Chapter Thirty-Six

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Dante pulled on a pair of jeans, leaving his chest bare as he left his slumbering husband in their shared bedroom. He had recently become more accustomed to wearing more casual clothing since he had married Fionn. Though that did mean he had, on more than one occasion, gotten Fionn into a suit. Which he much preferred taking off him later those nights. Kastor was sat watching Arlo eat as Dante entered the kitchen.

"Fi's dinner will be ready in about an hour, I didn't think Arlo would be able to wait that long," Dante nodded, sitting across from Kastor, scrutinizing his son with a soft frown.

"How are you?"

"What?" Kastor mirrored Dante's frown, picking up Arlo's fork that he had flung under the table.

"Kas, it's been a week since you and Venice broke up. I want to know how you're feeling."

"Fine," Kastor murmured quickly, averting his gaze to his lap.

"You're allowed to be sad or angry or anything else, Kas, it's understandable. You two were together for-"

"I don't want to talk about it, father," Kastor caught Dante's eye, his expression sorrowful, with tears sitting on his eyelids, "please don't make me talk about it," Dante nodded, a lopsided smile on his lips.

"OK, just tell me if you need-" Dante stopped abruptly, hearing a familiar voice nearby the house. With a frown set deeper on his face, the vampire opened the front door, sighing at the presence of his family.

"Why are you here?"

"Cicero invited us, he said you were celebrating Christmas this year and wanted us all to be here," Yareli beamed at Dante, stood with her arm linked into Nikhil's.

"Cicero just lost phone privileges," Dante murmured, allowing his two siblings and his father to enter the house, closing the door quietly behind them, "I would have preferred to have been informed earlier, you know Fionn isn't entirely comfortable around you all yet," Isidro smiled, patting Dante on the shoulder.

"He's a part of our family now, Amaris, not just any wolf. We will treat him just as we would treat you, I'll keep your sister in check, don't-" Isidro was cut off by Yareli squealing gleefully, clearly she had just seen Arlo.

"Yareli, stop," Dante gripped his sister's arm, "Arlo is more Fi's child than mine and he hasn't been around many other vampires. He's a wolf and he might not react well. You can wait until Fi wakes up then meet him."

"Oh but he's adorable," Yareli stared wistfully into the kitchen, watching Arlo giggle whilst he sat with Kastor, "can't I just hold him for a minute?"

"Not until Fi has said you can," Yareli pouted, allowing herself to be led into the living room by Nikhil.

"How are you, my child?" Isidro tugged Dante into a bone-crushing hug, not something he would do around anyone but immediate family.

"I'm very happy, father," Dante returned the hug, a smile on his lips.

"Then I am happy too," Isidro followed Dante into the kitchen, glancing toward Arlo but respecting his son's wishes and staying out of the child's line of sight.

"Where have you been travelling recently?" Dante inquired, placing a mug in the coffee machine, mentally going through the instructions Fionn had given him on how to work it.

"South America. Yareli wanted to spend some time in Chile and Nikhil wanted to see the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. He's been swaying into religion in the past few years, I think he's curious," Dante smiled, his father was just as opposed to religion as he was.

"I remember you taking us to Chile millennia ago, although we ended up spending more time in Peru in the end."

"Yes, it was one of the last trips you joined us on before you turned Cicero," Dante collected the milk from the fridge and the sugar from the top cupboard, "married life seems to be treating you well, Amaris."

"It's taking less time than I would have assumed to get used to, father."

"He still can't cook, grandfather," Kastor commented from the table, a sly smile on his lips.

"Kas, you can cook no better than me, I just choose not to learn," Dante took the almost full mug from the machine, added the milk and sugar and left it on the breakfast bar, hearing Fionn walking down the stairs.

"Dant, when I tell you I hate waking up to an empty bed do you actually hear me or do I speak in a different language?" Fionn froze just past the doorway of the kitchen, his eyes set on Isidro stood next to Dante.

"My father and siblings will be joining us for Christmas, blame Kastor, I had no part in the doing," Dante could see Fionn tensing, could hear his agitated and anxious thoughts.

"That's... lovely," Fionn said stiffly, picking up the mug of coffee and sipping it as he sat down next to Arlo.

