by Liv Rider
Louis grumbled something about how happy he was not to have a garden or backyard at all, but the matter seemed settled. Thomas hoped he wouldn’t have to step in.
“Okay, no big news from the wolves, then. Alexandra? Do you have anything?”
He sent Joel a message at around half past two, asking if he wanted to watch another movie or have dinner tomorrow evening. Joel replied a little before three, saying he could probably do dinner and he’d need to take another look at his schedule before he could agree to meeting up that weekend.
Thomas tried not to be disappointed. He’d known Joel had a job that wasn’t exactly nine to five, and they’d been lucky with setting up dates so far. Maybe it was good for him to have some time to himself too. It wasn’t just Joel who had his future to think about; this would affect his life too. He’d been so focused on how to tell Joel that he hadn’t thought about what they should do next.
We should be with our mate!
His dragon kept insisting on that, and Thomas kept ignoring the suggestion. He had promised to give Joel time.
He messaged Joel back, telling him the council had taken the news of his true mate being human well, that he hadn’t mentioned his name or anything else about him, and he’d wait for Joel to let him know when he’d be available for a date.
He tried not to worry when he didn’t hear anything for the rest of the day. He reminded himself that Joel had had a long shift, and that Joel had mentioned he’d likely collapse into bed by the end of the day.
11
Joel
Walking into work that afternoon was a relief. He’d spent the whole day thinking about what Thomas had told him, and he was looking forward to focusing on orders and customers instead. His thoughts kept going in circles. Thomas loves me, none of this was about me running away from Barnhill at all! But thinking about his family made him worry that maybe they’d been right all along. There’s no way a relationship between a shifter and a human could work. We’re too different. Thomas was just being nice when he said he was happy I wasn’t a shifter. Then again, a shifter would never lie to their true mate. Thomas had meant every word. Including the part where he’s expecting me to help out and set an example…
By that point, he usually managed to pull himself away from anxious thoughts about shifters in Lewiston sneering at him by focusing on the fact that those shifters didn’t even know about the two of them. This was between him and Thomas, which made him think about how great last night had been and how much he wanted to see Thomas again.
When he entered the break room, Steven was finishing his shift. “Hey, heading to a lecture?” Joel saw Steven pack his laptop in his bag.
“Yeah, followed by a statistics tutorial, so that’s going to be one wild evening.” He looked up at Joel. “But how was your evening? Didn’t you have another date with that guy?”
“Thomas.” He smiled.
Steven laughed. “I don’t need to ask if it went well, then. Try not to daydream too much at work!”
“I’ll have you know I’m looking forward to being swamped with complicated orders instead of daydreaming.”
Steven looked surprised at that, but shrugged. “Still sounds better than statistics. Good luck.”
Whether it was with Thomas or his shift, Joel wasn’t sure. “Thanks. You too.”
When he got behind the counter where Nancy was already at work, she commented on it too. “You look happy. Good date last night?”
“Very.” He hoped Nancy wouldn’t pry more than that. He just wanted to work and not think about being true mates with Thomas for a couple of hours.
She looked at him as she rearranged some of the cupcakes. “You must really like him, since you’re going on this many dates so quickly.”
“I guess our schedules just worked out like that. With my luck, we won’t be able to meet at all next week because of my schedule.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to offer to switch shifts, then,” Nancy quickly countered, but smiled. “I know what you mean about our schedules. It makes a social life difficult sometimes. You’ll be seeing him again?”
“Definitely.” He was sure about that. He just wasn’t sure about everything else it would involve. “Once I figure out when.”
Fortunately, a family with two kids came in, preventing further questions.
The break was more than welcome and he quickly ate a sandwich while Nancy packed her things. “See you tomorrow?”
He nodded. “Yep, I’ve got the morning shift.”
“Ah, no date tonight for you, then.” She gave him a sympathetic smile.
“No, but we’re probably having dinner tomorrow evening.” That would give him at least a day to think about everything.
She gave him a thumbs up before leaving.
He sat back in his chair. He wanted to look forward to seeing Thomas again, but whenever he tried to imagine what it’d be like to meet up for drink or just watch a movie at his place, that nice mental image got ruined by thoughts of Thomas asking him to come to shifter events with him, or asking him to help out with a problem. He couldn’t do that. He didn’t want that kind of responsibility. He didn’t know the first thing about solving problems between shifters. Why would they even listen to him?
He grabbed his phone, looking at Thomas’ latest message.
I told the council that I had met my true mate and that he’s human. They took it well, I think. I didn’t mention anything else about you, don’t worry. Let me know about tomorrow evening. Good luck at work!
He should feel reassured by that, but it was also a reminder that Thomas’ job was such a big part of his life. Thomas had to tell his council about having found his true mate. Joel, meanwhile, didn’t have to tell his colleagues anything about his love life, but he did it because they were close.
Claire walked into the break room. “Joel? It’s getting busier again. I need you behind the counter.”
He groaned when he got up on his feet. “I’ll be right there.”
Well, he had wanted the distraction of a busy shift.
