“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”
Aeron frowned. “Has anyone told you anything? Has someone threatened you?”
Jericho looked sideways at him. “Nope. I really haven’t seen anyone but the people who should be in the infirmary, plus Dominic and you, of course.”
“You don’t have to worry.”
“I wish it were that easy.”
They passed the entrance and Aeron led Jericho to the kitchen. It was his best bet to find someone, and Jericho needed to know where it was if he was supposed to freely roam the house.
Jericho looked like he’d rather be anywhere but there, and Aeron reached for him. This time, he didn’t let doubts stop him from taking Jericho’s hand. He looked like he could use the reassurance, and when their fingers tangled, he smiled at Aeron. Aeron looked at their hands. They were so different. Aeron’s was smaller, paler, and Jericho’s almost swallowed it. They looked good together.
Aeron paused by the open kitchen door. Voices drifted from inside, and he looked at Jericho. “Ready?”
Jericho nodded. “Of course. Like you said, I don’t have anything to worry about, right? Besides, I look forward to seeing something that isn’t the infirmary.”
Aeron nodded and stepped in. No one noticed them, not right away, and he took the opportunity to check who was there and who might have something to say about Jericho’s presence.
André wouldn’t be a problem. He’d seemed accepting of Jericho when they’d talked earlier. Trevor, who was standing by the stove, was probably too shy to say anything. Besides, his mate’s father was a hunter, and he hadn’t said anything against the man.
Darin, who was mixing something on the stove, might not be too receptive of Jericho, though. Jericho had threatened his twin brother, and even though he hadn’t hurt Shad, Aeron still didn’t think the two would become best friends. At least Gabriel and Shad weren’t there.
Nysys, who was leaning close to Keenan and Adan, was probably going to welcome Jericho with open arms. The guy wasn’t able to hold a grudge. He’d probably try to rope Jericho into helping him with one of his weird-ass schemes. As far as Aeron knew, he was still fighting with Nicky, André’s mate. Their prank war had everyone in the house both wary and amused.
Aeron cleared his throat and looked at Jericho. “So, this is the kitchen.”
Jericho’s lips twitched. “I can see that.”
“Right. You can come by anytime you’re hungry and just grab something from the fridge or the pantry. There’s a rotation when it comes to cooking lunch and dinner, although most pride members are at work over lunch, so there aren’t that many people around. You’ll have to take your turn cooking if you’re staying.”
“I’m pretty sure I’d burn water. Haven’t tried to cook in a while.”
“Then you can be on cutting duty.”
Someone snorted. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to give a hunter a knife?”
Aeron looked up. He knew who it was, and he’d expected it. Darin looked like he wanted to beat Jericho up with the wooden spoon he was holding, but he didn’t move away from the stove, not yet anyway.
“You know Dominic wouldn’t let him move around the house if he didn’t trust him,” Aeron told Darin. He didn’t fool himself that would be enough for Darin to let it go, but he hoped it would remind Darin that Dominic was okay with it.
“Doesn’t mean I have to trust him, not after what he did to my brother.”
“I don’t expect anyone here to trust me,” Jericho intervened, and Aeron wondered if it might not have been a better idea for him to keep his mouth shut.
“Good, because we don’t.”
André cleared his throat, and everyone in the room turned to look at him. “I trust him,” he said.
Darin gaped at him. “How can you? You know what he is.”
“Yep, I know. He’s Aeron’s mate, and like Aeron said, Dominic trusts him enough to let him free in the house. I’m not about to doubt his decisions as the alpha.”
Aeron looked at the other people in the room. Trevor looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, but when he noticed Aeron looking at him he shrugged. Aeron took it as a I don’t care. It was better than Darin’s reaction, and he was mostly satisfied with it.
Nysys and Keenan were grinning, and Adan looked like he didn’t care much. He’d have had more problems if Jericho had worked for the Glass Research Company, probably. Although as far as Aeron knew, he’d never had anything to say about Adrian or John.
