by A. E. Via
Justice backed away from Erman and went back to stand next to Wick. His mate twisted his hand into the thick hair around Justice’s neck, massaging the muscles there. He would wait until the vampire healed before he forced his submission. Justice would always be fair, he knew no other way to be. There’d be no honor in beating a one-armed opponent. Erman’s yells of pain while he popped his wrist back into place only gave him a mild amount of gratification. Justice wouldn’t be completely satisfied until the jealous piece of shit was gone.
Alek was still snarling as he came over and brushed his big body against Justice’s, then stood at his left side. Wick would now and forever be to his immediate right. Mikel’s wolf was more composed than Alek’s, but his slightly curled lip and wrinkled snout communicated his aggression well.
“Thank you both for coming and standing with my mate.”
Alek: “I’m where I’m supposed to be.” He barked into their link, “And if you ever accept another challenge and try to fight without me there… I’ll fight you myself.”
Justice didn’t blink at the idle threat. His brother loved him and cared for his safety. Aleksei took his role as first beta seriously, but he took his role as Justice’s brother to a whole other dimension of serious.
“Your and your mate’s safety are critical to all our survival, Alpha,” Mikel told him.
What had Justice been thinking? Fighting could get dirty, and without Justice’s pack there to make sure the challenge stayed clean, he’d left himself and his mate exposed. Had he wanted Erman away from his mate that badly that he was willing to fight and leave his mate unprotected? That was irresponsible and unbefitting an alpha.
“Stop. You know I can protect myself.” Wick dug deeper into Justice’s scruff. “Keep your mind on combat, nothing else.”
Erman was back on his feet, flipping his rapidly healing hand back and forth, testing its ability.
“Last chance. Leave now,” Wick spoke Justice’s words for him “My Justice is reasonable and merciful, you should take advantage of his last act of kindness while you still can. He’s being compassionate… I will not.”
Erman squatted down next to a small leather case beside his other belongings and flicked open the lid. He turned to Justice, looking superior, as if he had an extraordinary weapon that he knew would take him out. Justice barked and growled, urging the vampire to bring it on. Erman jumped from his kneeling position and crouched into a unique fighting stance, wielding a titanium pair of claws of death. Justice would’ve laughed if his wolf was capable of it. Did he really think a pair of fake metal claws was enough to defeat him?
“No weapons in a challenge!” Ramon scolded angrily, looking at Wick to immediately disqualify the captain and order him beheaded.
“I’ll allow it,” Wick said easily, repeating Justice’s words.
Wick sent him a visual of Justice ripping open Erman’s throat with the vampire’s own damn weapon. It did have a sadistic irony.
The first thing Justice’s father taught him about fighting was that the greatest defense was a greater offense. As much as he wanted to tear through the vampire, he let him leap first and come to him.
It wasn’t easy to watch another lunge and try to kill his Beloved while he stood idly by, but he knew the rules of a challenge and what it meant to break them. Wick couldn’t legally intervene, otherwise he’d have already severed the former captain’s head… without having to shift to his beast.
Wick stood in awe of Justice’s fighting abilities. He wasn’t engaging Erman at all, instead letting him swipe repeatedly at him. Justice easily spun out of reach each time until Erman got exceptionally close to Justice’s face and Justice gave him a hard head-butt to his ribs, sending his body flying across the cobblestone driveway. Wick’s heart pounded in his chest, he wanted this to be over.
Justice leapt into the air – no longer on defense – covering the distance easily and landing on top of Erman. The vampire’s body jerked like he’d been hit with a defibrillator. Justice clamped his huge mouth over the vampire’s throat and shook him roughly, dragging his body across the coarse stones. The action was vicious but not lethal. Justice was giving him another chance to submit, but Erman steadily tried to buck Justice off, clawing at his sides with those ridiculous metal weapons.
Wick was careful to keep his feelings shielded so he wasn’t a distraction to his mate. But his frustration at being forced to stand by had to be evident, no matter how he tried to hide it.
If Justice sensed anything in Wick, he didn’t acknowledge it and instead stayed in the battle. The apprehension and frustration was clear in his mate’s body language. Justice didn’t want to kill.
