Page 14

Making it through the work day was absolute torture. Knowing that I was only a few hours away from my first official date with Kroven made work almost seem like it was going backwards. I’d looked at the wall clock at the nurse’s station so often, Ronnie had ended up asking me if something was wrong with me.

I couldn’t help it. Kroven agreeing to our date meant that he liked me. Maybe even really liked me. And that simple fact made me feel so wonderfully warm inside and out that I was clearly having trouble containing it.

“Bas,” The sound of Babs’ voice pulled me out of my dinner plans and into panic mode. She looked pissed, and I tried as hard as possible to never be on the receiving end of that look.

“Yeah?”

She waved me over, and I hesitantly put down my chart down and strolled down the hall where Babs was beckoning me. Once we were alone, her pissed facade turned into one that read as more concerned than anything.

“Did your friend say anything about Wallace Watson?” Babs said with earnest.

This was about the protestors? I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering that the crowd outside of the blood center as I’d made may way in this morning was larger than the one yesterday.

This was really threatening to ruin my pre-date buzz.

“I’m not sure if Kr— I mean, my friend has had a chance to bother him yet.”

Babs shifted her hands on her hips. “You’re not sure or you haven’t followed up?”

The glare in her eyes made me laugh nervously, but once I realized that she wasn’t joking and was legitimately expecting me to answer her, I whipped out my phone without a second thought.

“Hold on.” I laughed lightly again, scrolling down and finding Kroven’s name in my contacts and starting a message thread. We’d swapped numbers last night before I had headed home, and while I hadn’t expected to be texting him before telling him I was on my way to the restaurant I’d picked, Babs was scary enough to bend my will.

Willing my hands to not shake so Babs couldn’t see the fear in my actions, I quickly looked over my text for any errors and pressed send.

Hey, sorry to bother you, but my boss is asking about Wallace Watson. Not trying to rush you at all, but she scares me

Kroven wrote back almost instantly, making my heart lurch against my ribcage.

I’m actually on the phone with him now. And hearing from you is never a bother.

That made me break out into a smile before I realized that Babs was watching me intently, so I coughed, covering my face so I could reset. The last thing I wanted Babs to know in that moment was that Kroven, a patient (was it former patient?) was my contact and I had this biggest crush on him.

Is your boss threatening you?

Nothing like that. Babs is just persistent and I’m afraid of authority

We’ll have to fix that.

My cheeks blushed instantly at that. Just the thought of Kroven ordering me around in bed…that was too hot an image to keep at the front of my mind. Especially knowing that my boss was right next to me.

When I looked up from my phone, Babs’ eyes were daggers of scrutiny. She opened her mouth to say something, probably to question why the fuck I was blushing and who the hell I was talking to but my phone buzzed as another text from Kroven came though, saving me from ever finding out.

Wallace says he’s not able to leave D.C. for at least another week. I mentioned her to him, and he said he’ll contact her later today with a game plan.

I sighed internally, but nodded at Babs. “Wallace is going to call you later today to hammer out the next steps.”

Softening, Babs shed her earlier gusto and touched my arm comfortingly. “Thank you, Bas. Seriously. I really appreciate you taking an interest in this and helping me out.”

“Of course. I know it must be a lot for you to deal with.”

“I’m just afraid something bad is going to happen.” Babs sighed. “But thanks again.” She tapped my arm again and left me there in the hallway.

My phone buzzed again, so grateful that Babs had walked away so she couldn’t see my dick pitching an obscene tent in my pants.

What do I get for the instant gratification of answering your boss’ question?

Feeling uncharacteristically confident, I quickly sent my reply and felt like a different person when I saw the bubbles indicating that he was already typing back.

The best “dessert” you’ve ever had

Oh, I don’t doubt that.

My pants started to feel a hell of a lot tighter than they normally did. Ugh, why was he so fucking hot ?

The last five hours had been torturous, cruel even. Now that I was changed out of my red scrubs and wearing a really cute blue button-up and grey khakis, I wasn’t worried anymore.

