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Authors: Alice Cain
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received from his dad, that he almost
forgot Lilly was in the room with him.
"Sorry," he said, trying not to
acknowledge the heat of a blush he could feel creeping up his neck.
"I…um…I get lost inside my head sometimes. It's a…um…personality problem a
lot of computer geeks have…I think. I've never spent that much time with
someone as into computers and stuff as I am."
Lilly gave him a look that suggested she
understood exactly what he was trying to say. "It's possibly part of the
reason why you and Jordan are destined mates. When he's protecting you, Jordan
has a type of quiet steadiness that few in this industry can truly
achieve."
"Opposites attract? I guess he believes
differently," Rick said, trying to swallow the lump of emotion caught in
his throat. "I'm kind of glad I'm not a werewolf. I can't imagine how much
more this would hurt if it was a biological pull as well as an emotional
one."
Lilly nodded and gave him a sympathetic
smile. "You wouldn't need quite as much security if you were a Lupinville
werewolf with the ability to self-heal, but yeah, the 'destined mates' thing
would truly suck." She gave him a speculative look. "I have some
contacts if you decide you would like to be a different kind of shifter, but
maybe give Jordan a little while to change his mind before doing something
rather permanent."
"He's been resisting the idea of us
being mates for nearly four years now. I don't suppose that's an easy attitude
to overcome, but I'll keep the 'other shifter' idea in mind. It would be nice
to not be such a drain on security precautions."
"Nonsense," Lilly said with a wide
smile. "We like protecting you. Too often we find ourselves working for
people who aren't as innocent as they claim. It's nice to have the genuine
article for a change."
Rick wasn't certain how to interpret that,
but since he'd recently overheard a conversation that included eyewitness
accounts of the French Revolution he supposed he was perceived as quite young
by comparison. He shrugged a not-quite-reply. Lilly grinned again, and then
stood up and walked toward the doorway.
"Maybe give your dad a call and ask why
he thought Jordan was here. If they spoke while he was in Lupinville, it might
be worth knowing what was said."
"Thanks, Lil ,"
he said as she walked down the hallway toward the kitchen area. If there was
one thing Rick had truly found unusual about the Alateeka siblings it was the
amount of food they managed to put away each day. That alone suggested none of
them were purely human.
He grabbed his phone, dialed his father's
number, and waited impatiently for the man to answer.
"Hi, son," Cody said happily.
"You didn't need to call me back. It wasn't anything important. You should
go back to your mate."
"Dad, Jordan didn't come back."
"Are you sure?" Cody asked
sounding confused.
"Dad, I think I would have
noticed." Although, if Jordan had gone back to protecting him from a
distance like last time, chances were he wouldn't have let Rick see him anyway.
His dad was quiet for a worrying amount of
time. "He…" Cody left the word hanging as if he was trying to replay
in his head what had happened. "Rick, he seemed so happy. Jordan came by
the auto shop two days ago. He even asked my permission to claim you as his
mate."
"What did you say?" Rick asked , worried that his dad had said something Jordan had
misunderstood. His dad—and most of the werewolves in Lupinville—knew how much
Rick wanted Jordan in his life, and how much Jordan cared for him.
"Ricky, I told him I love you, and that
I want you to be happy." Rick's chest ached at the realization that Jordan
would likely have interpreted that as "stay away from my son." Rick
was pretty sure he could hear Trent in the background. His dad's mate very
likely had his arms around him, holding him close as they spoke. Just the
thought made him a little jealous, even though he knew his dad deserved to be
deliriously happy.
"Jordan would have taken that the
forgot Lilly was in the room with him.
"Sorry," he said, trying not to
acknowledge the heat of a blush he could feel creeping up his neck.
"I…um…I get lost inside my head sometimes. It's a…um…personality problem a
lot of computer geeks have…I think. I've never spent that much time with
someone as into computers and stuff as I am."
Lilly gave him a look that suggested she
understood exactly what he was trying to say. "It's possibly part of the
reason why you and Jordan are destined mates. When he's protecting you, Jordan
has a type of quiet steadiness that few in this industry can truly
achieve."
"Opposites attract? I guess he believes
differently," Rick said, trying to swallow the lump of emotion caught in
his throat. "I'm kind of glad I'm not a werewolf. I can't imagine how much
more this would hurt if it was a biological pull as well as an emotional
one."
Lilly nodded and gave him a sympathetic
smile. "You wouldn't need quite as much security if you were a Lupinville
werewolf with the ability to self-heal, but yeah, the 'destined mates' thing
would truly suck." She gave him a speculative look. "I have some
contacts if you decide you would like to be a different kind of shifter, but
maybe give Jordan a little while to change his mind before doing something
rather permanent."
"He's been resisting the idea of us
being mates for nearly four years now. I don't suppose that's an easy attitude
to overcome, but I'll keep the 'other shifter' idea in mind. It would be nice
to not be such a drain on security precautions."
"Nonsense," Lilly said with a wide
smile. "We like protecting you. Too often we find ourselves working for
people who aren't as innocent as they claim. It's nice to have the genuine
article for a change."
Rick wasn't certain how to interpret that,
but since he'd recently overheard a conversation that included eyewitness
accounts of the French Revolution he supposed he was perceived as quite young
by comparison. He shrugged a not-quite-reply. Lilly grinned again, and then
stood up and walked toward the doorway.
"Maybe give your dad a call and ask why
he thought Jordan was here. If they spoke while he was in Lupinville, it might
be worth knowing what was said."
"Thanks, Lil ,"
he said as she walked down the hallway toward the kitchen area. If there was
one thing Rick had truly found unusual about the Alateeka siblings it was the
amount of food they managed to put away each day. That alone suggested none of
them were purely human.
He grabbed his phone, dialed his father's
number, and waited impatiently for the man to answer.
"Hi, son," Cody said happily.
"You didn't need to call me back. It wasn't anything important. You should
go back to your mate."
"Dad, Jordan didn't come back."
"Are you sure?" Cody asked
sounding confused.
"Dad, I think I would have
noticed." Although, if Jordan had gone back to protecting him from a
distance like last time, chances were he wouldn't have let Rick see him anyway.
His dad was quiet for a worrying amount of
time. "He…" Cody left the word hanging as if he was trying to replay
in his head what had happened. "Rick, he seemed so happy. Jordan came by
the auto shop two days ago. He even asked my permission to claim you as his
mate."
"What did you say?" Rick asked , worried that his dad had said something Jordan had
misunderstood. His dad—and most of the werewolves in Lupinville—knew how much
Rick wanted Jordan in his life, and how much Jordan cared for him.
"Ricky, I told him I love you, and that
I want you to be happy." Rick's chest ached at the realization that Jordan
would likely have interpreted that as "stay away from my son." Rick
was pretty sure he could hear Trent in the background. His dad's mate very
likely had his arms around him, holding him close as they spoke. Just the
thought made him a little jealous, even though he knew his dad deserved to be
deliriously happy.
"Jordan would have taken that the
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