Demi slammed the trunk shut and grabbed his bags, then trudged to the house. He entered without knocking and closed the door behind himself, then hesitated. Where was he supposed to put his things? He knew there was a guest room, but was that where Duncan and Noah wanted him?
“Hey, come in,” Duncan said, coming from the living room. “Noah didn’t even tell you where you’re going to sleep, huh?”
Demi shrugged. “I guess he assumed I already knew.”
“Guest room is yours. Do you need help with those?”
Demi held up the heaviest bag and Duncan took it, his eyes widening when he felt just how heavy it was. “What do you have in here? Bricks?”
“Mostly books. If I have to take a vacation, then I’m going to take the opportunity to study.”
“Whatever you say.”
They passed by the kitchen on their way to the guest room and Noah yelled at them as they went. “Come to the kitchen once you’re done! Both of you!”
Demi looked at Duncan and Duncan shrugged. They dumped Demi’s bags on what was now his bed. “Do you need time to put everything away?” Duncan asked.
“It’s not going to take long.”
“I’ll leave you to it. And you heard the boss, he wants us in the kitchen when you’re done.”
“Tell him I’ll be there in a few minutes, fifteen tops.”
“Will do.”
It took only ten minutes for Demi to put his T-shirts, sweaters, jeans, socks and underwear in the dresser. He stacked his books on top of it, putting them in the order in which he wanted to read them. He left his shoes in a corner of the room and walked to the kitchen wearing only his socks.
He paused at the door and smiled at the scene unfolding in front of him. Noah was sitting on the counter, his legs dangling down. Duncan stood between Noah’s legs, his arms wrapped around Noah, Noah’s tail wrapped around Duncan’s waist. They were whispering to each other, sometimes stopping to exchange soft kisses, and it made Demi feel like a voyeur. It also made him feel both happy for his friend and envious, and he sighed.
Duncan turned his way and smiled before giving Noah one last kiss and stepping away. “Come on, sit down. Do you want coffee?”
“Sure.”
“Demi has something to tell you,” Noah declared, trepidation obvious in his tone. Demi didn’t know why Noah was so excited, to be honest. While Demi and Duncan were somewhat friends, it wasn’t like they were best friends, so why would Duncan care much if Demi had found out he was a shifter’s mate?
Or maybe Duncan was friends with Reed. That was also a possibility.
Duncan sat in front of Demi after handing him a steaming cup of coffee. “Really?”
“Yup.”
Duncan looked at Demi in question. “So? What’s gotten Noah so excited?”
Demi wrapped his hands around his mug and soaked in the warmth. “Turns out I’m a shifter’s mate.”
Duncan froze, his mug halfway to his mouth. “Really? Who?”
“It’s Reed,” Noah answered in Demi’s place. Demi scowled at him, but clearly Noah was used to it and wasn’t the last bit intimidated.
“Reed? That’s great.” Duncan smiled and put his mug down, then offered Demi his hand to shook. “Congrats.”
“Thanks.” It made Demi a little uncomfortable, but he knew how much mating meant for shifters, so he accepted the congratulations without protesting.
“So, how did Reed take it?”
“Well, I think.”
“I hope it’ll help him,” Noah butted in.
“With what?” Demi asked.
Noah bit on his lower lip. “I don’t know if I should tell you, but Reed has been having some problems ever since he was freed from the lab he’d been locked in.”
Demi held a hand up. “Stop right there, Noah. Reed will tell me if he wants me to know.”
“I just want you to know that your relationship might not be easy, especially in the beginning.”
“I know you’re looking out for me, Noah, but still. This is something Reed has to decide to do. I don’t want him to feel like I spied on him or something.”
Still, what Noah had just said had triggered a new wave of questions, none of which Demi had an answer to. “Do you think he’ll really come? He said he would.”
“I don’t know. He never struck me as someone who doesn’t keep his word, but I don’t really know him all that well. I don’t think anyone does, to be honest. He’s been very solitary, at least since I got here.”
“He’s always been like this,” Duncan added. “I don’t know how he was before, but he’s been through hell.” Demi opened his mouth to protest, but Duncan shook his head. “I’m not going to go into details, because you’re right, he should be the one telling you when he feels comfortable doing it. Just know that he’s been through hell and he’s still paying the price. But he’s doing better, and I’m pretty sure having you will help him even more.”
“Why? I mean, it’s not like we’re in love. We don’t even know each other.” Demi really was curious. He understood it was an instinctual thing, but he wanted to know if Duncan had a better way to explain than it just is.
“Now that he found you, both his human side and his pangolin one will feel more settled, like they’re finally complete. I’m not saying it’s going to magically solve all his problems, but unless you’re planning to reject him, it can only do him good.” He looked at Demi questioningly.
Demi shook his head. “I’m not rejecting him. I want what you and Noah have.”
“That’s great. So, do you want to know something else?”
“Yeah. What’s a pangolin?”
* * * *
It took a little over twenty minutes for Reed to feel like himself again. That was when he left the laundry room, only to find that his mother was already back.
