The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf (4 page)

enjoy it tremendously.

The thought kept a wide grin on his face as he entered his home.

An army of servants met him in the foyer, ready to do his bidding.

They gave him one look and hesitated before quickly recovering and

bowing lowly, as was proper.

Kaname didn’t blame them for their quickly concealed surprise.

The main house of the Yamamoto clan, where they all lived, had been

built twenty miles from Tokyo on a privately owned property that

spanned as far as the eye could see. It was here that Kaname’s parents

rested until they were ready to return to reality and live once more.

This was also the place where the elders from the Yamamoto family

always came to relax.

As such, the servants were used to terse replies, growly voices,

and dark glares. Kaname himself had been in a similar mood when

he’d arrived, so his unexpected smile must have been quite a shock.

Duly ignoring the slight breach in protocol, Kaname proceeded

with his original plan. “Arrange for my departure,” he told them. “I’m

returning to the coven.”

Immediately, the servants scampered to obey him. Only the butler

remained, daring to give Kaname an inquiring glance. “Good news,

Yamamoto-sama?” he asked.

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

23

“Very good news, Takaba,” Kaname replied without elaborating.

He smiled slightly at the older man. “And on this note, I apologize for

giving you so much trouble these days. I’m afraid I’ve been quite an

ogre.”

The kind expression on the butler’s face turned to horror. “What

are you saying, Kaname-sama? It is our duty and our pleasure to serve

you.” He paused, taking deep breaths as if he was having trouble

finding his words, and looked down, the very picture of honest

misery. “If I’ve done something to displease you, I will gladly—”

Kaname didn’t even wait for the butler to finish the phrase. In a

sense, it didn’t surprise him that Takaba had interpreted things like

that. After all, Kaname was the vampire elder. He didn’t apologize to

anyone, let alone a servant. But Kaname was in a good mood, and he

didn’t want to linger on ceremonial issue. Derek was coming to see

him, which opened up new avenues for Kaname. He couldn’t

remember being so excited in a long time. Besides, Takaba wasn’t just

anyone. The butler’s family had served the Yamamoto clan for

generations, but there was more to it than just that. Kaname had

known Takaba ever since the man had been born. Even before the

existence of the shifters had been revealed, Takaba had supported

him, providing solace and a welcome retreat. As such, Kaname had

seen Takaba mature, fall in love, take a wife, and have children. One

day, he would see him die and honor his passing. While it was

frowned upon for vampires to have any sort of emotional connection

with their human servants, Kaname firmly believed it would be idiotic

to pretend that, in all this time, no attachment had been formed.

“How long have we known each other, Takaba?” he asked. On

impulse, he wrapped an arm around the butler’s shoulders.

Takaba blinked at him, but he still seemed to have trouble coming

up with a reply. Kaname knew he should probably release the human.

Vampires were naturally very demonstrative, so it was inappropriate

for them to touch their service staff if a sexual relationship wasn’t

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intended. Takaba remained young enough to grow aroused at a

vampire’s touch, even if he was a happily married man.

But thankfully, the butler was perfectly straight and had quite a

resilience to a vampire’s charms. He got over his shock and replied,

“All my life, Yamamoto-sama,” he replied.

Kaname arched a brow. “I think I liked Kaname-sama more.” He

was well aware that the more informal address had been a slipup on

Takaba’s part, so he grinned to let the butler know he wasn’t upset or

anything like that. “In fact, I’d tell you to call me only that if I thought

you’d listen.”

“Yamamoto-sama, I live to serve,” Takaba said again. “I will do

whatever you ask.”

“Somehow I doubt it, and I appreciate you telling me off from

time to time.” He scanned the human’s face and wise eyes. After

Yakumo, Takaba was the only person he could consider telling about

Derek. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt getting some outside input. If nothing

else, he’d calm the whirlpool of emotions inside him down. After he

returned to the coven, he’d need to be the perfectly proper Yamamoto-

sama again, and he didn’t think he could tell his brother about Derek

just yet. “Come with me. I need a word.”

Following yet another impulse, Kaname slipped outside, gesturing

for the butler to join him. Usually, vampires didn’t like spending too

much time in daylight. Human legends were right about one thing.

The strong radiation coming from the sun hurt vampires, especially

young ones. After a certain age, though, their abilities developed fully,

and they could stay outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun like any

human did. Yakumo couldn’t do so yet, but Kaname had long ago

been granted this gift and he tried to take advantage of it as often as

he could.

As he walked with Takaba, Kaname started to explain his

predicament. “There is a shifter who visited the coven during our little

problem with Tyrell Hall.”

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

25

Normally, issues like that of the warlock were kept away from the

ears of the staff, but Tyrell had caused such an uproar that secrecy had

been impossible. Not only that, but the mere presence of a group of

shifters in the Tokyo coven was also unprecedented. As such, Kaname

had no doubt that word had reached not only Takaba, but all the

servants in the mansion.

“He and I were attracted to each other when we first met, back in

the United States, and also when we saw each other here. I didn’t

pursue this attraction, as we both had other duties and things to worry

about. Now, he is returning to Japan. This is the news I received

earlier.”

