Restitution From His Mate

by Charlie Richards

  Unable to let that go, Jimmy tightened his grip and stated, “So you know what mating is and what it means to paranormals?”

  Meeting his gaze, Logan’s green eyes narrowed for just an instant. He grimaced. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I know what it means.”

  “You feel the pull, too,” Jimmy pressed, holding his gaze. “But you’re gonna fight it, aren’t you?”

  Logan’s focus swept over his face, his shoulder and wound, then returned to meet his eyes. “I’ve never had a relationship, James,” he stated bluntly, then cleared his throat. “I don’t know how. I’ve never been good at—” His mouth snapped shut and his lips pressed into a thin line, making the white scar at the corner twist a bit.

  “At?” If Logan thought Jimmy was a bit out of it, that was probably why he was willing to explain. Hell, Jimmy wasn’t going to let him know that wasn’t accurate. “Good at?” he pressed, hoping to take advantage.

  Several seconds passed where Logan’s jaw remained clenched and his eyes narrowed. He released Jimmy’s hand and rested his palms on the mattress, his head bowed. Finally, he refocused on Jimmy and stated, “I’ve never been good at sharing.” He said the final word as if it were something to be avoided at all costs.

  Well, damn, my mate seems to have serious commitment issues. Then how does he interact with friends? That was sharing, too, of a sort, right? God, he had so much to figure out, but Jimmy could feel himself tiring again. “Gonna have to work on that,” he mumbled absently. His eyelids slid closed and he grunted.

  “Damn, you’re not hopped up on meds,” Logan rumbled, his voice coming out a growl. “You’re fucked up with pain.” His voice sounded further away when next he said, “Hey, doc, you got any pain meds handy?”

  “He should be sleeping,” Lacy immediately replied, a snap in her voice. “Just let him sleep the next few days and he’ll be good as new.”

  “Awe, fuck, you’re one of those old school healers,” Logan grumbled.

  “Excuse me?” the doctor responded hotly.

  Logan growled again. “There are drugs that can be given to you lot to make him more comfortable,” he stated gruffly. “How come you don’t have any of them?”

  Lacy sounded offended when she replied, “How dare you tell me how to care for my patients!”

  “Oh, fuck you, doc,” Logan snarled. “My shifter buddy just gave birth to a gargoyle egg and Doctor Perseus gave him meds. Your kind blames humans for being prejudice,” he continued, his voice rising in anger and frustration, “but the truth is, you’re the one who is prejudice!”

  “Why you—” Lacy sputtered. “I’m getting the alpha.”

  Jimmy cringed when he heard the door slam. “Shit,” he mumbled.

  “Awe, fuck,” Logan growled. He squeezed Jimmy’s hand. “I’m sorry, James. That was stupid. I just—” He growled again. “I hate seeing you in pain when you don’t have to be.”

  “Everyone calls me Jimmy,” he told his mate absently as he tried to make sense of Logan’s claims. “They only call me James when we’re being formal.”

  Logan hummed softly, then mumbled, “Then I’ll be the only one, James.”

  Jimmy smiled a bit, surprised at how much he actually liked that thought. Still, he didn’t want his mate upset about Lacy’s lack of pain meds. Squeezing Logan’s hand back, Jimmy tried soothing his mate’s irritation. “Relax, Logan,” he murmured. “Human drugs don’t work on us. Burn through our system too fast,” he added.

  Logan must have leaned closer, for his scent intensified and Jimmy felt certain he could feel the man’s breath against his ear as he whispered, “I know that. There have been drugs developed by doctors in packs that have been modified to work on shifters. I’ve seen it. The gargoyle clutch has access to them.”

  Sliding his hand up Jimmy’s wrist, Logan’s fingers glided along the sensitive skin of his inner elbow. Jimmy sighed at the sensual touch, his blood heating in his veins. Did Logan mean to arouse? Or was he trying to soothe? Jimmy wasn’t certain, but blood flowed south, filling his cock, causing him to plump beneath the pillowcase covering him.

  “That feels good,” Jimmy mumbled.

  “It’s meant to,” Logan rumbled. “If your alpha will allow me to make a call, I can get some painkillers over-nighted to you,” he offered. “However, in the meantime, would you care for some natural painkillers?”

