by Shea Balik
“Hello?” Iniko snapped his fingers to get either Edrick or Nole’s attention. “Computer. Printer. Hell, at this point I’d take paper and crayons.”
It was Nole who noticed him first. “Oh. Sorry. What?”
Iniko rolled his eyes at their disbelief. They really needed to spend more time at the grocery store to see him in action. Iniko might not always say the right things in social situations but everyone knew when they came into his store, Iniko would have what they needed. He was someone who anticipated what people wanted and would get it for them.
It didn’t surprise him at all that those men on the porch, who he’d dealt with several times a week, knew if he said he would listen to their issues, he would most likely fix them. Iniko had assumed the whole town knew that. Apparently, he was wrong if the four men staring at him like he’d grown two heads for managing to so quickly get rid of those demanding to see the Alpha.
“Computer, printer,” he bit out, hoping by only using the two words, he could stop himself from saying something that would get him in hot water with the Alpha – again.
CHAPTER 4
Even the chill in the cold morning air couldn’t stop the beads of sweat from popping up along Greyson’s body. It had been a hard decision, but in the end he and his friends had decided it was best if he approached the town of Miracle by himself in order to assess if it was safe.
The choice had been between two evils. Find a hiding place and pray their old Alpha’s men didn’t find them. Or go to Miracle, where they would be surrounded by strangers and pray no one tried to kill them.
Neither option was exactly pleasant, but at least they would have a chance to get away from those chasing them. Who was he kidding? With Kylo no longer responsive and Elton in enough pain to slow him down, there was no way his friends would be able to stay ahead of the alpha’s men if they got too close.
Their only hope was for Greyson to find help in Miracle. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the name considering that was exactly what they would need if they had any hope of coming out of this alive.
It had taken Greyson an hour before he’d laid eyes on… To be honest, he had no idea what to call it. The sign welcoming him to Miracle was on the ground, propped semi-upright against a post that was leaning over so far, Greyson was sure it would only take a puff of wind to knock it down.
His stomach plummeted. If this was any indication of Miracle, there wasn’t much hope for Greyson and his friends. Reluctantly, he lifted his gaze from the worn sign to the road that led into the town and he nearly turned on his heel to gather his friends and get as far as he could from this dump.
The only problem with that plan was they didn’t have a plan B. Not that he could consider this town much of a plan A, but it was better than nothing. Greyson stared at the three buildings standing amongst the rubble of the rest of the strip of what he assumed was their Main Street. Men scurried around, some removing the debris, others working on a fourth building.
It wasn’t much, but at least the residents were attempting to improve this dilapidated town. Could it be called a town with only three buildings? Greyson wasn’t sure. He’d been through some pretty small towns, but this took the cake. Then again, there had to be at least a hundred men that he could see working.
“Put it right there, Blaze.”
Greyson’s gaze landed on the face of the sweetest voice he’d ever heard. Dumbstruck, he blatantly stared at the man who owned it. He had to be dreaming. It wasn’t until his ever hardening cock pushed against the teeth of zipper, causing Greyson to bite back a curse of pain, that he knew, without a doubt, the vision before him was not only real, he was Greyson’s mate.
He couldn’t scent him from this distance but Greyson didn’t need something as mundane as the man’s smell to know the truth. No. The man before him was heaven on earth and all Greyson’s if his body’s reaction had any say in the matter.
Greyson didn’t even bother to hide his moan of pleasure at the way his mate’s deep blue hair, highlighted with strands of pink, was messy, almost as if he’d just been fucked within an inch of his life. That moan turned into a growl of displeasure. No one had better have touched his little man if they knew what was good for them.
Greyson didn’t share, period.
He wasn’t sure when he’d made the decision to go up to his mate, but that’s where he found himself a minute later as the little man continued to bark out orders.
“Reed, make sure to fill the cooler with lots of ice and have one of the stronger men help you to carry it.” Greyson’s mate ran his fingers through his hair, causing the longer strands on top to move from the left side of his head to the right.
