Begin Again (Saint Lakes #5): A M/M Fantasy Romance about Shifters and Vampires

by April Kelley

  Ramsey wouldn’t let anyone hurt Kristin physically. Josh already had hurt her emotionally, so it was too late. He might accept that fact, but it still pissed him off. He also didn’t like Tim. Both of those things combined put him on edge just enough for him to create an air of volatility in the room.

  Both Josh and Tim felt it when they walked in if the way they stopped and stiffened just slightly was any indication. Having Kristin and Josh in the same room together did make it easy to see how much Josh wanted Kristin for his mate. Josh's cougar eyes trained on Kristin and his teeth elongated.

  The chair moved just slightly when Kristin moved around him. It appeared as if she were going to Josh, which was completely against her character. Apparently, Josh thought so too because he reached for her. But she moved around him and headed straight for Garridan, who had just entered the room.

  Garridan bent down, and they whispered to each other.

  Satisfied Garridan would help Kristin come to some sort of understanding, Ramsey focused on Tim and Josh. Both men had their heads turned to the side in submissive respect as they stood on the other side of the desk.

  "Have a seat."

  They did as he directed but Josh kept looking back at Kristin. He also sat on the edge of his seat as if he were at the ready to go to her at the smallest provocation.

  "It's come to my understanding that you arranged a mating for Josh." Ramsey stared Tim down, waiting for him to either admit or deny it. Arranging a mating was a slap to Ramsey's Alpha status.

  "Yes. That's how our family does things."

  Ramsey sat forward with his elbows on the desk and his hands steepled in front of him. "Let me be very clear here. That's not how the clan does it and if it were then I'm the only one who has that kind of authority." Ramsey hardened his expression when Tim's face turned red with anger. He let his water monster out just enough for his eyes to turn reptilian. He knew they were unique, not quite like a crocodile's but close enough that it scared most who saw it and their history also didn’t help Tim in his bid to keep the fear from showing. Ramsey would give him points for trying, though.

  Tim visibly swallowed, and his face went slack.

  "If you don't like it, then you are welcome to find another clan, but you won't undermine my authority again."

  "Yes, Alpha." Just based on Tim's tone, he'd give Ramsey problems. Ramsey would let it go until the problems presented themselves, though.

  Kristin left Garridan and came back around the desk. Ramsey watched her the whole time and knew the hardness was all for show. She'd break down just as soon as she was alone.

  Ramsey met Josh’s gaze. “Your mating is your choice.”

  "Well, I pick my true mate."

  Ramsey's back was to Kristin, so he didn't see her reaction but based on Garridan's slight amusement, he could tell she was going to give Josh a hard time.

  "Your true mate doesn't want to mate with someone who's weak."

  Tim slapped a hand on the arm of the chair and stood. "You will not talk to my son that way."

  Ramsey stood and started around the desk. His water monster growled in his mind, and it was everything in him not to shift and protect his sister against the presented threat. Ramsey was better at fighting his instinct since the last time he had a run in with Tim. It had been years after all.

  Ramsey wasn’t needed because Josh came around the side of the desk, standing right in front of Kristin and growled at Tim.

  Kristin still looked pissed off, but some of her bravadoes slipped, and her eyes changed to her eagle. "I don't need your protection."

  Josh ignored her, not taking his eyes off the threat his father imposed. Ramsey's respect for Josh went up about ten notches. Ramsey’s protective instincts quieted.

  "You can't come back home if you choose her."

  Josh squared his shoulders. “I'll get my stuff in the next couple days."

  Tim just nodded and walked out. Ramsey followed him just to make sure he left the house and property peacefully. As he was leaving, he heard Garridan say, "Do you need me to stay, Kristin?"

  "No. I think Josh and I have a few things to discuss alone. Like how this mating of ours is going to go. Because if you think for one second I can't take care of myself, then I'll be happy to demonstrate by kicking your father's ass all over the fucking yard." It looked like things were going to be okay between Kristin and Josh.

