Jeremy

by Catherine L. Byrne

  Jeremy looked around, making sure no one was too close. “Let’s say I believe you. Even if he likes me that way, I’m not sure what to do about it. I’m not gay.”

  Keenan lifted a brown at him. “Yeah, I was straight until about six months ago, then I met Bryce.” Keenan lifted a thumb in the direction of one of the men sitting at the table. Jeremy frowned when he saw another man sitting in his lap. “I know, you think it’s weird that he’s with Finn now, but it’s okay. It’s a long story. Anyway, I’m not telling you to sleep with Denver tonight, just to give him a least a chance to be his friend, maybe more. God knows he needs to open up to someone, because he practically doesn’t speak to anyone here even if he lives with us.”

  Jeremy hesitated. Yeah, he was willing to be friends with Denver, but he was confused about the rest. Would being friends be enough? Would Denver even want to be friends with him?

  “Hey, if you want to talk about it, I’m here. I know you don’t know me, but I would be glad to help you. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know.” Jeremy racked his hand in his hair. “I’ve never been attracted to a man, but Denver...he’s different somehow. I wouldn’t be opposed to give it a try, but...” God, it was so frustrating!

  “Maybe he’s special, like your soul mate or something.”

  Jeremy snorted. “Soul mate, huh? Like, love at first sight? Because let me tell you, I’m positive he’s not in love with me. How could he be?”

  “Weirder things happen, you know.” Keenan clapped his shoulder and smiled. “I’m going to leave the two of you alone. Denver, why don’t you cut the bread? Lunch is almost ready.”

  Jeremy stiffened, suddenly aware of Denver’s presence behind him. Keenan winked at him and walked away, and Jeremy wasn’t sure what to do. Did he talk to the man? Did he apologize? Oh god, had he heard what Jeremy had just said to Keenan? It seemed to him that since he had met Denver he was full of doubts. He didn’t seem to find any answers to them, and he didn’t like that.

  “I, uh, I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  Jeremy took a deep breath and turned around, his eyes right away mesmerized by the man in front of him. Those blue eyes were a beacon, calling him in and telling him to give in and climb the man like a tree to get to those full lips. He wanted to lick them and see if they tasted as good as they looked, maybe even better. “It’s okay, don’t worry. I’m just not used to this anymore. I guess my social skills have taken a dip since I moved to Whitedell. The only person I talk to out of work is my son, and he doesn’t even mind when I’m rude and ask too many questions.”

  Jeremy smiled at the massive man who was looking at him. The embarrassed look on Denver’s face almost did him in. What would it feel like to stroke his fingers on those stubbled cheeks?

  “I’ve never had much social skill, so I guess we’re even.”

  “I guess we’re perfect for each other, huh?” Jeremy didn’t know what had made him say that, but the fierce look Denver racked down his body made him nearly tremble in need. “So, uh, bread. Do you want me to cut it?”

  People were starting to trickle in the kitchen to grab platters and bowls filled with food. The corner in which they were standing was relatively calm. Jeremy saw Keenan giving him a thumbs up. While Jamie smiled at him, Adam in his arms, and he felt oddly at home, like this was exactly where he was supposed to be.

  “No, I’ll do it, but thanks for asking.” Jeremy smiled at the effort Denver made to be nice. It looked like it was hard for him to do it, as if he wasn’t used to talking much with other people.

  He watched as Denver took out a mean looking knife from the drawer and literally attacked the chunk of Italian bread on the counter. Denver kept peeking at him, the glances both arousing and confusing as hell. Well, at least they weren’t at each other’s throats like before.

  Denver suddenly hissed and jerked his hand up. Jeremy saw the blood beading on the tip of one of his fingers and instinctively grabbed Denver’s hand, bringing it up to his face. “Here, let me.” He bent down and took the hurt finger in his mouth, sucking and licking away the blood. Jeremy felt Denver stiffen next to him and various gasps behind them, and he realized what he had just done.

  Shit, shit, shit! How could he have been so stupid? He was so used to taking care of Adam’s daily wounds that he hadn’t even thought about it twice before licking away the blood, but this was not his son. What if Denver was sick? What if he had something he could pass on to Jeremy?

