Page 83 of Surface Scratch

Marcus turned Caleb around to face him. “Come sit with me,” he said as he brushed the curls away from Caleb’s forehead. “They want to get to know you.”

Caleb peered nervously around Marcus’s side. There really were a lot of them in the penthouse, half of them making no effort to hide their eyes. Despite that, despite knowing what they were, knowing what was in their cups, he wasn’t afraid of them. Not even Vincent. All of them looked so… strong. And beautiful. A room of strong, beautiful, blood-drinking vampires.

And then there was him. “I don’t know,” Caleb whispered, leaning his head against Marcus’s shoulder. “What if they don’t like me? I’m… I’m not like Ophelia. I don’t fit in with them.”

“No hiding,” Marcus said softly. He lifted Caleb’s chin and kissed him gently. Caleb felt his knees weaken. He wasn’t sure if he was being a sap or if Marcus was accidentally using his ability on him, but those lips chipped away at the unease in his mind. “These are more than just my friends, Caleb. This is my family.”

His hands cupped Caleb’s face as if he wanted to capture the moment forever and never let it go. It left him breathless and longing for more, as if Marcus was trying to transfer all the love he had for him into one passionate kiss. “Now they’re your family too.”

“Gross,” Ophelia muttered.

“That one, too.” Marcus snickered as he pressed his forehead to Caleb’s.

Marcus’s cool skin felt good against the glowing heat of Caleb’s face. He shut his eyes and nodded, unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face.

Yeah. He could live with that.