Page 65

Gabe

G abe set his weights back on the rack with a grunt, removing his headphones and pausing the medical podcast he was listening to.

Soren had taken one look at his phone and his choice of workout entertainment and had declared him “the most boring human in the world,” but there hadn’t been any real bite to the comment.

Especially considering how he’d stayed in the garage and ogled Gabe shamelessly for the first half hour of his workout.

The heated look in the vampire’s eyes had almost been enough to make Gabe stop lifting weights and opt for an entirely different method of raising his heart rate…

But he really needed the endorphin rush of some proper exercise.

The swirl of anxiety in his stomach had been building ever since Soren’s confessions about his past. Soren’s ex…

The thought of someone out there wanting to hurt Soren.

Fuck.

What Gabe really needed was a run—something long and grueling to leave him wrung out and exhausted—but Soren didn’t want him leaving the house. It was clear Gabe wasn’t the only one feeling anxious.

They’d been holed up at Danny’s for the past few days—Gabe had been given a rare full weekend off, and Soren had convinced him to call out sick today.

But playing hooky from work wasn’t helping his nerves at all, and he definitely couldn’t keep it up without running into trouble.

He wasn’t sure what they were going to do the next night, when he was scheduled to work again.

Ugh. He really needed a fucking run.

He was just considering another set when the doorbell rang. Gabe quickly wiped the excess sweat off his forehead with his towel, exiting the garage back to the main house and heading toward the front door.

He was intercepted by a blond blur.

Soren was at the front door before Gabe’s eyes could even adjust. The vampire glanced back over his shoulder at Gabe with a frown. “Go into the kitchen.”

Gabe laughed in disbelief at Soren’s paranoia. “It’s just our takeout,” he argued.

“The kitchen, Highness.” Soren narrowed his pale eyes in warning.

Gabe sighed but complied anyway. It was weird.

Gabe had always been tall and strong, even more so after he’d started using exercise to deal with his anxiety.

So he’d never had a partner act protective over him before.

The weirdest part was how nice it felt. Gabe was so used to people expecting him to take charge, to take care of things.

He thought he’d found satisfaction in being considered strong and capable.

But here was this little brat of a vampire treating Gabe like he was something precious. Something breakable.

Gabe hadn’t felt cared for like this since his dad had died.

He was finishing chugging a glass of water when Soren entered the kitchen, hands laden with Styrofoam takeout containers. Truly a ridiculous amount of food, considering one of them didn’t even need to eat. But Gabe had learned Soren loved excess in all things, even unnecessary human food.

He realized he was staring when Soren eyed him warily.

“What are you making moon eyes at me for, Highness?”

Gabe grinned innocently from his spot at the kitchen table. “No reason.”

“Hm.” Soren set the food on the table, passing by Gabe to grab silverware from the drawer.

Though it was subtle, Gabe didn’t miss the way Soren leaned in and inhaled deeply as he went by. Gabe protested immediately. “Don’t. I’ve been working up a sweat. I must smell vile.”

“You never do, Highness,” Soren replied absently. “You always smell good. Clean.”

Something warm unfurled in the pit of Gabe’s stomach at the casual words.

Soren had been…softer…since their disastrous night out.

Still a snarky brat, of course, but he’d been grumbling a lot less about Gabe cuddling him, and here he was even saying spontaneous, borderline-sweet things without immediately retracting them.

Living with Soren, sharing this time with him, was like finding out the tiger he’d been so wary of was actually a house cat. Like, a super fancy, exotic house cat for sure. Maybe a Savannah. But not exactly the dangerous predator Gabe had feared.

It was all making Gabe feel some kind of way. Bratty, “keep you at arm’s length” Soren was tempting enough; protective, “actually letting you close” Soren was fucking irresistible.

“Can I have a kiss, then?” Gabe asked as Soren returned with the silverware.

“Needy human,” Soren teased, leaning in anyway.

Gabe took immediate advantage of his proximity, pulling the vampire onto his lap and wrapping his arms around him.

Soren protested. “Ugh! You’re still all sweaty, and I’m wearing silk.”

He was. With them staying entirely at home the past few days, Soren had committed fully to his loungewear aesthetic. He had on a dark-blue silk pajama set that was severely testing Gabe’s ability to keep his hands to himself.

His vampire really was too beautiful for words.

Despite his own protests, Soren settled on Gabe’s lap, pulling the takeout on the table toward them. “Eat, human,” he ordered. “We need to feed those muscles.”

