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Adler woke up in the best of possible places, in bed with his mate. He ran his nose through Gordon’s pixie-pretty blue hair. Gordon was still fast asleep and barely stirred.

I asked this man to marry me, Adler thought. He’d meant it too. Not that it was strictly necessary within the pack, but it would certainly send a strong message to anyone that felt like Adler was just keeping the vampire around for the pleasures of his body.

“You’re mine, sweetheart,” Adler whispered into Gordon’s ear.

“Hmmm,” Gordon said, incoherent as was normal for him pre-caffeination.

Adler smiled and hugged Gordon closer. He’d have this forever, and he couldn’t have asked for a grander gift.

After getting showered and dressed, Adler and Gordon left the apartment and headed for the elevator arm in arm.

“Straight home?” Adler asked his mate.

“Yeah.” Gordon’s eyes were still half-lidded. “I mean, I’d like to check on Raven, but I don’t want to crowd him. I suppose Maxim has him covered.”

Adler nodded even as the elevator opened to the foyer. Bryan was behind his desk, wearing his green jacket and shifting his fruit bowl when they drew closer as if he wanted to draw attention to it. That only worked for a few seconds, because Mil came barreling at them from around the reception desk.

“Oh!” Gordon said as the small wolf hugged him.

“Gordon, Adler!” the little wolf said.

“Hey, Mil. You did well, watching my place with Clement,” Adler said, and Mil looked up at him, proud, even as Gordon brushed fingers through her hair.

“Maxim said you were finally done,” said Clement, following Mil in a far more measured speed.

“Done with this case,” Adler said and thought, Not done with this damn conspiracy.

Gordon turned to him, giving him the kind of look that said his mate had heard and agreed.

Bryan gave Clement some side-eye, which Clement returned in kind.

“Uhm, thanks for looking after Mil, Clement,” Gordon said to Clement, who just shrugged it off.

“We should go home,” Adler said. “Though I’ll be in touch about the case, and Gordon as well.”

The Lares nodded. “We’re always happy to have you visit,” Bryan told them with a wink.

“Please remember that there are books here for the little one, just like in the library,” Clement grumbled, more like an accusation than an offer.

Mil nodded. “Clement is nice. He said I can come here and check out the books. He’s good at telling stories. He promised he’ll teach me another cocktail soon.”

Adler chuckled, too full of feeling not to. My pack, my mate.

Gordon smiled back at him. “Yeah, and mine.”

The next few days, Adler spent being busy. There were things to do regarding the Highgate case, and his normal workload on top of that.

Eventually, one evening when things had mostly settled and when the official murder cases had been marked as concluded, he and Gordon sat down with the case files spread out between them in Adler’s living room with a bottle of wine. Mil had gone to bed, tuckered out after another visit to her granny earlier.

“We don’t know where that day shifter even comes from,” Adler told Gordon. “He’s not from New Amsterdam, and Highgate traveled a lot. An obscene amount. Even Heath is having trouble tracking it all.”

“He kept him, this Daniel person?” Gordon asked. “Like…what, a lover? Partner in crime?”

“Yeah, and maybe all of the above.” Adler tossed Gordon a list of aliases for the day shifter.

“He must’ve been feeding off of him for a prolonged period, that’s what I can tell you from examining him,” Gordon said.

Adler growled. He hadn’t liked the exam, not one bit, but Gordon had first volunteered and then insisted, and of course he was qualified. Also, with Maxim in the room, there really hadn’t been any reason for worry.

But he’s my mate. I’ll always worry.

Gordon rolled his eyes. “Every time, detective. You’re thoughts are very consistent.” Gordon looked through the files and picked up one of the photos Daniel, or whoever he was, had taken. It showed Raven, naked, not in charge of what was happening to him. “What those two did to Raven…”

“Yeah. They’re evil. Let’s hope Maxim can get something out of either one of them.” Or if he doesn’t, maybe he can do what a hunter does.

“Yes, agreed. On both counts.”

They went over a few more accounts Maxim and Heath had gathered that lined up with what Corinne had said. Highgate had opinions, and with every lecture, he tried finding those who shared them. He’d talk to people, spread his way of thinking, almost as if he were planting seeds or networking to overthrow the established order.

