetheless,” Haruka points out. “We wish to support Oliver and Gael in their desire to bond their natures.”
Elsie lifts her chin. “Tonight marks the third, so we believe it will be a success. While they have not been feeding from each other for as long as you have been consuming my blood, the timing should be sufficient.”
Haruka maintains a tactful façade, but inside, he is fuming. “Elsie. I would greatly appreciate it if you kept the nature of our arrangement private. It is a very personal matter.”
She coldly flickers her eyes up at Nino, then politely grins when they rest on Haruka. “Absolutely. I understand, your grace. But I do wish to tell you that my father has forgotten the bags we prepared. I heard that your manservant has been asking after them? Bloody shame… no pun intended.”
Haruka blinks, feeling as if the floor has dropped out from underneath him. “Excuse me?”
Elsie sighs, a nearly convincing look of disappointment painted on her angelic face. “In all the commotion of preparing for this event, I think it simply slipped his mind. But do not fear, my beautiful lord, I am more than happy to intimately provide for you. I look forward to it, in fact. Perhaps I should visit your quarters later this evening? Through my sources, I have acquired a copy of The Aeneid in its original Latin form. I thought you might enjoy it. I can deliver this to you as well? Two birds with one stone and all that.”
Haruka’s mask is cracking. He brings his fingers to the bridge of his nose, shocked at the blatant entrapment. To make matters worse, he’s already overdue to feed.
“Um, Elsie?” Nino hesitates. “I think maybe Haruka isn’t feeling well.”
She raises her eyebrow in suspicion toward Nino, then shifts her gaze toward Haruka and offers a polite nod. “Your grace, let us discuss this later. Privately.” She turns, flipping her hair as she walks away. Haruka closes his eyes and massages his forehead. The circumstance is inconceivable to him, like a rope is slowly tightening around his neck.
“Jesus… you’re as white as a sheet,” Nino says quietly. “Let’s take a break, yeah?” He gently places his hand on the small of Haruka’s back, then silently guides him out of the crowded ballroom.
Ten
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?”