I’d wanted this date so bad that my head couldn’t conjure up a bad outcome. I mean, it was Kroven. Whatever the night had in store for both of us would be glorious. If anything, the absence of nerves was making me nervous. The last thing I wanted was to be confronted by anyone who thought what we were doing was disgusting. I did my best to bury those unhelpful thoughts and instead writhed in the glee that I was minutes away from sitting across from Kroven in one of my favorite restaurants.

Kroven had told me to pick the place, giving me free rein, which made me feel a little less nervous, I guess. I did end up picking not only one of my favorite places, but a place I knew that supported Orb causes. I wanted Kroven to be comfortable too, and I knew that this place would warrant the least amount of glares. I hoped anyway .

The bus pulled up just outside of the restaurant and I quickly made my way off. I’d had just enough time to shower and get dressed before taking the bus to Habanero’s. I thanked the driver on my way out and looked up at the neon orange sign that labeled the restaurant.

With a chaste breath, I made my way inside. Gliding up to the host stand, a cheerful teenager greeted me.

“Hi there, table for one?”

“Actually, I’m meeting someone, but I don’t think he’s here yet.”

The plucky teen’s face fell as they spotted something behind me, the color draining out of their face. I turned around to see Kroven’s handsome face, eyes glistening with fresh color.

He was wearing a solid white suit jacket, complete with a red pocket square to match the red button-up hidden underneath his jacket. Matching white pants and dark red shoes that caught the light with a subdued shine finished his outfit. Clearly he had his comfort colors down pact.

We shared a brief smile before I turned back to the host.

“Actually, we’re both here. I called earlier, table for two under Grant.”

The host cleared his throat, but nodded, looking down at the list attached to the stand and asked us to follow him inside the restaurant. Making our way to our table, I could feel Kroven’s eyes roaming over my entire body and it was all I could do to will my dick to stay down. How the hell was it going to look if I popped a boner before I even made it to our table?

We sat down in a booth, sitting on opposite sides as the host told us our waiter would be with us shortly. Finally situated, I glanced a look back over at him, finding that he was already staring me up and down like I was on the menu.

“You look exceptionally handsome.” He told me.

A smirk dancing across my lips, I tried to subconsciously tell my cheeks to not give me away. “Thanks. You look really good as well.”

Our waiter came by, stopping either of us from gushing over the other further, much to my delight. I couldn’t handle more of Kroven’s flirting, especially after finally getting my dick to stop getting ahead of itself in my pants. The waiter was a young woman, around my age if I had to guess. Her light pink hair made me feel more at ease that she wouldn’t outright judge our alternative situation.

“Hi, I’m Lana and I’ll be serving you guys tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?” She produced a pen and pad from the pocket of her orange apron and stared at us in anticipation.

“Just a water for me, thank you.” Kroven nodded.

“Lemonade, please.” I had picked this place partly because I knew they sold my favorite drink all year round. He gave me a slight grin after I’d ordered and I smirked back knowingly.

“Sounds good,” She scribbled on her pad before adding, “Can I get you started on an appetizer or do you need a second to look over the menu?”

“A few minutes if you don’t mind.” Kroven declared with a polite smile.

“Absolutely.” She left us to it, and I was already thankful that a small interaction over us ordering something hadn’t been a big deal. As long as that continued tonight, this was shaping up to be the best date ever.

“Would you like an appetizer?” Kroven said, his eyes gliding over the menu in faux interest. “As you know, I don’t need to eat, but I am a sucker for cheese.”

“So am I,” I chuckled lightly. “The mac and cheese balls here are pretty good.”

Kroven snorted, giving me a gaze with heavy lidded eyes. “We haven’t even ordered and you’re already talking about balls. ”

My face blanched red in an instant, heat pooling to my cheeks. He gave a satisfied chortle as he averted his eyes back to the menu.

He really was gonna be the death of me.

“Only teasing,” He said, not even bothering to look up from the menu.

“I know,” I said calmly, but inside I was screaming. “If you want me to make it through dinner without causing a scene, you might wanna lay off the innuendos.” I made sure to pair my words with a laugh.

“And if I want a scene?” Kroven set his menu down, prompting me to look away from mine. “The scene of you flustered by my words and harder than you’ve ever been does nothing but entice me, Sebastian.”

