Chapter 2

I stuck my head out the car window. Noah scoffed at my silliness, but I loved the unbridled feel of wind in my face.

"We're here." He grabbed my arm and pulled me back in. "Put your head in the car and roll up the window. You're not a golden retriever."

"Woof." I smiled at him as we turned in to the parking lot.

Noah didn't get my sense of humor.

When I saw the cars, my amusement buried itself in the catacombs. I fidgeted with my charm bracelet. "Is it normally this busy at lunch?"

Noah squeezed my thigh. "You need to get used to crowds. It's okay to be cautious, but you don't want to wind up like your crazy old man." Noah leaned to the side and reached into his back pocket. "Fuck! I left my wallet in my other pants."

Worried this would ruin our date, I gripped his hand. "I'll save us a seat while you run home and get it."

With the engine rumbling, he stared at the entrance. "I don't know. "

If we both went home, Noah would change his mind and collapse in his chair.

"I'll pick a private table and have our drinks ready. That'll give me time to look at the menu so you're not waiting on me."

"Fine." Noah cupped my face and gave me a crushing kiss. "This won't take long. Be a good girl."

After exiting the vehicle, I waved at Noah as he sped away in his black Camaro. I touched my lips, thinking how when he kissed me, it wasn't desire I felt on his end but possessiveness. Part of that was animal instinct. In the wild, a male tiger would bite the female's neck during sex.

"Welcome to the Rabbit Lounge!" the waitress said while crossing the room to deliver beer to customers.

I froze when eyes turned in my direction. Noah and I had stopped here once for a drink, but we hadn't come back since. That was months ago.

The bar area to the right only had two customers—a beautiful redhead at the end, who was reading a book, and a blonde sitting dead center. The gruff bartender wore a sleeveless leather vest that favored something a biker would wear, and his long grey hair covered a missing ear. I remembered Noah talking about it after our last visit. The bartender turned a sharp eye at me for a second while listening to the blonde, whose voice carried across the room. I took one look at the saddle barstool and turned my attention elsewhere.

No way am I sitting on that thing.

The tables ahead of me were full, and almost everyone was eating. A few empty booths along the left wall were available, but that meant passing the billiard tables where all the men had clustered together. Some were giving me a hawkish look.

I gave the trousers hanging on the wall a cursory glance before choosing a tall table by the door.

"Y'all let me know if you need anything else." The waitress headed toward me. "Hi there. Is this your first time in here?" She was definitely a country girl.

I recognized her short silver hair and petite frame from the last time. Wondering if she'd recognize me, I hesitated to answer.

"Did you come in for the lunch special?" She toned down her enthusiasm a hair. "My name's Mercy." Resting her arms on the table, she gave me a tight-lipped smile. Her pretty grey eyes were expressively big, with long lashes framing them.

"Is there a menu?" I asked.

"We only serve one meal at lunch, and it changes every day. Today we're having slow-cooked pot roast and savory vegetables. The sides are white rice, grilled corn, and French bread. If that doesn't make your tongue roll out of your mouth, I don't know what will. Sound yummy?"

"I'm waiting for my boyfriend."

While Noah and I weren't officially mated, sometimes it felt like we were. Noah believed mating was nothing but a piece of paper. Should I have called him my lover or my man ? What do most immortals call their significant others who aren't officially significant?

Stop overthinking everything.

She winked. "What about starting you off with a drink?"

"That would be great." I glanced down at my bracelet while fiddling with the charms. "I'd like water. Is it free?"

"Water's always free. Anything else?"

I had never ordered alcohol before, so I said, "A glass of beer. Whatever's the best kind."

"Coming right up."

"Thank you."

She didn't recognize me, and for whatever reason, that made me feel two inches tall. Then again, why would she? The last time we'd seen each other, she was unconscious in the road and bleeding. Regardless, I was overjoyed to see her alive and healthy .

With my feet positioned on the footrest of the tall chair, I watched customers eating and carrying on conversations. Most were clustered in family groups, the babies squirming in wooden high chairs, the older kids whispering and giggling. One woman held the rapt attention of her party, her arms animated as she told a story. She was loud and uncouth, yet her mate gazed into her eyes as if she'd hung the moon.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I jumped when Mercy whisked in with the drinks.

"Didn't mean to startle you," she said. "Sorry that took so long. My boss needed help filling the tap, and one thing always leads to another."

"Why are there pants hanging on the wall?"

She glanced at the trousers by the entrance. "Those are for Kevin. Have you ever seen him trotting around? He's the local handyman who does everything in the nude, and his horse is always traveling back and forth on these roads." She squinted and cocked her head to the side. "Have you been here before? I feel like I've seen you, and I never forget a face."

Before I could overthink it, I blurted out, "I saved your life. I mean, not really. I was there the night you were hurt on the road. It was about two months ago. But I came in here once before, so that's how you know me."

