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Chapter9
Gideon
Gideon had a problem.
At least it wasn’t a ghost problem.
It was a sleeping problem. As in, where the fuck was he supposed to sleep each day as the sun crept above the horizon?
He slumped on the bench, wrapped in the deep shadows near student housing on the University of Hartford campus. Hunting college students really was the best and easiest. It wasn’t difficult to find one that looked strong and healthy enough to donate a bit of blood. And thanks to his young appearance, it wasn’t hard for him to blend in with the other students heading to the dorms or library with a backpack slung over one shoulder. After the Variks had moved to Connecticut, Winter had even gotten him a working student ID in case campus security ever stopped him.
Unfortunately, the campus was a bit of a hike from his place and the nightclub, which meant he couldn’t hunt here on the nights he worked. Most of the time, he hired a ride-share to bring him up for a couple of hours, then hired another to take him home.
Hunting away from home also gave him a chance to think.
What was he going to do about Ryder and that condo?
A warning tingle on the nape of his neck had Gideon lurching to his feet and twisting. His fangs descended, but he kept his lips pressed together, careful not to reveal them. He clenched his fist on the strap of his bag, ready to run. He knew his strengths, and fighting wasn’t one of them. However, he was a quick runner, especially after having just fed. He could run all the way to Phoenix and never be touched.
“Aren’t we touchy this evening?” a wonderfully familiar voice drawled.
Gideon relaxed, his fangs sliding away as Rafe stepped past some trees to stand beside the bench. Gideon skipped to Rafe and tightly hugged him.
“I haven’t seen you inweeks,” Gideon chided, giving his master an extra squeeze before releasing him.
Rafe sighed his usual extravagant sigh, as if all the troubles of the world rested on his narrow shoulders, but his little smirk accompanied it. “You know how it goes being the son of the king. There are always vampire troubles that need fixing.”
Gideon snorted. “And youhatebeing a prince among vampires.”
Rafe allowed himself to be led over to the bench. The older vampire sat first and draped his arm across the back.
Gideon paused and glanced about, his eyebrows puckering and lips turning down. “No Philippe?”
“Mon angeis monitoring Phoenix for a bit. We’ll be heading over to irritate—I mean,visit—Bel and his mongrels.”
With a roll of his eyes, Gideon dropped onto the bench, put his bag against the far corner, and leaned into Rafe, resting his head on his shoulder. All his life, he’d been a touchy-feely kind of person. He loved cuddling, snuggling, and hugs. His maker had broken him of that for a long time, but Rafe had helped him find it again. Whenever he had a quiet moment with his protector and master, he snuggled in close.
Except now his circle of friends was growing. He reached out to touch Fox, Ethan, and even Bel’s sweet wolves more. They were also safe havens of tactile warmth and reassurance.
And now there was Ryder—though how he touched Ryder differed from everyone else.
“So, are you here for a nibble, or are you checking up on me?” Gideon inquired.
Rafe lifted his hand and pulled on a chunk of Gideon’s hair. “How dare you have so little faith in me, my golden dancer? I’m talented enough to do both.”
“Of course you are.”
“I might have had a small nosh on a lovely young man who’d just finished lifting weights,” Rafe confided as he smoothed his fingers over the spot he’d tugged, as if rubbing away the slight pain. “Now that he’s taking a catnap, I’ve come looking for my golden dancer, only to find him staring pensively at nothing. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Gideon replied too quickly.
“Uh-huh. You’ve taken care of your ghost issue?”
Of course Rafe knew. The vampire had ways of finding out everyone’s secrets. Gideon just went with it and nodded. “No more ghosts. Or at least no more ghosts making noises in my place, or even Ryder’s. Sky did an amazing job.”
Rafe made a not-happy grunt. “I’ve asked Winter to keep an eye on that coven of witches. I don’t trust necromancers.”
Gideon twisted on the bench and poked Rafe hard enough in the stomach to make him curl up. “No. Sky is amazing. He’s not a threat to vampires. And he’s the only necromancer in the coven. You can’t be grumpy with all the witches because of one necromancer. Besides, you like Fox and Zelda.”
