Forbidden Claim

by R. L. Kenderson

  Reid grinned. “Oh, thank God. I’ve been wanting to say this forever.” He cupped her cheek. “I love you, too, Angel.”

  QUENTIN DRAGGED HIS feet up the stairs to his bedroom. It was after midnight, and he was trying to be as quiet as possible, but it had been a long day.

  He’d sat at his sister’s bedside all day. Because she’d been found unconscious in an alley, the ambulance had taken her to a human hospital. There wasn’t a way to move her since she was in such critical condition. But a shifter doctor had come to visit them today to give his own opinion, and he’d said the humans were taking good care of her.

  Quentin had done some digging. His sister had been found outside of Minneapolis, so he’d had to call another police department, but he’d had connections there. The amount of drugs in her system would have killed a horse and definitely a human. She was lucky to be alive.

  And the two men who had been raping his sister? They were lucky they were in jail. Quentin was lucky, too, as he wouldn’t do his sister much good if he were in prison for two counts of murder.

  Quentin dropped off his things in his bedroom, grabbed a clean pair of shorts, and went to the bathroom. He took a quick shower and brushed his teeth. He thought he’d heard something over the sound of his electric toothbrush and air vent running, but he was so tired; he couldn’t rely on his senses at the moment. Still, he opened the door and sniffed the air.

  No unusual smells, but one particular scent was strong. Of course Quentin’s nose would zero in on Hunter.

  Quentin spit out his toothpaste, rinsed his mouth, grabbed his dirty clothes, shut off the light and vent, and left the bathroom. It took his eyes a second to adjust to the dark hallway, and he looked toward Hunter’s room.

  He should go check on the vampire. He wanted to, but his emotions were so raw at the moment; he didn’t know what would happen if he did. He had no idea if Hunter regretted last night, and Quentin just couldn’t hear something like that right now. And if Hunter acted like nothing had happened? Well, he couldn’t handle that either. Quentin was afraid he’d do something he’d regret, like say things he could never take back.

  So, Quentin walked to his bedroom instead. Damien had promised to look after Hunter and hadn’t reported anything to Quentin all day. He would just have to go to bed with the knowledge that Hunter was okay.

  Quentin pushed open his bedroom door and shut it behind him. When he turned around, he practically jumped when he saw a figure sitting on his bed.

  “I waited for you all day,” Hunter said. His crutches were against the wall. That was probably what Quentin had heard a few minutes ago in the hall.

  “Sorry.” Quentin had asked Damien not to say anything to anyone about his sister, so it wasn’t a surprise that Hunter didn’t know he’d been preoccupied with family stuff.

  “You were out late,” Hunter said, fishing for information.

  Quentin desperately wanted to go to Hunter, drop to his knees, and lay his head in Hunter’s lap. And then he wanted to strip Hunter naked and bury his problems for a while as he buried himself in Hunter’s body.

  But Quentin stood strong. He didn’t need rejection now.

  “I was.” Quentin didn’t have the energy to fight, and he didn’t owe Hunter any information. He had once told Hunter about his family and his sister, but he didn’t want Hunter’s sympathy or judgments. “If you came here to tell me last night was a mistake, can we talk about it tomorrow instead?”

  Hunter shook his head and looked down at his hands. “Were…were you out with someone?”

  Really?

  “Not that it’s any of your business—your choice, not mine—but no, I was not out with anyone.” He thought about saying he was with his family but decided against it. Let the vampire think what he wanted. “I am beat, so I’m going to bed.”

  Hunter looked up but didn’t move.

  Whatever. He didn’t have the energy to kick Hunter out. He barely had the energy to talk to him.

  Quentin dropped his shorts and walked naked to the side of his bed, pulled down the covers, and got in. He put an arm over his eyes, and surprisingly, he started to fall asleep right away. Despite his fatigue, he’d figured his worry for his sister would keep him awake.

  He’d barely nodded off when he felt the bed sag. He pulled his arm from his eyes and saw Hunter lying next to him. He was on top of the covers though, which was good. Even though Quentin was tired, seeing Hunter lying there made him want to roll the vampire over, pull down his shorts, and fuck him.

  Quentin growled, “What are you doing?”

  Hunter flinched but didn’t back away. “Something is bothering you. You’re not normally an asshole. I know you’re being curt with me because something is wrong.”

  Quentin turned on his side, away from Hunter. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  The bed shifted, and Hunter’s arm wound around Quentin’s waist.

  “What are you doing?” Quentin asked, horrified to hear a break in his voice.

  “Comforting you.”

  No, no, no. He couldn’t handle Hunter’s comfort right now.

  Quentin rolled over and faced Hunter. He pulled the vampire’s face toward him and took his mouth. He trailed his fingers down Hunter’s six-pack and shoved his hand in Hunter’s shorts. He grabbed on to Hunter’s dick and squeezed harder than necessary.

  Quentin pulled his mouth away. “If you want to comfort me, then take off your clothes and let me fuck you. For real.”

  Quentin moved his hand down, past Hunter’s balls, and rubbed his anus. Quentin pushed the tip of his finger into Hunter, and the vampire gasped.

