by Lynn Hagen
Silo frowned and then grumbled low as he walked out of the kitchen. Theo chuckled, turning the fire off under the eggs. He plated the food and took it out to a rowdy group of men. They were practically salivating as he sat breakfast down in the center of the table.
When Ruthless grabbed for some eggs, Theo smacked his hand.
“You have to wait until everything is set on the table.”
“What the hell do you mean I have to—” Ruthless stopped when a low growl was heard from the other end of the table. Theo smiled down at his mate.
“Fine,” Ruthless said with a pout as he sat back down.
He snickered as he turned to Nikoli. “Would you mind grabbing the pitcher of orange juice?”
“No problem,” Nikoli said as he got up and fetched the glass container, bringing it back to the table. Theo sat, seeing that Silo had done a good job at setting the table. When Nikoli set the orange juice down on the table, Theo nodded at Ruthless.
“Now you can eat.”
“What the hell did we have to wait for?” Ruthless grumbled as he filled his plate. Theo had made more than enough for these large men, knowing how big their appetites were. He watched as everyone cleared their plates, sitting back with a satisfied smile their faces.
He sipped at his orange juice as he sat back, crossing his legs and letting his foot rock back and forth under the table. “Oh, by the way,” Theo said as the room grew silent, “since I cooked, you guys can clean.”
“What?” the men protested as complaints rang out around the table. “What do you mean we have to clean?” Nazaryth growled, slamming his fist onto the table. “You heard my zaterio. If he can slave in the kitchen for your sorry asses, the least you can do is clean up the mess.” Theo smiled at the way Nazaryth defended him. His mate winked at him, making Theo feel a thousand feet tall. He never thought he’d be this happy again, but he was, even more so with this large family sitting around him. They may be a hodgepodge of lunatics, but Theo was becoming very fond of them.
Even Ruthless’s sour ass was starting to grow on Theo.
“I want Tyson and Wolf on patrol today,” Nazaryth announced.
“Our vacation is over. We need to protect the people here from the hounds. You’ll do eight-hour shifts, Silo and Renato taking over. I put a schedule up, and I want it followed religiously so I know who’s out there at all times.”
“What the hell do we do with the bodies when we kill one of them?” Dog asked. “I myself don’t care. I’ll leave them where they lie.”
“You can’t do that,” Theo protested. “What if a cub or someone else sees the dead body?” he asked with a shiver. “You may not care, but I do.”
“Then what the hell do you want me to do with the body?” Dog asked. “I’m not carting it around on my shoulder.”
“We really have been out of the game for far too long,” Nazaryth said from the other side of the table. “They’re hell dwellers, remember? They come from hell. You ignite them, and they burn within seconds.”
“You can’t go around town setting bodies on fire,” Theo said as he waved a hand around at everyone. “The town will stink like shit.” Nazaryth sat back, entwining his fingers and resting them on his full belly. “Then I’m open for suggestions.” Theo wasn’t sure what to suggest, but setting a body on fire on Trenton Street didn’t sound to appealing to him. Everyone would see.
“Don’t forget that there are humans who live there that are ignorant of the paranormal world.”
“Still waiting for a suggestion,” Nazaryth said.
Theo was ready to throttle the man. He was becoming irritating as he sat at the other end of the table with a smirk on his face. “I don’t have a solution, but you can’t ignite them in town.”
“So you’re still suggesting that I haul them around?” Dog asked.
“That can get messy after a few hours.” Theo’s face crinkled with disgust. “You are fucking gross.”
“Still…”
“You have wings, use them. Fly them to some remote place in the mountains and burn them.”
“As much as I love to fly,” Nazaryth cut in, “We try not to do so around the populated areas. People tend to freak out when they see men flying in the air.”
“So don’t be seen,” Theo said as he stood, carrying his plate to the kitchen.
Wolf walked carefully through the forest. He had spotted a hound sniffing around the police station earlier, but the dog had been too quick, getting away from Wolf before he could kill the dweller.
Now he was tracking it down, following its putrid scent as he quietly stole through the neighborhood surrounding Pride Pack Valley. The scent was still strong in the air, guiding Wolf.
