Chapter Fourteen

Glass

The conversation with the sheriff went on late into the night. He wanted to talk to Maximus and Tim, and me and Apollo as we'd spotted the abduction on the cameras. Crimson joined us as the town alpha after a quick check in with her. They both stayed for dinner and, as it turned out, Burke was a superb cook. The spaghetti sauce was the best I'd ever tasted. I wondered if he'd give me the recipe.

No, it's a secret recipe, but he'll cook it any time you ask, Apollo assured me.

That was a shame, but at least he'd cook it again.

Apollo cooked steaks on the grill for the carnivores, and the questioning went on and on. The one question no one could answer was why Red had been targeted twice. My brother was the last stalk anyone would attack. Red was gentle and kind, despite his bulging muscles. He was bigger than me, but he never tried to challenge me like Twirlie did.

Apollo flagged against me. Is this ever going to be over?

If Sheriff Butch had one fatal flaw, it was that he took everything to the stalking extreme. His informal interview felt more like an interrogation, interspersed with him sniffing, his nose wrinkling repeatedly throughout. I wondered if he was coming down with a cold, although we were rhubarb, we didn't get sick—normally.

After five hours, my mate was done and so was I. There was a bed with our name on it, although I wasn't sure whether it was inside or outside.

I stood and hauled my lion with me. "We've told you all we can, sheriff. It's time I put my mate to bed."

And then I realized what I'd said. Apollo's creamy skin went more rhubarb red than I'd ever seen it.

"Uh…" he managed.

Crimson and Maximus rolled their eyes and Tim burst out laughing.

"Subtle, Glass. Real subtle."

I shrugged. We were tired and I was done being civil. "Sheriff, glad to see you back."

And I was, to a point. But I could only take so much of Butch like this. I eyed the back door where Gordon and Leonidis had disappeared and not bothered to return, which I'd thought was rude until we hit hour two, then I'd wished I'd left with them.

"I'm sorry for the long interview," the sheriff rumbled. "I've been away and I feel like I'm stepping into a new world. Stalk abductions and CCTV on every corner? This is like the big city."

I'd never been outside of Valentine, so I wouldn't know, but Apollo snickered across our link.

Only if a big city had one small street and a phobia of c-r-u-m-b-l-e.

I shuddered at the thought of you know what and was glad he spelled it out. It was a genuine threat to our kind.

"Are you cold, Glass?" Crimson asked, her brows knitted in concern.

"A stalk fell into the pan," I told her.

"Oh." She nodded, understanding no one wanted to think about that fate.

We'd nearly made it out of the room when I heard the sheriff say, "There's a strange smell in here. It's almost overwhelming. Kind of sweet and musky."

Ohhh!

I had a feeling I knew what he was talking about, and it explained the nose twitching, but I'd let it play out, just like they had with me and Apollo.

We wandered up the stairs, hand in hand, and I realized that I'd never felt I belonged anywhere as much as I did here, with Apollo. As an alpha stalk, I always expected to become the alpha of the town once Crimson… retired.

Very diplomatic, young stalk.

Of course, Crimson had to hear that. I closed my eyes briefly and focused on containing my thoughts. I was really going to have to get broadcasting them under control.

We stepped into Apollo's bedroom and glanced around. It was a disaster zone. Chocolate and candies everywhere, in the bed, on the floor, up the walls.

Apollo tipped his head back and squinted up at the ceiling. "Is that a love heart stuck with chocolate up there?"

Yes, yes it was. I grinned, knowing which love heart it was. And I ravished my rhubarb just fine.

My lion sighed and took my hand. "I'm too tired to tidy up the bedroom. Let's sleep in your bed."

We shut the door on the mess. I'd have to talk to the ants and bribe them with sugar to stay out of the bedroom. The little black assholes could get everywhere when they got the sweet scent.

"Lead the way," Apollo said.

It was sweet of him, as this was his home. He was trying to submit to me as his alpha, and boy, did I get off on that. I pressed a kiss to his soft cheek, running a hand up his back.

"You'll shift and hold me?" It was partly a question and partly an order. Just the thought of my mate in his lion form made my cock harden. Being bitten by him was an experience I wanted to repeat. A shiver ran straight down my body at the thought.

Apollo sniffed and a broad smile crossed his face. "I can do that. He reached up and whispered in my ear, "I wanna stroke your fuzzies with my tail."

I dragged him outside so fast we left a smoke cloud behind us as our feet scorched a trail over the carpet, but did my mate complain? Great Rhu, no! We reached the bed, throwing off our clothes as fast as we could. The second Apollo was naked, I pointed to the ground. He kneeled in the dirt, his wrists crossed behind his back, his head bowed, waiting for my order. His long cock reached for me, but as hard as I was, that wasn't what we both needed right now. I ran my fingers through his hair, loving the silky feel of his curls.

"Be my lion," I ordered, and Apollo shifted into his glorious lion self. My mouth went dry just at the sight of him.

You don't think I'm ugly?

The question took me by surprise.

Great Rhu no! Why would I think you're ugly?

Others did. They said I was useless and ugly.

I got it now. What he'd talked a little about when we weren't getting dirty was about how he'd become part of Maximus' pride. His previous one clearly didn't appreciate what an amazing omega they had.

I buried both hands in his mane again while his huge eyes stared at me. You are the stalk of my heart, the lion beneath my leaves.

And if Tim heard me, he'd never let me forget it. But right then, this was all about letting my mate know I would always treasure him.

I smiled at my lion. I need time to rest and sleep. Curl around me and keep me safe? We must be careful until we figure out what the monsters are up to.

I knew the pride hated us calling all non-rhubarb monsters, but we all agreed that the monsters trying to harm the stalks of Valentine deserved the title.

Shifting, I buried down into the rich soil, then Apollo curled around me, chuffing softly, his warm breath blowing along my fuzzy hairs. I wiggled, trying to press into him.

Do that again!

And he did.

Over and over, until I fell asleep, for the first time in my life, guarded by my mate. Fuck, how did a stalk get so lucky?