by Briers, M L
“Around the same time my middle son, Thomas, found his mate. She was a Lycan from another pack that took exception to having Shannon anywhere near her mate. So Shannon distanced herself from us for a while…” Lucas noted the tight knuckles of the old man’s hands. The slight movement as he repositioned himself in the chair, and the way he narrowed his gaze on Shannon, and knew they were getting to the bones of the problem.
“During that time Shannon seemed fine. A little withdrawn from us when we did see her, but I stupidly put that down to the fact she was trying to give Thomas and his mate space, and not give the female any reason to believe that there was more than brotherly love between Thomas and Shannon…” He shook his head, mentally berating himself for his lack of insight.
“I knew my daughter. I should have known that something was wrong, that the man she was trying to disentangle herself from had become possessive, domineering.” Julius suddenly sat forwards in the chair, his hands balled into tight fists as they rested against his knees. He couldn’t pull his gaze from Shannon as she laughed and tangled with two of the children at once.
Lucas wanted to reach over and shake the rest of the story from the Alpha. He was burning with the need to know what happened next, and yet somewhere deep within him, he knew what came next would likely lead to both he and his wolf’s need to pound something into dust.
“At first he had been good to her, treated her like a princess, the way she deserved to be treated. But when I hadn’t heard from her in a couple of days I dropped by her shop to touch base and found it closed.” He shook his head and bunched his fists until the skin was almost translucent over his knuckles.
“Shannon never closed the shop. That girl could be laid up lower that an ant’s backside with the flu and she would still drag her backside into work…”
Lucas wasn’t sure what was worse, knowing that something had happened to Shannon and feeling the anger bubbling within him as he waited to hear what it was, or actually finding out.
“She was at home. I had to break the damn lock to get in because she wouldn’t open the damn door to me…” Julius growled hard and deep with the memory of what he had found. “She was battered and bruised…” The old man’s words were cut off by Lucas jumping to his feet. The anger that had been bubbling surged through him and he didn’t know how to deal with that anger.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Easy son. Know that the pack dealt out the justice that son of a bitch deserved. But that brought its own kind of trouble.” Lucas forced his fists to unclench and he gripped the wood of the railing. He looked to his mate as she laughed and played with the pups. The children clambering all over her, taken by her easy going nature the moment they laid eyes on her.
“I took her home and Thomas caught sight of her. He reacted much the way you are now. His mate tried to calm him, but he stormed from the house, hunted the son of a bitch down, and beat him to within an inch of his life.”
The wooden railing that Lucas had been holding onto for dear life cracked with an ear splitting boom under the force of his hands. When Lucas rounded towards the elder Lycan his eyes were black with rage and he was barely holding onto it.
“I would have ripped him limb from limb…” Lucas’s beast was at the forefront, barely contained within his human form, as Julius nodded his understanding.
“Which would be your right. Shannon being your mate, and Thomas certainly did give it his best shot, but his brother’s pulled him off. We still follow the old ways Lucas, blood for blood, especially where humans are concerned…” The low roar of a growl that left Lucas rippled through the air towards Shannon and Julius watched her still for a long moment.
Her eyes flicked up to the porch and she took in the hard, tense frame of her mate. It didn’t matter that his back was too her, she knew Lycans too well to not understand that he was close to becoming his beast.
The protective nature of a mate towards his other would be pulsing through his veins along with his overheated blood, and she had not wanted to be around for the fireworks when Julius told Lucas what had happened.
To her Julius was her father in everything but blood. She trusted him completely and had sought his counsel her whole life. Now she wished she could go home with him to pack land. But trouble had followed her here and she needed to deal with that before she could even contemplate the rest of her life.
As her mate, Lucas would take it upon himself to deal with any threat that he perceived she was under. His need to protect her would outweigh his perspective of right from wrong, and she didn’t want Lucas doing anything that would compromise the safety of him or his pack with the local human’s.
Julius split his attention between the mates. He watched the almost subconscious interaction between them and was happy that his daughter had found a strong man like Lucas to be her mate. It was fitting, and he had no worries that she would be taken care of.
“Shannon stayed with us at the house, but that caused problems with Thomas’s mate. She was from another pack that didn’t trust their local circle and didn’t have a healer like Shannon within their fold. She mistrusted Shannon immensely and started to create problems with the local circle. I spoke to the female, but Shannon had already made her decision to leave, and once she decided to do something… Well, let’s just say, you’ll have to come up with your own way of dealing with her stubborn streak.”
Lucas nodded. Digging his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he tried to bury the wolf deep within him. It was a struggle that shouldn’t have been as hard as it was, but the damn thing didn’t seem to want to relinquish his hold.
Julius watched the internal struggle going on within Lucas. Hell, he’d been there and done that and could truly understand what his wolf was going through.
“From one old mate and Alpha, to a new Mate and Alpha, some advice?” Julius would never presume to offer advice to another Alpha unless it was solicited, and when Lucas gave another curt nod of his head, the old man smiled.
