by Lynn Hagen
Crap. This wasn’t what Raven had assumed. Sindri was here to kill Jet.
Normally Raven would use his brute strength to take the enemy down. But that wasn’t going to work this time. He needed to think. How could he disable someone who wielded magic? How could he get the upper hand?
Raven spotted a large branch not too far from him. He moved with careful steps toward it and picked it up, gripping it like a bat. He would have one shot at knocking Sindri out.
But Raven was still dizzy from taking that powerful blow. His focus wasn’t one hundred percent. His vision was spotty, but Sindri was getting closer to Jet, and Raven had to make sure the guy didn’t make his move before Raven knocked him the fuck out.
With every ounce of strength he possessed, Raven swung, but Sindri ducked just in time and spun around. The red electric ball formed in his hands.
Raven rolled right, barely missing being hit. He came up in a crouch, baring his canines with his claws slid free.
Sindri shook his head, glowering at Raven. “Do you really think your animal will defeat me?”
Jet raced to Raven’s side. But instead of getting behind Raven, Jet moved to stand in front of him. “I won’t let you hurt him.”
“Get behind me,” Raven snarled. His mate was helpless, and Raven couldn’t stomach the thought of Sindri throwing one of the powerful blasts at his mate.
Raven was the one who had the bracelet on. Not Jet. The blast would kill him.
Sindri shrugged. “I’ll just kill you both.”
Raven threw Jet to the ground when another blast came toward them. He wasn’t fast enough to get himself out of the way. Raven took a hit to his shoulder, which knocked him on his ass.
The bracelet might stop Sindri from killing him, but the power that surged through Raven was what might end him. He wasn’t sure how much more his body could take.
Jet was at his side in an instant, tears welling up in his eyes. He grabbed Raven’s shoulders and shook him. “Just stay down. One more hit and you might be knocked unconscious.”
“Not gonna leave you alone with him,” Raven grunted as he sat up. It dawned on him that Sindri was toying with them. If the guard had truly wanted Raven dead, he could have thrown blast after blast until Raven was a shuddering mess on the grass.
The bastard was making a sick game of this. Then again, he couldn’t be too stable if he was hijacking fae and draining their blood. No one with a stable mind would do something like that.
“Get behind me,” Raven said through gritted teeth. He might be powerless against Sindri, but it was Raven’s duty, his responsibility to keep Jet safe.
When Jet refused to move, Raven had no other choice. He shifted and bounded after Sindri. The guard shot out one blast after another, but Raven dodged the flying electrical missiles and leapt, slamming his front paws against Sindri’s chest and knocking him backward.
Raven fought to tear out the bastard’s throat. If he chanted a spell, the fight would be over. Raven had to stop him before that happened.
With a thunderous shout, Sindri spun, knocking Raven off him. Raven tried to charge again, but the guard was fast, shimmering away and appearing next to Jet.
Raven shifted back. “No!”
* * * *
Jet anticipated what Sindri would do half a second before the guard shimmered. Sindri got behind Jet for a brief moment, but Jet dropped, rolled, and rushed toward the wolf. Damn it. It was like playing dodge ball with the guard, but this was no child’s game. The rules were different.
In this game, if Jet or Raven was caught, they’d be killed.
Jet gasped when Sindri started moving his lips and using his hands. He was performing a spell. There was no way Jet could counteract it. Even if he could use magic, Sindri had bound him.
Jet threw his arms around the wolf’s neck, smashing his eyes closed as he waited for something horrific to happen.
After a second, Jet opened his eyes. Sindri stared at his hands with creased brows.
“He can’t…” Jet’s brows shot up. “He can’t work his spells.”
As soon as the words were out of Jet’s mouth, Raven howled and raced forward. Sindri rolled his hands, but no electricity appeared.
What in the fudge sticks was going on? Sindri was powerless. The guard stood there with a menacing glare as Raven reached him.
They rolled, Sindri landing blows to Raven’s side. But the wolf didn’t just take them. He didn’t just lie there and get pummeled.
Raven got out of Sindri’s headlock and grabbed his arm between his sharp teeth, tearing flesh from bone. Jet threw a hand over his mouth, trying not to vomit as blood gushed from the wound.
“I forgot how lethal he was when fighting.”
