by Jo Penn
“I don’t know if I was jealous.” Fale placed his backpack in the wardrobe, ignoring Mac’s frown. His mate needed to learn to share. He hadn’t missed the hesitation before Mac agreed Fale could sleep in his bed last night. “I was definitely annoyed the shifter was touching you and practically giving you bedroom eyes—”
“Fale, Luther was not giving me ‘bedroom eyes.’ I think you overreacted.”
“Nope, I definitely didn’t. I didn’t like Luther touching you. Do you think Vinn would accept anyone touching Emile like Luther was touching you? He would have torn the man’s arm off and made him eat it! I’m going to have cocktail hour.” Fale walked out of their bedroom—it was definitely theirs, another thing Macario needed to learn to share—and went downstairs to the little sitting room.
“Hi, Fale, come join us.” Lacy’s brows rose. “Emile, would you care to join us for cocktail hour?”
Fale turned to find Emile behind him, the gorgeous lion shifter so neat, his slicked back, dark blond hair perfectly in place, his pants crisply pressed even after wearing them all day. Fale could probably have not liked the guy just because of that, but today he’d seen Emile giving a few little comments that stirred everyone up and knew Emile was fun beneath the slightly clean freak surface.
“Fale mentioned cocktails. When we have cocktails at the palace, it is tiresome. Cocktail hour here sounded much more interesting.”
Lacy laughed. “Welcome, Emile. I cannot imagine Dom would ever allow cocktail hour to be boring, though.”
“He refuses to attend due to the non-alcoholic rule.”
“What?” Jayce, who had a trolley full of drinks and was shaking a container, paused mid-shake. “How is that even cocktail hour?”
“I have no idea, so I became very busy whenever the events were planned.”
“Oh, we don’t plan them. They’re just the usual end of the week get together or spur of the moment. Now I see you being a high ball type of guy tonight, Emile.” Jayce grabbed a glass and began mixing. “And how about a mai tai, Fale? Or would you like to try something else? Perhaps a hurricane?”
“I would enjoy a high ball. But we do not have enough chairs. Vinncent.”
Fale blinked as Vinn stepped into the room. Was the big demon just standing there waiting for his mate to finish cocktail hour? Man, that was mates for you, and it made Fale want his mate even more. He stepped over to Jayce and watched the siren whip up the cocktails like an expert while Vinn moved chairs around to Emile’s exact specifications. Lacy laughed and had Vinn move the sofa back and make an arch shape of chairs overlooking the bay windows.
Ran walked past outside, drinking a beer followed by Luka, Tristian, and two other creatures who all had beers, also. Luka waved inside.
“How did you learn to make these?” Fale asked Jayce.
“The internet. I even got a certificate in it. I am also an ordained celebrant, I have a bookkeeping certificate—I found out I really don’t like accounting—and I am doing a graphic design course at the moment, which I suck at.”
Jayce, Fale was discovering, took a little while to warm up to others. It was understandable since the man was never allowed out of the Estate grounds for his own safety. When he did leave, it was a well-orchestrated event, and no one caught a glimpse, or scent, of him.
“Do you enjoy graphic design, though?” Fale asked.
Jayce shrugged then shook the silver container in one hand. “I don’t really know what I like. Blazh, Con, Tyler, and Archie all know exactly what it is they want to do, but I haven’t a clue.”
Fale took the drink Jayce passed him. “You know, I have an aunt who is two hundred and fifty-three and has only just found what she really enjoys doing. She’s done tons of things throughout her life, tried so many, and she’s glad to have had the opportunities. Maybe you’re like that. You have to try a dozen things before finding what it is you like best.”
Jayce nodded slowly. “Yeah, that sounds good, better than I’m a slacker and give up whenever I have to work too hard.”
“Why work hard to do things you don’t enjoy? You’ll probably work twice as hard to do what you like.” Fale sipped. “Oh, this is amazing!”
“Good. Are you staying, Vinn?”
