8. Drew

I’d never had a family. When Sebastian started talking about his family in further detail, I couldn’t imagine growing up in such a household. I had never witnessed such a thing. Sure, I’d seen it on sitcoms, but those weren’t real. Were families actually like that in real life?

We spent the evening talking—long after we finished our meal. And when Sebastian gave me the option of him walking me home or me spending the night with him, I chose the latter. I was both relieved and disappointed when he offered me the option of sharing his room with him or spending the night in one of his spare bedrooms. I chose a spare bedroom and was now kicking myself as I lay in the most comfortable bed I’d ever been in and tossed and turned. I kept reminding myself that this was my own choice. I’d picked the spare bedroom, despite a part of me that wanted to sleep next to my mate.

I tossed the thin blanket back and lay there, staring up at the ceiling in darkness. I was a feline shifter, and as such, I had amazing eyesight in the dark, even in my human form. Sure, other shifters had good eyesight at night, but mine was even more so, and I used that to my advantage whenever needed. Now was such a time.

The bedroom wasn’t shabby. Sebastian had spent some time decorating it—even if he used magic. The bed was much larger than the one I had, and I had a full-sized bed. The two nightstands, the chest of drawers, and the chair in the corner all matched. And the mattress. I didn’t know where it had come from, but I had to wonder if the spare bedroom bed was this comfortable, what was Sebastian’s like?

There wasn’t a clock in the room, so I reached out and felt for my phone. When I found it, all I had to do was glance toward it as I lifted it and saw it was just after three in the morning. I’d been in here for almost four hours, and at this point, I was sure falling asleep wasn’t going to happen. I was just as awake now as I was yesterday morning when I had no idea that Sebastian even existed yet.

Would going for a run help? Maybe if I tired myself out, I would be able to get even a little bit of sleep. Of course, if I’d just said I wanted to spend the night in Sebastian’s room with him, I would have had the scent of my mate to help relax me. If I was really lucky, I would have been sexually satisfied and completely passed out beside my mate. But nope. I had to be an idiot and choose the spare bedroom. Something I was definitely kicking myself for now.

I sat up, wondering if I could sneak out without Sebastian realizing. Or maybe if I just went downstairs to one of the common areas and could scent Sebastian. Perhaps then my cheetah would relax enough and I’d be able to sleep.

Deciding to try that, at least, I scooted to the edge of the bed and slid from the comfort of it. It truly was the most comfortable bed I’d ever been on. But even that couldn’t lure me to sleep. I quickly pulled on my jeans and then snuck out of the room. It was dark and quiet in the hallway, and a quick glance toward Sebastian’s door showed it was halfway open, but beyond the room was completely dark. Was my mate sleeping soundly? The desire to sneak into his bed was powerful, but I’d not been invited, and I had to remind myself that I had chosen to sleep apart.

Instead of going toward Sebastian’s room, I turned right and silently went down the stairs. I was focused on making it to the front door and sneaking out, but noise from the back of the house caught my attention. When I glanced that way, I saw dim light coming from the direction of where we’d been earlier, and I decided to go to Sebastian instead.

As I approached, I heard him talking to someone. When I didn’t scent anyone else in the house, I realized he was most likely on the phone.

“I need to go,” I heard him say, and I started to panic. I tried to quietly back away, but it was too late. “You can come in, Drew.”

I cringed. I glanced down at myself and wanted to kick myself for not getting completely dressed. But Sebastian knew I was here, and I wasn’t going to run and hide, so I slowly moved into the back room. I found Sebastian sitting on the couch. He was wearing a pair of soft-looking sleep pants and a T-shirt. I wrapped my arms around my waist, unsure what to do.

“I didn’t mean to spy on you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Not at all,” Sebastian said. He pointed to the other end of the couch. “Would you like to sit?” I shook my head but sat anyway, which seemed to confuse Sebastian. “Are you all right?”

I nodded. “Just couldn’t sleep.” I looked over at Sebastian, who was staring intently at me.

