Simon

by Catherine Lievens

  When the kiss ended, Malik stroked Simon’s cheek. “I don’t think either you or I will do anything we don’t want to do. You still want to mate today, right?”

  Simon nodded. “Why wait? We know we’re mates, and we know we’ll end up together anyway.”

  Malik nodded. “I don’t have any problems with that, but maybe we should at least talk before mating? Just to get important stuff out of the way.”

  Simon knew Malik was right, but he wished he was able to make Malik forget about rights and wrongs. “Okay. I guess I should tell you about my family, just in case you don’t want to associate with them.”

  Malik shook his head. “Your family isn’t you. Even if they’re assholes, it wouldn’t make me want to reconsider mating with you.”

  “That’s... great. Okay, let’s go in, so you can meet my friends. We’ll have dinner, sort Iggy out, then we can go to my room and talk.”

  Malik smiled and kissed Simon again. “Talk, and do so much more.”

  Simon’s heart was beating fast when Malik moved away again. This time he took a step backward and took Simon’s hand. Simon started walking again, pulling Malik along. He was nervous. He knew he shouldn’t be, but he wanted his friends to like Malik, and he wanted Malik to like his friends.

  They climbed up the porch and Simon pushed the front door open. The smell of cooking hit him immediately, and his stomach grumbled. Malik chuckled, and Simon pointed at the coats lining the entrance wall. “You can hang your bag there.”

  Malik obeyed. He was still smiling, and Simon hoped that smile would stay on his mate’s face for a long time. He liked Malik, and he liked seeing Malik smile.

  Simon guided Malik to the kitchen, not surprised to see Elliott in front of the stove. “What is it this time?” he asked, walking closer. He was careful and slow, but Elliott just smiled at him, so he leaned forward and kissed Elliott’s cheek.

  Elliott’s smile grew. “Chicken.”

  “Smells good. So, I want you to meet someone.”

  Elliott wrinkled his nose and finally turned around. His eyes widened a bit, but that was all the reaction he had when seeing Malik. “You brought a friend?”

  “I’m surprised Mal hasn’t spilled the beans already.”

  “I haven’t seen him or Will yet.”

  Simon frowned. “They left Kam’s house before we did.”

  “I heard them come back, but they went upstairs right away.”

  Simon groaned. “You think they’re done?”

  “Probably. So, your friend?”

  “Ah. Elliott, this is Malik...” Simon realized he didn’t know Malik’s full name and he blushed, but Malik smiled and came closer.

  He was slow and careful, just like Simon had been, and Simon’s heart swelled. Malik didn’t know about Elliott, yet he was being considerate.

  “Malik Ayodele. I’m a council member.”

  Elliott shook the hand Malik was offering him. “Oooh, a council member. I would have cooked something nicer if I’d known.”

  Simon snorted. “Kam and Zach ate here last week and you served them lasagna.”

  Elliott waved Simon’s words away. “They’re friends. Family.”

  “So is Malik. He’s my mate.”

  Elliott froze for a few seconds, then he threw himself into Simon’s arms, surprising him so much they almost ended up with their asses on the floor. “I told you,” he whispered next to Simon’s ear. “See? I told you you’d find your mate soon.”

  Simon chuckled. “You were right, yeah.”

  “And a council member? Boy, you’re going up in the world, huh?”

  Malik snorted. “Up in the world?” Simon let go of Elliott and looked at his mate. Malik looked amused. “Believe me, being a council member is more of a hassle than something prestigious.”

  “I don’t have problems believing that. So, are you eating with us?”

  Simon bit on his lower lip. “If it’s not a problem, Malik is going to sleep with me tonight?”

  Elliott laughed. “Sleep with you?”

  Simon blushed. “In my bed.”

  “Of course it’s not a problem. I’m sure Iggy won’t mind the couch.”

  “Where is he, anyway?”

  Elliott shrugged and turned back to the stove. Simon was surprised he hadn’t had a stronger reaction to Malik’s presence. Elliott was getting better, and Simon knew it was mostly thanks to Mihaja and to Elliott’s strong will. “No idea. You know how he is.”

