Colin’s textbook. Took both of Colin’s hands in his.
The Alpha’s touch was unbelievably reassuring. His hands were fine and strong, not too big but confident and sinewy. Colin hadn’t realized he still carried the weight of the selkie confrontation. He’d been holding onto it, muscles tense, until Alec touched him. Alpha, here.
Colin looked over at Judd, sitting behind Alec on the other side of the coffee table.
The enforcer was watching them, his big arms flexing and relaxing. Colin was seized by the ridiculous idea that what he should have been doing, from the moment he got home, was snuggling in Judd’s lap. That Judd also needed reassurance. That they ought to be reassuring each other, and because they couldn’t, Alec had to handle them both.
Colin looked back into his Alpha’s kind hazel eyes. “I’m fine. Judd and Kev arrived at the cafe and then Deputy Kettil. Have you met Trick? We brought him home with us. He needs a safe place to stay. I hope it’s okay with you. Judd said you wouldn’t mind. And he’s such a sweetie, and he’s in danger, and he’s, well, kinda my friend.”
Trick appeared, not quite bouncing, subdued even, hovering at the edge of the sunken den. “Like a stray kitten off the street. Hi, Alpha. Thanks for taking me in. I’ll try not to be a bother. I know you don’t need the hassle. I pinky-swear promise not to overstay my welcome.”
Alec squeezed Colin’s hands gently, still looking into Colin’s eyes. You’re one of mine, nothing happened, and you’re safe now. The feeling washed over him, a necessary terrifying important thing.
Colin had to force himself not to cry. He had no idea why. He thought it might be relief.
Finally, Alec let him go, stood up, and approached their newcomer. He raised one hand to Trick’s face, cupped the side, gentle, intent on the dratsie now. Focused attention under which even Trick stilled.
“Oh, wow,” said the otter shifter.
“You’ll stay forever if you need to, okay?”
“Oh, I couldn’t impose. I couldn’t…” Trick flushed, uncomfortable and yet painfully hopeful.
“We have nothing but space,” said Max, who’d followed Alec to the den with a glass of grape juice. He folded his lanky frame into one of the really comfy chairs. “So long as you don’t mind the construction.”
Alec smiled, still focused on Trick. “We’re remodeling the old girl, making improvements, making it better as a pack house. You’ll stay.” His tone was firm.
“Okay. If I could just park my car up the driveway? Sleeping there is fine. I don’t want to put you out.”
Alec clearly didn’t like that idea at all but he also knew when not to push. He wasn’t a dominating Alpha, just a persuasive one. “We’ll talk about it over dinner.”
He dropped his hand from Trick’s face.
Trick scuttled back to the kitchen. “Marvin, I mean, whoa. Dude! Intense boyfriend is intense.”
Marvin smiled big from where he was chopping clams. “Imagine being the focus of all of that in bed?” He waggled his almost non-existent eyebrows for lascivious emphasis.
Trick dropped the spoon he’d picked up in shocked delight. “I can’t even! You lucky bastard.”
Marvin shimmied his hips. “I know, right?”
Lovejoy, captain of his kitchen domain, grumbled at them both. “Less talk, more chowder.” Lovejoy wasn’t singing much these days or dancing about the house. Colin worried about him.
Colin turned back in time to see Alec and Judd clasp hands briefly. Judd was looking up at their Alpha from where he sat, almost worshipful.
“He’s fine,” was all Alec said.
“Thank fuck,” Judd replied.
Colin looked away. This was a private moment between an Alpha and his enforcer. It was not for him, a lowly unranked pack member, and the weakest of the lot, to witness.
He returned to his book. Then he remembered.
“Hang Ten Viking and his assistant Phil are coming by later, take Trick’s statement and talk to us about the incident at the cafe, and stuff.”
“Who?”
“Colin’s moniker for Deputies Kettil and Zarlenga,” Judd explained, voice full of humor, which made Colin oddly proud. “Since Kettil’s half Scandinavian and surfs in his off hours and Zarlenga, well, why do you call him Phil? Isn’t his first name Luca or something?”
Colin didn’t glance up from his book. “Yeah, but he looks like a Phil.”
Alec laughed. “He does. Right, I’ll get ready to charm ‘em.”
“Just keep Isaac with you,” suggested Colin, because Deputy Kettil adored Isaac.
“Fair point.”
“Omega super power, makes our Alpha seem charming?” suggested Judd.
“Are you saying I’m not charming on my own, enforcer mine?”