Once in front of his door, Bryce had to set the mugs on a nearby table to open the door. Closing it back, he anxiously walked to his room. He knew he shouldn’t have left Finn alone, and he was relieved to see the Nix still asleep in his bed, his arms around Bryce’s pillow and his face buried in it. The sheet had slipped down Finn’s body, stopping right above the swell of his ass. It was a damn erotic vision to walk onto, and Bryce cock answered, twitching in interest.
Bryce almost couldn’t believe it. They had made love three times in a bunch of hours—he should be sated right now! But he had seen how things went with the other mated couples in the house, and he knew that they never would have enough of each other now that they had given in. Smiling, he put breakfast down on the nightstand and leaned over Finn to give his mate his wake up call.
* * * *
Finn woke up at the feeling of hot lips running along the skin of his back. It might have startled him if his face hadn’t been buried in Bryce’s pillow, his scent surrounding Finn, letting him know exactly where he was. He did not have a heightened sense of smell like shifters, but his mate’s scent soothed him just like it did for them.
Finn stretched his back, feeling Bryce’s lips smile against it, and that was when reality slammed into him. What happened on the morning after? He didn’t have any kind of experience with that, and he could already feel himself blushing at the thought that he was completely naked under the sheet.
Everything had been easier in the dark, and now he couldn’t help but wonder if Bryce liked what he saw. Finn knew he was still too thin because of the time he had spent with the scientists. He didn’t have muscles, he was short and scrawny, and he had been a virgin until a few hours ago. Thinking about it, he could understand why Bryce had resisted for so long.
“Hey, hey, what are you thinking about, babe? You seemed to enjoy what I was doing until a few seconds ago. What changed? Did I do something wrong?”
The tone of Bryce’s voice and his concern were such a contrast to his bulk. He had been so sweet and understanding last night, and Finn still couldn’t believe he had let him bite him. He didn’t regret it, though, but he knew he needed a little time to get used to it.
“No, you didn’t do anything.” Turning around, Finn clutched the sheet to his chest and tried to hide as much of his body as he could before looking around the room to see if he could find his clothes. Of course, they had to be so far from the bed that he would have to get up to get dressed. Moving the sheet around, he was about to get on his feet when a hand on his bare shoulder stopped him and made him shiver. God, he still wanted the man, so much!
“Come on, tell me what’s wrong, please. I can’t make it better if you don’t tell me what I did wrong.”
Finn sighed. He so didn’t want to tell Bryce what the problem was, but he didn’t want his mate to think Finn’s bad mood was his fault. “You didn’t do anything, in fact, you were perfect.” Finn shrugged. “I just don’t understand what you see in me.”
Bryce’s eyes widened. “Where did that come from? You’re sweet and always there for your friends, you’re understanding but you don’t let anyone walk all over you, you’re sexy and cute, and I can’t seem to stop touching you when you’re near. Don’t sell yourself short, babe.”
Finn wasn’t sure he could believe Bryce, but he didn’t want to fight, not today, so he let it go. “Okay.” Bryce didn’t seem convinced, but Finn noticed the plate on the nightstand and his stomach chose that moment to growl, distracting the cougar. They ate together and Finn though it had been sweet of Bryce to bring him breakfast in bed. He would have never thought the cougar would be one to do things like that. It made him feel...important. He knew that his friends cared for him, but this was a different type of caring, and it made Finn feel warm inside.
Bryce left him with a kiss after telling him he needed to go to work for just a few hours to make sure everything would be all right for the next week or so. Finn decided to look for Jamie, since he knew he shouldn’t be alone. He was still scared that Karun would find him and he was waiting for the man to shimmer in at any second. It would do him good to think about something else.
Finn found Jamie in the library, curled up on one of the leather couches with a book in his hand.
“What are you reading?”
