Page 57 of Soren

Well, the other hadn’t.

Gabe knew—heknew—it was the way it went sometimes. He knew there had been an amazing team of healthcare professionals working to keep them alive, and that sometimes that wasn’t enough. But he still hated it with every fiber of his being.

It felt like losing. Hehatedlosing.

And he was glad of Jay’s company; he really was. He was especially glad having a chaperone had let Soren feel comfortable with him going to work. But, sweet as the dark-haired vampire was, he wasn’t who Gabe wanted next to him after the night he’d had.

Gabe wanted Soren.

He wanted his vampire’s soothing touch. Wanted his easy understanding of Gabe’s messy emotions. He even wanted him calling Gabe an idiot for expecting to win every single battle of life versus death in the ICU.

But Soren wasn’t with him. Soren had better things to do than babysit, apparently.

Gabe wasn’t sure exactly what Soren had gotten up to while he was at work. He’d told Gabe he wouldn’t feed on anyone else, but…surely he’d gotten restless, stuck in that house with Gabe for days on end? Maybe Soren needed some variety. Maybe he was second-guessing so much time spent with one boring human.

Or maybe he just needed a little space to breathe and spent the day crocheting a new outfit and running with the mutt. Maybe you’re just being an incredibly insecure, clingy mess, Gabe’s brain taunted.

He sighed, fingers clenching the steering wheel. Hewasbeing incredibly insecure. Maybe he could talk his vampire onto his lap again for dinner. Or…breakfast? Gabe was never quite sure what to call his presleep meal after a night shift.

Whatever he called it, Gabe wanted to cuddle Soren while he ate it.

Ferdy greeted them at the door, whining in distress. Gabe rubbed the dog’s ears. “What’s up, pup?”

“Hello, dog,” Jay greeted from beside Gabe, waving at the puppy. He apparently hadn’t spent much time around animals in the past, and he was still trying to figure out what he called “pet etiquette.”

“You’re home.” Soren’s voice sounded from the living room.

Gabe rushed in, not caring if he seemed overeager, but he stopped in his tracks at the sight of his vampire sprawled out on the couch.

Soren’s clothes were mussed, his blond hair was in disarray, and…his entire face was covered in blood.

He looked like a fucking horror B movie extra.

Soren greeted them with an ironic wave, his pale eyes oddly blank. “Oh, don’t worry,” he drawled, gesturing at the mess. “It’s not mine. At least, mostly not.”

“What the fuck happened to you?” Gabe was aware that his voice was too loud. He didn’t know why he was even asking the question… He knew the answer already. There was only one person out there Gabe knew of who would want to hurt Soren. Only one who would even be capable of it.

Well, two, if you counted Lucien, but that psycho fuck hadn’t shown his face in over a year, so Gabe didn’t really think he would randomly decide to show up and wreak havoc now.

Gabe walked carefully over to the couch, kneeling in front of Soren’s reclined body. “Baby.”

Soren’s eyes softened, some of that blankness leaving them. “Highness.”

“Where are you hurt?” Gabe did his best to gauge the damage with his eyes, but the blood all over Soren’s face was pretty distracting.

Soren shrugged in response. The movement brought attention to his right shoulder. His shirt there was torn, the flesh mangled—it looked like he’d been mauled by a fucking animal.

Gabe cleared his throat. “Did he…drink from you?”

“No,” Soren answered softly. He was staring at Gabe, like he couldn’t get enough of the sight of him. “He was just aiming to damage.”

Gabe felt a small amount of solace in that—Danny had told him bites between vampires were a form of intimacy, one that Gabe was sure Soren wouldn’t want forced on him—but it was hard to manage too much relief when his vampire was still clearly injured.

Fuck.

Gabe was used to thinking of Soren as practically invincible. Hearing about his past wasn’t the same as seeing the evidence. This was the same little monster who’d chased off Lucien, despite being practically half the other vampire’s size.

Soren reached out a hand, tracing Gabe’s cheek lightly. “You’re an ICU doctor, Highness. Haven’t you seen worse?”

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