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He paused by the bed after finding a clean pair of Gabe’s underwear to put on. It was beyond tempting to crawl back under the covers and press himself against Gabe’s steady heat—the man was like a goddamn furnace—but Soren didn’t have time for that right now.

Soren needed information.

He closed the bedroom door quietly behind himself and padded downstairs to the living room. Ferdy was on the couch, his tail thumping lightly at the sight of Soren in the doorway.

“Spoiled pup,” Soren murmured, walking over to give the mutt a head scratch anyway. He was pretty cute, even if he was an awfully needy creature. Feeding, watering, walking, affection.

Caring for mortal creatures was a full-time job.

He sat down on the couch, dialing a number he was surprised to find he still remembered by heart. A soft voice answered after one ring. “Soren.” There was warmth in the simple greeting.

In that entire hellhole of a vampire den, there was only one person Soren even slightly regretted leaving. “Jay.”

“Is everything all right?” Of course Jay would know something was up. Soren never called just to chat.

“Everything’s fine, Jaybird. Just wondering when you last laid eyes on Hendrick.”

“Oh.” There was a world of understanding in that one word. “I haven’t seen him around for a long time now. Years.”

Interesting.

In the past, Hendrick had always gone back to his old crew in the interims between messing with Soren.

It was the main reason Soren had never had the guts to attempt to deal with his ex more permanently.

Hendrick had…friends…of a sort, who could demand retribution, if they really wanted.

It was far easier running from one unhinged vampire than trying to battle a whole damn trio.

“He hasn’t come by to see his vamp bros at all? Silas? Anton?”

There was a lengthy pause on the other end. Then, “That would be tough to do. They—they’re dead.”

“What?” Soren didn’t attempt to hide his shock. That was some fucking news. True, he didn’t exactly check in regularly, but still…

Jay sighed down the line. “Silas went feral about ten years back. Had to be put down. Anton ran off a little while after. Last I heard he was going feral himself. I figure he’s a goner by now too.” Jay’s voice remained soft, but he didn’t sound sorry at all.

Neither was Soren.

He still remembered the early days, when Hendrick had first shown his true colors, begging Silas, the de facto leader of the den, for help.

Silas’s response had been to tell him it was all the natural order of things.

That Soren belonged to Hendrick, and Hendrick could treat him as he saw fit.

He had hauled Soren back to Hendrick’s house, telling the other vampire exactly what Soren had done.

It had taken weeks for Soren to heal from Hendrick’s…retribution.

“And Veronique?” Soren asked.

“She was killed,” Jay answered, his voice breaking a little. “Putting Silas down.”

“Oh, Jay. I’m sorry.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Soren did feel a little bad about that one. Veronique had turned Jay, been his partner for centuries, and had been one of the more decent ones in the community. She’d let Soren stay with them more than once when Hendrick was on a tear.

But “one of the more decent ones” wasn’t saying much, in this instance. She’d never put a real stop to any of it, and Soren hadn’t truly forgiven her for being part of that shitty den anyway.

Or for taking advantage of Jay’s natural sweetness.

She’d at least treated Jay with relative kindness. Or, that was to say, not outright terribleness. But that was partly because it was impossible to be bad to Jay. He was the angel that Hendrick had wanted Soren to be.

A pure, kind soul. Not like Soren.

Gabe likes that you’re a brat , Soren reminded himself.

He sighed. He’d apparently reached a dead end, more or less. In the past, he might have hung up by now, but a twinge of guilty conscience had him staying on the line. “Are you still with the others?”

The den fluctuated in size and, by necessity, moved around every few decades, but the loss of Silas, Anton, and Veronique could have broken the whole thing up as far as Soren knew.

“For now.” Jay sounded tired. “I don’t really know where else to go. And everybody pretty much leaves me alone, even with Vee gone.”

“You could go anywhere, Jay.” Soren’s voice revealed his own frustration, but he couldn’t exactly blame the other vampire.

He knew how that den was, the kind of brainwashing they did.

They did everything they could to prevent their members from trying to leave.

Soren had been told by Hendrick often enough that vampires trying to make it on their own went mad.

Of course, he had conveniently left out the part that they’d all turn feral eventually anyway, if they didn’t find their mates.

Like going mad would have been any worse than the rest of it.

