Page 68 of Soren

“Don’t even— Oh fuck, do you think he heard that? Vamp hearing and all?” Gabe had forgotten about their vampire guest. It was way too easy for him to focus in on Soren and only Soren.

“I didn’t hear anything!” Jay’s voice sounded from across the hall.

“Fuck.” Gabe ran a hand over his face, laughing in spite of himself. Fucking vampires everywhere.

He took a lightning-quick shower before handing the bathroom over to Soren and bounding down the stairs. Gabe still had a good amount of time before work—maybe he could fit in a short run?

Hydration first.

He was interrupted on his way to the kitchen by the sound of knocking on the front door. Gabe hesitated. Should he wait for one of the vampires? But Soren was in the shower, Jay still in the guest room presumably. And there hadn’t been any sign of trouble since Soren had fought Hendrick off.

Gabe peered through the peephole. “Oh fuck.”

Danny had warned him Ferdy could jump the backyard fence. Gabe had been skeptical, given the puppy’s smaller size, but still, he should have told the others not to leave him out back unsupervised.

He opened the door quickly. The man holding Ferdy by the collar smiled ruefully at him. “This one yours?”

He was big and broad, with blond hair and dark eyes peeking out from under a trucker hat, looking like a local in flannel and faded jeans.

“Oh yeah.” Gabe reached a hand out for Ferdy. “I’m sorry, man. He must’ve gotten out of the backyard somehow.”

“Must have.” The guy smiled at him, still holding on to the puppy. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

“Thanks.” Gabe could have told the guy it was his brother’s place, but he didn’t see the point. It wasn’t any of this stranger’s business. And Gabe just…didn’t like the guy’s vibe. There was something off about him.

Or maybe living with vampires had made him paranoid.

“I can take him,” Gabe said pointedly, grabbing Ferdy’s collar. There was a tense moment where Gabe thought, for whatever reason, this guy wasn’t going to let go of the dog.

But then the moment was over, the stranger tipping his hat like some sort of parody of a country yokel. “I’ll be on my way, then.”

“Um, all right. Thanks.”

Gabe locked the door behind him.

“Your stalker is back.”

“Excuse me?” Gabe looked up from the vending machine selections he’d been studying, trying to decide whether bringing Soren home some candy would be a nice gesture or an incredibly stupid one.

He wanted to give the vampire…something. For listening the other night. For making it feel less terrible to come to work. For making Gabe feel like life was full of more possibility than he’d let himself believe.

Candy was probably a stupid way to do that. But Soren liked…sweets. And pretty things. And Gabe, for some reason.

Should Gabe be buying him jewelry or something?

Chloe cleared her throat, and Gabe brought his focus back to the moment. Danny’s friend was leaning against the wall next to the vending machine, nursing a giant coffee. “Who is he?” she asked. “The little dark-haired kid who’s been coming to work with you, hanging around the cafeteria.”

She meant Jay. “Oh yeah.” Gabe ran a hand through his hair. “He’s, um, a friend of Soren’s.”

Chloe raised a dark brow at him. “Danny and Roman’s roommate? Why is his friend coming to work withyou?”

Well, fuck. Gabe had been hoping no one would notice that he and Jay had been arriving and leaving together. It wasn’t exactly normal to bring random friends to the hospital for an entire shift. Or technically allowed, for that matter.

“Um.” Gabe searched for an excuse. “He’s new in town. Doesn’t know anybody yet.”

Chloe laughed in disbelief. “And you thought he’d make friends in the hospital cafeteria? In the middle of the night?”

“What? No. He’s new, but he’s got…family. Sick family. Family he’s been visiting. I’ve just been giving him a ride?” Fuck. Apparently Gabe was a terrible liar. He hadn’t had that much experience with it. He’d never even realized it was a weakness.

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