by Jet Lupin
“I didn’t think Pampa was so beloved.”
“He wasn’t. They just disliked you more.”
Shige rolled his eyes. “I never understood why that is. Is it the size of my territory? Or that I acquired it when I was so young? My wealth?”
“It’s all of that and nothing. People, vampires and humans alike, don’t need anything more than a feeling and the fact that you exist to go on. If one of those things was the reason, would you give them up for acceptance?”
“You know I wouldn’t.”
“Then what does it matter? They only understand shows of power. Come to my home tomorrow night. We might be able to make a short list of who has it out for you, or we might just show them a united front. Either way, it’s a win for us.”
What did Shige have to lose?
Shige let his head fall onto the back of the chair. From day one, nothing about this trip had gone the way he wanted. There was no fixing it. He just had to ensure that everyone in his care got back home in one piece.
“I accept your invitation.”
Bas’ eyes brightened with their usual amusement. “How good of you to see reason. I had a longer sell ready and waiting.” He set his glass down and slid forward to the edge of his seat. “You can bring your little entourage along, but the shifters will have to stay downstairs. They’ll be a call away if you need them, but no harm will come to you and yours in my home. I do suggest that you bring Abby along as well as that human of yours.
Shige tempered his response down to an exasperated sigh. “Why would I do that?”
“Hear me out. This is a show of power on our part, yes? The rumors say you killed Pampa for messing with what’s yours? Approaching him and whatever? Having your human in a flat full of hungry, drunk vampires, daring them to see what happens if they so much as approach him? It doesn’t get more ballsy than that. He’s yours, the very ground they tread is yours. This will help them to remember that.”
Shige followed his logic, and to an extent, he agreed, but it wasn’t up to him. He’d bring up coming along to Phil, for ultimately, it was his choice. Bas watched him expectantly for an answer.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Bas drained his cup, slammed it down on the table and stood. He grinned that knowing, smarmy grin and Shige wanted to throttle him all over again.
“I’ll see you there.”
PHIL
This arrangement felt very familiar, and not in a good way. The last time Phil had to get dressed up and go somewhere with Shige, he’d been abducted a few days later. He hoped this time things would play out differently.
Different country, different clothes, same weird gut feeling.
“Why don’t we go anywhere nice? Somewhere I won’t feel like I’m on the menu?”
Phil studied himself as he carefully wrapped the kimono around his torso. Chiyo had packed him off with several kimonos that belonged to a yokai who found his fortune as a sumo wrestler. Phil didn’t have the same physique, but they fit. Better to be a little baggy than too tight. She had taken the time to show him how to put it on, but holding it closed and belting it by himself proved a challenge. “Be thankful you aren’t female,” she told him. “You’d need at least one more pair of hands to get the thing on. Two more would be better!” The one he’d picked out for tonight was a rich, regal purple, with a big print of a dark crest splashed near the hem. By luck, Chiaki found him an appropriate pair of shoes.
Shige watched him from a chair, already dressed in a mandarin collared shirt, a jacket, and slacks, looking effortlessly handsome.
“Our first date was somewhere nice.”
“True, but I still felt like dinner.”
Shige smirked, hiding it behind his hand. “You did, but I bet you liked it.” Shige got up then, approaching Phil from behind. He took either side of the kimono’s opening and crossed one over the other. He took the plain white cord and knotted it around Phil’s waist. He adjusted and folded things until it hung in a way that made Phil look more put together than he felt. He covered the cord with the black cloth belt, simple and understated. He tucked the ends it at the small of Phil’s back.
“You could always stay here. I’ll leave Jonquil and another guard with you?”
“If anything went down, being near you seems like the safest place. And I do want to help. All I’ve got to do is stand around and not embarrass myself, right?”
Finishing Phil’s belt had only taken a few seconds to complete, but Shige kept his hands on Phil, pulling the larger man towards his chest, pressing into Phil’s back. Phil easily felt his hardness through the layers of fabric.
Shige’s voice rumbled near his ear. “As if you ever could.”
