by Maggie Walsh
“How long are we to stay like this?” Gill managed to get out as he panted heavily.
“I’m not sure, it could be minutes or hours,” Russell replied, and Gill could hear the smile in his voice.
“I can live with that,” Gill said as he cuddled closer against Russell’s chest and just enjoyed the mind-blowing pleasure that was consuming his body, mind, and soul.
CHAPTER 12
Never in a million years had Savage ever thought he would be able to experience the pure bliss of knotting like one of his creatures. The Saber tooth was not the only being that knotted their mate, but from what he had witnessed many years ago from the breed, it was the most intense.
He hadn’t planned on doing it, hadn’t even thought of it, but when Gill’s blood, his essence, flowed down his throat and Savage was filled with unimaginable pleasure, the saber tooth had roared the loudest inside him, and the thought struck him. Savage was thrilled beyond compare when his Gill had agreed to it.
It had been four days since that glorious night and Savage still couldn’t stop thinking about it, and every time he did, a tingle of delight raced through him. After he spent nearly an hour locked inside his mate before the knot released and his cock shifted back to his own, they were both exhausted and wrung out. As the knot kept them together, it also pulled multiple orgasms from them both.
Savage had let the water out of the tub and quickly refilled it halfway before he grabbed a cloth and cleaned them both. Gill was not much help as he lay motionless in Savage’s arms the whole time. Once Savage had them both rinsed, he carried his mate to their bed, then climbed in beside him and curled his large body around Gill’s, spooning him.
Gill let out a contented sigh as he pressed closer to him, but he never fully awakened. Savage couldn’t agree with his mate more on feeling content and complete for the first time in his long life. They were both asleep quickly and when Savage awoke the next day, he had never felt more refreshed. Having his mate in his arms all night was the best feeling in the world.
Now he sat looking over a few files that Wade had emailed him the day before about the Senator they were investigating. There was nothing concrete, but from Savage’s experience there was more than enough circumstantial evidence that he was confident this asshole was the one they had been looking for.
Savage sighed heavily as he thought about his phone conversation earlier with Wade. It looked as if he was needed back in Crystal to help his boys with this case, but Savage didn’t want to leave Gill behind.
Since their claiming, they had spent every waking moment together, making love in many places around the house and the island, as well as taking walks, swimming, and sharing every meal together. This morning’s phone call was the first time they had been apart in days and Savage wasn’t liking it. Every beast inside him was completely enamored with their mate and protested about being separated from Gill for even a moment, but the call from Wade was too important to not take.
Gill had smiled sweetly and told him it was okay, then grabbed a notebook and pencil and said he was heading out to the hammock in the garden to write. That had been four hours ago, and Savage was missing his man.
Standing, he made his way through the house, stopping in the kitchen to talk to Lani. “Has Gill eaten lunch yet?”
Lani turned to him with a smile. “No, Savage. He said he wanted to wait for you. If you had spent another hour in there, I would have come after you so that boy could eat. He’s doing great in his recovery and after what Teague did for him, it’s as if he was never injured, but that young man still looks tired and underweight,” Lani admonished.
“I know and thank you, Lani. I didn’t expect to spend so much time in my office but unfortunately it couldn’t be helped.”
“Master Wade and your men?”
“Yes, they have some evidence in our case and Wade could use me there.”
Lani turned to fully face him, her eyes showing her concern. “What about Gill? Do you think it’s safe for him to return to the States?”
Savage nodded. “Yes. The threat that originally hurt him has been taken care of and we don’t have to worry about that any longer, but I do still worry about his parents. From what Gill has told me they aren’t very loving or accepting of him.
“But Master Wade and the others are in Crystal correct? And Gill’s parents are in Maddox, so maybe there’s nothing to worry about if he goes with you?” Lani said hopefully.
Savage chuckled as he swiped a grape from the fruit bowl and tossed it into his mouth. “Are you trying to get rid of us, Lani? Some kind of hot date or something I don’t know about?” Savage teased.
