That fox ran into my home as fast as he ran out. The one thing I really couldn’t figure out was why he had to say that cheesy line. “I was trying to get lost.” He was acting like he was James Dean, or some other classic character.

Anyone who’s anyone could see that he was a loner. And all loners want to do is find someone who understands them. I didn’t know if I could understand the guy yet, but he saved my life. If he hadn’t jumped in at the right second, I would’ve been toast.

I was shot before. The first time was right in the gut. It happened right after my 27^th birthday. Some bastard decided to aim his rifle at my face. This was when I was living up north during the cold winters. Things were harder back then. I was left to bleed out.

I was lucky I got myself to safety that day. The hospital said I lost more blood than they’ve ever seen. It was one of those tragic and completely random things. They never found the guy.

Spending time with Tristan set off all kinds of emotions inside of me. I wasn’t prepared for that. I knew all there was to know about being a loner. I was one myself, born and raised. That’s why the emotions hit me. I felt like we were kindred spirits.

I didn’t have the best upbringing in the world. I could never blame my parents for how they raised me, but it wasn’t exactly what you see on television. There was fighting, cheating, and drinking.

I hated thinking about my childhood, so I blocked it out by living alone. That way, I didn’t have to see anyone. It was a defense mechanism. Unfortunately, you don’t get to choose the people who raise you. You only get to choose how you move forward from the experience.

The next day, I woke up at the break of dawn. The birds were chirping around my porch, and the trees looked beautiful. Golden. That’s the only word I could use to describe it.

“Well, you’re looking gorgeous this morning,” I said to the sky while stretching my powerful arms.

“Thanks. You’re not too bad yourself.”

I took a step back in alarm. “What the—”

Tristan laughed and walked right up to the porch, with no hesitation whatsoever. “Dude. Don’t sneak up on me like that. You’ll give me a heart attack!” I exclaimed.

He was a cute fox, with fair skin. His body was toned and sexy. He was wearing a grey v-neck and a faded pair of denim. The first thing I thought to myself was that he looked wholesome and very sexy. He was the ‘good-old-boy’ type, the boy next door. Of course, that stirred up all kinds of emotions inside of me.

“So, you still haven’t told me how you send messages with your mind,” he said. “Let me guess. You were bit by a radioactive spider when you were in high school.”

I smirked and shook my head. “And you haven’t told me how you move things with yours,” I replied.

I let out a quiet chortle. Tristan winked and leaned against the porch railing beside me. “That’s because I don’t really know how I do it. It’s a long story. And I don’t really know you too well yet.”

I nodded and kept my eye on that sunrise. “Fair enough. As for me, I learned how to talk like that a long time ago. It’s a family gift. But I think it’s fairly common,” I said.

“I suppose. My friend could do it. This guy Jackson. He’s one of the jaguar shifters in Frisky Pines. I’ve never met a bear that could speak like that though. It makes me wonder what else you can do,” he said.

I flicked my tongue against the inside of my cheek. Another sly smile revealed my enthusiasm. I really liked the guy. He was cute and undeniably handsome. He was witty and fun to be around. Fuck. He was perfect.

“I can do many, many things,” I said.

He eyed me carefully. “Yeah? Tell me. What kind of things can you do?”

“Well. I can tap my head and rub my stomach. Here. Watch.” I demonstrated my fantastic ability. Tristan didn’t know how to take it, but eventually, he snorted loudly.

“You’re one of a kind, right?” His eyes lowered to the ground once the words came out, almost like he didn’t mean for the truth to come out so fast. I wanted to tell him that it was okay and that I felt the same. I knew that would just complicate things. The last thing I wanted right now was for things to be complicated.

Breaking the ice, I waved him inside. “Come on. Do you want to see the house? I just renovated it.”

“Boring. But sure,” Tristan said. What a smartass!

We walked through the main living room. “This is the living room. I decorated it myself,” I said.

The pictures on the coffee table were from more complicated times. I should have put them away. It was a mistake to display the past. When people found out about what I’ve been through, they usually ran away.

“It’s nice,” he remarked, stopping at one of the frames on a small corner table. “And this is your family?”

My heart was pounding, so I moved fast toward the garage area. “Yeah, distant relatives. Anyway, I want to show you something much cooler.”

He set the photo back down, without giving it any thought. “Cooler? Like what?” he asked.

Walking into the garage, I turned on the light. In the center was my old sports car, but it was totally broken. Tristan smiled to himself and then bit his lower lip. “It’s nice. Do you ride it often?” he asked me.

There was something tantalizing and sexual about seeing the vehicle. Every time I came into the garage, I got a jolt of adrenaline.

“Sometimes,” I lied. I hadn’t driven it in years. “It’s more like a hobby. I like to feel free now and then, but this town isn’t as safe as it used to be. The roads are dirty. The shops are closing down, and hunters are out in the woods all of the time now.”

Tristan nodded and forced a smile. I hoped I didn’t say too revealing. It wasn’t like me to jump into the politics of the region so fast. In the end, I wanted to keep to myself, but the world on this side of the country was more dangerous than the city of Frisky Pines.

But Tristan seemed to agree with me. “It’s weird because I’m from Frisky Pines,” he said. “It’s a much bigger city. There’s not a lot of tolerance out here.”