Absolutely ignoring the affect that sentence had on me, I leaned forward over the table.

“I’m seriously going to lose it if you keep teasing me.” I grimaced, shifting in my seat. “Even if I do…enjoy it.”

“Alright, I’ll stop.” Kroven muttered. “At least until after we leave the restaurant.”

“Thank you.”

Exhaling the biggest breath out of my body, I relaxed into the cushioned booth. I wanted Kroven’s teasing, but I’d prefer it were happening with his pale, perfectly sculpted body hovering over me. Shaking the residual lust burning a hole in my stomach, I gestured to the menu.

“Do you see anything you’d like to order?”

“I think I’m going to give the…” He squinted at the menu, the skin around his eyes crinkling, which only made him look more adorable, if that was possible. “Spicy alfredo, but without the chicken.”

“Not a fan of meat, huh?”

“Not that kind, anyway.”

For some reason, that made me burst out into laugher, a pleased sentiment rolling across his face like clouds settling behind a sunset, warm and inviting. When we locked eyes again, we stared at each other for a second. It felt like something…deeper than what we’d been experiencing already was passing between us. A sharp jolt of understanding or our souls recognizing one another, if that was a thing. Something about it made my heart race, and I was thankful for the distraction when our waitress came sauntering back to our table, setting our drink orders down accordingly.

“Ready to order?” Her saccharine voice rang through our palpable gaze, and when Kroven turned to face her, his smile was tuned to Prince Charming.

“Yes, thank you.” His face twisted, facing me again. “Are you ready?”

“Oh, yeah. Go ahead.”

“We’ll start with the mac and cheese balls as an appetizer, but you can just bring it with the meal. And then I’ll take the spicy alfredo but without the chicken, if possible.”

She wrote this down on her pad with the blur of her wrist. “Absolutely. And for you?”

“I’ll take the chicken parmesan.”

“That comes with a side or salad.” She beamed.

“Caesar salad is fine.” I said, folding my menu.

With our orders finished, she declared that they’d have it out shortly for us, leaving us alone yet again. I was determined to get ahead of whatever Kroven could concoct in that double entendre brain of his.

“So, tell me more about you.” It looked as if he were about to protest, and I put up my hand in faux protest. “I talked about my parents and my love for lemonade, which is fantastic Sebastian Grant lore.” Folding my hands underneath my head, I stared into those ruby eyes I loved so much. “Tell me more about Kroven.”

He sighed, but with the tinge of a smile in the corner of his lips. “Well, there’s lot of stories, I guess. None of them particularly interesting over the centuries.”

That made me do a double take. “Did you say centuries ?” I figured that Kroven had something different than a human lifespan, but to think that he’d lived centuries? I hadn’t ever really contemplated it because it never mattered to me.

“I guess that’s somewhere to start,” He snorted, crinkling his nose. “I celebrated my six hundred and twenty-sixth birthday last August.”

Six hundred and twenty-six? Kroven was six hundred and twenty-six? My head swam at learning the truth, trying not to let it show on my face.

“Is that okay?”

“Of course it’s okay,” I told him, meaning every word. “I don’t care how old you are. It’s just a lot to wrap my head around.”

I suddenly had a million questions to ask him. How were the 1800s? What was it like to watch the world advance from the outskirts of society? I didn’t want to overwhelm him though, or make him relive uncomfortable memories. So I decided to stay in a more neutral vein.

“What was that like? Being born back then, I mean.” I grinned.

“Weird, I suppose.” He tilted his head, really thinking about it. “Born in the shadows of human society, but I was universally celebrated in the sangamar community. My parents had tried for years to conceive before I finally made my way into the world, so I garnered a lot of attention as an infant.”

“You being the center of attention, even upon birth, somehow makes so much sense.”

“Now who’s teasing?” He mused, and I rolled my eyes at him playfully, willing him to continue. “We lived in a small village community in the mountains. Sangamar tend to dwell in the shadows of caves, which is why most of us are pale. My community was nice as a child, but turned anything but the older I got.”

