by Lynn Hagen
“I’m just good like that.”
Cyril looked around, but he didn’t see Moose’s towering form anywhere. Damn, the man really was that good. Moose wasn’t a small guy, and hiding would be particularly hard for him, but Cyril couldn’t spot him.
“He was on Jeremy’s porch when I got here,” Moose said. “I’m gonna stick around and see what he does next. Why don’t you take Jeremy home?”
“You read my mind,” Cyril said. “Thanks, buddy.”
“You owe me a real good meal for this,” Moose said. “Dessert, too.”
Bears and their sweet tooth. “I’ll make a lunch tomorrow that you won’t soon forget.”
“I’m counting on it.” Moose hung up.
When Cyril cut the corner, he said, “You can get up now.”
Jeremy slid halfway up the seat and peeked out the passenger window before he settled back in and clicked his seat belt into place. “Where’re you taking me?”
“Back to Samson and Davidson.” Cyril lived about five minutes away. “I need to let them outside.”
“Why don’t you install a doggy door?” Jeremy kept glancing around, as if Alan would pop up on the back road.
“I did that once and had to replace the back door. A skunk got in, and the dogs went nuts. I thought Samson would break the door down, although he’d done a lot of damage to it. The skunk smell was in my house for a month.”
Despite the situation, Jeremy smiled. “I’m glad I wasn’t around for that.”
“Consider yourself damn lucky you weren’t.” But Cyril’s mind took a different turn as he wondered if Jeremy knew about shifters. He had to have since he was married to Lily. But if Jeremy was ignorant—and Cyril didn’t see how that was possible—he didn’t want to freak him out.
Still…
“Was there anything different about Alan or Lily?” Cyril normally didn’t beat around the bush, but he had to approach this delicately.
Jeremy turned his head and stared at Cyril. “Like what?”
The guarded expression in Jeremy’s eyes told Cyril what he wanted to know. “Maybe the fact that they weren’t human?”
Fuck being delicate. Cyril would just rip the bandage off. Tiptoeing around things really wasn’t his style.
Jeremy gripped the strap to his seat belt so tightly that he should have yanked it free. “I…I, uh…I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “Not human? That’s insane.”
“Were you mates?” Cyril wasn’t going to let Jeremy get away with the ignorant crap. His mate knew full well what he was talking about.
He also knew Lily wasn’t Jeremy’s mate, because a nonhuman only got one mate. And since Jeremy was his, he already knew the answer.
Cyril just wanted Jeremy to admit that he knew about the preternatural world. If he did know about mates, then that would make their conversation go a bit more smoothly.
That was if Jeremy didn’t have a meltdown when Cyril told him about them.
“We’re here,” Jeremy announced when Cyril turned into his driveway.
“Are you always this evasive?”
Jeremy smiled at him and jumped out of the car, hurrying toward the back. Cyril wasn’t gonna let the pipsqueak evade him or his questions.
But Cyril wasn’t one to give chase. He tried to be smooth when he could be. He might’ve been a couple hundred years old, but that didn’t mean he was Casanova. The hidden truth be told, Cyril was kind of shy around those he was interested in.
And he was fully interested in Jeremy.
Cyril didn’t have heart-stopping pickup lines. He didn’t have the ability to sweep someone off his feet, either. Give him a business problem and he was in his element. Fuck with him and he was a beast.
But Cyril would try for smooth when handling Jeremy.
He got out of the car and let his mate into the house. As soon as the door was open, Samson and Davidson raced outside and headed toward the back.
No slobbery greeting or tail wagging. They were just gone. Boom, see ya. We’ll talk later was how they’d acted. Cyril moved past Jeremy and headed into the kitchen.
Jeremy joined him as he sat at the table.
Cyril grabbed two sodas and set one down in front of his mate before taking a seat. “So, as I was asking, were you and Lily mates?”
“How do you know about that?” Jeremy opened his can and took a sip. The whole time his gaze was dodging around.
“Answer my question and I’ll answer yours.” He glanced at the dog bowls and noticed they needed refilled. Cyril got up and took care of the bowls as he waited for Jeremy to answer him.
