by Leilani Love
Warrick grinned and bent down to kiss her nose. “I have no doubt you will, but I just wanted to make sure you wanted to. Some of these bruises your brother’s mate has given you look angry.”
Hope looked down at her thighs. On the side of her right thigh was a huge bruise that did indeed look angry. It was blue and black in places and when she’d touched it earlier she had winced. Despite how ugly it looked today, she knew by the morning it would be gone. Besides a very long life where she aged slowly, their ability to heal quickly was probably her second favorite perk. It was first when she was younger and clumsy. She had thought she would outgrow being clumsy before working with Kassandra. Based on these bruises she wasn’t as coordinated as she thought she was.
“They will heal soon,” she said, simply leaning up and kissing him. She liked this side of him. The side that was playful and just a little worried about her.
When she smiled against his lips he nodded toward some of the small wood chips that were floating in the tub. “I’ve ruined your bath.”
Hope continued to brush her lips back and forth against his. “I think the only way that would’ve been better is if you were naked…you’re by far wearing too many clothes.”
Warrick chuckled and lightly smacked her ass as he gave her a big kiss. With her hands holding his shirt, she felt herself melt into him. He had been training her to respond to him the last few days and her body was eager to see where this playfulness would go. “I’m sorry I ruined your bath but I have to change and head out. One of the guards is celebrating his anniversary and I’m taking over for him until his replacement can come.”
Once he was out, she started to get out of the tub only to have him reach down and pick her up. Wrapping her in a big towel, he kissed her nose as he let out the water. He rinsed the tub out and started to fill it again. “You, my dear Hope, should take another bath and relax. I will be home in a couple of hours and we can have a late dinner.”
Hope smiled as he picked up the Epsom salts and bath beads she had put in. He looked like he wanted to pour them in but based on his frown he couldn’t figure out how much to pour. “Here let me take care of that while you get out of your wet clothes.”
Warrick smiled and kissed her gently before nodding, “Deal, I’ll be home in three hours max. I expect you to be thoroughly relaxed by then.”
Warrick peeled himself out of the wet clothes and dried off as he watched Hope prepare her bath. She was beautiful on the outside but it was her inner beauty that drew him to her. Her ready smile and the way she easily helped out others. He thought she looked like a small ray of sunshine as a little girl. Not even his imagination of what she would have grown up to be like could have done her justice.
Warrick used the towel to dry off, and hanging his clothes over the wall of the shower, for a moment, he reluctantly tore his eyes from her body to walk out of the bathroom to get dressed. All the men on patrol worked in pairs and he knew that the one he was paired up would be showing up any minute.
Dressed in clean clothes and dry boots he walked into the bathroom and kissed her one last time, right before she stepped into the tub. “I’ll be back soon.”
Hope gave him an inviting smile before he walked away, causing his cock to swell and press against his zipper. Warrick grabbed his jacket on the way out of his room to head downstairs and await his partner.
He understood why he wasn’t normally patrolling. They didn’t want to leave either him or Hope alone and give his brother an opening to try and take either of them. The only reason they let him go for a few hours today was because Damien was still next-door and was going to be keeping an eye on the house. With his twin connection to her he didn’t have to be watching her to know if something was wrong.
Once downstairs he heard a knock on the door. Opening it he saw Max, one of the newest wolf guards. He was the youngest in his family and the only boy. His father had passed away a few years ago and he was trying his best to support his mother and three sisters. He was eager to learn and had excelled at hand-to-hand combat. Despite all his hardships, Max always showed up with a smile on his face and was often the first to show up for training and the last to leave. He had quickly become one of Chase’s favorite trainees and Warrick couldn’t help but smile at the young wolf whose hazel green eyes looked to be dancing with mischief as he stood on his porch.
“Am I early?” Max asked as Warrick stepped out onto the porch.
“No, you’re on time. I just had to change my clothes after working with Damien all day.” Warrick replied as he locked the front door to the house.
Max nodded and Warrick noticed how he shot a glance at his still wet hair. Warrick smiled to himself as they headed out. The memory of Hope lying naked in the tub, her smile and the way she felt, squirming in his arms as he tickled her, was a hell of a memory for him to take on patrol. She was everything he had dreamt of over the years, and so much more.
He looked up to see Damien in the upstairs window. With a nod in his direction, he and Max started walking towards the outskirts of the town. Aithne had mapped out different patrol areas and with the help of Chase, the two of them were able to come up with a plan that covered the most area with the least amount of people.
“Do you really think your brother will be stupid enough to come back and try something?” Max asked.
“I do,” Warrick said sighing as he looked around. “I’d hoped he wouldn’t, but once he showed up…”
Max nodded and both of them continued patrolling in silence. Warrick couldn’t help feeling like he was being watched. The hair on the back of his neck stuck up. His wolf inside him began to pace and he could hear his soft growl. Looking over at Max he asked, “Have you seen or noticed anything?”
Max looked around and shook his head. “No, am I missing something?”
Warrick shook his head. Max’s words made him think he might be imagining it. It was over an hour before he would be relieved of duty, yet that odd feeling of being watched never left him. When his relief showed up neither he nor Jeremy acted like anything was wrong, making him doubt himself even more.