Jamie jumped a bit, making Finn laugh. “Nothing much, just a romance, but since you’re here I’d rather hear about your romance.” Jamie patted at the free space next to him and Finn sat down, his eyes on his hands and his legs curled under him. “So, are you going to tell me what happened? I saw how Bryce was holding your hand yesterday, and he said you slept in his room.”
Finn nodded. “We talked yesterday and I decided to give him one last chance.”
“Yeah, I talked with Keenan and he told me Bryce talked with him too. He told him that he had finally decided to be with you. I’m glad, because I know that Keenan has started seeing someone else.”
Finn hadn’t known that, but it wasn’t like he was friends with Keenan, not that he blamed the guy. He could only imagine how hard it must have been for him breaking up with Bryce because he had found his mate then having Bryce pursuing him for months and knowing there was no way they could get back together. Finn was actually happy that Keenan had moved on, both because from what he knew the guy deserved it, and because he still looked at him as a threat for his budding relationship with Bryce, even if he shouldn’t. Settling deeper in the couch, Finn sighed, thinking that he shouldn’t be so negative. It wasn’t that Keenan was better than him, they were just different. The man was so outgoing and friendly with everyone, while Finn was painfully shy and rarely talked to someone he didn’t know. He knew it came from the way he had been treated by the clan, and as much as he wished he was different, he wasn’t sure he could be.
“What’s that? He claimed you? You’re mated?” Finn felt the collar of his shirt move to the side as Jamie slid his fingers in it to see better. He blushed even if he had nothing to be ashamed of, but he knew Jamie would worry for him. “Isn’t it too soon? You made up only yesterday.”
“We’re not mated yet. He drank my blood, but I didn’t have his, so the bond is only half complete.”
“Huh. I didn’t know it was possible. What does it mean?”
“It means that he has dedicated himself to me. He mated me, but I haven’t mated him yet.”
“I guess it makes sense. He didn’t force you, right?”
Finn’s eyes snapped up. He knew Jamie was only worried for his friends, but he had known Bryce longer than him. How could he think the cougar could do something like that? “No! I asked him to claim me!”
“Okay, okay, I just wanted to be sure you were fine.” Jamie squeezed Finn’s knee. “So, if you were the one to ask, why didn’t you claim him too?”
Finn didn’t really have an answer for that. Why haven’t I claimed him? “I’m not sure. I guess I want to get used to this new life first.”
“Or maybe you’re still scared that he could run away, and you needed to know he wouldn’t. Since he bit you, that means he has completely accepted you as his mate, right? Maybe you just needed to be reassured.”
Finn shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time, it just felt right.”
“Are you going to claim him?” Jamie asked hesitantly.
Finn thought about it. He wanted to claim the man, but what was stopping it from doing it? Was it the fact that he was still scared that Bryce would leave him, or was it more the fact that he wasn’t sure he was worth it? He had always been treated like crap, told that he wasn’t worth being treated better because he was only half fae. It had been ingrained in him that he never was enough and that he didn’t deserve more. Could he really believe they were wrong? He didn’t have any easy answer right now, as much as he wanted to. Jamie seemed to understand that because he changed subject.
“Sooo...did you two sleep together?”
* * * *
<
br /> “So, what do we do? How do we protect Finn?”
Dominic sighed, his hand rising as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “There’s nothing we can do, unfortunately. We can’t attack the clan when they didn’t do anything.”
“They hurt Finn! They have been hitting him and god knows what else for years! How is that not doing anything?” Bryce was so angry. He needed to protect his mate, but he didn’t know how.
“From what Finn told me, only the clan leader and the second actually hurt him physically. We can’t attack the entire clan for that.”
“What about the scientists? His leader sold Finn to them, and he might not have been the only one. Are you going to let them get away with it?”
“We can’t attack the clan, and that’s final, Bryce. It would be like what the wolves did to us. Besides, only Finn knows where the clan lives exactly, and I don’t want to risk him.”
“I know that. I don’t want to either, but I also know that not helping those people is eating him alive with guilt.”
