Chapter Eight

Jace stood with the glass cleaner in one hand, absently wiping the same spot on the mirror in front of him. Not even the sound of weights banging or feet jogging on nearby treadmills was enough to snap him out of his headspace.

Despite the terrifying revelation, Ian made Jace feel things he hadn't felt with anyone else. Whenever they kissed, it was like bright, explosive fireworks going off in his head. Whenever Ian touched him, it was like a warm, protective blanket wrapped around his insides. Intimacy. God, sex with Ian was beyond phenomenal.

Everything about the guy was exhilarating. Jace felt alive for the first time in his life.

And Ian's black panther? Jace was still blown away by that. But Ian was still the sweet, passionate, and patient man Jace had gotten to know. He just happened to have a deadly black panther living inside of him.

"Jace!"

He jumped, pulled from his thoughts at Owen's irritating bellow.

"You've been cleaning that same spot for ten minutes," Owen complained loudly while he crossed the gym. "You're not polishing some guy's dick. The glass only needs a few swipes, not caressed like it's some horned-up boyfriend you're trying to get off."

What the fuck? Had Owen really said that? As Jace glanced around, he saw that people had stopped working out to watch the spectacle. Heat scorched his eyes and cheeks, and he quickly looked away.

"In my office, Owen."

Jace looked in the mirror at the sound of the owner's voice. Zeke stood behind them wearing a furious expression.

Instead of feeling relieved that Zeke had seen Owen's behavior, Jace's stomach dropped. A reprimand would only make Owen hate him even more.

Owen turned and walked away.

"Is that the first time he's done that to you?" Zeke asked him.

Jace opened his mouth then closed it. Time seemed to stretch out, each second feeling like an eternity as he stared at the owner's chest. He didn't want to tell the truth. What if Zeke didn't fire Owen? Ratting him out would only make things worse for Jace. But he couldn't afford to quit, not when he needed the income to help take care of his family.

"I'll assume it wasn't, unless you tell me otherwise," Zeke said. "I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but I want to make it clear that I do not approve of that kind of behavior and won't stand for it."

Jace couldn't breathe as he watched Zeke stride toward his office.

With a mixture of frustration and fear, Jace hurried to the locker room to hide. He anxiously paced back and forth next to his cleaning cart, at a loss for what to do. He didn't want to continue working in such a hostile environment, but he had no other job prospects at the moment.

"Shit." Jace sank onto the bench beside him and massaged his temples, trying to ease the dull ache that was starting to throb in his head. He breathed out slowly, wishing Ian was there. The guy had magic fingers, which Jace could really use right now.

A few people entered the locker room, disrupting Jace's solitude. He could hear the sound of a shower running and a toilet flushing. In the background, he caught snippets of a conversation about protein shakes. As a guy approached the set of lockers next to him, Jace stood up.

"Go ahead and relax," the guy said. "Owen is still getting his ass handed to him. That was pretty messed up the way he blasted you in front of everyone in the gym. Fucking dickhead."

The pain in Jace's head intensified, forcing him to sit back down. He squeezed his eyes shut, the lights suddenly unbearable, and began massaging his temples once more in an attempt to drown out the noises that were only making it worse.

This was one of the bad ones that didn't occur too often. But when they did, Jace usually found himself in the emergency room. He lay down on the bench, gritting his teeth as he curled into a fetal position.

"You okay?"

The sound of the man's voice was like a deafening explosion inside Jace's head. Sharp needles stabbed his brain, and all he wanted was to find a dark, quiet corner and hide there.

"Jace, what's wrong?" Zeke asked.

He couldn't answer. Jace couldn't do anything other than lie there and wish to god the pain subsided.

Fingers gently eased under Jace's, making small circles in a soothing motion. He let out a soft whimper at the touch, hoping that the pressure wouldn't be too much. As he balled his hands against his chest, he couldn't tell if it was Zeke or the man with the towel around his waist who was massaging his head.

