Page 86 of Scars of the Sun
He wasn’t saying anything, so I kept on, “Irish folklore is really interesting—you know that they used to have a shit ton of wolves until the last sighting in the late eighteenth century? Never been there, but I wonder if any Wolves still reside there. I’d suppose so.”
I took a breath and realized that I’d been rambling. When I was knee-deep in my interest in these topics as a teen, I’d gotten made fun of by my sisters, ignored or punished by my father. But, sneaking a glance at my brother-in-law, his shoulders were thetiniestbit more relaxed. “My grandfather’s family came to the states to get away from the persecution of wolves. I’d imagine that I still have some distant cousins that stayed behind, though.”
My mate had apparently been listening to our conversation, and she wandered over and rested her hand on my shoulder. Before I could stop myself, I pulled her down into my lap. “No, I get that. My avó was a Jaguar, so the family packed up and moved from Brazil to start over. Not sure all the reasons, but deforestation and people hunting jaguars was definitely a motivator.”
The Leader nodded, and his eyes fell to his son who’d walked over and was trying to get his attention. The Leader got up to let him in past the screen door and plucked something off his head. When I saw the large spider that he lowered into a nearby dahlia bush, I suppressed a shudder.
Orion pulled his son into his arms and kissed the top of his head. “Are you leaving now?”
I startled at the abrupt halt to the conversation, but Ramona just twirled a lock of my hair around her finger and answered, “Yeah, we gotta get ready for the show tonight.” We were playing a set at one of the bars downtown, and even though my band responsibilities had taken a backseat to the shitstorm that’d been going on, Ramona convinced me to go through with tonight, knowing that being around my friends and playing would make me feel better.
The Wolf pup started grasping for the Leader’s beer bottle, so he pushed it out of reach. Ollie, the kid’s name was, shot me an affronted look, as if asking me if I could believe that shit, andI couldn’t help but chuckle. I hadn’t been around kids since my little brother, but drawing a little grin out of my mate’s nephew didn’t give me a wash of grief like I expected it to. More just aching nostalgia for the days when I helped Mamá take care of Javi.
I swallowed the longing to see both of them again and brushed a thumb along the curve of Ramona’s knee. Her winter grapefruit scent was mixed with the aroma of earth and heat from working the garden where Sylvie and Dahlia were still harvesting.
“All right. Bye.” The Leader said simply and stood, taking his son with him toward the rest of their family. The pup gave us a little wave over the Leader’s shoulder, and I waved back, letting out my claws to waggle in a way that Javi used to love. Sure enough, the little boy screeched a little giggle before his sister snagged his attention.
Ramona cupped my jaw and kissed my temple. “I think he’s starting to like you,” she whispered in my ear.
I moved my head so that I could meet her lips to mine. We kept it PG since the kids weren’t too far away, but desire started swirling in my gut with her support enveloping me and her cute little ass sitting right over my dick. “Or just decided I’m more use to him alive than dead.”
She traced just over my mark, not even needing to see it to know where it rested beneath my shirt. It made a shiver ripple down my spine. “Trust me. He wouldn’t have let the kids around you if he didn’t like you. Wouldn’t have talked about his dad’s family. If he doesn’t have to, he won’t engage in any pretending. It was genuine.”
I sighed and kissed the side of her neck, where I knew she was sensitive. She wiggled in my lap, and I chuckled, holding her tighter. “If you say so. Ready?”
She flicked the ring I had in my septum and smirked. “Ready.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
RAMONA
The bar was beginning to fill, and I tried to stretch my senses to keep track of where Río was backstage. His oversized hoodie was a dress on my frame and kept a steady waft of his scent calming me, the trail of the real thing leading to the door where he’d gone through to meet the rest of his bandmates.
I fiddled with the beer I’d been nursing since he plopped me at one of the hightop tables with the best view of the stage. This was my first show as his mate, and bubbles of excitement popped in my chest like champagne. The last one I’d gone to had been the night I kneeled for him, but now, he was officiallymine.
The last few days had been rough on my mate. But when we went back to the apartment, I could tell he was in better spirits as he started getting his show gear together. When he insisted on us showering together, I couldn’t refuse him then or when he pressed me up against the tiled wall as hot water cascaded around us.
“Hey, Ramona!”
I turned toward the deep, excited voice and couldn’t help smiling back. Delaney’s golden waves fell in pretty ripples, just kissing the tops of his brows. With his size, the sea of peoplequickly parted, but he muttered pleasant ‘excuse me’s’ along the way. My smile didn’t fall, but my eyes widened at the sight of his outfit, which was a far cry from his Montessori teacher or gardening wear.
The black Arch Enemy shirt was cut in half, revealing his tanned and toned stomach that was dusted with a healthy amount of hair. The sleeveless top highlighted his toned arms. His gray jeans were baggier, but with the way some were staring in the direction of his ass, I assumed that they were just as flattering as the rest of his outfit.
Like he didn’t sense any of the attention he was getting, he opened his arms, and I fell into them immediately. I didn’t know where my usual bites or apprehension went, chalking it all up to the kind, puppy dog energy he brought with him. We patted each other’s backs and separated.
“Do you want to sit with me?” I gestured to the other chair at my small table.
“Sure!” he clambered into the seat, and I worried for a moment about it taking his weight. Mine even seemed a bit wobbly, but he settled in just fine. “How are you?”
His eyes were a few shades darker than his hair, and a light flush colored his high cheekbones. The way he asked the question wasn’t that of a passing pleasantry, equivalent to saying ‘hey’. His attention was turned to me, waiting and truly caring about my answer to the question.
It was no wonder I’d immediately softened toward him when we met. “I’m good. Excited for the show. You?”
He grinned, his teeth slightly crooked in a way that added to his charm. “Same. My roommate invited me and bailed at the last minute. I’m so glad I spotted you!”
The tension in my shoulders from sitting alone had nearly disappeared completely. I pointed to his shirt, “Didn’t take you for a metal fan.” Though, I supposed the same might be saidabout Sylvie if you didn’t know her too well. Actually, Delaney and Sylvie were similar in the bright kindness that surrounded them.
The difference, though, was Sylvie’s smoldering wrath underneath. With my new friend, I suspected he was all sweetness. He blushed harder and continued to chat with me. Apparently, his roommate had introduced him to the genre, and after being wary because of his upbringing, he’d gotten into it.