Greyson’s fingers actually itched for the chance to feel those lustrous locks. Maybe even mess them up himself.
Brown eyes with flecks of honey in them drew Greyson closer. He was in awe as he watched the stunning, self-assured man order those much bigger than him about. “Blaze, can you follow him? Reed is going to take what I said as a challenge and we both know he can’t carry that cooler empty much less full of ice and water.”
The man called Blaze chuckled. “Sure. But in exchange I want to be first in line to talk with you.” The big man frowned and shook his head, making him appear a bit defeated. “Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to help with the construction but…”
Greyson’s mate waved a hand in Blaze’s direction as if dismissing him. Blaze stood up straighter and for a moment Greyson thought for sure he was going to hit the colorful man.
He took a step even closer to warn Blaze to back the fuck off but before he could open his mouth, his mate said, “Please, we both know you love martial arts.” One small shoulder lifted a bit in the air as Greyson’s mate arranged several pads of paper, pens, and laptop on the table so everything was perfectly in line. “And let’s face it, there are more than a few here who could use training. With your patience, you’d make a great instructor.”
Blaze went from angry to elated in a blink of an eye. “I’ve always wanted to open my own Dojo. Do you think that would be possible, Iniko?”
Iniko.
So that was his mate’s name. Greyson repeated it several times in his head, liking the way it sounded.
“Stop fishing for compliments and go help Reed before he ends up crushed by the cooler.” It wasn’t until Blaze headed across the street to the store Reed had gone in to that Greyson took his chance.
He reached out and touched his mate’s arm. Sparks flew as warmth flooded Greyson’s skin as if he were the middle of that fire his old alpha had used to try and kill him. “Iniko,” he whispered.
In his mind, Greyson had imagined his mate turning to face Greyson, instantly fall in love with him and throw himself into Greyson’s arms. Too bad reality took a far different approach.
His mate did whirl to face Greyson, but it was his scream of fear that started the deviation between fantasy and reality. It didn’t help that he was clutching his chest as if he were having a heart attack. But it was when Iniko opened his mouth, that things really went downhill.
“Are you out of your damn mind scaring me half to death? What the fuck is wrong with you?” The honey colored flecks in Iniko’s eyes turned molten as he unleashed his wrath on Greyson. He was gorgeous.
Greyson was tempted to keep his mate angry all the time just to see this side of his fiery mate. At the same time, Greyson couldn’t help but wonder if his eyes would burn just as intensely in bed.
He couldn’t remember ever being turned on by anyone who was yelling at him. Then again, due to his years of being on the run for being gay, Greyson hadn’t allowed his body to want anyone. No. Greyson’s friends had taught him a hard lesson about giving into his body’s cravings. It was something Greyson swore he’d never let himself do.
But this was his mate and Greyson would be damned if he ignored fate and ran away from the tempting sight before him. “Sorry,” He said trying to stop Iniko’s tirade. “I was just surprised to find my mate.�
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“Mate?” Iniko shrieked. Then he stopped and scented the air, leaning in closer to Greyson when he’d smelled something he liked. When he leaned in again, his nose was pressed up against Greyson’s chest.
Iniko lifted his head as if to try and shove his nose into the curve of Greyson’s neck, but their height difference didn’t allow it. So Greyson leaned down and his mate took full advantage by inhaling deeply and sighing as he rested his head against Greyson’s shoulders.
“Jasmine.” Iniko let out a whimper of pleasure before breathing in once more.
Whether it was the sound of Iniko’s voice or the way he felt pressed up against Greyson that sent all his blood down into his dick, Greyson wasn’t sure but if he didn’t find a way to get control of his body, he was going to come right there on the side of the street.
Just when Greyson was sure he was going to blow, Iniko pushed away from him, his eyes were wide and frightened. “No,” he cried out.
