No one disliked Anthony Ventura upon meeting him. He was a master of first impressions, inheriting the charm of his father and his mother's smile. Anthony was really the best right out of the oven. If anyone developed a distaste for him, it was usually over time, after his jokes got stale or after he spent too much with someone.
From the moment this guy, Knox's bodyguard took one look at Anthony, he hated Anthony. Finally, Anthony had a moment to get a good look at this guy. His posture was perfect, standing at attention with his hand hovering over what Anthony finally realized was the handle of a blade. Layers of black hair were cut just above his shoulder, threatening to wave and curl. He had thick facial hair and a dangling gold teardrop earring. He wore a simple all black outfit, pants, boots, and a tight turtleneck as if he woke up this morning not expected to be seen.
This guy took a hard step forward, his hand itching to pull out that knife and probably draw a line across Anthony's throat with it. The moment Anthony said, "I think someone is trying to kill you" to Knox, this guy took offense to it.
Scowling deeper, this guy bellowed, "I think you just got here. I think his royal highness was perfectly fine before you got here. I think you don't know what you're talking about."
Anthony smiled a little, trying to keep his amusement down.
Anthony loved confrontation.
"Thank you for your thoughts no one asked for," he croaked and cleared his throat. "I suppose I should've asked the room who else got bitten by one of those mutants. That's my bad," Anthony said, placing his hand over his heart. Out of the corner of his eyes, Anthony could see Knox was watching him. Anthony asked this guy, "When were you bitten and mutated?"
His jaw tightened.
"Never? So, you wouldn't know, huh?" Anthony's eyes flitted back down to Knox. "That monster didn't look at me once. It only wanted you and after it bit me and I started to change, I only wanted you..." he said and Knox's brow cocked and Anthony heard the second meaning, quickly correcting himself, "... your blood. I wanted your blood."
His lips pinched into a small smile, Knox nodded.
Sighing, Johnna popped up her arm to read the skinny watch on her arm. "We don't have time for this. I told Nino Ventura that we would be a minute, maybe an hour ago and you're covered in blood. I can hold him off a little longer, but not forever."
Anthony nodded.
Knox stood to his feet, offering his arm out to Anthony.
Johanna added, "We can talk later when we've all calmed down. I won't hear another word about killing Knox. You're not helping the situation."
Unable to help himself, Anthony grimaced, her words hitting his stomach wrong. Why did it sound like Anthony meant to try to kill Knox? As if he meant for any of this to happen. Anthony stood up on his own too fast and it was like his head struck an invisible ceiling. The room spun and Anthony lost his footing. He reached for the couch's arm to catch himself, but Knox grabbed him first, holding him up by his arm. Anthony slipped, bumping right against Knox and Anthony wasn't sure what made him dizzier: Knox's sweet smell, his beautiful face, or the incredible blood loss.
Anthony righted himself, using his hand to push Knox's chest and take a full step away from him, pressing his legs against the couch. Knox said, "Follow me. We both need to get cleaned up."
"Lead the way." Anthony motioned him towards the door. With a nod, Knox left the room and Anthony tried to ignore the scowls from both Johanna and Knox's bodyguard. Once, when they were kids, Bianca warned Anthony that if he didn't hold his breath as they passed a graveyard, some of the dead would come back home with them and haunt him. Out of habit, Anthony held his breath now as he walked through the room, following Knox anywhere and trying not to topple over.
***
Cranking the shower all the way to way too hot, Anthony stepped inside and hoped his skin would melt off. He closed his eyes and stood in the very center, letting the water hit him like machine gun bullets. It was amazing as all the dirt and blood slipped off and spun down the drain.
This place made the Ventura estate look like a townhouse from a nice suburb.
The bathroom itself was as big as Anthony's room back home, complete with columns, marble floors, thick velvet gold curtains covering the windows, wall to wall counter space, the sky painted on the ceiling and a chandelier over the biggest clawfoot tub he had ever seen.
At the end of the long room, the shower was long enough for two shower heads with gold hardware. This must be what happens to people who have too much money. They don't know what to do with it and end up going down the past of least resistance. They become tacky.
The shower door swung open, and Anthony jumped so hard, his soul left his body and he had to snatch it back. Fully naked, Knox walked into the shower, moving towards the opposite side. Eyes widening, Anthony turned away and tried to hide his front and remembered he needed to cover the back too.
