Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hunter had once advised him to date someone a little older because they'd have a better handle on dating and relationships, and boy was his brother right. Fernando was amazing on a date. He was very attuned to Noel, thoughtful of him, and honestly just a lot of fun. Fernando had readily joined the stage several times, singing a wide variety of genres—usually showtunes—and even inviting Noel up to play a few favorites of his. It was fun seeing Fernando cut loose and really sing his heart out. It felt like he was seeing an unjaded Fernando, more of his true self. Honestly, Noel was pleased as punch that Fernando trusted him enough to let his guard down.

He didn't sing himself hoarse, although it was a near thing, as Noel was having far too much fun.

Eventually, a desire for something other than bar food drove them outside, and Noel was honestly surprised when he stepped onto the sidewalk. "It's evening already? I swear we were only in there an hour."

Fernando wrapped an arm around his waist, chuckling. "Proves we were having fun. You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Starving."

"How about the river walk, then? We can pick up something that entices you."

The river walk was part outdoor mall, part date spot, with its seemingly endless dining choices. In the good years, before their parents died, Hunter told Noel they'd often gone there as a family to either shop or eat. Noel was only three when their parents died, so he didn't have many memories from those times. He'd been back since with the odd friend or even Anne, but never really had money to spend. But now, he would get to explore the many shops and food vendors with his boyfriend. He was nearly giddy with anticipation but tried to play it cool. "Sure. Walk there?"

"We're close, perhaps three blocks away."

"You can't get parking closer than that, really."

"That you cannot." Fernando shifted a hand down, taking Noel's in his. "Shall we?"

He secretly liked holding hands with Fernando very, very much. The confident way the man slid his fingers between Noel's also jump started his heart. Confidence was one of Noel's many, many turn-ons. Every time he turned around, Fernando did something else to entice him.

Yeah, yeah, Noel's willpower was nonexistent with this man. Sue him.

They paused at a light, waiting for the crosswalk, and Noel noted the sidewalks were busier now than they had been earlier. On a Saturday night, it was a popular spot to hang out, after all, so everyone with plans in mind would be coming straight here. Noel didn't mind the crowd, really. He just had one concern.

"Are the guys going to be anxious with people so close?"

Fernando tilted his head to look at Noel, eyes narrowed in study. After a long pause he commented, "You knew we had bodyguards with us this whole time?"

"Uh. I mean, I didn't see them, but I assumed they were there. You clearly can take care of yourself. But me? I'm squishy. And you're borderline overprotective. You're not taking chances with me."

Shaking his head, a smile grew over Fernando's face, his expression soft. "You really are one of a kind, Noel. You're right. I won't take chances with you."

That's what he thought. Besides, even if Fernando didn't order someone to, Noel knew the guys well enough to understand that several of them would have volunteered themselves. It was sweet, how much they worried about him.

Noel chose to think of it as sweet and not aggravating. More sanity that way.

The crosswalk signal beeped and turned green. They walked with everyone else, crossing the street, and for a moment Noel just felt right . Like he was finally in the right place, with the right person, and it was a heady feeling. It put a spring in his step. Some people would look at him cross-eyed for choosing to date a vampire mafia boss but screw them. He wouldn't trade Fernando for the world.

"I'm curious, where did the name ‘Noel' come from? Were you named after someone?"

Noel did get that question a lot, as his name wasn't popular in this generation. He'd love to say it was a family name but, alas. "Look. My parents were very literal people with no imagination."

Fernando started laughing. "Oh, this is going to be good, I can tell. All right, where did the name come from?"

"I was born in December. Literally Christmas week. Hence, Noel."

Fernando kept laughing. "It's a nice name, though."

"At least they didn't screw me over on that front. My older brother, too, they did okay by him. His name is Hunter because he was born the first day of hunting season."

"Wow, truly, your parents did not have any imagination with names."

"None whatsoever. What about you? Where did your name come from?"

"My grandfather. I understand he named me as my parents had spent three months arguing over my name. He was the tie breaker—by choosing a different name entirely. Since it was a family name on both sides, neither of my parents chose to keep arguing."

