by Lynn Hagen
Aleksei growled. “How can you have anything to do with it when you’ve been here all day? You’re a goddamn idiot. I want Ace found and brought to me. Now.”
Aleksei already had enough heat on him from the preternatural community. He didn’t need the humans looking too closely at him. Then there was the matter of the car bombings a week ago. He had a feeling one of his men was responsible for those as well. As soon as Aleksei found out who was behind them, he would end the bastard’s life.
Not that he held any sentiment for the Knights or their mates. On the contrary, Aleksei wished them all dead—especially since three of them had killed his cousin. But he was enraged that his men were going rogue.
He called the shots. Not the simpletons who worked for him.
“I’ll go track him down.” Hector left the office, closing the door behind him.
Aleksei pulled out the small black book he kept locked in one of his desk drawers. He’d paid one hell of a price to acquire it, and the spells were extremely complex, but the more he studied and used them, the more powerful he became. Already he felt the effect of the spells flowing through him, making him stronger.
Soon he would have the ability to wipe out not only the Knights but the Ultionem member named Christian. Aleksei would be the one who ruled the city—just as soon as he got rid of those who stood in his way.
Chapter Three
Caleb was already questioning his decision to go home with Raven, especially after Raven had blown his mind with what he’d told him. Caleb had been looking for a good time, and answers, not a lifetime…mate. Damn. He’d wondered what that word had meant when Jacob brought it up.
Wondered. That was it. Now he had a mate. Fuck. Now more than ever he wished Jacob was alive. Caleb needed to talk to him so badly. His brother had been excellent at giving advice and Caleb needed Jacob to tell him that everything would be okay, that having a mate wasn’t a bad thing.
The text Chad had just sent didn’t help Caleb’s frazzled nerves, either. He’d told Caleb that he was slumming with Raven, and that Caleb needed to give their relationship another chance.
“Ha!” Caleb tossed his phone aside. “Like hell I would.” He’d rather roll naked over broken glass.
In the text Chad had also promised to change if they got back together. Caleb knew better. Most people didn’t change. Some did, but they did it because they wanted to, not because they were trying to get back together with their ex-boyfriend. Chad could take his empty promises and shove them up his narrow ass.
When his phone chimed again, signaling another text, Caleb glanced at the passenger seat where he’d tossed his phone for all of two seconds.
Two freaking seconds.
When he looked up, the back end of Raven’s Jaguar was coming at him way too fast. Caleb slammed on his brakes, praying he didn’t hit the guy’s shiny expensive car. No way in hell could Caleb afford those repairs. Not working at a fast-food joint. And not when he might have let his insurance lapse.
His heart lodged in his throat as he sucked in air, thankful as fuck he hadn’t hit Raven. But his relief was short-lived when an SUV stopped in the middle of the intersection and started shooting up Raven’s car. At first Caleb couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It couldn’t be real. Drive-bys only happened in movies.
Then his brain kicked into gear and Caleb threw the upper half of his body onto the passenger seat, covering his head with his arms. He had no idea what was going on, but prayed no one came by with a tank next and blew up half the city block.
The shooting stopped, but the noise echoed in his ears. He lifted his head to see people emerging from where they’d run for cover. Caleb swung his head around and gasped. Raven windshield was gone and the engine was smoking.
Without thought Caleb shoved his door open and scrambled out, falling to his hands, then pushed to his feet.
“Raven!” Heart kicking against his chest, he raced toward the shot-up car and halted at the driver’s door.
Raven wasn’t inside. Where the hell was he? Had he been taken while Caleb had been hiding in his car?
Someone grabbed Caleb from behind. He screamed until the person spun him and he saw who it was. Raven hugged him so tightly Caleb’s pudgy belly crushed against the guy’s lean one. “Are you okay?”
“Me?” Caleb’s heart was still pounding and his pulse still thrashing in his ears. “What about you?” Caleb opened his eyes super wide. “They shot up your car! How do you not have a scratch on you? How the hell did you get out of it in the first place?”
