by Shannon Bell
My heeled boots clicked against the tile floor and Nico stayed at my side.
“Good evening,” Olivier said, standing up taller. He was about an inch taller than Nico and perhaps that’s what bothered the man at my side.
“Evening,” Nico said.
There was awkward silence between the three of us.
“Shall we?” I asked.
Both men snapped back to reality.
“Of course,” Nico said.
***
Olivier gave us a walking tour of Paris. The metro trains had stopped running, so we were limited by how far we wanted to walk. Nico was able to carry me some of the distances as we hopped from rooftop to rooftop, but we stayed within a relatively tight radius. We did cross the Seine to see the Eifel Tower up close.
Paris was the city for lovers and walking along with Olivier and Nico was unnerving. I had my present lover and the man who wanted to be my future one.
We stopped into a wine bar to enjoy some of the nightlife. It was also done to help break up some of the awkward feelings of walking around as the three of us. Nico and Olivier did not do a lot of talking, particularly to one another.
“Chianti?” Nico asked as we settled into a table that was on the opposite side of the bar. I nodded, a little surprised that he was leaving me alone with Olivier. Maybe that was his way of showing that he trusted me.
As soon as Nico was at the bar, Olivier leaned into me.
“You smell of him,” Olivier commented.
My cheeks flushed. I couldn’t say anything. What was I supposed to say?
“Did you do that to drive me mad? Have sex with him right before coming to meet me?” Olivier said.
His words made me smile on the inside. It was embarrassing, but amusing, too.
“Sorry,” I said.
“It makes me want you more,” he whispered.
I turned to look at him, unable to hide my shock.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
I swallowed, hoping for that glass of Chianti to come and rescue me quickly.
“I am with my husband,” I reminded.
“I know. It doesn’t change the fact that I wish it was my scent lingering on you like a warm jacket,” he whispered and then sat up in the booth. His demeanor changed within seconds as he sensed Nico approaching.
Nico slid in next to me, handing me the glass of wine.
I sipped and remembered that they couldn’t drink. Or chose not to. I never did get a definitive answer on that. Antonio had said that he’d seen Costin sip wine once or twice before, but neither Nico nor Olivier had since I’ve known them. It always made me feel like the wino of the group since they sat with nothing in front of them.
Conversation was lacking, once again. If this was going to work, it would be up to me to get the two of them to talk.
“Tomorrow night,” I said, taking a sip. “How will it work?”
Olivier nodded and began to explain. We would meet at the park outside of the Catacombs at midnight when that area was uninhabited by the general public. Gregorio would bring all of the supplies and get the spell working. We would need to provide virgin blood in order to help with the spell so that the zombies would fall under Gregorio’s control.
“How do you know so much about necromancing?” Nico asked. It wasn’t accusatory, but curiosity.
Olivier looked at me. He had assumed I told Nico everything. I hadn’t and now it might come to bite me in the ass. My eyes widened as I looked at Olivier, pleading for him to tread lightly.
“Prior to me becoming a vampire, I was a necromancer,” Olivier said.
“No shit?” Nico said. “That is not what I expected you to say.”
“How is that?” Olivier asked.
Nico made a motion with his hands. “It’s not every day that you meet a necromancer is all.”
“I wanted to be a vampire more than I wanted to be a necromancer. What I did not know at the time was that I could not be both,” Olivier said.
“Oh, I see,” Nico said. “Your maker did not tell you that the gift would be lost?”
Olivier shook his head. I could tell the decision to tell Nico the truth played across his face. He looked at me and I gave a slow nod. If Olivier was to be accepted and not seen as a threat, he needed to come clean with how it was that he became a vampire.
“I was not made into a vampire in the most traditional way,” Olivier said.
Nico’s curiosity was piqued. “How do you mean? To my knowledge, there is only one way for vampires to be made.”
Olivier sighed and shifted in the booth. I bet he would have liked a sip of my wine right about now. Perhaps the whole bottle.
“I told you already that I was a necromancer. That gave me the power to control the dead. Zombies are not the only things that can be controlled. I was able to raise a vampire where I could get the blood I needed for the ritual,” Olivier said. He kept a close eye on Nico’s reaction to this, as did I.
Nico let the words sink in for a moment before speaking. “You stole the blood of a vampire to become one?”
Olivier nodded.
“Did you raise zombies to assist you?” Nico asked.
Olivier nodded again.
“So these zombies that we have to put down tomorrow night are because you stole your immortality.”
Olivier shook his head. “No. The zombies I raised for my immortality were put back down prior to me performing the ritual. This second time, the zombies were raised by another necromancer at my request.”
“Why?” Nico asked. “Why would you need zombies up again?”
“I wanted another strain of vampire blood,” Olivier said.
Nico looked confused. “Another strain? You were already a vampire, why have another strain?”
“The Imperial Five are comprised of vampires from around the world. Each have their own powers and are capable of doing different things. Think about being able to pick and choose from all the powers you could want,” Olivier said.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Nico said. “All of this going on in Paris is so you could be a greedy bastard?”
