The Vanishing by Karla Nikole
Thirty-One
By the time they arrive in Milan, Haruka is exhausted. The trip from Yemen to Italy was long, and prior to that, discussing the logistics of transporting the refugee purebreds was also daunting.
In the end, twenty-seven vampires wished to leave the island. To start, they’ll be routed to New York. There, the detective will begin the work of creating formalized IDs, establishing any remaining family connections and starting the long road of acclimating them to the concepts of food, warm shelter and water.
With Haruka and Nino’s assistance, the detective also wishes to convince other trustworthy purebred leaders to adopt refugees into their realms. That way, the newly free vampires can receive more thorough rehabilitation, as well as guidance in being introduced to modern society, humans and ranked vampires.
Ladislao had left his realm in Rio de Janeiro in much turmoil after acting out and attracting his uncle’s attention, so the long-haired purebred insisted that Haruka and Nino adopt Kahla and her family when the detective finishes processing them in New York. They agreed. They also volunteered to rehab and shelter the young fighter and his female companion.
The trip was tumultuous, and Haruka had not wanted to participate in the excursion. But in the end, he is glad to have helped, and his Historian mind is eager to document the cultural insight and experience for future generations.
When they step outside Milan International Airport, it is nighttime. A car from the Bianchi estate is waiting at the designated meeting place. Nino greets the manservant from the estate and helps him with the bags as Haruka climbs into the back seat. Giovanni is there.
Haruka pauses, taking notice of the subtle shift in his scent. Nino’s brother and Cellina are getting along very well. He smiles. “Hello, Giovanni.”
“Hello, dark prince.”
Haruka rolls his eyes. Clearly, his mate has already updated Giovanni on the details of their journey. He scoots toward the other side of the seat as Nino climbs in behind him. His mate sits down and closes the door, but then whips his head around to face his brother, amber eyes wide. “Wha—what the hell is going on?”
Giovanni sits back, irritation in his voice. “How about ‘Hey, G, how’s it going? Thanks for picking us up.’”
“Why do you smell like Cellina? Did you feed from her? She let you feed from her?” Nino’s voice is high-pitched and incredulous. He’s looking at Giovanni with something like disgust. Haruka interjects, calm.
“Perhaps the two of you intend to bond?”
“No,” Nino says, the volume of his voice increasing. “Y-you can’t—”
Giovanni puts his hand up, his face flat. “Nino, you need to fucking calm down.”
“If you fed from Cellina—then what about Father? Do I need to start feeding him now? Can I? Does he know about this?”
Haruka senses that Giovanni is trying to stay calm, but his patience is dissipating. “Nino. Stop. Yelling.”
“I—I don’t want to feed Father.” Nino ignores his brother, his eyes bewildered. “I don’t even live here, how could I—Did you think this through? What about—”
“You selfish, ungrateful little shit.”
The force of emotion behind Giovanni’s words makes Nino pause and draw back. The insult isn’t directed at Haruka, but his chest is tight from the sudden disquiet.
“God forbid you have to do something—anything for our family,” Giovanni says, his heavy voice booming in the small space. “If everyone isn’t bending over backward to cater to your self-absorbed ass—”
“That’s nottrue.” Nino sits up straighter. “I… I’m not—”
“I justgot back from helping you for two fucking months in Japan. Running your damn realm and managing your clients. Anytime you need something, I help you. You call me at ungodly hours with questions and I answer. I’ve never asked you to do a damn thingyour entire life, and all you do is take take take from me like everyone else and do whatever the hell you want. Must be nice.”
Nino clenches the edge of the back seat with his hands as he stares at his brother. “G, I don’t… I’m not—”
“Just shut up,” Giovanni spits, rubbing his temple with his eyes closed. “You know how much I care about Cellina. I finally make some headway with her, and you’re yelling and whining at me about yourself and how it impacts you. And you kept her tied up as your own personal feeding source for a century. Fuck you. I’ll figure this out on my own—I always do. Nobody needs you to do a damn thing.”
The rest of the car ride to the estate is silent. Haruka can feel the stress and tension radiating off his mate’s body as Nino stares down at his smartphone. Although the delivery was a bit hostile, he agrees with Giovanni. Nino should not have reacted that way.
As soon as they pull up to the main outer gate of the Bianchi estate, Nino pushes the back door open. There is another car waiting on the street, and Haruka starts, confused. “Where are you going?”
“To talk to Lina.” Nino closes the door without another word and moves toward the second vehicle. A moment later, it drives off and down the dark lane.
“Probably to bad-mouth me.” Giovanni shakes his head. “He’s going to tell Mommy that I yelled at him. I’m letting you off here.”
“You’re not coming in?” Haruka asks. The excursion to Socotra is starting to feel like the more relaxing trip.
“No. I’m staying at a human-owned hotel in the business district. I need to figure out what the hell I’m doing before my father finds out. I can’t go home yet.” Giovanni rubs his hand up his face and into his thick wavy hair. He blows out a deep breath.
“How do you anticipate your father reacting?”
“Not good,” Giovanni says, massaging the top of his head with his eyes closed. “My father is sweet as fucking pie to Nino, but he’s a strict bastard toward me. I disobeyed him once and he screamed at me and scared the shit out of me. Been on my best behavior ever since. Until now.”
Haruka nods, understanding the situation. “You hold much resentment toward Nino, but perhaps your communication needs… tempering?”
Giovanni drops his hand. His face flat. “I know, alright? Yelling doesn’t help, but I’m fucking tired. He does whatever the hell he wants—always has. But I can’t ever do shit. The one time I have something good for myself, the first thing out of his mouth is ‘What about me?’ I’m over it.”
“What will you do about Cellina? Do the two of you wish to create a bond?”
“I don’t know.” Giovanni sighs. “Cellina knows my circumstance. Her mother and father already know how I feel about her, but I don’t… I don’t think I can. Bonding isn’t an option for me.”
Haruka folds his arms, considering. Bonding is an innate birthright to every ranked vampire. It feels unfair that something so essential should be denied. Especially considering that there is a particular vampire that Giovanni finds himself drawn to—which is a rare circumstance in and of itself.
Then again, sacrificing the health and potential vitality of his father for his own personal desires… The situation is difficult.
“There must be a sensible resolution here,” says Haruka. “One in which we all work together? My bloodline is very old and profoundly co-mingled with your brother’s. Cellina is first-gen but… the purebred half of her bloodline feels ancient as well. Your father’s diet has been strict, but we won’t know until we try? And I know that I am biased, but Nino can be very selfless and thoughtful.”
“He can be,” Giovanni admits. “With other vampires. Not with me. He avoids our father and uses me as a substitute. He’s been doing it since Mom died. I know that all this stems from our uncle abusing him, and I know I’ve enabled him because of that, but I’m not his fucking dad. Nino is a grown-ass bonded vampire now. He still expects me to take care of everything for him and then I do. I’m sick of this bullshit cycle. Enough already.”
“Nonetheless,” Haruka counters, “the situation is complex and he values your opinion. I imagine that your words tonight have struck him deeply.”
“Good.” Giovanni lifts his chin. “Little punk. He asked for it.”
