Mal

by Catherine Lievens

  If it were up to Will, he’d stick Paul in a cell with a lion shifter.

  * * * *

  Mal was relieved when Paul was taken away by two enforcers. It felt like it was finally over, after years being afraid. He didn’t know if it was for sure, but Paul wouldn’t get out for a bit. Kameron took protecting his pack very seriously, and Mal knew he’d do whatever he could to keep Paul away. Besides, they couldn’t just let him go, not now that he knew about shifters.

  Mal felt guilty about that. Simon had shifted to protect him. He wouldn’t have had to if Mal had been stronger, if he’d been able to defend himself in some way. He was glad Simon had done what he’d done, though. He didn’t think he’d have been able to keep Paul from dragging him away. It wasn’t even that he wouldn’t have been able to protest, but rather that he was still scared of Paul. He didn’t know if that fear would ever completely disappear, but he hoped so. Not that he was planning to see Paul ever again anyway.

  Simon walked back into the kitchen, tugging a fresh T-shirt down his stomach. The one he’d been wearing earlier had ended up in pieces after Simon had shifted. He didn’t look happy, but he paused next to Mal and kissed his cheek before taking a bottle of water from the fridge and sitting in front of Mal. “Is the asshole gone?”

  “Yeah. Kameron had him taken away.”

  “Good.” Simon opened the bottle and drank from it. “You think we’ll ever see him again?”

  “I don’t think so. Kameron seemed pretty convinced of the fact that Paul is going to end up in jail.”

  “As he should. Asshole,” Simon muttered before drinking again.

  Mal looked down at the table and traced one of the wooden veins with a finger. “I wanted to thank you. You didn’t have to protect me, and you could have been hurt.”

  Something hard landed on Mal’s forehead and he looked up, frowning. Simon had thrown his bottle’s lid at him and was scowling. “Of course I had to protect you. I couldn’t very well let him take you away.”

  “You could have been hurt,” Mal said again. “You might be a shifter, but you’re not trained to fight.”

  Simon looked like he wanted to throw something else at Mal, and Mal eyed his open bottle. Luckily, he didn’t throw it.

  “I might not be trained, but I have an advantage over an untrained human.” Simon grinned, showing off his now human teeth. “I think I showed that.”

  “You did, but you still could have been hurt.”

  “I don’t care. You’re one of my best friends. I’d have done it even if I was only human. Anything to save you.”

  Mal felt lucky there was a table between them, because he’d have hugged Simon within one inch of his life if he could have. As it was, the only part of Simon he could reach were his hands, and he took one of them and squeezed. “Thanks. Just... thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it. You would have done the same for me.”

  And that was true. Simon, Will, Elliott, and Mihaja were Mal’s family now, even more so than Arlen. Mal would do anything for them, even if it meant getting hurt.

  He slid his hand away from Simon just as Will entered the kitchen. Will smiled and sat next to Mal, and like always, Mal seemed to gravitate toward Will, slowly moving closer even though he didn’t mean to.

  “Kameron and the enforcers took Paul away,” Will said, looking at Mal and Simon alternatively. “He said not to worry and that you won’t be seeing him for a while, if ever again.”

  “Great. Are you going back to work?”

  Will looked at him like he was crazy. “No.”

  “Why not? It’s still early.”

  “Do you really think I’d be able to leave you on your own after the scare you gave me?”

  Mal bristled. “It’s not like I wanted this to happen.”

  Will sighed. “I know that. It doesn’t mean I didn’t get scared. I’m not sure I’d be able to let you out of my sight today, not without doing something dramatic like shifting and coming after you at the smallest sign of worry passing through our bond.”

  “I can try not to be worried.”

  Will rolled his eyes. “Right. Don’t worry, Kameron told me to stay home with you. I have nothing urgent to deal with anyway.”

  “I’m not sure whether I should be happy or feel guilty that I’ll have you all to myself for the rest of the day.”

  Will grinned and kissed Mal until the wrenching noises Simon was making became too disturbing. Mal looked at Simon, unable to make the smile on his lips disappear. “What?”

