Page 18 of Restoring His Howl

Dillon suppressed his shudder. Why did Avan insist on being such a dick? First, he’d gone on and on to Cinders about Dillon’s past and what he’d done. Now, Avan had decided to get all creepy. Gross.

“Well, we’re going over at seven. I’ll stop at your door,” Oscar said. He waved and grabbed Avan’s arm. “Later.”

“Yeah, later.” Avan gave Dillon another creepy smile and left with Oscar.

Dillon sank onto the arm of the sofa and waited for them to leave. Once they were out of earshot, he sighed. “Is he like that all the time?”

“Who?” Ryan tipped his head. “Avan? Or Oscar?”

“Either.” His head ached, and his wolf wasn’t happy. The animal had decided to shred him from within. Each time Avan came close, the wolf had a fit, just as it had with Dirk, but Dillon wasn’t interested in Avan.

“I don’t know Avan.” Delaney sat on the closest chair. He folded his hands. “He stays here and doesn’t seem to like anyone in the apartment building. Oscar is about the only one he runs with.”

“I thought Oscar was shy,” Ryan said. He folded his arms and leaned his hip against Delaney’s chair. “But the way he acted here, I’m not so sure.” He elbowed Delaney. “I can feel the tension. What’s wrong with him, jaguar?”

Dillon wanted to know, too. He rested his elbows on his knees. “If you sense anything…”

Delaney sat up straighter. “Shit. The detective in me doesn’t trust Avan. The jaguar doesn’t either. Oscar seems okay, but there’s something that bothers me about him and Avan—mostly when they’re together. It’s a sixth sense thing.” He met Dillon’s gaze. “Hon, I don’t know what’s gotten into them, but we’ll watch your back. You do the same thing. Keep your eyes open.”

“So don’t go with them?” He wanted to know exactly how they felt. He didn’t trust many people, but Ryan seemed honest and so did Delaney.

“You have to do what feels right,” Ryan said. He widened his stance. “I get you. I was in your shoes. When I met Delaney, I didn’t trust anyone. I barely gave Delaney the time of day.”

“Except he liked my money.” Delaney laughed. “I was his customer.”

He stared at Delaney and Ryan, wide-eyed. He hadn’t expected Delaney to say that or for Ryan to shrug. “Really?” Dillon asked. “I mean…whoa.”

“He liked me, but it wasn’t a typical situation.” Ryan massaged Delaney’s shoulders. “I was in danger up to my eyeballs and didn’t know it.”

Delaney sighed. “He was, and he was lucky I saw beyond the façade.” He smiled. “I was there to help close the club.Stiffwas a dump, and they treated the shifters like shit. I came in to get Ryan and the others out. I had to play the role of a customer, but when I met Ryan and experienced his…magnetism…I was smitten.”

“Horny as hell is more like it.” Ryan hugged Delaney from behind. “But that’s part of why I love him. My tiger might be rather fond of him, too.”

Dillon stared at them. Ryan hadn’t been as damaged as he was, but he’d come out on the other side, and despite the scars, he’d found love. Dillon wished he could be like Ryan. “How’d you realize you could be together?” The idea of finding a true love fascinated him. Was there someone out there for him? Possibly Cinders?

“Well…” Delaney glanced up at Ryan then flipped his dark hair off his brow. “We went for a run together. I know that sounds silly, but it’s true. Ryan trusted me enough to run. To let down his guards and give me a chance. I had to put myself out there. No barriers or lies. It was hard. I knew about Sanctuary and knew he’d be safe here.”

“It’s true.” Ryan rounded the chair and sat on the arm. “I had to trust my tiger, and despite my concerns about the Sanctuary, I gave him a chance. Delaney and my tiger were right. It was a leap of faith mostly. I wish I had a better answer.”

Dillon nodded. “You’re giving me a lot to think about and good answers.” Boy, did he have a lot to think about. He couldn’t heal from his mental trauma in a few days, but he had a new direction. “So, we can dress up if we want?” He had an idea of what he might do.

“Or come in your animal form. We’ve got clothes—that’s the rule. No naked bodies.” Ryan nodded once. “I’d prefer no raunch, but I’ll stick with no nudity. No asses or dicks showing.”

Delaney snorted and patted Ryan’s thigh. “For a guy who enjoyed being nearly naked, you sure know how to take the fun out of life sometimes.”

The back and forth between Delaney and Ryan amused Dillon. They reminded him of a comedy duo, and he could listen to them for hours.

“I know many of the shifters. If we give them a chance, we’ll have nakedness everywhere, and Markas will have a shit fit,” Ryan said. “He’s still leery of me because I’m a former stripper.”

“He’s just cautious,” Delaney said. “The alpha has to know what’s going on and be able to trust us.” He turned to Dillon. “He may act like he’s hard and distant, but Markas wouldn’t take you in if he had any doubts.”

“I know.” Dillon left his seat. “Now, if I could stop self-doubting, I’d be fine.”

“You will. Just takes time,” Ryan said. “See you at the party?”

“I’ll be there. Thanks for the pep talk.” He waved and left Ryan and Delaney in the library. His hope returned. He wasn’t a lost cause. Holy hell and fucking yes.

Dillon bounded upstairs to the second floor. He considered stopping by Cinders’ room but kept going instead. Despite wanting to see Cinders, he kept his distance. If Cinders came to the gathering, Dillon would make a move. If Cinders didn’t, Dillon would take it as a sign Cinders wasn’t interested.

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