Sei

by Catherine Lievens

  “I understand that, although you’re lucky you can do that. My wife keeps bugging me to take a vacation and spend more time with her.”

  “Maybe you should.” Donovan sighed and looked at his watch. “Look, I need to call my ex-wife and my kids.”

  “All right. I’ll do my best to try to convince the bosses, but there’s only so much I can do.”

  “I know. Thanks for trying anyway.”

  Donovan wasn’t in the mood for calling his family once that phone call was over, but he’d get an earful if he didn’t explain himself right away. He dialed his ex-wife’s number. They’d remained friends—had been friends for the past forty-five years. The divorce hadn’t changed that, because they’d never been in love. They’d really gotten together only to have kids because neither of them had known when they’d meet their mates.

  “To what do I owe this honor?” Liz answered.

  “I can’t call my best friend without a good reason?”

  Liz laughed, the sound taking Donovan back to years before when they’d been a family. “Oh, sure, call me your best friend. I thought that was Bran.”

  The three of them had belonged to the same sleuth and grown up together. Liz knew Donovan and Bran had been together, albeit briefly, and she knew they’d stayed more or less friends over the years, since Bran had visited them a few times a year, especially when the kids had been young. “Well, I’m trying to get that friendship back,” he told her, “but after years of only phone calls and sporadic visits, I’m sure I’ll have to work hard.”

  “Nah. You two will never not be friends. You love each other too much. Kind of makes me wonder why you’re not mates, actually.”

  “We tried, remember? We just don’t work together.”

  “You didn’t work out when you were seventeen. Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t work out now.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think so. I kind of like Bran’s mate, although he’s a mouthy little thing.”

  There was a pause, then a screech and Donovan pulled his phone away from his ear until Liz was done. “Bran found his mate? Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me sooner? I need to go visit him. God, I need to buy him a mating gift. Wait, they’re mated? Or are they dating or something? Never mind, I’ll still buy them a gift. What is Bran’s mate like?”

  Donovan grinned and shook his head. If Liz had reacted like this at the news of Bran being mated, what would happen when Donovan told her about Sei?

  “You definitely need to book a plane ticket,” he told her. “But you should probably talk to Vicky and Miriam first. They need to come with you.” Maybe Sei could pick them up so they wouldn’t have to take a plane. Or maybe Donovan could ask Bran to send one of his Nix. It wasn’t enforcer business, of course, but he didn’t think Daniel’s friends would mind helping out.

  “Why would Vicky and Miriam want to meet Bran’s mate? I mean, I know he’s Uncle Bran and everything, but they haven’t seen him in a while. A phone call should be enough.”

  “Yeah, no, I need them to come.” Might as well say it now. “Bran’s not the only one who found his mate.”

  The pause was longer this time and the screech that came after it was louder. Donovan laughed and shook his head as he moved his phone away, waiting until Liz stopped screaming to carefully put it back to his ear. “Still there, Liz?”

  “Oh my God, you’re an asshole,” she yelled at him. “Why didn’t you start with that bit of news?”

  “I thought you’d be glad to hear about Bran.”

  “I am, but I’m even happier to hear about you. And yes, we’re definitely coming. Have you called the kids yet?”

  “Nope. You’re the first.”

  “Aww, I feel special.”

  “You know you are.”

  “True. You wouldn’t have stayed married to me for thirty years if I wasn’t.”

  God, Donovan had missed this. He loved Liz, as a friend, and he never realized how much he missed her until he talked to her. They didn’t really have much to tell each other now that the kids were adults, but it didn’t matter, not once they started talking again.

  “So come on, spill everything. What’s her name? Where did you meet her? In Washington? What does she do? What is she?”

  Donovan laughed. “Calm down, Liz. I’ll tell you everything as soon as you let me talk.”

  “What are you waiting for? I want to know everything about her.”

  Donovan leaned back in his chair. “Well, for one thing, he’s a guy.”

  Chapter Five

  Sei tapped his fingers on the desk and stared at the infirmary door.

