CHAPTER 9 JARED #5
Veyron hums thoughtfully; he looks at me with his brow slightly furrowed.
"Tell me one more thing, Jared. Did you notice anything unusual about this young alpha here? You don't actually know him, right? You met him for the first time today?"
My face turns crimson all over again. At this point, I might as well accept that I’m going to stay red permanently.
"That's right. I don't know him, and I realize how this must look from the outside. Completely bizarre. But believe me, I'm just as confused as you are. It's like… something keeps pulling me toward him. I have this feeling that I've known him before."
"When he touched you, did it feel like First Touch?" Veyron asks in the tone of a detective conducting an interview. The only thing he's missing is a little notepad and a pipe. The image almost makes me smile.
"No, and that's exactly the problem. To be honest, I expected it to happen.
He made an incredible impression on me, and considering how strongly I reacted to him, despite the recovery, I was sure we'd experience a First Touch.
But no, and I have to admit, that disappointed me.
So. I'm still searching for my fated mate. "
Veyron falls silent, clearly thinking again.
"And that being in the forest… did you experience something like First Touch with him?"
I go quiet for a moment, searching through the hazy memories of those days. Everything is blurred by heat, but I'm fairly certain I remember the important parts.
"Yeah… actually something like that happened.
I felt this powerful jolt, almost like electricity shot through me, but I figured that was because he was…
magical. A forest spirit. He literally glowed!
There were those little light particles floating around him.
It could be like touching two objects with different electrical charges.
Maybe that's just what happens when you come into contact with a being like that? "
"I think you're trying a little too hard to explain it all, and I think the answer is obvious," Veyron says; a hint of a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.
"But he was magical, sparkling! And the scent wasn't the same!"
"Jared, you're overthinking it. The answer is right in front of you."
I let out an annoyed huff.
"Oh, really? I don’t see it. But I’m not the detective here."
"Just put two and two together, like I did.
I don't believe it was some forest spirit. I think it was an alpha, possibly one of the magical ABOs. But I can see you’re working it out in a unique way, and it may actually be effective.
" He grins. "I'll leave it to you, then.
Instinctively, you may just stumble in the right direction. "
I pout. "Pfff! Someone’s awfully confident. You think you’ve already figured it all out?"
"I have my suspicions. But I want a little more time before I settle on a final conclusion."
For a moment, I stare at him with a dark cloud over my brow, but seeing those sparks of amusement in his eyes, I let out a hissing breath. It's hard to be angry with Veyron.
"Fair enough, take your time. I may figure it out on my own."
Veyron gives me an amused look that tells me exactly what he's thinking.
Are you blind, Jared? Can't you see what's happening here?
But I'm not nearly as convinced as he is. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he's trying to suggest, that it was Mauro. But not all the details add up for me.
Scent is one of the most important ways alphas and omegas recognize each other, and yet the fae's scent and Mauro's are different.
The fae also seemed more massive. Mauro is very muscular, but the other man looked downright like a jacked bodybuilder.
So, something's off. I don't want to jump to conclusions just yet.
I need to take a closer look at the situation.
After a moment, Veyron speaks again.
"One last thing. Do you feel safe here… with such an intensely territorial alpha who's very obviously into you? Or would you rather give yourself some time to think and clear your head before making any… major life decisions? You know that heat recovery is one of the worst times to do it."
I let out a long breath, weighing my words.
"I know, but I want to stay here. It may seem irresponsible, especially since I have Tommy depending on me, but… I just can't make myself leave yet. Something won't let me walk away."
Veyron frowns slightly and stares at his shadow stretching across the patio.
"Well, I can't drag you out of here by force. But I promised Alex I'd look after you, so if you don't mind, I'll stay here too for these next few days, until you're sure where all of this is heading. And maybe until you… unravel it all."
"Okay. Thanks, I really appreciate it. These people are nice but also kinda odd. I'd feel safer having you around in case they suddenly turn out to be some kind of religious cult or something. Especially since I had this feeling that they were somehow waiting for me."
He chuckles softly. "Yeah. You can count on me."
