by Bru Baker
Raoul’s nose twitched, which he tried to cover with a cough, but Drew saw right through it. It was a gesture he was well acquainted with, unfortunately.
“Are you serious? You didn’t tell your boyfriend I’m human?”
Jackson crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “Why should I? You’re my brother. We don’t have to label things.”
Drew barked out a laugh. “God, you’re an idiot. It’s not a label, dumbass. And it’s kind of important information.” He turned to Raoul, who had flushed crimson at the attention. “No worries, man. But didn’t you wonder why I was in the hospital? If I’d been a Were, I would have healed as soon as the bullet was out.”
“I figured you’d been picked up by the EMTs and taken here before anyone could stop it.”
“And the rapid healing? How would we have explained that?” Drew shook his head, amused. “Never mind. I don’t mean to put you on the spot. So hi. That’s our friend Scott over in the corner. I’m Drew. Your boyfriend’s human stepbrother, in case he left that part out too.”
Raoul punched Jackson on the shoulder. “Yes, he did. But the designation isn’t necessary. You are his brother in all but blood. He loves you very much.”
It was Jackson’s turn to flush. The fact Raoul knew how to embarrass Jackson definitely made him rise in Drew’s esteem.
“Whatever. Are you ready to blow this pop stand? Jordan has his car now so he can follow you guys to camp. I’ll head back with Raoul.”
Jordan made a face. “You’re gonna ride with that chump instead of me?”
Scott spread his hands wide, shrugging. “He’s got impeccable taste. What can I say?”
DREW ended up riding with Jordan after all because the camp was difficult to find even if you knew where the turnoff was. They spent the forty-five-minute ride catching up with each other, and it was nice. He’d missed Jordan’s wry sense of humor and knack for storytelling, and the ride flew by. Drew found himself enjoying Jordan’s company, which wasn’t something he’d been able to do for the last two years. He was finally over him, and it was a relief.
Not that he was faring well in the heartbreak department, but it was refreshing to be pining for someone other than Jordan.
“So, D, you like this place? It doesn’t give you the heebie-jeebies being out in the middle of nowhere?” Jordan asked as they drove down the access road hidden in miles and miles of forest.
“It doesn’t feel so isolated when you’re there,” Drew promised. “And the little town I have my office in is cute. It’s nice, being out of the bustle of the city. Less pressure, more time to relax.”
“Sounds terrible,” Jordan said. He pulled up to the gate, peering into the camera. Drew tried to lean over but groaned when the move put too much strain on his chest. “Sit up, moron. Scott said he called ahead. They’re expecting us.”
Sure enough, the gates started their slow slide open right before Scott’s car pulled up behind them. Jordan eased through, taking it slow because the gravel made the car bounce. Drew’s stitches and abused ribs appreciated it.
He directed him through camp, pointing out buildings and giving him a running commentary on the staff and the campers. When he pulled up to the infirmary and parked Drew felt a wave of reluctance to get out of the car. Once he did, he’d have to face Nick.
Unfortunately, Jordan took his hesitation for frailty. He was up and around the car in a blink, opening Drew’s door and holding his hands out to help him up.
“I’ve got it,” Drew said irritably. “Seriously, move. It’ll hurt more if you pull me, anyway.”
Jordan backed up a step but was still hovering, like he was waiting for Drew to fall. More werewolf bullshit. He wasn’t feeble, dammit. He was injured, and he healed slowly, but he healed. He could take care of himself.
He braced himself against the door frame and stood, taking a few shaky steps until he got his balance and could stand straight. His knees buckled and Jordan lurched forward, catching Drew as gently as he could.
“Yeah, this isn’t working for me,” Jordan said, sweeping Drew up into a bridal carry. “Now this is the ticket. Shall I carry you across the threshold?”
Drew’s ribs ached as he laughed, but before he could tell Jordan to put him down, the front door opened and Nick flew out onto the porch. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in days, and his hair was sticking up like they’d woken him from an afternoon nap.
