by Maggie Walsh
“Nothing, huh? You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, mate?” Slade growled, right before Sage was lifted off his feet and spun around.
“Oh shit! Slade!” Sage laughed. “What are you doing?”
“Tell me why you were looking at me like that and I will tell you what I was doing.” Slade leaned in and began nibbling Sage’s neck.
“Oh hell, that’s nice. How do you expect me to form words when you’re doing that?”
“Doing what, this?” Sage could hear that lilt in his mate’s voice and he knew Slade had that sexy smirk on his face. The one he seemed to reserve only for him and made his insides melt. Then all thought vanished as Slade licked up the side of his neck to his earlobe and drew the flesh between his teeth.
A pounding came to the door seconds before it opened. “Am I interrupting something?” Zane asked and Sage could hear the smile in his voice.
“Yes, now fuck off,” Slade growled against his skin.
Zane laughed and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “No can do. I gave you the night to enjoy your mate and work out your shit, but now it’s time to go. I really do hate to break this up and remind you of this fact, but Sage’s birthday is in three days and we have a lot of planning to do. Francis knows the veil will be thin and it will be the perfect time to steal the power.”
“Ugh,” Sage grumbled and went limp in Slade’s arms.
Slade held him up, but pulled away from his neck and looked to Zane. “You really know how to suck a moment.”
“Don’t you mean suck something else?” Sage said and wiggled his eyebrows.
“I’m not sure, sweetness,” Slade answered and looked to Zane with mischief in his eyes and a small smile on his lips. “Do you know how to suck something else, witchy boy?”
“Ha.” Sage burst out laughing. “Witchy boy?”
“Just a private thing between me and Zane,” Slade replied.
“Oh come on. Now I really want to know,” Sage whined.
“Well to answer your question, elfpire boy. You’ll never know,” Zane added with a laugh.
Sage gasped in surprise from Zane’s words. “Elfpire? He knows?”
“Yes he does, baby. Our Zane here is a pretty smart cookie. He had me pegged right away.”
“I promised not to say anything to anyone. It’s up to Slade if he wants people to know his true heritage.”
“Okay. Thank you, Zane, but what’s with all the witchy and elfpire-boy stuff?”
Slade looked to Zane and raised a brow. Zane rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in exasperation and he huffed, “Fine. He is your mate and I didn’t really expect you to keep things from him.” Zane spun on his heel and walked to the couch, then dropped down on it.
“Keep getting dressed, sweetness, as I explain it to you,” Slade instructed. Sage went back to the dresser and grabbed a shirt out, along with a pair of socks, then sat on the opposite side of the couch. Slade sat on the chair across from them and started to put his boots on.
“So,” Sage encouraged.
“When Zane followed you and we popped in here he thought that his magic was fucked up. That’s the real reason it took us so long to find which room you were in.”
“Hey, how was I supposed to know your mate is famous for stowing away in storage facilities?” Zane said in annoyance.
“Well if you had listened to me in the first place instead of questioning me, we would have found him sooner and then you wouldn’t have gotten freaked out. So anyway, the two of us were standing there in the middle of the road, just glaring at each other, when this huge fucking moose came out of the trees, and headed right toward us.”
“Yeah, and pigheaded mate of yours refused to move.” Zane crossed his arms over his chest.
Slade ignored Zane’s comment and kept talking. “So this moose is coming at us and the two of us are arguing over you actually being inside one of these lockers. Neither one of us is giving this beast any notice and Zane is getting pissed.”
“Only because I thought my magic was fucked up and you wouldn’t stop whining about how your mate needed you.”
“Aw, you were whining for me?” Sage asked.
“Well, I wouldn’t say whining,” Slade grumbled as he tied his laces tight with a little extra force, then sat up.
“I would. What do you call, ‘He’s all alone and scared and I need to get to him and all you’re worried about is your magic. Open all the doors, my baby is behind one of them’?” Zane said in a whiny child’s voice.
