Page 27 of Little Wing (Shades of Fairhaven #1)

T here was little effort needed in convincing Kait and Reina to come to the grand opening with me.

Reina saw it as an opportunity to dress up and to “see me in my element.” Kait, on the other hand, was curious about Little Wing, just as she was about all things concerning vampires.

She asked questions about the community space that had me acknowledge that she knew way more about vampires—even beyond what she knew from me.

“So, it’s a community center for vampires? Sort of like those queer-friendly spaces?” Reina asked, adjusting her grip on my arm as we walked down the cobblestone streets from The Royal Nomad.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Kait said, looking over at us as she stuck a hand in her pocket.

Her typical dress of a flannel top with a band shirt was replaced with a checkered collared shirt that she left partially tucked into the front of her slim slacks.

“It’s a safe space for new vampires to learn about what they need to do to survive.

I can’t imagine the kind of adjustment all this had to be for you guys.

For anyone who is on their own—this can be that safety net that offers help instead of dismissing them as a nuisance. ”

I couldn’t agree more. The more I learned from Silas, the more excited I became at the possibility of there being a place that so many could benefit from. Despite what I had experienced, I felt well-adjusted to human life. However, I knew that wasn’t a common sentiment among many of our people.

“I agree,” I said.

When I smiled at my friends, it was genuine.

The excitement around this event had me minding very little about my fangs being visible to them.

This was going to be an incredible evening, finally being able to see all the hard work that Silas and his brother put into Little Wing.

I had no doubt they were proud of everything they accomplished.

“Hey,” I cleared my throat, calling my friends attention to me. “I wanted to thank you for coming with me tonight. It means a lot that you both wanted to join me. Silas has been so nervous and excited—it has been quite endearing to see.”

“Silas?” Reina cooed, leaning over to wiggle her eyebrows at Kait. “You hear the way she says his name? Is this going to be the first time we get introduced to Lotus’s boyfriend? Officially?”

Kait covered her mouth and laughed as she nodded. “I think you’re right.”

“Hey! Hey, wait!” I whined, seeing no chance of winning.

Truth is, there was little protest from me.

I enjoyed our youthful banter because it was something I never really got to experience before.

Though they were both insinuating that Silas and I were, in fact, an item, we had no titles.

We were old, Silas and I. Over three hundred years of existence didn’t exactly call for titles and demands for exclusivity.

I wasn’t that clueless to know that most vampires were either in open-relationships or just not pursuing anything exclusive.

“Girls, this is just us coming to support a new business. We’d want the same for our future bookstore and café, right?” I pointed out .

Reina shrugged and rested her head against my arm. “All I am accepting at this time is that you must be getting dicked down real good to be wearing your hair up and doing your makeup differently. Is that a new foundation you’re using? Looks different.”

My body tensed, realizing that the difference was truly not as subtle as I thought. Or maybe they just saw me often, so any change could have been significant to them, right? I couldn’t help but wonder what Silas would have to say. That is, if he would even have time to look in my direction.

Before I could say anything, Kait spoke, her voice surprisingly cheeky. “I’d say it must be good if she’s not complaining about all the drinks he’s buying her. Reina, you should see her snuggled up with him in the booth.”

“What? I did no such thing!” I gasped, fighting to get out of Reina’s grasp, only for Kait to join in and link her arms through mine. “You naughty girls,” I laughed.

“Oh, give it up, Lo. We’re happy for you,” Kait cackled. “It’s great seeing you so upbeat. You are happy, right?”

As our fit of giggles and wheezes settled, I caught my breath and confirmed. “I am.”

When we finally approached the plaza, Little Wing was already full of activity.

Just the sight of it open and buzzing with opportunity made my chest grow tight.

It wasn’t the familiar pain I was so used to, but pride for Silas.

When we walked in, we were almost immediately lost in the crowd of vampires who were exploring every corner of the community center.

