Handful of Mate

by April Dinh

  It was a thought he contemplated the entire way to Pyke’s house.

  Along with the burning question of who Payton was.

  One thing was for certain, Pyke wasn’t a liar, which meant that not only did bear shifters exist but so did vampires.

  Yikes!

  Chapter Three

  Nester moved as quietly as he could around the house, trying not to wake Pyke as he explored. It was a three-bedroom ranch-style home with gorgeous wooden floors, sleek, modern furniture, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

  What the hell did Pyke do for a living? How could he afford such a stunning home as a restoration guy? When he’d offered Nester a job, Nester thought it would be in a modest abode like most people owned. Nester never thought he’d be taken to the richer part of town.

  He didn’t even know how to clean the wooden floors, how to keep them polished, or where to even begin. In truth, the house was already spotless.

  Nester decided to start in the kitchen. There had to be things he could do to earn his keep, so maybe simply cooking for Pyke would be enough to earn his pay.

  Not that Nester was a chef, but he did enjoy experimenting and trying new dishes. For now, Nester settled on eggs, sausage, and toast. He started the coffeepot, needing his morning java before he began his day.

  As he waited for the coffee to finish brewing, he thought about last night, how Pyke had shown him his bear and how utterly freaked out Nester had been.

  But he’d had time to mull things over, to absorb what felt like nonstop chaos that kept happening to him. Nester hadn’t put anything into perspective, but at least he wasn’t having a meltdown.

  If he’d stayed homeless, he might have.

  Just as he reached for a coffee cup, Nester heard hushed voices. What the hell? Ignoring his cup, he walked toward the French doors at the other end of the kitchen and peeked outside.

  Standing at the edge of the house was Pyke, who was dressed only in his boxer briefs, and Payton, the guy from the diner. What exactly was going on with those two? Nester was dying to hear what they were talking about but decided it wasn’t any of his business.

  It wasn’t as if Pyke had shown any interest in him. And even if he had, they’d just met—under extremely bizarre circumstances—and Nester would have shot Pyke down.

  A romance wasn’t what he needed. What he needed was to clear his name and go home to Falls Bend. He was dead certain he no longer had a job, though. Nester hadn’t called his boss. He’d just stopped showing up for work.

  Nester was normally more responsible than that, but he’d been afraid the cops would question his boss, and the less Adam knew, the better.

  Even though the conversation between Pyke and Payton was none of his business, Nester still watched from the door, making sure he was hidden so no one would see him spying.

  When he saw Pyke walk away, heading for the kitchen door, Nester moved swiftly toward the coffeepot, pouring himself a cup. He grabbed some cream from the fridge, acting startled when Pyke entered.

  “Didn’t realize your bedroom was outside.” Nester gave a nervous chuckle. “You’re just in time for some coffee.”

  Nester grabbed another mug, although Pyke hadn’t said a word. In fact, his nostrils were flaring and his eyes were cold and hard. He walked from the kitchen, leaving Nester standing there unsure what to do.

  Maybe some breakfast would help Pyke’s sour mood.

  Just as Nester started his search of where the pots and pans were kept, he heard a phone ring. Nope. It wasn’t any of his business. Not even when he heard the deep timbre of Pyke’s voice.

  “Sure, come on over. I’ll cook breakfast, and we can discuss the project.”

  At least Pyke sounded in a better mood.

  This living arrangement wasn’t exactly what Nester wanted, but he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. But if he had flat-out refused the offer, he probably would have starved by now. He was independent and loved living on his own. But with no funds and on the run from the cops, he had no choice.

  Nester felt as if he were invading Pyke’s personal space, his home, and Nester hated feeling like a burden, although Pyke hadn’t said he was.

  Pyke returned, fully clothed now. What a shame. Nester might be frightened of the guy, but there was no denying how sexy he was and what a banging body he had.

  Nester’s fingers tingled to run through Pyke’s facial hair. He wanted to nip Pyke’s chin, and then…whoa. It was one thing to be attracted to someone, but Nester was getting all hot and bothered in Pyke’s presence.

