by Jo Penn
Eber was gargoyle. Those creatures had extra sensitive hearing, sight, and smell, even more enhanced than a shifter’s or vampire’s. Eber was big and brawny. Like most gargoyles, he was sharply intelligent and had a wicked sense of humor.
“There was. The assassin has been eliminated. I will be hunting the ex-Alpha.”
“Good. When?”
This was the problem at hand. Vicus frowned. “I do not know…I cannot leave my mates unguarded with this threat, yet I must eliminate the threat for Ran’s safety.”
“Not a problem you have dealt with before.” Eber put aside his device. “I suggest you leave tomorrow, before first light. From the reports I got from Baron Sanchez an hour ago, Renegades are coming closer to Milson Valley. They’ll be on top of us before long.”
Vicus’s golden eyes narrowed. “Then I meet the threat before they arrive. You will guard my mates and our family.”
“I will. Baron has twenty soldiers on their way here. I’ve assigned them accommodation. They’ll stay the remainder of time it takes to remove the threat to our family.” Eber stood and glared at Vicus. “And you will be taking backup with you.”
Growling at this, Vicus lowered his hood. “I do not take backup. I am an Avenger. We do not work in teams like soldiers.”
Eber stood his ground and, as he was a good few inches taller than Vicus, used that to his advantage. Not that it bothered Vicus. He could still take his brother down.
“You listen to me, Vic. You have mates and family. They need you. I won’t stand by and let you go in alone against over fifty Renegades, so do this or I sic Lacy on you.”
Snarling, Vic took a step towards his brother, but was halted by a quiet voice behind him.
“Please, Vic?”
Eber gave a knowing, lopsided smirk. “Yeah, please, Vic.”
With a sigh, knowing he had lost already, he inclined his head to his youngest brother. Blazh’s smile lit up the room and he did a little whooping dance, which was amusing and very uncoordinated.
“The Alliance leaders here in the Valley agreed you would go with backup. They chose their best five soldiers for the mission from the Sanchez pride and Starters pack, and five magic users from the Armstrong witch and wizard coven. Like me, they believe this is a direct threat to the entire Valley and wanted to make a big example out of these Renegades led by McCormack, especially after that incident with the vampire High Council official and Lord Xavier a month ago.”
Vic couldn’t help the curled lip. “I am an Avenger. We do not make ‘big examples,’ we silently—” He stopped before relating gory details, golden eyes flicking to his eagerly listening youngest brother who had a tendency to vomit when hearing Vicus’s stories. “Anyway, I will deal with this. Blazh, where are you meant to be?”
“Here.” Blazh jumped up and down, nodding his head vigorously. “Can’t wait to meet all Deakin’s siblings, or this half anyways. He said there are more at home. Do you think he’ll stop being freaked out by me soon?”
“Yes, he will settle soon.” Vicus cast one last glare at Eber before turning to leave the room.
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll not forget, wizards and their bloody holding grudges.” Eber just laughed. “Now, Blazh, don’t touch that or I handcuff you to the chair again.”
“I waaasn’t!” Blazh whined.
Leaving the room, Vicus strode quickly to the side door where the Humvee was left. He paused opening the side door, glancing at the creature watching him silently from the window seat.
The creature looked away, blank expression on his ethereal, stunning face. With a sigh, Vicus left, this time driving the Humvee himself into the center of the city where the mayor’s office was and where Deakin worked.
Chapter Five
Deakin’s guards hadn’t moved from their assigned positions and only acknowledge Vicus with eye contact. Deakin, meanwhile, was waiting impatiently and tapped his watch as soon as Vicus appeared.
“You’re late. I don’t know why I couldn’t just leave when I needed to—”
Vicus placed his lips over Deakin’s and thoroughly enjoyed silencing his mate’s tirade with a kiss. A demanding one, not soft or gentle, but full of all the passion Vicus was feeling. He felt hot, heavy, and achy. He had hated being away from his new mate and the anger and fear over their other mate being threatened and nearly harmed made Vicus want to lay Deakin out and take him, claim him again.
Then when Ran became a little more used to him, Vicus planned to ravish the wolf and mark him so no one dared go near either of his mates.