I remembered Kroven mentioning that the places sangamar had to exist before creatures were known to the human population weren’t exactly the best. “What happened?”

“Competition between families, boring sangamar politics. It got so bad that my parents ended up relocating us to a different community farther north, over where Montana is. I stayed there for a long time, until the humans discovered us.”

“Were you part of the group that was discovered?”

“No,” he admitted. “But I knew every single one of them that was.” There was an inescapable sadness in his voice, one I couldn’t stop myself from exploring.

“What…happened to them?”

“They were all killed for exposing the community to humans during their excursion back to what we consider our homeland back in Romania.” Kroven dipped his head, a silent bow of respect for his fallen sangamar brethren. “It’s important for some sangamar to go back to Romania as a sort of rite of passage. I never really saw the point myself, but…” His eyes got glossy with the mention of the memory, a sort of pause happening on his face before he tilted his head and continued. “The council of sangamar that looked over us let the entire community vote on it, and it was an overwhelming amount of votes in favor of their deaths. I was vehemently against it. And then the rest of the creatures started making themselves aware, rendering their deaths completely pointless. I couldn’t stay in a community like that.”

“I’m sorry.” I reached out and grabbed one of his hands that rested on the table. “I’m sure that was hard.”

He squeezed my hand, a silent yes lingering between his fingers. “I was very vocal about my disdain over their deaths, and I made quite the commotion about it. I think even if I hadn’t decided to leave, they would have exiled me anyway. ”

“Did your parents come with you?”

Kroven shook his head, his nostrils flaring. “No, they did not. They sided with the council.”

Rage imbedded itself between my eyebrows. “What? Your parents voted in favor of killing the uncovered sangamar?”

He nodded. “They did. I haven’t spoken to them since I left.”

Going that long without speaking to your family must’ve been hard, not that I had much to compare it too. Most of my family had died before I’d really found out who the hell I was. I wondered if Kroven felt that way, in a sense.

“One of the sangamar that got discovered,” Kroven cleared his throat, and his red eyes were bubbling with emotion, only causing me to squeeze his hand harder for support. “Jargenne,” He cleared his throat again. “He and I were…together.” He took his free hand and wiped at his eyes, fresh moisture hanging on the skin of his thumb. “We’d only just starting seeing each other a few months prior…until the council voted to have him killed, before the eyes of every sangamar within the community.”

“Oh god, Kroven.” Shaking my head, I held his gaze tightly as I cradled his hands with my own. “I’m so sorry.”

Sighing, he nodded. “So, I abandoned the community and decided to try my luck amongst the humans, after failing to settle in one of the bigger cities.” When he paused, I could tell it was because something bigger bubbled on his tongue, daring him to speak it. He didn’t, and I wasn’t going to pry. I wanted him to feel comfortable enough to tell me anything without me pestering him for further details. He rippled a reset across his face and went on. “It took a few years, but I heard that Piper was one of the more tolerant cities, I met Grey, as you already know, and I’ve been here ever since.”

“That’s awful. I mean, everything up until you came here, of course. I’m sorry about Jargenne.”

“It was a long time ago,” Kroven admitted, but he unfurled our hands and tapped at his heart. “But my heart still hurts for the life that was so unjustly taken from him.” Grunting, he tried to make light of the situation. “Perhaps now you can see why it’s been so long before I felt something for someone.”

Not knowing what else to do but agree with him, I stayed silent. Kroven had been in love with Jargenne. I couldn’t imagine the pain of being forced to witness his execution…just thinking about being put in that position made my stomach whirl.

“But that was then,” He assured me, reaching out until I gave him my hand back, his fingers tickling at the lines etched into my palm. “And this,” He paused to lift our conjoined hands to his mouth, the too-red lips softly placing a single kiss on my knuckles. “Is now.”

Blushing at the implication, I looked away. In an instant I wish I hadn’t. I managed to see the look of disgust scrawling across the face of an older couple across the restaurant, both of them leaning in to one another as they shared a hushed commentary, their eyes drilling imaginary holes into my face.

