Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
Reid
Reid had always known he was…different. For one, he’d had no interest in courting any of the young ladies his mother constantly mentioned to him from their church back east. The truth was, he hadn’t had interest in courting anyone except maybe his best friend, George.
It wasn’t that being gay was all that terrible a thing—even if it was frowned upon by some.
At least, he hadn’t gotten himself turned into a vampire like their neighbor down the street.
It was said that so many people fled to the New World to get away from the paranormals lurking in the shadows of Europe.
Surely, the monsters hadn’t found a way to cross the ocean and infect the new land, too?
But they’d been wrong. All his life, from growing up on the streets of Boston to heading out West to make his own way, there had always been paranormals.
Stories passed down through the families of the first settlers spoke of vampires and werewolves moving in the darkest parts of the forest. There were other creatures mentioned, too. Some that walked among humans, not always recognizable as anything other than ordinary.
Reid knew it to be true.
He was certain the man walking a step ahead of him, the man whose company he’d come to crave, was something completely other.
Kerak moved over the steep, rocky path with inhuman grace, never missing a step and often turning to help Reid navigate the more difficult areas. He’d asked Reid to join him on a stroll after church. Once they’d set out, Kerak said what he really wanted was to show Reid his claim.
Reid probably should have been nervous. The midday sun beat down on them, making sweat dampen every part of Reid’s body. Not to mention the sheer exertion of the climb. Meanwhile, Kerak looked as cool and composed as ever.
When they reached a flatter section of trail, Kerak stopped.
“Let’s rest here a moment.”
Reid knew it was for his benefit, but he didn’t argue. Finding a patch of shade beneath a nearby tree, Reid sat down and rested his back against the trunk, thankful to be out of the sun. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing back to normal.
“Here,” Kerak said, closer than he’d been a moment ago.
Reid’s eyes popped open, finding Kerak kneeling beside him with a canteen in his outstretched hand. He must’ve had it in the bag he’d been carrying strapped to his back. Reid took it gratefully and sighed as the cool water coated his throat.
“Thank you.” Reid offered the canteen back. Kerak lifted it to his own mouth, taking a slow drink, gaze never leaving Reid’s.
“We’re close now, but the worst of the trail is up ahead.”
Reid looked off toward the way they were headed. “It gets worse than this?”
Kerak chuckled. “It does. But…there’s an easier way if you’re willing.”
Reid narrowed his eyes. Kerak was so close he could smell the spicy scent of whatever cologne the other man wore. “What way is that?”
Kerak stood and removed the backpack. “First, stand up please.”
Doing as Kerak asked, Reid pushed himself back to his feet.
“Put this on.”
“This is supposed to make it easier?” Taking the straps of the pack from Kerak, Reid threaded his arms through them, settling the pack on his own back.
“Yes.” Kerak turned, giving Reid his back, and lowered into a half-squat. “Jump on.”
“W-what?” Reid took an involuntary step back.
Not only was the suggestion highly unusual, but it was also ridiculous.
Kerak obviously hadn’t been struggling with the terrain as much as Reid was, but he surely would with someone else on his back.
“Are you serious? There’s no way you can carry me up the rest! ”
Instead of answering, Kerak turned his head until Reid could see one dark eye and the quirked eyebrow above it. It was a dare. A taunt.
Huffing, Reid stepped forward. “You’re crazy.” He rested his hands on Kerak’s shoulders and hopped onto the man’s back. Kerak didn’t stumble. Didn’t rock forward. He only stood up and used his strong hands on Reid’s thighs to get him situated.
“Hang on.”
That’s all the warning Reid got before Kerak was moving forward at a clip that was utterly impossible for a normal person, even without the added weight of a full-grown man on their back.
And Reid was…in awe. Instead of bouncing around like riding a horse over rough terrain, Kerak’s movement was somehow smooth, almost graceful.
If Reid couldn’t actually see Kerak’s feet, he wouldn’t have believed he was touching the ground. It honestly felt like flying.
Reid wrapped his arms tighter around Kerak’s shoulders and shut his eyes against the feel of the wind rushing over his face.
If he’d had doubts about Kerak being something more than human, they were gone now.
His heart raced in his chest, exhilaration pounding through him.
He wondered if Kerak could feel it where his chest was pressed so tightly against the muscled expanse of Kerak’s back.
He should be afraid. He knew that. But the fear wouldn’t come. Kerak had been visiting the saloon for weeks, had walked Reid home, and could’ve killed him a hundred times over.
But he hadn’t, and Reid was choosing to trust what he’d been shown. Now, he was showing Reid this. Sharing more of himself without saying a word.
Kerak carried them up the final steep incline of the hill without missing a step and slowed as they reached the top. The land flattened out, giving way to a clearing leading right up to the edge of a cliff with a backdrop of trees on the other side.
“Oh wow,” Reid said, sliding down from Kerak’s back. He walked closer to the edge. It felt like the whole world stretched out before them in green and gold and blue.
“Told you it was special.”
Reid startled, almost forgetting Kerak was there as he took in the view. “You did. I thought you meant for the gold you’d found.”
Kerak chuckled and stepped closer. “There’s no gold.
” He shrugged one shoulder. “Or if there is, it can stay in the ground.” He looked out toward the horizon as Reid had been.
“This is the treasure.” As he said the last word, he moved even closer and faced Reid, lifting a hand to touch a single fingertip beneath Reid’s chin.
Reid couldn’t even breathe. Surely, Kerak wasn’t about to do what it seemed he was. One look at Kerak’s eyes, at the warmth radiating from the small smile lifting the corners of his lips, had doubt fleeing Reid’s mind.
The first brush of Kerak’s lips on his was searing.
Heat swarmed Reid’s body, blossoming in his chest and racing through him like a lightning strike.
Instead of pulling back, the way some tiny and suddenly insignificant voice in the back of his head was shouting, he surged forward.
Getting his arms around Kerak’s neck, he kissed him again, pouring the overwhelming feeling Kerak was giving him right back.
Kerak responded immediately, banding strong arms around Reid and gripping the back of his shirt beneath the pack he still carried. He pulled Reid impossibly closer.
The kiss turned devouring. All-consuming. Reid had never felt anything like it, and he was sure he never would again.
When they pulled back, Kerak rested his forehead against Reid’s. Panted breath mingled between their faces. Finally, Kerak chuckled, and the world came rushing back in—the warmth from the sun overhead and the wind ruffling the back of Reid’s hair.
“I only meant to ask you if I could court you.”
Reid met Kerak’s gaze, soft as the smile on his face. “And do you have your answer?”
Kerak leaned in again, whispering, “I think I do,” before kissing him again.