Plunging his tongue into Deakin’s mouth, he tasted the tanginess of his part-sprite mate and mint. He lifted Deak up and deposited the man on his desk. Deak somehow managing a squeak, which meant Vicus had not yet sufficiently loved on his mate.
Spreading Deak out, smiling at the shocked look on the man’s face, Vicus recaptured Deak’s sweet, supple lips, and plundered his tongue deep. At the same time, he grabbed Deakin’s hands that were reaching out to tidy, and stretched them above Deak’s head. The man twitched a bit, wiggling, then groaned and rubbed his hard cock against Vicus’s abs. Nipping and tasting, Vicus couldn’t get enough. He wanted to possess the cute man fully.
Deakin responded with abandon, giving himself up fully to Vicus’s dominance. There was no battle. He simply met each kiss with his own, letting Vic lead, and returned with his own passion, swamping them both. Vicus’s hand turned to a lion claw and moved to Deakin’s pristine slacks.
“Hmm, I do not think this is the right place for sexual relations,” a familiar voice mused close by. “Really, brother, it would be easier, and far better for everyone, if you didn’t fuck your mate on his desk, for you know as well as I do, if someone accidentally stumbles across you and happens to see your mate naked, then you will slice their throat or pluck their eyes out. Which is not good. Besides, it is just as easy to give Deakin a tranquilizer when he has an OCD moment.”
Vicus snapped his choppers at Layke. The bastard was so damn logical it was annoying. And he had the worst timing.
Deakin blinked up at him, face flushed from lust and embarrassment.
“It was that office administrator’s fault. She touched my files,” Deakin whispered. “I don’t want to be tranq’d…then again, my siblings are coming over, so do it.”
Snarling at not being able to have his mate, and not having been able to have his other mate earlier, Vicus took a calming breath and helped Deakin up before being able to turn and address his brother.
Then he realized what that meant and was furious, but at himself. Layke had managed to get close to them, could easily have eliminated both Vicus and Deakin if that was his intent, because Vicus was too engrossed, too caught up in his mate and his own wants and needs. While that was fine to be consumed by ones mate, it was stupid to be so in a place which could result in serious injury, exposure, and even death.
Vicus would not make that mistake again.
Tugging Deakin off the desk and moving him swiftly out of the office, making sure to grab his mate’s coat and small briefcase, and that Layke didn’t dawdle as the man tended to do—which always confused Vicus, considering how serious and determined Layke was, it was a contrast that never made sense to him. He got them out of the building and into the Humvee with only a few minor squeaks from Deak and a small protest. Any complaint Layke may have had was silenced quickly and effectively with a pointed look. His family knew when to shut the hell up and do as they were told.
In the Humvee, Layke huffed that he had another appointment then glanced away, avoiding eye contact when he received another sharp look and tilted his head. There were three Alphas in the family. Layke was not one of them. His twin Lacy was. She could tear shreds off anyone when inclined, and kept them all very much in line. Eber was another and one of the only ones to ever even consider taking Vicus on. After he’d done that a few times, his brother learnt his lesson and his place, and impressed Vicus by finding other ways around him.
Vic
us was in charge of his family—okay, conceded to let Lacy run things—but when it came to controlling and keeping them all safe and together, he was it.
Deakin was easily unsettled by the tension in the car. As the bodyguards were in the front, one driving, the other a front passenger, Vicus was able to sooth with his scent and touch.
“Where’s Ran?” Deakin used his Ventolin, eyes darting around nervously.
“Home. Resting. We will join him soon. Your siblings arrive in two hours. This will provide you with time to check on our mate and see if you are happy with the late lunch Mac has put together.”
And give Vicus time to fuck Deakin on the nearest flat surface. He felt like he was burning up from the inside, and if he weren’t so well trained to keep his thoughts, feelings, and physical behavior in check, he’d be panting, shifting restlessly, and pawing at his mate.
