Taming His Wolf [Dark Knights 3] (The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection)

by Lynn Hagen

  Joelle had known that Kivani wasn’t human. But seeing him choke someone made Joelle want to faint. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t cut out for this kind of life. He liked boring, predictable, and safe.

  Kivani wasn’t any of those things. He was a wolf shifter who killed people for a living.

  Even though he knew this, Joelle’s heart felt like it was being ripped out. He leaned against the wall, wiping his eyes with his palms and cursing when he bumped his glasses askew.

  All Joelle wanted to do was run back to Kivani and throw himself into his arms, but he didn’t know where Kivani had gone, and Joelle had to let that fucked-up relationship go. It wouldn’t be healthy for him. Yet, as his brain and heart battled it out as he stood there, his heart couldn’t have cared less about healthy.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He hadn’t seen Ryan approach. When he laid a hand on Joelle’s arm, the touch broke him. Joelle cried like an infant as he tried to wave Ryan away, but Ryan refused to go.

  “Tell me what’s wrong, Joelle.”

  “I just broke up with Kivani.” Having no tissues, Joelle wiped his nose on his sleeve. It was gross, but right now he didn’t care.

  Ryan slowly shook his head, his brows furrowed. “But you can’t break up with a shifter, Joelle. It’s not possible. You’re bound to him for life.”

  That only made Joelle cry harder. He was a complete goddamn mess. He wanted Kivani. He didn’t want him. Joelle trusted him. He didn’t trust him. Joelle’s head was so full that a migraine started at his temples. He had no idea what the hell to do, what was the right decision, or if Kivani would ever come back after what Joelle had said to him. “I have to go.”

  He walked away, but Ryan was at his side. “Tell me what happened.”

  What Joelle needed was his mom. She would know what to do, what advice to give. Joelle had never felt this deeply for someone, and the pain sucked. Now he saw why some people refused to fall in love. That shit hurt.

  The thought brought him up short.

  Was he in love with Kivani? Could people fall in love this fast? Since this was the first time Joelle had ever felt this way toward someone, he had no clue.

  “I’ll be fine,” he snapped, then grimaced. “Sorry.”

  “Just tell me where you’re headed,” Ryan said.

  “To see my mom.” Joelle half hoped Kivani would still be on the elevator when it arrived, but the car was empty. Which only made his tears flow faster.

  “Call me,” Ryan said.

  “I will.”

  Joelle rode the elevator down to the garage and got into his hybrid. He drove across town, his heart hurting so badly that he wanted to rip it out. By the time he pulled into his mother’s driveway, he could barely see past his tears.

  He simply sat there, staring at the steering wheel, wishing it would give him profound answers. He grabbed some tissues from the glove box and cleaned himself up as best he could. When he looked in the mirror on his sun visor, Joelle rolled his eyes. There was no way he could wipe away the puffiness around his eyes.

  The front door opened and his mother stepped out and stood on the porch, looking his way. Her smile faded, then she headed toward him.

  She had always been his solid rock, the one person he could lean on when he was in a crappy mood, the one person who could cheer him up and make him laugh. He didn’t think she could get a smile out of him today, but seeing her already made him feel a tad better.

  She opened the car door. “Joelle, come inside, sweetie.”

  He unfolded himself from the car and closed the door. She slid her arm into his, leading the way into the house. As soon as he walked in, the smell of baking cookies engulfed him. It was as though she’d been expecting him, because she knew how much he loved that smell, how it always made him feel as if his problems weren’t as big as he’d thought they were.

  His mother guided him to a kitchen chair and Joelle sat. She poured him a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him before taking a seat next to his. “You look like shit. Tell me why.”

  That was Felicia Lovejoy. Blunt and straight to the point.

  Joelle took a sip, rolling his eyes. Starbucks had nothing on her special blend of coffee. That and his mom were exactly what he’d needed.

  “I might have fallen in love.”

  Her smile was soft as she brushed his hair from his eyes. “He broke your heart?”

