Belmont

A couple of days had passed since the attack on the tower, and Theo was still in bed. The magic had been too powerful even for him, but he had managed to keep them at bay so we could help everyone from the tower. The consequence, however, was that he was completely drained of energy. 

I sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled at his chestnut-brown eyes. "You look healthier," I noted. "Maybe it's time we let in some fresh air?" 

"Do I stink?" he laughed, and my heart raced when I heard that beautiful sound. 

"A bath wouldn't be a bad idea," I grinned. 

"Is that the requirement for you to keep me company in bed?" he smirked. 

There was a light knock on the door, a welcome interruption from Clock's intentions. I knew he would try to get me to stay, but I had made up my mind; my bags were already packed. 

I took a quick step toward Dominic, but I struggled to find the right words, awkwardly running my fingers through my hair. "Dominic, I'm so sorry—"

 "It's okay, Bel," he interrupted, "it's over now." 

I gave him a sad look and tried to smile. "He'll probably come back." 

"He left to die, Belmont," he replied harshly. "He wanted to die alone, with his brothers. So there's not much I can do about it." His words silenced me. 

It felt so unnaturally cold and harsh coming from someone like Magnus. He who had been so good and warm. 

"I offered him my blood, Nico." 

Dominic turned to the bed where Theo was nestled under several blankets. "I know, Clock, but that's not his style." 

"We all have to die someday, and he has lived longer than I have." 

Dominic nodded and walked toward the bed, bending down, and to my surprise, he gave Theo a long, warm hug. "Take care of yourself." 

Theo chuckled and patted him on the back. "I'll do my best." 

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at their newfound friendship, but I didn't have time to think more about it before Nico took my hand. "I'm done packing," and then he left me to say the hardest goodbye I had ever said. 

"So," Clock began, settling into the bed, "you're both leaving?" 

"Dominic needs me," I mumbled.

 He nodded slightly, contemplating for a moment before continuing, "Call if you need anything, Belmont, anything at all. I'll come, but only if I get an invitation," he said with a twinkle in his eye. 

I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'll never stop loving you, Theo. You know that, right? 

"I know," he replied briefly. "But you have someone waiting for you back home. He won't live forever though; will you be able to watch someone age and die?" 

I chuckled. "The problem is more about whether he can put up with me for that long." 

Theodor shook his head and chuckled. "You'll always have a home here; we will always be your family." 

I nodded slightly and leaned forward to give his forehead a light kiss. "Take care of yourself, Tick-Tock." 

Then I left him in the dark and walked out to the car where Dominic was waiting for me. The flight was in a few hours, and tomorrow we would be home again. A smile spread across my lips. "Should we surprise him or prepare him?" 

"I don't think surprises are his thing," Dominic replied without his usual grin. 

He needed time, and I hoped a change of scenery would do the trick. "I'll call," I said, pulling out my phone. 

A few rings went through before he answered, and the deep voice made my longing for home grow stronger. "I'm usually awake at night, but damn Bel, do you know what time it is?" 

"Hey babe," I grinned, barely able to hold back a laugh.

"Glad to know I can amuse you so easily," he muttered, and I heard the bed creak as he moved. "So, what's up now?"

 "I need your help," I grinned, earning an eye roll from Dominic, who had started the car, driving down the road. 

"What kind of help? You're there, and I'm here. If you have more questions about me dying, we can discuss them later." 

Since my man was tired and not in a joking mood, I decided it wasn't the right time to prolong the conversation; otherwise, I would have loved to play around for a bit longer. "We need a ride from the airport." 

There was a long silence before he replied, "Where are you?" 

"The flight from France is in two hours, it will take a while, but we should be home tomorrow night." 

"Both of you?" 

I didn't want to say too much while Dominic was listening, but I felt that Conor still needed an update. "I'll send a text with the times and stuff you need to know," I mumbled, and he immediately understood what I was referring to. 

"See you soon Princess."

The flight felt unnaturally long, and I was restless as hell. 

Dominic had grown tired of my chatter and equipped himself with the largest headphones I'd ever seen. I held his hand the entire way; I didn't know what we had or if he even wanted to be more than friends anymore, but regardless, I wanted him to know I was there for him. 

The food wasn't nearly as good as it usually was, the hours dragged on, and they only showed terrible movies on the plane. Masson had sent a bon voyage message, saying he would bring Lex to visit us sometime. I had briefly described the situation to Conor so he would be ready for Dominic's bad mood in contrast to my longing. 

When we finally stepped off the plane and had found our bags, I was so restless that I half-ran through the terminal. I knew exactly where he would be waiting; how many times had he picked me up at this very airport? 

Just as I expected, his old familiar car was parked in the exact same spot, and the wolf was leaning against the body with his hands in his pockets, scanning the crowd all heading out through the large glass doors. 

