“I know,” Kelan said. “But Gill was his mate. He might say he’s okay, but he’s cut up on the inside. Your mate is like the other half of your soul.
“You don’t really know it’s missing until you meet your mate, but when you lose them, it’s like losing a piece of yourself. A piece you can never get back.”
“But will Cary be able to find another mate?”
Kelan sighed. “I don’t know. I only know about wolves. Some wolves that have lost their mates have been lucky enough to find another, but it’s extremely rare. Hell, it’s difficult enough to find one mate. Some wolves never find their other halves.”
“That’s really sad. I hope Cary can find someone else. He’s a sweet guy and he deserves something good—someone good.”
“Yeah, I hope he finds someone, too.”
Jake felt his eyes grow heavy.
He struggled to keep them open, but he was fighting a losing battle.
“Tired,” he managed to get out.
“I know, baby. You need more rest. Go to sleep now. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Jake nodded, or at least he thought he did.
He was almost asleep when Kelan’s warm lips placed a tender kiss on his forehead.
The second time Jake awoke, he knew exactly where he was.
When he opened his eyes, the light in the room was dim and it didn’t hurt his eyes as much. He looked down at his hands. One was covered in a bandage. Kelan was holding the other in his, rubbing circles over Jake’s palm with his thumb.
Even though the action was meant to soothe, Jake couldn’t help the way his cock twitched and stirred under the sheets. Kelan had that effect on him, and Jake was powerless to do anything about it, not that he wanted to.
“Welcome back,” Kelan said.
“Hi,” Jake replied hoarsely.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Horny.”
Kelan threw his head back and laughed. “If your dick is hard, then you must be feeling better.”
Jake nodded. “How long have I been asleep?”
Kelan sobered at once. “This time, just a few hours. But you’ve been in here for almost four days.”
“What?” Jake gasped.
Kelan reached for a cup on the table, fished out an ice chip and placed it on Jake’s tongue.
“Here, have this,” Kelan said. “It’s better for you right now than water.”
Jake nodded and let the ice melt on his tongue.
“Four days,” he said at last. “How so long? Have I been asleep all that time?”
“You weren’t asleep. You were in a medically-induced coma. The knife pierced your lung and you had to have a breathing tube put down your throat. They pulled you out of the coma this morning.”
“A coma,” Jake repeated.
“Yeah. I tried to give you blood, but your injury was so bad it hardly helped at all. I was terrified, Jake, so afraid I was going to lose you. I couldn’t bear that.”
Jake wasn’t sure he could process what Kelan was telling him.
A coma?
Jesus, he must have been in a bad way for the doctors to do that to him.
“Jake, there’s something else we need to discuss. There’s a shifter working here at the hospital, a doctor. Cary and I explained what really happened to him, but with a stab wound, the police had to be called in.
“It’s hospital procedure. They want to talk to you when you wake up. I told them you were mugged and that your wallet was stolen. I think it’s best if we stick to that, okay?”
Jake nodded. “What about Gill? What happens when they find his body on the roof?”
“They won’t. Cary carried Gill from the roof. We managed to get away before the fire service showed up. We contacted Cary’s council and they came to collect Gill’s body. The police will never know of his involvement in all this.”
“Where is Cary now?”
“He’s at Cody’s apartment. Cody and Stefan are keeping an eye on him until I can get him back to Texas, but I think it’s going to take a while before he’s able to work again. He’s in a bad way. When you see him… He can hardly function properly.”
“So he’s still going to go with you, even though his life is not at risk anymore?’
“I’m making him,” Kelan declared. “He has nothing left here. His home was destroyed, his mate is dead and in the state he’s in, he wouldn’t be able to hold down his job.
“I’m afraid he’d end up on the streets, and I’d never forgive myself if that were to happen to him when there was something I could have done about it.”
Jake smiled.
Kelan was the most selfless man he knew. He couldn’t imagine his life without him in it.
That would hurt worse than the knife in his chest had.
“When are you going back to Texas?”
Kelan’s eyes grew sad. “I don’t know. I need to go home pretty soon because the pack needs me, but I’m not leaving until you’re better. You are my first priority Jake, everything else can wait.
Of course, I had hoped that…”
“I’m coming with you,” Jake said in a rush.
“You want to come and visit?”
“No.”
Kelan screwed his eyebrows together.
The confused look on his lover’s face made Jake smile.
“I’m coming for good.”
The smile on Kelan’s face lit up the whole room.
Jake couldn’t help but return it tenfold.
If it was only his job that was keeping him in New York, well, he could work anywhere, but Texas was where Kelan would be and that was all he needed to know.
If he had Kelan in his life, he could face anything else that came his way.
They could face things together.
Kelan stared at Jake, a lump forming in his throat.
“Do you mean that? For good?”
He held his breath in anticipation.
Jake was everything he had ever wanted in a mate.
His life would be complete if Jake was home with him in Texas.
His entire family would finally be together.
He couldn’t think of a better way to spend the rest of his days.
“For as long as you want me,” Jake said.
Kelan chuckled. “But I’ll always want you.”
Jake shrugged. “Good because you’ll always have me.”
The End
Enjoyed what you just read?
If so, then please consider leaving a review, however brief.
Reviews help to get the word out about an author’s books which, in turn, helps them sell more copies. That enables authors to continue their writing career—producing more work for your reading pleasure.
About the Author
Lavinia Lewis is the M/M pen name of British romance author Tammy Thomas.
She also writes contemporary romance as Ava Grace and paranormal romance as Amy Armstrong.
She is a full-time writer and lives in Wales, UK.
She discovered reading at an early age and could always be found with her nose in a book. She loved getting lost in a fantasy world even then. When her parents bought her a typewriter for Christmas at age eleven, her fate was sealed. She spent hours dreaming up characters and creating stories. Not a lot has changed. Now, when she is not writing you can find her with her kindle in hand, reading a romance novel, or binge-watching her favorite shows on Netflix.
She has lived all over the UK but currently resides back home in the little village in Wales where she grew up. She has traveled extensively to places as far and wide Africa, Asia, Australia, America and most of Europe. Although some of her books are set in Texas she has never visited the state but plans to spend time there in the near future.
Tammy welcomes emails from her readers so feel free to get in touch at the following email address.
[email protected]
suit (2019 Reissue)
Kelan's Pursuit (2019 Reissue) Page 12