  He took a step away, nearly afraid to look at the man in front of him. “I’m sorry, I-I didn’t think. Please, tell me you’re clean.”

  * * * *

  “Denver? You’re clean, right?”

  Denver knew he had to answer Jeremy’s question, but he was still stunned and confused, plus a whole array of other feelings he wasn’t sure about. The human didn’t know it, but he had just claimed Denver as his mate, something Denver hadn’t wanted. There was nothing he could do about this now, though.

  “Denver?” Jeremy’s voice quivered, bringing Denver back to reality. He might not have wanted to mate Jeremy, but he actually liked the guy, and he didn’t want him to worry.

  “Don’t worry, I don’t have anything. I’m clean.”

  Jeremy let out a huge breath. “Thank god. I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I’m just used to taking care of Adam and it came naturally.”

  Denver arched a brow. Not that he minded, but it seemed that Jeremy was really going to believe him like that, without proof. Denver couldn’t actually go and have his blood drawn, but maybe his mate was a little too trusting, and he didn’t like that. What if Jeremy trusted someone who didn’t deserve it? Someone who hurt him? This was Denver’s family, he couldn’t let them get hurt.

  Huh? His family? Denver had no family, damn it! But what could he do? He knew exactly what it meant for a human to claim a tiger shifter, so he knew he wouldn’t run away. He just couldn’t do it.

  “Uh, guys, maybe you should go and talk with Dominic,” Jamie said, a trace of anxiousness in his voice.

  Denver knew he was right, of course, but he wasn’t sure he wanted the Alpha to be the one to tell Jeremy about shifters. It felt...wrong, somehow. He should be the one to take care of his mate, and damn it, he just couldn’t seem to help but think of Jeremy that way!

  “Okay, can someone explain to me what’s going on? I know I shouldn’t have done that, but Denver says he’s clean and I believe him. Why is everyone staring at me as if I just killed their cat? Who is Dominic?”

  Denver was about to answer but in the end he didn’t have to.

  “I’m Dominic. You’re Jeremy, I presume?” the lion said, entering the room and extending his hand to Denver’s mate. Denver barely contained the growl that wanted to escape his chest at the sight of his unclaimed mate touching a shifter more dominant than him.

  “Yes, I am.” Jeremy’s eyes were searching the room, stopping on his son. The man looked like he wanted to grab Adam and run away, and Denver couldn’t blame him. He knew Jeremy’s world was about to change completely, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He had tried to be nice, and look what it had brought him.

  “I know you’re confused, so maybe we could go into my office and talk? Your son is safe with Jamie, but if you want to take him with you it’s fine.”

  Jeremy thought about it, his eyes going from Dominic to Jamie to his son, then back again. “It’s fine, I’ll leave him here. I don’t know why, but I actually trust you guys.” Yeah, he was definitely too trusting, and Denver couldn’t understand it. He trusted no one completely, not even Dominic.

  “Denver?” He had missed Dominic’s question, but he could guess what it was. “Coming,” he grunted. He didn’t have a choice now, did he? Besides, Jeremy looked relieved when he agreed to go with them, and it was enough for him. He followed the two men out of the kitchen, patting Keenan’s shoulder as he passed. The kid looked distraught, as
if he thought what had happened was his fault, but Denver knew it wasn’t anybody’s fault. Keenan had meant well, and he wasn’t going to blame him—much.

  He closed the door of Dominic’s office and followed his Alpha to the couches. He guessed it was a good idea to make Jeremy comfortable. Denver had never had to tell anyone about shifters. Would Jeremy faint? Would he be scared of him? Would he run away? God, there were so many reactions he could have, and Denver didn’t know how to deal with any one of them.

  “Jeremy, what do you think about the paranormal?” Okay, it was a good way to start. Dominic surely was used to do these things, right?

  “Paranormal? You mean like ghosts, vampires and stuff?”

  “More or less.”

  Jeremy looked perplexed, but he answered. “I don’t know. I mean, I read books with those, but I’ve never really thought about it. I guess it makes sense that humans are not the only species, though.”

  “So you’re open to those possibilities?”