Despite not wanting either of them touching him, Jace was in too much pain to stop them. The gentle fingers continued to massage his temples, but now they were also working the back of his neck.

Jace's stomach lurched as his head was lifted, and then it was lowered onto a softer surface than the hard bench.

"Is the pain easing, kitten?"

Jace whimpered, happy that Ian was there.

"Just relax. For now, we're alone, and the lights are low. Concentrate on breathing, babe."

"How?"

"I came to work out," Ian said. "When I walked into the locker room, I saw you on the bench and Zeke crouched next to you. From the look on your face, I knew what was wrong."

"Thank you," Jace whispered.

"You're welcome, kitten."

Ian's fingers moved in a drowsy dance across Jace's skin. The sharp needles faded into a low throb, allowing Jace to finally breathe a little easier.

"It's getting better." By small increments, but Jace would take that over the constant blasting pain.

"Did something bring on your migraine, or did it hit you out of nowhere?"

Jace thought of Owen's crude comments and the lividness in Zeke's eyes. Owen was going to make Jace pay for getting him into trouble. If Jace thought the guy had been an asshole before, things were only going to get much worse.

"Was it Owen?" Ian asked. "What did he say or do, Jace?"

"He was being himself, and Zeke heard him." Maybe Jace shouldn't have been daydreaming, but that didn't give Owen the right to humiliate him, especially in front of other people.

"What did he say to you?" Ian's voice was still low, still soothing, but there was now an edge to it.

Jace sighed. "Does it matter? He's in Zeke's office being reprimanded."

"He was just fired," Zeke said after Jace heard the door open. "The hothead couldn't keep his mouth shut while I crawled in his ass. How're you feeling, Jace?"

"What did he say to Jace?" Ian asked.

"He told Jace he wasn't polishing some guy's dick. The glass only needed a few swipes, not caressed like it was some horned-up boyfriend he was trying to get off," Zeke replied in a pissed-off tone.

"It doesn't matter what he said." Jace sat up too fast, causing a sudden wave of dizziness.

"It matters to me," Ian countered. "It matters a hell of a lot to me."

"I need to get back to work." Jace swung his legs over the side of the bench then placed his feet on the floor, waiting for the dizziness to subside. It was bad enough Owen had said that shit to him, but it was embarrassing that Ian and Zeke knew about it.

"Does he need two weeks off?" Zeke asked Ian. "Or am I reading into something that isn't there?"

"Not until I've explained things to him," Ian replied.

"Are you suspending me?" Jace gasped as the nausea returned.

"You're not being suspended," Zeke said. "Though I am sending you home after what just happened to you in here." He held up his hand when Jace opened his mouth to argue. "With pay. I'm heading back to my office to find a replacement for Owen."

Jace watched the owner walk out then turned to Ian. "Explain what to me?"

"I'd rather not discuss it here." Ian swung his leg around, straddling the bench.

"Is this about what you were trying to say to me yesterday at your house?" Jace asked. "When you said there was a reason why we were so attracted to each other?"

"Yes." Ian stood.

"We can go to your house since going home during my shift would make my mom and grandma ask questions." Jace got up and stored his cleaning cart in the utility closet. He stood there for a moment with his hand pressed against the door. Ian had made his head feel better, but the migraine hadn't gone completely away.

"We're not in a rush." Ian slid an arm around Jace. "Do you need to sit back down?"

"I'm okay." The low throbbing was tolerable. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "We can go."

Jace refused to look at anyone as they walked through the gym and exited the building. He glanced toward his car once they were outside, wondering if he should drive after such an intense migraine. That was when he spotted Owen. The guy was pacing at the end of the building, his phone stuck to his ear. Owen's eyes filled with venomous hate when he spotted Jace.

With a deep snarl, Ian headed straight for Owen, stopping right in front of the guy. "I should rip your tongue out for talking to Jace that way!"

Owen didn't say a word as he gave Ian the same venomous glare.

"Stay the fuck away from him." Ian headed back toward Jace, but Jace saw the sinister glint in Owen's eyes.

