Page 72 of Shifting Fate
Dallon
During breakfast, my phone chimed. I picked it up, expecting a message from Arias. Instead, Tristram’s number popped up with a text that said:Arias needs you. I’m coming to pick you up, so pack a few days worth of clothes.
I blinked, anxiety gripping me all of a sudden. What the hell? Heneededme? I quickly tapped out a reply.What’s going on? Is he hurt?A quiver of fear radiated down my hands. Was it the Dreadhunters? Surely we would’ve heard them attack…
He’s fine. I’ll explain in the car. Be there in fifteen.
K.
“Tristram’s gonna pick me up,” I told my pack, glancing up from my phone. “I guess I’m staying with them for a few days?”
“Is everything okay?” Tegan’s brow furrowed.
“I think so? He just said that Arias needs me and that he’s on his way.” I pushed the chair back with the backs of my thighs and dropped my plate in the kitchen sink. I lifted an arm to sniff-check myself. Iffy. Maybe I’d snag a shower once I got to the cabin.
“Keep us in the loop,” Remy added, but I was already making tracks for my bedroom. The only thing I could think about right now was getting to my mate. Ariasneededme.
I threw together a couple of outfits and tossed them into an overnight bag, along with my deodorant and my emergency makeup kit. You never knew when you might need to look fabulous. I got dressed and put on a quick face so I didn’t look like a sleepy raccoon with the smudged eyeshadow I’d slept in last night. I’d just reached the staircase when Tristram honked from the drive.
“See you later,” I called down the hall.
The minute I clambered into Tristram’s truck, I demanded answers. “What’s going on? Really?”
Tristram raised a dark brow, a weird sort of smile on his face. “Well… What all do you know about Omni?”
“Uh.” I paused. “They have magic powers and can make babies? AKA: Not a whole hell of a lot. Is something wrong with him?”
“He’s in heat.”
I stared at him, confused. “In…heat? Elaborate.”
He sighed. “When an Omnus reaches sexual maturity, they go through a yearly heat-cycle, not unlike a dog or a cat.” He paused, glancing sidelong at me. “This cycle can last anywhere from a day or two, to a week. He’ll generally be moody and uncomfortable. And horny. Extremely horny, like, hump your leg horny.”
That didn’t sound like a bad thing, at least not for me. “So, what?” I couldn’t help my smirk. “You’re asking me to fuck my boyfriend senseless until he snaps out of it?”
Tristram didn’t even flinch.
I groaned. “Wow.”
“Yep.” He popped the ‘p’. “I’ll put an order in at the Chinese place, then I’m going to stay at Westwind for a couple of days. Give you two lovebirds some space. Just… Be careful?”
I snorted. “I amsonot getting ‘the talk’ right now. Jesus, Tris, you act like I don’t know how babies are made! Trust me, I don’t wanna be a father. I’m too young to be tied down for eighteen years, and besides… Ew, babies.”
“I’m just saying. Use protection.”
“Yes,Dad.”
The first thing I smelled when walking into the cabin was Arias. His scent, thick and heady, slammed into me like a sack of bricks to the gut. I froze in the doorway, causing Tristram to nearly run me over.
Holy pheromones, Batman. Jesus Christ, he smelledamazing.
I sniffed the air, not even bothering to hide it, then followed that delicious aroma around the corner and into the living room. Arias sat on the couch, his shoulders hunched with a pillow gripped to his chest.
The television was on, but he didn’t seem to be watching it. It was some sort of infomercial, from the looks of things, but I had the feeling that unless they were selling sex toys? Arias wasn’t interested.
I leaned against the back of the couch, smiling as I touched his arm. “Hey, baby.”
Arias went stiff, twitching out of my reach. His eyes darted to my face. His pupils were so blown out that I could barely see the sliver of icy blue encircling them. His wolf was close. Very close. A split-second emotion flashed across his face—desperation?—before he growled deep in his chest.