By the time his shift ended and they’d finished cleaning and preparing for tomorrow, Joel was exhausted. He yawned as he left the café. It was a quarter to eleven and he longed for his bed. His alarm would be going off early tomorrow. At least he had dinner with Thomas to look forward to.
Dammit, I’ve forgotten to reply!
Joel took his phone from his jacket pocket as he walked, making sure to avoid the other pedestrians.
What was he supposed to reply? ‘Great, I’m so glad your council doesn’t hate my guts’? What did ‘they took it well, I think’ mean? Was it wishful thinking on Thomas’ part? Was his council good at hiding how they really felt? Did he want Joel to meet them?
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was starting to panic again, his mind thinking up new, terrifying scenarios. There was no need to assume the worst. Thomas had been understanding so far. He’d said himself that morning that he’d been moving too fast.
They were true mates and true mates always worked things out between them. He had to trust that bond, even if he couldn’t feel it.
By the time he turned the corner to his street, he still hadn’t thought of a reply. Staring at the message hadn’t given him any inspiration. He put his phone back in his pocket, then grabbed his keys. The street around him was quiet, the silence welcome after listening to customers all day.
He was checking his keyring for the key to the building when someone stepped out of an alley and onto the pavement in front of him. “Sorry,” he said automatically, moving to avoid colliding with him.
“Hey Joel.”
He froze. That voice. It couldn’t be. “Dylan?” he whispered, too terrified to look away from his keys to see for himself.
“Ah, so you do remember us after all.”
That sneer brought back too many bad memories. He looked up at Dylan and felt as small and useless as on the day he’d left home.
Not his home
.
Lewiston was his home.
He stepped back, stumbling off the sidewalk and onto the street. “What do you want?” His voice was shaking.
Dylan was taller than he remembered, and even broader. His dark hair was cropped short rather than the longer, curly hair Joel remembered.
His brother just smiled, as cold and insincere as always. “You caused a bit of a scandal back home, you know, running away like that. Do you know what you’ve put us through? The embarrassment? The shame?”
“What I’ve put you through?” He moved farther away from Dylan as surprise and anger welled up inside him. “What I put you through? How about what you guys put me through? The bullying? Ignoring me? Treating me like I was worthless? Like I didn’t matter?”
Dylan rolled his eyes. “Oh please, stop being so sensitive. No one actually hurt you. Not seriously, anyway.”
It was Dylan’s dismissive attitude that hurt the most. All the anger he’d bottled up wanted to spill out. He wanted to scream at his brother, to punch him and have it hurt. He wanted Dylan to understand. “You don’t give a shit about me, do you?” He curled his hands into fists. It was pointless to pick a fight with Dylan, he knew that, but the urge to punch persisted. “You’re just annoyed because I embarrassed you in front of everyone.”
“Oh, finally, he gets it.” Dylan spread his arms wide, sighing dramatically. “Look, it’s embarrassing enough having you as a half-brother, but you running away after everything we did for you? I’ve always known you were an ungrateful brat.”
“Ungrateful?” Joel spat, taking a few steps closer to Dylan. “I’m ungrateful? You’ve made my life hell for years, and now you’re—”
“Quiet, Joel, you’re waking up the entire neighborhood.”
Joel froze again. It felt like ice was running down his spine when he realized it was his dad’s voice. Of course, Dylan wouldn’t have come here alone. “Dad?”
His father sneered at him as he walked over. There was more grey in his black hair than on the day Joel had left, and a few more lines in his face, but the man was still imposing. “You know you’re not supposed to call me that.”
“Dad.” He couldn’t help it. “What the hell are you two doing here?” He backed away from his father and looked at Dylan. A hand wrapped around his arm and he turned around, suddenly face to face with his other brother. “Adam?”
He tried to pull himself free, but Adam was stronger. Dylan and Dad had him surrounded.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Dylan grinned down at him. “We’re bringing you home.”
He was locked in the dark, unable to see when the van would turn or break suddenly, and kidnapped by his own family. His heart was pounding in his chest and he felt like he was about to throw up.
Kidnapped.
In between panicking when the van had to break or pull up at a traffic light, that was the main thing going through his head.
He’d been kidnapped.
Why? After all this time, why?
Was it all because he’d embarrassed them by running away? How had they found out he was in Lewiston? He had so many questions and he knew his brothers and father well enough to know he wouldn’t get a satisfactory answer to any of them.
He could guess the ‘how’ himself. It must’ve been because of the event from last week. There had been so many shifters, and one of them must’ve seen him and recognized him after all. His stomach turned when he realized he could’ve avoided all this by faking illness last Saturday.
I should’ve been more careful!
Of course, if he’d stayed at home last week, he wouldn’t have met Thomas.
Thomas.
The thought warmed Joel to his core and sparked a light of hope inside of him. He was Thomas’ true mate and Thomas would notice Joel wasn’t responding to any of his messages. He knew Joel had family in Barnhill. Surely the dragon shifter would put two and two together and rescue him?
The thought of being rescued by a dragon made him laugh despite the fear. “They should do it right and lock me up in a tower,” he muttered to himself.
