by Maggie Walsh
“It sounds like he freaked out, X. Maybe things just started going too fast for him. For some, realizing that you have a mate out there is one thing, but finding them and it all becoming a reality is quite another. You did say he has been having a problem with visions of you with those other men. Maybe one of those flashed across his mind at that moment?”
“I thought about that, too, but before he left he said, ‘I’ll come when I want to come and not even you will stop me.’ It didn’t sound like those thoughts were the problem.”
“Okay, well…” Jesse stopped speaking and thought about what Xander had told him.
“Sounds to me like the man has a fear of control,” Cass said as he walked into the kitchen and headed over to the coffee pot. Xander growled at Cass eavesdropping on his private conversation. Cass just chuckled and turned, taking a sip from his cup. “Yeah, yeah. Stop growling at me, dude.”
He leaned his back against the counter and his gaze met Xander’s. “Think about it, brother. Shelby is here because he needs protection. Protection from what? From his psycho family who kidnapped him. From what I understand, they tied him to a bed for all these months and controlled everything about him. Even took away his powers.”
Xander just stared quietly at Cass for a minute as he thought about what Cass said. His brother was right. Shelby had been through hell for the past six months and he went too fast. He wasn’t trying to control his mate, or make demands on him. He just wanted him to wait for him so that they could orgasm together, but his mate took it as him trying to control him.
Shit. He needed to talk to Shelby. He only hoped the man would listen. Xander stood and headed for the door. He stopped and turned back to Cass. “Thanks, brother.” He gave Cass a nod then looked to Jesse. “Thank you, too, brother.” He turned and left the room.
“Shit. Matings can be littered with misunderstandings and minefields, huh?” Cass commented.
“No shit. It’s not easy, but what’s that old saying? ‘Nothing worth having comes easy.’”
“I’m kind of happy my mate hasn’t made an appearance yet. I don’t think I could handle all that shit right now on top of my own shit.” Cass finished his coffee and placed the cup in the sink.
“I thought your training with Laylen and the other Legion Warriors was going well? Is there a problem?” Jesse asked in concern.
“Yeah, everything has been going great. I know how to control all these powers now and I even know how to call upon them when needed, without fucking it up.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Cass never had the chance to answer that question. He and Jesse both froze when they felt the house tremble. “Was that an earthquake?” Cass asked.
“In Pennsylvania?”
“It’s been known to happen a time or two, but we usually don’t even feel it. We don’t even know about it until we hear about it on the news.”
“But we did feel that, right?” Jesse questioned.
“I know I did. It must have been either down really deep in the earth or a small one. I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” Jesse added as he looked around, as if trying to see another tremor.
“Well, I gotta go. I’m giving a class on Budokan at the center this afternoon. I’ll see you later, Jess.”
“Yeah, see you later, Cass.”
* * * *
“Micah! Jesse! Raith! Come quick!” Aaron shouted through the pack link.
“I’m coming, boy! Where are you?” Raith asked through the link.
“Down in the cells with the Nephilim.”
Raith began to panic. It was bad enough his mate had spent the last two days down there with the creature, waiting for him to wake up, but if that thing did anything to harm his mate, the Nephilim was about to die.
Raith reached the door to the basement at the same time Micah and Jesse did. They all raced down the stairs. Raith ran to Aaron and grabbed him up into his arms, holding him tight. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Tell me you’re okay?” Raith asked as he pulled back and started to examine Aaron’s body for injuries.
“I’m fine, Raith. He didn’t do anything. I promise I’m okay, Sir,” Aaron whispered the last word for only Raith to hear.
Raith pulled back and looked at Aaron. “Then what is it, mate? What’s wrong?” Aaron gave Raith a big smile and pointed toward the cell holding the Nephilim. As one, Raith, Jesse, and Micah turned to look where Aaron pointed. Jesse let out a gasp of surprise as Micah and Raith’s eyes went wide. They all stood there, stunned.
“What the hell?” Micah whispered in awe.
“It worked, Micah. It worked.”
Micah placed Jesse behind him, then took a step closer to the cell. The demon Nephilim no longer resembled the creature they had left two days ago. Instead of the gruesome face, that had been twisted and evil, he was staring at a beautiful man that resembled the fae guards. He stood at just over seven feet and his body was a mass of muscle. His greasy, dark hair was now a light brown with golden highlights, and his eyes were no longer black and murky. They were now a deep blue, and there was no sign of the evil that once swam through those orbs. “He looks just like the fae,” Micah acknowledged.
“Exactly. Even his DNA only shows that he is fae, nothing more. The trippiest shit was when his ragged black wings fell off and were replaced by those beautiful translucent ones,” Aaron explained.
“So do we know if this magic change of yours changed everything or just his appearance?” Jesse asked.
“I’m not totally sure yet. The few words I was able to get out of him were broken, and didn’t make much sense, but from just his actions and movements, I would have to say it’s a good chance that his personality changed as well.”
“You are amazing, mate. Truly amazing,” Raith encouraged as he wrapped his arms around Aaron and gave him a hug.
“So what else do you need to do, Aaron?” Micah asked.
