Josh scrubbed the hand towel over his face. His muscles burned, chest heaved, and pulse raced. The hour-long run on the treadmill had burned off some energy, but not enough to force him into an exhausted sleep. Ever since the fight with Zeb, he’d been restless, unable to sleep more than a few minutes at a time. It was bound to catch up to him. Hopefully, he’d crash by late afternoon so he had an excuse not to go to the pride meeting tonight.
Watching Mira be officially introduced to her suitors would likely send him into a rage. Just the thought of her with another man stirred a cauldron of anger he never knew he held. It made him want to punish his rivals. Except…they weren’t rivals. They were friends who had the right to take what he never could.
For a few hours, he thought he’d be able to keep Mira by working around the Shifter Council’s orders. The prophecy hanging over her head killed the little flicker of hope. As much as he wanted her, it couldn’t happen. Being with her only hurt her. Tonight had proven it. He’d bitten her. Worse than that, he knew she’d get punished for hurting Zoe and being with him. Mira had enough to deal with.
“If you care about Mira, you’ll stay away from her.” Kade’s words echoed in his head.
Could he? He honestly didn’t know. It was taking everything in him not to hunt her down and steal her away before she could be introduced to her suitors at some formal gathering. How much worse would it be tomorrow?
Hell, that was what it’d be.
He threw the towel across the room and watched it sail right into the laundry chute. He chuckled at the small victory, the only thing that had gone right these past few days. Story of his life. Every time he thought he’d found a little happiness, something happened to muck it up.
The bright sunlight streaming into the gym reminded him he’d better get moving before the other members showed up. He went through his routine of stretches, groaning as his muscles strained. For the first time in his life, he wondered if this was what getting old felt like. If so, it sucked. He ached. Even his fingers hurt, from his joints to his fingernails. He rubbed his thumb over his fingertips and frowned at the appearance of the thick calluses.
A door slamming drew his attention away from the odd discovery. Great. He was in no mood to be social. He draped the damp rag over his shoulder and headed toward the door. It opened before he got to it, revealing the one person he’d hoped to avoid by coming here early. Hopefully, Zeb had talked to her.
Abby’s widened eyes held shock. Her mouth dropped open. “You look amazing.”
He groaned inwardly. He’d packed on muscle in the last few weeks sparring with the shifters. It’d been impossible not to. If he wanted to keep up with them, he needed to work harder. He certainly hadn’t done it to impress anyone, especially the woman in front of him.
He cleared his throat. “Thanks.”
A big grin spread over her face. She motioned toward the empty gym behind him. “There’s nobody else here yet. I need a spotter. Want to stay and help me?”
“Can’t. I was just leaving.” He stepped forward and waited for her to get out of his way. She didn’t. She only smiled wider. “Didn’t Zeb talk to you?”
She chuckled. “About leaving you alone?”
The amused expression she wore gave him his answer. “That and about you getting together with someone else.”
Instead of answering him, she grabbed his wrist. “Come on. Give me an hour.”
He yanked back his hand. “Look, Abby, I’ve got stuff to do. Places to go. I don’t have time to play your games.”
His harsh tone had its desired effect. Her salacious expression turned to annoyance. “But you have time for her, don’t you?”
“Her, who?”
Abby scrunched her nose. “That whore you kissed in the bar.”
Mira. The reminder of the wicked kiss they’d shared heated his body. He ignored the impulse to go hunt her down and finish what they’d started. Dealing with the angry one-night stand glaring at him as if he’d committed adultery came first.
“She’s not a whore.” He bent and captured Abby’s gaze. “And who I take to my bed is none of your business.”
Abby bit her lip. The tic by her eye matched the nervous gesture. “Of course, not now.”
“Not ever.”
He lifted her out of the way and strode for the door.
“We’ll see, Josh. We’ll see.”
At her whispered declaration, he paused mid-step but forced himself to walk away. She wasn’t worth it. He had enough to deal with. A jilted lover didn’t make the list of his concerns. She’d get over her obsession. Eventually. And him? He wasn’t sure how he’d deal with the loss of Mira, his favorite obsession, but he knew how he’d survive tonight—with a bottle of whiskey. Good thing he owned a bar.
Josh stood in the middle of his employee parking lot. His skin crawled, and a sense of unease settled over him. He froze and listened for a clue as to why. The only sound reaching his ears came from his own beating heart. No passing cars, no familiar noises from insects or even the drone of the HVAC system.
He clenched his hands and surveyed the property. The edges of the building appeared fuzzy. He squinted in an effort to see it better. The longer he stared at the walls, the less solid they became. He looked across the lot to where he’d parked his vehicle. Instead of a solid SUV, he saw a shadowy blob.
He shook his head. It didn’t help. The landscape deteriorated until inky black mist surrounded him. Not good. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember what he was doing here, where he’d come from, anything. All he saw was Mira’s kaleidoscope eyes, not surprising really. He always dreamt of them.
Of course. He was dreaming. Any moment, she’d come to him, maybe kiss him again.
The tension eased. He relaxed and waited for her to join him.
Instead of pleasure, sharp pain radiated from his gut to spread across his torso.
“Sorry, Josh. Changed my mind. Don’t feel like talkin’.” Zeb’s voice sounded far away.
Josh frowned. He glanced at the blood seeping between his fingers. His gut didn’t hurt anymore. He pulled his sticky shirt from his stomach. No wound. Yet blood oozed from a line sweeping over his abs. He wiped it away. More seeped out.
