Camden sat on a stool behind one of the counters, Nicolo cleaning his sword beside him with a pile of silk cloths and some metal-safe oil cleansers that Camden used to clean antique weapons in the shop.
He and Nicolo had already given their statements, the two customers in the storage room had been released and evaluated by the EMTs, and were giving their statements to the police as well. A detective named O’Malley, a gruff man from Southside by his accent, was speaking to Achilles near the entrance, Darrell standing with his boss, alert and watchful after the conflict.
Camden glanced quickly over the bloody field of battle, a bit queasy, but mostly impressed. He knew Achilles was more than just a rich and eccentric collector, but in an academic way—this was his first time seeing his boss in action and he was mentally realigning his assumptions about his boss and friend. Not in a bad way—he was proud of Achilles.
He turned his attention back to Nicolo. He found it hard to look away for more than a moment or two, his gaze always returning to the Italian vampire. Nicolo was a bit disheveled, gorgeous hair mussed, and there were flecks of blood on his face and staining his shirt. His sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, revealing strong forearms as he made sure the sword was cleaned perfectly, muscles flexing.
Camden swallowed hard, moderating his breathing, trying not to give away how utterly impressed and attracted he was to Nicolo in that moment. Needing a distraction so he didn’t launch himself at Nicolo, he spoke.
“You’re a duelist,” Camden said. “I knew you were, to some degree, but you must have been a career duelist in your day. As a human, I mean. There’s no hiding the way you move when you fight.”
Nicolo looked up from the sword, silver eyes intent and focused. His expression was serious, but not stern or hard. He nodded. “When I was mortal, I dueled often, for show and for honor, though most of those bouts were over silly things like spilled wine or inappropriate jests, sometimes over a lover or two. I calmed down after my arrest and near-death experience. Being a vampire made dueling a non-issue—it was grossly unfair to fight a mortal in a duel with my new abilities. I let it go, changing my ways and growing up, as Priscilla liked to say. I fought instead for self-defense and in the defense of others.”
“You’re amazing,” Camden said softly, meaning it. “Thank you for fighting, again. You saved us.” Camden blushed a bit. “Imean, well, Achilles and Darrell fought too, and well, and so did you, and I’ll shut up now.”
“No, keep telling me how amazing I am,” Nicolo gently teased, leaning toward him and stealing a soft, sweet kiss. Camden melted into the kiss, his remaining fear and anxiety fading away at last. They broke apart an inch or so, foreheads pressed together.
“You two are so sweet,” Achilles drawled. “Nicolo, no stealing my best employee.”
They eased apart and Camden eyed Achilles with some annoyance at the interruption, but Achilles merely crossed his arms and grinned, unrepentant.
“I don’t know; I may need to secret him away in the middle of the night, just to indulge in his many charms.” Nicolo winked at Camden as he said it, teasing, and Camden snorted out a laugh.
“I think being stolen away in the middle of the night by a dashing swordsman is exactly what I need right now.” Camden sighed, exhausted but too wound up from adrenaline to relax fully.
“I’ll oblige, tesoro, once the police let us leave.”
“I’ve hired more guards from our usual firm, and the cops recommended a cleanup crew and some people to secure the wrecked doors. I’ve called Cressida, and she’s on her way to help me secure the shop and get items off the showroom floor while things are set to rights in here. All that is to say that you can go home, Camden. Nicolo, too. The shop is closed for the next two weeks for repairs and upgrades. The police will contact you if they need anything else.” Achilles gestured over his shoulder toward Detective O’Malley, who was watching the forensics people pack up their gear.
“Are we in any more danger?” Camden asked as Nicolo finished cleaning his sword and sheathed it in the scabbard hanging at his side.
“I don’t think so,” Achilles said, though he frowned. “The detective thinks this was the whole crew. And that the mugging attempt a couple nights ago was them trying to get to Camden.”
“What? Why me?” Camden asked, a bit alarmed. Nicolo put a hand on his shoulder, calming him.
“You’re the only mortal employee I have who isn’t a trained fighter,” Achilles said, shrugging one shoulder, a rueful expression clouding his face. “The detective thinks you were a potential target, a means to get into the shop without taking the more brute force approach. They couldn’t get you so they went with Plan B, the smash and grab.” Achilles waved a hand at the remnants of the front door.
“Oh.” That made a ton of sense. Camden wanted to go home and hide under the covers in his bed. “Am I still in danger?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Camden,” Nicolo swore softly.
“You shouldn’t be,” Achilles said. “But if Nicolo wants to play bodyguard for the next few days, that sounds like a really good idea. I think we handled the whole team here, but let’s be cautious, just in case.”
Nicolo gently pulled Camden into his arms, and Camden went eagerly, hugging Nicolo around the waist and holding on tight. Nicolo kissed the top of his head and hugged him firmly, reflecting Camden’s body heat back so the hug was full of warmth.
“Come home with me for a few days, tesoro.”
“To the Tower?” Camden asked in a small voice, muffled a bit by Nicolo’s shirt.
“Yes. You’ll be safe. Let me do this for you.”
It really didn’t take much thought on his part. He wanted to stay with Nicolo. “Yes, please.”
Nicolo
Camden putteredaround Nicolo’s bedroom, unpacking his suitcase and putting away clothes in spaces Nicolo cleared for him. Camden hummed to himself while he worked, and Nicolo leaned on the doorframe, watching, content in a way he’d never felt before.
Priscilla came down the hall and stopped beside him in the doorway, watching Camden. “He is quite adorable.”