"Daddy," Fionn lifted Arlo from his highchair and into his lap, ensuring he couldn't reach the steaming mug.

"Hey, buddy, did you have a good dinner?" Fionn kissed all over Arlo's face and chuckled, "you're very sticky, buddy. Can you get me a wipe, Dant?"

"Wipe," Arlo copied proudly, "wipe, wipe," he repeated, giggling. As Dante took a wipe from the packet on the counter, he noticed Yareli and Nikhil stood in the doorway.

"Puppy, my sister is desperate to meet Arlo, do you mind?" Dante wiped Arlo's cheeks whilst Fionn held the squirming child still as best he could, "you can say no, I won't be mad, it's your choice," Fionn was quiet for a moment and Dante could hear him deliberating the choice in his mind.

"Scar," Arlo ran his finger down Dante's cheek, following the curvature of the scar.

"Buddy, you wanna meet some people?" Fionn rose to his feet, sitting Arlo on his hip and first walking over to Isidro, "this is your granddad, Isidro. Think you can say Isidro, buddy? It's a big word," Arlo frowned, his little mouth twitching as he stared at Isidro.

"Isio," he announced, "eyes, red," Arlo beamed, "daddy, eyes red," Dante couldn't help sharing in his husband and son's smile.

"That's right, buddy, granddad does have red eyes."

"Nice to meet you, Arlo," Isidro squeezed one of Arlo's cheeks, making him giggle even more, though Dante noticed how tense Fionn got. It will take time, he told himself once more. Fionn introduced Arlo to Yareli and Nikhil after that, though the child couldn't quite manage either of their names.

"Guess it really is a good thing my dad isn't gonna be here tomorrow, he wouldn't have been too pleased with this little surprise," Dante wrapped his arms around Fionn's waist from behind, resting his chin on his husband's shoulder.

"I promise you I didn't know, Kastor probably thought he was just doing something good for us all," Fionn shrugged, tasting whatever was cooking on the stove.

"It's fine, I would have had to get used to your family at some point," a small smile wove onto Fionn's lips as Dante pressed a soft kiss to the wolf's cheek, "why can't you eat normal food?"

"We simply don't need to, we don't need the energy or nutrients from it," Fionn spun around in Dante's arms to face the vampire.

"What happens if you eat it?"

"I wouldn't know, I've never tried it," Dante shrugged.

"So you might be able to eat it and you've just avoided it all your life because you were told to?"

"Yes, I doubt my father told me I can't eat just to fuck with me," Fionn reached along the counter and picked up a slice of bread.

"Take a bite, maybe you'll like it," Dante frowned, shaking his head slightly.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Fi."

"One bite can't hurt, Dant, come on, I'm curious," Dante bit the corner of the bread, chewing slowly and swallowing, "feel anything?" Dante frowned, not liking the way the food sat in his stomach. Blood never felt heavy, it ran down his throat easily, leaving a trail of warmth behind it. It had only been a bite, yet Dante had no desire to eat anymore.

"I don't think so," Dante grimaced as a bout of nausea hit him, darting to the bathroom and emptying the contents of his stomach. The vampire groaned, closing his eyes for a few seconds, thankful he had somehow locked the door once he had entered.

"Amaris?" Isidro called through the door, his voice echoing around Dante's mind, adding to the headache pounding behind his eyes. It had been one bite, how could it affect him so much? Dante wiped his mouth and rose to his feet slowly, unlocking the door, allowing his father to enter.

"How many times did I warn you over the years, Amaris, that we do not eat?" Isidro cupped Dante's cheek, tilting his head side to side.

"A few, I imagine," Dante mumbled, feeling exhausted.

"More than a few, my child. Yet you still ignore my warnings, therefore you deserve the consequences," Isidro's brows were knotted into a deep frown, irritation dripping from his tone, "you'll be fine in a few hours, you should drink something though and heed my advice next time," Isidro stepped away, allowing an awfully guilty looking Fionn to take his place, hugging Dante gently.

"I'm sorry, Dant, I didn't know."

"It's fine, puppy, I didn't know either. Now I do," Dante pressed a tender kiss to Fionn's head, not bothering to ask his husband's consent before he sunk his fangs into the wolf's throat. 

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