  Joelle’s parents hadn’t batted an eye when he’d told them he was gay, and they’d been super supportive. His mom had even gone to a few gay rallies with Joelle over the years. His sister Janice—who was married with two rug rats—often stopped by his apartment to check on him, always bringing some kind of dish because she swore he was too skinny and was afraid he’d starve to death.

  “It’s complicated.” Joelle usually hated when people said that. To him, it was a lousy excuse that meant they just didn’t want to talk about their problem. But the two words fit Joelle’s situation perfectly. Kivani was as complicated as complicated could get, with a dash of confusion thrown in.

  “Let’s go out to the greenhouse and you can tell me all about it.” His mom got up and headed to the sliding glass doors. Joelle followed her, taking his mug with him.

  They walked up the stone path and she held the door open for him.

  No other place on earth was this relaxing to Joelle. He used to spend countless hours out here helping his mom with her plants and flowers, talking about anything and everything. She knew every aspect of his life—from Joelle’s frustrations with his promotion because he could no longer style hair full-time, to his displeasure at not finding a guy he could settle down with.

  She even knew about Henry’s jealousy.

  “Now tell me about this boy.”

  A small smile pulled at his lips. “Kivani isn’t a boy, Mom.”

  Kivani was the embodiment of pure man. He was tall, had an aura of power and dominance, and made Joelle swoon whenever he looked into those mesmerizing amber eyes. He could still feel Kivani’s hands on him and the touch of his lips, and still smell his all-encompassing scent. Tears prickled Joelle’s eyes. God, he missed Kivani so badly.

  She patted his arm. “Okay, then tell me about this man.”

  Joelle had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to say anything about what Kivani was or what he did for a living, but this was Joelle’s mom and he’d always told her everything.

  So as they walked the paths through the greenhouse, he spilled his guts. Her lack of shock disturbed him. “Why aren’t you freaking out? I just told you shifters exist and my mate is a bounty hunter. That’s not something you hear every day.”

  Although his mom was levelheaded, almost always calm, and hardly ever raised her voice, she should be flipping the hell out right now. Why wasn’t she?

  She nibbled on her lower lip, a sure sign she was hiding something. She glanced at him, then looked away.

  “Mom?”

  “I was sworn to secrecy. You have to promise not to breathe a word of what I’m about to tell you.”

  Frowning, Joelle nodded.

  “Well,” she said as she pulled a stool from under one of the long tables and took a seat, “your Aunt Pamela is mated to a lion shifter.”

  “Uncle Thomas?” Mind blown. Joelle loved Thomas, and he was a dominant man, but kind and sweet, too. He had taken Joelle and Janice for ice cream every summer when they were kids.

  “So that’s why I’m not freaking out.”

  “Because you already knew shifters existed.”

  “Yes.” She looked at him. “And I don’t see anything wrong with bounty hunting. Someone has to protect us from the evil of the world.”

  “But he kills instead of capturing,” Joelle stressed.

  “I have to admit, I don’t understand the shifter world. But I’m pretty sure they play by a different set of rules, Joelle. Have you talked to him about why he kills people?”

  No. Joelle had been too horny and needy and distracted by Kivani’s body
. Then Hottie had shown up and everything had been blown to hell. “I freaked out before we could talk,” he admitted. “I told him it was best we didn’t see each other again.”

  “But why?”

  “I don’t know!” Joelle threw a hand up. “I have a nice tidy life and Kivani doesn’t fit into that.”

  “What you have is a safe life where you don’t take any chances, Joelle. You have to learn to live a little.”

  “That’s not living a little, Mom,” he argued. “Living a little is taking an impromptu vacation or eating the entire cake instead of just a slice.”

  “And Kivani is your entire cake.” She smiled. “Get yourself a tall glass of milk and enjoy him.”

  “I’m vegan.”

  “You know what I mean. Stop trying to fit everything into your tidy little box, son. Let your life get messy, and have fun doing it. You only live once. Do you want Kivani to be one of your regrets?”

  No, Joelle didn’t. “But he was choking a guy right in front of me.”

  “At least he wasn’t hiding anything from you.”

  “Seriously?” Joelle gaped at her. “That’s what you have to say about that?”

