Both guards dropped their gaze to the hand he showed them. His hand was clasped, as if he held a piece of paper, but there was nothing there.
Faolan rocked back on his heels and made a humming noise, as if slightly confused. “Um. You’re nay holding anything, wee one.”
The man’s gaze dropped to his hand. “Fuck. You’re right.” He glanced behind him, as if searching the ground.
Lire and Faolan went back to their sidebar again, as if the man couldn’t hear them. “Celeste sent him.”
“Aye, but he’s human. One of two things will happen. He’ll think he’s lost his marbles and end up committed once he sees this lot or he’ll end up torn to shreds. I’m nay sure what we are meant to do.”
Why are they calling me human? This is nuts. Celeste told me not to be afraid. This is some freaky serial killer cult shit, isn’t it? I’m going to end up dead and nobody will even look for my body.
“I’ll keep him safe.” The offer left Red before he could stop it from happening. He could hear the man’s thoughts. There was only one reason that could be. The guy belonged to Red.
Three sets of eyes turned his way. Red only had eyes for one. The stranger made his heart beat a little faster. His was the scent Red had been trying to find. “Celeste sent him for me.”
“Are you sure?”
At Faolan’s question, Lire linked fingers with him. “There will be many mates found tonight. Each one will know. If Red knows, then he knows. Everything will be fine. If not, Jonathan will wipe his mind.”
A growl tried rising in Red’s throat. No one would be stealing his mate’s memory. But now wasn’t the time to challenge the king’s guard. Red would have his hands full enough as it was with his mate being human. Fuck his life. It was the annual orgy. As Lire had said, many beings would find their mates tonight. It was always a possibility, a risk they took when they accepted the king’s invitation. Still, Red had not expected this. He had no idea how he would explain the golden nephilim that would soon be making an appearance, nor the other beasts that would come out to play, including his inevitable shift to wolf form. Faolan might be right. The man might very well end up committed after tonight.
Red had to start somewhere. “I’m Red.”
Blue eyes met his stare. “Pierce.”
Damn, he’ll be easy to catch in that white shirt. Not that it matters. I have his scent now.
“Excuse me?”
A smile that felt evil even to Red stretched his lips. Pierce had heard his thoughts. “Nothing. You should stick with me. Celeste sent you into a dangerous crowd.”
Pierce’s gaze swept the crowd before landing on Red again. He looked every bit as unwilling to focus on anything else as Red had been since spotting Pierce. “How am I supposed to know I’m safe with you?”
“You can’t, but you do, don’t you?”
Pierce nodded.
A tightness started in Red’s chest and rose into his throat. This was the person Celeste had chosen for him. He hadn’t expected to ever be so blessed.
To his surprise, Pierce touched his arm. He immediately drew away again, as if he expected to get hit if Red read too much into the caress. “Are you okay?” Pierce’s hand still hovered in the air, as if he still wanted to touch Red. It hit Red that Pierce probably came from a place that had always rejected him. As the human-fated mate to a wolf, Pierce likely didn’t fit in anywhere else. His place had always been here. Red wanted to hear his every story. There suddenly didn’t feel like enough hours in the day, especially tonight of all nights. By the gods, what had Celeste been thinking? Not that Red was complaining. He very much wanted this.
Red nodded as he realized he hadn’t responded to Pierce’s question. He took Pierce’s hand between his. “Let me find you something to drink. This night is about to get wild for you.”
Pierce’s mouth lifted in one corner in an adorable half smile. “It’s already been pretty fucking surreal.”
He was in for one hell of a surprise. Things were about to get way out of his realm of acceptance. All Red could do was keep him distracted while hoping like hell Pierce didn’t run for the hills. It was a good thing Red was a dog at heart and loved chasing shiny things. Pierce was very put together and perfectly styled. The Louisiana heat hadn’t wrinkled him at all. Red hoped the guy was every bit as poised on the inside. Reality was about to shock him to his core.
Pierce couldn’t stop looking in every direction while internally squealing like a teenage girl. He should feel stupid while holding the hand of a perfect stranger, but Red was incredibly sexy. He was all muscle and tattoos. Bald head and built like a fucking tank. He had piercing silver eyes that seemed to capture the light from the bonfires in an almost iridescent way.
This was definitely the scariest bunch of people he had ever been around. The place looked like a biker gang meeting. Yet there was also an odd mixture of kilted men and goth dudes milling around as well.
“Are y’all having a costume party?” If so, some people were killing it with their authenticity.
“Something like that. This year is the first time in a millennium that the super blue blood moon falls on Halloween, thinning the veil between worlds and making it the perfect night to celebrate the gods.”
For some reason Pierce couldn’t explain, that didn’t sound as insane as he would have expected. At least, not for New Orleans on Halloween night. “I guess that calls for copious amounts of alcohol.”
A laughing gaze flashed Pierce’s way, making his heart skip a beat. “And sex. Don’t forget about that part.”
Pierce fought a blush. Red did seem extremely sexual. Hell, he already wore a leather vest with no shirt. He was only a couple of arm bands away from being a leather daddy. Humor flashed across Red’s face, as if he read Pierce’s mind. Red headed for the nearest keg and made Pierce a drink. Pierce nodded at a few guys who quickly averted their gazes after returning the gesture. Pierce felt oddly accepted, but not. That was a feeling he was accustomed to enduring, so he sipped his beer in silence. A golden glow captured Pierce’s attention. Before he could turn his head to get a better look, Red touched his arm, stealing his focus.
“Would you like to take a walk?”
Only because Pierce felt in his gut that Red was the reason he had been sent here, he nodded. Honestly, it was too late to fear for his safety at this point.
Red took Pierce’s cup and set it aside before linking fingers with him. Together, they headed for the nearby tree line. Side by side, they wandered into the woods. Pierce split his attention between the warmth of Red’s palm against his and keeping an eye out for snakes.
A sexy, deep chuckle rumbled from Red. It almost sounded like a growl. “You don’t have to worry about the wildlife. I’ll keep you safe.”
Pierce’s shoulders relaxed. He couldn’t explain his reaction, but he truly felt safe with Red. “Okay.”
“How old are you, Pierce?”
Damn. Pierce liked the way his name sounded on Red’s lips. “Twenty-two.”
Jesus.
For a moment, Pierce blinked in confusion. He could have sworn the curse brushed his mind rather than coming from Red’s lips. Pierce shook off the thought. The heat must have the alcohol going to his head much faster than normal. He forced a chuckle. “How old are you?”