Noem

by Catherine Lievens

  “I’m your only nurse,” Noem pointed out, because he was. The pride didn’t usually need more than the three of them—Jared, Adrian, and Noem. The only things they dealt with on a day to day basis were small domestic wounds, even with the hunters still lurking.

  “And that’s why we need you to be rested and ready to go. Go get some sleep, Noem. I don’t want to see you until tomorrow.”

  Noem nodded. He wanted to sleep, so he wasn’t about to fight with Dominic over it, at least not more than he’d already done. He tried to get up, and he swayed. Kay was there again, holding him up against his chest, and Noem nuzzled it. He wasn’t sure when he’d get the opportunity to do something like that again, and it was a pity. Kay smelled good.

  Kay chuckled, his chest moving under Noem’s face. “I’m going to get him to bed,” he said, and Noem guessed he was talking to Dominic. Noem hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes, and trying to open them felt like a chore, so he didn’t.

  Kay moved, and suddenly Noem was airborne. He yelped and opened his eyes, scrambling to hold onto something. Then he realized Kay was carrying him, and while he wanted to protest, he just snuggled close. He didn’t have the energy to fight with Kay, not right now.

  Noem was mostly asleep when he felt Kay lean down. He knew Kay wouldn’t hurt him, so he let himself go, and Kay deposited him onto a soft surface. Noem opened his eyes, smiling when he realized he was in his bed, and closed them again.

  A wet cloth touched his face, startling him, but Kay was there, smoothing a hand down Noem’s chest and whispering to him. “I’m just cleaning you up. You’re bloody.”

  Noem nodded and fell asleep with Kay’s hands on his skin.

  * * * *

  Kay went back to the infirmary once Noem was asleep. He’d been tempted to slip into bed with him, but he hadn’t. Noem hadn’t invited him, couldn’t invite him, and even if he had, Kay had things to do.

  He wasn’t surprised to see Dominic Nash was still there, sitting in a chair next to an occupied bed. He was talking softly with another man Kay had seen around, and when Dominic noticed Kay, he waved him over.

  “This is Nate, my beta. He’s the one in command after me.”

  Kay nodded. “I know. Troy explained.”

  “I don’t have to ask why you’re here.”

  “I got a call from my partner. She said the herd she lives with was attacked.” Kay had never felt more scared. He hadn’t been working with Laura for long, but he liked her, and she was patient with him. She teased him out of his bad moods, seemingly uncaring of the way he snapped at her, and she’d made his move easier, had made him feel welcome in the station.

  “It was. The alpha is here. Noem healed him, so he’ll be fine, but it was a close call.”

  Kay’s gaze went to the man lying on the bed next to Dominic, but Dominic shook his head. “No. This is Gareth. He’s human. He’d infiltrated the hunters.”

  “He was found out,” Nate said, as if it weren’t obvious.

  Kay nodded. “Do you know what happened?”

  Laura hadn’t been able to tell him much. The herd didn’t live together in the same house like the pride did, but all their houses were on the same street. They were isolated from the rest of the small town they lived in, so it had taken the police a bit to get there. Kay knew the pride had probably gotten there sooner.

  “The hunters attacked. They went after the alpha, thinking that with him down they’d be able to kill the rest of the herd easily, but they hadn’t counted on the beta. She guided her enforcers in an attack against the hunters.”

  “What about him?” Kay asked, tilting his chin toward Gareth.

  “He knew there was an attack planned, but from what we now know, only certain hunters, the ones in charge, know where and when exactly they happen. Gareth had infiltrated the hunters only a few days ago, so he wasn’t privy to that info.”

  “They’re attacking closer and closer to the pride.” Kay wasn’t a pride member, so he didn’t know about all the attacks, but it wasn’t hard to see the traces of them even in the human police files. He knew what to look for—missing people, injuries, fires.

  “Yes. That’s why we hoped Gareth could help us. We thought the hunters would stay away for a while after they attacked the pride, but they’re just moving on to weaker groups.”

  “Did he manage to find out anything?”

