3. Chapter Two
That was wild.
I blow out a breath when I park the tow truck behind the shop. My heart won’t stop racing. A nervous sweat breaks out over my entire body, and I have to wipe my forehead, so the warm salty liquid doesn’t drip into my eyes.
I’m not sure who she was, why she is here, or if she is only visiting. One thing I do know is that I have to see that woman again. Even my palms are sweaty. Something about her calls to me. There was a uniqueness about her I can’t quite put my finger on.
One moment, I swear her eyes were blue, then the next they were glowing orange. In the blink of an eye, she had horns protruding from her forehead, then they were gone. One minute she had blue hair and the next it was blonde.
I think my mind is playing tricks on me because even though I’m drawn to her like I’ve never been drawn to another woman in my life, I’m slightly disappointed. She is normal.
I don’t want normal.
Groaning, I rub my hands down my face. “Snap out of it, Fitz. You know that will never happen.” My head thuds against the headrest as I stare out of the windshield.
I want a monster.
I don’t want a regular human woman. After finding Rhett and meeting Creed, I want what their mates have.
I want to be someone’s fated mate.
Rhett and Creed are monster DNA experiments. Rhett is my best friend and when he went missing, a part of me died. He is my brother. When I found him and he showed himself to me, his true self, I didn’t fucking care what he looked like—I was just glad he was alive.
I hated what happened to him, what was done to him, the abuse, the torment, and I hate that he can’t show the world who he is without humans casting judgment. He gets to hide in plain sight since our friend Caden knows a witch who casts a spell on the rain, tricking everyone into thinking Rhett and Creed are normal.
I’m not sure why the rain won’t work on me. Maybe it’s because I’m so open-minded? Or accepting. I’m not sure. Rhett seems to think it’s because I must have a mate out there somewhere. The spell didn’t work on Demi or Mickey, Creed and Rhett’s human mates.
All I can do is hope that is the truth because I want to be mated. I want to belong to someone to the point where my soul is lost in theirs. I want my soul to be so intertwined that if they died, I’d die.
I know Rhett is just giving me hope about having a mate, but so far, only Rhett and Creed have made their way into this town. What are the chances there is a monster DNA experiment who is a woman?
And why would she even want me when she could have anyone?
I try to think about why I want what Demi and Mickey have with Rhett and Creed. I tap the steering wheel as my mind wanders and the only thing I can think of is the happiness that always shines from the two women when I see them. It’s different from ordinary human couples.
I want to be so loved that my partner is obsessed with me. I want that deeply— fiercely . And while I’ve dated before, I’ve never loved or have had anyone love me to the point of madness.
That’s what I want. More than anything, I want madness.
A knock at the window startles me. I roll it down and hold a hand to my chest. “Damn, Rhett. Warn a guy. You just scared ten years off my life.”
His reptilian eyes harden and narrow. “Don’t say that. You know I don’t like it when you talk about your lifespan. Even if it’s a joke.”
“What about your lifespan? You need someone to shorten it? I’ll do it,” Creed shouts from the office.
For some reason, Rhett hired him for security. Creed has to follow one rule.
Do not scare the customers away.
He broke that rule the first day so now we keep him in the office to watch the security tapes.
“Fuck you, Creed,” I shout out of my window.
“Not on my deathbed,” he sneers, slamming the office window closed.
I give Rhett an exasperated expression. “He is a pain in the ass.”
“Yeah, but he is our pain in the ass. He wouldn’t actually kill you.”
“Yes, he would. You and I both know it.”
“Okay, but he’d regret it after.”
I toss my head back and chuckle, opening the driver’s side door to get out finally. “No, he wouldn’t. It’s fine. I’m not here for him anyway.” I slap Rhett’s shoulder, the crocodile gargoyle skin causes a zing of pain to shoot up my arm. “Mother fucker! Holy shit.” I grab onto my hand, holding my breath as I walk around to shake off the pain. “I always forget about the stone.”