“No, I am assigned to keep Ran and his merry band of friends from causing themselves, and others, any more injuries,” Vinn said in his deep, gravelly voice. “There is nothing about you I would ever wish changed, Jayce.”
Fale’s heart went mushy at the big creatures touching words to his brother. Jayce smiled softly, golden eyes glistening with tears a moment before he blinked them away.
“Thanks, brother, I feel the same about you,” Jayce said with feeling.
“Oh, Vinn, I meant to ask what you meant by mine and Macario’s scent changing.”
Vinn quirked a brow. “You and Macario had sex and have begun the mate bond. When this occurs, your scents intermingle, changing. Did your birth guild not tell you this?”
Fale gaped a moment then downed the entire drink, coughed and wheezed. “Oh shit…but we wore protection. Mac’s going to blame me!”
Vinn snorted. “Did you use protection the entire time?”
Fale flushed with embarrassment and he shut up. Jayce snickered, Lacy, laughing.
Vinn left the room after running a hand over Emile’s shoulder. Fale sighed. He doubted very much Macario would ever touch him like he just couldn’t stop himself. It wasn’t right to be sad about that though, Mac was Fale’s mate, and he loved the guy already for all the wonderful qualities the man had.
But he did notice Mac didn’t share well, he liked his space, and whenever Fale touched Mac, okay, practically wrapped himself around his beautiful mate, he didn’t get the same enthusiastic response. But, Mac was beginning to show he cared and that gave Fale hope. Still, Mac was his, and Fale couldn’t be happier except if Macario loved him back.
“You okay?” Jayce asked.
“Sure, sure, this fabulous.”
“Don’t worry, Mac will adjust, and I know he’ll fall madly in love with you.”
“Yeah?” Fale asked hopefully.
“Oh, Fale, I’m sure.” Jayce picked up a glass and sipped. “Smooth. I’ll make you another drink then we’ll sit down, and I’ll tell you some stories about my brother and his best buds. Beneath all that superficial charm is a huge softie.”
Fale really hoped so.
He had fun talking to Jayce and heard some crazy stories of the stunts Mac, Eber, and Vinn pulled growing up. Apparently, those three liked pushing the boundaries often. Fale told Lacy, Jayce, and Emile about his work colleagues, how Mac took care of him during the attack from Hunters and laughed at stories of some of the cases Lacy dealt with at the hospital. Emile had Jayce in hysterics describing what his young siblings got up to, and Fale couldn’t wait to meet all of the Sanchezes.
It was then he realized that he actually belonged here. He could see Jayce becoming one of his best friends, and Fale already loved Lacy, was awed by Emile, and really liked Blazh and Vinn. Eber he was warming up to, Layke, nope, not at all but liked how sassy the man was. Deakin freaked Fale out because the few times he’d seen the man he had a labeling machine in hand. River was cool, and Vicus scared the crap out of Fale.
In all, the Astons were family and a mixed bunch, much like Fale’s own relations back in Tahiti. He knew how fortunate he was to be welcomed into their close-knit ranks, and how damn lucky he was to have found Mac.
Maybe if he got Mac into bed tonight, they could have some more fun. In the meantime, he’d have a few drinks, hang out, then search for his mate and enjoy every moment with Macario.
Chapter Nine
“Are we safe up here?” Mac peered cautiously over the edge of the roof.
“Safe from what?” Vinn popped the top of his beer bottle.
“From Ran and the rest of them.”
Vinn snorted a laugh. “River is sure they’ll take over the Estate soon. Add in Tyler, Archie, and Constantine,
and we’ll be overrun by younguns. Of course, we also have your mate, now.”
Mac shifted uncomfortably on the tiled roof of the garages. “I’m surprised Eddie’s here. I know he’s piled under work at the moment, because I sent him expenditure reports for tax reporting a few days ago.”
“I’m more surprised Tripp is letting his mate out of his sight. Particularly with the trouble he, Ran, Adrian, and Tristian get into lately. And why the fuck Urian would let Tristian off pack land doesn’t make any sense.”
“Is the situation that bad?” Mac asked seriously.
