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My father nodded. "You remember correctly. Alessandro Vitali is the current prince of Italy. He's based out of Milan."
Alessandro Vitali.
The name didn't ring any bells.
"I thought Prince Visconti was the prince of Italy."
"Prince Vitali is the prince of the gryphons in Italy, my dear," my mother added. "He holds no dominion over any others." There was a note of disdain in her voice. She was not impressed by all these titles. "Grand Prince Visconti still holds dominion over vampires in Italy."
It was a very thin line that my parents walked between vampires and gryphons. Due to the nature of their relationship, and because of me, they had to adhere to the laws of both species. It wasn't always easy.
"Is Prince Vitali new?" I asked.
"If twenty-five years can be considered new, then yes. Alessandro Vitali became prince right about the time you were born. It was the one time I missed a coronation ceremony." My father smiled as he glanced at my mother. "I wasn't about to miss the birth of my only child."
I chuckled. "Well, better you than me."
I'd rather jump off the building than agree to attend one of those clan ceremonies, or a conference. My father was right. They were a tedious bore.
At least vampires knew how to party.
Granted, I had a few other reasons for not wanting to attend anything clan related, but those reasons were my cross to bear. My parents didn't need to know about them. They already had enough to deal with having a half-breed child.
I was unique in the paranormal world. Half gryphon and half vampire. I doubted there was another like me in the entire world, at least none that I had heard of. Cross species matings between paranormals just didn't happen.
Unless they did, and in my case, they did.
"We're having lunch out on the balcony, darling."
I held out my arm. "May I escort you, Mother?"
My mother's smile transformed her entire face, giving it a softer touch. "I'd be delighted, son." My mother looped her arm through mine and started walking toward the double doors leading out to the balcony.
As wife of an alpha gryphon, she'd had to learn to be tough. Luckily, my parents had been together long enough for most people to know not to underestimate her simply because she was a vampire. She could be just as vicious as my father, if not more so.
"There's a new cocktail lounge downtown that I am hoping to visit while we're in town. Pierre read an article about it, and it sounds divine. Would you like to accompany me?"
I could easily say no because I really didn't want to go, but this was my mother, and she was asking nicely. "When were you planning on going?"
"Well, the conference starts tomorrow, and you know I have to go mingle with the other alpha mates, so I was thinking this evening if you were free. Pierre and your father have plans to go out to dinner so it would be just you and I."
"I think I can arrange that." It would cut into my work time on my artwork, but again, this was my mother asking. I couldn't think of much I wouldn't do for her. "What time would you like to go?"
"Midnight?"
I smiled warmly. "Sounds perfect. I'll even dress up for you."
My mother lost her pearly white smile. "Darling—"
"I have these wonderful new leather pants I've been dying to try out."
Antoinette's lips twisted as she tried to hide her smile. "You do look good in leather."
I leaned down toward my mother and said in a conspiratorial voice, "Skintight, black leather."
My mother wagged her perfectly manicured eyebrows. "Even better."
And this would be one of the main factors in why I adored my parents. They accepted me just the way I was.
