Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Come and Join me!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Thank You
About the Author
Books by Megs Pritchard
Contact Information
Mine to Love
A Rescue Inc Novel
#8
By
Megs Pritchard
Mine to Love
A Rescue Inc Novel
Copyright © 2018 Megs Pritchard
www.megspritchardauthor.com
Edited by Jessica McKenna - www.liteditor.com
Cover design by JC Clarke at The Graphics Shed
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods. It is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot legally be loaned or given to others. For permission requests, write to the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblances to the actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
WARNING
This book contains explicit M/M sexual scenes and strong language. It has a kidnap scene included with threats of violence. It is intended for mature, adult audiences only.
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Chapter One
Prologue
The men converged quickly and quietly, swarming on the house, making no sound to alert the occupants they were entering. Precision like this came from years of training and careful planning, giving them the edge they needed. They took out the guards quickly and stealthily so as not to alert anyone close by. They didn’t need to cause unnecessary noise and draw unwanted attention. This was an in and out mission and they needed to follow the plan to the letter and save those trapped within the house.
Wyatt had little chance to react. The house was in darkness, but Wyatt could still see as if the light were on. One of the intruders entered his bedroom and held up a finger to his lips as he went to speak. Wyatt nodded, letting them know he understood. His heart pounded in his chest and sweat bloomed on his skin. Was this it? Were they going to kill them now or were they finally going to be freed? He did what they wanted. He wasn’t ready to die.
He could hear the sounds of movement around him, and through the open door, he saw the outline of the people he’d been staying with. Carter’s family were leaving, someone had come to rescue them, but would they leave him behind or save him too?
Another figure entered and beckoned Wyatt towards them. Wyatt stood and followed, walking out onto the landing and down the stairs with everyone else. As he passed an open door leading to the basement, he saw the vampires who’d been keeping them captive being carried out, already tied up.
Good. Wyatt hated every one of them for what they’d done to him and Carter’s family.
He followed everyone else’s movement, leading him out of the house and into the dark outside. He walked quickly, trying to keep up with the fast pace their rescuers had set and went through the rear garden, barely noticing what was happening around him. A black van stood waiting, the engine idling, doors opened for them. As he approached, he could see someone sat in the driver’s seat watching them and the surrounding area.
He paused briefly, unsure if this was the rescue he thought it was or if in fact it would lead to worse when a hand gripped his shoulder. “Go ahead, you’re safe. Carter sent us.”
Relief flooded through his system at the sound of Carter’s name and he stepped in and sat down quickly, the door slamming shut behind him, and the van pulled slowly away.
After months of being a prisoner to the vampires, his own people, Wyatt was finally free. Or was he? He still had no idea who these people were, but he knew why they were there.
“Who are you and is our son safe?” Cindy, Carter’s mom asked.
The man sat next to her nodded, as he pulled his balaclava off. “I’m Dean, and yes, he’s safe. His mate has him.”
“His mate?” Cindy asked, her hand raising to her throat. “I didn’t know he’d mated.”
“Yes, to one of the members of Rescue Inc. Hunter is his name. He wasn’t going to leave Carter behind.”
“He’s safe though?” Cindy pressed for an answer, her other hand reaching out to grab Dean’s arm.
“They’ve taken him to the hospital to be treated. I don’t know all the details, but I believe an incident occurred prior to getting him out. He’s safe and as soon as he has been treated, we’ll bring him to meet you.”
“Just where are you taking us? We need to be somewhere they can’t find us. They have spies everywhere,” Ezra, Carter’s dad, said. “I don’t want us to be caught again. My family has suffered enough.”
“We have a safe house set up for you. It’s off the grid, so the vampires won’t know about it. You’re safe now.”
“I can’t wait to see Carter. I’ve been so scared for him, stuck with those vampires for so long.” Cindy quickly glanced up at Wyatt and mumbled, “Sorry, Wyatt.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for, Cindy.” Wyatt shook his head. “It’s not like my own species gave a shit about me, is it?”