"I clearly needed a grandfather like yours in my life. Not that I mind my name now, but when kids in grade school learned how I got my name, well…let's just say I was known as ‘Christmas' for three grades."

"Children can be such bullies."

"Adults aren't much better some days." Noel shook this off, as it was a depressing topic. "Anyway. Now that I have your undivided attention, I've always wanted to ask this. You're the founding generation of vampires, but how did you become as you are?"

"I woke up."

What? "You sound like Buddha."

"Ha! Nowhere close to that. I do mean that quite literally. I woke up in my own grave."

Noel's feet stuttered, unable to coordinate walking under this sudden influx of horrific information. "Wait, you died? Then turned into a vampire?"

"Ha, no. I almost wish that had been the case. I was still alive when placed into the grave."

"Hold up. I'm sure I didn't hear that right. You were buried alive ?"

"Unfortunately. Needless to say, I don't do well in tight, enclosed spaces."

"I imagine not," Noel managed faintly.

Fernando looked so matter-of-fact about such a horrific experience, but considering how many centuries had passed, he'd certainly had time to overcome the trauma. Still…just the idea of this man waking up in his own coffin, with dirt on top of him, made Noel throw up in his mouth a little.

A cold, almost expressionless mask fell over Fernando's face. "In those days, it was harder for physicians to tell if someone was actually dead or simply in a coma. It was standard practice for a bell to be attached to a string, and the string tied onto the body somehow, so that the not-so-deceased was able to signal for help. When I awoke, though, no such bell was in place. I knew that I had been deliberately put in that grave to die."

"Wait. Were you sick or something? Hence the burial?"

"No, an accident. I was riding in a carriage on a dark, stormy morning, and the wheels slipped on the road. I was flipped end over end, eventually being thrown out of the carriage altogether. It's a miracle I survived the crash, really. A neighbor heard it happen, rushed to help, and I was immediately taken home where the town's physician came and treated me."

Right, hospitals hadn't existed in his time. Physicians coming to the house was standard for the time period.

"I have no memory of being treated, really. I woke up briefly from the pain and was given a tonic to ease me back into sleep. I drifted in and out, in and out, like that for what felt like days instead of mere hours. Then I went into a deeper sleep and when I awoke, I was in a coffin. My bandages had been taken off; I was in a nightgown and nothing else. I'd quite literally been dumped into the coffin and left to rot."

His hand tightened around Noel's. He could feel the anger, the betrayal, still burning in Fernando. Banked after centuries, but not forgotten. "Who…?"

"My wife and her lover." Fernando shook his head, easing his grip. "Ours was not an arranged marriage, I'd actually courted her, but after that first year together she turned cold toward me. I realized, quite belatedly, that she had married me for my wealth. The Lombardis were quite wealthy even then. I knew our marriage was not sound, but I had expected some kind of loyalty from her. I'd treated her well, provided for her every want—loyalty was the least I expected in return. Instead, not five years into our marriage, she openly brought a lover into my house."

"Ouch! Disrespect, much?"

"Yes, quite. I'd already put in motion plans for separation when the accident happened. When I woke in my grave, I didn't understand what happened to me at first. I knew I had changed, but not the extent. My sole thought was revenge. I marched home, first greeting my father and brother upon learning they were present, as I didn't want them to think me still dead."

Smart. Noel would have done the same.

"Then I went to my wife's bedchamber and threw both her and her lover out the window."

"Uh. How high up was her window?"

"Second story." A chilling smile hovered around his mouth. "Neither survived the fall."

It should perhaps unnerve him, to hear this recounting. That his boyfriend had murdered his wife and her lover for betraying him. Honestly, though, Noel kind of felt she deserved it. It wasn't just a matter of cheating. This woman had tried to kill Fernando. In Noel's opinion, it was kind of revenge and self-defense rolled into one.

