Losing Control

by Lynn Hagen

  Caleb blinked at him. Raven wasn’t a small guy, but Caleb was still surprised he could eat so much. “Where do you put all that?”

  The waitress took their menus and headed away.

  “I work out a lot,” Raven said before sipping his coffee. “If you think that’s a lot, you should see what I eat for dinner.”

  Caleb sucked some of his juice through his straw, then pushed his glass aside. “Okay, so start from the beginning and tell me why Jacob was killed.”

  Chapter Two

  Caleb hadn’t been the only one following him. Raven had spotted a black SUV at the cemetery, and it had kept a few cars behind Raven for most of the day—unlike Caleb who sucked at stalking someone, because he’d damn near tailgated Raven the entire time.

  As he thought of the best way to tell Caleb everything, Raven continued to scan the small diner for anyone paying him attention, and looking out the window for the SUV.

  “Are you gonna leave me hanging?” Caleb’s soft voice pulled Raven’s attention back to his mate.

  And that shit was still blowing his mind. He’d been ready to bury Caleb for tailing him until Caleb had gotten close to him at Krave and his scent had slammed Raven in the gut. His mate smelled like fresh-baked bread. Raven didn’t know why and he honestly didn’t care. He just knew he’d finally found his mate and…fuck. Couldn’t the circumstances have been better? Caleb had just attended a funeral.

  Even so, Raven had to force his cougar not to react, not to give anything away just in case the Hunters were watching them.

  The Hunters’ leader, Aleksei Kovachi, already had the Knights under surveillance, and Raven had been cautious about the moves he’d made. But now he wasn’t only looking out for himself. Caleb had no idea of the dangers he’d just stepped into, but Raven couldn’t do anything about that. The human was his, and he wasn’t letting Caleb go.

  Raven threw an arm over the back of the booth and slouched, planting his feet apart. “I don’t want to make a scene.”

  Caleb’s black brows dipped. “I promise not to flip out. Just tell me what happened.”

  Raven gave his mate a tight smile when the waitress brought their food. He’d had fun running Caleb all over the city but hadn’t stopped to eat. And because his mate had kept up with him, he knew Caleb hadn’t eaten, either.

  “I still don’t know where you’re gonna put all that,” Caleb said when Raven’s food was spread out in front of him.

  Shifters didn’t have to worry about clogged arteries, high blood pressure, or anything else that afflicted humans. Besides, Raven went on regular runs, so he kept in shape.

  Still, he’d heard rumors of some bunny shifter who’d gotten cancer, and from what his friend Devil had told him, some human mate had gotten the sniffles over the winter—which was puzzling since humans didn’t get sick after they were mated to a preternatural. Raven had no idea what was going on, but he still wasn’t worried about his health.

  At least, not enough to pass up on all this food.

  “I told you,” he said as he mixed his hash browns and eggs together, then squeezed ketchup over the mess. “I work out.”

  Caleb shook his head before he sliced his fork into his pancakes. “You’d have to roll me through a door if I ate that much all the time.” He blushed and shoved a forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

  Raven looked him over. Caleb wasn’t as skinny as the humans mated to the other Knights. He wasn’t that overweight, either. He had small love handles and was a bit on the husky side.

  That didn’t matter. Raven didn’t care how much Caleb weighed. He was Raven’s one shot at happiness, and Raven was pleased with the person fate had given him. Caleb had a cute button nose and expressive blue eyes—though one looked a tad crossed. His skin was fair, and he had the thickest lashes Raven had ever seen. They looked like dark fans spread across his eyelids.

  “You don’t starve yourself, do you?” Raven gnashed his teeth at the thought. He didn’t want a mate who went on countless diets, starving himself just to be skinny. Raven didn’t want skinny. He just wanted Caleb to be happy.

  Caleb snorted as he poked a finger into his side. “Do I look like I starve myself?”

  The side of Raven’s mouth curled upward as Caleb took another bite of his food. “You look downright fuckable to me.”

  Caleb pounded his chest as he began to choke. Raven shot from his seat and slapped his mate’s back.

  “I’m fine.” Caleb held up a hand. “Don’t say shit like that when I have a mouthful.”

