Page 6 of Tempting the Tiger
When my best friend first bonded with his fated mate I deliberately stayed away, assuming morning coffee was off the agenda now that they’d made things official. That lasted all of five days before Ethan confronted me and grumpily told me to get my arse to his flat each morning or else he’d give Jet free rein to decorate my space when we move to the pack house.
I envisioned a nightmare of garish colours and glitter, the total opposite of the neutral walls and soft textiles I’m drawn to. I’vemade sure to visit Ethan and Ayo before work every weekday since.
Ethan looks up from a pan of scrambled eggs when I walk into the open plan kitchen-living space. “Morning. How was the date?”
Ethan and I don’t look much alike. He’s only slightly taller than me but has the huge muscles of an alpha wolf, whereas I’m more on the lean side. His olive skin is significantly lighter than my golden brown, his hair is usually styled carelessly as more of an afterthought whereas my black hair is neat at all times, and he favours the kind of cargo trousers and tight T-shirts I’ve avoided at all costs since we received our honourable discharges.
I move around the kitchen island and fill the kettle for Ayo, then gratefully take the mug of coffee Ethan nudges my way. It’s still hot, so I wrap my hands around it and take a sip.
“It wasn’t a total disaster like the last one, so there’s that.” At his raised eyebrow, I sigh. “There was literally no spark.”
He scents my neck. “You’ll find your mate.”
I subtly lean into his touch the way I always do, and my tiger side chuffs contentedly at the contact. There’s nothing quite like the comfort of being scented by my alpha to soothe the sting of failure.
“I’m beginning to think I need a break from dating,” I admit.
“You could try other genders,” he says casually, dropping his hand and turning his attention back to the eggs.
I take another sip, then put my mug down so that I can lay tortillas on plates and start assembling the veggies he’s already chopped. “I really feel like my fated mate will be a woman. I’m so rarely attracted to anyone else.” I’ve known I was bisexual since I was in my early twenties, but because the balance of my attraction is about ninety-five percent in favour of women, I’ve never quite gotten as far as dating or even hooking up with someone of another gender. “Besides, with the way this Far Out Freightinvestigation is going, I won’t have much time for dating for a while anyway.”
He takes the eggs off the heat and pulls sausages from under the grill. “Want to swap jobs?”
I huff a laugh. “And deal with the coven? No thanks.”
Ayo was a member of Birchester’s magic coven before bonding with Ethan and joining our pack. Ever since we arrested Ayo’s cousin, Nyoka—the former coven leader—for experimenting on and murdering his own people, the coven have been in a shambles. They elected a new leader four months ago, but Will has a list of problems a mile long, and we’re not exactly on good terms.
Between a rise in unemployment because we won the contract to become the new task force, a new levy charged to all members due to the mountain of coven debt, and other supernatural species boycotting coven businesses, many families have been hit hard. The most recent report from the mayor’s office showed an uptick in petty crime by magic-users targeting humans, which immediately makes it a high priority. It’s one of our oldest and most strictly enforced laws to keep the supernatural world a secret from humans.
Ethan scowls at the sausages as he chops them into small chunks. “Half the coven’s problems would be solved if their new council weren’t so fucking stubborn. Can you believe they refused Ayo’s offer again? Their fucking pride is going to be their downfall.”
“I’m not sure why Ayo’s still trying,” I say quietly, glancing at the empty doorway. “I don’t see them changing their minds.”
Ayo made the generous offer to pay off all the coven’s debts, then let them pay him back gradually at an interest rate so low it’s actually below inflation. The new senior council that Will created voted to reject Ayo’s offer, and haven’t changed their minds despite some of their people now relying on food banks to survive.
Ethan’s fierce expression eases. “He has the means to end the suffering of the most vulnerable. He won’t give up.”
Ayo walks in as I’m distributing black beans across the tortillas. “Raj, bro, how’d it go last night?” The young sorcerer goes up on tiptoes to kiss Ethan, gives me a half hug since my hands are full, then makes a beeline for the kettle.
Ayo’s a lot younger and significantly shorter than Ethan and me, with smooth mahogany skin and a high fade, and he prefers to be clean shaven and neatly presented like me. He’s one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met and the whole pack adores him.
Ethan nudges me aside to put the eggs and sausage pieces onto the tortillas. “There’s no one else’s scent on him, sweet thing. That should tell you all you need to know.”
Ayo carefully levitates a teabag towards a mug. It takes several attempts before he manages to get it in, which is to be expected considering he’s only just learnt levitation magic. “Pfft. Raj is a gentleman. He wouldn’t have sex on a first date.”
Ethan and I exchange smirks.
“I was just telling Ethan how I’m going to take a break from dating for a while.” I reach around Ayo to grab my coffee, then slide onto one of the stools at the kitchen island.
Ayo winces. “That bad?”
I shrug. “It was fine, it’s just that after six months of not meeting a woman I really connect with, it feels like maybe it’s time to give up and focus on something else, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it.” Ayo finishes making his tea and slides onto the stool next to me. “So how come you look like you barely slept?”
I groan and sag against him. “Someone moved in with my neighbour a week ago. They like to play music at all hours, and I swear they don’t know what a volume control is. I’m seriously tempted to buy them a decent pair of headphones and leave them outside their door, all gift-wrapped with a bow.”
My tiger isn’t happy about the disturbed sleep, and I keepwaking up in the middle of the night, shifted and grumpy. Suffice it to say, the coffee in my hands will be the first of many today.
