(Addis)

“Now that went perfectly!” Addis couldn’t help his chuckle as Rosie slid into the booth beside him, not minding her voice as she closed the door. The vampire for his part kept his attention on the broadcast happening in front of him, noticing the hardy laugh of the host to Lena’s response. The other workers around him were moving about anxiously, clearly nervous around the high vampires. 

The station in Aerovale was one of Addis’s favorites to visit, mostly because he knew he could always count on it being run perfectly. The closed-off nature of the city meant that anything less would not be tolerated, and his local manager had a good eye for hosts that fit his own radio persona. Lena gave a soft chuckle of her own as the host’s laughter died away and Addis’s smile widened. 

While Lena and Addis were taking advantage of the station to advertise the shelter, Zélia had taken the rest of the humans and vampires on a tour of the natural city. The vampire hadn’t realized how much the bond had affected his mood until he no longer had to worry about the human and Addis sighed with relief. Here, in this city far from Adrian’s hand, Addis could ignore Faye and he didn’t even have to send the creature to watch him. Zélia was more than enough security from any normal vampire, and Lena would also want to keep a close eye on all their charges. Rosie bringing Faye’s friend was an added bonus he hadn’t counted on, but it was welcomed nonetheless.

Finding out that Rosie’s Soulbound partner was a friend of Faye’s had made Addis nervous at first, but he soon saw the advantage of the situation. Noemi was loud and boisterous and it was very obvious she was overly protective of Faye, not letting any of the other turned vampires near him. She was never afraid of confrontation, and Addis quickly realized why Rosie was so interested in entertaining the bond with her. The vampiress craved excitement and chaos more than anything else, and Noemi created both constantly with her mere presence. It had taken Addis a while to even notice that the girl wasn’t human, but it only amused him more when Lena revealed she refused blood. Addis’s protection of Faye was soon forgotten in the mind of the princess and her partner as they focused on trying to get Noemi to behave, and Addis chuckled softly to himself. 

“Seems this trip was something you needed,” Addis leaned back in his seat as Rosie made another remark, still keeping his eyes on the princess and host in the recording studio. He knew she was still trying to find out who he was Soulbound to and his companion chuckled as she continued. “This is the most relaxed you’ve been in weeks.”

“You already know I hate Pavivani city and its ceaseless politics. Were it not necessary for my goals, I would have left long ago,” Addis remarked, finally turning to give the vampiress a bright smile as she grinned at him. Her black eyes shone with mischief and Addis allowed his smile to turn to a soft smirk. “Who knows, perhaps once that goal is obtained, I’ll retire here.”

“The ones here do seem to be more of your ilk,” Rosie agreed, glancing at the glass as Lena became more animated and the host seemed enraptured by her words. “Although I think the princess is starting to grow fond of you.”

“I certainly hope so. She is a critical piece on the board, even if I disagree with your assessment of her,” Addis chuckled, relaxing fully as the creature stirred in his shadow. He could feel its desire to reveal itself, but Addis gave it a sharp glare as he glanced at the floor. There was no reason to take such a risk, especially with so many other eyes about. He could feel its hunger and Addis sighed, silently giving it permission to eat his contentment. “Time and patience will afford us what we desire, Rosie dear.”

“Indeed it will,” the vampiress agreed and Addis’s attention was drawn back to the booth as the host started to wrap up the segment. 

“Well, there you have it, Aerovale, from the words of our Princess herself!” The cheery bouncy tone of their voice was perfectly accented by the jazz tune that played with their words and Addis finally stood, Rosie following his lead. “If you see her out and about our town, be sure to show her the best Aerovale can be, and why we believe in her message!”

As soon as the broadcast finished, Addis opened the studio door, causing both the princess and host to jump with surprise. He clapped his hands as Rosie appeared behind him, beaming as the vampire continued with his theatrics. 

“Absolutely perfect, Dalri! What a treat to finally enjoy your voice myself,” Addis beamed as the host blushed, clearly not expecting any praise from the station’s owner. “I am glad to see things are running so well here.”

“Well, Torne keeps us all on track, and is a good manager.”

“Good, good! I’ll have to congratulate him as well, and for continuing to discover such good talent,” Addis laughed loudly as Lena approached him, finally turning his attention to the princess. Her blonde curls were uncharacteristically pulled back from her face, and Addis beamed as she smiled at him. “Now, Lena, are you ready to rejoin the visiting group? If Zélia is following today’s itinerary, they should be passing by.”

“Are you–”

“No, no my dear, Rosie and I have other matters. I intend to watch all the daily broadcasts today and Rosie has her own segment later this evening to announce her new store,” Addis revealed, noticing the slight relief in Lena’s stance. He knew it was more aimed at Rosie than him, and he politely bowed his head as he continued. “We will be present for dinner, since Rosie is treating us all tonight.”

“Indeed, it is best to show these secluded hermits what the best of humanity has to offer,” Rosie chuckled and Lena’s smile became tighter. Addis did his best to stifle his chuckle, not wanting to give up his facade as the vampiress continued. “I assure you, this evening will be perfect.”

“I’m sure it will, thank you Rosie!” Lena beamed before bouncing out of the room, but her usual happy bounce was more of a hurried run as Addis finally let his laughter escape. 

“You call me crafty, but you are the worst Rosie. Bringing that girl along while no one knows the truth,” Addis motioned for the host to prepare for the next broadcast, and Rosie merely smiled as they stepped back out of the recording studio. “Lena and Zélia are right to be worried about your intentions, given your reputation.”

“My little firecracker will behave and I look forward to seeing their awe. As far as no one knowing, I don’t intend to keep it a secret forever,” Rosie revealed, and Addis felt the creeping wave of anxiety that started to rise in his chest. Those black eyes were now intense as they smiled at him and he knew that Rosie was examining him closely. “It will serve well to annoy these high-minded fools, to reveal that I have chosen a connection with a turned rather than another born vampire.”

“It will indeed be a shock to some,” Addis agreed, doing his best not to crumble under her scrutiny. “With your status, you could have any you wanted.”

“And yet my soul binds to her. Fate is truly interesting,” Rosie chuckled and Addis nodded as he sat back down, the jazz tune starting again. “I wonder if fate intends to try again with you, or perhaps they have grown tired of your resistance.”

“With any luck, it will be the latter,” Addis insisted, pretending to be fully interested in the broadcast as Dalri started their next intro. He knew the conversation was to try and trip him up into admitting something, and he was determined to keep Rosie guessing. After all, with any luck, this bond would be almost completely gone by the time they returned to the city. “You will be up soon enough Rosie dear, so if you wish to check on your partner, now would be a good time.”

“I’m satisfied, Addis. I can feel that she’s fine, and she has been behaving herself, although I will freshen up a bit,” Rosie stood as she spoke and Addis kept his smile as she walked by him, dragging her hand across his shoulders. “It’s always such a joy to play with you, and I look forward to seeing if I win.”

“As you should,” Addis responded, a shiver running through his body as Rosie’s hand left his suit and the vampire sighed as he leaned back in his seat. Now Rosie knew he was resisting her, and she would definitely up her ante to get her answer. She clearly had an unusual interest in the Soulbound connection at the moment, and Addis’s smile faded with his thoughts. All he had to do was mislead her for a few more days, and everything would be fine.