I glance toward the patio door, where Mauro is still standing quietly, watching us. Biting my lip, I lean slightly toward Veyron and lower my voice to a whisper.
"I noticed something interesting. Mauro has my name tattooed on his forearm."
Veyron raises an eyebrow. "I heard you asking if it belonged to his ex, but he shook his head."
"Exactly. It could be the name of a relative, or maybe a close friend, someone important to him… even a dog! But it's strange that it's Jared, of all names. I can't stop thinking about it. I feel there's some kind of secret behind it."
"Like I said, if you’re set on staying, then maybe you'll be able to unravel this mystery too."
I hesitate. "But… I don't have any way to pay you for staying here and looking out for me."
"Don't worry about it. My assistant is handling the day-to-day operations at the company, and I can still take on new clients and talk to customers from my laptop and phone."
I nod, then spend a moment staring somewhat absently out at the garden.
At this time of year, most of the trees are bare, but plenty of evergreens still encircle the property in a green ring.
I spot a pool not far away, though it's covered by a retractable protective cover.
The patio is enormous, the kind of space that could easily accommodate feasts for a large family who enjoys spending time together.
There's a grill, a set of outdoor furniture, and for a moment, I find myself contemplating the calm life they lead here, nearly a mile and a half from the city limits, surrounded by wild forest, and I wonder if a place like this could be home for me.
With that thought comes the stress again.
The uncertainty of my situation, the fact that I'm so far from Tommy…
I don't even know what I'm supposed to do from one moment to the next.
I press my left hand to my temple, feeling the dizziness intensify.
My knees wobble, and I grip the back of the chair harder, feeling like I'm about to pass out if I don't lie down soon.
Veyron notices immediately and reaches toward me, but before he can touch me, the sliding glass door opens and Mauro rushes outside.
He slips between Veyron and me, wraps an arm protectively around my waist, and steadies me against his side.
"We'll talk later," Veyron says with a faint smile.
I nod, and Mauro guides me off the patio toward the staircase. I have a feeling he's taking me to the room Emilio mentioned earlier.
As we walk away, I can feel Veyron’s eyes on me, a flicker of amusement in them. And honestly, I can’t blame him. If our roles were reversed, I’d probably be just as eye-rolling at what I was doing.
But strangely, I don’t care what he thinks.
I just let myself swim in this sweet sensation.
One of Mauro’s arms stays wrapped firmly around my waist while his other hand holds mine.
The feeling is kinda wonderful, to be honest, like someone actually cares about me, like I matter.
It hasn’t felt like that in years. Mark treated me like a necessary inconvenience.
He wanted the perfect family image, so Tommy and I were simply part of that arrangement, a means to an end.
Mauro’s closeness is nothing like that. It’s embracing, protective, all-encompassing. It’s different from anything I’ve ever felt with another man. My heart races, my breathing quickens, and all I want is to press myself against him, losing myself in that sweet, thrilling closeness.
We reach the second floor, and Mauro leads me to one of the doors. He's just about to touch the handle when something inside me snaps.
With a sudden burst of effort, I grab him, spin him around, and pin him against the wall. Of course, he lets me. Right now I'm far too weak to pull something like that off if he didn't willingly give in to the movement.
Now we're standing face-to-face, my body pressed against his. I look into his eyes, and I can't stop myself from asking.
"Why do I feel you so… much?"
Slowly, I let my fingers travel up his arms, over the hard curve of his biceps until they reach his shoulders, where they brush lightly across his scent glands in a touch reserved for people bound by deep intimacy.
It could be considered pretty outrageous, and yet I dare to do it anyway, almost as if I’m challenging him.
His eyes are closed, and his breathing deepens.
Then my hands climb even higher, my fingers spreading as they thread through his hair, soft black curls kissed with a deep reddish sheen.
Beneath my fingertips, his hair feels like precious silk, cool and impossibly smooth as it slips between my fingers while I gently massage his scalp.
I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.
All I know is that I need to melt into him, to chase that shiver, that aching hunger that grows more intense with every moment he remains in my arms.
Mauro keeps his eyes closed, surrendering completely to my touch.