Lani burst out laughing as she flicked the kitchen towel she was holding in his direction. “As if. I just know that since your mating, neither of you want to be apart. Which is a good thing. I have a feeling if you try to leave Gill behind, even for a few hours, it will not go over well for you.”
“And Lani would be right,” Gill said, his voice coming from the back door leading out into the gardens.
Savage and Lani both turned from the sound of his voice, and Savage met his mate halfway, scooping Gill up into his arms and kissing him. Once he was satisfied with the length and depth of the kiss, Savage pulled back, allowing Gill’s feet to touch the floor again.
Gill’s eyes were glazed over, and his mouth hung slightly open, making Savage smile. Gill blinked a few times before his sight cleared and he met Savage’s gaze, then narrowed his eyes. “Don’t think you can distract me with a toe-curling kiss, mate. Do you really have to go?”
Savage smiled at his mate but sighed at the same time as he ran his hands along Gill’s back. “I’m afraid so, Sunshine. Wade and the men could use my help and seeing as I am their commanding officer, well, used to be, I should really be there.”
“Then I want to come too. I know you told me that… thing. That cursed man who attacked me is gone so Crystal should be safe for me.”
“I’m sure you will be safe, mate. Especially since you will have me, Wade, his mate Suneth, as well as all their men and the council there to protect you, but are you sure you’re up to the trip? I know you’re all healed, but you do still look a bit tired.”
Gill smiled as he leaned up on tiptoes and kissed the underside of Savage’s chin. “I feel great, Russell, I promise. I feel better than I have in my whole life actually. And maybe while we’re there I could get some of my things, maybe see Tobias and Benji?”
“Does going to Maddox and seeing your parents come with getting your things?” Savage asked gently.
Gill sighed and leaned into his embrace. “Unfortunately, yes. I don’t have much stuff at the shelter in Crystal and everything I actually want, things that mean anything to me, are back in my parents’ home in Maddox, so… yes.”
Savage raised his hand, placed in on Gill’s head, then gently ran it over his hair. “I don’t think we’ll have anything to worry about, but I do think you need to face your parents and be honest with them. Well, honest about how you feel and that you’ll be leaving Maddox and moving away with me. But if you are coming with me, then I need to warn you about something Wade told me this morning.”
Gill’s eyes widened with worry as he looked into Savage’s eyes. “What?”
“Wade said something about your father causing a stink with you being gone. He has the officials in Maddox looking for you. Pauly is holding him off and telling him they are looking, but keeping our secrets that you are here, safe.”
“O… kay. Why?” Gill asked.
“Your father has said some things about having the person responsible for taking you arrested. And everyone knows the truth about what happened to you and that I took you away from there. Wade, Illan, and the others don’t think there will be a problem, but with the things you have told me about your father, I want to make sure he doesn’t try to take you, or attack you,” Russell explained.
Gill’s brows creased as his eyes turned angry. “I’m really tired of them trying
to control my life. I’m a grown ass man and I should be able to make my own decisions.”
“I completely agree, mate. You’re correct. You’re a grown man and nobody, including me, has a right to tell you what to do. But I did want you prepared for what we may face when we return.”
A smile grew across Gill’s lips as he pressed his body flush against Savage’s. “We?”
Savage chuckled as he leaned down. “Yes, we. As long as you promise to stay by my side, so I can protect you.” Savage kissed his mate gently before pulling back.
“So, when do we leave? How long will it take us to get there? What should I pack? Shit I don’t have anything to pack,” Gill said as he moved from Savage’s embrace.
“We can leave any time you want, mate, and as for how long it will take? I already explained to you how I can travel through portals, so we can just step through and magically be back in Crystal in a step. As for packing, we can go shopping while we’re there and you can buy yourself anything you need before we come home.”
Gill smiled brightly again. “Home. I like the sound of that.”
