Ask the Oracle (29 page)
Authors: JJ Black
Tags: #Erotic Romance eBooks Totally Bound eBooks Books Romance
red-faced and filled with righteous anger.
“What the fuck, Malachi?” Jai spat at the mountain of man standing before them. “Get
the hell out of our way!”
“You, of course, may pass,” the big man rumbled, his voice deep and rough like gravel,
“but your friend will have to stay here.” His tone brooked no arguments as he eyed Eli
warily. Eli had no idea what the man thought he could possibly do to him. Eli had doubts a
tank would have had any luck taking the gigantic man down.
Jai stomped his foot before giving Malachi a solid punch to the arm. Eli cringed, half
expecting to hear his friend’s bones crunching on impact. “We have an appointment with
Kellan, you big asshole! If you don’t believe me, why don’t you go ask our fearless leader?
While you’re there, you can explain why you’re being so unwelcoming to a prospective new
pack member. I’m sure he’s gonna love that,” Jai added, with a glare.
Malachi, sighed, a look of defeat plastered on his face. “Calm down and wait here. I’ve
got to go check it out with the boss,” he grumbled, trudging off in the direction of the big
booth. A few hushed words were spoken before Malachi made his way back to where Jai and
Eli were waiting. Jai had an expectant look on his face and was tapping his foot, obnoxiously,
for effect. When Malachi stopped in front of him, Jai just stared silently into his
face…waiting.
After a moment of silence, Malachi let out an enormous sigh. “Jesus, Jai! Why do you
have to be such a prick all the time? You know I’m just doing my job. How bad would you
feel if I just let anybody in and then somebody took a shot at the boss, huh?”
“Malachi, Kellan stands a better chance of me taking a shot at him than Eli. As a matter
of fact, I think about taking him out at least once or twice a week. If he wants to be a pansy
about it, he should really be more worried about me. I’m not as harmless as I look.” Jai shot
Malachi a look that, Eli assumed, was supposed to come across as dangerous but really did a
better job of making his friend look slightly deranged.
The men were silent for a moment before breaking down laughing like a couple of
loons. By the time they had regained some small amount of control over themselves, both Jai
and Malachi had red faces, slightly puffy and wet with tears.
A fond smile broke out on Malachi’s face and he reached out to pat Jai affectionately on
the back. “You’re a good guy, Jai. Funny as hell and always full of piss and vinegar. Always
makes for an interesting combination.” Throwing a smile in Eli’s direction, Malachi motioned
them forward. “I got the okay from the boss, so you guys are good to go in. Enjoy your
night.”
When Malachi stepped back out of their way, they made their way up onto the dais,
before Eli looked around and found himself instantly locking eyes with the Alpha. The sight
of the man before him left Eli momentarily breathless. Standing this close to the Alpha was
like a punch to the gut. From a distance, he had been handsome. Up close, where Eli could
appreciate the finer details that made up his appearance, the man was absolutely stunning.
His hair was not just brown, as he had originally assumed, but a mix of blonds, browns and
gold. He’d removed his sunglasses so Eli was now able to see that his eyes were a vibrant
shade of green, like the colour of new spring leaves. He was also much bigger up close.
Whether it was his presence, his build or a combination of the two, he seemed to fill the
room. He had to have Eli’s own six foot three beat by at least four inches. This was the first
time in his life Eli had ever felt small and Eli was uncomfortable with how vulnerable he felt
in the presence of the big man. The realisation that, if it came down to it, Kellan Reeves could
take him out without much effort did little to settle Eli’s ragged nerves. The Alpha’s scent
wasn’t helping much, either.
The man’s scent was a mix between a soft spring breeze and something spicy and
warm. It was fresh, clean and definitely not unpleasant, if the state of Eli’s erection was any
means to judge. His wolf, however, was having major issues with it. Eli could feel its hackles
rise as his beast fought to be released. With his close proximity to the Alpha, Eli barely
managed to bite back the growl trying to work its way out of his throat. He bit the inside of
his cheek hard enough to draw blood, hoping to distract his wolf from the man sitting before
them. While he could normally understand his wolf’s thoughts and feelings, at that moment,
they were chaotic and unclear. The fact that he couldn’t tell if his inner wolf wanted to fight
the Alpha or fuck him left Eli feeling unsettled and scared.