Jet spun and saw a very tall and muscular man standing beside him. His attention went right to the stranger’s tattoos on his left arm. Then Jet’s gaze drew upward to the ones on his neck. Finally, Jet looked the man in his face.
He had the iciest blue eyes Jet had ever seen. “Who’re you?”
Was this one of the men who was supposed to be watching the house?
The stranger pinned Jet with that glacial gaze. “Calhoun.”
Jet took a step back. This was the man sent to take Raven back to his pack. Holy shit! He was huge! And smelled like cat. Hadn’t Raven said he was a white tiger?
“I won’t let you take him,” Jet snarled. “He’s my mate, and if you interfere, I’ll—”
Calhoun smirked. “You’ll do what, pipsqueak?”
Jet dragged his eyes away from Calhoun long enough to see Raven and Sindri still going at each other, tackling, punching, kicking, and the wolf was heavily growling.
“I don’t want…” Jet looked back at Calhoun. He wasn’t sure he could reason with the guy. Hadn’t Raven told him that Calhoun was his adopted brother, that they were nearly equal in match in strength and determination?
“You don’t want what?” Calhoun cocked his head to the side, every few seconds looking over at the battle.
“I don’t want to fight you,” Jet said. “I could never beat you, but I’m asking, please, don’t take Raven from me.”
Calhoun studied him with those icy eyes. “Give me one good reason.”
“He’s my mate.”
Calhoun shook his head. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
Was this some sick game he was playing? Was Calhoun going to make Jet list all the reasons why, then still try to haul Raven away?
Jet looked at the fight he desperately wanted to stop. He hated standing there trying to beg for Raven’s freedom while his mate was locked in battle with one of the fiercest fae guards. And where was Alston? Why wasn’t he here? He normally didn’t stray too far from Sindri.
His skin itched to run to Raven, to use magic on Sindri to make the man leave the wolf alone. The more he watched them, the angrier Jet became. Panahasi had given Jet permission to be here, so who the fuck was Sindri to try to take that away?
Jet glared at Calhoun. “Because I’m ready to die to keep Raven safe. Because I’m ready to march over there and put myself in danger so Sindri doesn’t hurt my mate.” Jet took a step closer, narrowing his eyes. “Because I love Raven with all my heart. He sees me when no one else does. He wants me. I want him. Even though I can’t beat Sindri, I’ll go down fighting to keep Raven safe.”
Jet spun and raced toward Sindri and his wolf. He let go of a loud scream, ready to pick that branch up and swing it at Sindri’s head.
But he was caught around the waist and hauled off his feet just as Raven pinned Sindri to the ground, his muzzle over the guard’s throat.
“Don’t need to get between them,” Calhoun said. “You could’ve gotten hurt.”
“Let me go!” Jet wrestled in Calhoun’s strong arms. “I’ll beat the snot out of you!”
Jet gnashed his teeth when a deep, rumbling laughter seized Calhoun’s chest. “I like your fire, little one.”
“Let me go and I’ll show you just how much
fire I have.” Jet elbowed Calhoun in his gut. The guy snarled.
“Do that again and I’ll put you over my fucking knee. Your skinny elbow hurts.”
Jet gasped when Panahasi appeared. He hadn’t used a shadow. He hadn’t used one of those freaky vortexes. He just appeared out of thin air and touched Raven’s shoulder.
“I’ll take it from here.”
Raven growled and clamped down harder on Sindri’s throat. The guard looked up at Panahasi with frightened eyes. Jet wanted to laugh at the fear on Sindri’s face considering the guard had put that look of fear on so many others.
“Release him,” Panahasi said in a firmer tone. “I disabled Sindri’s powers before I even got here, but I won’t allow you to kill him.”
Raven slowly backed away, still snarling. He turned his head and looked at Jet, then Calhoun. His mate shifted and balled his fists at his side. “Let Jet go or you’ll be the next person I attack.”
Calhoun set Jet on his feet then raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t come here to fight you, Raven.”
“Bullshit,” Raven spat as Jet ran to his mate. Jet stood in front of Raven to hide the man’s nudity. It shouldn’t be a concern right now. They had more pressing matters to deal with, but Jet would be damned if everyone ogled Raven’s impressive package.
