Chapter Four

As soon as Kijani woke, he cracked his eyes open and noticed he was still on Jonah's hardwood floor. Jonah's living room was nicely decorated, something Kijani hadn't paid attention to when he'd been there on official business. As soon as he'd stepped inside, he'd smelled Jonah's scent infused throughout the house.

Then Kijani had felt the undeniable pull toward the human. His wolf had sat up and taken noticed, whimpering to comfort Jonah and snarling to erase Flint's existence.

Flint needed to consider himself lucky it had been Slater who'd held him against that wall and not Kijani.

He glanced to his right and saw his mate on the camel-colored couch watching him with those pretty teal-green eyes. Jonah's expression didn't reveal anything. Not a single emotion of how he felt. It had been an unbelievably bad idea to show up on his doorstep in the condition he'd been in.

In the midst of his pain and delirium, Kijani had made a rash decision. Normally a levelheaded man, he always took the time to carefully consider his options and weigh the consequences before making any decisions. He was not one to act impulsively or recklessly.

Showing up at Jonah's in the state he'd been in, knowing his wolf would take over, had been the most reckless and irrational thing he could have done.

Now, Kijani waited for the repercussions. There was no way to spin this in a way that wouldn't sound like a lie and insult Jonah's intelligence.

So, he just lay there, waiting to see what would happen now.

"How do you feel?" Jonah uncurled his legs and sat up, resting his arms on a red throw pillow in his lap. His expression was still unreadable. "You've been asleep for six hours. It's now two in the morning."

"As bad as new." Kijani grunted as he propped himself up on one elbow. He might have healed his injuries in his wolf form, but the unforgiving hard floor hadn't done his body any favors.

"I would let you borrow some of my clothes, but I don't have anything you could fit into."

Kijani glanced down at his stomach. He was completely healed. There wasn't even a tiny blemish to indicate what he'd been through.

But the blanket draped over his hips wasn't the same one Slater had given him. This one was soft, blue, and held Jonah's sweet scent.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you by showing up a complete wreck." Careful to keep the blanket in place, Kijani stretched, his joints popping.

"I was more shocked than anything." Jonah hugged the pillow to his chest.

Every bone in Kijani's body was wary. The human was a little too composed. Was this the calm before the storm? He wanted to tell Jonah everything, both about being a wolf shifter and how they were mates. The first was a given since Kijani had already shifted in front of him.

The second would be more complicated. That would have a direct impact on the human. It would be life changing. Their souls would be merged together, their mating unbreakable. Kijani didn't want to lay that on Jonah after what his mate had just been through.

But eventually, they would have to talk about it.

"You're taking this surprisingly well." Kijani got up then sat on the other end of the sofa, the blanket hitched as tightly as he could get it around his hips. It was pretty annoying to have to keep a grip on it. He wanted to let it go, but he didn't want to expose himself in front of Jonah.

Although his mate denied being frightened, when he remained silent, Kijani wondered if he was still in shock. Any human who was unaware of the supernatural world would likely be terrified of seeing a man shift into a wolf.

Which made him suspect Jonah had some hidden knowledge about Kijani's world.

"How did you find out?" Kijani yanked the small, stylish pillow from behind his back and placed it on his lap, the same way as his mate, but he used it as a buffer so he could finally remove his grip on the blanket.

"You shifted right in front of me." Jonah looked as if the answer should have been obvious.

He was cute when his pert nose was wrinkled in confusion, causing his smattering of freckles to bunch together.

"That's not what I was asking," Kijani said. "You've got prior knowledge of shifters, Jonah. How?"

His mate jerked from the couch, the pillow in his lap falling to the floor. "You must be starving."

"I'm famished for answers."

"I might have those in the refrigerator." Jonah spun and walked away, leaving Kijani to stare at an ass that would fit perfectly in the palms of his hands.

Unwilling to let things go, he got up and trailed behind his retreating mate, once again keeping the blanket tightly wrapped around his waist. "It's a simple question, honey bee. Friend? Accidental encounter?"

