Purring with His Mate (Miracle Book 1)

by Shea Malik

  It was times like this Nole was sure that fate was working against him to ensure he died. He’d been running for five long years, and he was damn tired. If he didn’t get some sleep, he would end up making a mistake that could cost him his life.

  With that thought in mind, Nole made his way back to the small town. Sure, the buildings were less stable then the house he’d commandeered, but at least there weren’t any cats around – he hoped. If the obvious repairs he’d noticed to the outside of the house meant anything, these cats were planning to stay, and it would only be a matter of time before they started rebuilding the town. He’d just crash for a couple of hours then head out and pray he found another safe haven he could hide in.

  He took one last longing look at the home that had kept him safe on and off for the last couple of years. It sucked that he had to give it up, but he wasn’t about to risk facing mountain lions. Nole might be braver than the average mouse, but he wasn’t stupid.

  * * * *

  It had been three days since they’d arrived in Miracle and caught the scent of his mate and Edrick’s cat was starting to lose patience. All he wanted to do was go chase down whoever that tantalizing aroma belonged to, yet he couldn’t. His friends needed him, and until he knew whether his father had followed them, Edrick didn’t dare leave them to defend themselves.

  Not that Lucca, Chadwick, and Hudson couldn’t defend themselves, but his father never fought fair. He would send an army and arm them to the teeth. The man would have no compunction about firing a missile into their new home without any warning just to prove he could win.

  No, as much as he wanted to chase down his mate, Edrick had to stay and protect those who depended on him. Plus, he wasn’t sure he wanted to bring his mate into his mess. Putting his mate in harm’s way didn’t sit well with him or his cat. It was probably the only reason his cat hadn’t fought harder to shift and chase the man down.

  That didn’t mean he wasn’t fighting the instinct to do just that. What was worse, he was taking his frustration out on his friends, especially since he could swear that this morning his mate’s scent was stronger than ever. His cat was going nuts.

  “If you need someone to hit, I’m more than happy to take you on,” Lucca said as he strode up to where Edrick was standing outside looking at the slight progress they had made.

  The first day, they had spent cleaning. He and Hudson had gone an hour away to buy supplies. With only their bikes to carry stuff, they hadn’t been able to get as much as they needed, but it was enough to make a dent.

  “I’m fine,” he told his best friend. He just wished that were true.

  The second day, Chadwick had taken a closer look at the house and made a list of things that needed to be done, along with what they would need to make it happen. It quickly became obvious they were going to have to buy a truck to haul supplies.

  Today, he and Chadwick were heading to another town in a completely different direction, to a farmer that was advertising a truck he was selling. Edrick hoped, if he paid in cash, they would be able to keep their names off any paperwork, at least for now.

  They all had aliases, but Edrick preferred not to use them for as long as possible. He also planned to pull more money out of his secret account so they could continue to pay cash for things.

  With each major purchase they made, not to mention anytime they ventured into one of the surrounding towns, they risked being discovered. Knowing his mate was close had Edrick even more on edge to not be found by his father’s pack.

  Lucca snorted. “I get that you’re trying to protect us because you feel like you failed Kellach, but we both know something is wrong with you. I don’t know what has gotten your panties in a twist. If you don’t want to tell me, your best friend, fine, but do us a favor and don’t fucking lie about it.”

  Edrick sighed as he watched his best friend storm off. For too long, Edrick had done nothing but screw up. At the age of twelve when he discovered his attraction to men, Edrick had known one day he’d have to leave his father’s pack. But being so young had been both a blessing and a curse.

  He’d spent so much of his life lying and hiding who he was that it had become second nature. So, when he’d turned twenty, and Lucca, the last member of their group who announced he was gay, Edrick should have done the brave thing and made arrangements for them all to leave.

  Instead, he’d begged them to be discreet. Had he understood what his cowardice to leave would do to his friends, Edrick might have done it differently. Then again, at twenty, he hadn’t had the balls to take on the leading of his own pack. He just wished his decisions hadn’t affected his friends as much as it had.

