Page 31 of Inevitably Yves

“But you carry the weight of the responsibility on your shoulders.”

“It’s my city, Dami. What happens here is my concern.”

“Personally, I think we should unveil the club,” Thorn says, taking another corner too quickly. “Foolish mortals be foolish. Why shouldn’t we benefit?”

Damiano’s pulse ticks up slightly in response to Thorn’s comment.

“You agree?” I ask.

“With my very limited perception, I believe that we should exist unveiled amongst them.”

“Unveiled?” I ask. “And risk the nonsense of religious groups and curiosity-seekers? Do you know what the scientific community would do to one of us if they could?”

“Yves, my beautiful man.” Damiano brushes his fingers across my cheeks. “That’s the problem. They don’t know about us, not really. If we were our true selves, how many of them do you think would fuck with us? The four vampires in this car alone could destroy the Catholic church in mere minutes. No security, no gun, no group of protestors, and certainly no law could stop us. If we joined together, even half the world’s vampires could overwhelm every political, religious, and societal structure in place. I do not fear mortals discovering our existence. I welcome it.”

The air in the car thickens, and I know all too well it’s Thorn’s excitement in having an ally. The jealous part of me checks along the string of energy between Damiano and my brother, ensuring there is nothing there but innocent agreement.

Damiano grins, leaning close to nuzzle my cheek.

Ah, my beloved. You think for one second any part of me desires anyone other than you?

Chagrined that he senses my ugly emotions, I try to shake them away.

Apologies. Perhaps the past lingers.

For me too, but there is no one but you. Not ever again. I know it’s the same for you.

Nodding, I send the thought, Only you. Gods, to feel you in my head again, in my very soul. What joy.

Time did nothing to fray our connection. May it serve us well.

May it serve us for eternity.

ELEVEN

Damiano

Thorn pulls off the main street and onto what appears to be a dirt road in a heavily forested area, and I smile as a ripple of magic washes over me and a large black building appears before us.

Thorn parks the car and we file out, walking as a large group to the entrance. I tilt my head back to take in the entirety of the structure. It’s made of stone, painted black and lit by lanterns. It looks exactly as it should with a name like Lair.

“You can feel it, can’t you?” Yves asks. “The electricity in the air.”

I nod, gripping his hand in mine as we wait for the other car to arrive. “Sex, blood, magic. If it could be bottled, we’d be famous.”

Yves chuckles softly. “I’m positive we could bottle it. Vivienne can do anything.”

“How did you find her?”

“She found us. She saw the renovations being made to the House of Orpheus building and stopped by. Given her own abilities, she immediately knew we were not mortal, and asked to work together. She needed a place to use her skills in privacy, and she was savvy enough to know that vampires can often benefit from a bit of magic.” He smiles. “Something about her spoke to me, and in agreement with my brothers, we decided to unite.”

“I detect a bit of melancholy.”

“She doesn’t want to join us on our immortal walk. She fears how it would affect her magic. It saddens me to know we may lose her someday. Mortals are terribly fragile.”

“Yes, true. She seems young and strong now.”

“She is both those things.”

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