Nicolo
Living with Camden was an adventure. Nicolo’s rooms in the Tower were suddenly filled with warmth and laughter, the scent of Camden everywhere, from the shower to the bed, to the armchair by the fire in the main parlor. The untouched kitchen was being used for the first time, Camden making a late supper halfway through the night or brewing coffee just after sunset. Camden’s work schedule wasn’t all that different from Nicolo’s normal hours, and they fit together with minimal adjustments.
History books appeared on the nightstand on what was now Camden’s side of the bed, and there was another set of winter boots by the door, neatly aligned next to Nicolo’s. Toiletries in the bathroom, clothes in the closet, a new hamper in the bedroom, and a new voice in the suite.
It was all different, and Nicolo was surprised at how happy he was with all the changes. The space felt lighter, airier, warmer.
Even Priscilla seemed to appreciate the young practitioner in her territory. She smiled more, and spent hours talking to Camden about historical events she had lived through, Camden taking notes and asking insightful questions. His sire was clearly fond of Camden, and for his part, Camden was not at all intimidated by the powerful vampire or her sometimes overwhelming personality.
Midwinter arrived before he knew it, the celebrations in full swing, the Tower decked out in various cultures’ decorations, a riot of color and cheer.
Nicolo drank from his goblet of spiced blood wine as Camden rinsed dishes in the kitchen sink, putting them in the dishwasher. To Nicolo’s memory, the dishwasher had never been used until Camden. He didn’t even know they had one, honestly.
Priscilla was applying her makeup at the island in their shared kitchen instead of the vanity in her room, hair piled high on her head in a chaotic and somehow elegant coil of shining strands, and she held a large hand mirror as she applied red lipstick, the rich crimson a match for her silk dress. The dress was slung over the kitchen island on a cushioned hanger, her red leather heels under the stool on which she sat, and her feet swung as she happily chatted with Camden while applying a thick wing of eyeliner to one eye, hands steady and application flawless. She wore a thick, white cotton robe that barely covered her shoulders and fell to mid-thigh, her long legs bare, revealing red toenails, the color a match to her shoes and dress.
“Darling, the dishes can wait! Go get dressed before we’re late!” Priscilla chided lightly as Camden rinsed a plate and put it in the dishwasher.
“You delight in being fashionably late, Mamma,” Nicolo teased, already dressed in his formal attire. Beryl, the Tower’s resident tailor and fashion designer, had made Nicolo a callbacksuit that blended 1500s Italian colors and patterns with the elegant simplicity of modern wear, even designing the leather belt to hold a dueling dagger and Nicolo’s new sword. Mamma approved of the outfit, and had commissioned a more modern tuxedo for Camden so he would feel just as outrageously handsome as her sired son.
“I shall be ready on time, but what time that is shall be a mystery! But I refuse to be late because of someone else’s tardiness, so go, shoo! Get ready!” Priscilla gestured Camden out of the kitchen with the hand holding the eyeliner, and Camden went with a laugh, pausing to kiss Nicolo on the cheek.
“She’s incorrigible,” Camden said with a chuckle.
“She truly is. Grab the bag on the bed for me on your way back?” Nicolo asked.
Camden smiled and winked with a short nod, and then left the kitchen, heading down the hall to their bedroom.
Priscilla gave him a smug look before she went back to applying her makeup. “He likes me.”
“You’re hard not to love, Mamma,” Nicolo said, approaching the island and setting down his drink. “The question is, do you like him?”
“He’s intelligent, educated, charming, and sweet.” Priscilla finished her makeup and slipped into her heels before she stood, shedding the robe and tossing it aside. Nicolo caught the robe before it hit the floor, rolling his eyes at his sire’s dramatics. She slipped the red silk dress on with an elegant wiggle, turning her back, and he zipped it up for her without saying a word.
She turned around and smiled up at him, and gently patted a hand on his chest over his silent heart. “I love him. I think he’s perfect for you, and you for him. This clan already has numerous practitioner mates, so one more won’t even cause a ripple. Talk to him about it before the bond begins to form more than it already has.”
“Already has?” He blinked at her in surprise, then focused inward, closing his eyes, sending his awareness to that place inside of him where his vampiric nature originated. There dwelled his bond to his sire, the bloodclan, and then he went deeper, past that well of primordial death magics to the place that held his soul, the deepest depths his conscious mind could reach. All sentient undead had souls, it was what made them thus—and there it was, shining brightly in the very core of him, a golden light in the darkness.
His mamma was right. The beginnings of a soul bond. A thin wisp of light and energy, a cord that stretched out into the darkness, seeking an anchor. Seeking Camden.
Vampires bonded only where true love bloomed.
He loved Camden.
He found himself staring in shock at his sire, her gaze both concerned and fond. “You found the bond?”
He nodded, at a loss for words. “I did. I love him, Mamma.”
“I knew you did the moment you first spoke of him.” She hugged him gently, rocking them both back and forth before letting him go. “You need to tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Camden asked, and Nicolo blamed his shock for not noticing Camden sneak up on them.
Nicolo went to Camden and swept him up in a huge hug, burying his face in Camden’s neck and breathing him in. Camden laughed in delight, both arms hugging Nicolo around the neck, the thump of the gift bag Camden held hitting his back.
“Il mio tesoro, il mio amore,” Nicolo said, and Camden, his brilliant Camden, gasped, knowing immediately what he said.
He set Camden down and took the gift bag from his lax hand, passing it to his sire, who took it with a curious gleam in her eyes. “What’s this?”
“For you, Mamma, a present from both Camden and myself with love, to celebrate your Turning day,” Nicolo said over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off Camden.
