by M. D. Grimm
Gasping, Derek proceeded to fuck Brian into the couch, wringing sobs and curses from his mate that only excited him further. Brian’s enthusiasm, as always, fed Derek’s own lust, his urge to mate, to become one with another soul. The muscles in his shoulders pulsed, and his wolf howled with triumph, with possession. His mate, his love. He looked down at Brian writhing beneath him, demanding more. He trusted Brian with his very soul, loved him like he loved no other, and would show his beautiful mate that in the best way he knew how. Derek’s fingers dug into Brian’s shoulders as he pushed harder into his mate, making Brian scream.
Brian came first and Derek soon after with a low growl. Derek allowed himself to collapse on top of his mate, pushing him even deeper into the cushions. Derek nuzzled Brian’s neck, and Brian sighed. Brian lifted his arm and reached behind to pet Derek’s head with his slender hand.
“Good boy.”
Derek laughed.
Brian stared blankly at the letter he held. He didn’t know what to do. It was early on Christmas morning, and he’d woken before Derek and fed the dogs. He’d just stopped to admire the Christmas tree with the presents underneath it and was about to take the dogs for a walk when he noticed the envelope next to the front door. It looked as though someone had slid it under sometime during the night. He shuddered to think that someone had skulked around his house last night while he and Derek slept.
The envelope was addressed to him, and Brian recognized Kyle’s large scrawl. His gut tightened into slippery knots, causing pain, and his breath hitched. Kyle had been at his house and he hadn’t known. His home. His place of safety and peace. He knew the feeling of being violated was that prick’s intention, and he did feel violated. He was being watched by unfriendly eyes. Stalked. Hunted. The bastard had done this to him once before. This could not continue.
The dogs stood around him, whimpering, wanting their walk, but Brian barely acknowledged them. His hands shook, and he hated how easily Kyle could make him feel weak.
Motherfucking bastard.
With a scowl that he wasn’t quite feeling, he ripped open the envelope and read the short note inside.
Brian,
After that very rude welcome yesterday, I expect you to meet me, alone, at 9am in the dog park near your house. We have much to discuss, and it would be better discussed in private. You owe me, Brian. You owe me for the time spent in prison and for your betrayal.
Don’t bring your rude lover, he’ll only get in the way, and you wouldn’t want to see him hurt, would you? You know what I’m capable of. You know what I will do if forced. If you even think about going to the cops, remember what you made me do when you left me. I can easily do the same now, with your precious mutts inside. Don’t make me get violent, Brian.
Alone. 9am. Dog park. Consider it a Christmas present from you to me.
K
Brian swallowed with difficulty and looked down at his dogs. His children. If anything happened to them…. Brian trembled as he heard Derek moving around in their bedroom. What was he going to do? He did know what Kyle was capable of doing, knew he wouldn’t have any qualms about setting fire to the house, killing Brian’s dogs, even killing Derek. The man was without conscious, without compassion.
No. Kyle was a monster. And this letter proved it.
“Sorry guys,” he said softly to the dogs. “I don’t think you’ll be getting a walk today.”
Derek strode down the hallway with a smile on his face but then it vanished, and Brian wondered if he looked as sick as he felt. He was probably pale, and the note flapped slightly, clenched by his shaking hands. He could feel the sweat run down his back. Hell, Derek probably smelled his distress.
“Brian?” Derek grabbed hold of his shoulders, concern in his eyes. “What is it?”
Brian said nothing, but offered the letter to Derek, who took it from him and read it. Intense emotions rippled across that much beloved face: first surprise, then anger, then murderous rage. Derek crumpled the letter and growled with such ferocity that all the dogs jostled and bumped behind Brian, hiding from their alpha’s anger.
“Goddamn…. motherfucking… prick… bastard.” Derek seethed, the words rumbling like thunder out of his chest. Brian could barely understand him and knew that Derek was seconds away from shifting. “If he wants a war, he just got himself one. I’ll deal with him.”
The words snapped Brian out of his daze, and he gripped Derek’s arm before he could even turn to go back into the bedroom and dress for battle.
