Perry goes pinker again. “I couldn’t let you die. I didn’t know we were Fated until you landed in my hand.” He rubs his palm as if to remember the feeling.
Abel’s bottom lip trembles. “I’m so sorry.”
“You should be,” Perry says, but he wraps an arm around the man and pulls him close.
“We’re all alive.” I pat myself down to make a show of it. Perry gives me a knowing smile, but Abel won’t meet my gaze.
“I’ve eaten so many chipmunks,” Abel says. “What if they were shifters, too?” Finally he meets my eyes, and I kill the laugh. He’s not being dramatic to be dramatic, he’s totally torn up about snatching me.
“Everything’s okay.” I reach a hand out, but hold back from touching him when he steps back. “Besides, I don’t think another shifter would let a critter eat them? They’d just shift. Like had you taken me to a nest, I would have shifted. But had I done it in the air, we probably both would have been toast. Lucky Perry was there to catch me, though.”
Perry preens as f I gave him the best compliment in the world. I mean... I kinda did. He saved me.
I swallow and nod towards my door. “Wanna come in? I can make us some hot chocolate or hot tea or something and we can get to know each other.”
They look to each other.
Abel shakes his head and backs up again. “I shouldn’t be here. I should leave. You two can?—”
“No,” Perry says as he grabs Abel’s hand. “You’re my mate too, and I won’t let you go without a fight.”
“Same,” I say. “Not to mention I’ve had a crush on you since I started going to the library.”
Abel’s cheeks go pink and he dips his head. “No one ever has a crush on me.”
Perry and I scoff at the same time, and our eyes meet. I chuckle at the same time he does.
Perry takes a step toward Abel. “Don’t you know how handsome you are? Beautiful really.” He pushes a tress of hair behind Abel’s ear. “And you’re a bit awkward which makes it fun to ask for things like erotica.”
I smirk. “You get it.”
“Making sweet Betas squirm. Oh, yeah,” Perry says softly.
Poor Abel’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. “Don’t make fun.” He blinks and a tear slides down his cheek.
Perry and I exchange another look. We’re going to have to show this Beta he’s ours.
