Crush’s grip tightened. “You wereshot.”
“Grazed by a bullet.”
“Doesn’t that scare you, even a little?” Crush frowned.
He looked so worried that Killian tried to reassure him. “I’ve actually been shot before. This is just a scrape. It’s okay.”
“You’ve beenshot?!” Crush paled. Then his eyes flashed gold. “Who did it?”
Killian opened and closed his mouth. “Some people.”
Crush growled louder. He looked as though he wanted to say more, but held back. “We’ll continue this chat later; we’re still not in a safe place. Right now, we need to grab some things and get out of here. Are you coming with me, or not?”
Killian gulped at the steel in Crush’s tone. “Yes, I’m coming! I mean, I’m following you! Not, you know, coming all over your—um. Fuck.” Killian groaned into his hands, his ears burning. “I’m com—I’mfollowing you!”
Crush huffed, his mouth finally curving into a smile. Before Killian could open his own door, Crush was out of the car and opening Killian’s door for him.
“You didn’t have to,” Killian said. Crush opened the back door, too.
It was only when Killian had stepped out onto the asphalt, that he realized just how huge Crush was. In the chaos of being shot at, he hadn’t had time to admire how the alpha stood two heads taller than him, his shoulders twice as broad.
With an unknown number of hostiles on his tail, Crush’s presence made him feel so safe.
Killian gathered Naddie into his arms, only to have Crush steal the gun out of his waistband. Killian turned.
To his surprise, large fingers slipped into his pocket, pulling out the spare magazine. Crush loaded the gun and holstered it on his own hip. “It’ll look less out of place on me. But feel free to use it if we’re in danger.”
Killian nodded, taking note of the gun’s draw angle. When he looked up, he found Crush watching him contemplatively.
“Let’s get going,” Crush said mildly.
Killian tucked Naddie under his shirt so she could latch and nurse. “You’re not going to ask?”
“Oh, I am. Later.” Crush grinned, his canines long and sharp.
A dozen shopping carts were frolicking at the general store’s entrance, chasing each other around planters full of colorful bushes. Killian carefully hooked his fingers into Crush’s belt loop, following him toward the carts.
There was magic in metals. It began as wisps of energy in metal ores, growing increasingly concentrated as the ores were refined. By the time the metals were forged into objects, each of them contained a significant amount of magic. And as the metal parts of an object moved and interacted with each other, their magic changed, turning the object sentient.
It was how locks could smile, faucets could bite, and shopping carts could frolic in the parking lots of grocery stores.
A shopping cart raced past with squeaky wheels, coming so close that it ran over the toes of Crush’s boots.
“Hey,” Crush said sternly.
The cart slowed to a halt, turning around slowly. As though it had just realized it had done something wrong.
“Yeah, you. You ran over my toes,” Crush said, reaching out to grab its handle. The cart wriggled in delight. “No more running over my toes, okay? I need you to be a good cart for me.”
Killian froze. If Crush had worded his sentence just a little differently, if he had saidI need you to be a good omega for me...
His cheeks grew hot.
Crush glanced at him sidelong. Had he heard Killian’s heart stumble? Had he smelled Killian’s arousal?
“What?” Killian said defensively.
Crush’s grin was all sharp teeth. “Would you like to be a good cart for me too, bunny rabbit?”
