Page 61 of Wolfgang

Apparently Eric wasn’t the only needy one.

And while his own possessiveness didn’t necessarily surprise him, it was unsettling how much he now needed Eric to want the same.

“You know, I might have seen that vampire kid at the hospital.”

Eric said it so casually it took a moment for Wolfe to realize the import. “Pardon?”

“I’m not positive. I was all sorts of confused at the time, and I don’t even know why I’m stuck on it. But there was something off about him. And the days add up.”

“I see.” Wolfe fought to keep his hands relaxed, where they rested on Eric’s shoulders. “And?”

“And I could compare notes with Jamie’s vision. Help look for him, even. If he’s seen me before, maybe he’d be more open to being approached. Maybe he saw I was a doctor; maybe he’ll realize I could help.”

So many maybes for a situation where Eric’s safety was concerned. It was unacceptable.

Wolfe cleared his throat. “I suppose we could look together…”

And then Wolfe could take the child and do whatever needed to be done.

“Um…”

Wolfe did tense this time. “You wish to go alone?”

Eric scoffed. “Um, no offense, but you’re a little intimidating, babe.”

Wolfe froze, his fingers clawing just slightly into Eric’s shoulders, attempting to process what had just come out of his mate’s mouth.Babe.

Eric turned to grin at him, gripping Wolfe’s wrist with one hand. “Didn’t like that one? You are though.” His thumb rubbed circles onto Wolfe’s pulse point. “It’s hard to tell at first, because of how you dress. But you’re like, super fit. Especially naked.”

What to do with this man? Wolfe did the only thing he could: he shrugged off his robe and slid down the ledge into the hot water of the tub, bracketing his mate between his knees. Eric leaned against his chest with a happy sigh.

Wolfe tried a dash of reason. “We don’t know when this child was turned, darling. He could be stronger than you. He could hurt you, perhaps severely.”

“But it’s hard to kill me, right?” Eric grabbed Wolfe’s hands, wrapping them around his waist as he’d done once before, on Wolfe’s lap. “It’s worth a few scrapes and bruises, if we can help him. He must be so scared.”

As far as Wolfe was concerned, nothing was worth Eric scraped and bruised. “I can’t believe you were concerned over your lack of empathy, pet. A proper bleeding heart, you are.”

“They’re just a kid.”

Wolfe thought it over as he held his mate close, scenting the wisteria even through the bath products. He could let Eric search, surely. And then he would search himself. He had more experience with enhanced senses, with the challenge of a hunt. He would inevitably find the child first.

And then he would do what needed to be done. If the kid was truly half-feral, it would be a mercy.

He pressed a kiss to Eric’s wet hair. “All right, pet. We’ll discuss it with the others.”

nineteen

Eric

Forallhisbluster,Eric had no idea how a kid’s mind worked, or where a vampire child potentially on the run would be hanging out. So he went with the obvious: the playground. There was one the next neighborhood over from the pretentious spot Wolfe had chosen for their home.

“Okay, time for you to go,” Eric said, making a shooing motion with one hand.

Wolfe looked decidedly unimpressed at the command as he continued to scan their environment, as if this vampire kiddo was going to spring out of the bushes any second.

It would save them a lot of time if it went that way, actually.

They’d checked in with Jamie and the others, verified what they could based on what Eric could remember of the kid. It seemed to match. But so far all Eric could spy were a few moms and their young children—mostly toddlers, although there was one tow-headed grade-school kid going full hog on the monkey bars—braving the winter chill for a little outdoor time.

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