Camden was in the breakroom in the rear of the shop, and Achilles, his boss and friend, was pacing along the tile floor as he squinted at Camden, as if looking for signs of an incipient breakdown. Achilles was dressed as per usual like a runway model, elegant even when emotionally frazzled. His long blond hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, revealing pointed ears, his flawless features pinched, bright green eyes full of worry. Achilles was beautiful, even when stressed out.
“I wasn’t hurt. Nicolo saved me,” Camden reassured Achilles. “He was amazing. He took out a person wielding a sword like a knight in shining armor, using a baton. It was amazing! Scary, but amazing. This vampire kept trying to get to me, but my shield kept him out, and Nicolo threw him away from me like a rag doll.”
“Four assailants for a mugging?” Achilles shook his head. “Perhaps they were after Nicolo? He is a Bloodclan vampire, maybe he was the target.”
“That’s what the cops think, and it makes sense to me. The police who responded said it looked like a mugging attempt, and Nicolo was probably the target.” Camden explained. “He’s your friend. Is he often a target like this?”
He worried about Nicolo. The incident was so far outside his experience he was certain that Nicolo had to be the target. He went all over the city on his own and had never been mugged, much less been assaulted. Boston was a relatively safe city, with its incredibly high supernatural and practitioner populations. Muggers were rare, as they tended to be humans, and they rarely risked attacking anyone in Boston—you never knew who you might meet in a dark alley. There were plenty of people with fangs and claws and magic, able to defend themselves. The police were also certain it had to have something to do with the Bloodclan, focusing most of their questions on Nicolo and Gary.
“Nicolo isn’t part of the upper echelon of the Tower and its politics,” Achilles shared, stopping his pacing, arms crossed over his chest. “Neither is his sire. Nothing like this has happened since I’ve known him, and I met him decades ago.”
“Let’s hope it was a random mugging attempt and nothing more,” Camden said. He finished putting away his winter gear and turned to Achilles, determined. “I want to do something to thank him. Nicolo, I mean.”
Achilles arched a golden brow at him, relaxing a bit. “I do too, since he saved one of my best employees and friends. What did you have in mind?”
Camden grinned. “I know just the thing.”
Chapter
Four
Nicolo
“You are going out again?”
Nicolo looked up from his wrist where he was fixing his cufflinks, blinking innocently at his mother where she stood in the doorway to his bedroom.
Priscilla Mancini was a beautiful woman, Turned in her late thirties, as gorgeous today as the day she was made a vampire centuries earlier. Red hair piled high, porcelain skin a delicate translucent hue thanks to her undead nature, with red lush lips and eyes that glowed a deep amber, which were currently flashing red with emotion. She was a curvy woman, and dressed to accentuate her generous form, this time wrapped in a sleeveless gold silk sheath that fell to the floor in a dramatic flourish.
“I want to see Camden, Mamma. Make sure he’s alright, that the incident didn’t put him off unduly. I refuse to lose him over this.”
She sighed dramatically, and he grinned, unrepentant. “And so you’ll leave your worried mother behind, all alone? You frustrate me, child! Why must you be so stubborn?”
“I take after you, Mamma.”
She left the doorway of his room and came to him, her high heels clacking on the floor. She could walk silently in heels, she was a vampire, after all—but she enjoyed the sound too much. “If you’re going to be seducing a man, do make sure you look your best,” she lectured, and took over fussing with his cufflinks, straightening out the fabric and tugging on his sleeves. The silver cufflinks glittered in the light. “There, much better. Are you going to fix your hair?”
He looked in the mirror that sat over his dresser, frowning. “What’s wrong with my hair?”
“It looks as if you had an adventurous time in bed, darling.”
He saw nothing amiss, grinning. “Exactly.”
He hadn’t, of course, but that was the current style.
She sighed again, despairing of him. She looked as if she were preparing to seduce a bishop—she had before, a few times—so she was one to talk of appearances. She meant nothing by it, though, it was merely their dynamic after centuries together.
“You like this boy,” she said, less a question, more a statement of fact.
“I do,” he agreed. “I like him quite a bit.” He paused, looking down at her, but she wasn’t meeting his gaze. “Is that a problem?”
She finally looked up and frowned at him, gently smacking his arm. “No, of course not! You’ve never been so intent on another before. You’re different about this young man.”
“I love you, Mamma.” He pressed a kiss to her hair, the scent of her lilac perfume filling his senses. She wore it all the time, and the scent reminded him of years past and the joys and difficulties of being the only child of Priscilla Mancini. She was atouch possessive of him, but he wasn’t worried about her giving Camden any grief. She occasionally pushed him to find a mate, and he hoped that he finally had. “I don’t seek to replace you. I have room enough in my heart for both you and Camden.”
“I know, my dear boy.” She brushed at his shoulders, checking him over for nonexistent flaws, smiling softly. “You’re so handsome, charming, and a true gentleman—go sweep this young man off his feet. He won’t know what hit him.”
“Yes, Mamma.”
