“Oh, son!” He carefully walks down the steps. “You didn’t have to do all this. You’ve already done so much for me today.”
I shrug, closing the shed door. “It needed doing.”
“I’m sure you’re thirsty.” He thrusts one of the glasses into my hand. “Fresh lemonade. My late mate’s recipe.”
The glass is cold, condensation already dripping down the sides. I take a long drink, and the tart sweetness explodes across my tongue.
“This is good,” I admit, draining half the glass in one go.
Falkor beams like I’ve just given him the greatest compliment in the world. “I’m so glad you like it. And thank you for everything today. The yard looks wonderful. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“You don’t need to repay me.” I finish the lemonade and hand him back the empty glass. “Just make sure you open your mail from now on. And answer your phone when the center calls. I would hate for you to end up behind bars.”
“I will, I promise.” He clutches both glasses to his chest. “You’re a good man, Grim, you know that?”
I’m not. But I don’t say it; instead, I just nod and head toward my SUV.
“Take care of yourself, Falkor.”
“You too, son.”
I climb into my vehicle and crank the AC to full blast as I pull away from the curb, watching Falkor wave at me in the rearview mirror until I turn the corner and he disappears from view.
The drive back to my place is quick enough. My cabin sits on the outskirts of town, tucked away in the woods where I don’t have to deal with people and their bullshit. I built it myself some years back.
As I pull up to the cabin, I spot a familiar black SUV parked in my driveway.
Fuck.
What the hell is he doing here?
I can guess, and I don’t like it.
I park next to his vehicle and kill the engine, my jaw clenching.
Drake is leaning against his SUV, arms crossed over his chest, looking annoyingly at ease. His eyes track me as I approach.
“You may as well hold your breath,” I tell him before he can open his mouth. “I’m not interested in trying for a mind-bond this year. Maybe not ever again. So you can fuck right off back to the Council buildings and stop messaging me already.”
Drake’s expression doesn’t change. “That’s not why I’m here.”
I stop a few feet away from him, studying his face for any sign of deception. “Then what do you want?”
“If you answered your messages,” he says calmly, “then maybe I wouldn’t have had to resort to showing up at your house unannounced.”
“I was busy. I thought you were going to talk me into working with the Tributes again this year.”
“Nope.” Drake pushes off his truck and straightens to his full height. He’s one of the few shifters who can come closeto matching me in size. “I need you to come with me. There’s someone you need to meet.”
I stare at him, narrowing my eyes. “Who?”
“Just come with me, and you’ll see.”
Every instinct I have is telling me to say no, to send him on his way, and lock myself in my cabin with a cold beer and the silence I crave. But there’s something in Drake’s eyes, something urgent that makes me pause.
I like this male, even if I don’t want to like him. I respect him too.
Fuck it!