  “You guys are so disgustingly cute.”

  “How is that a problem?”

  “It is when you don’t have a mate and haven’t gotten laid in months.” Simon sighed dramatically and looked down at his crotch. “I’m pretty sure I don’t know how to use my dick anymore. I hope it’s not going to shrivel from disuse and fall off.”

  “Can we not talk about your dick, falling off or in any other way?”

  “Why not? I have to watch you and Will suck faces, you can listen to me bemoaning the lack of sex in my life.”

  Will got up. “I’m not ready to hear about Simon and sex in the same conversation.”

  “Hey, where are you going?” Simon protested. “I’ll let you know that I’m a great lay.”

  Will grimaced. “I don’t doubt that, but you’re like my little brother or something. I don’t want to think about you having sex.”

  “If I’m your little brother and also like Mal’s brother, does it mean your mating with Mal is incestuous?”

  Mal and Will both looked at Simon. As much as Mal loved him, he couldn’t deny Simon was strange sometimes—most of the time, actually. “No, it doesn’t mean that. Why would you even think something like that?” Mal asked.

  Simon shrugged. “It’s the lack of sex. It’s starting to affect my everyday life.” Will left the kitchen without saying anything else and Simon laughed. “He’s so easy to rile up.”

  Mal shook his head. “Why do you find doing it so funny, then?”

  “Like I said, my life is pretty boring. This is the only thing making it worth living.”

  Mal threw the bottle cap back at Simon. Simon ducked and the cap hit the counter behind him. “Not funny, Simon.”

  “Riling Will, and shopping. Shopping makes everything better.”

  “Want to go?”

  “What about Will?”

  “He can come or stay here.”

  “You know he’ll want to come with us after what happened, and he’ll bitch and moan the entire time.”

  “Do you care?”

  Simon tried to make a serious face for a few seconds, but he failed miserably. “Not really,” he answered with a grin. “Can I be the one to tell him, though?”

  “Be my guest.”

  Simon beamed and strode to the kitchen door. He leaned outside and yelled, “Wiiiiill! Where are youuuuu?”

  “I don’t like the way you’re calling me, Simon,” Will answered from somewhere close. He’d probably just walked to the living room, just in case something happened. Mal wasn’t sure whether to be angry or to love Will more. “It always means you’re about to say or do something you know I won’t like.”

  Simon stepped to the side and Will came back in the kitchen. He looked at Mal in question, but Mal just shrugged and smiled.

  “We’re going shopping,” Simon declared, not giving Will the opportunity to refuse.

  “We?” Will asked.

  “Me and Mal.”

  “I thought we’d agreed to stick together at least for today?” Will asked Mal.

  “You can come with us,” Mal answered, walking closer and softening the blow with a kiss.

  “Shopping? You know I hate it.”

  “Then stay home. We’ll be fine.”

  Will looked torn, and Mal understood it. He might not be a shifter, but it didn’t mean he didn’t feel the need to stay close to Will right now. It was more for reassurance
than anything else, but the need was there.

  Will shook his head, and Mal wasn’t surprised. “I’ll come with you. I’ll pick up some new clothes while I’m there. Might as well do it now rather than wait another month and have to go to the mall again.”

  Simon bounced close and kissed Will’s cheek. “Don’t sound so enthusiastic, Will.”

  Will rolled his eyes. “Sorry, but I don’t think I can muster up the enthusiasm you’re looking for. It shouldn’t be a problem since you’re plenty excited for two.” Will looked at Mal. “One condition.”

  Mal cocked his head. “One?”

  “Well, it could be more, but this is something we’ve never done before.”

  “Oooh, is it something kinky?” Simon asked, and Mal pushed him away.

  “What?” Mal asked Will. He’d say yes to anything—well, almost anything. Will would never do anything to hurt him, so he knew he was safe saying yes to whatever Will’s request was.

  “When we’re back, you come in the woods with me so I can shift and run around while still having you close. I know you’ve never seen my bear yet, but you don’t have to worry. It’s perfectly safe.”

