"Leave it be for now, Matt. Come and eat."

Volkir pulled me to my feet. I'd been kneeling, bent forward with my head against the floor, trying to angle a flashlight into a dark corner in the space under the stairs, where I was pretty sure I'd found the djinn. A quarter-hour of coaxing and a bowl of cream had yet to draw it out, though, and in the meantime the polenta lasagna Volkir had made was getting cold.

"Alright," I agreed with a sigh. "I guess it'll come out when it gets hungry, right?"

"You do remember that it is not actually a cat, correct?"

"Of course, but—oh I see. So, what do djinn like to eat, then? You think it won't want the cream?"

He gave me a look I'd seen before, though usually it was on Ben. "Why don't we just leave it for now, and we can address the matter after you eat."

Volkir steered me to the table and served me a plate of food. I stared at it for a moment. It was three layers of thinly sliced polenta, between which were savory tomato sauce seasoned with basil and garlic, roasted vegetables, and cheese. A layer of melted mozzarella lay overtop, browned to crisply bubbled perfection, and garnished with a little sprig of fresh basil.

"Is something wrong?" Volkir asked, inspecting the food himself.

"No, it's...perfect," I said, clearing my throat. "I was just thinking about Ben."

To be honest, I'd forgotten all about him in the excitement with the djinn, and had only been reminded because it felt so strange to have someone serve me a meal that I had not cooked myself. Ben didn't like cooking, and I did, so it worked out fine, but it definitely felt nice to be on the receiving end for a change.

Volkir laid a hand on my shoulder. "Of course. If you will allow, I will remain with you until you have word from him, at the very least. I can hardly leave you alone with an unpredictable djinn on the loose."

I covered his hand with my own and looked up at him. "I'd like that. Thank you."

He smiled and then retreated to his own seat at the other end of the little table. He'd poured himself a glass of wine, but had not served himself any food, on account of being a vampire and therefore unable to digest it.

"So, what did you want to come over for?" I asked, taking my first bite of lasagna. It was heavenly, as was usual for Volkir's cooking. I made an unconscious sound of delight as the warm, summery flavors expanded on my tongue, and saw my enjoyment reflected in the vampire's silver eyes.

"To be quite honest with you, my friend, my primary desire was simply to see you. It has been too long."

I blinked at that and took a drink of water to hide my smile.

"However, I also wanted your opinion, as I said. Here."

He drew something from his pocket. It looked like a large jewelry box. When he opened it, I saw that this was exactly what it was. Inside were a selection of rings in various designs, though all were alike in theme, and featured a wolf's head.

"As Tlalli and I have been working more closely with one another, we thought it a good idea to have some way to identify those who we claim as our own. Her symbol is a serpent; mine is the wolf. You have an eye for such things—which of these do you like?"

He set the box on the table between us and I leaned forward to look at the designs.

All were interesting and tasteful, masterfully made; some bold and some refined, some simple and some complex.

"This one reminds me of you," I said, pointing to a bold, elegant ring with clear blue stones for the wolf's eyes.

"Which would you choose for yourself?" Volkir asked.

"Hmm," I studied them again. The bold one was too big, but there was another—a simpler, more abstract design, elegant but not pretentious. It was clearly a fine piece but wouldn't stand out or draw notice. "This one," I said. "It reminds me of you as well, but it's a little too delicate for your hand. On me it would look good—I have thin fingers."

I held up my hand to show him and was a little startled when he reached across the table and grasped it, studying it where it lay in his own.

"So you do," he said, and then took the ring from the box and slipped it on my index finger. "And you're quite right," he said, obviously pleased. "It suits you. This one is yours, then."

"Wait, what?" I blinked in surprise. "I thought you said it was for people you 'claim' or something?"

"Indeed," he nodded. "I claim you—as my friend. You're very dear to me, and as you have frequent and close dealings with the super-natural world, as it were, I want you protected. Will you consent to wear it—for me?"

I looked at the ring on my hand, aware of the warmth in my face. "Of course I will. It's lovely. Is it...enchanted?" I asked looking up to find him watching me with an unreadable expression.

He nodded. "A simple enchantment, yes. As you can see, my design is not uniform. Even if it were, I wouldn't like to rely on a hungry vampire thinking to check her victim's jewelry every time she eats. You can think of it as...a repellent."