18
Hope knew something was wrong when Warrick came home from his patrol. When she asked if something had happened he shrugged and said nothing. With his silence, she knew something had changed. Warrick was guarded and they didn’t make love that night. Instead he held her, kissing her gently while cupping her cheek and telling her to rest for their sparring session tomorrow night.
Sandra showed up after Warrick left, bringing Hope coffee and a donut. “Hey stranger, I thought I would check in on you,” Sandra said, giving her a small hug while standing in the door with her goodies.
Hope smiled, grabbing the drink tray. “If it makes you feel better I’ve been getting abused and beat up every day I’ve been away.” Sandra gave her a look and Hope shrugged. “Apparently, besides being my brothers mate, Kassandra enjoys kicking my ass and calling it training.”
Sandra laughed as she took a donut from the back before tossing it to her. “Well she is one of the dragon guards.”
With a shrug and a small guilty smile Hope replied, “True, but she’s also family, so I thought she was going to take it easier on me.” Sandra gave her a look and they both laughed. Kassandra would push her harder as her sister. If anything ever happened to Hope, Kassandra would blame herself for not training her better.
“Okay so I know you are busy tonight but how about girl’s night tomorrow?” Sandra asked. “You could probably use a break. We can do it at my place. I was thinking all the women who helped us finish up the houses. As a reward.”
Hope nodded, “That would be a great idea. I might have to have Warrick or Damien drop me off and pick me up since I promised not to go anywhere alone…”
“Why don’t I pick you up instead? We can go shopping today if that’s okay and tomorrow night we can pick up whatever we forgot, because there is always something, and Warrick can pick you up in the morning. That way we can drink…a
lot.”
“That could be doable. I am not sure he will agree to let me stay the night though.”
Sandra looked at her neck and raised an eyebrow. “I see that you two finally, umm…”
Hope blushed nodding. It was interesting having everyone know that he had claimed her and that they had made love. Your private life wasn’t always so private as a wolf. She wore her mark proudly. Not once thinking of covering it up but she found herself blushing when she noticed other’s looking. The men, she noticed, sometimes would pat Warrick on the back while the women smiled and nodded in her direction.
“By that blush on your cheeks I am going to guess more than once. And that you enjoyed yourself.” Hope felt herself blushing more, which made Sandra laugh harder. “Good for you. It’s about time your mate claimed you.”
Hope took a sip of her coffee. She didn’t want to go into details with Sandra about her and Warrick in bed. She did notice the change in the women’s attitude toward him after they noticed her mark but she didn’t feel the need to go into details. That was private, between her and Warrick, and she wanted it to stay that way.
Sandra gave her a grin before letting that conversation drop. “So what are you doing today? Any plans?”
Hope shook her head, “No. Today I’m just staying in. Thought I’d give my shadows the day off.”
“That’s nice of you. Have they gotten any closer to catching Gabriel? I can’t believe he made it all the way into town without anyone seeing him.”
“No. As of right now we aren’t even sure if he’s still close by or if he left,” Hope said with a sigh. “It’s like he knew Warrick was starting to be happy and came in to ruin it.”
Hope heard the pout in her own voice before she took a bite of her food. Sandra reached over and patted her on the hand, making her smile. It was nice having female friends. Her brother, Damien, was nice, but sympathetic he was not. He just told her to have faith that he would kick any ass that needed to be kicked. It did make her smile but she wanted to take a minute to wallow in self-pity. She didn’t want to live there, just throw a small pity party where she got to stomp her feet and throw a tantrum before moving on. Damien always gave her this look, like she was crazy, when she said that. Maybe it was a girl thing.
Sandra smiled, taking the last bite of her donut. “Okay I’m off. Text me tomorrow and let me know when I can pick you up. We can get drinks on the way to my house and I’ll have the girls help bring in the junk food.”
Hope walked her to the door giving her a hug. She watched her walk out to her car waving before smiling to the guard who was patrolling the house. With Warrick gone for the day she knew Damien had made sure there would be at least two on the house. Kassandra even had one that tailed her when she was on her own, which made Hope feel only slightly better.
Making another pot of coffee to share with the guards outside, she smiled thinking about being able to spar with Warrick tonight. Her wolf had been itching to come out since they’ve mated and she was looking forward to it, probably more than she should. Pouring each a cup she headed outside to find them.
Warrick looked outside the window as he and Damien drove out of town. Aithne had been able to track down a rumor about the witch’s coven. His mind wandered to his dreams of last night. Gabriel was there, and tied to the table was Hope. She was covered in so much blood and her body was still as his brother stood over her. He wanted to move but his body was frozen.
“I can see why you couldn’t resist her, brother. She is beautiful.” Gabriel looked down at her body licking his lips causing Warrick’s stomach to roll. “So passionate.”
Warrick closed his eyes and another wave of nausea hit him. He could feel his wolf itching to come out. “She cried out for you at first. But after the third time I took her she forgot you ever existed.” Making a tsking noise Gabriel looked at him, “So selfish brother. You’re supposed to keep her safe. Instead you’re the reason I had to kill her.”