“I could shimmer you in and come back here immediately.”
Bryce jumped. He had been so engrossed in his conversation with Dominic that he hadn’t heard his mate entering the room.
“How many people can you shimmer with at the same time?” Dominic asked.
Bryce didn’t like it. There was no way Finn was doing this.
“Two for now, but the number will increase as I age. Anyway, I could leave you there and come back to get you after an hour or less.”
“No! You can’t go back. You know they would hurt you if they found you!” Bryce said, his voice rising. He knew he shouldn’t talk to Finn like this. His mate was more than able to decide what he wanted to do on his own, but Bryce couldn’t stand even the possibility of losing him after he had just found him. They had lost so much time. He couldn’t risk losing Finn, he just couldn’t.
“I’ll be in and out in a matter of seconds. Besides, if they know where the mansion is, they could just come here and take me if they want to. I don’t think that’s any different from going there for a minute or two.” Bryce could see that it was important for Finn, but he couldn’t let him do it. Call him a controlling and selfish bastard, but there was no way his precious mate was going back where he had been tortured and sold.
Bryce turned to Dominic, practically begging the man with his eyes. The Alpha had to say no, and Finn would have to listen to him, since he was now a member of the pride.
“Let me think about it, okay? I know you want to help whoever might have been sold, but I won’t risk your safety. I’m sorry to say this, but if I have to choose between the safety of a family member and the safety of a stranger, I’d choose you. I’ll see what I can do, but I’d like to talk to you about the Nix. Can you tell me more about your kind? I knew you existed, but that’s about it.” Dominic gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk and Finn started to sit down in it, but Bryce grabbed the smaller man and settled him on his lap. He enjoyed seeing the pink color on his mate’s cheeks, and Finn didn’t try to fight him and to go sit elsewhere. It gave Bryce’s cougar a measure of peace to know their mate was right there.
“There’s not much to say. We usually live in clans, but some of us enjoy living on their own. It’s difficult to blend with the humans like you do because of our ears, but some manage to do it. We need to live near water, though, but if there is none we can do with a full bath tub, even if it’s not perfect.”
“What does the water do for you?” Bryce was curious. He had known about the need for water, and he had planned to do something about it. He thought about the surprise he had for Finn. He had asked permission from Dominic and it had been granted, but it would take at least a week to finish it. Still, he wanted to show it to Finn as soon as they got out of the office.
“We need it to survive. It’s like for Krsniks, they have to consume both blood and food to survive. We have to both eat and be near water. It helps us to heal faster, it calms us and helps us focus. It’s better if it’s a natural pond or river, but a pool or even a bucket can do if we don’t have alternatives.”
“Do I even want to know what Krsniks are?”
Finn smiled. “I would have thought you already knew them since they share shape shifting with shifters.” Bryce looked at Dominic to see if he knew more about Krsniks, whatever they were.
“They’re both shifters and vampires. I’ve never met one, but I know they are nearly extinct.” Dominic looked at Finn. “Am I right?”
The Nix nodded. “Yes. I don’t know much about them either. Anyway, Nix are usually removed from civilization. That’s why we live in the mountains. We grow our own food, we have no electricity and things like that. That’s about all.”
“Do you have other powers other than shimmering and healing?” Bryce asked.
“Only if you consider being gifted in music a power. We can play about any instrument after hearing and watching it once.”
“That’s nice, but I don’t think it’s a power, babe.” It wouldn’t stop Bryce from buying his mate a violin and a guitar, maybe a piano too. He might have to put the last one in the common living room, though. They didn’t have that much room in their suite’s living room.
“So there’s no organization, like a council or something like that?” Dominic brought Bryce back from the fantasy in which Finn was leaning on the piano with Bryce’s cock deep inside him. He filed it for later and concentrated on the conversation.
“No. Each clan leader has his own laws.”