I kick a random bucket, and it slams against a junker of a car that’s been sitting in the same spot for far too long. We use it for parts when we need to.
“Feel better?” Rhett asks.
“Kind of. I’m fine.”
“You don’t seem fine.” Rhett crosses his arms and tucks his wings behind his back. “Actually—” he inhales, and I take a step away.
I lift a finger. “Don’t you use that on me. You know the rules. No using your abilities to see if something is wrong. That was wild of you, Rhett. You know better.”
With his vampire speed, he is directly in front of me, sniffing the air in front of me.
“Nothing is wrong. Your heart is racing. You smell like a woman. What happened while you went to get gas in the truck?”
I hook my fingers in my belt loops and rock on the heels of my boots. “Nothing.” I check my watch, noticing it’s close to the next appointment time. “I need to go. I have an oil change and a tire rotation coming in ten minutes.” I start walking away but he snags the back of my shirt and yanks me, sending me flying through the air.
I land on my back, the air is knocked out of my lungs, and I cough. “Was that really necessary?” I groan.
“Sorry,” he frowns, walking over with his hand extended. “Sometimes my strength gets ahead of me.”
I slap my hand into his and stand, dusting off my jeans. “It’s alright, but if you really want to know, there was a girl who had a flat tire on the side of the road. I tried to help her, but she declined. I didn’t want to hover since she was alone. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.”
He grins, showing his fangs. “You’re a good man, Fitz. You’re going to get your happy ending one day, you know that, right?”
I shuck off my hat and scratch my head before putting it back on. I look away from my best friend with a shrug of my shoulder. “I don’t think this universe has what I’m looking for, Rhett.”
“It does. I refuse to lose my best fucking friend to old age while I stay like this forever. I won’t allow it.”
“Rhett, you can’t force something like that.”
“Yes I can!” he roars so loud, the rage has his eyes flipping a bright red. He turns away, shaking his head as if that will get rid of the crimson flooding his irises. His nostrils flare as he takes a calming breath. “I can. I will. It’s why I don’t like you joking around about your life. Every year you get older, you’re closer to death, and I’m frozen like this.”
“Okay?” I grab his shoulders. “Rhett, I’m okay with that. I’m okay living the rest of my life like this. I’m happy. If I die, then I’ll die happy knowing I had a good life.”
“That isn’t good enough.”
“It has to be,” I tell him. “You have to face it, Rhett. I’m only human.”
“I’ll figure out a way. I need to go,” he sneers, spinning around, and heads back inside the shop.
I sigh, tilting my head back to stare up at the grey sky. My phone rings in my pocket and I dig it out to see who is calling. I don’t typically ignore my sister’s call but right now, I don’t feel like talking.
My head is a mess. I’m worried about Rhett, my fragile human life, and the woman I met not ten minutes ago won’t leave my mind. I’m not in the headspace to talk.
“Hey, stop figuring out the shapes of the clouds. They don’t look like fucking clowns or puppies. They are just water droplets and ice crystals. Nothing else. Your appointment is here. We have a business to run.” Creed narrows his eyes at me from the window he somehow managed to open without me hearing, then slams it shut.
Yeah, I have no doubt he would kill me in my sleep. Luckily, I’m off limits because of Rhett.
“Grump,” I mumble under my breath.
He knocks on the window. “I heard that,” he shouts, his voice muffled from the closed window.
I smile at him, giving Creed a friendly wave and he lowers the blinds, so he doesn’t have to look at me.
“I’ll win him over one day. I have no doubt,” I say positively to myself, smile, and head into the garage just in time to see my appointment pull in.
I wave her in, and she rolls down her window. “Hey, Fitz! How are you?” she asks, a bright genuine smile on her face, and I know she is interested. She bats her eyelashes, roaming her sights up and down my body with a small bite of her bottom lip.
