Page 9 of Silent Fire

Tomas hugged him, resting his cheek on Noel’s head, his breathing steady. But Noel heard how fast the guy’s heart was beating, as if he felt the horror as well.

The sound of an approaching motorcycle made Noel pull back, even though he wasn't ready to let go. His body went rigid, until he saw it was Cesar stopping a few feet away from them. His gaze flicked from Noel to the ground then back to him. “Doing okay?”

Not even close. “Yeah.” Noel pushed to his feet, Tomas rising with him. “Was searching for rare bugs.”

Tomas chuckled, skimming a hand down Noel’s back as if to say he was there, still connecting to him.

“I don’t want Noel going back to that house. Mind staying with him while I shift and retrieve my bike?” Tomas asked Cesar.

It was on Noel’s tongue to argue he didn’t need a babysitter, but he kept his mouth shut. They were on a deserted road at night, and after what happened, Noel wouldn’t mind company.

“Sure, go ahead.” Cesar killed the motor then leaned forward, arms dangling over the handlebars. “Got all the time you need, hermoso.”

Tomas gently gripped Noel’s chin between thumb and index finger. “Don’t freak out, but most importantly, don’t take off.”

“I said I got him,” Cesar huffed.

“You have no idea just how fast this jack rabbit is.” Tomas winked at Noel, making him blush.

“You gonna make Tomas kick my ass for losing you after I fed you so well, cariño?” Cesar’s brow arched.

“Feed me when I get back and my ass stays planted until he returns.” Noel smirked. No kidding. He was freaking starving. It felt as if his stomach was trying to eat its way out.

Cesar chuckled. “A guy who isn’t afraid to use blackmail to get what he wants. Sí. I’ll cook whatever you want, cría de foca.”

Noel narrowed his eyes. “I am not a baby seal.”

“Not what I heard.” Cesar grinned. “Santiago said you were giving my boy over here a hard time. Couldn’t get you to stop kicking his ass.”

Tomas growled. “He was not kicking my ass. I just didn’t want to hurt him.”

“I was totally kicking your ass,” Noel argued, hands flying to his hips. “Want a rematch?”

Noel had no idea why he was talking so much trash. He was lousy at fighting. It was his determination to survive that gave him the guts to even try.

“Be right back.” Tomas moved a few feet away, and Noel held his breath, both excited and nervous to see him transform into a wolf.

Noel slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide as Tomas dropped to all fours. His muscles rippled, and gray fur covered his skin, shining in the moonlight.

His face elongated into a wolf’s snout, razor-sharp canines lengthening from his wide jaw. Noel watched, amazed as claws grew from his fingertips and his hands turned into paws. Finally, a bushy tail appeared, wagging quickly.

“I’ll never get used to how beautiful a shift looks,” Cesar said from beside Noel.

When the wolf moved closer to him, Noel moved backward. The dang thing was huge.

“He’s fully aware of who you are and what you’re saying,” Cesar said. “If human Tomas won’t hurt you, then neither will his wolf.”

Taking a deep breath, Noel reached out to pet the wolf’s head, giving it a couple of pats. “Good boy.”

Cesar burst out laughing. “I love how you’re treating him like a pet dog.”

“Isn’t he?” Noel grinned and scratched the wolf under its chin. It seemed to enjoy it, closing its eyes and letting out a happy growl.

“He’s a wild animal. An apex predator,” Cesar said, growing serious. “Don’t ever forget that, Noel. None of us are tame.”

So he was right. The men at the tavern were wolves. But he disagreed about Tomas. The wolf loved the attention, its tongue even hanging out.

“I’ll be damned,” Cesar whispered. “Never seen an unmated wolf let someone—”

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