by Lynn Hagen
“You gotta let me turn over,” Joelle whined. He wiggled, bucked, and groaned in frustration. “I can’t touch you. And kissing like this is awkward. That’s the messiest kiss I’ve ever had.”
Kivani grinned. “But I like messy.”
“So do I.” Joelle bucked again. “Just let me up.”
With a deep growl, Kivani moved aside. Joelle flipped over. “Much better.”
Kivani was on him again, his fingers driving into Joelle’s ass, his hard length jabbing into Joelle’s stomach. He curled an arm under Joelle’s head, lifting him slightly as he took his mouth in a toe-curling kiss.
Joelle slid his hand down his mate’s back, his fingertips mapping out ever rigid line, every muscled dip. He wrapped his legs around Kivani’s waist, opening himself up farther. “I’m ready.”
Joelle felt mindless with lust. Kivani’s scent was crisp and masculine, and his eyes were spellbinding. This close to them, Joelle saw flecks of black in the amber, and the intense look Kivani gave him made Joelle feel completely owned.
His heart stuttered when Kivani pulled his fingers free and lined up the head of his cock to Joelle’s hole. He knew what was about to happen. Ryan had explained it to him, how a single bite during sex would tie Joelle and Kivani’s souls together.
Never again would Joelle be alone. Kivani would always be there for him. Always.
Unless his line of work got him killed.
Shut the fuck up, brain! That was not a thought Joelle needed to have right now. Ever, if he could help it.
Joelle hissed and dug his nails into Kivani’s back as he entered him. He hadn’t had sex in so long that the deep burn made him slam his eyes shut as he blew out a series of breaths.
But Kivani didn’t stop. Joelle opened his eyes as he bottomed out, then pulled back, only to repeat his moves at a faster pace. His hands were on either side of Joelle’s head, his face close.
“Let’s get messy.” Kivani grinned right before he reared back, placing his hands behind Joelle’s knees and spreading his legs. Joelle arched his back and cried out as Kivani pounded into him. Kivani had stretched his hole wide and hit Joelle’s prostate on every single stroke. He reached for his cock, but before he could touch himself, Joelle came. His seed spilled onto his chest as Kivani leaned down and bit Joelle’s shoulder.
“Oh fuck!” Kivani had placed Joelle’s legs on Kivani’s shoulders, and Joelle was folded in half. His orgasm had grown stronger with the bite, and Joelle feared he’d pass out.
Kivani’s hips moved so fast the room filled with the sound of their skin slapping. Then Kivani stiffened, grunting into Joelle’s shoulder as his cock pulsed in Joelle’s ass. Kivani buried himself deep as he pulled his canines free and licked at Joelle’s shoulder.
Joelle lay there staring at the ceiling, panting, sweaty, and grimacing. Kivani had smeared Joelle’s come and now the mess was sticking to both of them.
“You’re heavy,” Joelle said as he slapped his hand on Kivani’s back. “Move before you crush me.”
They hissed as Kivani eased out of Joelle’s body. Kivani dropped next to him, then spooned Joelle. From the way Ryan had explained the claiming, Joelle had expected sparks to fly. They hadn’t, but he did feel a connection to Kivani on a level he never knew existed.
“Sleep, boo.” Kivani nuzzled his neck. “I’ll spank your ass when we wake up.”
“You can’t threaten me with something I might enjoy.” Joelle wiggled closer. He’d never felt this content. He sank into Kivani and closed his eyes, smiling.
“You can’t go!”
Kivani sat on the side of Joelle’s bed lacing his boots. His mate had been ranting for the past five minutes and Kivani had a solid headache now.
“I have to find Ethan,” he said for the hundredth time.
Frustration built inside him the longer Joelle argued. He understood his mate’s fear, but that wasn’t gonna stop him from hunting his cousin down and ripping his heart out for kidnapping Joelle and shoving a fucking gun into his side.
“Why?” Joelle rounded the bed, his arms folded. “Why do you have to go?”
“Because he’s not getting away with what he did to you.” Kivani stood, but Joelle hurried in front of him and blocked the bedroom doorway.
“And what if he shoots you?” Joelle waved his arms around. “What if you don’t come back to me?”