“He’s not too far away,” Tyson commented from beside him. “His scent is getting stronger.”
Wolf could smell that, but he also felt something wasn’t quite right. The moon was high and the streets were quiet, hardly a soul around, but Wolf felt a dark shadow around them. “Do you feel that?” Tyson slowed to stop, stilling as he raised his head and sniffed the air. After a moment, he shook his head. “Nah, I don’t feel anything, but I can still smell that hound.”
It was more than that. Wolf couldn’t shake loose the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. The air blew around him, bringing Wolf a scent that made his blood turn cold.
He began to walk again, ignoring Tyson as he followed the smell that guided him.
“Where in the hell are you going?” Tyson asked as he caught up with Wolf. “The scent goes the other way.” Wolf kept walking, his feet having a mind of their own. The aroma was calling him, beckoning him to come. Wolf unsheathed the blades that had been strapped to his thighs, his pace picking up until he was half trotting, half jogging.
“This better be fucking important or Nazaryth is going to have our asses.”
Wolf couldn’t explain the feeling that was coming over him, consuming him in ways he’d never felt before. His feet faltered when Tyson grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. “What the fuck is going on with you?”
I wish I knew.
“Just follow me.”
Tyson twisted his lips to the side, looking skeptical, but finally nodded. “If that hound attacks someone, I’m making sure Nazaryth knows it was your fault,” he said and then waved a hand for Wolf to show him the way. “I’m just saying.”
Wolf sniffed the air once more, picking the scent back up, and then followed it. He found himself walking up a residential driveway, heading into the backyard where he froze.
“What the hell?” Tyson asked as he stopped next to Wolf.
Wolf watched as a small human male clutched his arm, blood seeping through his fingers as he backed away from the hound. His eyes were wide, and he stumbled once or twice, catching himself before continuing his progress backward.
“Goddamn, how many are around here?” Tyson asked angrily before passing Wolf and going after the hound.
Wolf was concentrating on the human.
He cursed when the hound turned his way, his canines long and his eyes black. No wonder the human looked as though he were staring at his own death. The sight of the hound half-shifted was scary as hell…for the human.
Tyson began to fight the hound, lifting from his feet as he flew up and then kicked the dog in his head. The human glanced up at Tyson, and then his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Wolf shot across the backyard, catching the man before he hit the ground.
The human’s head lolled to the side as Wolf picked him up into his arms.
“What are you doing?” Tyson asked when he finally stabbed the hound in his mark. “Taking strays home now?”
“Grab the hound. We don’t want Theo having a fight if you burn him here,” Wolf said, ignoring Tyson’s question and comment. “I’ll meet you at home.”
“Thanks for leaving me with the dead one.” Wolf glanced around, making sure no one was looking before taking flight.
Chapter Eleven
“Hey,” Theo
said as he poked his head into the bedroom, the rest of his body following suit. Nazaryth glanced up from his notes, smiling as Theo crossed the room and took a seat on his lap. “I made lunch.”
Nazaryth gave Theo a quick kiss before nodding toward the papers laid out before him. “Boromyr sent me some more spells. I’m trying to decipher them.”
“No luck?” Theo asked as he leaned forward, looking at the scroll that was written in Zantharian. “It says here that there’s a dog in the tree and you need a fishing pole to get him down.”
“You can read it?” Nazaryth asked, shocked.
“I read it?” Theo looked even more shocked.
“No.” Nazaryth chuckled as he guarded his ribs against Theo’s elbow. “But I couldn’t resist.”
“You had me going for a minute there,” Theo admitted as he stood. “Come eat lunch. You can check out the unconscious man Wolf brought home as well.”
“What?” Nazaryth shouted as he stood. “What do you mean unconscious?”
“Like, not awake.” Theo snickered as he walked to the study door.
“Wolf has him in his bedroom. I think he’s squirreling the guy away for a rainy day…and he’s human.”
