The Altered (8 page)

“But the bit
about grounding people, that part’s true.” He dropped his hands and
sat upright, still looking down at the table, for which Jordan was
grateful. “We’re supposed to be a calming influence.”

Jordan thought
back to that night in the alleyway and couldn’t help his huff of
disbelief. “Really?”

Daniel
obviously had the same thought, because he grinned. “I know,
right?” It lit up his whole face, and Jordan wanted to touch him so
badly in that moment that he had to clench his fists to stop
reaching out. “I don’t think it works with strangers.
Obviously
. There has to be some level of trust there
already, like with friends or family. Like with Matt.”

And just like
that, Jordan felt his irritation spike all over again. “Like what
with Matt?” His voice came out sharp and accusatory.

Daniel glanced
up at him, then down at where Jordan’s knuckles were almost white
with tension. He frowned but didn’t comment. “He was my best friend
before I changed, and when I saw him for the first time after, he,
um, wanted to cuddle. A lot.”

The low
rumbling growl made its way up from Jordan’s chest, and he didn’t
try to stop it. Luckily, the ambient noise was enough that only
Daniel heard it.

“Oh my God!
Are you trying to get us noticed?”

“Carry on.”
Jordan waved his hand to get Daniel to start talking again.

“Fine, but
calm down.”

Daniel licked
his lips, and Jordan unashamedly thought about doing that to him.
He was swimming in Daniel’s scent now and just wanted to get
closer.

“Anyway, after
we got through that incredibly awkward moment, it got better. I can
still calm him down, but he doesn’t want to touch me all the time.
We’re like brothers now, and it’s good. Safe.”

Daniel’s
expression turned soft part way through as though he’d almost
forgotten who he was talking to. But then Jordan cleared his throat
and Daniel was back to frowning.

“So what about
me, then? What are you doing to me that makes me want to t—” He
stopped, not wanting to reveal how much he wanted to grab hold of
Daniel and just breathe him in. “—makes me want to shift.”

“I’m not
doing
anything. Not on purpose, anyway, believe me.”

“Well, it’s
not me.”

Daniel raised
his head then, just enough to meet Jordan’s gaze and hold it.
“It’s… so much stronger with you.”

Jordan felt it
deep in his belly. “Why?” he asked, not caring how soft and
desperate he sounded.

“I don’t know.
I… maybe it’s….” Daniel stumbled over his words, the first time
Jordan had seen him flustered, and his cheeks were tinged with
pink. “I like you.”

Jordan opened
his mouth to object, because that so wasn’t true.

“Not
like
you
as in think you’re nice, because clearly you’re a bit of an
arsehole.”

Jordan
snorted.

“But you’re…
fuck
. I think you’re hot, okay? And yours is the only
altered form I can see so clearly.”

He said the
last bit so softly, Jordan would never have heard it if he were
fully human.

They sat there
in silence—Daniel looking out the window at the busy street, and
Jordan watching the way his coffee swirled against the side of his
cup. “What now, then? Can we stop it?”

“It only
happens when we see each other. So….”

The thought of
not seeing Daniel again wasn’t as appealing as it should be. He was
stubborn, mouthy, and constantly rubbed Jordan the wrong way. And
on top of everything, he had the power to put Jordan and his
friends in danger. Not that Jordan thought he would. If he was
honest, he’d never thought that, but the possibility was still
there. Even with all that, Jordan didn’t want to let him go.

Trying to
convey as much without sounding crazy or getting laughed at was
another thing entirely. “I don’t want to stop….” The rest of the
words refused to come out, no matter how hard he tried to force
them, but by some miracle Daniel appeared to be on the exact same
page.

“Yeah, me
neither. God knows why, though. The last time we met, you
threatened me, and this hasn’t exactly been the most enjoyable of
conversations.” Daniel tapped the edge of the table with his
fingers, and when he deliberately met Jordan’s gaze for the third
time that morning, Jordan let himself go with it instead of trying
to fight it. He relaxed into the feeling, and immediately the tug
in his belly evened out to a pleasant warmth filling him from the
inside out.