  Simon opened one of the cupboards and took some plates from it. He turned to put them on the counter, but Malik was there, taking them and setting them on the table. Simon nodded and passed him everything else—glasses, silverware, napkins. Together they set the table, and it was so domestic, exactly like it usually was with Simon’s best friends. How was it that Malik had already managed to wiggle his way under Simon’s skin and into his life so flawlessly? They’d known each other for only a few hours. It shouldn’t have been possible, even though they were mates.

  “Can you yell for everyone?” Elliott asked as he started filling plates. Simon looked at him in question, because it would mean leaving Elliott and Malik alone in the kitchen, but Elliott smiled encouragingly and nodded, so Simon obeyed. He walked back to the entrance and yelled. “Mal! Whoever else is up there! Dinner’s ready!”

  Simon heard footsteps, than a door opening, and Mal bounced down the stairs, Will following at a more sedated pace. Simon waited for him, because he knew Mal had questions, and if Simon didn’t answer at least few of them right now, Mal would ask them over dinner.

  “Is he here?” Mal asked, looking around as if he expected Malik to be in the entrance.

  “Yes.”

  Mal reached out and pulled the collar of Simon’s sweater to the side. “No bites.”

  “Not yet. I might work fast, but not that fast.”

  “But there’s going to be one soon, right?”

  Simon grinned. “Try checking my neck tomorrow morning.”

  * * * *

  Malik wasn’t sure what to do now that the table was set, so he sat, hoping he wasn’t stealing anyone’s usual place. He looked at Elliott, wondering what had happened to him. Simon was obviously careful when he moved around his friend, and Malik had followed his lead, but he was curious.

  “I was sold to the Glass Research Company, then given away as a sex slave,” Elliott suddenly said. He turned around with another plate and put it on the table.

  “I’m sorry,” Malik said. There wasn’t anything else he could say, really, but at least now he understood.

  Elliott shrugged. “Just wanted to put it out there so you won’t have to tiptoe around me. I can react badly sometimes, especially with men I don’t know, but I’m getting better.”

  “I’ll keep my distance.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you for trusting me with this.”

  “Since you’re a council member, I thought you’d either find out eventually or that someone would tell you. Everyone in the pack knows, even though most don’t believe me.”

  Malik tightened his hands. “I’m sorry for that too.”

  Simon walked into the kitchen again, Mal and Will behind him. They both smiled at Malik and sat at the table. No one asked Malik to move, and Simon sat beside him, so he stayed right where he was.

  Two other men came in a few minutes later. They both looked at Malik, but they didn’t ask questions, at least not right away. One of them stopped next to Elliott and gently kissed him before sitting at the table. Once they’d all started eating, the man with the tattoos asked, “So, am I giving away my place in your bed tonight, Simon?”

  So that was Iggy. Malik guessed he should have been jealous. Iggy was cute, very cute. He had a roguish air to him, with his long hair, stubble, and tattoos.

  Simon smiled. “Yeah, sorry. Umm, Malik is my mate so...”

  The next few minutes were spent thanking Iggy and
Mihaja for the congratulations. Iggy looked a bit down, and Malik felt bad for kicking him out. He obviously wanted to continue living in the house, but Simon had said there were only three bedrooms.

  “I’ll take the couch for tonight and move into Kameron’s house tomorrow,” Iggy said.

  “I’m sorry,” Simon said. He looked sad, and Malik almost wanted to give Iggy his place back. Almost.

  “We can convert the office into a bedroom for you,” Mihaja said. “If you want to continue living with us, of course.”

  Iggy blinked. “But... it’s your office.”

  “So? I barely get any work done here anyway. It’s not like my office in Kameron’s house is far anyway. I’ll move the stuff I have here into my office over there. We’ll need to get you a bed and other furniture, but I’m sure one of us can go with you tomorrow.”

