Page 78 of The Vanishing
Just before the onslaught of buried emotions overtakes Haruka, he feels the warmth of their shared aura swell from within. Outside of him and all around him, Nino is manipulating it, calling it forward to comfort him like only he can. Nino snakes his arms around Haruka’s neck to pull him in tight. The oak and cinnamon of him combined with the heat of their aura soothes Haruka and slows his breathing. He reaches out to hold Nino around his waist and pull him even closer. Breathing.
“When Lajos took you away from me, I was…” Haruka takes another short breath, allowing their aura to calm him. “My world became nothing. It was terrifying and I—Icannotlose you—”
“You won’t.”
“But Ihave, Nino. I have lost much in the past. If this happens to me again, I don’t know… I will not live on without you—”
Nino leans in, his eyes closed as he places the softest kiss against Haruka’s lips. “You won’t need to. That was the past. This situation is totally new for you. Plus, I can protect myself now, right?”
Exhaling, Haruka rests against his forehead, his eyes closed. “Yes.”
“I protected both of us in Socotra—from a full-on attack with fifty-something purebredsanda cave-in! I showed you that I can do that, so you don’t need to be paranoid like this anymore. We’re safe now. And I’ll focus and learn even more when we meditate. Let’s start our lives again…”
Nino lowers his head, nestling his face into the small hollow between Haruka’s neck and the comforter, making him lift his chin. He rests, wrapped securely against Haruka’s body, their legs entwined. He can feel the slow rise and fall of Nino’s chest as they lie still in the sunlight.
Haruka traces his fingers along Nino’s lower back, enjoying the feel of him in the silence. In this perfect, peaceful moment. “I asked to be the big spoon with the intent of comforting you—in the end, you consoled me.”
Muffled against his neck, Nino’s voice registers half asleep. “We console each other. You forget that as easily as you can read and sense me, I can do the same for you. It goes both ways, panther.”
“It does…” Haruka sighs, closing his eyes.
“You also wanted to be the big spoon because you like cuddling up against my ass and smelling my neck.”
Haruka opens his eyes, grinning. “I do.”
Thirty-Six
Two weeks later, Cellina pushes the weight of her thick curls behind her shoulders as she steps inside the restaurant. It glows with warm candlelight and old romance, busy in its location just off a cobblestoned street within the Brera district. She looks around the crowded room and at all the prominent vampires celebrating the restaurant’s opening. She mumbles to herself, “Where is he?”
Giovanni is here. She can feel him. Not just externally—like a static electric current caressing her skin—but inside as well. The power and strength of his blood swirl within her, pulling her toward him as if they’re magnets. When he’s close, it feels like he’s everywhere, all around her. It’s magnificent.
She flips around on instinct just as his large hands grip the small of her waist. He’s handsome in his dark suit, his eyes sparkling with affection. No creases whatsoever in his forehead. Without a word, he leans down. She wraps him up in her arms and lifts to her toes to meet Giovanni’s mouth, parting her lips for him. He kisses her once, fully and sensually, as he holds her, then lifts his head. His voice is low and husky. “Amore della mia vita.”
Love of my life.She smiles. “When did you get here?”
He holds her a little tighter and she stifles a squeal from the pleasure of being pressed against his muscled body. “Ten minutes ago—but I was stuck outside. Boring business stuff with Esposito.”
A waiter walks around the fancy oak desk and gives a little bow. “My lady, my lord, this way, please.”
Giovanni unwraps her body, but she reaches down and holds his hand as she follows the waiter. Cellina tries to ignore the blatant stares as they move through the restaurant. They’ve announced their bond and are doing formal social visits, but the news is still fresh. Aside from a few envious remarks, the aristocracy at large is very positive about their union. Everyone is looking forward to the wedding ceremony they’ll have next year in the spring.
“Esposito runs the software company out of Hamburg, right?” Cellina asks as they walk. “He’s looking for a new lead front-end developer?”
“Right,” Giovanni confirms. “And they have the programming deal with the Fischer Corporation that depends on it.”
The waiter guides them to a table in the middle of the floor. Cellina feels like she’s in a fishbowl as Giovanni pulls her chair out, but this is her life now. She holds her head high as she sits, smoothing the fitted material of her black dress hugging her curves. Giovanni sits beside her and the waiter hands them menus.
“Thank you.” She smiles, then opens and glances at the contents. “And Paul Fischer is the youngest son who’s getting married in January—I already have the date on my calendar. He’s leading the project on the client side, if I remember correctly?”
When Giovanni doesn’t say anything, Cellina blinks up at him. He’s staring at her, mesmerized. “You are incredible. Andstunning.”
“Why thank you.” Cellina winks.
“I can’t believe how quickly you’re memorizing and learning all this banal bullshit I have to endure every day. You act like you’re really into it—”
“I’m not acting, Giovanni. Iaminto it. Because I’m into you and our society and helping. It’s interesting to me, learning about and being privy to all these different facets of business and the aristocracy. It’s exciting.”
Picking up his menu, Giovanni’s face reads skeptical. His broad shoulders rise and fall in a deep breath. “Exciting? I wish I shared your enthusiasm. I’m in a perpetual functional state of exhaustion.”
