Wounded
Page 17
Sure, he could use the excuse that when Xander told him not to come, that he had stopped everything because he wouldn’t be told what to do, but if he was being honest, he freaked out. He’d loved everything Xander was doing to his body and he wanted more. He wanted to please Xander and give him pleasure. He hadn’t thought like that about a lover in over five hundred years. Thoughts of a life together crossed his mind and that got his heart pounding for all different reasons than the wonderful things the wolf was doing to his body. When he’d pictured a future with his mate, Shelby freaked, and bolted. He avoided his mate like a child.
But now it may be too late to change this. His mate was out there somewhere and he was in trouble. Shelby could just feel it in his bones. The Prime had said that Christian called for help because they were under attack. Raffy and Bailey were both upset over their mates being out there in danger, butnit seemed as if the Prime purposely hadn’t addressed the fact the Xander was out there also.
Gods, he hoped his mate was okay. He needed to talk to him, to apologize to him for everything. He needed to swallow his pride and tell his mate about his past and who he truly was. Christ, the man didn’t even know who or what Shelby really was. They needed to have a long-overdue conversation and it was up to him to do it.
“They’re coming back,” Aaron declared and stood. He went to the bottom of the stairs and waited. Everyone else joined him.
“How do you know?” Shelby asked.
“Pack link.”
“But I thought you were a cat?” Shelby asked in confusion.
“I am, but once you mate someone from the pack, you become a part of it. The link clicks into place when you submit to Micah’s alpha and pledge yourself to the pack. Plus, Rory and I also have the mate link with Raith. He just told us they were almost here.”
“And you all have this pack link?” Shelby looked around at all the faces.
“I don’t,” Demetrius answered. “I’m still a part of heaven’s house, not a pack member.”
“And Ash and I don’t share the pack link yet. Ash will be officially taken into this pack at the next full moon, though,” Papa Angel explained.
“But you won’t?” Shelby asked in surprise.
“Not yet. I will become a part of this pack soon, but in a different way.” Papa Angel gave him a mischievous smile, like he was keeping a secret.
The house unexpectedly shuddered, and the all looked at each other. “Was that an earthquake?” Zane asked.
“It sure felt like one,” Aaron answered. “Nothing like the quakes we had back in California, but it felt like a small one.”
The door at the top of the stairs opened and they all looked up to find Christian standing there. He was covered in scratches and bruises. A gaping bite wound was visible on his shoulder and blood covered most of his body.
“Christian!” Raffy gasped and ran up the stairs, throwing himself into his mate's arms. Christian flinched slightly and Shelby could see he was in pain, but he didn’t let it show to his mate. He just wrapped his arms around Raffy and held him close. When they made it to the top of the stairs, Shelby looked around for his mate, but couldn’t find him. The house was in chaos as people moved about, hurrying down the hall and mates reuniting.
Micah and Jesse stepped in front of him and immediately he knew it wasn’t good. From the solemn looks on their faces, he knew something had happened to Xander.
* * * *
Shelby slowly walked into the room, his eyes locked on the still form lying on the bed. His mate was naked and his body was covered in blood. Shelby could see bite marks all over his arms and legs. There were four huge gashes across his chest that were oozing blood. A large chunk of flesh was missing from the right side of his neck and Shelby could see the tendons. Xander’s right ear was hanging off the side of his head, and his hair was dirty and matted with blood. Shelby moved closer and could now see hundreds of smaller cuts and bruises littering his mate's body. Whatever the wolf had been through, he put up one hell of a fight.
“Both legs are broken, as well as his left arm and four ribs, but what worries me the most is his breathing is labored. I would have to do an X-ray to be sure, but I think one of the ribs punctured a lung,” Aaron explained as he continued to examine his Xander.
“Can Jesse, Ryland, and Raffy do their magic and heal him?” Micah asked, stepping up beside the bed.