  Jimmy forced his eyes back open so he could see Logan’s face, wanting, needing to read his expression. As he’d guessed, Logan leaned close to him. His face inches from his own, his eyes appeared a deep emerald green as they glittered with lust.

  Logan might be fearful of a relationship, but Jimmy knew he felt the mate-pull just the same.

  Turning his head, putting his lips a bit closer to Logan’s, Jimmy whispered, “What did you have in mind?”

  His lips curving into a predatory smile, Logan removed the hand on Jimmy’s arm and placed it next to his head. With the other hand, he bent his fingers and skimmed the backs of his knuckles along the skin of Jimmy’s abs.

  “You shifters and your nudity. You got a nice cock, James. How about I stroke you off?” Logan offered gruffly. “That’ll send you off to sleep so nicely, won’t it?”

  Jimmy smiled. “Oh, that sounds like a pleasant way to be put to sleep,” he murmured, swallowing hard. His cock agreed, thickening to full arousal.

  Logan chuckled, continuing to rub his knuckles across Jimmy’s abs. He slid his fingers under the pillowcase, which was now nicely tented by Jimmy’s eager erection. Grinning wickedly, Logan leaned close and whispered into his ear. “How quickly do you think I can get you off?” he rumbled as he gripped Jimmy’s erection in a firm grasp. He didn’t waste time, setting up a smooth rhythm.

  The dry hold felt a little rough, but the pressure on Jimmy’s shaft more than made up for it. He grunted, clenching his jaw.

  “Don’t tense up too much, sexy,” Logan warned. “This is supposed to relax you, to give you pleasure, not more pain.”

  Jimmy struggled to do just that. With Logan’s hand on his shaft, his warm breath ghosting over his ear, and his heady scent flooding his nostrils, it was a damn difficult request.

  “When was the last time you lay passively while someone jacked you off?” Jimmy grumbled. His thighs tensed and his abs quivered as he breathed through the pleasant sensations tingling through his groin.

  Logan chuckled. “Point taken.” He winked. “Just remember that this is supposed to relax you.”

  Feeling his balls pull tight against him, Jimmy knew it wouldn’t be long. He hadn’t had sex since earning the beta position six months before. Not for lack of offers, but because he didn’t want to lead any pack members on. Finding his mate was enough for a shifter to get an erection, then to have that mate touch him after being celibate that long?

  “Ah, shit,” Jimmy groaned. “Gonna come.”

  Lowering his head a bit more, Logan nuzzled his temple, his peach fuzz covered cheek caressing his skin. “Do it,” Logan urged. “Paint my hand with your cum, sexy shifter. Do it now.”

  Jimmy moaned. His abs tightened as his body convulsed with his too-long pent-up release. Even the pain of the move didn’t mar the perfect feel of his orgasm washing over him, sending bliss pinging through his system.

  “Well, fuck, James,” Logan rumbled. “You’re a light touch. That could be fun. Imagine all the places I could give you a quick one.”

  Snorting, Jimmy didn’t plan on pointing out that Logan spoke of them being together in the future, even in a round-a-bout way. “It’s just been a while,” he admitted.

  “Oh, so you don’t think I can get you off that fast whenever I want?”

  Jimmy grinned. He turned his head so their gazes locked and their lips were less than an inch apart. “I’m willing to let you try.”

  Logan smirked. “Oh, you will, will you? That’s big of you.”

  Sighing, Jimmy allowed his eyes to slide closed. Fatigue ampl
ified by his orgasm weighed him down. He smiled vacantly as he mumbled, “Yes, yes it is.”

  Chuckling, Logan whispered, “Get some rest, James. It seems we’ll have plenty to talk about later.”

  Jimmy sighed and nodded. “Yeah.” He’d hardly gotten the word out before sleep pulled him back under.

  Chapter Five

  Logan pulled his handkerchief out of his back pocket and wiped James’ cum from his fingers. He gave in to curiosity and raised his hand to his mouth, licking a bit of it off before finishing with the cloth. A little salty, but not nearly as bitter as other men’s seed he’d tasted.

  Huh. Nice.

  Turning his attention to his new lover’s groin—did a hand job make James his lover, or was that wishful thinking—Logan wiped away the seed that he hadn’t caught with his hand.