Nysys hopped off his stool and rushed toward Aeron. Aeron sighed and steeled himself. There was no getting out of this. Nysys was going to smother him with hugs and kisses, and the only way to survive was to stay still until he was done.
Aeron still squeaked when Nysys jumped on him. Nysys clung onto him, and Aeron patted his back with his free hand. He refused to let go of Jericho, not now that he was finally taking a step forward with him, no matter how small.
“You found your mate too!” Nysys yelled close to Aeron’s ear. It was enough to make him wince, but he didn’t protest.
When Nysys finally let go after what felt like hours, Keenan was there, hovering close to them. He was less enthusiastic than Nysys had been, but then he was the tamer of the two.
He hugged Aeron, patting his back and letting go seconds later. “I’m happy for you,” he whispered as he leaned away.
“Even if Jericho is what he is?”
Keenan nodded, a smile playing on his lips. “He’s not the only one who has a troubled past in here. No one cares.” He looked at Darin. “Well, almost no one. But it’ll pass. Jamie and I forgave John even though he kidnapped Jamie and handed him to the lab. What Jericho did to Shad was nowhere near as bad.”
“Maybe not, but it’s not the only reason to hate me,” Jericho intervened.
Keenan turned to look at him, his gaze assessing. “You’re right, it’s not. You killed shifters, people who hadn’t done anything to anyone.”
Aeron held his breath, wondering what Jericho would say. He couldn’t very well deny it. Everyone knew who he was and what he’d done.
Jericho nodded. “I did.”
“You know Adrian?” Keenan asked him.
“I’ve seen him in the infirmary.”
“Yeah. He’s Gabriel’s brother. Gabriel is Shad’s mate. Well, Adrian is a scientist. He used to work for Glass. Experimented on shifters and humans. John worked for the company. He kidnapped my brother and handed him off to them. Morin, Nysys’ mate, is the son of the Glass Research Company owner. Micah’s father is a hunter, or rather, he was until he got hurt. Chogan is a wendigo. Nicky challenged Dominic and lost.”
“Your point?”
“Everyone here has done things they aren’t proud of, some worse than others. You’ll fit right in.”
Jericho looked around. “I’m not so sure of that.”
Keenan patted his arm. “Darin and Gabriel are probably going to give you the most grief, but they’ll get over it.”
“What about Shad?”
“He’s not the type to hold grudges.”
Jericho looked like he wanted to continue pushing, but Aeron knew they needed to give everyone time to get used to him and the news that he was there to stay.
He pulled on Jericho’s hand. “Come on, the tour isn’t over.”
* * * *
Jericho let Aeron lead him away from the kitchen. He had mixed feelings about what had happened, but the most prominent one was relief.
The people in the kitchen hadn’t kicked him out. They hadn’t tried to hurt him and hadn’t even said anything much. Jericho had expected things to go a lot worse.
“So this is the dining room, then we have the living room,” Aeron said as they walked past doors. “There’s another living room upstairs. It’s smaller, though.”
They walked back into the entrance and Aeron gestured toward the hallway where the infirmary was. “And you already
know where the infirmary is. Dominic’s office is in the same hallway, as well as his PA’s, Keenan, and Isaiah’s. Isaiah is the resident computer geek if you need one. He’s also the one who keeps an eye on the gate and lets people in.”
Jericho nodded and looked at the stairs. “I suppose there are only bedrooms upstairs.”
“Actually, no.” Aeron pulled on Jericho’s hand again. “Like I said, there’s another living room. Adrian also has his lab up there, although no one can enter it, and there’s the library.”
Jericho wasn’t sure he needed to know where any of those things were, but he followed Aeron. He figured spending more time with the man couldn’t be a bad thing, especially since he didn’t know how long they still had together, how long they’d be allowed to be together. He wanted to believe he’d be able to make Brad think about what he was doing and to make him change his mind, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew if Brad had spent the past years hunting shifters, there was no way anyone could make him change his mind. He’d spent time with the pride, had met its members and had lived with them. If that wasn’t enough for him to realize what he was doing was wrong, that not all shifters were bad, then Jericho didn’t think anything would.
