Page 71 of Johann

Jay twisted the hem of his shirt.

A mate.

Well, that would change things a little, wouldn’t it? Turning some good-looking human to be a subservient companion was one thing, but turning a mate…most vampires would find that acceptable.

Except Wolfe had only been in town a freaking week. Had he really found his mate and convinced him to turn so quickly?

Jay glanced up to find Alexei studying him. “What’s the plan, kotyonok?”

Jay shrugged and dropped the fabric from his hands, flushing a little at the implication he was leading this particular mission. “I guess we knock.”

In the end, Jay was the one who knocked.

Danny, Roman, and Alexei remained at the edge of the property. Jay figured if Wolfe was feeling overprotective of his new mate, four vampires at his door probably wouldn’t be the best idea. It took more than a little convincing for Alexei to stay behind, but Jay wasn’t afraid of being hurt by Wolfe.

Wolfe had never once considered Jay a threat.

It took a full minute of knocking, but eventually Wolfe answered the door, looking surprisingly dressed down in soft-looking black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt.

He was more disheveled than Jay had ever seen him. Which wasn’t saying very much, to be fair. But his always perfectly styled hair was mussed, his uncharacteristic clothing rumpled.

Still, his expression was serene as ever as he looked first at Jay, then at the vampires waiting beyond him. “Johann,” he greeted, managing to sound only mildly surprised, as if this was a social visit he hadn’t been expecting. “How may I help you?”

“Wolfgang,” Jay chastised.

Wolfe’s lips flattened. “I’d invite you in, but I’m afraid now’s not the best time.”

“I thought I told you we wouldn’t be that kind of den.”

“I beg your pardon?” The polite confusion on Wolfe’s face was ridiculous.

Jay crossed his arms. “I’ll leave you out in the cold, Wolfe. No money. No den. No nothing. I don’t like liars.”

Wolfe kept up the polite confusion charade for another moment, and then his posture slumped slightly as he let out a drawn-out sigh, as if Jay was being incredibly unreasonable. “It was not…intentional, Johann.”

“Explain, please.”

“I only wanted a little taste. The blood of a mate is supposed to be especially sweet. I tried to compel him. My beast would not…cooperate.” Wolfe ran a hand through his mussed hair. “So I did what had to be done.”

Jay couldn’t help but frown. It sounded like Wolfe had tried to feed from the doctor, the doctor had panicked, and Wolfe’s reaction to that panic had been…turning him? Jay had never thought he could be that impulsive. “And what are you going to do with him now?”

Wolfe straightened his stance once more. “He’ll stay with me, of course.”

“But that’s not your decision.”

A flash of pure rage crossed Wolfe’s face, the most expression Jay had ever seen on him. “He’smine.”

Jay fought back the chill Wolfe’s anger sent down his spine, determined to stay strong. “That’s his choice, Wolfe. You know that.”

“He’ll choose me,” Wolfe said, sounding completely assured of that outcome.

“I can’t trust you on that, not after you’ve turned two people already. Let us see him. Let us see that he’s okay. Let him tell us he wants to stay.”

That brief glimpse of rage again, but Wolfe didn’t growl, didn’t glare, didn’t let his beast out to challenge Jay. He just…stared. Maybe it was the prospect of the money that kept his temper in check.

Or maybe he just really was that cold-blooded.

Jay waited him out easily. He could do this all day, stand in place on this porch until they both turned into vampire popsicles.

---