  Hunter’s eyes widened, and his body stiffened.

  Quentin pulled his hand from Hunter’s shorts and rolled away from him again. “That’s what I thought. Go to bed, Hunter.”

  Quentin knew he was being an asshole, but it was for both their sakes.

  He heard and felt Hunter get up, and part of Quentin was immediately sad and a little depressed. He knew it was for the best, but the situation sucked.

  He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think of something good. He needed to block out the sound of Hunter leaving the room. Maybe if he pretended things were different…

  He pictured coming home and going to the bedroom he shared with Hunter, who would be lying in bed, waiting for him with open arms. Quentin would lie next to Hunter and tell him all about his sister and how much it’d hurt to see her lying in the hospital bed like that.

  And, despite his sister’s condition, Hunter would know exactly how to make Quentin feel better. Hunter would pull down Quentin’s pants and grab on to him.

  If only it were true.

  Quentin rolled onto his back for real and spread his legs, pretending that he needed to give Hunter more room to work. He relaxed and imagined he could let Hunter do whatever he wanted to him.

  It was almost so tangible that he swore, he felt the coolness of the night as the sheet was pulled down from his body.

  That was the good thing about being so tired. The line between reality and imagination blurred. It was almost as if he were dreaming while awake.

  Hunter would grab on to his cock.

  Quentin groaned at the almost-vivid sensation of Hunter’s touch.

  Damn, he might need to do this more often when he was tired. It felt like Hunter was actually touching him.

  When a wet tongue swiped over the head of his cock, Quentin jerked and opened his eyes.

  Hunter was really there. He was kneeling beside Quentin’s bed with his hand on Quentin’s dick.

  Quentin sat up, ripping Hunter’s hand from him. “What are you doing?”

  Hunter stood up, putting his weight on his good leg. He was naked and very aroused. “Being here for you. You were there for me when I got injured the other morning. Now, I want to be here for you.”

  For a second, he’d thought that Hunter cared about him the way he cared about Hunter. But, no, Hunter just felt like he owed him.

>   Hurt and angry, he pulled Hunter down to the bed, onto his hands and knees. “You want to be here for me? Stay like that,” he commanded.

  Quentin reached into his drawer for his lube and poured a nice amount onto Hunter’s ass. He threw the bottle on the floor and pushed a finger into Hunter.

  Hunter moaned, so Quentin added another. He scissored his fingers, opening Hunter up. Quentin was big, and Hunter was going to be sore after the first time he fucked him.

  Quentin kneaded Hunter’s prostate gland, and Hunter shuddered and moaned.

  “You like that, huh? It’s going to feel even better when it’s my cock rubbing it. I’m going to get you off just by fucking you.”

  Quentin rubbed his dick through the lube on Hunter’s ass and pressed forward.

  Hunter froze, and reality slammed into Quentin.

  What the fuck am I doing?

  He dropped down onto the bed and covered his eyes. He was a horrible person.

  The bed shifted beside him, and Hunter put his hand on Quentin’s chest. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”

  Quentin pulled his arm away and looked at Hunter. “I can’t fuck you when I’m angry. Not the first time at least. It’s wrong.”

  Hunter frowned. “Why are you angry?”

  “Because I want you to be here, and I don’t want you to be here. I want you to want to be here for me, not because you feel like you owe me.”

  Hunter opened his mouth, and Quentin put a finger on his lips.

  “It’s okay. I understand.” Quentin dropped his hand and looked away. “I’m kind of emotional right now, and I shouldn’t take it out on you. My sister is in the hospital. She overdosed.” He looked at Hunter again. “That’s where I was all day. She’s in a coma, and they don’t know when she’s going to wake up.”

  Hunter’s eyes filled with sympathy and something more, so Quentin rolled away.

  Hunter put his arm around Quentin again. “Please, just let me hold you again.”

  Quentin nodded, and much to his horror, he started to cry.

  Hunter squeezed him tight and soothed him with tender words.

  Quentin cried himself to sleep in Hunter’s arms.

  When he woke the next morning, Hunter was gone.

  THE HOTEL DOOR opened, and Bram looked up to see Larry walking in.

  He waved a piece of paper in his hand. “We got something.”

  “About fucking time.” Bram had been stuck in that hotel for two days now.

  He’d forced Stan to get a hotel under his name while he told Larry to hire a private detective.

  Bram didn’t want anyone to find him and wanted nothing traced back to him. He couldn’t go home until he knew neither the shifters nor the vampires were coming after him. And he wasn’t going home without Isabelle.

  While he’d been sitting in jail with nothing more to do than think, he’d realized why he found it odd that the Minnesota Pack alpha didn’t want him near his mate. Isabelle had told Damien about him. That meant that Damien had been lying about seeing Isabelle.

  This had pissed Bram off, but he’d calmed down after he found a cheap prostitute and beat the shit out of her. He’d given her a thousand bucks, so he didn’t feel guilty. She’d have a couple of hot meals—when she was able to walk correctly.

  After that, he’d decided he needed to hire someone to look into Isabelle. He was okay on the computer, but he was no hacker. Tweedledee and Tweedledum couldn’t even find the Enter key on the computer.