Phil didn’t recognize the sound that came out of his mouth. He hadn’t meant to dignify that comment with a response of any kind, but a moan slipped out on its own. He’d been robbed of that, so could they just ignore the whole thing? They had some place to go, people expecting them. They didn’t have time to fool around. He was going to try to push past this until he caught Shige’s heated gaze in the mirror, making his mouth go dry. He didn’t have to wait for the party to feel like a meal.
Shige ran the backs of his fingers along Phil’s throat, down the small exposed patch of chest. “This color suits you. Maybe all colors suit you, and it’s the outfit that makes you glow like this. My crest has never looked better.” His hand disappeared inside the purple folds. He found Phil’s nipple and rolled it between his fingers. “I’ll get you a kimono in every color, and you can wear them when we go out.” Phil bit back a groan. Shige’s other hand crept up his thigh, drawing the cloth aside. “Easier access.”
“You’ve got a one track mind.” Never mind the fact that Phil spread his legs to help things along.
“Uh-huh.” Shige had his hand on him now, tugging at Phil’s trunks. “I can stop if you want, but I don’t think you really want that. We’ve got to make up for all the time we weren’t together.” He worked the underwear down enough to run his hand over Phil’s bare cock. He squeezed and Phil sucked in a breath, pushing up into Shige’s hand. No, he definitely didn’t want to stop, but…
Phil ran his tongue across his lips. “Do we really have time for this?” People were waiting. Shige’s brother and Abby were at the party, and Jonquil, Chiaki, and the others were outside the door to their suite.
Shige wet his palm and stroked those thoughts right out of Phil’s head. He nipped the side of Phil’s neck, sucked the flesh of that his fresh bite, giving Phil goosebumps. “Not if you keep trying to distract me. Besides, it’s always better to be fashionably late, anyway.”
“Are you sure it’s OK for me to wear this?” The confidence borne in front of a mirror when it was just the two of them didn’t hold up well once they stepped in front of people. He felt like everyone they passed was staring. Had they gotten cum on it? Was it the outfit or the way he looked in it? He thought to go back and change into his own clothes, even if they were less appropriate, but they’d moved past fashionably late into offensively late territory. But, really, what was ten more minutes?
Shige found Phil’s hand in the backseat and covered it with his own. “For the fifth time, yes. It’s a gift, given to you. Wear it. Here, they’re just clothes. This isn’t America. No one is going to start a hashtag about you.”
Phil raised a brow, his anxiety dissipating enough for that. “You know what a hashtag is?”
Shige’s chest puffed up with pride. “Hashtags, memes. I’m up to speed on all modern things. Abby has been thorough.”
Phil’d heard it wasn’t that big a deal from Chiyo, Shige, and Chiaki, but he felt no better. He didn’t want to piss off the wrong person by wearing this, but he had to admit he looked damn good. And they looked good together.
Shige leaned into him, his mouth brushing Phil’s earlobe. “I can show you again how good you look if you don’t mind rumpling your outfit again.”
Phil’s cheeks went hot.
“N-n
o. This is fine.” This was stressful enough without worrying if everyone could tell they’d been fooling around. He’d managed not to traumatize any of Shige’s followers in this country yet. He wanted to keep it that way. He flicked his gaze to Jonquil who sat alone in the row in front of them, with Junpei and another in the front seat. He hoped he hadn’t heard them earlier.
There were things more pressing than the idea of whether or not his outfit would offend. They were headed straight into shark infested waters without the protection of a cage.
From the look of things, Shige trusted this Bas a lot for someone who wasn’t his child, but Phil needed to get a sense of him for himself. He chose the cautious route rather than throwing his trust behind someone he didn’t know, no matter Shige’s stance.
In spite of the clothes and this new setting, Phil was more confident than he’d ever been.
He was walking into this den of vampires with new tools at his disposal. There was no better test of the usefulness of his abilities than this.
The street signs announced that they had entered Ginza. Phil didn’t know much about Tokyo or its districts, but it wasn’t every neighborhood that had Porsche and Ferrari dealerships.