“Well, this is our home, mate.”
Gill closed the distance between them again as he jumped up on Savage, wrapping his arms and legs around him and Savage caught him easily. “Yes. Our home,” Gill replied, then kissed him hard.
As Gill devoured his mouth, not that Savage was complaining, he heard a throat clearing. They broke the kiss and looked to Lani who was still standing there. “How about I finish making your lunch, then serve it out in the garden, then when you’re ready to leave, you’ll at least have full stomachs?”
Savage smiled. “That sounds like a great idea. Thank you, Lani.”
CHAPTER 13
“So let me get this straight, you’re a demon and came here because you found out you’re a chosen one that gives you great power when you mate with three people,” Gill said in awe.
Gill was surprised when Savage had brought him directly to the park in Maddox where his friends had been waiting for a picnic, while Savage went off to have his meeting with Wade and his men. It seemed odd to Gill that they would all meet at The Cage, the local club, but Savage said his men were all together helping one of their members with a problem and this location seemed like the best way to have their meeting and save time.
Benji dipped his chips in some dip, replying, “Yep. I had some of the demons from my realm trying to mate with me without my permission, so my buddies here got me out of there fast. Good thing too, or I would never have met my real mates.”
Gill looked to Dougaff and Remoir. “And you two followed Benji here to warn him about a possible demon war to get him back to the demon realm?”
Nodding, Dougaff answered, “Yeah, but Benji, the Doc, Casius, and Asbuth really kicked ass. Then my father came and helped out too.”
Turning to Tobias, Gill asked, “And you’re mated with the Kings of the pixies?”
“Well technically Dezzy is the king, but yeah,” Tobias replied with a big goofy smile. Gill wondered if he looked like that when he talked about Savage. Probably. Damn, he missed his mate.
Benji looked at Gill. “What about you? Are you doing okay? Where are you living now?”
“Yeah, we really missed you, Gill. It just hasn’t been the same without you,” Tobias said, licking the dip off his chip before sticking it back into the glob of dip he had on his plate.
Gill scoffed. “I find that hard to believe. I mean with you having two mates and Benji having three, it seems to me you guys would be far too busy to have missed me.”
Tobias giggled. “Well we do come up for air once in a while.”
Smiling wide, Benji replied, “But you’re right, having three mates can be exhausting. It seems once we’re in the same vicinity, we can’t seem to keep our hands or our dicks to ourselves.” Snickering, Benji quickly added, “Not that I’m complaining. If I could work with one of my mates’ dicks in my ass my life would be complete.”
Gill felt his cheeks warm with embarrassment, but he couldn’t stop from muttering, “I know what you mean. That’s how I feel about my Russell. Gods, I love when he…”
Gill stopped speaking and cleared his throat before he said anything more. Tobias sighed in understanding. “I know what you mean. It’s really funny how life works out.”
When Gill and Benji looked at him in confusion, Tobias clarified his statement. “I was mostly alone trying so hard to be a fireman, and then I find I have not one, but two mates, and Wyndingo makes me part of the retrieval team for the fire department, and now I’m being trained to help Dallas with arson investigations.”
Tipping his head to Benji, Gill said, “Benji, you were homeless and alone and now you have Doc Rob, Casius, and Asbuth along with Asbuth’s gargoyle clutch and all of Wade’s men as your new family.”
“And let us not forget the entire demon realm,” Benji added.
“Oh yeah, forgot about them. And look at you, Gill, I know you hated training to be a fireman. Heck, I was always so jealous of you,” Tobias muttered.
“Jealous? Why?” Gill asked in confusion.
“Because I could see you didn’t want to be a fireman at all and Gods, I did. I was a bumbling butt and you were so good at it. It just seemed so unfair to me,” Tobias explained.
Snorting, Gill replied, “Yeah, well if I hadn’t at least tried, my father would have gone into convulsions. He was bound and determined I would become a fireman.”