“Mom?”
She looked up from the magazine she was reading at the kitchen table. “Hi, honey.”
“Why are you already here?” God, Reed hoped it wasn’t to try to convince him to go back to Florida again.
“My flight is in—” she looked at her watch “—four hours. I already checked out of the hotel and I came to say goodbye.”
Conflicting emotions assaulted Reed. On one hand, he was relieved he finally wouldn’t have to listen to her calling him honey and trying to get him back home, but on the other, he was going to miss her.
He sat in the chair next to hers and put his hands on the table. “You know, I still can’t believe you’re going so easily.”
“I know I can be a little too much sometimes.”
Reed snorted. “A little?”
“I just want my babies to be safe. And when you disappeared... it felt like it was my fault. If only I’d been more careful, or—”
Reed reached for his mom’s hand and squeezed it. “It wasn’t your fault, mom.”
She wiped a tear from her cheek with her free hand. “I know. It still felt like it, though, and when you called me to tell me you were fine, well, I couldn’t think of anything else than making sure you were safe. I might have gone the wrong way about doing it, but I’m still convinced you’d be better home with us.” Reed opened his mouth to protest—again—but she shook her head.
“I know you won’t come, especially now that you found your mate. You’ve always been my most stubborn and solitary child. You’ve never needed me like you sisters have, and I should’ve known you wouldn’t cave in. I still had to try, though.”
“I know, mom. And really, I love you, but I need to heal and to find a new place in life. I can’t go back to being who I was before. Too much happened.”
“But make sure you eat more. And call me every day.”
“Mom.”
“All right, every week.”
Reed chuckled. “I’ll try my best to remember it.”
“And let me know how things are going with your mate.”
“T
he fact that he’s a demon... it’s not a problem, right?”
Mom snagged her hand from Reed’s and slapped the back of his head—again. He winced and raised a hand to touch the area, even if it didn’t hurt that much. “Don’t be an idiot. He’s your mate, and that means he’s perfect for you. Doesn’t matter if he’s a demon, a mouse shifter or a human. Now, your father... he’s not going to be overly happy, but he’ll get over it.”
“I hope so.”
“He will. We’re both so proud of you, honey. You deserve to be happy, even if it’s not with us back home. I hope your mate will do that for you.”
“I’ll let you know.”
“You do that. And if he’s bad to you... I’ll come and kick his ass.”
“Mom!”
She laughed and hugged him sideways. Reed hugged her tightly, wondering when he’d see her again. Probably soon, knowing her.
An hour later, she was gone and Reed was at a lost about what to do. He knew what he should do—go over to Duncan’s house and talk with Demi. It scared him to death, though. The last thing he wanted was his mate to see him during a mood swing, or even worse, a flashback.
So he walked to Gentry’s office and knocked on his door, hoping he’d be there and would have time to talk to Reed. No one answered and Reed sighed. He’d promised he’d go, and he always tried to keep his word.
He headed to the front door, noticing Zach was in the living room as he passed. “I’m going over to Duncan’s,” he told the alpha mate, just to make sure Zach wouldn’t be worried if he didn’t see him later.
“Sure. We won’t wait up,” Zach teased.
Reed chuckled. “I never thought you would.”
Zach’s face became more serious. “Do you want me to come with you? You know we’d rather have everyone going in couples.”
Reed shook his head. “I’ll keep to the paths and ask Duncan to bring me back.”
“But what if the creature attacks?”
“It won’t. It’s not completely dark yet.”
“You know that it’s not because we’ve only seen it at night that it won’t attack during the day.”
“I know, but if it does, I promise to shift as fast as I can and curl up, okay? There’s little that can penetrate my scales.”
Zach nodded. “Be careful, and let us know if Duncan can’t bring you back, or if you decide to stay the night.” Zach winked, turning the mood playful again.
Reed left the house with a smile on his face and tried his best to keep it there as he walked through the woods. He neither heard nor saw anything as he walked and was at Duncan’s front door only ten minutes after he’d left the alphas house.
Reed knocked and pushed his hand back in his jacket. He heard laughter and steps coming toward him, so he took a deep breath, tried his best to look happy or at least not completely down, and waited.
The door swung open and Duncan smiled at him. “Hey, Reed. We were expecting you. Come in.” Reed stomped his boots and tried his best to clean them out, but Christmas was approaching fast and snow covered the ground. Where it didn’t, it was often muddy, and it didn’t help.
“Just take them off and leave them by the door.” Duncan looked down and Reed followed. Duncan wiggled his sock covered toes. “We’re pretty informal here. Noah’s fault. You should see him when he’s painting and forgets to go clean up. He walks around the house covered in paint.”
Reed complied as Duncan hovered close. He waited for Reed to get in before closing the door and locking it. When he noticed Reed looking at him, he shrugged. “You never know, with that thing roaming around the woods. So,” he changed topic, “I hear congratulations are in order?”
Reed smiled shyly. “I guess so. But we haven’t talked yet, so...”