“Not as bad as when the Alliance found Renegades sneaking into Milson City and the valley. There are a few stragglers left behind from the Alliance finding most of them, always will be some hiding out, but the Hunters are more of a nuisance at the moment.”
Hunters were humans wanting to get rid of paranormals or make them second class citizens. Mac could understand to an extent. Paranormals could be fearsome to humans as creatures were stronger, faster, self-healed in most cases, and gifted. And with more and more paranormals moving in Milson Valley and the city, it wasn’t unrealistic to think it would cause some unrest and even unease amongst humans. They would feel outnumbered, and there were quite a few laws that favored paranormals, but none placed humans in danger, took away their rights, or made them less than paranormals.
“My scents changed?” Mac asked casually.
He’d known with the exchange of fluids it was a strong possibility, he’d sat through creature bonding one-on-one, but it escaped his mind when he had Fale’s dick in his mouth and was enjoying tasting his mate.
“Yep. You must be feeling the connection stronger now.”
“Yeah.”
“So bond already,” Vinn growled.
Mac rolled his eyes.
“Why do you sit up here?” Vicus joined them, scanning the horizon. “I see. Your view of my mate and his friends is perfect.”
“Yep,” Vinn smirked. “I thought you had a meeting with the leaders.”
“I did, it is finished. Macario, we must discuss your mate’s work arrangements.”
Vicus was very direct. Mac tensed. “No. No, no, and no. Fale likes what he does.”
Vicus was not someone you said no to, though. For the next ten minutes, Mac argued, but his brother stood firm.
“Shit. It was the one thing I thought I could do for him. Fine, let him go back to his guild—”
“That is not an option,” Vicus said firmly.
“Why? Because he can save my life? That’s no reason for Fale to give up what he loves doing.”
“It’s a damn good reason,” Vinn growled. “Don’t forget, you’re his. That means if you don’t mate with him, that young fae will become despondent, listless, and will have to be medicated until he can, if he can, accept he will not have his mate.”
Mac sighed, nodding. “Yeah, I get it.”
“What you do not understand, my brother, is someone has spoken of Fale’s gift, and he has come to the notice of the Renegades and Hunters. Fale is on the list of desirable creatures to kidnap.”
Oh crap.
“Who’s responsible? The fae should know better than to gossip about gifts. They know how dangerous that can be.”
“They believe a woman who works at the spa, one you had a very brief interlude with. She spoke to colleagues who spread the news quickly.”
Then it was his fault his mate was in danger. Mac stood and walked away, or as it was, scrambled inelegantly across the tiled roof of the garage and climbed down the ladder. Instead of being able to ensure Fale kept doing what he enjoyed, Mac’s past was responsible for Fale losing his future dreams. And now the man had come to the Renegades’ and Hunters’ notice, so he was actually on a list and in danger.
“Macario.” Vicus walked beside Mac back into the house.
“It’s fine. I’ll speak to Fale—”
“Stop,” Vicus ordered.
Not many could make Mac pause at a simple word, and though Vicus would tear off his own hand rather than harm any of his family, Mac instantly obeyed his Alpha brother. Belligerently, sure, but he still stopped and turned to face Vicus.
“There you are! We had a date! I programmed it into your phone—”
“Deakin, I will be in our suite shortly.” Vicus lightly caressed his mate’s hair.
“Fine, you have three minutes.” Deakin pushed his glasses up onto his nose and gave them both a look.
Vicus waited until his mate was gone before fixing his attention back on Mac. “We all make adjustments for our mates. Fale is very accepting and loving. There may be upset over having to leave his employment, but he will soon understand the move is for his, and others’, protection.”
“Yeah, it’s always about protection.” Mac rubbed his chest absently. “I understand, Vic, I do. I would like to tell Fale myself and see if I can figure out a way for him to stay safe while still doing what he’s worked hard for.”
“I am sorry, my brother. But if anyone can find a way for your mate to continue his job, you can.” Vicus patted Mac’s shoulder. “Your chest hurts?”
