Page 41 of Soren

Now if only he could ease some of the tightness in his chest. Because Soren knew, even if he fixed things with Gabe, it wouldn’t make any difference. None of it would help. It was only a matter of time now.

Even if Soren hadn’t been able to find him in the crowd afterward, he knew what he’d seen.

Hendrick had found him.

ten

Gabe

Somethingwasoff.Clearly.

Gabe eyed the blond vampire across from him warily. Ferdy had greeted them with exuberance at the door, yipping excitedly, sniffing first Soren’s pant legs and then Gabe’s own. Gabe was sure that, after the club, they had many interesting smells between the two of them. Soren was using it all as an excuse to avoid Gabe’s eyes, focusing all his attention on the wiggling puppy instead.

The night had started off sowell.

Gabe hadn’t gone out like that in…he didn’t even know how long. His big nights out since moving back to Hyde Park had usually just consisted of a few drinks at the local bar with old acquaintances or a prospective hookup.

But dancing with Soren had been so fuckingfun. Not to mention an unexpected turn-on. Seeing the way the vampire translated his otherworldly grace on the dance floor, his hips moving in a hypnotic rhythm, had left Gabe practically panting. And then that hint of possessiveness when their dance partner had gotten overly handsy…

And not to mention the bite.The bite.

Talk about an unexpected turn-on. Fuck.

Danny hadn’t been exaggerating when he said vampire bites felt good. Gabe thought back on their past conversations about it with new embarrassment. Now that he knew what a bite felt like—like there was a direct line from his neck to his cock, like two seconds more and he would have been begging Soren to let him fuck him in that corner—he was more than a little mortified to have even discussed it with Danny. He didn’t need to picturethatbetween Roman and his little brother.

But then it had all gone to hell.

The bite may have felt amazing—Gabe’s cock twitched at his even thinking about it—but it had left him feeling…vulnerable. On edge. He’d let another person drink hisblood, for fuck’s sake. Had even gone so far as to offer himself up on a platter weekly, in exchange for being Soren’s…what, exactly? One and only?

He’d felt like a blushing virgin asking for exclusivity from his more experienced boyfriend, a position Gabe had never found himself in before.

But the moment had been so…intimate. Gabe didn’t want to imagine Soren doing that with anyone else, now that he knew what it felt like.

And Soren hadmockedhim for it. Likened him to a pet.

Well, okay, Sorenalwaysmocked him; that was nothing new. But then the vampire had just…vanished. Leaving Gabe there in the corner, stewing over the whole encounter.

And now here they were, Soren still studiously avoiding Gabe’s eyes. For a vampire that was usually pretty in-your-face with his personality, he was being awfully cagey.

It was all just…off.

Sex between them hadn’t made things nearly this awkward, so why had this bite? It had to be something else, somethingmore. Gabe was aware that driving home had taken way longer than it should have, like Soren had been going some roundabout way. Avoiding someone? Was he worried that Lucien was back? Then why wouldn’t he just tell Gabe that?

“You need water.” Soren’s eyes were still on the dog, but Gabe had to assume the comment was directed at him. “The drinking and dancing. The blood I took. You’re probably pretty dehydrated at this point.”

Gabe shrugged but didn’t argue. He headed toward the kitchen, Soren and the puppy both at his heels. He downed a glass of water, only for Soren to take the empty cup and refill it for him, then fish a sports drink out of the fridge and shove it into Gabe’s hand.

“Should I make you something?” Soren asked, biting at his nails. Gabe had never seen him do that before. It was a surprisingly human gesture.

“You don’t cook.”

Soren huffed. “I’m not completely useless. I could…peel you a banana?”

Fuck. It would have been adorable, if Gabe weren’t already at the end of his rope. He took a seat at the kitchen counter, patting the stool next to him. “Stop offering me shit. Just…sit. Explain.”

Soren shook his head, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants, possibly to keep from chewing on them.

Those fucking leather pants. They should be illegal.

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