“Probably, but at this point, I’m not sure if it will help. He’s lost too much blood. His pressure is alarmingly low and his heart is slowing. It won’t be much longer until he’s gone.” Aaron’s voice was full of sadness and pain as he spoke.
Shelby couldn’t believe what they were saying. They weren’t even going to try? They were just going to let his mate fade away and die? Like hell! Shelby moved to the bed and climbed on.
“Shelby. I’m sorry, but he’s too far gone. There’s nothing we can do.”
“Bullshit! Jesse is the Heart. He can bring someone back from the dead. Surely he can stop them from dying to begin with?”
“I’m gonna give it my best shot, Shelby, but I’m afraid he’s lost too much blood and those gashes are pumping out what little he has left,” Jesse said softly.
Shelby leaned over his mate and began to lick the wounds across his chest. As a vampire, his saliva had incredible healing properties. Shelby’s heart sank when he realized he couldn’t keep up with them, so he focused all of his attention on one and began there. After a few licks, he pulled back slightly and looked to Jesse. “Please?”
Jesse sat on the other side of Xander and placed one hand on his mate’s head, and the other on Xander’s chest. Jesse closed his eyes and Shelby went back to licking his mate’s wound, hoping his saliva would close it. After Shelby had licked Xander’s chest for what felt like forever, he finally pulled back when the last of the gashes sealed.
He was surprised to find that Raffy, Ryland, Zane, Demetrius, Micah, and a little blue-haired fae surrounded them. They all had their hands on his mate’s body as they chanted. Taylor stood behind Jesse and the little fae guy, his hands on their shoulders, and his eyes were pure white. He turned his head and noticed that the room was full of the rest of the members of the house along with King Dante, Viktor, Nicco, and a dozen or more huge men. He remembered most of them as the fae guards. Some of the others looked scary as hell, but their auras were bright and pure. They stood around the room as if guarding it, their eyes never leaving what was happening on the bed.
Shelby shifted his position without interrupting the others, and began to lick Xander’s neck, trying to close that tear. His eyes filled with tears as he thought about all these people trying everything to save his mate. This was a real family. This was what family did for each other. He wished he could have been a part of this wonderful group of people sooner, but felt blessed that he was now a part of them, and he would be a part of them. When they healed his mate, he wasn’t going to waste any more time. He was going to claim the wolf and make him his.
The aura of the room changed and Shelby pulled back. The gash on Xander's neck was gone as well as all of the other visible cuts and scrapes. Aaron stepped back beside the bed and began to examine Xander. After a few minutes, he pulled back and sighed. “He’s not losing any more blood and his breathing has evened out some, but I still feel broken bones.”
“Will his mate’s blood help?” Viktor asked.
“Yes. Shelby’s blood would help him, but I’m not sure how much at this point.”
“How about my blood?” Dante offered. Shelby’s head snapped in Dante’s direction as his eyes opened wide from his King’s words. It was just not done. A vampire never gave their blood that easily unless it was their mate or child, and as King, it had definitely never been offered. The sting of tears hit Shelby’s eyes again and he looked back to his still-unconscious mate.
“Your blood is probably the strongest above all other vamps,” Aaron answered.
Dante stepped forward and sliced a gash across his wrist wit
h a claw from his other hand. Blood oozed and Dante moved his wrist closer to Xander’s lips. Instantly, Shelby saw red. Only he was supposed to give his mate sustenance.
Shelby’s fangs broke through his gums and he hissed at Dante, warning him to back off from what belonged to him. Dante showed no fear as he looked into Shelby’s red glowing eyes. He gave Shelby a nod and pulled his arm back, licking his wound closed. Shelby sliced his own wrist and stuck it against Xander’s lips. “Drink, mate,” he demanded, but the blood just pooled in Xander’s mouth.
Xavier stepped forward on sat on the other side of the bed. He placed one hand over Xander’s nose, pinching it closed. Then he brought his other hand up and began to massage his fingers down Xander’s throat. Immediately, Xander began to swallow. Shelby looked up and met Xavier’s eyes and gave him a grateful nod.
