by Lynn Hagen
“Do whatever you want,” Aiden grumbled as the demon leader vanished.
“Mind telling me what that was about?” Tryck asked.
Aiden grabbed the map from the coffee table, surprised Rudy was still in town. Preston could’ve taken Rudy halfway around the world, but he hadn’t. Why? Were angels that arrogant that he thought Aiden wouldn’t find where Rudy had been stashed?
“We’re going with you,” Law said. “You’ll need backup if things goe south.”
Aiden eyed Tryck. “Don’t blow a damn thing up until I have my mate back.”
With a shrug, Tryck and his brothers walked outside.
“Do you need me to come with you?” Malik asked as he watched the Santiago brothers mount their bikes.
“I need you to keep the human cops away from here.” He showed Malik the map. “We don’t need any innocent people getting hurt.”
Malik clasped Aiden on his shoulder. “I’ll keep everyone away.”
“Thanks for coming to check on me.”
Malik nodded. “It’s what I signed up for. Now get out of here and go get your mate back.”
Aiden’s stomach clenched. If Preston had laid one hand on Rudy, he wouldn’t stop hunting down the angel.
* * * *
Rudy jerked awake when he heard a deep snarl. He looked up to find Preston standing over him, and Gavril was still passed out on his lap.
Preston snatched Gavril up and threw him across the room. The angel crashed into the wall and crumpled to the floor. Rudy jumped up, terrified of Preston’s powers but unwilling to let the guy hurt Gavril anymore.
He raced across the room and stood in front of Gavril’s prone body, spreading his arms wide. “Leave him alone!”
With a flick of his fingers, Preston sent Rudy flying. Rudy slammed into the kitchen table and landed on the floor, pain exploding on the right side of his body.
Gavril climbed to his hands and knees and shook his head as though trying to clear his mind. He looked up at Preston and snarled. “Beat me all you want, but you’ll never take me alive.”
Preston smirked. “Who said I wanted you alive, boy? You’re death will be an example of what happens to those who oppose our rules.”
Gavril staggered to his feet, although Rudy was silently begging him to stay down. From what Gavril had said, his powers were limited. Preston’s were not.
Gavril’s clothes disappeared, and Rudy had a feeling it wasn’t Gavril’s doing. Preston moved his hands, and Gavril slowly rose into the air. He screamed as fresh whip marks slashed across his chest.
Rudy covered his ears at the heart-wrenching sound.
“You have gone against me for the last time,” Preston snarled. “You’re love of humans is blasphemy. No matter how many times I’ve tried to beat that love out of you, you refuse to conform.”
Preston waved his hand and another, deeper cut appeared just under Gavril’s collarbone.
“You don’t have to punish me.” Gavril gritted his teeth. “I just want to be left alone.”
Rudy watched in horror as blood slid down Gavril’s chest. He wanted to help, to stop Preston from killing Gavril, but he didn’t know what to do.
The necklace! If it would work on Gavril, wouldn’t it work on Preston, too? But how was he gonna get it around Preston’s neck?
Rudy got to his feet, making sure he stayed out of the angel’s sight. He slipped his hand into his pocket and felt the thin metal. Preston was a lot taller than Rudy. How was he gonna sneak up behind him and slap the thing in place?
As if reading his mind, Gavril looked right at Rudy and gave a slight nod. How did Gavril know Rudy had the necklace, or did he think Rudy would simply jump Preston from behind?
He pulled the thin metal from his pocket and showed it to Gavril. Then Rudy pointed to Preston.
Gavril’s wings shot out as he roared. He dropped to the floor then raced forward and shoved his body into Preston’s. Gavril collapsed, as though he’d just used the last of his strength.
Preston tumbled backward and landed on his ass. Rudy sprinted across the room and slapped the necklace around Preston’s neck, shocked that the ruse had worked.
But that didn’t mean Preston didn’t have his strength over Rudy. The guy spun, baring his teeth at Rudy. Holy shit! Did he really have fangs? What was going on? Angels didn’t have fangs.
Rudy tried to run, but Preston caught up to him in a few strides and slammed his fist so hard into Rudy’s side that he was thrown sideways. Rudy crashed into the wall and felt his face explode in pain.
Blood spurted from his nose as he tried once again to get away. But Preston wasn’t having any of that. He grabbed Rudy by his hair and hauled him to his feet, pummeling Rudy’s body with right and left hooks that would make any boxer proud.
Rudy had a feeling that if Preston’s powers weren’t bound he’d be dead by now.
“You piece-of-shit human,” Preston snarled. “You’ll pay for putting this collar on me.”
Rudy just might die anyway. With the beating Preston was giving him, there was no way he’d survive. He curled into the fetal position and braced his arms over his head, praying his death was quick.
The front door burst open. Rudy was barely able to focus. The room was spinning too quickly, and everything was fading fast.
He heard a roar then furniture breaking as he tried to focus and see what was happening. He could scarcely make out the figures in the room.
A bear.
Aiden’s bear.
Rudy somehow knew that as he closed his eyes. He may or may not survive his injuries, but at least he’d stopped Preston from killing Gavril.
“Hey, stay with me.”
Rudy struggled to open his eyes at the sound of Aiden’s voice. His mate pulled Rudy from the floor, which made Rudy scream. The pain was too much, so Rudy gave in to the blissful darkness.
* * * *
“You’re gonna crash!” Aiden reached for the steering wheel, but Rudy knocked his hands away.
“I’m going ten miles an hour,” he said. “Calm down.”