Kivani tried to cup Joelle’s face, to give him reassurance, but his mate turned his head, taking a step back. “I’m not gonna let you charm your way out of this.” Joelle glared at him.
“Move, Joelle,” Kivani said with a deep growl. “I’m not going to fight with you.”
“I don’t like your line of work, but I understand why you have to do it. But this is personal with Ethan.”
“It’s personal with every last one of those sons of bitches,” Kivani snapped. “I’ve lost people I care about to Hunters. My own fucking cousin is one of them!”
Kivani hadn’t meant to say that. He’d vowed to himself long ago to keep that secret buried. If word got out…
Joelle’s brows rose. “Is Ethan your cousin?”
“We’ll talk about this when I get back.” Kivani had gone against his convictions and called someone to watch over Joelle. It was Jabriel, the same guy who’d kept an eye on Henry for Nyx.
Kivani had been fooling himself when he thought he could keep an eye on Joelle all the time and still do his job. But Ethan wasn’t his job. This was as personal as it could get. Kivani should have seen this coming. For the past three hundred years, Ethan had taken pleasure in making Kivani’s life miserable.
Kivani was done giving him a pass because he was family. Kivani’s parents were no longer alive. He had no relatives except Ethan, and the bastard had betrayed him. “Move, Joelle,” he said again.
“If you leave, don’t come back,” Joelle shouted at him.
Kivani jerked his head back, stunned. Joelle’s brows hiked, as though he couldn’t believe he’d said that. But Kivani’s shock wore off in seconds. He bared his canines, advancing toward Joelle. “That’s the second time you’ve told me to get out of your life. Choose your next words very carefully, mate.”
Joelle was all Kivani had, and his words were like a punch to his gut.
“Why is getting revenge so fucking important to you?” Joelle asked.
Kivani slammed a fist over his heart as he snarled, “Because Ethan nearly tore this out when he took you. You might think this relationship just began, but I’ve searched for you for nearly three hundred years. I might not have known who you were yet, but you were always with me, Joelle. Always.” Kivani drove his fist into the wall, seething. “Why can’t you just let me do what I need to do?”
Tears slid down Joelle’s cheeks. He swiped them away as he looked down at the floor. “I don’t think our relationship has just begun, Kivani. I might not be as old as you, but I’ve been searching, too. Now that I’ve found you, do you think I can turn my back while you go out there and risk your life because your cousin kidnapped me?”
“That’s exactly what I want you to do.” Kivani pushed past Joelle and headed for the front door. If he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t leave at all. His mate’s tears gutted him, but Kivani had to stop Ethan before he did something else to hurt Joelle.
Kivani stopped, resting his hand on the doorknob. “I asked a friend of mine to keep an eye on you. Jabriel is out in the hallway. He isn’t a Knight, but you’ll be safe while I’m gone.”
Joelle slammed the bedroom door closed, and Kivani ground his teeth as he walked out. To his relief, Jabriel was leaning against the wall.
“Thanks,” Kivani said.
Jabriel simply nodded. No doubt he’d heard the argument. Everyone on Joelle’s floor had probably heard it.
Kivani took the elevator down, pacing as it descended. He didn’t want to hunt in this frame of mind, but going back upstairs wasn’t an option. If he did, Joelle would think he could stop Kivani anytime he wanted with an ar
gument.
Kivani pulled out his phone and sent a group message to Declan, Bayne, and Raven, telling them to meet him at Krave—the nightclub one of the former Knights owned.
By the time Kivani arrived, the three were waiting for him in the parking lot. Kivani got out of his car. “We find the bastard who kidnapped my mate and erase him from this world.”
Joelle couldn’t believe he’d freaked out like that. He lay on his bed, curled into a tight ball, wishing he could hit the Rewind button.
He didn’t see how spouses or significant others dealt with their loved ones in high-risk jobs, like police officers, firefighters, and soldiers. How in the hell did they do it? How did they watch them walk out the door, knowing they may never see them again? The thought was driving Joelle insane.
He needed to talk to Ryan.
Joelle got up and went to the bathroom, where he splashed water on his face before heading to the door. He grabbed his phone before he walked out, then jumped when he spotted a muscled stranger leaning against the hallway wall.
