Page 60 of Lore and Lust
“And there are other things,” Yuna says quietly. “For one, my sense of taste and smell are damaged. No matter who I drink from, it tastes like dirt, and my body doesn’t properly absorb blood anymore. Ialwayslook like this, Haruka. I can’t seem to reach my optimum level of health again. I’m forever in this horrible, semi-dried-out state. Is it the same for you?”
“No. I am capable of properly absorbing blood. My senses of taste and smell are undamaged.”
“Then why do you look like this?” Yuna blinks. “Your eyes and skin tone are wrong. And I don’t know why, but I can smellyouright now. You smell wonderful to me just like you always did. I haven’t been able to sense another vampire’s essence since our bond broke. Why can I still smell you?”
She never fell ill after their bond broke, but Haruka had been tragically so. Even now, Haruka’s essence is aesthetically pleasing to her, while her scent makes his stomach turn.
“Perhaps in some intrinsic way, my blood still flows through you?” Haruka reasons. “Since your body never rejected my biology, it may remain within you, causing these obstructions and malformations.”
It’s all conjecture, since this is unchartered territory. There simply isn’t any research to frame this aberrant circumstance. Haruka’s father and grandfather would have searched high and low for more instances of this had they known it possible.
“I agree with your theory,” Yuna says, never taking her milky, disturbing eyes off of him. “How do I smell to you? Am I still… Am I pleasing to you?”
He casts his gaze to the side, briefly searching for a diplomatic response. In a rare moment, he comes up empty. “No.”
She’s silent, looking down at the hem of her dress as she rubs it between her fingers. “Is it so bad that you wouldn’t want to feed from me?” she asks. “What if… what if we could fix this? What if we could sustain each other again? Help restore our bodies and natures.”
Haruka turns his nose up, his face having no sense of discretion or diplomacy today either. “Yuna, what exactly are you suggesting?”
She lifts her head, her foggy eyes serious. “I’m suggesting that we become each other’s sources again. I think, if we try, maybe we—”
“I amnotinterested in this arrangement.” Haruka stands from the couch. The absurdity of it feels like an electric shock to his system. “I ask that you leave my home now. I don’t believe I can help you.”
“Haruka.We should at least give this a try. I can assist you with running the realm again. You’ll need the support. Please at least consider—”
“That you would have the audacity to come to my home and requestanythingof me is astonishing. You only seek my help because your preferred source has abandoned you. I amnotsomething to be tossed away and picked back up again at your convenience.”
“No! That’snothow I see you.” Yuna shakes her head, her thick hair swaying from the dramatic gesture as she stands. “We—we made a vow to each other. If you’re right and your blood still flows within me, it is your responsibility—”
“Do notspeak to me about ‘vows’ and ‘responsibility.’Leave, Yuna.”
His eyes burn and glow to life from frustration, but the heat of it is low, emphasizing his malnourished state. Asao steps down into the room, his broad frame imposing as he stands beside Yuna. She bows in a short nod, but when their eyes meet again, she speaks quickly. “I’m coming to the ceremony in Himeji. Please just consider—”
Asao steps in front of her, then gestures toward the door. “Enough,Yuna.”
She drops her shoulders, acquiesced as she turns to leave. When she’s gone, Haruka crumbles back down to the couch. He lays his head back and closes his eyes, feeling physically hollow and emotionally drained.
In the distance, he hears the pristine chime of his new phone. He doesn’t move because he is miserable. There’s no use spreading discontent, so he sits in the tea room alone for a long time. Breathing.
Thirty-Four
It’s dusk when Nino arrives at the sprawling property tucked deep in the rolling hills of Mount Seppiko in Himeji, Japan. The sun is setting, casting watercolor hues of pink and deep orange across the partly cloudy sky.
The home set before him is sleek and modern in its design with heavy influences from traditional Japanese architecture. Open verandas, wooden siding and sliding paper doors. In some areas of the home, entire walls are fashioned in clear glass so that the majestic views of the surrounding forest and mountain peaks are displayed like landscape artwork.
Nino is being escorted around the side of the house and toward the back of the property. Following a manservant dressed in a formal kimono, Nino walks along a winding path of very tall bamboo stalks—vibrant green and reaching straight up toward the twilight sky. The ground is elegantly lined with glowing white lanterns, and the only sound is their footfalls hitting the stone path. Something about this trail feels supernatural, as if Nino is the brave protagonist in a whimsical Japanese folktale with yokai and tengu.
He nervously pulls at the black satin bow tie around his neck. The tuxedo makes him feel stiff and uncomfortable. He hasn’t told Haruka that he is coming, but with their innate ability to sense other purebreds, he knows now.
Giovanni had told Nino to simply go and surprise him. He has followed his brother’s advice but still has doubts. Especially since Haruka has become somewhat unresponsive to Nino’s text messages over the past twenty-four hours. He doesn’t understand why Haruka suddenly feels distant, and his report on the meeting with Yuna was painfully vague.
Whatever the case, he is here now. No turning back.
The bamboo-lined path opens up to a wide garden. Rows of cherry blossom trees filled with dark pink buds line the perimeter, and there is a large koi pond reflecting yellow hanging lanterns like glitter against the dark surface. Several vampires occupy the beautiful area. The manservant escorting Nino bows and gestures for him to cross a small arched bridge to join the festivities.
He nods in thanks, then proceeds across the bridge. He can smell Haruka in the crowd and among the social clutter, his body innately drawn to him by some inexplicable force. Like a magnet or gravity. Vampires within the crowd step aside and bow politely, curiously watching him as they naturally make a path toward his target.
When the crowd parts to where he can finally see Haruka, the dark male is staring directly at him. Eyes unblinking. He looks like royalty in a midnight-blue kimono. The wool overcoat elegantly draped over his shoulders is of the same rich color, but the thick belt of his robes is dusky silver. The entire ensemble gives the impression that he is a dark celestial entity—a god of the night sky.