Just then the behemoth, Blaze, came running across the street. “Iniko, are you okay?”
Blaze’s dark eyes were staring right at Greyson, silently warning him not to make a move. But the need to comfort his mate overrode any warnings the other man could give. Greyson didn’t give a shit about Blaze, his only concern was for Iniko.
“Okay?” Iniko shrieked, stopping Greyson just as he’d taken a step closer to his mate. “Okay? No, I’m not okay.” Iniko pointed at Greyson. “This man is determined to make me his slave and I won’t do it.”
Slave?
Greyson wasn’t quite sure what was happening but he sensed the need for caution. His mate was clearly upset. It was killing Greyson that he was the cause but he wished to God he knew why. What he said didn’t make any sense.
Blaze growled at Greyson and made a threatening step forward. Ignoring the posturing, Greyson kept his focus on his mate. “Why would I make my mate a slave?”
“Mate?” Blaze glanced from Greyson to Iniko. “Is he telling the truth? Are you his mate?”
Iniko’s panic increased to a full-blown freak out. “Mate,” he squeaked. His head pivoted from Greyson to Blaze so many times as his fingers carved a path into his messy strands to grab ahold and tug.
Greyson winced, sure Iniko was about to pull the pretty strands right out of his scalp. He started to move toward his mate once more but again was stopped when Iniko let out a cry of alarm.
“No. I don’t want a mate. I won’t be some man’s slave. This can’t be happening.” Without another word Iniko turned and ran diagonally across the street and entered a place called Mousetrap.
Greyson’s hand went to his chest, sure there was a gaping hole where his heart had just been ripped out. His own mate rejected him. He’d met plenty of people who’d done the same in fear of being hunted and killed because they were the same sex but never in a million years had Greyson honestly believed his own mate would discard him like yesterday’s trash.
“Hey.” Blaze placed a hand on Greyson’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Iniko is…well he’s…unique. He tends to say things he regrets. Give him a chance to calm down and I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Greyson said as he continued to stare at the door through which his mate had disappeared.
“I wish I could say that won’t happen, but we all know too well it can. With Iniko…” Blaze hesitated again when speaking about Iniko, causing Greyson to wonder what had happened to his mate to make those around him so unsure of his behavior. “Look, you’re new to town. Let me take you to our alpha for an introduction and see if we can’t find someplace for you to camp.”
The reminder of why he was there in the first place allowed Greyson to put thoughts of Iniko to the side while he figured out what to do about his friends. He prayed Miracle was safe for all of them because there was no way Greyson would leave his mate.
CHAPTER 5
“Help,” Iniko screeched as he rushed into Mousetrap. “I don’t want to be a slave.”
A deafening silence enveloped him. It wasn’t until he felt about a hundred pairs of eyes on him that Iniko remembered it was lunchtime. Of course, it was. Why would he expect anything else?
There were always witnesses to his humiliation. He should be thanking his lucky stars Edrick wasn’t there.
“Who’s trying to make you a slave?” Edrick growled out as he stormed in from the kitchen.
Iniko closed his eyes in dismay. Why had he thought for a second his life would ever grant him any kind of reprieve?
The problem was, even though Iniko knew everyone there would probably end up laughing at him, he was too damned afraid of what finding his mate would mean for him. Those emotions were in control and to his horror, Iniko opened his mouth and cried, “My mate.”
That silence from when he first entered was back for a moment. But instead of someone asking him if he needed help or where Iniko’s mate was so they could force him to leave Miracle, the whole restaurant went back to eating as if nothing life-altering had occurred.
What was wrong with these people? Iniko’s world was falling apart and they were acting as if it were any other day.
Even Edrick smirked instead of being the alpha he was supposed to be and defend Iniko.
Only Harper and Jari seemed to understand Iniko’s devastation. His friends rushed to his side and pulled him into a group hug.
“It will be okay,” Harper said sympathetically.
