Soren (Vampire's Mate, #2)

by Grae Bryan

Soren wasn’t safe. Then why had Gabe felt that way in his arms? Even before Soren had used his weird voodoo on him, Gabe had felt…soothed. Secure. Was that all a lie? It didn’t matter. Soren left soon after, the hospital staff kicking him out for agitating their patient. Gabe didn’t miss the hurt look on the blond man’s face. But what did that look even mean? The man wasn’t even a man. He wasn’t human. Soren couldn’t really care.

Denial was so dull. He knew why he was staying—why he couldn’t make himself drive out of this town and never look back. It was just incredibly embarrassing to be so captivated by one boring human man. One boring human man who’d made it clear he thought Soren was an annoyance at best and a monster at worst. One boring human man who’d been doing his best to avoid Soren for over a year now. One boring human man who happened to smell and taste like the most delicious thing Soren had ever encountered.

Soren really was the worst. Why was he taunting a man who’d just had a full-blown panic attack in front of him? But Gabe seemed hell-bent on ignoring his own limits, and if Soren needed to remind him of them, he would. It seemed both men in the Kingman family were determined to do it all on their own, no matter what the pressure did to them. Well, if Gabe needed someone to push him, to force him to acknowledge his own emotions instead of leaving them inside to fester, Soren could definitely do that. Soren was excellent at getting under people’s skin.

“Fuck,” Gabe swore. “I never cry.” Soren huffed. “That’s not anything to be proud of.” Gabe gave him a watery smile. “Guess not. Why are you being so nice, brat?” Soren shrugged, not letting go of Gabe’s face. “I can be nice. When people deserve it.” “You really think I deserve it?” The vulnerability in Gabe’s voice was a knife to the heart. Who was this human, to affect Soren this way? It wasn’t even a unique story. Family expectations and resentments. Loss. Soren should have been immune to it, living as long as he had, seeing all that he had. But hearing the guilt and self-blame Gabe had been dealing with made Soren ache to protect his human, this man so much bigger than Soren but so much more fragile.

“Do you know how many men I’ve fucked since coming to this town?” Soren asked, his voice mild. Gabe was going to be sick. He really didn’t want to know that number. Soren chuckled at his silence. “Zero,” he whispered into Gabe’s ear. “None. Not a one. Do you know why?” Gabe shook his head, or at least as much as Soren’s tight grip would allow. Soren’s pale eyes peered into his own. “You’re not ready to know, Highness. Suffice it to say, the beast inside me—the one driven to feed and to fuck—it’s a little fixated lately. On one single idiot in particular.”

“Why wait until the end of the night?” Soren could feel Gabe’s answering smile as their lips met. He plundered the human’s mouth with his tongue, claiming it all as his territory. And Gabe let him. He moaned, opened wide, and let Soren dominate him however he liked. He kept doing that. Letting Soren run the show. Letting him play with that beautiful, muscled body in whichever way he pleased. At this rate, Soren was going to have to keep him.

Gabe took another deep breath. “Come here.” He motioned with his arms to Soren, who arched a brow at him. “Why?” Soren asked. “I want to hold you.” Gabe made “gimme” hands at the reluctant vampire. Soren was smirking now, the little brat. “Why?” Gabe sighed but kept his arms up. “Because you just told me a sad story, and I want to comfort you.” Soren crossed his arms. “I don’t need comfort.” “Then I want you to comfort me.”

“Are you— Are we— Is this thing between us some sort of secret?” Soren stiffened against him, and Gabe mentally cursed his bumbling words. “Do you want it to be secret, Highness?” Soren asked lightly. “No,” Gabe answered quickly, gratified when some of the stiffness left Soren’s body. “Not at all. I mean…they’ll have to find out eventually, right?” Gabe didn’t quite have it in him to ask the rest of it. Because we’re together, right? Because this is long-term. Because you want to keep me? You think we’re meant to be? He hoped Soren got it anyway. “Right,” Soren agreed.

“I think I’m in danger of…liking you? Like, a lot. You were supposed to be a monster. A manipulative, demonic creature.” Soren laughed. “Is that what you told yourself I was?” “For a while there, yes.” Soren looked up, catching Gabe’s eye. “I’m not a good person though. You know that, right? I’m selfish. Vain. Petty.” Gabe smirked down at him. “You’re the one who just told me nobody’s perfect. And you’re good to me. And to Roman. Danny. Jay, even. You’re not as bad as you think.” “Idiot,” Soren grumbled. “Your idiot,” Gabe answered, holding him close.

He couldn’t stop life from changing. He clearly couldn’t keep bad things from happening. But he could choose what in life he wanted to focus on. He could choose what to strive for rather than against. Gabe wanted love. He wanted belonging. He wanted to be understood. And Soren—weird, unhinged, fantastical Soren—understood him. He let Gabe be the real version of himself, not just the superficial golden boy. Gabe would fight for that.

Soren stood frozen, the can of gasoline clutched in front of him. “I came to rescue you,” Gabe said sheepishly from his place on the porch, not making any move to get closer. “I’m burning a body,” Soren explained, voice dull. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know how to feel. Gabe sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked at Soren with hopeful eyes. “Can I help?”

Soren’s smile softened at the edges, but heat blazed in his eyes. “I trust you to touch me,” he continued. “I trust you to fuck me. I trust you to love me. I know you won’t use your strength against me.”

Soren shot him a haughty look. “Oh, Highness. No, no, no. I’m the rich one in this relationship. I’m the vampire sugar daddy.” Gabe’s brow furrowed. “Vampire sugar daddy?” Soren giggled to himself. “Inside joke. Point is, I pick the house. I buy the house. You just sit there and look pretty.” Gabe’s frown deepened. “I’m a doctor.” Soren shrugged. “Be a doctor and look pretty, then.”