Nymon was sure that if something happened, he’d be able to come up with an explanation as to why he hadn’t contacted anyone about Tex’s presence.He didn’t have to tell anyone that he was Tex’s mate.If Tex got caught, there was no reason for Nymon to be, too.
Except that he would never abandon his mate.He might not be a shifter, but their bond meant something to him.He wasn’t about to throw Tex to the wolves.
Nymon snickered at the thought.Of course, Kael noticed.
“What’s going on with you tonight?”he asked.“You’ve been basically pushing me out of the house.”
“I’m sorry.I’m just tired.I’d love to have you stay over, but I really think I should go to bed.”
Kael frowned.“What’s wrong?Are you sick?”
“Maybe a little.It’s nothing some rest won’t help, though.I can feel a headache coming on.”
“Do you need anything?I could stay and help.”
Nymon wanted to tell Kael about Tex.Kael was his best friend.He wanted to take care of Nymon, even though Nymon was lying to him.Of course, Kael didn’t know that Nymon was lying, but still.Nymon knew that Kael would be on his side, whatever he decided.He’d want Nymon to be happy.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t freak out over it.
Thatwas what scared Nymon.Kael would support him, even if he decided to leave, but he might also tell someone something about it, and Nymon couldn’t afford for that to happen.He needed everyone in town to continue to ignore the fact that Tex was there.
It wasn’t like it would be for long, anyway.Tex had said that he was here to find information, and he had.He didn’t know how useful that information would be, but the longer he stayed, the riskier it got for him.Where did that leave them?Nymon didn’t know, which was why Tex needed to come back so they could talk.Tex couldn’t do that until Kael left.
“I promise I’ll be fine,” Nymon told Kael.“I’ll just go to bed as soon as you leave, maybe take a painkiller, and I’ll be right as rain tomorrow.”
“You’re sure?”
“You can drag me to the healer tomorrow morning if I’m not better, all right?”
Kael seemed satisfied with that.“I’ll hold you to that.If you’re not feeling better tomorrow, you’re seeing a healer.”
Nymon wasn’t offended by Kael’s mothering.They were both the closest thing they had to a family.In fact, Nymon was pretty sure that he cared more about Kael than Kael’s family ever had.It was one of the reasons he felt so guilty about not talking to him.He would eventually.He just needed to talk to Tex first.He needed to know more before he could tell Kael what was going on.
Kael kept watching Nymon as he got ready to leave.It was almost as if he expected Nymon to keel over and have a heart attack or something.Nymon didn’t blame him.He was happy when Kael finally left, though.He closed the door behind his best friend and leaned against it, breathing in and out for a few seconds.He listened to Kael’s footsteps climbing down the porch steps and walking down the road until they vanished.
As soon as he was sure he was alone, Nymon pushed away from the door and rushed toward the back of the house.He opened the back door, but he hesitated before stepping out.Was Tex out there?
Something rustling in the bushes made his heart race.His mouth went dry, and he watched as the bushes jerked back and forth.He only relaxed when a muzzle he was already starting to recognize appeared.
Nymon opened the door wider.“Kael left,” he explained.“We shouldn’t be disturbed for the rest of the night.”
Tex trotted toward Nymon.Nymon couldn’t see that well since it was dark, but it was enough.It was odd to watch the wolf and know that he could turn into a person, even though Nymon had always known about shifters.None of them had been in his life, though.Most days, they’d felt more like something that belonged on TV and in movies, but Tex was right there.He wasn’t an actor.He was Nymon’s mate.
Nymon closed the door as soon as Tex was inside the house.He didn’t have any doubts or hesitation about having his mate here.He hadn’t had them earlier, either, but he’d wanted Tex to be honest.
He had been.He’d told Nymon why he was here.He’d explained what those demons were doing.He’d even told Nymon that they were mates.
“He won’t come back?”Tex asked once he’d shifted back to his human form, looking unbothered by the fact that he was naked.
Nymon couldn’t spend the time staring at his mate’s body since they needed to talk.He looked around the room, relieved to have left a sweater on one of the kitchen chairs.He reached for it and held it out, pleased by the fact that Tex would be covered and that it would be by one of Nymon’s sweaters.“Here.”
“Thank you,” Tex said without arguing.Maybe he understood that this was better.It wasn’t that Nymon was uncomfortable, just distracted.
“Maybe we should go to the living room and sit down.”
“That sounds like you want to talk, and that’s not usually a good thing,” Tex gently teased.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be good or bad.I just know that we need to do it.”