  “Of course I’ve seen your bear.”

  Will frowned. “But I’ve only shifted when I knew you weren’t there to see or when you were asleep.”

  “That’s what you thought. You really think I wouldn’t notice you getting up at six in the morning once a week? After a few times I snuck out behind you and I saw you. I didn’t say anything because it obviously was something you wanted to keep to yourself.”

  “I didn’t want to scare you. I know you’ve been around wolf shifters in their wolf form, but bears are much bigger.”

  Mal shook his head and kissed Will. “I know you’d never hurt me. I trust you.”

  The smile Will gave him was so bright Mal couldn’t help but kiss him again.

  * * * *

  Will hauled the last shopping bags inside the house and dumped them onto the couch. Mal came in behind him, looking tired, and Will wondered if maybe it would be a good idea to postpone shifting. After the day he’d had, Mal needed rest. He might be pushing on as if nothing had happened, but Will could feel how weary he was. Mal hadn’t yet learned to hide things he didn’t want Will to know, and everything came through their bond. Will liked it, because it gave him a unique insight into Mal’s mind, and it had helped since he’d immediately understood something was wrong that morning.

  Simon bounded in, looking like he’d spend most of the afternoon resting rather than dragging Will and Mal along in more stores than Will had thought could be in one place. He hated malls.

  Simon put his bag down and started digging through the ones Mal and Will had brought in. He gathered his and looked at Mal. “I’m going to my room. Will I see you guys for dinner?”

  Mal looked at Will, and Will shrugged. “I don’t know. I think we should stay in, though,” Will answered.

  Mal’s smile faded. “Why? You changed your mind?”

  Will noticed Simon slinking out of the living room, and he was glad that for once Simon seemed to have a minimum of tact. He waited until Simon had left to answer. “No, I still want you to meet my bear. I just think today might not be the best day. You’ve had a lot happen to you. You need rest.”

  Mal rolled his eyes. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you saying you’re not tired? Because I can feel it coming through.”

  Mal wrinkled his nose. “You know, sometimes I’m not sure I really like this bond thing. I mean, you get to know everything I feel. It’s not fair.”

  Will gathered Mal in his arms and kissed the top of his head. “Maybe, but you get to do the same thing with me.”

  “I’m not sure it’s working properly.”

  “You just need to focus more because you’re human. You’re not used to the idea of the bond and I think you tend to forget about it. That way you only feel when I feel strongly about something. It’ll come easily to you in time, until you won’t even have to focus on it again.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do, but if you want another opinion, why don’t you ask Xavier or Craig. I’m sure they can answer whatever questions you have for a human mate.”

  “I think another chat with Xavier is in order, you’re right.”

  “Now, do you want to go to bed?”

  Mal tilted his head and looked up, a grin on his lips. “What are you proposing?”

  “I meant, do you want to go sleep?”

  Mal shook his head, and Will tucked a strand on blond hair behind one of Mal’s ears when he stopped. “No. I want us to go in the woods and I want to watch you shift. Can I... do you think I’ll be able to touch your bear?”

  “Have you ever touched any of the people you’ve seen shift?”

  “Of course. Arlen used to shift pretty often after I found out about him. It took me a little while to get used to it, and to realize that even in his wolf form, he was still Arlen, but I did. I know the same goes for you. You’re right, though. I’m a little intimidated by the thought of touching a bear. Arlen and the others, well, they’re a bit like dogs, although don’t tell them I said that. It’s easier to deal with.”

  Will nodded. “If you really want to touch me, I can shift and sit on the ground. I’ll keep my paws in front of me. Or we can call someone, maybe Kameron. That way you’ll be sure I won’t hurt you.”

  Mal swatted Will’s chest. “I’m not afraid of you or scared you’ll hurt me.” He moved out of Will’s embrace and took one of his hands. “Come on. Let’s go outside.”

  Will let himself be guided to the porch. Mal shivered when a gush of cold wind blew, and when Will shrugged out of his jacket, he put it on Mal’s shoulders. Mal looked at him, and Will smiled. “I won’t need it once I’m shifted. I’ll have more than enough fur to keep me warm.”