The second his eyes fell on the two of them, his entire demeanor changed. His eyes narrowed and his hands balled into fists, which he shoved in his pockets as he hurried down the wide planked stairs.
“Thought I heard a car. Welcome back,” he said gruffly as he brushed past them, turning down the path toward the forest and disappearing at a flat-out sprint.
Chapter Thirteen
NICK shifted before he cleared the koi pond, not even bothering to undress. He had a moment’s regret over ruining a pair of Drew’s sweats, but it was fleeting. He couldn’t focus on anything other than getting himself away from the light, happy sound of Drew’s laughter.
It had woken him from a dead sleep and he’d rushed outside, half-convinced he was hallucinating. But there he’d been—cradled in that other wolf’s arms, looking flushed and smelling of happiness and the chemical tang of pain killers.
His claws dug deep into the soil thanks to yesterday’s rain. It slowed him down, but he liked the way the extra effort made his muscles burn. It distracted him from the ache in his chest.
Nick had managed to convince himself he might have misinterpreted things at the hospital. He hated himself for not visiting Drew again, but he’d been too jittery to make the drive. Hell, Kenya had put him on temporary leave because he couldn’t concentrate and was snapping at people right and left. He’d holed up in Drew’s room because their mingled scents calmed his wolf, even though surrounding himself with it made his grief over fucking up his chance even worse.
Logically he knew Drew survived the shooting. But his instincts were running amok like he’d died. Probably because Nick had accepted him as his mate and then had that bond ripped away. Drew was alive, but Drew wasn’t his. It was hard for his wolf to process.
It was hard for his brain to process too. Hours had passed between the two of them talking about getting serious and Nick walking in on Drew making out with his old flame. Hours. And Nick had no right to be angry with Drew about it because he’d made it clear he wasn’t ready for that step.
Drew’s near-death experience had broken something loose inside him, and apparently the same had happened for Drew—but with Jordan.
Nick’s lungs burned as he pushed harder, tearing along the camp’s border in a now-familiar loop. He’d spent most of his time out here trying to tire himself to the point he could sleep without seeing Drew’s body crumpled in a pool of blood.
And now he had a new image to join it in his nightmares—Jordan carrying Drew into the house like a blushing bride. It was somehow worse than the intimate picture they’d made cuddled up in bed together.
A sharp bark brought Nick up short, and he skidded to a stop and turned to see Scott bounding toward him in wolf form. He nosed at Nick’s neck, whining. Nick knew he must smell like heartbreak and exhaustion, which was another reason he’d sequestered himself away from everyone else.
Scott backed up, eyes flashing, and barked again. He took off at a slower pace than Nick’s sprint, and Nick trotted alongside him, happy for the company. Maybe closing himself off had been a mistake. He’d even refused to talk to Tate, though he was sure Anne Marie wouldn’t allow that for much longer. Not if he wanted to stay employed.
Scott cut through a clearing and ended up in the stables. He nudged open the door and entered, and Nick followed him. The cool air smelled of hay and made Nick sneeze, but it felt good against his fur.
Nick growled when a blanket fell over him, but he took the hint and shifted. The material was coarse and itchy, but he wrapped it around his waist and sat on the hay bale next to Scot
t, who was similarly attired.
“I didn’t think you’d want to have our come to Jesus chat with your junk out,” Scott said, nodding toward the blanket.
“I’m agnostic,” Nick said flatly.
“Well, I was using Jesus as a metaphor for Drew, and we all know you believe he exists,” Scott said. “He was worried about you. You took off like the hounds of hell were chasing you. What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on. You know I’ve been staying at the infirmary, but now that Drew and Jordan are there, it would be a little crowded. I just wanted to give them space.”
It was a lame excuse. The infirmary was easily the biggest building on campus. Scott wasn’t impressed. Nick had never seen him anything but upbeat and cheerful, but he looked downright murderous right now.
“The last thing Drew needs from you right now is space,” Scott snapped. “But he has this misguided idea about boundaries and overstepping so he’d never flat-out tell you he needed you there. But he does.”
