Remi sighed and snuggled into his mate’s warm body. Something tickled, trailing over his shoulder, making him open his eyes. Blood. The red drop trickled down his chest, pooling in the crease of his leg where it joined his body.
Swiping the wound with his tongue, Jake held Remi closer.
Remi moaned. The feeling of Jake’s tongue radiated out, making his cock threaten to rise again. Oh he could so get used to submitting. If this was what it felt like to give in, to please his mate… He wanted to do it again.
“Holy shit,” someone murmured.
Remi realized they had an audience. How had he forgotten?
Every one of their gang stood just inside the tree line watching them, bloody and bruised with shifted eyes and teeth. The clearing was nearly empty. Only their family remained.
“Our pack.” Jake’s breath caressed Remi’s neck.
“What now?” Remi asked.
Dago stepped closer, wincing and clutching his side.
Remi stood, going to him without even considering what he’d do when he got there. Behind him he heard Jake say, “We accept them.”
Chapter Eleven
“You worry too much, Jake.” Rhys shoved away from the wall of his garage and walked up behind Gadget, who was working on Rhys’ bike. “Is that supposed to be like that?” Rhys pointed at something on the engine.
Gadget knocked his hand out of the way. “Fuck off. Who’s the mechanic around here?”
Dago came through the door from the house with three beers in hand. He passed them out to Jake and Rhys, before sitting on the cement floor by Gadget. “I agree I think you’re worrying for nothing. I don’t know Remi as well as you do, but he doesn’t seem to do things he doesn’t want to do.”
“Where the hell is my beer?” Gadget held his hand out, glaring at Dago, who muttered, “Get your own.”
Jake ignored his friends’ bickering and hefted himself off the top of the washing machine. Taking a swig from his bottle, he grimaced. The smell of laundry detergent didn’t really go with the flavor of his beer. “That’s just it, Dago, he seems to always be taking care of others and not himself. Like last night after the fight. Did you notice how he tried to take care of everyone when I was taking your oaths?”
Rhys took one of the folding metal chairs from against the wall and sat in it. “What does that have to do with Remi being your mate?”
It had everything to do with Remi being his mate. What if he couldn’t control his urge to dominate Remi? Remi would submit just to please Jake. Hell, Remi’d loved being claimed in front of the whole pack, he couldn’t fake that. Jake’s senses didn’t lie. Maybe Jake was worrying too much, but with Remi’s background it was kind of hard not to.
Gadget’s hand slipped off the wrench and it went clanking to the ground. “Son of a bitch.”
Rhys arched a brow.
“Jake, you’d never hurt him. If he says he wants it, then trust him to know what he wants. He obviously trusts you. Shouldn’t you give him the same respect?” Dago took a sip of his beer, then set it next to him and leaned back on his hands.
Jake walked around Rhys’ bike. They were right. Remi did trust him, so much so that it made Jake crazy with wanting Remi. Which was part of the problem. “What if it’s instinct? What if he only trusts me like that because of our bond? Because he’s an omega?”
Rhys shrugged. “Hell, Jake, if you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”
He knew Rhys was fucking with him, but damned if it didn’t irritate the shit out of Jake anyway. Walking right to Rhys’ chair, Jake crowded him and growled.
Rhys stood, snarling right back.
“Whoa hey, guys, chill the fuck out.” Dago shoved his way in between them then turned toward Jake. “Who cares what the reason is. As long as you never break that trust, and Remi doesn’t freak about it, then it doesn’t matter.”
“Are you so caught up in instinct that you can’t think for yourself?” Rhys grumbled as he sat.
Jake snagged another one of the gray folding chairs away from the unfinished garage wall. “No, not usually.” Only when assholes say they’ll take my mate. He swung it around backward and straddled it.
“Well, then why do you think Remi would be different?” Rhys took a drink.
There was that little thing Remi did, where he was always rubbing the side of his face on Jake’s hand, but that was because he was an omega, wasn’t it? Jake scowled at his beer bottle, dangling it between his fingers. Rhys might be correct about need and instinct being the same thing.