Olivier put his hands up in his defense. “You would not want two different types of vampire blood in you if it was possible?”
“No,” Nico said.
“Nico,” I interjected. “Really?” I would want the extra power. It would be hard not to. Once you’re immortal, it would be hard not to want more power, especially if it was available.
“Did you know about all of this?” Nico turned on me.
Shit. This is what I didn’t want to deal with. I nodded.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Nico said. He looked pissed instead of hurt.
“It wasn’t my story to tell,” I said.
“Let me tell you a little about how this mark works. How being a pet works. You tell me shit like this,” Nico spat.
I swallowed hard and avoided eye contact with Nico and Olivier. I didn’t like Nico talking to me like this, yelling at me like this, especially in front of Olivier.
“Go easy on her. This is new territory for her,” Olivier said.
Nico glared at him. “Do not tell me how to speak to Dylan.”
“I am not, all I am saying is that it cannot be easy for her to figure out how to deal with all of this information,” Olivier said again.
I nodded, not trusting my voice to say anything.
Nico seemed to calm a little. “Did it work?”
“What?” I asked.
He made a nod towards Olivier. The question had been directed at Olivier.
“The second blood strain?” Olivier asked.
Nico nodded again.
“Yes.”
“What strains do you have?”
Olivier smiled. “Western European and Asian.”
“Interesting,” Nico said. I could tell Nico had more questions, but he was supposed to be the sovereign. I think Nico thought it would show weakness if he kept asking que
stions.
“Which one do you have?” I asked Nico.
“Western European,” he said.
“So what does the Asian blood line add?” I asked Olivier. If Nico wouldn’t ask, I would.
Nico nodded. “Yes, I am curious.”
“I can fly longer distances. Not hopping or jumping, but flying. And my hair has started growing again,” Olivier said.
“And the sparks?” Nico asked.
“Sparks?” Olivier asked.
“A few months ago, when you tried to kidnap Dylan, you were able to throw sparks at us, which is the only reason you were able to get away,” Nico said.
Olivier looked down. “About that. I have apologized. I went about all of that the wrong way and I know that now.”
Nico nodded. “You didn’t answer the question.”
“I didn’t have the Asian blood line then.”
“That is not a power I have known Western European vampires to have,” Nico said.
“I believe it has to do with being a necromancer in my human life,” Olivier said. “But I am not sure. I have not met another vampire that was a necromancer first to be able to ask.”
“Neither have I. My guess is you are unique in that regard,” Nico said.
I finished the wine in my glass and let out a yawn.
“Another glass?” Nico turned to me.
“No, another glass and I’ll be on my ass,” I said.
“The bar is likely closing soon anyways,” Nico said.
“There is still much to see,” Olivier said.
We all stood up and made our way out of the bar and found ourselves back on the dimly lit Rue Malar.
“The Fontaine des Innocents is on the way to the hotel, if you like,” Olivier said.
I nodded. “Please.”
“Is there anything else you would like to see?” Olivier asked.
Nico shook his head. “Only if there are things Dylan would like to see.”
I shrugged. “The fountain is a good start. I’ve done the tourist thing and the shopping thing, so I’m okay with this walking tour. If there is something I want to stop at, I’ll let you know.”
Both men nodded and we began walking down the Quai d’Orsay.
“Pont Royal ou Pont Neuf?” Olivier asked as we progressed down the road.
I laughed. He fell into French and didn’t even realize it.
“Ce qui est mieux?” Nico questioned back.
“You speak French?” I asked.
Both men stopped.
“What?” Olivier asked.
I shook my head. “You asked us something in French and then Nico just answered.”
Nico and Olivier both laughed.
“Yes, mia mortale, I speak French,” Nico said.
“Mia mortale? Cute,” Olivier commented.
I laughed awkwardly. “Okay, so what was the question? In English, please.”
Olivier chuckled low. “Do you want to walk over the Pont Royal or the Pont Neuf? The bridges?”
“And I asked which one is best,” Nico said.
“Okay, so which is the best?” I asked.
“Pont Royal is closer but Pont Neuf is the oldest, so it’s up to you,” Olivier said.
“Then let’s go over the Pont Neuf since it’s the oldest,” I said.
“As you wish,” Olivier said and we continued to walk down Quai d’Orsay. The view of the Seine on our left was stunning. Pitch dark with the light from the city playing on the water. Every now and then, a boat was tied off at a small pier. I wished we had access to a boat.
Olivier caught my gaze. “Perhaps next time I can arrange one.”
I nodded. “That would be nice.”
To say it was a longer walk to the older bridge was an understatement. I’m glad I wore comfortable shoes, but my calf muscles were killing me by the time we crossed.
“Are you doing okay?” Nico asked. I had slowed down and both men took notice.
I sat down on one of the rusted metal benches. To make it look like I did it to enjoy the view was futile. My legs were screaming. It pissed me off because I had been working hard to build up my endurance. I ran constantly and it still wasn’t enough to keep up with these vampires that didn’t appear to be tired or uncomfortable in the slightest. It didn’t seem fair, but then again, they did have immortality on their side.
