by Amelia Jade
“This is a nice surprise,” she confirmed, but then added, “but I have to tell you Cole, surprises in general aren’t something I can handle. Not that I don’t like them, but I generally cannot handle them. So don’t go pulling any crazy stunts, okay?”
He paused for a moment. “Okay, but by the sound of that you’re willing to forgive me enough to see me again, to the point where if I didn’t know better—which now I do—I might be inclined to surprise you?”
Trestin laughed. “Yes, I suppose that’s what I meant.” She stepped forward to hug him, to let him know that it was okay.
Although she had meant it to be a quick, friendly moment, the instant his firm, muscled arms wrapped around her, she pressed herself close to him. She inhaled the mild scent of his cologne, feeling the press of his rock-solid chest underneath the plaid button-up shirt he was wearing.
A moment turned into a pause, which turned into a handful of seconds, which stretched into an eternity. Finally she managed to pull herself away, ensuring that she took two steps back, creating a bit of space between them. She tried to keep Emma’s words in her brain, but even then there was a limit to how fast she was willing to proceed.
“So I have to admit that there was a second part to me coming over here,” Cole said slowly into the silence.
She eyed him suspiciously. “You know how I feel about surprises,” she said.
“No surprise. I just really wanted to see you again. I think that the problem with yesterday is that it was just too private. Without enough people around to distract us, it forced us too close, too fast. So today I was thinking perhaps you could come meet my friends at the Tongue & Flame.”
Trestin looked at him in askance. “So what you’re saying is that you want to take me and surround me with giant walking mountains, any of whom could break me like a twig if I so much as look at them wrong? Did I get that right?” she said, though there was no malice in her voice.
“Yes?” he rumbled, pretending to be oblivious to her hesitation, though she could see the twinkle in his eyes as he did it.
“I don’t know, Cole,” she told him, unsure about the situation. “Until you, I’ve actually had terrible luck with shifters.”
“You’ve dated another? Did he hurt you?” came the reply, fire erupting in Cole’s eyes as he stood upright. All of a sudden it wasn’t Cole standing in front of her, but an angry, incensed mountain of muscle looking to break something.
It was a stark reminder that though he may look like a human, he wasn’t. He was a bear shifter, and a notoriously unreliable and bad news one at that. All of the bears in Genesis Valley were there for a reason, which was because they generally could not play nice with others. Trestin swallowed hard, standing very, very still as she chose her next words carefully.
“I have not dated another shifter. What I meant,” she continued as Cole relaxed a little, “was that I usually end up butting heads with you. That whenever a shifter comes into the cafe, for instance, they usually end up getting on my nerves. So I don’t know if sticking me in a place that serves beer with a bunch of bear shifters is the best idea.”
Cole was staring at her now. The fires had died down somewhat, but the intensity with which he regarded her never wavered. There was something both reassuring and terrifying in that look. He clearly was interested in her, she could see that easily. But there was also something almost... possessive in the look. She wondered just how interested in her he was...
“I would really like to introduce you to my crew,” Cole said formally, trying a new tactic as she continued to meet his gaze, her eyes never wavering.
“Well,” she said, caving, “since you asked so nicely, okay.” After all, she did want to spend some more time with him. And if he wanted her to meet his crew, his family, then the least she could do was agree to that request.
The evening promised to be just a little interesting.
Chapter Five
Cole
He turned the truck off of Gryphon Drive and onto the S-shaped road that led down the hill to the Tongue & Flame. His throat tightened nervously as he pulled into a parking spot.
“Aren’t I supposed to be the nervous one?” Trestin joked from beside him.
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” he replied. “I just really want everyone to like you as much as I do.” Cole cursed himself for letting that slip out. It was only their second date; the last thing he needed was to scare her away by getting too serious, too fast.
To his surprise though, Trestin smiled, her cheeks going a little red in the late-afternoon light as they exited the truck.
“That’s very kind of you to say,” she replied shyly, coming around the front of the truck to where he was waiting.
Swallowing hard, he stuck out his hand toward her. Trestin glanced down at it, then back up at him. He could tell she was unsure about it, but after a moment’s hesitation, she gave him her hand.
Gently pulling her after him, he made for the doors, yanking it open with his free hand and letting Trestin lead the way. Cole was extremely nervous now. What he hadn’t told Trestin was that none of the other bears knew he was bringing a woman. Hopefully Emma would be there like she usually was, which would help diffuse the tension, but he still knew that there would be lots of comments directed his way.
Cole just hoped that his bear would behave tonight and not get him in any trouble. That was what he really needed.
His tension ratcheted up to another level as he realized Ajax, the Alpha of the Silvertips, another of the mining crews in the mountain, was just on the inside of the door. He was fetching a ball from the pool table that was straight ahead.
The massive bear shifter—he topped Cole by a good handful of inches—looked at him, eyes flicking back and forth between Cole and Trestin, before turning back to his pool game... against Garrett.
Really? The two fucking Alphas just had to be the two bears to see us first. What are the odds of that!
Cole felt like throwing his hands up in the air in protest. Sometimes things just weren’t fair, he thought, surprising himself with an audible chuckle.
