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“Um…” Gabe ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. “Yeah, well, I guess it’s best to go with the flow with these things. And Wolfe seems the type to be…persistent?”

Persistent was one word for it; that was for sure. Eric was hit with more memories from the night before. Wolfe almost manically wringing orgasm after orgasm from his body. Stroking with his tongue, nipping with his teeth, doing more things with one finger than Eric had imagined possible.

He cleared his throat, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it felt. “Yeah, persistent is about right.”

Dinner had been…strange? Weirdly nice? It was hard to decide.

Everyone was being so kind to Eric, and he wasn’t used to that sort of easy acceptance.

And yes, maybe it was stemming mostly from pity, but he was starting to think that was better than nothing if it meant he suddenly had the makings of real friends in this town.

They’d been joined just before dinner by the adorable little local barista from Death by Coffee, Jay—someone Eric still couldn’t wrap his head around being a vampire, with his doll-like features and propensity to compliment anything and everything.

Like, he could be a pixie, maybe, if those existed.

Just slap some pointed ears on the guy. But a vampire?

And with him came his fated mate, Alexei, a big, kind of scary-looking guy, with his long blond hair in a topknot, who fit Eric’s image of a biker or mobster more than something supernatural.

They had claimed to be late due to issues baking their cookies, but judging from Jay’s flushed cheeks and Alexei’s general air of smug satisfaction, Eric would bet a hundred dollars they’d been banging.

So it had all been fine and good, except now they were all in the living room with after-dinner drinks and peanut butter cookies Jay claimed were “only a little burned on the bottom,” and Wolfe still hadn’t arrived.

It was making Eric’s inner beast restless.

It was making Eric restless. Everyone here was in a couple, casually touching and sharing smiles and unspoken communication.

Eric had never minded being the odd man out before.

It was just… He wasn’t this time. He had a mate. So where was the son of a bitch?

He half listened while the others debated which spots in the next town over were best for hunting, and became slowly aware of little Jay—who’d plopped himself on the couch between Eric and Alexei—inching closer to him.

“Hello,” Jay whispered after realizing he had Eric’s attention. He even gave a little wave, despite the fact that they’d already greeted each other and had in fact just shared an entire dinner together.

“Um.” Eric looked to Alexei, who was listening intently to Roman explaining the recipes from dinner. “Hi.”

“How are you?” Jay asked.

“I’m good,” Eric answered automatically. “How are you?”

Jay’s brow furrowed. “No. I mean, how are you?”

“Um. Still good?”

Jay gave a little huff of frustration and looked to Alexei. “It’s not working.”

Alexei turned easily away from his conversation with Roman. “That’s because you’re being uncharacteristically coy. Just approach it like you usually would, kitten.”

“Right.” Jay swiveled to face Eric. “I’m Wolfe’s friend from our old den, which was terrible, and I hated it, and Wolfe was one of the only nice parts, at least after Soren left.

But he’s caused a lot of trouble since coming after me here, and I’m sorry he turned you and also sorry that it’s sort of my fault he’s here at all.

” He turned back to Alexei. “Was that better?”

Alexei dropped a kiss to Jay’s head. “Perfect, sweetheart.”

Jay hummed happily, then gave Eric his full attention once more. “So how are you really? Are you very sad to be a vampire? Has Wolfe been rude to you? Has he told you about the money, or is he being stingy? Because as his mate, you should be entitled to what’s his. It’s only fair.”

“Oh. Okay. So.” Eric took a second to catch up with both the barrage of information and all the questions.

Jay seemed to sincerely want to know about Eric’s emotional well-being, but Eric wasn’t exactly all that used to discussing his feelings.

It was easy enough with Wolfe, for some reason.

Maybe because he didn’t seem to judge Eric any differently, no matter what he said.

Eric tried to put the answers to Jay’s questions into some semblance of coherence. “So I don’t really know how I feel about being a vampire? I think the reality of that is still sinking in. But the Wolfe part has been…nice?”

“He has?” Jay’s skepticism was clear, and his brow was furrowed again.

Eric cleared his throat. “Well, maybe not nice , but supportive? He’s been taking good care of me. So you don’t have to worry, I guess is what I mean.”

“Hm.” Jay cocked his head. “You were always kind of smarmy before, whenever you came into the coffee shop. At least, that’s what Alicia always said. I didn’t mind it, but you look…softer? More at home in your own skin. So that’s probably good.”

Eric was saved from having to respond to that strange statement by the loud sounds of a debate getting more heated.

“I’m telling you,” Soren was saying to Danny, “I haven’t scented anything! Stop asking. I’ll let you know if I do.”

“Well, now both the blood bank and the hospital have been raided. If it isn’t any of us, then we have to have another vamp in town, right?”

“Why wouldn’t they just be feeding off people?” Gabe asked, petting Soren’s arm soothingly.

“Possibly too close to feral? Or afraid of losing control,” Danny mused. “Roman was using blood bags when we first met.”

“Are you sure Wolfe’s not lying to us? He could be stocking up and not wanting to say.”

All eyes fell on Eric. He tried to resist squirming in his seat. “Um. Well, I’ve only fed from the blood Danny’s given me. And Wolfe said he was hunting tonight, so I don’t see why he’d be stocking up on blood bags. Or when he’d even have the time.”

“The hospital theft was the same day he came to pick you up,” Danny pointed out mildly.

Eric shook his head. “No. He came for me right away. I know it.”

He had a weird flash of memory then: that kid staring at Eric in horror as they left the hospital. Had he been carrying something? But no—he was just a kid. That would be ridiculous.

Eric kept it to himself.

There was more arguing over possibilities before Soren sat up straight, scenting the air like a fucking bloodhound, a bitter smile on his lips. “I stand corrected. There’s another vampire in town. Two others, to be exact.”

For the second time that night, the front door opened with a loud slam.

The entire room seemed to hold their breath until the living room doorway was filled by a tall, lanky man dressed all in black, his green hair in a half ponytail.

He was joined an instant later by a stockier, intimidating companion, glowering over his shoulder.

Soren sighed deeply when the second man appeared. “Christ. That’s what I thought.”

The green-haired man grinned at them all, easy and bright despite Soren’s less-than-enthusiastic greeting. “What’s up, bitches? Whose head are we ripping off today?”