“Sooth your wolf son, let him know that he will have his vengeance, but he must bide his time.”
Lucas took a moment to follow the old man’s advice, and damn if it didn’t work. His wolf pulled back, contented in the knowledge that he would see any potential threat to their mate vanquished. Just not at that moment. And Lucas found he could settle a little easier.
“Who is he?” Lucas rested his backside against the rail and folded his arms over his chest. His eyes were still full of his wolf, but he felt calmer within himself.
“The name is Terrence Mackay, drives a black pickup and walks with a limp, courtesy of Shannon’s brother Thomas. Brown hair, brown eyes, stands about six foot, and has a long scar down his left cheek, courtesy of Thomas.” The old man smiled at the memory of the injured human lying in the hospital bed. He had taken great satisfaction in seeing the human just after Thomas had finished with him, lying in those pristine white sheets of the hospital. His battered and bruised body hooked up to an array of machines.
Truth be told, he had thought about turning each and every machine off and snuffing out the human’s pitiful existence, but there was the damn code…
“I picked up his scent on the street, if he comes within spitting distance of Shannon…” Lucas growled out his intent and the old man nodded.
“You’ll make a good mate for my Shannon. Even with her damned stubborn streak she’s one hell of a female, and as loyal as sin. Likes pups too…” Julius allowed his gaze to settle back on Shannon as she rough and tumbled with the pack’s young.
Lucas half turned on the railing and took in the sight of his mate. He would die to protect her, and he would kill. It was the killing part he was looking forward to right now. Mackay was a dead man walking. The human just didn’t know it yet.
“Plus the bonus to you mating with Shannon is Thomas’s mate should stop being such a pain in the arse. Although, her being with pup now means she’s even more of a handful.” Julius growled in disdain.
“Fema
les…” Lucas let the word play on his lips along with the gentle smile that watching his female put there.
“Yep, you’ll do just fine.” Julius grinned.
Shannon was saying goodbye to Julius when Lucas walked into the living room. The old man didn’t say much as his eyes flicked to the Alpha who had taken up a position at the living room door.
With a casual lean of his shoulder against the doorframe and his arms crossed over his chest, Lucas waited for her to turn towards him, before he questioned her with his eyes.
“Thanks for dinner, Lucas…”
“Your bedroom is made up and ready…” He didn’t believe in mincing his words. He thought by just putting the information out there for her he would get the same reaction as if he had sugar coated it, and there it was…
Shannon balked at the idea. Her eyes went wide with the shock that his words sent through her and she couldn’t help the scoff of a chuckle that left her lips.
“You’re delusional, do you know that?” She flicked her eyes towards Julius for support, but the old man just raised a brow and sat down into the comfort of the nearest armchair. He wanted a front row seat for this.
“It’s at the top of the stairs, right at the end of the hallway, next to mine…” Lucas didn’t appear phased by her immediate reaction to his words. He felt pretty laid back about the whole thing. She was staying where he could keep an eye on her, whether she liked it or not.
“I’m not even going to bless that with a comment…” She set one foot in front of the other. The only problem was that his whole frame filled the doorway. How the heck was she going to get past him if he refused to move?
“Or we could just cut to the chase and you could share my bed.” The predatory growl in Lucas’s voice made her forget about the step that she had been about to take, as she narrowed her eyes on him and gave him a look of disbelief.
“Nice try Alpha, now move or…”
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence little Fae, or my wolf might take it as a challenge.” Lucas warned, his eyes flashing both amusement and a dark desire for her challenge.
Shannon snapped a look towards Julius who saw it coming and shrugged his broad shoulders, his palms held up in surrender, he wasn’t about to get between two mates.
“I’m old, not stupid, sort it out child.” She heard the little chuckle of amusement in his deep tone and cut her eyes at him, as she returned her gaze to Lucas.
“Lucas, I want to go home…” She gave her best impression of being reasonable, even though she felt far from it.
“Technically, this is your home now.” Lucas saw the spark of understanding in her face, a moment before she became completely unhinged.
“You have the nerve to stand there and tell me that you will not allow me to leave…?”There was one of two ways this could go, and Lucas decided then and there that it was going to end badly, for her.
“Yes.” He gave her the simple reply. Because there wasn’t anything that he could do to stop her tirade from coming. He felt it like electricity in the air around him.
“You pompous, arrogant, self absorbed, over inflated, delusional…” The words rolled from her tongue and she took her eye off the ball for long enough to miss him start towards her.
In an instant he had hefted her over his shoulder and she squealed out her annoyance as she dangled in disbelief down his back. And then they were off, and she was kicking and squirming against him.
“So help me, Lucas… If you don’t put me down I will…” Julius chuckled as he watched the young mates leave the room. He wished he could be a fly on the wall when they got to where they were going. But she was like a daughter to him, so he guessed that would be wrong.
“Put me the hell down…” Shannon’s words came through gritted teeth, as she was jostled by Lucas taking the staircase as a challenge to how fast he could get to where they were going.
