by Jane Perky
Flabbergasted, Jerry stared. Colton was so intense, so serious, and yet he was drawn to all that, too. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. I’d never play games with Lee’s younger brother. Hell, I’m risking plenty with you, because I have a feeling Lee or Magnus wouldn’t be too happy about this.”
“But we haven’t done anything but kiss,” he protested. That was true. Colton was one of Lee’s best friends, and Lee was too darned overprotective, too. Magnus was the same, although the vampire was more subtle about it.
“Wrong, little Omega. You’re as good as mine. By the end of tonight, that is.”
“Are you that confident?” he stuttered. This Alpha was unbelievable, arrogant beyond words, and yet his wolf accepted the truth in Colton’s words.
“I’ll see you tonight, Omega.”
Colton began walking away, leaving him more confused than ever.
“You never mentioned where we’ll meet,” he called back.
“I’ll come by your workplace.”
Just like that?
Jerry was stunned, amazed, and yet excitement kindled in the pit of his belly. His date with Colton was something to look forward to, and some days, he didn’t know what the hell to do with his life. He could still refuse and tell Colton he wasn’t interested, but what would that mean to him? Days and nights spent avoiding other shifters and living a life of lonely seclusion. Sure, he had Magnus and Lee, but they had their own lives to live. He couldn’t rely on them forever.
It felt like he’d been living under a rock ever since he’d moved into town. Jerry had taken his first step to independence by moving out of Lee’s apartment and getting his own den and a job. A job, he realized, he was going to lose if he didn’t turn up at Bacon and Burgers. He hurried back to his workplace, although he knew his mind would be preoccupied the rest of the day by one persistent and alluring Alpha.
* * * *
Time passed sluggishly, Jerry realized, when one was looking forward to something. Anticipation welled in him, but he focused on his tasks. Returning to the fast food restaurant, he made a silent promise to himself to do better at his job and at his personal relationships. Crashing into Colton in the park felt like a wake-up call.
After the lunch crowd thinned, there wasn’t much to do. His mind began to wander.
He’d been annoyed at Lee and Magnus for hovering over him and clucking like mother hens, but in the end, they held his best interests at heart. They only wanted to see him move forward from the past, although it wasn’t the easiest thing to do.
Jerry busied himself with the little things, refilling ketchup bottles, replacing straws. Before surrendering himself to the vampires, he’d been an outgoing guy, perhaps a little vain. Omegas had been prized in his old pack. He had his pick of guys, guys who constantly fawned over him, but he’d been a little arrogant, too. Over the years, the vampires had drained all the fight and life out of him.
Did he regret his decisions? Sometimes, but he stood by his choices that night. If he hadn’t stepped forward, Eduardo and his vampires would have razed the entire town to the ground and Lee would be dead. As powerful as an Alpha werewolf was, they couldn’t stand against an entire bloodthirsty coven.
Thinking of Alphas dragged his thoughts back to Colton. God, that encounter was pretty intense. His skin buzzed where Colton touched him and his lips craved Colton’s kisses again. Colton’s hand burned like a brand, too, when it roamed hungrily over his skin, not minding his old wounds.
Dominant shifters played games all the time, but it was different with Colton. Jerry didn’t know how much time had passed, until the hairs on his arms rose up as Colton walked into the restaurant. He froze.
Cherry and another girl, Linda, giggled. “Look at that hottie.”
“Do you think he’s taken?”
Jerry’s mouth went dry. Colton cleaned up nice. The Alpha wore a faded black leather jacket, a button-down denim shirt underneath, and a fresh pair of jeans. Colton had slicked his short white-blond hair back, making his features stand out. Glacial blue eyes instantly locked to his location behind the counter, as if Colton knew he was right there.
As Jerry was frozen in place, Colton stalked toward him. That was the word. The guy looked at him like he was a combo meal he wanted to order. A tingle of anticipation went down his spine.
“Little Omega,” Colton drawled, dragged each syllable like sweet honey.
