Chapter 1 #2
“I’m not nervous!” Gideon piped up, earning another skeptical side-long glance.
“I’m not. Okay, maybe I’m a little nervous.
It’s that there have always been other people close by for as long as I can remember.
Even when I was human I lived with four other dancers in a tiny apartment.
The idea of it being just me is…exciting…
and scary. But it’ll be good. I can decorate how I want and do what I want in my spare time.
” He bit his bottom lip to stop his babbling.
Yeah, okay. He was definitely nervous, but Ryder hadn’t needed to call him out like that.
Another block and his companion was settling the truck by the curb. That saved them both from his out-of-control mouth. Ryder parked behind Rafe’s sedan. It wasn’t surprising in the least that Rafe was there. He could count on Philippe being present as well.
Gideon jumped from the truck before Ryder could come to help him and raced up the four stone stairs, but a locked door stopped his triumphant arrival.
Locked out of his own place.
He jabbed the doorbell with his finger three times, barely resisting the temptation to stomp his foot. Rafe’s deep chuckle echoed through the hall as he approached.
The suave vampire smirked at him as soon as he opened the door. “Impatient?”
“Impatient was a month ago,” Gideon teased. “Why did you lock us out?”
“We had to make sure the place remained safe for you and Ryder.” Rafe reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring of shiny silver keys along with a metal keychain in the shape of a phoenix.
After those bastards had dared to burn Rafe’s first nightclub, Blush, the wicked vampire had gone all in with the rising-from-the-ashes phoenix imagery.
Now everything was red, orange, and black.
Gideon snatched the keys and threw himself at Rafe, wrapping him in a tight hug around his middle. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Rafe huffed a soft laugh and ran his fingers through Gideon’s messy blond hair. “Be a good little tenant, and I’ll be happy. Now, go check out your place.”
He released Rafe and ran up the stairs in a flash. He caught a whisper of the conversation between Rafe and Ryder, as his boss told the other vampire that they had safely delivered his few things to his place on the first floor.
Gideon hesitated on the landing outside of his door for a second, curiosity nibbling at him.
What did Ryder’s place look like? When Rafe had bought the building and hired a crew to remodel it, he’d asked Gideon to pick out the colors, cabinets, countertops, and all the fixtures.
That part had been fun. He and Philippe had spent hours together pouring over books, swatches, and color palettes to select all the right things.
But what had Ryder selected?
Hell, he couldn’t imagine Ryder doing something like that.
Maybe he could beg Ryder to let him see his place later. Or maybe he could wheedle his way in with a housewarming gift like a plant. Maybe an orchid. No, a cactus!
Smiling to himself about his evil plan to get into Ryder’s apartment, Gideon unlocked his new front door and walked into his very first place.
“Welcome home!” Philippe shouted as he stepped over the threshold.
Gideon giggled and hurried down the short hall to the living room, where Philippe stood amid stacks of boxes. Gideon wove his way through the box maze and launched himself into a tight hug with Rafe’s mate.
“Thank you so much for making this happen!” Gideon gushed into Philippe’s shoulder.
While Gideon was nervous about moving out on his own, Rafe had been terrified.
There were plenty of times Rafe had questioned the decision and tried to coax Gideon into changing his mind, but as always, Philippe had Gideon’s back, keeping them moving forward.
Philippe squeezed him. “I’m so happy for you.
” As Gideon released him, Philippe caught his slender shoulders.
“The rest of the clan wanted to be here today, but I thought it might be too overwhelming amid all the chaos. They’ll stop by over the next several days.
However, Marcus and Aiden asked me to stress that if you want to return to the clan house at any time, you are very welcome there.
No questions asked. Please, keep that in mind. ”
Gideon nodded, his heart about to burst in his chest. This was what it was like to have a big family that loved you. Even if he had his own place, they were his true home.
With a last squeeze of his shoulder, Philippe released him. “Fox and River were here when the movers dropped off all the boxes and furniture. They said if you don’t like where the sofa or the bed are, they’re happy to get Wyatt to move things for you.”
Gideon snorted. “Of course they are.” Naturally, they’d wrangle the big, strong werewolf into moving heavy objects. But Gideon was pretty sure he could handle things.
“I can move furniture.” Ryder’s low voice jerked Gideon’s gaze to the doorway where Rafe and Ryder were watching them.
“You don’t mind?” Gideon asked playfully.
Ryder shook his head, and Gideon grinned at him like a fool. That was even more convenient since Ryder lived just downstairs.
“You picked out the colors?” Ryder inquired, pointing at the butter-soft yellow walls.
“I did! Yellow in the living room for sunshine, and the mint green in the kitchen with white cabinets and dark marble countertops. And the soft, sleepy blue in the bedroom. Do you like it?”
Ryder grunted, which was barely an answer. Gideon wasn’t sure how to interpret it. He rolled his eyes while Rafe chuckled and clapped a hand on Ryder’s wide shoulder.
Gideon continued through his new place, taking in all the boxes he needed to unpack.
He hadn’t thought he’d accumulated that much stuff while living at the Varik house, but Ethan had gotten him into collecting DVDs of his favorite shows.
And then Fox had introduced him, Ethan, and River to BL mangas, which gave rise to a swelling collection of books.
Of course, there were all the household items he’d had to order new, such as dishes, towels, sheets, and lots of cleaning implements.
Not the most fun stuff, but it was all his.
It was going to take him several nights to get everything put in its proper place, and he couldn’t wait.
“Gideon, don’t forget that this door here leads to Ryder’s place. If you need anything, you can reach him in a matter of seconds,” Rafe reminded him, motioning toward the door in the kitchen that could have easily passed for another pantry or closet.
“Pfft, I’ve got this. It’s more like if Ryder needs me for something.
” With a laugh, he spun on the toes of his left foot and peeked into the single bedroom, where the queen-sized bed rested against a wall.
It was missing the sheets and the extra-thick feather-down duvet.
He snatched up a squishy soft pillow from where it sat on the mattress and squeezed it to his chest while he moved to look in the bathroom.
“I can’t believe I have my own place!” Gideon said as he strolled into the living room again. “It’s exactly as we planned it out.” He paused and smiled at Ryder. “Once I get it completely decorated, I can have friends over. Even begin dating, because I have somewhere to bring them.”
Ryder didn’t flinch. If anything, his usual grim expression grew even darker, which was not the reaction Gideon had been hoping for.
“I’ll let you unpack,” Ryder announced suddenly and left without another word.
Gideon stood there, his mouth hanging open. Really? He left?
A hand landed on his shoulder. Gideon gazed up to see concern scrawled on Philippe’s kind face. “I don’t think you can do subtle with Ryder.”
A low chuckle rippled from Rafe, and Gideon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, subtle hasn’t worked so far. Don’t know why I thought I should continue that route. Next time, I’m hitting him with a sledgehammer.”
Rafe walked over and wrapped an arm across his shoulders, tugging him into a half hug. “Well, don’t hit him too hard. He’s my number-one guy for keeping you safe.”
Gideon wanted to roll his eyes at that, too, but he couldn’t deny it. For all his fresh start and independence talk, he’d never have been able to go through with this if Ryder wasn’t close by. Ryder kept him safe.
But he wanted more.