“Vincent.” Zack deflated against the desk. He avoided looking at Takashi. “I feel like an idiot for not catching on. Vincent’s not the head pet of the GLC. He’s a prized fuckdoll—which is gross considering he’s been that for a couple years and he only turned eighteen last month. He’s slowly dying in front of everyone’s eyes, and nobody seems to give a shit, or they’re too busy saving their own asses from this monster.”
“Ah,” Takashi said. “It’s no longer a matter of paper and memory but witnessed.”
“Yeah. And it’s making me more nervous that he went out of his way to throw me under the bus.” Zack bit his bottom lip, then sighed. “Seamus has shown some weird interest in me. I noticed it the first time I ran into him. One of his pets said something about how he’s been talking about me. And considering Vincent scowled and then pranked me, it’s got to be true. I really don’t want to think about what that means.”
“Then let me provide a welcome distraction.” Takashi pulled a small jewelry box from his pocket and laid it on the desk in front of Zack. “Happy birthday.”
With a confused frown, Zack opened the little box. A beautiful white-gold pendant shaped like a dagger hung from a matching white-gold chain. The pommel of the dagger had a pink tourmaline gem, and little diamonds decorated either sideof the hilt and then a line down the center of the blade. It was a gorgeous piece that was a touch less than two inches long. Cal would’ve mocked it for having pink, but that was technically Zack’s birthstone. Well, that and opals, but Zack liked the pink tourmaline better.
And he liked it. And it was a perfect present. Probably one of the most expensive he’d ever gotten.
“We, uh, we’ve never really talked about you and me,” Zack said.
Takashi raised an eyebrow. “Not exactly what I expected you to say.”
“Ah, fuck! I mean,thank you. It’s gorgeous. I love it. I do. I just.” Zack took a deep breath. “I don’t know if this is a ‘I’m a rich guy and I wanted to get my boyfriend’s boyfriend a nice gift’ or if it’s a ‘I’m ridiculously into my new boyfriend’ gift.”
“Which would you prefer it to be?” Takashi asked.
That wasn’t an answer at all. Out of everyone Zack had met, Takashi had a poker face that rivaled Nell’s. And he had to. He’d been to so many places and had to deal with so many volatile vampires the only way he’d been able to survive was to keep stuff close to his chest.
He’d read Zack’s journal, and though that should’ve upset Zack more, he could see the logic behind it. Given a reverse of their situation, Zack would’ve devoured any information he could’ve had on Takashi before he walked into their lives. Well, he had, actually. However, the internet didn’t provide a whole picture, and Zack had been limited to that and rumors.
Yet when the three of them were together, Takashi had insisted that Roger wasn’t the only one he wanted. He’d gotten a glimpse of all the crap Zack had to say about the bullshit he went through and decided he was worthwhile. And nobody, not even immortal millionaires, bought diamonds for someone they didn’t have some kind of feelings for. Those feelings didn’thave to be romantic, but as Zack tried to weigh Takashi’s overt attempt to remain casual, he realized he wasn’t the only one terrified of rejection.
The idea was such a simple basic notion. He’d known academically that of course no one wanted rejection. And he’d had tender moments with Roger. But in this moment, the knowledge was a new dawn. The epiphany worked a tiny magic all its own. His intuition could be wrong, but he was willing to gamble that he’d reached the right conclusion.
Takashi was hoping he’d say they were boyfriends. He was scared Zack would reject him.
And this wasn’t about Roger; this was about how he felt for Takashi.That’s how this should work, right? Being poly? There’s me and Roger, him and Roger, him and me, and the three of us? And maybe we get casual with others on occasion, maybe we don’t. But that doesn’t change how I want him in my life.
Zack stood so he and Takashi would’ve been sharing breath if Takashi had to breathe. Takashi’s aura was a cool touch, a light reminder of his vampiric nature. The woodsy cologne he used covered up his scent of the grave for the most part.
Zack brushed his lips against Takashi’s in a slow and tender kiss. He held off from trying to deepen it, choosing to draw it to a languid close instead. With a smile, he said, “Thank you for the necklace,boyfriend.”
Takashi had a brilliant, beautiful, shy smile for a heartbeat before the slick, amazing immortal confidence returned. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I wish I could get away with wearing it tonight,” Zack said.
“Pity that you can’t.” Takashi kissed Zack’s cheek. “I did have another reason for coming in here. Everyone else is getting ready for the party.”
“Fuck. I’m going to wind up last again.”
Takashi laughed and nudged him toward the master bedroom.
CHAPTER 23
The original Devil’s Cove had been an island in the Caribbean Sea, but Seamus had so loved the name that Roger had endured several clubs named after it over the centuries. The first one in Chicago had burned in the early 1970s as part of a conflict with the Seelie princess of Chicago. By the end of the decade, Seamus had rebuilt his private club and named it, once again, Devil’s Cove.
The outside of the building had aged gracefully and blended into the surrounding neighborhood. On a street with other bars, the occasional bubble of activity as vampires had to wait their turn to make their way past bouncers went unnoticed. Fortunately, there had been no line outside when Roger and the others had been dropped off. They’d made their way inside without difficulty.
Devil’s Cove hadn’t majorly changed since the rebuilding. The main floor had a large recess in the center that dipped down a half flight of stairs. That butted up against the stage on the far side of the room. The second floor was a balcony that curved around the first, except for the wall with the stage. The booths on the first floor and balcony had been replaced with various couches and heavy chairs. Other than that, the only updatesRoger could spot were that the bars—two on the first floor and one on the second—had a slick industrial chic to them rather than the heavy glass monstrosities Seamus had been convinced were stylish in the 1970s.
A few of Roger’s nightmares began in his memories of Devil’s Cove from the ’80s. As he wrapped his arm around Zack, he hoped nothing new would join that bank of terror. His outfit for the party was a suit of deep purple that had embroidered golden grapes. He’d asked Kit to provide a bit of makeup so that he had trails of gold glitter across his eyelids and then lightly fading off toward his hairline. A dangling gold earring replaced the gold stud he had been wearing. He was shirtless, and the suit jacket had a wide, low cut before the buttons just above his navel.
Takashi’s suit was a pale blue, and he had a sheer white dress shirt on with it. When Roger first saw the wide-brimmed cap with wings, he thought it’d been ridiculous, but Takashi had an impish glee in his eyes while wearing it, and that made him too darling to think that he was anything other than handsome. His dress shoes had wings embroidered on them.
Kit, Zack, and Carver were dressed in satyr costumes. Their chests were bare, though they’d each adorned some manner of glitter across their torsos that matched their makeup. All three wore custom horns. The same was true of their furry trousers. Zack’s was a light brown, Kit’s reddish, and Carver’s a dark brown with spots of white.