Who was Jake kidding? Even he questioned denying Remi the chance to submit or he’d have never packed those clamps in his saddlebags. He’d brought them with every intention of playing with his mate tonight.
Jake took a sip. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I need to be making sure he adapts rather than fighting him over it, huh?”
“Yes. ’Cause him turning out to be an omega just means it’s ingrained.” Gadget’s wrench slipped again. “Goddamn it. Dago, hand me a five sixteenths.”
Going to the big red Craftsman toolbox along the wall, Dago opened a drawer and retrieved a wrench. He brought it to Gadget, holding it over Gadget’s shoulder until he took it. “You know, speaking of Remi being an omega. I was certain my ribs were broke last night, then after he touched them asking me if it hurt and all that doctoring shit, they felt better. Today—” He lifted his gray T-shirt and turned to the side, showing off his torso. It looked fine to Jake. “It’s completely healed, no bruises or anything. I’m pretty damn sure they were broken. It took days for them to heal last time I was in a bad fight.”
Gadget raised his gaze from Rhys’ bike, giving the conversation his undivided attention, and grabbed Dago’s beer, taking a drink.
Snagging his bottle back, Dago scowled at Gadget.
Rhys nodded. “Yeah, like I was telling you yesterday, my leg is better too.”
“Jake, can you and Remi come to my house for dinner this week, have him take a look at my youngest?” Gadget rubbed the back of his hand over his forehead, wiping away sweat and leaving a big grease smudge behind, before going back to Rhys’ engine.
Gadget’s youngest had juvenile arthritis. Jake didn’t want to get the man’s hopes up. The healing could all be coincidence. No one knew yet what all Remi’s being an Omega entailed. “Yeah, I’ll ask Remi about it.”
Jake glanced at Rhys. “You find out any more about Dirk Lassiter?”
“What you see is what you get, the guy is a first-rate asshole. I asked around a little, but my source at the bureau hasn’t gotten back to me yet. I got a name to check into though. Apparently, the kid who was killed still has family in this area. An older brother. I’m going to drop in on him tomorrow.”
Dago lay back on the cement, rolling his head toward Jake and Rhys. “We could arrange for Remi’s dad to find himself on the wrong end of an angry wolf.”
Jake glared at him, nipping that in the bud before it started, although he had considered it himself. “We aren’t going to go breaking pack laws. We’ll handle this legally.” Jake used the tone he’d used last night, making sure they realized it was a command. Werewolves did not go around murdering people. All Jake needed was for one of his men to be labeled a rogue. But, if worse came to worse, Jake would seriously consider it. Dirk Lassiter had to go.
Jake’s cell phone rang.
Setting his beer on the garage floor, he snagged the phone off his belt and read the Caller ID. R. Lassiter. But it wasn’t Remi’s number. Jake flipped the phone open. “Hello?”
“Jake?”
Sterling. Jake had forgotten about giving the kid his business card. Every sense suddenly on alert, Jake stood. “Yeah, Sterling, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Rhys jumped out of his chair so fast it clattered and the legs skidded on the ground behind him.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Do you know where Remi is?” Sterling’s voice was shaky, not his usual fast, excited pace.
“Did you try his cell?”
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“I did, he isn’t answering.”
Getting right in Jake’s face, Rhys started to say something.
Jake brushed him off and stepped past him. Remi was probably on the motorcycle. He needed to get an earpiece for his phone so he could answer it even on his bike. “Where are you? Do you need me to come get you, Sterling?”
“Can you? I’m walking toward town. I don’t want Dirk to catch me.”
“You bet. Tell me how to get to you, kid.” Jake looked over at Rhys. “I need another helmet.”
Rhys took off toward the house.
Going to his bike, Jake started it as Sterling gave him directions.
Rhys was back in no time, fastening an extra helmet on Jake’s backrest.
“Okay, kid, I’m on my way.” Jake clipped his phone on his belt and put his helmet on.
“Is he okay? What happened?” Rhys asked.
“He’s fine. I’ll call you when I get him. Do me a favor and call around and see if you can find Remi.” Jake turned his bike and headed out of the drive toward the rez. Thank God he’d thought to give Sterling his number.
