There was a soft knock on his door. Well, at least this time, his visitor was being polite. “Come in,” Shadow answered. He moved to get more comfortable. He’d only been upright for a short time, and already his body was complaining. It’s too bad the bastards who took a bite out of him were dead; he’d like to kill them all over again.
Jake walked into the room with a tray of food. Shadow noticed the man still looked tired and was favoring the arm that he had broken. “Why aren’t you resting?” Shadow growled. He was surprised at the defeated slump of the shifters shoulders as he put the tray on his lap. Jake refused to look up at him but instead, slowly walked over to the window. He stood there; his hands clenched by his side. “Look, Jake,” Shadow started but stopped when the man turned. Jake looked at him with such a look of loss in his eyes, he found himself wanting to reach out and comfort him.
“I know I screwed this whole thing up,” Jake said softly. He walked over and sat in the chair. He crossed his arms over his chest as if he was trying to hold himself in. Before Shadow could say anything, the shifter continued, “believe me, the more I got to know you, the harder it was to stay away.”
“Why?” Shadow asked quietly. “Just tell me why you didn’t even want to try. I’m willing to listen, but you need to understand one thing, I’m done trying to make you see me—the real me. I won’t live in the shadows any longer, even for you.”
Jake drew in a quick breath before he stood and sat on the bed. He used his fingers to trace the healing scar on his shoulder. Shadow felt like his body had come to life from just the shifter’s touch. Sadly, in his current condition, this wasn’t going to be able to go too far. He watched as the shifter smiled as if he knew what his touch was doing to the injured man.
“We just don’t seem to get a break, do we?” Jake picked up Shadow’s hand and intertwined their fingers before he continued to speak. “We met while I lived in a pack where gay members were tortured and then killed. Then my twin sister decides to play the female version of Rambo and disappears with my crazy ex-alpha. The same bastard who had been trying since she was of age to breed her. We finally find her but end up running for our lives and now…”
Shadow chuckled. “While I might not be able to get inside that gorgeous ass of yours, believe me, I can still make you scream my name.” He watched as his soon to be lover blushed. But while he’d like to take this a bit further, he knew they still had things to talk about. “Why did you run from me?”
Jake sat back and ran a hand through his hair. Shadow loved the way the soft golden curls fell down to the man’s shoulders. The sun from the window made it glow in a way that begged to be touched. He watched as the shifter seemed to be fighting some inner battle before he sighed, “I met my semme’ mate.”
“You what? When?” Shadow asked as he tried to sit up straighter. He winced as his hip complained at the movement. When Jake tried to help, he slapped the man’s hands away. “You have someone to complete you, and you’re not with him or her?” He couldn’t keep the anger from his voice as he glared at the man who seemed to pale under his gaze.
For a moment, he thought Jake would run—again. But the man simply stood and sat back down in the chair. Shadow waited patiently for an explanation. At least he hoped there was one, because otherwise there was no place for them to go from here. He was not going to interfere with a true mating even if he didn’t believe it would happen for most paranormals.
“LeRoy is dead,” Jake said quietly. He clasped his hands and gazed down at the floor. “When my parents died in the car accident, LeRoy was the one to bring them home to our pack. As soon as we met, we both knew, but I was too big of a coward to accept him.” When the man gazed up at him, Shadow was shocked at the self-loathing he saw in the depths of his eyes.
“There has to be more to the story. I’ve seen you, Jake, and you are not a coward. You let your emotions get in the way, but overall, you’ll make a great enforcer in the future.” Shadow couldn’t understand where these feelings were coming from. From what Blaze told him, Jake would have died on that plateau without blinking an eye.
Jake stood and began to pace. “You don’t understand. LeRoy offered to take me and Sammy to his pack when he found out that Alpha Clifton would never allow our mating. In the Willow Creek pack, being gay was a death sentence.”
“Why didn’t you go then?” Shadow asked quietly.
