United

by Maggie Walsh

  “So do you think Malachi knows you’re here?” Raith asked.

  “Yes, I do. Somehow he’s been able to follow me everywhere we go for a little over a year now. Usually we can go years in one place before his disciples show up, but now, we are constantly on the move. Somehow he knows when and where we move to,” Zane said.

  “Of course you can stay here. First we’ll get Aaron to check you out and clean you up and then either I or Noah can heal you. I’ll go make sure one of the guest rooms is ready for you to stay in for as long as you need it,” Jesse said and started out of the room.

  “Thank you, Heart,” Zane said shyly.

  Jesse spun to look at him. “First rule, if you’re going to live with us. You call me Jesse, got it?” he said firmly. Zane nodded. “Good. Now I’ll go get that room ready for you. Aaron just pulled up. He’ll be in in a minute,” Jesse said and left the room.

  “Kinda freaky the way he can do that now,” Raith said in amusement. Micah nodded his agreement as he smiled.

  * * * *

  “Your father grabbed the sisters and took them somewhere. We were not able to find out where,” a tall, heavily muscled man said as he stood in front of a big desk in a library.

  The chair behind the desk turned and Malachi met the big man’s gaze “Damn you, Father,” Malachi said under his breath. “And what of Zane?”

  “He disappeared as well, my lord. We think he has gone to the wolves, but we lost his track,” the big man explained.

  “I think you’re probably right, Fada. If he is too close to any of the gods or the Heart and Prime, the power is too great for me to track him. Tell Cecil to keep an eye open for when Zane uses magic again. That should help us track him if he moves,” Malachi ordered.

  “Yes, my lord,” Fada said with a bow and turned and left the room.

  “My warriors will defeat you, Prime. You should have taken my warning when my rogues ripped all those shifters apart in your town. This is only the beginning. Once the word starts to spread how visiting paranormals got slaughtered in your town, they will be too afraid to follow you. You can take all the little peons you want under your wing, but my army will destroy you all,” Malachi said to the empty room, an evil grin on his face.

  * * * *

  “You wanted to see me, Micah?” Lexi asked as he stepped into Micah’s office.

  Micah looked up from his desk and gave Lexi a smile. “Yes, come on in, Lex, have a seat,” Micah said and waved to an empty chair in front of his desk.

  Lexi moved closer and sat in the chair. “Have I done something wrong?” he asked nervously.

  Micah smiled. “No, Lex,” he said with a chuckle. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I called you here because I need your help. But first, how is your mate? Is he ready to move in here with us?”

  Lexi smiled big at the mention of his Bailey. “He’s doing great, Micah. He’s still a little overwhelmed about the café, but he’s relieved he doesn’t have to take over until he’s ready. Thanks again for letting me buy it from you and give it to Bailey. I really appreciate it, Micah.”

  “You’re very welcome, Lex. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have a mate own it. Because of my giving Jesse the club, Aaron having the clinic, and now Bailey having the café, I was thinking it might be a great idea for all of the mates to have something of their own as well, if that’s what they want. This way it may make them know this is truly where they belong. If they own a piece of our territory, then they will always know they have a home,” Micah explained.

  “I think that’s a great idea, Micah. I’m not sure what each of them will want or if their lunkheaded mates will be comfortable with them leaving the Alpha house,” Lexi said with a laugh. “But I think it’s a great idea.”

  Micah laughed, too. “I agree, but the offer will be there for them. So when can we expect Bailey to move in?”

  “We were thinking either today or tomorrow. It’s been a week since we claimed each other, and me and my wolf are going crazy with him not being here, but he wanted to finish his exams first. He’s taking his test right now to see if he graduates,” Lexi said with a smile.

  “That’s great, Lex. I’m sure he’ll pass. I’ll talk to Jesse and we’ll have a big graduation party for him this weekend. We’ll make it the first barbecue of the season out back.”

  “Micah, that would be fantastic. Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it. He’s one of us now. He’s family and family always comes first.” Micah smiled warmly.

