Page 15 of Grave Throbbing
They left Key no choice. He raced after them, up fifteen flights of stairs. He didn't even have a chance to grumble about not knowing which room because there was only one door on the landing, made of solid oak, and it stood ajar.
As soon as Key stepped inside, the door snapped shut behind him. Harley darted everywhere in the room, picking up loose synthetic blood bottles, tidying the newspapers in their holder, dropping the shutters and turning off the lights to show no ambient light could seep through. Then, he disappeared into the bedroom and reappeared with sheets and a blanket for the pull-out couch.
"I'll sleep here tonight," he said.
Greed walked to the door he'd exited, looked inside, and shook her head. "I haven't shared a bed with my brother since we moved to this country. I won't share one now."
Harley frowned at her. "I could stay in a hotel, I suppose. I'll—"
"No," Key said. "I won't kick you out of your apartment. I'll go. Greed's the one who needs to stay safe, not me."
"You're both being ridiculous!" Greed's pitch reached the one where glass would shatter, and Harley froze in place. "He sucked you off in a public place just over twenty-four hours ago. The least you could do is share a bed while you're both dead for the day. It's not like anything can happen."
Harley blinked, his first movement. Then he seemed to be able to move the rest of his body, too, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I could say the same to you."
She frowned at Key and shrugged. "I tried. He's clueless. Or hopeless. I'm not sure which."
"How so?" Harley asked.
Greed waved her arms in the air like it should be obvious. "Key has been in lo—"
"That's enough, little sister," Key shut her up with a warning glare. He no longer lorded over her with his sire bond, but he was still her older brother. "I'll go."
He turned, but Harley was already between him and the door, hand on the knob, flipping the lock into place. He then slid a silver screen door along its track and clamped it over the sill. Key shivered. The screen was almost invisible. A vampire in a hurry could attempt to run right through it and find themselves nothing but mist on the other side.
"Stay." The lust in Harley's gaze almost overwhelmed him. "She's right. We're being silly. I've wanted you in my bed for over a century."
In the time it had taken Harley to lock them inside, Greed had made her makeshift bed and was already curled under a blanket reading something on her phone.
"Come with me to my office."
Not the words Key had expected after Harley's admission, but he would take an invitation to any room if it meant they were together.
Harley passed close enough for him to feel the brush of his pinkie finger along the outer seam of his jeans, but then he was gone, vanished through another doorway Key hadn't noticed while watching Harley clean the place.
Key had worked for a few companies with CEO offices atop tall buildings. Harley's office was bigger than all three put together. Key had never seen so many books in one place outside a library, and Harley's desk was as big as some dining tables. It was even more impressive when Harley took his laptop from his backpack and hooked it into a docking station that lit up five monitor displays, three showing other council headquarters around the world. He waved to a Native American man in a navy blazer before he pulled on a headset and spoke to him in a language Key didn't understand.
The man nodded, and a moment later, the screen went dark. Key thought the screen was no longer in use, but it had flashed to another poorly lit location. Fuck. Was that Empress Marcella herself? This time, Key recognized the language, at least. Latin. When people called Latin a dead language, they didn't understand how right they were. It was the language of the vampire world, at least, those with ties to the empress and her councils. The language of the undead.
Empress Marcella paid him no attention as she spoke to Harley. Her orders could make or break his sister, but Key couldn't understand them, even if he tried to listen and retain long enough to translate with his phone. He trusted Harley to keep him in the loop.
From the moment he first saw Harley lose his hold on his vampire nerves and let his hands flutter to his throat, Key knew this was a vampire he could trust. It was probably the most childish and foolhardy decision Key had ever made, but it still felt right.
Empress Marcella trusted him, too, or so Key hoped. If not, he was grateful to be spending his last days with the man he'd wanted since they'd met. If Empress Marcella took Dobbins's word over his, he would die happier than he had been, at least.
The screen went completely dark.
"Empress Marcella said to take the rest of my shift off." Harley swiveled his chair to face Key and stood. He was too close now, in Key's space, but Key didn't back away. This is where he'd wanted Harley all night. He'd been forward with Harley on the park bench, but he didn't want to overstep in Harley's home.
Harley came to him this time, placing his hands on Key's shoulders and gazing at him. They were almost the same height, shorter than the average human by today's standards. Key didn't have time to think about the benefits of the food pyramid and balanced meals before Harley's lips brushed his and Harley's body pressed against him.
"I want to keep you safe," Harley said. "I couldn't stand to lose you again."
Key took charge, then, cradling the back of Harley's head and holding him there for a deeper kiss, an exploration of his mouth. Harley tasted of human blood and a hint of mint before he groaned and pulled back.
"Damn." Harley wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "What are you doing to me?"
"Whatever you'll let me." He didn't want to push Harley away by moving too fast.