A blood-curdling scream rent the atmosphere when Justice clamped down harder on Erman’s throat. Wick heard Alek’s wolf growl next to him, maybe giving his big brother some encouragement. He couldn’t tell what, if anything, Alek was saying to Justice, but he could feel Alek’s presence in his mate’s head. An unbreakable sibling bond. Wick was thankful he was there.
As if he felt Wick’s appreciation, Alek’s big animal eased in closer to him, just shy of touching him. It was a display of Alek’s full support of his brother’s mating. So much that he’d protect his brother’s mate with his own life.
Dark red blood ran down the sides of Erman’s throat where Justice’s canines dug in just deep enough to inflict unbearable pain but not enough to kill. The vampire’s body went completely limp, his fake claws laying out to the sides. Justice had sustained a few scratches and pokes while he forced Erman’s submission, but they’d healed too rapidly to ever allow Erman to gain the upper hand.
Justice’s big wolf stood over Erman and howled his victory high into the mountains. He snarled and barked close to the vampire’s bloody throat before he finally backed away, never taking his eyes off his enemy. Blood flowed from Erman’s neck while he lay there defeated. Wick stepped forward and addressed the nearby vampires.
“Lord Protector.”
“Si.”
Ramon stood waiting dutifully. Wick looked down at the ex-captain’s pitiful form then back at his few remaining court officers. He wouldn’t mind them torturing the disloyal vampire for a while, but he wanted them back safely, daybreak was in a couple hours.
“Accompany him to the state line as your Alpha instructed. Then…” Justice had given his instructions as the alpha… Wick had his own as the king. “When you cross it. Take his head off.”
“He challenged my King’s Beloved. It would be an honor, my Lord,” Ramon answered with determination, the other vampires immediately stepping forward and surrounding Erman.
Justice’s dark nose and white muzzle were covered with blood. So was his lower left side. Wick could feel he wasn’t injured, but the way Justice stalked around made Wick wonder what was happening. Why was Justice not back at his side? He watched in confusion while Justice’s aggression and wildness continued to permeate the air.
“He’s warring with his victory.”
Wick started at the sound of Alek’s raspy voice. He’d been so busy watching his mate, he hadn’t noticed Justice’s huge brother silently shift and stand tall beside him. “He won.”
“Of course, he did. Justice can’t lose and he knows this, it’s why he hates fighting… he doesn’t think it’s fair to his opponent. Righteousness is at the core of his alpha spirit… not only protection.”
“I’m proud of him,” Wick whispered.
“He’s proud, too. He protected his mate. He may even be distressed by the fact he had to kill one of your kind.”
“He was a traitor. Nothing more,” Wick hissed and Alek closed his mouth. Wick appreciated the respect. He turned back to Justice to see his naked, filthy body angling towards him, looking deadly and desirable at the same damn time. Wick wasn’t sure whether to stand his ground or run.
“He’s coming to claim what’s his. He’s the victor… now he’ll take his prize,” Alek said, stepping further away from Wick the closer Justice got. His
head was angled down and his arms were slightly bowed-out from his sides, the veins and muscles protruding with each step he took. Justice’s dark, wavy hair was slicked back, the ends curling around his earlobes. It amazed Wick how Justice could look at him so sweetly one moment and then like this another. Like Wick was a spoil of war.
“Try to get him into the house, or he’ll take you right here on the lawn,” Alek warned.
Wick didn’t necessarily hate the sound of that. But he preferred privacy. Shifters might rejoice in the freedom of nakedness and find beauty in all-natural acts… especially sex; however, Wick wasn’t an exhibitionist. He thought of taking off and letting Justice chase him, but the way his mate looked at him – like you-better-fucking-not – made that thought flee quickly. Wick slowly took a backwards step towards the wide-open doors. When Wick did it again, Justice growled menacingly.
“Take me to bed, Justice.” Wick kept moving towards the house, his steps cautious.
