Chapter Nine
Indy
I tugged Seth’s sleeve. “They’ve been expecting us? How could they? They don’t know us. We’ve never been here.”
“Who cares. We’re in. And my déjà vu is back. There’s something here, Indy. Something we both need to see.”
Amid all the shifter aromas and perfumes, the alcohol and the food, there was another scent, unique and sweet, that swayed right through me. I turned too fast and got dizzy. It felt like someone I knew was right at my back. But only strangers were around us. No one I recognized.
The nightclub was noisy. I had to speak in Seth’s ear to be heard. “Do you think we could’ve been followed?”
“What?” He leaned toward me, practically shouting. “Here?”
“To San Diego. Someone from one of our packs.”
He shook his head. “That’s not the feeling I have. It’s this place.”
“I’m with you. But, babe, do you smell something different? I mean, not the sweat, not the food or drinks, but different. Underlying. It’s so wonderful. Sweet and fresh. Do you smell it?”
Seth sniffed the air. “I do. I have been. I thought it was just me. Or like a really nice perfume.”
“I thought it was just me, too. Whatever it is, I’m weirdly drawn to it.”
“There’s something about it. My beast is telling me we need to move, check out every corner, every nook and cranny.”
I nodded. “But first, I think I’m going to need a drink.”
He grinned. “Agreed.”
The scent kept wafting over me, filling me with a combination of anxiety and longing. Neither of us had any idea what we were walking into.
Seth and I got our drinks. Still standing at the bar, we turned and surveyed the area.
Several people lined up beside us to order drinks.
Every one of them gave us a long stare. I mean, yeah, Seth and I weren’t completely unfortunate looking.
He was the handsomest guy I’d ever seen.
And we were both steeds—princes, he in his shimmer and me with my herd.
Maybe we had attitude. Maybe we presented as if we owned the place.
But I never thought of either of us as arrogant in that way. What in the hell were we projecting?
Then I noticed from farther away, on the dance floor and at the tables and booths, a few more people also turned to glance at us.
My hackles went up as if a predator was in the area.
Among shifters, unicorns were rare. I hadn’t been away from my home a lot in my life. I’d done most of my studies, including college, remotely. I had dealings with humans on occasion, but not much with shifters, other than my own kind.
My scent let me know some of the beasts that occupied this space. A lot of bears. Big cats. Wolves. All enemies of Equidae. My heart raced.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Seth shrugged. “Yeah, I have the same question. We’re getting stares.”
“I don’t feel comfortable. There’re predators here.”
“There are others, too, though.” Seth indicated a direction with a tilt of his head. “Over by the other end of the bar are a red panda and an otter. I scent rabbits, too. Just like the ones in the fields at home, but these are shifters. We’re fine.”
No danger. Search for him. Then shift, please.
“My beast says everything’s fine, too,” I said. “But he’s acting strange. He says we need to search for him. What him? I’m still a little disoriented.”
“Mine says everything’s good, too. He wants to look around. Are you still okay with that? You don’t want to leave, do you?” Seth took my hand in his and squeezed it for reassurance.
He had promised me we’d leave if I wasn’t happy about the club.
“No. It’s that scent. I can’t leave it. It’s haunting.”
Seth gently pulled me away from the bar. “Let’s explore.”
I went with him, not wanting him to let go of his grasp.
“Do you think we’re looking for a person?” I asked.
“I don’t know. But it’s stronger over here. Don’t you think?” Seth had led us away from the dance floor and toward the back of the building where there were restrooms and benches.
Staff came out swinging double doors with food on trays, and carts for bussing tables.
As the doors swung open and closed, they disturbed the air around us.
Kitchen and cooking scents grew stronger.
And so did that special sweetness. My mind spun as if I was drunk when I’d barely taken a sip of my drink. What was happening?
The noise of the club was quieter here and I didn’t have to yell. “Seth?”
No other words were necessary. He’d already turned toward the doors. “It’s in there.”
“The kitchen?”
Seth pulled me closer and approached the doors. At that moment, a waiter came out. He looked at us and said with a polite smile, “Oh, sorry. Employees only in there.”
“Okay. Right. But I think there’s someone in there we need to see,” Seth said. “Right now.”
The waiter frowned. “Name?”
We both looked at each other, confused.
“Um.”
“Well.”
The waiter looked us up and down, sniffing. He was a gazelle; I could tell that much. At least he was a herd animal like us.
“You’re not from around here. I can tell. You smell like distance. And…and something else. The grassy woodlands like where I’m from. But another scent I can’t define. Like how Bram smells. He works as a cook here. But he’s not one of us. He’s a wolf.”
Bram. I didn’t know that name. Before I could think about it, Seth stepped forward.
“Can we see Bram, please?” Seth’s voice was more demanding than a question.
“Sure.”
It all happened so fast. The waiter called through the doors, and suddenly a beautiful guy emerged.
The waiter started to speak. “These two wanted to see you for something…”
I didn’t hear the rest. All the air left me. I felt Seth’s hand still clutching mine as there, standing before us, was the most gorgeous omega with big dark eyes and a beautifully sculpted face. His hair was dark blond and neatly styled.
Instantly, my beast alerted. My mind sped up as if time stopped obeying any steady rules. A hundred thoughts downloaded.
I’ve seen him before. He’s someone I know. But we’ve never met.
Those thoughts and more flooded my senses, one on top of the other, mixing words and feelings together. It was as if I was meeting a part of myself, and my soul instantly knew. It was a feeling like when I’d first realized Seth and I were more than friends.
Then my beast whickered. Mate. Mate. Seth’s and mine. Ours.
The omega did a double take. “Oh.” His chest filled with air. “Oh! Oh my! There’s two of you!”
I saw it in his eyes. This omega was feeling the same things I was. Bram, was his name? The waiter had called him that. It had just become one of my favorite names on Earth.
This was why we’d been drawn here, when we’d have rather stayed in and made love. This very man. This omega. Bram.
I turned to Seth, who met my eyes. In unison, we said, “He’s the one.”