The lion nodded. “I’ll let you know, Finn.”
The conversation was clearly over and they were being dismissed. Bryce put Finn back on his feet and took his hand. “I want to show you something. I wanted to wait, but I think you might like something to cheer you up.”
The Nix followed him outside. “What is it?”
“It’s a surprise. I hope you’ll like it.” Bryce decided to go up to their room first, where they both grabbed a heavy coat. It was softly snowing outside, and the sky was already turning dark. The world around them was muffled and silent. It felt as if they were alone in the woods, even if the mansion was only a few feet away.
Bryce started walking between the bushes. He would have to build a path, but he wanted to finish his surprise first. Finn could just shimmer to it in the beginning.
It took only a few minutes of walking in the snow before they reached the small clearing Bryce had chosen. Stopping, he slid behind Finn and raised his hands, covering his mate’s eyes. “This is what I was doing this afternoon. I had the help of several pride members, and it’s not finished yet, but I hope you like it.” He had asked Ward to come here and light candles before his meeting with Dominic, and as they slowly made their way to the border of the clearing, Bryce could see his friend had indeed come.
Ward had even gone a little overboard, and the clearing was illuminated by what seemed to be a million candles, the soft buttery light reflecting on the white snow. “Are you ready?”
Finn nodded and Bryce slowly moved his hands, slipping his arms around Finn’s waist. He looked up and tried to see what Finn was seeing instead of the project he had in his head. The clearing wasn’t big, but they had started digging what would become Finn’s private pond. Once the spring came, Bryce planned to plant flowers and bushes and add fish to the water, but until then he would have to limit himself to filling the hole in the ground with water. Maybe he could add a bench or two, too, and some lamps. “I know right now it’s just a hole in the ground, but this will become your pond. It’s going to be completely dug and filled with water by next week, but you’ll have to wait for the rest.”
Finn didn’t say anything but Bryce felt the hold his mate had on his arm tighten. He didn’t know if it was a good reaction or not, and when his mate stayed silent, Bryce worried he had made a mistake. Finn had said the water source should be natural and this one wouldn’t be, but there wasn’t any around the mansion, and Br
yce had thought this would be better than a bath tub.
“If you don’t like it...” He didn’t know what he would do if his mate didn’t like it. Maybe close the hole?
Finn turned around in his arms, surprising him. He just had the time to slip his hands under Finn’s ass as the Nix jumped up, his hands locking on Bryce’s nape and his legs winding around his waist. Finn slammed their lips together, and Bryce let himself get lost in the kiss. He had never seen his mate this aggressive, except maybe when he had first kissed him, and he liked it. Tightening his arms, Bryce brought his man closer to his body as much as he could with the heavy coats on.
When the kiss ended, Finn leaned his forehead on Bryce’s, both of them breathing hard. “I love it. No one has ever done something like that for me. Thank you.”
“It’s okay if it’s not natural?”
“It’s perfect.”
They didn’t stay long since it was so cold, but Finn kept a beautiful smile on his lips for the whole evening.
Chapter Five
Finn was getting used to his new life. A little over two weeks had passed since he had left his clan for the last time, and he loved living in the mansion. He had gotten used to being in the house, and the members of the pride had gotten used to seeing him around even more than before. They had celebrated Christmas and the New Year all together, like a big family, and it had been magical.
By now everyone knew that he was with Bryce, even if they still hadn’t completed their mating, and Finn wanted to rectify that. He had wanted to do it right after Bryce had shown him his pond, but something had stopped him still. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it had dissolved more and more as the days passed, and now it was gone. It had been hard to really trust his mate, but Finn had watched him in those two weeks. He had watched as Bryce talked and laughed with Keenan, he had even been jealous, but he had seen that the two were only friends. He didn’t want to ask that Bryce stay away from Keenan. Finn knew that while the cougar had a lot of friends, only a few were really close to him, and Keenan was one of them.
Finn Page 7
