The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

"Was there a Ron Cowden in it?"

He paused, and paper rustled in the background. "Nope. There's a Jake Cowden, though."

"Could he have been a brother?"

"Maybe. I didn't really have much to do with him."

"Did he have much to do with that bad crowd you mentioned?"

"Not that I'm aware of. He was a fairly quiet kid. Kept mostly to himself."

Well, there goes that possible connection. "What about Ivan Lang, Cherry Barnes, or a Denny someone?"

"Denny someone?" Amusement ran through his tones.

"Sorry, I actually don't know his last name." And I hadn't yet even checked out the police report.

"There's a Denny Spalding in the photo, if that helps. And the other two, as well. Though, of course, there's no guarantee that these three are the ones you're looking for."

"You know anything about them?"

"Cherry and Denny, no, but Ivan was fixated on vampires. Said he wanted to take the ceremony and become one, one day."

"He did take the ceremony, but unfortunately, someone cut off his head and let him burn in sunlight."

"Well, that wasn't very nice of them." He paused, and must have taken a drink, because I heard him swallow. "He wasn't a member of the gang, either. But he was one of the few friends Jake Cowden had."

"So what the fuck is the connection between all these people?"

Liander snorted. "Like I'm supposed to know?"

I grinned. "Sorry, just thinking out loud."

"Seems to be a family trait." He paused again, then added, "While we're talking families, I've got a question for you."

"Question away."

"How would you feel about me moving in with you and Rhoan?"

I blinked. Talk about being caught totally off guard! "I think that would be great, but I'd have to ask why you'd want to move in to our dumpy little apartment when you have a totally beautiful house of your own?" Not to mention a nifty little apartment above his studio.

"Because I want to ask Rhoan to live with me, and he's just not going to leave you any time soon."

"That's not - "

"That is, even if neither of you have ever talked about it. You're each the only pack member the other has, and I think it's going to be difficult for anyone to ever separate the two of you."

"But it's not like we need to live in each other's pockets."

"No, but can you honestly say that if you met your soul mate tomorrow, you could walk away from your apartment and Rhoan to go live with him?"

I opened my mouth to say "of course," then actually stopped to think about it. Rhoan and I might not live in each other's pockets, we might be able to go days - weeks - without seeing each other, but his scent was always around me, completing that part of me that needed pack, needed family. And as Liander had said, he was all I had, all I would ever have when it came to pack.

Even when I had decided to commit to Kellen, the thought of moving totally out of my apartment and away from Rhoan had never really crossed my mind. Yes, I'd contemplated staying with Kellen, but I'd never taken it that one step further. Had never thought that I wouldn't maintain my place here as well as share space with Kellen.

Maybe Kellen had realized that, too. And maybe his problem hadn't solely been with the job and my inability to give it up.

"For a man who plays with makeup, you're surprisingly insightful."