Page 48 of Johann

“Don’t be mean.” Even if Wolfe maybe had a point, it wasn’t a very nice thing to say.

Soren cleared his throat. “You wouldn’t be fighting just Jay. I really hope you know that.”

Wolfe took a moment, studying the room, the five vampires who would be against him in any sort of fight. “Very well.” He rose from his chair, smoothing out the lines of his suit. “I’ll be in touch, Johann.”

He never did try a cookie.

fourteen

Alexei

Ittookalmosttheentire drive back to Jay’s apartment for Alexei’s near-catatonic state to break, and when it did, it broke into laughter.

Because…fuck. Jay was a billionaire? A billionaire with a goddamn vampire fiancé?

A fiancé.

A fuckingfiancé.

That word on its own was enough to send Alexei into orbit. Because he’d lived his entire life surrounded by people obsessed with money and power. Gaining it, keeping it, lording it over others. He’d finally—fuckingfinally—run from it all, and where had it led him? To the goddamn heir apparentbillionaireof some sketchy European vampire den, one who was currently rocking a significant threadbare hole in the left arm of his thrifted sweater.

How could Alexei do anything elsebutlaugh at the ridiculousness of it all?

“Um…”

Alexei tore his eyes off the road (and had it really been the best idea to let him drive?) long enough to see Jay staring at him, that pale brow furrowed in visible concern. “Is inappropriate laughter one of the symptoms of shock?” Jay asked.

It was the faint note of real anxiety in his voice that had Alexei’s laughter finally quieting down. “Sorry, kitten,” he managed to get out, trying to swallow down the last errant chuckles. “I’m just realizing my father might actually have approved of you after all.”

He stole another look to see Jay nibbling at his lower lip, face drawn. He looked absolutely miserable. “I didn’t ask for the money, Alexei,” he said dully. “Vee just wanted to be sure I was taken care of, if anything happened to her.”

“Taken care of and then some,” Alexei countered, pulling up at the curb in front of Jay’s apartment. He didn’t know why he said it, why he poked at what was clearly a sore subject for Jay. Maybe he wanted, just for a moment, for Jay to feel bad. Bad for lying to Alexei, for giving him hope for something more—something real—when he had always intended to leave.

He told Wolfe he wanted to stay,argued the more reasonable part of Alexei’s brain.

Either way, Jay had no answer to his petty statement, and they made their way into his apartment in strained silence. Jay immediately wandered into the kitchen, and Alexei lowered himself onto the couch, his movements stilted, his mind torn between obsessively focusing on that one not-so-little fact (fiancé, fiancé,fiancé) and splintering off into a thousand different, confused directions.

He didn’t realize he’d been starting at the wall, eyes unseeing, until Jay’s throat clearing broke through his haze. “Okay, I have a big glass of water for you, and then I’ve eaten most of the stuff in my pantry, but I did have some bread, so I put some butter on it for you. Bread and butter—that’s a classic, right? That should be tasty. Right?”

Alexei focused his vision with effort and turned his head to the left to see Jay hovering by the edge of the coffee table, a cup in one hand and a small plate in the other.

Alexei eyed the contents of the plate, and it was almost enough to make him smile for real. “Kotyonok. Did you use the entire stick of butter?”

Jay frowned down at the plate thoughtfully. “No, just, um, half? Why, should I have used the whole thing?”

Alexei shook his head, charmed in spite of himself. Fucking hell, how was anyone supposed to stay mad at this earnest, alien creature? “No, sweetheart, it’s perfect. Come here, please. We just got back from dinner. I don’t actually need any food right now.”

“The water though,” Jay insisted, stepping closer and holding the cup out in front of Alexei’s face. “You’re in shock. You need to hydrate. Right?”

Alexei took the glass from him only to set it down on the coffee table. “I’m notinshock, sweetheart. I justamshocked. Come here. I’m lonely sitting here all by myself.”

Jay set the plate down—carelessly enough to cause quite a bit of noise—and rushed the last few steps over, as if he’d only been waiting for permission to get closer. And maybe he had been. Maybe he’d been worried Alexei would reject him. Alexei knew he’d been in a strange, fuzzy-headed state since the arrival of Wolfe in Danny’s home. Processing, in his own way. And he didn’t generally speak much when he was processing, which may have thrown Jay for a loop, considering Alexei’s uncharacteristic chattiness where the little vampire was concerned.

No wonder Jay thought he was in a state of shock.

Alexei pulled Jay onto his lap immediately, rubbing his nose into Jay’s dark hair, letting the refreshing peppermint scent clear his mind as Jay wiggled around to straddle his thighs. “Why are you so into human food, anyhow?” Alexei mumbled into the messy strands.

“Well, I never really got to have it, when Vee was around,” Jay mused, wrapping his arms around Alexei’s middle. “She thought it was gauche, to eat when we didn’t need to. Sometimes we had food for human guests, but I wasn’t allowed to take any for myself.”

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