“And no deep dish. Too much cheese.”
“Now I know you’re weird,” Carver said. “Chicago deep dish is the best.”
“Dude, gross,” Zack said.
“That means you haven’t had a good one.”
“I don’t think I’ve had one ever,” Kit replied.
“That’s right! First time in the area for you,” Zack said. “We’ve got to go out. We’re not going to get the good shit from the hotel restaurant.”
“The hotel restaurant is five stars,” Carver said. “And delivers up to the room.”
The three of them tumbled into an argument about whether or not trekking out for the pizza would be worth the while. Kitand Zack eventually won, and they headed out into the afternoon on a mission for food.
Carver’s right. Life doesn’t always suck.
CHAPTER 33
November slid into December in that peculiar way that time could run away with itself. Though the nights stretched in length, they had a habit of becoming dawn sooner and sooner. Roger stayed alert for some indication of Dmitri’s fate, but on the few occasions he was in Seamus’s presence, he made no mention of him. Anton was absent from gatherings and the donor houses, and no one spoke of him either. That wasn’t unusual for him but left Roger grasping at the void for any hint of his former lover.
Invitations flooded their social calendar. Roger did his best to dazzle new and old acquaintances alike. His smiles felt less and less forced. Not in the way they had in the past, though. Instead of becoming the color of butterfly he believed they wanted of him, he remained more calm, constant. The inevitable creep of the tide upon the shore, missed more in its absence than noted for its sparkle.
The suite remained their makeshift home, though Roger had begun the research to buy a house. The damn things never seemed to stay on the market long, and he hadn’t found the right one to jump into the fracas for.
The week before the Winter’s Grand Ball, they pushed the furniture in the living room to the edges each night and practiced their ballroom dancing. Zack had been in contact with Candide’s head pet, and their outfits for the ball were ordered and tailored.
New Year’s was less than two weeks away, and though Roger had the ball to worry about that evening, the minutes counting down to when he would finally strike out against Seamus seemed to etch themselves in Roger’s skin. He had plenty of time; he had none of it left.
But at least tonight there’s a party. Roger knocked on Kit’s bedroom door.
In a robe, Kit opened the door. They were freshly showered, and their natural musk mixed with the scent of strawberries.
“I know we’re all getting ready,” Roger said.
“But you’re looking for a nibble,” Kit said.
“If you don’t mind.”
Kit let Roger into their bedroom. Clothes were strewn about the room in the sort of chaos unique to haphazard youth. Roger hadn’t entered Kit’s room often during their stay in the hotel, but he knew their scent. And there was a pair of underwear that didn’t belong to them. Roger stood beside the pair, looking down at it, then glanced over at Kit with a raised eyebrow.
Kit was sitting on their bed. When they spotted what Roger had noticed, they blushed, though they tried to act cool about it. “Carver and I hook up sometimes. You said our bodies are our own.”
“They are.” Roger joined Kit on the bed. “It’s fine that you keep each other company.”
“Is it?” Kit demanded. They got onto their knees and faced Roger. “Other masters would have a problem with their pets hooking up without permission.”
“That wasn’t the deal that we struck,” Roger said.
“Yeah, but what if I wanted that out of you?” Kit said.
Roger leaned back and sifted through Kit’s desires. There was something familiar they were emitting, something that Roger hadn’t paid much attention to. “Ah. You want to be someone’s submissive.”
“I thought that was how vamps and their pets operated,” Kit said.
“Being a dominant vampire takes a certain mindset,” Roger said. “I’ve never held to it twenty-four seven. Was that what you were hoping I would provide?”
“Zack’s not the only one who can keep their ears open.” Kit sat cross-legged and picked at the comforter. “People say you’re one of the better coven masters. That you have a firm hand.”