He still
wanted to put his hands all over Daniel, but the urge was easier to
ignore, and he wasn’t caught in Daniel’s gaze or in danger of
leaping over the table to get to him.

Daniel coughed
and looked away quickly. “So, um, that seemed better.”

Jordan grinned
obnoxiously and sat back in his seat. At least he hadn’t been the
only one obviously affected this time.

“Oh, stop
looking so smug.” Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t
help the fact that my biology is messed up. You’re still a
dick.”

Jordan’s grin
got bigger. “A dick that you like, though.”

Daniel was
momentarily lost for words, and Jordan silently congratulated
himself on finally shutting him up.

“You wish,”
Daniel mumbled eventually, pushing his chair back and standing.

And the odd
thing was, Jordan
did
kind of wish, and despite the
annoyance coming off Daniel in waves, he could tell he wasn’t
alone.

Daniel must
have realised this at the same time as Jordan, because his
shoulders stiffened and he glared at Jordan as if daring him to
mention it.

“Look, I’m
sorry for what I said at the library,” Jordan tried instead,
enjoying the confused look now on Daniel’s face. “I shouldn’t have
threatened you.”

He hoped
Daniel appreciated how rare an occurrence this was. Jordan could
count on one hand the number of apologies he’d made since the
change. But they needed to clear the air if they were going to keep
meeting up and not arguing all the time.

He would have
carried out his threat without hesitation if Daniel had gone to the
authorities—not that Jordan was going to mention that. But Daniel
had given him no cause to think he would, and it had been wrong for
Jordan to assume.

“No, you
shouldn’t,” Daniel replied eventually. “If we’re going to give this
a shot…
friends
, I mean,” he added quickly, “then I suggest
we start over again.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

They stood
facing each other, neither of them moving to leave, and Jordan was
at a loss as to what to do next. He’d never been in this situation
before. Making new friends wasn’t something he did. Not since
meeting Keira and Charlie, anyway.

“Oh, for
fuck’s sake. Come on.” Daniel turned and walked toward the door,
leading Jordan outside. He stopped once they were a few feet away
from the coffee shop, pulled his phone out of his pocket and thrust
it at Jordan. “Here. Put your number in, then send yourself a
text.”

For once
Jordan did as he was told without arguing. He handed the phone back
to Daniel and felt his own phone vibrate in his back pocket.

“I work Monday
to Friday, but I get an hour for lunch if you fancy meeting for a
coffee again?” Daniel was busy putting his phone away, so Jordan
hoped he’d missed the way his breath caught.

The animosity
had gone from Daniel’s scent completely, replaced by something warm
and inviting, and Jordan felt a little off balance by the abrupt
change. “Yeah, okay,” he managed. “I’ll be in touch when I know my
hours at the gym.”

They stood
there facing each other again, and Jordan hadn’t felt this awkward
in years. His instincts were crying out for him to reach out and
pull Daniel to him, and what the hell, it wasn’t as if Daniel
didn’t know what Jordan was. He must be used to how tactile
shifters were.

He snagged
Daniel’s arm, not giving himself chance to change his mind, and
drew him into a hug. Daniel stiffened in his arms, and Jordan was
seconds away from stepping back and letting him go, but then Daniel
let his head rest on Jordan’s shoulder. His breath came out in a
long sigh, and Jordan’s skin tickled where the warm gust washed
over his neck.

Daniel wrapped
his arms around Jordan’s waist, holding fast to the back of his
coat. He was surprisingly strong for someone who looked that slim,
and Jordan liked it. They were almost the same height too—Jordan
maybe had an inch on him—and that made what he wanted to do next,
so much easier. He turned his head to the side, giving up on being
subtle, and rubbed his cheek against the side of Daniel’s
throat.

Daniel
laughed, the sound muffled by Jordan’s coat. He pulled back a bit,
so they were facing each other, and raised one eyebrow in
question.

Jordan
shrugged, unapologetically. “Just letting people know we’re
friends.” He still remembered seeing Daniel bloody and bruised.
Having another wolf’s scent on him might deter anyone else who had
the same idea. Jordan wouldn’t be surprised if the two who’d
attacked Daniel had spread the word.