“What? Oh, no, it’s nothing.” Mac hadn’t even realized he was rubbing it. “Go meet Deak. He was upset this morning that you weren’t there to eat the blueberry pancakes he made for you. He sort of had a minor meltdown. Enjoy your date.”
Vicus studied Mac for a moment before nodding and walking away. He actually rushed, too, which either meant he didn’t want Deak being annoyed he was late, or Vicus was really looking forward to seeing his mostly human, part sprite mate.
Grinning over that briefly, happy for his brother who had found wholehearted acceptance and love from his mates Deakin and Ran, Mac briefly wondered if he would still have Fale’s affection after his own mate had to give up something he loved.
A lot of people considered Mac shallow, and he agreed with them to an extent. He had his moments, but he was never nasty and selfish. He thought of others, he worked frigging hard for the Alliance to help in some way to combat the Renegades and Hunters, and he volunteered every two weeks at a charity helping teach basic accounting to young people looking for work. He also taught twice a year for twelve weeks at a time, a basic accounting course at the local community college for free.
So while Mac had faults like so many other people and creatures, he did have a heart.
“What do you think, Macario?”
Lost in his own thoughts, Mac turned quickly, causing a sharp pain in his chest, but he ignored it and smiled.
“Zander! Hey, Jayce mentioned this morning you were looking for me. I rang, but the call went through to voicemail, so I texted.”
Zander’s golden eyes were penetrating, rather like Vicus’s. He studied Mac a moment before shrugging.
“I got busy.”
Zander’s social skills were like any eccentric creatures. Zip when he was busy with his work.
“What are you working on?” Mac asked.
“An ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic.”
Zander had a studio where he worked on coding and decoding just about anything put in front of him. Lacy deliberately set Zander up in the rooms above the garages. One reason being was that Zander used to have his studio right beside his bedroom and he’d be in there for days, never leaving. The other reason was that Zander would hear them all coming and going and interact more with family and even the staff and friends who visited.
That hadn’t worked so far, but no one pushed. On and off for years, Zander would slip into a type of coma, and it could take days, weeks, months, or years to bring him back out. The last year or so, Zander was awake much more frequently, and they attributed that to Zander himself wishing to remain with them, and Sebastian easing a lot of the pain inside their brother, which was causing the comatose state.
“Sounds fascinating. Can I see?” Mac asked.
“Yeah, later. I’m hungry.”
“Okay, let’s go to the kitchen—”
“No, I don’t w
ant anything from here. I want to go out.”
Grinning, Mac nodded. “Let’s go out then. Want to try a bagel?”
“No.”
“Come on! Give one a go, Zan. Apparently, there’s this bagel shop that sells the best in all of Milson City.”
Zander smiled. “Everyone likes your mate, even Layke. River said he wants a mate just like Fale, and he is going to hop a plane to Tahiti to see if any of Fale’s cousins is his perfect match.”
Chuckling, Mac steered Zander through the house. “There’s only one Fale.”
“You like him.”
“Yep.” Mac opened the cupboard door where they kept their coats, hats, umbrellas, shoes, and whatever else. As he opened the door, Blazh came through the front door looking glum. He saw Zander and beamed happily.
“Zander!”
“Hi, Blazh.”
“What are you two doing?” Blazh, their beautiful little sprite brother, looked glum again.
As Blazh rarely looked glum, he was normally so chipper Mac had to have a five-minute quiet time after spending time with the youngun, he knew something was up.
“To get bagels. What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing.” Blazh dumped his satchel in the cupboard. “Just that River picked me up from college and the girl I liked asked me for his phone number. She thought he was so handsome.”
Ouch. Mac sympathized with his brother. And he was surprised. Blazh was damn good looking.
“Want to come get these bagels Mac insists I need to try?” Zander asked.
“Okay, but who’ll take us? Is Vicus here?”
“We’re not going to disturb Vic.” Mac opened the front door and ushered his brothers outside. “He and Deakin have date time.”
“Where are you going?” Fale asked as Mac was shutting the door.
