Page 40 of Soren

Soren dropped a last kiss over the now-healed bite. “No. It’s usually very…pleasant…for humans.”

“And—” Gabe paused, and Soren swore he could see a flush forming on the man’s cheeks under the club’s flashing lights. “You could do that just with me, right? I have enough blood to…satisfy you?”

A pang of desire shot through Soren at the thought. Feeding on Gabe. Feedingonlyon Gabe.

But he couldn’t resist teasing. “If that’s what you like… In the old days, vampires often kept a favorite human pet to feed on exclusively.”

As expected, Gabe’s brow furrowed immediately. “I’m not yourpet.”

Soren smirked up at him. “Then what are you?”

But Soren didn’t get to hear the answer to his question, because out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar face in the crowd.

One that couldn’t possibly be there.

Every muscle in Soren’s body tensed.He can’t have found me already.

“Stay here,” he barked, pressing Gabe back against the wall. Gabe opened his mouth to protest, but Soren was gone before the words could leave the man’s mouth.

He pushed through the crowd in the direction he’d seen him.

Not there.

Soren tore through every inch of the club, aware that he was moving faster than a human should be able to, unable to find it in himself to care. Hopefully the flashing strobes would hide it, make the crowd think it was a trick of the light.

Notfuckingthere.

Had Soren been seeing things? Was his fear making him paranoid? Maybe the strain of over a century of running was finally catching up to him.

Unsuccessful, he eventually made his way back over to Gabe, who was standing in the same corner he’d been left in, arms crossed over his chest, an impressive scowl on his handsome face.

“What the fuck, Soren?” Gabe glared at him. “You feed off me, call me your ‘pet,’ then just disappear? What, you saw something tastier-looking across the way?”

There was real hurt in Gabe’s tone, hurt Soren should address, but he could feel old defenses coming to the forefront. He rolled his eyes. “Your jealousy was cute at first, human, but it’s quickly growing old.”

Soren watched as the color drained from Gabe’s face.Fuck, fuck, fuck.Soren was fucking everything up, too frustrated and overwhelmed to be patient the way he should with Gabe’s insecurities.

Normally, this was where Soren would just…walk away. He hated misunderstandings, considered them an easy excuse to let someone go. Explaining himself took emotional energy Soren didn’t usually care enough to give.

But he found himself walking toward Gabe instead of away, placing his hand on Gabe’s chest, over the man’s heart. Gabe held himself stiffly, but he didn’t reject Soren’s touch.

That was something, right?

“I’m sorry.” The words tasted like ash in Soren’s mouth. A perfect night, ruined by Soren’s shitty baggage. “I can explain, but I want to go home first. Is that okay?”

He waited for the yelling, for the accusations, but Gabe only nodded, his lips pressed together tightly.

The drive home was tense.

Soren took the long way back, or at least his version of it—taking unnecessary turns, backtracking down the same streets. He wasn’t a fucking secret agent; he had no idea how to actually lose a tail if he had one.

Soren’s strategy had always been based on avoiding detection as long as possible, not so much the escape part once he was found. But he did his best.

Gabe didn’t comment. He’d closed his eyes, slumping down in the passenger seat, apparently unwilling to deal with Soren until he had some sort of explanation.

Soren knew he had fucked up badly. Gabe had let himself be vulnerable in a real way with Soren—let himself be literal prey to a monster—and Soren had immediately, if unintentionally, messed with the man’s head. What was supposed to be a moment of carefree teasing had turned into something else entirely.

At least it left Soren free to drive like a lunatic.

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