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“Not at all,” Duncan replied.
“It does not bother me,” Izel said. “I like that you’re so interested in me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Duncan asked Izel playfully. “You think I’m not interesting?”
“You both are, but you being a cheetah isn’t half as interesting as Izel being a reaper.”
“I think you just hurt my tiny feeling.” Duncan held a hand to his chest, pretending to be wounded.
When they entered the parking lot, Izel’s smile faded. He glanced around, making Duncan look around, too. “What is it?”
“A powerful presence,” Izel replied as Duncan grabbed Orion and held on to him. If they were going for another ride to the forest, he wasn’t letting any of them go alone.
They were in this together.
Chapter Eight
Izel didn’t move until the presence he’d sensed was gone. It hadn’t felt malevolent, so Izel hadn’t needed his scythe, but he didn’t like the fact that someone had been watching them.
“Let’s go.” He waited until Orion had climbed into the back before Izel got into the Jeep, still hating this form of transportation. If Duncan hadn’t driven, Izel could have had them back at the house with a snap of his fingers.
“Do you still have that feeling?” Orion asked as Duncan pulled from the parking lot.
“No. Whatever or whomever it was, they are gone now.” Izel watched out the passenger window as Duncan drove, wondering what was going on. He’d never had any issues until he’d met Orion and Duncan, and now he seemed to be knee-deep in mysteriousness.
Orion leaned forward between the seats and turned the radio on. Izel was only half listening to the Luke Combs sing “Beautiful Crazy.” He rubbed his chest, hating and loving that his emotions were no longer as muted as they’d once been.
Izel probably could have dealt with it if they’d slowly returned, but they were returning in full force, all at once. Out of habit when he heard a song that he knew, Izel started singing softly to himself, replacing her with him and she with he.
For some reason, he started thinking of Necalli. He’d been beautiful, so full of life, and had always made Izel smile, no matter what mood he was in. Izel had loved Necalli with all his heart, but that was nothing compared to what Izel already felt toward Duncan and Orion.
When he glanced at them, both men were staring at him, their jaws dropped.
“What?” Izel asked.
“Don’t stop singing,” Orion said. “Oh my god, you have an amazing voice. Why didn’t you sing at the bar?”
Izel shrugged. “I have never sung in front of anyone before. It’s just something I do when I hear a song I know.”
“You missed your calling,” Duncan said. “Like Orion said, don’t stop singing.”
Izel felt his face heat up as he looked back out the window, starting to sing again. Orion took his hand, entwining their fingers as Duncan squeezed Izel’s knee.
Then Duncan turned the song up a little more, and Izel closed his eyes, belting out the lyrics, a little afraid of singing in front of others since his father had always told him he had the singing voice of a wounded buffalo.
Orion lay his head on Izel’s upper arm, singing along. Izel winced but didn’t comment, because he didn’t want to ever hurt his mate’s feelings. Neither mate.
The song changed, and Izel smiled when he heard it was Brett Young singing “Change Your Name.”
Orion looked up at him. “Do you know this one?”
Instead of answering him, Izel sang the song. The look Orion gave him, like he was starstruck, made something inside Izel break open.
“You are definitely singing next karaoke night,” Duncan said. “I’m kind of becoming a fanboy.”
Izel smiled as he continued to sing, letting his window down so he could feel the warm breeze on his face. He brought Orion’s hand to his lips and kissed his mate’s knuckles as he sang the chorus, staring into the human’s pretty hazel eyes. Then he looked at Duncan, winking.
“Fuck, I’m blushing.” Duncan chuckled. “Never been serenaded before.”
