Lion’s Crossing (Love Sync Mates Season Two)

Chapter Five

Knox

The next hour passed by faster than any of the previous ones since I’d boarded the train. Linc and I continued to talk while surrounded by passengers who grew increasingly impatient. I felt the tension around me, but Linc made me feel safe. Even though we were strangers when we boarded, his presence as an alpha from the same hometown as me, eased my worry about being stuck on the train.

“The hi-rail is here,” someone shouted from the other end of the coach. “They’re finally going to fix it.”

“It’s about time.” I glanced at the time on my phone. “It’s already check-in time at my hotel.”

Linc lowered his phone. “Oh, what hotel are you staying at? I should have asked earlier.”

“The Vista.” I chewed on my bottom lip, sure he had stayed at much nicer hotels around the world. “It seemed nice enough for what I could afford.”

Linc sat up, turning toward me. “Oh, the one right next to Natural History of Shifters Museum. And Claude’s Diner is right across the street. Both are places that need to be on your itinerary if they aren’t already.”

“The museum is.” I opened the notes app on my phone. “But not the diner. I’ll have to add that.”

“Claude’s is so good.” He tapped his fingers on his thigh. “And it’s not expensive and posh like some of the other places in the city. Great food with big portions, and very affordable.”

“Thank you.” These tips from Linc made me wish I’d had someone from Saramto to talk to about where to visit when I’d planned the trip. Locals always knew the best places to visit that weren’t on the travel websites.

He rubbed his belly. “All this talk of food is making me hungry.”

“We’re all hungry!” an alpha shouted whose scent wafted from the row behind us.

“Carts!” another passenger shouted. “They’re bringing out carts! It’s about time!”

“Yeah, we’ve been stuck here for hours. The least they could have done was give us food and something to drink!”

Voices echoed the sentiment as a new attendant pushed his loaded cart up the aisle. With the promise of water and food, the cloud of tension in the coach seemed to decrease a bit, as did the overall temperature inside.

Conversation between Linc and I dwindled as we waited for the cart to pass by. “Want anything to eat?” he asked.

While I was hungry, I could not eat right away with my anxiety-induced upset stomach. Until we started moving again, I refused to snack on anything. And the line to the bathroom was still longer than I cared to chance. With the edge of the cart barely visible, I leaned closer to Linc to see what was available for later.

“What do you mean the food costs money?” an alpha shouted from the seat in front of us. “It’s your fault we’re stuck here. The least you can do is give us food to compensate for the delay.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but—”

The attendant didn’t have time to finish his sentence before chaos broke out all around us. Packaged peanuts, bagels, and other unidentifiable food flew into the air around us while passengers dove over seats to grab it. Bottled water rolled down the aisles, while some were trampled in the turmoil, sending sprays of wetness all over the coach.

I leaned into my seat, trying not to get involved in any of the commotion. Suddenly, Linc reached for me and pulled me onto him. With the movement, my glasses fell off into my lap. I went to reach for them, but another passenger dove headfirst into my seat. The man righted himself, his feet and arms seeming to be everywhere in the process before he left just as quickly as he’d arrived. But Linc wasn’t so fast to let go of me. He held my head against his chest, and I couldn’t help but catch his aroma. His scent blockers must have worn off during the trip because I would have noticed a smell like that earlier. Like maple syrup and brown sugar. The same as the oatmeal I liked to eat. A comfort food. While I’d tried to ignore my hunger, being so close to him aroused an appetite for something else. My deer twitched inside, attentive around an alpha for the first time in my entire life. I didn’t want to move, yearned to stay in his lap forever.

I made the mistake of nuzzling into him, and that’s when he let go of me. He didn’t toss me back into my seat, but gently helped me off his lap and handed me my glasses. “Are you okay?”

I nodded as I put my glasses back on, too scared of what would come out of my mouth if I tried to say anything.

“Sorry for grabbing you like that.” Linc rolled his shoulders. “But I caught his reflection in the window and didn’t want him to land on you.”

“Thank you.” I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down from being so close to him. “I…I appreciate it. He would have hurt me.”

Linc snorted. “Yes, he would have.” After rubbing his hands across his lap, he glanced up and down the aisle. “I have an idea. That is, if I can get to my bags.”

I had no clue what he meant, but I worried I’d done something wrong while in his lap with how quickly he seemed to want to leave.