Because he come back

"I never doubted you, boss."

"How did you do that?" Diana was genuinely curious.

The sounds of conversation came back in an instant, so elegant and distinct that it made the previous fight seem trivial. Carla was smiling. Ema was already sighing in relief and returning to her sweets, which made the situation even more frightening.

"Trade secret. When you understand people enough, this kind of thing becomes natural."

Diana was a little petty, listening to such a weak explanation. Then she pointed:

"Like her?"

Alice had just arrived.

Nero looked over, tilted his head theatrically, just enough to see the group following her. Then he nodded.

"Yes. Although, in comparison, she's a level above." Nero smiled at the daggers in her eyes. "If I'm a playboy, she's the Goddess of high society, huh, it must be nice to have everyone in your pocket."

Alice snorted as she stopped beside them.

"They only act like this because they treat me like a child. If I could be used or was dangerous..."

"We'd devour you whole, of course!", they laughed when Alice's social fairy was the first to arrive.

The huntress allowed herself a smile, but still hid from the groups that were coming that way. Since Nero was in front of Diana, the young woman ended up a step behind them.

"And look, another one of our children... Although this one has grown up to be a bit dangerous. Calming the duchess down with just charm, now?"

The fairy extended her hand in a charming greeting. Nero accepted it with a subtle kiss on the wrist.

'I want to try that,' Diana surprised herself with her thoughts, sometimes.

"It's only natural, to make good use of what you taught me..."

"Oh! What a good apprentice, if only our little girl were so attentive..."

"Maybe I'd have a grandson by now."

The others joined the group. All so gentle that they seemed to float gracefully in the middle of the conversation. Whether in their behavior or their words.

Diana didn't like this at all. It wasn't her face anymore, but her stomach that hurt.

It burned as if something was eating away at her.

Maybe she would be the one to start the next fight. And Nero knew it.

He looked at her. Diana tilted her head. Like a child who didn't understand her friend's request.

Nero walked in front of the group and gently pulled her by the waist. They walked through with long strides, but Diana was more bothered by his touch than by the looks.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to teach you something today, my lady."

Diana was happy. His smile was proof of that, but his tongue was still biting.

"...lady?" He didn't stop in his steps. "I think you're getting confused. The beautiful women are on the other side." He followed her as if he had a bird.

His eyes didn't leave hers until she finally realized where they were.

"You didn't mind dragging me into an alley." He pulled away with a gentle gesture. He opened his fingers, intertwined them with hers and kissed her wrist. The inside this time. "I'm just paying you back?"

It was only a second, but still an eternity. She could almost feel her desire to bite instead of kiss.

Diana swallowed hard.

This time there were many eyes. From all sides and types. They were in the center of the ballroom, after all. The waltz was soft and deep. The dress was very tight to her body. Her heart was racing, skipping a few notes.

"Do you want to dance, here?"

It was almost madness. Her lips were trembling.

The bastard smiled.

"Where else?", he approached, putting a hand on her waist. "You wanted to know about my world, didn't you?"

Now he was at her side, leading her step by step and whispering secrets.

This time she could hear.

"In this world. There is only one rule. Long but faithful," her heart was racing. Her mind was so happy she wondered if she had been drinking. "The strongest survives and if he lives long enough... he makes the rest of the rules."

The waltz suddenly sped up. Her chest felt lighter and her vision clearer.

His eyes shone like a star in the sky. Too close for her to miss. She would have reached for them if those arms hadn't carried her so well.

"You're doing well..."

"Is it only vampires who can dance? I took ballet when I was a child."

Nero laughed. She loved that laugh. At some point her lips froze into a smile.

The music followed her steps.

"Look around," they both turned. The ballroom and the thousands of people in it. Everything was so beautiful, majestic and dignified. Diana didn't blame herself for feeling uncomfortable. "Where do you see vampires?"

Like a doll, she returned to his arms, her chin on his neck, her gaze on the crowd.

"All of them?..." Diana remembered the meeting in the elevator. Dogs, bitches, ears. They didn't look like vampires.

"Sofia and I were the only vampires you saw. And none of us are just vampires... Everyone here is a monster in human skin."

Her eyes flashed a lot of questions. They acted like humans, many were already joining the couple's initiative. Several couples formed, dancing beside them. Diana received a look or smiles from some.

"Dragons, fairies, werewolves, spirits, demigods, witches, saints, demons, angels..." he whispered slowly and her vision trembled. Masks fell, everything her heart hid, her thoughts explored.

"You didn't really see them. Your mind can't understand them, so you imagined they were vampires. You labeled them as vain weaklings."

Diana's eyes widened. This was her moment. Her debutante ball. With each turn she seemed to enter a world that was not hers. Reality shattered. Her vision became wider, more colorful.

Her heart was pulsing with energy, not blood. Diana barely knew if there was a body supporting her, but she still heard her love.

"What a sinful lover I have... Making trouble on her first day here."

Nero smiled.

For some reason he looked more beautiful than usual.

The blood had returned, filling his face.

The white was being replaced by red.