"I'm still not sold on that nickname." Jonah opened the refrigerator and began to pull out random things. A jar of mayonnaise, a half-carton of eggs, a bag of red grapes, and a yellow box of baking soda. "I'm a decent cook."

Kijani didn't think even a chef on the reality show Chopped could make something edible out of those ingredients. "Then whip me up an explanation."

"You're relentless."

"You're dodging."

With a deep sigh, Jonah put everything back and closed the refrigerator door. "Why is this so important to you? Does it really matter?"

Everything about his mate mattered to him. "Was it a bad experience?"

"This conversation is starting to feel like one." Jonah pressed his palms against the counter and met Kijani's gaze. "If you don't stop interrogating me, I'm gonna ask you to leave."

Kijani's throat dried. There was something much more tragic hidden behind the barely veiled pain in Jonah's pretty eyes, something Jonah was desperately trying to keep buried.

Whatever the dark truth was, it clearly held enough weight to overshadow the connection his mate surely felt between them.

Enough that Jonah threatened to kick him out.

It was time to back off before Kijani found his naked ass out on the front porch. After Kijani gave Jonah a nod that he'd made his point, Jonah leaned back. "Now, I can either feed you or drive you home since you don't have any clothes here."

It was hard to miss the way his eyes slid over Kijani's body. The pain in them was fading, interest taking its place. Kijani would be lying if he said he didn't want to drop the blanket, to spread Jonah over the table, and make love to his mate until the pain inside of the human faded into obscurity.

The only reason his wolf wasn't howling for Kijani to take Jonah was because, right now, it only wanted to comfort the human. To protect him, to kill anyone who wanted to bring their mate harm.

It had been a struggle to keep his wolf from attacking and killing Flint. "If you take me home, you have to agree to stay."

His mate's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

Because you shouldn't be alone tonight after what happened to you, and I'm still reeling from nearly getting blown to pieces. "I don't want you driving back home by yourself in the wee hours of the morning. Exhaustion causes as many accidents as drunk driving."

Kijani wasn't sure about those statistics without looking them up, but it sounded probable enough.

"I can't deny how tired I am." Just then Jonah stifled a yawn as he dragged his hand through his hair, which was dark brown with hints of red and gold highlights. "I've been up nearly twenty-four hours. I hope you have a soft couch."

He had an even softer bed but doubted his mate would join him in it. "I'll drive since you look like you'll fall over at any second."

"At least it's late enough that my neighbors won't see a buff, naked man in my yard."

Kijani chuckled and couldn't resist flexing. "How would you explain that to them?"

Jonah folded his arms over his chest. "With as much drama that's gone on at my house over the past few weeks, they'll probably chalk it up as me pollinating another flower."

With a wince, Kijani said, "I really didn't mean it that way. Besides, you can't hold that against me when you said you'd give me one more chance to come up with something better."

"Until you do, it's held more firmly against you than that towel."

"You're evil," Kijani muttered.

After Jonah retrieved his keys, they walked to the attached garage. Kijani walked in behind his mate and saw a dark blue Fiat. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Jonah stared quizzically at him.

Kijani looked skeptically at his mate. "You neglected to tell me you drove a car the size of a toaster."

"You'll be surprised how roomy it is inside." He waved away Kijani's concern.

Said the guy who couldn't weigh more than one hundred and twenty pounds. I'm going to be embarrassed as hell if I need the fire department to pull me out of it.

Kijani opened the driver's door and pushed the seat all the way back. When he maneuvered into the seat, the steering wheel was almost touching his gut and his knees were jammed against the dash. This was not a car for someone six feet five inches with the frame of a grizzly bear.

"Maybe I should drive," Jonah said from outside the driver's door.

Maneuvering around proved challenging. It had been easier getting into the car than out of it. Plus, he couldn't hold on to the blanket while struggling.

Kijani's heart raced like a hummingbird's wings when Jonah grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him out. His teal-green eyes, which seemed to hold all the colors of the ocean, drew Kijani in until he was completely lost in them.