“Um. Hi.” Jerry glanced at the wall clock above the door. “I still have five minutes.”
“I can wait five minutes, but don’t keep me waiting. I’m an impatient predator when it comes to prey I can’t wait to sink my canines into.”
Jerry’s dick dug against the zipper of his jeans, and he blushed. He couldn’t believe Colton uttered those words in public. He was staking his claim, Jerry realized, the way dominant shifters did to potential mates. Jerry had never experienced it, although Magnus wasn’t subtle when the vampire king left a ton of shifter dating books at his place.
“Jerry, wow. Is this guy your boyfriend?” Cherry asked. “Introduce us.”
Colton didn’t even bother to look at her. “I’m not interested in females or humans.”
“You never answered the question,” Linda said with a pout.
Both women jumped at Colton’s growl. “Jerry is mine.”
Sweat dripped down his back.
What the hell? How could Colton simply make that declaration? Jerry knew that by now, his entire face must look like a tomato and it felt like the entire place went silent. Was everyone watching their exchange? That was the problem with small towns. Everyone knew everyone’s business. Not necessarily a bad thing. He liked the folks in his apartment building who greeted him by name or the widowed Mrs. Lim next door who always made extra lasagna dishes for him.
“What’s going on here?”
Oh great. Jerry sighed as Mr. Gibson emerged from his office and frowned at everyone gawping at their exchange, finally frowning up at Colton, then Jerry.
“Sir, are you causing trouble for my employee?”
Shit. Gibson must have assumed Colton was a member of the local pack who’d bullied him the night before.
“No. Jerry and I are going on a date. Why? Did someone come here before to threaten Jerry?”
He could see Colton’s answer surprised Mr. Gibson. An unnamed emotion appeared on his boss’ face, but it disappeared before Jerry could put a name to it. He silently glared at Colton. Mr. Gibson was a decent boss, one who had taken him in despite being fired from two other jobs and a lack of experience.
“Jerry, is this true? This guy your boyfriend?” Mr. Gibson asked.
“Yes,” he squeaked out the word, sounding breathy. Boyfriend? How was Colton going to react to that? According to one of the dating manuals Magnus gave him, most guys didn’t like being slapped with that label on their first few dates.
“Okay then,” Gibson murmured, looking dubious. “But there’s no need to cause a commotion next time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Colton narrowed his gaze at Mr. Gibson, looked like he didn’t mind ripping out the human’s throat. What was wrong with Colton? For that matter, Jerry must be crazy, agreeing to this date. By tomorrow, word would have gotten out that Colton and he were seeing each other. Small towns devoured gossip like that eagerly.
“I’ll just change out of these clothes,” he finally said.
“I’ll be waiting outside. Need a fucking smoke,” Colton grumbled.
Jerry watched the big Alpha exit before sprinting to the employee’s room to change.
Chapter Four
Sensing the Omega nearing him, Colton exhaled one last time, before crushing his cigarette under his boot. He turned his head, smiling as Jerry gave himself another sniff before opening the doors.
“I don’t mind if you smell a little of grease and burgers. Those are heavenly scents for a wolf,” he told the Omega.
Jerry glowered at him, even though Colton had paid the Omeg
a a compliment. Colton bristled. Why was this Omega so goddamn hard to tame? Maybe that was part of Jerry’s appeal, too. After all, Jerry had endured what most young men his age would never dream of. Oh, Colton knew Jerry hadn’t come out completely unscathed. Jerry even had a low opinion of himself, but Colton was going to prove to Jerry that underneath fragile skin and bone, there was steel forged by the experiences of his past.
Fine. Colton tried another compliment. “You look nice.”
Jerry really did. Out of that ridiculous uniform, Jerry wore nice-fitting jeans, which he couldn’t wait to rip off, and a long-sleeve button-down shirt.