I cleared my throat, and reverted my gaze to Kroven. He took a quick glance in the direction I’d come from, and he shook our intertwined hands like a baby’s rattle.

“They don’t matter, remember?” He soothed my skin with his thumb, bringing me back to reality. “They’re the monsters. That’s what you told me.”

“And I stand by it.” I affirmed, rolling my shoulders as a symbol of my refresh. “Thanks for reminding me.”

“Always, blomsjett .”

My ears perked at the non-English word. The look of panic that skittered across Kroven’s face told me he hadn’t meant to say it, that it was a natural slip of the tongue, but there was no chance in hell I was letting it slide.

“What’s that mean?”

I could have sworn Kroven was blushing, even though I’d only seen it happen once before as his cheeks became a slightly darker shade of pale. “It’s sangamar for something that’s quite similar in your language to…lover boy.”

Enveloping my lips so I didn’t start burst out laughing, I shook my head. Looking at Kroven again once my hysterics settled, I could see the vulnerability in his eyes, despite the smirk he was wearing.

“That is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Seeing that sangamar blush decorate his face again, I returned the favor by unlinking our hands and kissing the back of his, loving the growl of desire that escaped him that didn’t go unnoticed.

Our server came back with our food, setting down the communal mac and cheese balls along with setting our respective plates in front of us. We thanked her and set our sights to fill our stomachs.

Dinner went by comfortably. As we ate, I told Kroven more about myself, but it quickly turned into me just telling embarrassing stories and Kroven guffawing with interest. Apparently, the humiliation of a gay human was really enjoyable.

I told him about how I’d once gone on a date with this guy who ended up taking me back to his place, but made me crawl through the basement window because he lived with his parents. And his parents hadn’t even been home, he just hadn’t wanted the neighbors to see me coming through the front door. Because me shoving myself through a basement window wasn’t twice as conspicuous.

His favorite story, judging by the amount of laughter he did around his spicy alfredo, was about when I had first answered Thayer’s ad about needing a roommate and I’d thought it was a cover for a discreet hookup. It hadn’t taken me long to realize that Thayer was actually looking for a roommate, and after we’d been roommates long enough, I told him how suggestive his ad had been. Thayer had gone red immediately, saying “Did all those guys before you think I was trying to fuck?” which had ended in both of our bellies burning from laughter.

Recalling my latest conquest of misfortune, I ended with telling him about the bathroom encounter at the blood center and how worried I had been that someone was going to find out. About how my fears took form when Babs had called me into her office asking me to start working in the Orb wing right before we’d met.

It was refreshing how easy it was to talk to Kroven. I’d been on dates with guys before and it had always felt like pulling teeth or I was trying my hardest to ignore the obvious red flags to garner another date that I figured less talking was for the best.

But with Kroven, he not only listened intently, he tossed conversation back like he was backhanding a tennis ball. He’d told me about his first crush that had made him realize he was gay before he even knew what the word meant. I’d stared in awe as he told me about sneaking into an elaborate party thrown during the 1830s with the big wigs of the industrial revolution and their socialite wives. Kroven didn’t mention Jargenne again, or about their time together, but he did say that he’d only been in love once in all his six hundred plus years, and I simply assumed it had been Jargenne to have been given the honor.

He ended up paying the bill, and I persisted that we split it but he refused. A part of me thought it was kind of nice to be wined and dined by this ethereal being, so unlike all the men I’d dated in the past that already, despite our short time together, he’d already completely raised the bar.

Though it took very little convincing, I’d managed to get Kroven back to my apartment, and as soon as I walked up to the door, he pressed against me, crashing his lips against mine with feverish need. My back was shoved against my apartment door as our hands explored each other, as if we couldn’t wait to feel skin on skin .

A whimper left me as he broke our kiss, and I felt a tingle dance across my spine as his hands were placed on my hip and chest. “We don’t have to.” He squared his eyes, dipping his head lower to emphasize his seriousness. “I know we joked about “dessert” but I hope you know, I don’t expect a single thing from—”

Interrupting him with another kiss was my rebuttal, and I ended it just as quickly as I’d started it. “If you don’t get in my apartment right now, I’m going to lose it.”