  “A fucking Somerset. If figures Josh would mate with one of them.” Either Tim wasn’t aware that Ramsey followed him or he just didn’t care. Either way, Ramsey would have a talk with Tim.

  “You have two choices, Tim.” When Ramsey spoke, Tim turned around. The way he turned, as if Ramsey had poked him in the ass with a stick, confirmed his suspicions. He didn’t know Ramsey followed.

  Considering Ramsey’s scent was all over the place, it didn’t surprise him that Tim couldn’t use his shifter senses to tell. Ramsey was also light on his feet and always had been.

  Tim clear his throat. “What are those?”

  Ramsey smiled, but he knew it came off as menacing. “Either fall in line or get out of my territory. Anything other than that will get you more than just puncture wounds this time around.”

  “You’re kind runs on instincts and not much else. That makes you no better than an animal.” Tim spat on the ground at Ramsey’s feet.

  Ramsey laughed. “Have you ever seen what a dangerous animal can do to someone?”

  “Not personally.”

  “It’s best if you do what I say so you don’t find out.” Ramsey shifted the teeth in his mouth. He’d looked at himself in the mirror a time or two, so he was aware of the picture he made. Each tooth in his mouth pointed at the ends. They looked like a small double-bladed knife and were so numerous they distorted his face.

  “Get away from me, Tim. Before I do something we’ll both regret.” His voice was gravelly and slightly slurred because it was hard to talk around the half-shifting.

  Tim nodded. And scrabbled away from him. The fact that he didn’t call him Alpha or give him the proper respect told Ramsey, Tim would cause problems.

  Ramsey watched as Tim got in his truck and pulled out of the driveway.

  ****

  Fane felt the hunger for blood in the pit of his stomach. He’d need some soon. Didn’t want to starve like last time. Nope. “Need blood.”

  “I have some bagged stuff in the cooler just for you, Fane.” Forrest smiled at him when he looked across the bench seat at him. Forrest reached down between his legs and opened the top of the cooler lid. He reached in and handed him a bag.

  Fane shook his head but took it all at the same time. “Had blood from a human once.”

  “Just once, Fane?” Angel looked at him out of the rearview mirror as he drove.

  “Yep. At the lab. After I escaped from my cell.” The word escape floated around in Fane’s brain like a balloon. The rest of the space was empty and black. “Escape.”

  “You don’t remember anything before that?”

  “Nope.” Fane moved his hands around his head. “It’s all empty up there.”

  Except sometimes he remembered things before the lab, but they were flashes of pictures. He remembered a room with mirrors covering one wall from ceiling to floor. He remember being still and silent but now he couldn’t be either because all the black space scared him. The darkness was a jail cell he couldn’t escape.

  Escape.

  Fane let his teeth fall before he stuck them in the bag. The ache in his stomach eased with each swallow of blood.

  “I knew a guy who was feral and came back from it once.” Zadimus probably knew a lot of people. He was old enough to know everyone in the whole world. “He wasn’t the same after, although he did meet his mate and that helped him get some of his memories back. He was a real dickhead before anyway, so it wasn’t a hardship.”

  Forrest reached up and hit Zadimus in the arm. “There’s nothing wrong with Fane.”

  “Did I say there was?”

/>   “No. But you sorta implied it.”

  Fane pulled the bag off his teeth and let it fall to the seat beside him.

  “What did I tell you about trash, Fane?” Forrest sighed and picked up the bag, throwing it into another bag that sat on the floor.

  “Trash goes in that bag for the entire car ride,” Fane mimicked Forrest.

  Forrest chuckled. “You could do impersonations and probably make a living. You sounded just like me.”

  Fane held out his hand. “Want another.”

  Forrest reached into the cooler again and handed Fane another one.

  “Can I borrow your phone, Angel?”

  “And just what will you give me.”

  Forrest smiled and reached up, running his fingers through Angel’s hair. “Anything you want, baby.”

  Zadimus snorted out a laugh, but Fane didn’t want to take the time to ask what was so funny. Instead, he sank his teeth into the second bag.