"Hello? I'm in here!" Anthony's voice cracked as he tried to keep his eyes on the ceiling, but Anthony couldn't unsee the body hidden beneath all those damn clothes, the six pack, the shoulders, and the scar on his back. Anthony stood forward at attention again.
"We don't have time," Knox explained and Anthony remembered why he was here again.
He put too many pumps of shampoo in his hand and scrubbed like his life depended on it.
"I figured we could multitask," Knox said.
"What's there to discuss?"
"First, you haven't said yes or no to my proposal, so I'm eager to hear that answer."
Just when Anthony thought he could blame the blush on the water. He was flushed from the top of his head to his toes. The way he said everything was just so smooth, so suave, like if he could touch the words they'd all be made of velvets and silk.
Anthony stuck his face right in the water as Knox said, "Since you're not jumping at our agreement, I thought we could discuss our arrangement. I've only been talking to Dante. I was wondering if you had your own demands."
"Do you do all your negotiations naked?" Anthony blurted, turning around so he could wash the suds out of his hair. He was faced by Knox's wide back, his muscles and shoulder blades moving, him raising his arms and Anthony admired his soft looking skin, blushing under the heat of the water. Now, Anthony had the urge to bite him for completely new reasons. Anthony had the horrible theory that maybe he bruised easily. That maybe a hickey might last twice as long for him.
"I just like negotiating. No matter the circumstances," Knox replied and Anthony didn't have to see his face to know he was smiling.
"Oh, no." Anthony muttered and started scrubbing his hair a bit harder. "We might be too alike."
"Why would that be a bad thing? I like myself, so that means there's a high chance I'll like you."
Anthony turned back around and wondered if Knox would hear it if Anthony drove his head through the wall.
"First order of business, we're partners," Knox stated as a fact. "It would be nice to be friends, but it's not mandatory. We just have to work well together."
"Fair," Anthony said.
"Where would you like to live?"
Anthony straightened. "I have a choice?"
"Somewhat. I can't send you back to Italy. We'll still need to live together. After the wedding, I do hope you'll take more responsibilities in the coven. I'd rather have a few people close to me than dozens of people that only work for me."
"So, we wouldn't have to live here?"
"No."
"Would that bodyguard of yours come with us?"
Knox chuckled. "Yes. Don't be offended by Milan. He's my bodyguard, but also the first vampire I sired. He's loyal."
Anthony hummed in understanding, but not in agreement. Vampire Kings were the only vampires able to make more. It's what made covens, what grew kingdoms. Dante, in his reign, only sired maybe a handful. It wasn't an ability anyone took lightly... Well, at least the good kings and queens didn't.
Knox continued, "You'll choose where we live and you'll have your own room. The interesting thing about being two men is that neither of us will be expected to carry an heir to the coven, so consummation isn't a priority."
"This is the future us gays always wanted."
"However..."
"I'm listening."
"An heir will be needed. What are your opinions on children?"
"Positive, but I'm not sure how I feel about multiple children. Morally, I don't know if I can induce psychic damage to a kid by forcing siblings onto them."
Knox laughed a little again. This soft airy, breathless sound that was becoming Anthony favorite sound. He just wanted to make Knox do it again, again, and again.
"And about the wedding," Anthony continued. "When is it?"
"Sooner than you think. All the details and choices have basically been made."
"Really?"
"Well, the wedding didn't really change. Only the groom did, so it's only a few months away."
The realization dawned on Anthony that Dante and Knox might have been talking about this deal for a while. Dante must've been so confident that he'd agree. Knox didn't even have to change the wedding date. Really everything Anthony ever had was a hand me down.
"Is there anything you want?" Knox asked and when nothing immediately sprang to mind, Anthony just said what he felt.
"I just want what's best for my family."
"How noble."
Anthony frowned. He didn't agree with the sentiment. He'd never go to this extreme for a stranger. This was about family. Family always had to come first. Always.
"No offense," Anthony said. "But I don't want to live in this castle. Find me a place close, so you can still conduct business. I wouldn't call myself a romantic, so whatever is happening with the wedding is fine by me. Just make sure you change the names on the invites."
"I don't have any demands from you," Anthony also added. "Just fulfill your end of the bargain. Keep your word. Make my family your family and I'll be satisfied."