Nick’s stomach churned. “He’s got Jordan.”
Scott frowned. “Yeah. And me, and Harris, and Kaylee, and everyone else, but he wants you. I know you’ve got some fucked-up ideas about humans dating Weres, but you need to put that shit aside for right now and get your ass over to Drew’s.”
If only Scott knew how wrong he had that.
“I don’t—I mean, yeah. At first. But now? No. This has nothing to do with Drew being human.”
“So why are you avoiding him? He was upset you didn’t come see him, Nick. You two have been close, and that was a dick move.”
It had been a dick move. But he’d have been of no use to Drew—he doubted he could have stayed in a hospital room with Drew and Jordan and controlled himself. He’d popped claws the moment he saw them together at the house. He couldn’t imagine what he’d have done at the hospital.
“It was, and I’m sorry.”
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to,” Scott said, gesturing in the direction of the infirmary.
Nick took a deep breath. “I will. I’m going to go back to my cabin and get showered and changed, and then I’ll go over.”
Scott didn’t look like he believed him, which was fair. If Nick could think of a way out of this, he’d take it. But he didn’t want to cause Drew any distress, so no matter the personal cost, he’d suck it up and go see him.
JORDAN was sitting at his desk when he got out of the shower.
Nick growled before he could stop himself, his embarrassment over his reaction turning to anger when Jordan rolled his eyes and laughed.
“Sorry, big guy. Scott said you’d be coming to see Drew later, so I wanted to stop by and set some ground rules for you.”
Nick’s gums ached as his fangs threatened to pop through. Who the fuck did Jordan think he was, coming uninvited into his den and setting rules about how Nick could talk to his own mate?
His anger cooled when it sunk in that while his instincts might have declared Drew his mate, Drew hadn’t reciprocated. As Scott had so helpfully pointed out, Nick was the dick here. Not Drew. Not even Jordan.
Nick gritted his still-human teeth and stalked over to his dresser, pulling out clothes with more force than necessary. He was acting like one of his moody wolflings, but he didn’t care. His hissy fit was keeping him from tearing into Jordan. Possibly literally.
He dropped his towel and pulled on a pair of sweatpants, forgoing his usual boxers because he’d probably end up shifted and running again after seeing Drew. No reason to bust through all his clothes.
“So I don’t know you, but I know Drew very well,” Jordan said when Nick turned and leaned against the dresser, his arms folded over his chest. “And I know there’s something going on between the two of you. Drew told me.”
They probably had a good laugh over it, Nick thought bitterly. He took a clean T-shirt off a pile of unfolded laundry and put it on, not comfortable being exposed in any way around Jordan.
“And?”
Jordan sighed. “He knows you slept in his bed. I mean, hell, even Drew’s human nose could smell you on his sheets. Clearly you spent the last few days holed up in his room.”
Nick’s eyes flashed at the thought of Jordan in Drew’s room, and Jordan held up his hands, misinterpreting it as a threat.
“Dude, I didn’t tell him anything. But he knows you’ve been sleeping there, and even though he seemed kinda pissed about it, he also smelled happy. Which is why I’m hoping you can come over and talk through whatever issue you’re having. If it’s still your hangup about humans, I can tell you that’s bunk, man. I’ve been in your shoes, and I get it. I had the same hesitations. But Drew is a force of nature. He doesn’t let anything stand between him and what he wants. And it’s good. We fought like any couple does, but it was never about wolf stuff. Never.”
Nick tasted the tang of blood as his fangs sliced through his tongue.
“I’m glad Drew has you,” he managed to force out. “I’m sure you’ll be happy together.”
Jordan’s mouth dropped open. “Together? You thought we were getting back together? Shit, no wonder you look like you want to kill me!”
Nick’s throat rumbled with another deep growl, and Jordan jumped up. “Seriously, Nick. Drew and I are not getting back together. He’s gone for you, man. He’s been pining for days because you didn’t come see him. He thinks getting shot fucked things up between you.”