“What?” Trestin asked, turning back to face him.
“I’ll explain later.” he said, another nervous laugh escaping him as Garrett walked over.
Cole expected him to say something, since he was his Alpha.
“Hello, you must be the one who told Cole to get the paintbrush for my mate,” he said, sticking out his hand. “Garrett.”
“Trestin Cooke,” came the reply, and Cole watched as she stuck her hand out without the faintest hint of hesitation. Garrett noticed it too, and he glanced over at Cole, giving him a quick, firm nod.
Garrett approved of her. Now that was a relief.
“A pleasure to meet you Miss Cooke, and my thanks for your gift as well. It has left Emma quite happy today,” the Alpha said with a quick look over his shoulder at where Emma was sitting with some of the other Ridgebacks.
“I’m glad,” Trestin said, her voice full of confidence.
She was, Cole noticed, devoid of any of the nervousness she had discussed earlier. That would definitely help, because a room full of shifters would have pounced on her if she hesitated. Instead, she walked in acting like she owned the place, and none of them were paying attention. That would change, he knew, when they walked over to the Ridgebacks. They would be surprised, but for now, so far so good.
“I like this place,” she said as he stepped up next to her again. Her head leaned on his shoulder for a moment before she looked at the two sets of shifters.
Of course, he thought, she has no idea who’s my crew and who isn’t.
“Is everyone here from the Jade Crew?” she asked.
“No,” he said with a smile. “Can you imagine trying to stuff this many bears into one crew? What a nightmare!” They both laughed at the idea.
“Over there,” he said, pointing to the back right corner of the bar, “that’s the Emerald Crew,” he told her, using the terms she
would know.
Most of the residents of Origin and Genesis Valley as a whole called the miners by their stone color. The more formal name was typically used by the shifters themselves, or close friends. While Cole hoped Trestin would become a close friend, for now he wanted to make it easy on her.
“So these guys over there are the Jade Crew,” she surmised, before shaking her head. “That would make sense, since Emma is there sitting with them.”
He smiled as she reprimanded herself. It was easy to get overwhelmed, and he didn’t blame her.
“Trestin?”
Emma had noticed them finally, and got up from her chair and came over to greet them, while the others of the Jade Crew—his Ridgebacks—turned their heads to look at what was going on. He noticed Corey’s eyebrows go up, but the rest of them were all looking in confusion, not understanding that she had come with him.
Cole was going to be polite as he walked over and not display any sign of affection for Trestin, but she took the option out of his control by grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze as they walked over. That elicited a reaction from some of the others as they suddenly realized that of all people, Cole had brought a woman to the bar.
Garrett didn’t prevent the Ridgebacks from hooking up with women. He wasn’t an idiot. But he had told them not to bring their random hookups to the Tongue & Flame. So the others immediately realized that Cole was serious about this woman. To some, like Corey and Darren, that meant they would likely go easy on him.
But Evan would be trouble, he knew. Russell and Joel were the unknowns in the mix. Joel would probably go along with whatever Darren did, which would mean he wouldn’t say much. But Russell, he didn’t know. Most of the time Russell stayed neutral in any of the crew politics, though every now and then he still supported Evan.
“I thought Garrett said no whores allowed here,” Evan sneered as they approached.
Cole felt his anger well up inside of him, both his and his bear’s. He saw red and went to take a step toward Evan.
But a hand held him back. A female hand. One that had been gripping his as they walked over.
“That was because he felt bad for you, since none of them would sleep with you,” Trestin shot back. “He wanted to ensure you didn’t feel excluded from all the fun,” she finished, not batting an eye.
Corey’s eyebrows rose even higher, if that was possible, while most of the other bears choked back laughter. Except for Evan, who rose to his feet, rage causing his entire body to tremble.
“Oh fuck off, Evan,” Russell said, standing up and putting himself between the other shifter and Trestin. “We’re all sick and tired of your ‘better than thou’ attitude. Give it a rest!”
Cole looked on in surprise at the sudden confrontation. The last thing he had expected from Russell was for him to come to Cole’s defense. True, the two of them did come from the same crew prior to being a Ridgeback, but Russell had changed since getting his ass kicked by Garrett a few weeks back. Nobody quite knew what to expect from him anymore.
Evan stared at Russell for a few moments before sitting back down and grabbing his beer.
“I’m out,” Russell said, pushing past everyone and heading for the exit. Moments later they heard the sound of an engine firing up.
“Hi, I’m Darren.” The shifter rose from his seat and stuck out a hand.
“Trestin.”
Cole hung back and let the introductions happen on their own. Everyone else at the table all got up to say hello. Except for Evan of course, but Cole was just happy he didn’t speak at all. Clearly whatever bridge they had was now burned. That was probably for the better, he thought, though part of him wondered what would happen once Evan had burned every bridge with the other Ridgebacks. Despite his distaste for the ex-Alpha, he still didn’t want to see him ended.
“So, Trestin,” Joel said jokingly, “you’re putting up with Cole? That’s impressive!”
The others laughed, even Cole. The other shifter had shot him a glance, letting him know that he was only teasing. He should properly apologize to the other shifter for going after him the night before, Cole decided.
