Page 81

Soren

“ W e going inside?”

Soren didn’t answer. For once, he was the one keeping them in the car. He stared at the little yellow house—his home for the past year. Soren had thought just that morning that he’d never see it again.

But did you really?

Soren shook his head, annoyed at his own denial.

He’d lied to himself, when he’d left with Hendrick.

He’d told himself he was resigned to leave Gabe for good, but there was part of him—that inner, mindless, core part of him—that knew he’d never willingly leave his mate.

Not for long. Even if it had been for Gabe’s own good.

Even if Gabe really had decided he wanted a normal human life, Soren wasn’t sure he’d have been able to be that selfless as to let him go.

He looked to Gabe in the driver’s seat—they’d taken Gabe’s car back, leaving Hendrick’s stolen vehicle a smoldering wreck to go along with the cabin—who was looking at him with furrowed brows.

“I’m not a good person,” Soren told him, not for the first time.

Gabe shrugged easily. “I’m not so sure I am either.”

Soren narrowed his eyes at his mate. “You’re awfully chill about all this. Did turning into a vampire take away the anxiety corner of your brain?”

Gabe relaxed back into his seat, the picture of easy unconcern. “It’s a relief in some ways. Letting go. Letting it in. You’re a vampire. So’s my brother. Now I am too. One big happy monster family. So the world is more magical and confusing than I gave it credit for…so what?”

“I can’t tell if I’m annoyed or turned on by this change in attitude.”

Gabe grinned at him. “Knowing you, it’s both.”

Soren scowled. Ugh. His mate was so fucking handsome when he was happy.

They’d dipped into the lake after their forest dalliance, trying to rinse off the smells of smoke and sex, and Gabe’s curls had dried into a dark disarray, his golden-brown eyes practically shining as he smiled at Soren.

Soren couldn’t help it. He leaned in for a kiss. He wanted to touch all that golden beauty. Gabe met him halfway, opening easily to Soren, letting him explore his mouth with tongue and teeth.

Soren hummed into the kiss and considered climbing over the center console and into Gabe’s lap, but Gabe pulled away before he could, ending it all much too soon. He placed a finishing peck on Soren’s lips. “We should go in,” he said. “They’re here.”

Soren sighed, glancing out the car window. That was the other reason for Soren’s hesitation to enter the house. A familiar car in the driveway.

Danny and Roman were home.

Soren huffed. “So annoying. How are we going to explain all this?” He gestured vaguely at Gabe, trying to encompass their relationship and his former human’s change in mortality. “They leave for three weeks and now you’re a vampire.”

Gabe shrugged again. If he kept doing that, Soren might have to smack him. “We were going to tell them we’re together anyway. Now we just have a little…bonus detail to add.”

Soren huffed again. “So. Fucking. Chill.”

Gabe laughed, placing another kiss on Soren’s lips. “I’m sure I won’t always be. I haven’t had a personality transplant. I’m just relieved as hell.” He cupped Soren’s face in his broad hands. “You’re here . You’re unharmed. I didn’t lose you. Anything else we can handle together.”

Well, goddamn. What was Soren supposed to do with sweet words like that? His mate was going to make him melt into a puddle like some sort of sentimental…something.

Soren had a feeling his entire reputation for who-gives-a-fuck badassery was about to take a deep dive.

He got out of the car. Dealing with Danny’s and Roman’s anger would probably be easier than dealing with all this mushy love stuff. Gabe was two steps behind him as they walked through the front door. They didn’t have to search the house for anyone. Everyone was in the hall already.

“Fuck,” Gabe swore softly.

“Fuck,” Soren agreed.

Roman, fangs out, was holding Jay up against the wall by his neck. The little vampire’s gray eyes were wide, his face turning an interesting purple. Danny had a hand on Roman’s arm, as if in the middle of trying to calm his hotheaded mate.

Roman growled at their entrance but didn’t look over, keeping his eyes on the perceived threat—he was clearly in protector mode.

Danny, on the other hand, turned to them, still holding on to Roman’s arm and smiling sheepishly. “Oh, you’re home! Maybe you can explain, um… Do you know this guy? Roman’s feeling a little ‘grr’ about walking into a stranger here.”

Soren sighed, waving a hand airily. “Rome, meet Jay. Jay, the guy currently trying to crush your windpipe is Roman. He lives here. That’s Danny, his mate.”

Jay did his best to smile, garbling out something that sounded an awful lot like, “Nice to meet you,” because of course he did.

Roman finally turned his black eyes to Soren. “You know this one?”