“He’s telling the truth,” Panahasi said.
Raven looked from the demon leader to the tiger shifter. “What the fuck? But you told me in the bathroom at the tavern that you were here to collect me.”
“Your father did send me, but before I left, your cousin stood up to him, demanding to be recognized at the new pack leader.”
Raven’s brows shot to his hairline. “Michael stood up to my father?”
Calhoun nodded. “And Robert McCoy relented after Michael made some valid points. Why hand everything over to someone who doesn’t want it and might screw it up when he had someone willing and more than capable already there?”
“My father actually relented?” Raven seemed confused.
“I might have had a talk with him.” Panahasi winked in Raven’s direction. “He would be interfering with a mating if Calhoun forced you home. After a long conversation, your father finally agreed to concede to Michael.”
Jet wanted to jump for joy. Raven wasn’t going anywhere, and Sindri had been stopped. “But what about King Arion?” Jet asked. “He also made a law about no one leaving the realm.”
Panahasi pulled Sindri from the ground and wrapped his hand around the guard’s throat. “He won’t send anyone after you. I give you my word.” Panahasi waved his hand, and Jet felt something almost “pop” inside him. The spell has been lifted and his powers had been restored.
Jet was relieved. He might not use his magic, but he missed shimmering. Riding in a car sucked.
The demon leader glared at Sindri. “And now we’re going to clean up the mess you made before I take you to the underworld.”
With frightened eyes, Sindri nodded.
Panahasi vanished, taking the guard with him.
Raven turned to Calhoun.
“Do you honestly think I could ever force you to do something against your will?” Calhoun said. “In fact, I left the pack. Now I’m thinking about sticking around Maple Grove.”
“Not here.” Jet gave Calhoun the stink eye. He might not have come here to take Raven away, but he’d still made Jet think so. He could’ve simply cleared the air when they’d talked. “There’s a motel in town you’re welcome to stay at. I have a mate to tend to, and we’re going to need some private time.”
For the first time since he and Raven had found each other, they didn’t have anyone after them. They could finally start living their life together the way it was meant to be.
Jet sighed as Raven curled his arms around him. “You heard my mate,” Raven said. “I’ll give you the directions to the motel. We’ll catch up later and get reacquainted.”
Calhoun walked toward the side of the house. “I’m sure I can find my way. I’ll be seeing you around, McCoy.”
Raven scooped Jet up into his arms and carried him toward the house. “Now tell me about this private time we need.”
* * * *
Raven slid his cock deep into Jet’s body, both of them groaning at the pleasure. “I’m digging this private time.”
“Me, too.” Jet held on to Raven’s biceps as he wiggled his ass. “Now if you’ll just move, this would be perfect.”
Raven kissed along Jet’s smooth jaw, inhaling his flowery scent as he pulled back and thrust forward. He cupped his mate’s face, staring into his amber eyes. “Take me to paradise, Rainbow.”
The room vanished, and they were lying on that same beach, on a large blanket, with the moon high above them. Raven listened to the waves lapping against the sand as he reared back and pistoned into Jet’s ass.
His mate cried out, thrashing around, and it was the most beautiful sight Raven had ever seen. He bent down and sank his canines into Jet’s soft shoulder, deepening their bond.
He was glad he’d stolen Jet from the clinic, because from that moment on, Jet had stolen Raven’s heart.
Jet shouted as he came. Raven removed his canines and licked the wound, spinning so Jet was atop him. He looked like an angel up there, sent to Raven when he’d needed someone the most.
“I love you, Rainbow.”
Jet’s eyes sparkled as he pressed his palms against Raven’s chest, his colorful hair spreading around his head like a veil. He swiveled his hips as he smiled. “I love you, too.”
His mate took Raven’s mouth in a soul-stirring kiss before Raven grabbed Jet’s hips and raced after his own release. Raven shattered, taking the kiss deeper as his orgasm swept him under.
Jet collapsed against him.
“Don’t take away the illusion just yet,” Raven said as he brushed his fingers through Jet’s hair. “I want to go swimming under the stars and catch me a rainbow.”
Jet rested his head on his folded arms and smiled down at Raven. “You don’t have to catch me. I’m already yours.”
THE END
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