Iniko jerked away from the hug, sure his friends had lost their ever-loving minds. “Are you crazy?” he accused them. “Didn’t you hear me? My mate is here and he’s going to turn me into a slave. What part of that is okay?”
“Did he actually tell you he planned to enslave you?” Edrick asked, although his tone clearly indicated he didn’t believe anything Iniko was saying.
“Does it matter?” Iniko shot back. “Don’t all mates turn their weaker mates into nothing more than indentured servants?”
Iniko cringed at the glare Edrick sent his way. Great. He’d just insulted the alpha. Could this day get any worse?
“Nole isn’t a servant,” Edrick bit out. “He’s my mate. My equal. My life. Maybe you should think about that and all the other great matings we have in Miracle before you make assumptions about your own mate. Did you even give him a chance before believing the worst of him?”
Iniko felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. The last thing he wanted to do was admit he hadn’t even learned his mate’s name, much less found out anything about him. Well, other than his smell, which still had his dick begging for relief even as terrified as he’d been.
“No,” he confessed quietly. “But that doesn’t make me wrong.” He looked to his friends for confirmation of his words. “There were plenty of couples in our colony who abused their mates. They were forced to serve the more powerful one with no ability to say no because of the mate bond.”
A harsh gasp from behind him was the only warning Iniko had been given that his mate was there. He’d smelled the sweetness of jasmine but he’d assumed the aroma had transferred to his clothes when he’d pressed himself up against his mate.
Once more he closed his eyes, praying he had only imagined the gasp, or the overwhelming scent of his mate beckoning him like a siren calling a sailor to his death. Iniko wanted to scream at fate when he heard his mate’s voice.
“Oh, sweetness, I hope you know I would never want that from you.”
The entire restaurant went silent for the third time in about as many minutes. This time, the quiet was much more profound, for everyone in the place made no effort to cover their blatant eavesdropping. Not only were their eyes on Iniko or his mate, but the patrons had turned in their seats for a better view of the spectacle.
There was a small voice inside Iniko’s head warning him to leave before the entire town showed up to watch his humiliation, but it was drowned out by the panic that continued to churn within him. Just once it would be nice to heed that warning instead of acting on th
e need to freak the hell out.
Slowly, he turned to face the one man who had the power to turn Iniko into his mother. A woman who lived her life cowering in fear of the man who was supposed to protect her. “Why would I know that? And why would I ever believe you? You’re clearly the stronger mate so you can say whatever you want in a roomful of people. It’s what happens behind closed doors, where you force me to cook, clean and massage your big-ass nasty feet every night that will tell the real truth of how you feel toward your mate. And I refuse to be beaten because I burn boiling water.”
His mate’s strong chin dropped as he starred at Iniko in… Well, Iniko wasn’t sure what the expression meant. Either it was disbelief, horror, or astonishment. Not that it mattered. He knew his mate was only questioning Iniko’s bluntness, not the truth of his words. Everyone knew a stronger mate meant daily beatings.
Then again, his mate might be horrified that Iniko can’t cook. Too fucking bad. Considering his father tended to start punching his mate in the kitchen for not having dinner on the table the moment he entered the door, even though he came home whenever the hell he pleased, Iniko tended to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. There was no way he was going to learn to cook.
It felt like the eyes of every man in the room were boring into him, judging him, condemning him. It was too much, especially since he could feel his mate’s more acutely than any of the others. He should have just left Miracle when he had the chance.
Then again, there was no time like the present.
Without saying anything else, Iniko took off, running out the back so he wouldn’t have to get any closer to his mate who had been between him and the front door.
“Iniko, wait,” Harper called out.
But Iniko wasn’t waiting for anyone. He needed to get the hell out of town before he found himself chained to the kitchen floor. If only he’d been paying attention to who was in front of him instead of worrying about who was chasing him, Iniko might have noticed Harper’s husband, Krill, before he literally ran into the wall of a man.