Soren crossed his arms, arching a brow at his overprotective friend. “Duh. I just said that. Try to pay attention if you’re going to accost people. He’s my friend. He’s harmless.”

Soren would usually feel a little bad calling another vampire harmless—it would be a blow to any predator’s pride—but Jay just nodded as best he could in Roman’s tight grip.

Roman growled again in warning before loosening his hold with obvious reluctance, allowing the smaller vampire to slide down the wall to his feet.

Jay cleared his throat, rubbing a hand on his neck, his normally soft voice coming out hoarse. “Sorry to surprise you. You have a lovely home.”

Danny smiled easily at the little vampire, stepping in between him and Roman. “Thank you. Any friend of Soren’s is welcome here.”

Such a sweetheart, that one. He and Jay would get along just fine.

Danny looked back to his mate, laughing ruefully. “Well! Glad we cleared—” He paused midsentence. Inhaled deeply. Turned his big brown eyes to Gabe. “You smell… different .”

Uh-oh. Gabe smiled nervously at his brother, running a hand through his hair. “Uh. Well. The thing is…”

Danny inhaled again, taking a step toward his brother. “You— You’re—”

Roman, unhelpful brute that he was, broke in. “He’s a vampire,” he said flatly.

It was a rare sight, to see pure rage take over Danny’s sweet features. Soren might have enjoyed witnessing it, if that anger weren’t 100 percent directed at himself.

“What. The fuck. Did you do. To my brother ?” Danny ground out, stalking closer.

“Who? Me?” Soren asked innocently, stepping backward, almost bumping into Gabe.

“Danny…,” Gabe started. He moved to Soren’s side.

“Actually, it was me who turned him,” Jay offered up.

Well, Christ. There was Roman holding Jay up by the neck again. This was an absolute clusterfuck. Would it be bad if Soren started laughing? Probably. No one here seemed to have a sense of humor at the moment.

He opened his mouth to explain. “We’re fucking.”

That…wasn’t what he’d intended to come out.

Next to him, Gabe sighed. “Jesus, Soren.”

“I don’t care what your dicks are up to,” Danny growled. “Why did your little crony turn my brother?”

And…that was it. The thought of Jay as some sort of wicked “crony” of Soren’s was just too much. Soren finally did start laughing.

“Soren…” Roman growled out a warning.

“Mates!” Gabe blurted out to his brother. “We’re mates. I’m his mate. We’re…together.” He reached for Soren’s hand, possibly wanting to demonstrate their togetherness, possibly just looking for comfort. “You can chill, Danny,” he continued. “I asked Jay to turn me.”

“ Chill ?” Danny asked, staring at their joined hands in disbelief. “Gabe ‘vampires are gross’ Kingman, what the fuck happened while I was gone?”

Gabe glanced apologetically at Soren. “I never said vampires are gross.”

Danny threw his hands into the air. “You most certainly fucking did!”

Roman, who’d once again released Jay, sighed deeply, clearly done with all of them. “Perhaps we should all sit down for a proper discussion,” he suggested. “We have apparently missed much while we were away.” He turned soft eyes to Danny. “Perhaps some tea, mon amour.”

“You and your fucking tea,” Danny grumbled, but he turned and walked toward the kitchen. Roman followed, giving Soren a vicious glare on his way out.

Okay, so maybe “taking care of things while Roman was away” wasn’t supposed to include letting strange vampires into the house and allowing Gabe to give away his humanity without his brother’s knowledge.

Lesson learned.

The three remaining vampires stood in silence, until Jay cleared his throat once more. “So,” he said sincerely, his voice already coming out clearer, “your friends are super nice.”

They clustered in the kitchen, a cooled mug of mostly untouched tea in front of each of them. Soren started from the beginning. The very beginning. How he’d been turned. His time at the den. His many years running, being caught, running again. His pull to Gabe. Their…courtship.

Skipping over the juicier details of that particular chapter, of course.

It was strange, after so many decades of keeping secrets. Letting it all out. Trusting the people he cared about with his past. His present. His hopeful future.

Gabe held his hand through it all.

“I never knew,” Roman said softly, his bright-blue eyes trained on Soren. “I guessed you had…trauma in your past. But I never knew the extent.”

“I’m sorry, Rome.” It was true. He wished he’d had the chance to place his trust in his friend sooner. To tell him on his own terms, rather than in the aftermath.

Danny cleared his throat. “And, Gabe, you’re…um…”

Gabe seemed to know what his brother was trying to say. “I’m happy with my decision,” he said, squeezing Soren’s hand. “I love Soren. I want to be with him.” Warmth bloomed in Soren’s chest at Gabe’s easy declaration.