Wes

by Catherine Lievens

  “No, you don’t. You’re hurt, Wes, and it’s bad.”

  Wes gulped. “How bad?”

  “You’re not gonna die or anything, and Noem was able to... help you, but you still have a lot of bruises and contusions. Jared said you also have a few cracked ribs, and there’s a long wound on your face, from temple to jaw.”

  Wes tried to raise his hand to feel it, but Taylor took it in his instead. “Just rest, babe. You’re in the perfect place to do that.”

  “I have to go to work.” Not that anyone would want to go with Wes in the state he was in, but it was as good a reason to get out of there.

  “No, you don’t. I don’t know what you do for work, but if you need to call in we can do it. There’s no way you can work in this state.”

  “Yeah, well. I need to eat, and I’ll need to pay for my stay here.”

  “No, you won’t. I know I called it a private clinic, but it’s not really that. It’s more like an infirmary, but our doc worked in a hospital for a while, and he’s used to taking care of us.”

  “That’s... where am I?”

  “In the house I live in. Me and other people.”

  “Does Joshua live with you?”

  “Yeah, but he’s married.”

  Wes frowned. “So?”

  “Just... you know. You can’t be with him.”

  Wes barked out a laugh and immediately regretted it when pain shot through his chest and stomach. “Don’t make me laugh,” he groaned.

  Taylor petted his hand until Wes could breathe again, and Wes wasn’t surprised at how much he liked it. He’d stopped wondering about Taylor when he’d opened his eyes and seen the man there. Well, he’d stopped wondering up to a certain point. He didn’t care why he liked Taylor so much after only one night together, but he still wanted to know where Taylor had come from.

  “How did you find me?”

  “I was talking to someone and Joshua came in, saying a friend of his was in trouble. He said his friend’s name was Wes, and I’d been trying to find you, and we’ll have to talk about how you disappeared while I was sleeping, by the way.”

  “So what, you came to get me with Joshua? It could’ve been another Wes.”

  “It could have, but it was next to the club, and I had nothing to lose.”

  “Right.”

  Taylor reached out and stroked Wes’ hair. “Want to tell me what happened?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “You’re going to have to tell someone if you want to press charges.”

  “I don’t.”

  Taylor moved his hand away and gaped. “What? Why?”

  “I just don’t.” Wes didn’t want Taylor, Joshua, or anyone else to know what he did for a living, and they’d find out if he pressed charges. Besides, even if he did, he really didn’t think the cops would care about it. He was only a prostitute.

  “But you have to. They could’ve killed you! Joshua found one of them in the hospital and reported it, but the cops want to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, no. I’ll tell them to let it go.”

  “But—”

  Wes was lucky that Joshua chose that moment to come into the small room they were in. A man in white coat followed him, and Wes thought it was his doctor until he noticed how Joshua and he behaved. It wasn’t overly noticeable, but Wes was used to checking everything, and he saw the way Joshua touched the doctor’s back and how the doctor looked at him. Those two were together, and Wes wanted to disappear. Had Joshua told his husband how Wes had tried to pick him up? Had he already been married when it had happened?

  “Hi, Wes. I’m Adrian. How are you feeling?”

  “Like someone tried to beat me to death.”

  Adrian chuckled. “At least you’re taking it as well as you can.”

  Wes shrugged and winced. “Not much else I can do.”

  “You could report it,” Taylor pointed out, and Wes knew he was going to have a hard time. The sooner he was out, the better it’d be.

  “So, doc. When can I go home?”

  Adrian looked at Taylor in question and Wes snapped his fingers. “He doesn’t get to decide anything.”

  Adrian looked at Wes again. “Right. So, you have two cracked ribs, bruises over pretty much your entire body, a small concussion, and various wounds that required stitches. You lip is cut, one of your eyes is swollen, there’s a cut on the side of your face that we had to stitch closed. Your hands are scraped, and there’s a cut on the right one. Your left wrist is broken, and one of your toes is, too.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. That was pretty much our reaction when you got here.” Adrian looked at Taylor again, then back at Wes. “We can help you get better, but you need to talk with Taylor and our al—Dominic first.”