“Thanks.” Jerry sounded like he didn’t believe it. How odd. Jerry was gorgeous but didn’t seem to believe it. It seemed to Colton that those fucking vampires who’d held him captive had battered his self-esteem. He only wished he could have accompanied Lee and Magnus and made those vampires hurt in a lot of ways even immortals didn’t know, but Lee and Magnus had needed that trip to bridge their distances.
Now, Colton didn’t like hearing about some of these wolves Jerry’s boss mentioned. Hell, he didn’t like that human either, or the way he looked at Jerry. It was probably jealousy speaking, but he didn’t care. Alphas were temperamental and possessive by nature. Colton had never experienced it with anyone until Jerry, so this was new territory for him, too.
“Anyway, were you smoking? Don’t you know that even werewolves can get cancer?” Jerry asked.
“Way to go to change topic, Omega.” He started walking and noticed Jerry followed him after thinking for a couple of seconds.
“I’m serious.”
“Oh? You’re concerned about my health?” Jerry frowned, and Colton decided Jerry was cute when riled up, too. Shit. This Omega was seriously affecting him in unexpected ways. If he wasn’t careful, Jerry might have his heart on a platter, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, right?
“Don’t worry,” he continued. “I don’t smoke often. I’m trying to cut down, but it’s a stress relief for me. Here’s my truck.”
He opened the door for Jerry, who stared at him.
“I didn’t know old-fashioned guys existed anymore. I mean, non-immortals.”
He laughed at that. Jerry went inside and he got in the driver’s seat. Jerry reminded him of a curious little pup, looking around his car with interest.
“Found anything interesting?” he asked.
“This car smells like you.” Jerry continued, “I mean, good scents.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Why did you say I was yours?” Jerry rushed, as if those were the real words the Omega had wanted to blurt out all along. “You didn’t need to make a scene.”
“Didn’t intend to, but it’s the best tactic to be direct with nosy females in my experience.”
“Mr. Gibson also went out of his office.” Jerry sounded displeased, worried even.
“My wolf doesn’t like that manager.”
“What? I owe Mr. Gibson a lot. Before Bacon and Burgers, I was fired from two other jobs as a waiter and a barista. I don’t exactly have the best track record, but even though he found out where I’ve been for the past five years, he didn’t fire me.”
Colton furrowed his brows. “How did he know?”
Jerry let out a laugh. “Everyone knows. They pretend to smile at me, treat me like any other townsfolk, but behind my back, I know how they talk about me.”
He growled, the sound filling the tiny space, which wasn’t good because he could sense Jerry’s wolf, nervously prowling inside Jerry. Unthinkingly, he reached out and stroked Jerry’s forearm. The Omega relaxed. Jerry let out a little sigh, which only urged him to take this further. Damn clothes got in the way, but Colton promised himself he’d be the perfect gentleman tonight.
After securing his date and leaving Jerry at the exit of the park, he’d bought a dating book from the bookstore across from the security firm. Since he had no outside work today, he spent most of it reading at his desk. Some of his coworkers, fellow dominant shifters like him, made fun of him. He growled at them and threatened to cut off important body parts. They smartly backed off, but one or two asked to borrow the book when he was done.
Colton understood. Navigating the dating waters were rough, and sometimes, a dominant shifter with scars and rough looks were misjudged by submissive shifters as violent and scary, not mate material.
Jerry blinked, as if waking from a dream when he stopped stroking. Colton extracted his hand and started the engine.
“I didn’t know Blake’s wolves were giving you problems.”
“It’s fine. I can deal with them. I’m not helpless.”
Hearing the anger in Jerry’s voice, he decided this was a topic that shouldn’t be brought up tonight, but perhaps another time, when Jerry was calmer. Sooner or later, Colton would get those names and he’d deal with those bastards in his own way.
Blake’s wolves weren’t a concern to him. They might be the same species, but his Alpha wolf saw them as lesser predators. Killing one or two and claiming it was an accident wouldn’t float by Blake though, and he and his group of friends had a fragile relationship with the local pack.