All too soon, they were staring up at one of the newer buildings, shining and well-lit in a way that oozed opulence. Too late to turn back now.
Shige helped him out of the SUV, but they didn’t immediately move towards the front door and its waiting doorman.
“You can still stay here with Junpei and the others. You don’t have to come up.”
Phil patted his chest, drawing comfort from the slow heartbeat within. “Babe, I can handle it. We’ve been through worse. I’ve got this.” Now he had to say that to himself five more times, so it really sank in.
“If I need you, I’ll reach out for you, but that’s the whole point of this, right? For people to not touch me?”
“It is, but…”
“No buts. When something goes wrong, we’ll handle it then. Until then, no buts. Deal?”
Shige frowned, his mind plugging away at something no doubt unpleasant like all the ways this could go wrong. Phil took him by the shoulder and shook. “Deal?”
“Fine…” Shige winced, as if saying the word brought him pain. He’d have to get over it.
The lobby was a quiet, understated affair in modern tiles and giant mirrors reflecting back onto the street. The doorman hardly paid attention to them beyond a brief nod and checking their invitation.
Shige hooked his fingers in Phil’s as they boarded the elevator. Phil squeezed back.
The elevator’s doors had nearly shut when a hand slipped into the thin crevice stopping them. The doors opened again, and a woman decked head to toe in gold and cream boarded. She was tall and thin with a curved nose and tawny skin. Her hair was so teased, it appeared there was more of it than there was of her. She had a young man in his early 20s in tow. His mousy brown curls were slicked back from his face, but the vibes coming from him said he would rather have hid behind it. Others aboard the elevator surprised him and not in a good way.
The doors closed behind them, and the woman walked right up to Shige and smiled, big and toothy. There was something unsettling in how her gaze fixed on him, almost manic. “I thought that was you, Shige dear. It’s been ages. I didn’t know you’d come back to us.”
She extended her ring heavy hand and Shige took it, kissed it. “You know I’m not much for grand entrances, Aparna, but I’ve been active for a while. When Bas told me about this get together, I had to come.”
“I’m glad you did.” Her hand changed from a gilded limp fish to a talon, ensnaring Shige’s hand. She stepped close until her mouth was by his ear. “I was afraid you were hiding out because of what happened with Pampa.”
Shige held himself steady, but in his mind, he squirmed. At least this need for closeness wasn’t mutual. “Is that what they’re saying about me?”
“Some are. But it doesn’t matter. You’re back, and you’ve done the community a great service. I never liked him anyway. He made too much a fuss and drew too much attention to himself. We’re all better off with that horrid little troll gone, and you here. You’ve been missed.”
She kissed him.
Shige’s back was against the elevator wall, his head in her hands, fingers stroking his jaw. To his credit, Shige remained passive, not giving anything back, yet Phil could only watch in horror.
As suddenly as she started, she pulled away with a wet smack. Then she moved to Phil, pressing him back to the wall, mouth on his. The strong scent of a musk heavy perfume filled Phil’s nose, but it didn’t overpower the taste of blood lingering on her tongue. Over her shoulder, relief washed over the young man’s face. The thoughts issuing from him implied that it was better Phil and Shige than him.
When they parted Phil stood there, stunned, mouth involuntarily puckered as she moved away.
Aparna cackled, going back to her escort and draping herself over his shoulders. She licked her lips. “Where did you find him? I like the way he tastes.”
“Doesn’t matter. There aren’t any more like him.” Shige wiped the lipstick off his mouth, then, he did the same for Phil. “But since you’ve already met him, you know he’s mine and have no excuses for trying to corner him later. He’s not a party favor.”
Aparna stuck out her thin bottom lip. “What happened to sharing between friends? Have you lost your charitable heart living in America so long?”
Shige chuckled, finally removing a stubborn spot of gold lipstick on his bottom lip. “It’s easier if I say yes.”
