Chapter Eleven
Gabriel could feel Chay watching him without even looking. The man had been staring at him since they crawled out of bed. While he enjoyed having the sexy man’s attention, it was a little off-putting. He had never been the center of someone’s attention before.
So intent on not being intent, Gabriel jumped when the doorbell rang. He pressed his hand to his chest, right over his rapidly beating heart.
“Easy, baby,” Chay said as he walked past him. “It’s just Dom and Aldrik.”
“How do you know?”
“Smell the air. Draw in a lungful of air through your nose and then separate the different scents. You’ll see what I mean.”
Oh.
Gabriel sniffed the air. A smile of wonder began to spread across his lips. “I smell them, both of them.” They had two very distinct scents.
Chay grinned before leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. “Not to worry, Gabe. You’ll get this shifter thing in no time.”
Gabriel certainly hoped so, especially now that he had a shifter mate. He was pretty sure Chay would explain anything he needed to know about being a shifter. Aldrik could explain the rest.
Gabriel sat there at the table and drew in breath after breath, separating the different scents as Chay had instructed. It really was wondrous. He could pinpoint Chay, Dom, and Aldrik.
He could smell other scents, as well. Someone was down the street cutting grass. There was a lady two houses down sitting on her porch. The mailman was coming down the street. A stray dog was in the alley, sniffing around.
He didn’t know how he knew these things, just that he did.
When Chay walked in with Dom and Aldrik, Gabriel smiled at them. With them standing in the room, their distinctive scents were even stronger. It was pretty amazing.
“Coffee?” Chay asked as he headed for the coffee pot on the counter.
Dom nodded.
“Do you have tea?” Aldrik asked. “If not, a cup of hot water will be fine. I brought my own.”
“Dom,” Gabriel said, “if you’re itching, that tea concoction of Aldrik’s works to make it stop.”
Dom grimaced.
Gabriel chuckled. “Believe me, it’s much better than wanting to scratch your skin off.”
Been there, done that.
“Fine.” Dom’s blue eyes rolled. “I’ll have tea.”
Chay chuckled as he put the pot on the stove to heat.
“So, what happened with those guys that attacked us at the motel?” Gabriel asked.
“I simply explained to the police officers that they had broken into the motel room and started demanding money. When I explained that I didn’t have any, they began to argue amongst themselves, eventually getting into a fight and knocking each other out.”
Gabriel chuckled. “That’s actually pretty smart.”
“The police arrested them for breaking and entering and took them down to the station. Dom took me down this morning before we came here, and I signed a statement to back up what I told the police.”
Gabriel gaped at Aldrik. “If they find out you lied, they’ll put you in jail.”
“You are assuming they will find out.”
“How can they not?” Gabriel asked. “Those men will talk.”