  “Yeah, I guess. What are you trying to tell me?” He looked from Dominic to Denver. Denver wanted to tell him everything, but he didn’t know how to do it, so he just stayed there, silent.

  “What I’m trying to tell you is that some of those creatures do exist, and that most of the people in this house are shape shifters.”

  Denver held his breath and waited. Jeremy could either think they were crazy and run away or ask for proof and then run away. Either way, Denver was screwed. Well, maybe not. This is what he wanted, right? To leave Jeremy alone? Maybe it would be a good thing if he just thought they were nuts, but he didn’t like the idea that his mate could think that of him, and now that he had been claimed, Jeremy couldn’t run away.

  “Shape shifters? Like werewolves?”

  “Not exactly. Werewolves do exists, but they are a different species. We have wolf shifters, however.”

  “Are you two wolf shifters?”

  Dominic smiled. “No, most of the people here are some kind of feline shifter, but Derick is a wolf.” Maybe they should have asked Nolan to come with them. If Jeremy asked for one of them to shift, it could freak him out, but Nolan was a normal cat. A cat wouldn’t scare anyone, right? Yeah, maybe he should go and fetch the cat.

  Denver started to get up but a hand on his arm stopped him. Looking down, he watched as Jeremy slid his hand down his arm and intertwined his fingers with Denver’s, not sure how to react. God, those fingers were so soft and hot, and they made his hand tingle.

  “I’d like for you to show me if it’s possible, but, well, I wanted to ask some questions first?”

  “Ask away. Or maybe you would prefer if I tried to give you a quick summary?” Jeremy nodded and Dominic continued, “I’m a lion shifter, but Denver is a tiger. Shifters have an animal form in which we can shift into whenever we want. We are cognizant while in that form, so you don’t have to worry about being attacked. We’re us, just in a different form.” Jeremy’s hand squeezed Denver’s almost too hard, so Denver tried to do something he had never done. He brushed his thumb on Jeremy’s knuckle, trying to sooth his mate. It worked at least a little because the hold he had on Denver’s hand loosened a bit.

  “Can I see?”

  Dominic looked at Denver, so he pulled his hand away and stood up, pulling his clothes off. He quickly shifted and sat back, immobile. He knew he was big even as a tiger, and he didn’t want Jeremy to be scared of him. The man was looking at him, his eyes wide, his mouth rounded in a perfect o. Going down on his belly, Denver slowly moved toward his mate and bumped his head on the man’s knee, just like a cat would do, trying to look innocuous. He hoped Dominic wasn’t going to tell anyone about this, though.

  Jeremy raised his hand and skimmed it on the top of Denver’s head, and Denver couldn’t help but push into it. It felt so good to have his mate pet him! Denver stepped away before he really embarrassed himself and started to purr. Or god forbid, roll on his back and expose his belly to have it scratched. He shifted back and quickly put his clothes back on, then sat back on the couch and hesitantly took Jeremy’s hand in his once again. Jeremy seemed a little dazed, but he wasn’t reacting badly.

  Dominic started talking again, and that snapped Jeremy out of his daze. “Shifters live longer than humans, about two hundred and fifty years.” Jeremy gasped, his eyes moving to Denver.

  “How old are you?”

  “Ninety five.”

  Jeremy’s eyes widened before he looked up and down. “You look good for your age.” He turned back to Dominic. “Okay. So, why are you telling me all this? I have the feeling it’s not something you tell everyone.”

  Dominic shook his head. “It’s not. In fact, you can’t tell anyone about this. We’ve already been having problems with human scientists who have been experimenting on shifters. We just want to be left in peace and live our lives.” Dominic waited for Jeremy to nod before going straight to the problem. “Since shifters live so long and have to stay hidden, what we believe is Fate granted each one of us with a mate. I guess humans would call it soul mate. It’s the person who completes and understands perfectly both our human part and our animal one, and we recognize that person by scent since we have heightened senses. Once we find our other half, we mate with them. It makes it almost impossible for us to cheat, and in case our mate is human, his life will extend to match ours.”

  Jeremy disentangled his hand from Denver’s, and he immediately felt the loss. “How-how do you mate?” Denver could tell Jeremy had understood what they were trying to tell him, and he didn’t seem to like it.