“I’ll have to run more tests on him, of course, and see what happens.”
“I would like if you gave me a daily report on this one.”
“Sure, Micah. I understand.”
“Undgownd,” the changed Nephilim said as he stared at Jesse.
Jesse took a step closer as he stared into the creature's eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“Meno undgownd. Al I.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”
“Al prish. Meno com oon.”
“Is he speaking fae?” Raith asked.
“Not like any fae I have ever heard.” Jesse looked to the two fae guards that were standing nearby. “How about you two? Do you understand him? Is he speaking fae?”
“No, Heart. That is not our native language. I am not sure what he is trying to say,” one of the guards answered.
The Nephilim sighed heavily in frustration and Jesse looked back to him. “Menoz. Com. Oon. Al dee.”
“Okay. Thank you,” Jesse said and stepped back, looking to Micah for help.
Micah turned from the Nephilim and addressed Aaron. “How long until you know for sure about who he is now?”
“I’m sorry, Micah, but I’m just not sure. I will let you know as things progress.”
* * * *
“I don’t know what to do, Taylor. I try talking to him and he shuts me out. How the hell am I supposed to apologize to him if he won’t even let me talk to him?”
“I know it sucks, Xander. Let me think about this one for a minute,” Taylor said and turned away. He started pacing the floor then suddenly stopped and turned to Xander with a huge smile on his face.
“What?”
“I got an idea. Shelby once told me that one of his favorite movies was this old movie from the 80s.”
“The 80s weren’t that long ago, Taylor,” Xander said in annoyance.
“Yeah, yeah. Do want to hear my idea or not?”
Xander nodded.
“Okay, so anyway. He said that he loved
‘Say Anything’ because of the boom box scene with John Cusack.”
“Isn’t that the one where he holds the boom box over his head and that song plays?” Xander asked.
“Yeah, that’s the one. Classic scene. The song is ‘In Your Eyes,’ but…what if you do the same thing but with a more current song and one that has words to match your frustration, and a song that I know for a fact Shelby loves?” Taylor asked with a smirk.
“And from the look on your face, I would have to say you have the perfect song already in mind.”
“Yes I do. Are you game?”
“At this point, I’m so desperate I’ll do anything,” Xander said in defeat. Taylor gave him an evil smirk and grabbed his hand dragging him from the room.
* * * *
Shelby lay on the bed in his room. The sun had set an hour ago and he didn’t feel like getting up. He didn’t know what to do about his mate. The man had done so much to make their date perfect.
“What the hell is that?” Shelby heard music coming from outside his window. He knew that song. It was one of his favorites. It was “Sleepwalker” by Adam Lambert, and it was the great version, the one from the Glamnation Tour. Shelby went to the window and opened the curtains. He slid the window up and peered out. His breath caught in his throat and he froze from the sight below him.
Xander stood in the yard below his window. His arms were stretched out over his head and he held an iPad. The lyrics started and Shelby met Xander’s gaze. He could see all the pain and anguish in his mate’s eyes as the song went on. He could see that Xander was speaking to him through the words in the song, and it broke Shelby’s heart.
Was this really how his big mate felt? Did he cause this much pain inside his mate? Tears brimmed Shelby’s eyes as he listened to the song with a whole new knowledge, a knowledge that he had caused this agony in his mate, this hopelessness. He needed to think. He needed to find a way to stop all of this and be with his mate, but how?
The song ended and Xander’s haunted eyes stared at him. He lowered his arms. “I’m sorry, Shelby,” Xander whispered and then turned and walked away. The tears ran down Shelby’s cheeks as he stared after Xander until he was gone, and then he closed the window and went back to the bed. He lay down and thought about what he needed to do, and how he could save his mating.
* * * *
It had been four days since his date with Xander and he had done everything he could to avoid the man. At first, he was so angry that his mate was just like everyone else, trying to take from Shelby but not give anything in return. He was sure his mate was trying to control him by denying him his release, but after a day, he wondered if that was true at all. Xander’s actions, every time they were together, never spoke of him being dominating. Maybe he had been wrong? But he wasn’t going to submit to his mate’s wishes in any way until he was sure.
And now, with this little show outside his window, his mate was ripping his heart out for Shelby to see. He needed to find him and talk to him. Shelby climbed from the bed and left his room.
The house was quiet as Shelby made his way down the stairs and headed for the den. He had drunk his last pint of blood from the mini-fridge in his room, but he needed more. It was now two in the morning and everyone should be asleep, unless they were fucking, of course. He had spent hours thinking about what he should do about Xander. He still wasn’t sure what to do. He needed another pint or two to help him think. Maybe watch a movie or something. Take his mind off it for a little while. Gods, he wished he could go to the club and dance. Dancing always helped him think.
Shelby made his way down to the den. It had become his nightly ritual. He would wake up, drink a few pints of blood, then shower and got ready for his night. Ready for what he still had no clue, but he got up and dressed every night. Then he headed down to the den to watch movies on the big screen, practice some dance moves, or play video games.
