Page 3 of The Arrival
“Indeed.” Haruka nods, folding his arms. “Jae’s awakening from a human and into a vampire is unprecedented, but the doctor is handling it all very well—likely due to the stability and assurance that Junichi’s presence offers. It is a positive sign.”
“It is… And you really think Jae is purebred?”
“I do.”
“That’swild. After Jun fed him that day, the whole situation turned around. His energy registered more strongly to me, too. Jae’s vampiric nature is undeniable now.”
“Junichi has been conditioned to exceptionally clean purebred blood since he was an adolescent. I am surprised that he doesn’t suspect Jae’s true nature. He has been irrefutably enticed by the doctor from the moment he first laid eyes on him.”
“Denial,” Nino says. “He’s been so averse to ranked vampires that he’s only been dating humans. I mean, I dated a couple of them back in London, but Jun’s stance on that is pretty extreme.” Nino raises his eyebrow, curious. “Would you have considered dating a human? I mean, before we met.”
“No.”
“You could have thought about it. At least for a second?”
“If you recall, I was intent on not datinganycreatures prior to meeting you. After a decade of hiding myself away, I was forced to leave my home one time… and look what happened.” Haruka glances at him from the corners of his eyes, biting back a grin.
An awkward pause hangs between them as they watch each other. That is, until Nino turns, then reaches out with a snap to grab hold of his mate’s waist beside him. The unexpected movement makes Haruka jolt and snicker.
“What are you trying to say, exactly?” Nino wriggles his fingers in the concave of Haruka’s waist, making him squirm.
“Didwedate?” Haruka asks, his deep voice strained between gasps of breathy laughter. “Is that what we were doing?”
“We had one, officially, at least. You drank a lot of wine and put your hands down my pants.”
“Ah, my favorite pastime.”
Nino shakes his head as Haruka lifts his arms. He leans in, wrapping them around Nino’s shoulders and bringing their foreheads together. His voice is quiet. The sweet coolness of his breath wafts against Nino’s lips.
“If I had known that you were my destiny, I would have left the house much, much sooner.”
“Oh yeah?” Nino closes his eyes, centering himself in the comfort of their entwined energies and closeness—the soft familiarity of his almond milk skin and the sumptuous aroma naturally emanating from his body. He inhales deep, then exhales the tension from his shoulders. “I thought you didn’t believe in fate?”
Their noses brush, playful and sweet. Haruka slides one hand up and into Nino’s hair at the back of his head. “Perhaps I’ve changed my mind,” he whispers. “You in my life… The goodness of it is too significant. Miraculous. It cannot be attributed to something as imprecise and frivolous as chance.”
Nino tilts, pressing their mouths together with an urgency that rushes from his heart and spreads all throughout his body. The sensation is hot and airy in his chest, as if he could float upward and into the sky like a balloon, never once returning to Earth.
He shifts, kissing Haruka’s jawline and toward his ear. His voice is hoarse when it passes through his lips. “When you say things like that, it makes me want to bite you… like I need to devour you.”
“Mm, perhaps that is my underlying objective? My devious motivation.”
Nino nuzzles his face lower, sprinkling kisses down the elegant curve of his neck. He breathes the delicate scent of roses as his lips brush his skin. The fragrance of him isn’t quite like a bouquet. Not overbearing or concentrated. More like a whisper. A single petal that brushes against his senses like velvet and swirls inside him, making him want more.
“Knowing you the way I do,” Nino says, “I’m surprised that you went a whole decade without having sex.”
When Haruka laughs, it vibrates from his throat like a bassist gently plucking the thick strings. “Once trust and sincere affection were removed from the equation, the activity became largely unfulfilling.” Sensing Nino’s goal, Haruka lifts his chin, allowing him access to the stretch of his neck. “Until you, of course.”
Nino drags his tongue up his skin, savoring him. He opens his mouth wide and bites down into his flesh. The delicious flavor rushes straight to Nino’s brain, making him dazed—bewildered, as if his head is swimming in a haze of blush-colored clouds.
Soon, Haruka’s long fingers are fisting the back of his hair within their embrace, urging Nino to drink deeper and take from him. To pull and satisfy the ancient, powerful entity deep within his core.
And so, he does. As Haruka arches and gasps in his arms, Nino pours all of his trust and affection into him. Confidently fulfilling him, because he knows that he was destined to do so.
TWO
HALLOWEEN
[G? Are you going to call me back??]