Her eyes grew saucer wide. " You're the one who drove us to the Relic's house? That was you?" She twisted away for a second before facing me again. "Holy mackerel. I tried getting Milly to tell me, but she sputtered something about confidentiality. All I wanted to do was thank you."

Without warning, Mercy rounded the table and gave me a hug. I froze up at the unexpected contact as she patted my back.

"You're the reason my life is so wonderful," she went on. "Milly said if you hadn't stopped, I wouldn't be here."

My eyes clouded with tears, and I quickly blinked them away .

Mercy drew back. "I don't mean to swoop in like this, but I can't believe you didn't say something right away. Let me go tell my mate. He'll want to come out here and?—"

"Please don't."

She regarded me for a second, then gave a curt nod. "You got it. But whatever you order today is on me. No arguments."

"That's really kind of you. Can I ask a favor?"

"After what you did, you can ask for anything."

I glanced at the door. "My boyfriend doesn't know about that night. I was wondering if you could keep it between us."

She regarded me with uncertainty in her eyes.

"It's just that?—"

"Don't you worry about a thing," she said, raising her hand. "There's no reason for me to get up in your business. Enjoy your lunch and whatever drinks you want. I mean it. Anything you want. On one condition."

"What's that?"

"You tell me your name."

A smile formed out of nowhere. "Cecilia."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Cecilia. You're a sweet gal, and I hope this isn't the last time we see each other. Let me know when you're ready to order."

I was blown away by her generosity. Mercy was so affable that it felt as if we were old friends. Working with the public must require an effervescent personality to get good tips.

Minutes ticked by as I stared at the empty chair in front of me. Perhaps sitting by the door wasn't such a hot idea with everyone filing out after eating. Some noticed me, and I forced a polite smile while trying to look busy staring at the melting ice in my glass.

Crowds made me nervous, especially while alone. I'd had little practice socializing after living a secluded existence with my father. Aging immortals often struggled with the modern world, so I'd done all the grocery shopping and errands. Occasionally I would read a book in the park or buy flowers at the nursery, but mostly I stayed home to look after him. My father was a bookworm who preferred books to people, and we had that in common.

I lived a sheltered life until I met Noah. He showed me his world and how Breed lived. My father resided apart from the Breed districts, so my interactions had primarily been with humans. Because they were drawn to Shifter energy, I had to be vigilant around them. My father warned that our energy attracted the wrong sort.

I often wondered if my traits were genetic or learned behavior. While I desired to be like everyone else, I also wanted people to accept me for who I was. No one was asking the lady bending over the pool table in red pumps to be less outgoing. But people viewed shyness like a flawed characteristic that needed to be fixed.

I propped my elbow on the table and tucked my fist against my cheek. As my gaze drifted from the bar to the pool tables, it stopped on a man whose eyes were laser focused on me. His unwavering stare sent a shiver down my entire body.

The male companions at his table briefly looked my way before carrying on their conversation.

His heavenly face looked the same as I remembered when it was on top of me, behind me, and below me. I'd given him a ride one night while providing a group of strangers an escort to take Mercy to a Relic. What ensued after we were alone was otherworldly, a memory that incinerated every sexual fantasy I'd had before or since.

He was devastatingly handsome—a strong jawline; a light, sun-kissed complexion; and sensual lips that once kissed me with passion and reverence. His blond hair faded to light brown at the roots, and he styled it forward in textured chunks. It wasn't disheveled like that night when my fingers had delighted in stroking the bristly hairs of his undercut. The style highlighted his masculine but soft features, and even from across the room, he stood out among other men.

His impeccably sculpted body remained a familiar memory in my arms. If there was an anatomy book for the perfect male specimen, that man's picture would be in there.

I still couldn't get over how an incredibly sexy man like him could have ever been attracted to someone as quiet and ordinary as me. The way he talked, the way he moved. The way he had looked at me with ravenous eyes.

Then it hit me— I'm sitting across the room from a man I had a one-night stand with, and Noah will be here any minute!

After a gulp of air, I considered getting up and fleeing the scene. But as quickly as the thought entered my mind, the Adonis looked away.

He doesn't remember me.

That realization sliced through my heart and gutted me like a fish. All this time, I'd held him in high regard as the greatest sexual experience of my life, and to him, I was forgettable. Just another conquest in what I presumed was a list of many.

Panic turned to disappointment, and disappointment turned to guilt.

Noah worked tirelessly to build a better life for me, and how did I show my thanks? By sleeping with some random stranger that I'd picked up on the side of the road.

One who wouldn't even look up again.

I sipped my water and stared over my shoulder toward the door.

This is a good thing, the voice in my head chanted. If he doesn't remember you, he can't expose you. Noah doesn't have to know you slept around.

