Page 8 of Soar

“You’re not coming in!” Salem argued as Gregori stepped onto the curb.

Wisely, the driver got the fuck out of there. Since Salem had already confirmed he didn’t want to involve the cops, the man darted for the driver’s seat and sped away, leaving them to handle their disagreement on their own.

“You said you were only accompanying me back to my place to make sure I made it here safely.”

“Yes, but you’re not inside.” Gregori tried to take the hand currently pointing a finger at his chest, but Salem batted his hands away. “You’re standing outside where it is very cold, putting you in danger of catching a cold. We should get inside.”

Salem opened his mouth to argue further, but some god took pity on Gregori and sent a fierce winter wind winding through the tall buildings to blast them, stealing away Salem’s breath. Salem had just spent several days in the balmy, luxurious heat of Brazil. Just enough time for his body to forget what winter felt like.

He shivered and snarled under his breath as he grabbed his bag. Itthunkedagainst the stone steps as Salem climbed up to his door, Gregori patiently following behind him. After several attempts to get his key in the lock, Salem opened the front door to reveal a long hallway with many doors.

Was this an apartment building? Did he not live in the entire thing?

Salem hurried down the hall—his roller bag bouncing along the ugly brown carpet with its strange, uneven bumps—to another door. Salem darted inside the second he unlocked it, but Gregori caught it before Salem could close it in his face.

“No!” Salem snapped.

Gregori fluttered his eyelashes and worked up his best sad puppy look, complete with pouty bottom lip. “But…I have no place to stay.”

“I don’t care.”

“But…I’ve never been to Boston. How am I going to find a safe place to stay? You’re the only person I know, Salem.”

The mage growled and pushed on the door, but even Gregori could feel he did so half-heartedly.

“Please, don’t leave me alone,” he continued, fully willing to lay it on as thick as necessary. There was no way he was letting Salem out of his sight. Not when he’d just found his mate. Nope. Not happening. “I just got here. I don’t know where to go,” he whimpered.

“Oh my god! Do you have no shame?”

When it came to his mate, not a single drop.

Groaning loudly, Salem stepped back and released the door. “One night. That’s it. Tomorrow, you find a hotel to stay in or a B&B or something. I don’t really care.”

Gregori immediately perked up and marched into the apartment, ready to explore all of Salem’s private domain so he could squirrel away every nugget of information he could about his mate. Except there was so little to explore.

It was a square.

Just standing at the door, he could see the entirety of this apartment in a single sweep of his eyes. Well, no, a bedroom lurked behind a door to the very far right, along with presumably a bathroom. But the kitchen, dining table, and living area shared one room—and it wasn’t a big room.

“This is all there is?” The words tumbled from his tongue before he could stop them. He winced, knowing he shouldn’t have said those words.

“That’s it!” Salem shouted. “Out! Out! Out!” He placed both of his hands on Gregori’s chest and pushed. The poor man put all of his weight behind it, but Gregori didn’t budge a single centimeter. Why would he? He was finally inside of Salem’s house. He was never leaving again.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. It was rude of me,” he said over Salem’s grunting and pushing.

“It was rude!” Salem snapped, looking as if he was just one more explosion away from a stomped foot. He stopped trying to push Gregori out the door and crossed to the center of the room to stand in front of a small, well-worn blue love seat. “It’s not like I want to live this way. But medical school is damn expensive in the US. Not to mention all the loans I had to take out to pay for school and books and just living. It’s not like I could hold down other jobs while doing my residency. And now, if I don’t want to spend the rest of my life paying off those loans, I have to live very simply.” He waved his hands at the shoebox apartment with its very simple furnishing.

Gregori bit his tongue. The entire apartment could fit inside his parlor back in Brazil and he’d still have room left over. Not to mention his bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet, private library, and even his secret hoard room. It bothered him his mate had worked so hard to become a successful doctor and now had to live so plainly. He should at least have some comfort to come home to after spending the day saving young lives.

But Gregori didn’t say any of this because he didn’t want to belittle the sacrifices Salem had made to attain his dream.

“Your home may be small, but you have done a wonderful job of making it feel cozy and inviting. Even for unwanted guests.”

Salem’s shoulders slumped and he moaned as he rubbed his eyes. “How can you be annoying and charming at the same time? It’s against the laws of nature.”

It took all of Gregori’s control to hide his smile. Charming was a step in the right direction.

“Fine.” Salem dropped his hands down to his sides and glared at Gregori. “You can stay.One.Night.That’s it. You’ll leave in the morning. Find a hotel or something. I don’t care.”

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