I wish I was interested but this woman doesn’t even pique my interest. Holly is the one running through my mind.
If I were a normal man wanting a normal woman, I’d ask her out, but I’d rather live in my delusions than settle for what I’m supposed to.
I might need to get my head checked because my mind was playing tricks on me when I looked at Holly because that can’t be right. I saw a monster. I saw horns. I don’t know if I’m that far gone or if I’m too wishful with what I want, but I wasn’t interested in the blonde woman in the driver’s seat. I am obsessed with what I thought I saw.
Light purple skin. Horns. Fangs.
Fuck yes, those fangs. I can’t stop imagining them sinking into my throat or my cock.
I turn my body away so Ms. Livingston can’t see my cock hardening in my jeans. I don’t want her to think my arousal is for her. Not that she isn’t a pretty woman, she is, but my body and mind do not want a normal woman. That’s just how it is.
“I’m doing alright, Ms. Livingston. Loving that I get to have my coffee any time I want. Can’t get any better than that, am I right?” I flash a friendly smile.
She blushes, waving her hand at me as she lightly scoffs. “Oh, please, Fitz. Call me Lily. Ms. Livingston is my mother.”
Discomfort swirls in my gut. I don’t want to call her Lily because then she might think I’m interested. I need to keep it professional. Damn it, why do I do this to myself all the time? My insides twist into knots during these types of situations because I really hate hurting people.
I feel deeply. I care too much about everyone and everything before myself. I’d hate it if Ms. Livingston thought she wasn’t good enough for me when that is not the case at all.
“Sorry, Ms. Livingston. Don’t take it personally. I’m at work and I like to keep things professional here. I hope you understand.”
She smiles and it reaches her eyes that crinkle on the sides, showing she is a few years older than me.
Whew. I’m glad.
I don’t tend to do well when someone is upset with me. I spiral and want to do everything I can to make their happiness return. Then, I become annoying. It’s a vicious cycle I’m trying to break.
“Oh, I understand completely. You’re so professional, Fitz. I really like that about you.”
Well, that backfired.
I smile, opening the door for her to get out so I can drive her car into the bay. “No problem. Why don’t you go to Demi’s Diner for some coffee while I get this car to the highest of standards?”
Ms. Livingston grins and holds out her hand for me to take to help her out. Internally, I groan, and guilt tightens my stomach for a brief moment when her palm slides against mine.
Panic slips up my throat. Sweat beads on the back of my neck. The odd feeling of dishonesty overwhelms me as if I’m cheating on my partner, but I don’t have one. The image of Holly comes into my mind which is outrageous because I don’t know that woman.
But goddamn , I sure do want to.
“I’ll make sure to call when the car is done,” I inform, slipping my hand free as I grab the doorframe.
“Not a problem. I look forward to it.” She hikes her oversized purse up her shoulders, spins around on her heels, and sashays away by putting an extra sway into her hips.
An eerie force drapes over me as I get in the car. I pause and get out, placing my foot on the ground while I take a quick look around. The wind blows cool air promising winter and snow.
My eyes water from the quick chill and I rub them on my shirt sleeve before studying the area. I know I’m being watched. The only way I know how to explain it is a slight weight on my chest that resembles anxiety and curiosity.
“Everything alright, Fitz?” Rhett pops his head out of bay one while wiping his oil-drenched hands on a stained rag.
I nod, taking one more look around down the road, then the other direction, but all I see are patrons coming in and out of the quaint shops around us. No one is watching me.
I’m paranoid for no reason. I need to relax.
“I’m fine. I just thought I saw someone I knew. That’s all.”
“You’re lying to me, but I’ll let it slide since we are at work.” He narrows his eyes at me. “You’ll tell me later when I help you move the rest of your stuff into your new house.”
I frown when I see the less-than-enthusiastic expression on his face. When I came to Rhett a month ago saying I found the perfect house for me, he seemed taken aback and surprised. He didn’t want me to move out and to be fair, I didn’t want to either.