  Mal laughed. “That, and it would be way too small for you to wear.” He tugged the jacket closer and sniffed at the collar. “Thanks. It smells like you.”

  Will kissed the tip of Mal’s nose. “Sometimes you behave almost like a shifter.”

  “That’s because I’ve been living with you guys for a while. Now go on, shift. It’s cold. You’re going to get the flu or something.”

  Will loved it when Mal worried about him and fussed that way. He knew it was due to the fact that he didn’t really have a family, and that he’d had to take care of himself for most of his life, but knowing didn’t stop him from feeling slightly guilty about it. Mal didn’t seem to mind, though, so Will quickly took off the rest of his clothes and put everything in a lump on the porch bench. He knew Mal would fold everything as soon as he could, and the thought made him smile.

  He shifted before Mal could ask why he was smiling like a loon. It felt good to be in his bear form. He’d tried to shift at least once a week ever since moving in Gillham, but now that Mal seemed to accept the bear part of him, maybe he could shift more often, and for a longer time.

  Will shook his fur out and turned to face Mal as slowly as he could. He grinned when he saw Mal was already working on the pile of clothes, folding everything, including the socks. Mal looked at Will and smiled back at him.

  “You know, it’s kind of creepy.”

  Will cocked his head, hoping Mal understood he was asking what was creepy.

  “The way you’re smiling. I’ve never seen a bear this closely, but I’m pretty sure they’re not supposed to smile like that. It looks a bit intimidating, to be honest. More than a smile, it looks like you’re about to take a bite out of me.”

  Will stopped smiling, and Mal laughed. “Aww, come on. You don’t have to be careful. I know you won’t hurt me. Really.”

  Mal put down the balled socks and came closer. Will noticed he was walking carefully, and he froze. The last thing he wanted was to send Mal screaming for the hills.

  Will sat down none too gracefully, and Mal laughed. Will grinned again, unable to stop
himself.

  Mal paused just in front of Will and touched the top of Will’s head. He made a cooing sound and rubbed, and Will closed his eyes in pleasure.

  “You know, maybe I should have you shift at night. I’m always so cold. You’d warm me.”

  Will cocked his head.

  “Of course, it would mean we couldn’t have sex. Maybe you could shift afterward? I wonder how it feels to sleep against all that fur.”

  Will wanted to tell Mal that he’d never find out because Will would more than probably jump his bones if he ever felt Mal’s naked body against his fur. He’d shift before doing it, of course. He wasn’t into bestiality.

  Mal inched closer, apparently reassured by Will’s behavior. He buried his fingers into Will’s fur and Will purred. Mal’s eyes widened.

  “Was that a purr? I didn’t know bears purred! That’s so cute.”

  Will didn’t mind being called cute if it meant he got more of the scratches and cuddles Mal was giving him. Mihaja had been right—doing this with his mate really was different than when Will had done it with Heath, or with anyone else.

  Will’s bear wanted to go run, but Mal wasn’t done yet, so instead Will slowly reclined until he was curled on his side. Mal looked at him, hesitating for a few seconds before kneeling and sliding against Will’s front. He settled himself as close as he could, and Will curled over him even more.

  Mal sighed in delight, and Will suddenly didn’t care about running around anymore. He could do that any time he wanted, but this? Having Mal so close to him in his bear form, the peacefulness of the moment, he wouldn’t have that often, and he was going to savor it now that he did.

  Chapter Seven

  Mal walked down the stairs and went to open the door, mildly angry with whoever it was. He’d been going over the wedding stuff. It was still November, although the end of it, but the things he had to do felt never ending, and Mal wanted to do as much as he could before Christmas.

  He swung the door open. “Yes?”

  Heath and Jayden were on the porch, but Mal didn’t even have the time to say anything more that Jayden had launched himself into his arms. Mal stumbled backward and grabbed the door’s handle. He looked down at Jayden, who was apparently trying to hug him to death.