“Okay,” I said. “I want to come. Many, many times.”
“On my fingers. I’m gonna make you squirt.” His footsteps padded to the door, where they stopped. He sighed. “I know all this is new for you, and I ain’t no hearts and flowers—”
“I don’t need hearts and flowers,” I said. I needed someone to help me get back up on my feet. I needed a safe place. “What do you do at work?”
“Run the city.”
“Thank you, Jamie. Very helpful. Do you work all days of the week?”
“I used to. Back on Tineya, no such thing as a day off. But on Earth, I try to make time for days off.”
“I heard there’s a fine sand beach and a huge spring-water thing like a lake right inside this city. A beast-made beach on a lake to remind you of your home. I’d like to go there, maybe learn how to swim.”
Jamie stayed quiet, and for a moment I thought he’d left. Sometimes people disappeared without a word, and I ended up talking to myself. Case in point, the woman who’d brought Dark yesterday. I hadn’t heard her leave.
“We live on the beach, Rey.”
The door slammed closed.
Jamie
Our white three-story home sat next to Vice’s home right on the water, and while our bedroom’s windows overlooked the street, our balcony wrapped around the entire house with a nice big upper deck right above the patio. On the deck, I’d spent countless mornings thinking about my mate before I even knew her. Honestly, I imagined she’d be feisty and defiant. I imagined I’d discipline her day and night. For our games, of course, and not because I was an abusive dick.
Rey was a tall, curvy brunette perfection with tits that didn’t even fit my large hands. A sweet girl. Yet the little shit hadn’t even bothered to look outside her damn window. Just as well. I’d fuck her into wanting to stay. I’d give her so much cock, she wouldn’t be able to run even if she wanted to. I shuddered at the thought of her running. I couldn’t force her to stay. Mating didn’t work by force.
“Your bad mood is infectious,” Vice said from the rail’s edge of the lighthouse where we set up our stakeout. “The sky might catch a disease and pour crap on us. Cheer up.” He paced back and forth, flexing his claws. Dewlyn was driving him nuts. This morning, we watched my house from the back because Dewlyn got spooked yesterday when she’d dropped off the hound. We figured she’d come again. A girl on a mission to fuck with us. She’d intercepted a mating handover once before, and she’d probably tried to intercept mine. She’d get herself killed standing between a mated beast and his mate. We had to contain her, and Vice needed to make her his.
The last thing I wanted was for Dewlyn and Rey to get together. If Rey took off, I’d hunt her, but in the end, if she didn’t want to be mated, there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing. I depended on her. I couldn’t force her.
“Here’s your sun-Rey. Man, this girl makes me smile,” Vice said.
“Mind your own mate.” I hopped on the edge and watched, the wind blowing the smell of fresh water in my face. Our eyes, made for hunting, allowed us to see a great distance. Rey stood on the porch between her small lounge chair and my bigger one. The same one I’d need to disinfect. She held the hound’s leash—there went my rope—and a short white stick in her hand.
“A skinny-dip,” Vice said. “Maybe I’ll get an eyeful. Rawr.”
“If she takes off her clothes, you’re not watching. She can’t swim either, so she’ll need to wait and use the pool until I teach her how to swim.” Damn straight. Finally, she got out of the house and smiled a genuine smile. The same one I’d seen her wear at her compound. In turn, I showed my teeth too.
Rey jerked her hand.
The white stick unfolded into a longer stick. A cane? I tilted my head.
She placed the far end of the stick down on the ground and began tapping around. The hound plastered himself to her left leg. He stepped first, and she followed.
Vice and I both froze in place. The entire city faded before my eyes.
Tap, tap, tap.
I could almost hear the soft end of her cane tap the tiled edge of our pool. The myriad flashbacks assaulted me. Rey wore sunglasses most of the time. Rey avoided me. Rey didn’t drive her girly bike in the city. Rey didn’t look me in the eyes. Sometimes she followed my mouth and sometimes her gaze would drift not quite where it should be. At the party, she looked distracted and uncomfortable. Quiet. I attributed it to her being shy.
I blinked in disbelief.
“Bro,” Vice said in a low voice.