“Ah…” She didn’t know if she should start blushing or laughing. This conversation was honestly one of the weirdest she had in her life.
He sighed. “I stand no chance.” He glanced at Domenico, his gaze almost worshipful. “I’ve heard about the things you did. Like that one night when you were surrounded with ten succubi---”
Domenico coughed.
The boy sighed again. “You are my god.”
Domenico said dryly, “So do not hit on your god’s woman, boy.”
When Domenico glanced at Misty, she said just as dryly, “Ten succubi?”
Color stained his high-boned cheeks. “It was…”
“The best display of manliness,” the dark-haired boy said fervently.
“Stefano, enough,” Luka said exasperatedly. “Your Highness, allow me to introduce them. This is Stefano Mancetti. And this---” He gestured to the aloof-looking boy with piercing gold eyes. “---is Riyu Delicazzi. He owns this property. They are also serving the Brethren, and the three of us had been scouring the Midways after receiving reports about possible vampire activity in the area.”
“So you really do hunt vampires,” Misty murmured, trying not to be worried for their sake…but it was impossible. Mothering her siblings all these years had turned her into a permanent worrywart. “Do your parents know about what you do?”
“Our age does not hinder us,” the one called Riyu answered. His voice was extremely cold and she tried not to smirk because it reminded her of how Domenico usually sounded in the early days she had known him.
Domenico leaned close. “I know what you’re thinking,” he told her warningly, “And it’s not true.”
This time, she really smirked.
Riyu appeared impatient, continuing, “Caros mature early. We are allowed to have minor positions at age sixteen. You can say that our minds are sharper than Lyccans.”
Misty blinked at Domenico. “Did he just say we’re stupid?”
Domenico knew it was wrong, but he still felt f**king glad to hear how she had referred to them as ‘we’. Even though she had spent the last sixteen months in the care of Faeries, Misty considered herself as a Lyccan still.
Luka interceded smoothly, “As you can see, we need help in public relations. We have bad superiority complexes.” Both Misty and Domenico noticed the way he stepped on Riyu’s foot at the end.
“It’s true,” Stefano affirmed cheerfully.
Riyu did not say anything.
Despite everything, she couldn’t help smiling. The three’s interaction reminded her of how her siblings acted when they were together, and she couldn’t help warming up to them. “Thank you for helping us back there. If there’s anything I can do for you guys---”
Stefano opened his mouth to answer, took one look at Domenico’s forbidding expression, and snapped his mouth shut. He sighed.
Riyu started, “We do not need---”
Luka stepped on his foot again.
Riyu winced. “---compensation because it is our honor to help you.” Then he turned to Luka with a glare. “Satisfied?”
Luka didn’t even look at him, was again smiling at Misty and Domenico. “We will leave you to retire for the night. Tomorrow, we will make sure to add our human soldiers to your escort when you journey back to the Faeries’ realm.”
Domenico said simply, “I am in your debt.”
Luka answered calmly, “We will always bear that in mind.”
And then they were gone. When the door closed behind them, she exhaled, only realizing that she had been holding her breath throughout that final exchange. “Those boys…they’re like heirs of pack leaders in Caro society?”
Domenico nodded. “Riyu Delicazzi will be running for head of the Brethren on the next elections.”
“At his age?” she gasped.
“You heard them. They mature early.”
“And they die early, too? Is that it?”
Domenico grinned briefly. “It is just how they are. Caros do not like being coddled. They consider any sentimental attachment a weakness.” Seeing her curiosity, he added, “I have been conferring with the three since they were fourteen.”
“Fourteen?” Misty yelped. Dear God! What kind of race was Caros that they didn’t even allowed their kids to be kids? She shuddered. “If we have kids, I’m definitely not letting them date Caros.” And then she realized what she had just said out loud.
Her eyes flew to Domenico, but he was studiously avoiding her gaze, acting as if she hadn’t committed the most embarrassing faux pas. Misty knew she should be happy about it, but she wasn’t.
She had thought about having kids with him. Domenico was secretly stunned although he made sure that none of his feelings was visible on his face. The realization was bittersweet. A part of him was filled with triumph, urging him to take her now, and his c**k shot up just at the thought of pouring his seed inside her and creating life in her womb.
But another part of him shied away from the thought, telling him it was futile because he did not deserve to have Misty in his future.
When she reached out to him, Domenico instinctively took a step back. He saw Misty whiten at his reaction, her arm falling back limply on her side as she gazed at him questioningly. “Domenico?” He could see her visibly struggling to keep him from seeing her hurt, but that was futile, too.
She was his other half, and he knew everything about her.
But it did not mean they were destined together.
“I need to speak with Riyu. You will be okay here?” In his effort to keep Misty from learning how much it hurt to deny himself of her company, especially when she appeared willing, Domenico ended up unconsciously sounding cold.
The icy tone of his voice made Misty falter even more. “I…” She wanted to say so many things but she lost her courage when Domenico continued to gaze at her with inscrutable green eyes. No, it was worse than inscrutable – he appeared indifferent. Impersonal. She nodded jerkily. “Yes, I’ll be okay.”
He nodded before swiftly leaving the room.
For a long moment, she could only stare at the door as it closed behind him, unable to believe that he really was leaving her just like that. In the past, he never failed to take advantage of any situation that left her alone with him. In the past, Domenico would have done his best to seduce her…to woo her with sweet, sexy words…by now, she should have been pushed down on the bed, his c**k sinking inside her, and her legs wrapped tightly around his h*ps as they cried out each other’s names.