Most dominant animal groups of a territory didn’t tolerate outsiders, especially a powerful group of lone Alphas, but Blake needed the help. Hell, they needed Magnus and his vampires to hold on to Emerald Valley, to dissuade other groups from coming to town and thinking they were easy pickings. So they had a silent agreement to protect the town and its residents together.
Killing a bad wolf or two would violate that agreement.
Shit. Colton needed to talk to someone rational about this. Lee would have been his first choice, but Lee would most likely want to rip out his throat if Lee knew he had designs on Jerry. A problem for another day.
“So,” Jerry mumbled, probably noticing the silence. “Where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Um, I need to get something out there first.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t do well with crowds,” Jerry admitted. “I mean, it’s not my intention to ruin the evening, but if you’re bringing me to a crowded restaurant—”
“Do you trust me, Jerry?” he interrupted.
The Omega gave some thought to his question, before nodding. “I do, although I don’t know why. You’re one of Lee’s best friends, but you’re safe.”
Safe?
That wasn’t the ideal word Colton used to describe himself. He intended to stake his claim on Jerry tonight, to have Jerry scream for him in pleasure, but Colton wasn’t a monster. If Jerry wasn’t ready or ended up deciding this wasn’t working out, he would back away, although it would be the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.
He veered the truck away from the main town square and headed for the exit.
“Where are we going?” Jerry finally asked, a hint of fear in his voice.
“To a place of mine, near the woods.”
Jerry let out a breath.
“Too much for you?” Colton asked, not teasing but serious.
Jerry hesitated. “Please don’t tell me we’re going to hunt for our dinner, because I’m starving.”
That relaxed Colton a little. He couldn’t help it—he laughed. Colton had been wary of Jerry’s previous experience with sex. Living with a nest of vampires couldn’t spawn any good experiences. Magnus’ coven was probably the only exception, but vampires in general thought themselves as superior, even against other paranormal species.
Jerry’s stomach let out a growl, and Colton couldn’t help but chuckle.
Through the mirror, he saw Jerry’s eyes widened, then narrow to suspicion.
“Wait, am I right? Are we really going to hunt for dinner?”
There was slight panic to Jerry’s voice, something he couldn’t identify yet.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do that to you. Well, another time maybe.” Colton could already imagine running with Jerry in the woods. He looked at the road ahead
of him. Trees lined either side of the road, and pretty soon, he’d turn into a dirt road leading to the woods and his property.
Finally, he said, “I don’t do well with crowds either.”
A pause.
“I remember Lee mentioning you worked for the army before.”
“I was part of a shifter special ops team,” he admitted. “I can’t tell you the details.”
Jerry nodded in understanding. “I’m scared to ask, but I’m guessing you did things that weren’t—”
Jerry seemed to fumble for the right word.
“Yeah,” he only said. “Deeds I wasn’t proud of. After a time, I got sick of making excuses, and when I received a call from Lee, telling me to drag my sorry ass to Emerald Valley to solve a murder, I was relieved. My wolf was about to go insane anyway.”
“I felt it. Your beast, I meant. It’s a little savage, wilder than the other shifters.”
“The strain of taking lives does that. Jerry, it’s not just you who comes with baggage.”
To his surprise, Jerry beamed up at him. “We’re suited for each other then?”
“Much better than you think. Don’t worry. We’re just going to have a nice dinner here, because the view is amazing. Then I’ll drive you back to your place, give you a good night kiss, okay?”
It was better Colton laid out his plan to avoid scaring off Jerry. He’d already revealed too much of himself. Most sensible submissive shifters would run from him. In the process of becoming the best at his job, Colton had warped into a monster. He wanted Jerry to know that, before this turned into something more.
“Oh.” Jerry sounded disappointed, although he couldn’t quite figure out why.
Colton followed the trail to his cabin and parked outside.
“You live out here?” Jerry asked.
“I also rent a single-room apartment studio near the security firm where I work at, for convenience’s sake, but weekends, I spend here. Sometimes, one of my friends come with me and we waste the hours away, hunting or running in the woods.”
“Sounds nice.”
