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The farther they drove away from Colt, the more Milo felt the deep ache in his chest growing. He stared out the side window, watching the scenery pass by, never feeling so alone and in despair than he did at that moment.
Colt’s truck was in the side mirror, and Milo watched it, tears stinging behind his eyelids as he fought not to let them spill. He appreciated Cannon taking him to work, but he wasn’t the person Milo wanted seated next to him.
It was the guy following them.
“I can smell your tears,” Cannon said. “Since I’m not mated, I don’t know the pain you’re going through being separated from Colt, but you wanted to get away from him. I made a judgment call, Milo. He can follow us to your job, and if he acts like he has sense, I’ll let you two talk.”
Colt pulled over just as they reached the town limits, no longer following them. Milo sniffed back his tears as they passed Bluebird Café, remembering when he’d met Colt there for coffee Sunday morning.
It felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since that morning. Milo had been happy sitting there talking with Colt, showing the guy his tattoo, caught in some kind of spell just being near him. No matter how hard Milo had tried, he hadn’t been able to keep his hands to himself.
Touching Colt was hypnotic, all-consuming like a drug.
Milo didn’t want to go to work. He wanted to shout for Cannon to take him back to his mate. Milo closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When Colt had started yelling at him, all Milo had seen was Eric. All he’d felt was the pain as his uncle beat him. Milo had been caught in the grip of the memory, lashing out at Colt instead of understanding his mate’s point of view.
When he opened his eyes, they were pulling into the parking lot of his work. Parked in the spot closest to the door was Kellen. He was leaning against the trunk of a cherry-red muscle car, his ankles crossed, his hands folded in front of him.
“I’m guessing Kellen wants to talk to you,” Cannon said. “It’s up to you, Milo. I can stop at the front door so you can go into work, or I can let you out at Kellen’s car.”
Milo appreciated the man’s concern. Cannon had been good friends with Milo’s mom when she was alive and had attended her funeral, telling Milo that if he needed anything, just call.
He’d never called the guy.
“You said you can smell my tears and you know about mates.” Milo looked at him. “Are you a wolf, too?”
The deputy gave him a warm smile. “No. I’m a lion shifter.”
That shocked Milo. He’d thought only wolf shifters existed. “Did my mom know?”
He shook his head. “We keep our existence a closely guarded secret. If a human isn’t a mate or someone important to our way of life, they’re kept in the dark.”
“I think I’ll talk to Kellen.” Milo wasn’t ready to go inside. His chest ached too badly, and his head wasn’t in the right place at the moment.
All he wanted was Colt.
“Since nonhumans live a very long time, not all of us have had it easy, Milo. I don’t know Colt’s story, what he’s been through, but I’m willing to bet he feels like shit right now for yelling at you.”
Milo glanced up at Cannon, confused about what he’d just said. “What do you mean nonhumans live a long time?”
The guy rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe Colt didn’t tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“Shifters live for over five hundred years, maybe longer. Since you’re mated to Colt, you’ll live as long as he does.”
Mind blown. Milo sat there trying to wrap his head around living that long, but he couldn’t. How old was Colt? How long would Milo live? It was yet another thing he had to process in his already cluttered mind.
“Thank you for the ride.” Milo got out and closed the door then walked over to Kellen as the cruiser pulled away. “I take it you talked to Colt?”
Kellen nodded. “He didn’t tell me what you two argued about, only that he’d lost his cool and that Deputy Lowery gave you a ride into town.”
Shoving his hands into his front pockets, Milo looked around. “It wasn’t just his fault. I didn’t exactly keep my composure, either.”
“Maybe not,” Kellen said. “But more times than not, we act like complete assholes when it comes to our mates. Trust me when I tell you that it wasn’t smooth sailing for me and Atlas.”
“You two seem perfect for each other. I saw the way you guys were at the reception, the way you looked at Atlas as if he was your entire world,” Milo said. “To tell the truth, as I watched you two dancing, I was a bit envious.”
“You have no idea what Atlas and I went through to get to that point,” Kellen said. “Relationships take work. Just because we’re mates doesn’t mean everything fell into place. I put Atlas through some shit, nearly got him killed more than once, and half the time, I had no clue what I was doing.”
