Chapter 58
Philippe Melts Rafe
Philippe lounged behind Rafe’s desk at The Phoenix, idly flipping through bits of paper while the lights turned and flashed just beyond the windows overlooking the nightclub’s dance floor.
How in the world did a carefree and reckless vampire like Rafe manage to keep a nightclub running in such a tight fashion?
Everything was in neat and tidy order. Forms were filled out and ready to be filed. Philippe had seen his email in the past, and every item was dealt with in a timely manner.
But then, Rafe had run countless nightclubs over the years. He knew what it took to make them a success and who he needed on his staff to keep it running smoothly. This current club was no exception.
After Blush had burned to the ground, Rafe—in his stubbornness—had bulldozed the site and rebuilt it exactly as it was. Only the name changed. He’d christened it The Phoenix and filled the place with firebirds and dancing flames. Cheeky bastard.
There was no stopping his lover when he wanted something.
And amazingly, Rafe wanted him. Philippe felt it in his lover’s touch, in the caress of his eyes whenever they were in the same room, heard it in the rough tone of his voice. It was intoxicating to be loved so completely.
Maybe that was why he was so damn restless.
Rafe was out of town with Winter and Fox, visiting the witch Zelda, leaving him to keep an eye on the nightclub and the rest of the Variks. Not that The Phoenix or the Variks needed him. Everything was running smoothly with or without him.
In fact, all of the city seemed to have grown quiet in the past year since Aiden had officially claimed the position of king.
There were still some grumbly shadows and pockets of trouble, but nothing like when the Ministry had been running things.
His special gift of locating abandoned vampires hadn’t pinged in months.
It all left him feeling…useless.
Rafe needed him, of course. His sweet lover always made him feel desired and loved, but was it wrong if he wanted a little more?
He was accustomed to running his own clan and keeping up with the demands of his clan members.
But now he was a Varik. Jullien had found his place within the Variks and was balancing most of his time between The Phoenix and Lola.
The Variks were pretty self-sufficient, even if they were all a touch insane.
Philippe needed to find a new hobby or something. Otherwise, he was going to start driving Rafe crazy with clinginess.
Sinking even lower in the chair, he swung it around to stare out the glass wall overlooking the dance floor. From where he sat, he couldn’t see much of the nightclub, mostly the flashing lights and a handful of people. But at least they all looked happy.
A soft knock on the door had Philippe swinging back and jerking upright in the chair as if he were trying to hide his slump.
“Rafe?” Gideon’s gentle voice drifted through the opening before he poked his head inside of the office.
“Hello, Gideon!” Philippe called maybe a little too enthusiastically, but Gideon was a wonderful distraction from his current gloom.
“Oh! Philippe! I’m sorry to disturb you.” Gideon flinched and took a step in retreat.
Philippe desperately held on to his smile.
It wasn’t that he didn’t get along with Gideon.
It was just that the young vampire was so skittish around him that Philippe had never been able to build a strong rapport with him.
As soon as Gideon saw him, he was usually turning on his heel or quickly walking away as he was now.
“You’re not. Come in! Come in!” he beckoned. He waved both hands toward the vampire, urging him inside while he strolled to the other side of the desk. “Is there something I can help you with?”
Gideon stopped trying to leave, but he remained in the doorway as he spoke. “Oh, um…I was just looking for Rafe. I didn’t mean to trouble you.”
“You’re not. Rafe has just gone out of town for the evening with one of his brothers. He probably won’t be home for another hour or so. I was just sitting in Rafe’s chair, trying to figure out what to do with my night.”
Okay, maybe he was sitting in Rafe’s chair because he missed his mate and it seemed slightly less pathetic than spending the night curled up in bed with Rafe’s pillow clutched to his chest.
Gideon continued to stand in the doorway, staring at the floor with his arms wrapped around his slender chest. The man was willow thin and tended to wear baggy clothes that sort of draped over him, accenting his thinness.
His dark-brown hair fell past his shoulders and crowded his face, making it hard to see his expression.
He was a beautiful creature with delicate features and enormous eyes that appeared to swallow his face.
When he smiled, his mouth was large and bold, but those smiles were rare and generally saved for Rafe or possibly Ethan and Fox.