He’d still try. Brad was a harsh leader, but he was also a friend, or at least Jericho hoped so. He just had to find a way out of the pride and back to Brad.
“Library is on the right. Living room on the left,” Aeron said as they hit the top floor. He didn’t stop, and Jericho didn’t ask where they were going.
Aeron stopped in front of a door and put his hand on it. “And this is my room.” He hesitated, then he pushed the door open. He let go of Jericho’s hand and stepped in, not turning around to look at Jericho until he was sitting on the bed.
The room was nice, if a little plain. It didn’t look lived in, but then Jericho knew Aeron didn’t usually live there.
He could see the invitation in Aeron’s eyes. He knew it wasn’t a good idea, that he should keep some distance between them. He’d be gone soon, and he didn’t want Aeron to mourn him or something.
He had questions, though, and he might as well ask them while he could.
He walked in and closed the door behind himself, but he didn’t go closer. He stayed by the door, leaning his back against it and staring. Damn, he wished he could give in. He didn’t know Aeron, but the thought of spending the rest of their lives together was appealing, at least in theory.
“Tell me more about mates and mating.”
Aeron arched a brow. “I thought you knew all there was to know.”
“Maybe. I don’t know, and even if I do, I’d like to hear it from you.”
Aeron toed his shoes off and raised his knees. He hugged his legs and leaned his cheek on his knees. “Mates complete each other. Shifters and other paranormal creatures have one out there somewhere. Some never meet their mate, and everyone treats mates like the precious thing they are. The bond between mates is sacred, something almost no one will try to forbid or destroy.”
Jericho nodded and let himself slide to the floor. “Okay, so I already knew this.”
“You’re my mate.”
Jericho chuckled. “I knew that too.”
“I’m not a shifter, so that means I don’t have to bite you to bond with you. I just have to want it and to think about it, really. And you have to want it as well. I couldn’t force you if you didn’t want it. It’s usually done during sex, but it doesn’t have to be, and the only sign you’ll have from the mating will be a mark on the skin over your heart. Our entwined initials. It’ll be a few shades darker than the rest of your skin.”
That didn’t sound too bad. Jericho had been a bit wary about the biting thing, and even more about the drinking blood one. The fact that he wouldn’t have to do either of those things was good. “Tell me more about the bond.”
Aeron looked up, leaning his chin on his knees. “I’m a Nix, so once we’re bonded we’ll be able to mind-talk with each other.”
“Mind-talk?”
“Yeah. It’s not like we’ll be able to read each other’s every thought, don’t worry. We’ll have to think about it consciously and want to say particular words to each other. We’ll also be able to feel each other’s emotions, especially if we’re close, but we won’t be able to know why the other feels what he’s feeling just from that.”
“We get the emotion but not the cause.”
“Exactly.”
“Is that it?”
“You’ll live as long as I do, probably around one hundred and fifty years. When I die, you’ll start aging again.”
Jericho’s brows rose on his forehead. “You mean I won’t age until then?”
“You’ll age a lot slower. That’s why we usually have to move every so often, or to stay in our homes. People would notice it after a while.”
That didn’t sound like what Brad had told Jericho. He’d explained about mates, giving Jericho the task to spread the word among the hunters. He’d made it sound like shifters forced people to mate with them, that they chose whoever struck their fancy and didn’t take no for an answer.
He’d obviously wanted to set the hunters against shifters, and he’d managed to do just that.
“That’s it?” he asked.
Aeron smiled. “Isn’t that enough?”
“I guess I thought it would be more... binding.”