  “Hungry?” Pyke asked as he walked to the cupboard beside the stove and grabbed two frying pans. “Don’t worry about starting right away. Take today to get to know where everything is. I don’t mind if you get nosy.”

  The only thing Nester wanted to get nosy about was who Payton was and why he kept bothering Pyke.

  “I don’t mind cooking breakfast.” Nester needed something to do besides sitting on his ass and watching Pyke cook. Besides staring at the guy’s ass while he bent to get something out of the bottom of the fridge.

  “Nah.” Pyke straightened and set the carton of eggs on the counter. “How am I going to impress you if you do the cooking?”

  “Why would you want to impress me?”

  Pyke winked. “We’re mates, and I have to show you I’m worth keeping around.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Nester joined him at the stove. “How about we do this together?”

  Nester was dying to ask about Payton, but they were working in perfect harmony, and he didn’t want to ruin the moment. If Pyke wanted him to know, he would tell him.

  That was his thought, anyway.

  Nester snapped his head around when he heard the doorbell ring. Pyke had just finished the stack of pancakes, and Nester was scooping the scrambled eggs onto a large plate.

  “I’ll be right back. Why don’t you set the table?”

  Before Nester could say another word, Pyke was gone. When he returned, Nester nearly dropped the plate of eggs.

  Right behind Pyke was a guy Nester had seen many times coming and going from the motel. The housekeeper was with him, too. Nester wasn’t sure if they knew what was going on, but this was too close to being discovered, and he needed to get out of there.

  The housekeeper cocked his head. “Hey, I know you. You lost your phone. Oh my god! You’re Nessie!”

  “Who?” Pyke asked as he looked between Nester and the housekeeper.

  “The guy who killed Scott,” the housekeeper said.

  This time Nester did drop the plate of eggs as he shot to the back door, making his escape.

  * * * *

  Pyke ran after Nester, but fuck, the human was fast. His mate jumped backyard fences like he belonged in the Olympics. He cleared the hurdles, barely slowing down.

  “Nester, wait!” Pyke shouted, but his mate kept going.

  He raced down a driveway, ran across the street, and was around the corner before Pyke could catch him.

  “Fuck.” Pyke slowed, pressing his hands against his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He really did need to get out and run more often. He was winded, and Nester was gone.

  Pyke walked back to his house and stormed into the kitchen. “That was the murderer?”

  Lewis stood there gaping at Pyke, while Arlan paced the kitchen.

  “Why did he run?” Arlan asked. “The sheriff already declared it self-defense. Nester’s mother is looking for him, too.”

  Pyke cursed. Mike, the owner of the motel, had told him about some guy named Nessie, but Pyke hadn’t put two and two together. Shit. He needed to find his mate before Nester left town for good.

  “Until I get the full story, I’m leaving the sheriff out of this.” Pyke looked at the table of untouched food. Nester had to be hungry, and Pyke was determined to find his mate.

  “We could help you look,” Arlan offered.

  “I can talk Sheriff Copache into keep things on the down low,” Lewis said.
“Maybe I can even see if he’ll give me Nessie’s phone.”

  “Nester,” Pyke corrected.

  Arlan held his hands up. “Okay, Nester it is. Let’s go find him.”

  “He’s my mate,” Pyke confessed. “I have to find him.”

  Lewis cursed under his breath. “We’ll find him, Pyke.”

  They left the house, taking their separate vehicles. Pyke had no idea where to look for his mate. Was Nester even from Maple Grove? If he wasn’t, then there was a good possibility that he could leave town, and Pyke had to stop him before he did.

  Pyke’s chest actually ached as he drove up and down the streets, keeping his eye out for Nester, with his greenish-yellow eyes, silky blond hair, and plump lips, which Pyke was dying to kiss.

  God. He wished he’d known that Nester and Nessie were the same person. Pyke would have cleared things up already. But Nester was skittish, and until he could get his mate to trust him, Pyke was going to leave the law out of this.