Raven grabbed his hand and pulled Caleb onto the sidewalk. He walked so fast that Caleb had to jog beside him. “We need to get out of here before they come back.”
“Before who comes back?” Caleb was trying his best to understand what was going on, but he was too panicked to think clearly. All he kept hearing were those machine-guns tatting out their bullets. Now, in Caleb’s mind, every car that passed them was filled with bad guys ready to gun them down.
He started to hyperventilate. His legs trembled and he nearly fell over his feet as he attempted to keep pace with Raven.
“I can’t do this!” Caleb tried to yank his hand free, but Raven wouldn’t let him go. “Just go on without me and save yourself.”
Finally, Raven slowed enough for Caleb to catch his breath. “Did you seriously just say that?” he asked.
“If I have to run another ten steps, I’m gonna be kissing the sidewalk.” Caleb was covered in sweat, his muscles burned, and the stitch working around his side made him wince. “Do I look remotely in shape to you?”
A green souped-up car came to a squealing stop a few feet from them, rock music blasting through the open window. Caleb’s first instinct was to fall to the ground and cover his head, but Raven pulled him toward the car.
“Get in,” the guy behind the wheel said over the loud music.
Caleb didn’t have time to ask if Raven knew him. Raven shoved Caleb into the backseat, then climbed in and shut the door behind him. The guy took off in a squeal of tires and made hairpin turns through the city.
The driver turned the music down and looked at them through the rearview mirror. “What the hell happened?”
“A fucking drive-by,” Raven snarled. “That bastard just tried to end me.”
The driver cursed as he took another corner way too fast. Hell, everything was happening way too fast. Caleb wanted to shout for the entire world to stop long enough for him to get his bearings.
“Slow the fuck down, Bayne,” Raven snapped. “You’re scaring my mate.”
Bayne hit the brakes, making the ass end of his car fishtail, and Caleb flew forward and hit the back of the driver’s seat as cars behind them honked their horns. Bayne threw an arm over the passenger seat and turned his head to look at Caleb. “No shit.”
Sitting back, Caleb frowned at Bayne’s reaction, then looked at Raven. “What are you gonna do about my car? I can’t afford to get it towed.”
In truth, it had been Jacob’s car, and Caleb would be heartbroken if anything happened to it. His brother had treated the Honda like his baby, so now Caleb did the same. He hadn’t even had time to see if any of those bullets had hit it. Caleb prayed none had.
“If it gets towed, I’ll pay the fees.” Raven squeezed Caleb’s knee. “This is my fault anyway.”
“How is this your fault?” Bayne asked as he started to drive again. “You didn’t ask those assholes to shoot up your car. Besides, the Hunters started this when they decided to come after us in the first place. They’re the ones who declared this war, not us. But you better believe we’ll fucking finish it.”
War? Caleb’s stomach shrank to the size of a raisin as he bit his thumbnail to the quick, making it bleed. “I think this is where I get off this crazy ride. Drop me off at the nearest bus stop.”
Bayne snorted. “Too late for that.”
“You could at least lie to me,” Caleb argued. “Or candy-coat things before you say them.”
&nb
sp; Bayne chuckled. “Sorry, but I believe in keeping shit real.”
Raven just sat there quietly, staring at Caleb, as if he couldn’t figure out how Caleb had magically appeared in the car.
“You’re giving me the creeps.”
The side of Raven’s mouth curled upward. “Don’t mean to stare. I’m just…” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe I found you.”
Shouldn’t Raven be more concerned with what just happened? Shouldn’t he be freaking out or pissed off? Instead, he was staring all weird at Caleb. “I think I’m the one who found you,” Caleb said. “I was stalking you, remember?”
“Can you guys get lovey-dovey later?” Bayne asked. “I’d rather be sure no one is following us with automatic rifles instead of watching you two make out.”
“We aren’t making out,” Caleb said.
“Life is full of disappointments,” Bayne said. “I won’t mind if you two get busy in my backseat. I promise not to watch through the mirror.”
“You don’t have all your marbles, do you?” Caleb asked.