  Dominic sighed, and he’d never looked so old. Kay knew the man was probably older than he looked—Troy had explained that too—but he had no idea how old. Dominic looked like he couldn’t be more than in his middle to late thirties, but worry was leaving signs.

  “Just that the hunters are planning something big, and that it’ll happen soon. I don’t know if he ever learned anything more since he was almost killed tonight, but I hope so.”

  Kay nodded. “Do you need me to do something? How can I help?”

  Nate patted Dominic’s shoulder and left, but Dominic didn’t answer. He looked at Kay, and Kay knew he was trying to understand why Kay had suddenly changed his mind about helping the pride.

  “What happened?” he finally asked. “You said you wanted to be kept out of our messes.”

  Kay wasn’t sure how to answer that. He knew what had happened—Troy, then Noem—but he wasn’t sure how to explain it.

  “I talked to Troy,” he said, knowing Dominic wanted an answer. He didn’t actually owe the man one, but he felt Dominic was higher than him on the food chain, even though he wasn’t a pride member, not yet anyway. He didn’t fool himself into thinking that would never happen, especially now.

  “Oh?”

  “I don’t want to lose him. He’s the only family I have. If it means helping the pride, then that’s what I’ll do.”

  “And Noem?”

  “Noem?”

  Dominic’s lips quirked into an almost smile. “I’m not blind.”

  “You know everything that happens in here, don’t you?”

  “Mostly, yes. I’m a good observer.”

  “We met a few days ago. He didn’t tell me I was his mate right away, but then Nysys happened, and I found out.”

  Dominic looked serious again. “Don’t string him along if you don’t want him.”

  “I don’t know what I want right now.”

  “And that’s okay. Just try not to hurt him. He’s been through a lot, like everyone in the pride. You don’t have to say yes, but don’t push him away too harshly.” He got up and looked around. The room wasn’t as frantic as it had been before Kay had taken Noem to his room. All the wounded seemed to have been taken care of, and the nurses were cleaning up.

  “Looks like the emergency is over,” Kay said. He needed to call Laura again, to make sure she and her family were fine.

  “Why don’t you sleep here tonight?” Dominic suggested. “I need to talk to people, and hopefully Gareth will be awake by the morning. I’m sure you’d like to be there.”

  Kay nodded. He’d closed a case the day before, so he had nothing urgent on his hands right now, especially since Laura was probably going to be out for a few days. He didn’t expect her to go back to work right away. “I can go to the station a bit later.”

  “Good. Come on, I’ll show you to a guest room.”

  Kay followed Dominic out of the infirmary and into the entrance. They climbed the stairs and passed by Noem’s room on their way. He had to hide a smile when Dominic stopped in front of the door next to Noem’s. He pushed it open and Kay followed him inside.

  “There are clothes in the dresser and towels in the bathroom. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Kay nodded. “All right. And... let me know if I can do anything.”

  Dominic nodded. “I will.”

  He left and Kay got ready for bed. It didn’t take long, and just before sliding under the covers, he paused and pressed his palm against the wall. Noem was on the other side of it, sleeping, and Kay suddenly wanted nothing more than to be sleepi
ng with him.

  He shook his head and let his hand fall. He was coming to hate the mate bond or whatever there was between them. He never knew if what he wanted was because of that or because he genuinely liked Noem. He didn’t know Noem well enough to be sure of that.

  His thoughts were still on Noem when he fell asleep.

  “Nysys!”

  Kay jerked awake, his hand reaching for his gun before he could even realize where he was.

  “Nysys! I’m going to get you, and I’m going to kill you!”

  Kay shook the sleep off and got up in a hurry. He opened the door, not caring that he was only wearing boxer briefs, and looked out. He had to stifle a laugh at the sight that greeted him.

  He’d seen the post-its in Nysys’ room the night before, but he hadn’t realized that was what Nysys was going to do with them. He put his gun on the dresser, because he obviously wouldn’t need it, and watched as a guy he didn’t recognize stomped down the hallway. He was covered in sticky notes, most of them bright pink. The only things that weren’t covered were his eyes and his back.