“MINE!” Justice roared through their link. “When I get my hands on you, that’s—”
Wick didn’t let Justice finish that thought. Using his flash speed, Wick was in the house and up the long winding stairs in front of his suite’s doors in a couple seconds. He heard Justice’s measured footsteps enter the house. As soon as he crossed the threshold, Wick could smell his fire, feel his mate’s amazing energy consume the entire cabin. My heavens. If Wick had harbored any doubt of his mate’s power, he didn’t anymore.
Justice climbed the stairs one at time, never taking his eyes off Wick. There was blood smeared along both sides of his ribcage, and fading pink marks. His face was so covered in grime and gore he looked straight out of a slasher movie. Wick needed to get them in the shower first. Flashing to the bathroom, Wick turned on the hot tap and a smidge of cold then pressed his chest flat against the rapidly heating tiles while he waited.
By the time Justice pulled the sliding door back and stepped inside, Wick was breathing frantically. He couldn’t contain his excitement another moment. His dick was solid and shoved flat against the unforgiving surface, pulsing and leaking along with the steaming water. He thought his mate was going to press into him ruthlessly against the wall, growling obscenities in his ear while he thrashed his body, claiming him in the most barbaric, animalistic way. And Wick craved it so damn bad. But that’s not what happened.
Justice buried his face against the side of Wick’s neck while he affectionately ran his hands all over his back and torso. He heard Justice nonsensically murmuring “mine” over and over as he bathed Wick’s body with his tongue, his hands, and his love. When Wick was turned around, he saw so much emotion in Justice’s striking blue eyes, he had to pause to kiss them both and lick at his wet, salty lashes. Honesty, devotion, passion. They were all there, discernibly open and ready to be given. Wick kissed Justice until he took it over, thrusting his tongue deep inside Wick’s mouth. He surrendered willingly, his lips parted, his breathing choppy and shallow. Wick could still feel the energy pulsing around them, he wanted to calm his mate then make love to him like he needed.
Wick bathed away every speck of dirt and blood, washing Justice’s thick head of hair twice before stepping out of the steaming stall. Neither of them bothered with a towel as Wick let Justice lead him to the bed. Their sexing was slow, tender, harmonized. Wick whispered in Justice’s ear how proud he was to be his mate. How protected Justice made him feel today. And he didn’t just tell him what he thought an alpha wanted to hear. He told his mate the truth and he was sure Justice could sense it. Could feel Wick’s genuine love for him. It was in Justice’s touch, his kiss, in the ardent way he sank his teeth into the flushed skin over Wick’s throat and lovingly claimed him all over again.
Justice stretched his long body along the expensive sheets. He never cared about material things, didn’t have a need for two billion thread count sheets. However, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so well. He felt amazing, even warmer than usual. He looked down at his mate, resting peacefully nestled in his armpit. Wick had immediately taking a liking to the confined space while he slept. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the beautiful creature in his arms. He gently ran the pad of his thumb down Wick’s brow to his high cheekbone. There were no lines, wrinkles or blemishes on his smooth, porcelain face.
“Comes from using Oil of Olay for a hundred and seventy years.”
Justice smiled even wider. Damn, Wick sounded sinful when he first woke. He wanted to roll back on top of him and… Wait a minute. Justice frowned when he thought about what Wick just said. “Whoa… really?”
Wick laughed at him and Justice felt like a fool. He’d been so wrapped up in warmth, his brain was barely functioning. “I see you’ve suddenly developed an annoying sense of humor,” Justice grumbled, reaching under the covers and pinching Wick’s ass. “Did they even have lotion when you were born?”
Now it was Wick’s turn to scowl. Justice laughed right back at him, kissing the creases that’d formed in his forehead. “Aww. Teasing is fair play, baby. Don’t dish it if you can’t take it. Especially with my brother, Mac. He’ll make you wanna crawl under a table from embarrassment.”
“We’ll see about that,” Wick hissed, getting up from bed, walking that sexy, smooth ass towards their bathroom. Even with bed head and a grumpy attitude, his mate was the light in his soul.
“Hey, get back in bed,” Justice complained. He could hear the water running in the vanity sink. Why was Wick up so soon when they’d just laid down? He turned and looked at the time on Wick’s cell phone – Justice hadn’t even bothered locating his. Justice’s eyes bulged. It was almost six in the evening. “What the hell?!”