“We’re about an hour away from the safe house. Once we get there, you’ll be able to relax.”
Wyatt sat back, glancing at Dean from underneath his lashes as he continued to talk to Cindy and Ezra, trying to field the multitude of questions they were firing at him. He was being so patient with them, never showing any frustration despite being asked the same questions multiple times. Carter’s parents were understandably concerned for their son, particularly as he was in hospital receiving treatment for an unknown injury.
Wyatt was reeling—so much had happened in such a short time. The last thing he expected when he woke up this morning was to be rescued. Let alone that the person who came to save him was none other than his mate. Wyatt continued to watch him, trying to get a sense of who he was and what kind of man he was. He was human, Wyatt could tell that much. Patient too.
Regardless of the type of man he was though, Wyatt was without a doubt stepping out of one difficult situation into another. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
❊❊❊
Wyatt lay staring out of the bedroom window, watching as the shadows fought their way across the globe. The sun was shining through the leaves at the back of the house, and the curtains moved gently in the breeze from the open window.
The room wasn’t his, the house wasn’t either, but it was a place for him to stay, a place for him to rest, not physically, but emotionally. He’d been on his own for eight years now, after his parents had kicked him out when he’d told them he was gay. Luckily, he’d waited until after he’d graduated from high school to tell them, as
at least that meant he was able to get a job. For the first year, he’d crashed at friends’ houses, sleeping on sofas or in their spare rooms until he saved up enough money to afford his own apartment. One room, small and cramped, but his. He’d lived there for several years until one night he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. The night he’d crept back to his old family home.
The night that had changed his life.
Now he knew too much, and that knowledge had led him to this time and place. Everything that he had owned was gone: his job, his apartment, and all of his belongings. Wyatt only had the clothes on his back.
Jeremy and Donnie, who he was now living with, hadn’t hesitated to help him out, buying him items that he needed. Toiletries, and clothes. He was even working with Jeremy in his bakery. They both agreed after his first disastrous attempts at baking that he was much better at the front of the shop serving the customers, and after a few weeks, most of the regulars knew him by name.
He’d been concerned at first that he might be picked up again, but both Jeremy and Donnie assured him that he was safe here, and he could work if he wanted.
None of them seemed bothered that he was a vampire; they’d all been very friendly and welcoming. He was made to feel part of this close-knit community and he was discovering it was something that he needed and had missed.
When he packed his bag and left his home, left his family behind, he’d been determined to succeed. He wouldn’t need anyone, he could survive on his own, and he had up till a point. It was only now that he realized how much he needed friends.
For the first time in years, it felt like Wyatt was putting down roots and he actually enjoyed it.
Too many years he’d been distrustful, unwilling to let anyone get too close. He’d had acquaintances, but none that he would call friends, purposely keeping people at arm’s length. After the way his own family had thrown him aside, Wyatt had struggled to let anyone close to him.
Now, he had people who knew him, smiling and waving at him as they passed by. He went home every night and was welcomed by smiles. Sometimes when the guys from Rescue Inc were away on some mission, it would just be him and Jeremy. Sometimes Sacha would join the two of them and Wyatt found himself liking the quiet mate of Jared. If he was honest with himself though, he had a much harder time around Jacques, knowing what he’d suffered at the hands of his own kind.
Occasionally, they would go over to Chester and Silas’ place or to Jared and Sacha’s. Donnie and Jeremy were close to all the members of Rescue Inc, and they’d all welcomed Wyatt into their group.
There was only one problem, and that was Dean, his mate. Wyatt was twenty-five, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for the commitment that having a mate meant. Sure, he’d seen Ale and Troy together, saw the connection and deep love they had for one another, and yes, that was something he wanted, but in the future, not now.
