Page 7 of Soren

Soren was saved a response by the sounds of Danny returning home. “I’m here!” Roman’s mate called across the house. “I’m ready! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

The look on Roman’s face changed so quickly it was almost amusing. Gone was the harsh skepticism he’d been directing at Soren, replaced by a softness that Soren had never thought to see on his friend’s face.

“I have our bags in the car already, little king,” Roman said, reaching an arm out to his mate. “Your mother was well?”

Danny joined Roman in the doorway, greeting Soren sweetly before answering, “She was as well as can be expected these days.” He turned to Soren again, his doe eyes pleading. “You’ll take Gabe tomorrow morning to see her?”

“She’ll be in good hands,” Soren promised. He meant it. Even if Doctor Muscles was a stubborn dick about it, Soren would make sure their mother had regular visits. He wouldn’t tease Danny about something like that.

Other things though…

“You two have fun fucking each other’s brains out.” Soren grinned in delight as Danny blushed immediately. The baby vampire really was too cute for words.

The pair left for the airport shortly after, leaving Soren alone in the little house. He stared at his crochet, unable to muster up his earlier enthusiasm for it.

What was the point? What was the point of any of this?

Soren had been in Hyde Park, Colorado, now for over a year, the longest he’d stayed in any one place in almost two centuries. He was a sitting duck.

Roman didn’t need him there, even if he and Danny acted happy enough to have a permanent roommate. Ostensibly, Soren had stayed to be there as backup if Lucien decided to return, at least at first. But that psycho vampire had clearly moved on. Soren should too. He couldn’t lie to himself and say he was staying just for friendship’s sake anymore. Danny and Roman were clearly safe.

He sighed dramatically, sprawling onto his back on the couch.

Denial was sodull.

He knew why he was staying—why he couldn’t make himself drive out of this town and never look back. It was just incredibly embarrassing to be so captivated by one boring human man.

One boring human man who’d made it clear he thought Soren was an annoyance at best and a monster at worst.

One boring human man who’d been doing his best to avoid Soren for over a year now.

One boring human man who happened to smell and taste like the most delicious thing Soren had ever encountered.

And as much as Soren knew it was pointless—that three weeks in close proximity to Gabe wouldn’t be enough to change the stubborn human’s mind about him—he couldn’t help that his inner vamp perked up at the thought of having the human so close.

It was very much interested in getting closer to Gabe.

In fact… Soren sat up, a wide grin stretching his lips.

He knew exactly what he was in the mood for.

Soren waltzed into Death by Coffee, stopping briefly to wipe his heeled boots off on the entrance mat. Spring was finally showing its face in Hyde Park, and while the warmer weather was nice enough, it meant the last round of winter snow was melting, leaving slushy puddles all over town.

Another thing to be grumpy about, if Soren was feeling inclined to be grumpy.

Spoiler alert: he was.

He waited impatiently in the admittedly short line at the counter. The barista at the register, a short redhead with amazing taste in jewelry, was one Soren knew by name.Alicia.

How pathetic—Soren was an actual regular somewhere in this Podunk town.

“Soren,” she greeted when he arrived at the front of the line, her brown eyes twinkling under her purple eyeshadow. “Your usual?”

“Sure thing.” Apparently Soren was worse than a regular; he was a regular with a “usual.”

It was true enough he came here for one particular tooth-decaying concoction. Not that Soren, stunning, ageless vampire that he was, had to worry about tooth decay…

“I don’t know how you do it,” Alicia said, drizzling caramel into a cup of ice. “This much sugar and caffeine and I would be up all night.”

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