Blair shattered in his arms with a cry of release. Her pussy contracted around his cock, bringing on Cole’s release as well. He gripped her hips harder and shoved his cock deep within her channel. She felt his cock jerk with every jet of semen he spilled into her. They stood together, holding one another for a while. Their breathing finally returned to normal, and they looked into each other’s eyes. Blair’s heart felt so full when she looked at him. He looked at her with such an intense expression. She was sure he had something profound going through his head.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, watching his eyes.
“I’m hungry and I was wondering what we had in the kitchen to eat,” Cole said without changing his expression.
Blair burst out laughing. “You are always hungry and wondering what there is to eat.” She wanted to pull him closer.
He would never change, and she didn’t want him to. She loved how he seemed to think with his stomach all the time. She always knew when Cole was angry, worried, or sick because he lost his appetite.
****
It was early afternoon. Blair was busy working on her business records, and Cole wanted answers. This man had targeted his mate. He wanted to know why. He made sure Silas was tied tightly to the chair, not so tight that he would lose circulation, but enough for him to be uncomfortable.
Michael’s questioning was intense and often painful to humans, and Cole knew Michael would show little mercy with Silas.
“Are you going to beat me up now, fucker?” Silas asked while sneering at Cole.
“Nope, I am not going to touch you. I wouldn’t mind though. That was my mate you attacked.”
“She’s a fucking animal. The most I did wrong was hunt out of season.”
Cole shook his head. “I am going to ignore that. I really do not want to piss Michael off. He has some serious Guardian mojo though. I am going to enjoy watching him scramble your brains while he is getting answers out of you.”
“I’m not saying a fucking word to any of you. You think you can scare me into talking?” Silas laughed, then spat at Cole.
Cole easily dodged it then glared. He saw sunlight spill into the room, and he knew Michael had arrived.
Michael looked over at Cole. “Is he ready?”
Cole nodded. “Yep.”
Michael paced in front of Silas. “How did you find out about us?”
“About what, your animal town here?” Silas laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Michael stopped and looked into his eyes. “I want to know how you knew to come here, and about how to hide from us and hide your scent.”
Silas spat in his face. “I want a lawyer.”
Michael grabbed his face and held him tightly. “You don’t seem to understand your situation. You have no rights here. You came here to kill shifters, which puts you under shifter law.”
“You’re a fucking liar. Give me a goddamn lawyer, or I will sue your asses.”
Michael leaned into his face. “There will be no lawyer. There is only you and me here. Your fate will be decided by me. Now are you going to cooperate, or do I need to get ugly?”
Silas laughed and shook his head. “You think I scare that easy? I know my rights.”
Michael circled around Silas, while keeping his eyes on him. “You had your chance. Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.” He firmed his grip on his face.
Cole walked a bit closer in case Michael needed help holding Silas down. He had seen his share of interrogations to know no matter how well they restrained someone, they could get free.
Michael’s eyes started to glow slightly as their Goddess’s presence filled him.
Silas looked at Michael with horror. “What the fuck are you? Get away from me.” He tried to break free from the ropes holding him.
Cole grabbed the back of Silas’s head, by the hair, to force him to hold still. Silas screamed and tried to throw his head back.
Michael stared into Silas’s eyes while Cole held his head firmly. Silas’s screams of anger turned to whimpers. “Stop, stop, please,” Silas begged.
“A bit uncomfortable, isn’t it, Silas? I tried to warn you.” Michael’s voice started to change, and get the hollow sound it got when he used Ilithyia’s power.
Silas began to gasp for air. He had ceased struggling, and now every muscle seized. “I will do anything you want,” he whispered.
“I want you to tell me how you knew about us.”
“I got a phone call from some chick, said her name was Dani and she knew what happened to Levi. She told me all about this town, and how to hide from y’all.”
Michael looked up at Cole. “So, Dani is still causing trouble. Good thing Lucas isn’t here. I am afraid if he knew Dani was behind this, it would make him want to go hunting for her again.”
Cole nodded his head in agreement. “Lucas does not need to be going on another hunting trip.”
Michael turned his attention back to Silas. “How did you know how to cover your scent from us?”
Silas sobbed and tried to shake his head.
“Answer me,” Michael commanded him.
“She told me in an email.”
Cole asked already giving Michael a suspicious look. “She knows how to hide from us, too?”
“She wanted to make sure I knew how to not get caught. She gave me the cologne to use, so you animals couldn’t smell me,” Silas said in a flat tone.
“What else did she say?” Michael asked.
Silas shook his head. “Nothing, she ranted a bit about when her master was in control. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to that part. She was crazy, and I wasn't interested.”
Michael paused and stared off into the distance. Cole knew he was thinking.
“When her master was in control? Control of this territory?”
Silas tried to shrug. “Yeah, I guess, maybe, I don't know. I told you it didn't interest me.”
“Who was he? Did you see him?”
“Nah, but I saw a guy that kept his face hidden and had a mechanical voice.”
Michael sighed and rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. “We will talk later. I want you to think very hard about the things this man said to you. Do you understand me?”