“Mm-hmm. Okay,
well, bye, then.”

“Yeah. See you
next week.” Jordan watched Daniel walk away until he was swallowed
up by the growing crowd of people farther down the path.

He wasn’t
exactly sure what had just happened between them, but he did know
what would happen as soon as he got to the gym.

Keira was
going to be furious.

The house was
empty when Daniel made it back from the coffee shop. He’d stopped
to pick up a sandwich on the way home, and tossed the wrapper in
the bin as he entered the kitchen.

A couple of
dirty plates sat in the sink, and two cups on the draining
board—obviously Ash and Matt had eaten and left already. Daniel
didn’t get the house to himself all that often, and he set himself
up in the living room, taking advantage of not having to fight
anyone for the best spot on the sofa.

He stretched
out and got comfy, sliding his phone out of his pocket so it wasn’t
digging into his arse, and was about to put it on the coffee table
when curiosity got the better of him.

Daniel clicked
on his contacts list and scrolled through to see what name Jordan
had put his number under. He’d bet any money it was his full
name—he looked the sort to do things properly. Daniel would
probably have used some daft nickname or something, anything but
the standard Daniel Fellows.

He grinned
when he reached the C’s and saw Jordan Cole blinking back at him,
and clicked on the Send Message to bring up the text box.

So, Jordan
Cole, do you have a nickname? I should know what your friends call
you if I’m going to be one.

Daniel pressed
Send and put his phone down next to him on the sofa, not expecting
a reply straightaway. His late night had started to catch up with
him, so he closed his eyes and settled in for a nap.

The cushions
were soft underneath him, worn in from years of use, and it didn’t
take him long to doze off. He dreamed of teeth and claws, a dark
alley, and pressure against his back. Matt was there in front of
him, all snarls and hissed words, but Daniel couldn’t see anything.
Matt cried out, and then he was gone, leaving Daniel alone in the
dark, surrounded by the sounds of claws scraping against
brickwork.

No, don’t
leave me!

He couldn’t
move and he couldn’t see and the noises were getting closer.
Fuck
. Just as he felt a whisper of hot breath on his cheek,
he woke up with a start, clutching tight to one of the sofa
cushions.

Jesus
Christ.

He held on to
the cushion, burying his face into the soft material and attempting
to get his heart rate back to normal. He hadn’t had a dream like
that in months. Normally they came after reading about something
pathogen-related in the paper—not that there was much of that these
days—or hearing about another disappearance through one of Matt’s
friends.

Matt had
several contacts in the city, every one of them part of a large
underground shifter network—set up after the facilities were shut
down and altereds refused to register themselves. He’d never asked
to join it, though, not wanting to expose Daniel, but his friends
kept him updated on missing people in their area.

Daniel had no
idea how they got their information or what they did exactly, and
he didn’t want to know.

The
investigation into the altered and the pathogen that made them had
supposedly been put on hold while they found a better way to
extract information. That was bollocks, though, and everyone knew
it. People still disappeared, and testing still happened. Whoever
was doing it this time was just better at hiding it from the
public.

Several deep
breaths later, Daniel felt almost back to normal. He pried his
fingers out of their death grip on the cushion and gingerly pushed
up from the sofa into a sitting position. He shivered as the sweat
on his forehead and the back of his neck cooled, and he wiped his
palms on his jeans.

God, he could
probably do with a shower after that.

He still felt
jittery, jumping when the wind rattled a branch against the window.
He hated this part the most—the aftermath was almost as bad as the
dream itself.

They seemed so
real, so vivid in his mind. The fear and the heartache stayed with
him long after he’d woken, leaving him with a hollow feeling in his
chest that sometimes took hours to shake off. If this had been the
middle of the night, Matt would have been with him. He always heard
when Daniel had a nightmare and was usually the one to shake him
out of them, soothing him with hushed words and strong arms to show
him he was safe.

Being alone
afterwards sucked, and Daniel needed something to take his mind off
it before he let the lingering paranoia get the better of him. He
reached for his phone to call Matt. Just talking to him would be
far better than sitting there in silence.