Vermilion Kiss: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Rose Vampires Book 2) by Skye Ivana

Author:Skye, Ivana [Skye, Ivana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eta Carinae Press
Published: 2018-11-22T16:00:00+00:00

7

It seems that something is not quite right in Mikael’s life.

For that reason he is here, wandering the streets and wishing the waxing moon could somehow tell him what to do. He is filled with disquiet, with longing—and oh! He would rather he were with Aloysius. Perhaps he should wander to his house now, even though his love is surely sleeping.

But it seemed prudent to, for once, spend a night not together. Balance is important in all things: that is something Orange Roses often say, although of course Red Roses do not.

And yet what use is balance if he has so little to do without his love?

What use is it, if his footsteps ring out hollow on the cobblestone, if the sky is wide and empty and the stars provide no comfort?

What use is it to hear the calls of a night heron if he is so alone?

He does not cry; he rarely cries. No, not even now, not even if he wishes for more even than Aloysius, for the feel of another skin against his own, for…

She is gone , he reminds himself, and the stars seem to flicker in acknowledgement. They even make a gentle sound, as if telling him yes, yes—

No, wait. That is his phone.

He pulls it out of his pocket, and the screen shows the name of the only one who ever calls him: Aloysius. He could almost hold happiness bright in his heart, but for one thing. If Aloysius is calling now, at Beauty-knows-not-what time in the middle of the night—the phone states it to be four AM—something is surely wrong.

“Aloysius…?” He says upon answering.

The only sound on the other line is a soft sobbing.

No, no, it cannot be … no, no, it must not be, his love must not be sad! “Aloysius,” he says again, with heightened urgency, “what is wrong?”

“It’s so unfair that I can’t bring you…”

Mikael blinks at the unanswering sky. “Say it again?”

“That I can’t bring you…?”

“Alternately, perhaps explain?”

“To the ball….”

A memory strikes Mikael: the yearly ball the Red Roses hold. And yet, why does Aloysius call now? “My love, it is before dawn…”

“The courier bats always bring the invitations in the middle of the night,” Aloysius says. “It’s tradition.”

Mikael has always wondered why the Red Roses could not simply breed pitch-black—or perhaps red—pigeons, or, even simpler, use e-mail. But each time he has ever asked, Aloysius has said only, for the drama! , and left it at that. “Right,” Mikael says.

“A-and … well, what’s the point of a ball if I can’t bring a date ?” Aloysius sobs. “And yeah, yeah, I know I had this problem, last year too, but…“

But this year his hopes must have risen . Sara has changed things between them. Sara had given Aloysius a chance of someone to show off to his faction—unlike Mikael, who must be kept secret.

“RSVPs are due next week, too…” Aloysius says.

“Is that not rather soon?”

“All Red Roses are invited,” Aloysius says. “So it’s not like the invitation is

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