Jake spun around and looked at him, his hands clenched at his sides. “Because I was a coward. I was afraid to be declared a rogue, and I certainly didn’t want the alpha to find out I was okay with a male mate.” He walked slowly over to the chair and sat again, “I would have been tortured and killed before the alpha would allow me to leave and worse, that would mean Sammy would be unprotected. The bastard wouldn’t be able to prevent me from moving with my semme’ mate, but he could keep my sister in the pack.”
“So how does that make you a coward? It sounds to me like you were in a tight spot?” Shadow asked.
“LeRoy suggested we wait. He would go back to his pack and talk to his alpha to see if he could do anything, but I refused. I knew Alpha Clifton would never let me go because he needed warriors to protect the pack in case the Great War reached us. Don’t you see, I wasn’t willing to look for a way to make it work because I was afraid of what would happen if it got out that I was gay.”
Shadow didn’t know what to say. It explained some of Jake’s behavior but not all of it. He wiped a tired hand over his face. Maybe he should have waited until he was stronger before having this conversation. Yet he had to ask, “Alpha Clifton couldn’t hurt you once he was defeated and this pack obviously embraces same-sex matings, so why did you continue to hide?”
Jake stood and glanced sadly at Shadow. “The truth is, I don’t know. I mean, partly I felt you deserved so much better than me. I’ve spent most of my life hiding. I wasn’t even sure who I was or what I wanted.”
“Do you know now?” Shadow asked holding his breath. For the first time since coming into the room, Jake looked directly at him with determination in his stature. The injured shifter waited, hoping that the man would give him an answer he could live with. He wasn’t going to chase him, but he could be there to catch Jake if the man would let him.
Jake walked to the bed and sat on the side, but he kept his hands in his lap. “I know that I’ve been attracted to you from almost the first moment you came to our door as a peddler. I also know when I almost lost you on that plateau, I was willing to die because to live without you by my side was unthinkable.” He paused and smiled. “My sister reminded me she is more than capable of taking care of herself and those pups without my help.”
Shadow chuckled, “She more than proved that on the mountain. I’d hate to be on her naughty list for sure.”
“You have no idea,” Jake shuddered. “But most of all, somewhere along that journey I realized fate may decide someday to provide you with your own semme’ mate.” He held up his hand before Shadow could interrupt, “but I’d still love whatever time they gave us to be together.”
“You’re an idiot,” Shadow said simply.
Jake glanced up with a raised brow. “I just poured my heart out, and that’s your response?”
Shadow shrugged, “Pretty much. Now, be a good mate and help me lay back down. My hip doesn’t like sitting up for this long, and to be honest, I’m having trouble staying awake.” He paused when he realized what he’d said, “It’s not you—it’s just—”
“I get it. Getting bit in the ass has gotta hurt.” Jake helped him down, being careful of his shoulder and hip.
“It’s not my ass—mph—” Shadow’s protest was swallowed by Jake’s mouth covering his own. He closed his eyes and opened to allow his mate in. As soon as he could move his hips without seeing stars, it would he his turn to explore. After a few minutes, they both had to break apart to breathe.
“I’ll let you get your beauty sleep. After all, if you want this ass you’re going to have to get well—t
he sooner, the better.” Jake laughed as Shadow tried to pull him back down onto the bed. He watched as the shifter exited the room, his last thoughts were on talking to the Doc to see if there was something he could take to speed up the process. After all, he had a mate to claim.
Chapter 9
Blaze sat at the kitchen table nursing his second cup of coffee of the day. He’d decided to come over a little early because he loved Vicky’s blueberry muffins when they were still hot from the oven. Even now, he could hear his stomach rumble at the thought of them. If Vicky had been his mother, he’d probably weight twice as much.
The she-wolf in his thoughts walked into the kitchen and without saying a word pulled out the ingredients she’d need to make breakfast. Since she and her mate had returned, she’d taken over preparing most of the meals. As she said to her sons when they objected, it was something she enjoyed. Not to mention, it allowed her to see them all at least twice a day, three when she was lucky enough for them to stop in for lunch.
