by Selena Kitt
It took him a second to realize the source of the scent came from this man. Shocked and unsure what that implied, Axel watched the man approach. The raised hoodie obscured his view. The man held a bunch of flowers. Seeing him, the guy froze.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize Nathan had another visitor.”
The flowers this stranger brought were an exact replica of Axel’s—roses, Nathan’s favorites. Some odd urge rose inside Axel. He wanted to slide a little closer to the delectable little human, cage the human’s body with his, preventing escape. That way, the tasty little morsel had no where else to go, and Axel would take his time nosing the stranger’s neck and find out why he smelled so amazing.
Fuck. Where did that line of thought come from?
“I’m leaving,” Axel mumbled. He turned his back. His lion kept screaming at him to turn back, to solve the mystery of why he was so attracted to a stranger. However, his human half deemed it dangerous to tread a little further.
“Wait, please,” the stranger began.
The human made the mistake of grabbing his hand. Snarling softly under his breath, Axel spun. Electricity ran up his arm and hit his chest and woke his dick. Shit. Who the hell was this human? The stranger seemed to sense it too, or was probably terrified out of his mind after realizing Axel was a shifter.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t mean you any harm, big guy,” the human explained, raising his hands in mock defeat.
There was faint amusement in the guy’s eyes. Either this human was used to dealing with shifters or was a bloody fool. Axel thought it the former, because even if the man was used to shifters, he wasn’t used to being around an Alpha.
Did the poor cutie know that if he touched Axel again, Axel would go berserk? Who knew what would happen then? Axel saw all the symptoms. For some incomprehensible reason, his beast wanted this man. Time to sate their lust, his lion pointed out. But to unleash several years of pent-up frustration over a stranger?
Axel wasn’t that kind of guy. He never forced himself on anyone, because what was the point? Grey and Mitch used to push willing groupies at him, eager men and women who would do anything to spend a night with Ascendance’s mysterious bassist.
“What do you want?” Axel wanted to wince. His voice came out rough, like gravel.
“Look, its fine. I work with a shifter help hotline.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Axel demanded. He blinked. Wait, was it because he looked like a homeless guy. “What, little human? You going to offer me a card or something?”
“My name isn’t little human, its Conner,” Conner said amicably, reaching for something in the pocket of his jeans.
The motion had been enough to unbutton his blazer. Underneath, Conner wore a familiar t-shirt. Axel stared at the huge words printed across Conner’s chest—Ascendance. Underneath was a large ‘I heart Axel Banner’.
Axel smiled, unable to help himself.
The guy handed him what looked like a plain white card. Axel reached for it, but this time, he wasn’t afraid to touch. He lingered a little longer, rubbing his fingers over the guy’s arm. That seemed to unsettle Conner.
“Nice ink,” Conner said, recovering. The human nodded to the black ink across his hand.
“How do you know Nathan?”
What the hell?
One moment he was eager to get the hell out of the there, but his lion had always been prickly by nature. Once something or someone caught the interest of his lion, they couldn’t leave it alone. Besides, after he saw Conner wearing that shirt, he was intrigued.
Well, there might be other reasons. Maybe someone gave Conner that shirt. The human didn’t need to be necessarily a fan. Additionally, it was rare to find a human who wasn’t scared of a ragged-looking Alpha werelion. That…or Conner didn’t know how dangerous Axel could be.
Fuck, but he had a hundred questions so he might as well find out some of the answers.
“Nathan was a friend. We weren’t close, but he always donated to the shifter shelter I work at,” Conner explained, shifting his gaze back to the grave.
“Nathan was kind,” Axel whispered hoarsely.
He recalled Nathan mentioning he’d used up most of the money Axel sent him to fund certain charities. At that point in time, Axel was too busy with his tour to find out which organizations Nathan donated the cash to. That shamed him a little, but he’d only been more than a kid then, eager to prove himself and help his band rise to the top.
He continued forwarding blank checks to his personal assistant. Maybe he should have asked who they were for, take some interest. Would he have chanced upon Conner that way? But delving into the past hurt too much. Nathan cared about his work, so Axel continued it. That was all. He did it for selfish reasons. Fuck, but he and this human were worlds apart.
Conner glanced at him. “Were you guys close?”
“When he died, it felt like my world ended.” The moment Axel said those words, he regretted it.
Conner looked sober now. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“But some wounds don’t heal,” Conner finished. The human seemed to lose all the positive light in him. Conner’s face became drawn, saddened.
“Did you lose someone important too?”
“My boyfriend—ex-boyfriend Curt. He got caught in a neighborhood shooting two years ago.”
Axel didn’t know what made him pull the human close or why Conner didn’t fight him. Pulling Conner into his arms felt like the most natural thing in the world—and the most dangerous. The moment their bodies touched, Axel’s lion went wild, roaring with triumph and fury. What the fuck? Emotions he thought long gone sparked inside him. He wanted to tear away their clothes, so they could touch skin-to-skin and feel the heat threatening to erupt between them.