“No, we weren’t mates, but that didn’t stop me from loving her.”
If this had been under any other circumstance, Cyril might’ve felt jealousy that his mate had loved another. But he understood that people couldn’t stop themselves from being in love, and he didn’t have any competition.
Lily was no threat to him, unless Jeremy never let go and never moved on. Cyril wasn’t selfless enough to allow his mate to stay stuck, either.
“So how do you know about mates?”
Cyril finished filling the dog bowls and was in the middle of giving them water when Jeremy asked the question. There was no use hiding what he was if Jeremy knew about shifters.
“I’m a black panther.”
“A cat?” Jeremy cocked his head, studying Cyril as though he were trying to imagine what Cyril would look like as a panther.
“More like a powerful feline.” Cyril wasn’t sure why he was puffing his chest out like that. A cat was an accurate description, but he wanted to seem more powerful because the way Jeremy had said “cat” made it sound dainty.
“Lily never liked to shift.” Jeremy took a swallow of his soda, “no matter how many times I asked. Can I see your powerful feline?”
Jeremy tried to hide his smile behind his can. The brat. Was Jeremy teasing him? It was a good thing that he was coming out of his shell and more relaxed around Cyril, but Cyril wasn’t sure he liked being made fun of.
But he knew how to get even. “Sure.”
Right there in the kitchen, Cyril stripped naked. He could have and should have shifted right after he’d taken his clothes off, but he wanted Jeremy to get an eyeful first. After all, the guy had been sneaking peeks at his body all day. Why not let him get a full view?
“Why…” Jeremy sipped harder on his soda as if his life depended on it.
“Why am I naked?” Cyril hid his smile as he asked. “Because when I shift, I ruin my clothes, and I happen to like those jeans.”
“Oh.” Jeremy looked toward the floor, but his gaze didn’t stay there. He looked up, blushed, and sipped his drink again, making a slurping sound as his gaze bounced from the floor to Cyril’s body and then back to the floor.
Cyril crossed the room and stood a few feet from his mate. Shifters weren’t ashamed of their nudity. They spent a lot of their lifetime that way in order to shift.
He waited until Jeremy’s gaze slid over his entire body before he backed up and shifted into his black panther. But instead of approaching Jeremy, Cyril lay on the floor, waiting for his mate’s reaction.
“I guess you were right.” The soda can made a crinkling sound as Jeremy gripped it harder. “You are a powerful feline.” His brows dipped. “Can you understand me?”
Cyril was baffled at how Jeremy had been around a shifter for two years and hadn’t really known anything about them. Had Lily been ashamed of her hyena? Why hadn’t she let Jeremy see her true form?
Cyril nodded.
Jeremy’s eyes lit up. “This is so cool, although, I have to say, a bit intimidating, too. I feel like I’m about to pee my pants any second.”
He wanted to tell Jeremy that there was nothing to be frightened of but couldn’t speak while in his cat form. Instead, Cyril got up and slowly approached, giving his mate a chance to leave the kitchen if he was uncomfortable.
Jeremy stiffened but sat still.
Cyril licked his hand and backed away just as Samson and Davidson came into the house. They were used to seeing Cyril in his panther form. Davidson sniffed at Cyril then went straight for his food.
Samson didn’t bat an eye at him. He trotted right over, licked Cyril’s muzzle, then joined Davidson.
Biting his lower lip, Jeremy petted Cyril’s head. “Your fur is so soft.”
A purr rolled through Cyril as he rested his head on Jeremy’s lap.
“I would call you an oversized kitten, but I got the feeling you didn’t like being called a cat. And since I don’t know you very well, I’m gonna play nice so you’re not tempted to eat me.”
Cyril licked Jeremy’s hand again.
“See.” Jeremy grinned. “I knew you didn’t like being called a cat. And why am I so calm when you’re like this? I should be scared, and I was scared, but not anymore. Although I knew Lily was a shifter, I’ve never seen a human change into an animal. And by the way, I find that cool as hell. Wait, I already said that.”