Three steps at a time, and at a speed that gave her pause for thought at what might happen if he were to slip, silenced her for a long moment.
The hallway flew past her eyes as she tried and failed to lift her upper body away from his back. He had her angled just right that her full weight was aimed downwards, and even though she wedged the palms of her hands against his lower back and tried to push up, she didn’t get very far. All she got was a great view of his tight backside and the carpet rushing past.
And then the world spun as he tossed her through the air and she bounced against the softness of the mattress beneath her body. A squeal of surprise met the hard slam of the bedroom door that Lucas had back kicked closed.
He had meant to deposit her in her room and turn and leave, but her body squirming against his as she tried to get away from him, had set off emotions of claiming her within his mind. And now he stood looking down at her with dark eyes filled with desire, as she tried to get a handle on which way was up.
“You arrogant…” She started, the moment she felt her equilibrium return. Starting to push herself up on her elbows she almost growled her annoyance at him.
“You said that already.” He bit out, trying to contain the amusement that flowed through him in equal measure to his desire. Seeing his mate spread out on the bed before him turned that primal switch on inside him, and he wasn’t entirely sure that he could have turned away from her if his life depended on it.
“I am not staying…” He was over her in an instant. On his hands and knees above her in the bed, not touching one inch of her body, and yet she felt his presence everywhere. She dropped back onto her back just to gain that little extra distance from him and stared up at him. Warning and fear played on her face as he looked down at her.
Mine.
Lucas was in total agreement with his wolf, she was his and he wouldn’t let her put herself in harm’s way, not now, not ever. He was her buffer to the world and he would take care of her and protect her with his life. There was no time like the present to start.
“You’re not leaving, Shannon.” The cockiness was gone from his voice. His eyes were no longer filled with amusement, but desire, need, and want. She hadn’t been closeted growing up on pack land. She had been around enough mates to know what was going through his mind right now, and she swallowed down her anxiety.
“Lucas…” The next word was intended to be ‘don’t’, but the next word just didn’t want to come out of her mouth. He hadn’t moved. His body stayed deathly still as it provided a cage around hers. But he didn’t need to cage her in, her own body was already responding to his proximity.
Lucas felt the calling to her soul just like a fire that was within him that wouldn’t be extinguished. He saw the flare of her nostrils as she subconsciously took in his scent, the spark of desire that caused her to gaze back at him under hooded lashes, and then the tip of her pink tongue swept over her lips in anticipation of his mouth on hers and he was lost to anything but wanting her so damn much.
Shannon thought that he was going to kiss her when he dipped his head towards her, but he nuzzled into her neck, taking in her scent and letting it fill him with its intoxicating sweetness. Her hands reached for the hard muscles of his chest and her fingertips swept downwards over the ridged planes, each one consigned to memory.
When his lips pressed against the heated skin of her neck, a rush of heat swept through her body with the same intensity that the jolt to her womanhood.
“Lucas…”
“Just playing sweetheart…” He breathed into her skin before running his lips against her ear and felt the shudder run through his mate.
Shannon heard the low, deep growl of desire that rumbled through him. Right here and now there was nothing but this. The outside world beyond this bed did not exist. Her body was calling to his, just as she felt the pull of him on every inch of her body.
His lips came down on hers with a gentle demand to open for him, a command her mind was only too eager to comply with and she parted her lips on a sigh of want. His tongue swept inside and over hers with the same poss
essiveness that she could feel from his hands as they swept down her body, leaving a trail of electricity and fire wherever they touched.
Shannon tried to shake it off. The need that called on her body for him was too ingrained within her. The calling of one mate to the other had started the moment they had met and was now wound within her very psyche as if she were already his.
Within her there was a need to touch and to be touched by him. To breathe in his scent as if it were the air she needed to live. To join herself to him physically and emotionally, bond with him.
When her hands found the hard muscles of his chest under his top, her fingertips revelled in the feel of him, the heat coming from his skin, and the hum of electricity that passed between them. She wanted him with a need that was not her own decision.
Shannon broke away from his lips and bore down within her own mind, dragging the energy she needed through the haze of her desire to slam her shield up.
Lucas felt her withdraw from him in an instant and fought to bury his own desire, rein his beast in within him. He hadn’t meant to push her this way. He hadn’t meant to touch her at all, but now he had he needed so much more.
The ache of need within him wasn’t just the rock hard arousal she had caused. It was so much deeper. Buried within his soul and he mourned the loss of the connection he had shared with her.
Shannon was as breathless as he was as he gazed down at her. His eyes took her in with one long look.
“I thought you couldn’t use your magic with me touching you.” He breathed against her ear and she closed her eyes and steadied her breath.
“Adapting a spell is a Fae’s best trick. I know you now, your essence, and how to block you.”
“Promise me you won’t try to leave here tonight and I won’t stand guard outside your door all night.” His deep velvet tone still reached through her shields to touch her. She might have given herself some defences against him, but her shields did not serve her as they should.
