Page 44 of Wolfgang

“Excuse me?” Gabe shot him a savage look, but Eric was used to those expressions from him, so he just took another sip of his beer.

“It’s just, Soren seems kind of ‘take charge.’ Bossy. Does he top you?”

Gabe let out a heavy sigh. “You know you can’t just ask me stuff like that. Jesus.”

“Oh. Sure, sure.” Because they weren’t really friends, and everyone was only being nice to him because he’d been turned and kidnapped by someone they were all maybe afraid of. Eric grimaced, freshly aware that stuff like this was probably the reason Gabe hated him. “Sorry. I’m just kind of in new territory with Wolfe, thought maybe you’d…”

Gabe let him roil in embarrassment for another long moment before he huffed, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe you’re paired with that psychopath.” He seemed to debate with himself for a minute before giving in. “Okay, so… Soren’s more like a ‘topping from the bottom’ kind of guy. Yeah, he’s bossy, but he also likes to get dicked down. Like, really likes it.”

Eric nodded thoughtfully, but it was cut off by Soren’s screech, sounding like it was coming from the kitchen. “Gabe fucking Christ Kingman, you did not just tell him all that.”

He appeared a moment later, glass of red wine in hand, gesticulating so wildly it was a wonder it didn’t splash everywhere. “Definitely no orgasms for you tonight, Highness.”

Gabe rose from his chair, contrition all over his face. “No, baby, but we’re hunting tonight.”

“Tough.”

Gabe wrapped himself around his mate, murmuring so softly that even with his enhanced hearing, Eric could only catch every other word. A lot ofbabyandbratbeing thrown around.

Eventually Soren softened in his hold. “Fine,” he mumbled into Gabe’s chest. “But only becauseIneed it. You can come, but you can’t enjoy it.”

Eric kept his silence, a little worried one or both of them were going to remember he’d started this weird almost fight and turn on him. But they just settled into the armchair together, Soren on Gabe’s lap. It made Eric think of his intense urge to sit on Wolfe’s lap. With Soren, it looked so natural. Would it look silly, with Eric?

Soren raised his glass at Eric. “Condolences for your mating bond.”

Eric frowned. “It’s not so bad.”

“If heevertries to make you do something you don’t want to do…”

“Oh no, nothing like that.” Eric blinked, surprised by the protective words. And then, because his mouth was running away from him no matter what he did, “He’s a great lay so far.”

Gabe snorted, raising his beer to his lips. “Not my type.”

“Why not?” Eric tilted his chin at Soren. “You clearly like them scary.”

Soren grinned back at him, pleased.

“Yeah,” Gabe conceded, rubbing his chin onto his mate’s hair. “But also beautiful.”

“Wolfeisbeautiful.” Or at least, striking. And at this point, for Eric, it was kind of the same thing.

Gabe laughed. “Christ, the bond works quickly, huh? If I were you, I’d be pissed at Wolfe for at least—”

“An entire year of avoidance?” Soren cut in, a pointed lilt to his voice.

“Um…” Gabe ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. “Yeah, well, I guess it’s best to go with the flow with these things. And Wolfe seems the type to be…persistent?”

Persistentwas one word for it; that was for sure. Eric was hit with more memories from the night before. Wolfe almost manically wringing orgasm after orgasm from his body. Stroking with his tongue, nipping with his teeth, doing more things with one finger than Eric had imagined possible.

He cleared his throat, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it felt. “Yeah, persistent is about right.”

Dinner had been…strange? Weirdly nice? It was hard to decide. Everyone was being so kind to Eric, and he wasn’t used to that sort of easy acceptance. And yes, maybe it was stemming mostly from pity, but he was starting to think that was better than nothing if it meant he suddenly had the makings of real friends in this town.

They’d been joined just before dinner by the adorable little local barista from Death by Coffee, Jay—someone Eric still couldn’t wrap his head around being a vampire, with his doll-like features and propensity to compliment anything and everything. Like, he could be a pixie, maybe, if those existed. Just slap some pointed ears on the guy. But a vampire? And with him came his fated mate, Alexei, a big, kind of scary-looking guy, with his long blond hair in a topknot, who fit Eric’s image of a biker or mobster more than something supernatural.

They had claimed to be late due to issues baking their cookies, but judging from Jay’s flushed cheeks and Alexei’s general air of smug satisfaction, Eric would bet a hundred dollars they’d been banging.

So it had all been fine and good, except now they were all in the living room with after-dinner drinks and peanut butter cookies Jay claimed were “only a little burned on the bottom,” and Wolfestillhadn’t arrived.

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