Bitten By Mistake by Annabelle Jacobs

With a swift glance out the windscreen and in his side mirrors, he checked the street was clear of pedestrians. Anyone looking out their windows might see something, but Nathan intended to be quick. He let a low growl rumble up through his chest, and as expected, Jared’s head snapped round to face him, eyes wide.
    Inside, Nathan was all smug smiles, but on the outside he kept his expression serious, verging on menacing. Slower than he’d normally shift, Nathan let his control slip enough for his jaw to stretch out and his teeth to lengthen. Fuck, it hurt doing it like that, but he wanted to prove a point. It wasn’t some game they were playing. Shifters were real and dangerous, and Jared needed to understand how much trouble they’d be in if things went wrong.
    “Stop.” Jared’s voice cut through the silence inside the van, clear and strong. Nathan heard the slight tremble in it, but only because his hearing was so sensitive. Jared’s expression was one of fear, yes, but not shock or surprise. It couldn’t be the first time he’d seen someone shift, and that realisation stopped Nathan cold. With a shake of his head, he snapped his features back into place and relaxed into his seat.
    Jared swallowed, the hatred in his eyes clear to see. He hadn’t looked at Nathan like that before, not even in the club when they first met, and Nathan didn’t care to see it again. Sitting in the passenger seat staring back at him, Jared looked as though he would condemn Nathan to death given the opportunity, and he’d be fucking happy to do it.
    “Please don’t do that again.” Jared’s hands were balled into fists either side of his thighs, his whole body tense. “If you were trying to scare me, then consider it a job well done. Thank you for reminding me what you are. I’ll make sure not to forget again.” He held Nathan’s gaze for a moment longer, then turned and faced out the window again.
    Whatever progress they’d made, Nathan had just ruined it with a serious error in judgement. He’d let his temper and pride get the better of him and fucked up big time.
    Damn it!
    “I’m sorry.”
    Jared ignored him, but Nathan forged ahead for all the good it would do. “Jared, would you look at me, please?” Nothing. Nathan hated talking to the back of his head. “Look, that was stupid and cruel. I shouldn’t have done it.”
    More silence, then Jared surprised him by responding. “Then why did you?” His tone might be scathing, and he still wouldn’t look at Nathan, but it was better than silence.
    “You pissed me off.”
    That got a reaction. Jared turned back and glared at him, seeming like he’d leap across the seat and strangle him any second. “ I pissed you off?”
    Nathan would take angry kitten over being ignored any day. He liked his men feisty. Biting back a grin—Jared would definitely try to kill him if he laughed—Nathan attempted to look sorry, when really his emotions had done a one-eighty. Anger and frustration still bubbled under the surface, but with Jared opposite him looking mad as hell, and hot , they’d taken a back seat to the heat working its way out from his groin. Outraged was a good look for Jared, so much better than hate, and flashes of the kiss they’d shared minutes earlier assaulted his mind. God, he was sorely tempted to grab Jared by his T-shirt and haul him in for another.
    Unfortunately he needed to set a few things straight first. Fuck, he hated apologising. Especially when there were better things they could be doing. “Yes. You did. Those two shifters would happily have reported us both if they knew I’d bitten you. The outcome probably resulting in your death and most likely mine too. So forgive me if I was too busy trying to save our lives to introduce you and make you feel special.”
    Jared glared back at him, warring emotions written all over his face as he processed Nathan’s words. Finally he slumped back in his seat with his hands over his face. “Fucking