  Noem’s door opened and he peeked out. He started laughing, and the sticky notes man turned toward him. Kay took a step forward, just in case, but the man didn’t seem to care about Noem. He stomped away, sticky notes flying to the floor as he ripped them off.

  Kay laughed, and Noem’s head snapped toward him. His eyes widened, and Kay realized that he was still wearing only boxer briefs. Still, he couldn’t resist Noem’s sleep-rumpled face, so he strode into the hallway. He stopped in front of Noem and kissed him.

  * * * *

  Noem didn’t know how long he stayed frozen, but it was long enough for Kay to move away. Noem blinked at him, and he was surprised to see that Kay looked... disappointed?

  He raised a hand and touched his lips. “Why did you do that?”

  Kay smiled deprecatingly. “That’s not the reaction I usually get when I kiss someone.”

  Noem snorted. “Of course it’s not.”

  Kay took a step backward, and Noem wanted him to come closer again, but it would be too distracting. Kay was wearing only his underwear, and that left miles and miles of pale skin exposed to the sight. He lowered his gaze, taking in the tattoo on Kay’s arm, the trail of blond hair that ran from his belly button to a place hidden by cotton.

  Noem gulped, his imagination running ahead and imagining just what was under the underwear. He licked his lips, and he knew he was staring, so he wrenched his gaze away. Kay had obviously noticed, if his small smile was an indication.

  “Why did you kiss me?” Noem asked again.

  “Because I wanted to.”

  That didn’t really give Noem answers to the too many questions he had in his head. Did it mean Kay wanted him? As a mate, or just as a fuck? Well, a kiss didn’t exactly mean Kay wanted to sleep with him. Maybe he’d just wanted to give it a try, see how they fit together, which was obviously not well, since Noem hadn’t kissed back.

  A warm hand cupped Noem’s cheek and he startled, leaning backward. Kay let his hand fall down and looked like he was about to walk away, so Noem launched himself into his arms. Kay oomphed and bumped against the wall. His mouth fell open, and Noem took the opportunity to kiss him.

  They were both still for a few seconds, then Kay’s arms slid around Noem’s waist and pulled him closer. He took control of the kiss, and Noem let him without protesting. He kissed back with all he had, hoping it wouldn’t be too much, too explicit. He wasn’t sure what he wanted from Kay, but he thought Kay might be able to understand through the kiss.

  A wolf-whistle made Noem jerk away. He looked around the hallway, once again aware of the fact that Kay was in his underwear and that they’d been making out in a very public place. They weren’t the first couple in the house to do so, and they wouldn’t be the last, but that didn’t mean he liked being exposed that way.

  He pushed away from Kay and pulled on the bottom of his T-shirt, hoping it would be enough to hide the fact that he was hard. He turned to face whoever had found them and blushed, because of course it had to be Emery, who was basically Kay’s brother-in-law. He was looking at them curiously, as if he was about to ask questions, and Noem prayed he wouldn’t, because he didn’t have answers.

  Kay didn’t look disturbed by the fact that he was half-naked and had obviously enjoyed kissing Noem, if the state of his groin was any indication. “Emery,” Kay said calmly. “Already up?”

  Emery arched a brow. “It was my turn to get up for Aaron.”

  Kay nodded but didn’t add anything, and Noem shuffled. He wanted to go back to his room, but he knew both Emery and Kay would notice him if he slinked back, and he didn’t want that. They were staring at each other, and it looked like neither of them wanted to look away. The tension between them made Noem’s skin prickle, and he slowly inched closer to his room’s door.

  Kay noticed—of course he did—and he looped his arm around Noem’s waist, pulling him closer again. Noem narrowed his eyes, because he didn’t want a part in whatever was happening, but Kay wasn’t giving him a choice.

  “So, have you moved in?” Emery finally asked.

  “No. I just stayed for the night,” Kay answered. “You might have heard what happened last night.”

  Emery’s expression shifted to one of worry. “The attack? Yeah, I heard. What happened?”

  “An elk herd was attacked. My partner is mated with a member, so she called me and told me about it.”

