Part 2. Chapter 22

“I guess this is goodbye, then...” Antoine said as Pierre drifted off into a sated sleep.

Those were his last words to his ex-lover before he’d carried him back to his boarding house, written the farewell letter using Pierre’s stationery, and left him the ward choker he’d procured from a sorcerer during his travels in the East. He had meant for the necklace to protect Pierre from vampires while he was away on his travels, but now it would be needed to protect Pierre permanently. What a pity, he’d thought as he’d placed it on the bedside table.

He’d almost felt emotional enough to cry as he watched Pierre sleep until dawn. Sitting on the end of Pierre’s bed, he thought he would miss his delicious artist. If only Pierre hadn’t pressured them to be something they were not. If only Pierre hadn’t figured out what he was—not that he’d done anything to hide his true nature as a vampire. When Pierre had accepted his idiosyncrasies, it had made Antoine feel so