Page 24 of Feels Like Home

Or when they’d held hands on their walk.

Or when they’d been intimate.

“Because you’re a narcotic.” Jace gave a nervous smile. He didn’t want to assume anything, but his mind was flipping from one thought to the next, trying to guess what Ian was getting at.

“More like fate brought us together.” Ian rested his forearms on his thighs, his hands dangling by his knees. “You probably don’t believe in fate or maybe you do. It’s hard to tell with humans.”

Jace froze.

Over the past two days, Ian hadn’t seemed mentally unstable. It was Jace who’d clammed up, who’d had a few anxiety attacks, who’d been a dork around Ian.

Had he misjudged the guy? Not everyone wore tinfoil hats or shouted nonsensical things on the street. Ian hadn’t hinted at the desire to drink Jace’s blood like some delusional person who thought they were a vampire.

Even so, Jace was too afraid to ask Ian about his “human” comment.

“Do you believe in fate?” Ian’s gaze searched Jace’s face.

What if Ian had a hidden door to some diabolical basement? He’d said he hadn’t invited Jace over to hurt him, but that could have been a lie to lure an unsuspecting victim to his home.

Jace eased off the couch. Could he make it to his car before Ian grabbed him? Not a chance. Ian’s legs were much longer, his strides bigger. The guy was also in shape, lean with muscles. Ian would be able to easily overpower him.

Jace’s breath was raspy, his muscles tense as he backed away from the couch. Ian just sat there staring at him, his brows furrowed. Jace might not make it far, but he had to try.

With his pulse pounding in his ears, he spun and raced toward the front door. He flung it open, uncaring that it hit the wall with a bang, uncaring if the handle had caused damage. Jace shot out of the house and ran around the garage, desperate to get to his car and also too afraid to look behind him to see if Ian was hot on his heels.

As Jace closed the distance to his car, he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his keys. They fell from his shaky hands. With a curse, he stopped running and snatched them from the grass then bolted as fast as he could.

“Shit!” Jace screamed. Mid-run, he tried to haul ass in reverse, only to hit the ground.

With his heart hammering out of control, he stared unblinking at a black panther prowling by his car. The cat was massive, its muscles rippling as it paced back and forth, its gaze glued to Jace.

Now what? If Jace ran, no doubt the panther would chase him. His best course of action was to stay on the ground and pray the terrifying animal wandered away. But that meant Ian would have time to catch up to him. Where was Ian? Why hadn’t he caught up to Jace already?

The panther prowled closer.

Jace slowly scooted backward.

Right before his very eyes, the panther transformed into Ian. He stood there naked, strands of his long hair billowing in the breeze, exuding masculinity and power like some ancient warrior.

Jace’s vision filled with dancing black spots as he felt himself getting lightheaded, and then he lost consciousness.

* * * *

Ian knew he’d screwed up when the word “humans” slipped out. He’d watched the nervous smile on his mate’s face disappear and fear erupt in his eyes.

This was not how he’d wanted things to go. In fact, it was the exact opposite.

He lay his mate on the couch. Moments later, Jace groaned. He turned his head then opened his eyes as Ian sat beside him.

“How’re you feeling?”

His mate shot up into a sitting position and stared wide-eyed at him. “I’m-I’m losing my mind.” His gaze swept over Ian’s naked body. “That really happened, didn’t it? You’re a…a…”

“Black panther shifter,” Ian said softly, afraid speaking any louder would make matters worse. His mate looked on the verge of passing out again, his eyes still too wide and his breathing quick and shallow. Ian couldn’t think of a thing to say to calm him down.

He’d never had to tell anyone he was a shifter, and fuck if that hadn’t been glaringly obvious—from the way he’d botched the conversation to shifting into his cat and nearly giving Jace a heart attack.

“I-I need to go home.”

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