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It was true that he was the one who’d told the twins he wanted some quality time with his friend before they barged in with their larger-than-life presences, but they’d agreed so readily , and it had him feeling…disgruntled.

They’d said they wanted to try to catch the strange vampire’s scent again—and yeah, Fox had told Colin before that he and Dane usually patrolled together—but surely they didn’t actually need both of them to do that, right?

Were they getting sick of him already? They’d had a taste of him in bed and been disappointed after all? Was it a turnoff that he’d just lain back and let them do what they wanted? Maybe what they really wanted was someone who’d participate. Someone with experience. Someone who’d blow their minds.

You’re a cold fish, Colin. And no one wants a cold fish in their beds, do they?

Colin shook the old voice out of his head.

It had been a long time since he’d believed those words, but they still stung sometimes.

It wasn’t so much the misguided bullshit behind them but the fact that he’d let someone in like that—trusted them, loved them—and they’d proven to be such a scumbag in the end.

“Uh, dude.”

Colin jerked his focus back to the present, where Jamie was waving a hand in front of his face. “Sorry. Zoned out.”

“No kidding.” Jamie cocked his head, a sly smile forming on his lips. “Got a lot on your mind, I bet.” When Colin met his unsubtle prying with a blank look, Jamie laughed, shoving at his shoulder. “Don’t play with me! I can’t believe you’re living with those two assholes.”

Right. The twins must have told either Jamie or Luc about Colin. Loudmouthed dicks. Colin sipped at his beer. “Mm,” he answered Jamie noncommittally.

“Don’t ‘mm’ at me. You’ve got a hickey on your neck.” What the fuck? Colin slapped at his neck, and Jamie cackled, his head thrown back. “Other side, my dude.”

“Fuck. That dick.” Colin should have realized Dane was sucking marks into his skin, but he’d been a little distracted by Fox’s fingers in his ass at the time. It wasn’t like he was used to making sure he was hickey-free before he left the house.

“So you’ve found someone who revs your engine, hm?” Jamie teased. At whatever he saw in Colin’s face, he cackled again. “Oh shit. Some ones. Damn. Here I thought you were ace.”

“I don’t know that I’m not. I think maybe I’m demi. Or…vampiresexual. That’s a thing, right?”

Jamie took a swig of his beer, smirking all the while. “Yeah, that mate pull can be strong as hell.”

“What mate pull?” Colin rolled his eyes to hide the fact that he’d almost winced. “They’re bonded to each other, remember?”

It was another reason the twins would get bored of Colin eventually—it wasn’t like they were looking for a mate.

They weren’t hunting for a human to turn to keep their inner monsters at bay.

They had each other. They’d been clear enough about that.

Maybe, if Colin were lucky, they’d want him for a few more years (and wasn’t that presumptuous of him?), but in the end, it would be a drop in the bucket compared to their endless life span.

They’d forget him by the end of the century.

“C’mon.” Jamie pivoted on his heel, gesturing for Colin to follow. “Give me the dirty deets over a game of pool.”

They made their way into a small, dingy back room with a single pool table that was miraculously not being used.

But before they could grab their cues, a dark figure swept in, slamming Jamie against the wall.

Colin was met with a face full of broad shoulders, a leather jacket incongruous with the weather, and a thick mane of dark hair spotted with silver.

Luc. Jamie’s vampire mate.

Before Colin could decide whether he should intervene—had they had a fight or something?

—Luc’s mouth latched onto Jamie’s and Colin was subjected to a truly filthy public make-out session.

Jesus. Who knew Jamie could even make noises like that?

Should Colin leave? Were they about to actually fuck against this very public wall?

Just when Colin had decided to head back to the bar and save his not-so-virgin eyes and ears, Jamie pushed Luc back, peering around him to smile almost sheepishly at Colin. Then he shot Luc a sly smile. “Monster, you remember Colin, don’t you?”

“Ah, yes,” Luc said, looking at Colin like he’d be more than happy to rip his head off his body. “The kissing friend.”