“Wait, don’t! I have a plan. I think —”
“You are staying here. I’ll deal with Kyle myself.”
Brian had never seen his lover so enraged. This went far beyond the anger Brian sensed in Derek whenever an animal died or when an abusive human got off easy. Even more than when a rogue wolf shifter had been stalking them. This was far more personal, and Brian knew what he had to do to calm Derek enough for his partner to think.
Brian kissed him. Passionately, with tongue, gripping Derek’s face between his hands. He pressed his body against Derek and kissed him until Derek wrapped his arms around Brian’s waist, until Derek began to return the kiss and stopped fighting it. Only then did Brian pull back, when he knew that Derek was more able to listen.
It was strange that, for the longest time, Brian had been afraid of Derek’s temper. It had always taken a great deal of courage for him to confront his lover. He knew it was because of Kyle. Kyle’s temper had always ended with Brian being battered and bruised. But Derek had control over his anger. He might shout and punch walls, but senseless physical brutality was something he would never do.
“Derek, I know what you’re feeling. You think I don’t hate Kyle for coming back? For threatening us? I do. But I have a plan to deal with him since the marshals are taking their ever-loving time to get him. Would you please listen?”
Derek grunted.
“Look, I know if we don’t deal with him now, he’ll just become a bigger problem,” Brian continued. “Could we try and handle this without anyone getting killed?”
Derek frowned, but his eyes weren’t glowing anymore and his skin was smooth, no evidence that he might shift.
“We can try. For you.” Derek looked at the eager faces of their dogs, then said, “Why don’t we walk and talk? These guys just look pitiful.”
Brian managed a smile and nodded. “That’d be great.” He felt better and more in control of the situation. Maybe their Christmas wasn’t ruined after all. Brian curled his arm around Derek’s and held on tightly to the leashes as they left the house.
“Kyle doesn’t like dogs,” Brian started. “He’s afraid of them. But he has a phobia about wolves.”
Derek raised an eyebrow and a slow, feral smile spread across his face. “Does he now?”
Brian walked to the dog park at nine, alone. It was rainy and cold and he tucked his hands into his pockets. He wished that it would snow. He loved having a white Christmas, but it only seemed to rain in Washington. Still, it was flipping cold and the wind was brutal. Brian hoped no poor animals were out here, freezing to death.
The hulking figure of his ex stood near a large tree that would mostly shelter them from the elements. The rain slowed to a light drizzle as Brian reached the tree. Kyle turned to him, no smile on his face.
“I was wondering if you’d have the guts to show up,” Kyle said, his tone both bitter and arrogant.
What had he ever seen in this man? Had he really been that desperate? That low in confidence? Sure, his family had cut their ties with him, and he’d been raw and vulnerable but it had been his choice to hook up with this asshole. Now he was paying for that mistake.
“I just came here to say we’re through, Kyle,” Brian said, keeping his voice steady. He stood a bit apart from Kyle and braced himself in case the other man got physical. He’d taken self defense courses for just this reason.
“I’m telling you to stay the hell away from me and my family. Move on. I don’t fucking want you, I do
n’t fucking love you, I don’t fucking need you. Fuck off.” Brian didn’t think he could say it any more plainly than that.
“I don’t believe you,” Kyle said. “You’re mine.” Brian clenched his hands into fists, yearning to slam them into the scumbag’s face.
“Do you have a hearing problem, Kyle?” Brian retorted, barely able to keep his anger at bay. “Stay the hell away from me. What the fuck don’t you believe?”
“You need me,” Kyle said. Then he surprised Brian by stepping up to him and getting down on his knees. He gripped Brian’s hands, which were now out of his pockets, and kissed them. This was completely unexpected.
“Brian, come back to me. I need you.” There was plea in his voice, but Brian could see that Kyle’s gray eyes were still cold. Unfeeling.
“Brian, I love you. We belong together. We need each other. It nearly killed me when you left, baby. Come back to me, and we’ll do things right. I promise, everything will be different. You’ll see. I’ve changed. I’ve changed since you left me. You’re breaking my heart.”
