Lore & Lust (Lore & Lust, #1)

by Karla Nikole

England in winter—darkness, bitter cold and rain. Haruka shivers from the frigid damp. Everything about this situation is miserable.

I could… potentially walk beside you in the light.” Haruka narrows his eyes. Where exactly are we walking?

More flowery compliments, uncomfortable questions and talk of bonding. As beings who live for centuries, the conversational topics at their disposal run vast and compelling: arts and philosophy, the curious passage of time and subsequent shifts in modernity within their culture, the intricacies of colloquial language, Brexit, the weather.

They are purebreds. Part of their station in life is doing things they don’t want to do. It is simply how their culture works—especially at the behest of lower-ranked vampires. The strong help the weak, the haves support the have nots. Unless you run away. No one can ask you to do something if you aren’t there to do it. Haruka has discovered a loophole. However, in light of his manservant’s apparent defiance, Haruka can no longer use his loophole.

“You don’t believe in soulmates?” “I believe in making a thoughtful, intentional choice,” Haruka says. “Not being forced into something significant as a result of mystical, unseen ideals beyond my control.” “So that’s a ‘no,’ I take it?”

“Grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir.” “What does that mean?” Asao says from the driver’s seat, slowly bringing the car to a stop. “Where there is great power, there is great responsibility.” Haruka glances out the window at the group of vampires huddled around the grand entrance to the castle. Asao looks back at him, his brow furrowed. “Why are you quoting Spider-Man in French?” “Who is ‘Spider-Man’?” Haruka asks, returning his scowl.

“Hold on,” Nino says. “Are you telling me that for the three days I stayed with you both in Sidmouth, you were always listening to us?” Asao shrugs. “Not always. I have my own life, you know. But yes, I needed to make sure you weren’t some kind of crazy pervert vampire, so I listened fairly often.” “Crazy perv—” “Shh.”

I could spend hours watching this hot guy do anything. Understanding Gael’s words, Haruka takes a long pull from his water. He briefly wonders if he should pour it over his face to drown himself (although he has drowned once before by accident—terrible experience).

“But that’s their problem, isn’t it?” Nino says, his voice rising and echoing in the chilly hallway. “Not yours. You shouldn’t have to physically contort yourself to have some semblance of a normal life and interactions. Everyone should just fucking control themselves.”

“Please do not try so hard to alter yourself,” Haruka says. As he speaks, Nino lifts his head and opens his vivid eyes. “I feel that you are lovely now. Just as you are.”

It’s a distinct feeling. A hollow discontent. As if he has quietly been considering himself the knight on a chess board, but in reality, he is just a rook.

How long can they stand together like this—embracing each other in the soundless, golden sunlight? The solidity of Haruka in his arms, and the gentle rise and fall of his breathing swelling against his chest. Nino has no clue. But he could do it all day. Even then, it wouldn’t feel long enough.

Laughing openly this time, Haruka brings his palm to his forehead. Nino loves making him laugh. It feels as if he needs it, and every time Nino succeeds, the sensation is akin to sunlight breaking through an overcast sky.

“Haru, do you find me attractive? I mean physically or within your nature… Are you drawn to me?” He turns, his wine-colored eyes unblinking. “You are exquisite to my nature. In every way.” Haruka looks forward again, as if he’s simply uttered a statement of fact and not something that has knocked the wind out of Nino.

“Nino, you cannot go to Japan—a new realm, a new aristocracy with this old-blooded and exquisite creature—and do the same garbage you’ve been doing. If you move there, you need to be his equal partner. You have to stand beside him and solidify your place in front of his society members in his realm. You can’t go there and be his fucking house cat.”

“He wants some kind of empirical data or logical reasoning for why we bonded so quickly and easily. I tell him it’s because we’re meant to be. He calls me a romantic and sticks his handsome little nose back in a book.”