Jeremy kept rattling on, and Cyril knew his mate was still nervous. Jeremy also wouldn’t stop petting him, and Cyril was eating that shit up. Or rather his panther was. The human in him wanted to shift, bend his mate over the kitchen table, and claim him.
But Cyril would give Jeremy all the time he wanted to stroke his fur. It felt good, and it wasn’t often Cyril was with someone who would do that for him.
In fact, the experience was few and far between.
It wasn’t until Cyril’s phone chimed, telling him he had a text, that Cyril backed away and shifted into his human form. “Yes, I can understand every word you say,” he said to Jeremy before answering his phone.
“I just wanted you to know Alan gave up and left,” Moose said. “I’m heading home to my cuddle bunny. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks for doing that,” Cyril said. “Much appreciated.”
“Appreciate tomorrow with that amazing lunch you promised me. Don’t forget, I’m a growing boy and need the calories.” Moose hung up.
Cyril set his phone on the counter and turned to face Jeremy. “And there is no reason to be frightened of me in my cat form.”
Jeremy snickered. “You mean your powerful feline form.”
“Yeah, that, too. I’m fully aware of who you are and would never hurt you.” Cyril grabbed his boxers from the floor and slid them on. “You can sleep in the guest room tonight. The couch looks comfy, but it can be a killer on the back.”
“Thanks.” Jeremy stood and waved his hand around. “For helping me out in a pinch. I’m not sure why Alan is here, but I…” He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t want to deal with him right now. I guess seeing him was a blow I wasn’t expecting. He looks just like Lily, and that threw me.”
Cyril crossed the kitchen and slid his knuckles over Jeremy’s cheek, not only to soothe Jeremy but because Cyril needed to touch his mate. “Anytime.”
“I’m not tired yet,” Jeremy said. “I think I’ll sit in the backyard and enjoy the sunset.”
“I’ll join you.” This time Cyril pulled two bottles of tea from the fridge before they went outside.
When they sat in the lawn chairs and Cyril had crossed his ankles, he felt the need to confess to Jeremy what they were to each other.
“There’s something I have to talk to you about.”
“The work I did today?” Jeremy asked. “I know I can’t cook, but I don’t think I did so badly with the other stuff.”
“You did great.” Cyril twisted the cap off his bottle. “You’re hired, by the way.”
“To do what I did?” Jeremy asked. “I liked going over your books, too. Don’t ask me why Excel spreadsheets excite me, but I love doing them.”
“Then you can do the bookkeeping.” Cyril hated that part of the job. He usually procrastinated until he was so backed up that he worked an entire weekend to get caught up. Having Jeremy do them would be a blessing.
“Sweet.” Jeremy lifted his tea bottle.
Cyril lifted his own.
“To the start of a beautiful business friendship,” Jeremy said.
“To the start of a beautiful relationship,” Cyril said. He took a swallow and added, “We’re mates by the way.”
Chapter Five
Cyril jumped up and pounded on Jeremy’s back when Jeremy started choking on his tea. Jeremy thought for a second he’d bought the farm, until he was able to breathe again.
“Remind me the next time I have an announcement to make sure you’re not eating or drinking anything.” Cyril hunched down next to Jeremy’s chair. “Are you okay, or do I need to perform mouth to mouth?”
Those five words kept circling around in Jeremy’s head as he stared at Cyril’s handsome face. Mates. Fuck, was he serious? Jeremy’s mind was blown as he chugged his tea, needing the liquid to quench his parched throat.
And there Cyril squatted, so much concern in his eyes that Jeremy nearly laughed.
That was how he seemed to be handling this situation. An urge to laugh his ass off because that was better than panicking and running away.
And that was what Jeremy felt like doing right now. Spinning his butt around and running until the chaos inside him settled the fuck down.
There was plenty of chaos, too. So much so that Jeremy chugged the rest of his tea, belched, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he tried to figure out what to say.
The knowledge also dawned on him that, if what Cyril was saying was true, he’d known since yesterday morning.