Duncan clapped Reed’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I know Demi. He’s a good guy. Complicated, but good. You two will do fine together.”
“Yeah.”
“Demi? Reed’s here!” Duncan yelled.
Reed looked at him with wide eyes. “You didn’t have to yell!”
“That’s the only way to tear those two apart, believe me.”
Demi rushed out of the kitchen only to skid to a halt when he saw them. “Oh, hi. Again.”
“Hi.”
Reed fidgeted and looked at his feet. Demi cleared his throat.
Duncan chuckled. “Demi, why don’t you take Reed to your room to talk? That way Noah won’t be tempted to chat in your place. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” He started walking toward the kitchen but paused just before entering. “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“So, want to go to my room?”
Reed chuckled. “This makes me feel like I’m thirteen again.”
Demi smiled, and Reed congratulated himself for making him. “Yeah. Come on, let’s go.”
Chapter Three
Once in Demi’s room, Reed looked around. Demi saw him eyeing the pile of books on the dresser and decided it’d be a safe place to start talking. “They’re almost all on plants.”
Reed snapped his head Demi’s way. “What?”
“The books. They’re almost all on plants. Roses.”
“Oh. Is it just something that interests you, or...”
Demi sat on his bed and shuffled toward the middle of it. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to sit with me on the bed.”
Reed looked at the bed, shrugged, and climbed next to Demi. He left some distance between them, enough that they’d have to move to touch each other, but not enough that it was awkward.
“It’s my job.”
Reed looked confused for a moment before answering. “Oh, the books.”
“Yes. I’m a gardener, and, well, it’s in my blood I guess. I’m not a Steduna demon for nothing.”
“You’re going to have to explain that,” Reed pointed out.
“Right. Do you know anything about demons?”
“You have tails, horns, and those weird colored swirl things.”
Demi chuckled. “That’s it?”
“Mostly, yeah. Me and Noah aren’t exactly friends, although I guess that will change.”
Demi worried his lower lip with his teeth before asking, “Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Depends. What do you think it means?”
“When you say you and Noah are going to have to become friends, you’re implying that it’s because we—you and me—will get together. Right?”
“Well, we’re mates, so yes.”
“But what if we hate each other?”
Reek coked his head to the side. “I bet demons don’t have mates. Right?”
“We don’t, no.”
“Okay, it’s like this. You know the legend that human beings were created with two heads, four arms, and four legs?”
“And they were separated later on and are looking for their other half ever since.”
“That one. I guess we could say you’re one of the heads and I’m the other. We’re perfect for each other, at least in theory. That means you’ll be able to smooth out my more aggressive personality, and I’ll be able to, well, I don’t know you so I’m not sure, but you get the point.”
“So we what? Complete each other? Are each other’s perfect half?”
“Exactly.”
“Does that mean that every single shifter that met his or her mate ended up mating? That can’t be possible.” Demi was skeptical. He understood the romanticism of it, sure, but it felt a lot like shifters were kind of forced together.
“Oh, I’m sure it happens, but just think about how hard finding your mate is. We have no idea where he is, or even if he’s already born. Several couples in the pack have a big age difference. Take Kameron and Zach. Zach’s only twenty-one, but Kam is eighty-seven.”
“So it’s actually rare for shifters to find their mates?”
“Not exactly rare, but not common either, so when we do find them, we treat it like
the precious thing it is. I don’t... expect you to do the same, though. I’ll understand if you chose to keep your distance. Especially with what happened with your ex-boyfriend.”
Demi waved Reed’s worry away. “Don’t compare yourself to Larsen. He’s a fucking asshole, and I already knew that when I started seeing him. Really, calling him boyfriend is too good, but I couldn’t very well tell Kameron my fuck buddy’s being a jackass.”
Reed gaped and Demi clamped his lips together. “Sorry. I tend to swear, at least when I’m not with my father. He doesn’t like it.”
“I’m not sure I like it either, but I’m not your father, so feel free to swear as much as you want.”
“I’ll try to keep myself in check. Anyway, to come back to Larsen, this isn’t the same. He wants the sex, and okay, maybe more, but he wants to keep it and me in the closet.”
“He’s not out?”
“Oh no, he is, but I’m just the gardener. I’m not good enough for him. He couldn’t possibly present me to his friends, or heaven forbid, his parents.” The bitterness Demi felt was obvious in his voice, and he cleared his throat, trying to make it less so.
“How do you know I’m different?” Reed asked softly.
“I met your mother already. You could’ve kept your mouth shut and told no one I’m your mate. I certainly wouldn’t have known I am. But instead, you told your mother. You’re not ashamed of me.”
“I told you, it’s different.”
Demi shrugged. “Doesn’t matter why.”
Reed didn’t answer. He ran his finger on the comforter’s design and Demi searched his mind for something else to talk about. It didn’t matter what, as long as it broke the awkward silence. “What about you? Any exes I should know about?”
Reed chuckled. “Most people wouldn’t want to know about exes.”
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