Silas’s eyes glazed over slightly. “Yeah sure, I will think about it and see if I remember.”
****
Cole sat next to Michael around the table in their council meeting room. Someone was leaking information about shifters to humans. Why they could not be certain, but until they caught the one betraying them, they had to keep the council meetings closed to members only. They had to be careful. That meant they were going to have to exclude Caleb, Neil and Wade.
They could not be too careful. Cole was sure Neil would understand, but Caleb and Wade were not used to being shut out and would be offended. The only problem with that was, if Caleb grew offended enough, he could take his building project elsewhere.
Michael hit send on a text conversation and put his phone down. Warren finished reading the report Cole had written up about Silas’s interrogation.
“This isn’t good. We have a traitor among us. It is well known among every human and shifter to never reveal us or how to hide from us.” Warren’s growly speech was proof of how angry he was.
Lucas walked in looking frustrated. “I think that PI is up to something. I can’t say why, but I think he is involved in all of this.”
Warren looked at Michael and asked, “What are the chances she is helping him?”
Cole looked up. “None. I questioned her, and my gut tells me she isn’t here to hurt us. I know she is here under false pretenses, but she doesn’t mean us harm. ”
When several looked skeptical Cole held his hands up. “I know what you’re thinking. I am right though.”
“I agree,” Michael said looking around the room. “I spoke to her. I do not think she means us harm. In the meantime we watch and wait. Now, let’s wrap this up. We don’t want Cole too tired for the weddi
ng tomorrow. Last bit of business, all those in favor of swearing Lucas Dalton into the council raise your hand.”
All hands rose.
“Done, congratulations, Lucas,” Cole said while trying not to laugh at Lucas’s expression. He knew when Warren had approached him to fill an empty position he never expected them to agree. Now he was stuck with it.
Chapter Seventeen
Blair could not understand why she could not stop crying. This was a happy day. Still tears fell down her face while Julie styled her hair, and continued to fall while Cassie helped her with her makeup.
“Stop that crying this instant,” Cassie chided with a smile.
“I can’t help it,” Blair said, then blotted the tears from her eyes again.
Cassie’s grandmother, Norma, smiled from her chair, “You look lovely, dear.”
Blair smiled. “Thank you.” She was so thankful that they did not hold a grudge against her for nearly getting her granddaughter killed. When Blair had apologized to her, Norma had waved her off with a smile and said, “Your heart was in the right place, dear. I can’t fault you for that.”
Cassie’s grandparents, Jake and Norma, had come around quite often, and were a delightful addition to their community. Jake had such a great sense of humor that his jokes often had others around him laughing in their drinks. Norma was so kind and loving that everyone had taken to them and accepted them.
Blair turned to look in the mirror. She did look beautiful. Now if she could only stop crying. The knock at the door gave her the warning that it was time to go.
Cassie had an excited look on her face. “Let’s do this.” She picked up her flowers and checked herself over in the mirror.
Blair loved how pregnancy looked on Cassie. “You look lovely. The glow of pregnancy makes you radiant.”
Cassie laughed. “If you say so. I feel tired and sick to my stomach.”
Norma got up slowly, wincing as her joints ached at the movement. “Well dear, trust me, one day this will be nothing but a distant memory. You will be watching your children going off to play with their friends and then you will wonder where the time went.”
“I know, Grandma.” Cassie gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek.
Blair watched them and felt fresh tears forming. “That is so precious.”
Cassie looked at her in sympathy. “I have been so busy that I did not bother to find out if you had anyone to walk you down the aisle.”
Norma patted Cassie’s arm. “I took care of it, dear. Grandpa is going to walk her down and give her away.”
Blair dabbed her eyes again. “It was so sweet of you to offer, too.”
Cassie gave Blair a suspicious look. “Are you sure you aren’t pregnant? You aren’t normally this weepy.”
“No way. Absolutely no way,” Blair said shaking her head.
“Well you and Cole made up, so you may want to check,” Cassie said with a grin. “It would be so awesome if we could be pregnant together.”
Blair shook her head again. It wasn’t possible. She shrugged and decided she would worry about it later. For now she was going to make her mating with Cole official. The door opened, and she saw Jake standing there in a black tuxedo, with the white rose she had chosen for her flowers. He held his arm out for her with a smile on his face. Blair wrapped her arm in his and started down the hall. Cassie got ahead of her, and met with the other ladies that would be her bridesmaids. They walked down the aisle, each holding a bouquet of flowers.
Blair could see Cole standing up front with Michael and Warren, and teared up again. She was going to wash all of her makeup off at this point. The country love song changed to a more upbeat pop song. It was an older one but fit her mating perfectly. She had been waiting her whole life for him, and they would never let each other fall.
With a smile on her face and her eyes focused on Cole, she walked down the aisle. She had no idea who had come. She didn’t see them. She only saw her soul mate. She was not sure when she’d figured out they were soul mates, but now that she admitted it, it was obvious from the way they were both miserable without each other, neither of them looked at anyone else, and how it felt like they had never parted once they were together again.