  Damn, why am I even thinking like that?

  The door opening caught Logan’s attention, and he quickly righted the pillowcase over James’ groin. Yeah, he knew shifters didn’t care much about nudity, but that didn’t mean he wanted the guy to flash everyone unnecessarily.

  Logan spotted Lacy striding through the door, a purposeful look on her face. At least her arrival caused Logan’s own erection to ease, freeing him from his painful state. Alpha Abbott followed, his expression looking more annoyed than angry. The alpha paused in the doorway and tilted his head. When the corners of his lips twitched, Logan realized the man smelled James’ spent seed.

  Right, shifter senses.

  Lacy evidently scented it, too, for she suddenly hissed. “What the hell have you been doing?”

  Chuckling, Logan met her gaze. “Keep your voice down, doc,” he stated. “I just did as you asked. I just helped him relax so he could sleep.”

  Alpha Abbott snorted at that. “Unique way of going about it,” he commented. “That does mean we have time to talk, then. Both of you, come with me.”

  Logan knew it wasn’t a request. After one more sweep of his gaze over James—where he blatantly ogled what he could see of the shifter’s chest and abs—Logan turned and headed out the door. He paused in the hallway and waited for Lacy and Abbott to join him.

  Abbott followed immediately, but Lacy stepped close to her patient and checked the bandage on the gunshot wound. Logan scowled at the way she touched James and he clenched his hands in irritation.

  “The mate pull is a tough thing to control, isn’t it?” Abbott rumbled quietly from at Logan’s side. “Fighting it only makes it worse.”

  Logan frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Shrugging, Abbott’s eyes narrowed. “You under-estimate shifter hearing, Logan,” he stated. “And do you really think it took ten minutes for Lacy to track me down and find me in this small house? I was standing outside while you and he spoke.” Then he smirked. “At least, until you started relaxing him. Good thing Lacy had been too busy calming Zander to be with me.”

  “Zander?” Logan asked. “What happened?” His friend had been fairly calm when he’d left him just a short while ago.

  Abbott sighed. “Your friend isn’t taking the news of paranormals well. He started hyperventilating. The doc ended up sedating him.”

  “Look,” Logan stated. “Zander is a goat farmer. Part of the problem is that he needs to see to his goats and he’s afraid you’re not going to allow him to leave to do that.”

  “Then, he’d be right,” Abbott replied. “Until he agrees to secrecy, as you obviously did at one time, I can’t allow him to leave.”

  Sighing, Logan jerked a nod. “Okay. I get that. If not him, then me,” he offered. “I came into town yesterday and he showed me the ropes. Knowing his goats are taken care of will help Zander settle down.”

  “I’m sorry, Logan,” the alpha immediately responded, crossing his arms over his chest. “You cannot leave, either. Not until the terms of recompense are confirmed and fulfilled.”

  Logan’s jaw clenched. “I’m not going anywhere,” he snapped. “I will fulfill the debt, whatever it is.”

  Alpha Abbott growled, the sound a low rumble. “Careful, Logan. You will not disrespect me.”

  Realizing his error, Logan sucked in a harsh breath and let it out slowly. His tone could definitely be interpreted as challenging to an alpha wolf. He needed the man to know he considered him more dominant…the one in charge. Logan didn’t have to like it, but he did understand it.

  “My apologies. I find it offensive when my word is not taken at face value,” Logan admitted. “Perhaps if you send one of your enforcers with me to oversee that I return,” he suggested. “Would I be able to go care for the goats then?”

  Evidently, Abbott recognized that Logan was attempting to work within the confines of the shifter’s system, even though he was human. “That is acceptable. I will have Adriana accompany you,” Abbott stated.

  Logan nodded, relief filling him. While he wasn’t truly excited about caring for Zander’s goats without the experienced man’s help, he knew his friend’s livelihood needed to be protected. “Thank you,” he said.

  “There is one other thing,” Alpha Abbott said. “What are these shifter pain killers you were speaking of?”

  Glancing toward Lacy, Logan watched her join them. She glared mutinously at the very mention of drugs. He frowned right back for several seconds, then moved his attention to the alpha while clearing his expression.