  Chadwick had been the worst. He’d become solitary, reclusive. It was as if not being able to be himself was slowly killing his once-vivacious friend. In some ways, having to hide had killed something inside them all. Twenty-five years was a long time to pretend to be someone they weren’t.

  “You ready?” Chadwick asked as he strode up to Edrick with his list of supplies in his hand. “I won’t lie. This list is long. We’re not going to be able to get everything in one trip, especially if we plan to buy groceries.”

  That was the only bad thing about being a shifter, food. Their bodies required a lot of it, especially when they shifted, which they needed to do at night to watch over the house. Their cats were far better at scenting or hearing danger coming than their human halves.

  “By the way, a shifter came in the middle of the night,” Chadwick said as they climbed aboard Edrick’s bike. “I followed him to town where he crashed. I didn’t deem him a threat, but it wouldn’t hurt to check to see if he’s still there.”

  Edrick froze. Could it be his mate? It would explain why his mate’s sweet aroma was driving him insane today. Not sure if he hoped the answer was yes or no, Edrick started his bike and headed into the small town that was now theirs.

  The closer he got, the more his body tightened with anticipation. Something deep within him prayed it was the man fate had created just for him. At the same time, he prayed just as hard; it wasn’t.

  Edrick feared he wouldn’t be able to keep the man, at least he assumed his mate would be male since he was gay, safe. Something he would never recover from. The guilt that ate at him for what he’d put his friends through by making them stay in a pack who hated gays would be nothing compared to the torment he’d feel if he let his mate get hurt because he couldn’t protect him.

  The moment he pulled up in front of the first building, the heavenly scent hit him like a punch to the gut.

  His mate was here.

  Edrick breathed deeply, taking more of the aroma deep within his body. His cock went from partially hard to stone in less than a heartbeat, leaving him a little dizzy as the blood pooled in his groin.

  “Stay here.” His words were hard to understand as his voice was thick and guttural.

  Chadwick’s eyebrows rose high on his forehead, but the order wasn’t one his friend would be able to ignore. Edrick was an Alpha to the core. Another reason his father wanted him dead. The last thing Lorcan Rapp would allow was another Alpha to take over his pack.

  It had never been something Edrick would have done. Being Alpha was the last thing he’d wanted. All Edrick wanted was to live in peace, be who he wanted, do what he wanted, and most importantly, love who he wanted.

  “Are you sure?” Chadwick asked, but his friend didn’t move from where he stood next to Edrick’s bike.

  Not sure he could get any other words out as the need to shift and hunt down the man fated to be his was hard to control, Edrick gave his friend a quick nod before heading along the wooden sidewalk that lined the buildings.

  The creak of wood beneath his feet wasn’t a good sign. The give of the boards as he stepped on them showed just how much they were rotting. He’d be lucky not to fall through them. Not that he’d fall more than a foot to the ground beneath, but he didn’t want to cause any more damage to the already crumbling town than was necessary.r />
  It was at the third building he’d come to that the scent wrapped around him like a rope, pulling him inside. Edrick held his breath as he tugged open the door, afraid the entire building would come crashing down around his ears when he did.

  The squeak of the hinges as he forced them to move was deafening, but the building remained intact. Sighing in relief, Edrick headed inside.

  Scuffling from the room in the back alerted him that his mate had heard him entering. Afraid he would take off, Edrick raced to the small room that had a faded sign on the door indicating it had been a storage room.

  In his haste, he’d forgotten just how fragile the place was. The door to the storage room crashed into the wall when he’d shoved it open. His eyes immediately went to the man who was at the back door, doing his best to pull it open, but having no luck making it budge.

  Need slammed into Edrick as panicked dark brown eyes stared at him. Hot flames of desire licked along Edrick’s skin as he stared at the most perfect man he’d ever laid eyes on. A tan, lean, lithe body that didn’t come from a gym, but of hard work spent outdoors, stood there like a vision.