Nazaryth was across the carpeted floor and heading toward Wolf’s room before Theo even took a step. He walked down the hall and then banged on Wolf’s door. When he didn’t get an answer, Nazaryth tried the knob. He found it unlocked, so he peeked his head in.
Wolf was sitting in a chair by the bed, his elbows on his knees, his hands fisted together as his chin rested on them. He was staring at a small human who was lying in his bed.
“Wolf?”
“He was bleeding.”
Nazaryth stepped into the room, closing the door behind him softly. “Who was bleeding, Wolf?”
“I’m not sure if he was bitten, so I have to watch him.” Nazaryth was becoming worried. Wolf seemed as though he wasn’t in full touch with reality. He knew the beasts had lived in relative seclusion for two thousand years, only going out to feed at times.
But he’d never seen any of them not firmly grounded.
This was wrong.
“Who is he, Wolf?” Nazaryth asked a little more sternly. “Why have you brought a human here?” He wasn’t even going to ask why the guy was unconscious. Nazaryth didn’t even want to know. But one thing was for sure. If one of his winged beasts had harmed a human, Nazaryth would have to put the beast down.
He’d seen what happened firsthand when a beast lost his mind, and it was worse than any nightmare a human could conjure up. Once a beast went mad, there was no coming back from it. “Tell me who he is.”
Wolf turned, his eyes tortured and filled with pain. “He’s my zaterio.”
Nazaryth knelt beside Wolf, laying his hand on the man’s shoulder. He knew that feeling. That helplessness that stole inside of a man when he watched the one he loved, uncertain if that person would live or die. Wolf’s zaterio was human. Nazaryth was almost positive that if he was bitten, he wouldn’t live. “Have you checked his wound?”
Wolf nodded. “It’s a long gash on his arm, running from shoulder to elbow, but I’m not sure if he was bitten as well,” he said. “But I have to watch him.”
Nazaryth saw the blood seeping through the makeshift bandage Wolf had applied to the human’s arm. He was going to need more than a Band-Aid. The guy was going to need stitches—if he survived.
“We need to clean his wound, Wolf.” He wasn’t sure what was going on inside the beast, but he knew Wolf was fighting not to feel the mating heat. If the human died, so would Wolf’s soul.
What in the hell was there to get excited about?
“I’ll get some fresh gauze and some clean water.” Wolf only nodded, his eyes locked onto the small human’s form as he slept. Nazaryth stood, patting Wolf on his shoulder as he stole out of the room.
“Who is he?” Theo asked, the other beasts standing behind him, looking at Nazaryth curiously.
“His zaterio.”
“Damn,” Tyson said and then whistled low. “I was wondering why he was acting nutty.”
“What did you see?” Nazaryth asked Tyson.
“Nothing. When we came around the corner, the hound had already inflicted the wound. Did he bite him?”
“Oh my god,” Theo said as he stood there. “He won’t be able to survive that.”
Nazaryth shook his head as he pulled Theo into his arms, pressing a kiss on the top of the man’s head. “I’m not sure, but Wolf needs fresh gauze and some water to clean the wound. I’m going to get some herbal leaves to press into his injury.”
“I’ll get what Wolf needs,” Tyson said as he walked away.
Nazaryth walked to the other side of the castle, taking the stairs down into the room they kept the healing plants in.
“This really is a huge place,” Theo commented as Nazaryth began to pluck various plant leaves.
“It didn’t look like much when I first found it. I couldn’t even see the balcony from the ground below. It was an accidental find.”
“Do you know who lived here before?” Theo asked as he grabbed a wicker basket for Nazaryth to set the leaves in.
“No, it was abandoned when I found it.”
“But who would carve a castle into the side of the mountain and then just up and leave it?” Theo was full of questions this evening.
Nazaryth smiled at his inquisitive mate. Theo had finally accepted their mating, and now his true personality was coming out.
Nazaryth liked it.
“Good question,” he replied as he tossed a few more leaves into the basket. “I’ve tried to find out, but this castle isn’t registered anywhere.”