“So, you’re a city boy, huh?” I laughed and walked closer to him.

He nodded. “Yep. The big city.”

The darkness of the garage created urgent secrecy around us. Sometimes you can just sense compatibility, and I felt so right with him already. It was difficult not to reach out and slide a finger through his belt loops, to pull him closer to me. It didn’t help that my cock was rock solid either.

He cleared his throat, and I quickly came back to my senses. He said, “But I’ve moved here and there, over the years. When I grew up in Frisky Pines, it was a whole other place. I mean, it was in the actual Pines. Now, there are the parks and everything, but it’s a whole city, that’s for sure.”

“I like the city. I’ve always wanted to visit, but I’ve been too busy,” I said.

The air is quiet around us. “So is that what you wanted to show me? The car? You want to take me for a ride or something?”

Oh, goddess yes. I wanted to hop on and let him take control of me right there, on that leather seat.

“Oh!” I cried out. “Right. Yeah, I didn’t bring you in here to show you the car. The thing I wanted to show you is outside.”

I flicked the switch on the garage door and watched as the light poured in. As the door slowly lurched open, Tristan walked beside me. His hand briefly grazed mine. Goosebumps ran across my skin. I so desperately wanted to hold his hand, to give into temptation and desire.

At that moment, our eyes met. Suddenly, everything felt as if it was in clear view. I always came off to new people as an alpha, but I knew what I was deep down. I was an omega, tried and true. That’s what made it so tough.

Our eyes gazed into one another’s, and I felt my slick hole dripping with anticipation. I had to find a way to calm myself down. I didn’t want to fuck this up by rushing into it. Not yet, at least.

I coughed and took a step forward. “Uh, well. It’s right out here. I probably shouldn’t be showing you this. I still don’t know what it is.”

Tristan hesitates for a second and takes a deep breath. “What’re you going to show me? It’s not some dead body or something. Is it?” he asked.

I chuckled and kept walking until the concrete driveway disappeared into the tall, unkempt woods. About a hundred meters out was a wooden door I had built, similar to the storm shelters you’d see in tornado cities.

Tristan didn’t know how to take it. “A basement? Why is it out here in the middle of the woods? Seriously, are you showing me something weird? You’re not one of those sex creeps are you?”

“I’m not a sex creep!” I exclaimed. “It’s like I told you. I don’t know what it is. I built this door to house whatever is underneath it still. I doubt it did anything good, though. Should I unlatch it and show you?”

Tristan nodded, but then quickly put out a hand for me to stop. “Wait. Nothing is going to jump out at me, right?”

“Nah. You’re safe to look at it,” he said.

“Okay.” His breathing was hurried and a little bit frightened. “Look, I just want you to know something. Like, just in case something happens.”

“Go for it,” I said, unlocking the wooden panel.

“You’re incredibly hot. I mean, sexy. I mean. Shit. I’m not saying anything right,” Tristan said, turning a dark shade of red.

At this point, I was on my knees, and my butt was poking out into the air. I turned my head and smiled. “Don’t worry about overstepping my boundaries. I think you’re cute too. I wouldn’t have invited you over if I didn’t think it.”

A smile formed on his face. “Okay,” I thought. “We’ve broken through some ground today.”

“I’m ready,” he said. “Open the door.”

“This is crazy, but here it is,” I said. I nodded and pulled back on the metal clamps. Below the panels, darkness was stewing. “Great goddess,” he whispered. “What… what is it?”

“No idea,” I whispered. “But I don’t think it’s something good. Do you?”

“How should I know?” He laughed and shuffled his feet against the dirt.

In the center of the pit, the black liquid floated silently. It defied all intellect. When you looked at it, it drew you in, but it was almost impossible to know if it was real. It was clear that there was some heavy-duty magic attached to it.

“Watch,” I said. I grabbed a small flower and tossed it into the dark liquid. Quietly, we watched, as it turned hollow and ethereal. It floated downward, until we couldn’t see it any longer. Then, our faces reflected back, but we looked reptilian.

“Man! I can’t keep looking at it. It’s freaking me out. It’s making my head hurt,” he said.

“I know. It does that. That’s what I’m saying. I told you it’s pretty weird,” I said.

I closed the panels back up, double locked it, and stepped back quickly. I could barely take a breath in. I was as strong as two bears combined, but something told me that I would be no match against whatever that liquid was.

Tristan took the liberty to hold onto the back of my jeans, so I didn’t fall in. When I stepped back, my ass rubbed against him. “We should go back inside,” he said.

I could feel his hard-on against me. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and sniffed the air wildly. His scent was so unique. It was like a mixture of orange peels and aged whiskey. It matched his soul, being both old and playful.

“Let’s go,” I agreed. “So did I scare you away? You still want to hang out, or do you have somewhere to be?”

“Does it look like I have somewhere to be? I’ll answer that one for you. No, it doesn’t. I’d love to stay if that’s cool with you,” he said.

I could feel my cheeks turn hot. I became flustered and aroused. I knew I was blushing, and I felt a little embarrassed that our second encounter together was such a weird one. But I could sense that something good was coming.

As we walked into the house, he asked me, “So can I have another sip of that whiskey? Maybe I could check out your bedroom after?”

“That sounds incredible,” I said.