“You could come here, if you wanted. I’m in Colorado. Hyde Park. My friend Roman’s mated to a nurse here.” The words were out of Soren’s mouth before he even realized it. Christ, what was he saying? He didn’t even have his own place.

This town was making him soft.

“Thanks for the offer.” Jay sounded sincere enough, but Soren knew he wouldn’t come. Jay had never been the bravest soul.

“Be careful out there, Soren. With Hendrick.”

They said their goodbyes, and Soren sat, scratching Ferdy’s ears absently. How strange, to think of three of his past tormentors dead and gone. And Jay still there, still a part of that fucking den.

“Johann? Jay?” No answer, but Soren ducked his head into the barn anyway. He immediately spotted a pair of dirty bare feet dangling off the side of the hayloft. Keeping his steps light, Soren leaped softly onto the ladder resting there, reaching up to grab onto one of those ankles.

“Caught you,” he teased.

Giggling sounded from above him. It was such a sweet sound. The only laughter around these parts was usually mocking and unkind. Soren released his prey and climbed the rest of the way up the ladder, pausing at the top to eye the dirt-smudged vampire in front of him.

Slate-gray eyes peered back at him from under a dark head of hair.

“Soren.” Jay greeted him warmly enough, but there was a hint of concern in his eyes. “Have you come to stay for a while?” His eyes traveled over Soren, the younger vampire looking for signs of injury.

“Not to stay,” Soren answered, settling next to him. “Is Vee here?”

Jay giggled again. “Nope. You think I’d be this filthy if she were?”

It was a fair point. Veronique was incredibly picky about appearances. Jay was only able to indulge his love of nature when the other vampire was out and away. “She went to Silas’s for a party. Said I could stay here though. Isn’t that nice?”

Soren hummed noncommittally. That was Jay. Grateful for even the smallest scrap of kindness. Never mind the way that, underneath the surface consideration, Vee treated him like any other servant. Or the way she didn’t seem to care at all that Jay preferred men over women sexually.

Soren knew he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed how Jay eyed some of the male vampires in their community. The young vampire was too guileless to hide it.

“Hendrick’s over there too,” Soren told him. “They’re planning a hunting party in the city afterward.”

“Oh.” Jay pouted a little, pursing his Cupid’s-bow lips. “Do we have to go to that?”

Soren laughed, nudging the other vampire with his shoulder playfully. “No, they’re bringing the humans back with them. They want us to set up for some playtime though.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Jay leaned back into the hay pile. “That means I can loll about a bit longer.”

“Jay…” Soren had a hard time making the words come. “I won’t be here when they get back.”

Jay twirled a piece of hay between his fingers. “What do you mean?”

Soren cleared his throat. “I can’t stay here anymore. I just…can’t. I’m leaving.”

Jay sat up with a start, scattering hay every which way. “You can’t leave, Soren. I know—I know it’s bad. I know that. But you’ve heard what happens to vampires out there. You’ll go mad. Or be caught by humans.”

It’s what they’d always been told. Leave the den, face the horrific consequences.

That was, if the vampires in the den didn’t catch and kill them first.

Soren shook his head. “I don’t believe it anymore. Any of it. I just—I know it has to be better than this.”

“You don’t have to go. I can ask Vee to help more,” Jay offered, eyes pleading. “With Hendrick.”

Soren smiled sadly. “She’s his friend, Jaybird. She wouldn’t. And…eventually he’s going to get tired of this. Of fighting me. And they’ll put me down. I’m not waiting around for that to happen.”

“They wouldn’t!” Jay cried. “I wouldn’t let them.”

“And how would you stop them?” It wasn’t said with any meanness, and Soren didn’t intend to belittle the younger vampire. But Jay instantly deflated, as Soren knew he would.

The young vampire had been turned only a decade before. He was the weakest member of the den by far. He might truly want to help Soren, but he wouldn’t be able to. Not really.

“I’ll keep in touch,” Soren said gently. “I’ll write if I can. I just wanted to say goodbye.”

Soren didn’t ask Jay to go with him. He already knew the other vampire wouldn’t dare. Bravery wasn’t Jay’s strong suit. It wasn’t Soren’s either, for that matter.

But the time had come.

Soren would risk it all—loneliness, madness, death—if it meant a chance at a free life.