With Caution

still smell funny?”
    Keaton rolled his eyes. “No, and you couldn’t smell yourself even if you did. Or more to the point, the smell wouldn’t have the same effect on you it does others. Your scent changed when Jake claimed you. Or rather when you allowed Jake to claim you.”
    Allowed? “If I hadn’t wanted Jake, my scent wouldn’t have changed?”
    Keaton faced Remi with the potato held out in one hand and the knife in the other.
    “Right. And to keep your scent normal, where no one realizes you’re an omega, he’ll have to reclaim you every so often.”
    “Well, thankfully he’s my mate, huh?”
    “I’ve never heard of an omega whose alpha was also his mate.” Keaton scrunched his face in thought. “Well no, that’s not true, John Carter mentioned a couple when Chay and I got together. But I don’t know them personally.”
    Pita jumped, snagged the potato out of Keaton’s hand and took off running.
    “Son of a bitch. Pita, you little shit, you are in so much trouble.” Keaton started after the puppy, stopping at the kitchen door when he heard the dog door open and close.
    Running over to the window, Keaton stood on tiptoe and peeked outside. “Oh. That dog is dead.”
    Remi chuckled, studying the bowl. It had potato slices in it in all different sizes.
    “Hey, Bit. Why didn’t you cut these with a slicer?”
    “A slicer?” Coming back to the sink, Keaton picked up his knife and another spud.
    “Yeah, it’s a little circular grid thing, cuts it into squares.”
    Still cutting, Keaton looked at him. “How the hell do you know so much about cooking?”
    Remi shrugged. “We take turns cooking dinner at the firehouse. What are you making to go with the fries?”
    “Hamburgers.”
    118
    www.samhainpublishing.com

    With Caution
    “Ham—” Remi shook his head. “Thought you were tired of burgers and pizza.”
    “I am,” Keaton grumbled. “But those are the only two things I know how to make. I have to start somewhere.”
    After chopping his potato into chunks, Remi added them to the bowl. “Where’s Chay?”
    Keaton shook his head and turned to look at Remi. “The offi— Ow. Fuck.” The knife clattered to the sink, followed by the thud of the potato. Blood welled up on his palm.
    Remi snagged Keaton’s wrist. “Let me see.” Pulling it under the running water, he used his thumb to rub the blood off. Grabbing the dishtowel over Keaton’s shoulder, Remi removed Keaton’s hand from the water, intent on putting pressure on it, but there wasn’t a cut. What the fuck? He brought Keaton’s arm up, convinced he was seeing things wrong. “Where did it go?”
    Keaton tugged his hand free, looking at it. His brows drew together. “I know I cut it.
    You saw the blood too, right? I mean we heal fast, but not instantly. That is just fucking— Oh my God! That’s it, that is your gift. You’re a healer.”
    The phone rang.
    Keaton’s mouth dropped open while he stared at Remi. Then he reached around Remi and got the cordless off the counter. “Hello?” He continued to talk, but Remi tuned it out.
    What was going on? Last night after he’d touched the guys, they’d started feeling better. Dago had been favoring his ribs. Remi had been positive from seeing them they were broken, at least one or two of them. But almost immediately Dago had been less sore and barely bruised. Remi had looked again and realized he’d made a mistake, but now…
    “Remi, that was Rhys. He told me to tell you that Sterling—”
    Oh my God. Sterling. Remi started for the door, digging in his pocket for his keys.
    Goddamn, what if he was hurt? Why hadn’t Remi waited until his phone was charged before coming here?

    www.samhainpublishing.com 119
    J.L. Langley
    “Remi, wait.” Catching his arm, Keaton halted him. “Jake was there and went to get Sterling.”
    Sterling is okay. He’s with Jake. Jake won’t let anyone hurt him. Remi kept repeating it to himself, trying to calm his racing heart. “Mind if I use your phone?”
    Keaton handed it to him. “Here.”
    He dialed Jake’s cell phone.
    Jake answered it on the first ring. “He’s fine. We’re on the way to your apartment.”
    Remi heard Sterling laughing in the background. Oh fuck . Smacking the kitchen counter with his fist, Remi let out the breath he’d been holding.

    * * *

    “He hit Mom because I went to Hell’s Kitchen to have a few drinks?” Remi asked, only half believing what he’d heard, and leaned back on his couch. Dirk