“Not like we could’ve done anything to stop him,” Andy pointed out, his gaze moving on the note.
“We should’ve looked harder.”
Nick slid the note to Corbin. Corbin raised a brow in question, because he hadn’t expected to get in on the secret, but Andy shrugged. Corbin took the note and looked at it. It was short, and considering most of it seemed to be insults to Kameron and the other council members’ sexuality, it didn’t actually say much. Whoever had written it just declared that since they didn’t want a fag council they’d decided to make one of their own, and that they would do whatever they could to destroy the one that already existed and to get all the shifters back to their traditions.
Corbin hesitated, but he finally passed the note to Jago. He didn’t want Jago to read it. He wanted to shelter his mate, to hide him from the world and this new threat, but he knew that wasn’t what Jago wanted. Jago was a nurse, and Corbin was pretty sure the pack would need him sooner rather than later.
“So, now what?” Jago asked, his eyes moving as he read the note. “Tom is going to attack all the shifter groups who are with our council?”
“He’s gunning for us,” Kameron said. “And it doesn’t surprise me, not after what happened. He was one of the highest members when the old alpha was still in charge, and he didn’t take it well when I replaced Erskine. He kidnapped Zach and fled with the money he got from that, but like Nick said, I suspected we would see him again.”
“He did try to get you killed with Samkelo,” Jago pointed out. He handed the note back to Kameron, who folded it and put it in his pocket again.
“Looks like he decided to take things in his own hands. But why Merle?” Jago shook his head. “After all he’d already been through...”
“What happened to him?” Corbin asked.
“He was sold by the old alpha and kept in the labs for a while. We rescued him, and he decided he wanted to be part of the pack’s security,” Kameron told him.
“But why him?” Jago insisted.
“Does anyone know what Merle did yesterday?” Corbin asked.
Nick sighed. “I asked his mother when I told her about this. She said he’d gone out with his friends, so we’re going to have to ask them.”
“When did you have the time to tell his mother?”
“You and Jago were in the shower longer than you think.”
Corbin knew he should’ve been with them, helping Kameron and Nick rather than washing Jago. Or rather, that was what he should’ve done if he were still an assassin. But he wasn’t, and Jago was his first priority now. He couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty.
“I could find him and kill him,” he volunteered.
Jago shook his head, his eyes wide. “You can’t kill anyone, Corbin.”
“I know you don’t like it, but I think in this case it would be better. Tom isn’t going to back down, and we could save a lot of lives by killing him now. You saw what he did to Merle.”
Jago opened his mouth to retort, but Kameron raised a hand to stop him. Jago pressed his lips together and scowled.
“I told you that you could have a normal life here, and I meant it,” Kameron said, looking at Corbin.
“I know, and I thank you for that. If you hadn’t insisted, I wouldn’t have met Jago, and we wouldn’t be together. But as much as I want to make Jago happy, you know I’m right. Tom needs to be taken care of, and that’s exactly what I was trained to do. I can’t let him threaten my life, not now that I finally have one.”
Kameron blinked at Corbin. Corbin knew it was because he generally didn’t talk this much to anyone but Jago. “Think about it, and let me know,” he told Kameron.
Kameron sighed. “We’ll wait, and we’ll see what happens. If Tom takes another pack member, if he hurts one of us... you’ll be free to do whatever you need to do to him.”
* * * *
Jago looked down at Merle and gently took his hand. He was fine now, at least physically—Jared had made sure of that. He’d had a few Nix work on Merle, and they’d healed all his wounds. He still hadn’t woken up, but that was because Jared had given him something to make him sleep. He was bound to wake up soon, though, and Jago wanted to be there. He didn’t know why—he wasn’t Merle’s friend. Maybe it was because he’d been the one to help back at Kameron’s house, or maybe it was that he felt responsible. Jago didn’t know, and he didn’t think it mattered, not too much anyway.
Merle stirred and Jago squeezed his hand. He wanted Merle to know he wasn’t in Tom’s hands anymore, that he was safe. He didn’t want Merle to wake up scared, although that would probably happen anyway.