"Oh. Does it work on you?" I blushed even more as soon as I spoke. "Not that I want it to," I added. "I mean, I don't want it to. Not that—"

"It does not work on me, no," he said. "It is a 'claim.' It simply tells other vampires that you are already...taken. A glance will tell them by whom."

The way he said it made me think that there probably weren't many vampires, if any, who would risk pissing him off.

"Oh...Well, thank you, Volkir. I'm...honored."

He shrugged. "It is a small thing. A token of my esteem—as one would say in bygone days."

"Oh..." I said again. I'd been saying that a lot tonight.

He smiled, put the rest of the rings away, and then turned the conversation back to me, asking me about my progress with magick, and about my hopes for the café.

He listened, and commented now and then, offering suggestions for different themes and pastries I might try, including ways to capitalize on the café's uniqueness.

"I should take you to Japan some time," Volkir said, as though it were on the other side of town or something. "There's a lot to be learned from other cultures, and the best way to learn is direct experience."

"I'd love that," I said, "but—" I was going to say, 'but Ben hates to fly,' when I realized that Ben was not necessarily invited. Then I realized that maybe that was okay. I preferred to do things with Ben, but maybe I didn't always need to. "I'd love that," I repeated, and left it there.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly. We sat and talked, and listened to music, and I was immensely grateful not to be alone. Without Volkir to distract me, I'd have ended up huddled over my phone, bombarding Ben's glaring silence with a stream of unanswered texts. Even so, I checked frequently, and at last—a little after eight—I got a reply. 

At my parents'
Be home late
Don't wait up

I stared at the three little lines for a moment, searching them for hidden meaning. At last, I typed out a response.

Don't drive tired. You should stay the night.

Almost immediately, he replied.

Ok
Luv u
See you tomorrow.

I frowned. Ben's texting style was abrupt and rarely emotive, while mine was longwinded and packed with far more emojis than a man my age should probably use. Still, after parting as we had, I'd hoped for something a little...more. 

I looked up to see Volkir watching me, eyebrows slightly raised. He leaned on his elbow against the arm of the couch, one leg crossed over the other at the knee. With his refined features, powerful frame, and elegant clothes, he looked at home among the valuable antiques—like the young lord of some manor, or maybe even an earl or a prince.

"It's Ben," I said. "He won't be home until tomorrow."

"I see."

"You don't have to stay with me. I'm sure I'll be fine—that djinn doesn't seem nearly as scary as Pete made it seem."

"Perhaps not."

"So...if you want to leave..."

"I would prefer to stay."

"Really? You don't have somewhere else to be?"

"I always have somewhere else to be," he grinned, "but nowhere I would rather."

"Oh," I said, dropping the conversational ball, and grateful that the dim lighting hid my blush.

Smiling, he picked up where we'd left off before, and moved our talk to other things.

He was excellent company, and kept me pleasantly distracted for the next few hours. We drank wine and watched a film—some historical war thing he said was good—and I ended up next to him on the couch, listening to him comment now and then on things like the accuracy of how the beaches of Normandy were portrayed.

I hadn't considered that he might have been there.

Soon, I was more absorbed with thoughts of everything he'd seen and done over the last four-hundred-plus years than with watching the screen. I didn't even notice when the movie ended until he looked my way, an inquisitive expression on his face.

I suppose I must've been getting tired—it had been a long day—and I wasn't thinking very clearly, when I said what I said next.

"Do you always use seduction?" I asked. "On your victims, I mean?"

He frowned slightly at that. "I do not have victims, Matt. I have partners.

I swallowed. That sounded more intimate already.

"With your...partners...then?" I pressed.

He tilted his head to the side, regarding me. "I do," he answered. "Does the idea...bother you?"

"No! Not at all," I hastened to reassure him, although I was a little disappointed that Ari had been right. "I'm just...curious."

He smiled and leaned back against the cushions. "As ever. Well, ask me what you will, I will answer if I can."

"Um..." Where to start? "Your...partners—they...enjoy it?"

He nodded. "I strive to ensure they do."

"So you..." I wasn't quite sure how to say it.

"There is usually love-making involved, yes," he said.

"Usually?"

"Matt, may I ask...from whence does this curiosity spring? Are you afraid that I seek more than friendship from you? If so, I assure you I have no interest in—"

"I'm not afraid," I said, cutting him off. "I'm just...curious." I shrugged, knowing my face must be on fire by now.