Nope. That wasn't making me feel better. Sometimes my own thoughts were intrusive and toxic .

I could never take back my mistakes. All I could do was try hard to be a better person. Noah was my first, and I didn't know how to behave like other Shifter women. I didn't realize how complicated relationships were—how I would be constantly tested.

I stared at the charms on my bracelet, studying each one closely and recalling what it meant. It was the only thing that centered me in uncomfortable situations.

And this level of awkward had graduated from moderate to nuclear.

"Hey, baby." Lips touched my ear, and Noah's hand curved around my neck. He chuckled softly. "I love it when you jump like that. Miss me?" He slid into the chair across from me and smiled at his beer.

"They're having pot roast today. The waitress said it's really good."

Noah stroked his scruff after gulping down half the glass. "That'll work." He glanced over his shoulder, scoping out his surroundings. "Why the hell are we sitting by the door? You know I don't like my back to a crowd." After a swift examination, he stepped out of his seat and took my hand.

As long as I was tethered to him, I didn't feel self-conscious. It was as if his energy channeled through our hands, giving me the confidence to meet eyes with others.

When we stopped at a booth, he gestured for me to scoot in so he could sit beside me.

"Well, you went and moved on me," Mercy said with a hand on her hip. "Can I set you two up with the lunch special? Everything's on the house. Pot roast, white rice, grilled corn, and French bread."

"It smells so delicious," I said. "We'll have two."

Noah gave me a peevish look before charming Mercy with a winning smile. "Do you have salad? "

Mercy touched her turquoise earring. "I suppose we have something we could put together. Do you want two of those on the side?"

"No," he answered. "Just one salad for the lady. I'll have the special. What did you mean by ‘on the house'? Are you pulling my chain?"

Her lips parted as she looked between us. "You're the lucky one-hundredth customer. We like to keep things fun around here with specials and surprises. You never know what we might do next. Are you sure all you want is a salad?" she asked me.

Noah put his arm around my shoulders. "I keep trying to get her to eat vegetables instead of junk food. She'll stick with the salad. Is the beer on the house too?"

Mercy nodded. "Anything you want and as much as you want."

Noah's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You just said my favorite phrase in the whole world. In that case, bring me another round of beer."

"Coming up!" She twirled around and strutted back to the bar. Mercy got into a heated discussion with the bartender, who cast a critical eye in our direction before she returned with Noah's beer. "Just holler if you need anything else." With that, Mercy returned to waiting tables.

"Since when do you order for me?" he asked in a hushed tone.

I leaned against him. "This reminds me of when we first met. Remember? You took me out and showed me the town in a way I'd never seen."

"Yep. Free beer… I guess it's our lucky day." He finished his first drink.

I didn't want the salad, but maybe he was right. If there were snacks in the house, I devoured them before he did. Noah monitored my eating habits. He held a dim view of how my father had raised me, saying I had a bad habit of putting my needs before others. Never before had I needed permission to snack.

Old habits were hard to break.

While we waited for our meal, Noah complained about two Vampires he'd run into that morning and how he couldn't stand other Breeds. He could barely tolerate other Shifter animal types, but I was the exception.

Meanwhile, my thoughts lingered on the man in the back. The one who had given me a night of escape, who had kissed me so passionately that I still felt his lips on mine like a permanent tattoo.

The one whose name I didn't even know.

Two hours later, I had long finished my salad. After devouring two house specials, Noah was working on his fifth beer while shooting pool with three guys who needed an extra player. Since the table was adjacent to ours, I watched.

Noah swooped in and kissed me hard, and I drew back in embarrassment. "You havin' fun, baby?"

When his hand slid between my legs, I pushed it away. "Who's winning?"

He swept his hair back and fished a few coins from his pocket. "Why don't you pick out some good music and order me another beer?"

I glanced at the empty glasses littering the table. "It's getting late. We should probably leave soon."

"Huh. I guess that means you don't wanna go out again." He gave me an icy stare before rejoining the game.

I collected the quarters and crossed over to the bar, waiting patiently for the bartender to finish serving a customer.

"Almost didn't you see you there," he said, sliding up to me. "Let me guess, another beer? "

Looking up at the drink prices, I nodded.

He shook his head and filled a glass. I felt terrible for taking advantage of Mercy's generosity. I never expected Noah would order this many glasses of the pricy beer.

After thanking the surly bartender, I headed to the jukebox in the back and set the glass on a nearby table. Most of the songs in the jukebox I didn't recognize.

Someone in here really likes the oldies.

When I didn't see the heavy metal bands Noah liked, I opted for something romantic to show my gratitude. The drinking was already putting him in a mood, and I didn't want this to be our last outing. Going on title alone, I pressed the buttons and then selected a few more songs.

I tapped my foot to the music.

