Page 39 of Saved by the Vampire Goddess (Dark Wine Vampires #1)

Chapter thirty-nine

Valroy

Hawaiian Dome—The next night

M y talk with Tina last week continues to haunt me. I hated hearing that her experiences have matured her the same way our parents’ deaths did me, but I’m also so proud of the young woman she’s becoming. She wants to keep living her life; she’s open to healing from it all and moving on. Tina’s strong, much stronger than I gave her credit for.

Shortly before sunrise, I close the blackout shades and crawl onto my bed. The bullet wounds in my back have healed completely, allowing me to stretch out and lie on the mattress without pain.

But the pain in my heart never sleeps.

Memories of our month together rise without warning. Bittersweet longing fills my chest. It’s not New Rome or my former status I miss—it’s Evelina. Smart. Feisty. Flirty. Beautiful. Powerful. The kind of woman I longed for my entire life and never thought I’d find.

Eight months until I see her again, and I’m counting each day. Will she forget about me in that time? She’s lived so long—eight months must be just a blip for her. Surely her love for me won’t die between now and then?

A virtual clock reports the time when I wake with the moonrise: four in the afternoon. Titus and Tina have been touring the island together during the day, as Tina won’t start school for another week. After talking with other men his age, Titus accepted the offer of attending school himself. Ingvar has promised he’ll receive funding until he finishes his degree, just like Tina.

Apparently, everyone in the mixed domes may either attend university, for a four-year degree, or trade school, whichever they prefer, at no cost. If they don’t feel ready to make that choice, they may take gap years and explore their career choices through internships. The businesses that benefit from having an educated workforce pay for the educational system.

Later tonight, they’re attending a social gathering of other teens to welcome Tina to her new school. I didn’t want Tina going alone. Titus is only three years older than her and will blend in better than I.

The sun won’t set for another twenty minutes. The daylight bracelet is still on my wrist. I finger it, thinking of going outside and walking about on my own, but my stomach growls.

So I roll out of bed and check the refrigerator in the small kitchen—smaller than Evelina’s—and find enough mortal blood bags to keep me fed for the night.

From an automatic dispenser, I fill a pan with steaming water, drop in a donor bag and swish it around to warm the contents, then open the bag’s spout and pour the dark wine into a glass from the cupboard.

I’m chugging down my second serving of the scarlet liquid when a man suddenly appears in my living area and I drop the glass, which bounces without breaking but spatters blood everywhere.

The man is about my height and weight. Corded muscles flow from the short sleeves of his T-shirt.

If I have to fight him, I’ll win, because I’m vampire now. A mop of curly brown hair, high cheekbones, and intense green eyes give him the sort of good looks the domina would battle over. I hold my ground, ready for a fistfight as he steps closer.

Instead of swinging at me, he stoops to pick up the glass and places it in the sink, then grabs a towel and cleans the blood-spattered tiles. “Can’t leave that lying around. Someone might mistake it for a crime scene.”

I’m aware the Lux can magically appear, but a mortal? “Who are you?”

“My real name is Ari Dumont, but you can call me Cupid. Let’s talk outside. The sun’s gone down.”

Cupid? Why would I call this man by a god’s name?

He pulls back the vertical blinds and opens a sliding glass door, then grabs my arm and steers me onto the balcony overlooking a tropical extravaganza of large-leafed greenery. A wall of sound greets us—birds chirping and insects clicking, hidden in the gardens.

“You did the stupidest thing possible,” he says.

“What?”

“Leaving Evelina. Dude, bad move there.”

“But she told me to leave. And Ingvar insisted on bringing Tina here. I didn’t have the option to stay.”

Ari grasps my shoulder and leans in close. “Evelina could have refused to let you go and appealed Ingvar’s decision to the higher-ups. But she didn’t want to make that choice for you. Broke her own heart so you could be with your sister.”

“I would have stayed—”

He lightly smacks my back.

I sneer at him. “Keep that up, mortal, and I’ll show you what I am.”

He laughs. Laughs. “I’m Lux, not mortal.”