“I wonder how he got the college kid and what he wanted with him.” Raven was still silent about it and Maxim adamant the young vampire take whatever time he needed to disclose whatever he felt comfortable with.

Gordon looked up. “I think that one’s pretty obvious. Raven figured out Highgate either was or was pretending to be the real author of Sherlock Holmes, he approached him, and something about him attracted Highgate. Maybe because he was excited about the whole Sherlock Holmes thing, about being able to prove his theory. Then Highgate used the excitement to control him.” Gordon looked away, and Adler watched his mate carefully. “I think it was like that with Paula, you know. She was very excited to be in love. If there were warning signs, she wouldn’t have been able to see them.”

“Sweetheart—”

“It’s fine. It’s fine, Adler.” Gordon nodded as if to reassure himself. “I don’t know why, but I always assume I have to talk about her death. It hurt so much, still does. But she also had a life. Can you imagine that she loved being out in the sun? She forced me outside too, made me get sunburned.”

Adler reached for his mate’s hand. “I can’t really imagine that, sweetheart. Did you turn red?”

“Like a lobster.”

“I’m sure you still looked pretty.”

Gordon rolled his eyes. “Mate blindness. That’s what I’m calling it from here on out. Oh, regarding that thing you asked, regarding the ultimatum you gave me, the one I never kept…”

Adler grinned. “It’s fine. I made an appointment.”

Gordon’s jaw dropped. “You what ?”

Adler shrugged. “At the Forum. To make it official. They say spousal status makes filing taxes easier. That’s great right?”

“You…made an appointment?”

“Sure did.”

“To get officially married?”

“Yup.”

Gordon slapped Adler’s shoulder. “Without telling me!”

“I told you. Well, I asked you. Then I made the appointment.”

Gordon’s blue eyes were ablaze. “But—I made an appointment! I wanted to surprise you!”

“You did?”

“Fuck, detective.”

Adler rubbed his head, thinking, I thought you’d know, with your telepathy. Thought you’d run if you didn’t like it.

“Like I’d run from you, you dummy. And it doesn’t work like that. Not that I know how it works, but not like that. How could you just ruin my surprise, detective?”

“Uh, sorry sweetheart.”

In a rush, Gordon closed the folders they’d spread out on the table. “You better be. You’re rude. You’re always in a rush. Why didn’t they tell me there was already an appointment on the books?”

“I’m guessing privacy concerns, sweetheart.” Adler stroked his mate’s back, trying very hard not to think about how cute Gordon was being.

“Cute?! I’m upset . You know what, that’s it. You’re buying me the Breakfast Collection.”

“The Kawaii Demon Hunter one?”

“Like, what other collection even is there?”

Adler raised his hand to count on his fingers as Gordon pushed him to lie on his back on the floor. “The Pico Princess, Enchanted Echoes, Animal Flower Garden—”

“Okay, so there are a few. You’re also going to be my cosplay buddy, just saying, and I’ll learn how to cook. Nothing too fancy, but on weekends, I’ll do the cooking. Maybe breakfast too. That seems easy enough.”

Adler’s mouth fell open. “Sweetheart, you mean that?”

Gordon straddled him. “Yes, detective, I mean that. Now, we’re not going to do anything here where the wolfling might walk in on us, nothing other than kissing.”

“I love that plan.”

Gordon cupped Adler’s cheek. It was an odd reversal, and strangely, Adler liked it, at least this once.

“My mate,” Gordon said, his tone as serious as that of any alpha wolf.

“I’m yours.” Forever. Until we both turn to dust and memories.

“Until the bureaucracy of the Forum crumbles.”

Adler chuckled. “Don’t swear on the Forum. Maxim will chide you.”

Gordon placed his flat palm on Adler’s chest. “All right. Until your heart stops beating, Adler. And if there is a soul, I’ll find yours, after.”

Adler pulled Gordon into his arms. “That’s good enough. Hey, which appointment with the Forum should we keep? Yours or mine?”

Gordon chuckled. “Both,” he said before kissing Adler, soft and deep, sweetly.

They stayed like this for a long time, needing nothing more and nothing less than each other. Forever.