It was the same prick who’d refused to let Joelle and Ryan into Henry’s apartment when he’d been guarding Henry. To be fair, Jabriel had only been doing his job.
Jabriel straightened. “You need something?”
“I was gonna head to Ryan’s.” No sooner had Joelle said the words than Ryan and Henry exited the elevator. Joelle rolled his eyes at the sight of Henry. He really needed to learn how to share his toys.
“You don’t know how to call anyone?” Ryan complained as he approached.
Joelle grabbed Ryan’s wrist and yanked him into his apartment, leaving Henry to walk in on his own. “Just get in here so you can calm me the fuck down.”
“Why, what’s going on?” Ryan asked.
“Sure, I’ll get the door,” Henry said as he closed it. Joelle ignored the little twink. It wasn’t as though they were friends.
Though Henry had acted kindly toward him at the housewarming party when Joelle had freaked out. But that didn’t garner him any brownie points.
Joelle pulled Ryan onto the sofa, then explained what had happened. “And I freaked the hell out when Kivani left.” Joelle’s shoulders slumped. “I even said some things I wish I could take back.”
Ryan gave him a quick hug. “I’m glad as fuck Devil doesn’t hunt anymore, but I know where you’re coming from. All three of us worry about our mates. It’s natural when they do what they do.” A frown puckered between his eyes. “Or did what they did. But you get the point.”
“You got anything to drink?” Henry wandered into the kitchen and came back with three bottles of iced tea. “This all you got?”
“Sorry, I forgot to stock up on the hard liquor,” Joelle snapped. He rubbed a hand over his head. “Sorry, I’m just on edge.”
“Then we need to do a movie night,” Ryan said. “Though it’s midmorning.”
Henry plopped down on the other side of Joelle. “What kind of movies do you have?”
“Netflix,” Joelle deadpanned. He got up and headed toward the bedroom. “I’ll be right with you guys.”
“Yeah, if it was me, I’d call him, too.” Ryan winked at him. “You’re so transparent.”
Joelle snorted as he closed his bedroom door. That was exactly why he’d gone into the bedroom.
His mate picked up on the second ring. “What is it, Joelle?”
Joelle’s stomach shrank at his impatient tone. Kivani hadn’t called him boo, and Joelle really liked that endearment. That just told him how pissed off Kivani still was. “I’m sorry.”
Kivani sighed. “Can we talk about this when I get back?”
Tears prickled Joelle’s eyes. When he set out to fuck things up, he went for the Olympic gold. “Yeah, sure.”
“We’re cool,” Kivani said, his voice a bit softer. “I just have to go.”
“Okay, be careful.” Joelle hung up. He felt just as lonely and depressed as he had before making the call. He didn’t like things being so strained between them.
A knock sounded at his door seconds before Ryan came in. He sat next to Joelle on the bed. “Everything fine?”
No, everything was not fine. Joelle felt as if his emotions were tugging him in all directions. Now he wished he’d just stayed in bed, but then again, he hadn’t called Ryan. His friend had come to him.
And brought the dickhead with him.
“I don’t know.”
Ryan grabbed his hand. “I know a movie doesn’t solve world problems, but it helps to forget, just for a little while.”
Joelle followed him into the living room. Henry was seated on the end of the couch, his feet curled under him. He glanced at Joelle with concern in his eyes.
With a deep sigh, Joelle took a seat, and both men curled against him as Ryan turned on the television. Okay, so maybe this wasn’t so bad. Joelle liked being hugged between them. Even his dislike of Henry faded as Ryan used the remote to find a movie.
“No,” Joelle protested. “You are not making me watch Sleepless in Seattle.”
“Just shut up and watch it,” Ryan said. “You’ll like it.”
Joelle turned to Henry. “You got an icepick on you?”
“Why, you gonna stab me with it?” Henry asked.
“I was gonna stab myself if I have to sit through this movie.”
“Will you guys shush?” Ryan complained. “It’s started.”
“Like you haven’t seen this a hundred times already,” Henry said.
“That’s not the point,” Ryan said. “Joelle hasn’t seen it.”
“That’s the point,” Joelle countered. “I don’t want to see it.”
