“We’ll go with ‘or something,’”Blake replied, holding open an evidence bag.“Because I’ve only been ‘wading knee deep in corpse juice’ for just over a year. Truth be told, all through school I had my heart set on being in a band. Didn’t matter what band, just anything that involved world tours and guitars.”
Pember grinned, rubbing several swabs over the stone swan in the fountain’s centre. “I could see that. Although, you’re lacking in shit tattoos. There’s blood spray here.”
Blake nodded, bagging the swabs. “Unfortunately for me, endocarditis is always a risk. So tattoos are off the table.”
Pember straightened, giving him a quizzical look. “Because of the needles?”
Blake nodded. “Yeah, the risk of infection is too high. Which, for a rebellious little brat like me, felt like torture. There’s more over there.”
Pember cocked a brow, drawing out more swabs. “You were never a rebellious little brat, were you?”
Blake nodded. “I was. There’s a reason my parents only ever had one kid. I think I shattered their illusions of gentle parenting.”
Pember tilted his head, handing him more swabs. “Huh. That explains a lot.”
“Pardon?”
“You. Being an only child. Explains a lot.”
“Enlighten me.”
Pember sucked his lip, the faded bite mark still present on the side of his mouth. Blake inadvertently licked his own lip, hisfangs beginning to ache at the memory of the omega’s tongue pressed against his.
It was an odd place for his cock to start showing an interest, but it began stiffening in his trousers all the same.
“You don’t—” Pember began, suddenly looking shy. “No offence, but you don’t seem to play well with others. Plus, you eat slowly. Classic only child behaviour.”
Blake’s mouth twitched, and he watched as Pember squatted in the gore-filled water. He scraped at something on the fountain’s tiled base, nose wrinkling as he withdrew his hand.
“I don’t eatthatslowly,” Blake replied, eyeing him up and down.
Pember chuckled, reaching over to a tool case and withdrawing some kind of metal spatula. “You do. It was like torture waiting for you to finish dinner so we could eat the cheesecake last night.”
“It was worth the wait, though. Right?”
Pember shrugged. “A solid six out of ten.”
“Six.Six?”
Pember laughed, bending down again. “See? Prickly,andcan’t take criticism. Classic. Only. Child. Actually, now I’m starting to believe youwerea brat.”
Blake shrugged. “You say prickly, I say having a knack for knowing who’s a grade A piss-taker.”
There was a pause, then: “Is that why you joined the police? A talent for sniffing out bullshit?”
Blake snorted. “No. My parents gave me an ultimatum when I was eighteen. Buck up or get out. I can’t tell you how many times they threatened to send me to my grandma’s house. It was only when I joined Child Protection that I started tofeel it, I guess.”
Pember cocked a brow. “Feel what?”
“Like I was making a difference.”
Pember let out a soft breath. “Will you go back? To Child Protection?”
“Maybe one day,” he replied, thinking back to the idioticLive Laugh Love,poster Oliver had put behind his desk one morning following a rather nasty remand case. He grinned, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth. “What about you? Will you stay?”
Pember shrugged. “Forensics was never my first choice, but I’m enjoying it. Wallace wants to book me on loads of courses.” His face scrunched as he reached into the fountain with both hands, tugging at something under the water. “There’s something here.”
Blake frowned, leaning forwards.
