Page 26 of Mated to the Human: Volume One

Jake had parked in a small lot behind a red brick building on a corner. It looked like it had three stories, the bottom one a storefront. A bar, actually. The rustic-looking sign over the door said Saint’s Tavern.

“Yours?” Cane asked, pointing up at the sign.

“Yeah,” Jake answered as he reached the dark wooden door with its long vertical handle. “Mine and my sister’s.” He pulled the door open, letting out a rush of warm air and the buzz of conversations. Most of which hushed as they stepped inside.

Cane felt his hackles rise at having so many eyes turned his way. Then someone yelled, “Congratulations!” from farther back in the bar, and the whole place cheered, some of them shouting questions asking when they could expect a ceremony.

Jake chuckled, lifting his hands to get the patrons to settle down. “Thank you all,” he said, deep voice carrying easily. “Now, drink your beer, and let us be.”

Surprise shot through Cane at Jake’s words, but he obviously knew the crowd as good-natured taunts and laughter filled the air. Then, incredibly, people actually did what Jake asked. They turned back to their drinks and companions, leaving the two of them to head to the bar without any more awkwardness.

“Sorry about that,” Jake said. “We’re a fairly tight bunch around here, and they’re just curious.”

“No harm,” Cane said, looking over the space. The bar itself was made of dark shiny wood with some type of runes carved into the edge. Otherwise, the place looked like any other tavern he’d ever been in, albeit nicer. The tables and chairs were all made from sturdy-looking wood in various shades. A couple pool tables sat toward the back beside a dart board and jukebox. There were only a few empty seats in the house.

A dark-haired woman came out from a door behind the bar and shot a smile Jake’s way. “Hey, figured it was you causing a ruckus out here.”

“Hey, sis,” Jake said with a smile on his face. “Meet Cane. Cane, this is my sister Calliope.”

Calliope turned sharp, dark eyes on him. They were the same deep brown shade as Jake’s. She held her hand over the bar. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand.

“You boys want a beer?”

“Please,” Jake said, sliding up onto one of the empty stools. “I think a Jameson may be in order as well.”

Cane did the same, setting his backpack down on the floor to lean against the bar.

Calliope looked at Cane with a raised eyebrow.

“Same.”

With a nod, she turned and started making drinks.

“You hungry?” Jake turned his head toward Cane. The way he had his elbows spread along the edge of the bar pressed their arms together a bit. Cane was surprised how much he really didn’t mind the casual contact. It wasn’t normally his thing.

“I could eat. What’s good?”

Standing up on the rungs of his stool, Jake leaned over the bar top and grabbed a laminated menu. Sitting back down, he handed it to Cane. “Everything. It’s simple fare, but our cook is top-notch.”

The menu was simple—burgers, chicken wings, pretzels with beer cheese. “What do you get?” Cane asked, actually curious, which was a surprise in itself.

Jake looked at him, a boyish smile on his face and the longer brown hair on top of his head brushing over his forehead. He was gorgeous. Cane could admit that, and he seemed like a genuinely good guy. Cane wanted to kiss him again.

“I change it up, but you can’t beat Bell’s burgers. Want to split an order of pretzels to start?”

“Sounds good.” Cane looked back down at the menu.

“If you want,” Jake added. “I can take your bag upstairs.”

Cane’s eyebrows crept up his head. “You live here, too?”

“Yep. The floors above this are apartments. Calliope lives on two, and three is mine.”

That could be a problem. “Do you have to come through the bar to get to them?”

With a tilt of his head, Jake swept his gaze over Cane’s face, but if he thought the question was odd, he didn’t say anything. “No. One of the doors in the back leads to stairs that bypass this floor.”

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