“Is there something I can help you with? I don’t think I saw you on the schedule to work tonight. Do you need to change your schedule for the week?”
The vampire shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on the lush carpet that stretched across the room. He said nothing, leaving Philippe floundering as to what he needed.
“Gideon…have I done something to make you uncomfortable with me? If I have, I never meant to and I’m very sorry.”
Gideon’s head snapped up at that question, his eyes wide in his too-pale face. “No! Never! You’ve been nothing but nice to me. You take good care of Rafe.”
“But you’re uncomfortable with me…” Philippe nudged.
Gideon’s arms tightened around his chest, his hands gripping his elbows and twisting up the cream-colored sweater he was wearing. “I…I was afraid that you might not like me, because…because of how I am with Rafe.”
Philippe smiled softly. Gideon was afraid of Philippe striking out at him in the name of possessive jealousy. And yes, maybe he was possessive of Rafe, but he was also confident in his place in Rafe’s life. He had no doubts about where he stood in Rafe’s heart.
He also understood where Gideon stood in Rafe’s heart. While Rafe might not have created Gideon, the vampire was his son, his fledgling. That left Philippe desperately trying to find his place as a sort of stepfather.
“Rafe sees you as his son. He adores you, and I love him because he loves you so much. I could never be jealous of a relationship that brings him so much happiness, and I would never try to come between you.”
Some of the tension slid from Gideon’s shoulders and they relaxed a little. “Okay,” he whispered, offering up a tiny grin.
“Do you want to come in and chat? I know I can’t replace Rafe, but if you need to talk, I’m always happy to listen.”
Gideon hesitated, chewing on one side of his bottom lip for a second. “I was just wanting to bounce an idea off Rafe. It’s not really all that important.”
Philippe motioned toward the sofa and chairs positioned near the glass wall. “You want to sit? I’m happy to listen. I think Rafe has some spare blood stored if you need a nip.”
“Oh! I’m good!” Gideon said quickly. Philippe was careful to keep the skepticism from showing on his face. “But I could chat, if it’s not too much trouble.”
With a broad smile, Philippe walked over to the sofa and sat down, barely resisting the urge to pat the open cushion next to him. He didn’t need to be too eager and scare Gideon away. But if he could actually get the vampire to talk to him, it would be a huge step.
Gideon closed the door and slowly crossed the room.
His gait was stiff and seemed pained, though it didn’t show on his face.
Gideon’s maker had cruelly broken his legs when he was human and didn’t allow them to properly heal before he was reborn as a vampire.
If Gideon didn’t feed properly, he was in horrible pain.
It was made all the worse when Philippe remembered the man was the most exquisite dancer.
His every movement was usually graceful and elegant.
Gideon settled on the cushion farthest from Philippe and only on the very edge, as if he were preparing to take flight if Philippe made a single move in his direction.
He didn’t believe Gideon saw him as a threat.
It was just that the trauma he’d suffered in his early years as a vampire had left a deep mark. He needed gentleness and patience.
“So…I’ve been thinking of moving out of the Varik house,” Gideon volunteered slowly.
Philippe blinked. That was not what he’d been expecting to hear.
Gideon had moved into Marcus’s house when Damon and his minions had started hunting the Varik Clan.
While Damon and the threat had been destroyed more than a year ago, Gideon had stayed.
From what he’d seen, Gideon got along very well with Ethan, Marcus’s mate.
He also got along famously with River, who’d lived there for a time while Bel’s house was being rebuilt.
Philippe had been under the impression that Gideon was happy in the Varik house.
“Is everything okay?” Philippe asked slowly.
Gideon’s head popped up. “Oh, yes! Of course.”
“You know, if you don’t feel comfortable for any reason, you can tell me. I won’t share your secret. I just want you to feel safe at all times.”
A little groan escaped Gideon, and Philippe was shocked when the vampire turned and sank into the sofa, placing his bent left leg up on the cushion while draping his arm across the back.
“No, it’s nothing like that. I love living in that house.
I really do. Ethan is hilarious. He’s become my best friend.
I’ve even gotten used to Marcus when he’s grumbly and cranky. Aiden and Ronan are wonderful too.”
Philippe turned, mirroring his position while shoving one hand through his hair. “Then I am very confused. If you’re so happy, why would you want to leave?”