The doors opened on a tiny lobby, capable of holding twice their party comfortably. Aparna’s heels clicked on the marble floor as she led the way to the glass doors. Beyond them people milled around, a glass filled with dark red liquid in nearly every hand.
Someone else caught Aparna’s eye, and she disappeared into the crowd, her escort following her. Phil arched a brow, trusting Shige to fill in the blank. He sighed. “Sorry… I couldn’t warn you. She’s very… touchy. It’s better to avoid her if you can.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
They didn’t make it two feet before another vampire was blocking their path. He merely stood there, sipping from his glass. He looked them over thoroughly.
As seconds ticked by, Shige grew more annoyed. He sighed. “Do we pass muster, Sebastian?”
So this was Bas. He was about what Phil expected. Their maker certainly had a type. Handsome, dark, and broody.
He gave Phil a nod of acknowledgement. “Not bad. That outfit works well for him.” He downed the last of his drink and set down his glass. A server quickly swept in and cleared it away. “Let’s get started then. We’ll have time for chitchat later.” The buzzing of his thoughts made Bas come across as busy and enjoying all there was to do, but he seemed free from ulterior motives. Phil would have liked the time for a full read, but he took what he could get.
Shige shored up his grip on Phil’s arm as Bas led them through the party. Everyone they encountered was as surprised as Aparna to see Shige, though, thankfully, they kept their hands and mouths to themselves.
The air in here was the same as it had been in Nasu months ago: stuffy, choked with lust and drunkenness. That must be how vampires enjoyed themselves, indulging to the point of being in a stupor. To that end, a cluster of scantily clad humans had staked a claim on a large cushy couch where they were being chatted up by a line of eager vampires. Likely the party favors Shige mentioned earlier. At least it seemed consensual.
The crowd’s reaction to Shige was mixed, ranging from the open, heavily tattooed arms of a Polynesian vampire, to polite words of greeting from a soft-spoken individual with a gaunt appearance. The latter wasn’t happy to see him, but the social setting or the differences in their status kept them civil. Anything was an improvement from Pampa’s behavior at this point.
Phil shielded himself while he observed the minds around them, keeping track of who reacted what way.
So far, the most negative response was annoyance at Shige’s perceived gall, but not outright hostility. No one wanted to see him dismembered or lying dead with a hole in his chest. They were all rather bland.
Shige stopped them to chat at length with a Scottish vampire that kept trying to entice him to visit his homeland, assuring him it wasn’t as cold and damp as everyone said, when someone nudged at Phil’s barrier.
He hadn’t expected to meet another sensitive so soon, which was all the more reason to be wary. He wasn’t ready to expose himself before he knew who he was dealing with.
He kept his shield thin enough for benign thoughts to filter through. A total void of brain activity, like the one Jurai left, would be too conspicuous. Someone with more skill, like Chiyo, would have been able to see through his technique, but he got the sense that this person wasn’t as skilled.
His wasn’t the only mind this person attempted to read. Phil watched as a few people in turn shivered as if gripped by a sudden chill as the sensitive inspected each person with the surgical precision of a baseball bat.
Phil hadn’t been looking for them, but this person wasn’t trying very hard to hide their actions.
He waited for a break in conversation before he drew Shige aside. “There’s a sensitive here,” he whispered.
Shige’s brows rose towards his hairline before he calmed them down. “That’s… not impossible, but unlikely. Are you certain?”
Phil rolled his eyes. “This isn’t the kind of thing you can mistake for anything else. I can’t see them, but I’ve sensed them.”
“Did you pin down where they are?”
“Doing it might expose me. I didn’t want to take that risk without talking to you first.”
Shige guided them away from the party and out onto the balcony. Tokyo glittered far below them. Phil had no idea what floor they were on. Meeting Aparna knocked that information right out of his head.
The brisk chill kept the rest of the guests stayed indoors. The way Shige shivered meant they wouldn’t be out here long. “Do you sense them now?”
“No, but I’m not letting my guard down. I can’t tell where they are without concentrating. I don’t know if I should.”