She reached Cole, and they took each other’s hands. The closest thing they had to a minister was Sean Masters. He counseled many shifters and humans alike, and had always felt a close connection to Ilithyia. He stood in white robes and held a book. He read to them about love, respect, and understanding one another. He closed it and looked at Blair. “If all else fails, cook him some food he likes. That will make him cooperative.”
Cole smiled and rubbed his stomach. “Sounds good to me. I will do my best to be a pain in her ass often so she will cook good food to shut me up.”
Blair rolled her eyes at Cole with a smile. That was her love and life, always thinking with his stomach. They exchanged rings and promises to take care of one another until death parted them. They turned, and Sean raised his hands.
“Here are Cole and Blair Milano. Let the partying begin.”
Blair and Cole ran down the aisle towards the back of the community building where they planned the party. There was both indoor and outdoor seating, but the band played outside under a grove of trees.
Travis walked in a side door, wearing his sheriff uniform. Blair watched him scan the room until he spotted them then walked towards them. No. Oh hell no. You can’t have him on our wedding night. Figure it out for yourself, Blair thought to herself while seething inside.
Cole saw him and turned. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Travis looked at Blair then back to Cole. “Silas is dead. Someone gave him some Mercilin. At first we thought he had a stroke, but Lucas could smell the drug in him. He was poisoned by a shifter.”
“A shifter that does not want to risk Silas remembering who he is,” Cole said with an angry growl.
Blair held onto his arm. “We can’t do anything about it now, Cole.”
Cole let out a long breath. “You’re right.” He looked at Travis. “Have Doctor Trask give me a full report, and I want reports from the guards.”
“I asked them, and none of them remember anyone coming in, and the surveillance footage is gone.”
“Of course,” Cole said in a sarcastic tone. “Blair is right though. There is nothing I can do. I am going to party.”
Blair smiled in relief as Cole led her out to the dance stage. She saw Myra standing with Warren, holding hands. She grinned at her and mouthed, “I told you so.”
Blair remembered their conversation in the kitchen of her coffee shop when she was hiding from Cole, and laughed. “Yes, you did,” Blair mouthed back, then started crying all over again.
The country song started, and Blair recognized it right away. A man singing about how he doesn’t dance, but he would do it for the woman he loves. Blair cried even harder knowing the meaning. Cole didn’t like to dance, but he always did for her. “I should have known you’d pick this song. It fits you well.”
“You should have known that we are soul bonded, and there was no escaping me,” Cole said while smiling down at her.
Blair laughed through her tears. “You should have known years back.”
“I do now. I think I knew back then as well, but I was an idiot pup.” He lowered his head to kiss her.
****
Caleb stood off to the side watching the wedding reception. He wanted to burn the entire place down, but it was not the right time yet. He still had not been able to fully control a shifter. While his experiment on Lucas had been entertaining, it had failed. Lucas felt remorse for killing the female. He needed cold, heartless killers. Not only did he need to be able to defeat the other territories’ cholan, he needed to be able to win against the human police and military.
Silas had been caught, but that was no trouble. Caleb had taken care of the problem since Silas outlived his usefulness. Josh and Silas were both disposable, which was why he’d picked them. Josh though h
e was getting rich helping him, but he was wrong. When the time came, Caleb would make sure Josh did not leave these mountains alive.
His plans were too important to let a mere human mess them up, and his plans were much broader than one territory. If he only wanted one, he would have stayed in the Del Rio territory he captured in Mexico. He’d killed the Guardian and taken over. He had the cholan poisoned, leaving the shifters there at his mercy. It was an experiment to judge how long it took for the territory’s Kelach and cholan to realize he was their enemy. It had been a success. He built them a hospital, and they loved him, called him a hero. The few that found out, he either erased their memories, or killed them. Here Cole suspected him, but he’d gained his trust by saving Blair from rape and being sold to a biker gang as a fuck toy. Cole trusted him now, and Michael was completely fooled, just like everyone else.
The distraction he made with the human kidnapping the girl worked perfectly. He had moved forward, and soon his lab would be ready for human experiments, then shifters. Just a bit more time and he could kill Michael, recapture his daughter, and start working on manipulating the kid in her.
It should have all gone smoothly, like in Mexico, but they threw out all non-council members. He didn’t live here permanently, so he was no longer allowed. He needed to slow down and be patient. He would pull back, go and check on his territory in Mexico, and plan. Just because they defeated him in this round didn’t mean he was going to quit. He would come back, and when he did, he would take down the council, Michael, fuck, even Ilithyia. He laughed as he imagined bringing down the Goddess with the power he would attain when he controlled shifters everywhere. He would take control and become a God among animals.
****
Blair lay on the bed nearly comatose as Cole rubbed her aching feet. “Cole, I love you so much.”
Cole chuckled and patted her foot. “Because I give good foot massages?”
“And back, leg, head. Oh, and your amazing sex powers.”
“So you mated me for my massages and sex?” he asked in a teasing tone.
“No, your looks, too.” She giggled, then squealed as he flipped her over onto his lap.
The Protector Page 20