He was suddenly able to move and Warrick attacked him them. Blinded by rage he went for his brother’s throat. Before he could wrap his hands around him, he felt the cold steel slide deep into his belly. As he fell to the ground he looked up and saw his brother, Gabriel, smiling down at him. “Soon my brother, you will get to watch her die before I kill you for real.”
When he finally woke up that morning he’d held Hope tight. She whimpered a bit before curling up closer to him, laying on his chest. She had nuzzled him as if sensing his need to hold her. Warrick never wanted to let her go. When the sun came up in the morning he watched as the light shone on her hair. The different shades of blonde and gold glittered in the light.
He watched as she yawned and stretched, her eyes slowly coming open, a light blush on her cheeks as she looked up at him. Her amber eyes still held a bit of sleep and he stroked her hair. There was a moment, when she looked at him, that he forgot about the dream, forgot about the world around them, and it was just the two of them. She was his world and if he had to kill his twin brother to keep her safe…he wouldn’t even hesitate.
“I would ask you what you are thinking about but based on the growls I hear coming from you I would bet it has something to do with your brother,” Damien said interrupting his thoughts.
With a shake of his head Warrick tore his gaze from the window to look at Damien. “I think my brother is trying to mess with me.”
He was surprised when he heard Damien give a laugh. He looked over at his mate’s brother thinking he might have lost his mind when Damien finally spoke up. “Your brother has been torturing you most of your life. Stole everything he could. Your brother, for a lack of a better word, is a rabid dog that needs to be put down.”
Warrick felt a moment of guilt. Gabriel was his brother. If he never imprinted on Hope they never would have had their life turned upside down. “You can blame yourself for your brother all you want to. You are no more responsible for his actions than Hope is for mine.”
“He told me once that if I escaped and mated with Hope he would kill her. I should have stayed away,” Warrick said not even trying to hide his disgust with himself.
Damien was silent for so long that Warrick finally turned and looked at him. “Are you done feeling sorry for yourself?” Damien finally asked him. “Staying away would have only hurt my sister more. Her whole life she missed you. Cried over you. This situation isn’t ideal but your brother is responsible for his own actions. Your only job is to love my sister and protect her. I know you’ve been trying to do that second one on your own but now it’s time to ask for help and rely on the rest of us while you work on that first one. Hope’s waited long enough for you and now it’s time you make her happy and love her like she deserves.”
Warrick nodded. It was hard not to take the blame for his brother but Damien was right and his job as Hope’s mate was clear. There was something humbling about hearing how Hope might have cried for him. He would keep her safe and spend the rest of his life making up for any tears she might have shed for him…but first he needed to find his brother.
19
Hope was giddy with excitement while they ate dinner that night. Not wanting anything heavy she’d made them a salad with baked chicken that she used lemons and herbs to season. They were going to train in their back yard since it was a big, wide open area and the guards were told to stay close enough to hear the alpha’s howl for help but not so close as to disturb them.
Warrick had told her they would start about an hour after dinner giving her time to digest her food while he walked the perimeter. When he pulled her close and gave her a quick, hard kiss she almost melted into him. When he pulled away he told her to meet him outside in an hour. Hope bobbed her head in agreement. Since no one was going to be around so she didn’t need to dress to go outside. She hated tearing her clothes when she shifted. Hope had a little bit of magic envy of how the dragons were able to shred their clothes with magic when they shifted and have those pieces rematerialize when they shifted back to their hu
man form.
She had asked Kassandra about it the first time she saw her do it. Kassandra laughed and replied, “I turn into a beast that the god’s created to destroy things. I guess when they turned us human they left some magic with us and our ancestors had asked for that ability.”
Hope shook her head. It was amazing the things that one took for granted. Humans never knew of shifters but she imagined if they did they would want to understand how their body changed. How it was that after a year or so shifting, the pain they first felt, went away. They were aware of the fact that their bones were breaking and re-lengthening, muscles changing but it no longer hurt. That first shift as a teenager was painful but each one after was less and less until it no longer hurt.
Hope looked at the clock and went to stand on the porch. The sun was just starting to set. Sniffing the air, she could smell Warrick. He was close but not quite visible yet. She was also aware of the guards. Her wolf, itching to come out, was close to the surface and told her that they were not close enough to see her. As she kicked off her shoes she started to pull off her shirt. Folding it she put it on the chair on the back porch. When she removed the rest of her clothes she folded everything nicely.
As she stood up she became aware of Warrick coming up the back yard. He was naked already and the light from the fading sun shone off his body. Her eyes greedily took him in. When they’d found him months ago he was skin and bones and barely alive, now before her was a strong healthy man. Each day he got stronger and most days she could barely detect his limp. She traced the muscles from his strong thighs up his body. He didn’t have a six-pack but she could see his muscle definition and that line that ran along his hips made her mouth water. When she noticed his cock starting to harden as he stood there, she finally raised her eyes up to his.
He smirked as if he could read her mind and she realized that with their connection and enhanced since of smell he probably could. She walked down the stairs slowly keeping her eyes locked on his. Testing their connection, she spoke to him through their link Are you ready?