Takaba watched him for a few moments. “I could tell something

was different about you, Yamamoto-sama,” he said. “I wouldn’t dare

to make any assumption, but this shifter…Do you only feel attraction

toward him?”

The mere fact that Takaba had gotten over his obvious

apprehension and asked this question spoke volumes of his concern.

Kaname wondered just what the human was worried about, but he

held back from reading Takaba’s mind. A vampire elder’s power gave

him numerous abilities, and seeing into the minds of others was just

one of them. By rights, Kaname could have looked into Derek’s

thoughts and emotions, but he’d decided against it. Not only were

shifters harder to read, but this power was far too easy to abuse.

Kaname firmly believed that everyone had a right to their privacy and

tried to avoid reading minds unless he needed to.

It was the same with Takaba. He decided to take things as they

came and replied, “Well, I suppose so. What else could it be, after

all?”

Takaba’s dark gaze seemed to grow even more worried. “Kaname-

sama…I know you are much older than me, but…I’m not sure how to

say this.” When Kaname indicated for him to continue, Takaba sighed

and rubbed his eyes. “Humans are not like vampires. Of course you

are well aware of this. It’s like saying that summer is different from

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winter. But what I’m referring to is that we have a different

perspective on the things in our world.” He paused again, obviously

nervous. “What I’m going to say now might sound unbearably rude,

but I will chance it. I suspect vampires can’t always notice love. It is

not your way. And vampires and shifters are so very incompatible. I

truly do not wish for the same thing to happen to you.”

Kaname debated Takaba’s words, at the same time taking into

account his feelings for Derek. To a certain extent, he realized the

human was right. There had been a close bond between Kaname’s

mother and father, but in the last years before their surrender, it had

increasingly deteriorated until they could hardly bear the sight of each

other. A vampire’s emotions could be powerful things, and they had

won in the battle against the older Yamamotos. While Takaba’s age

made it impossible for him to have known that, his input into the

matter seemed, nevertheless, valuable. Still, Kaname didn’t think that

was the case for him. His desire for Derek was nothing more than the

rush of experiencing something new.

In fact, Takaba’s perspective reassured him and convinced him

even more that such a thing could never happen to him. He’d never

fall in love with anyone, not to the point where he would lose himself

to it.

“Don’t worry, Takaba,” he told his butler. “That won’t happen.

Thank you for listening and giving me your opinion.”

“It was my pleasure, Yamamoto-sama.” Takaba had fallen into

formality once again, but his tone remained concerned. “I am honored

that you placed your trust in me, and I wish you the best in your

meeting with the shifter.”

Kaname replied with an appropriated thank-you, knowing this

conversation would never be revealed to anyone else. The relationship

between him and the butler was oddly ambiguous, as it would always

be somewhat plagued by the differences in their statuses. However,

that didn’t change the fact that, at the most basic level, they trusted

each other.

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

27

When they returned to the house, Takaba’s son, Haruki, waited for

them, bowing lowing and not meeting their gazes. “The preparations

for your departure are complete, My Lord.”

“Excellent.” Kaname eyed Haruki from head to toe, pleased when

his cock twitched with interest at the sight of the pretty young man. In

spite of anticipating Derek’s visit, he could still appreciate the beauty

of others. That was telling, right?

Naturally, he remained discreet since he would never pursue

Haruki, and more so not with Takaba there. “I will leave at once.”

A brief glimpse up told Kaname that Haruki might have been

interested in a brief interlude. Nevertheless, the young man was

perfectly polite, and when Takaba cleared his throat, Haruki rushed

away, a slight blush staining his cheeks.

“You must excuse him, Yamamoto-sama,” Takaba said lowly.

“He’s young and has yet to fully understand his position.”

“That’s quite all right,” Kaname replied. He was sure Haruki

would soon find himself in a very interesting position, probably under

another man. Alas, that man wouldn’t be Kaname. “There’s no need to

apologize or berate him for something that’s entirely normal. I assure

you he is completely safe from me.”

Kaname didn’t have to read Takaba’s mind to be able to tell that

the butler was embarrassed. To save the human from further

mortification, he changed the subject and said, “I might be bringing

my guests to visit. The shifter I mentioned is bringing his sister, and

I’d love for them to receive a real taste of Yamamoto hospitality, like

they might not be able to get at the coven.”

“Rest assured everything will be taken care of, Yamamoto-sama,”

Takaba replied.

Kaname thanked the butler, although he really didn’t have to.

Reassured that all would be well in his absence, he headed outside,

where the helicopter was already waiting.

All the staff gathered to see him off, bowing as low as they could

go in front of him. This time, Kaname was completely formal and

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remained as aloof as he could be without turning arrogant and cold.

As he got into the helicopter, it occurred to him that, one day, he

would like to admire the sakura blooms with Derek.

He pushed the thought away from his mind before it could grow

any further. Quickly closing the helicopter door, he nodded at the pilot

that he was ready to depart.

The trip to Tokyo was uneventful and quick. As they approached

the city, the sky started growing cloudier, darker. The pollution of the

main metropolitan zone had gotten more and more problematic in the

past years. This represented an advantage for vampires, as they could