There was a mixture of those who had attended the gathering at the club, but most of the crowd consisted of youths who would be the ones truly benefiting from these services.

First, I spotted Mateo who was already on the other side of the room speaking to a group of young boys with a more mature man standing beside them.

Even Quinn was helping with the refreshments.

Everyone was doing their part in making this evening a success.

But while I continued observing everything that was unfolding, my heart was seeking a sighting of one man.

Everything about the space was realized with such care.

Everyone was being taken care of, and I just knew that so many vampires would be able to make it in Fairhaven just because of what Silas and his brother were doing.

When the initial shock settled, I found that Kait and Reina were no longer beside me, but looking around Little Wing with the same level of astonishment and wonder.

Their eyes lit up as more vampires walked past them and even more so when they were offered a cup of tea from one of the volunteers while I was given a glass of synthetic blood.

I offered my thanks and stepped closer to my friends who sipped on their drinks.

Kait kept one arm around Reina’s shoulder and gave me an approving nod. “This is incredible, Lo. What do you think?”

“I mean,” Reina cut in. “What’s not to love? There is clearly a need and Lo’s not-boyfriend certainly delivered. Oh! Speaking of—” Reina pushed off from Kait and peered past me. “Well, hello, sir.”

My breath shuddered as I looked over my shoulder.

The unmistakable hum of his heart and his scent of pine and leather.

Sure enough, Silas was approaching us, welcoming all those who he walked past with a quick touch on the arm or shoulder.

He looked incredibly handsome in the black sports coat he was wearing, but it was his smile that had mine spreading in an involuntary response.

His chocolate curls were brushed to the side to show off his freshly shaved undercut and his facial hair was trimmed.

He was indeed a businessman, and he looked every bit the part. Frustratingly delicious…

“Ladies, I’m so glad you could make it.” His gaze politely looked upon us before settling on me.

I could feel my friends holding back their wild grins with very little success.

As Silas looked me up and down, his lips parted when he settled on my face.

“Wow,” he mouthed to me. “Lotus, I’m so glad you came. ”

I couldn’t help it—my knees felt weak when he spoke to me.

Despite being in a crowded space, I felt like we were the only people in the room.

Sensing the intimacy behind his eyes, I tugged my dress down at the sides to settle more fittingly around my waist and so the short sleeves wouldn’t slide down my shoulders.

I wanted to keep it casual with a simple indigo dress yet still dressed up enough so that I could look presentable next to him.

He wanted me as his plus-one, but I did not know what that would entail for the evening.

“Oh, Silas, she wouldn’t have missed it. She’s been talking our ear off all week just talking about Silas-this and community center-that, which by the way—amazing job! What a turnout,” Reina exclaimed.

Silas chuckled and stepped closer to me, gently setting his hand on the small of my back just as he did the other night.

“Thank you. My brother and I are thrilled with this turnout. I admit we were both dry heaving at home worried that no one would show up. Well, I hoped that at least Lotus would, that way I could still share this success with her.”

Though no color rushed to my cheeks, I felt my face warm at the notion of him simply wanting to share this moment with me.

“This is truly a wonderful turnout, Silas,” I finally said. “You should be so proud.”

“Thank you, Lo.” His nails lightly grazed over the fabric of my dress. “Mateo wanted to give a speech, so I better get up there with him. Quinn was wondering if you’d like to stand beside her.”

“Me?” I asked, pointing to my chest. “Does she need assistance with anything?”

He shook his head and finally stepped away from me, just far enough to hold his hand out for me to take. “Okay, maybe I lied. I’d love to have you up front. It’ll make me less nervous to speak in front of this crowd. I really wasn’t expecting this many people to come today.”

Before I could come up with a level-headed response, my friends were reacting just as I would have if I'd had no restraint. They were grinning and practically bouncing with glee. To my surprise, even Kait was just as animated, giving me a very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Without giving my brain a chance to twist this sweet moment into something ugly, I placed my hand in his, allowing him to lead me.