One thing was clear to Axel. Conner was more dangerous than he initially assumed. He needed to back off now, because this would end up real messy. How Axel was sure of that little detail, he didn’t know. He needed to get the hell out of there. Run, but an Alpha werelion didn’t run away from a challenge and Conner smelled so good.
“Jesus, man. You’re like seriously buffed,” Conner commented, letting out a nervous laugh.
The human froze when Axel started sniffing the side of his neck. He tongued Conner’s pulse, loving how it leaped at his touch. His dick woke, straining against his jeans. Axel would have backed away in relief if Conner told him to get the fuck away from him, but Conner also sported a woody.
“A-are you licking my neck?”
Axel stuck his tongue in Conner’s ear. He seriously couldn’t stay here. His control would start to unravel and he might end up doing something he’d definitely regret.
“Time out.”
At Conner’s words, Axel drew away. They stared at each other, panting.
Conner began to reach for his hood, but Axel wrapped his fingers around Conner’s wrist.
“Let me see your face, please.”
“This was a bad idea.” Especially in front of Nathan, God, what would Nathan think? Nathan’s dead, an ugly voice inside Axel reminded him. No, not in his memories, but wasn’t this what he’d secretly wished for—something or someone to drag him away from the trappings of the past and move forward?
What would that make Conner? A distraction?
The human deserved better. Conner understood grief. Perhaps not the same way it affected Axel. Humans didn’t have the ability to soul bond, but that didn’t mean Conner wasn’t broken too. The human just hid it better.
“This was a mistake. I’m sorry.”
Axel’s lion didn’t like it, but he turned his heel and kept on walking. Conner would plague his mind, he knew. The human might even inspire him to write a song, because Axel could almost hear the lyrics in his head. Untouchable Angel. That was the title. His heart hammered against his chest.
Every nerve in his body felt lit up. It hurt, Axel realized, like pushing air into his lungs. B
efore today, he felt like a walking dead man. After meeting Conner, Axel was alive again. He could sense life all around him. Feel the gravel and earth crunching under his sneakers. Hear the songs of crows in the trees and the quiet weeping of a widow a couple of graves away.
“I’m not,” Conner yelled back at him. The persistent human’s footsteps thudded behind him. “Damn shifters and their speed. You never even told me your name.”
They reached the rusted gate of the cemetery entrance now. A black, unmarked car waited for him outside. Bless Jay for sending him a ride. Usually, being picked up like some kid annoyed the hell out of Axel, but not today.
Axel stopped and saw Conner running after him, looking out of breath.
“Why are you chasing me?” Axel asked, his voice thankfully clear and calm. Conner had asked to see his face, but he wasn’t ready. That would shatter the illusion of them being strangers, if Conner happened to be a fan.
“I—” The human faltered. “I don’t know.”
Axel didn’t know why he wanted Conner to run after him either, adamant to know his name and see his face. Would Conner be disappointed once he found out the truth?
“Tell me one thing, Conner. Do you like Ascendance’s music?”
Conner looked confused. “Sure, they’re one of my favorite bands.”
“What’s your favorite song?”
“Lion by my Window,” Conner said without hesitation.
That answer gutted Axel. He’d written that song for Nathan. When he didn’t answer immediately, Conner continued, “it’s not a well-known song, one of the band’s earliest, but it’s so raw and deep. The bassist, Axel Banner, wrote it. It’s one of the few songs he wrote. After, he stopped writing. I always wondered why.”
“Axel lost himself. He ended up being a fucking dead-weight.”
Conner held out a finger. A strange fire burned in his eyes. “Don’t talk shit, man. You don’t know anything about Axel Banner.”
Axel’s lips curled into a grim smile. “Don’t I? All Axel does is play the bass in the background. He can disappear and no one will know.”
“Fuck you. Don’t make me come over there.” Conner fisted his hands by his side. “That’s not true. He’s one of the greatest bassists of our generation.”
“Go ahead, little human. Come closer.” Axel gave Conner a glimpse of the sharpened edges of his teeth.
“I told you before. Shifters don’t scare me. I work with them all the time.”
“Even an Alpha werelion?”
Conner hesitated.
“I thought so.” Axel opened the car door. “Forget about this day, little human. That’s the best for you.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” To Axel’s surprise, Conner ran at the car.
“Should I drive, sir?” the driver asked. “Do you want me to do something about this human?”
“No, I’ll handle him.” Axel lowered his car window.
Conner stood a couple of inches from him now, panting and sweat covering his brow. Truth be told, Conner looked a little pathetic. Axel shouldn’t have antagonized the human. Hearing the name of that song stirred things inside him, reminded him of Nathan. He hurt, so it was only natural he lashed out at the first individual who managed to connect with him on some unexplained level.