Merle jerked and breathed sharply. His eyes flew open and Jago leaned forward. “You’re fine. You’re in the hospital.”
Merle blinked and pulled on the hand Jago was holding. Jago gave it one last squeeze and let go, and Merle sat up. He looked around the room and put his hands on his chest. He patted it and smoothed his palms down to his stomach. He stopped right where his wound had been and looked at Jago. “I’m fine.”
“You are.” Jago sat back in the chair and waited for Merle to talk again.
“What happened?”
“You don’t know?”
Merle shook his head. “I meant after. I remember everything up to a point, then nothing.” He pressed on his stomach again and took a deep breath. “This is weird.”
“I think I should call Kameron,” Jago said, standing up.
“Why?” Merle blurted out.
“He needs to hear what you have to say.”
“Can you wait? I know I’ll have to tell him, just... can I have a moment?”
Jago sat back. “Of course.” He stayed silent and watched Merle think. He didn’t know for sure what Merle was thinking about, but he had a good idea, and when Merle shuddered, he decided to put a stop to it.
Jago leaned forward and put his hand on Merle’s. “Try not to think about it too much. You’ll have to relive it soon enough, when you tell Kameron.”
Merle gulped and nodded. He closed his eyes and tightened his hands in fists.
“Do you want me to get your family? Kameron called them, and they’re outside.”
Merle opened his eyes and gave Jago a small grin. “And my mother didn’t try to get in?”
Jago grinned back. “Oh, she did, believe me. But Kameron told her to give you a little time to yourself, to not overwhelm you. He didn’t... know how you’d be when you woke up.”
Merle cocked his head. “Why are you here?”
“Well, Kameron didn’t want you to wake alone, just in case you freaked out, and you kinda know me.”
“And you’re a nurse, so you’d have been able to help me in case I did freak out.”
“Yeah. That, and I was worried. I was the first one to help after you were found, and I wanted to know how you were.”
Merle looked at Jago, his eyes serious. “You saved my life.”
“I did.”
Merle barked out a laugh. “And you’re modest, too.”
“I don’t see why I should hide the truth. I’m not looking for reward. It’s my job.” And Jago was happy he’d been able to distract Merle just a bit.
“Right. Well, thank you.”
Jago nodded. “Are you up to seeing your family now?”
“I suppose Kam will be right behind them.”
“Yeah, sorry. But he really needs to know what happened.”
“I know.”
Jago got up and walked to the door. He opened it and poked his head in the hallway. Merle’s mother was still arguing with Kameron, who was just nodding at her at this point, and Jago cleared his throat. Every head turned to look at him and Merle’s mother abandoned Kameron to hurl herself at Jago.
“Is he all right? Can I come in?”
Jago pushed the door open a bit more and nodded. “Yes. He’s fine.”
Merle’s father and his brother followed her, Kameron c
lose behind. Kameron paused next to Jago. “Is he really fine?” he asked in a whisper.
“I think so. He hasn’t talked about what happened yet, but he looks all right. Do you need me to stay?”
“Please.”
Jago followed Kameron into Merle’s room again. He leaned against the wall this time, out of the way. Kameron stood at the foot of Merle’s bed while his parents fussed over him and his brother hovered close.
“Merle.”
“Alpha Rhett.”
Kameron grimaced. “Aww, come on. You know you have to use my name.” That got a smile out of Merle, but it disappeared as soon as Kameron opened his mouth again. “What happened?” he asked gently.
Merle closed his eyes and leaned against his pillow. “It was Tom.”
“We know,” Kameron said. “He left a note on you.”
“I’m a message. He said that what he did to me was going to look mild next to what he has planned for you.”
“How did he get to you?” Kameron didn’t look concerned at all by what Tom was planning for him.
“I went out with my friends, but I had a headache, so I decided to come home before they did. I came back alone. I wanted to shift and run, so I walked to the edge of the forest, but before I could even strip... .something hit me. I should’ve heard them. I should’ve been more vigilant, more—”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Kameron declared. “You’re still in training, and Tom knows you.”