With a leap, I was in his arms, showering his face with kisses—months. It had been months since I last saw him! 

"Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my Belmont?" he laughed, holding me tightly against his body. 

"I'm just so damn happy to see you," I whispered, taking a deep breath filled with his scent before pressing my lips against his. "You'd better get used to it," I grinned as he set me down on the ground. 

Dominic was strolling behind me; he nodded a greeting to Conor, loaded our bags into the car, and patiently waited for us to be ready so we could leave. But Conor stopped him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him into a long hug. 

I watched Nico struggle with his emotions, but eventually, he couldn't hold it back anymore; tears streamed down his cheeks, and he sobbed low words that only Conor could hear. 

"You're home now," the wolf murmured as he released him and exchanged a glance with me before we got into the car. "But you're staying at my place," he muttered after a moment, "you've been evicted from your apartment; that's what happens when you don't pay rent for a couple of months," he continued, amused. 

"We had other things to think about," I replied evasively, giving him a reassuring look. He would find out everything, but not right now. Right now, I just wanted to focus on how incredibly happy I was that I had kept my promise and that we were home again. I was home!

I watched as Conor struggled to handle his emotions while I continued my story. "It was an old mental hospital; Marianne had found it for him, and he was trying to create some sort of army."

"Go on," he muttered as we lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling while I hid in his shirt. 

It had been a long drive home, and we had been pretty quiet because it felt wrong to be happy and in love while Dominic sat in the same car with a broken heart. When we got home, he went straight to the shower and then took the couch, and no matter how much I wanted to shower the wolf with kisses, the atmosphere was pretty gloomy, and he wanted to know what had happened. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Absolutely sure," he replied curtly, pulling my body closer to his. I nodded and continued, fiddling with his shirt. 

"There's a magical part of Paris led by a group of wizards; they hate vampires and Lumiere gave them a reason to try to wipe us out." 

"What inspired them?" I sighed heavily. "Have I ever told you about Les Affamés?" 

"Don't think so," he replied, finding a lock of hair. "One of the gangs Dominic told you about? 

"Not quite," I said, propping myself up on my elbow and looking down at him. "You know in horror movies when vampires are more like monsters than humans?" He nodded and met my gaze. "We can become that way if it goes too far." 

"If what goes too far, Belmont?" he asked in that hard voice that told me not to sugarcoat my words. 

"Those who don't have old blood, they can become that way if they..." I sighed and fell back into the mattress again. "If they drink too much blood." 

He was silent for a long time, and I knew exactly what he was thinking—he was thinking about me. "That's why Clock brought me home." 

"Then maybe it was worth it," he replied calmly. 

"Worth what?" I asked cautiously. 

"That he forced you to go back." 

"It could have been handled more gracefully," I muttered but calmed myself despite the memories washing over me. "I'm feeling better now, so you don't need to worry." 

"Just give me a heads-up, okay?" He took hold of my jaw and turned my face so our eyes met. "If you feel the urge getting too strong." 

I nodded slightly and gave him a smile that I hoped would wash away any thoughts of bloodthirsty monsters. "I promise. No more back alleys and visits to junkies, no secrets and weapon thefts. I'm done with that life now; I just want some peace for a while." 

"I can't promise it will be like that," he muttered. "If you're back with me now, people will talk, and you'll get involved in my mess instead." 

"So you're saying I should find my own apartment," I teased. 

"I'm saying you might want to reconsider if you want a quiet life, Sugar." 

With a deep sigh, I settled my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat for a while. "I didn't come back to leave again; if you want me to, say it now. But otherwise, I was thinking we could have something more permanent." 

"Works for me," he replied. 

It wasn't a grand declaration of love, no big words, but that wasn't necessary. The mere fact that he was still there and had waited for me was the only confirmation I needed. It was strange; I used to need something more. Maybe my self-confidence had grown, but it was probably because he had always shown that he wouldn't give up. No matter what I did, he was still there. That was the only confirmation I needed. His actions spoke louder than a thousand words, and I would prove that I was worth the trouble. Even though his life was still chaotic, I could be a calm presence, just like Dominic had been for me. 

"And then Magnus came into the picture," I sighed and continued my story. 

"The lion?" 

"Yeah, you were right; he was no ordinary shapeshifter. Those wizards had done something to him so that he lived for hundreds of years, like a guardian in the city." 

"But he died?" 

"He took Nico's side, and as I said, they hate vampires." 

"Let me guess," he muttered bitterly, "they removed the magic with a snap of their fingers. 

"Something like that." 

"So he aged?" 

I sighed heavily and nodded. "All those years caught up to him, to put it lightly." 

"Heavy stuff. I understand why he's depressed, but it was the lion's choice. Dominic can't take the blame." 

"Do you think he'll leave?" I asked quietly but didn't get an immediate answer. "He probably sees a lot of him in you." 

"So show him a reason to stay."