4. Valentina

4

VALENTINA

I nterhaven portal travel is always so disconcerting, even though I do it regularly for work. I should be used to walking through the chilly green tunnels that connect our havens into a complicated network. But, goddess, I forgot just how far it was to Ever. Six different connections, six different portals. Someone should really do something about that. The design was originally created that way to beef up security, but there are far better ways.

My designer’s mind gets to work on the concept of a central hub, much like the humans’ Grand Central Station in New York City. It would be far more convenient for travel than what we have now.

As I step into the final green portal tube, I think about Alessandro and Pietro. We’re having dinner tonight, and I can’t wait. I toss my long blonde hair over my shoulder as nerves begin to bundle in my stomach. Eesh, I am ready for a drink.

As I step out of the portal into a cavernous building full of windows, I smile. The Ever portal station reminds me of a human train station. I went to one once just to see it.

Being in the same haven as my mates means I can feel Pietro in our mate bond. I can’t wait to see them so I can touch Alé too. I push my excitement at arriving through our bond. Pietro can’t wait to see me, but he’s…anxious.

That makes two of us.

Not for the first time, I lament not being able to feel Alé that way. One day I will. One day, when the stars align to put us together more consistently, I’ll sink my fangs into him, spilling my venom into his body to create a blood bond just as powerful as the one Pietro and I share.

Gripping my single bag tightly, I cross to the building’s exit. Monsters of all species come and go in a rush; this is a busy haven. One of the most successful, according to Hearth HQ reporting. I’d like to learn more about why that is so I can recreate the magic. I have meetings with the former Keeper and Catherine to ask questions, but I can’t wait to explore for a week or two to see why Ever is so beloved among the havens in our system.

When I exit, I notice the air here is a touch brisker than my home haven of Azuro, but decidedly warmer than Hearth HQ’s weather. It’s smack dab between pleasant and lovely. I pull a small notebook from the pocket of my fitted slacks and jot something down.

“Sixty-eight degrees,” a smooth voice offers. “Perfetto, don’t you think?”

Everything inside me seems to tighten and unfurl at the same time, lazy pleasure filling my core. That voice. I could pick him blindfolded out of a room of a thousand vampire males. Damn, we’ve done just that in orgies in vamp clubs in quite a few havens.

Grinning, I look up. Alé sits in front of me on a moped. Black hair is smoothed back from a hawkish, elegant face. Crimson eyes cast a quick, appreciative glance down my figure before he draws them back up with a genuine expression. He wears a seemingly permanent smile. Is that what his emotions are like on the inside? I imagine him to be full of joy twenty-four hours a day. I want to know. I want the bond that will tell me how he’s feeling.

“It’s lovely, Alé,” I agree, walking toward him as I shove my notebook back into my pocket. Without really meaning to, I drag my wavy hair away from my neck, baring it for him to see. Actually, I did mean to do that. He loves staring at my neck. Nuzzling my neck. Biting my neck.

And I adore it when he does all of those things.

His smile grows impish.

When I stop in front of him, he slips gracefully off the moped and reaches for my bag, pulling me with his free arm into a tight hug. At the barest hint of his mouth near my skin, I light up, body tightening. I arch and sink into him, head falling to one side.

An invitation. Gods, I never could resist him. Of the two of them, Alé teases the most. I’m a sucker for my men—I give in immediately. And Pietro? Pietro gets bossy and demanding.

Alé’s hand flattens against my back as he angles his face to the side, burying his nose beneath my hair. “Just like I remember, Valentina,” he murmurs. “Let’s skip dinner and get right to dessert. What do you say?”

I can’t find anything to say. I’ve taken lovers since I last saw him—blood and sex are too connected for vampires. But no short-lived dalliance could ever be what I have with him and Pietro. That’s why I couldn’t take that male from the bar home. There’s something so familiar, so easy and deep with males I’ve known my entire life. I need more of that .

I don’t answer his question, though. Instead, I pose one of my own. “Where’s Pietro?”

Alessandro straightens, scarlet eyes flashing with what I imagine is amusement. “Working. I’ll drop you at the Annabelle Inn, but he’ll be around for dinner. Perhaps you should send him a sexy little message through your bond, eh?”

When he winks, I blush, but my focus goes to the bond with Pietro. Now, lazy swirls of heat fill it, tightening my body. He knows Alé has me.

Alé turns and secures my bag to the back of his moped. Reaching out, he takes my hand and pulls me carefully onto the seat in front of him. The moped is designed for two riders, but I still find myself cocooned within large, muscular arms that feel at once familiar and new.

Hologram communication never does him justice. In person, everything about him is…more. Bigger, sexier, more delicious. Confident and charming but genuine and rock-steady. Alé is perfection.

He pats my thigh. “Do you have a headscarf, amore?”

“Frontmost pocket of my bag,” I say over my shoulder. The sound of him rustling through my bag drifts forward.

Big hands come to my scalp and card my hair back into a low ponytail. I hold it in place as he drapes the headscarf over my hair. When I drop my head forward to give him access, I tense at the vulnerable position. Having Alé’s warm body behind me like this, focused on me? I can’t wait for dinner.

He leans forward, his muscular chest pressed to my back as he ties the headscarf at the base of my neck. Warm lips come to a spot at the top of my shoulder and press, sending a flash of heat through me. Alé brings his mouth to my ear. “Hold on tight, amore.”

With a quick rev, we jerk into motion, taking off up a wide street.

Brisk wind buffets my face, but he keeps the speed pleasant enough for me to take in our surroundings. I studied a map of this haven, Ever, before I arrived. The portal station sits within Shifter Hollow, a section of town dedicated to shifters, centaurs and pegasi. Everything here is built with those monsters in mind, something to consider as I begin planning another haven. I’ll need to spend some time in this part of the haven, comparing it to the main downtown area that has a more traditional layout.

Twenty minutes later, dense redwood forest gives way to a smattering of buildings.

Alessandro pats my thigh carefully. When I look, he points to a darling three-story coffee shop to our right.

“Higher Grounds, our shop.” He points ahead. “The Annabelle is just there across from the Community Garden where the pixies live. Our pixie dust is made there.” He gestures to the side. “Most of the other establishments are that way, heading out of town.”

I resist the urge to hop off the moped and go see Pietro now. Gods know I’d like to. The last time we parted nearly killed all three of us. So many tears. But now I’m here. And it has been far too long. Eight years and seventeen days since I’ve seen them. Now that I’m safely within the cocoon of Alé’s arms, it’s terrible to consider leaving.

Alessandro presses us forward, crossing a big street. I glance around in wonder. It’s lined with buildings, monsters of all species walking up and down the sidewalks. I’m so excited to learn more about this haven. Its appearance is far different from my home haven or Hearth HQ. Homey in a very retro, American way.

Moments later, we pull up in front of a beautiful two-story pink building with white gingerbread trim and white shutters. A sign naming her The Annabelle Inn sits on the corner. A street full of homes sits just past the Annabelle, a brightly colored garden visible across the street.

The front doors swing open in greeting, white shutters waggling a happy hello.

I smile and wave to the inn as Alessandro helps me off the moped.

He leans down and presses a tender kiss to my cheek. “Welcome to Ever, Valentina.”