“Maybe I’ll have you change me, so we’ll never know the answer to that question.” She squeezed me back with an almost-smile. After learning about Takeo and Mother, we hugged each other for what felt like hours. Mother wasn’t the greatest, but she didn’t deserve to die like she did. Takeo definitely didn’t deserve his fate. I’d asked about Rei, hoping he’d made it through the slaughter, but there had been no word from him.
“Go find your vamp,” she shooed me to find Tatsou.
I didn’t even know what to say to him, but I knew we needed to have a talk. I grabbed my boots and left the apartment with a wave to my sister. I winced as the nightlife hurt my head. The lights were blindingly bright, the sounds echoed in my ears, and the warmth of bodies around the city made my throat ache, but I concentrated on Tatsou’s scent—wisteria and hinoki cypress. My sister’s safe apartment in Tokyo was the perfect place to hide from Father. Finding someone in this city was nearly impossible. I guess I should thank my lucky vampire senses when I found the batty boy sitting near the water in the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. My family visited Tokyo a few times, and I always liked to draw inspiration for art from these various gardens scattered throughout the city. Tatsou hated the huge population, the lights, and pretty much everything about this time. Nature felt close to home for him.
I didn’t know what to say as I sat beside him and looked onto the water with clear sight despite the darkness.
“You’re nervous. Why?”
“How can you tell?” I answered his question with a question, mostly because I was a curious person. I wondered if my expression showed nervousness or if he had magic emotion reading powers.
“You’re always talking. Your silence is evidence of your nervousness.”
“What about when I’m angry or sad? I’m quiet, then, too,” I challenged.
“You are extra talkative when you are sad or mad.”
“I am not. I’ve been told many times that I’m cold when I get mad. When I’m sad, too! I’m really not even that talkative of a person.”
His eyebrow lifted, and I realized I’d gotten angry, and his point proved true.
“Okay, so I am talkative when I’m angry. But it’s mostly just around you. You bring out this . . .” I pondered for the word and only one word came to mine. “Spark.”
His body froze, and his heart slowed. He knew why I’d sought him out . . . to have the talk about us.
“Now who’s the nervous one?” I smiled and scooted a tad closer to him. I still didn’t exactly know what I felt, but I knew Romi spoke truth.
“I’m still conflicted about what you did, but I get it. I would be dead had you not changed me. I wished you would have talked to me about it, though.”
His mouth opened to retort but I cut him off.
“I know, I know. Honestly, I forgot that you were not human. I fell in love with you knowing you are an asshole-ish vampire. I’m sad at the loss of my mortal life and dreams, but I know I can adjust them to work.” My throat ached, and it wasn’t the need for blood. I hurt inside with the knowledge that I’d changed, my whole world had changed. But there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Control what you can and let go of what you can’t was my new motto.
“I’m not sorry, but I did not want this for you.” His hand reached over to touch mine, and I laced our fingers together.
“I know,” I sighed.
“You surprise me by taking this so well.”
“I mean, I feel sort of resigned, if you will. I know there’s no going back, so I’m only hurting myself by agonizing over what I can’t change. I’d rather move forward.”With you,I didn’t add my last thoughts, but I think he knew them. His kissed my forehead. The legendary vampire loved me, and now we’d have an eternity to be together, if we didn’t annoy each other to death first.
“I need to talk to you about something.” In a matter of seconds, he lifted me up and placed me on his lap. His arms wrapped around my waist as I leaned my head against him. I nodded for him to continue, ready to hear what he needed to talk about. Maybe he was ready to tell me about his huge fortune or house by the beach.
“Your father survived the change and is making his move on Japan. I have to stop him.”
Chapter Forty
Katsumi
“Our father—”
“Ex-father.” I corrected Romi, then gestured for her to continue. She eyed me like she’d smack me upside the head but carried on with her spiel. Through her super awesome skills with the computer, she had discovered our ex-father had been naughty.
“He went straight for the Commissioner General and is pulling his strings now. All my sources confirm that he’s changing his lackeys into vampires to have an unstoppable army beneath him.” She typed on her laptop, then showed us some forums where people were talking about the changes in the crime world.
“I still don’t understand how he got vampires to do his bidding. They could have taken him out quickly. I’ve thought about this many times over. Why did Angel or any of the others listen to our once-human father?”
Tatsou answered before my sister could. “Vampires of this time, the diluted versions, crave more power. Your father is power and gave them the rein to feed. Protection and physical needs being met are everyone’s most basic desires. I also suspect the second-in-command scared them. Every vampire fears the stronger ones.” His head leaned over to nuzzle my neck with his nose. Now that we didn’t have to keep up our charade, Tatsou did not waste time being with me. Thank goodness Romi didn’t care about the constant PDA. She’d mentioned to me while she didn’t want to be in the room while we fucked, it made her happy to see me with someone who balanced me.