Brian tugged his hands out of Kyle’s grip and took a step back. Then another. “You don’t have a heart,” he said stiffly. “You never did. You’re a manipulator, a fucking user. I will never take you back. Ever. I’d rather be alone than be with you. I’m telling you one more time. Stay. The fuck. Away.”
Brian turned on his heel and walked away, his shoulders back, his head high, his heart quaking, and his legs shaking.
Leave me alone, Kyle. Please, leave me alone.
“You filthy little ungrateful whore!” Kyle bellowed.
Brian heard the distinctive cock of a gun hammer. He spun around to see Kyle pointing a revolver at him. He’s actually going to fucking shoot me? Even with all the threats, all the aggression, Brian never wanted to believe Kyle was capable of murder. But his hope was blown away by the harsh wind as he stared down the barrel of the revolver. A lump of ice lodged itself inside his stomach and froze his insides.
“Have you lost your fucking mind, Kyle?” Brian shouted.
“If I have, it’s your fault, Brian!” Kyle was shaking, his eyes were crazed. “It’s all your fault. And now you’re going to pay for it.”
Brian stiffened, terror rendering his limbs motionless. But then a black shape crept out from behind a small grove of trees and slipped silently behind Kyle’s back.
“I gave you everything!” Kyle was still shouting. “And what fucking thanks do I get? You go fuck some Injun, some nobody, bending over for God knows how many other men! And you have the nerve to fucking reject me?”
The moment Kyle raised the weapon higher, Derek sprang. A hundred and fifty pound wolf shifter, broad-shouldered, long-bodied, with enormous, lethal claws and a mouth full of razor teeth landed on Kyle’s back, forcing him to the ground. The suddenness of the attack caused Kyle’s hand to spasm, and the shot rang in Brian’s ears just as his leg began to burn. He stumbled and fell to the ground, gasping in shock more than pain.
Derek pinned Kyle down and clamped his large mouth around Kyle’s neck. He wasn’t biting down hard enough to draw blood, but Brian knew Derek wanted to, and he understood how much control Derek was exercising to keep from killing Kyle.
Brian looked down at his leg. He was bleeding, but after he investigated, he realized that the bullet had only grazed him. It still hurt like a son of a bitch, but it wasn’t life threatening. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and tied it over the wound to stop the bleeding. Then he stood and limped over to where Kyle lay completely still. As he got closer, he could smell the distinctive odor of urine.
Kyle had peed his pants.
Brian kicked Kyle’s revolver out of his hand and used his sleeve to cover his fingers as he picked the gun up by the grip. “You’re an idiot,” Brian said softly, he sent emotions to Derek, who complied by stepping off Kyle, rolling him over, and then forcing Kyle to look directly into a pissed-off wolf’s face. Brian had to admit that seeing Derek like this even scared him—the growling wolf’s face looked like something out of a nightmare. But that was what he was going for. This plan could only work if Derek was ferocious.
“Kyle,” Brian said softly, stepping over to stand behind Derek, so that Kyle saw both of them. “Think of this as your chance to really change. I want you to think about this wolf. Think of him and know that he will tear your throat out if you ever come near me again. He’s my guardian, and he will kill you—slowly.”
Kyle was terrified. His eyes were impossibly wide, and his pupils were the size of pinpricks. His mouth was opened in a silent scream, and his entire body trembled. He was paler than a ghost, all color had drained from his face. Kyle might have been a monster, but he was also a coward. Brian hoped his cowardice would guide his actions and keep him away. If not, and if the marshals didn’t come soon, he would look the other way as Derek finished him off.
Brian walked away, and Derek followed a short time after, still in wolf form, trotting beside him. He glanced back once to see Kyle slowly roll over. And vomit. He was shaking visibly, and Brian turned away, determined to move on. He would never forget, but he would place Kyle in his past once more. His future was walking beside him, silent on the wet grass. Brian looked down at Derek, the sleek muscles moving and flexing under his dark fur, his ears moving back and forth, catching all the sounds around them; the cars, the birds. The wind through the leaves.
