Chapter 22
Eric
Ihadn’t slept this well in ages.
I smiled as I rolled over, my eyes searching for Finn, even though part of me already knew he was gone. I could feel his absence in my body, an emptiness where his warmth was supposed to be.
Rubbing my chest, I sat up, extended my hand, and touched the bedding where he’d been sleeping last night.
The sheets were cold. He’d probably been gone for hours, which matched the way his scent in the room was already fading.
His pillow still smelled a lot like him, though, and I couldn’t help but bring it to my face.
I inhaled deeply, trying to breathe as much of him in as possible, even as my stomach began to cramp and my fangs started aching.
I wasn’t technically hungry. I’d be good to go another couple of days until I needed to feed again, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to feed on him.
My cock throbbed in unison with my fangs as memories from that night came to my mind.
When we’d had sex. When my vampire side had taken over and I’d fucking bitten him.
I’d never known that biting someone during sex would be so fucking hot. Yeah, Bennie had told me time and time again, but it’d never appealed to me. However, he’d failed to mention how intimate it was, how ecstatic and utterly overwhelming.
I pressed a hand against my erection, Finn’s pillow still pressed against my face as more and more pictures shot through my mind. His creamy skin, those pert dark nipples, his straining cock leaking everywhere.
Fuck.
My cock twitched, beads of precum soaking my briefs as I hurriedly shoved my hand inside, closing my fingers around my shaft. Widening my legs, I shifted until I had better access, then started stroking myself.
Was it a bit fucked up that I was basically suffocating myself with a pillow while masturbating?
Yes, it was.
Then again, I didn’t need to breathe, so technically I was just weirdly using my mate’s pillow to get off—and I really, really needed to get off right now.
I could still see it in my mind’s eye, the way he’d arched his back as I hit his prostate just right.
Could still hear his breathy, ragged moans, the creaking bed, the way his fucking radiator clonked suspiciously.
And I definitely remembered the way the vein in his neck fluttered so tantalizingly.
It was a dance of seduction, the pace picking up the closer he got to the edge.
I thought I could resist, but the faster it got, the more it called to me.
Right until the animalistic side of me that didn’t care about consent or boundaries… struck.
I threw my head back as my cock started pulsing in my fist, and I spilled my cum in my underwear.
Holy fuck.
Holy fucking fuck.
I didn’t know exactly how long it took for me to calm down.
Might’ve been a minute, might’ve been an hour, or even a fucking day.
I just knew that at one point the cooling cum started to feel weird and uncomfortable as hell, especially since I’d smeared it over my stomach as I’d pulled my hand out of my briefs.
Great.
Shower it was.
My legs felt a bit wobbly as I got up, and I nearly let out a laugh.
Look at the mighty fucking vampire who gets thrown off balance by a simple jerk-off session. I shook my head. In all honesty, I doubted I’d ever come so hard jacking off. But I’d been thinking about Finn, and he’d made all the difference.
Maybe it was a “mates” thing. I definitely wouldn’t ask Aries about it, though.
I could only imagine how he’d react. He’d be fucking delighted, there was no doubt about it.
But he’d also be so damn smug about it and smirk at me in that arrogant way of his.
He’d call me youngling again, imply that I had no experience whatsoever.
And he might be closer to the truth than I ever wanted to let him know.
I snorted as I entered the bathroom.
I turned on the lights, which was more of a habit than a necessity. I could see just fine in the darkness, especially since my vampire side was still out to play. But after living as a human for twenty-five years, some things were just ingrained.
I quickly started the shower, then threw my soiled underwear in the hamper before getting under the hot spray.
The water was scalding hot, filling the room with steam within seconds.
If Finn were here, I’d never turn it so hot, but my skin didn’t react to heat the same way that a human’s did.
Sunlight was a big no-no for me, but a bit of hot water couldn’t hurt me. And sometimes I liked it.
Vampires naturally ran cold. It was something you got used to. But occasionally, I just wanted to feel warm. Not being bothered by the cold wasn’t the same as feeling warm inside.
Tilting my head back, I let the stream soak my hair.
Showering like this was great. Relaxing. But it’d be infinitely better if I had Finn with me. I wouldn’t need hot water to warm me up. Because Finn’s mere presence warmed me better than a fucking bonfire would.
Maybe next time he stayed over.
I sighed. I got why he’d left. I really did. He hadn’t said anything, but he hadn’t needed to. I’d seen the way his posture had tensed when we’d extended the offer to stay the day at ours. Had seen the way his nose had crinkled for a moment, just for the blink of an eye.
It was okay.
Kinda.
Truthfully, it sucked. I wanted him here. Always. If I had my way, I’d move him in yesterday. That way, I’d be able to watch over him better too. I wouldn’t have to spend most of the evenings sitting on a fucking rooftop like a creep, watching Finn through his apartment windows.
Hell, if Finn moved in, Bennie could finally stop making fun of me for stalking.
I wasn’t stalking him. I didn’t have an unhealthy obsession with him.
Yeah, at one point I’d thought my vampire side did have an unhealthy obsession with a guy I’d been low-key crushing on even when I’d been a human. It’d never made sense to me.
Now it did.
Some part of me must’ve always known that Finn was my soulmate, even when I’d first spotted him, when he was just eighteen and a freshman in college.
It hadn’t been that intense back then, though.
It’d been more of an “oh wow, he’s cute.
” I’d been about to hit on him when I realized he was a freshman.