Eyes narrowing, Vicus took a discreet sniff of himself. Of course, he was going through the mating heat that affected feline shifters. With the threat against Ran, having mated Deakin fully and seeing to Ran’s waning wolf shifter spirit, there had not been much time to dwell on or even notice the rising mating heat. Now that he noticed though, it made sense why he had basically pounced on Deakin and didn’t hear Layke’s arrival. It was no excuse, but it was what happened with felines. Their mating heat was hot and intense. Their need to mate and bond fully had to be assuaged within a few days or the shifter ended up in a world of hurt and could go feral. There were few felines strong enough to withhold the mating heat and get through it without mating and bonding. Most used the drugs specially designed for that purpose if there were a problem claiming their mate.
As Vicus had claimed both mates and bonded with one fully—Deakin—his mating heat had been lessened. Now, though, it was letting itself be known and he would not deny himself the need and pleasure of bonding and fully claiming his wolf.
They arrived at the Aston Estate to find cars parked in the designated visitor spots near the large garage, and Eber speaking to Lord Baron Sanchez, one of the Sanchez royal tiger shifters who was an Enforcer for the pride, an Enforcer leader for the Valley Alliance, and on numerous committees and security details.
Both Eber and Baron glanced sharply at Vicus when he stepped out of the Humvee, and the look just pissed him off for some reason, resulting in him snarling at them and keeping Deakin locked against him.
Baron smirked. “Never thought I’d see the day Avenger Vicus showed volatile emotions.”
“What is that? Mating heat?” Eber sniffed.
“Yeah, happens to all us feline shifters.”
“Ugh, you’ve put creases in my coat.” Deak plucked at his coat with a frown. “Now I’ll have to steam dry it, which just sends Ran into a hyper wolf for some reason, and he ends up bolting for three hours—agh!”
Placing Deakin over his shoulder, Vicus glared at his brother Layke, who was being annoying lately, and pointed to the house.
“Inside. All your appointments and work is cancelled for the rest of the day.”
Layke ground his teeth, a low growl emanating. “I can’t—fine!”
Yeah, a good glare from Vicus had his older brother pulling his head in and quickly retreating inside the house. He then glared at the chuckling creatures and strode in also, ignoring Deakin’s outraged squeak and fists tapping his back. Maybe the part sprite was trying to whack Vicus one, but as he was such a little creature without any fighting training, it had absolutely no effect on Vicus.
Once in his apartment he began stripping Deakin off. At first Deakin didn’t do more than look stunned, but when Vicus got his coat off and jerked his collared shirt out of his neatly pressed pants, Deakin came alive and began removing his clothes and Vicus’s, even slapping Vicus’s hands away when removing his top, then ran his slightly shaky hands over Vicus’s chest, abs, arms, and sides.
Groaning at the feel of his mate’s hands on him, the heat rising even more, Vicus could barely contain his need to tear off Deakin’s clothes and bend his mate over the edge of the sofa and make him squeak and squeal.
What Vicus did not expect, and what stunned him enough for Deakin to take control, was his mate giving a peculiar little growl, then shoving Vicus in the chest with both hands, which sent him toppling backwards onto the sofa. Before he could even comprehend what his mate had managed to do, Deakin crawled onto his lap, straddled him, and pressed his nose against his.
“Mine…right?”
Purring, Vicus rubbed his cheek against Deakin’s. “Yes, yours and Ran’s.”
“I want you, so bad.” Deakin nibbled the side of Vicus’s mouth. “You feel very hot. Are you ill?”
“Mating heat, need you,” Vicus growled out, thrusting his cock against his mate’s hard one. “Now.”
Deakin’s blue eyes took on a very sprite-like twinkle and his mouth, after depositing a quick kiss on Vicus’s lips, gave a cheeky little grin, then he began wiggling around on Vicus’s lap, making him hiss and grab for the sneaky little part sprite, only to have his hands slapped away. Again.
This baffled Vicus. No one had ever slapped his hands before, and no one had ever been quite so take charge and managed to put him into a position they wanted. Normally, he felt sure he’d be aggressive and annoyed in response to these behaviors, but, aside from feeling bemused and baffled, he was turned on even more and went to grab his cheeky sprite.
Except, Deakin had wiggled down to the floor and knelt between Vicus’s spread legs and, with surprising skill, snapped open Vic’s suede pants and jerked them down, releasing his very engorged, red, weeping cock. All thoughts fled as he groaned and dropped his head back on the sofa, then bucked and growled in pleasure as Deakin swallowed his cock and began laving it with his hot little tongue, a very talented tongue.