Despite the situation, Bayne’s laugh had Caleb grinning.
Raven squeezed Caleb’s knee again, drawing his attention. “No one is gonna hurt you.”
“Right.” If Caleb stuck around Raven any longer, the men who’d tried to kill him would see Caleb and gun for him, too. Possibly. Caleb wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to find out, either.
“I think it would be safer to go to your place,” Raven said. “They know where I live.”
Caleb leaned his head back on the seat and stared up at the roof of the vehicle. Even though Raven was the hottest guy he’d ever met, his streak of bad luck with men still seemed to be intact. “Fine. Sure. What the hell. You only live once. Growing old is overrated anyway.” He gave Bayne his address.
Raven grinned as Bayne blasted his music, racing through the city streets as he headed for Caleb’s apartment building.
Raven was shocked to learn Caleb lived in the same building as the other mates. And on the fourteenth floor, no less—the same floor Joelle lived on. How had Raven not seen Caleb before today?
When they arrived on Caleb’s floor, Kivani meet Raven and Bayne by the elevator, and Raven explained what happened. Meanwhile, Caleb inched toward his apartment door, fumbling for his keys.
“They opened fire in public?” The wolf shifter stared wide-eyed at him. “Are you fucking serious?”
“If I hadn’t been heading over here to see you,” Bayne said, “they’d still be running for a place to hide.”
“I had that shit under control,” Raven argued. “I was heading for the club for safety after my car was shot up.”
“Which was three blocks away,” Bayne said. “What if the Hunter circled back around and found you and your mate?”
That was a thought Raven didn’t want to entertain, but he had on the ride to Caleb’s. The truth was, if Bayne hadn’t picked them up, chances were the Hunter would have found them. They were persistent pricks. And getting too damn bold. At least when Hephner had run things, their private war had stayed hidden. Kovachi didn’t seem to give a rat’s ass who was hurt in the crossfire or that humans had seen it.
Raven looked toward the window at the end of the hall. It was dark out, but still early. In his book, anyway. Raven was a night owl. That was when he did his work—in the shadows. If he hadn’t met Caleb today, he’d be out there right now, taking some Hunter down or going after the one who had tried to kill him.
Raven should have done something about that SUV when it was tailing him earlier. But he hadn’t, and that decision had come back to bite him on the ass. What if Caleb had been hurt? The thought made boulder-sized ice cubes form in his stomach.
“I’m gonna get Caleb inside.” He squeezed Bayne’s shoulder. “Thanks for the save.”
Bayne clapped him on the back. “Any time, brother.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” Kivani told Raven.
Raven headed to Caleb’s apartment, where the door was ajar. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw moving boxes scattered about. The place looked a mess But not in a slob kind of way. It was just cluttered.
Caleb stood on one side of the living room, staring into one of the boxes. “I’ve been trying to pack Jacob’s things, but…” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he cleared his throat. Raven didn’t want him to try to hold his shit together because he was there, but Caleb was struggling to do just that. He gave Raven his back, cleared his throat again, then waved toward the kitchen. “There’s something to drink in the fridge. Help yourself.”
Caleb clearly wanted to be alone, and Raven wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t any good at emotional stuff. Never had been. Anytime he saw tears, he usually ran the other way. But after what had happened tonight, Raven didn’t want to take off and leave Caleb to his mourning.
Three other mates lived in this building, which meant the Hunters knew about the mates living there. No doubt someone already had eyes on them, which meant Kovachi would soon know about Caleb.
The kitchen was a nice size and clean. Raven grabbed a soda from the fridge and leaned against the counter, wondering what he could say to help Caleb through this.
He drew a blank.
“I’m sorry.” He heard his mate’s voice before Caleb entered the kitchen. “I’m just not very good company right now. I thought I would be, but every time I look at those boxes, it hits home that my brother is gone.”
Caleb fell silent after that, looking as though he was struggling for something to say. The feeling was mutual.
“And I’m sorry you got caught up in all this bullshit.” Raven set the can on the counter. “Sorry you got pulled into this war.”