He watched as she began to mix the batter. The fresh blueberries were sitting in a bowl ready to be folded in. Blaze could swear he was drooling already. He noticed Vicky was beating the batter a bit more than usual this morning. The clang against the side of the metal bowl was definitely louder.
Blaze cleared his throat, “Is everything okay, alpha-mate?”
Vicky dropped the bowl with a loud clang before she turned to face Blaze. She clutched her throat for a moment before she responded, “Oh my goddess, I’m sorry, Blaze, I didn’t see you in here.” She shook her head before she grabbed the coffee pot and a cup. She sat at the table and refilled his cup before filling her own. For a moment, he thought she wasn’t going to answer, which was fine. He really was just trying to be polite.
However, the fates seemed to be still laughing at him because she decided to talk. “I guess I’m focused on not killing my sons or my mate—mostly my stubborn, mule-headed mate.” She glanced down and blushed as she quickly took a drink from her cup.
Blaze’s inner voice was yelling at him to run away. But this was the former alpha-mate of this pack, and he felt compelled to find out what was bothering her. He could guess a part of it. “I take it you’re upset because they let you think they were killed, right?”
Vicky glared at him. “I knew it wasn’t true. Even though I was mad at first, I could understand why they did it. To think we may have someone in this very house who may be betraying us.”
“Someone warned Alpha Clifton we were on to him. I guess it could have been Sparky’s ex-boyfriend using his powers. But from what I understand, he didn’t have a way to read minds, only control them,” Blaze replied as he took another sip of his coffee. “Of course, after Jason told us how Winston was able to control them during the battle, he could have been controlling someone here.”
Vicky growled as she stood and put the coffee pot back on to refill. She stared at the machine for a moment before she turned to look back at Blaze with her hands on her hips. “I bet you think that just because someone comes from Winston’s coven, they must be an enemy too?”
Blaze was shocked at the anger he saw in her eyes. He held his hands up in surrender, “Look, I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I also can’t just ignore what happened. The truth is we don’t know how Alpha Clifton is getting his information, and until we do, we have to be more cautious.”
Vicky sighed and sat back down opposite Blaze, “But does our caution have to impact an innocent young man who has done nothing but tried to help us?”
“Who are you talking about?” Blaze asked.
“Sebastian, the young warlock who helped Sparky escape. My son and my husband both have decided he can’t stay here at the house.” Vicky shook her head sadly. “Just because they don’t understand him, they think he’s too big a risk. But I’ll tell you something, that poor boy has suffered. Yet, he managed to not only help us during the battle, but he saved Sparky’s mate.”
“We’re not sending him away,” Forest’s voice said softly as he entered the room. “You didn’t let me finish. We are putting him up in one of the cottages with Artemus. He’ll be well looked after.”
Vicky shook her head. “It’s not the same, and you know it. The boy needs to know he’s wanted, that he’s accepted. We are no better than the coven who has shunned him most of his life.”
Forest placed his hands on his mate’s shoulders. “You can go see him anytime you want, and he’s welcome to go wherever he wants. I know you’ve adopted him as one of your own and that’s fine—he’ll need your support. But remember, he’s not a prisoner my love.” He paused and leaned in closer, “Artemus agrees he needs a place of his own and time…” The former alpha kissed Vicky’s neck, “…time to figure out who he is and how to accept his gifts.”
“And that’s my cue to head down to the strategy room,” Blaze remarked as he quickly emptied his cup in one gulp, rinsed it and placed it in the sink. He figured the former alpha could handle his mate. Again, he wondered how he kept getting in the middle of all the relationships in this house. From now on, he was going to keep his mouth shut and run when he saw anyone who even looked like they wanted to share.
Sammy looked around the room as they introduced her to the members of the alpha’s inner circle. There was Dakota, the town’s sheriff and the quiet one in the room. She had never seen such pale green eyes before. They almost looked like the wolf could see right through you. If it weren’t for Drake, the wolf she planned to mate as soon as she found him, she might be willing to see if she could get Dakota to fall apart.