“Oh I did not say it like that,” Slade huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
Sage smiled brightly as he got up and walked to Slade and sat on his lap. “You really said all that?”
Slade met his gaze and his eyes softened. “Yes, but I didn’t say it like that. And I wasn’t the one shooting my magic all over the place, trying to see if it worked.”
“Hey! You’re the one who told me to stop showing off and then shot your own bolt of energy and zapped that moose right in the ass.”
“Yeah well, I’m not the one who screamed like a girl when the moose got close and you spotted a spider on his back,” Slade said as he started to laugh.
“I did not scream like a girl!”
“Yeah but you did scream from the spider. Mr. Guardian of the Moiria Who Kicks Some Serious Ass, freaked out over a little spider.”
“First of all I’ll have you know that was not a small spider. And second, I was screaming because a moose the size of a wall was rushing toward us and he was pissed. And may I remind you if it wasn’t for me popping us out of there you would have gotten more than your mate’s cock poking you,” Zane complained.
“I’m a fucking vampire! I could have disseminated us out of there in the blink of an eye. And I wouldn’t have landed us up a tree either,” Slade countered. Sage burst out laughing and doubled over while holding his stomach.
“It wasn’t funny,” Zane grumbled under his breath.
“I’m sure it was a hoot,” Sage said as he sat up and tried to control himself. “But this, with you two retelling it is probably funnier.” Sage broke out into peals of laughter again.
“Great, now you broke him,” Slade bitched. Which only made Sage’s laughter grow.
“Zane and Slade sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g,” Sage sang in a teasing voice, then made kissy noises.
“So can we go now? The others are waiting for us,” Zane asked in a voice that reminded Sage of a petulant child.
“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Zane in a baby carriage,” Sage kept singing.
“I don’t think he’s gonna stop. Come on, witchy boy, grab on and I’ll take us there.”
“No, you grab on and I’ll take us there.”
“Oh for the love of the gods,” Sage replied and started chanting. Suddenly they all vanished from the storage room.
* * * *
Sage had popped them all out of the room and without even touching Zane. Slade was impressed by the amount of power his mate already showed at such a young age. They appeared on an empty street and Slade immediately looked around for threats. Not finding any in the open, his eyes began to search harder, looking into cracks on all the boarded-up windows. He reached out with all his senses and a shuffling noise could be heard a few blocks away.
“I can’t detect any danger,” Zane said.
“Me either. I hear someone walking from that direction, but it doesn’t sound like it’s coming this way,” Slade added.
“But I do feel an enormous force of magic close by,” Zane said and looked over his shoulder.
“That’s her house,” Sage whispered as he stared at the house behind Zane.
Zane turned fully to face the dilapidated structure. “Shit. There is a lot of magic trapped in there. Can you feel it?”
“Yes, but something’s not right. The last time I was here I could feel it, too, but it wasn’t this strong,” Sage said.
“I agree, sweetness. We were her
e that day right behind you and there was nowhere as near this much power here,” Slade added and wrapped his arms around Sage from behind.
“I don’t like this, Slade. I’m scared.” Sage began to shake.
“It’ll be okay, mate. I promise I won’t let anything hurt you.”
“I think we should go in there so I can get a better feel for what to expect when the time comes,” Zane said.
“I don’t know, Zane. I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Sage whispered.
“Wait. What is that?” Slade questioned and turned his head. He closed his eyes so that he could focus on his hearing. There it was. A small heartbeat, and was that a…purr?”
“What is it?” Zane asked.
“I think it’s a cat.”
Sage’s eyes went wide and he looked back over his shoulder at Slade. “A cat? Maybe it’s my familiar?”
“I don’t know, but it’s getting closer and it’s coming from in there,” Slade said and motioned with his chin toward the house.
They all turned their attention back to the house as Slade released Sage and stepped in front of him, but kept a hand back, holding Sage close to him. The board covering the door hung at an angle and movement came from the gap at the bottom. Slade focused on the movement and waited. For all he knew it was Francis and he’d taken on a cat form.