“I apologize,” he said after a moment of silence.

“What for? You aren’t the reason I can’t sleep.” He was, to an extent, but I didn’t want him to feel guilty because I’d made the wrong decision.

“I didn’t even think about the fact that you didn’t have anything with you, and I didn’t offer you something more comfortable to wear. I apologize. Would you like some sleep clothes?”

I shook my head. “I only put my jeans back on to come downstairs. I thought about going for a run since I couldn’t sleep.”

Sebastian’s brow furrowed. “Do you often go for runs in the middle of the night? It’s not entirely safe on the mountaintop at all times.”

I sighed. “I know about the bears and the mountain lions. But I’m a cheetah, and I can outrun either of them.”

Sebastian’s scowl intensified. I wondered if he was upset because I had planned on going out in the middle of the night or for some other reason.

“You shouldn’t be out on the mountain alone at night,” he told me. “I understand this is your home, but even the enforcers don’t go out at night alone unless it’s one of the dragons.”

That was news. “Why? Is it not safe?”

Sebastian sighed. “Mostly. But there is something here that occasionally makes…I won’t say an appearance since nobody has seen it. They’ve only felt its presence. So far, it’s not hurt anyone. The opposite, in fact. But we don’t know what it is or if it will suddenly cause harm.”

That had my heart beating fast. I’d not heard about anything being here other than the occasional bear. The more common thing was a mountain lion. They were muscular but not nearly as fast as I was in my cheetah form. “I didn’t know that,” I told him. “Do you think it’s dangerous?”

“Personally, I don’t believe so, but I wouldn’t want to take any unnecessary chances with you. It seems to be drawn to omegas in particular, and you most certainly are one of those.”

I was indeed. How was it that there was something on the mountaintop such as that and we’d not been informed? You would think that would be something they would inform all of us about.

“Then why?”

“Why what?”

“If you don’t think it’s dangerous, why the issue with me going out for a run? I go for runs frequently. Just this afternoon, I was running without anyone else with me.” True, that wasn’t normally the case, but still. If there was something out there that could possibly cause harm, why hadn’t it been dealt with?

“Yes, you were. But that was in the late afternoon. There were many people up and around still. They were awake. It’s currently the middle of the night, and if you were to go out now, it’s very possible that nobody would hear you if you were to call out for help. I do not wish for anything to happen to you.”

That was sweet. It made sense, though, since I was his mate. I didn’t want anything to happen to Sebastian either. Even if we weren’t claimed yet, I still felt something for him.

“All right,” I said. “I won’t go for a run.” I glanced toward his kitchen. “Is it all right if I grab some water? Maybe that can help me fall asleep.”

Sebastian gave me a weird look before he held out his hand. In it was a bottle of water, and I took it from him with a smile.

“Thank you,” I told him.

“You’re most welcome. But you don’t ever have to ask for anything here,” he said. “Everything here is open to you, and nothing is off-limits. Would you like a snack? It’s been a while since we ate last.”

I shook my head as I held up the water bottle. “I’m fine. Thank you for the water,” I said. I stood, ready to head back off to bed. Sebastian was up, so that meant he was up for a reason, right? He’d been on the phone when I first came downstairs. He had to have been talking to someone important since it was the middle of the night. I didn’t want to keep him from that for too long.

“You don’t have to leave. Did you want to talk some more? Do you usually have issues with sleeping?”

I shook my head. “I’d say we’ve talked quite a bit today, Sebastian. And no, I don’t normally have problems sleeping. But I’m in an unfamiliar place. Yes, you’re my mate, but we’ve not claimed one another, and I’m still struggling to become comfortable. Give it time.” I figured that eventually I’d become too exhausted that I’d fall asleep no matter what. And I had every intention of catching a nap at home tomorrow after I got back from work.

“I do apologize. Did you wish for me to take you home? Then you’d be in your own bed and would perhaps be more comfortable?” Sebastian stood and I couldn’t help but notice how amazing he looked in simple sleep pants and a gray T-shirt.