Merle nodded once and went on, “I woke up in an empty room. There was only the table I was on, and a smaller one. It was covered with a sheet, and I... that’s where Tom kept his tools.”
Merle pushed a trembling hand in his hair. “I don’t know how long he kept me there. I lost the sense of time after a while, and then he stabbed me in the stomach and said I was going to die slowly and painfully, that I was a warning, a threat. I believed him.”
“But you didn’t die,” Kameron said softly.
“No. Jago told me he saved my life.”
Merle didn’t have much more to say other than that. He didn’t know where he’d been taken, since he’d been unconscious both when he got there and when he was carried away. They had no clues, and Jago could see Kameron wasn’t happy.
Jago quietly left the room. He walked to the waiting room and smiled when Corbin immediately looked at him as he entered. Corbin got up and pulled Jago into his arms, kissing the top of his head, and the man sitting in the corner made a small noise. It could’ve been disgust, or anger, but before the man could say anything Corbin turned to look at him and arched a brow. The man must’ve been more perceptive than most people, because his eyes widened and he scampered away, leaving them alone in the waiting room.
“You okay?” Corbin asked.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I just want to go home.”
“Nix Express?”
Jago laughed. “You’re becoming funny.”
Corbin looked at him seriously. “I can stop if you don’t like it.”
“Don’t you dare. I need more laughter in my life, especially with this new thing.”
Corbin put his hands on Jago’s shoulders and pushed him away enough that he could look at him in the eyes. “I’ll make sure you never get hurt. You understand that? No one will even touch you, because I’ll be there to stop them.”
Jago nodded and hugged Corbin again. “Take me home, babe. I need to be with you, to be home.”
Jago couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d have that home.
* * * *
Corbin followed Jago into what was now their room rather than Jago’s. The house was silent around them, Zach either out or asleep, and Corbin finally let himself relax. Not that danger couldn’t find them in the alpha’s house, but Corbin had learned to let it go, at least there. There were sentinels patrolling the area—even more than there had been before. Nothing would happen tonight, not to Jago, not to Corbin.
Jago pulled his T-shirt off and folded it. Corbin rolled his eyes and smirked. He’d learned just how tidy Jago was, at least when he had the time to be. When he worked, he didn’t mind untidiness, but when he didn’t he bitched about it, and Corbin had found himself on the other side of one of Jago’s tongue-lashings already.
He wasn’t tidy, and he knew it. He’d never had to be before. He’d never had anything that belonged to him, anything to keep untidy, and he found that now that he had, he liked to see his things, to be able to do so without having to open the closet or a drawer.
He followed Jago’s example and pulled his own T-shirt off. He let it fall on the carpet and waited for the scolding he knew was coming.
“Seriously?” Jago asked indignantly.
Corbin smiled. He liked having someone who scolded him. He liked knowing Jago expected things from him, things that weren’t killing someone, or hurting them. He liked teasing Jago, because he knew his mate would love him anyway, even if he left his stuff around.
Corbin raised his hands. “Sorry.” He leaned down to pick his T-shirt up.
Jago huffed. “I’d think you do it on purpose if I didn’t know better.”
“Maybe I do.”
“Why would you do that?”
Corbin folded his own T-shirt a lot less neatly than Jago had. “Maybe because I like knowing someone cares enough to scold me.”
“As far as you know, I care for our room, not for you.”
“But I know that’s not true.”
Jago arched a brow. “Really, now?”
“Yes.”
“And how do you know that?”
“I can see it in the way you look at me, in the way you always make sure I have enough of the sheet not to feel cold at night. I see it when you slip me your last strip of bacon because you know I love it, and when you make sure to make something I like when it’s your turn to cook. I see it when you buy me something new to try every time you go grocery shopping and in how you look at me to check if I like it every time you make me try something new. Oh, and I can feel it through our bond.”
