Page 17 of The Doctor's Wolf: Part Two
Adler’s wolf nearly bounced with happiness when Gordon’s head spun around.“Maxim, did you just compare Adler to a condom?”
Maxim smiled, putting his teeth on display.“In the most loving way, of course.My way of celebrating technological and cultural advances such as condoms surely are.”He glanced at Adler.“I’m sure you’d be the textured kind.”
Adler heard Gordon gasp, and he hated that the suit covered up his mate all too well.Still, it was enough for Adler to feel very smug indeed.
With his mate’s shock on his behalf pushing him, Adler allowed himself to give Maxim a smug look.“Wouldn’t you like to know, Maxim?”
At least one of the forensic people looked up from their work.
Maxim gasped in fake-shock.“Oh my, Adler.Now you tell me, now that you have been mated for good, taken off the menu of all single people who do not mind getting bitten while playing in the sheets.Oh, I lament the time I wasted knowing you but never knowing you truly, utterly, in the way a flower knows the bee or a keyhole the turgid key—”
“Seriously, do you have to, in front of my corpses?”Gordon said.
Maxim winked at Adler.“Feisty, isn’t he?”
“The feistiest.”Adler met Gordon’s eyes, pretty much the only part of his mate’s face he could see right now.
Unspoken tenderness passed between them, and Gordon huffed in exasperation before turning back to the two bodies.
“I’ll take care of them.If you two have any other clues to follow, you can go do that now.”
Aw, he’s dismissing me.Fuck, if I were in my wolf form right now, I’d show him my belly, hoping he’d pet me.
“Gordon, darling, you’ll make Adler jealous, what with his body temperature being so much higher than that of your lovely corpses,” Maxim said.“I trust he is not that dismissive of you normally, Adler?”
“Only if I try to wake him early,” Adler said, fondness making color rise to his cheeks.
Maxim nodded.“Such are the joys and tribulations of bedding together and waking together, of negotiating having and holding forever what others can only dream of.But so often the soft love of hours early and middling dark will mark the will of the willing and wanting.It’s a gift given gradually and grudgingly, those ghastly early hours, Adler.Best cherish them to utmost effect.”
“You are distracting when you break into metered monologue,” Gordon said.“Can you two please just go and leave everyone else to do their jobs?”
This brought agreeable sniggers from the small platoon of white-clad clue hunters.
Maxim sighed.“Adler, next time you bring your mate, I expect you to caffeinate.Gordon, we’ll talk more once you and the corpses are done.”
Gordon turned.“Oh, the looming fun.”
The look on Maxim’s face, bereft of a rhyme, was priceless, and once more since the mate bite, Adler felt the need to strut around and tell everyone,See, this right there, that’smymate poking fun at that hunter.Nothing scares him, and he’s perfect.
But at the same time, Adler’s perfect mate had dismissed him, and not leaving the scene then and there would have been taking the shine out of Gordon’s spotlight.
I hope he watches me.I hope I get a reward for leaving later when we’re alone again.
Adler imagined what such a reward might look like.Unfortunately, he had a vivid imagination and far too many toys to feature in it.
Chapter 11
“We’reheadingtotheForum ahead of them,” Maxim told Adler outside.
Adler stopped on the stairs that led down from the front door.He had assumed they would be going back to Ruthaven or do some canvassing.This took him by surprise, especially given that Maxim was openly not enthusiastic about the Forum.
Adler didn’t exactly want to leave Gordon behind when his mate didn’t even know where he was going.It was instinct, the need to make sure his mate knew where to find him if he needed to.
Adler knew all that, knew that he was being silly, especially given that Gordon knew how to use a damn cell phone, but still.The wolf was uneasy.
Maxim turned.“I’m sure the Forum people will give both Gordon and Mr.and Mrs.Williamson a ride, Adler, but you are welcome to ride with me and leave your car here for Gordon.”He grinned at Adler.“That way, he can get to you quickly if he needs to.”
Adler relaxed.An alpha can instantly make you less stressed even if that alpha is technically just a vampire hunter.