  “So was that all you needed or was there something else?” Lexi asked. Just then Zane and Taylor walked in.

  “You wanted to see us, Micah?” Taylor asked.

  Micah smiled big and wide. “Yes. Now that the three of you are here, we can get to business. Taylor, close the door please. There is a project I hope the three of you can help me with.”

  “Of course, Micah. Whatever you want,” Zane said.

  Taylor came back after closing the door and looked into Micah’s eyes. A big smile crossed his face. “You are a devious bastard, you know that?” he asked with a chuckle. Micah nodded.

  “So you’ll help?” he asked Taylor.

  “Damn straight. I am so in. What do you want me to do?” Taylor asked.

  “How do you know what he wanted?” Zane asked.

  “It’s part of Taylor’s all-knowing freakiness. He can look inside you and see what you’re thinking,” Lexi answered. Zane’s eyes went wide.

  “Don’t worry, hot buns. I can turn it on and off, and if I do see something private, I keep it to myself. You’ll never even know I saw it.” Taylor gave him a mischievous smile.

  “Yeah, that makes me feel so much better,” Zane said in a hesitant voice.

  “So what do you need from us, Micah?” Lexi asked.

  “Remember how my mate locked Gabe and Taylor in a room and then he did it again to Raith and Aaron?” Micah asked.

  “Yeah,” Lexi answered. “And he wouldn’t let them out until they worked out their differences.”

  “It worked, too. On all of us,” Taylor said.

  “Yes, it did, and I’m hoping it works one more time, but with these two we can’t just lock them in a room. They have other means of leaving. I’m hoping the three of you will be able to stop that from happening,” Micah explained and then smiled big.

  * * * *

  A bright light appeared in the dark, dank cave. The light grew bigger and Ryland stepped out. The portal diminished behind him and went out, leaving him in the dark. He chanted and a light appeared in his hand. He looked around the deserted cave and spotted a few torches on the walls around the cave. He blew into the light in his hand and it flew across the room and lit one of the torches. He repeated the process with the rest of the torches until the cave was lit in a nice glow. It didn’t do anything for the mustiness or the chill but at least he could see now. He turned in a circle, looking over the contents of the cave. There was a desk that sat in one corner, so he would start there. He walked over to the desk and began pulling drawers open. In one drawer he found a tube of lube. In another he found wrist and ankle cuffs, along with other restraints. He pulled the bottom drawer open and his face flushed. There was a spreader bar and a few dildos still wrapped in their packaging. “What has you so flustered, fae King?” The voice behind him made him jump and he slammed the drawer closed harder than he intended. He spun around to face his mate.

  * * * *

  “Where the hell are you?” Jesse whispered in frustration as he rinsed the dish in his hand.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” Micah said as he brought more dishes over to the counter next to Jesse.

  “I invited Phenex and Ryland to come to the party today, but so far neither of them has shown up. I called Dad a few times but he hasn’t come yet,” Jesse said in frustration.

  “Try again. Maybe he’s in the middle of something and couldn’t hear you,” Micah offered.

  “Phenex!” he called out. They waited but nothing happened
. “See. I hope he’s okay.”

  “If I tell you something, will you promise not to get angry with me, mate, baby, love of my life?” Micah asked with a sheepish grin.

  Jesse turned his head to look at his big mate and narrowed his eyes at Micah. “What did you do?”

  “Well,” Micah started but was interrupted when the laughter of Bailey and Lexi came roaring in through the back door.

  “No, you crazy wolf. It’s too cold out,” Bailey yelled, laughing as he ran into the house.

  “You’re a wolf, pretty baby,” Lexi said, laughing as he chased his mate.

  Bailey ran around the center island to the other side, putting it between them. “What does that have to do with the price of bread?” Bailey asked in all seriousness, causing Lexi to stop in his tracks and tilt his head in confusion.

  “What the hell does the price of bread have to do with a water gun fight?”

  Bailey rolled his eyes. “It’s just a figure of speech.”