Just like he had when he'd first met his mate, until he realized what he was doing and looked away. Damn if they weren't the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen.

"It's like trying to remove a ten-ton elephant." Jonah grunted and strained, his efforts to move Kijani almost comical.

"I'm not that damn big." Kijani chuckled, loving how red his mate's cheeks were from his exertion.

"Your densely packed muscles definitely weigh a few tons." With a sigh of defeat, Jonah finally gave up and let Kijani's arm go, even though Kijani wanted his mate to hold on to it forever. "Your biceps are nearly as big as my head."

"It's not my fault this car was made for ants," Kijani grumbled as he finally worked his way out of the cramped space.

"If you weren't so shredded, you could've fit with no issues. Just get in before I strap you to the roof instead." Jonah readjusted the seat and slipped inside.

Kijani smirked as he made his way around to the passenger side, pleased with the compliment about his physique.

"Your blanket!" Jonah jumped out and threw the blue fabric over the roof of the car.

With quick reflexes, Kijani caught it in one hand. How had Jonah not noticed he was naked when he'd gotten out? "Wouldn't want my bare ass touching your fancy cloth seats."

Eyes bulging, Jonah cheeks blossomed with fire. "That's not why… Just get in!" He practically dove into the car, disappearing from sight in an amusing blur.

The entire ride passed in silence, only broken when Kijani had to give directions. It seemed Jonah didn't want to talk, and Kijani wasn't going to force him to. Besides, Kijani was trying to work out in his head how his mate knew about his world.

However he'd discovered it, the experienced wasn't a good one.

Jonah pulled into the driveway and parked right behind Kijani's dark red Toyota Tundra. This time it wasn't as drastic a struggle to get out of the Fiat. He led his mate inside, his fist curled around the edges of the blanket.

He couldn't wait to shed the damn thing.

"Make yourself at home while I put some clothes on." Kijani turned on a few lights as he walked to his bedroom. He threw on some training pants and a T-shirt, returning to find Jonah standing in his living room, staring at the blank television screen.

He couldn't tell what was going through his mate's mind, but Jonah was buried somewhere inside his head. His expression was bleak while he chewed at his bottom lip. Kijani's wolf whimpered at seeing the guy appearing so lost, and damn if he didn't want to wipe away whatever had Jonah looking that way.

"Here's your blanket." Kijani held it out like a peace offering.

Jonah jerked and faced him, giving him a strained smile as he took it. "I think I fell asleep on my feet."

Kijani didn't call him on the lie.

"Your couch looks comfy." Jonah sat and kicked off his shoes. "Can I have a pillow and a bigger blanket?"

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what was bothering his mate. He wanted to help in any way possible, but that was hard to do when Jonah was so closed off.

So Kijani grabbed a pillow and blanket from the hall closet and handed them over, lingering, hoping Jonah would let him in, even just a little. Kijani knew about Flint but not the details of their relationship. He also knew Jonah had a secret but not what it pertained to.

When it came to his mate, Kijani knew a lot about nothing.

"Thank you." Jonah grabbed the bedding, seeming more exhausted than before. "I'll be out of your hair in the morning." He yawned.

"There's no need to rush out." Kijani stood there like a lump, unsure what to say next. The easiness between them seemed to have evaporated, and he missed it. He wanted more of his mate's wit, more of his sassiness.

Anything other than the gloominess that kept clouding his handsome face.

Jonah tilted his head up and looked at Kijani, those teal-green eyes drawing him in again. "Flint isn't getting out, is he? Deputy Kingsman said he has an outstanding warrant. Does that mean I don't have to worry about him landing on my doorstep ever again?"

Not if Flint valued his life.

Kijani sat next to him and slid an arm around his mate's shoulders. Jonah leaned into him with a heavy sag. "He's going to be transported to Maple Grove for the charges against him. I honestly can't say what'll happen from there."

Flint could receive anything from probation to jailtime. And if he was foolish enough to backtrack to Midnight Falls and go anywhere near Jonah, the asshole would have to get past Kijani first.