  Angel chuckled and handed over his phone all without taking his eyes off the road.

  Forrest took it and immediately punched in numbers. “I’m gonna put it on speaker. That way we all learn what’s going on in Saint Lakes at once.”

  “Who you calling?” The bag in his mouth was a hindrance, but he still managed to get the words out.

  “My brother, Ramsey. He’s the Alpha of Saint Lakes. He’ll want to know the progress we’ve made with the shifter and vampire council.”

  “Ramsey.” That name floated around in his head just like the other word had, but it was gone quickly.

  “Yes.”

  A ringing came from the phone but sounded as if it came through a can. It had taken a couple of tries before someone answered. “Hello.”

  The man who answered had a deep voice, which made his stomach flutter. He’d never experienced that before, and the unknown made him giggle nervously. Fane took the bag from his teeth and threw it on the seat beside him.

  “Hey. So I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”

  “Bad news.”

  “Nicolono Stavros was brought in by the council and jailed. He escaped, though. Got me pretty good when he did too, but I’m okay now.”

  When the person on the other end of the phone growled, the sound went straight to Fane’s cock, and he couldn’t help but rub it.

  Forrest grabbed his arm, scowling at him. He shook his head. “Not appropriate.”

  “What?” That deep voice spoke again.

  “Nothing. You’re on speaker.” Forrest shook his head.

  Fane squeezed his eyes shut and folded his body down until his chest lay against his lap.

  “The good news, Forrest.”

  “Right. Well, I accomplished the thing you needed me too. I got the vampire and shifter councils to unite. And I’m also coming home for a few days, with a couple of friends in tow. Also, Angel and I are mated properly now.”

  “Good job, little brother. And congratulations on your mating.”

  “How’s everything there? Anything we need to know.”

  “Kristin has news. I’ll let her tell you.”

  “Oh, that’s just mean. Now I’m going to be drowning in curiosity the whole time.”

  The man on the other end of the phone chuckled, and that’s when Fane looked over at Forrest. Fane felt something build up in his chest, but he couldn’t identify what it was so he started singing. He didn’t remember where he had first heard the song, but somehow he still knew it.

  “…My only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray…” Even as Fane whispered the words, he giggled around them.

  Chapter Four

  Ramsey clicked the button on his pen absently and thought about the conversation he just had with his brother, Forrest. He was glad Forrest worked it out with Angel, and the two were mated properly. He just wished the problem with Nicolono Stavros would have been solved permanently as well.

  "Stop with the pen, please." Garridan narrowed his eyes at the thing as if it was the pen's fault it clicked.

  "Sorry." Ramsey still held the thing. It helped center his thoughts on the biggest problem Ramsey had. "I'm pretty sure the human government knows about us. I know we need more evidence, but even without it I have a gut feeling."

  Would the council merging and all of the paranormals banding together be enough to stop what the humans have planned?

  "Our immediate problem is Stavros. He'll attack soon, and we're not even close to ready for that. We need to have a clan meeting and assess who can fight and who we need to protect."

  "Yeah." Ramsey rocked back in his chair.

  When Sage peeked around the corner, Ramsey barely paid attention to him.

  "Forrest and Angel just arrived in town. Together. Guess that means they got their mating worked out."

  Ramsey didn't tell the others Forrest had called because some the main parts of the conversation would have worried everyone and he didn’t need that. He was so worried he couldn’t sleep, so that was enough for everyone. And as for as Forrest and Angel bonding, well that just wasn’t Ramsey’s information to tell. Well, Garridan knew, but Ramsey didn't keep most stuff from Garridan. As the beta, Garridan had a right to know certain information when it pertained to the clan, especially a family member simply because he was the beta. They were in charge of the well-being of everyone.

  Garridan crooked his finger at Sage. He always got that predatory look on his face whenever Sage wore reading glasses.

  Ramsey rolled his eyes and tried to ignore them. When Sage straddled Garridan's lap and the smacking of lips sounded, Ramsey shuddered and fought against the urge to make vomit sounds like a child.