  Full pink lips caused Edrick’s cock to throb with the need to see how they would feel wrapped around his thickness. Need, too strong to ignore, had Edrick stalking toward his mate. But his mate shoved against the outside door once more, this time managing to pop it open.

  That’s when a sound had them both turning in horror to gaze at the spot where Edrick had slammed the door into the wall in his haste to get to his mate. A loud crack, followed by splintering wood, echoed through the small room. It took Edrick only a moment to realize what he was hearing.

  Just as he feared, lines formed in the crumbling wallboard, getting bigger with each second. The room shook slightly.

  His gaze went to where the sexy man with melting pools of dark chocolate eyes stared at the wall that was crumbling around them. Even as danger surrounded them, Edrick thanked fate for giving him such a beautiful mate.

  Knowing time wasn’t on his side, Edrick raced to his mate and threw him over his shoulder before bolting out of the door. The whoosh of air as the building collapsed behind them sent Edrick to the ground. At the last second, he spun, stopping himself from landing on his much smaller mate and crushing him beneath his weight, while still holding him, so his body was shielded as much as possible from any flying debris.

  “Let me the fuck up, cat,” his mate said even as one hand punched him in the gut.

  Stunned at how much it had hurt, Edrick stared at the smaller man for a moment. Then he smiled. He should have known fate would grant him a spitfire for a mate. Shifters didn’t necessarily have easy lives. Being an Alpha and on the run from his old pack made it that much harder.

  Having a mate who could take care of himself would make Edrick sleep better at night. Not that he still wouldn’t do whatever it took to ensure his mate’s safety, because now that he was holding the sexy man in his arms, Edrick knew he was never going to let him go for as long as they lived. And if he had to kill every single member of his old pack to do that, so be it.

  But first, he needed to get his mate to stop fighting him to get free. “What’s your name, my little mouse?”

  CHAPTER 3

  The deep cadence of the man who had just caused a building to collapse sank into Nole and settled in his balls, giving him pause. He couldn’t ever remember reacting so strongly to anyone in such a manner. Nor was he sure he liked it.

  Served Nole right for not heading out at first light as he had planned. Although, in fairness, not even in his wildest dreams had he imagined an incredibly sexy man with a body that was built to pin Nole down and fuck him until he forgot his own name would come barreling through the door.

  Taking a breath as he tried to figure out what was going on, Nole gasped as his dick went hard as a lead pipe. Nole had always had a strong libido, but this was ridiculous.

  That’s when he noticed it. The scent emanating from the cat shifter who was holding him. The very sexy cat shifter, he amended in his mind. Cinnamon and pine assailed his senses. To Nole’s horror, he leaned closer and nuzzled the man’s neck as if his body had a will of its own.

  Damn, but he smells good.

  Then he heard a sound that had him gritting his teeth to stop him from coming in his pants. Purring. It didn’t make any sense. He was a mouse shifter. Why would he be truned on by purring?

  From the stories he’d grown up listening to his mother tell, there was nothing better than the scent of one’s mate. Although, how she knew when her husband wasn’t her mate, Nole wasn’t sure, but he suspected it was one of the reasons she had been so miserable.

  Fuck! This is my mate.

  Nole looked up into deep blue eyes and felt himself sinking even more into the cat shifter’s embrace.

  “Edrick, are you okay?”

  The sound of a voice as it rounded the now destroyed building woke Nole out of his daze. He tried once more to pull from the man he assumed was Edrick – he did his best to ignore the little thrill that went through him as he said his mate’s name in his head. But the strength of the cat shifter was too strong for him to get free.

  “Let me go,” he demanded once more. There was no way Nole was going to be mated to a cat shifter of all things. He was a mouse - the two species didn’t go together.

  Before he could blink, Nole was on his feet. Instead of releasing him, though, Edrick stood next to him with his arm around Nole’s waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  How had Edrick done that? Not only had he managed to stop Nole from running like he originally wanted, but he also had Nole wondering what it would be like to stay right where he was for the rest of his life.