Ricky, of course, she already knew. Sammy was glad he’d not only found safety but his semme’ mate. The way he and the alpha kept touching was nice to see. Then there was Sparky who was introduced as the town mechanic and newly mated to Charlie. She’d have to look up the man as she had something to return to him. Even now she could feel the power of the necklace she wore under her clothes.
The leader of the rogue mercenary team, Blaze leaned against the wall and watched. He was clearly military from his haircut to the camo pants and black tank he wore. But it was the dragon tattoo that ran down his arm that caught her gaze. The man was built like a mountain and looked like he could eat kittens for lunch. No wonder Alpha Grant had hired them.
Finally, there was Jason, the youngest of the Walker brothers. He smiled at her and made her feel as if she was welcome. Alpha Grant finished the introductions by telling her two of the inner circles were missing. David, Alpha Grant’s other brother and Artemus the brother of Charlie. He was the magi who was apparently taking care of another magic user named Sebastian.
She glanced over and saw her brother sitting off to the side, his gaze on the floor. She knew that look and wanted to talk to him but apparently it would have to wait. The meeting was about to start. She hoped she could find out what happened to Drake. It would be interesting to see how he’d react to having the pups with them. They’d talked about having a family, but not quite this soon.
“How are the pups doing?” Alpha Grant asked as he motioned for her to take a seat at the large table. She quickly took her seat and glanced at her brother; motioning for him to take the seat beside her. He shook his head glancing at the alpha before he let his eyes fall toward the floor again.
The alpha must have noticed because he smiled at her before he called to her brother, “Come sit at the table, Jake. You know we don’t stand on ceremony here. Besides, we want to hear about what you and Shadow learned. Since he can’t be here, you can fill us in.”
“Thanks, Alpha,” Jake replied with a hesitant smile. There had to be more going on than her brother worrying about his relationship with Shadow. She’d have to get more from him after this meeting. Meanwhile, it was time she told the pack what she knew so she could get on with her life. She was more than ready after spending months with the bastard alpha of her old pack.
Sammy smiled at the alpha and answered his first question, “They are doing well. Your mother has been
a huge help.” She glanced at her brother, “and Uncle Jake is learning to change diapers, which I’ve taken videos of—his reaction was classic.”
“Alright, I changed them even though they should be declared a biohazard. I mean, honestly, how can something so small smell so bad?” Jake scrunched up his face.
Sammy chuckled, “and that’s why they love you already, Uncle Jake. You make the best faces to make them laugh.”
“Ha, Ha!” Jake mumbled as he blushed.
“How did you come by the two pups?” Jason asked. Sammy smiled at him. He was the first one who hadn’t just assumed they were hers. Everyone in the room had to have guessed what she had to do to survive. It wasn’t a bad assumption, but it was nice that at least one person hadn’t gone there.”
“They’re not yours?” Sparky chimed in. “I’m sorry but after what Ricky and Jake told us about your former alpha, well…” The man actually blushed.
Sammy decided to put them all out of their misery. “I took precautions to ensure I’d never carry a pup for that bastard. It was the only way I could keep him from mating me. He didn’t want to be tied to a barren female, so as soon as a pup came along—”
“What a rat bastard!” Ricky spoke for the first time. “I mean, after what he did with me, I knew he was bad. But to be so cold to someone he would spend the rest of his life with. How did your pack manage to put up with him for so long?”
Jake shrugged. “He was the strongest, and he had loyal beta’s who watched his back. A few tried to stand up to him, but they all ended up dead.” He glanced at Ricky, “I’m sorry it took so long to help you and your brother but—”
“I understand and believe me you did more than enough,” Ricky responded. “I just never understood why more wolves didn’t stand up to him. He treated most of your pack like slaves.”
Out of the Shadows Page 7