  He pulled into the gas station when he saw the needle almost on empty. Pyke spotted a slim redhead and groaned to himself when he realized it was Payton.

  The guy was out to make his life hell, and Pyke was just as determined to stay as far away from the jackass as possible. Payton was toxic, and his constant harassment was proof of that.

  Maybe Pyke was exaggerating. The problem with their relationship was that Payton loved to argue. Pyke did not. Everything turned into a heated debate, and Payton hardly gave an inch. In Pyke’s opinion, that was no way to have a relationship.

  If Pyke hadn’t needed gas, he would have pulled away. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get far if he did. With a heavy sigh, he got out of his truck and used his debit card to start the pump.

  Payton stormed over to him, his lips pursed and anger in his jade-green eyes. “Are you stalking me?”

  “Are you fucking serious?” It had been Payton who had found Pyke in the diner. It had been Payton who had come to Pyke’s house early this morning. “You need to walk away before I lose my patience with you.”

  It was surprising Pyke hadn’t already lost his patience. He needed a damn medal for how he’d been handling Payton so far, but he was getting dangerously close to the end of his tolerance. Before Nester, Payton was like a bothersome gnat buzzing around Pyke.

  Now? Pyke wanted to squish him like a bug.

  Payton leaned against the back of Pyke’s truck and crossed his arms. “We’ve always had a feisty relationship. You’ve never complained about it before, but now you want to fuck around with some slut. Why? I just don’t get it.”

  Pyke counted to ten as he gritted his teeth. They’d been over this a million times, but it seemed Payton was oblivious to anything he didn’t want to hear. In truth, Pyke got it. He understood why Payton was the way he was. The guy had grown up with parents who argued all the time. It was bound to rub off on Payton, and also, the guy was lonely. Pyke knew that, but it didn’t excuse his ex’s behavior.

  “Why?” Pyke replaced the nozzle onto the pump and screwed his gas cap back on. “As far as our feisty relationship, it was borderline abuse on your part. I’ve already told you, Payton. We’re over. Get that through your thick skull and leave me alone.”

  Payton pushed away from the truck and balled his hands into fists. “Are you saying I abused you?”

  There was actual hurt and regret in Payton’s eyes.

  “Verbally, it wasn’t fun to be around you.” Pyke opened the driver’s door. “Consider yourself lucky I’m a gentleman, or I might have knocked the teeth out of your mouth for half the shit you said to me.”

  “Was I that horrible?” Payton actually appeared stricken.

  Pyke hopped into his truck and slammed the door without answering Payton. He wasn’t in the mood for his ex-boyfriend’s shit, and Pyke needed to find Nester.

  He drove two more blocks before he spotted his mate up ahead. Nester had his head down, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, and damn it, he didn’t have his jacket on.

  It was cold out, and Nester had to be freezing.

  Pyke pulled to the curb and jumped out. “Are you trying to catch pneumonia?”

  Nester’s head shot up, but instead of looking at Pyke, he glanced around with quick and jerky head movements. “How did you find me?”

  “I shot a GPS locator into your arm when you were asleep.” Pyke waved at his truck. “Now get in.”

  There was a troubled knit to Nester’s brows as he looked at both his arms. “You did not.”

  But his voice lacked confidence. Pyke rolled his eyes and opened the passenger door. “Get in. We have some serious talking to do.”

  He wasn’t going to tell Nester that he knew about the killing. Not until he was certain his mate couldn’t run away from him again. Pyke was starving and not in the mood to run on foot to catch Nester if his mate took off again.

  “Are your friends still at your house?” Nester rubbed his arms, and Pyke noticed the guy’s teeth chattering.

  “No, they’re gone, and you have nothing to worry about. I asked them to keep their mouths shut about you, and they agreed.”

  The relief in Nester’s eyes was palpable. He crawled into the truck, and Pyke walked around the hood, climbing in before blasting the heat.

  “Put your hands by the vents.” He pulled from the curb and headed home. “I heard about what happened at the motel, but I want you to tell me what actually happened.”