  He looked around the table, and Mal nodded. “I work tomorrow afternoon, so we can go in the morning, while Mihaja moves his stuff out.”

  Iggy blinked. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Simon smiled. “Thank you is enough.”

  “Why? Why are you doing this? You barely know me.”

  “I know you enough. You’ve been sleeping in my bed for what? Two weeks? I think it’s enough to know you well.”

  Iggy looked at Malik like he was afraid Malik might hurt him. “You don’t mind?”

  “That you slept with Simon?”

  “It was only sleeping, I swear.”

  Malik shook his head. “I don’t mind. I know you’re friends and nothing more, but even if you had been more, it was before me and Simon got together.”

  Iggy looked relieved, but he still spent most of the rest of the meal sneaking peeks at Malik. Malik didn’t mind, but he made a mental note to talk to Iggy. There was something there. Malik remembered that when Iggy had first arrived, Kameron had explained to the council that Iggy’s colony was allied with Tom, and that Iggy had fled to tell Kameron about the attack Tom was planning. His colony probably hadn’t treated him too well if he’d taken the chance to fly to Gillham and put his life into Kameron’s hands.

  Once dinner was over, everyone helped cleaned up, then Iggy went to Simon’s room to gather his stuff. Malik followed him, feeling slightly guilty. Once he and Iggy were alone in Simon’s room, Malik said, “I’ll pay for your furniture.”

  Iggy froze as he was pushing clothes into a bag. “Why?”

  “Because I’m kicking you out of Simon’s room.”

  “So? You don’t owe me anything.”

  “Maybe not, but if we’re going to live together, I want to contribute. You got here only a few weeks ago, and from what I know, you didn’t have much with you.”

  Iggy snorted. “I didn’t have anything with me. I flew here, so I didn’t even have clothes.”

  “Do you already have a job?”

  Iggy shook his head. “No. Kameron thinks it’s too dangerous for me to go out of pack territory. We’re not sure my colony knows about me defecting, but they would have noticed I’m not there anymore. Kameron doesn’t want to risk it.”

  Iggy’s expression clearly said he didn’t understand why Kameron was behaving the way he was. “You’re a member of Kameron’s pack now.”

  Iggy shrugged “That’s what he said. I don’t get why he wants a bat belonging to a rival colony to be a part of his pack, though.”

  “It doesn’t matter if you’re a bat, or where you were born. You fled your family to help him. He knows that, and he’d not going to kick you out.”

  “I know. I just don’t understand it. My alpha, well, let’s just say he’s not very open-minded, be it to other sexualities, or other kinds of shifters.”

  Malik waited for Iggy to continue, but he didn’t, so Malik said, “I’ll come with you and Mal tomorrow morning.”

  “So Simon’s coming too.”

  “I guess so.”

  Iggy cocked his head. “What kind of shifter are you?”

  “Shark.”

  “What are you doing so far from home?”

  “I came here to help.”

  “With Tom.”

  “Yes.”

  “So you’ll probably have to deal with my colony.”

  Malik sighed. “They’ll be treated according to what they do. We can’t let them go without punishment, though.”

  “I know. That’s not what I was asking.”

  “What were you asking, then?”

  Iggy shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess... I was trained to protect my colony and to fight Tom’s fight. I could help you, but I’m not sure I could hurt someone I grew up with.”

  “Has Kameron told you that you’d have to fight?”

  “No.”

  “Then you don’t have to. He would never ask you to fight against your friends, and if he thinks having you out of pack territory is dangerous, my bet is he won’t want you to fight, either. Your old colony would probably gun for you, and you wouldn’t have a chance.”

  “I feel like I’m not being useful.”

  “You told Kameron about the attack. That was useful.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve been moping around the house since I arrived. I feel useless.”

  Malik tapped his fingers on the top of Simon’s dresser. He could understand Iggy. He himself would go mad if he didn’t have something to do, and Iggy had already been there for two weeks. “What can you do?”

  Iggy shrugged. “I was only trained to fight.”

