Page 148 of Silent Fire (Sin & Steel #6)

Tomas smiled. “They don’t exactly shift with me.”

Shifters, glowing eyes, being attacked... Naked beef cake. Noel’s mind was a hot mess. He shook his head, feeling like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole.

Cesar. He’d been there too, fighting off the other...hyena, Tomas had called them. Were all the guys at the tavern shifters? The questions bubbled up, but he bit them back. Not tonight. He was too wrung out to make sense of anything else.

“Seriously.” Tomas stopped walking. “Thank you, Noel. For trusting me. You won’t regret this.”

“I better not,” Noel teased, trying to lighten the charged moment. “I’m taking a huge risk, perrito .”

Tomas barked out a laugh, eyes twinkling with mirth. “Careful, or I’ll challenge you to a race. Wouldn’t want to be shown up by a puppy now, would you?”

“Please, I could run circles around your furry ass,” Noel shot back, grinning.

The easy banter felt good, natural, like they’d known each other for years instead of hours. For the first time in a long time, Noel didn’t feel the suffocating weight of loneliness on his chest.

Tomas must have sensed the shift in his demeanor. He pulled Noel into a tight hug, enveloping him in his warmth and strength. Noel melted into the embrace, just breathing him in. “You do realize you’re hugging me with no clothes on.”

Good god. The guy smelled intoxicating. Like leather and smoke with a hint of wildness. And those muscles? Noel was glad he wasn’t the one naked or Tomas might’ve seen just how much the scent and feel of him turned him on.

“Wasn’t going to make it awkward, but thanks for pointing it out,” Tomas gave a small squeeze before letting him go. “Need to head back to the house for my motorcycle. I have spare clothes in my saddlebags.”

The house. Noel glanced down the dark road, thinking of the farmhouse, of the terrifying men…creatures…that had attacked him. He could still smell Sharp Teeth's nasty breath and feel the guy’s crushing weight on top of him.

Sharp Teeth claimed he wasn’t a creep, but Noel had felt the evidence trapped at his back. The guy would have done it and then killed him. Now that he wasn’t in survival mode, the reality of what that jerk intended to do hit Noel hard.

Spinning around, he dropped to his hands and knees, throwing up on the side of the road, his limbs shaking.

Tomas was right there, crouched beside him, gently rubbing Noel’s back. He murmured quiet reassurances, but Noel’s pounding heart drowned out most of what he said.

“He was going to…” Noel wiped his mouth with the inside of his shirt. “Oh god.” He squeezed his eyes shut.

“He’s dead,” Tomas said, a low growl in his voice. “I drove my claws through his black heart several times, Noel. That son of a bitch isn’t going to lay a hand on you again.”

For the first time since he could remember, Noel sought comfort, wrapping his arms around Tomas as he trembled. He hated feeling so weak, hated needing someone, but he couldn’t shake those horrifying images from his mind.

Tomas hugged him, resting his cheek on Noel’s head, his breathing steady. But Noel heard how fast the guy’s heart was beating, as if he felt the horror as well.

The sound of an approaching motorcycle made Noel pull back, even though he wasn't ready to let go. His body went rigid, until he saw it was Cesar stopping a few feet away from them. His gaze flicked from Noel to the ground then back to him. “Doing okay?”

Not even close. “Yeah.” Noel pushed to his feet, Tomas rising with him. “Was searching for rare bugs.”

Tomas chuckled, skimming a hand down Noel’s back as if to say he was there, still connecting to him.

“I don’t want Noel going back to that house. Mind staying with him while I shift and retrieve my bike?” Tomas asked Cesar.

It was on Noel’s tongue to argue he didn’t need a babysitter, but he kept his mouth shut. They were on a deserted road at night, and after what happened, Noel wouldn’t mind company.

“Sure, go ahead.” Cesar killed the motor then leaned forward, arms dangling over the handlebars. “Got all the time you need, hermoso .”

Tomas gently gripped Noel’s chin between thumb and index finger. “Don’t freak out, but most importantly, don’t take off.”

“I said I got him,” Cesar huffed.

“You have no idea just how fast this jack rabbit is.” Tomas winked at Noel, making him blush.

“You gonna make Tomas kick my ass for losing you after I fed you so well, carino ?” Cesar’s brow arched.

“Feed me when I get back and my ass stays planted until he returns.” Noel smirked. No kidding. He was freaking starving. It felt as if his stomach was trying to eat its way out.

Cesar chuckled. “A guy who isn’t afraid to use blackmail to get what he wants. Sí . I’ll cook whatever you want, cría de foca .”

Noel narrowed his eyes. “I am not a baby seal.”

“Not what I heard.” Cesar grinned. “Santiago said you were giving my boy over here a hard time. Couldn’t get you to stop kicking his ass.”