All three turned their heads toward the door when they heard a loud thump and a deep growl outside.
Chapter Ten
Kivani and the others were headed back to the office building downtown when his phone rang. He saw it was Joelle and started not to answer, but the guilt at how he’d ended the last conversation ate at him.
Thankfully he was alone in his Lexus. Kivani put the call on speaker. “Yes?”
“I think something is going on,” Joelle whispered. “It sounds like fighting in the hallway.”
Kivani slammed on his brakes, and Bayne nearly rear-ended him. “I want you to go to the bedroom and hide in the closet.”
“I have Ryan and Henry with me,” Joelle whispered. “Ryan called Devil, but he’s at the club and it’ll take a minute for him to get here. Nyx isn’t answering, and that’s worrying Henry.”
Kivani had hated the fact that Kovachi’s headquarters was so close to Joelle’s apartment building, but now he was grateful it was only a few blocks away. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
As soon as Kivani hung up, his phone rang. He started driving again, going above the speed limit. “Joelle is in trouble,” he said when he answered.
“Right behind you.” Bayne hung up.
Kivani wanted to assume Ethan had returned, but he couldn’t be certain. It could be Kovachi. And the fact Kovachi was a sorcerer worried the hell out of Kivani. He’d called Christian this morning and told the ancient vampire what he’d learned. Kivani needed help on how to kill a fucking sorcerer.
But Christian hadn’t had any answers. Sorcerers were a rare breed. From what Kivani knew, they’d been nearly wiped out over two thousand years ago, and those who had survived lived in hiding.
The near-extinction had something to do with one of Christian’s brothers, Ceri, having some beef with a powerful sorcerer back in the day. Kivani didn’t know the details, but he knew he was in over his head.
Defeating Kovachi would be damn near impossible.
Kivani sped into the underground parking garage and left his car in the middle of the lot as he raced toward the elevator. His mate needed an apartment that wasn’t on the fourteenth floor. Taking the stairs would have been quicker if there weren’t so many flights to ascend.
He heard tires squeal as the elevator doors closed. Kivani assumed it was Bayne and the other guy
s. He didn’t wait for them. When Kivani stepped off the elevator, he cursed.
Jabriel was on the floor with his eyes closed and a knife sticking out of his gut. Kivani wanted to stop and check for signs of life and wanted to get the wolf shifter some help, but Joelle’s door was open and Kivani needed to find his mate.
Knowing the others were behind him and that they would take care of Jabriel, Kivani raced into the apartment. The living room was empty. He moved slowly toward the bedroom, his heart in his throat. If the intruder had taken Jabriel down, they would have no problem killing three humans.
He swallowed tightly as he stepped through the bedroom door. Kivani spun out of the way just as something swung toward him. Ethan shouted as he lifted the knife again, pure rage in his eyes.
With a deep growl, Kivani drove forward, putting all his weight into his charge. He knocked Ethan into the wall, lifted him off his feet by his neck, and slammed him into the floor.
Ethan shoved Kivani’s hand from his throat, jumped to his feet and crouched as he clutched the knife in his hand.
“You brought a knife to this fight?” Kivani asked.
“Made of pure silver.” Ethan smirked. “I doubt your buddy out there has long to live.”
Silver. Nyx had been shot with a silver bullet and he’d lost the use of his left arm. Kivani needed to make sure Ethan didn’t get that knife anywhere near him.
“Why are you doing this?” Kivani and Ethan circled each other. Kivani had a feeling Joelle and the others were in the closet. He needed to keep Ethan away from it.
“Kovachi saw us meeting in the alley. He forced me to take your boyfriend.” He held up the hand that wasn’t holding the knife. “He took my fucking finger.”
“And I’m gonna take your life for putting a gun to Joelle.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes. “It seems one of us isn’t getting out of this room alive.”
Ethan leaped toward him, knife raised. Kivani kicked his right leg out, planting his booted foot into Ethan’s chest and knocking him clear. Ethan hit the wall, snarled, and charged again.
Taking down Ethan should have been child’s play considering he lacked shifter abilities, but Ethan had skills. He ducked Kivani’s punch, using a leg swipe to unbalance Kivani and making him fall on his ass.