Wick peeped his head out the door. “Everything okay?”
Justice’s head was in his hands. He’d slept through the entire day without even realizing it. Those freaking black-out curtains made it so damn dark. “I can’t believe we slept…” Justice rapidly did the math. “Eleven hours!”
Wick finished brushing his teeth and came out to the bedroom walking towards his closet. “You had a very long night. By the time I had you settled after the challenge, it was almost daybreak. I was exhausted, too. It felt like I fought right alongside you.”
“You did,” Justice whispered softly, but he knew Wick heard it in the closet.
He came out with a dark suit that looked to have been recently pressed. “I have meetings all evening. I have to speak with the Royal Court and my father today. I need the rest of my escort to come back since it looks like I’ll be permanently relocating. I’ll have my staff officially notify all covens across the world that the King has mated with his Beloved. There’s so much to do, Justice. I would love nothing more than to stay close to you all night, but duty calls, and I’m sure it does for you too.” Wick kept dressing while he spoke.
“I know,” Justice sighed, flopping back down in the bed. Duty was calling. His brother Alek was more than capable of handling Justice’s responsibilities while he took time to get to know Wick, but he couldn’t put off speaking with the rogue shifters any longer. “Why the fancy clothes?”
“My father won’t even look at me – neither will the holders of the Court – if I’m in a t-shirt and ripped denims,” Wick confessed, hooking his rare-looking gold cufflinks.
Justice got up, he couldn’t sit there and watch any longer. He took Wick in his arms while he closed the left sleeve. “What is this?”
“It’s my family’s crest.”
Justice ran his finger over the precious metal. He couldn’t make out all the details of the Bentley crest on the small link but he’d be sure to inquire more about it later. He had many questions about Wick’s history, his life, experiences, his family. Justice kissed Wick’s neck. He had time.
“You didn’t feed before you went to sleep,” Justice stated casually. He went and sat down on the couch in the sitting area, spreading his legs and reclining until his head rested on the back of the microfiber cushions. “Come here.”
&n
bsp; Wick tossed his black suit jacket over the back of the chair and sidled up close to Justice. “You always smell so delicious. I try hard not to attack you at my whims.”
Justice let Wick crowd into his throat, his heartrate skyrocketing like it did every time he got ready to provide his mate with nourishment. It was an act that touched the deepest place inside of him. Wick hummed softly, then bit down with care and accuracy. Like always, Justice’s dick went from half hard to able to come in seconds. He was so fuckin’ turned on by Wick’s sucking and pulling, he was dizzy. “I’ll never tire of this… I promise you.” Justice never, ever, made a promise he couldn’t keep.
“I love you.”
“I love you back.”
Wick pulled back and licked Justice’s neck until the bite marks faded to a soft pink. Then without a second thought, Wick thrust his head into Justice’s lap and took his solid erection in his mouth, letting Justice release all the built-up need from his balls. With his hand firmly tangled in Wick’s hair, he came so hard his hips rose on their own, making sure his mate had every inch of him and swallowed every drop.
When Wick and Justice came downstairs and into the kitchen, Henry was already there drinking his first meal out of a black coffee mug, with a laptop plugged in right beside him, logged on to YouTube. He stood up straighter when they entered. “Evening, my Lords. I trust you rested well.”
Justice grabbed a banana out of the new fruit bowl Henry had added to the island, and a bottle of water out the refrigerator, grumbling under his breath. “Goodness. If someone calls me Lord one more time, I’m going to fall down on my knees and beg the actual Lord above to please forgive me for taking his place.”
Henry cast his eyes down. “I apologize, Justice. It won’t happen again.”
Wick glared up at Justice from whatever he’d been reading on his cell phone. “I’ve asked you not to mock our culture. This interspecies mingling is going to take some getting used to, by all of us. Our ways of life are different, but we’ll peacefully coexist if we’re courteous to one another. Henry was being his most respectful. He’s also sitting here watching this absolutely ridiculous application online so he can make you… ” Wick leaned over and peered at the laptop screen, scoffing. “Because it sure as bloody hell isn’t for us… a rack of lamb with mint jelly.”