Fuck, he was intimidating. Partly because the guy had his vampire face out at all times, and partly because he just had that air about him, like he wasn’t above crushing any annoying bug in his path.

And it seemed like most people, to him, were annoying bugs.

Except of course, Jamie, who he looked at like he was the most precious treasure in the universe, if the most precious treasure was also something he wanted to fuck into the ground at a moment’s notice.

Colin supposed that could be sexy, if one were into the completely psychotic type.

Jamie grinned at Colin like his boyfriend wasn’t currently plotting Colin’s public dismembering. “Can you blame me, Lucien? He’s got such a pretty mouth.”

Luc’s cold black gaze swept over Colin’s face, lingering on his lips. “Passable.”

“Passable?” Jamie scoffed. “You just haven’t tasted him is all. Sweet as pie, our Colin.”

He winked at Colin, the ass.

Luc let out a low growl, pressing Jamie harder against the wall.

“Watch yourself, flower. I’ll be at the bar.

If I come back to find your mouth on his, his life is forfeit.

” Luc grabbed the back of Jamie’s head and planted another scorcher of a kiss, then stalked out (after a last glare at Colin, of course).

Colin scowled at Jamie. “Dude. Why exactly do you want me dead?”

Jamie shrugged, stepping up to the pool table. “If I get him riled up enough, I get to fuck him later.”

“And will you be topping him next to my rapidly decaying corpse?”

Jamie laughed, as if Colin had told some hilarious joke.

When Colin didn’t even crack a smile, he held up placating hands.

“Okay, fine. I’ll tone it down. But I’m not completely full of shit.

” He began arranging the balls on the table, looking up at Colin between his thick lashes.

“I really did like the kissing, you know?”

Colin rolled one of the stray pool balls his way. “You were too cool for me by far.”

“Me? Cool?” Jamie placed a hand on his chest, all false modesty. He tipped his chin to Colin. “As if that mattered, anyway. You’re the coolest guy I know. Good at art, decent style, don’t give a fuck. What more does anyone need?”

“I’m not…” Colin twisted his bracelets, trying to find the right word. “I’m not charming, or whatever. Charismatic. You are.”

Jamie shook his head, rolling the eight ball into place.

“Charming is relative. Half the people I meet might say so, but the other half would say I’m annoying as hell.

Doesn’t matter. It’s none of my business what other people think of me.

” He straightened, giving Colin a coy look.

“Don’t sell yourself short. I bet you have those two gingers wrapped around your little finger. ”

“They’re easy enough.”

Jamie coughed something that sounded an awful lot like “bullshit.”

Colin shrugged, grabbing two cues off the wall for them. “It’s true. I don’t really have to do much. I just have to, like, exist in their proximity. They get a kick out of following me around.”

“Oh realllly,” Jamie drawled with a knowing smile. “I bet they say you smell real good too.”

“Well, unlike some, I shower regularly.”

Jamie shoved Colin’s shoulder as he grabbed his cue. “Hey. I’ve got impeccable hygiene.”

That was true enough, but Colin was deflecting.

No matter what Jamie thought, Colin didn’t have the twins wrapped around anything.

He was just…there. A distraction. A convenience.

He’d set himself up to be, hadn’t he? Shoved himself into their lives just to get a taste of what it would be like. Wasn’t that the whole point?

So why did he feel so fucking empty all of a sudden?

He leaned over the pool table, lining up to take the opening shot, but straightened quickly when Jamie let out a quiet, “Oh fuck,” his eyes caught on something behind Colin’s shoulder.

Was his psycho boyfriend back to murder Colin for real?

But it was a different familiar voice that came from behind him, one Colin had been hoping to never hear again. The very same one that spouted all those ugly words in his head, when Colin was at his weakest.

“Sup, Jamie? Can I get next game?”

Colin turned to find him standing there, barely changed since high school. The same dirty-blond hair. Same stormy gray eyes. The person Colin had thought he’d loved before he’d known what love should feel like. The one he’d let see who he really was, only to be rejected totally and completely.

Derek.

That fucking asshole.