Page 16 of Feral Heart
Great. Just what Cesar needed—a drunk human with no filter wandering around a bar full of predators. Especially with hyenas prowling nearby.
“Matias needs to know we’ve got company,” Cesar said, voice low. There were still plenty of humans in the bar. “New alpha. Three hyenas were in the alley.”
Chopper straightened immediately, beer forgotten. “I’ll find him. Go get your boy.”
Cesar nodded, making his way toward the front door. A quick check of the men’s room turned up nothing but some human fixing his hair in the mirror.
The night air hit him as he pushed through the door, cool and crisp compared to the heat of bodies inside. A couple of wolves smoked near the entrance, nodding as he passed. The parking lot was half full, bikes lined up like chrome soldiers under the yellow glow of security lights. A quick scan revealed no sign of Jamie.
Then he spotted him. Relief hit Cesar so hard he almost laughed. Almost.
Jamie was perched on Cesar’s Harley, stretched forward across the gas tank, hands gripping the handlebars. His legs dangled, his toes barely able to touch the foot pegs as he made engine noises with his mouth.
“Vrooom! Beep beep! Out of my way, losers!”
Something warm unfurled in Cesar’s chest. His wolf rumbled with satisfaction at the sight of their mate claiming their bike.
“What are you doing, colibrí?” he asked, approaching slowly to avoid startling him.
Jamie’s head whipped around, eyes wide and unfocused. “Jellybean! Gotta find Cesar,” he announced with drunken seriousness. “Very ‘mportant mission.”
“Find Cesar, huh?” He fought back a smile, coming to stand beside the bike. His mate was adorably ridiculous, perched on a bike too large for him, looking determined, despite being clearly wasted.
“Yep.” Jamie nodded emphatically. “I need to find you! You disappeared, and I got worried, and Noel drank all my drink. Or I drank his. I can’t remember.” He scrunched his nose. “So I’m gonna ride this bike and find Cesar.”
Dios mío. The alcohol had clearly hit Jamie harder than expected. His gray eyes were glassy, cheeks flushed pink, hair sticking up at odd angles like he’d been running his hands through it. “What’s so important?”
Jamie leaned forward, nearly toppling off the seat. “I need to tell him I think he’s beautiful. And that I want to kiss his face.” He frowned, squinting at Cesar. “You look just like him. Are you twins?”
“No twins,” Cesar said. “Just me.”
“Well, you’re very pretty too.” Jamie patted the seat behind him. “Wanna help me find him? I need to go now. It’s a ‘mergency.”
Sliding onto the motorcycle behind his mate, Cesar circled his arms around Jamie naturally, palms resting over the human’s on the handlebars. Jamie felt small against him, warm and vibrating with energy even when still. Heat radiated from his mate’s body, his scent mingling with alcohol and the lingering aroma of garlic from their dinner. “I’ll help you find this Cesar guy. You know how to ride?”
Jamie looked offended. “Of course! You just...” He twisted one of the handgrips, making more engine noises. “And then you...” His brow furrowed. “Where’s the on button?”
“Ah, well, that’s a very good question.” Cesar rested his chin on Jamie’s shoulder, breathing in his scent. His wolf settled, content to have their mate safely tucked against them. Good thing Jamie had wandered out front instead of down the alley. If those hyenas had found him...
Jamie twisted his head to look up at Cesar, eyes narrowing. “Hey, you look a lot like my jellybean. Are you related?”
God, this man was going to be the death of him. Adorable and chaotic and completely unfiltered.
“How about I help you look for me?” Cesar suggested, lips close to Jamie’s ear.
His mate frowned at the motorcycle controls. “How do you start this thing? I push this? Or this?” His fingers fumbled over switches and buttons.
“Let me worry about that,” Cesar said, gently redirecting Jamie’s hands away from the ignition. “You just focus on navigating.”
Jamie went quiet then, his body sagging slightly against Cesar’s. When he spoke again, his voice was smaller, all the manic energy suddenly drained away. “I don’t wanna go home,” he confessed, eyes fixed on the handlebars.
The fear in those words hit Cesar like a punch to the gut. His protective instincts flared, wolf snarling at the thought of Jamie being afraid to return to his own home.
“Why not, cariño?” He kept his voice gentle, even as rage simmered beneath the surface.
“Grant will be there.” Jamie’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s mad at me. And when he’s mad...” He trailed off, eyes darting away.
Anger simmered low in Cesar’s gut. The brother again. The one who’d hit Jamie at the store, who’d caused those head injuries. Who apparently was waiting to do more damage.