It had been three weeks since Rudy had gotten the brakes beaten out of him. He should’ve died from his injuries, but some guy named Panahasi had appeared at the abandoned house and healed him.
Right before the Santiago brothers burned it down to the ground. That had been a bit extreme in Rudy’s opinion, but he hadn’t said that out loud. He’d just been grateful he hadn’t died.
Panahasi had taken Preston away, and no one still knew what had happened to Gavril. He’d simply disappeared. Just as long as he didn’t show up at the cabin, Rudy hoped the guy was somewhere safe.
“Use the brakes,” Aiden said with wide eyes. “Use the damn brakes.”
Rudy rolled his eyes. “If this is how you’re gonna teach me to drive, I want another instructor. We’re in the parking lot of the grocery store, and I’m going so slow people are walking past us.”
Aiden waved his hand. “Just pull into that empty spot.”
“It’s like a mile from the store,” Rudy argued. “I can park, Aiden. Just stop looking like you’ll have a heart attack and let me do this.”
“Just don’t kill us or hit another car,” Aiden said.
Rudy made a wide turn, easing the car slowly into the parking space. He put the car in Park and clapped. “I did it!”
“I knew you could.”
“Bullshit.” Rudy scowled. “You acted like I was landing a plane instead of parking a car. I’m gonna ask Reese to give me the rest of my lessons, or I just might have to duct tape you and toss you into the trunk.”
With a roll of his eyes, Aiden unfastened his seat belt and got out. Rudy joined him by the cart return two spaces down. Aiden looked toward the door and let out a deep breath.
“You can do this, Aiden. You’ve been doing so well over the past few weeks. You got this.”
He grabbed his mate’s hand as they walked toward the store. It was true. Rudy had been taking Aiden to the store at l
east twice a week to help him get past his anxiety, and Aiden had been doing so much better. He didn’t freeze up when the aisle was crowded.
Instead, he recited recipes that he wanted to make, which seemed to help tremendously, as well as eating snacks as they shopped. Aiden’s anxiety was a work in progress, but Rudy was certain that, in time, his mate would be able to shop with no problem.
Aiden was a big, strong bear shifter who had a lot of heart and was caring to a fault. It also helped that a lot of residents stopped them to say hi or talk. Rudy had let his anger go about some of them being the same people who’d turned their noses up at him when he was homeless.
Life was too short to be angry, and Rudy wanted to have a happy life with his bear.
He squeezed Aiden’s hand as they walked through the doors. “I love you.”
Aiden smiled down at him. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”
Once they were home—Aiden having seven heart attacks because of Rudy’s driving—they put the groceries away.
Then Aiden trapped Rudy against the counter and kissed him until there was no air left in Rudy’s lungs.
“What was that for?” Rudy asked.
“For being exactly what I needed.” Aiden pulled Rudy’s shirt off then stripped him of the rest of his clothes. Rudy stood there naked, watching as Aiden undressed.
Rudy blushed as he stared at his mate. “Now what?”
“Now I show you just how much you mean to me.” He lifted Rudy in his arms and carried him to their bedroom. Rudy laughed when Aiden dropped him onto the bed, making him bounce.
His mate reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out the well-worn bottle of lube. Rudy got to his hands and knees and crawled toward his mate. “Did my driving turn you on that much?”
Aiden snorted. “Hell no. I just might let Reese teach you because I don’t think my heart can take another ride with you.”
Rudy pursed his lips. “But I was only going fifty on the backroads.”
“You were going seventy,” Aiden corrected. “You’ve got a lead foot.”
“And a hard dick,” Rudy said. “What’re you gonna do about that?”
Rudy turned and presented his ass to Aiden. His mate smacked him on his cheek then shoved two wet fingers inside him.
“Oh, god,” Rudy moaned. “Teach my lead foot a lesson.”
Aiden drove his fingers deeper and harder, as if they were his cock. Rudy was already so close the edge that he had to grab the base of his erection in order not to come.
“I’m ready,” he whined. “Fuck me already.”
He wanted to feel Aiden’s thick cock pounding his ass. Rudy curled his fingers into the bedding as Aiden replaced his fingers with his dick. That was exactly what Rudy wanted. He mewled and panted as Aiden punched his hips forward, taking Rudy to pleasurable heights, nailing his prostate over and over again.
“Oh god…yes…more…” Rudy couldn’t seem to shut up and knew Aiden loved his babbling.
Then Aiden pulled out. Rudy punched the mattress, ready to have a fit, but his mate flipped him onto his back, shoved his legs to his chest, and thrust back in.
“Needed to look at you,” Aiden said between pants. “Needed to look at the man who means everything to me.”
If Aiden hadn’t been fucking him, Rudy might’ve melted into a pile of goo. He still might. He reached up and pulled Aiden down to him, capturing his lips as Aiden’s cock thrust hard and deep.
“I love you.”
Aiden cupped his face, devouring his lips. “Love you, too.”
Rudy cried out when Aiden bit into his shoulder, deepening their bond. His cock erupted as cum spilled between them. Aiden’s orgasm wasn’t too far behind Rudy’s. He roared his release then snuggled close, peppering Rudy’s shoulder with butterfly kisses as his mate spooned him.
Rudy sighed in contentment. Aiden had not only rescued him from the woods but saved him in so many ways that Rudy would never be able to repay him. He loved his mate more than life itself and would battle a hundred angels if he had to in order to stay by Aiden’s side.
Just as long as Aiden wasn’t the one teaching him how to drive.
THE END
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