"Deal," Knox said and his half of the shower was cut off. Anthony glanced behind him and met Knox's bright blue eyes. Anthony's heart imploded, its pieces splattered against the walls. "Let's quickly dry off. You'll find a fresh pair of clothes on the counter and the necessary heat tools inside the cabinets. Use whatever you like."
For a split second, Knox's eyes flicked down, and he suppressed a smile. "Don't be long." Anthony's knees wobbled. He had to catch himself on the shower wall as Knox Lavigne made his exit, strutting out of the bathroom with only a white towel around his waist.
***
When he walked out of the shower, he found the ring box left on the counter. The box stared back at Anthony, judging him while he quickly got dressed and dried his hair. Anthony couldn't stop glancing at it. He popped it open. Both rings were still inside. He closed it, feeling like he should've asked for more in the shower. He just wasn't prepared. It seemed like Knox never gave him time to prepare. That man did everything like his shoes were on fire, like he was being pulled along by his gut reaction.
Thinking about that stressed Anthony out.
That ring hung heavy in his pocket, and he could hardly pay attention to anything else. Anthony did his best to appear normal. He tried giving Nino a comforting smile, but his older brother didn't return it. They had all gathered into a parlor room with the fireplace roaring between the two families. Johanna and Knox sitting together on one side, Nino sitting between Ben and Anthony on the other. Anthony had finally walked in just as they were going over the details. Anthony thought he was going to choke and die from the tension. It was hard walking through the air to find his seat that he couldn't stop squirming in. No position felt quite comfortable enough to relax in. Awkwardly, Ben sipped on something in a fancy teacup, glancing at everyone else.
"Thank you for coming," Knox said. "It's good to see the whole family. I expect Bianca to stroll up on my door next."
"Run by me why you both had to take a shower again," Nino said, dodging out of the way of polite conversation.
"I don't know about Knox," Anthony said, keeping his tone light. It had already been so long; Anthony knew Nino would already know something was wrong, so Anthony came up with an easy excuse. Not quite a lie. Just a little stretch of the truth. "But you know I had something odd spill on me. Well, it had a bad reaction, and the smell was so bad I thought I'd spare the Lavigne family the smell."
"Like he said," Ben grumbled, touching Nino's arm as if he needed holding back. Nino's arms stayed tightly crossed. Expression unchanged.
Knox shared a similar calm smile. Anthony and Knox were like two balloons, trying to fly and Nino was the one yanking them down by their strings.
"And I just needed a shower today," Knox said. "I usually shower in the morning, but I guess I Wanted to make a good impression. I'm not sure how my ego could recover from a rejection from two Ventura brothers."
Johanna forced a laugh. "Now that the shower mystery has been explained, why don't we get back on topic? As discussed, upon your delivery of goods, we shall send over the other half of the payment. The first payment will be today as long as Anthony and my son are in agreement."
"Right..." Nino's eyes sharpened at Knox for a moment before he turned fully at Anthony. He placed his large hand on Anthony's leg and gave it a small squeeze. "I know Knox is ready, but what about you?" Nino's eyes danced around Anthony's face, searching for an extra clue, but Anthony was a locked chest and even the key had been hidden from himself.
Anthony nodded. He took out the ring box and said, "I accept your proposal."
Both Knox and his mother's shoulders relaxed slightly. They let out a small, relieved breath. Anthony plucked out a ring for himself, when Knox spoke up.
"The other one," Knox said and stood up. Anthony felt compelled to stand too, mirroring Knox as he returned the box to his hands. Knox pulled the other ring and like a glove, it fit Anthony's ring finger perfectly.
Anhtony took Knox's hand and slid his ring on too.
"Great," Johanna said and Anthony quickly dropped his hand to his side. "It's settled then. I'm sure you're all curious to see what we have planned for the wedding-"
"Hold on," Nino said and stood up. He pulled Anthony's arm, turning him around. "I have one more question. Anthony, between the spill and the shower, when and why did you drink blood?"
Nino swiped the side of Anthony's mouth with his thumb, revealing the dried dark red blotch of blood. Nino cocked his head. And tell me, whose blood, is it?"
"Um, well..." Anthony's brain went into overdrive, desperately searching for an excuse.
"Don't bother talking if you're not going to tell me the truth. I have my own condition to this agreement. There's something wrong here and I don't trust you," Nino said looking at the blood and then at Knox. "I understand we need this as much as you, but I need to be sure my brother is safe, so until the wedding, I'm not leaving this castle."