Axel owed the human the apology, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
“Here.” Conner reached for the inside of his blazer.
Axel’s driver tensed and Axel waited. Could Conner be pulling a gun? That was too extreme but…Conner pulled out what looked like a ticket—to Axel’s own concert. He looked at the human blankly.
“Hear their music live. Look for Axel’s bass. I’m going to prove you wrong.”
2
Every second Conner Riley held out the concert ticket made him feel like a fool. Seriously, who was this guy? At first, Conner thought the huge guy had been one of the few who benefited from Nathan’s generosity.
Professor Nathan Wells had been known around the shifter community for funding some of their shelters. How a professor who taught at a local community college had access to those generous sums, Conner never really knew. He never thought to ask either.
Even after Nathan’s death, the checks didn’t just keep coming. The amount increased every year. Prodding the lawyer who delivered the checks to the shelter he worked at proved futile. The man was tight-lipped.
Seeing the black car waiting at the gate and the hooded stranger heading towards him, Conner had a bad feeling he’d mistaken the stranger for a homeless guy. What if the professor had a mysterious benefactor?
Conner eyed the curious shifter inside the car, features still hidden by that stupid hoodie. When he’d brushed up against the shifter earlier, it felt like hugging a wall of muscle. Was this guy some kind of mobster that he needed to keep his identity a secret? Perhaps the guy was seriously deformed and didn’t want the rest of the world to see him. So many questions and Conner didn’t even manage to wrestle a name. That grated on his nerves.
He wasn’t a braggart by nature, but Conner usually had no trouble making guys talk. For one, it made it easier to get dates—not that he was dating after Curt’s death. And secondly, being charismatic helped him in his job at the shelter. He was the preferred councilor there for a reason. Conner got people to open up and help them lift their burdens.
If this guy was really Nathan’s benefactor, Conner had no right pissing him off. But Ascendance’s songs helped get him through the worst of times, especially Curt’s death. This stupid shifter who gave him the right kind of chills had no right criticizing his favorite band and bassist.
“Are you going to take it or not?” Conner finally asked.
The Alpha closed his fingers around his. One touch rendered Conner mute, especially when he started stroking at his fingers. It was only momentary, but Conner would never forget how warm they felt and the strength in them. Still, he couldn’t forget the challenge in the stranger’s voice, asking Conner if he ever brushed up against an Alpha werelion.
Conner hadn’t. Everyone knew Alphas were dangerous and emitted a kind of aura that made people keep their distance. Up until the moment this stranger showed a hint of anger, Conner hadn’t realized the stranger was probably hiding what he was.
“Keep it. I’ll be there too.”
Conner snatched his hand back, tucked his precious ticket away and glared at the shifter, arms crossed. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“Because you keep surprising the hell out of me, Conner. I’ve changed my mind. I might just see you later tonight.”
“As if I want to see you,” Conner replied in a huff.
Dang it, despite the hoodie, he had a feeling the man raised an eyebrow. God, Conner couldn’t believe he sported an erection when this nameless stranger hugged him. Whatever will this guy think of him?
The stranger didn’t reply, simply raised his window and drove off. Conner stared at the car and shook his head. He hoped he’d never see that asshole again. Besides, the concert hall was huge. Conner had nothing but an ugly hoodie to remember the stranger by, and the strength of those arms. Part of him did wish to see the stranger again. Conner never gave up. Once he failed, he picked himself up and tried again. Shying away from challenges got him nowhere.
One of the reasons he worked at the shelter was simple. The pay might not be plenty. Honestly, his paycheck was barely enough to pay his bills, but the role of victim and councilor could be reversed. His childhood had been shitty, but whose wasn’t?
There were a thousand sob stories like his. He’d grown up in the foster system. As an angry youth, he’d joined a gang and quit school. If Conner hadn’t wandered into one of the numerous shelters in the city after being caught in a gang turf war, he would have died. Conner still had the bullet wound across his ribs to prove he was lucky to be alive.
Shit. Why was he thinking of the past now?
Today’s itinerary had been simple. Bring flowers to th
e professor’s grave and kill some time before meeting his best friend Rick at the concert hall. Taking off his blazer, Conner walked to where he parked his second-hand Yamaha Vino scooter. Rick affectionately called his ride the ‘rust bucket’. Besides, it ran on cheap diesel and no one would steal his baby.
Storing the blazer into the back of the scooter, he grabbed his helmet, got on, and started the engine. Conner knew his ride wasn’t sexy but it took Conner where he needed to be. He knew he was running late and he was dead meat if he encountered traffic. By some miracle, he reached the concert hall in time. After he managed to secure a slot three streets away, Conner continued on foot. Rick had sent him a slew of messages, he noticed.