Silas bowed his head. “Thank you, both. I swear I won’t steal her for the entire night. I think I just need to have someone who helps settle my mind up there while I’m doing my best not to make a fool of myself.”

Silas guided me away from Kait and Reina through the crowd towards a small platform with a podium. No doubt it was brought out specifically for this moment. But while the chatter buzzed around us like flies, I only focused on the words that left Silas’s perfect lips.

Someone who settled his mind. Did he truly mean me?

“Hey…” Silas stopped and squeezed my hand, running his thumb over my knuckles. “You look beautiful.”

“As do you—you look very handsome. Almost as if you were not nervous at all.” I offered a quick jest to settle my slow-beating heart from speeding up anymore.

Any more rapid beats and I could have even confused myself with a human.

“But—” I whispered as he looked upon me. “Thank you. It’s not quite bare, but—”

“It’s perfect,” he whispered back before placing a ghost of a kiss against my lips.

Giving my hand one more squeeze he let go and excused himself to join Mateo on the small platform.

They truly did look like a team when they stood next to each other.

The pride that they shared was truly infectious.

They were two very proud men who were finally seeing their dream realized.

Now all they would have to do is watch Little Wing thrive.

I could only imagine the excitement that they were trying to keep at bay—the kind that would have them speaking quickly and screaming their joy into the microphone.

That was self-restraint that even I admired.

“Everyone,” Mateo started, giving everyone a few moments to quiet their chatter and turn to face him.

“Silas and I wanted to take this time to welcome you to Little Wing. This is our grand opening, and we are beyond thrilled to see you all here.” He paused, looking down at the podium where he likely had some notes to reference.

As he continued talking about the services that the community center would be providing, I could not help looking past him to see Silas fidgeting with the cuff of his blazer.

Knowing what I knew about his siblings from his nest, I had no doubt that this was a very special moment for them.

While his brother sold the excitement with a tone and posture fit for a salesman, Silas looked more reserved and pensive than I had ever seen him.

There was the man whose confidence I envied and admired, but he looked trapped in his thoughts. He was only pulled back to the present when Mateo addressed him to step up to the microphone.

For a long moment, Silas looked at it, and then into the crowd. That same reluctance remained on his face until his eyes stopped on mine. That pensive expression soon faded, turning into a gentle smile that I felt was only for me.

“You got this,” I mouthed with my own smile in response. I pointed to my fangs in a gesture to smile.

Silas nodded and huffed a quick breath. “Well, my brother is definitely the more experienced public speaker,” he chuckled, which earned scattered laughter across the crowd.

“I wanted to take a moment to speak from the heart.” His eyes never left mine.

“Little Wing is here for those who have ever felt lost in a world that speaks of unity and acceptance without the resources to help you succeed.” He paused and I watched him clench and unclench his fist.

“Little Wing honors those who have left us, because they did not have a nest to support them or teach them how to survive in this rapidly changing world. Little Wing is here to make sure that vampires, both young and old, don’t succumb to a preventable demise. Never again.”

Applause and cheers began to erupt around me.

“Little Wing is here to make sure you never feel like a second-class citizen, never like you are less than." He stopped abruptly, his eyes burning into mine. “That who you are is enough, and you don’t ever need to hide what you are.”

I could sense those around me begin to look around until they noticed that Silas was staring directly at me.

For the first time in a long time, I stood in a room full of vampires and did not mind that I was being looked at.

None of it mattered because I could only focus on Silas as his gaze made me feel all those words he promised for Little Wing—I felt he promised those things to me too.

Had it not been for the crowd cheering around me, I would have used the fuel of confidence in his promise to walk up to him and kiss him.

I settled for clapping. Once the speeches were done and the crowd returned to exploring all the services offered, I watched as Silas and Mateo greeted more people and shook more hands.

When Silas was up there, he spoke clearly and confidently.

I couldn’t help thinking that I was the reason why, and that thought delighted me more than I ever thought it would.