by Stormy Glenn
“Sebastian, no!”
Sebastian turned his head to see Galan standing at the top of the stairs. Beauregard stood next to him, his mouth hanging open in shock. Sebastian leaned toward his mate and gave off a little rumble.
Much to his surprise, Beauregard stepped forward and reached a hand out to him. Sebastian lowered his head until Beauregard could reach his snout. Pleasure of intense proportions flowed through him when Beauregard stroked his hand over his snout.
“You look amazing,” Beauregard murmured, “much bigger than I expected.”
Sebastian rumbled again.
“No!” someone below him shouted. “You stay away from him. He’s mine!”
Sebastian jerked away from Beauregard and turned to stare down at Derek. He opened his mouth again, intent on smoking Derek where he stood.
“Sebastian, no!” Galan shouted again. “You can’t kill him. He’s bonded to his mate. It will kill his mate as well.”
Sebastian roared. He wanted to kill Derek. It was the better choice. Derek would never stop. Sebastian could see it in the man’s eyes. He just wouldn’t stop.
“Please, Sebastian?”
Sebastian swung back around to see Beauregard staring at him. He rumbled softly.
“He’s sick, and he needs help, but it’s not his mate’s fault. If you kill Derek, you kill his mate. Whoever it is, he doesn’t deserve that.”
Sebastian was torn, his need to protect Beauregard so powerful it almost consumed him.
“Please?” Beauregard whispered.
Sebastian turned to look back at Derek, intent on making the man go away. He wouldn’t kill Derek, simply because Beauregard had asked him not to. Sebastian hoped Derek understood that the furry freak had just saved his life.
When he glanced down, Derek was nowhere to be seen. Panic set in instantly. He heard Galan yell then Beauregard screamed. Sebastian turned just in time to see Derek shift into his cougar form and jump at Beauregard.
Every thought of not killing Derek left his head as Derek’s sharp teeth snapped at Beauregard. Sebastian roared so loud, the windows shook. He ignored Beauregard’s horrified look and snapped at Derek, catching him by his hind legs.
Sebastian lifted him into the air. He had every intention of eating the man. Derek had threatened his mate. That could not be allowed. Despite Beauregard’s pleas, Derek needed to die. Sebastian swung Derek up, ready to open his mouth and eat the cougar, when the front doors suddenly flew open and a cold blast of air hit Sebastian, freezing him in his spot.
“You can’t kill him, Drakus,” some man in a dark robe said as he rushed in. “He belongs to me.”
Sebastian blew out a puff of angry black smoke. He didn’t know this man. His words meant nothing in the face of protecting Beauregard.
“Derek is my mate. If you kill him, you kill me.”
Sebastian snorted. When Derek started to struggle, he shook his head rapidly until the cougar stopped. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to other people. He had to save his mate from Derek.
“Please.” The stranger held up a hand. “Please don’t hurt him. Derek needs help. He doesn’t need to die.”
“Sebastian.”
Sebastian’s head snapped over to the open doorway. Three more men stood there. Sebastian instantly recognized them as elders. One was Elder Burke, the elder of the Draconic Clan. The other two were elders as well, but Sebastian didn’t know which ones.
“Sebastian, let Derek go,” Elder Burke said.
Sebastian was unable to resist a command by an elder. That’s what made them elders. He opened his jaw and let Derek’s hind legs fall out of his mouth. The cougar fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Elder Burke arched an eyebrow as the other two elders and the stranger ran forward to check on Derek. “That’s not exactly what I meant, Sebastian.”
Sebastian tilted his head a bit, not really caring, and letting the elder know it.
Elder Burke gestured to Sebastian’s dragon form then crossed his arms over his chest. “Shift, Sebastian.”
Sebastian let out a loud roar of protest even as he felt his dragon body following the elder’s demand. He groaned as pain flowed throughout his entire body as he shifted back into his human form and fell to the floor, landing on his hands and knees.