  “Why? Can’t I just go home? I don’t have the money to pay you back.”

  “You don’t need to pay us.”

  “But... are you doing this for free? Why?”

  Joshua and Adrian both looked at Taylor. Taylor looked at Wes instead. “They’re doing this because you need it and they know you mean something to me.”

  “Mean something? We had sex once. I didn’t even stay the night.”

  Taylor scowled and crossed his arms on his chest. “That wasn’t my fault. You were gone when I woke up, and you didn’t even leave me your phone number.”

  “I couldn’t.” Wes blurted it out before he could think about it and regretted it. There was no way he could explain why he couldn’t be with Taylor, not without admitting the truth, and if he did, Taylor wouldn’t want to look at him anymore.

  “Why not? Do you have a boyfriend?”

  Wes shook his head.

  Adrian cleared his throat. “Me and Joshua are going to go. We’ll call Dominic and see if he can come by. Taylor, call me or Jared for anything, okay? I’ll be back later with Noem.”

  Joshua came closer to Wes’ bed before leaving. He leaned down and looked into Wes’ eyes, and Wes felt the sudden need to hide. He felt like Joshua was able to read him, and that he knew just what Wes was hiding. But he couldn’t know it, right? “Don’t be scared, Wes,” Joshua said in a low voice.

  “I’m not.”

  “Not now, no. But whatever Taylor tells you, don’t be scared. He means well.”

  Wes raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You do know that you just made me even more nervous, right?”

  Joshua chuckled and patted Wes’ hand lightly. “Just listen to him, and welcome to the family.”

  * * * *

  Taylor could see Wes was surprised and confused. He inched closer to Adrian and whispered, “Should I wait to tell him? He looks pretty bad.”

  “I think you should do it now. The sooner you do, the sooner Noem can heal him again.”

  “How many sessions is it going to take before he’s fine again?”

  Adrian shrugged. “No idea. It depends on how well his body takes it, how it reacts to it. I’d say at least another four or five days, with one session a day.”

  So Taylor still had almost a week to convince Wes that shifters were real, that the two of them were destined to be together, and that Wes should at least give Taylor a chance. Piece of cake.

  “If you’re sure the news won’t make him worsen...”

  “I’m sure. He’s hurt, but he’ll be fine. He needs to rest, and he can do that while you talk to him. And like I said, the sooner you do it, the better it’ll be for Wes.”

  Joshua came up to them and looked at Adrian. “Ready to go?”

  “Yup.”

  Taylor watched them as they left and waited for Joshua to close the door before turning back to Wes. He swore and hurried to help his mate sit up. “Ask if you need help, Wes. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Wes huffed and Taylor pushed a pillow behind his back to help him sit more comfortably. “I never said it was something to be ashamed of. I’m just used to doing everything by myself.”

/>   Taylor sat by Wes’ hip and took his hand in both of his. He stroked a thumb along Wes’ knuckles, skimming the reddened and cracked areas lightly. “You don’t have to anymore.”

  “Have to what?”

  “To do everything by yourself. I know it’s weird, because we don’t really know each other, but you have me now.”

  “You’re right, it’s weird.”

  “Can I explain? Or do you want to sleep instead?”

  “How long was I asleep?”

  “You called Joshua yesterday evening. It’s right before lunch now.”

  “Not too long, then.”

  “No, but Adrian said you’re going to have to stay here for at least five or six days, if not more.”

  Wes tugged on his hand and Taylor reluctantly let it go. “I can’t. I don’t... I need to earn money. I need it to pay my rent, and to eat.”

  “Don’t worry about that, please. If you want to keep your apartment and live there, I’ll give you the money. Just tell me who I have to pay the rent to.”

  Wes frowned. “What are you talking about? I can’t accept money from you. And where else should I live?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “You don’t say?”

  Taylor shook his head. “Who knew you were such a smartass?”