He could get through this. All he had to do was stay calm and wait for Thomas. He didn’t know all the rules and laws a shifter had to abide by, but kidnapping had to be against them. There had to be a way to make sure his brothers and father would leave him alone.
Whatever his family did to him, he could handle it. He wasn’t the scared, ignored teenager his family had known. If they thought they could all go back to the way things were, Joel would prove them wrong. He had a home in Lewiston and he would get back to it.
With Thomas.
12
Thomas
By Friday afternoon, he still hadn’t heard anything from Joel and it was impossible not to worry. He’d messaged him a few times and even called him once, but there hadn’t been any response.
“Do you think he’s ill?” he asked Theresa, when she sat in his office to discuss a few issues they hadn’t resolved during the meeting.
“Who’s ill?” The shark shifter looked at her own notes.
“I—sorry, zoning out again.” He felt a flush of embarrassment. He had a job to do. He couldn’t sit here worrying about Joel. His dragon kept insisting something was wrong, but Thomas had promised Joel to give him all the time he needed to think about it. He would have to be patient.
We have been patient and given him time! Our mate is in trouble!
You’re over-reacting. Thomas closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to get swept away by his dragon’s frustration.
“Your mate is sick?”
Right, Theresa was still here. “Maybe. I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him since yesterday. Do you think that’s weird? I think it’s weird. Maybe I told him about being true mates too soon. He did say he needed to think about it. About us. Why can’t he think and message me back?”
Theresa stared at him. “Um, do you really want to go over this right now?” She waved her notebook at him.
“Yes! Yes, of course.”
Theresa sighed and opened her notebook again. “I still have some questions about—”
“You’re married, right? Does your husband ever not message you back all day?”
She resolutely closed her notebook and got up. “Thomas, deal with your mate first, then we can make another appointment. I’m not here to be your agony aunt!”
His first instinct was to be angry with her for daring to speak to him like this. Then, to his embarrassment, he realized she had a point. He hadn’t been listening to her at all. He’d only been thinking of Joel. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He ran both hands down his face. “What am I supposed to do, though? He’s not getting back to me.”
Go to him! his dragon urged.
“Maybe his phone’s broken,” she suggested kindly. “Don’t you know where he lives? Or works?”
“The café. Thanks, Theresa. I’ll go there right now.”
It was too much to hope for that Joel would be at work, but Thomas still felt disappointed when he entered Hampton’s Café and Joel wasn’t behind the counter. There was the woman in her forties he had seen earlier that week, Nancy, when he’d come to apologize to Joel, and Claire. They both looked up when he came in. Claire gave him a small smile of recognition when he came over to the counter.
“Ah, Mr. Rollins, good to see you again. I thought everything from last week was handled to your satisfaction?”
“Oh, yes, it was. Everything was fine. Great, even! I’m here about something else.” He glanced around. The café was quiet. There were a few students typing away at their laptops and an older couple enjoying a coffee with apple pie. At least he wasn’t taking Claire’s time away from customers. “It’s about Joel. Do you know if he’s ill?”
Claire exchanged a look with the woman next to her. “We don’t share our employees’ personal information with customers.”
“Oh, no, of course you wouldn’t.” Great, now he looked like some sort of crazy stalker. “He just hasn�
�t responded to my messages all day. It’s probably nothing.” From the look in Claire’s eyes, he was pretty sure that had made him sound like even more of a crazy stalker.
Nancy took a long look at him. “Weren’t you here on Monday? To ask Joel on a date?”
“Yes!” he exclaimed, far louder than he’d intended. He was relieved Nancy remembered him. “Yes.” He lowered his voice. “We went on a date on Monday afternoon.”
“He’s the guy.” Nancy looked at Claire. “Thomas.”
“Joel’s been talking about me?” He hoped he didn’t sound too eager.
“They’ve been on a few dates.” Nancy ignored Thomas as she kept talking to Claire, who was still eying Thomas suspiciously. “Which, considering they only met last week is pretty efficient if you ask me.”
“Wait, you met last Saturday? At the event?” Her eyes widened. “You’re the guy who was flirting with him!”
“Yes.” Now they were getting somewhere.
“Thomas Rollins.” Claire looked at Nancy. “I should’ve realized.”
“Well?” he prodded, hoping either woman would tell him something. “Is Joel ill?”
“I’m still not going to share an employee’s personal information. If Joel isn’t replying to your messages, I’m sure he has his reasons.”
Nancy looked at her boss, then at Thomas. “He missed his morning shift, though.”
“Nancy…”
Nancy mimed zipping her mouth shut and walked towards one of the coffee machines.
Thomas gave Claire his friendliest smile as he tried not to panic. “It’s fine. I’m sorry, I should’ve realized that you wouldn’t tell me. I know how this must look. But please, when you do see him, or if he calls… can you ask him to get back to me?”
She was silent for a long moment, looking over at Nancy, who shrugged. “I’ll consider it,” Claire said, turning back to him. Her expression softened. “Only if you promise to do the same if he contacts you.”