“There are others, too, though.” Seth indicated a direction with a tilt of his head. “Over by the other end of the bar are a red panda and an otter. I scent rabbits, too. Just like the ones in the fields at home, but these are shifters. We’re fine.”
No danger. Search for him. Then shift, please.
“My beast says everything’s fine, too,” I said. “But he’s acting strange. He says we need to search for him. What him? I’m still a little disoriented.”
“Mine says everything’s good, too. He wants to look around. Are you still okay with that? You don’t want to leave, do you?” Seth took my hand in his and squeezed it for reassurance.
He had promised me we’d leave if I wasn’t happy about the club.
“No. It’s that scent. I can’t leave it. It’s haunting.”
Seth gently pulled me away from the bar. “Let’s explore.”
I went with him, not wanting him to let go of his grasp.
“Do you think we’re looking for a person?” I asked.
“I don’t know. But it’s stronger over here. Don’t you think?” Seth had led us away from the dance floor and toward the back of the building where there were restrooms and benches.
Staff came out swinging double doors with food on trays, and carts for bussing tables. As the doors swung open and closed, they disturbed the air around us. Kitchen and cooking scents grew stronger. And so did that special sweetness. My mind spun as if I was drunk when I’d barely taken a sip of my drink. What was happening?
The noise of the club was quieter here and I didn’t have to yell. “Seth?”
No other words were necessary. He’d already turned toward the doors. “It’s in there.”
“The kitchen?”
Seth pulled me closer and approached the doors. At that moment, a waiter came out. He looked at us and said with a polite smile, “Oh, sorry. Employees only in there.”
“Okay. Right. But I think there’s someone in there we need to see,” Seth said. “Right now.”
The waiter frowned. “Name?”
We both looked at each other, confused.
“Um.”
“Well.”
The waiter looked us up and down, sniffing. He was a gazelle; I could tell that much. At least he was a herd animal like us.
“You’re not from around here. I can tell. You smell like distance. And…and something else. The grassy woodlands like where I’m from. But another scent I can’t define. Like how Bram smells. He works as a cook here. But he’s not one of us. He’s a wolf.”
Bram. I didn’t know that name. Before I could think about it, Seth stepped forward.
“Can we see Bram, please?” Seth’s voice was more demanding than a question.
“Sure.”
It all happened so fast. The waiter called through the doors, and suddenly a beautiful guy emerged.
The waiter started to speak. “These two wanted to see you for something…”
I didn’t hear the rest. All the air left me. I felt Seth’s hand still clutching mine as there, standing before us, was the most gorgeous omega with big dark eyes and a beautifully sculpted face. His hair was dark blond and neatly styled.
Instantly, my beast alerted. My mind sped up as if time stopped obeying any steady rules. A hundred thoughts downloaded.
I’ve seen him before. He’s someone I know. But we’ve never met.