Once we crossed the bridge, it wasn’t far to the Fontaine des Innocents. It was absolutely breathtaking. Seeing it at night made it look a little cryptic and Olivier and Nico took turns about telling me the history of it. While I knew a few things about it, I hadn’t known that it was moved and that a fourth wall had been built around it when it had.
Nico and Olivier were starting to communicate a little more. Maybe they bonded over sharing the history of the city with me or Nico felt more comfortable now that he knew the whole truth about Olivier. I didn’t know and wasn’t about to ask. It was nice to see them not at each other’s throats and I’d be damned if I was going to say anything to change that.
We stood around the fountain for a little while and then it was time for me to be the party pooper. I was tired. It had to be three in the morning if not later. I could barely muster enough energy to keep walking and even though I knew Nico would carry me if I asked, there was no way in hell I would ask and he knew it.
“Can the two of you drop me back to the hotel?” I asked.
Nico stopped and looked at me and then Olivier. “Tired?”
“Exhausted,” I said.
Nico nodded. “I apologize.”
I hated asking. Three in the morning was like asking him to go to bed in the middle of the afternoon. He still had another three or four hours before he had to go down. Olivier looked like he was ready to spend the night on the town with the both of us, but we made a turn down towards Republique for me.
“I just need to be dropped off. You can spend as much time as you like out here. I don’t need a keeper nor do I expect you to turn in early,” I said.
Olivier gave me a look of respect.
Nico looked at me for a moment. I could tell he was trying to figure out what to do.
“Go ahead,” I said.
We were at the front of the hotel. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” I said to Olivier.
He leaned in and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Good night.”
Nico bristled a little but didn’t say anything. “I will see you tomorrow night as well,” he said to Olivier. The affection Olivier showed me was probably enough to be the deciding factor for Nico.
“We can meet at a bistro a few blocks away from the Catacombs tomorrow night,” Olivier said.
Nico nodded. “Text me the address. Ten?” He asked.
“Sure. And thank you for allowing me to show you around Paris,” Olivier said. He gave Nico a pat on the shoulder.
Nico forced a smile. “Thank you.”
Nico and I pushed through the double glass doors of the hotel.
As we got into the elevator, I looked over at Nico. “That wasn’t so bad now was it,” I said.
Nico stared at me before saying anything. He started to say something and then shut his mouth.
“What?” I asked.
“When we get in the hotel room,” he said after looking down the hallway.
Fuck. That was not a good sign.
We got into our hotel room, closed the door, and then I took a seat on the bed, waiting.
“You could have made tonight a lot easier by telling me about him earlier,” Nico began.
I nodded.
“He stole his immortality? He stole a second bloodline? He has two fucking vampire bloodlines in his body? Do you know how fucking dangerous that makes him?” His voices was getting loud and shaky.
I nodded.
“Stop fucking nodding at me, Dylan.”
“Yes, he stole his immortality. Yes, he has two bloodlines. And I saw how intrigued you were when he said he had two, Nico. Don’t tell me you aren’t a little jealous
in the slightest.”
Nico paced. He always paced when he was pissed. It was unnerving. I waited for him to say something and the waiting was killing me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He finally asked after another minute’s worth of pacing.
I shrugged. “There was never a good time. I wasn’t back in Florence long enough. I wasn’t sure it was my place to say what he did or didn’t do.”
“That’s bullshit.”
It wasn’t bullshit. Everything had been on fast forward since we found out about the zombies and it was exhausting.
I yawned and got up from the bed. I went into the bathroom to take my makeup off and get ready for bed. I was too tired to argue with him. He was right, I should have told him about Olivier. I just didn’t know how to tell him. It was the secret I had been willing to keep for Olivier to ensure he got the help he needed putting down the zombies. It would come out in due time and it had. No harm, no foul.
“You’re going to bed?” Nico asked. He obviously wanted to argue or yell or fight some more. I had other plans.
I pulled back the cover on the bed and nodded. “Yes.” He stared at me as if waiting for me to explain myself. I stared back, showing that there was nothing left to be said for the night.
As Nico went to the curtains and adjusted them to ensure no light would shine through, it dawned on me that he would be sleeping beside me. This wasn’t something we had done yet. When he slept over at my apartment, he took the guest room. Antonio had told me about what to expect. Nico would be dead to the world. Cold to the touch. Not breathing. A dead weight.
Nico kicked off his shoes and began unbuttoning his shirt. I didn’t bother to watch. I climbed into the bed and let sleep take me the moment my head hit the pillow.
Chapter 16
I WOKE TO the sound of housekeeping knocking on the door. To my left, Nico was underneath the comforter, hidden from the world. I climbed out of the bed and padded to the door.
“Non,” I said to the petite brunette and closed the door. I knew it was rude, but my French wasn’t as good as my Italian and that meant it was pretty bad. She would get the hint and I put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ equivalent on the door.