Jago threw his previously neatly folded T-shirt at Corbin’s face. “Ass.”
Corbin laughed. It sounded so happy and carefree, he sometimes didn’t even recognize it as his. It wasn’t a sound he’d ever thought he could make, and he had Jago to thank that he did. “Yes, I have one.”
Jago took a shoe off and threw it at Corbin. “Very funny.”
Corbin arched a brow and put his hands on the waist of his jeans. Jago’s gaze followed his movement as he slowly moved his fingers and unbuttoned the jeans. Jago licked his lips and Corbin smiled as he lowered the zipper.
“Corbin?” Jago asked softly without ever looking up.
Corbin hooked his thumbs in the waits of his jeans and pushed down slowly. He saw Jago gulp, but he didn’t go faster, not yet. He was getting better at the sex thing. He was starting to understand there was more than the mere physical act to it, and that Jago appreciated being teased.
Jago made a strangled sound when Corbin pushed the jeans to just above his dick. He made sure not to let it pop out and slowly exposed the root and the hair that surrounded it.
Jago rushed at him and pushed him backward. Corbin’s back hit the wall and his breath whooshed out of his lungs. The wall was cool against his naked back while his front was pressed against Jago’s warm skin. Their still-clad cocks rubbed together through too many layers of fabric and Corbin wanted to rip the fabric away, but Jago grasped the back of his neck and roughly pulled him down for a kiss.
The kiss they shared wasn’t tender. It startled Corbin a bit, because he was used to a soft Jago, a Jago that was careful and watched Corbin’s reaction when they made love. This Jago, though, was far from the one Corbin was used to. He wasn’t hurtful, but he was hungry. Corbin could feel that Jago wanted him, and that he wanted him right now.
Corbin pressed his lips hard against Jago’s, their mouths open, and their tongues sliding together. Jago’s need pushe
d at Corbin’s, increasing it. Jago let go of Corbin’s neck and scrabbled at his jeans instead. It didn’t take long for Jago to push them down, and Corbin moaned into the kiss when his cock sprang out in the cool air of their bedroom.
Jago pushed Corbin’s jeans and briefs down and they fell around Corbin’s ankles as he reached down to free Jago’s erection from his shorts. Jago groaned and Corbin smiled into the kiss. He pressed both their dicks together and wrapped his hands around them.
“Fuck,” Jago muttered as he drew away from Corbin and pressed his forehead against Corbin’s shoulder. “You’re a tease.”
“I thought being a tease meant I would only show you.” Corbin squeezed his hands and Jago moaned. “This looks like more than just showing to me.”
“You’re a smartass.”
Corbin pushed his hips forward. The soft skin of his cock head rubbed against Jago’s, and Corbin’s knees buckled. He loosened his hold, took a deep breath, then started to tighten it again, but Jago dropped to his knees before Corbin could. He wrapped a hand around Corbin’s cock, smirked up at him, and leaned forward to take him into his mouth.
Corbin’s breath hitched and he kept his focus on Jago. The sight of his mate on his knees, sucking on his cock, was almost enough to make Corbin come. He curled his hands into fists and dug his nails in his palms. The sting of pain was enough to push his orgasm away even as Jago slowly worked his way down Corbin’s erection. He was making small sounds that vibrated against Corbin’s cock and made him want to thrust into Jago’s mouth.
Corbin reached down and touched Jago’s hair. He pushed his fingers into the red mass but didn’t try to rush his mate. He just held on, his fingers tightening as Jago sucked harder and brought him closer to orgasm.
Jago used his tongue to draw a pattern on Corbin’s length and Corbin threw his head backward. He hit the wall, but it didn’t hurt. He stopped trying to resist and rolled his hips, and when Jago didn’t protest, he did it again, and again. “Jago...”
Jago sucked harder and did something with his tongue. Corbin’s orgasm hit him and he closed his eyes. He felt a hot splash on his chin as Jago moaned around his dick and an intense satisfaction came through their bond. Jago continued suckling on Corbin until it was too much and Corbin gently pushed him away.
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