Page 107 of Poet & Protector

Hearing Nev play was near the top of that list. Unfortunately, in my excitement over my packmates finally bearing witness to my boyfriend’s musical genius, I offered to drive them to the bar…which meant I had to drive them home. I was kicking myself over the fact I’d inadvertently squashed my own chance to steal a few rare late-night hours with Nev. But there was nothing I could do about it now.

When we entered the Burnout, we were greeted by its familiar low light and smoky haze. The bar was crowded with regulars of the biker variety. The Banes sat at their usual table close to the stage. Fey was with them. She’d declined my offer of a ride in favor of going with Dax.

I wasn’t crazy about that development. I didn’t begrudge her the relationship, but I knew via Nev that Dax wasn’t a fan of Nev and my being together. He seemed to believe being gay was an option. I had a lot of opinions about that, but Dax was a Bane, so it was for Ren and Nev to deal with. Fey had always been cool to me, though I’d only recently come out to our pack. If she didn’t like it, she chose to not say anything.

Bryn and Calla headed for the table. I waited until Nev spotted me and offered a quick nod. Ansel and I made our way to the stage where Shay was already hanging out with Nev. We’d followed Logan’s orders and Shay was now a frequent, if controversial, part of our group.

“Hey.” Nev smiled when we reached the stage. “Thanks for coming.”

“I’m excited for the show,” Ansel told him. “It’s been too long since I’ve heard you play.”

He shot me a meaningful look.

“Talk to your sister.” I defended myself. “If she says you can come without her, I’ll bring you along.”

After the near disaster of my clandestine trip with Ansel to the Burnout last year, I’d decided it was wiser to continue my visits alone. Ansel hadn’t been happy about that.

Ignoring my best friend’s sulky expression, I turned to Shay. “You’re in for a treat.”

“So you and Ansel keep telling me,” Shay replied.

To Ansel he said, “I appreciate the invitation.”

“You’re welcome.”

Yet again, Ansel leapt before he looked by asking Shay to join us at the Burnout. Drawing Shay into another scenario where he’d be competing with Ren for Calla’s attention wasn’t a great idea. But I didn’t blame Ansel for inviting him. I was happy to see Shay here, too.

He’d been sitting with us at lunch every day and the more I got to know him, the more I liked him. He easily kept up with the constant banter between Ansel and me, frequently punctuating our conversations with his own witty comments. He also listened carefully and seemed to value Nev’s rare interjections in the storm of chatter, which scored major points with me. Plus, he was into indie music in a big way, which was a huge bonus in our little trio and we were pretty much a quartet now.

Shay seemed incredibly genuine in his approach to the world and to us. At first, I assumed he was only at our table because he hoped to improve his chances with Calla, but that didn’t seem to be true. Yes, whenever he snuck glances at her it was painfully obvious he was all in with his feelings, but that never spilled into his interactions with the rest of us.

Strange as it was, he was beginning to feel like a friend. It was more than a little confusing when one of our alphas seemed fond of him and the other despised him. Not to mention the bizarre request from the Keepers that we take care of Shay while at the same time making sure he knew nothing about our world. I wasn’t sure what exactly they expected us to do with him.

As Shay and Ansel started talking about amps and other equipment on the stage, I sidled toward Nev without getting too close. He watched with a curious expression.

“Soooooo…I kind of messed up,” I told him quietly.

“Messed up what?”

Regret churned in my stomach. “I drove my pack here.”

He frowned for a moment, then grasped what I was saying. “I see. That’s too bad.”

“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Nothing wrong with being nice,” he replied. I could hear his disappointment as clearly as I felt mine. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Maybe I could come back?”

“That’s going to be late.” Nev was doubtful. “The show probably won’t end until midnight and your compound is on the other side of Vail.”

“I’m aware of that,” I said. It came out a little snippy, but that only brought a teasing smile to Nev’s lips.

“And you patrol tomorrow.”

“I’m aware of that, too.” I sighed, then asked sullenly, “Don’t you want me to come back?”

He laughed. “You know I do. But Ansel won’t thank you for being cranky all day tomorrow.”