Page 30 of Inevitably Yves

“I woke up in a hospital,” Damiano continues. “I wanted to leave, of course, but I was surrounded by medical staff from all the nearby communities.”

“When did this happen?” Kyson asks.

“Oh, let’s see…early eighteen hundreds. I was in a village in Italy.” He chuckles. “Thank goodness they didn’t have the technology they do now. Can you imagine an MRI on a vampire?”

Thorn nearly cackles. “Blood work!”

“Even an x-ray,” I add, amused.

“Yes. Today, we’d be considered scientific marvels to be poked and prodded,” Damiano says. “But back then, I might have been burned at the stake had it not been for my heroic act.”

“How did you get out of it?” Vivienne asks.

“Night fell and they finally suggested I rest. I climbed out the window, descended the building and tore off, never to be seen again.”

“You sound sad.” I muse.

Damiano nods. “I was. I enjoyed it there. People left me alone, and we were close enough to a larger city, Rome, where I could do my hunting.” He squeezes my hand. “I went to Morocco after that. Which turned out to be nice.”

“Morocco is badass, especially back in the day,” Thorn says, turning a corner so sharply the SUV ends up on two wheels, leaning left, before bouncing back onto the road.

The two witches squeeze each other with closed eyes before laughing it off. Kyson kicks his legs like a happy child, and Damiano grins through it.

“He’s so much like me when I was younger,” Damiano whispers.

“You’re not like that now?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps, that wild, free, uninhibited spirit still lives within me, just waiting to feel safe enough to come out.” He lifts my hand and kisses it. “What do you think?”

“I could use a little lack of inhibitions myself.”

“Lucky for us it’s Blood Festival season,” he says, holding my gaze. “It’s like Mardi Gras for the mortals, no?”

“Good analogy, but things are different in New Onyx. Orderly.”

“Yves runs a tight ship,” Thorn quips.

“How do you keep the vampires under control?” Damiano asks. “In my experience, we’re not a very compliant species.”

I chuckle. “No, we’re not. I only have jurisdiction over my city. The council makes the rules of the club, and I enforce them. We knew a place like Lair needed to exist, and chose this city because of its proximity to Europe and other places abroad.”

“At Lair, we can play and be ourselves,” Thorn says. “But there are rules.”

“How do you explain it to mortals?”

“Most of the year, Lair lives behind a thick veil thanks to our lovely Vivienne.” She smiles warmly at me. “During Festival, the veil is slightly lifted and we welcome mortals in more indiscriminately. We offer them a drink to erase many of the more incriminating details from the night and ensure they get home safely.”

“Brilliant,” Damiano says.

“Nerve-racking,” I reply. “I love the festival. I love the tangible bloodlust in the air. I love the smell of mortal fear mixed with curiosity and desire.”

“But?” Damiano asks.

“But I fear what could happen if the balance shifts even slightly. Or if a rogue vampire or two refused to follow the rules. It would be a bloodbath for the mortals and a nightmare for me to clean up.”

“Your brothers help you keep control?”

“Everyone does. The club managers, Hale and Tiago, my sisters with their potions and spells, my brothers.”

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