  Finally, they’d gotten some results.

  Bram stood and took the paper from Larry. “What does it say?”

  He read through it as Larry spoke, “Your girl bought a plane ticket to Las Vegas three days ago. She went with five other people. At least, all the tickets were bought at about the same time. Different cards were used, but the PI said it was suspicious. And two of them got a hotel suite for six people.”

  “Who the hell are they?”

  “Turn the page,” Larry said. “The PI said he gave you their info and addresses. Three of them live at the same place, and the other two live with that alpha you went to see the other day.”

  Bram’s head whipped up. “What now?”

  Larry grabbed the paper from Bram and turned a couple of pages. “Yeah. Some guys named Chase and Ranulf. They live at the same place you went to visit.” Larry listed off an address. “Is that it?”

  Bram ripped the paper away from Larry. He had to look at it with his own eyes.

  “Motherfucker. That asshole lied to me!”

  Larry’s eyes lit up. “What are you going to do to him, boss?” He flexed his fingers in and out. “You want me and Stan to have a chat with him?”

  Yes. But that would only cause problems. “No.”

  Larry’s face fell.

  “I want you to buy us all plane tickets to Vegas.”

  Larry scratched his head. “Won’t they be able to find out you bought a ticket, just like you found out Isabelle had bought one?”

  Maybe Larry wasn’t as stupid as he looked.

  “Yes, but we’re going to catch the next flight out of here. They won’t know we’re there until it’s too late.”

  The door to the hotel opened, and Stan walked in with lunch. “What did I miss?” he asked.

  “We’re going to Vegas,” Bram told him with a smile.

  “Damien, Damien!” Lachlan yelled as he came running into the kitchen where Damien was having lunch with Payton.

  Lachlan didn’t get excited unless there was something to get excited about, so Damien knew something was up.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I finally got an alert on Bram. He just bought a ticket to Las Vegas.”

  Damien jumped up from his seat at the table. “Shit! We have to call Zane. They have to get out of there as soon as possible.”

  They’d been keeping track of Bram. He thought he was clever for renting a room under one of his goons’ names, but he wasn’t smart enough to remember that Isabelle knew both of their names. They’d been keeping an eye on them until everyone was home, and Damien could confront the shifter with a full staff. He had no doubt that Bram would fight any sort of prosecution. Damien was also trying to get a conference call with Bram’s father to gain his full support. He didn’t want to make an enemy out of the Illinois Pack alpha.

  “Should I buy them plane tickets home?”

  Damien shook his head. “Reid can buy them. That’s why Vance sent him.”

  Payton, who was still sitting, grabbed his hand. “Honey, what about Tegan? She’s still in heat.”

  At first, Damien had told the group to stay in Vegas, and then the two females had gone into heat. It would be unbearable for them to fly home in that condition. He’d also considered telling them to drive, but by the time they drove that many miles, they’d probably get home the same time as if they’d waited and flown.

  Chase had reported that morning that Isabelle’s heat had ended sometime in the night. She was tired, but at least she’d be able to get on a plane. Tegan, however, wasn’t done yet. She was going to be miserable, but it was better than Bram finding them. Damien doubted he would just go after Isabelle. After what Bram had done to Hunter, he obviously had no regard for life.

  Damien squeezed his mate’s hand. “She’ll have to medicate herself, baby girl. It’s too risky for them to stay there, and we can’t leave her there, alone. Bram has figured out that Isabelle went to Vegas. He had to have. Otherwise, why would he go there now? It’s not a coincidence. If he hasn’t already, he’s tracked down their hotel room, too.”

  “I feel so bad for Tegan.”

  “I know, baby girl.” He’d seen his mate through several mating heats, and he knew how they affected females. Tegan was going to be miserable. And so would every male on the plane. “Let’s just hope that Reid finds the shortest flights with no layovers, if it’s possible.”

  “Do you need me to do anything?” Lachlan asked.

  “Email Reid the flight info for
Bram. We have to make sure that they buy their tickets when it’s too late for Bram to find out they’re coming home. I’d hate for Bram to be waiting at the airport for Isabelle.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Once Reid emails you their flight info back, plan to pick them up from the airport. Then, with everyone home, we’re going to have to form a game plan. There’s no doubt, Bram will be coming back, and this time, we’ll be waiting for him.”

  “Is that it?”

  “No, I need you to send Reid one more thing.”

  ZANE SAT ON the bed in his hotel room, enjoying that he could sit and relax.

  Isabelle’s heat had ended during the middle of the night. The two of them had slept until almost eleven o’clock in the morning. He hadn’t slept that late since he was a teenager. It was the best sleep they’d gotten in the last few days. Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

  The water shut off in the bathroom, and Zane waited for Isabelle to come out. After spending hours together, they had both agreed it would be nice to bathe alone. Isabelle had let Zane go first, and now, he was waiting for her to be done with her turn.

  Even though her heat was over, he wanted to make sure she ate and stayed hydrated.

  As his mate walked out of the bathroom, the reason for his concern was right in front of him, directly in his line of view.

  “Hey, you’re not dressed yet,” she said, using a towel to dry her hair.

  He crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”