Chapter 10

Ten

Belryn:I'd love to.

I smiled down at my phone, a thrill shooting through my chest and through my entire body at the thought of finally seeing Bel again.

It had only been two days, but it felt like an eternity. I'd almost gone to that alleyway so many times, but I'd told Bel he could have time, so I'd held myself back.

But, Mother of All, did I worry.

I hated that he was sleeping outside, exposed to the elements and to thieves and whoever else was out there. I really wanted to go find him, pick him up, and take him back to my home where I knew he'd be safe.

I wanted to protect him.

There was a reason I ran a security firm, and the fact that the man I liked was in an area I couldn't protect really needled me. With a sigh, I texted back.

Me: I'll pick you up at eight. If that's too early, let me know.

I almost told him goodnight, but I decided to wait until I was home and in bed for that so I'd have an excuse to text him again.

"Who are you texting?" Savelle asked as they came to lean against the counter beside me.

We were inside their apartment having a small celebration for completing our first workweek here in the Sedoba Territory. Tan and Isa were with us too of course.

I sent them a small smile. "Who do you think?"

They snorted. "Obviously you're texting your man. I don't know why I even asked when you're wearing that dopey grin on your face."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you get a certain look whenever you're texting him."

Before I could respond to that ridiculousness, Tan added, "It's true."

I turned my gaze over to him and lifted my brow. "Eavesdrop much?"

He grinned. "Isa ran to the bathroom, and I was bored over here by myself."

"Better go help him," Savelle muttered under their breath.

I rolled my eyes but pushed off the counter and headed into the living room where Tan was. "Need some company?"

He looked me up and down and lifted a brow. "I don't know. You're looking a little… rough for my liking."

I squawked and threw a pillow at his head.

He laughed and tried to bat the pillow away and missed, so it bounced off his head and landed on the floor, making both of us crack up.

"Asshat," I said as I plopped down beside him.

He chuckled. "You know I don't actually care what you're wearing. But, man, how many times do we have to tell you to throw that outfit away?"

"It's my favorite outfit to wear at home."

He snorted. "That's pretty obvious. It looks about twenty years old."

I glanced down at the sweatpants that probably had twenty holes and the t-shirt that was so thin, I was pretty sure you could see my nipples. But it was soft and comfy, and that was all I cared about.

"You're just jealous."

"Uh-huh. Jealous." He snorted out a laugh. "Next time I go to a bar, remind me to borrow that shirt. All the boys'll be flocking."

I snorted because he was right. Showing off the nips was sure to bring in the boys. But I still flipped him off.

He laughed and nudged me. "You get Bel to agree to go out with you again yet?"

I grinned. "I'm picking him up tomorrow morning."

"Hell yeah, man." He lifted his hand for a high-five, and I complied. "That's what I'm talkin' about."

"I wasn't sure he'd agree," I admit.

Tan leaned over and gave my cheek a big kiss. "Who the hell in their right mind could resist you?"

I threw my arm across his shoulders and gave him a quick side-hug. "Thanks, Tan."

"Anytime." He grabbed a controller and passed it to me. "Wanna play?"

"Sure."

"Isa and I wanna play too!" Savelle yelled from somewhere in the kitchen.

"We'll start a new game when you two come in!" Tan yelled back.

I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight because I was already buzzing with excitement and anxiety, so at least my friends would be able to keep me distracted.

I parkedat the end of the alley, or rather, a little before it so Bel's friends wouldn't see my car since he'd mentioned it being an issue, and I texted him.

Barely a minute later, the man I'd been non-stop thinking and dreaming about came out of the alley. His purple hair looked wet, so he must've gone somewhere for a shower, and his lips were curved up into a small smile.

He looked happy to see me, and the relief I felt at that was like having a bucket of water dumped over me. I'd been a little worried that I was acting too pushy last night, but now that I could see the pretty fae, I realized there was no way he'd come out with me if he didn't want to. He was strong, probably stronger than anyone I knew, and he wouldn't allow me or anyone else to push him into things he didn't want to do.

When he reached the car, he opened the back door to put his backpack and guitar on the seat, shut that door, opened the front one, and climbed in with a big smile aimed at me.

"You came," he breathed out, and I blinked at him.

"Of course I came. I'm the one that invited you."

He sucked in some air and nodded. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. You?"

He shrugged. "Hanging in there."

Since we both seemed hella awkward, I reached over to take one of his hands and lifted it to my mouth. After pressing a soft kiss there, I whispered, "Good morning, may'ezza."

He swallowed thickly—I could hear it. "Good morning, wolf boy."

I smiled at the nickname, gave his hand a squeeze, and reluctantly released it. I needed both hands to get the car going, but maybe he'd let me lace my fingers with his while we drove.

