Page 77 of Soren

“I’m not touching you with this filthy thing in here,” he said, pushing his bottom lip out slightly. Any defiance was a risk, but Hendrick didn’t usually mind whining or even a little pouting. It was signs of strength he couldn’t stand.

Hendrick stared hard for a moment, then relaxed his hold, seeming to concede to the point. “Hurry up, then.”

Soren tugged his arm out of the other vampire’s grip, then stepped to the couch, heaving the hideous corpse over his shoulder easily. He headed out the back, walking the body over to the lake, scouting the area as he went. He didn’t see any visible neighbors, no roads other than the one they’d arrived on. The only other building was a rundown shed to the side of the cabin.

It was a ghost wood. Abandoned.

Outside, away from Hendrick’s suffocating presence, Soren did his best not to fall into despair. He tried not to think of the look on Gabe’s face when Soren had told him to shut up, the sound of Gabe’s voice as he’d pleaded for Soren not to leave. Soren had been so stupid to think he’d get a happy ending. To think that his past mistakes wouldn’t catch up to him. Gabe’s twisted leg…

This was the second time Gabe had a broken bone because of Soren. It was two times too many.

Soren contemplated his next steps while searching the area for rocks to put in the poor corpse’s pockets. The easiest plan would be to let Hendrick take what he wanted. Lure him into a false sense of security, then…attack? Better yet…run. Run and don’t look back. Let Gabe live his normal human life, away from all of Soren’s supernatural bullshit.

Never mind that Gabe already had a supernatural brother and brother-in-law. This was Soren’s pity party; he could be in denial if he wanted to.

So let Hendrick have Soren. Touch him. Hurt him. It was what Soren would have done in the past. Take the smaller loss of his dignity, of his bodily autonomy, in exchange for his eventual freedom.

But he didn’t want to do it that way anymore. He didn’t want to sully the memory of Gabe’s touch with Hendrick’s slimy fucking paws. Even more so if he never got to feel the touch of his human again. He wanted to hold on to those memories.

Gabe’s strong hands. The way he let Soren lead. The way he looked at Soren like he was something precious.

Once the body was laden down with rocks, Soren tossed him unceremoniously into the shallow lake. It wouldn’t hide a corpse for long, but oh well. Soren had bigger things to worry about. He hesitated in returning to the cabin. He wondered what Gabe was doing now. Soren hoped he wasn’t in pain. He hoped Jay had woken up quickly and taken Soren’s human to the hospital.

Soren ran a hand through his hair, unconsciously copying Gabe’s mannerisms. He realized his hands were shaking.

Gabe hurt. Gabe suffering.

He couldn’t take it. It waswrongthat Soren wasn’t there. His mate was in pain. His mateneededhim.

Fuck running away. Sorenbelongedin Hyde Park.

And he would do anything to get back where he belonged.

Soren came back into the cabin to find Hendrick laying a fire in the massive fireplace. For what possible purpose, Soren hadn’t the foggiest clue. They sure as hell didn’t need the warmth.

The bastard probably just wanted to create the proper dramatic atmosphere. Because that was what Hendrick was, when it came down to it: a pathetic drama queen with no purpose of his own, who had to feel ownership over another person to feel like he was worth anything at all.

“You didn’t run off,” Hendrick commented, eyes on the fire, oblivious to Soren’s unspoken scathing evaluation.

Soren resisted the urge to answer with the deserved, “Well, obviously the fuck not, if I’m standing here.” That was the kind of answer that would end with Soren broken and bleeding and unable to run. Which was exactly why Hendrick wasthe worst.

Why state the obvious if he didn’t want sarcastic answers in return?

“Come closer.” Hendrick beckoned with one hand, still not deigning to meet Soren’s gaze. “Let me look at you.”

“I’m okay over here.’

“Soren…” Soren hated that chiding, warning tone, like Hendrick was talking to a stubborn child. “It’s enough to make me think you don’t like me.”

“Idon’tlike you.” Whoops, he wasn’t supposed to say that part out loud.

Hendrick gave him a hard look.

Soren used to be so much better at being cautious around this bastard, but he was having such a hard time working up the old fear. He wanted to be done with this charade. He wanted to get back to Gabe.

“Why do you want me?” he found himself asking.

“You belong—”

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