Gem (PAHL #4)

Chapter One

Gem

Sitting at a red light, Gem drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel in front of him.

Impatiently, he waited for the radio station he was currently tuned into to announce the end of the season’s trade deadlines.

Not that Gem suspected he’d be on that list—he was a rookie and the starting goalie for the Boston Beans.

The sick twisted anxious ball in his stomach wasn’t so certain. There was always a chance, after all.

The Boston Beans weren’t exactly having a year that they were proud of, although Gem’s game had come together rather well. For the team too many injuries and a lack of leadership was hurting them both on and off the ice.

Gem had been dreading this day. The PAHL season was coming to an end and rumors around the league were rampant that Boston was looking to make some big moves.

Gem’s team was on the cusp of making the playoffs.

The owners and management wanted to secure a better chance for the future, and the trade deadline was the time to do it.

His phone was connected via Bluetooth to the speaker in his SUV and started to ring. Nix’s name flashed across the screen in front of him so Gem hit Accept to talk to the middle triplet. Nothing better to do while stuck in traffic. “Hello.”

“Oh my god!” Nix screamed.

Gem winced, looking around at the cars stuck at the same red light. There was a very good possibility that everyone within a block’s distance had heard that high-pitched scream. “We’re shifters. You really don’t have to scream,” Gem deadpanned.

“Gem!” Nix yelled just as loudly. “Luka fucking Kotov!”

“Language, boy!” Evan shouted somewhere in the background on Nix’s side.

Gem chuckled. Evan was a great boyfriend for Nix but Gem didn’t see how the guy was not constantly ripping his hair out when dealing with Nix’s endless energy.

“Sorry!” Nix yelled back.

Gem cleared his throat. A subtle reminder to his obnoxious brother that he was still on the line. There had been a few times that Nix would forget that Gem was on the line and start talking dirty to his partner. That was not something that Gem wanted an encore of.

“Oh right,” Nix said. “But Luka Kotov!”

“What about him?” Gem asked. Luka Kotov was the captain and a defenseman on the Seattle Harbor Seals. He was a talented player and Nix’s childhood crush. It didn’t surprise Gem that Nix was following Kotov’s career. He did wonder if Evan was aware of Nix’s little obsession.

“Aren’t you watching the end of the trades?” Nix asked dramatically.

“I was listening to it on the radio before you called,” Gem replied. “I had to run to the grocery store for dinner before tonight’s game.”

“Maybe you should make dinner for two and invite Luka to join you,” Nix told him.

“What does that mean?” Gem held back a sigh. He loved his brothers, both of them, but being the eldest triplet, Gem had to be the responsible one. Gem didn’t roll his eyes, or sigh, or just hang up the damn phone. That would be childish.

“It means that you have a new teammate. Luka Kotov!” Nix announced.

The light turned green, allowing the cars in front of him to drive forward. Gem just stared ahead of him. Luke Kotov had been transferred to the Boston Beans?

“You have to get me his autograph,” Nix ordered. “Actually, if you could just become best friends with him, that would be awesome. You should totally do that for me.”

The car behind Gem laid on their horn, jerking Gem from his shock.

Gem shook himself back to reality and drove forward.

Luka Kotov was a Boston Bean. That was a huge move for their team.

Not only was Kotov a fierce defenseman, but he’d also played in the NHL before the paranormal community had been outed.

Kotov had the experience and leadership qualities that they needed.

He relaxed for the first time all day. Boston had indeed made a big move. “What did they give for him?” Gem asked his brother.

“First round pick next year and Hunger and Jibbs,” Nix responded, just as giddy as before. “So, autograph? Best friend? You are going to do that for me, right?”

“You’ve played him twice this year,” Gem pointed out. “Why didn’t you get his autograph then?”

Nix snorted. “Are you kidding me? That is such a rookie thing to do. My team would never let me live that down.”

“Especially your boyfriend,” Gem added.

“Anyway,” Nix said loudly. “So…”

“Absolutely not,” Gem said. He had to be firm with Nix or his brother would call him every damn day until he got his way. Nix was definitely the pushiest of the triplets.

“Please!” Nix begged.

“You do remember that I’m also a rookie?” Gem questioned. “Even worse, Kotov has scored on me twice this year. I’m not asking for his autograph, no matter how much you beg.”