  He was nervous, but who wouldn’t be in his place? He was about to meet his mate’s family, and by family, he meant Donovan’s kids. His kids.

  Damn.

  He still had to tell his own parents about Donovan, and he was planning to soon, but when Donovan had told him his family was coming after he’d talked to them the week before, Sei had been petrified. He knew his parents wouldn’t take it badly, but it was so much easier to postpone the inevitable. Besides, one hurdle at the time, right? His parents weren’t going anywhere, and since his aunt had stopped trying to set him up, things were more relaxed. The last time he’d talked to his mother, she’d mentioned Nadhia only once or twice.

  The door opened and he jerked back, almost falling off the chair. He scrambled to get up, his heart beating fast at the thought of meeting Donovan’s family. He relaxed when he saw it was Rabbit, and that he wasn’t in a good state.

  “What happened?” he asked, hurrying to Rabbit’s side. He was wearing sweat pants and a sweater like the ones that were left on every porch. His eye was swollen and his lip bleeding, his black hair hanging in front of his eyes.

  “Would you believe me if I said I tripped?”

  “No, but nice try.”

  Sei raised his hand and hovered it by Rabbit’s face. Healing him was the thing of a moment. A bleeding lip and a busted eye were nothing for him, and when he let his hand fall, Rabbit was healed. He was still dirty with blood, though, so Sei went to the sink and dampened a cloth.

  “Sit down,” he told Rabbit, pointing toward one of the beds. “And tell me what really happened. The ground wouldn’t have such good aim.”

  Rabbit sighed and flopped onto the bed. He let Sei gently rub the cloth against his skin. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Sei didn’t like it. Why was Rabbit scared? “Was it someone from the pack? Or an enforcer?”

  “No, no. Don’t worry. No one here tried to hurt me.”

  “But someone did.”

  Rabbit shrugged. “Only because I was stupid.”

  “Somehow I don’t believe that. You’re anything but stupid.”

  “Well, I was this time. I didn’t listen to Kameron.”

  Sei smiled. “I often do that. Come on, tell me. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.”

  Rabbit sighed. “I needed some stuff from the grocery store, so I went into town.”

  Sei froze. “On your own?” Kameron hadn’t exactly forbidden the pack members from leaving pack territory on their own, but he’d strongly discouraged it, and Sei had obeyed. After what had happened with the fire, there was no way he was going to go look for trouble.

  “Yeah. I’ve taken care of myself for a long time. I didn’t think a trip to the grocery store would be a challenge. I mean, I’ve lived on the streets.”

  “It doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”

  “Yeah, I noticed.”

  “So you went into town on your own.” Doing something like that shouldn’t lead to being beaten up. Gillham had been peaceful before the mess with the video and the reporters happened. It wasn’t Kameron’s fault—he wasn’t the one who’d shifted in that video, but since he’d been fighting the wolf, everyone had assumed he was a shifter too. He was doing his best with what he’d been dealt.

  “And my face met a fist or two.”

  “Tha
t’s one way to explain it.”

  Rabbit rolled his eyes. “Someone pulled me into an alley and started hitting me. I shifted as soon as I could and ran away, came back to pack territory.”

  “You need to tell Kameron.”

  Rabbit groaned. “He’s going to have my ass.”

  “No, he’s not. Zach would kill him.”

  “Then he’s going to make his disappointed face, and I’m going to want to grovel or something. I mean, seriously, he’s the alpha, and a council member. He shouldn’t be so—so adorable when he looks at you with his head cocked and his sad eyes.”

  Sei threw the dirty cloth away. “Did you see those guys? Would you be able to identify them?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not like I know their names or anything. They didn’t bother to cover their faces, though.”

  “You still need to talk to Kameron.”

  Rabbit huffed. “Fine.”

  Sei nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

  “Right now?”

  “When would you want to go?”

  “Can’t I take a shower and put on my own clothes before?”

  “You live in Kameron’s house. I’m sure you won’t have to wait long until you can shower.”