Brian placed his hand on Derek’s back and heard the gentle growl, almost like a purr, that rumbled in his lover’s chest. He was so beautiful.
It was still early and most people were home, inside, opening Christmas presents. They walked a short way to a swift moving river, and Brian emptied the revolver before tossing it into the water. He waited a few minutes for the water to take the gun away before tossing in the bullets. Hopefully it would be a while before the revolver was found.
He took a deep breath and released it slowly. Derek gulped down water from the bank before glancing up, his hair wet and stringy around his jaw, and wagged his tail. Brian smiled and scratched him behind the ears. Derek’s eyes rolled back into his head in response, and Brian chuckled.
“Let’s go home, mate,” Brian told the wolf.
Derek gave him a doggy grin before jumping up, placing his paws on Brian’s shoulders and licking him enthusiastically on the face. Brian laughed and shoved him away, stumbling backward and struggling to keep his balance.
“Stop it, you mutt, or you’ll make me topple into the water.”
Derek snorted and raced off. Brian followed, shaking his head. They hadn’t parked far from the dog park and the river, so they reached the car in just a few minutes. Once there, Derek shifted back into human form and dressed.
Derek grabbed his phone as Brian drove them home and called the police, reporting that he’d seen Kyle in the park. When he was done, he lowered the phone and eyed Brian.
“That better do it,” Derek said as Brian drove them home. “I will kill him if he shows up again.”
“I know.” Brian did know. And he accepted it.
Finally. It was the only thought Derek had as they all sat down—the nine of them, counting the animals—by the Christmas tree and began to open presents.
Derek had taken a look at Brian’s leg, and after determining that the bullet wound was minor, he had done the stitching himself. Still, it enraged him to see and smell Brian’s blood, to know who had harmed his mate, and to know that the bastard was still out there. He had been seconds away from killing Kyle, seconds away from feeling Kyle’s warm blood in his mouth. It was only because of his mate that he held back—he had felt Brian’s emotions and knew what his mate wanted him to do. In retrospect, he had hoped their plan would fail, just so he could chew on Kyle’s neck. The man was better dead.
Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts as best he could, he turned his attention to the festively wrapped presents and to Brian, who was grinning and laughing as he opened the presents they each had gotten for the dogs: treats, toys, clot
hes for Fenrir, new collars all around. He wondered with amusement if the dogs had made out better than he had.
Derek and Brian gifted each other movies, books, music—mostly generic but still thoughtful gifts. Then Brian picked up a rectangular present, about the size of an 11” by 14” picture frame. Brian appeared distinctly nervous, and Derek wondered why. None of the other presents had made him nervous.
“This… um… well, I hope you like it,” his mate said hastily, setting the gift in Derek’s hands.
Curious, Derek unwrapped the gift. It was, in fact, a picture frame. But instead of a photograph, there was a painting under the glass. It was of a wolf and a rather scantily clad man, whom Derek instantly recognized as Brian. But a Brian he had never seen before.
His mate’s ancestors were Celts, and the essence and warrior nature of the Celts was captured in the man in the painting who bore Brian’s features. Warrior’s garb, weapons, war paint, and even the very long hair made the Brian in the painting look like a very sexy warrior. The kilt showed off killer legs, and this Brian was more heavily muscled, with an axe in one hand and a sword in the other. His chest was bare and painted as well, a deep blue like the paint on his face.
Derek’s eyes traveled from the man to the wolf. It was him, he knew it was. But… the wolf almost looked ethereal, like a wolf spirit, with eerily glowing eyes, and a strange aura that emanated from the creature’s body. There was a luminous and lustrous quality to the fur that no real wolf would have, but this only added to the spiritual and magical quality of the painting. The background showed mountains and forests, nature in Her most beautiful moment.
The warrior and the wolf stood near each other, and the warrior rested a hand on the wolf’s shoulder, clearly indicating that they were companions.
It was exquisite.
“Did you do this?” Derek whispered.
“Yeah. Remember when I signed up for that art class a couple of months ago? Well, I guess I have a knack. At least, my teacher said so.”