  “There had to be a reason.” She stood. “A stranger showed up at your apartment. It sounds to me like Kivani was protecting you.”

  “From what?” he squawked. “I’m the district manager of a hair salon chain. What could I possibly need protection from, paperwork?”

  She laughed and Joelle groaned.

  “Just call him and talk to him.”

  They left the greenhouse and went back inside the house. Joelle frowned when he heard his father talking to someone. He and his mother went into the living room, and Joelle’s heart stopped.

  What was Kivani doing here?

  When Kivani turned and looked at him, Joelle’s heart started beating again.

  “I’ll let you two talk,” his dad said as he passed Joelle, squeezing his arm. His mother gave him a look that said she wanted Joelle to take her advice, then she left, as well.

  Joelle stood there, unsure what to say.

  “Ryan told me where you were and gave me the address.” Kivani tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “I wanted a chance to explain things to you.”

  “About being a bounty hunter or choking that guy?”

  “Both.” Kivani waved a hand toward the sofa.

  Joelle wrung his hands together, debating what he should do. His mom was right, though. He should at least talk to Kivani about this before making a final decision on what to do about their relationship.

  Taking a seat, Joelle adjusted his glasses, then ran a hand through his hair before tucking his hands between his legs to stop his nervous movements.

  Kivani sat beside him. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

  Joelle had forgotten about his puffy eyes. He looked away, concentrating on his feet. He didn’t want to talk about how he’d fallen apart or how badly he’d been hurting. “You wanted to talk?”

  Kivani rested his elbows on his knees, entwining his fingers. “The guy who showed up at your apartment earlier was a Hunter.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Humans who kill my kind,” Kivani said. “Innocents, Joelle. They murder nonhumans indiscriminately. That guy just wanted to let me know that he knew who you were and where you lived. Hunters don’t kill humans, but they do hurt them.”

  How did Joelle respond to that? “So my life is in danger now?”

  “You’re mated to me, so…yeah.”

  “I—” Joelle swallowed roughly. “What the fuck am I supposed to say to that, Kivani?”

  “I don’t know.” Kivani ran a hand over his hair. “My job is to eliminate as many Hunters as possible, to keep my world safe from them…to keep you safe from them.”

  “But I have to work.” Joelle pushed from the couch and paced in front of the china cabinet filled with his mom’s creepy figurines. Joelle had always felt like the many tiny porcelain dolls were watching him with their painted little eyes.

  “I’m trying to figure that part out,” Kivani said. “How to do my job while keeping you near me.”

  Kivani got up and Joelle didn’t resist when he was enveloped in his strong arms. As confused and angry as he was, being in Kivani’s arms felt too damn right, and Joelle was unable to resist leaning into him.

  “You feel that, boo?” Kivani rubbed a hand down Joelle’s back.

  “Feel what?”

  Kivani’s fingers glided over Joelle’s nape, making him shiver as his cock hardened. “Our connection, how safe you feel right now?”

  “Yes.” Joelle’s eyelids fluttered closed. He hissed, nuzzling into Kivani’s neck, inhaling his masculine scent. If he didn’t stop responding to Kivani’s touch, they’d wind up fucking in the living room. He had to remind himself he was at his parents’ house.

  “I’ll never let anything happen to you, Joelle.” Kivani ghosted his lips over Joelle’s cheek. “I give you my word. But you can’t run from me, and you have to come to terms with what I do.” He tilted Joelle’s head back until they were gazing into each other’s eyes. Kivani could say or do anything he wanted right now and Joelle would readily agree because he was caught in his mate’s spell. “Besides, I get paid handsomely for my job. You don’t have to work if you don’t want to.”

  Joelle snorted, snapping out of the fog encasing his sex-deprived brain. “You are not gonna be my sugar daddy.”

  Kivani chuckled and Joelle felt better. His heart had won the fight. He was right where he was supposed to be, in Kivani’s arms. Joelle would take his mother’s advice and live a little.

  He just prayed he didn’t die while eating his damn cake.