“Their loss,” Theo said as he followed behind Nazaryth, holding the basket out for leaves every time Nazaryth plucked one. “It’s a beautiful place, and I don’t mind calling it home.” Nazaryth’s hands stilled as he glanced back at his mate. It seemed Theo was full of surprises. “You consider this your home?” Nazaryth asked as he set the pruning shears down.
“Well, of course I do,” Theo said as he shrugged. “We’re mates. I go where you go. So since you live here, this is my home.” He chuckled as he cupped Theo’s face, pulling him in for a kiss.
“Thank you,” he said as he took a step back, taking the basket from Theo’s hands.
“For what?” Theo asked as he trailed behind Nazaryth as they headed toward the kitchen. He needed to make the brew for the human, to help him heal faster, but all Nazaryth wanted to do was take Theo to bed for that statement. He concentrated on the task at hand. Nazaryth needed to make the healing patch to place on the human’s wound. If the hounds hadn’t bitten him, then the patch of leaves would help in the healing process, but if it was more than a scratch from their claws, he wasn’t sure what would happen.
“For calling this your home,” he replied to Theo as he walked into the kitchen. “It tells me that you’re settling in.”
“Well, of course I’m settling in,” Theo teased. “I’ve been here, what, two days? In my book, that’s moving in and a proposal.” Nazaryth’s eyes snapped over to Theo before widening. “You want me to propose?”
Theo snorted with laughter and then shook his head. “No, never mind. That’s not what I was saying.”
Sometimes it was very hard to understand his zaterio. The man seemed to speak a different language, a language that Nazaryth didn’t always get. Theo was a breath of fresh air and confusing all at the same time.
“Are you happy, Theo?” he asked quietly as he dropped the leaves into the pot of boiling water. He didn’t dare look at his mate, nor did he probe his mind. Nazaryth had stopped doing that. It was an invasion, and he knew it. Theo had a right to his private thoughts just like everyone else.
But damn if it wasn’t tempting.
So he stood there waiting for his mate to speak his answer.
Nazaryth felt Theo press into his back, his hands resting on Nazaryth’s shoulder blades. “I’m very happy, mate,” Th
eo replied and then kissed the center of Nazaryth’s back. “Happier than I’ve been a very long time. Now it’s my turn to thank you.” Nazaryth worked around the kitchen, gathering the supplies he needed to finish the healing patch. He wasn’t sure what to say. Was he supposed to say you’re welcome? He had worked so hard getting Theo to believe that they were mates, that they were meant to be together, and now that Theo believed, Nazaryth wasn’t sure what to do next.
Nazaryth had never been in a relationship before. He’d never been thanked before for loving someone, but then again, Theo was the first person Nazaryth had loved.
“You still haven’t touched your lunch,” Theo said as he pointed over to the counter. “I slaved all day in the kitchen to make you that.” Once Nazaryth blended the brew together, he walked over to the counter, lifting the napkin from the plate. His lips twisted to the side as his brow arched. “You slaved all day to make me a ham sandwich and some chips?”
Theo placed a hand on his chest dramatically as he sighed. “Hey, it wasn’t easy finding the mayo in that fridge. I think I even broke a nail in the process.”
Nazaryth chuckled at his playful mate as he grabbed the sandwich and took a bite. He hadn’t even realized how hungry he was until he started chewing. He lifted the sandwich, giving a nod. “Thanks.” Polishing off his food, Nazaryth took the leaves from the pot and grabbed the mortar and pestle, placing the leaves in the bowl. He began to grind them into a paste that would adhere to the human’s skin.
“What is that?” Theo asked as he stared over Nazaryth’s arm. “It looks like crushed peas.”
“It’s a healing patch used for thousands of years by my people. It draws out infection and helps the wound close.”
“See, that’s where I’m lucky,” Theo replied. “I’m a shifter. All I have to do is shift and I begin to heal.”
“Like when you twisted your ankle?” Nazaryth asked as Theo blushed.
“You weren’t supposed to know about that.” Nazaryth gave a low growl. How could he have not noticed his mate limping around his bedroom when they were gathering his belongings? The man sucked at hiding things. “Hide something like that from me again and I’ll lock your ass up and chain you to my bed.”
