The leather seats creaked and Pember’s heart thundered as he straddled Blake’s thighs. He gripped the headrest as Blake’s soft mouth slipped to his neck, fangs grazing the cords of his throat, mapping each of them with his tongue.
The cool air conditioning soon evaporated, making the windows fog and Pember’s breaths ragged. He yelped as Blake gripped his waist and pushed him back against the steering wheel, sounding the horn in one sharp blast. They ignored it, and Pember gripped handfuls of Blake’s gym T-shirt as he pulled it up and out of his jogging bottoms.
“Come inside,” Blake growled, running a hand up Pember’s shirt with equal fervour.
“Yes,” he replied, jaw slack.
Somehow, Blake managed to drag them both out of the car, and Pember wasn’t even sure his feet touched the ground until Blake pressed his back up against the front door.
He impatiently kissed Blake’s jaw as he drove a hand into his jacket pocket, snarling when he couldn’t immediately find the keys.
Then Pember saw it—the African Grey parrot sitting on the front wall. “B-Blake,” he shuddered, gripping the alpha’s shoulder as he tried to get his eyes to focus. “Blake, it’s Cherry. Cherry’s on the wall.”
Blake’s head jerked up. “Fuck,” he hissed, stepping back.
Pember whined, following his gaze until it landed on Val’s front door. It was wide open.
“Shit,” Blake said, stepping over the three-foot wall that separated their houses. “Val!” he called from the doorway. “Valerie?”
Pember made a grab for Cherry. She put up a valiant effort to flap away, but he managed to loop his hands around her body to yank her back to earth.
“The house is in darkness,” Blake said, holding out a hand to him.
Pember took it, tucking Cherry under his arm as he hopped over the wall and into her living room. “Val?” he called. “It’s freezing in here. You only left, what, forty-five minutes ago?”
Blake nodded and followed him in. “The back door’s open too. She’s probably gone wandering into the woods again. Do you have any sweets on you?”
Pember snorted. “No, nothing.” He placed Cherry on her perch by the back door, but she immediately flew up to sit on top of the kitchen cabinets.
“Wait here. I’ll go out and find her,” Blake said, beginning to pull off his coat.
Pember exhaled sharply. “What? No, I’m coming too.”
The alpha huffed. “It might’ve been dry in town, but it’s been raining most of the evening here. The undergrowth is going to be incredibly slippery.”
Pember squared his shoulders and crossed his arms. “It’s going to be just as slippy for you as it is for me. Besides, what if you fall and hit your head? Then I’ll have to drag both of your arses back.”
Blake sighed, glancing out the window, then back at Pember. Eventually, he dropped his coat around Pember’s shoulders.
“There’s a torch in the cupboard. Can you find it whilst I check upstairs?”
Pember’s nostrils flared as he slipped Blake’s coat off and hung it over the kitchen chair. “Thanks, but no need.”
Blake frowned, quickly looking away when Pember started to pull off his shirt.
“You sure?” Blake said, peeling his own T-shirt off.
“Yeah,” Pember replied, dipping around the corner to pull off his trousers. Blake said nothing as he went upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. Nervous energy rolled through Pember’s body. His wolf was already there in his mind, padding and pawing beneath his skin. Hewantedto shift, and for the first time it felt as though he and his omega wolf were on the same page.
Less than a minute later, Blake came lurching back downstairs. “She’s taken the throw off the bed.”
“A throw?”
Blake nodded. “There’s this big pink parrot throw that Earnie used to have. I’ve found her wrapped up in it before. She… I think she tries to scent him. It usually means she’s settling in for an illness.”
Pember shuddered. “Oh no.”
“We’ll find her. Last time the doctor recommended that I surround her in Earnie’s scent. Pile up his old clothes,” Blake said, the sound of clothing being discarded and the click of his heart rate monitor being unclipped making Pember flush.