  Chapter Six

  Aleksei Kovachi rose from behind his desk when Ethan Davenport was brought into his office and thrown to the floor.

  “Stay the fuck down,” said Lowell, one of Aleksei’s men.

  “What am I doing here?” Ethan snarled at Lowell.

  “You’re here at my request.” Aleksei kept his emotions from showing when Ethan looked up at him and scowled.

  “Mr. Kovachi.” Ethan’s voice said he wasn’t impressed. But he also saw the fear in Ethan’s eyes that he tried to hide. “Why did you request my presence?”

  Aleksei waved his fingers and Lowell backed off Ethan. “You may stand.”

  Their eye contact held as Ethan got to his feet.

  Aleksei took a seat on the edge of his desk, clasping his hands together. He would make this piece of trash who his fear before Ethan left the office. “I have eyes and ears everywhere, Mr. Davenport. I also have trust issues when it comes to those who used to work for Mr. Hephner, especially ones who have alley meetings with Dark Knights.”

  He could practically see the thoughts churning in Ethan’s head. He was caught, but like any bottom-feeder, Ethan would try to lie his way out of this.

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Lowell slammed his fist into Ethan’s gut, and Ethan went down, fighting for breath. Lowell pulled him back to his feet.

  “That’s the only lie I’ll allow you to tell me,” Aleksei said. “Do it again and Lowell will cut off a finger for every lie that comes out of your mouth.”

  Ethan’s studied Aleksei, then slowly nodded.

  “Tell me what that meeting was about.” Aleksei reached behind him and picked up his cigar from the ashtray.

  “I—” Ethan slowly shook his head. He closed his eyes, pinched his lips together, then looked at Aleksei. “He pulled me out of the tavern, warning me that all Hunters were dead.”

  Aleksei tossed his cigar cutter and Lowell caught it. Ethan snarled as Lowell bent his arm behind his back. He fought against Lowell’s grip, then screamed. When Ethan cradled his arm to his chest, his index finger was missing and blood covered his hand.

  Now he was showing his fear. The defiance in his gaze was gone. Aleksei loved the terror he struck in people. He also loved the power he had over them
, and the knowledge that he could snap his fingers and Lowell would end Ethan’s life.

  It was a goddamn rush.

  “The truth, Mr. Davenport.” Aleksei took a puff of his cigar.

  Ethan kept his gaze averted, but Aleksei felt the hatred pouring out of his eyes. “He was warming me to stay away from his boyfriend.”

  Aleksei had done his homework before taking over the position of head Hunter. In truth, he couldn’t have cared less about killing nonhumans. Aleksei was here for the manpower. He needed his devoted followers to run his drug and prostitution ring in the city. He would show those who didn’t want to fall in line the error of their decision.

  By either death or brutality.

  But Aleksei needed to keep on top of what the Dark Knights were doing because he didn’t need his numbers decimated by those assholes. If Aleksei eliminated the Knights, then he could concentrate on the real reason he’d moved to the city.

  And by doing his homework, he knew preternatural beings didn’t have boyfriends or girlfriends, husbands or wives.

  They had mates.

  Aleksei wanted Kivani’s mate as payment for his cousin’s death. He knew that Kivani, Bayne, and Nyx had killed Sergei. Aleksei had had the Knights under surveillance for some time, and his informant had told him about the murder, where Sergei had been buried, and that Kivani had taken Sergei’s car to the slums and set it on fire.

  Aleksei had never liked his cousin, and was glad to be rid of him, but he couldn’t let Sergei’s death go unavenged.

  “Tell me about this boyfriend,” Aleksei said.

  “I don’t know anything about him.” When Lowell grabbed his arm, Ethan shouted, “I swear. I don’t know!”

  Aleksei pushed from his desk and stopped a foot away from Ethan, scowling. “Then you bring the boyfriend to me. Understood?”

  Ethan paled as he nodded.

  “Use any means necessary, but do not fail me, Mr. Davenport, or the next time I see you, Lowell will take your entire fucking arm.”

  Lowell yanked Ethan from the office as Aleksei returned to what he’d been doing before the interruption.