Page 33 of The Baritone's Rival

They sat that way for who knows how long, five minutes, more? Neither of them moved. They let the sweet sounds of the jazz music wash over them as they traveled north. The plaintive clarinet playing a yearning melody in the slow ballad. The texture of the piano and drums underneath. The low grounding of the double bass.

Oscar dared to turn his head to Trent, who was staring out, his eyes unfocused. Oscar breathed in to break the silence, to complete the bridge between them that the physical connection had begun, and?—

“How much longer?” Justin’s sleepy whine pierced the thick air of the old car, and Oscar snatched his hand away.

Trent let out a sound, so soft as to be almost imperceptible. Was it a whimper? Sadness that Oscar’s hand was gone? Trent blinked as if to clear a fog from his vision.

“Are we almost there?” Justin’s voice was still groggy from his nap.

“No,” Oscar replied. “Eight more hours.”

“Oh god.” Justin pressed his forehead to the window to his right, peering out at the passing houses. “I’m so bored.”

“Read a book. Go back to sleep. Don’t be a child.” Oscar glanced over at Trent, who was still staring straight ahead. Oscar cleared his throat. Trent turned to him, his face unreadable.

Oscar attempted a small smile. Perhaps Trent could not snipe at him all the time. Perhaps they could become friends. Oscar knew that his mate would never be interested in a relationship, but Oscar could already tell from the last few days that helikedTrent. He liked his solidity, his clear-mindedness. Maybe they would get along, now that Trent wasn’t keeping himself so distant.

Trent’s response to his smile was a strange one. His deep blue eyes went wide with an emotion that Oscar was pretty sure was fear.

Why would Trent be afraid of him?

Then, without warning, a blush came to Trent’s pale cheeks, the red skin a contrast to his blonde hair. Trent quickly turned away.

If Oscar didn’t know better, he’d say that was the reaction of a man who was fighting his attraction. Was Trentnotstraight? Oscar had really been teasing before, although Trent’s sexuality had been a topic of discussion amongst the M.F.A. students. A hot-as-fuck man with floppy blonde hair who was aloof and kind of mean? That shit was catnip to the other the other gays.

Oscar squelched the shimmer of hope that had rekindled in his chest. Even if Trent ended up being bi or something, it didn’t matter. He’d never want a vampire mate.

It had beendark for hours when they finally pulled into the driveway of the old cabin. They’d been driving through dense forest for some time, with only the faint light of the crescent moon illuminating the surrounding area. Oscar had never been this far outside of the city, and the dense night brought out an uncharacteristic melancholy in him.

They’d passed the last town an hour ago, and since then had been traveling through unincorporated Maine territory. The dirt drive on the property was long, winding through the trees from the dilapidated road to their final destination. The car shook as it crawled over the bumpy terrain. Trent glanced around the area with trepidation in his eyes.

“It’s secluded, that’s for sure,” Trent said. “But there’s also nowhere to go for help if they come for us here.”

“Freddie personally vouched that we made it out of the city undetected,” Oscar replied. “I trust him with my life. If he said we weren’t followed, we weren’t followed. They won’t find us.”

Trent didn’t reply, but the silence was filled with his doubt.

The headlights of the car hit the side of the cabin like two setting suns against the wood siding. The place was modest, but not in disrepair. A simple structure with only one floor, the outside was painted a warm red, deepening the New England feel. The front door was a large wooden slab adorned with a carved inset design of a bird in flight. Oscar found it beautiful, just the right amount of rustic.

“It’s…nice,” Trent said, clearly not finding it as enchanting as Oscar did.

“There’s nothing to do here,” Justin retorted. “Is there even electricity?”

“Uh, no.” Oscar unclasped his seatbelt and opened the driver’s side door. “Anthony traveled here last summer and performed essential repairs, so it’s in decent shape. There’s a propane water heater and a wood stove, so he didn’t acquire a generator. The tree cover’s too thick for solar.”

Oscar stepped out of the car.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Justin called out as he opened his door.

Oscar shrugged, reaching into his pocket and digging out the key to the cabin. Trent’s door squeaked as it opened.

“Justin, grab the cooler from the trunk,” Oscar called as he walked away.

Justin grunted as he lifted the container. “I still don’t know why we have to bring so much food.”

“Because Trent has to eat.He can’t survive for a week on a single blood bag like we can.”

“Can’t he justnotfor a few days?” Justin grumbled under his breath.

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