The sensations his mate evoked drove Vicus’s needs higher, but in a damn good way. He sunk his hands into his mate’s hair and gently massaged. Deakin made little noises against his cock, causing Vicus’s eyes to roll back in his head, then proceeded to use his tongue to play with his slit and the bundle of nerves under his cock head. Sucking, swallowing, making those cute little noises and using his tongue to play, had Vicus quickly ready to blow. His balls moved closer to his body, that was stiff and tense with the coming orgasm. Holding Deakin carefully by his hair, Vicus moved in and out of his mate’s willing mouth, Deakin encouraging with his slurping and sucking and playing with Vicus’s balls.
With a few more thrusts, he was coming down Deakin’s throat in a heated rush, his body full of sensations, the smaller man swallowing and licking until he’d sucked out all Vicus’s seed and cleaned him up. Releasing his cock with a pop, Deakin stood and finished taking off his clothes. “Clothes off.”
With a feral grin, Vicus complied. “Lube, livlig.”
“What does that mean?” Deak asked curiously, licking his lips.
“Feisty.”
Grinning, Deak nodded. “I like that. Now, where do you keep the lube?”
Vicus stood up and tossed off his pants, pulled Deakin close, and licked his lips. “You are my feisty sprite, my cute mate. Lean over the end of the sofa—”
“No.” Deakin blushed, dropping his eyes. “I-I want to see your face, kiss you.”
Vicus had had lovers in the past who had wanted things from him, even wanted closeness, wanted more of him. He had never given it. Now, all he wanted was to give to his mate.
“Yes.” The thought of seeing pleasure on his mate’s face had Vicus aching and wanting immediately.
“Lube,” Deakin ordered with a smile.
Slowly, Vicus ran his hands over his mate’s naked body. Deakin wasn’t overly tall, five foot six and slender, but not scrawny. He had a toned physique, a nice splattering of hair over his chest, and a thin treasure trail to his good size dick that was sticking up between them. Taking his time, he mapped his lover’s hot, toned body, luxuriating in the softness of his skin, the way Deakin moaned and leaned into his touch, pressed against him for mor
e, and pulled Vicus’s head down to take his lips.
Their kiss was hot and desperate. There were no awkward moments, just deep needs and expressing their desire of one another. They kissed for what felt like hours as their hands explored each other. Deakin cupped Vicus’s heavy balls, stroked his cock, squeezed his ass, and touched his arms, chest, stomach, and back while Vicus did the same. Their hands became firmer, gripping harder, their mouths breaking apart only to come back together in a need so powerful Vicus’s head was spinning.
Finally, they separated, Vicus managing to remember the lube. Deakin waited until he sat, then straddled his waist and thrust his ass out. Vicus took that as the demand and invitation it was, lubing his fingers liberally, taking a moment to coat his own cock, then he reached around and found his mate’s cute little hole as Deakin thrust his tongue into Vicus’s mouth.
He slipped his finger in deep. Deakin arched and moaned, his tongue lapping at Vicus’s. Wiggling his finger around, he pressed in deep and rubbed on that sweet spot that got men off quickly. His mate’s happy noises of approval and body thrusting back on his finger had him quickly stretching Deakin out ready for his cock. But kissing him, touching, stroking his mate’s cock was imperative. The more he touched his mate, the more he felt close to him, the more they were joined. By the time Deakin decided he was ready, he’d taken Vicus’s dick in hand and lowered himself. Vicus was so deeply enamored with his feisty mate he would give him everything.
Popping past the first ring of muscles, he felt he was home…in paradise. There were not many who could accept him, even care for him. His family, of course, those that knew he was a necessity such as the leaders, but truly, deeply wanted him was rare. Never would Vicus let his mates be hurt, and never would he take them for granted. What they wanted, he wanted.
Panting, he gripped Deakin’s slender hips gently, the feeling of his dick being squeezed in his mate’s tight channel calmed the mating heat and let him enjoy the slow ride his sprite was on.