The two worked together for over ten minutes, giving Xander Shelby’s life-sustaining blood, but Shelby began to get lightheaded and knew he had given his mate too much. A glass of crimson goodness was placed before his face and Shelby looked up to see his friend Nicco standing there holding out the glass. “Drink, Shel. You need to keep up your strength to continue to save your Priyateľ.”
Shelby drew his wrist back and licked the bite closed, then took the offered glass and drank its contents in one swallow. He handed the empty glass back to Nicco and was given a fresh one. “Thank you.”
* * * *
The wait was killing him. He needed Xander to open his eyes and be okay more than he needed blood. It had been three days since the battle they had with the rogues and Shelby only left his mate’s side to use the bathroom. Everyone else came and went, checking on Xander and sitting with Shelby. They made sure Shelby had food and blood to keep up his strength, and helped him to feed Xander his blood.
Xavier had spent the most amount of time with him, regaling him with stories of Xander. He knew his mate was a good man, but having Xavier there to tell him those stories made him feel closer to Xander. When he could no longer keep his eyes open and sleep demanded he comply, he cuddled up at Xander’s side, laying his head on his mate's chest and listening to his heartbeat. The steady rhythm made him feel better and it worked to lull him to sleep. He caressed a finger down Xander's cheek and over his neck where there was still a small, pink scar from the battle.
He couldn’t believe what the others had told him about what happened. Lexi, Christian, and his mate were in wolf form and they were patrolling the lands about five miles out from the pack house when they smelled something rotting. Xander had gone to investigate and was gone for a few minutes when Lexi and Christian heard him growl and then cry out. They raced to his side and found him trying to hold off over a hundred rogue vampires.
They jumped into the fight when suddenly a horde of rogues in the hundreds came out of the woods. They tried to retreat and run for help, but the rogues were too fast. Then they noticed that not all of the rogues were actually rogues. They said there were over a hundred normal vampires also attacking them. The part that pissed Shelby off the most was that Lexi said the non-rogue vamps sounded like they were speaking Russian. He knew then that it had to be his father. They were coming for him and ended up almost killing his mate, Lexi, and Christian.
The other two wolves also had multiple lacerations, as well as broken bones, but they figured his mate got the brunt of the attack because he had faced off against the rogues on his own. They told Shelby that Xander fought harder than they had ever seen him fight before. It was like he was possessed and his vision tunneled on stopping the enemy from going any further.
His mate was fighting to stop them from getting to him. He had no proof of that, and he didn’t even think his mate knew who he really was, but he just knew. Shelby sighed and lay beside his mate, cuddled against his side and listened to him breathe. He was never more grateful to hear someone's breath than he was right now. He only wished his mate would wake up so that he could talk to him, so that he could claim him and make them complete.
“If I knew fighting rogues would get you to cuddle up with me, then I would have done it sooner,” Xander said in a rough whisper.
Without moving, Shelby answered, “How did you know it was me?”
“Because Xavier’s beard tickles my nipples,” Xander answered with a laugh. Shelby growled and jabbed Xander in the ribs. “Ouch, shit.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry, beautiful Shelby. It’s a good feeling.”
“What, me jabbing your injured ribs?”
“No, that part I can do without. I meant your show of jealousy.” Shelby could hear the smile in his voice.
Shelby lifted his head and looked into Xander’s deep brown eyes. “I’m not jealous,” he replied with offense.
Xander moved his arm until it was wrapped around Shelby's shoulders, then gave him a slight squeeze. “Yes, you were, and I liked it.”
Shelby lowered his head back to Xander's broad chest and tightened his hold around his mate's waist. “Yeah, well, nobody better be rubbing anything on you except for me from now on.”
“I promise.”
“Good, because you’re mine and I don’t share.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Xander craned his neck and placed a kiss on the top of Shelby’s head.
Shelby bit his bottom lip, then took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
“For what, sweetheart?”