Sebastian drew in a deep breath and pushed himself back to sit on his ass. When he looked up, Elder Burke was standing over him, between him and Derek.
“He tried to kill me,” Sebastian said slowly as he watched the others tend to Derek. “He tried to kill Beauregard.”
“I know, Sebastian,” Elder Burke said. “Myron came to us when he discovered his mate’s intentions. He knew Derek needed to be stopped, but he doesn’t want him harmed. I’m sure you can understand, Sebastian. They are mates despite what Derek has done.”
“I just want him gone where he can never hurt Beauregard again.”
Sebastian was tired. The ache in his shoulder and hands was increasing. Despite his shift, he’d sustained serious injury and lost a lot of blood. He knew he needed to get medical treatment soon, but all he really wanted to do was curl up and sleep with his mate.
“Beauregard.” Sebastian glanced toward the top of the grand staircase but he couldn’t see his mate. He struggled to get to his feet. “Where’s Beauregard?”
“Calm yourself, Sebastian,” Elder Burke said as he put a hand on Sebastian’s unharmed shoulder and pressed down. “Galan has returned your mate to his room. He has set guards to stand outside Beauregard’s door. He is safe.”
Relieved couldn’t even begin to describe how Sebastian felt. His shoulders slumped as he sighed deeply and settled back down on the floor. His head was starting to spin. He could barely turn it as Elder Burke squatted down beside him.
“We need to get you to a doctor,” Elder Burke said.
Sebastian thought that was a very good idea. Still, he didn’t want to let his guard down until he knew for sure that Derek was no longer a threat. He waved his hand in Derek’s general direction.
“What’s going to happen to him?”
“Derek and his mate will be moved to a secure location until such time as their bond can be established, and Derek rids himself of your influence.”
“My influence?” Sebastian snapped.
“I’m afraid that you unwittingly created a connection with Derek during your times together, one that interferes with the bond between him and his mate.”
“But I never—”
Elder Burke waved a hand of dismissal at Sebastian. “It was nothing you were aware of, Sebastian, but rather something unique to submissive cougar shifters. Derek was susceptible to you, and in his present state he really does believe he’s the better choice of mates for you, even if he feels a connection to his own mate.”
“That sounds really fucked up.”
“Can you imagine how his mate feels?” the elder asked but Sebastian didn’t really think it was a question. More like a statement. “Myron feels the mating bond, yet he has to acknowledge the bond Derek has with you or potentially lose his mate forever.”
“I don’t want to have a bond with Derek,” Sebastian said. “I never did. We just played around a few times. Hell, we didn’t even play alone. There were always others there. Why didn’t he bond with one of them?”
“Who can say? Suffice to say, Derek did develop a connection with you. That connection needs to be severed and the one with his mate strengthened. Once that is done, Derek will no longer want to be with you, just his mate.”
“Good luck to Myron then.” Sebastian shook his head. “He’s going to need it.”
Chapter 10
“Are you sure he’s okay, Galan?”
“He’s fine, Beauregard, just a few scrapes and scratches. He needed a few days of bed rest to recover, but the doctor said he’s fine.”
Beauregard frowned and turned away from the window to look across the room at Sebastian’s second-in-command. It had been a week since Derek attacked Sebast
ian, and Beauregard had yet to see the man.
During the fight, Galan had shuffled Beauregard back to the safety of his little room and stood guard outside his door. Food had been brought in, and a doctor came to exam Beauregard, but no Sebastian. And Beauregard wasn’t allowed out of his room.
“Can I see him?”
Beauregard desperately wanted to see Sebastian, to assure himself that his mate really was okay. He had seen the blood, the wounds. He knew Sebastian’s injuries were more severe than a few scrapes and scratches. It was killing him inside not being allowed at his mate’s side.
“That’s not a good idea, Beauregard.”
“No, of course not,” Beauregard whispered as he turned back to look out the window. He didn’t really see anything, not the snow capped mountains or fields of pure white laid out before him. He didn’t see anything except the hatred in Sebastian’s eyes. He doubted he’d ever forget.