  Sei didn’t have to drag Rabbit back home, but it was close. He understood why Rabbit didn’t want to talk about it, but if Kameron was going to stop those guys, he needed something to work with. As far as Sei knew, even though they knew what the guys looked like, their names and even their addresses, no one had been able to find them yet. They were hiding, coming out only to assault people and burn down houses.

  “Kameron!” Sei yelled as soon as they stepped in.

  It took Kameron only a few seconds to appear at his office door. He arched a brow at Sei as Sei grabbed Rabbit’s hand and dragged him forward.

  “I didn’t think you’d be here,” Kameron said.

  Sei frowned. “Be here? For what? I brought Rabbit because he went into town and was assaulted. I healed him, but I still think he needs to talk to you.”

  Kameron’s attention went to Rabbit, who tried to hide behind Sei. They were about the same height and the same build, so he’d have managed if Sei hadn’t pulled him forward instead.

  “What happened?” Kameron asked.

  Before Rabbit could answer, Donovan appeared at the office door. Sei beamed at him and hurried to his side, happily hugging him and kissing his cheek. “Hey.”

  Donovan smiled down at Sei. “Hey. What are you doing here? I thought we’d meet for lunch.”

  “Rabbit had a small encounter with a fist, and I had to drag him here to make sure he talked to Kameron. I can go back to the infirmary if you want me to.”

  Donovan’s arm tightened around Sei’s waist. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Oh yeah? And why would I want to stay?” As if Donovan needed to give Sei a reason to do that. Sei was hoping Donovan would try to convince him, though, maybe with a kiss or two. Maybe they could even shimmer to their house before Donovan’s family arrived.

  “Because I love you, of course.”

  Sei blinked. He’d been expecting an answer, but not that one. “You do?”

  Donovan smiled softly. “Of course I do.”

  He leaned down and pressed his lips against Sei’s. Sei sighed and opened up to him, deepening the kiss.

  “That’s disgusting,” a man said from inside the office.

  “Shut up, Jake. It’s adorable. Look how cute he is,” a woman answered.

  “They’re both cute,” another woman said, and Sei pushed away from Donovan.

  He looked up at his mate, horror tightening his chest. “I was supposed to meet your family over lunch.”

  Amusement swam in Donovan’s eyes. “Yes.”

  “That’s because they’re arriving for lunch, right?”

  “No, it’s because you had to work this morning and I wanted Kameron to meet them so he’d know why there were suddenly four new bears in his territory.”

  Sei groaned. “Oh, God. Why did you let me say those things? Wait, you told me you love me for the first time in front of your wife?”

  Donovan rolled his eyes. “Ex-wife.”

  Sei was suddenly pushed to the side, and a tall blond woman stood in his place. He swallowed, wondering who he was staring at. Was she one of Donovan’s daughters, or his ex-wife? Which one would be less embarrassing?

  She offered him her hand. “Hi, I’m Liz, Donovan’s ex-wife.”

  Would anyone notice if Sei shimmered away and went to hide in his bed? The urge was strong, but Donovan wrapped his arm around Sei’s waist, effectively stopping him.

  Sei swallowed and looked at his mate, who was still smiling. Right. It wasn’t so bad. He was just meeting Donovan’s family. No biggie, right?

  * * * *

  Donovan watched as Sei slowly reached for Liz’s hand and shook it. “Uh, I’m Sei. Seisyll. Donovan’s mate.” He chuckled nervously. “Obviously.”

  Liz looked at Donovan. “You were right He’s adorable.”

  Sei blushed slightly and looked at Donovan in question. “What?” Donovan asked, trying for innocent but knowing Sei wouldn’t fall for it.

  “Adorable?” Sei asked.

  “You are.”

  “All right,” Kameron interrupted them. “Why don’t you all move to the living room? I need to talk to Rabbit here, and to my inner circle. It was a pleasure meeting you, Liz, everyone. I look forward to talking some more once this is solved.” He looked at Sei. “You know your way around the house, so feel free to grab whatever you want from the kitchen.”