“I don’t understand. Why a fireman? Don’t parents want their kids to be doctors and lawyers and stuff like that?” Benji asked.
Sighing, Gill replied, “I’m not real sure, Benji. I can only guess that he really knew I was gay and if he had a gay son he wanted to make sure I looked manly in the eyes of his friends. Just the thought of me wanting to be a gay paranormal author dang near made his head explode.”
“Yes, but now you have Savage and I can’t see him stopping you from doing whatever it is you want to do,” Tobias said, patting Gill’s hand in understanding.
Smiling wide, Gill replied, “Russell already told me he can’t wait to read my first book, and with where we live I have so many cool ideas on what I want to write about, and I just know I won’t ever run out of ideas. The island is so pretty, and the people are all so sweet and different. They all really helped me after… after…” Gill felt the unease he typically did when thinking about how he had come to be on the island.
Benji and Tobias must have felt Gill’s anxiety because both men quickly went to his side and hugged him. Benji whispered, “It’s okay, Gill. The monster is dead and now you have your mate. Savage will never allow any harm to come to you again.”
Sniffling, Gill hadn’t even realized he’d been crying. “I… I don’t remember a lot, and I honestly hope I never do. All I can remember is feeling terrified and then nothing. Waking up and seeing Russell… Gods, he was so sexy… and his voice.” Looking at his friends, Gill blushed as he wiped his eyes, murmuring, “I think I could come just from listening to the man talk.”
“Maybe when you write one of your stories you should have him read it out loud and see if you’re right,” Tobias said with another giggle.
Gill laughed with his friends feeling his anxiety leaving. “Maybe I will.”
All talk of monsters and fear stopped as their laughter took over.
“How long are you and Savage gonna be in Maddox?” Benji asked.
Shrugging, Gill replied, “I have no idea. I know that he’s meeting with Wade and some others at the club right now and then he wanted to visit some of his friends. We also have to go to my parents’ place and get my stuff.”
“Do you think your father’s gonna give you crap? I bet if I ask Dezzy and Clover they’d go with you and kick your dad’s butt if he gave you any trouble,” Tobias said confidently.
With a smile, Gill replied, “Thank you, Tobias.”
“Hey, my mates and I can go too and if your dad gives you shit, I can show him what being
the chosen one really means,” Benji insisted.
Gill felt tears fill his eyes. He had known that he had two friends in all, but damned if they weren’t two of the sweetest, best friends a guy could ask for. “Thank you, Benji. I really appreciate both of you for offering and… and I am so touched that you would do that for me. However, Russell is going with me and he can handle anything my dad might try.”
“It never hurts to have backup,” Tobias stated, then pushed out his bottom lip muttering, “I just get really turned on when Dezzy goes all kingy on people. It’s sexy as heck. Gods, I miss my men. Do you think their meeting is over by now?”
Dougaff and Remoir stood up. Dougaff sighing loudly. “We need to go. My brothers are coming in today and I’m supposed to meet up with them.”
“It was great meeting you both,” Gill quickly said.
“Nice to meet you too. Let’s go before your brothers decide to cause a scene,” Remoir said.
Gill watched the two guys walk away. “I like them. I hope I get to see them again before I leave.”
“You will. We hang out all the time,” Tobias replied.
“Where’s Clove? I’m surprised you’re even here without him. Every time I see you he’s with you like a Siamese twin,” Benji asked curiously.
Tobias rolled his eyes. “He said he needed to talk to Jagger about some ideas he had for some more renovations to the Club. If you ask me, he just wanted to watch Deja’s rehearsal.”
“Deja? Who’s Deja?” Gill asked.
Benji smiled. “He is one of my brothers-in-law. Jagger hired him, and they put together a group to entertain at the club once a week. Man, their first night was beyond awesome.”
“Oh yeah! When Destrain, Clove and I got home, we fucked like bunnies almost all night,” Tobias said with a giggle.