I chuckled. “Actually, the bed is by far more comfortable than mine at home. I’m simply struggling to sleep.” I shrugged. “It happens from time to time. I honestly think it’s just because it was an eventful day and I’m in a new place. My cheetah will calm and allow me to sleep soon.” I hoped that was the case. But it wasn’t normally an issue. I held up the water again. “Thanks again for the water. I’ll let you get back to your conversation.” Sebastian’s eyebrows went up in surprise, but I didn’t wait around to talk any longer. If there was something on the mountain, I didn’t want to wander around outside in the middle of the night. Water and tossing around in the bed would have to do for a few more hours. I was scheduled to work from ten until six in the morning, so if I did happen to fall asleep, thankfully, I wouldn’t need to be awake too early.

I hurried back up the stairs, closing the door behind me quietly. It was still dark in the room, as I’d not turned on the bedside light. I didn’t need it though, and when I opened the water, I downed half of it before taking a breath. I thought about finishing it but instead recapped it and placed it on the nightstand. I had just reached for the button on my jeans when I heard Sebastian outside the door. I held my breath, listening to him, but he only paused outside my door for a moment before his footsteps continued on down the hallway. I quietly moved closer to the door, but with my door closed, I was too far to hear his.

Figuring he’d gone to his room, I took my jeans off and put them back in the chair in the corner before I crawled back into bed. A quick double check of my phone showed my morning alarm on, and I took several deep breaths as I tried to get comfortable enough to sleep. It had already been a long night and was probably going to be even longer.

Sebastian was so gorgeous it wasn’t fair. As I lay in bed thinking about him, I had to wonder if he would have been attracted to me if it weren’t for the fact that we were mates. He was absolutely stunning, and even before I’d been stupid and went down to Mississippi at Christian’s invitation, I realized then that I wasn’t overly attracted to the larger alphas. Was that because I was a feline shifter and feline alphas tended to be on the slimmer side? Aside from bears and dragons, omegas were almost always slender and smaller. It was just how we were.

Knowing that thinking about Sebastian wasn’t going to help me sleep, I rolled onto my side and tried to focus on anything but my mate being in a bedroom down the hallway. I had a few hours until it would be an acceptable hour that I could get up and start my day. I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to be able to function very well until Sebastian and I figured things out and we claimed one another. Right now, my little-omega-self wanted nothing more than to curl up with my mate and spend our days in bed. That wasn’t where we were. My alpha was different. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing though.

Stocking. I would think about stocking. There was nothing sexy about stocking, unlike my mate, who was incredibly sexy. Stocking produce. That was my least favorite part of my job. Not that I disliked produce. The opposite, in fact. I loved to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

Bananas, grapes, apples…I thought about various fruits and groaned in frustration. What had I been thinking when I said I’d spend the night here? I hadn’t, actually. I thought about it for a minute. No, that wasn’t true. I’d been thinking that perhaps Sebastian would feel the pull toward me, and one thing would lead to another, and we’d end up in bed together. “You’re an idiot,” I said quietly out loud. Sebastian had offered for me to share his room. For some stupid reason, I’d said no, I would take the spare bedroom.

I rolled to my back and stared up at the ceiling in darkness. This was possibly turning into one of the most miserable nights of my life. There were, of course, far worse ones, but tonight had turned out to be a miserable one of my own making.

I wasn’t sure how long I lay there, still tossing and not sleeping. I finally gave up when my skin started itching. My cheetah had had enough and decided that he was coming out. I opened the door to my room and then knelt down on my knees and let my cheetah come out once again. Like any cat, he took a good stretch before he padded out of the bedroom. I expected him to go right and down the stairs, but nope. Instead, he went left and walked right up to Sebastian’s door and sat.