Tomas growled. “He was not kicking my ass. I just didn’t want to hurt him.”

“I was totally kicking your ass,” Noel argued, hands flying to his hips. “Want a rematch?”

Noel had no idea why he was talking so much trash. He was lousy at fighting. It was his determination to survive that gave him the guts to even try.

“Be right back.” Tomas moved a few feet away, and Noel held his breath, both excited and nervous to see him transform into a wolf.

Noel slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide as Tomas dropped to all fours. His muscles rippled, and gray fur covered his skin, shining in the moonlight.

His face elongated into a wolf’s snout, razor-sharp canines lengthening from his wide jaw. Noel watched, amazed as claws grew from his fingertips and his hands turned into paws. Finally, a bushy tail appeared, wagging quickly.

“I’ll never get used to how beautiful a shift looks,” Cesar said from beside Noel.

When the wolf moved closer to him, Noel moved backward. The dang thing was huge.

“He’s fully aware of who you are and what you’re saying,” Cesar said. “If human Tomas won’t hurt you, then neither will his wolf.”

Taking a deep breath, Noel reached out to pet the wolf’s head, giving it a couple of pats. “Good boy.”

Cesar burst out laughing. “I love how you’re treating him like a pet dog.”

“Isn’t he?” Noel grinned and scratched the wolf under its chin. It seemed to enjoy it, closing its eyes and letting out a happy growl.

“He’s a wild animal. An apex predator,” Cesar said, growing serious. “Don’t ever forget that, Noel. None of us are tame.”

So he was right. The men at the tavern were wolves. But he disagreed about Tomas. The wolf loved the attention, its tongue even hanging out.

“I’ll be damned,” Cesar whispered. “Never seen an unmated wolf let someone—”

Noel glanced at him. “Let someone do what?”

Tomas growled a bit louder, and Noel snatched his hands back. “Good boy?”

“Not gonna say a word,” Cesar told the wolf. “Go get your bike. I’ve got food to cook for a pint-sized blackmailer.”

Something odd was going on, aside from men transforming into animals, and Noel was determined to find out what Tomas didn’t want Cesar to spill.

C hapter Three

The rumble of an approaching motorcycle made Noel’s pulse race.

He turned to see Tomas pulling to the side of the road behind Cesar, now fully clothed and carrying Noel’s backpack.

Thank god. Noel was relieved to see Tomas had grabbed his belongings.

At least now he wouldn’t have to go back to that creepy farmhouse.

Tomas killed the engine and swung his leg over, boots crunching as he walked toward them. “Ready to head back?”

“On that?” Noel eyed the motorcycle warily. He’d been so preoccupied with Tomas’s transformation, the thought of how he would get back to Sin’s hadn’t crossed his mind.

“No.” Tomas tucked Noel’s backpack into one of his two large saddlebags. “I was thinking about letting you run beside me since you’re so fast.”

Cesar chuckled. “I’ll meet you adorable kids back at Sin’s.” He eyed Noel. “Try not to go looking for any more rare bugs. I’ll take care of that stomach as soon as you get there.” He took off before Noel could say a word. Not that he could think of anything to say.

“Never ridden on a motorcycle before?” Tomas asked, watching him closely.

“Sat on one once. Does that count?”

Tomas smirked. “Was it moving?”

“Okay, so it was one of those rides outside the grocery store and I was five. Dang thing scared me.” He pursed his lips. “I think something mechanical was wrong with it, because it jerked me around like I was riding a bull.”

Noel remembered bawling his eyes out that he wanted to get off of it, but his asshole stepdad had told him that a ride like that helped to build character. Noel had never begged to ride it again.

A slow grin spread across Tomas’s face, unaware of the dark memories that had surfaced in Noel’s mind. “Don’t worry, florito . I’m always careful when it’s someone’s first time.” He winked, voice dropping to a low, playful growl.

Sweet mercy. Even as Noel’s cheeks flushed, he rolled his eyes, trying to play it cool. Nope. He wasn’t secretly thrilled at the blatant flirting. Not one bit. Noel wasn’t flustered at the way Tomas gazed at him or the way Tomas made butterflies erupt in his stomach.

“You can’t pop wheelies, can you?” It was a childhood trauma. Sue him. Some things just stuck with a person, no matter how old they were.

“It’s way too heavy for tricks.” Tomas headed back to his motorcycle and got on. “It’s as steady as they come, florito . I promise.” He gestured to the spot behind him. “If it’ll help, I’ve got some bungee cords I can use to secure you to me.”

“Not funny.” Noel strode over to him, eyeing the gleaming chrome beast. It was big.

Heavy. The kind of machine that looked like it could chew through the road and not even notice.

Black seat, wide handlebars, thick tires that meant business.

Even in the dark, it looked dangerous. Like if it could talk, it’d growl.