Blood Match

Chapter 28: The Morning After

Liam woke up as Leo was starting to get out of the bed. Liam reached over, pulled him back down, and snuggled into the crook of his arm.

“Liam, I have a meeting in half an hour,” Leo said, kissing the top of Liam’s head.

“I just wanted a few more minutes with you before you went off for most of the day and left me lonely.” Liam looked up at him with his best sad puppy-dog expression.

Leo laughed and pulled him closer. “Alright, alright. Five more minutes and then I have to get ready.”

Liam smiled, laid his head on Leo’s chest, and got comfortable.

“How long will you be busy today?”

“I should be back here by 2 p.m., and then you and I will have to go over some details for tonight’s reception. Most of the coven leaders will be arriving by 8 p.m., and we’ll host a welcome dinner before the Yule Celebration tomorrow night.”

As Leo spoke, he began to wonder what he had dragged Liam into. On a good day vampires were notoriously territorial and manipulative, shifting alliances and power struggles part of their nature. He worried how Liam would handle it.

“I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me,” Liam said absentmindedly, his head still resting on Leo’s chest.

“Hm?” Leo asked, startled.

“I said, I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me.”

“I wasn’t,” Leo said automatically.

“Yes, you were. You were thinking how territorial and manipulative vampires can be, and you were worried about how I would deal with it. I heard you clear as day.”

“Liam, I admit I was thinking that, but I never said it out loud,” Leo said, sitting up. “Did you just hear my thoughts?”

“I don’t know, maybe. Think something else.”

Leo looked at Liam, bare-chested with the sheet barely covering his lower half.

“Leo! If you want to make your meeting, I wouldn’t try it. That would definitely take more than thirty minutes!”

“You heard that!” Leo gasped.

Liam grinned—and then, unbidden, a vivid memory of their closeness the night before washed over him.

“Holy fuck!” Leo exclaimed. “How did you do that? It was as if I was reliving last night.”

“I just thought about how you made me feel,” Liam said, smiling.

“Shit. I don’t know how this happened, but we’re connected—linked in a way I didn’t even know was possible. For now, we keep this to ourselves.”

“Well, at least I won’t be so alone today. I’ll be able to hear you in my head anytime I want.”

“This could definitely have its advantages,” Leo agreed, leaning in to kiss his cheek before getting up to dress.

Liam was sitting in a chair by the fire when Tristan walked in.

“Leo, why are you still…” Tristan paused, realizing it wasn’t Leo in the room. He sat anyway, frowning in puzzlement.

“Leo left an hour ago,” Liam said, setting down his notebook, where he had been sketching plans for Leo’s photoshoot. At Tristan’s worried glance, he added, “What’s wrong? You look confused.”

“You know Leo and I share a special bond. I can sense him when he’s near and even feel when he needs to feed. Right now, I could have sworn he was here. I still feel him,” Tristan said, staring.

“Well, he’s…”

“It’s you. I’m feeling you, and you feel like Leo!” Tristan jumped up.

“Tristan, calm down. Take a breath. Leo and I didn’t realize you’d be affected. We’re still trying to figure this out.” Liam reached out to steady him.

“Tell me everything,” Tristan said quietly.

“As far as we can tell, Leo and I are linked. I can feel him, hear his thoughts, and he can do the same. We didn’t realize it would affect your bond with him.”

“Did he take your blood?”

“No. But we were… closer than ever before,” Liam said, smiling.

“Whoa. This is unfamiliar territory. In all the generations my family has served as blood brothers to the Divinas, nothing like this has ever happened.” Tristan sat again, still shaken.

“Tristan, we need to keep this between us. Leo and I don’t want anyone to know we share this link yet. With all the coven leaders coming for Yule, secrecy matters.”

Liam paused, eyes briefly distant, then nodded as if hearing something. “Leo agrees. Let’s meet at 4:30 to go over details and decide how to handle this.”

Tristan nodded. “Okay—and Liam, I’m happy for you both.” He left, and Liam returned to his notebook with a smile.

“No, Leonidas. You are not getting out of this shoot,” he said aloud, amused.

Exactly at 4:30, a knock sounded at the door. Leo and Liam sat by the fire when Tristan entered, his father beside him. Edward smiled warmly at Liam.

“Leo, Tristan said he was meeting you, and I thought this would be the right time to deliver a letter. Before your father’s passing, he entrusted it to me with strict instructions. Those conditions have now been met.” Edward handed over a parchment, sealed with Don Fernando’s signet.

Leo broke the wax and read:

Mi pequeño León, My Little Lion,

No words will be enough to express my love and pride in having you as my son. You have been the joy of my existence.

I am sorry to leave you to face the coming challenges alone. I wish I could be by your side to tell you everything you need to know, but destiny has other plans. If you are reading this, you have returned home—and you are not alone. By your side there is someone special, someone who has taken you out of the darkness and returned you to the light. I regret not having the opportunity to meet this lamb who has tamed my little lion, but know that you both have my blessing and my love.

The road you walk together will be long and at times steep, but there is strength in you both, and together you will survive and thrive.

Happy Yule, my son. Remember: the light shines brighter after the darkness.

With love always,
Your father

This concludes tonight’s triple release. The next chapter begins with the arrival of the coven leaders.