“For everything. For making you crazy. For running from you. Hurting you. For punishing you for all the past wrongs that have been done to me. Just...everything.”
“We all have a past, Shelby, some of us worse than others, and they are hard enough to deal with, but I just want you to know that you don’t have to do it alone anymore. If you’ll let me, I would love to help you bear the load and face those demons.”
Immediately tears began to well in Shelby’s eyes from Xander’s words. “There is so much you don’t know about me.”
“Then tell me. I’m obviously not going anywhere, and even if I could, I wouldn’t.”
Shelby took another deep breath and slowly released it. Then he opened his mouth and let it all pour out. Everything. Now that he accepted that Xander was his mate and he was a good man, he knew he needed to tell his mate exactly who and what he was. He only hoped the man still wanted him by the time he was done.
He shouldn’t have worried. Xander had only shown him patience since the moment they met. Xander remained quiet and let Shelby talk. He rubbed his back in comfort, gave him a few squeezes, and kissed his head. He could also see and feel the shudders that coursed through Xander at certain moments. When he was done, they both remained quiet for a while. Shelby knew his mate would be shocked by his confessions, but Xander’s silence was beginning to make him worry.
“When I was a cub…” Xander began to talk and didn’t stop until he had told Shelby his entire life story. Shelby was shocked to hear the things his mate had been through when he was younger. I guess we all do have pasts that haunt us. Shelby thought. He cuddled up closer to Xander and kissed his chest. He wanted to kiss the pain and memories away for his mate. It broke his heart to hear how this big, strong man had suffered, but it also made him realize that because of his past, Xander hadn’t tried to control him, and never would. They lay there holding each other, letting their stories sink in.
“So that’s why you’re here? Because we need to protect you from anyone getting their hands on you.”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“You can see people's auras and get an indication of who they are, what type of person they are, but you can also see their life lines and fate lines.”
“Yes, but that wasn’t actually a question.”
Xander chuckled. “No, it wasn’t. My question is, what does my aura tell you?”
“What it’s always told me since the moment I laid eyes on you. That you’re a good man.”
“Oh yeah? You can see auras, too?”
“Nope. I can just tell by how vibrant you are, how even though you have been running from me since day one, you still keep giving me chances. That tells me that you have a good soul and a heart of gold.” Shelby buried his face in Xander’s chest, trying to hide the tears. “Shh. Don’t cry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“Everyone always looks at me as the troublemaker, or the trolopp. The stuck-up stripper who only cares about himself.”
“But you’re none of those things, Shelby. I can see how wonderful you are, how special. Just because you like to dress over-the-top and are outspoken doesn't mean that you’re stuck-up or selfish. Look at Taylor. He’s exactly the same way and no one thinks any of those things about him. I think you just keep more to yourself and are afraid to let others in because on the occasions that you did, someone tried to take advantage of you or hurt you. So I wouldn’t say stuck-up and selfish. I would say guarded, wounded, and after what you just told me, I would say you have good reason to be.”
“Thank you, mate,” Shelby said around the lump in his throat.
“You look tired, sweetheart, and I know I am. How about we take a little nap? And when we wake up, we’ll talk more.”
Shelby closed his eyes and swallowed again. He couldn’t believe he had almost blown his chance with this wonderful man. If it took him the rest of their lives, he would make it up to his mate. Xander wrapped his arms around Shelby and held him as they both drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
Xander woke up with the feeling of pure bliss racing through his body. Warm, wet lips were wrapped around his cock and long fingers massaged his sac. Xander opened his eyes and looked down his body, finding his beautiful mate settled between his legs. It was the most erotic sight. Shelby slowly slid his mouth up and down his rock-hard shaft and Xander could see his cock glistening with Shelby’s saliva. A low, guttural moan escaped from deep in Xander's throat, and beautiful light-brown eyes met his. Shelby gave him a smile, his lips stretching around the cock in his mouth, and then he pulled off.