"I'm going to ride with you," Jace said.

He tore his gaze away from Owen and climbed into Ian's Navigator. Ian reversed and drove away. "You don't know how badly I wanted to wipe that glare off of his face."

That would have only gotten Ian into trouble. Owen wasn't worth it. Jace was relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with the asshole any longer. There were likely many gym-goers who were also grateful to be spared from Owen's off-putting personality.

Whenever he worked a shift, Jace had witnessed tons of eye rolls.

Once they reached Ian's house, they headed inside, but considering the last revelation, Jace lingered by the front door in case he needed a quick escape. Only this time he would have to run home since he'd left his car at work.

"I don't want to fuck this up again, kitten."

Which meant he had another shocking revelation to confess.

"Do you remember when I asked you if you believed in fate?" Ian toed his sneakers off by the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room.

"When you said it was hard to tell with humans?"

"Don't remind me how badly I fucked that up," Ian groaned.

"I remember." Jace rolled his tongue over his bottom lip, wondering if he was in good enough shape to run home. He just might find out if Ian showed him something even more petrifying than a deadly panther.

"Do you believe in fate?"

"I don't know." Jace shrugged. "I never really gave it any thought."

Ian stood there with a hand resting on the counter. He really was beautiful. Jace wanted to pull that rubber band out and watch Ian's long, lustrous hair cascade down and frame that gorgeous, masculine face.

Stop thinking about sex when he's about to blow your mind wide open again.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I felt our connection when we met? That I knew you were meant to be mine because fate had chosen you for me? And that your scent transported me back to the snowy slopes, where crisp, clean air filled my lungs and woke my senses?"

This was an easier conversation, one Jace could handle. Now he wondered if fate had really brought them together or if Ian just believed that because they seemed to click.

What was with the snow reference though?

"I'm trying to be open-minded."

"Is your head starting to hurt again?" Ian looked at Jace's legs as if they would buckle at any second. Like Ian might need to catch him if he fell.

"It's nervousness," Jace admitted. "My head feels okay. A dull throb, but nothing too bad."

"You should sit." As soon as Ian touched his arm, Jace's apprehension lessened.

Was that a normal thing between couples, or was it the fate thing Ian was trying to convince him of? Jace had no choice but to believe Ian about the panther because he'd seen it with his own eyes.

Fate bringing two people together wasn't a physical thing Jace could touch or see though. He would have to take Ian's word for it, trust that the connection he felt with Ian was something more than a simple attraction.

Ian stepped behind Jace and massaged his temples. His head wasn't hurting enough to need it, but it felt too incredible to refuse.

"Each shifter has a mate, kitten. While some believe a mate was handpicked by fate, others believe fate paired two people who needed each other." His fingers slowed a bit. "You feel that deep bond between us. You might not understand it, but you feel it."

"Like how my anxiety lessens or completely dissolves when you touch me." Ian's hands drifted from Jace's head to his shoulders, kneading the muscles. If he kept that up, Jace might melt all over the guy's shiny floor.

"Or how you make the void inside of me disappear," Ian said. "Make me feel like I finally belong somewhere."

Ian dug his thumbs in, working the knots as Jace thought of Ian alone in the world, longing for a connection he couldn't find.

Ian curled his arms around Jace's shoulders and rested his chin on the right one. Ian was a lot taller, so he had to bend low to get so close. His poor back.

"I can prove what I'm saying is true." Ian rocked his chin back and forth. "I'd bite you right here during sex to bind our souls. You'd feel our connection deepen in ways you never thought possible."

"Bite me?" Jace choked on the words.

Ian's arms tightened around him. "Momentary pain for a lifetime of you and me, committed to each other. You'll have me—mind, body, and soul, Jace. You'll also acquire a few benefits."

It was so much to think about. "I need time."

"Take all the time you need." Ian's head lifted suddenly and snapped around.

"What's wrong?" Jace withdrew from his arms and turned.

"Someone just pulled into the driveway." Ian headed for the door.