  The waitress looked their way with a worried expression.

  “He’s okay,” Raven told her before sitting back down and looking Caleb over. “Sorry, I was just being honest with you.”

  Caleb waved his fork at Raven. “Forget that. I’m still waiting on you to explain things to me.”

  Raven had been trying to take Caleb’s mind off the subject. Although he’d been the one to suggest they come to the diner, this wasn’t a place he wanted to discuss preternatural business.

  “You may not like what I have to tell you.” Raven picked up his spoon and demolished the bowl of grits. Damn they were good. “You may not believe what I tell you.”

  To explain what Hunters were, Raven had to tell Caleb about preternatural beings. Though only three other customers were in the diner, he didn’t want to take the chance that his mate would freak out or that any of the strangers could be a Hunter.

  “You’re stalling,” Caleb said before biting into a strip of his bacon.

  “Fine.” Raven set down his spoon. He leaned forward, placing his arms on the table, and when he spoke, he made sure his voice was just above a whisper. “What if I told you that humans weren’t alone?”

  Caleb’s brows creased. “Are you talking about shifters?”

  Raven jerked back but still kept his voice low. “How the fuck do you know about my world?”

  “Your world?” It was Caleb’s turn to appear shocked. “I didn’t know you were one of them,” he said even lower. “Jacob worked for Saul Capezio. He’s a lawyer who dealt with nonhumans. He swore Jacob to secrecy after he overheard one of Mr. Capezio’s conversations.”

  Raven grinned. “If he was sworn to secrecy, then why did he tell you?”

  “Duh,” Caleb said. “He’s my brother.” His features pinched as he looked away. “Or he was my brother.”

  Goddamn. Raven wanted to pull his mate over the table and comfort him. He looked so fucking lost. “I’m really sorry about Jacob.”

  Caleb wiped at his eyes. “Thanks.”

  “There’s an organization hell-bent on wiping my kind from the planet.” Raven looked around before turning his attention back to Caleb. “They’re called Hunters. We suspect one of them is responsible for planting the bomb that blew the lawyer’s car up.”

  Raven couldn’t bring himself to say “blew your brother up.” Caleb already looked like he was barely holding back the tears brimming in his eyes. His Adam’s apple repeatedly bobbed as his gaze bounced from the table to the wall, then back to the table.

  “They usually don’t fuck with humans, though,” Raven said. Which wasn’t wholly true. A Hunter had beaten Nyx’s mate, Henry, in a tavern bathroom. And the Hunters kept kidnapping or trying to kidnap mates to get to the Knights.

  Caleb rested his hands on the table, his fingers flexing as his nostrils flared. “So Jacob was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Raven took a sip of his coffee. “It’s fucked-up. I know. And I wish there was a way to reverse time and save him from whoever tried to kill Saul.”

  Caleb shoved his plate aside. “I need to go.”

  Raven knew all too well about the need to try to outrun his problems. He’d been there too many times, had suffered devastating loses, and, at times, completely shut down. But he didn’t want Caleb shutting him out. Raven wanted to be there for his mate.

  “There’s one more thing I didn’t explain to you.” Raven stood and pul
led out his wallet, extracting enough money to cover their check, and tossed the bills on the table. “But this I gotta tell you outside.”

  With a curious look, Caleb nodded. “Okay.”

  He just hoped Caleb stayed this calm when Raven told him they were mates.

  “Oh shit.” Caleb gave his back to the car that had just pulled into a slotted spot a few spaces down from his. Of all the places Chad could have gone, he had to come to this diner.

  Talk about shitty luck. They’d been over for like a month, but Chad refused to let things go. He’d found excuses to show up at Caleb’s job, and Caleb was convinced the guy was stalking him because he’d spotted his ex-boyfriend not only at the grocery store, but the bank, the barbershop, and at the coffeehouse that was a block away from the apartment building they used to live in.

  Well, Caleb still lived there. Chad hadn’t technically moved in, but he’d been there so often that Caleb’s neighbors thought he had—so often that Jacob had bitched and moaned about Chad being there all the time.

  “What’s wrong?” Raven frowned as he looked at the blue Prius. Caleb couldn’t understand why Raven looked downright lethal. They’d just met. He shouldn’t be wearing an expression that said he’d kill Chad if there was a problem.

