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“What?”

“You know, handsome and strong and all that!” A blush crawled up Justin’s neck and reached his cheeks, turning his face a light pink. “It would be so easy for you to find a lover.”

Did Justin have a crush on him? It was flattering, but he would prefer not to deal with that. He’d been hoping Justin might be a friend, and maybe a wingman for him at the club.

“It is, darling. For an evening. That’s all I require.” Oscar gave the cadaver a shake to encourage the blood in the extremities to flow down toward the head.

“Don’t you want to find your mate?” The words burst out of Justin with unexpected force.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Oscar’s voice dropped low. He understood this, the desperation to be loved in that way, especially as a young, impressionable…wait. Was Justin a virgin?

Never mind. Oscar continued. “I thought I had, once. I was deluding myself.”

“But that’s not possible!” Romantic notions were obviously important to Justin. He couldn’t seem to control the anxiety radiating out of him. “When vampire mates drink each other’s blood…the reaction proves it. The bond clicks into place.”

“That is the theory, yes…” Oscar frowned at the rush of memory that filled him. He hated thinking of the old Azarian coven, of the hurt and shame he’d felt during his time there. “But if one of the fated pair doesn’t allow the other to feed from him, then there’s no way to know. Not for certain.”

“Why would that happen?” Tears sprang to Justin’s eyes. Oscar sighed. This kid was a sap.

“Youth. The blindness of first love. That’s what it was for me, at least. You remember my ex. He wasn’t very nice, was he?”

Justin shook his head, his face darkening at the mention. “No.”

“And now he’s dead.” Oscar smiled. “One vamp claiming to be my fated mate was enough. Especially when he was such an asshole.”

“I guess.”

“Besides,” Oscar said, standing up straight and crossing his arms, “who would want all that? Someone always knowing what you’re feeling? Never desiring another person? And then there’s the whole crimson surge issue.”

“What?” Justin’s tone was almost indignant. He frowned as he put his hands on his hips. “It’s romantic.”

“Going into a frenzy when your mate is in danger? No thank you. I’d prefer to maintain control over my own body.”

Justin looked Oscar up and down, his eyes shifting from confusion to determination. Oscar was witnessing a war within the vampire, and the insistent romantic kept winning.

“Even so, just because you’ve been burnt once doesn’t mean you shouldn’t love again,” Justin said. “You deserve it.”

He reached out and rested his hand on Oscar’s bare forearm. Oscar flinched at the affectionate touch. Did he deserve love? He wasn’t sure. But he certainly didn’t want it.

“Sometimes you’re hurt too deeply.” Oscar stepped away, letting Justin’s hand fall, and leaned with his palms against the top of the kitchen island. The cool stone grounded him. “My ex…sometimes there is no coming back.”

“But—”

“No.” Oscar smiled, small and sad. “I won’t put myself in that position again.”

Justin sighed, but said nothing. The silence gave space for all of Oscar’s past feelings to come roaring back. He had been in love, even if his ex wasn’t his true mate, and the man had abused that over and over again. He’d trapped him in a life of violence and terror, the memories of which could still make his palms sweat, still give him nightmares.

Oscar pushed away the old pain. He picked up the mugger’s body and gave it a final shake.

“I think we’ve got it all. Let’s dispose of him.”

Oscar was dreading this rehearsal.Julie had managed to broker some kind of uneasy peace with Trent so the three of them could work on the duet. Oscar didn’t want to know howshe’d done it. In class on Wednesday, Trent had sat as far away as humanly possible from Oscar, hunkering down in the shadows of the back corner of the classroom. He hadn’t spoken a word to anyone. He hadn’t spoken up during the discussion.

But now it was Friday, and Julie had convinced him to come.

Oscar didn’t want to apologize. He shouldn’t have to apologize. Trent had been acting like a dick, and Oscar didn’t regret what he’d said. If Trent came in and demanded an apology with that stupid face of his, Oscar…well, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

Honestly, he was tempted to Compel both Julie and Trent to forget about the whole thing. He knew it was unethical. He should only use his power when a person was in danger, but it was so tempting. Everyone would be happier. They’d never know their minds had been cleansed.