A rivulet of fear trickles through me. I’ve just threatened an angel. Making a starburst, I touch my forehead.

Ari laughs. “Did that dweeb Ingvar teach you to do that?”

“No, but he didn’t discourage me, either.”

“Well, stop it. The mortals and vampires will give you hell if they see you doing it. And you can’t feed Ingvar’s ego. The damn thing is big enough already. So stop with the obeisance.”

Yeah, Evelina told me to stop, too. My heart aches at the memory. I miss her so much.

“Hey, dude”—he taps a finger on my forehead—“you okay in there?”

I jump back, pushing his hand away. “Just thinking.” I tilt my head, studying him. “The Lux can look human?”

“Let me guess. Ingvar has never shown you his mortal form?”

“He’s been giving us guided tours using a translator device.”

“Yeah, Ingvar’s a pretentious asshole.” Ari shrugs and leans his butt against the balcony railing. “What can I say? Some of us are like that, especially the younger ones.”

“Including you?”

“Nope, I’m the fun-loving kind. Older. More mature.”

“Oh.” This new information is a lot to take in. “You seem to want something from me.”

“I want to discuss your future. A guy who looks like you, well, you could spend the next hundred years screwing your way through this dome. But frankly, I think you’ll be happier back with Evelina. I know she would be.”

“How? I mean, I don’t know you—”

“Evelina called my cousin and cried on her shoulder. That’s how I know.”

“Called?”

“Comm system. Implanted crystals.” He points at the area behind his jaw joint, drawing a circle with his finger.

“This dome has an antenna like the ark?”

“Yup. We have repeater antennas set up around the world, so the mixed domes can communicate with each other.”

“And Evelina wants me back?”

“She’s kicking herself for shooing you away. Said things she didn’t mean about vampire relationships not lasting to get you to go with your sister.”

“But is she right? Is our relationship doomed?”

“Many vampire couples make the long haul. I’ve seen some myself.” Ari scratches his chin, which is sprouting brown scruff. “What do you think? If you had to decide—”

“I wanted to stay, but Tina—”

“Would you like a do-over?”

“Huh?”

“I can take you back.”

“But Ingvar said—”

“We already settled that Ingvar’s an ass. Someday he’ll fall in love, and I’ll laugh through his dramedy.”

My biggest desire is to return to Evelina. But my biggest concern is what will happen to my sister. What if she needs me? “These comm devices—will I have one?”

“I can make that happen.”

“What about Tina? She’s only sixteen. She’ll need my guidance.”

“It’s not a one-way trip, man. You can schedule visits with her, and she can visit your ark. You’ll have to trade goods for transport, but you and Evelina are in a rich area. Scavenging good stuff to trade shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And I’ll be able to talk to Tina in between visits?”

“I’ll make sure she gets the crystal implant right away.”

“Let me talk with Titus and Tina first.”

“Do what you got to, dude. I’m gonna get an ?ōkolehao margarita in the bar next door. This dome makes the best ?ōkolehao on the planet. Too bad you’re a vamp. You can’t appreciate it.”

He taps the device on his wrist and disappears.

Now I understand why Evelina rolls her eyes at me. If I have to deal with the angels regularly, I’ll develop the habit, too. But before I can return to the ark, I need to settle a few things first.

Twenty minutes later, I find Titus in his temporary apartment. He’s dressed for the welcome party but hasn’t had dinner yet. I steer him to the kitchen. He finds food in the refrigerator to warm up, and I grab another blood bag. As we sit at the kitchen table to eat—just like old times—I ask him the question that’s been nagging me for the past week.

“I know you stood up for Tina and tried to marry her, and took a whipping for being honorable. I thank you for everything you did to protect her. But I need to know—how do you feel about Tina? Do you want to marry her?”

He runs a hand over his face. “When Maliff announced the wedding, I wanted to kill him. The asshole held the ceremony at the temple so their binding would be permanent. Tina cried the whole time.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Look, I know she has the hots for me, and I enjoy teasing you by flirting with her. I mean, she’s pretty and smart, but she’s only sixteen. I can’t tell you how I’ll feel about her until she matures.”