“Fine.” Nix agreed way too fast. “Just make him your best friend. That works too.”

As Gem turned into his neighborhood, beautiful brownstone townhomes lined the street. He cut the wheel and into the parking spot designated for his house. Gem was glad to be home. It had been a stressful day and he still had a game that night.

It appeared that a new teammate would be arriving ahead of the game that night, leaving them to scramble, as that also meant that two of their usual guys were now out.

It was normal that as soon as a player for the PAHL was traded, they caught a flight to their new team within a couple of hours.

With a game tonight, Kotov would most likely have a very hectic day.

Poor guy. Gem was uncertain how the new addition plus the loss of two of their older guys was going to affect team dynamics, so while he felt for Kotov, Gem was also concerned about how the game would go. They needed a win.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Gem lied. He’d have to see how Kotov treated him.

A lot of the older predator shifters in the league had decided to target Gem and his brothers, not become friends with them.

Nearly all of Seattle’s lineup were assholes.

While Kotov hadn’t targeted Gem in games, Kotov was the captain of Seattle.

Or had been. And that meant a lot in their world.

“I’m almost home. And I need to carry my groceries in. ” He shoved the gearshift into Park.

“Bor-ing,” Nix singsonged.

“Later, brat.” Gem disconnected the call.

Staring up at the house that he’d only been in for two weeks made Gem smile.

No one in his family was aware that Gem had left the fancy apartment the Boston Beans had leased for him when Gem had first been drafted.

Gem had appreciated the apartment when he first moved in, but after spending Christmas and seeing his two brothers with their partners, Gem had returned depressed and in need of something different.

While the apartment had offered every luxury available, Gem had hated being surrounded by the cold concrete and steel. It had ended up being just a place to sleep. Not the home that Gem had been looking for.

Luckily, one of his teammates’ wives owned a real estate agency and had helped Gem secure the townhouse. Two weeks at the place and Gem loved it so far. Not only was the house his fully his and not a lease, but Gem had plans that he hoped would keep him busy during the off-season.

He also enjoyed having neighbors that he was getting to know.

Instead of the teammates, other athletes, and high-powered CEO types like the apartment complex held, the houses in his new neighborhood held more families.

Kids played football out in the yards. There had even been a lemonade stand set up down the block last weekend.

Connection.

Gem didn’t feel so alone when he could see the happy families around him.

The only person that he had told about his move had been the man that he was sort of in a relationship with. Well, Gem hoped they were continuing a relationship. It had been a few days since he’d heard from his boy.

Retrieving his phone from the holder on the dash, Gem unlocked the screen before pressing on the messaging app that he wanted. Gem checked his messages but nothing new. He rubbed his chest over his heart where it ached.

Was the relationship over before Gem had ever gotten the chance to show the other man who he really was? Would Ty even care? Maybe it was better this way. No, Gem couldn’t believe that. What he had with Ty was real, passionate, and deep. Even if it was mostly online.

Earlier in the season Gem had been on a three-day away-game road trip when he’d ventured out to an event held by the private and exclusive BDSM organization he belonged to. His membership connected Gem to clubs across the United States and a few overseas.

Gem had been agitated after the youngest triplet, Aries, had been injured in a game and Gem couldn’t get to him.

He’d seen the invitation to the masquerade party earlier when going through his emails but hadn’t been tempted to leave the hotel, content to chill alone in his room.

Until Aries’s injury and Gem’s helplessness about it had sent him to the club in need.

Minutes after walking in, Gem had seen one of the kneeling subs with bands around his upper arms indicating he was looking for a partner for the evening and had been instantly intrigued.

The memory was still fresh in his mind.

Dressed in a fitted black suit that he’d packed for the game and with a demon mask he’d picked up from a local Halloween store, Gem had caught an Uber to the building where the masquerade event had been held.

With the mask covering most of his face, leaving his mouth and some of his forehead visible, Gem knew no one would recognize him as the new rookie goalie for the Boston Beans.

Especially since he’d also worn brown contacts to hide his unique eye color.

Gem’s violet eyes were a dead giveaway that he wasn’t human.

Anyone who watched hockey would either know it was him or at least suspect as it wasn’t a normal color, even among the paranormal.