“He’ll come see you when he’s ready, Beauregard.”
Beauregard covered his mouth to keep from laughing hysterically. Sebastian wasn’t going to come see him. Sebastian couldn’t stand the sight of him. It would be even worse now. Beauregard couldn’t hide his condition anymore.
He was far enough along now that he could find out the baby’s sex if he really wanted to know. In another week, he’d just start to add weight as the baby grew to birth size. He’d be as big as a house. And that was sure to make him attractive in Sebastian’s eyes. Not!
Beauregard wished he could shift back into his rabbit form, but the doctor had warned against that. This late in his pregnancy it could harm the baby. As much as Beauregard wished he wasn’t carrying, he still wouldn’t do anything to harm his child. It was all he had left of Sebastian.
“I think I’m going to take a nap,” he said as he lowered his hand and turned to look back at Galan. He could feel the man’s eyes watching his every move, and it was unnerving. Beauregard felt like Galan could read his every emotion.
The man was kind enough, but there was a hint of pity in his eyes whenever he looked at Beauregard. Galan was the one man that knew everything that happened between Beauregard and Sebastian. Beauregard liked the guy, but he couldn’t help but feel resentful. Galan was also his jailer.
“Do you need anything?”
“No.”
It was Beauregard’s constant answer nowadays. What he needed, he couldn’t have. What was offered, he didn’t want. Beauregard felt like he lived in a cotton-filled bubble. Nothing came in, and nothing went out. Most of the time, he didn’t even know what time of day it was.
“Maybe after you get some rest we can take a walk outside, get some fresh air.”
Beauregard knew Galan was only trying to help, to give him something to look forward to. He tried to give Galan a small smile to let the man know he appreciated the gesture. He knew it fell flat when Galan frowned.
“He will come see you as soon as he can, Beauregard.”
“Yes, of course.”
If Sebastian had really wanted to see him, he would have come before now. But he didn’t, and Beauregard knew it. If Sebastian was as healthy and hearty as Galan said he was, then there was nothing keeping him away.
Beauregard suddenly felt exhausted. It almost made him laugh. He hadn’t done anything except look out his window for hours, yet he felt like he had run a marathon. He knew part of that was being pregnant, but another part was the complete destruction of his heart and soul. And no amount of sleep could fix that.
Beauregard walked over and climbed into bed. He pulled the covers up around his neck and closed his eyes. A moment later, the door quietly shut, and he knew Galan had left. Only then did Beauregard let his tears fall. There weren’t many, just a few. He’d already cried out most of them.
He stroked his hand down over his distended stomach, one more tear falling when he felt a small butterfly movement under his hand. It wasn’t fair that he didn’t have someone to share this with. Sebastian should have been here to share his joy, and because he wasn’t, Beauregard’s joy was quickly fading away.
He didn’t want to be alone through all of this. He didn’t want to raise this child alone. All he could see ahead of him was years and years of special moments and no one special to share them with. That wasn’t fair to him or his child.
His child deserved a father, someone who would laugh with him, kiss his hurts, and protect him from the evils in the world. He deserved someone that loved him. He didn’t deserve to be brought into the world Beauregard lived in.
Beauregard just couldn’t bring himself to end things like he knew he should. The pull to love and protect his child was stronger than his need to leave the pain of Sebastian’s rejection behind.
Beauregard stilled when he heard the bedroom door open then quietly shut. He could hear someone breathing as they slowly walked across the floor to stand beside the bed. It wasn’t Galan. In the last week, Beauregard had gotten used Galan’s footsteps. These weren’t his.
As the bed dipped and a man’s body stretched out behind him, Sebastian’s sweet masculine scent enveloped Beauregard, and he almost cried out. Only by biting his lips did he keep the desperate sound behind them.
“I know you’re awake, Beauregard,” Sebastian said softly as his arm wrapped around Beauregard. “I can hear your heart beating.”