  “So you’d be a good bodyguard?”

  “I guess.” He looked intrigued, and Malik smiled.

  “I’ll talk to Kameron tomorrow morning and I’ll see what I can do.” Kameron would probably say no, but he needed someone to look over him. With Tom being so active and dangerous, the last thing anyone needed was for Kameron to be hurt, or worse, killed.

  Iggy nodded. “Thank you.”

  There was soft knock on the door and Simon peeked in. “Iggy? I made up the couch for you.”

  Iggy grabbed his bag. “Thank you. I’ll see both of you tomorrow morning.”

  He slipped out, and Simon closed the door behind him. He turned to face Malik and leaned against the door. “What happened?”

  “With Iggy? Nothing. He was telling me he feels useless.”

  “He’s not.”

  “No, but he’s been here for a few weeks and he hasn’t done anything to contribute. I can understand why he’s getting angsty.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “That I’d talk to Kameron tomorrow. Do you have to go to work, or can you come with us to pick up Iggy’s furniture?”

  Simon blushed and looked down. “No. I’m not actually working right now.”

  Malik stepped closer and cupped Simon’s cheek. “That’s good. We can spend more time together.”

  Simon blinked. “You don’t think I’m lazy?”

  “Why aren’t you working?”

  Simon swallowed, but he didn’t look away from Malik. “I haven’t been able to keep a job since I was rescued. I, well, I try, but sometimes I have flashbacks, or I get scared because someone or something reminds me of what happened in the labs. It doesn’t help keeping a job. Add to that that I look like a girl, and there isn’t a line forming outside my door to hire me.”

  “I don’t think you look like a girl. Besides, what’s wrong with that?”

  Simon snorted. “I know I do. You don’t have to lie, and you shouldn’t, not when you’re a guy. I can... I can stop wearing make-up if you want me to. I know you told Quinn you didn’t agree with him, but maybe he’s right. I’m not the best match for an alpha and a council member. I don’t know anything about being an alpha mate, and I certainly don’t look like one.”

  Malik kissed Simon until he forgot what he was saying, or at least Malik hoped he’d forgotten it by the time they were done. He leaned his forehead against Simon’s. “I don’t care how you dress or if you wear make-up. You’re the
perfect man for me, so that means you’re the perfect man for me as an alpha and as a council member. Don’t listen to Quincy, Simon. He’s not the one who’s going to mate with you tonight.”

  Chapter Three

  “So, you wanted to talk?” Simon asked once both he and Malik were ready for the night. They’d both put on pajama pants and a T-shirt. Simon would have rather stayed naked, since they would end up that way anyway, but it would have made talking a bit awkward. At least he’d taken off his make-up. He felt a bit self-conscious, because only his closest friends had ever seen him without his eyeliner, but it would have been ridiculous to go to bed with it still on, and Malik would see him without it sooner rather than later anyway.

  Malik sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard, and Simon hurried to his side. He sat, but instead of sitting by Malik’s side, he sat facing him, his legs crossed. His foot was pressed against Malik’s leg, and that small contact shouldn’t have made Simon so happy, but it did.

  “I think we should get a few things out of the way before we mate, yes.”

  “What things?”

  “Like the fact that you think you’re not good enough for me just because I happen to be an alpha and a council member.”

  Simon shrugged. “I know I’m weird, but I’m not always like today. I tend to exaggerate when I know I’ll see my parents.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they always told me I looked like a girl, that I should man up and find myself a girlfriend, things like that. I came out to them after Kameron became alpha, and they weren’t happy. They started insulting me even more, and my brother—well, let’s just say he seems to have a good idea of what two guys do together and he’s convinced I’m the bottom.”

  Simon looked at Malik. He was so big, and Simon thought he’d probably be the bottom for the rest of his life. Not that it mattered. He didn’t particularly enjoy anal sex, so he hoped they could stick mostly to other stuff, but he knew Malik would probably want to be in him when he claimed him.

  “Is he right?” Malik asked.