Futuo . Titus is holding out for a love match? I’d scoff at his naivety if I hadn’t already fallen hard for Evelina. “Then promise me, no matter what happens, you’ll watch out for Tina. You’ll help her make her way here, ensure she finishes her education, and when the time’s right, if you two aren’t in love, you’ll see she finds someone who’s good for her.”

“You sound like you’re leaving, but Ingvar said you could stay. You’ll watch out for her.”

“I’m in love with Evelina, and I can’t leave things between us the way I did.”

His eyes grow wide. “You’re in love with a creeper?”

“A vampire.” I scowl at him. At some point, he’ll have to overcome his prejudices. “And yes, I’m in love with her. Besides, Tina and I are on different sleep schedules. I won’t be awake most of the time she is. It’ll get weird. So I’m going back to Evelina. And I learned something. This dome has a communications system like the cell phones we heard about as kids. They call it a comm. I’ll be able to talk with Tina daily from the ark.”

The tension in Titus’s body seems to dissipate, and he clasps my shoulder. “May the goddess smile on you, my friend.”

I gently grip his opposite shoulder. “You too.”

I find Tina and explain my plan. The party she’s going to doesn’t start for another hour, which should be enough time to talk through the situation. If she really objects, I’ll make the sacrifice and stay. But she’s excited about the educational opportunities Ingvar has dangled in front of her nose, opportunities unheard of in New Rome for a teenage girl, and the idea of being out from under my control appeals to her.

A little too much.

And the romantic nature of my decision to return to the ark and claim my mate has Tina glowing with happiness. “True love,” she sighs, looking at me with admiration in her eyes.

I puff up a bit, proud to be the big brother she admires. Maybe it’s a good thing I let her read all of our mother’s romantic fantasy books. I’m impressed she can still believe in a happily-ever-after, despite what Maliff did to her. But fantasy isn’t reality, and true love doesn’t always conquer all. After my talk with Titus, I’m not sure she’ll find true love with him.

I’ll ask Ari if he can find Tina a guardian or mentor, a female presence to balance out the men in her life. Maybe his cousin might be a good choice, or she might know of one.

When I say goodbye, Tina hugs me tightly, and I feel her tears wetting my shoulder. I pat her back. “Don’t cry. We’ll be able to talk, which we wouldn’t have been able to do if you’d stayed with Maliff.”

“I’ll miss having my big brother next door.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll visit, and I’ll expect good reports from your teachers.”

“Oh, pooh.”

“Bye, dulcissima. For now.” I give her one more squeeze.

She kisses my cheek. “Bye, Val. For now.”

I find Ari in the bar at a table with five women. When he sees me, he stands. “Ladies, the pleasure has been all mine.” He gulps down a flat, round glass of golden-colored liquid. “Bartender, put it on my tab, with a twenty percent tip for yourself.”

The bartender gives him a salute, and Ari escorts me to the street.

“I’m ready to leave. Do we need to go to the office where Ingvar took us?”

“Nah. That’s for processing new residents. In this dome, we can leave from anywhere.” Ari eyes me. “But you can’t go back like that.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Clothing called board shorts and Hawaiian shirts were waiting for me when I woke the first night, along with new underwear.

“It’s not the clothing, dude. You screwed up. Bring her a gift. Didn’t they teach you that in New Rome?”

“I have no money and nothing to barter.”

“Never fear. Cupid has the matter well in hand. I have an in with the right people.”

He flashes us somewhere. I don’t know where, except the walls are shiny black and totally enclosed. A cave, maybe, with boxes stacked along the wall.

Boxes similar to the ones the blood pouches come in.

“Aha, I knew Cerissa would have some stashed away.” Ari hands me five boxes. “Alcohol-infused clone blood. Better than a bottle of wine. Now, let’s get you back to your lady love. Oh, and you’ll need this too.”

He sets a jewelry box on top of the boxes, and the next thing I know, I’m back at the ark.

“Wait,” I shout, thinking he’s about to abandon me here.

“What? I thought you wanted this.”

“I do. But what about the…comm?”

He smiles cockily. “Oh, that’s easy.”