“Yeah… Just a little…” There was a hint of confusion in the other guy’s voice as the two figures moved toward the house.
“And I thought I was the one who’d been drinking.” Shawn’s concern for his friend was evident. “Why don’t you sleep over? I can check you over in the morning if you don’t feel better.”
“I’m okay.” The silhouette of the two men appeared illuminated by the dim streetlight on the opposite sidewalk.
“You really don’t look okay.” Shawn reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys which jingled loudly in the quiet night, where the only other sounds to punctuate the silence were roars and growls from some way off.
Amber had only ever visited Shawn a couple of times when he’d first moved back to Cougar Ridge. But the hidden sounds of the night had stayed with her ever since. The snarls, howls, and meows of shifters in the night were haunting to a person who hadn’t grown up with the knowledge of shifters.
“I’ll be fine.” The guy with Shawn dragged his hand through his hair and looked around, his eyes resting on the exact spot where Amber hid.
She closed her eyes, damn. She’d planned on waiting until Shawn was alone before making her presence known but it was too late now.
“There’s someone here.” The words were uttered almost as a whisper on the cool mountain breeze, but they reached her, and she stood up. There was no use hiding.
“Shawn.”
Shawn leaned forward, a little unsteady on his feet. He had been drinking. And the other guy was his ride home. “Amber?”
“Yes.”
“What are you doing here?” Shawn asked.
“Lurking in the shrubbery.” Amber held out her hand to the small conifer. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Shawn walked forward, uncertainty in his steps as he reached the edge of the driveway and peered through the darkness at her. “It is you.”
“It is.” She nodded and glanced toward the front door.
“Shawn, we should get inside.” His friend took the keys from Shawn’s hand and went to the front door and unlocked it. Amber noted the small tremble of his hands as he inserted the key and the quick glance over his shoulder at Amber.
Shawn beckoned to her and she stepped over his flower border and followed Shawn’s friend inside. The house was still in darkness as they went through to the kitchen. Shawn shut the door behind them and locked it. The other guy gave a grunt of satisfaction as he went to the windows and closed the blinds.
Only then did he flip the light switch.
They all blinked in the bright artificial light and it took a moment or two for Amber’s vision to clear. When it did, she assessed the two men in front of her, both wearing expressions of surprise.
“What are you doing here?” Shawn asked as he shook himself into action and headed for the coffee pot. “Whatever it is, I think I need to sober up.”
“I need your help.” She glanced sideways at Shawn’s friend. “It might be better if we talked alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” the guy answered and leaned back against the counter, his hands folded in front of him as if to prove his point.
Amber sighed and moved toward Shawn. “I need a place to stay.”
Shawn took down three coffee mugs and placed them on the counter. “If you need help, Kelos is more qualified at that sort of thing than me.”
“Who said I needed help?” Amber said lightly as she recovered herself. “I was passing through and need a place to stay for the night. I figured it would be good for us to catch up.”
“You’re lying,” Kelos said bluntly.
“And what business is it of yours?” Amber leveled her gaze at Kelos, noting his large, well-muscled arms and his broad chest. The guy had to be a shifter.
“You’re his mate. So, it’s his business.” Shawn looked at her levelly, his eyes slightly out of focus and his words slurred.
“How drunk are you?” Amber didn’t need to talk about mates. She didn’t have time for anything other than making sure her brother’s family was safe.
“Not drunk enough to not know two mates meeting for the first time.” He waved a finger in the direction of his friend. “Am I right?” he slurred.
Kelos nodded briefly, his eyes fixed on Amber now that his secret was revealed.
“I don’t need this,” Amber said quickly.
“You don’t get to choose.” Shawn waved his finger at her. “And you don’t get to say no, either.”
“Freedom of choice. That isn’t a thing for shifters?” Amber tried to make light of the revelation that she was Kelos’s mate even though she knew how serious this was. This was a life-changing moment she didn’t have time for.
“No,” Kelos said bluntly. “It isn’t a thing.”
“Which is good for you. Because whatever trouble you’re in, Kelos will help you get out of it.” Shawn nodded and picked up the coffee pot.
“Here, let me. You’ll scald yourself and we can’t have your soft doctor’s hands injured, can we?” Amber moved forward and Shawn stepped to the side, a goofy grin on his face. “What?”
Shawn turned to face his friend. “Kelos, you have met your match.”
“It seems I have,” Kelos agreed.
“I could not be happier for both of you.” Shawn pulled out a chair and slumped down, resting his head in his hands. “I need to sleep.”
“First of all, you need to drink this and then we need to talk.” Amber set the coffee mug down on the table and pushed it into his hand. Then she passed a cup to Kelos, who took it with a nod of thanks.
Amber slid a chair out from under the table and sat down, the fight seeping out of her as she let her bones settle on the hard wooden chair. This wasn’t how she’d expected her meeting with Shawn to go. But you had to work with what you were given.
And she’d been given a shifter. As a mate. Fate sure