  “Mate, I have been on this planet for two hundred and eighty years and I have never heard the price of bread as a figure of speech. Is that a California thing that I missed once I left my birth pack? Because I gotta tell you, I know Cali is a little nutty but that’s just insane.”

  Bailey growled in frustration. “No, it means what does one thing have to do with the other?”

  “Then why didn’t you just say that?” Lexi asked with a smirk.

  Bailey narrowed his eyes at Lexi. “You knew what I meant,” he growled.

  Lexi’s face went to one of shocked innocence. “Nah-uh.”

  Bailey gave him an “are you kidding me” face, which only made Lexi start to snicker. Bailey looked over at Jesse and Micah, who stood watching their exchange. “He did say he was two hundred and eighty right? Not eight,” he said, turning his head to smirk at his mate.

  “Hey, I resemble that remark,” he said, laughing.

  Bailey busted out laughing. “Yes, you do.”

  Bailey slowly, sensually walked around the center island toward Lexi. Lexi’s eyes shone with heat as Bailey got closer. Bailey leisurely ran his hand down his chest, over his flat stomach as he got close enough for Lexi to touch. Lexi smiled and licked his lips as his eyes stayed locked on Bailey’s hand slowly going further down. Just as Bailey was about to cup his groin, he slid the hand up to his hip and around to his back as he stepped up to Lexi. He looked up at his mate with a sexy smile and licked his lips. Lexi groaned from the sight and reached out to pull his mate closer, but Bailey stepped back, shaking his head no. Lexi lowered his hands and clenched them into fists at his side. Bailey took a step closer again and tilted his head as he gave Lexi a sexy smile. Bailey flattened his other hand against Lexi’s chest and slowly slid his hand up. He hit the neckline of Lexi’s T-shirt and pulled it away from his body at the same time he swung his other hand around from the back and sprayed water from the sink sprayer down the front of his shirt.

  “Oh shit that’s cold!” Lexi yelled and pulled away. Bailey continued to spray him as he laughed like a loon. Micah and Jesse were standing there laughing their asses off. Lexi looked at them with a shocked expression. “You gave him the sprayer, didn’t you?” A laughing Jesse nodded as he held his stomach. “Oh, Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. I’m crushed beyond words. I thought you of all people were on my side. How will I ever deal with this act of―”

  Before Lexi could finish his sentence, a huge gush of water hit him in the face. His eyes closed and his breath caught as he sputtered the water from his face. Bailey and Jesse each stood there with sprayers from the two sinks as they laughed their asses off.

  “You wanted a water gun fight, mate. Now you have one,” Bailey said between peals of laughter.

  Lexi crossed his arms over his chest while looking down at the floor, a sad look on his face. “Not even my wife was this unfair and she was twelve,” Lexi mumbled under his breath. All sound stopped from the room except for the gasps from Bailey and Jesse. Lexi looked up to find twin looks of shock on their faces. “Shit, I didn’t mean for you to hear that,” he said in a pained voice.

  “You’re married?” Bailey whispered in shock.

  “No, I’m not married,” Lexi said and took a step toward his mate, but Bailey took a step back. “I promise you I am not married, pretty baby. Please trust me. Have I ever lied to you or given you reason to not trust me?” Lexi pleaded.

  “Then why did you say wife and twelve in the same sentence?” Bailey said still in shock.

  “Let’s go to our room and I’ll explain it to you, okay?” Lexi asked gently and held his hand out for Bailey to take. Bailey looked at the Alpha couple in confusion.

  “I have known Lexi for almost a year and I can tell you this, from day one, I always knew I could trust him and count on him. You got one of the good ones, Bailey. One of the best,” Jesse said with a soft smile.

  Bailey looked back at Lexi and his face softened. He smiled at Lexi and took his hand. “Jesse’s right. I do have the one of the best.” Lexi led him from the kitchen.

  Jesse turned to Micah and raised his brows in question. “Lexi was married?”