Beauregard squeezed his eyes closed as tightly as he could as if that gesture might keep his tears at bay. “What do you want?” he whispered. He couldn’t think of a single reason for Sebastian to be here unless it was to drive the knife further into his heart.
“I missed you, bunny.”
Beauregard shoved his hand in his a mouth as a sob broke through his lips. Sebastian was pushing the knife in deeper. He was waving something in front of Beauregard he could never have.
“Ssshhh, love, don’t cry.” Sebastian’s face nuzzled the back Beauregard’s head, his hands stroked up and down Beauregard’s arms. “I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.”
That got to Beauregard. He wiped the tears from his eyes then glanced over his shoulder. “Why?”
“This is where I belong.”
“You belonged here before.” He couldn’t keep the hurt out of his voice. “It didn’t seem to matter to you then.”
“I was wrong.” Sebastian drew in a deep breath. “I know that what we have between us is too special to let go. I don’t know how this will play out, but I don’t want to lose you. I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep us together.”
Beauregard frowned. Sebastian’s hand trembled as it brushed against Beauregard’s abdomen. He didn’t like the pinched look on Sebastian’s face, especially not when he was looking down at his stomach.
“If being the father to this child is what I need to do, then I’ll do it. I can’t promise that I will ever forget the circumstances around his creation, but I will be a good father. He’ll never know anything but love and acceptance from me.”
Beauregard didn’t know how to answer that. The joy he had started to feel now that Sebastian was back was slowly turning to dread, and now anger. Sebastian thought he was being so giving, offering to be the father of a child they created together.
Beauregard pushed away from Sebastian and moved to sit on the opposite side of the bed from him. He wanted to hit Sebastian, to hit something. He wanted someone to understand the anger he felt, the all-consuming anguish that gripped him like a vice.
“You need to go,” Beauregard whispered through his tears. “My child doesn’t need a father. He has me.”
“Beauregard!”
Beauregard didn’t care that Sebastian had used his usual chastising tone when speaking his name. It was usually the only time Sebastian used it. Normally, Beauregard felt bad. This time, he just didn’t care.
“Please go.”
“Beauregard, I’m trying to—”
“I know what you’re trying to do,” Beauregard snapped as he jumped to his feet. He turned to glare at Sebastian. When Sebastian’s mouth drop
ped open, he assumed it was because of his show of anger.
He was wrong.
“You’re huge.”
Beauregard rolled his eyes even as he wrapped his arms protectively around his stomach. “No shit. That’s what happens when you get pregnant.”
“But…” Sebastian stood up and gestured toward Beauregard’s stomach. “How can you be this big this fast? Is something wrong with the baby?”
“You mean besides the fact that his father doesn’t want him, no.”
“Father!” Sebastian raked a hand roughly through his hair. “How can I possibly be the father? We’ve been together less than three weeks.”
Beauregard felt the blood fade from his face as he suddenly realized why Sebastian was behaving the way he was, why the man had been so angry when he discovered Beauregard was pregnant. Every dream, every hope Beauregard ever had of being with Sebastian shattered in a blink of an eye.
Beauregard covered his mouth as the truth smacked him in the face. “You think I lied to you about being a virgin,” he whispered. “You think this is someone else’s child.”
“It doesn’t matter, Beauregard. I told you that I’ll be the father and—”
“You son-of-a-bitch.” Anger unlike anything he had ever felt took a hold of Beauregard. “Get out! Get out and don’t ever come back.”
“Beauregard!”
“Don’t you Beauregard me, you fucker!” Beauregard shouted. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a glass jug of water then tossed it as hard as he could at Sebastian.
“Beauregard!” Sebastian shouted as he jumped out of the way, narrowly missing the jug. It hit the wall and shattered, water spraying all over the wall and floor. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Get out!” Beauregard shouted, stomping his foot. He started grabbing anything he could get his hands on then throwing them at Sebastian. Some hit his target, some missed. He just kept throwing things until Sebastian suddenly grabbed him by the arms and shook him.
“That’s enough!”