But Mickey and Rhett are starting a family. They deserve their space, their privacy, and time with their children. I know he understands. We have had a great time living together.
“I’m only across the lake, Rhett. You could swim to me. I could swim to you.” I sit down in the driver’s seat and finally pull the car forward onto the lift.
He leans on a support beam and crosses his arms. “Yeah, but you know it won’t be the same.”
“You and Mickey are about to have two kids running around the house. You need the space. Isn’t she due any day now? That will be wild even with me around. It’s best that I have my own house, and you know it.”
He runs his fingers through his long blonde hair before tossing it into a messy bun. I still can’t get over his features. Reptilian eyes, stone skin, crocodile scales, fangs, and sure he appears to be scary but all I still see is my best friend.
He grins when he thinks about Mickey. “Yeah, she’s due next week. We weren’t sure how long the pregnancy would be because—well—” He roams his hand down his body to finish his sentence. “And we are curious if every pregnancy will be like this or if each pregnancy will be different based on my beasts? We aren’t sure. I’m so excited. I never thought I’d have this chance, you know? Not when I’m like this. I got lucky. Unlike some of the other people that were in that facility.” His tone changes from happiness to borderline guilt.
I slap him on the shoulder and give him a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t feel bad for surviving, Rhett. Don’t go down that road.”
“You could have stayed in the house, you know. We have room and the kids would love their Uncle Fitz there.”
“You and I both know it’s best that I got my own place. You’re having twins. Whenever you need me, I’m there. Even when you don’t need me, I’m there. I’m always here, Rhett. I’m not going anywhere.”
“So fucking cute. Why don’t you two kiss now?” Creed sneers at us before going inside and slamming the door.
“Why is he so fucking grumpy?”
“Eh, don’t mind him. He is due to see Demi in an hour. His mood will be better then.”
I press the button on the lift that raises the car so I can get under it and change the oil. “He hates everyone but her. Hell, I think he might tolerate you. I wouldn’t even go as far as to say he likes me.”
“No, he likes me. He tolerates Mr. Pete.”
“What’s that make me?”
“Someone he tolerates,” Rhett tosses his head back and chuckles, his laugh echoing in the garage.
“Great. I’ll need to sleep with one eye open.”
“You’re fine. You’re my friend. He isn’t going to touch you.”
“Okay, but if I end up being skinned and my body chopped into pieces, you better feel really guilty.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen, Fitz. He’s a monster, but I am too. We have a mutual respect for boundaries. He is just ornery.”
I stand under the car and immediately notice that Ms. Livingston needs new tires. Her tread is too low, and it won’t pass inspection. I begin with the oil first, twisting the valve so it can drain.
“You could move into the house next to me. It’s for sale. I know you guys just finished that renovation. I don’t expect you to move when you have your home the way you want it.”
“Yeah, sorry, Fitz. Mickey is proud of that house and what she’s done to it. She healed herself there. I won’t be the man to take that away from her.”
“I know and I’m glad you are. Stop acting like I’m moving back home, okay? I’m going to be here at work, going to come over for dinner, going to go to the bar to have a beer with you. None of that will change.”
He leans in and whispers, “But who is going to watch Grey’s Anatomy with me?” Rhett glances around to make sure no one can hear him. “You know how much I love that show. We are only on season four.”
“We will have regular Grey’s Anatomy nights. I can’t miss it either.”
The familiar sparkle returns in his eye. “Great. I was worried about that. Wouldn’t want to watch it without you.”
We tried watching the show with Creed but anytime any character did anything he’d say, “Kill them. Slit their throat. Kill them too for being annoying. Why are they on the show? Dead. Kill them.” Eventually, he got mad and walked out the door.
We’ve been watching it without him ever since.
Rhett pulls me in for a quick hug, patting me on the back, and he sniffs me which is then followed by a growl.
