Page 45 of Spooks & Specters

“I can see that. You’re very good doctor.”

“Thank you. I like to think that I am. Then there’s me, Terry. The man who spends too much time reading medical journals and not watching movies.”

Axel blinked in shock. Of all the things he’d been expecting Terry to say, this was not it.

“The man who hasn’t had a date in he doesn’t know when,” Terry grumbled.

Axel completely understood that too. But for him, hecouldremember the last date he’d had, and it had been a complete and total disaster that took a hundred years of his life. That was a track record nobody wanted.

“The man who can’t remember the last time he had lunch with somebody.” Horrified, Terry stared at Axel. “And, wow, I can’t believe I just told you that. I’ve completely forgotten how to act in civilized company.”

Axel snorted. “I don’t know that I would consider myself civilized company, but thank you.”

Terry groaned. “I had forgotten your wicked sense of humor.”

Axel didn’t know if he had a sense of humor, wicked or otherwise, then or now. “Well, I don’t know about the rest of that, but I can answer one thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“Last time you had lunch with somebody was today, and I was the lucky guy who got to have it with you,” Axel said, toasting Terry with his soda. “And I’m having a blast.”

Color rushed across Terry’s cheeks.

For a second, they stared at each other. Time sort of ground to a stop. Terry looked shocked, and Axel couldn’t believe what just came out of his mouth. Seriously, he was nowhere close to being civilized company. But then, the only company he’d had for a hundred years had been his own.

“And, you know, we’re kind of in the same boat as far as movies go. I’m woefully behind too,” Axel joked.

It was all he could think of doing to break the staring contest they’d had going on. Not that he particularly wanted to end it. Staring into Terry’s eyes had been… comforting.

He was pretty sure no one, ever, had thought that about a daemon. They were known as one of the scariest paranormals for a reason. The shit that they could do with shadows was terrifying.

Terry blinked, then cleared his throat. “Same boat, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know about that, but it does seem like something we should rectify. What do you think?”

Be cool. Be cool!What did he think? Was Terry kidding him? He thought that was a wonderful idea. Absolutely fabulous. In fact, they should rectify that tonight. Then a tidal wave of doubt washed over Axel. Was Terry being serious? Or was he just making conversation?

Unease crossed Terry’s face. “Then again—”

He is serious. This isn’t just him being a good doctor, and by the gods, I’m fucking it up.“I’m a little bit behind the times, so could I depend on you to make recommendations?”

Terry suddenly smiled. “I think I can handle that.”

Axel knew right then that he wanted to see Terry smile a lot more. In fact, he planned to spend significant time trying to achieve that goal. A part of him was concerned, there was no denying that.

He was weak, living off charity, carrying a lot of baggage, and most likely would have a werewolf pack targeting him soon. He had nothing to offer anyone, and who knew where his life was going now.

Terry was not his fated mate. Axel knew that.

If Terryhadbeen, Axel would have known as soon as he met Terry a hundred years ago. Fated mates were one of the things—one of the numerous things—that had ended him and Kage because Axel had made it an issue. A hugely significant issue that it hadn’t needed to be.

But Axel was not the wolf he was then. All that arrogance had been beaten out of him. Finding his fated mate was no longer the brass ring he sought. Too much had happened to him over the past one hundred years, and he had a greater appreciation for the more simplistic things in life, like compatibility. Like contentment.

Those were two things Terry brought to Axel’s life.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that you can handle that because I’m certainly looking forward to it.” Axel suddenly grinned at Terry. “I’m really behind the times on the advancement the food industry has made too.”

---