“Well, yeah. He’s got two werewolves as lovers.”
Winter choked on some more laughter. “Rafe probably still holds the title of kinky brother, but I guess it makes sense.”
“What do you mean?”
Winter flashed Fox a wicked grin. “Rafe and Bel are twins. Rafe has the reputation for being the kinky, sex-fiend playboy.”
Peals of laughter from Fox bounced off the windows. Winter suddenly couldn’t wait to tease Rafe about the fact that his nerdy twin had stolen the title of “kinky brother” from him. That was going to be a very entertaining night.
His relationship with each brother was very distinct. With Marcus, he found a mix of surrogate father and friend in evil schemes against vampires who tried to threaten their family. Marcus was a bit of a genius when it came to manipulating and maneuvering the other vampire clans. Winter had been happy to learn from him.
Bel was the worrier. The gentle soul with the soft heart. The one who’d rip someone open and hang their organs from the ceiling while they were still attached to the person. He also saw far more than anyone gave him credit for, and it tended to make him easy to talk to.
And Rafe…Rafe was a fucking pain in the ass. Winter loved him for it. Their relationship had always been adversarial, but their sniping and teasing was always done with love and respect. Winter spent half his time wanting to strangle his brother, but for all his philandering and carelessness, Rafe always had his back.
Fox and Winter fell into an easy conversation, distracting Winter from the long miles ahead of them and the quickly dwindling night. Fox was a surprisingly fun companion for the car ride. He was far more accustomed to making trips like these alone. Occasionally Aiden or Marcus would join him, but those times were very few and far between.
But Fox had a way of making him forget why they were together in the first place. He was just a nice guy who made him laugh. And against his better judgment, Winter found himself not wanting the trip to end.
Chapter 10
Fox awoke with a start. He rubbed his eyes and looked around as Winter pulled into what appeared to be an open warehouse. Behind them, a metal garage door rattled down.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that,” Fox murmured, trying to get his brain working again. How long had he been out? He and Winter had been talking so easily. His eyes had shut for just a second, or so he thought.
“Don’t worry about it.” Winter easily maneuvered the vehicle into the wide-open space, turning it around so it faced the door again. It would make for a much easier escape if they had to get out of there quickly.
Fox glanced at the clock on the dashboard to find that it was just after three in the morning. They’d made good time. They’d stopped once for drive-thru and then a second time just outside of Connecticut for gas, snacks, and to stretch their legs.
“This is your place?” Fox asked as Winter put the SUV into park and turned off the engine. His eyes skimmed over the four other cars, which ranged from a sleek luxury sedan to a beat-up old Toyota. “How many other people live in this building with you?”
“It’s just me.” Winter caught him looking at the other cars and smirked. “I like to have something that fits every occasion.”
“You’re like a part-time spy, aren’t you?”
Winter narrowed his eyes on Fox, the icy blue nearly sending a shiver through him. “You’ve found out my secret. Now I must kill you.”
“Or…” Fox drew out, holding up one finger. “You can recruit me to be your plucky and sexy sidekick to help you on missions. You know, like that old TV show Scarecrow and Mrs. King.”
“There’s no way you’re old enough to remember that show,” Winter muttered.
“Streaming services allow you to find all kinds of old crap. So, how about it? A super-spy team up.”
Winter stared at him for a moment, like he was actually considering it, and Fox’s heart skipped a beat before Winter finally smirked and gave a little shake of his head.
Yeah, it was a crazy idea, but he was starting to enjoy his time with the vampire. Winter wasn’t at all what he expected when it came to bloodsuckers. Definitely not like the ones that belonged to Damon.
Oh, there was no missing that Winter was incredibly dangerous and crafty, but there was so much more to him. Fox had gotten the tiniest taste of Winter’s protective side. The vampire had taken care of his injuries, seen that he was properly fed, and had even gotten his brother to stock his house with more food and necessities for his human “prisoner.” And even that word was starting to feel like a stretch.