Once on the road, I said, "I found a cute place that supposedly serves good breakfast."

"Where'd you hear about it?"

"From one of my tenants on the first floor of my building. She and I were grabbing our mail at the same time and got to talking."

"Wow. You talk to your neighbors. Brave."

I snorted. "You don't talk to your neighbors? It seemed like everyone knew everyone else when I handed out the blankets."

I saw him shrug out of the corner of my eye. "I guess we talk a little, but not much. Or at least, I don't really talk to the others often. I guess I'm worried they'll try to shake me down or catch me off guard."

I nodded. "Makes sense. I guess I'm used to talking to neighbors." I snorted. "Back home—in Brinnswick—my family lives on a huge property, so my only real neighbors are my siblings and their families."

"You live with your family?"

"No. Well, sort of. We all live on coven land, but I have my own house. Everyone has their own house, but we go up to my dads' place for family meals and movie nights and things like that."

He was quiet for a long time before he cleared his throat. "That sounds amazing."

"I guess. It's what I'm used to since that's the way it's been since before I can remember. I lived in the big house with my dads until I finished college, and then they helped me build a house so I could get some privacy—newsflash, it didn't work."

He snorted. "What do you mean?"

"My entire family is filled with nosey busybodies. They're always up in my business and trying to set me up with someone or just coming and going out of my house. My one dad is probably the worst one out of all of them, but a couple of my brothers are horrible."

"It sounds like you miss them."

I glanced at him, and for some reason, he seemed a little sad, so I reached over and grabbed his hand, a thrill shooting through me when he let me thread our fingers together.

I said, "I do miss them, but it's been okay because they're all constantly calling me. I'm sure someone will interrupt our date at some point today. We got really, really lucky the other night."

He snorted. "It sounds kinda nice to have a family who cares so much."

"It is. I know how lucky I am. I've got the best family in the world." I lifted his hand and pressed a kiss there. "But that doesn't stop them from being annoying as fuck."

He barked out a laugh and squeezed my hand. "Fair enough."

I snorted. "What about you? Do you have any family around here?" If he did and they weren't letting him at least sleep on the couch, I might have to hunt them down and have a few choice words with them.

"I have some cousins, and… I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why I'm not livin' with them and why they haven't invited me there. But they have. Every time I see them."

I paused, absorbing that. "Then… why aren't you living there?"

"Because my little cuz is taking care of his four little sisters, and they live in a two-bedroom apartment. There's barely enough room for the five of them there, and I don't want to be a burden or stress my cuz out. He's a good guy and doesn't deserve the extra responsibility. I visit often and take them food whenever I can, but no, their place isn't an option for me."

Holy crap. I wanted to ask for more details, like why his cousin was taking care of his sisters or why he thought he was a burden when his cousin clearly wanted him there, but from his tense and closed-off body language, this was obviously a sore subject. So I kept my thoughts and questions to myself, gave his hand a squeeze, and parked the car in the breakfast place's parking lot.

I gave his hand another kiss, then reluctantly let go of him before rushing to the other side of the car. He was already standing up and staring at the place by the time I reached him.

His eyes found mine. "They're not going to let me in here, Remi. They have a strict no fae policy."

I grimaced. "Well, that's too bad for them because we're going inside anyway."

I held out my hand, but instead of taking it, Bel stepped back, practically becoming one with the car.

"I can't go in there."

"But I can have them?—"

"No. Remi, I know you don't understand, but I really, really don't want to start somethin' inside that restaurant. Even if they do let us sit down, they're probably going to spit in my food and who knows what else. I don't want to deal with that. I don't want to worry about people throwin' slurs and nasty looks and possibly followin' us out of the restaurant. If we're eating together, I'd rather be focused on… well, on you." His cheeks turned red, and I was frozen for a second, too fascinated to respond.

But I shook myself off and paid attention because I knew that'd been difficult for Bel to admit. And then I really absorbed what he was saying, and I grimaced.

Finally, I said, "Alright. I'm sorry I didn't think about it like that. Let's find somewhere else."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not, may'ezza."

We climbed back into the car, and since Bel seemed upset and unsure, I grabbed his hand again. He took it upon himself to lace our fingers, and then he held on for dear life.

"I'm sorry, Bel. I didn't think…"

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." He cleared his throat. "Do you happen to have a backup plan?"

"Nope."

"Shit." He said it under his breath, and I snickered.

"It'll be fine. We can drive around until we find someplace that's open."

He fell quiet for a few seconds as I pulled out of my spot and back on the road. But then he cleared his throat and said, "I… might know of a place. Well, of two places. We could get some breakfast and then head to… to one of my favorite places in the world to eat it."