  “Yeah, yeah. So talk.”

  Taylor tapped his fingers on his thigh. He got up and dragged the chair as close as he could, then took Wes’ hand again. Wes didn’t take it away and looked at him curiously. “What I’m going to tell you will sound crazy. Just... try to keep an open mind, okay?”

  “Look, whatever you say, I’ll have to listen to it. It’s not like I can go anywhere, right?”

  “No, not right now. But if you decide you’d rather go to a real hospital and never see any one of us again, we’ll take you there. I’ll even pay your hospital bill.”

  Wes tilted his head. “I don’t get why you’re so bent on paying stuff for me.”

  “Yeah, well. You’ll get it soon enough. Please, listen to me until I’m done, okay?”

  “I’m waiting.”

  Taylor took a deep breath. “I’m a lion shifter, and you’re my mate.”

  Wes blinked but didn’t say anything. Taylor waited for him to talk, becoming more and more nervous as the minutes ticked by and Wes didn’t react. “Wes?” he prodded gently.

  “Yeah?”

  “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

  “I’m waiting for you to say something that makes sense. This isn’t funny.”

  “I’m telling you the truth, Wes. I swear. That’s why I bit you. I shouldn’t have, not without talking to you first, but I’d drunk a bit too much, and I didn’t expect to find my mate that night.”

  “Okay, wait. So you’re a lion? You really think I’m going to believe that?”

  “I can show you, if you want.”

  “Really?” Wes didn’t look like he believed him, and Taylor didn’t blame him. He wouldn’t have believed in shifters either if he hadn’t been one. He got up and took his T-shirt off, smirking when he noticed Wes staring at his chest.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m showing you. Just remember that I’m still me, even if I’m in my lion form. I understand just as much as now, so I’m not going to attack you or anything. I might want a head scratch, but that’s all. I won’t bite you, won’t maul you to death, nothing like that.”

  “Is that supposed to reassure me? Because it’s not working.”

  Taylor pushed his pajama pants and his underwear down at once and Wes’ eyes bugged out. “You really need to be naked to show me this? Or is it just that you’re trying to seduce me?”

  Taylor leaned forward and pressed a kiss on his mate’s lips. He wanted to do so much more, and he would have if Wes hadn’t been hurt. “I think I’ve already seduced you, haven’t I?” he whispered in a hoarse voice. He leaned back and shifted with Wes still gaping at him.

  Wes sucked in a breath and stared at Taylor. Taylor sat down and swished his tail. He was doing his best to look non-threatening, as much as a lion could, anyway. He knew it wasn’t the lion part that would freak Wes out, but rather the Taylor-just-changed-into-a-lion one.

  “T-Taylor?”

  Taylor huffed and nodded. He shifted back and hovered in place, unsure whether Wes would want him to come closer or not. “So, that’s me. I know it’s weird, but I’m really not dangerous or anything.”

  “I... I don’t know what to say.”

  Taylor reached for his pants and quickly dressed again. He was pulling his head out of his T-shirt when he felt a hand on his stomach. He finished pulling his T-shirt down and looked at Wes. Wes was looking at him in wonder, stroking his skin as if he’d never seen it before.

  “It’s incredible.”

  “Yeah, well. I go to the gym every day,” Taylor teased, hoping to diffuse the moment.

  Wes lightly slapped Taylor’s stomach and winced, and Taylor sat on the bed next to him again. “You’re not freaking out,” he pointed out.

  “Believe me, I am. But I can’t move without it hurting like hell, so I’m freaking out in silence. And without moving.”

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  “I... no. I don’t think so. I have so many questions, and I’m not sure whether I should ask them or not.”

  “Whatever you want to know, Wes.”

  “Okay. Right. You said something about biting me. Why did you do it? I mean, you just now told me you wouldn’t bite, but you did.”

  Wes raised his hand and pressed it on the mark on his neck. Taylor wanted to kiss him again, to have Wes drink his blood and complete the bond, but he didn’t want to freak out his mate more than he already was, and Wes was hurt.