Gabe laughed, rubbing his nose against the back of Soren’s silky-soft neck.

Huh. Vampires could get goose bumps. Who knew?

“Make me a plate?” Gabe requested.

“Seriously…needy-ass human,” Soren muttered. But he was already piling little bits from the different containers together for him, allowing Gabe to focus his full attention on snuggling the vampire in his arms.

Gabe had never been so drawn to touch and be touched before.

Sex had always been a nice enough release, but PDA—like their dancing and groping at the club the other night—had never exactly been Gabe’s thing, and he wouldn’t have called himself a cuddler before. But touching Soren was a world apart from touching anyone else. It just was.

Soren’s voice broke through his reflection. “Are you going to ask me to feed you by hand too, Highness?”

Tempting. Very tempting.

But Gabe ultimately released one of his arms from its role in holding Soren hostage and pulled the container closer. Soren for his part didn’t seem too interested in the food this time, content to sit on Gabe’s lap as he ate his dinner.

“Do you, um, need to eat too?” Gabe asked between bites. “I mean, like, feed?”

Soren leaned back against him, keeping his head to the side so Gabe could get his fork to his mouth without interference. “I can last a few more days. I’ll let you know.”

A little thrill went through Gabe at the thought of Soren feeding on him again. It had been so intense, so pleasurable. He relished the thought of trying it again in a more private location, one where they could explore those…sensations…more fully.

He was halfway through his food when the doorbell rang again.

Soren immediately stiffened in his arms. “Expecting anyone?”

“No.”

Soren was off his lap and heading out of the kitchen in an instant. “Stay here,” he commanded. “If I yell for you to run, go out the back door immediately.”

“What?” Gabe protested, pushing his food aside. “I’m not gonna just leave you.”

Soren shot him a glare over his shoulder. “I can take care of myself, Highness. But not if I’m distracted worrying about you.”

That set off a complicated mix of emotions in Gabe.

He’d always been strong, at least physically, and now here he was, cursing his weak-ass human body for not being stronger.

He listened carefully to the sounds of Soren opening the front door.

There was a soft murmur of voices; Soren definitely didn’t sound angry or panicked.

And there was no yell for Gabe to escape.

After a few more moments without any drama, Gabe stood and poked his head out of the kitchen, catching the end of Soren’s “I didn’t think you’d actually come. How’d you even find us?”

He was talking to a young dark-haired man, on the shorter side—about the same height as Soren, actually. But whereas Soren often gave off the impression of more height, with his general attitude and penchant for heeled boots, this guy appeared more…dainty. Like a porcelain doll.

The small man was looking wounded at Soren’s comment. “I—I’m sorry. I can go.”

“Don’t be silly,” Soren snapped, running a hand through his hair.

Oh boy.

Gabe knew his vampire well enough at this point to know he probably wasn’t actually angry, despite his tone. More likely he was overwhelmed. Gabe watched as Soren stared at the young man for another moment before sighing dramatically. “Christ. Come inside.”

Gabe couldn’t contain his own curiosity anymore. He stepped out of the kitchen. “Who’s this?”

Soren shot him an exasperated look. “I didn’t tell you to come out yet.”

The young man leaned around Soren and gave Gabe a little wave. “Hello.”

“Hi.” Gabe couldn’t help giving him a wave back. The guy was adorable.

Soren sighed dramatically for the second time. “You’re both killing me. Gabe, this is Johann. Johann, Gabe.”

Johann smiled brightly. “Call me Jay. You’re not one of us, are you?”

Okay, so this was a vampire friend of Soren’s. A few weeks ago, that might have sent Gabe into a tailspin, but now he just grinned back. “’Fraid not. Certified human over here.”

Jay’s eyes widened in delight. “Ohhh. So cool! Soren, you’ve got a human!”

Soren crossed his arms. “I don’t have a human. He just is a human.”

Jay bit his lip, looking thoughtful. “Maybe I should get a human?”

Soren brought a hand to his face. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

Hours later and Gabe was on the couch in a Ferdy-Soren sandwich, with Jay curled up in a neighboring armchair.

Apparently he’d started at the hospital and tracked Soren’s scent from there (“You said your friend’s mate was a nurse.

I took a chance.”). Gabe had expected the two of them to want to catch up, maybe go over some vampire gossip, but Soren had seemed completely uninterested in a heart-to-heart.

They’d sat awkwardly in the kitchen together for all of five minutes before he’d asked Jay out of nowhere, “Have you seen Jaws ?”