Blood Match

Chapter 19: Night Flight

Liam did not realize he had fallen asleep until he felt Leo pick him up and begin to carry him to the back of the plane.

“Leo?”

“Shush, you are exhausted. You need to get some rest.”

“Only if you lie down with me.”

Leo gently laid Liam on the queen-size bed and crawled in next to him.

Liam snuggled in close to Leo and wrapped his arms around him. He rested his head on Leo’s chest and yawned.

“Get some rest. I’m right here. I will not leave you,” Leo said, kissing the top of Liam’s head.

Liam closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Leo lay there, thinking about the day’s events. The warmth of Liam’s body against his own, the sound of his heartbeat—these things soothed him as he settled down to rest and wait for Liam to wake. The night passed uneventfully. Leo listened to the steady, reassuring beat of Liam’s heart.

In the front of the plane, he could hear Joseph joking with Kara, and he smiled as he thought of how close they were becoming. He had been concerned that Joseph might never find someone who could be his permanent blood match. Joseph needed love and reassurance to open himself up enough to trust that part of himself with someone. Leo had hoped that Kara might be that person for Joseph.

The rest of the night passed without incident, the flight uncharacteristically smooth. Leo felt the plane begin to descend and waited until he felt Liam start to stir.

“Hey, sunshine. Good morning.”

“Are we getting ready to land?” Liam said, looking up at Leo.

“Yes. We are on track to land at Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport at 6 a.m. You and Kara can head to the manor house with Tristan by helicopter, and Joseph and I will join you after sunset.”

“No, I’ll stay with you. Send Tristan and Kara on ahead. I’m sure Tristan would like some time to reunite with his mom and dad, and Kara probably wants time to settle in,” Liam said, snuggling closer to Leo.

“Ok. Well, if you want to take a quick shower before we land, Tristan laid out clothes for you.”

“Ummm, in a minute. I just want to lie here with you for a bit.”

After taking a shower and getting dressed, Liam walked to the front of the plane where Joseph and Leo were sitting.

“So, who has a deck of cards?” Liam asked, sitting next to Leo.

“Cards? What for?” Joseph said, smiling at Leo.

“Well, if we’re going to be here till sundown, we should at least entertain ourselves,” Liam said, looking at Leo.

“Leo, do you want to tell him or should I?”

“Liam, we are not staying on the plane. The hangar has a duplex apartment attached to it and a full staff. We’ll go there, relax, have our meals, and wait for sundown.”

“Oh, I thought—”

“Come, let’s get settled in and get you something to eat,” Leo said, pulling Liam up and walking toward the exit at the front of the plane.

After a spectacular meal cooked by the staff, Liam found himself pleasantly sleepy.

“I think someone needs to take a nap,” Leo said, looking over at Liam.

“Ummm, just need to close my eyes for a few minutes,” Liam said, yawning.

“Come on, sleepyhead,” Leo said as he directed Liam to the back of the apartment and into the main suite.

---

“Liam, wake up, babe. Tristan will be here in ten minutes. The sun is setting—we can go to the roof and wait for the chopper.”

“Ok,” Liam said, stretching as he sat up.

Liam walked with Leo to the elevator. Leo had his arm around his waist, so Liam reached around and slid his hand into the back pocket of Leo’s jeans. It was something he would have done with Alex as they walked in the evenings, each of them with their hands in the other’s back pocket—a small sign of their connection and intimacy. He caught himself once he realized what he had done, and in that same thought, he realized just how natural it was for him. He would always love Alexander, but he had to acknowledge that Leo now held a large part of his heart—and that was ok.

As they exited the elevator onto the roof observation deck, he saw Joseph was already there. Liam smiled in greeting and watched the chopper land. It was then he realized that Tristan was the one piloting. As Leo pushed open the glass doors, the noise from the helicopter’s engines died down. Tristan quickly climbed out and opened the doors to the passenger compartment.

“Smooth flight?” Leo said, as he watched Liam get into the chopper.

“Yes, clear skies and no issues. Kara has already been in the storage rooms and is running around like a kid on Christmas morning. I think we’ll have to enshrine the words Holy Fuck in their own chapel—they’ve been used so much!”

Liam started laughing. “I can see it now—the Chapel of Holy Fuck. Kara and I will be its first worshippers!”

Joseph looked over at Liam. “I think you’ll be spending a lot of time there. Wait till you see the manor house.”

Leo flashed a look at Joseph.

“Ok, ok, I’ll behave.”

“Let’s get going. I’d like to arrive before Kara arranges a full art exhibit at the Prado,” Leo said, clapping Tristan on the shoulder.

---

The ride in the chopper took forty minutes, although Liam barely noticed the time—he was too busy marveling at the luxury he was ensconced in. Joseph noticed Liam’s careful examination of the passenger cabin.

“It’s an ACH160, top of the line. Leo owns two, although he rarely uses them because he stays in the States. Tristan’s father runs all of Leo’s European holdings, and he uses the choppers most of the time.”

“Joseph, just how rich is Leo?” Liam asked quietly.

“Very,” Leo said, turning around from speaking to Tristan through the cabin’s headphones.

“Leo is practically royalty here in Spain. Although he did not step into Grandpa Fernando’s place when he died, the Vampire Human Authority still treats him with healthy respect.”

“Joseph, let’s not bore Liam with vampire politics,” Leo said quietly. Something in his tone caused Joseph to go silent. He looked at Liam, shrugged his shoulders, and winked when Leo’s attention was elsewhere—a look that said, I’ll fill you in later.

Joseph sat up straighter and looked out the window. “We’re here,” he said, motioning for Liam to look out on his side.

The chopper crested the hill and the manor house came into view. It was a stone structure that looked as though it had been built in the late 14th century. Two stories high and at least a city block long, it commanded the hilltop.

Soft pools of golden light spilled from the high-arched windows, casting warm reflections against the weathered stone and making the slate roofs gleam like dark glass. Pathways through the formal gardens glowed in gentle lines, lit by wrought-iron lanterns whose flames swayed in the evening breeze.

The air carried the mingled scents of damp earth, clipped boxwood, and night-blooming jasmine, richer and more concentrated in the cool of night. Beyond the gardens, spotlights washed the stone façade in amber and shadow, each flicker of illumination deepening the sense of history that clung to the place. From above, the manor seemed less like a residence and more like a living sentinel—waiting, watchful, and very much awake.

Behind it were several additional, more modern buildings whose purpose Liam couldn’t guess. The chopper descended toward the helipad on the manor’s roof.

Leo looked over at Liam, smiling. “Well, Mr. Von Anderson, your adventure awaits.”