  “That’s because you’re my mate. It’s, well, like human soul mates.”

  “So we’re perfect for each other, we’ll be together forever, all that crap?”

  “Except it’s not crap, at least not in shifters’ cases. That’s why I bit you. We have one fated mate, and when we find him or her, we mate with them.”

  “By biting.”

  “By drinking their blood.”

  “Oh. I wondered if you thought you were a vampire or something. Wait, do vampires actually exist?”

  “I’m not sure. There’re a lot of things out there, and we’ll have the time to talk about it. Just... later, okay?”

  “Fine. Tell me the important bits, then.”

  Taylor took a deep breath and looked at his hands. “Shifters live longer than humans, around one hundred and fifty, two hundred years. That’s why mating with our human mates is important. It enables them to live as long as we do, and they heal slightly faster than they would normally. Mating also means I’ll never be able to be with another man, not until you die. Not that I want you to, of course. But my lion would shred me to pieces if I tried to cheat on you. You don’t have the same restriction and you can leave me if you want to. But if we’re fully mated, then you’ll still be able to feel my feelings in your mind. That’s... those are the most important things.”

  Taylor looked up and waited for Wes to say something.

  * * * *

  Wes didn’t know where to start. Taylor had just dumped a whole lot of terrifying info on him, and he had a thousand questions. He had to start somewhere, though. “How old are you?”

  Taylor barked out a laugh. “Out of everything I just told you, you want to know how old I am?”

  “Yeah. You said you live more than a hundred years, so... are you that old?”

  “Not even close, no. I just turned fifty-six a few months ago.”

  “That’s... old.”

  “In human standards, yes.”

  “You don’t look fifty-six.”

  “That’s because shifters age much slower.”

  Wes worried his lower lip with his teeth. “And would I age as slowly as you, or would I just get old and stay that wa
y for longer? I’m not saying I want to get with you, mate, or whatever you called it,” Wes said quickly. “I just want to know.”

  Taylor gave Wes a tiny smile. “Of course. Umm, no, you’d age as slowly as I do.”

  “And what happens if you die? I mean—”

  “I get what you mean. If I die—when I die, you’ll start aging like a human again, until, well, it’s your turn.”

  “What if I die?” Why was Wes even thinking about stuff like this? He knew he couldn’t be with Taylor, not without him finding out what Wes was, what he did, and then Taylor wouldn’t want him anyway.

  “Our bond will be broken.”

  “Will you be able to find someone else?” What the fuck was Wes even talking about?

  “Yes, although not another mate.”

  “What’s that mate thing you’re talking about?”

  “I already told you.”

  “Yeah, well, repeat it. Sorry if this is a little overwhelming for me,” Wes snarked.

  “Right. Sorry. So. Apparently, you’re the perfect man for me, and I’m the perfect man for you. That means we can mate, drinking each other’s blood, and we’ll be bonded until one of us dies.”

  “It’s a life-long thing, then.”

  “Exactly.”

  Wes frowned. “Why would you want to be tied to one man for the rest of your life?”

  Taylor raised a hand and slowly reached for Wes. He looked like he expected Wes to move away, and his expression damn well broke Wes’ heart. He could see how much whatever connection they had meant for Taylor, and it made it that much harder to know he’d eventually have to tell the man they couldn’t be together.

  In the meantime, Wes stayed still and let Taylor take his hand. Taylor stroked his thumb over the uninjured skin, like he’d done before, and Wes’ skin burned with the touch. “I’m fifty-six, and I’ve been alone until now. Some shifters get married and have kids without waiting to find their mates, because it’s not a done thing that you find yours, but I didn’t want to do that. Besides, I lived under my dad’s homophobic thumb until almost a year ago, so it’s not like I could go and find a man. Even if I could have, I wouldn’t have wanted it to become serious. I’ve seen what happens when a married shifter finds his mate, and it’s never pretty. There are a lot of hurt feelings, and tears, and I didn’t want that.”