Paranormal Heroes 1 and 2

Chapter6

Oz

I hadn’t taken seven steps out of the alley when I caught sight of one of my troop saying goodbye to one of the locals. Their embrace was passionate, their kiss even more so. I kicked the top of my boot against the curb and looked away. It was an intimate moment. One that I wished I could have with Laura. Jealousy ripped through me. How come Leo could have this with his woman and I couldn’t? She wasn’t even his mate. How was that fair?

My enhanced wolf hearing only made it worse. I could literally hear them kissing. And the longer it went on, the more uncomfortable I became. Finally, I let out a deep breath as they whispered their goodbyes to each other. The way the girl was talking to him, the longing in her voice, made my chest ache.

I wanted Laura to whisper to me like that. I wanted to hear longing in her voice.

“Oz.” Leo’s muscled arm swung around my shoulders. “I thought it was you. Did I just see you duck out of an alleyway?” A teasing, knowing smile flashed across the lion’s face. “Did Ace finally give you the go ahead to go after your little human mate?”

I frowned at him. Did everyone know that I had found my mate already? Had Ace told them? I was betting they were all having a good laugh at my expense. Catching my look, Leo shook his head. “Relax, it was clear from the way you acted when you caught her scent that it had to be something like the mate bond. You were almost feral.” Throwing back his head, he laughed. “Ace was pissed though. I’m surprised he didn’t beat on you for a little longer.”

I growled out a response. Ace, as commander of our troop, had made my life hell for the last two days, as was his right. But everything he had put me through was nothing compared to the torture of not being able to rush off and introduce myself to my mate, to Laura. Which was maybe the whole point.

Even thinking her name made my heart beat a little quicker.

“Anyway, I’m glad you finally got to talk to your girl. I’m guessing it went well.” He raised one blonde eyebrow suggestively. And my frown deepened. What did he think we had been doing in that alley? “Really well.”

“It wasn’t like that.” I sounded more defensive than I wanted to. I didn’t want him thinking that Laura was that type of woman. Hell, I didn’t want him thinking about her like that full stop. “I barely had time to tell her my name before some asshole was attacking her.”

“What?” Leo’s voice was sharp. “Someone attacked her? Who? Do you know who it was?” Like most shifters, Leo was protective over those that were weaker than themselves. Especially when it came to women and children.

“No idea who it was.” But that wasn’t entirely true. My nose still itched with the man’s stink. It wasn’t like anything I had ever smelt before. Not a shifter, but now I had thought about it, not quite human either. “Or what?” Drawing Leo to a stop, I yanked him around to face me. “Are there other paranormals here? Shifters?”

Leo contemplated my words for a second. “Not that I’m aware of but I guess there could be. You think the guy was a shifter?”

Did I? It sounded stupid now I had said it out loud. He hadn’t felt like a shifter. He had felt weak. And yet I couldn’t put my finger on it. Something was off with him. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe it was my imagination. I really didn’t like him having his hand around my mate’s neck.”

“Nor would I if I saw someone doing that to Ava. I would lose it and she’s not even my mate. But I would mention it to Ace when we get back. He will know better than me whether there are shifters in these parts.”

Mentioning it to Ace sounded like a good idea; I nodded. “Ava, the pretty one I just saw you with? She’s not your mate?”

Leo laughed. “God, no, I mean she’s a really cool girl and we have fun when I’m in town but…” He shrugged again. “She’s not my mate, not even my girlfriend.”

“You like her enough to keep going back though?” It was strange to me, that he would keep going back to the same woman time and time again and didn’t seem to have any feelings for her at all. Or maybe it was only strange to me now because I had found Laura. I’d had my fair share of casual relationships in the past. With humans and shifters alike.

“Like I said, she's a really cool girl. If I was human, I might have been tempted to put a ring on it, like they say, but I’m not. And I’m not really interested in settling down with anyone who isn’t my mate, you know?”

Yeah, I knew. “So, you think I should mention it to Ace?”

“If it bothers you then yes. It’s strange to me that you can’t pinpoint what he is. It should be easy. Human or paranormal.”

“Yeah, it’s strange to me as well.” It wasn’t just strange; it was damn right worrying. I had excellent senses. I should have been able to tell what he was instantly. “I’ll mention it to him.” And I would. I just wasn’t sure when.

“So, how did your first meeting with your fated mate go? Or is it technically your second now?”

I threw the laughing lion a look. “She doesn’t date army guys...” I fought back the urge to roll my eyes. “So, I’m picking her up when we get back and taking her out to dinner.”

Leo threw me a look. “She doesn’t date... but... how did you manage to work that?”

“Saving her from a sleaze bag.”

“So, you blackmailed her?” Leo’s lips twitched as he fought back the urge to laugh.

“Yep.” Chuckling, I started to walk. “And I’ll do it again if it means spending time with her.”