  The last few months Garridan had been treating him less like the Alpha and more like a son, which Ramsey preferred anyway. That fact only made the make-out session that much more disgusting.

  Ramsey decided to get them both back and clicked the pen in a rhythm designed to drive anyone crazy.

  It took less than thirty seconds for Garridan to hold out his hand for it, although he didn't let Sage go far. Sage sat on his lap with his cheek pressed against Garridan's chest right where his heart was.

  Ramsey leaned forward, putting the pen in Garridan's hand before settling back in his chair again.

  Garridan whispered something to Sage that Ramsey couldn't hear. Sage nodded and stood, moving from Garridan. He held onto his hand until he couldn’t anymore, and he walked out of the room. Garridan watched Sage until he disappeared into the kitchen.

  Ramsey chuckled.

  Garridan turned to him. "You'll know how it feels when you meet your mate."

  "I'm sure." Ramsey sighed. "Okay, so I'll call a clan meeting. We'll assess the fighters in the clan. I just fear there aren't enough. I know the Wingspan clan will help and so will the warlocks but if Stavros attacks, it will be sudden. They may not have enough time to get here. If we're prioritizing our problems, that one should be at the top."

  Garridan grunted. Ramsey spent enough time with Garridan to know that meant he agreed. "We could attack first. Everyone who's willing to fight would be available then."

  Ramsey shook his head. "We'd lose the backing of the council. We need them if we want to find out more about the bigger problem with the humans. The council has enforcers who can get behind the problem much better than we can." The enforcers were the ones who could stop the humans long term.

  Ramsey ran a hand down his face and then shook his head at Garridan. "If I fuck up or lose my focus on all this even just a little bit Saint Lakes is doomed. I mean, we still haven't found the fae, right. If Stavros' people get their hands on him or her, we're screwed. If Stavros attacks before we get all our problems sorted, we're screwed. If the humans go public about paranormals, we're screwed."

  Garridan gave him that classic frown he had probably perfected well before Ramsey was even born. "Stop. It's not all for you to fix."

  "I'm the Alpha."

  "And no good to us if you break down psychologically."

 
; Shit. Garridan was right. "It's easier to concentrate on the clan members’ problems. They're smaller compared to the other issues."

  "One thing at a time."

  Ramsey took a deep breath, trying to dislodge the stone of worry sitting on his lungs. "Right. Clan meeting then."

  "The Wingspan Alpha may be able to help us prepare. Call him."

  "Yeah. Okay." He reached for the phone to call Gavin, Wingspan's Alpha, when he heard a commotion outside. "Sounds like Forrest just got here.”

  "I'll go and leave you to your phone call."

  "Tell Forrest I'll be there in a minute."

  Garridan nodded and left the room.

  Ramsey dialed Gavin's number from memory. Lately, he’d been calling Gavin a lot. Ramsey was just thankful he had an ally like him.

  Ramsey tapped his finger on the desk as he waited. When he heard the familiar voice mail greeting telling him to leave a message, he did as prompted. Maybe it was for the best he didn’t have a lengthy discussion with Gavin. He missed Forrest and wanted to see him anyway.

  Forrest had never left Saint Lakes until he had chased after Angel, and Ramsey never went a day without seeing him at least once. Forrest made up for that, though. And in the time he’d been gone Forrest had accomplished a lot, including bonding with Angel. Ramsey was proud of him in ways he probably wouldn’t be able to express well with words.

  He pushed the red button to shut off his phone and stood from the desk. All his problems disappeared for the moment, and the only thing he thought about was hugging Forrest.

  Then a smell hit him unlike any other he had ever scented. His human eyes turned reptilian. Every thought left his mind but the need to mate with whoever that smell belonged too. He braced a hand on the wall beside the office door in an attempt at control.

  Ramsey had no idea how Kristin had lived with the need to bond for so long without being able too. Maybe her eagle wasn’t as strong willed as Ramsey’s water monster, or maybe she was just stronger than Ramsey all the way around.