And at twenty-three, the prospect of hitting on a barely eighteen-year-old had been icky.
So I’d stayed away. Back then, that hadn’t been an issue, not like it’d been for the past three years.
I’d occasionally caught glimpses of him here and there on campus, and yeah, I’d liked what I saw.
There’d always been that fluttering feeling in my chest, a swarm of butterflies starting, but it hadn’t been impossible to ignore.
I shook my head and grabbed the shampoo.
It was weird to think that Finn was now twenty-three.
The same age I’d been when I’d first laid eyes on him.
And I was technically still twenty-five.
Well, my body was. I wanted to say I’d matured during the last three years, but if Aries was to be believed, I still had a lot of growing up to do.
A different kind of puberty, so to speak.
Though I really didn’t like that thought.
I closed my eyes and stepped back under the spray, the hot water hitting my face, washing away the suds and the last remnants of my release while I contemplated what I was going to do today. Message Finn to check on him for sure.
Maybe ask for another date.
Now that he knew I could only go out in the evenings or at night, it’d be easier to suggest dates. We could go see a movie. Go to a restaurant. Hell, if he wanted to, I’d go to a pub night with him. Maybe I could even join him and his friends.
I’d happily do it all. All the coupley stuff I’d never gotten to do with anyone.
Shutting off the shower, I grabbed a towel and started drying myself off, only stopping when I glimpsed myself in the mirror. I was grinning like a damn fool, the way I only looked when I thought about Finn.
Rolling my eyes, I rubbed the towel over my head, then grabbed a brush to tame the strands.
I could look up date ideas online.
Maybe Bennie had a few suggestions too. By god, I swore he was out at least once a week.
Back in my room, I quickly got dressed, then grabbed my phone and headed downstairs to see if Bennie was up already.
He’d probably laugh at me for asking, but if he had suggestions, that’d be worth it.
And I wasn’t the most creative guy. I’d never been.
I was the too serious one. Always the responsible one out of my friend group.
I’d never fucked around because dating had seemed too much drama and not worth the effort.
In hindsight, a part of my lack of interest in dating had definitely stemmed from just not being interested in girls.
I snorted, thinking back to the way my friends had waxed poetic about girls’ breasts, while I’d just thought, “Uh, okay. They’re breasts.” That definitely should’ve clued me in to the fact I was gay earlier than it did.
Shaking my head, I entered the kitchen—and stopped dead in my tracks as Finn’s scent finally hit me.
Fear laced with salt.
He’d been crying.
My vision turned red, claws and fangs dropping as I scanned my surroundings.
The scent was fading. Hours old. But it still packed a punch.
Fuck.
What had happened?
Nothing looked out of place. Everything appeared to be in order… except for a slice of pizza lying on the counter next to the fridge.
I furrowed my brow and blinked, staring at the leftover pizza that was my only clue as to what had happened.
He’d obviously been interrupted by something.
But what?
My mind immediately went to that mysterious fledgling, but there was absolutely no other scent in here. I’d know if a stranger, especially a strange vampire, had entered our home. Still, I inhaled deeply again, breathing in all of Finn’s fear and tears. Nope. Definitely no scent aside from his.
Soo…
Had he gotten a text? Had something urgent come up?
Maybe…
Wait. My phone.
I quickly pulled it out of my pocket and checked for messages, but there were none.
My brow furrowed again.
It’s not like he needed to tell me he’d gotten home okay, but… I’d kinda expected him to. Wasn’t that normal? Maybe something really did happen.
A surprise shift at the café?
But then again, would that be so damn urgent that he’d leave the pizza sitting on the counter? And why would that frighten him and make him cry?
I headed over to the fridge, and the scent of his fear intensified.
Weird.
A fridge wasn’t something to be afraid of. There was literally nothing in there that could—oh, fuck.
Ohhh fuck.
I ripped the door open with enough force to make the fridge shake. A fresh wave of Finn’s despair hit me at the same time my eyes found what I’d been looking for. The bagged blood stuffed haphazardly around the container of fucking leftover pizza.
I wanted to scream, but growled instead, a desperate snarl ripping out of my throat as my claws dug into the handle of the fridge, cutting through the material as if it were butter.
Fuck.
He’d found the blood.
And he’d obviously put two and two together.
Or maybe he thought we were serial killers.
Whatever he thought had obviously made him panic.
What was I supposed to do now?
I needed to talk to him. To explain.
To make sure he’d gotten home okay and was safe.
I pulled out my phone and hit the call button next to Finn’s number without thinking about it.
It rang twice before the call was diverted to his voicemail.
Fuck. He’d declined the call. I tried again, but this time the call didn’t go through at all.
I called again and again, but the call only ever hit voicemail now.
Finally, after the fifth or sixth time, I threw my damn phone away. It hit the wall with a crash, then shattered on the kitchen floor.
I stared at the pieces as the emotions washed over me.
What was I gonna do now?
I needed to do something.
I needed to explain.
I needed to talk to him. To see him. To make sure he was okay.
Why wasn’t he answering his damn phone? It was the middle of the day. I couldn’t leave the house right now.
Did he know that?
Of course he did.
The pain in my chest was unlike anything I’d ever felt. I doubled over, clutching the spot where my heart was, and tried breathing through the feeling.
He was shutting me out.
That wouldn’t do.
“Eric… oh fuck, what’s wrong?” Bennie’s voice came from somewhere far away, but I couldn’t help him now. I needed to get to Finn.
Now.
I had to explain.
No matter what.