Page 10 of Untamed Instincts

Chapter Three

Quinton pushed from the booth and went after his mate, who had simply gotten up and walked out.

Ever since he’d asked Noah what was on his mind, he’d noticed a shift in the human’s behavior. Noah had become a little defensive and somewhat aloof.

No sooner had Quinton walked toward the exit than his phone started ringing in his back pocket. He reached in and hit the side button to silence it.

Nothing was more important right now than catching Noah before his mate drove off. They hadn’t exchanged phone numbers, and Quinton didn’t know where his mate lived.

He didn’t even know Noah’s last name.

When Quinton pushed open the diner door and walked toward the parking lot, he noticed it was lightly sprinkling. The temperature had dropped since they had been inside the diner, enough to where he would have to grab his jacket from his truck.

But first he had to figure out why Noah had up and left without a single word. Was the guy upset Quinton had called him a liar?

Technically, he hadn’t said the word liar, but Quinton was splitting hairs. He was used to being honest with his sons, but not everyone appreciated being called out on a blatant lie.

He slowed his long strides when he spotted Noah standing at the driver’s door of his car. The man’s brows were knitted, and his hand rested loosely on the door handle.

“I was determined to leave, but once I got to my car…” Noah shook his head, his gaze focused on the side of Quinton’s truck. “Since you walked out of the pool room, I’ve felt this… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“It’s called the pull.” Quinton approached his mate cautiously. Any sudden movement might snap Noah out of his musing and make him run from Quinton again.

Noah tapped his chest with the pads of his fingers. “Yeah, that’s it. That’s how it feels.” His mate glanced at him. “I reached for the handle of my car, but it felt like some unseen force was trying to pull me back to you.”

Quinton stepped a little closer as the sprinkles turned into light rain. “It’s our connection, Noah. You feel it as deeply as I do. An overwhelming need to be near each other.”

He didn’t explain any further. He wanted Noah to acknowledge their connection before he continued. It would make explaining the unexplainable a little easier.

If only Quinton actually believed that. He would have better luck hitting the lottery than Noah calmly accepting what Quinton had to tell him.

Noah rubbed his arms and shivered. The light rain had turned into a steady drizzle. Quinton hit the fob attached to his key ring, remote-starting his truck before he unlocked it, and then opened the passenger door. “Hop in. The interior will heat up quickly. You don’t need to catch a cold.”

For a long moment Noah studied him then turned and climbed inside. Quinton closed the door with a prayer. As soon as he slid into the driver’s seat, he reached into the back and grabbed his jacket, handing it to Noah.

Quinton’s phone rang again. Once again, he silenced it. “There’s a reason you feel drawn to me.”

His phoned chimed, signaling he had a text message.

“Maybe you should see who it is,” Noah suggested. “At this hour, it could be important.”

“I will, but first—” Quinton snarled when his phone chimed again. He was ready to throw the damn thing out the window.

Instead, he yanked it from his pocket. The missed call was from Ryker, and so were the two texts.

Toro is in town. Just had an up-close conversation with him.

Quinton’s canines threatened to lengthen. What was he doing in Midnight Falls? He would think Toro had learned his lesson after the last ass-beating Quinton had given the vampire.

He read the next text.

Call me. He’s up to no good.

That was a given. Anywhere Toro went, chaos ensued. It was like the vampire couldn’t help himself. Quinton understood working for a living, even if that work was questionable, but Toro always took it an extra step.

The last town Quinton had lived in, Toro had shown up to “handle” a problem for some demon or… Heck, he couldn’t even recall. What he did remember was the person Toro had come after was a friend of Quinton’s.

No one hurt the people he cared about, regardless if they had done wrong. Quinton had beaten the vampire senseless, saved Jacob, and hadn’t seen Toro since.

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