Chapter 1
Chapter
One
JAMIE
A s far as conference rooms went, this one wasn’t bad. The soft gray of the walls felt nicer than the stark white walls he was used to. The chair was comfortable too.
He sighed, wondering who was going to be saddled with looking after him, while also wondering how hard it was going to be to build a life in a new city where he knew absolutely no one.
His eyes started to burn. Leaning back in the chair, he pressed a hand against his closed lids and took a deep breath.
It wasn’t like he’d had everything going for him in Chicago, but at least he’d known his neighborhood.
Known a couple of his neighbors. Had friends at work.
He’d long ago made peace with the fact that he didn’t have any family, and as much as he’d tried to build the kind of friend group you saw on seemingly every tv show…
he always felt somehow out of place. Outside .
He’d dreamed of starting over somewhere new so many times, but this? This wasn’t ever how he’d imagined or hoped it would happen. Starting over wasn’t supposed to come at the expense of his safety. Of his choice.
And that was really the crux of it. He’d thought he’d found something special, but special had turned out to be a nightmare in disguise.
Now, he couldn’t go home without the risk of Marcus finding him.
Going to the Paranormal Council in Chicago had been a last desperate attempt to keep himself safe.
This hadn’t been the solution he’d imagined, but he’d taken it like a lifeline when they’d been unable to locate Marcus.
A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts.
The door cracked open, and Lenette stepped through. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Jamie.”
“It’s no trouble,” he said, sitting up from his slouch and trying to look like he hadn’t been about to cry a moment ago.
Whatever Lenette said in response was lost in a static haze when the most beautiful man Jamie had ever seen walked into the room behind her.
He was tall and broad with a head full of dark hair that matched his full beard and mustache.
Piercing blue eyes stared right back at him as the man stopped inside the door.
“Jamie?” Lenette said, amusement coloring her voice.
“Huh?” He tore his gaze away from Mr. Gorgeous to look at Lenette.
“I said, this is Sigurd. You’ll be staying with him…at least until we’re sure the threat against you is no more.”
Jamie’s gaze darted back to Sigurd. Those blue eyes were still focused on him. As Jamie watched, Sigurd took a visible breath and walked toward the table, hand extended.
“Hello, Jamie.” His voice was like barbed velvet—deep and rich and just a bit rough.
Like invisible strings were pulling him up, Jamie stood and reached out his own hand, letting his fingers glide over Sigurd’s until they were firmly palm to palm. The callouses catching against his own made goosebumps erupt over his arms.
“Hi,” he said, belatedly. Heat rushed to his face, but Sigurd only smiled at him, grip solid and steady. Staring into those blue eyes, it was hard for Jamie to remember that the last man he’d been attracted to turned out to be nothing like he claimed.
He released Sigurd’s hand and took a small step back, bumping into his chair. His wobbly legs kept him upright, but his face burned hotter.
Lenette broke the suddenly awkward silence. “Jamie, I’ve briefed Sigurd on your situation. Like I told you, the Hellhounds will be on the look-out in case we have any unexpected visitors, but Chicago has assured us they don’t believe that will be the case.”
Jamie nodded. “Um, thank you.”
“Are you ready to go, Jamie?” Sigurd’s deep voice seemed to reach out and tug at something deep inside Jamie. Something vital. He’d never in his life had this kind of reaction to someone.
Jamie licked his lips. “Sorry, um, what kind of paranormal are you? Oh shit, is that rude?” He was messing this all up. These people were offering to protect and shelter him, and he was asking insensitive and way too personal questions.
“No, Jamie, it’s okay.” Sigurd took another step forward, hands coming up like he wanted to pull Jamie to him. “In some cases, it would be considered rude, but not this one. I’m a warlock.”
Jamie nodded to himself, but he didn’t feel like he was in danger. Didn’t feel uneasy, just flustered, and aside from Marcus, every paranormal he’d encountered since asking for help had done exactly what they said they would. Help him.
“Okay. Yeah, I’m ready.”
SIGURD
The silence in the car wasn’t suffocating, but it was a close thing.
Sigurd was so aware of every tiny movement, every inhale or exhale Jamie made.
He’d never been so attuned to a person before.
With so many paranormals, there was an extra sensory element to how they knew someone was theirs—scent or touch—especially among shifters, but for magic users, it was something other.
Some sixth sense that had every nerve in his body buzzing with the need to keep Jamie safe and close. That just knew he was Sigurd’s mate.
He’d heard others talk about finding their mate, but actually feeling it for himself? Their words hadn’t done it justice.
“Are you…” Jamie started, voice quiet, only to clear his throat and try again. “Are you sure you don’t mind me staying with you?”
“I don’t mind at all.”
“Have you, uh, helped many other people like this?”
Part of Sigurd wanted to tell Jamie everything.
Every secret. Every story where he’d chosen to shield someone else in all his long life.
Instead, he said, “Perhaps not in this exact situation, but yes.” He glanced over, finding Jamie’s gaze focused on him, half of his lovely face lit with the dashboard lights and the other in shadow.
“There have been many times I’ve found myself in or chosen to be in the role of protector. ”
Jamie nodded and faced forward again. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”
Sigurd frowned. He was glad, of course, that Jamie had never had a stalker before, but he hated that it was happening now. And happening to the level that him leaving his home and starting over somewhere else with essentially a bodyguard was his best option. “Do you know him?”
With a sigh, Jamie rubbed his hands over his face. “Yes. I dated him.”
It took most of his considerable control not to hit the brakes and demand the whole story from Jamie, but thankfully, he continued.
“I feel really stupid because I didn’t realize he was a vampire at first.” He took a sharp breath in and turned to Sigurd with wide eyes. “Not that I care about that! He seemed like a really nice guy, and I would’ve gone out with him, vampire or otherwise.”
It was hard not to smile at how earnest Jamie sounded, and while he didn’t have to prove anything to Sigurd, it was nice that just being a vampire or a paranormal obviously wasn’t a deterrent for Jamie to give his affection. “I understand, Jamie.”
“Okay. So, anyway, I’d seen him a couple times at my favorite bookstore, and then one day, he started chatting with me and asked me out for coffee.” Jamie squirmed a little in this seat. “He was nice. We went on a handful of dates before I realized something was off.”
“What happened?”
Jamie let out a gusty sigh and slumped a little farther down in the seat, turning his face toward the window. “I offered to make him dinner for what would’ve been our fourth date. When he showed up, I opened the door and greeted him. When I turned back to lead him inside, he didn’t follow.”
“You didn’t verbally invite him in,” Sigurd guessed.
“Yeah. It took me so much by surprise when he told me that I stalled out for a second.” Another sigh. “Then I invited him inside, and that was the start, really. I hesitated, and he didn’t like that.”
“He hid a pretty big part of himself from you. A little hesitation is understandable.”
“I know.”
Quiet descended over the car, and for a moment, Sigurd thought Jamie wasn’t going to say anything else.
“But he didn’t agree. We had a couple more dates after that, but it obviously wasn’t something he could get past. When I brought it up, he got angry and broke things off. A week or so later, I found a wilted rose hanging from a miniature noose tied to my doorknob.”