My chest warmed. "That sounds perfect, may'ezza."

He shot me a tentative smile before nodding.

He steered me back the way I came until we were only a block or two from his alley. I parked the car, got out, and walked around to the other side of the car to find Bel grabbing his backpack and guitar out.

"You can leave those in the car if you want. I'll keep it locked up." He gave me a pained expression, and I immediately backtracked. "Sorry. I forgot. Take them with you. Please."

The tension left his shoulders, and I shot him a smile before locking the car and letting him usher me down the street to a coffeehouse. I'd never been to this one before, but it smelled amazing, so I shot him a grin and held the door open for him to pass.

When I glanced at the menu, I was surprised they had more than simple pastries. They had some breakfast wraps filled with eggs, cheese, and bacon or a bunch of other combinations. Since my family consisted of witches, I didn't eat meat, mostly out of habit, but since I didn't want to end up with an upset belly today, I figured I'd try the veggie and egg wrap.

"Do you know what you want?" I asked him.

He pursed his lips, glancing at the menu. "I can't decide between a bacon wrap and a blueberry muffin."

"I'll get you both."

He grabbed my arm. "You don't have to do that. I can just eat the wrap."

I smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'll get you both."

"Remi—"

"Argue all you want, but you're getting both anyway."

"What if I don't eat it all?"

"Then save it for later."

He opened his mouth to continue his argument, but the cashier caught our attention and asked for my order. I placed it—getting several extra muffins and a few donuts—while Bel complained loudly behind me. I ignored him and smiled at the cashier, who only raised a brow at me.

After I'd paid, I tugged Bel down to the pickup end of the counter and smiled at him. "No point in yelling at me. It's done."

"But you?—"

"Got you food—got us both food. It's not a big deal, may'ezza."

He fell quiet for a moment before whispering, "It is to me." He said it so quietly I wasn't sure I was meant to hear it.

I wanted so badly to pull him into my arms and hug him tight, maybe chase away the bad thoughts with my embrace. But I wasn't sure about his stance on public displays of affection or whether he'd even appreciate being held right now.

If I could pick him up and carry him around, hold him tight to me, all day long, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I was pretty sure that was a surefire way to wind up with a slap to the face, or maybe a hit with a magic orb or something.

"Thank you, Remi."

I blinked at him, confused for a second, before I realized he was thanking me for the food. "Don't worry about it, may'ezza." I smiled at him.

He smiled back.

And a moment later, my name was called with my order.

I took everything in the two bags, passed Bel his drink, and grabbed my own. "Lead the way."

He seemed nervous for a second before he walked out of the coffee shop with me hot on his heels. I didn't know why I was surprised, but I was when he walked into the bookstore next door.

I was also surprised when I saw the hours of operation—open twenty-four hours. Why in the world would a bookstore be open in the middle of the night?

Oh.

Oh.

The owner must be a vampire, or at least have a lot of vampire customers.

The few workers greeted Bel by name, but my sweet fae waved and led us into the back of the store. I was surprised by how warm and cozy the place felt as we settled at a table.

"This is nice back here."

Bel nodded. "Yeah, Anton wanted to make sure the back was just as nice as the front."

"Anton?"

"Oh, he's the owner. He won't be here until late tonight, but he's a nice guy."

Something that felt green and red was building in my chest from the thoughts of another man anywhere near my fae.

My fae.

Because Belryn was mine already. Whether he knew it or not.

A hand tapped on mine on top of the table. "Hey, Remi?"

I met his gaze.

"Anton is just a friend. I've known him since I was a kid, and he's always given me a place to stay. Even when I still had a roof over my head, this place felt like… home."

And he'd brought me here. He'd brought me to the one place in the world where he felt safe.

Mother of All, it took everything in my body to stop myself from pulling the little fae into my arms.

"Thank you for bringing me here, may'ezza. It's lovely."

He shrugged, looking down at the tabletop. "Not my doing, but thanks."

After a hand squeeze, I opened the bags up and started passing out the food. Bel seemed quiet and unsure, so I gently took one of his hands in mine and gave it a squeeze. Since he didn't seem to want attention brought to the fact that he brought me to a place he cares about, I figured a subject change was in order.

"Sooo… how are your cousins doing?"

He blinked at me for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. "They're okay. Alsira has a concert coming up. I'm excited to see her. She's brilliant."

As he continued talking about each of his cousins, his body relaxed and he became more animated. It was obvious how much he loved his cousins, and it had me curious about them. Had me wanting to meet them.

I knew that would take a lot of trust on his part, so it was a long way off.

But… I was pretty sure we'd get there one day.

Bel didn't know it yet, but I was in it for the long run.