  Nester stiffened as he looked away. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Pyke sighed. “Please don’t play me for a fool, Nester. Just tell me what happened.”

  When his stomach loudly rumbled, Nester pressed his hand against it. “Can I eat first? I think better on a full stomach.”

  “Sure. We can reheat the food, but I’ll need to make some fresh eggs.”

  “Sorry about that.” Nester hugged himself, and Pyke was dying to pull his mate into his lap and soothe away his worries. He hated seeing Nester so uncertain and afraid.

  “No big deal.” Pyke stopped at a red light and watched as a cop car drove past them. From the corner of his eye, he saw Nester shrink down into his seat.

  Pyke needed to get to the bottom of this and then talk to the sheriff. He didn’t want his mate on the lam, wanted by the law, even if Arlan had said that Sheriff Copache wasn’t going to arrest him.

  There was no way Pyke was taking any chances.

  When they were back at the house, Pyke heated the food as he made fresh eggs. Nester sat at the table, his hands curled around a hot cup of coffee, a throw blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

  “About six months ago I started dating Scott,” Nester said as Pyke took the pancakes out of the microwave. “It’s like every other story you hear. He was charming at first, real sweet, and then his true colors started bleeding out. He got physical, and I told him it was over.”

  Pyke brought the food to the table and filled Nester’s plate. He took a seat and waited for Nester to continue.

  “If I’m being honest, I think I still kept dating him because I knew it pissed off my mom.” Nester took a drink of his coffee. “She pretends she cares, but all Norma Jean cares about is herself.”

  “Why do you say that?” Pyke pointed his fork at Nester’s plate. “Eat up.”

  The pancakes wouldn’t taste as good since they were no longer fresh, but they were edible. With some syrup, no one would be able to tell that they were reheated.

  Nester slid the blanket from around his shoulders and let it pool around his waist. “My dad and I were close, and my mother was jealous of our relationship. She always wants to be the center of attention,” Nester said. “She loves the limelight. Her son a killer? She’s probably in heaven, injecting herself into the investigation, trying her best to seem like she cares, but all she wants is everyone’s attention.”

  Jeez. Pyke didn’t want to believe that a mother would treat her son that way, but he knew not every woman was cut out to be a mom.

/>   “So, if you and Scott were over, why did you go to the motel room?”

  Nester curled his lips in and become very interested in his food. He shoveled forkfuls of pancakes into his mouth, barely giving himself time to breathe between bites.

  Pyke decided to let the subject drop, for now. He didn’t want to force any answers out of Nester, and the only way to get to the bottom of things was to earn his mate’s trust.

  Pyke just hoped it didn’t take months to achieve that goal. He wanted to clear Nester’s name and start their life together.

  But his gut told him there was a lot more to the story that Nester wasn’t telling him.

  Chapter Four

  It was so easy talking with Pyke. Nester had started to tell him everything but stopped before he revealed the darkest part of what had happened.

  He didn’t want Pyke looking at him with disappointment. Nester wasn’t sure why that was so important, but it was.

  “What exactly is a mate?” He set his fork down and wiped his mouth. “I know you said it was fate saying we’re perfect for each other, but there has to be more to it than that.”

  Pyke looked as if he knew exactly what Nester was doing. Dodging the question, and he would be right.

  “Once we’re mated, you’ll—”

  “Once?” Nester frowned. “But I thought you said we were already mates.”

  Pyke tapped his chest. “I felt it right in here when we met. But our bond won’t be complete until we have sex.”

  Nester slammed his fist against his chest, choking on the piece of pancake he’d been chewing. He gasped for air and was thankful when Pyke brought him a glass of water.

  “Is the idea of having sex with me that horrifying?” Pyke sat back down but looked as though he’d jump back up if Nester needed further help.

  Nester took a moment to catch his breath before wiping at his watery eyes. “No, that’s not it. You just caught me off guard.”

  Pyke had said they were meant to be together, and the natural progression would be intimacy. He just hadn’t expected Pyke to be so blunt with his answer.