  “Nothing if I get out of here now.” Caleb didn’t want to blow Raven off after he’d bought him something to eat. Oddly enough, Caleb wanted to spend the rest of the evening talking with him. He was fascinated with Raven—and not just with his looks.

  But facing Chad made Caleb feel queasy. He stabbed his fob violently, but his car wasn’t unlocking fast enough. He grabbed the door handle, and cursed when his arm jerked back but the door didn’t open.

  “Caleb!”

  Fuck.

  “Funny us running into each other.” Caleb turned to see Chad heading his way. He had his baseball cap on backward, and for most guys, that was a sexy look. Not for Chad, though. He looked like a straight-up dork. His glasses were too thick and his nose too wide to pull the look off.

  Raven moved closer to Caleb, slightly blocking his view of Chad.

  “Hey…Chad,” Caleb said slowly, wearing the fakest smile ever. “How’s it hanging?”

  Chad’s steps faltered as he looked Raven up and down. “I, uh, I’ve been doing good. Mom says hi.”

  He’d introduced Caleb to his parents on their first date. In fact, their first date had been at Chad’s parents’ house. That should have been a sign to break up with him. Who did that kind of shit? Weren’t parent meet-and-greets done months after meeting a guy, if ever?

  Jacob had teased Caleb for a while after that night. He thought the horrendous date funny, but soon afterward he warned Caleb that Chad wasn’t his type and he needed drop the loser. But stupid him had tried his best to make things work, and had dated Chad for three months before finally cutting his loses.

  While Caleb was dating the jerk, Chad had tried to change everything about him. Caleb hadn’t dressed geeky enough, his hair was all wrong, his laugh too loud, his body too pudgy, and Chad would have preferred Caleb stay mute while having sex with him.

  Chad was six feet tall and all limbs. He’d tried to put Caleb on countless diets, but Caleb liked how he looked, and they’d fought constantly about his love for steaks and burgers. Caleb looked the bomb. If no one else thought so, oh well.

  Caleb might not get a lot of dates, but he wasn’t changing jack shit about himself. Especially when Jacob had loved him just the way he was.

  And Raven had said Caleb was fuckable. How often had he heard that? The answer would be never. Even if Raven had used that word just to have sex with him, pfft, Caleb wasn’t turning that chance down.

  “Well, I was just heading out.” Caleb hit his fob again and finally heard the locks disengage as the Honda’s lights flashed. For the past week he’d been having problems with it. He was sure the fob just needed a new battery. But Caleb was a huge procrastinator and after Jacob’s death it just hadn’t been a priority.

  “No, wait!” Chad held up a hand and moved a step closer when Caleb opened the driver’s door.

  Raven gave a low growl, and Caleb’s gaze shot to Raven before he looked back at his ex.

  “I heard about your brother.” Chad’s voice was all sweet and sympathetic, and his phoniness was the last thing Caleb wanted. If he came in for a hug, Caleb just might slug him. But Chad kept his distance. Or rather, Raven made sure he didn’t come any closer.

  And for that, Caleb was thankful.

  “We should get together,” Chad said. “We can reminisce about him.”

  “Dude.” Caleb clenched his jaw. “We dated for three months. You barely spoke to Jacob, and didn’t know jack shit about him, so there’s nothing to reminisce about.”

  Chad glared at Raven before turning his attention back to Caleb. “We still should get together for lunch.”

  “I’ll have to check with my boyfriend.” He waved a hand at Raven, praying he didn’t fuck up Caleb’s lie. “Boyfriend, what do you think?”

  Raven grinned, and damn if that smile wasn’t evil as hell. “I have a heavy schedule, but I’m sure we can meet up sometime in the next few weeks.”

  He owed Raven big-time. Not many men would get involved in such a messed-up situation, but there was humor in Raven’s dark eyes, as though he was enjoying crushing Chad’s dreams.

  With a scowl, Chad said, “I’m busy, too,” and stormed toward his car. Caleb found it mighty suspicious that Chad hadn’t gone inside to eat. Had his ex been following him again? Caleb wouldn’t put it past him.