They'd reached the sidewalk for the river walk, which had railings to keep people from falling over and into the water. Fernando paused there, a hand on the railing, his eyes on Noel. Like he was trying to see right through him.

"I tell you I had a wife, one that I murdered, and you don't even blink?"

It probably was a strange reaction from the outside. "Well, it just tells me that you're probably bisexual or pan or something, which is fine. Besides, the shitty woman tried to murder you first. I'm not one to slut-shame, but goddamn."

That reaction amused him, perhaps relieved him, as he brought Noel in close for a hug. His solid body felt good, comforting and sheltering, and Noel snuggled in a bit more to enjoy it better.

"You," Fernando whispered against his hair, "are so delightfully unexpected."

"I happen to know the worst enemies you can have in this world are often family. So I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who betray someone they're supposed to cherish. If she really didn't want to be with you, she could have left. I mean, I know divorce wasn't common in those days, but it still existed, right?"

"Well, back then, the church was incredibly strict. People in unhappy marriages separated for a period of time, but even that was frowned upon. However, I was at my limit, so I sought separation before the accident."

"See? You were being reasonable. She was the bitch."

"I can't help but agree. But before, you asked how I became what I am. As I said, I woke up like this. My father and two brothers were the same, they awoke as I did. No one else in the family had changed. We all seemed to have spontaneously become vampires on the same day, though. That one detail matched."

He'd heard something about this topic, but never the actual origin of vampires before. Lifting his head, Noel pushed the question further. "So around the world, at exactly the same time—bam!—vampires? Like a world-wide event? It's so weird."

"It is. Despite many, many studies by some of the worlds' brightest people, no one has ever been able to discern why." Fernando shrugged. "At this point, how is not as important to me anymore. I exist. That is fact and my reality. Our first step, in fact, was securing a place for us to exist without fear. I've mentioned this previously, but as we traveled to America, we often found other vampires—ones in a more desperate situation—and immediately offered them a haven. That's how my clan—or mafia, as you call it now—was originally formed. A protection against humans."

"I've read mafias were originally neighborhood security. I guess yours isn't much different."

"No, not much different at all. Then, after reaching the colonies, we had the safe space to figure out our new nature. I accidentally turned a young woman roughly a year into my change, which is how we discovered we could even do such a thing. She's my first child."

"How many do you have?"

"Twenty-six. My most recent additions are Ronan and Zander. I think all of my children will be delighted to meet you." Fernando gave him a wink. "But I promise to not introduce you to all of them at once. They are charming people but very overwhelming."

Noel felt a bit faint at the thought. Twenty-six kids?! "Uh…yeah, how about one at a time?"

Fernando threw his head back on a laugh. "I promise. But have no fear of them accepting you. I think at this point, they'll be relieved I'm dating at all. They've been trying to convince me for a century now."

"I'm relieved to hear it." Still, how sad was that? His shitty ex-wife had done a lot of damage. It was no wonder he hadn't wanted to date for a while. Plus, he'd likely been quite busy figuring out this whole new life. "How long did it take for you to figure everything out?"

"Hmm, I would say almost a decade. It took about that long to realize we weren't aging. Quite the shocking revelation. As for how we discovered our powers, that was more of a gradual realization. A series of events that showcased what I and others could do."

"Okay, 'fess up. You randomly grabbed people and Mesmerized them, didn't you?"

A pause.

"First of all, I'd just fed from an intoxicated human and was feeling drunk myself—"

Noel started laughing. He'd just known that would be the case. It proved that under that tough guy exterior of Fernando's, there was a man who had a sense of humor.

Fernando poked him in the ribs reprovingly. "Like you'd have done any better in my position."

"I laugh 'cause I would have done the same."

Shaking his head, Fernando took his hand and pulled him back into motion. "Come along, you. Perhaps feeding you will keep you from teasing me."

"I mean, you can try. No guarantee of success, though." Actually, if Fernando was in the spoiling mood, then… "Sushi might up your chances."

This request amused him, and Fernando drew him in closer to kiss the back of his hand, blue eyes warm with affection.

"Sushi it is."