* * *
Remi pulled his bike up close to Keaton’s car, trying to block it from view. He’d left his stupid cell phone at home to charge it so he couldn’t stay long. He’d have to get his phone before he went to Jake’s house.
Looking around out of habit, Remi spotted a guy walking down the street. The guy appeared a little rugged, but he seemed familiar. Must be a neighbor or something. Remi shrugged it off and hurried to the front door of the small ranch-style house, hoping he wasn’t seen.
Barking greeted him before he even knocked and made him smile.
The door swung open and Pita jumped on him, wagging his tail.
“Hey, Pita. Let me inside, huh?” Remi petted his head and walked in. The door closed behind him and he turned to find Keaton frowning at him. “What?”
“You okay?” Keaton had a knife in one hand and a dishtowel in the other.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Arching a brow, Keaton jerked his head to the side and walked past Remi into the kitchen.
Remi groaned, following. He knew Keaton well enough to suspect the man wasn’t going to let the events of the pack meeting drop. Oh well, maybe talking to Keaton about being an omega wasn’t such a bad idea.
Pita pounced into the kitchen in front of Remi.
When Remi got into the kitchen, Keaton was standing at the sink peeling potatoes. “Holy shit. Will miracles never cease? You’re cooking?”
Keaton pointed the knife at him. “Don’t make me beat your ass, dickhead. Get a knife out of the drawer and help me.”
Going to the silverware drawer, Remi rummaged through it. “Don’t you have a potato peeler?”
“A what?”
“You know it’s like a knife with a slit in the middle of the blade.” He rifled through the drawer, not finding one.
“Why the fuck would we have that?” Keaton blinked and blew a curl off his forehead. “Quit stalling and get over here and talk to me. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Taking out a paring knife, Remi went to the sink and grabbed a potato. He turned on the water and began helping Keaton. “I’m fine. What are you making?”
“French fries. I’m trying to learn to cook. I’m sick of pizza and hamburgers.” Keaton stopped peeling for a second and looked over at Remi. “Chay says you seem okay with Jake. You finally accept it?”
“What, the mate part or the new pack leader part?”
Snorting, Keaton went back to peeling.
Remi started cutting off the skin on the spud. “Yeah, I’m okay with it. Not like I got much of a choice, is there?”
“No, but…well, I’ve been worried about how you’d react when you found out your mate was a guy. Made me wonder if saving your ass was a good idea.”
“Gee, thanks a lot, Bit.” Remi nudged the shorter man with his shoulder.
Keaton grinned and nudged back. “You know damn well I don’t want you dead, asshole. It pains me to admit it, but if I’d have known you then as well as I do now, I’d have probably beat Jake to the punch when he changed you. I only meant I wondered if it was like a fate worse than death for you.”
Remi froze, staring at Keaton. Jake changed him? Remi had thought Chay had turned him into a werewolf.
“What?” Keaton’s big blue eyes widened. “What’d I say?”
“Jake changed me? But why? He didn’t even know—” Jake had realized even then that Remi was his mate. “Why didn’t y’all tell me Jake was my mate from the beginning?”
“Jake thought it’d be better off if we let you discover it on your own. You had a lot to take in, in a short time.” Sighing, Keaton went back to peeling. “I’m sorry, Remi. We should have told you, but…”
“There was the whole gay thing and how I reacted to you?”
“Well yeah. After your shouting match with Chay, we all felt like Jake had a good idea.”
In a way Remi was glad they’d given him time to get used to some of the weirder werewolf crap, but it would have been nice to know why he was attracted to Jake. He might not have fought it so hard if he’d known. Then it occurred to him, Jake had cared for him from the very beginning.
“What about the omega thing?” Keaton finished, set the knife down and turned and pointed past Remi. There was a bowl on the counter.
“It’s weird. The whole werewolf thing is strange, but I like my pack, they’re good men. I still don’t understand it though. I feel like I’ve known all of them forever, but I’ve only known most of them a couple of days. I don’t get it. There isn’t anything special about me.”
Keaton lifted one light brown eyebrow, then the little demon got an evil smirk on his face. “Just remember you said it, not me.”