  “I’m fine, Chadwick, but I’m not sure we’re going to be able to renovate these buildings. They seem more unstable than the house.” His mate pressed Nole closer to his body when the man named Chadwick turned his gaze on Nole.

  Were all these cats gorgeous? It didn’t seem fair. Not that Nole was unattractive, but he also knew he wasn’t even close to looking like either of these sexy men. Ripped muscles were clearly delineated even through their clothes and each time they flexed; the seams strained as if about to pop open.

  The two could be twins they were so similar in appearance. Ebony hair, strong chins, high cheekbones, and lush lips that when curved upward could make any man melt into a pile of goo. Both stood around six-three and looked as if they belonged on a magazine cover.

  Even as similar as the two were, there were also a few differences. His mate’s eyes were a stunning deep blue that Nole swore could see straight into his soul, while Chadwick’s were gray. His mate also had a more cultured appearance, with a promise of wicked things that would have Nole screaming for more as the man fucked him senseless. Chadwick was more rugged.

  When those deep blue eyes stared into Nole’s once more, his brain turned to mush. “What’s your name, sexy?”

  Without the ability to think, not answering wasn’t even an option. In fact, it was almost a compulsion to tell his mate what he wanted to know. “Nole Hayward.”

  Pissed that he’d given his name without any thought to the consequences, Nole forced his mind to come back online by looking away from those eyes that made him forget his mate was a cat.

  This time, when he shoved, Edrick reluctantly let him go. Probably because the man had managed to rub his scent all over Nole, effectively claiming him as his. If his mate thought Nole would be okay with that, he had better think again.

  “Edrick,” the man his mate had called Chadwick, said. “What’s going on?”

  His mate gave a huge smile as he continued to stare right into Nole as if he could see his innermost thoughts. “This sexy little mouse is my mate.”

  When Chadwick didn’t say anything, Nole glanced over at him. Even though he was feeling pretty much the same as Chadwick looked, anger surged through him when he saw the horror on the man’s face. Nole was sick and tired of being ju
dged. Whether it was a problem because Nole was a lowly mouse shifter or the fact that he was a man Edrick was mated to, didn’t matter. Nole wasn’t going to allow anyone to make him feel as if he shouldn’t be alive.

  His hands instantly fisted as they landed on his hips. “Are we going to have a problem?” he challenged Chadwick.

  The man’s eyebrows rose high on his forehead. “Uh...”

  Nole didn’t bother letting him finish. “Because I’m not going to put up with your bigoted opinions.” Taking a step closer to the much larger man without even considering he could easily squish Nole like a bug, or, well, a mouse, without even trying.

  As if to prove he had no sense, Nole shoved his finger against Chadwick’s chest and narrowed his eyes up at the man. “I’ve had enough of being threatened, chased, beaten, and shot at to last me a lifetime. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let some cat,” he said the word derisively, “treat me like I don’t matter because of some preconceived notions.”

  He shoved his finger against Chadwick’s chest once more to emphasize his statement. “Got it?”

  The confusion on Chadwick’s face was priceless, but Nole barely had time to register it with the sexier than sin growl that was emanating from Edrick. The menacing tone should have sent Nole scurrying for the hills, but somehow it turned him on, instead. How fucked up was that?

  The next thing Nole knew, he was pulled into Edrick’s arms, something he hated to admit to enjoying. “Who’s chasing you, little one?” Edrick demanded.

  Tilting his chin up in defiance, he ignored the question. “I’m not little.” He hated being called small, especially when it was in comparison to freakishly tall people like Edrick and Chadwick. Everyone could be considered little next to these two giants.

  The muscle along Edrick’s jaw pulsed and Nole had the insane urge to lick it. What in the hell was wrong with him? He’d never felt like this before. If this need that took over his brain and turned him into a sex-crazed maniac was what mating was about, Nole didn’t want anything to do with it.