“Well, I figure if he puts up with the rest of you, then there must be something about him,” Trestin replied smoothly, not missing a beat.
Cole pulled her closer so he could whisper in her ear. “Who are you?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, looking confused.
“I just... you’re so confident and strong.” He didn’t know what else to say to explain the difference between the Trestin he had met the day before, and the part of her he was seeing now.
“Oh, that.” She laughed and her eyes flicked over the other shifters for a moment before latching back on him.
Oh how he loved when they did that. He could stare into those blue eyes for hours on end. There was something intriguing and mysterious about them, as if she was hiding something behind the laughter and wit that was on display at the moment. Something that haunted her. Perhaps that’s why he was so interested in her. Maybe they had more in common than he thought.
“I’ve worked at a restaurant in the heart of wild shifter country for three years now. Around these parts, you have to learn to deal with your kind real quick,” she said, giving the sentence an exaggerated drawl.
“That would make sense,” he said, nodding. “Well, just so you know, it’s kind of attractive.”
Trestin blushed furiously at the unexpected compliment, proving to him that she still had a bit of that nervous, butterflies-in-the-stomach attitude he had seen the other day.
“Hey Green Thumbs! Why don’t you send the ladies over here? We’ll show them how a real shifter is.” The shout came from the other side of the bar.
“Cayleb,” Darren shouted back before anyone else could open their mouths. “If you don’t apologize right now, I’m going to tell Anna. I’ll bet she would love to know what a real shifter is like.”
The bears all dissolved into uproarious laughter, Jade and Emerald crews alike. Cayleb’s mate and wife Anna was commonly known as being a handful, to say the least. It was also well known that she didn’t put up with any shit from her shifter mate.
“Why do they call you the Green Thumbs?” Trestin asked him as the laughter died.
“We’re the newest crew, which in and of itself means we’d be taunted, but because we found a Jade stone first, it has a double meaning for us.”
“For you, perhaps,” Evan said, having listened in on their conversation. “Not all of us are new,” he spat, making the word out to be a curse. “Some of us just got shafted by people who didn’t know a damn thing. Now, run along little girl,” he said, motioning for Trestin to go away.
Cole shot to his feet, eyes blazing. “You don’t talk to her like that,” he said dangerously.
Evan was spoiling for a fight and Cole knew it, knew that he was being baited, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had to defend Trestin, or none of the others would respect him. So despite the fact that he was playing right into Evan’s hand, Cole had no other option than to challenge him.
Evan rose slowly from his chair, eyes locked on Cole.
“I’m impressed,” he said, the sarcasm in his voice indicating otherwise. “I didn’t think you had much of a spine in you at all. Not after the way you betrayed me because you got scared.”
So that was why he was so angry.
“You’re an idiot, Evan. It took more balls to go to Garrett and tell him what you were doing than it did to keep quiet. Besides, what you did was wrong, and if you weren’t so high on your own soap box, you’d see that. You’d know that you’re acting like a dick. Now apologize to Trestin.”
Where was Garrett? The Alpha should have been there by now, but he wasn’t.
Cole commanded his body to stay still, not to shake as he stared down the Ridgebacks’ second. Evan took another step forward, towering above him, emphasizing just how big the size difference between the two of them really was. It was imposing, he
had to admit, but if he had a hope in hell of coming out of this intact, he had to stand his ground.
“And if I don’t?” Evan taunted.
“Then I’ll have to get involved.” The deep basso profondo voice came from Cole’s right. He glanced over and realized that Garrett must have been in the washroom. No wonder Evan had chosen that moment to go after Cole. It had almost worked too. His bear was at the surface, close to breaking through. He had to close his eyes and fight with it mentally for a moment to keep it contained.
Evan snorted and pushed past Cole, deliberately shouldering him as hard as he could. The smaller shifter took a step back to balance himself, but otherwise he didn’t move, cold eyes watching his antagonist walk out the door.
“What the hell was that all about?” Garrett asked, imposing himself between Cole and the rest of the crew.
Shit. The Alpha must have been thinking back to Cole’s actions the other day. He thought Cole had started it. Without the others able to hear what happened, he was dead meat.
“Evan insulted me, and Cole rose to my defense,” Trestin put in, stepping into the little circle that had formed around the two shifters.
“Is this true?” Garrett said, his eyes not shifting from Cole.
“Yes. It is.” Cole met that gaze and held it, allowing Garrett a good look into his soul, to judge whether he was telling the truth or not.
After a moment, Garrett turned and looked at Trestin. “You’re a brave woman, coming in here without knowing anyone but him,” he told her.
“Yes and no,” she admitted. “I know what would happen if any of you harmed me, and so do you. I bank on that a lot, plus I’ve had experience with shifters before. Not my first rodeo, so to speak. Besides,” she added, “I think he’s worth it.”
Garrett snorted softly. “That remains to be seen,” he said, though Cole was positive he saw a bit of a smile before the Alpha turned and headed back to his pool game. At least, he really hoped he had seen it.
“He smiled there, right?” he said, turning to face Trestin.
“What?” she hadn’t been paying attention, her eyes unfocused.