How long are we staying here? My songs probably won't come up for another hour or two, and I'm getting bored. At least we're out of the house. I wish I had someone to talk to. Maybe I should have brought a book.

As I turned my wrist back and forth, the charms on my bracelet jangled. When I steered my gaze to the left, my heart skidded to a stop.

There he is.

My one-night stand coolly leaned against the corner wall. It was too hot at this hour for a leather jacket, but I guessed he was trying to conceal his missing limb.

I soaked in the visual like a mosquito stealing blood. His eyes were fixed ahead—probably on the curvy woman at the middle pool table who was earning every man's attention and shooting down anyone who dared approach. Shifters, especially predators, loved a challenge.

A different song with a slow, provocative beat fired up on the jukebox. My fingers lightly scratched the base of my throat as I stripped him bare with my gaze. I took notice of his black loafers, his faded jeans that fit him like a dream, and the crown of thorns tattooed around his neck.

When a memory slipped into my head of his zipper sliding down, my breath quickened as my traitorous thoughts took me on a carnival ride through the land of past mistakes.

The woman on the jukebox belted out lyrics about feeling red and horny.

What is this?

I flushed all over. When I looked at the jukebox, I realized the song playing was the one I'd selected: "Feelin' Good" by Paula Cole.

So much for romantic songs. This was more like a sex anthem.

When the song dropped a verse about being tied to the bed, the man's gaze steered in my direction. A million butterflies waged a war in my stomach.

Ashamed of my uninvited scrutiny, I twisted around, stumbled on my shoelace, and caught a chair to break my fall.

That was a classy maneuver, the voice in my head mocked. Maybe next time, you can show him your dance moves.

Mortified, I swiped Noah's beer off the table and fled without a backward glance.

I'd read plenty of romance books where the woman climaxed at the man's command, and it always made me roll my eyes. But the way I felt under his heated gaze, I could have leaned against that vibrating jukebox a minute longer and found my release just thinking about that night.

That night.

"Here's your beer." I offered Noah the drink and watched him guzzle the whole thing. "Can we order dessert now?"

He walked me to the table, where he set his empty glass down. "Not today."

"You promised," I protested.

Noah flattened his hands on the table behind me, his mouth to my ear. "That was before you invited strangers into my house and filled it with a thousand boxes," he chided. "Before you took money and used my phone without permission. I'm rescinding my offer."

"But it's free. We can take it home."

He gripped my chin. I noticed his eyes were glazed over, the pupils dilated more than usual. He wasn't completely intoxicated; I'd seen him a lot worse.

"Let's not do this here," he growled quietly. "I'm making us a little money, so don't spoil the fun." He let go and softly kissed my cheek.

"I want to leave." I flattened my hand on his chest. "Please?"

"Mmm, I like it when you're polite. That's a good girl. Let me finish this game, and we'll go."

The sooner I could get him out of here, the better. Bottomless beer was a hard temptation.

I feigned interest as I watched him line up a shot. The white ball struck the sidewall and then knocked a striped one into the corner pocket. He prowled around the table and sank two more. Then he finished with the eight ball. Money changed hands before Noah crooked his finger.

"Not a bad day." He squeezed me to his side. "Free food, free booze, and I won three hundred bucks."

"Wow. That's great! If you buy steaks at the store tomorrow, I'll cook a special dinner."

We crossed the hot parking lot, and I squinted at the bright sun. August in Texas was brutal, and everything absorbed the heat like a sponge.

"I'm proud of you, Cecilia. You did real good today. That was fun for a change."

"We should go out more often."

He barked out a laugh. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not made of money, and that little pixie won't be giving us free beer again." Noah opened my car door, and once I got settled, he slammed it shut.

Buckling up, I watched him circle the front of the car, his hand dragging across the hood.

My heart accelerated faster than a car on a racetrack when the man with the honey-brown eyes jogged toward the car. Watching him approach Noah, I wanted to disappear—slide right down my seat and live on the floorboard for the rest of my natural life.

He and Noah chatted for what felt like an eternity. I couldn't hear them with the windows rolled up. Noah suddenly stripped off his sport coat, turned on his heel, and pulled up his shirt.

Typical Noah. He loved that tattoo.

I wanted to see the blond man, but Noah obscured my view. The only part of their conversation I heard was Noah saying, "It's fine."

But it's not fine. Nothing about this is fine.

After they wrapped up their chat, Noah staggered to my side and opened the door. "Come on, baby. You're driving."

When I stepped out, Noah kissed me, his whiskers scratching my chin with every turn of his head, the bitter taste of beer on his breath. Wiping my mouth, I skirted the vehicle, worried sick about what that man had said.

Once in the car again, I moved my seat forward and dared to ask, "What was that about?"

Moving his seat back, Noah growled while stretching his legs. "Wolves. They're so fucking nosy."