That explained a lot. Like his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder yesterday at breakfast. Cyril picking up his and Moose’s tab. Letting Jeremy crash on his couch while he slept and sobered up. Working together today—which happened to have been one of the best days Jeremy had had in a very long time, except for Alan showing up. But not even his sudden appearance had been able to dampen Jeremy’s happiness.
Anger rose inside him that Cyril hadn’t told him the truth from the beginning, then his anger faded. What was Cyril supposed to have done, blurted that out when they’d first met? Jeremy would have hauled ass as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
He still might.
“I’m gonna put some fresh sheets on the guest bed while you let that soak in.” It was Cyril who was hauling ass. Not Jeremy. It seemed Cyril couldn’t get into the house fast enough.
Jeremy sat there on the lawn chair, staring at the backyard, but he wasn’t seeing anything. He was zoned out as he turned over Cyril’s announcement. He examined it from every angle as the sun slowly sank behind the line of trees in the far distance.
Jeremy was still sitting there when the back porch light came on. Cyril appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame. “Come inside. You don’t have to say anything, but the bugs will eat you alive out here.”
Jeremy wasn’t sure if he’d stood on his own or if Cyril had pulled him from the chair, but his feet were suddenly moving. He took a deep breath, let it out, and just like that, everything seemed to snap into place.
Sort of. Well, not fully, but he was no longer dazed.
“I made you a hot cup of tea.”
“Hot?” The cool interior of the house felt good on Jeremy’s heated skin.
“I thought it would help calm your nerves.”
“They’re calm.” What a liar he was. Yet Jeremy had pulled off that lie with a straight face. “I just need rest. It’s been a long day, and I’m exhausted.”
Cyril tilted his head. “You running from me, shortcake?”
“Most definitely,” Jeremy said before he hurried down the hallway. Too bad he didn’t know which room was for him.
Cyril grinned as he pointed to the one on Jeremy’s right. “Good night, mate.”
“Good night…uh…whatever.” Jeremy rushed into the room and closed the door. He leaned against it as he looked around the room. Damn, it was decorated nicer than his own bedroom.
Even the floral comforter was appealing to
the eyes. Jeremy sat on the bed and pressed his hands between his knees. “Oh, Lily. What am I supposed to do?”
She had been the one who had made most of the decisions in their marriage, and Jeremy had liked it that way. But now he felt adrift in a choppy sea as he sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
He imagined her sitting right next to him, taking his hand in hers and giving him a reassuring, breathtaking smile. The image brought tears to his eyes.
He missed her so damn much. Jeremy felt lost without her, and his arms ached to hug her.
A soft knock landed on the door. Jeremy wiped at his eyes as Cyril entered. Cyril didn’t say a word as he sat next to Jeremy and pulled him into a hug.
Jeremy openly wept and wasn’t ashamed of the fact. Not only had Lily been his wife but his best friend, too. He needed her advice so badly right now. But in his heart, he already knew what she would tell him.
To keep her memories in his heart but to move on. To let her go. And that was the hardest thing Jeremy would ever have to do.
“It’s gonna be okay.” Cyril’s deep voice helped settle a lot of the turmoil inside Jeremy, but he still felt the tremendous loss. He’d lied to Moose when they’d first met and had told the guy that Lily had died from breast cancer.
In truth, she had been killed by some damn hunters while she had been out on a run. Jeremy still felt the pain of her loss just as deeply as when it had first happened.
And he didn’t know how to get past that.
“You can talk to me about anything,” Cyril said. “I promise I don’t judge.” He leaned back and looked Jeremy in his eyes. “Do you want to talk about her?”
It was as if a dam had broken. Jeremy started talking and didn’t stop until well past midnight. He even told Cyril about how Lily had made most of the decisions, how her smile had lit up his entire world, and how psycho she could be when pissed off.
Cyril had listened to every word, laughing a few times but hugging Jeremy even more.
“She sounds like she was a wonderful woman.” Cyril kissed Jeremy on his forehead. “I’m sorry you lost her.”
“Thank you.” Jeremy gave Cyril a shaky smile. “And I’m sorry I kept you up so late.”