Page 5

FIVE

ADAN

I didn’t want to get cocky but the scent of Braylon’s slick was unmistakable. He was turned on by me. Or I hoped it wasn’t some guy he was meeting at his family’s house. That would be a bummer.

“We’re almost there.”I had been to Rosedale, but the GPS informed me we were close. I didn’t know why I said that because Braylon could hear the GPS’s tinny voice chirping instructions.

He leaned forward and clapped, so eager to see his family, or just get out of the car and not respond to my question about eating. I had put him in a spot, and if I’d been in his position, I would have reacted the same way. If I’d been a human. But when two shifter mates discussed eating, while slick was streaming from the omega’s hole, we’d have been naked and in the back seat fucking.

I pulled up outside a bungalow with a huge garden, and a man and woman rushed down the path, the woman’s arms outstretched. Braylon fell into her embrace, and the three hugged. I longed to have what they did, and now that I’d met Braylon, I wanted to have it with him.

I got out of the car and removed his suitcase. They were talking over one another, laughing and kissing. Braylon had forgotten I was there. Perhaps I should get back in the car and leave.

It was awkward. Should I pretend I was just the driver and take off? Or would that be rude?

You can’t leave . My wolf was fed up with the hours our mate and I had sat beside one another and yet we were no closer to mating.

But as I hovered, one hand on the door, three pairs of eyes alighted on me.

“I’m so sorry. You must think us very rude.” Braylon’s aunt released herself from her family’s tangled arms and strode toward the car. “Come in. Have something to eat.”

“I…” That was kind of her, but if her nephew didn’t want me to stay, I’d refuse. I hesitated and looked to Braylon for an answer. He rewarded me with a small grin.

“You do eat, right?”

Oh, Aunt Ellie, that was the wrong thing to say.

“I’ve been known to eat on occasion.” I avoided Braylon’s gaze because he’d either be glowering at me or trying to control his laughter.

Instead, he giggle-snorted, and his uncle stared at him while the corners of Aunt Ellie’s mouth turned up. Oh she was in on the joke, and I gulped and studied my feet. Parents or people who acted as parents weren’t allowed to be in the dick-and-ass conversations.

“Thanks. That’s kind of you. Train food isn’t very satisfying.”

“Good thing Saul cooked up a storm.” She tucked her arm in mine, and we strolled into the house.

Like any good guest, I admired the house and the garden. Both were a work-in-progress. We ate on the back deck, and Ellie and Saul peppered me with questions about my job, family, and how Braylon and I met. It didn’t escape me that Ellie and Braylon kept exchanging glances, while Saul chatted about food and the raised vegetable beds he’d started for his wife.

My phone buzzed as we were eating a lemon cake Saul had baked. It was an unknown number, and I ignored it. But they called again, and I excused myself and sauntered onto the grass.

“Hello.”

A deep authoritative voice boomed, “I hear you met a human.”

“What?” I squawked. The three people on the deck stared at me, and Saul’s fork clattered onto his plate. I waved, put a fake smile on my face, and gave a thumbs-up as if to say it was A-okay.

“You heard what I said.”

I lowered my voice so the humans wouldn’t pick up on the one word that might shatter their world. “Excellency.” How did he know?

Our pack didn’t live as a pack, but we had an Alpha, Horatio, and we were supposed to inform him when we mated. But Excellency was the head of the shifter council, and growing up, there were rumors he had spies everywhere. I’d never believed it. He didn’t need to go looking for problems ‘cause people brought them to him. Plenty of them, both people and problems.

“I did,” I said cautiously. In my mind, I flipped through the rules for shifters mating humans, but shifters believed a true mate was a mate no matter if the other person was a shifter dragon, a tiny worm, or a human.

“I believe you said you were going to reveal your beast.”

Shit, either Braylon was working for Excellency or someone on the train had blabbed. I thought back to the other passengers. There had been shifters but none of them paid particular attention to me. But that was the measure of a good spy. They didn’t stand out but spied on their mark without letting on that they were doing it.

It had to have been the asshat. A human spy. Interesting.

“Yes. I can’t live a lie.” I had my back to my hosts and Braylon in case one of them was a lip reader. If Excellency told me I could never show my wolf to my mate, I’d have to break with the pack and move to another country with my one true love.

“I’m not asking you to, but you know the rules. You can’t reveal your beast until you’re mated.”

Huh? Was that new, because I was certain I’d never seen or heard a reference to it.

“But Excellency, how can I ask my mate to trust me if I don’t show him the real me?”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way. We’ve had a few incidents where shifters exposed their beast to a human who was not their mate. So I’ve clamped down on the big reveal.” He ended the call, and I stared at the phone, expecting it to clarify my confusion.

“Everything all right?” Saul leaned over the railing. “You seem a little tense.”

That was an understatement. Up until now I’d been wondering how soon was too soon to sleep with Braylon and did I do that before or after the big shifter reveal.

But now my mind was a muddle. And I’d promised my mate I had something to show him. I’d have to come up with some weak substitute to cover up. Fuck!

“Fine. It’s just some crap from work. No biggie.” Instead, it was a huge-ie, but I had to downplay it or I’d be the one who’d ruined the afternoon.

“You didn’t finish your dessert.” Saul pushed the plate toward me.

“Could I have it to go?”

The family shared glances, and Ellie got up and placed the cake and a second slice in a paper bag.

“I’m so sorry, but I have to fix this problem.”

“We were thinking of coming into town during the week.” She kept her gaze on me but elbowed Braylon. If I hadn’t been upset, I could have giggled and given her a hug. She was so invested in her nephew’s love life. “Would you be free for dinner?”

Aunt Ellie deserved a squeeze because with me twisting and turning and inviting myself out here on the pretext of doing Braylon a favor, she’d inserted herself into our budding relationship without me having to tap dance.

You’re a terrible dancer, my wolf deadpanned.

“I’d love that, but can I get back to you? I’m not sure if there are meet-and-greets in the evenings.”

“Sure. We’ll wait for your call.”

Ellie was doing all the talking, and as much as I wanted and desired Braylon, him allowing his aunt to steamroll him into a relationship wouldn’t end well.

“Walk me to the car?” I asked my mate.

When we were alone, he apologized for Ellie. “You can make an excuse if you’d?—”

I put a finger to his lips. “I love your aunt and uncle, and she did what she did because she loves you.” But I had to make certain this was what he wanted.

“I tend to fade into the background when Aunt Ellie is on a mission.” He related that she’d storm up to school if some kid bullied him, and she wouldn’t accept anything less than the principal dealing with the problem, along with an apology.

“But I’m a grown-up now, and I must fight my own battles.” He nibbled a nail. “Not that this…” He waved his hand in the space between us. Too much space. “…is a battle.”

After meeting this morning, we were in a good place. Not in one another’s arms place, or naked place or sex place, but we’d hurdled the I like you stage, and I’d met his family. Pretty good for less than twelve hours.

“I gotta go.” With the driver’s door open, I paused. “Can we maybe chat tomorrow?”

He nodded, and he lunged toward me and we hugged. I breathed in his scent, memorizing it until we met.

“We have to meet up this week so you can show me the thing.”

Gods, please let him not be talking about my cock. It was so much more than a thing.

“The thing you promised me.”

“Right.” I’d have to figure out how to do it without him meeting my wolf.

He waved until I turned a corner and he was gone. My heart sank into my belly.

Really? I don’t see it anywhere different . My wolf was concerned.

But I had more to worry about. Not only did I hope Braylon fell in love with me, but we had to achieve that without discovering who I really was inside.

No shifter should be faced with that.