Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Akai wasn’t waiting outside for Cole when he pulled up, the way he had last weekend, but the lights were on in the house which meant he was there.
Or at least Cole hoped that’s what it meant.
After the week he’d had—the arguments first with his father and then his mother—Akai had better be there.
Otherwise, all the aggravation was for nothing.
He’d upended his life and made a mess far bigger than he could clean up, and for what?
A three-week vacation?
The time off would be nice, and he did need to spend some time sorting out his future, but if not for Akai, he’d have done things a little differently.
He’d have put it off until winter, maybe longer, because it was much easier to stay in the rut he was in.
Climbing out, as he’d learned, was messy and difficult, and if he’d known how bruised he’d feel today, he might have refused to drive Akai to Yellowstone.
He got out of his truck and slung his bag over his shoulder. He slammed the door closed in case Akai hadn’t heard the engine, then walked up to the door. As he got closer, music filtered out on the evening air, though not anything he was familiar with.
A frown formed as he turned the handle of the unlocked door. Akai had better not be having a party or a hookup. His stomach turned. Was he the biggest fucking idiot on the planet?
He shut the door and walked into the living room. Akai was sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter. He must have connected his phone to the little battery-operated speaker Cole left there and was singing along as he peered closely at a gemstone.
His kitchen counter was scattered with stones, silver, and scraps of paper.
Cole coughed.
Akai’s head snapped up, and he looked directly at him. “You’re here! Already? Fuck. Dinner.”
Akai got up and ran around to the hot plate, where something was bubbling. He stirred it and sighed as if relieved. He opened his mouth, closed it, and reached into his pocket, turning down the volume. “I got busy.”
“I can see that.” And Cole was the biggest idiot on the planet for thinking Akai was having a party. He did not seem like the kind of guy who had a dozen close friends he could invite around for a few drinks. He lived and worked alone, saving up all his partying for solstice.
Akai covered the few feet between them and pulled him into a hug that lifted his toes off the ground. “I got bored, so I went for a hike, which is tedious and takes way longer than flying, but I didn’t test my wing.”
“Good. Where did you go?” Had he robbed a bank or a jeweler?
Akai set him down. “I went to the small workshop near the old mine to see what was there. And I can take more since I can’t fly and you are driving… You are still driving?”
Cole nodded. “Yeah, it was a shit show. I may not have a job when I get back, but I’ll have to deal with that later.”
“You don’t like your job.”
“No, but I need it. For money and health insurance, things I like having.”
Akai’s lips formed a soft oh. “You gave that up for me?”
Cole shrugged. “A little, but also for the adventure. I will never get this chance again. But yeah, somehow, you crossing my path has fucked everything.” Cole put his hand on Akai’s chest. “I’m not blaming you.
It’s like you’re the catalyst or something.
I could have said no, but I needed the kick in the ass to do something. ”
“So you aren’t annoyed?” His eyes narrowed. “You smelled annoyed when you walked in.”
“I thought you were having a party without me.”
Akai laughed and pointed at the kitchen counter. “I was having a good time, so I guess it was a party of sorts.” He glanced away. “I’m used to being busy, and I was bored and overthinking everything.”
“Regretting inviting me?”
“No…maybe a little, depending on the angle of the sun and movement of the stars. I was reminded that bringing a human is a big deal. It’s dangerous to reveal our existence, and you aren’t my mate. So there were questions.”
“What kind of questions?”
Akai took a few steps back and busied himself by moving gemstones around the kitchen counter. “How we met, that kind of thing…”
Cole’s eyebrows lifted. “Tell me you didn’t…”
“I had to, and it would’ve been way worse if the truth came out later. Don’t worry; they know it was an accident and partly my fault. As you said, wolves don’t fly. But Bob wants to talk to you when we arrive.”
“Bob?”
“Thunderbird Bob. He has a human mate, so he’s not anti-human.”
“Anti-human?”
“Um…some monsters have had bad experiences—”
“Like you.”
Akai nodded. “Like me. Or worse, so they don’t trust humans. But Bob is great, and because of his mate, he knows all about humans. He wants to make sure you aren’t there to hunt us or expose us.”
What kind of monster did they think he was, aside from the human kind? “And if Bob doesn’t like me?”
Akai pushed a couple of gems across the counter. “Then he won’t give you a token to get through the magic.”
“Magic?” He couldn’t believe this was the first time he was hearing about this.
“Wards and such, that keep us hidden.”
Yeah, of course that made so much sense. Magic. If monsters were real, why not magic too? “So I will have driven all that way, and I won’t be allowed in?”
Akai still didn’t look at him. “I don’t get a say. I am young and have no political power. Bob was surprised I was even bringing you.”
“Because you don’t like humans.” Cole didn’t blame him after what his cousins had done. How many humans hunted and hurt monsters? How many monsters had retaliated and done the same?
“I like you.” Akai looked up from his gems. “I didn’t need to like everyone.”
Cole pressed his lips together. While that was true, it didn’t make him feel any better about what he was committed to.
“You do not like every monster,” Akai continued.
“I don’t know every monster.” All he knew was that the Mothman was Akai’s uncle and that thunderbirds were real.
“And I do not know every human,” Akai’s voice was low.
Cole drew in a breath and sighed. He didn’t like or trust plenty of humans, so it was reasonable to assume that some monsters were dicks just like humans. “Fair point. What are you making?”
“At the moment, nothing. I have been cutting and polishing the stones, as most were raw, and coming up with ideas. It’s been bittersweet, both close to my sister while acutely aware that she is gone.”
“Did she like them?”
“She did, rubies were her favorite. Instead of leaving them forgotten on a shelf, I’m going to give them new life. I think she’d want people to wear them.” He picked one up and held it to the light.
“They are very pretty,” Cole agreed. “Leaving them in a workshop seems like a waste.”
“Not a waste. They were waiting for the right opportunity. Not every stone is ready to be set. Some need time.”
“The stones need time?”
“How would you feel if you were ripped out of the ground, polished, cut, and wrapped in hot metal?”
“Er…shocked?” He’d never considered that gemstones might have feelings.
Akai nodded. “Like when I stepped out as a wolf, it changed your reality. It takes time for some stones’ vibrations to settle.” He placed it down. “It’s not only the rubies. I like you, but my vibrations need time to settle. I don’t want to be set in hot metal, yet.”
“I don’t understand?” They had agreed that Cole would drive to Yellowstone and go to the party for a week. Or attempt to get into the party. “You don’t want me at the party? You want me to drive and leave?” He was not a monster taxi service.
“No, that’s not it. I think you’ll like the party. I want you to experience it. But I’m not ready to have a mate, human or otherwise.”
A laugh burst out of his mouth. He didn’t even know where it had come from. “If having a mate is like being married, I don’t want that either.”
Akai frowned. “You don’t?”
“We’ve only just met. And we spent most of last weekend fucking.” They were entirely different species and lived in different worlds. He didn’t have a clue how it would work if they were mates.
“You make it sound like a bad thing.”
“It’s not, and I brought more lube. But if I don’t know what I want to do with my life, how can I involve another person?”