A small furry black head poked out of the opening and the teal eyes looked at them. The cat walked forward, exiting the structure. Slowly it walked toward them and Slade got ready for anything. He saw Zane move slightly from the corner of his eye and knew that his new friend was preparing, too. The cat moved gracefully down the step and onto the sidewalk, then stopped halfway to them. It sat and looked to Zane, tilted its head, then dipped it.
Zane relaxed beside him and released the breath he had been holding. “Adam.”
“That’s Adam?” Sage asked.
“Yes. So where is everyone, Adam?” Zane asked.
Adam shook his head slowly and Slade got the impression he was trying to tell them something. The cat looked to Sage and let out a meow.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re trying to say,” Sage said.
Adam closed his eyes and suddenly two identical cats sat before them. Adam’s eyes opened and he looked to the cat next to him and then back to Sage.
“Anybody have any clue?” Slade asked.
“Two cats that look alike. I don’t…” Zane stopped himself. “Twins. He’s trying to tell you something about twins.”
“Maddy. It must be Maddy,” Sage declared. The Adam cat nodded his head. “What about Maddy? Is he hurt? Is he in trouble?” Slade could hear the panic starting to rise in his mate as well as he heard Sage’s heart beginning to beat faster.
The cat shook his head no, then stepped sideways, morphing with the other cat, now only one stood before them again.
* * * *
“Dammit, I don’t understand!” Sage hissed in frustration. “Where the hell is Maddy?”
“I’m here, Sage. Adam is trying to tell you to open the lines of the pack link. The house is being watched, so don’t talk to me out loud. Talk to me using the link. And be careful what you say to each other, too.”
“Where are you? Are you okay?” Sage asked in a panic.
“Yeah, bro. I’m okay,” Maddy answered. “We’re all at Tempest’s coven except for Adam and Shelby. They’re there with you. They have been waiting for you to show. When Zane called this morning and said you all would be here today, we sent them over. Get you, Slade, and Zane over to Tempest’s.”
“Where is Shelby? I don’t see him. And I don’t know where Tempest is. My magic won’t take me there if I don’t know where to go.”
“Don’t worry, Shelby is very close to you, and Slade knows how to get here. Have him disseminate you all out of there.”
“But what about Adam and Shelby?”
“It’s okay. Once you guys leave they will, too. Shelby will get them out. Just get over here, okay?”
“Okay. We’re on our way.”
“Sweetness, what is it? You look funny?” Slade whispered in his ear.
Sage scratched his temple and gave Slade a pointed look. Slade’s eyes widened slightly and he knew his mate understood.
“They are all at Tempest’s and they want us to go there. Maddy said the house is being watched so we need to be careful of what we say. He wants you to disseminate us there. Then Adam and Shelby will follow,” Sage explained using the mating link.
“Guys, why have you two suddenly gone all quiet on me?” Zane asked in a whisper.
“Nobody’s here, and this place is creeping me out. How about we get out of here until we figure out what to do?” Sage said.
“Good idea,” Slade answered and grabbed Zane’s arm. He still had one arm wrapped around Sage. Once they were joined with Zane, Slade disseminated.
* * * *
They materialized in a gorgeous sitting room. Sandy-colored walls, with fancy, detailed white crown molding, matching sconces placed perfectly spread out on the walls, and white curtains. The beige overstuffed couches and chairs made the room feel homey and inviting, and the thick carpeting made Sage just want to take his shoes off and walk barefooted across it as he scrunched up his toes. “Wow. Great digs,” Sage said appreciatively.
“Thank you. I’m kind of partial to it myself,” A silky smooth voice said from behind them.
Sage turned to face the voice and was blown away by the man’s handsomeness. He didn’t come close to Slade, but he was hot in his own right. Sage tilted his head and studied the man. Actually, he kind of resembled Slade in a lot of ways. Same long pin-straight, jet-black hair and cobalt-blue eyes. Same pale complexion and soft lips, but where Slade had an ethereal quality about him, that made him absolutely stunning, this man had a little harder edge to him. Still gorgeous though. “Well aren’t you just astoundingly hot?” Sage blurted, then clamped his lips shut. The gorgeous man chuckled and Slade growled from beside him and pulled Sage close.