Remi narrowed his eyes at Keaton.
“There is something special, you just haven’t figured out what it is yet. Aside from uniting their packs, omegas usually have some sort of talent that also strengthens a pack. It’s part of the reason it’s kept a secret. I doubt most people realize what omegas do. I guess I’m only sensitive to it ’cause of my third form. I know one who has this inner calm thing. Being around him makes the pack less aggressive when things go bad, like last night. All omegas have that to some extent, but his is way more powerful.”
“What about the pack you came from? What did your omega do?”
Keaton shook his head. “We didn’t have an omega. They are rare, which is why everyone started running at you. If allowed, they would have tried to force you to submit. The omega should choose the alpha, not the other way around. But alpha wolves don’t realize it or they think they can change an omega’s mind. Their hormones get the better of them when they catch scent of an omega. You are going to have to be on your guard from now on.”
Lifting his arm, Remi sniffed. “Do I still smell funny?”
Keaton rolled his eyes. “No, and you couldn’t smell yourself even if you did. Or more to the point, the smell wouldn’t have the same effect on you it does others. Your scent changed when Jake claimed you. Or rather when you allowed Jake to claim you.”
Allowed? “If I hadn’t wanted Jake, my scent wouldn’t have changed?”
Keaton faced Remi with the potato held out in one hand and the knife in the other. “Right. And to keep your scent normal, where no one realizes you’re an omega, he’ll have to reclaim you every so often.”
“Well, thankfully he’s my mate, huh?”
“I’ve never heard of an omega whose alpha was also his mate.” Keaton scrunched his face in thought. “Well no, that’s not true, John Carter mentioned a couple when Chay and I got together. But I don’t know them personally.”
Pita jumped, snagged the potato out of Keaton’s hand and took off running.
“Son of a bitch. Pita, you little shit, you are in so much trouble.” Keaton started after the puppy, stopping at the kitchen door when he heard the dog door open and close. Running over to the window,
Keaton stood on tiptoe and peeked outside. “Oh. That dog is dead.”
Remi chuckled, studying the bowl. It had potato slices in it in all different sizes. “Hey, Bit. Why didn’t you cut these with a slicer?”
“A slicer?” Coming back to the sink, Keaton picked up his knife and another spud.
“Yeah, it’s a little circular grid thing, cuts it into squares.”
Still cutting, Keaton looked at him. “How the hell do you know so much about cooking?”
Remi shrugged. “We take turns cooking dinner at the firehouse. What are you making to go with the fries?”
“Hamburgers.”
“Ham—” Remi shook his head. “Thought you were tired of burgers and pizza.”
“I am,” Keaton grumbled. “But those are the only two things I know how to make. I have to start somewhere.”
After chopping his potato into chunks, Remi added them to the bowl. “Where’s Chay?”
Keaton shook his head and turned to look at Remi. “The offi— Ow. Fuck.” The knife clattered to the sink, followed by the thud of the potato. Blood welled up on his palm.
Remi snagged Keaton’s wrist. “Let me see.” Pulling it under the running water, he used his thumb to rub the blood off. Grabbing the dishtowel over Keaton’s shoulder, Remi removed Keaton’s hand from the water, intent on putting pressure on it, but there wasn’t a cut. What the fuck? He brought Keaton’s arm up, convinced he was seeing things wrong. “Where did it go?”
Keaton tugged his hand free, looking at it. His brows drew together. “I know I cut it. You saw the blood too, right? I mean we heal fast, but not instantly. That is just fucking— Oh my God! That’s it, that is your gift. You’re a healer.”
The phone rang.
Keaton’s mouth dropped open while he stared at Remi. Then he reached around Remi and got the cordless off the counter. “Hello?” He continued to talk, but Remi tuned it out.
What was going on? Last night after he’d touched the guys, they’d started feeling better. Dago had been favoring his ribs. Remi had been positive from seeing them they were broken, at least one or two of them. But almost immediately Dago had been less sore and barely bruised. Remi had looked again and realized he’d made a mistake, but now…
With Caution Page 12