The smirk that appeared on Kellan’s face let Eli know he was not hiding his internal
struggle as well as he’d thought. Alpha Reeves stared at him for a moment and Eli again felt
frozen by the power of his gaze. The Alpha’s expression softened briefly before he broke eye
contact, turning to address Jai. The smile that lit his face clearly showed the affection the man
had for Eli’s friend. It made his respect for the Alpha grow.
“Jai, I’m glad you made it tonight. You’ve been missed this week.” His voice was dark
and smooth like whisky. “By some of us more than others…” His gaze flicked to the side,
settling briefly on a dark-haired man sitting to his right. He wasn’t quite as large as Kellan,
but he still had to be over six and a half feet. While his size should have made him menacing,
Eli sensed a gentleness in him that was completely at odds with the powerful man before
him. The man looked up briefly, eyes flicking towards Jai before quickly dropping back to his
lap, where he was fiddling with his cell phone.
“Jai,” the man acknowledged quietly, without looking up.
“Dylan.” Jai smirked. The expression on his friend’s face was one Eli had never seen
before. Equal parts longing and challenge. He knew instantly that there was something
between the two men, but neither seemed willing to acknowledge it.
The silence that followed their greeting was awkward for everyone. Kellan, apparently
impatient with their silence, snorted rudely before turning his attention back to Jai and Eli.
“So, Jai, is this him?”
“Yeah, man. This is him. Kel, I’d like to introduce you to my almost brother, Elijah
Steele. Eli, this is Kellan Reeves, Alpha of the Grand Rapids Pack.”
When Kellan stared silently at him, Eli took that as his sign to make his move. Tilting
his head briefly to the side in a show of respect, he stepped closer, arm outstretched. “Pleased
to meet you, Alpha Reeves.” When his voice came out deep and strong, he couldn’t have
been more grateful. The last thing he needed was for the Alpha to think he was timid or
weak. He needed to be accepted into this pack, and first impressions lasted a lifetime.
Kellan watched him curiously for what seemed like an eternity before he rose and
clasped his hand in return. The moment their hands touched, Eli felt like he had been stuck
with a cattle prod. An electric, burning sensation worked its way up his arm then through
the rest of his body, leaving an odd tingling awareness in its wake. After a brief hesitation,
Kellan released his grip. The Alpha’s face gave nothing away, so instead of shaking out his
arm like he really wanted to do, Eli merely flexed his fingers and lowered them down to his
side.
“The pleasure is all mine, Eli,” Kellan replied, his smirk back in place, retaking his seat.
“So, what brings you to Grand Rapids?”
Looking around at the group surrounding them, Eli’s unease grew. He’d never been
quick to open up around strangers. It would be hard enough having to come clean with
Kellan. There was no way he’d be able to dump his private pain out for all of these people to
see.
“I was actually hoping to set up a private meeting with you to discuss my…situation. I
would hate to interrupt your evening out.” Eli’s eyes flicked briefly to the redhead that was
now strategically pouting next to Kellan. “If it works for you, maybe we could set something
up for later in the week…?” He kept his eyes trained respectfully on the ground as he fought
to catch his breath. God, why the hell did this guy fuck with his head so bad? He honestly
had no explanation for it. Eli had never had this kind of reaction to another wolf. It was
driving him crazy.
A look of understanding appeared on Kellan’s face. The answering smile the Alpha
gave him was lazy and relaxed. “No worries, Eli. You’re not interrupting anything special
.”
Oh, burn on the Ginger.
“I always have time for pack business. Why don’t you go snag a drink from the bar, on
the house, of course, and we’ll get right down to the nitty-gritty of it, all right?” While a
cocky grin twisted his lips, there was warmth in his eyes that assured Eli that he really did
want to help him if he could. With a nod, Eli rose from his seat and headed towards the bar, a
small smile curling his lips and the hope of having a home again slowly growing in his chest.
About the Author
Born and raised in Western Michigan, JJ Black’s love affair with books started young
and has only grown with age. Always a fan of supernatural fiction and romance, JJ
stumbled across the M/M genre and has never looked back.
JJ loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author
biography at
http://www.totallybound.com.
Also by JJ Black
Great Lakes Wolves: Accepting the Alpha
Totally Bound Publishing