  “And you ran here? Why, it almost sounds like you care about shifters.” Emery’s gaze flickered to Noem. “Of course, that’s not the only thing that makes it look that way.”

  Kay pressed his lips together and Noem waited for him to start a fight, but instead, he nodded. “Yes, well, I talked to Troy, and then I found out I’m Noem’s mate, so I’m trying.”

  Emery’s eyes widened and he looked at Noem, then back at Kay. “You two are mates?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not sure whether to congratulate you or to say I’m sorry.”

  Kay’s eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. Noem was suddenly glad Kay still had his arm around him, because it made it easier to stop him. He wrapped his arm around Kay’s waist, locking them together, and gently tried to steer him toward his bedroom since it was the closest.

  Kay didn’t budge—of course he didn’t—but he didn’t try to pound Emery’s face into the wall either, so Noem took it as a victory.

  “Congratulations are fine,” Kay said from between gritted teeth.

  “Mmm, does Noem know what you think about shifters?”

  Noem had had enough. He’d never realized Kay and Emery were so hostile toward each other, and he was glad he wasn’t in Troy’s shoes, because they made him want to bang their heads together until they played nice. “Yes, I know what he thinks of shifters,” he answered before Kay could. “That was the first thing he told me, in fact.”

  Emery arched a brow. “And you still want to be with him?”

  “He’s my mate. Of course I want to be with him.”

  “Even though he hates you?”

  Noem was tempted to let Kay go this time, but he refrained. He tightened his hold around Kay’s waist and glared at Emery. “Did it look like he hates me when you walked in on us kissing?”

  Emery waved. “Kissing and mating are two different things. I really don’t think he’ll ever want to mate with you, so I’d get used to the idea of being a short time thing.”

  Noem let go of Kay before Kay could launch himself at Emery. He strode forward, balled his hand in a fist, and punched Emery. Pain coursed from his hand to his wrist and he swore, shaking his hand as he tried to get the pain to fade.

  Emery looked shocked, even though it didn’t look like Noem’s punch had done much to him. Noem wasn’t even sure what part of Emery’s face he’d hit, although it looked like Emery’s cheek was a bit red.

  “Did you hurt yourself?” Kay asked.
He took Noem’s hand in both of his and Noem stopped moving.

  “A bit,” he answered.

  “Was it the first punch you ever threw?”

  “It was that obvious, huh?”

  Kay chuckled. “Yeah. You should ice your hand, but I don’t think you broke anything. Or you could heal yourself... ”

  Noem nodded and closed his eyes. There wasn’t much to heal, but he did so anyway. The last thing he needed was to be in pain and unable to help Jared in the infirmary.

  “That’s impressive,” Kay said, and Noem opened his eyes. His hand was healed, thank god, and his eyes widened when Kay raised it and kissed the knuckles.

  “God, you guys are mushy. Can you heal me too, Noem?” Emery asked.

  Noem shook his head. “Nope. I’m not healing you. You deserved to be punched. It’s not like I hurt you much anyway.”

  Emery pressed his palm on his heart and gasped. “You wound me. I thought we were friends.”

  “Really?” Noem was surprised, because he’d never talked much to Emery. “Well, last time I checked friends didn’t insult each other’s mates.”

  “Right. I’m sorry, but there’s quite a bit of history between Kay and me.”

  Noem could imagine, especially with Kay’s opinion of shifters. “Not a good reason, so you’re keeping the bruise or whatever I managed to give you.”

  Noem turned around and went back to his room. He was done listening to Emery and Kay argue, and he certainly wasn’t about to punch Emery again. He turned to shut the door behind himself and startled when he realized Kay was right behind him. He entered Noem’s bedroom and closed the door, leaning back against it.

  There was a moment of silence, then Kay asked, “So, do you often punch people, or did you do it for me?”

  * * * *

  Noem looked at his feet. “I didn’t like the way he was talking about you. I get that he doesn’t like you, but he has nothing to do with us and our mating. I’ll be the one to decide what we do, well, me and you, of course.”