A breeze sifted through his dark curls, and I sucked in a breath when it hit me square in the face, bringing with it his scent. His unmistakably familiar scent.
Oh no. No way. This could not be happening. Why now?
"Are you okay?" Zamir asked, and I cleared my throat, then nodded. He clearly hadn't recognized me. Or he had a very good poker face. Either way, I wasn't telling him. This wasn't what I wanted, and it would be pointless to tell him only to reject him.
If he didn't know, it was better this way, and if he did, he must not want it either since he hadn't said a word.
That was okay, though. Mate bonds weren't for everyone.
I watched as he climbed the three stairs, then grabbed the knob of the large wooden door, wondering if I'd ever see him again. Some of those supes could spend years without ever leaving the Sanctuary, after all.
Zamir opened the door and disappeared inside, and I stood there for a moment before forcing myself to take a step back.
"Uh..." Zamir came back out, stopping me in my tracks.
"What's wrong?"
He pulled the door open wider, and I peered inside. Huh.
It was dark inside, but my sight was sharp enough I could see the graffitied walls, the broken furniture lying around... this wasn't the Sanctuary. It was the actual building. What the hell?
"Try again," I suggested, and he closed the door, then opened it again with the same results.
"Can you call someone?" I asked, and he pulled out a phone, thumbed around on the screen, then pressed it to his ear.
"The number you have dialed is currently unreachable. Please try..." I heard the automated voice say, and Zamir groaned as he ended the call. He tried a few other numbers, all with the same result.
"Not again," he grumbled, catching my attention.
"This has happened before?" I asked, and he shrugged as he came back down the stairs.
"Not this specifically, but we've been having some problems. Minor things, mostly. Until now."
So maybe the sorcererwasstruggling.
"What are you going to do now?" I asked, and he pursed his lips.
"I'll stay here. Keep trying."
I didn't think so. He was still drunk, though this issue had sobered him up a little. And if a human—especially a human cop—were to pass by and see him sitting there in front of an abandoned building, they would have a lot of questions for him.
"Or you can sleep on my couch and try again tomorrow," I suggested, and he gazed at me for a moment. His smile was sharp and without humor.
"So I don't go rampaging through the town?"
"It was a joke. I didn't mean anything by it."
He searched my gaze for another long moment before he nodded, though it took a lot out of him.
What was I doing? Five minutes ago, I'd found out this man was my mate and decided I wanted nothing to do with him. And now I'd invited him to my home. Why would I do that?
"This way," I said, leading him back the way we'd come as I forcefully cleared my mind. I'd worry later. For now, I needed to get this man settled in my home. "By the way, how are you with animals?"