Gods, he missed the club. The sights, the sounds, the dancing. He really loved to dance, but now that he found his mate, there was no way the man would accept him going back to stripping. He wouldn’t want to see his mate stripping in front of a crowd of strange men either, so he was positive his mate wouldn’t want him to. Not that he ever really stripped completely. He always gave the audience a great show. He teased and taunted them with his body as he gyrated across the stage, but the most he ever stripped down to was a G-string. Shelby figured it was what they came back for, hoping that one day they would get lucky and get that glimpse, but he would never. His ass was one thing, but his family jewels were a whole different story.
Shelby walked into the dark den and made his way behind the bar to retrieve a bottle of O negative from the fridge. He grabbed two bottles so he wouldn’t have to get up for a while. Then he went to the couch and sat. Just as his ass hit the cushion, the light in the corner by the chess table came on, startling him. Xavier sat in the high-back chair next to the table.
“Fuck. You scared the crap out of me,” he admonished as he tried to calm his beating heart.
“I’m surprised you didn’t sense me here, like smell me or hear my heartbeat.”
“Do you know how many heartbeats I hear in this house? A lot. I can tell you that right now Taylor and Gabriel are about to come. Crew, Haven, and Laylen are doing some funky shit that most people would need a circus tent for, and Phenex and Ryland are taking a bath. If you could hear all of that wouldn’t you try really hard to block it out?”
“I suppose.” Xavier just sat there with his eyes glued to Shelby.
“So what are you doing up this late? I’m usually alone down here,” Shelby said as he reached for the remote.
“You don’t have to be. You do have a mate who would love to keep you company.” Xavier’s voice was cold and hard.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Seeing as it is my best friend we are talking about and he’s hurting right now, then I say it is my business.”
“Stay out of it. It’s between him and me.”
“Aren’t you something like two thousand years old?”
Shelby’s brows lowered at the change in topic. “Yeah, something close to that.”
“Then why don’t you act like an adult, like a man, and face your problems instead of hiding from them?”
“I am not hiding. I’m right here out in the open.”
“Only because you know that Xander is out on patrol tonight. Otherwise you would be watching TV in your room.”
“So, what, are you following me?”
“No, but I do speak with your guards. They have some very interesting information about you.”
“Oh, really? And what would that be?”
“That you only come out of your room when Xander is gone, and when he comes to see you, you shift into a different form and hide from him. Funny. I didn’t know that vampires could shift.”
“Who told you that?”
“That’s for me to know.”
“No. That’s for the Prime to know. No one is supposed to know that. So if you know, then someone in this house is a mole, and I don’t mean the cute but kind of creepy little rodent.”
“Anyway, just be a man, Shelby. Stop hurting your mate before it’s too late.” Xavier stood to go when he froze and his eyes opened wide, causing Shelby to tense.
“What is it?” As the words left his lips, a thunder of footfalls rocked through the house, heading down the stairs.
“They’re under attack. They’ve called for help using the pack link.” Xavier rushed the words out as he ran toward the hall. Shelby jumped to his feet and followed. Who had called for help? What was happening?
He and Xavier made it to the kitchen to find it full of the house's occupants and Micah yelling orders. “I want Aaron, Rory, Demetrius, Raffy, Shelby, Ash, Bailey, Dad, and Zane in the safe room.” Micah reached under the center island, and suddenly there was a clicking sound and the counter began to slide, revealing a stairwell going down.
“I can help fight, Mi
cah,” Zane protested.
“I know you can, Zane, but I want the mates protected. With you, Shelby, and Raffy down there, I won’t have to worry.”
“I can help too, son,” Papa Angel offered.
“I know, Dad, but if anything happens to Jesse and me, I need you here to take care of this pack.”
“I’ve called my Legion, Micah. Ten are on their way,” Phenex interrupted.
“Perfect. Thank you, Pops.”
“What is it, son? What’s happened?” Papa Angel asked.
“It was Christian. He said they were under heavy attack and needed help.”
Raffy gasped and Taylor wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “We’ll get to him. Don’t worry, Raf.”
“What about Lexi?” Bailey asked in a shaky voice.
“I don’t know anything yet, but we need to go. Okay, all of you into the safe room and don’t come out until one of us comes for you. The rest of you, let’s go,” Micah ordered and everyone did as he said.
Chapter 10
They had been sitting down here in the safe room for over two hours and Shelby was getting scared. It didn’t go past his notice that Micah had looked at him a few times during the meeting in the kitchen. He also remembered that his mate was out there on patrol with Christian and Lexi.
He didn’t know what was happening, but if something were to happen to his mate, he would never forgive himself. He hadn’t even given his mate a chance. Not really. He kept hiding from his heart and it was time he did as Xavier had suggested. He needed to stop running, face his issues, and be a man.
Xander wasn’t to blame for all the shit in his life. He wasn’t like any of the other men that Shelby had dated, the ones who made him forget about relationships and switch gears to just casual hook-ups, and he wasn’t Shelby’s psychotic family. No, Xander had always been kind to him, even when Shelby was pushing him away. The man said that even after Shelby rejected him that he would want no other, that he would have no other, and Shelby saw the truth in his eyes. He knew the man meant what he said, and all Shelby did was run from him.