  Dominic’s eyes were worried as he saw the change in Jeremy. “With blood. Each mate has to drink the other’s blood.”

  Jeremy’s eyes went to Denver. “I did it, didn’t I? I mated with you.”

  * * * *

  Denver nodded, his expression not changing one bit. He looked cold and unfeeling, but Jeremy could see the emotions raging in his baby blue eyes.

  “So, I’m your mate, and I mated you by sucking the blood away from your finger. That’s why everyone was so shocked.”

  “Yes.” God, the monosyllabic answers were grating on Jeremy’s nerves, but he had more important things to think about right now.

  “What does it mean for me? You said we each have to drink each other’s blood, so what happens if I was the only one doing it?” He might like the little he knew about Denver, but he sure wasn’t ready to jump into this like that. Besides, what if Denver didn’t want him?

  Dominic sighed. “On the short term, nothing apart the fact that you will heal quicker and you will age slower.” Nothing? That was nothing? “On the long term, if Denver doesn’t claim you, you will start having health problems, and in the end it will lead to death. That’s what happens when a human mate loses his tiger shifter. We don’t know how it works exactly or why it happens only with tigers, but it seems that they have to regularly claim their human mates and mix their saliva into the human’s bloodstream. I think it might be because there are few tiger shifters left, and it’s a way Mother Nature has found to make the two mates stick together and reproduce.” Okay, that last part obviously wasn’t going to be a problem, but this was big.

  “You mean we don’t have a choice anymore, right?”

  “I’m afraid not. You have the time to get to know each other before Denver has to claim you, but he will have to do it sooner or later.”

  Jeremy turned to the big man sitting next to him. He hadn’t known that when he had sucked Denver’s finger, but there was nothing he could do to change what he had done. He had just taken both their choices away, but looking at it from his point of view, the only downside he was getting was that he might have to watch his son die someday. He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t afford to let himself die now and leave Adam alone. “I’m sorry, Denver.” He had taken the man’s choice away, and now he was saddled with a man with a kid when he could have done so much better.

  The man was sex on a stick. Jerem
y hadn’t stared when he had undressed, but he wasn’t blind either. His cock had taken notice of the yards of tanned flesh and hard muscles, and shit, maybe Jeremy really was gay!

  “It’s okay, you didn’t know.”

  “Is there any way to cancel what I’ve done?”

  Jeremy saw the flash of hurt passing into Denver’s eyes and knew he shouldn’t have asked. He didn’t know what he wanted right now, and he had to find out before hurting anyone else, but shit, the man was hard to read! Denver hadn’t told him if he was happy or angry about the situation, he hadn’t told him he wanted to try or send him packing. Jeremy didn’t know what the man was thinking, full stop.

  Dominic looked at Denver, but when it was clear the man wasn’t going to answer, he sighed and said, “I’m afraid not. Besides, you’re a one-time deal for Denver. I don’t know why he’s not the one telling you this, but you’re the only mate he will ever have, so I’m sure he will at least give this a try. Am I right?”

  Denver grunted. What the hell did that mean?

  “I’m going to leave the two of you alone for a while. Don’t worry, we’ll put plates in the fridge for you, so you can come and eat whenever you want, and I’m sure everyone will look out for Adam.” Dominic stopped to whisper something to Denver. The man tensed and nodded, and soon they were alone. Jeremy didn’t know what to say or what to do. Not only was he dealing with the whole shifters are real thing, but he had accidentally mated one who could or could not want him and he needed him to want him. Then there was the—I’m gay surprise. Was Jeremy really gay, or bisexual, or whatever, or was Denver the only man he had ever wanted because he was his mate? Did that fact lessen the attraction Jeremy felt toward him, or did it make it even more special?

  Questions without easy answers were spinning in Jeremy’s head, making him dizzy. He put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands, trying to get a grip. He had to at least find somewhere to start resolve this whole mess, and maybe the first thing he had to know was if Denver was willing to give them at least a try. He knew he would do about anything to make the man agree to mate him, because he couldn’t leave his son alone. Adam didn’t have anyone else except for Jeremy.