The Altered by Annabelle Jacobs Page B

impossible.
    As soon as the
papers had reported people disappearing, his parents begged him to
go somewhere safer, less exposed. And here he was, ten years
later—with a different name, in a different place, and with
different friends.
    He had Keira,
Charlie, and Sam now, but he couldn’t help thinking he’d have had a
family of his own by now if this hadn’t happened to him. Despite
what Keira said about mates, Jordan couldn’t risk their safety by
trusting someone enough to let them in.
    The
unmistakable scent of coffee caught his attention, and he shook off
the depressing thoughts clouding his brain. This was supposed to be
a nice refreshing walk before spending the afternoon in the gym,
not some maudlin trip down memory lane. Coffee and a muffin sounded
like a good idea before he needed to head back, and he followed his
nose to the nearest source.
     
     
    It hit him
before he’d taken two steps inside the door.
    The familiar
scent of fresh-cut grass undercut with a hint of something sweet.
It reminded Jordan of warm summer days and sent a pleasant hum of
contentment through his whole body. That lasted for all of two
seconds, because then he stiffened as his mind kicked in and he
grasped what it meant.
    Sure enough,
when he glanced around the coffee shop, Daniel was sitting in the
corner by the window, with his book out and his head buried in it.
He hadn’t see Jordan yet, but before Jordan could think of leaving,
Daniel’s head snapped up as if Jordan had shouted his name.
    Their eyes
met, and that same curl of want and need blossomed in Jordan’s
chest. He’d already taken a step forward before he realised he’d
done it, and he proceeded to walk into the back of a nearby chair.
The impact snapped him out of whatever the fuck that was ,
and he cursed as he righted the chair and slid it back under the
table. He wanted to know what the hell Daniel was doing to him and
then get him to stop.
    Jordan turned
back toward the counter, refusing to glance in Daniel’s direction
until he had a coffee and could sit down. Bumping into chairs and
tables with a hot drink in his hand would not be fun.
    He gave the
harried barista his order and shuffled along the counter to pay and
wait for his drink to be made. The spot between his shoulder blades
itched, and he knew without turning around that Daniel was staring
at him. The smell of the coffee and the other people in the room
made it almost impossible for Jordan to get an idea of Daniel’s
emotions, and he felt a little off balance, not knowing what he’d
find when he walked over to Daniel’s table.
    They’d not
exactly parted on the friendliest of terms, which Jordan
acknowledged was entirely down to him, and this probably wasn’t
going to go much better. He liked being in control, needed to be,
and this thing Daniel did to him left him feeling vulnerable in a
way he hadn’t in a long time. It had to stop.
    Jordan
collected his coffee and weaved through the occupied tables, making
sure to keep his eyes lowered until he stood in front of Daniel’s.
He didn’t bother asking for permission, just pulled out the empty
chair and sat down.
    Only then did
he spare Daniel a quick glance.
    “Oh, by all
means, have a seat.” Daniel oozed sarcasm. He gestured to where
Jordan now sat, and his lips were curved up into an unattractive
sneer. But Jordan noticed Daniel didn’t let his gaze linger on
Jordan’s for more than a split second.
    Interesting.
    Jordan took a
sip of his coffee while he watched Daniel fidget across from him.
He closed his book with a sigh, clasped his hands on top of it, and
then muttered a few choice words under his breath that he must have
known Jordan would hear. Jordan felt his lips twitch despite the
situation.
    “Did you
actually want something? Or is this some Neanderthal attempt to try
and intimidate me?” Daniel leaned forward and dropped his voice to
barely above a whisper. “Listen, I don’t give a shit about you or
your friends. Do you