That didn’t make any sense. Nick’s head reeled.
“I—you’re not dating?”
“No! We did. For a long time. I admit seeing him in that hospital bed fucked with my instincts to a massive degree, and in that moment I’d have done anything to be back in a relationship with him. But he pointed out it was just a stress response, and he was right. By the next morning I felt like an idiot. Drew’s moved on. With you. And Drew and I, we’re friends. Pack. And that isn’t going to change, so you’re going to have to accept it.”
Could he accept that Drew and Jordan were friends? In a heartbeat. Especially if that meant he still had a chance with Drew. With his chosen mate. But he didn’t quite trust Jordan just yet.
“You two were kissing—”
“I kissed him. And he very nicely told me I was being a delusional ass who was letting my instincts take over, and he was right. He’s always right about that stuff, Nick.”
This time Nick didn’t fight it when the heat of the shift rippled over him. He hit the ground on all fours and darted for the door, yipping a thank-you to Jordan when he beat him there and opened it for him.
His heart was in his throat as he sprinted to the infirmary. Scott was sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea, and he opened the door for Nick, who barely spared him a glance as his claws skittered on the hardwood. He slipped twice getting up the stairs and misjudged the length of the hallway, thumping hard against Drew’s closed bedroom door when he didn’t have enough room to stop.
Drew called out groggily from inside, and Nick nosed the handle open and eased inside, unsure of his welcome.
The surge of relief he could scent in the air gave him courage, and he leaped up onto the bed, careful not to jostle Drew, who was propped up on half a dozen pillows and looked like he’d been ripped from a nap.
Drew only hesitated a split second before moving his arm so Nick could slide in up against his side. Nick buried his nose in Drew’s neck, breathing in the scent of him.
“You’d better be here when I wake up,” Drew said, his voice gravelly with sleep.
He would be. No one was going to be able to pry him away from Drew ever again. Nick would do whatever it took to convince Drew he was all in. If Drew was willing to offer him a second chance, he was going to take it, no matter what conditions Drew put on it.
Nick nuzzled against him, licking the salty skin along his jaw. Drew hummed happily and ran a hand down Nick’s spine.
“I’m going to be so pissed if this is a Vicodin dream,” he muttered before drifting off.
Chapter Fourteen
EVERYTHING hurt. Which made no sense. Why should his entire body hurt? Shouldn’t it just be his chest? But no, everything hurt.
Logically, Drew knew his body was using all of its resources to heal and that was why he had no energy and was exhausted by the slightest task. He wasn’t too proud to admit he’d let Jordan carry him up the stairs yesterday, even though he’d protested at first. There was no way he’d have gotten up to his room otherwise, and his bed was a lot more comfortable than the beds in the infirmary.
Still, sleeping shouldn’t make him tired. If he was going to wake up next to a gorgeous naked man, he’d prefer his exhaustion be due to activities of the carnal sort.
Nick had shifted back in his sleep and was curled around Drew, head pressed against Drew’s shoulder, still out like a light. His eyes were bruised and his skin sallow, which given his werewolf healing probably meant he’d barely slept since the shooting.
Drew tried to raise an arm to card through Nick’s hair, wincing when the movement pulled at his stitches and sore ribs. He settled for resting his fingertips against the soft skin of Nick’s hip, the only part of him Drew could reach.
Jordan had woken him twenty minutes ago with a glass of orange juice and some prescription Tylenols, and miraculously, Nick hadn’t stirred. If Jordan had been at all bothered by the naked man in Drew’s bed, he hadn’t shown it. He’d given Drew a thumbs-up and let himself out without a word.
As comfortable as he was, Drew needed to get up. And to do that, he was going to have to wake Nick, because there was no way he could get out of bed by himself.
He whispered Nick’s name to no avail, finally settling on pinching him. Nick came awake with a start, recoiling from Drew instantly. That wasn’t a good sign.
“God, did I hurt you? Did I roll over on you? I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was so worried about opening up your stitches or something—”