Page 91 of Map of Pain
“Why did you decide to shave it?”Nick asked.
Luka’s expression gentled. He reached out, giving Nick time to pull away, and brushed the scar across Nick’s throat. Then he touched his own scar. He pulled out his phone, typed quickly, and showed Nick the screen:
Brave like you.
Something warm and tight expanded in Nick’s chest.“Luka...”
But Lukawasalready taking his hand, tugging him toward the living room where the sounds of conversation and laughter drifted from Marcus’s kitchen.
«Ready?» Luka signed.
Nick took a deep breath.“Ready.”
The penthouse felt different tonight. Warmer somehow, filled with the scents of garlic and herbs and baking bread. Calebwasperchedon a barstool at the kitchen island, animated in conversation with Marcus, whowasstirring something in a large pot.
“Nick!”Caleb’s face lit up when he spotted them.“You made it! Marcus is making his famous—”
“It’s not famous,”Marcus interrupted with fond exasperation.“It’s just pasta.”
“With the good blood,”Caleb stage-whispered, making Nick snort with unexpected laughter.
“There he is,”Marcus called out warmly from the stove.
Movement caught Nick’s eye and he turned to see a man approaching from the kitchen. Matteo looked between Nick and Luka, pointed at Nick, then at Luka, and gave them both an enthusiastic double thumbs-up with a brilliant smile thatwasso much like Luka’s it made Nick feel uncomfortable.
Before Nick could process whatwashappening, Matteomoved toward him with arms spread wide, clearly intending to wrap Nick in what looked like a bone-crushing hug.
Nick’s hand moved toward the knife in his pocket, but Lukawasalready there, catching his brother’s arms with gentle urgency.
A rapid flurry of signing followed, too fast for Nick to catch more than fragments. Matteo’s expression shifted from enthusiasm to understanding to apologetic concern.
«Sorry,»Matteo said, his smile sheepish and genuine.
“It’s okay,”Nick managed, looking to Luka for a translation for Matteo.“I just... surprise contact is hard sometimes.”
Matteo nodded with such complete understanding that Nick felt something in his chest ease. No judgment, no pity, just acceptance. From that moment on, Matteo made sure Nick could see him coming from across the room, telegraphing hismovements with the same kind of consideration that Luka always gave him. It was still a strange concept to him that the same vampires who had been listed in Society files as “deadly, dangerous, and kill on sight” were inexplicably accommodating.
“Holy shit,”Ophelia’s voice cut through the moment. Shestared at Luka with her mouth agape, showing the most emotion Nick had seen on her face yet.“What happened to your face?”
“He shaved,”Vincent said dryly, appearing from the direction of the wine cabinet with Adam close behind.“It’s called grooming, ‘Phelia. Some people do it.”
“But he looks exactly like Matteo now,”Ophelia insisted, looking back and forth between the twins.“It’s like someone hit copy-paste. I don’t like it.”
“They’re identical twins,”Adam pointed out.“They’re supposed to look the same.”
“Not this same,”Ophelia said, marching up to Luka and grabbing his face. She turned his face from side to side, continuing to look between him and Matteo. “Yeah, I don’t like it. Fix it.”
Lukawasturning red, his hand going to his bare jaw again.
“I think he looks distinguished,”Marcus said.
“Distinguished?”Vincent let out a bark of laughter as his hands moved to translate for Matteo.“He looks like he’s twelve. What’s next, are you going to ask for the kids’ menu?”
“Vincent,” Adam chided, but he was grinning.
Luka buried his face in his hands with a weak sound from his throat.
“I think he looks nice,”Nick said quietly, and the teasing stopped abruptly. Everyone turned to look at him, and he felt heat rise in his cheeks.“The freckles are... they’re nice.”