  “Well, technically no. It’s a long story,” Micah said and wrapped his arms around Jesse’s waist pulling him close. “How about we let everyone else clean up this mess, and you and I go up to our room, lock the world away, and I’ll tell you all about it?” Micah softly kissed Jesse’s lips. “After I ravish this amazing body of yours and make you feel all relaxed.” Micah lowered his head and nibbled on Jesse’s neck, causing Jesse to moan.

  “Okay,” he said agreed breathlessly. “And then you can tell me what you did to my fathers, too,” he said with a smile in his voice.

  Micah pulled back and gave him a mischievous smile. “Bailey may have gotten one of the best mates, but I’m the lucky bastard that got the best.”

  Jesse pulled out of Micah’s embrace and took a step around him, but kept his eyes on Micah’s. “And don’t you forget it,” he said with a smirk as he lightly tapped the center of Micah’s chest and walked away. Micah began to laugh and turned toward Jesse’s retreating back. Jesse’s hands were fumbling in front of him and suddenly the back of his jeans lowered halfway down his ass, as Jesse looked back over his shoulder at Micah with a sexy smile. “Catch me, wolf man,” he said and took off running. Micah growled and took off after his mate.

  * * * *

  Bailey moved across the room and sat on the edge of their bed as he twined his fingers together nervously in his lap. Lexi sat next to him and laid his hands over Bailey’s. “Look at me please, mate?” Lexi asked. Bailey raised his head and looked into Lexi’s eyes. “Do you trust me?” Without hesitation, Bailey nodded. “Good. Don’t be so nervous, baby. Nothing bad is going to happen. I’m not going to divulge some big secret like where Jimmy Hoffa’s body is located,” Lexi said with a laugh.

  Bailey looked at him in confusion. “Who?”

  Lexi’s eyebrows rose in surprise and then he laughed. “Never mind. First let me ease your mind. I have never actually been married, and certainly not to a twelve-year-old. How much do you know about the history of our kind? Like the rule that we can’t claim our mate until they’re eighteen?”

  “I have always known that one, since I was little. That’s one of the rules they taught us,” Bailey answered.

  “Back when I was young, there was no law against claiming your mate whenever you wanted, whether they wanted it or not or what age they were. If you found your mate, you could go all caveman on them and knock them over the head, drag them off to your cave, and claim them. Back then it was even more rare than it is today to find your true mate, so packs used to have arranged matings, like arranged marriages. I come from the Lombardi pack out in San Diego―”

  Bailey’s eyes bugged out of his head and he cut Lexi off. “That’s my birth pack.”

  “It is? That’s not what was in your file,” Lexi said in surprise.

  “I never told anyone except for Josh what pack I was from.
Not even Evan knows. I was always afraid of someone finding out and telling my father where I was,” Bailey explained.

  “I can understand that,” Lexi said. “I can’t believe we’re from the same pack. What are the odds? Is Nicolo Lombardi still Alpha?”

  “No, his son is. Well I guess that is was, now that all the Alphas are gone.”

  “Salvatore was Alpha while you were there?”

  “Yeah. He was a scary bastard,” Bailey said with a shiver.

  “Yeah, he was a sadistic bastard when I was growing up there, too. He’s three years younger than me. We grew up together. He’s one of the assholes that made me leave.”

  “What happened?” Bailey asked.

  “When I was sixteen, my father told me that they found a mate for me and that they were going to start the arrangements for our mating. I told him I thought I was too young to settle down. We’re wolves, and we can live well past a thousand. Why settle down at sixteen? We had many arguments over it. I told him that eighteen would probably be a better time, because at least I could go out and sow my wild oats before settling down. I couldn’t tell him that I was gay. He would have killed me on the spot. I was able to convince him to wait until I was eighteen. I had a secret boyfriend then and I wanted time to try to figure out a way for us to be together. I wanted to save some money and then we could run away. Anyway, my father agreed and went to the family of the girl they promised to me. She was ten years old,” Lexi said in disgust.

  Bailey’s eyes went wide and his face was a mask of horror. “Ten? Oh my gods.”