  “I can’t tell you much about it,” Logan admitted. “All I can tell you is that my buddies are mated to gargoyles and gargoyles can get their male mates pregnant. I met the rhino shifter Cornelius after my best friend Marty mated with the gargoyle, Raymond,” he continued explaining. “Cornelius was pregnant. When he birthed the egg, the clutch doctor gave him something for the pain. It was a white pill and it worked.” He shrugged. “That’s all I know.”

  “Huh,” Alpha Abbott muttered. He rubbed a hand over his chin. “Interesting.” He turned to Lacy. “Have you received any reports from the Shifter Council about possible shifter painkillers?”

  Lacy’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe,” she replied grudgingly.

  “Why didn’t you bring this information to me?” Alpha Abbott growled, obviously displeased that this was the first time hearing about it.

  After sighing, Lacy stated, “Because your father had just handed the alpha mantel to you and you had plenty of other things to occupy your attention.”

  “That is not a call you should make,” Abbott snapped. “Lacy, is Beta James stable?”

  “Yes, Alpha,” she mumbled, her gaze lowering in submission.

  “Good. Go get that report and bring it to me,” the alpha demanded.

  Lacy nodded. “Yes, Alpha.” She hustled past them, but not before casting a nasty glare toward Logan.

  Great. I’ve made an enemy in the pack already.

  With that thought in mind, Logan had another idea occur to him. Technically, the gargoyle chieftain considered him under his protection because he lived in that town and knew about paranormals. He’d want to know about this, wouldn’t he? Besides, checking in with the lead gargoyle would offer a second possibility.

  “Alpha Abbott,” Logan stated softly. “Please, allow me to contact Chieftain Maelgwn. He’ll want to know my situation. Plus, he could send some of the painkillers Doctor Perseus used and he’d undoubtedly know where they came from.”

  The alpha’s eyes narrowed. “Are you officially part of his clutch?”

  “Not officially. No,” Logan had to admit. “But he is the one who took my vow of silence. Him and his enforcer, Sapian.”

  “Hmm,” Abbott rumbled. “I suppose I can understand your request. You may call him while with Adriana.”

  Logan nodded. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll have your phone returned to you,” the alpha told him before striding away from him down the hallway. Over his shoulder, he stated, “Zander is still in the den. Join him, or feel free to stay with Jimmy.”


  Grimacing, Logan glanced over his shoulder, through the open doorway, and stared at James. He really wanted to walk back into that room, drag the desk chair over to the bed, and stay by the sexy shifter’s side. For that very reason, Logan turned away and headed back to the den.

  Letting himself inside the room, Logan saw Zander lying on the sofa. He crossed to his friend and knelt beside the couch. Maybe he’d heard Logan enter the room, or maybe he just knew he was no longer alone. Either way, Zander’s eyelids twitched and he turned his head toward Logan.

  Logan reached out and touched Zander’s forehead as he murmured, “Hey, buddy. How ya feelin’?”

  “What the hell happened?” Zander mumbled, cracking open his right eye.

  “Heard you got a little upset,” Logan replied. “The doc knocked you out.”

  “Fuck.”

  Logan chuckled. “Yeah, but not with you,” he teased.

  “Asshole.”

  “Yeah, those are involved, too.”

  Zander snorted. “God, you’re such a jackass.”

  Snickering, Logan replied, “Yeah, well. It got ya to relax, right?”

  Nodding, Zander sobered a bit. “Yeah.” His brows furrowed as the eye he’d opened slid back closed. “God, damn. I can’t believe the shit that’s happened today.” Zander’s eyelids slammed open. “Did I shoot him?”

  Logan shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m handling it. You’ve had enough scares. Besides, these guys can help you get away from your vampire lover,” he pointed out. He didn’t want his friend worrying about what would happen if the blame were pinned on him. He patted Zander’s shoulder. “Get some rest. I’m going to the farm and taking care of the goats.”

  Zander tensed as if to rise, saying, “I should go with you.”

  “You can’t,” Logan stated, placing his hand firmly on his friend’s shoulder and pressing. He used his hold to keep the man in place. Softly, he warned, “I’ve already vowed to be silent about the existence of paranormals. You can’t leave until you do the same.”

  “You want me to hide the fact that shape shifters exist?” Zander hissed the question. “Come on, man. That’s the biggest revelation in the history of…ever!”