Page 37

And then it was really, really unfair because Jay could hear the sounds of Alexei stroking himself, even with the movie playing. When had Alexei taken off his pants? Had he somehow gotten naked without Jay knowing? Was Jay missing an opportunity to ogle him?

That was when Jay lost the battle. He turned his head away from the TV.

Alexei, cheeks hollowed around Jay’s aching cock, raised a brow as he noticed the shift in Jay’s attention. He popped his mouth off, and Jay felt a rush of cool air on his member. “What about your movie, sweetheart?”

Jay was too turned on to feel properly embarrassed for not being able to focus on the movie. “You’re so handsome” was all he managed to say in defense.

He really was. Even though Alexei wasn’t naked. He’d only tugged his own sweatpants down enough to jerk his cock. And somehow, in the moment, that was even hotter? Like he’d been so turned on just putting his mouth on Jay that he’d had to take himself in hand without even getting undressed.

Alexei grinned at him, proving Jay’s point about the handsomeness, and then he put his full attention back into turning Jay into a mindless, panting mess.

And Alexei’s mouth was too full for praise now, but he kept making these approving hums and moans and little growls that had the same effect on Jay, so it really didn’t take long for Jay to erupt in Alexei’s mouth with a howl and for Alexei to quickly follow suit with a moan.

And then they were both mindless, panting, sticky messes.

But Alexei didn’t insist they clean up or shower or anything like that. He just scooted up the couch and spooned Jay from behind, turning them so they were facing the TV again.

Jay sighed happily as they watched the alien tear apart another crew member. “I hope the cat survives.”

But Jay didn’t get to find out. Because two minutes later, Danny was calling him.

“We have a situation.”

“Why would Wolfe want to turn Dr. Monroe so badly?” Alexei asked, not for the first time, as they pulled up to an impressively large Victorian home at the edge of town.

Jay stared out the passenger side window, biting at his lip. He didn’t have an answer. It was so unlike Wolfe, who, for all his faults, had never seemed interested in the vampire-companion dynamic. It had been a big part of Jay’s trust in him, and now that had been shattered. Again.

Had Wolfe suggested forming a den of their own—doing his part to protect them—just so he could continue the old den’s toxic dynamic in a new locale? Why? What was the point?

Jay spotted Danny and Roman waiting for them at the edge of the house’s front lawn. Roman looked furious, like he had that one time he’d held Jay up against a wall by his neck. Danny looked worried.

Guilt rushed through Jay as he exited the passenger seat. It was his fault they were feeling so upset. His fault for bringing Wolfe here. He should have left earlier. He should have told them the truth. He should have—

He was brought out of his guilt spiral by the feel of Alexei’s warm hand taking his. Jay looked up; he hadn’t even realized his mate was at his side. He took comfort in the contact, taking a deep breath of Alexei’s scent while he was at it.

They joined Danny and Roman. “They’re in there?” Jay asked.

Roman nodded. “Yes. Wolfe and Monroe both.”

Jay stared at the house, then back at Roman. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking—how did you even find out what happened?”

It was Danny who answered. “Roman’s been feeling a little…protective—”

“Suspicious,” Roman corrected.

“—ever since Wolfe came into town. He may have been…monitoring the situation a bit.”

Roman huffed at his mate. “And is it not a good thing I was?”

“Yes, yes. You did very well to stalk the stranger, my love.” Danny’s tone was sarcastic, even Jay could tell that, but Roman’s eyes softened at the praise away.

Jay could relate. It was always nice to be told you’d done a good job.

“Anyway,” Danny continued with an eye roll.

“He saw Wolfe carrying in a very limp-looking Dr. Monroe.”

“I believed it to be a corpse at first,” Roman said, not sounding too upset by that fact. “But he claims he has found his mate and we must leave him be. He became quite aggressive about it.”

Jay twisted the hem of his shirt.

A mate.

Well, that would change things a little, wouldn’t it? Turning some good-looking human to be a subservient companion was one thing, but turning a mate…most vampires would find that acceptable.

Except Wolfe had only been in town a freaking week. Had he really found his mate and convinced him to turn so quickly?

Jay glanced up to find Alexei studying him. “What’s the plan, kotyonok?”

Jay shrugged and dropped the fabric from his hands, flushing a little at the implication he was leading this particular mission. “I guess we knock.”

In the end, Jay was the one who knocked.

Danny, Roman, and Alexei remained at the edge of the property.

Jay figured if Wolfe was feeling overprotective of his new mate, four vampires at his door probably wouldn’t be the best idea.

It took more than a little convincing for Alexei to stay behind, but Jay wasn’t afraid of being hurt by Wolfe.