“Well, in shifters’ case, or on the paranormal being’s part, there’ll be the almost impossibility to cheat or to even want someone else. Some shifters do manage to cheat, of course, but it’s hard, and they have to care little about the bond and their mate. I know I won’t ever care about another man as much as I care for you, even if you leave me.”
“And I could? Leave you, I mean. Not that I want to.”
“You could. Even after we mate. You’re human, so you might miss me a lot and feel the need to come back and be with me, but you can fight it and stay away.”
“And I’ll still age slower?”
“Yep. That will last until the day I die.”
“That doesn’t seem fair. I mean, humans seem to get a lot out of mating, but what do you guys get?”
Aeron sighed. “A hundred and fifty years are long. We gain someone to share them with, someone who will love us until the end, no matter what. Someone we know we can trust with everything and anything. There aren’t that many paranormal creatures around, even if it might seem like it. It can get lonely, especially since a lot of us are very traditional and don’t accept easily that some want a different lifestyle.”
“What happens to you if I leave?” Jericho prayed it wouldn’t be too bad, because he liked Aeron.
“It’d be bad, but I’d get used to it in the end. I’ve been through a lot in my life, and having my mate leave me after we mated wouldn’t be the worst. It wouldn’t be easy, but I’d make it. I know that.”
Jericho wondered what had happened to Aeron. He seemed so strong that it was hard to think something bad could have happened to him.
“It’s a lot to take in,” he said, unsure what else to say.
“I know. I’m not asking you to mate with me right now. Humans generally have a bit of a hard time wrapping their minds around it, and you especially, well, let’s just say that I thought you’d be a lot angrier. You’re taking it well, all things considered.”
If only Aeron knew. Jericho wouldn’t tell him, though. He’d take the time he still had with Aeron and enjoy it, and as soon as he found a way out, he’d take it. He thought he’d probably regret it sooner or later. But he couldn’t not go to Brad. He had to try to convince Brad to back down. It was the least he could do after what he’d done to shifters and what shifters had done for him.
* * * *
“Favorite color?”
Aeron had to think about that one. “Depends on the day.”
Jericho grinned. “Today’s favorite color, then.”
“Umm, green. No. Blue.”
Jericho laughed. “All right, let’s just say you don’t have a favorite color.”
Aeron poked at Jericho’s thigh with his toes. “What about you? You have a favorite color?”
Jericho looked down at himself. “I know it doesn’t show, since I’m wearing borrowed clothes, but it’s black.”
Aeron looked at Jericho too. He’d look good in black, with his dark hair and dark eyes, and Aeron tried to imagine that as the light from the living room TV flickered on Jericho’s face. They were comfortable on the couch, each of them in their corner, but Aeron wanted to crawl closer, to press their bodies together and see if Jericho was as hard as he looked.
It must have shown on his face, because Jericho smiled and wrapped his hand around Aeron’s ankle. “Do you want to go to bed?” he asked.
Aeron briefly looked at the TV. They were watching a movie, but Aeron wasn’t even sure what it was about. He’d been too distracted ever since they’d sat down, but who could blame him? Jericho looked edible slumped on the couch with his bare feet close to Aeron’s hip.
“I’m not tired,” Aeron finally said. He didn’t want to walk away from Jericho just yet. Things had gone relatively well today, but Aeron couldn’t push away the feeling that something was about to happen. He didn’t know what, or when, but he could feel it, and he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Jericho.
Jericho’s fingers tightened around his ankle. “I didn’t mean to sleep.”
Aeron licked his lips. “What did you mean, then?”
Jericho stroked his thumb around Aeron’s anklebone. “I think you know what I meant. Unless you want to wait, of course.”
There was no way Aeron would say yes to waiting. “No. We can... go to bed.”
Jericho’s smile widened. “And what do you want us to do once we’re in bed?”
“Not sleep?”
Jericho laughed, and his hold on Aeron’s ankle tightened. “You know what I mean. What do you like to do in bed?”
Whitedell Pride 25 - Aeron Page 5