He regarded me with a look that grew uncomfortably more knowing the longer it went on.

"I see," he said at last. "You have seen what passes between my son and his life-bonded, and you wonder what they feel."

I nodded slowly. "I want to know what it's like, but...I could never betray Ben."

He remained quiet for a long time. Finally, he spoke, almost startling me with the way his words broke the silence that had gathered between us.

"Would you believe me if I said that I loved you, Matt?"

"Of course not!" I laughed—a little too loudly, maybe.

His expression remained grave. "Why not?"

"B-Because... Because you said you had no interest," I returned, amusement fading.

"In my long life, I have come to understand something about love, my friend. There are many kinds—more than you could classify or name. Shades and variations as infinite as the entire spectrum of color and of light. Not all—most, in fact—do not involve sexual desire at all. Do you think that Ari does not love my son, simply because he has no desire to engage in certain acts with his body?"

"N-No! Of course I don't."

"My feelings for you are similar, in a way," he said, and shifted towards me, laying his hand on the side of my face. "I love you, Matthew, more deeply than a friend—more deeply than I have loved anyone except my wife—my life-bonded mate, my leof. I thought it was a feeling I would never experience again, until I met you. And yet I would not jeopardize your relationship with Ben in any way. I simply like to enjoy your company, to hear you laugh and see you smile. And...I can satisfy your curiosity, if that is what you wish."   

My senses seemed oddly elevated. I could feel my heart beating in my chest, and hear the silence of the house; I could almost taste the salt of the night air flowing in from the sea. Volkir's hand felt cool and calming on my skin, and his eyes were bright as silver stars.

I didn't totally understand what he meant about love, or how I felt about him, but I did understand one thing.

Just as it was his nature to drink blood, so it was mine to be curious.

I felt myself nod. "Yes. Show me, please."

He shifted a little closer and pressed his other hand to the center of my chest. "Tell me to stop, and I will stop," he said, holding my gaze.

I nodded, and he smiled, his fangs lengthening as he spoke. "You are a wonderous thing, my friend. Never let anyone convince you otherwise."

Then he slid his arms around my back, pulled me against him, and released the full force of his power. It washed over me like soft ocean waves, sunshine and white sand; like a carpet of emerald moss beneath the quiet, forest-scented shade of ancient trees; like the first bite of some heavenly fruit. It was intensely enjoyable, and I explored it with equal intensity.

"Don't think so much," Volkir whispered, his warm breath at the base of my throat, lips brushing like feathers on my skin. "Just feel."

Then he bit me.

I can't say it didn't hurt. His fangs pierced my skin and my breath caught, the beat of my heart quickening as I felt him tap into the stream of my life and draw it to himself. I gasped and shivered, one creature at the mercy of another, and yet I also felt indescribably secure in his arms as he held me in his immovable strength.

I'd never felt anything like this surrender. It was like plunging into cold water on a sweltering day, or stepping into a hot bath on a hellishly cold one; it was pain, followed by infinite relief.

It was also, as I'd found his presence to be, probably addicting.

I lost sense of time, aware only of him, and of myself, and of the mysterious covenant of my blood, passing between us. It was as he'd said: deeply intimate, undeniably sensual, but nothing about it felt wrong. It was like getting an amazing massage, no 'happy ending' needed for utter satisfaction.

When at last I came back to something like awareness, I found myself lying against Volkir's chest as he stroked my hair. His lips and cheeks were flush with color, and his eyes were even brighter than before.

"Well?" he asked, smiling down at me with still-extended fangs. "Is your curiosity quite sated, dear friend?"

I nodded sleepily. "For now," I said.

He laughed softly, and I felt, rather than heard, the sound through his chest at my back.

"Sleep, then. You will need some time to recover. The first is always the hardest."

"The first...?" I tried to ask if he meant he'd be willing to do this again, but I couldn't quite manage the words.

I was just about asleep when a light weight landed on me, and I raised my head with an effort. All I could see was a little black outline and two round, yellow eyes.

"Oh, it's the kitty!" I said, and reached out my hand. It butted its sweet little head against my palm and then curled up on my legs.

And that's how, feeling entirely comfortable, deeply relaxed, and completely safe, I got my wish and fell asleep in a vampire's arms with a djinn on my lap.

And that's also how, the following morning, Ben found us all.