Wolfe had never once considered Jay a threat.

It took a full minute of knocking, but eventually Wolfe answered the door, looking surprisingly dressed down in soft-looking black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt.

He was more disheveled than Jay had ever seen him. Which wasn’t saying very much, to be fair. But his always perfectly styled hair was mussed, his uncharacteristic clothing rumpled.

Still, his expression was serene as ever as he looked first at Jay, then at the vampires waiting beyond him. “Johann,” he greeted, managing to sound only mildly surprised, as if this was a social visit he hadn’t been expecting. “How may I help you?”

“Wolfgang,” Jay chastised.

Wolfe’s lips flattened. “I’d invite you in, but I’m afraid now’s not the best time.”

“I thought I told you we wouldn’t be that kind of den.”

“I beg your pardon?” The polite confusion on Wolfe’s face was ridiculous.

Jay crossed his arms. “I’ll leave you out in the cold, Wolfe. No money. No den. No nothing. I don’t like liars.”

Wolfe kept up the polite confusion charade for another moment, and then his posture slumped slightly as he let out a drawn-out sigh, as if Jay was being incredibly unreasonable. “It was not…intentional, Johann.”

“Explain, please.”

“I only wanted a little taste. The blood of a mate is supposed to be especially sweet. I tried to compel him. My beast would not…cooperate.” Wolfe ran a hand through his mussed hair. “So I did what had to be done.”

Jay couldn’t help but frown. It sounded like Wolfe had tried to feed from the doctor, the doctor had panicked, and Wolfe’s reaction to that panic had been…turning him? Jay had never thought he could be that impulsive. “And what are you going to do with him now?”

Wolfe straightened his stance once more. “He’ll stay with me, of course.”

“But that’s not your decision.”

A flash of pure rage crossed Wolfe’s face, the most expression Jay had ever seen on him. “He’s mine .”

Jay fought back the chill Wolfe’s anger sent down his spine, determined to stay strong. “That’s his choice, Wolfe. You know that.”

“He’ll choose me,” Wolfe said, sounding completely assured of that outcome.

“I can’t trust you on that, not after you’ve turned two people already. Let us see him. Let us see that he’s okay. Let him tell us he wants to stay.”

That brief glimpse of rage again, but Wolfe didn’t growl, didn’t glare, didn’t let his beast out to challenge Jay. He just…stared. Maybe it was the prospect of the money that kept his temper in check.

Or maybe he just really was that cold-blooded.

Jay waited him out easily. He could do this all day, stand in place on this porch until they both turned into vampire popsicles.

Eventually, Wolfe tipped his chin in assent. “When he awakens, one of you may speak with him.”

Jay beamed, resisting the urge to do a little celebratory hop at his success in reasoning with him. “I’ll do it,” he offered.

“No. You’re too tainted by trauma. You’ll frighten him unnecessarily.”

Well, that was rude. “Alexei?”

“Too new. A veritable babe in the woods. He won’t be helpful at all.

” Wolfe leaned slightly out the door, ignoring Jay’s frown at his assessment of Alexei and studying the three waiting vampires.

“Your nurse friend with the lovely eyes. When the good doctor awakens, they may speak. Will that appease you?”

Jay cocked his head. “ And you’ll tell us when he wakes up?”

“But of course.”

Jay hesitated. He used to be fairly certain Wolfe didn’t lie to him, wouldn’t lie to him.

It was something he liked very much about his friend.

Even Wolfe turning Alexei hadn’t necessarily broken that assumption.

It wasn’t like Wolfe had tried to hide it from him.

But he was getting the feeling now that Wolfe’s priorities had shifted.

A psychopath with a newly turned mate. What wouldn’t he do to keep him?

“We’ll be back in the morning,” Jay eventually said, proud of how firm he sounded in the declaration. “If he’s not awake by then, we’ll wait it out.”

After another long moment, Wolfe inclined his head in agreement, but his eyes were cold. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said, already shutting the door in Jay’s face. “I have some preparations to make.”

Jay ran back to his friends and recounted the conversation.

“I’ll do it,” Danny agreed readily.

Jay beamed at him. Of course Danny would. He was kind and considerate and tenderhearted. Maybe Jay would have been less scared, if someone like Danny had been around when he’d been turned.

“This town will soon have more of our kind than its human population,” Roman mused.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’ll turn anyone else. He doesn’t act without reason. At least, not usually.”

Roman’s icy gaze met Jay’s. “For someone who is theoretically on our side, he has caused an awful lot of trouble. Are you certain we need him?”

Jay wasn’t certain of any of it. He was causing his friends so much trouble.

When would they decide enough was enough? When would they want Jay gone?