  Turning to Raven, Caleb gave a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry I put you on the spot.”

  “He seems—”

  “Pushy, arrogant, self-centered,” Caleb filled in. “Chad thought I was his clay to mold. Nothing I did was good enough.” He closed his eyes and held up a hand. “But I’m sure you don’t want to hear all that. I’m just grateful you went along with my lie.”

  “Not so much a lie,” Raven said as Caleb opened his eyes. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He leaned his butt against the Honda, crossing his ankles and his arms, and Caleb found the pose erotic as fuck.

  “What do you mean?” He turned his head and watched as Chad speed from the slot, nearly hitting a passing car on the street. What a jerk. Maybe Caleb would stay at Aunt Renee’s tonight. He had a feeling Chad would do a drive-by later just to see if he had gone home alone. Not that Caleb wanted to do that. He wanted to wedge himself between Raven’s powerful legs and lap at his lips—and other, more intimate body parts.

  “Did mates ever come up in the conversations you had with Jacob?”

  Jacob had told him about some guy named Joelle. He’d referred to him as Kivani’s mate—a term Jacob had heard Mr. Capezio mention. When Caleb had asked him what that meant, his brother said he didn’t know.

  “Yeah, but neither of us knew what that was about.”

  “Do you believe in fate?” Raven brushed strands of Caleb’s hair from his face, and Caleb leaned into his strong hand, wishing Raven was touching his cock, instead. He really needed to get laid if a simple gesture had his stomach in flutters and his mind going straight to the gutter.

  “I don’t know if I believe in that kind of stuff.”

  Cupping Caleb’s jaw, Raven leaned in for a kiss. Their lips brushed, then Raven slanted his mouth and slid his tongue across Caleb’s bottom lip. The kiss didn’t last long—if it was really considered a kiss—but the act left Caleb hungry for more.

  “In my world we don’t have boyfriends or girlfriends, husbands or wives,” Raven said as he tucked Caleb’s hair behind his ear. “We have mates, which means you were created especially for me. My kind never break up. We’re in it for life.” Raven nipped his lip. “You’re my mate, Caleb.”

  “Pump the brakes, buddy.” Caleb placed his palm on Raven’s chest, but that didn’t stop Raven from leaning in, trying to steal another kiss. “You’re moving way too fast. I’ve only stalked you for a
day.”

  “And nearly rear-ended me twice,” he reminded Caleb. “I’m gonna have to teach you how to be stealthy.”

  A snort of laughter escaped Caleb’s throat. “You’re gonna teach me how to stalk you better?”

  Raven looked around. He didn’t like being out in the open like this. If a Hunter saw Caleb with him, his mate would become a target. Raven was already on edge, but now that he had Caleb, the thought of anyone trying to harm his human made his murderous. “We should talk about this at my place.”

  Caleb had moved to stand inside his open car door, his head cocked to the side. Raven wanted to pin him in place and kiss him until Caleb agreed.

  So he did.

  Raven moved his hands over Caleb’s sides as he took his mouth in a greedy kiss—a kiss that had Raven growing hard. Caleb whimpered, grabbing at Raven’s shirt, pulling him closer. Their bodies aligned and Caleb was just as hard as Raven.

  “I’ll follow you,” Caleb said breathlessly. When Raven pulled back, Caleb was glassy-eyed. He hated that they had to peel apart. Raven might have taken this to the backseat, but he didn’t like feeling so exposed.

  Besides, he didn’t live far away, and the drive wouldn’t be long.

  He waited until Caleb was in his car before Raven went to his. They pulled into traffic and Raven made sure his mate stayed behind him as he drove home.

  They were a block away when a black SUV stopped in the intersection, blocking Raven from pulling away from the stop sign. The tinted driver’s window lowered. Raven had a fraction of a second to react just before whoever was behind the wheel opened fire.

  Aleksei Kovachi slammed his fist against his polished desk. “What the fuck do you mean he opened fire in full view of the public?” The people he’d inherited from Hephner were proving incompetent. He didn’t see how they’d ever accomplished anything except getting themselves killed or imprisoned.

  “Ace was acting on his own,” Hector said. “I had nothing to do with it.”