Page 50 of Lore and Lust
“Nino, I hope that I do not come across as callous, but how has your father survived this long without his mate?”
“Well. It’s… kind of complicated.”
Silence. Haruka blinks. Nino is always exceptionally transparent, so this rare instance of confidentiality feels odd. “Alright, understood.”
“I’m sorry, Haru. But I can tell you that he misses Mom a lot. I guess I favor her in some subtle ways, so he talks about her whenever I sit with him… which isn’t as much as I should, but…” Nino shrugs.
Haruka isn’t certain, but when he had sat with Nino and Domenico, he noticed that the dynamic of their relationship felt odd. Nino’s father had seemed very grateful to have them both sitting there, as if he didn’t usually receive guests.
“Do you not visit your father often?” Haruka asks. If his own father were alive, Haruka feels certain that he’d still be living in Japan. Perhaps he never would have left. His father had been an incredibly loving and doting vampire.
“I don’t.” Nino sits back in his chair. “Our relationship is a little strained. G would be mad if he heard me say this out loud, but remember I told you that my uncle attacked me?”
“Of course.”
“He and my father were identical twins, so the dynamic of the entire situation was uncomfortable. I didn’t tell you this, but the reason my uncle stopped feeding from me was because my mother walked into my room one day and saw him doing it. No questions asked, she went primal. She literally ripped his throat out right in front of me. I’d never seen that side of her before. It was terrifying.”
Haruka keeps his breathing even as he digests the horrific details of Nino’s childhood.
Nino stands from the desk, then moves toward the couch to sit beside him. “After Mom died, Father just… I don’t know. He’s hands-off with me. I think it’s guilt? He’s never pressured me to do anything or encouraged me to learn the aristocracy or socially engage. I ended up keeping to myself—lotsof time with private tutors or on my own, indulging in human pop culture. But Father pressures and restrictsthe hellout of Giovanni, which of course creates tension between G and me… and there’s some more weird tension because Greallylikes Cellina, but she feeds me. Soooo that’s the story of my messy family!”
“The situation is indeed multifaceted,” says Haruka. “But perhaps any complex, emotional relationship is guaranteed to have some element of… messiness?”
Nino breathes a laugh. He gently bumps his thigh against Haruka’s as they sit close on the couch. “Do you think we’ll be messy?”
Haruka shakes his head. “I don’t know.”
Nino points to the table and frowns. “You’re already messy so it’s probably inevitable.Lookat this. What are you doing? How is this organized?”
“It is a controlled chaos.”
“It is not.” Nino chuckles as he straightens the table. “We need to keep the piles straight, not ‘spontaneous’… Are there ink smudges on these envelopes—”
Haruka leans into him, stealthily sliding his fingers onto his leg until they follow the curve inside Nino’s thigh. He hasn’t used his energy at all, but Nino is suddenly motionless, his eyes blinking. Haruka caresses the tip of his nose along Nino’s smooth jawline, then leans down to lick the concave of his neck. His honeyed skin pulses warm and salty. Haruka wishes he could feed from him again, but it’s too soon since he fed deeply the night before.
“I express spontaneity in many ways.” Haruka kisses the spot he licked. Then again, firmly pressing his lips into the elegant curve just beneath his jaw. Nino softly inhales as he slides his fingers higher up his thigh. “Is this also unacceptable?” Haruka asks between kisses.
Nino still doesn’t speak, but his eyes shift, glowing with bright golden light. Haruka grins, pleased. He knowingly allows himself to indulge. Just a little. He slides his fingertips closer toward the firm bulge between Nino’s thighs. “You were so garrulous just a moment ago, but now nothing?”
There’s a knock at the door to the outer room. Haruka casually removes his hand from inside Nino’s thigh. He sits back and folds his arms just as a maidservant appears beneath the archway. She bows.
“Apologies, my lords. Master Giovanni has returned early from his trip. He wishes that the three of you would go to Porta Romana for dinner tonight. The attire is semi-formal.”
The maidservant looks to them both. Nino is leaning forward, his elbows against his thighs and his palms massaging his face. The maidservant raises her eyebrow. “Your grace?”
“Yeah,okay,” Nino says, his voice muffled. “Tell him we said okay.”
Twenty-Nine
A couple days later, Nino is sitting at a tall, sleek black table in a fashionable restaurant. He glances toward the bar area. A beautiful floating shelf filled and lined with leafy green palms hangs above the bartenders as they work. Tall potted plants have also been tastefully placed along the glass walls, giving the delicate impression that he is eating lunch outside in a tropical garden rather than within an enclosed space.
It’s impressive, but his business mind wonders how much time and money it costs to maintain all these plants.
When he senses Cellina nearing the restaurant, he looks up toward the door. A moment later, she enters. Nino beams. Cellina never just walks. She saunters—confident, like a creature that knows its beauty and worth. Her tightly coiled auburn hair is swept up in a bun to emphasize her dramatic earrings. She is wearing light jeans that perfectly hug her fit curves, a deep teal sweater and a fashionable, oversized beige coat. As always, she looks impeccable.
Nino stands when she reaches him and wraps her up in a tight hug. She’s carrying a pink bakery box that he recognizes.
“Ciao bella—is this for me?” he asks, releasing her.