  Donovan pulled Sei to the side as his family walked out of the office. Liz looked delighted, as did Vicky, but Miriam and Jake were far from being sold. Jake was the most hostile, but then he’d always been a stubborn child. Donovan hoped he’d manage to break through, though, because he didn’t want to have to choose between his son and his mate. He hoped Jake realized it wasn’t a decision Donovan could make.

  Donovan and Sei led the way to the living room. Donovan could feel Sei was nervous, but he didn’t want to say anything in front of everyone.

  Everything okay? He asked through their bond.

  That had been a surprise. He’d never realized he’d be able to mind talk with Sei, hadn’t even thought of it until Sei had startled him while he’d been talking with Kameron, Bran, and the pack’s inner circle a few days after they mated, asking him if he wanted chicken or beef for dinner.

  Sei briefly smiled at Donovan before looking away. I thought I’d have more time.

  For what?

  To get ready.

  They’re my family, Sei. They won’t judge you.

  Sure didn’t sound like it earlier. Your son doesn’t seem to like me very much.

  Donovan couldn’t deny that. He’s a bit defensive. I don’t think he expected my mate to be a man, and so much younger than me.

  Sei shook his head. I should have known.

  It’ll be fine. Just give him some time to get used to you and the idea of you.

  What will happen if you have to choose, though?

  Donovan didn’t know how to answer that, so he just leaned toward Sei and kissed his temple. We’ll deal with that only if we have to. Just know that I won’t abandon you.

  He’s your son.

  You’re my mate.

  And that said it all.

  Donovan could feel Sei wanted to insist, but he shook his head and settled down on the couch, pulling Sei with him. Jake sat on the edge of one of the other couches, looking like he might bolt any second. Miriam was a little better, but only a little. Liz and Vicky looked like they were right where they wanted to be, leaning forward and staring at Sei. They shared another couch, and it was like they’d divided themselves according to what they thought about Sei.

  Donovan cleared his throat. “So, this is Sei. Sei, you already met Liz. The lovely lady next to her is Vicky, my youngest daughter,
and sharing the other couch are Miriam and Jake.”

  Sei waved at them, looking like he was about to puke.

  Jake snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, and Donovan tensed, ready for the face-off. “Are we really going to do this?” Jake asked.

  “Do what?”

  “Act as if everything is fine.”

  “Everything is fine, Jake.”

  “No, it’s not. You can’t tell me you’re happy to be saddled with a guy less than half your age.”

  Sei tensed next to Donovan, and Donovan took his hand, holding it tightly in his. He stared at his son, pleased when Jake squirmed. “I am happy to be with Sei,” he started, but Jake interrupted him.

  “For fuck’s sake, Dad, he’s a kid! He’s younger than me. He’s younger than Vicky! You can’t be with him. You’re eighty-five. You need someone your age.”

  “Like Uncle Bran,” Miriam said. Her tone wasn’t as angry as Jake’s, but Donovan didn’t expect her to be on his side. “I mean, we thought that if you really had to be with a man, he’d be good. You’re almost the same age, and you’ve known each other for years.”

  “Bran met his mate a few months ago,” Donovan told her, wondering why Liz hadn’t told her. “Daniel is human, and thirty-two.”

  Jake threw his hands in the air. “Seriously? What is it with you guys? Why do you have to go after kids?”

  Sei jerked. “I’m not a kid,” he said, and Donovan could hear how hard he was trying to keep his tone under control. “I might be younger than you, but it doesn’t mean I’m not a man. I have a job, my own house, and I earn enough money to pay the bills and have a nice life.”

  Jake snorted. “Fine, you’re not a kid. Why would you want to be with a man who’s almost thrice your age and who has three kids?”

  “Because he’s my mate. I didn’t exactly have a choice in it. You should know that, since you’re a shifter.”

  Ouch, Donovan told Sei through their bond.

  Sei looked at him and smiled. You know what I mean.

  “You could walk away,” Jake insisted. “You don’t have to mate.”