I’d never been so pleased to hear the rumble of Axel’s motorbike as it neared the house.
“What’s he doing here?” I asked, hoping to divert Rys away from what he’d been about to ask.
“I’m taking him and Dathal into the station with me.”
I frowned. “Dathal?” Not a name I recognised.
“Axel’s cousin,” Mase explained. “The Fae High Court sent him to help with the investigation into who’s refining the Blue Alhuirn we confiscated. He’s staying with Axel.”
“Ahh.” I’d heard they’d sent one of their own through the gateway. Not that I was surprised. I imagined the fact that such a dangerous drug had been smuggled out through a gateway from under their noses wasn’t something they’d take lightly. “Is Axel okay?”
We’d hooked up a couple of times, but never anything serious. He was my friend though, and I didn’t have too many of those who I trusted. Axel was one of them, and I cared about what happened to him. I’d spoken to him immediately after everything went down, but not for a few days. And not since he’d acquired a house guest. “If they’ve sent another fae through the gateway, does that mean they don’t trust him anymore?” Whoever was behind it all had to have got it through one of the gateways, after all.
Rys stood. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him.” He walked over to the front door and opened it, his smile a lot warmer than the one he’d greeted me with. Made sense. Axel was as good as pack.
I moved to stand next to Mase.
“What’s he like?” I whispered. “The new guy.”
Mase laughed and glanced at me, eyes full of amusement. “I forgot you’ve not met him yet. This should be fun.”
I didn’t get to ask him what he meant because Rys stood aside and welcomed Axel into his home.
Axel’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw me. “Hey. Didn’t expect to see you here.” He walked over to me and wrapped me in a warm hug.
I returned it. “You’re looking better than the last time I saw you.”
He laughed. “I feel it.”
Stepping back, Axel half turned and gestured to the man standing next to him. “Nick Parker, this is my cousin, Dathal Vharin.”
Silver hair a shade darker than Axel’s was the first thing I noticed. Longer on the top than the sides, it fell across his forehead in a way that made my fingers itch to push it back. Sharp cheekbones gave him that ethereal quality that I’d come to associate with all fae.
I looked up into violet eyes framed by thick black lashes, a sparkle to them that promised bad,badthings.
“Hey,” I managed, holding out my hand for him to shake. “Good to meet you.”
“You too.Nick.” He practically purred my name. When his long fingers wrapped around mine in a firm grip, my pulse raced from that tiny bit of contact, and judging from his wicked smile, he knew exactly the effect he’d had on me.
Axel smirked, and I wanted the floor to swallow me whole, because everyone in the room probably knew what I was thinking at that moment. And if Mase didn’t, no doubt Rys would fill him in later.
“Right,” Axel said, looking between me and Dathal. And fuck it all, I was still holding onto his hand. “We’d better get going.”
Letting go, I took a hasty step back to what I hoped was a safe distance, looking anywhere other than at Dathal.
Mase shot me a “we’ll be talking about this later” look, picked up his car keys, then ushered Axel and Dathal out the door. Leaving me alone with Rys.
I turned to see Rys wearing a shit-eating grin, arms crossed as he leant against the worktop.
Flustered wasn’t an emotion I was used to, but that’s exactly how I felt stood in Rys’s kitchen. “So,” I said, not able to meet his eyes. “That was Dathal, then.”
“Yep.” He was still grinning at me, and no doubt I was giving off all sorts of incriminating scents, but that didn’t mean I was going to admit to anything.
“He’s… interesting.” I tried for indifferent, surprised when my voice came out a lot more confident and unaffected than I felt.
“M-hmm. You certainly seemed to think so,” he shot back, and I rolled my eyes.
“I really fucking hate shifters sometimes.”