“Who is that? I know you told me you met a woman but something about the scent is off. Maybe it isn’t her I’m smelling.”
I pluck the middle of my shirt and bring it to my nose. “What? I’m not wearing cologne.”
“It isn’t cologne.” He buries his nose in my chest, dragging it back and forth as he sniffs.
I lift my hands. “Okay, Rhett? Sniffing me like this is a little weird.”
He stops, realizing what he is doing, and takes a step back. “Sorry. I can’t place the scent. My beasts are grumbling about it. Maybe it’s your laundry detergent.”
I shrug my shoulder. “I don’t know. Nothing has changed. Maybe I brushed up against something you don’t like? The girl I saw, we barely had an interaction. It can’t be her. Sorry, man.”
“It’s okay—” his phone rings and he slides it from his pocket. “It’s Mickey. I have to take this.”
“Hope everything is okay. I’ll be here. Tell her I said hello.”
“How’s my Brave Little Flower?” he answers with a smile but quickly his enthusiasm fades.
My brows lift as I replace the oil filter. Mickey is a great woman. I don’t know a lot about her past life but what I do know is abuse had a heavy hand. That knowledge kills me when I think about it. No man should ever treat a woman that way. I’m glad that bastard is dead, or I’d want to kill him too.
“What do you mean you can’t get up?” Rhett asks, spiraling into anxiety. He begins to pace back and forth. He puts the phone on speaker and immediately a loud sob startles me, and I drop the wrench in my hand.
It lands hard on my foot, and I curse, hop on one leg, and then smack my head against a tire.
“Fucking shit. God—stupid fucking—son-of-a-bitch—mother fuck—” I hop to the bench that is against the wall to take a break. My head is throbbing, and I can’t feel my big toe.
“I’m hungry! I want ice cream with pickles and peanut butter, but I can’t get out of bed. I need to pee.” She sobs even harder, small sniffles coming through the line with every breath she takes.
“I’m on my way, okay? I’ll get you whatever you want. I’ll stop and get the ice cream.”
“Really?” she asks, her sobs slowing, and I smile.
I want that so badly. I want to love someone so much that I can hear the smile in their voice when I can’t see them.
Rhett and Creed are lucky bastards.
He hangs up the phone and runs into the office to grab his keys before coming back outside. “I have to go. Mickey needs me. I might need to take this week off. She’s struggling, and I can’t have her struggle. We could shut down the shop? I don’t want you here alone.”
My head swims from the smack it got from the tire, and yet, I manage to stand. “Go. I have the shop. I can move appointments around or cancel the non-urgent ones. Go to Mickey. Start your paternity leave early. I’ll hold the fort down.”
“Does that mean I have to be here with him?” Creed’s voice comes from the shadows.
Rhett rubs his temples.
“I’ll be fine without him. He can go.”
Please, for the love of all things, fucking go.
“Great. I’ll be stalking my mate.” He leaves. Without a goodbye. Without looking back, he crosses the street to get to the diner.
“I’m sorry, Fitz. You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Keep me updated on Mickey.”
“I will. Thanks, Fitz. You’re the best.”
I give a small wave as he climbs into his truck and speeds away.
Pushing through the dull headache, I begin working on Ms. Livingston’s car again. While I work, I think back to when I was so in love that I’d drop anything for my partner. I can’t think of one moment.
I’ve never been in love. I’ve dated, sure. I’ve had sex.
But love?
Never. I guess even for me, it’s too wild of a thought.
I’m starting to think someone like me won’t get to experience love. I’m too much for people. I’m always going out of my way. I’m a big people pleaser. Love isn’t meant for people who allow themselves to be taken advantage of like I do.
I’ll sit back, watch my friends be in love, grow families, and dream of a life that’s so far out of reach—it might as well be a fantasy.
Good thing I’m such a good dreamer. At least at night, I can have everything I want when I close my eyes.