“Like Jacob did.”
Raven nodded. He hadn’t known Saul’s driver. Hell, Raven barely knew Saul. He’d met the guy once, after the bombing, and had heard there’d been a causality. Now he stood there looking at the devastation that shit had left behind.
If Raven had died tonight, no one would have mourned the loss. He had no family, no one he truly cared about. He wasn’t even that close with his brethren and had purposely kept to himself—unless one of the Knights had wanted to team up.
It was a lonely-as-fuck existence, but that was what Raven knew, so he stuck with it. Loneliness, doing things on his own, looking out for just himself. But all that was about to change now that he’d found Caleb, and Raven never did well with change.
“What’re you thinking about?”
Raven pulled himself from his thoughts. “How complicated life is.”
Caleb snorted. “You got that right.” He folded his arms over his chest. “You, uh, want a drink?”
He waved to his can. “You already covered that.”
“I was talking about something harder.” Caleb left the kitchen, and Raven followed. His mate dug into one of the boxes and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. Raven didn’t bother telling Caleb he couldn’t get drunk off human alcohol. Caleb looked as though finding the bottle brought him a measure of comfort—his shoulders sagged and his tense expression had relaxed some.
“I’ll get some glasses,” Raven said.
“No need.” Caleb wiggled the cork free and took a hard swallow. His features pinched as he hissed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He coughed before saying, “Good shit. At least I think it is since I’ve never had whiskey before.”
With a low chuckle, Raven grabbed the bottle and did the same. It burned going down, but in a smooth way. He looked at the label. “Your brother didn’t believe in the cheap crap.”
“Mr. Capezio gave him liquor on special occasions, like Jacob’s birthday or Christmas. I thought they were odd gifts, but my brother loved them.”
Raven handed the bottle back and took a seat on the couch, looking at the stuff stacked on the coffee table still waiting to get packed. Caleb dropped next to him, bottle still in hand and took another long swig. “Do you know how fucked-up it is to pack a family member’s belongings?” H
e waved a hand at the table. “He was twenty-six, and this was what his life amounted to—boxed stuff.”
“His life didn’t amount to materialistic things,” Raven said. “It amounted to what he did, who he was, and the impact he had on others.”
Caleb gave him a sad look, one that made Raven’s chest constrict. “Thanks, I needed to hear that.”
He traced the shell of Caleb’s ear, unable to stop himself. His cougar wanted to get closer, but Raven wasn’t sure hitting on a guy who’d gone to his brother’s funeral that morning was in good taste.
Caleb set the bottle on the coffee table, then turned and crawled onto Raven’s lap. Raven pressed his hands against his mate’s hips as he cocked his head to the side.
“What do you need from me?” Raven asked.
Caleb slammed his lips against Raven’s and quickly unfastened Raven’s jeans. Raven grabbed Caleb’s upper arms, setting him back. Caleb’s eyes were wild and his breathing heavy as he licked his lips.
“Slow down, babe.” Shit. Raven wanted to be buried balls-deep in Caleb, so why in the fuck was he pausing things?
“I-I don’t—” Caleb shook his head. “I just wanted to…” He blinked a few times before slumping against Raven’s chest.
Raven looked down and saw that Caleb’s eyes were closed. Had he just passed out? The guy’s alcohol tolerance was for shit. With a sigh, Raven scooped him up and took him to the first bedroom on the right, but that was filled with boxes. So Raven went to the next one and laid Caleb on the bed.
He undressed his mate and tucked him in before heading for the door. Raven needed to find someone who could watch over Caleb while he went hunting.
He was restless and edgy, and doing what he did best would help calm his beast. His cougar wanted Caleb, and with his mate passed out, that wasn’t going to happen.
Raven wiped the bloody blade across the rag before tucking it back into its sheath. He’d been tracking Taggard for the past few hours—a man who had twelve preternatural kills under his belt. Taggard had slaughtered an entire family of gazelle shifters a month ago just because they hadn’t been human.