Sage turned in Slade’s arms and rubbed his chest. “I’m sorry, love. But come on. Don’t tell me you can’t see it.”
Slade’s eyes filled with anger and they flicked to the man across the room, who was snickering, then back to Sage. “Nope.”
“Well, he’s definitely not hotter than you, mate, but you gotta give the man his due. Damn, look at him,” Sage said as he looked at the man over his shoulder.
“No, I don’t,” Slade grumbled.
“Oh, love I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Just because we’re mated doesn’t mean I’m dead. I can still appreciate a good-looking man when I see one. But you are the only man I want,” Sage declared lovingly and kissed Slade softly.
“Lucky you, cousin. Your mate is stunning. I’m guessing this is the infamous Sage,” the man said.
Sage’s head snapped around to look at the man. “Cousin? You’re Slade’s cousin?”
“Yes. On his father’s side.”
“I knew it. I was thinking you two looked a lot alike.”
“This is my cousin, Tempest,” Slade said through clenched teeth.
Sage could hear the strain in Slade’s voice and he turned to face him. Sage reached up and took Slade’s face between both his hands and Slade’s eyes closed and his face softened. Sage loved how he had that effect on his mate. “I only want you, my mate. Only you own my heart. I love you, mate,” Sage said lovingly and kissed Slade again. This time taking it deeper, Sage poured all of his love for Slade into that kiss in hopes of easing his mind.
“Two hotties making out in the sitting room. Sage must be here,” Taylor said.
Sage pulled back from the kiss and opened his eyes, locking his gaze with Slade’s. “You are all I want and everything I need, Slade. No one compares to you,” Sage said through the mate link.
“And you’re all I want and everything I need, too, sweetness. And I love you, too,” Slade replied for only Sage to hear.
“Ah, the first fluttering o
f a new mating. Can you feel the horny in the room?” Shelby crooned.
“I knew I detected a hint of sex in here. Think they’ll let us watch next time?” Taylor asked.
A wide smile spread across Sage’s face. Gods, he had missed his friends. Sage turned his head and met a doorway full of people watching them. “Damn, I missed you guys.”
“We missed you, too, hot stuff,” Taylor said as he walked farther into the room and went right to Sage. Sage pulled back from Slade’s embrace and faced the crowd of people. Taylor stopped in front of Sage and gave him a hard look. “Don’t you ever do that again. Do you hear me? You are a part of this family and we don’t let one another face hell alone. Got me?”
“Yes, Tay. I’m sorry. I never meant to make everyone worry,” Sage apologized.
“Now after you go talk to your father and brother, because let me tell you, they have been hard to deal with, with not knowing where you were and if you were okay, you and I need to have a nice long talk about all the hot sex you’ve had with that gorgeous mate of yours,” Taylor said in a whisper from the side of his mouth.
“Sweet baby,” Gabriel growled in warning.
Taylor rolled his eyes, then wiggled his eyebrows at Sage and gave him a saucy smile. Shelby pushed Taylor over and stepped in. “Okay, enough of the head queen yapping. It’s like a Chihuahua with a dinosaur bone. Now you. You know you could have told me, right? I would have done anything to help you. You’re the little brother I always wished for. I know you have a mate now and he will take care of you till the day you die.” Shelby glanced at Slade, giving him the evil eye. “Well he better.” Then looked back. “Because if he doesn’t, Tay and I will send him to the bottom of the ocean in a box. Anyway, the point is, I think of you as my brother and you can tell me anything, and I will be there for you no matter what it is.”
“I know, Shell, and I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“By trying to protect the rest of us,” Raith stated.
Sage’s gaze flicked to meet the beta’s. Well, I guess here’s the moment of truth, Sage thought.