Dreams always messed with the facts. The choir’s hymns were missing too. He frowned at the odd thought. Before he could take it any further, the soothing chorus echoed around him, giving him the missing detail. The scent of apple pie drifted to him, along with a sense of urgency. Somebody wanted to talk to him. He didn’t know how he knew it. Just did.
He pivoted in a slow circle and focused on the shimmering wall. A hand reached for him. One talon-tipped finger curled, coaxing him closer. He took a step toward that out-stretched arm.
Something wet and cold splashed over him.
Josh jerked awake, fists raised. Golden brown eyes filled his vision. He blinked to bring them into focus. The long blond hair clued him in as to which twin had woken him up.
“Rafe? What are you doing here?” He sat up straighter, muscles as coiled as they’d been in his dream. “Is Megan okay? Molly?”
Rafe gave a single nod, a pleased look on his face. “They’re fine. Megan was curled up with Molly’s cub form when I left. They were watching some cartoon with a talking dog.”
“That’s good.” Josh sighed. “What’s wrong, then? You look worried.” His heart skipped a beat as the next thought took hold. He forced his mouth to work. “Is it Mira?”
“She’s with Jazz. They’re both fine too.” Rafe ran a hand through his hair. “I like you, Josh. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Josh groaned. He rubbed the back of his hand over his face and turned away. “Don’t bother with the lecture. Your twin already delivered my warning.”
“Warning?”
The confusion in Rafe’s voice caught Josh’s attention. He glanced over his shoulder. “That once Mira’s suitors are announced, they’ll have the right to ensure her attentions aren’t diverted by the insignificant human, using whatever means they see fit. Short of killing me, that is.”
“And you’re okay with that.”
“No, I’m not.”
Josh prowled the office, pacing from one end to the other. He’d come here earlier in the morning after his unwanted encounter with Abby to pick up his liquid therapy, but he hadn’t been able to drive home. The itch had returned, leaving him agitated. He’d shoved away the worry about why before his heart started racing, then had started drinking.
Obviously the liquor-induced sleep hadn’t helped. He had the urge to rip his fingernails off. They thumped. The tremor in his limbs didn’t help matters either.
Calm down. He had to keep it together in front of the predator. If he looked weak, Rafe would tell Kade, and they might take Megan from him. The reminder helped. He stopped and pivoted to face Rafe.
“I want Mira. I have since the moment I set eyes on her. That’s no secret.”
Rafe pointedly glanced at the empty bottle of whiskey on the desk. He slowly raised his gaze and stared at him. “So why were you passed out drunk and not getting ready for tonight’s meeting?”
Josh stopped and leaned against the empty bookshelf. “Why? So I can torture myself?”
“Jazz and Lena cornered me today. They think they’ve found a loophole in the Council’s order. It states Mira must choose a mate but doesn’t specify it has to be a shifter mate. Nor does it say what type of mate bond she must form.”
Josh’s pulse kicked up. That was what he’d tried suggesting to Mira. A union blessed under the light of the full moon qualified as a mating in the eyes of the shifters. No physical or mystical mate bond required.
Those unions blessed by a pride leader or pack alpha were meant as a consideration for widowers who went on to love again, allowing them to benefit from mating laws. The alpha from the Kagan pack had taken the practice a step further a few decades ago.
Nicholas Kagan had blessed a gay couple. That bold act had changed the course of history. Xander had told Josh about it one night and how Xander was considering meeting with the newest alpha to see if the son was as openminded as his father had been.
Yes, a union blessed by Kade might just be the answer to Josh and Mira’s problems. At least Josh had thought it the perfect solution until he found out about the prophecy.
“Has Mira said anything to them about me? Does she think I’m her true mate?”
“Not outright, but we’ve all seen how she acts around you. She’s calmer. Content. At peace.” Rafe gave him a sympathetic look. “Those are pretty good indicators. She’s also admitted to them she can’t stay away from you. Kissing you in the bar triggered her instincts. You’ve seen what happens when our males’ mating instincts are triggered. For a female, it’s not as blatant but no less powerful. She might fight the pull, but she’ll fail.”
“That’s what I thought.” He was hers. Too bad he’d been born in the wrong body.
Rafe sighed. “Jazz and Lena hope a union blessed by Kade and a marriage in the human world will override the Council’s order to take a mate. Jazz and Lena don’t want to see Mira hurt when she’s forced to mate another male, and frankly, neither do I.”
The word ‘marriage’ didn’t faze Josh. He’d take her to the courthouse today if that was what it took to lock her to his side, but nothing in his life worked so easily. Josh stepped back, the defeat forcing more bile into his throat. “What about the prophecy?”
“The prophecy never came with a time limit. Being with you does. If the two of you take this path, it’s only going to offer her a reprieve.”
“Being with me will hurt her.” It already had.
“Jazz and Lena think not being with you even for a little while will hurt worse. They had a phrase that convinced me to come out here and talk to you—‘better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all’.”
Zoe said the same thing. She treasured the memories she’d made before she lost her fiancé. Still, Zoe’s situation wasn’t as screwed-up as Josh’s with Mira. The species difference became the deal-breaker.
“Just come.” Rafe tossed him the T-shirt Josh had taken off before he’d lain down. “Mira will need you. Just having you close strengthens her. She smells calmer when you’re around.”
Josh nodded. He didn’t have to ponder his answer. If Mira needed him, he’d go, even if it killed him. His wants came second.