I tried to argue with him that our mate was most likely asleep and that we couldn’t communicate with Sebastian in this form, but he wasn’t listening. Instead, he curled up, settling with his face toward Sebastian’s door and our back to the hallway. I thought that was unusual until my head dropped to the floor. There, at the bottom of the floor, there was a tiny gap, and of course, Sebastian’s scent came through. Not that I couldn’t scent him in the house most everywhere else. But this was where his scent was strongest, so it now made sense that my cheetah wanted to lie here.

I felt myself relaxing more than I had been all evening, and in moments, my mind finally shut down, and I felt myself starting to drift off to sleep. This was apparently what I needed: to be around Sebastian and near him enough that I could scent him completely. My last coherent thought was that if my cheetah had only told me this was what was needed, I would have asked Sebastian if I could sleep in his room instead.

Chuckling brought me out of my sleep, and when I felt someone touching me, it took everything in me to wake enough to open my eyes. I saw a navy-blue pant leg, and when I looked upward, there was…well…yeah, I didn’t want to stare at that particular part more. I looked farther up and found Sebastian smiling down at me.

“You’re adorable, you know that?”

I blinked a few times, trying to get my body to work. I tried to respond, but it came out as a throaty meow. Shit. I was still in my cheetah form.

“If you wanted to sleep in here with me, you should have knocked. Not that I’ve slept at all. What do you say about you shifting and we can go have breakfast?”

At that, I did get my body to start responding, and I jumped to my feet. All four of them. I looked around quickly, noticing that I was still on the floor in front of Sebastian’s bedroom door. How embarrassing. I had no idea what time it was, but I knew it was past time for me to be out of there.

Since I couldn’t talk to him in this form, I simply turned and hurried back to the room I’d been in last evening. Thankfully, I could push the door shut in this form, and once it clicked closed, I told my cheetah that it was time for the other me to come out and spend time with Sebastian. He didn’t want to at first, but I promised him he’d get to come out again. When I felt my body start to change, I sighed internally.

Once I was back in my human form, I stood up, stretched, and then quickly grabbed my clothes from yesterday. Sebastian, of course, was perfectly dressed in slim-fitting slacks and a button-down with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. I looked down at my jeans as I pulled them up my legs, wondering if I had anything that wouldn’t make me appear underdressed when next to Sebastian. Most likely not.

I finished dressing and went to the door. I was a bit surprised to see Sebastian standing there in the hallway when I opened the door, but I probably shouldn’t have been.

“Are you ready for breakfast?” he asked.

“Umm…would you mind if we passed on that?” I glanced down at myself. “I really should probably go home and shower and find some clean clothes.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened a little. “I apologize. You are welcome to shower here. And I can provide you anything you need, clothing-wise.”

It was right there on the tip of my tongue to refuse, but I knew that I shouldn’t. Sebastian was just as new at this as I was, and he was trying to be nice.

“All right. If you’re sure,” I said instead.

“Absolutely. There’s everything you could need in the hallway bathroom, but you’re also welcome to use the one in my room. Whichever you feel more comfortable using, I’m fine with. I’ll leave clothes for you in whichever and go downstairs and make coffee. Do you drink coffee?”

I nodded. “Yes, but I like it sweet and pretty blond.” I wrinkled my nose. “Sorry. I know that’s nothing like European coffee, but I have a bit of a sweet tooth.”

Sebastian smiled. “It’s all right. I’ll have coffee ready, and we’ll discuss breakfast and the rest of the day when you’re finished. Sound good?”

I nodded. Sebastian continued to stand there for a moment before I stepped past him and dove into the hallway bathroom. Once inside, I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the door. This was the best choice. I knew that, even if I wanted to run away. Had Sebastian somehow been able to pick up on my hesitancy, and that’s why he was taking things slow? Maybe he was simply a gentleman, and I’d never really encountered one before. Either way, I knew I’d made the right choice, and after pushing away from the door, I turned on the water before stripping yesterday’s clothes off again. I didn’t want to keep my mate waiting any longer than I already had.