Page 32 of The Vanishing
“Did you sleep well?” Haruka asks, tossing the bag into the trash. “I tried not to disturb you—”
Feed.
Nino’s groggy voice registers in Haruka’s head. He is grateful that they can communicate this way, but he misses the sound of his healthy, physical voice.
His tasks completed, Haruka shifts toward the end of the bed at Nino’s feet, kneeling there and taking hold of his mate’s ankle. “I will.” He smiles. “How are you feeling?” Haruka lifts his leg and Nino complies, allowing him to bend his knee toward his chest in a slow stretch.
I’m okay.Why aren’t you eating food? You love eating.
“Solidarity. And there is too much to do.” He gently rolls his hip in its socket, deepening the stretch. After a moment, he straightens Nino’s leg, then sets his foot against the mattress. He moves to stretch the opposite leg. “Nino, how long has Giovanni been feeding your father?”
Since right after Mom died… maybe 1915? Or sixteen? I’m still amazed he told you.
Haruka holds Nino’s bent knee toward his chest, then rolls it. Learning that Giovanni is solely responsible for providing their father’s nourishment had been shocking, and it has also answered other long-standing questions in Haruka’s mind.
Losing a mate is detrimental to the surviving member of a bond—their complex biology having grown dependent upon a bespoke source of nourishment. Haruka had wondered how Domenico, a purebred vampire, has survived this long without his mate. Consuming his son’s blood provides the nourishment necessary to survive. It is a controversial choice, so it’s no wonder the family prefers to keep it secret.
It also explains why Giovanni—a renowned and attractive purebred realm leader—has remained unbonded. Mixing another, outside vampire’s biology with his own could cause devastating results for the father in his precarious circumstance.
“Who is Giovanni’s source?” Haruka asks, straightening Nino’s leg.
One of our cousins—my uncle’s daughter. So the family bloodline within G stays consistent. Nobody feeds directly. Father employs a small staff of medical professionals to help draw and bag everyone’s blood. Did he mention that?
“He did. In less detail.”
I don’t think G has fed from another vampire in an intimate way since he was a teenager. I remember there was a time… for a short while, maybe a month? It wasn’t long after Mom died, but G went kind of wild. He wasn’t home much and I barely saw him. Then Father got worse in his sickness and he screamed at G one night. I was little but I remember it was scary as hell—how mad he was. That was the end of that. G has been on the straight and narrow path ever since.
“Will he always be held to this strict circumstance?” Haruka asks. He has never felt sympathetic toward Giovanni, nor has he ever heard the dynamic male complain. Not once. But knowing the entire circumstances, it is overwhelming.
Overseeing a bustling aristocracy alone, constantly addressing the needs and whimsies of other ranked vampires, being responsible for the vitality of his father while unable to feed and satisfy his own inherent needs… and now, Giovanni is also managing his brother’s realm while he recovers.
I don’t know. We don’t talk about any of it. I know, deep down, G resents me for a lot of reasons, so I just leave it alone. Our relationship is much better since I bonded with you though. That’s been nice.
Haruka smiles. “I am pleased that I have brought some relief to this complex situation.” He lifts Nino’s ankle, then kisses the arch of his bare foot. Nino grins, his honeyed skin shifting into a warm, rosy color.
If… if G were allowed to bond and feed…
“He would undoubtedly choose Cellina?” Haruka interrupts. “If she is present, his gaze follows her. His respect and desire for her are obvious.”
To everyone but her. They had an argument forever ago and refuse to call a truce. I can’t imagine him mating with anyone else—especially not another male. I think he would eat him alive.
“Yes, when other males are involved, your brother becomes ‘alpha’ in even the most unnecessary circumstances.” Like sitting at the head of Haruka’s kitchen table, making everyone around him default to Italian or walking around and barking out uncouth, unsolicited opinions. Haruka shakes his head.
Tesoro, will you please feed from me? You need to feed.
Haruka stands from the bed. “How about we shower? I will help you bathe, and perhaps at some point during the process, I will feed.”
Nino’s face brightens.Yeah? Will you pull my aura? While we’re in the shower?
“No,” Haruka admonishes. “I cannot feed deeply from you. The doctor said we should not engage in such rigorous activities until he clears us.”
Groaning, Nino slides down further against the bed and turns his head away. Haruka laughs, standing by his side. “Am I not still capable of pouring very pleasant emotions into you?”
Nino flips his head back, his amber eyes frowning.Tease.
Haruka huffs in a clipped laugh. He leans down to grip Nino’s chin with his fingers. “Open, please.”
Hesitating, Nino shifts his gaze, then opens his mouth. Haruka examines him. Things are much improved from a month ago. He stands straight, gratified. “I am grateful that the speech pathologist is coming next week. I miss hearing your natural voice.”
