Page 26 of A Vampire's Pain
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I lifted my head and looked at her.
“Not really.”
“Come on, Gabriel,” she said. “This is your mate we are talking about here.”
“I know … which is why I don’t want to talk about it.”
Dominic sighed by my side and then leaned closer to Lara.
“Let him drown in his misery however he likes. He will talk when he wants to.”
I just crossed my arms and looked away, only to notice Ace wasn’t there.
“What the hell?” I whispered.
Dominic and Lara turned to me.
“What?” she asked.
“Where’s Ace?” I asked and looked at the two of them.
They glanced at each other, and I got the feeling they knew something I didn’t. They had to know where my best friend was.
“He … needed some time away as well,” Dominic said, our eyes locking and a silent conversation happening between us. “You know why.”
I knew why, yes, but it was something I had tried not to think about or even address. It was just better left in the dark. Sadly, it seemed like me, finding my mate, was creating some tension in our little group. Oh, how fucking great. I wasn’t sure if Lara knew the real reason why Ace wasn’t here, but she definitely knew where he was. I could read her so easily, and the way she was biting her lower lip nervously and kind of looking everywhere but me, told me so.
“Lara?”
“Don’t tell him,” Dominic said.
“He is my friend.”
“And he needs some time alone! Give him that. You owe him that,” he said.
“Owe him?” I asked.
“For all the times he has looked after you and pulled you out of shit situations you found yourself in. Just give him some space,” Dominic said.
I groaned, shaking my head.
“You think you know him better than me?” I asked.
Dominic shook his head as well.
“I didn’t say that. I said give him time.”
I glared at Dominic, really not feeling in the mood right now to have this talk, and then turned to Lara.
“Tell me,” I said.
Lara looked at me shocked.
“Don’t tell him,” Dominic quickly interfered, and I glared at him.
Lara looked between us, almost scared. Yeah, getting caught between two angry hybrids probably wasn’t the best, but she was part of our little group now. There was no getting away from us now.
