He smiles. “Do I need to be perfect? You once told me that I was lovely just the way that I am. Remember that?”

“I do.” Haruka grins, his outline glowing from the fireplace burning brightly behind him. “And I stand by my statement. But because you are exceptionally intelligent, bright and engaging, it would be a shame to deprive our society of your talents and thoughtful nature.”

Nino’s smile broadens, his heart light and feathery. He pulls one leg up and relaxes with his hands cradling his head. “Thanks, Haru… I’ll keep trying. Why did you tell Moretti that you haven’t found a vampire you’re compatible with when he asked you about mating? You said you never wanted to bond again.”

“I do not. That was my socially couth response to an invasive question. To declare that I do not wish to bond creates a spectacle that I am unwilling to endure.”

“Makes sense…” The room falls silent as Nino thinks back to Haruka pressing his energy outward, coolly stunning everyone at Moretti’s party. “Thank you for helping me tonight. When you’re with me at these events, it’s always much better.”

“I feel the same way about you,” Haruka says. He briefly looks away, like he’s considering something. “Nino, who is Cosimo De Luca? Is this person related to Cellina?”

Nino groans and drops his leg flat onto the bed.

“You do not have to answer me,” Haruka reassures him. “I don’t mean to pry—”

“No, you’re not prying.” Nino turns onto his side to face Haruka. He leans against the pillow with his elbow, resting his face in his palm. “Cosimo is Cellina’s younger brother. I grew up with Lina and Cosimo because our fathers were best friends. Maybe around the time I came of age, Cosimo started being flirty with me.”

Haruka nods in understanding. “He was a romantic interest.”

“Not really. Not for long. He—he’s not a bad vampire. He was just adamant about wanting to feed from me eventually. He always told me, ‘You know, when you’re ready.’ But he asked me if I was ready every day.”

Haruka laughs at this, deep and throaty the way Nino adores. His laugh is like the rumble of thunder, but if the oncoming storm were a thing of great joy. Nino grins as he continues. “He was like, ‘Whenever you’re ready,’ and then literally five minutes goes by and he looks at me, dead serious. ‘So are you ready?’”

Laughing openly this time, Haruka brings his palm to his forehead. Nino loves making him laugh. It feels as if he needs it, and every time Nino succeeds, the sensation is akin to sunlight breaking through an overcast sky. Haruka breathes, gathering himself. “That does not sound ideal.”

“It wasn’t. I… had a female lover for a little while in England. Human.”

“Really?” Haruka’s eyes widen as he whips his head toward him.

“Yeah. But I never fed from her. Humans don’t even smell appetizing, you know? I thought she was nice, but she… I don’t know. Maybe I was fulfilling some kind of fantasy for her? She always begged me to feed from her. She used to call me ‘my purebred vampire,’ which was awkward. Like I was some kind of pet… Showing me off to her friends.”

“Nino, these situations sound terrible.” Haruka shakes his head, his palm still covering his face. “And her moniker for you was… painfully unimaginative.”

Nino laughs. He agrees wholeheartedly. They were terrible. Being cautious and primarily keeping to himself across the span of his life, Nino has only had a handful of sexual experiences with other vampires. None of them worth discussing in any detail.

Biting his lip, Nino shifts his foot, playfully digging into the comforter and underneath Haruka’s body. The purebred jumps, startled when Nino’s toes touch his ass. “What about you? Did you have experiences with other vampires after your bond broke with Yuna?”

Haruka freezes as if he’s used his own unique ability on himself. A nervous smile spreads across his face. “Do I… have to answer this question?”

“You don’t have to do anything, Haru. I just thought maybe we were sharing?”

He shakes his head. “I would rather not.”

That’s an obvious yes. Nino puffs out a laugh through his nose as he comfortably rolls onto his back again. He is suddenly imagining his eloquent, young, professor-like friend having sexual escapades across Europe.

Nino frowns and quickly squashes that image. He dislikes it very much.

Haruka rubs his hand against the back of his head. “Now our sharing feels unbalanced—am I obstructing some rite of passage within our camaraderie?”

“You’re not. We’re fine.”

“Nino, you never offered yourself to Cosimo?”

“No.”

“But… surely another vampire made you feel comfortable enough to do so?”

Nino’s heart rate quickens in his chest, his breathing shallow. Haruka is funneling down to the obvious conclusion and the room feels a little too warm. Nino keeps his eyes up, focusing on the ceiling. “Well… no.”

“Wait,” Haruka says, leaning forward against the bed with his palms. “Do you mean to tell me that you have never had your aura intimately released from your body? You have never experienced this in your entire life?”

He’s really driving this home. Nino closes his eyes. “I haven’t, but it’s fine. Don’t feel sorry for me, I just—”

“I do not pity you,” Haruka says firmly. “Your life, your choices. However…”

Nino opens his eyes, waiting. He stares up at the thick, exposed wooden beams in his friend’s silence. “Yes?” Nino prompts.

“What is your true relationship with Cellina?” Haruka asks. “Why has she not pulled your aura for you?”

“Cellina is like a big sister to me. That’s not our relationship.” Nino flickers his eyes over to Haruka. He’s looking down at his hands in his lap, his typically perfect posture gently rounded.

“I see,” he says. “But… perhaps you secretly wish that she would—”

“No,” Nino says, a little louder than he should. Haruka whips his head in Nino’s direction in surprise. Thankful for his full attention, Nino speaks more softly, but firmly. “No, Haru. I trust Cellina, but there is nothing romantic between us. Nor has there ever been. I wouldn’t want her to do that to me.”

Haruka’s head bobs in understanding, but his handsome brow is furrowed. “Would you—” He stops, shaking his head. He stands without preamble, which makes Nino sit up straight from the bed—instantly vertical like a rake someone has stepped on. Urgency is radiating in the depth of Nino’s spine.

“It has been a long night,” says Haruka, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. “I should go—”

“What were you about to say? Would I what?” Nino’s adrenaline has gone from zero to sixty. From relaxed to utterly desperate. They are on the cusp of something important. Something they’ve been delicately, politely avoiding. He can feel it trickling and sparking in his nature—warmly rushing over his skin in a flood of goosebumps.

“No,” Haruka says, his eyes downcast. “I am presumptuous. And I do not know my place—”

“Just say it. Please.”

They watch each other in a still moment before Haruka relaxes his shoulders. His melodic voice is quiet. “If… you are comfortable with me doing so, perhaps I could do this for you? Pull your aura.”

The heat Nino feels in his spine intensifies. Blooms. It is an emotional cocktail of relief and excitement swirling within him. He swallows hard and nods, maybe a little too hard as he stares at his friend. “Yes please. I would like that very much.”

Twenty-Seven

Nino’s pulse is still racing when Haruka sits back down on the bed—which is much better than leaving, so the urgency Nino feels dissipates slightly.

“Having your aura pulled by someone is a very intimate act,” Haruka says, his voice low against the gentle crackle of the fireplace.

Mesmerized, Nino stares into his side profile. The hairs on his arms are standing on end, as if his body is charged with electricity. “I know…”

Looking down into his lap, Haruka rubs his palms against his thighs. “If we are choosing to alter the nature of our relationship, I want to be certain that I am not foolishly interfering in someone else’s love story again.”