He noticed the glances Dean gave him, the puzzled expression on his face, and he knew that he was feeling the pull. Wyatt knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to tell Dean the truth. Maybe he would do it the day he left and one day return when he was ready. He didn’t feel the driving need to mate, not like others of his kind. He didn’t want to be tied down. It was a strange conundrum. He liked the friendships that he had developed, liked the people in his life, and yet with his mate he felt the need to distance himself.
Maybe he was too afraid to love someone only to have that love thrown back in his face, like his family had done to him. Maybe he was too afraid to be hurt like that again. It had felt like he’d been ripped open when they’d turned their backs on him. His own family, abandoning him because of who he loved.
Wyatt sighed. This was his life for now until he was ready to move on. He was good at hiding and changing who he was, but what about Dean?
Thinking about his mate brought his image to Wyatt’s mind, and he shivered. Dean was older than him by a good ten years, with short black hair that had silver at the temple. His deep brown eyes appeared to see through Wyatt, right down to his soul. A straight nose, full lips, with a scar that slashed across his right eyebrow, all of which added to a gorgeous package.
He was built just the way Wyatt liked, tall and broad with a trim waist and narrow hips. Wyatt had occasionally glimpsed the top of a tattoo on the back of Dean’s neck but couldn’t see enough of it to figure out what the tattoo was. It looked like numbers,but Wyatt couldn’t tell for sure.
Wyatt had listened to conversations and found out that Dean was an only child and both his parents had died a number of years ago. From the sounds of it, he’d had an amazingly close relationship with his parents and even now, years after their death, he missed them. Wyatt would give anything to have that type of relationship with his family, but it was a dream that would never come true.
Dean had a scar that ran along his left forearm, and from conversations he’d overheard, he knew that was from where someone had slashed him with a knife. The drunken brawl that Dean had tried to break up had ended up with him almost being stabbed, and if it wasn’t for his training in the Marines, he may well have been.
Dean was taller than him by a good six to seven inches but then again, most people were taller than him. At only five foot eight, he was the smallest member of his family and Dean was at least six foot.
Wyatt stood and walked over to the mirror, scrutinizing his reflection. Short, with long, curly black hair, his most prominent features were his bright green eyes and pale skin.
His eyes were the first thing most people commented on, well, that and his plump lips. Most men thought his lips were good for only one thing. For years he’d longed to be taller, his hair to be straight, or to be able to get a tan, but now he was happy with how he looked, and the lips helped.
“Wyatt,” Donnie shouted. “Dinner’s ready.”
Sighing, Wyatt left the bedroom and jogged down the stairs, entering the kitchen as Jeremy was placing the food on the table. He went towards the table and then realized that there was someone else in the room. He paused, his hand hovering in the air as he reached for the chair and glanced over his shoulder at the one person he’d been trying to avoid.
“Hello Wyatt,” Dean said.
Swallowing, Wyatt muttered, “Hi Dean.”
Chapter Two
Dean sat at the kitchen table across from Wyatt, watching every move he made. He quickly noticed that Wyatt would look at him and then glance away, an adorable flush covering his skin. Those eyes, so brilliant and green, snagged his, but it was those lips that had Dean thinking of Wyatt on his knees, those plump lips stretched wide around his cock as Dean fucked his mouth.
Wyatt’s nostrils flared, and their eyes met before Wyatt looked away, biting his bottom lip. Dean wanted to reach out and pull his lip from between his teeth and rub the injury away, but he knew he couldn’t. Wyatt didn’t know him at all; he was only one of the men who had saved him, a complete stranger doing his job. Dean was no one important, and he’d have to learn to be patient.
He was grateful for Donnie and Jeremy giving Wyatt a place to stay and a job of his own. It also gave him the chance to get to know Wyatt. He hadn’t felt such an intense attraction to someone in years, probably since he’d first come out. Not that he’d actually come out.
It turned out his parents knew him better than he did, and one day he walked into his bedroom to find a packet of condoms, a bottle of lube, and a book called The Joy of Gay Sex on his bed. He remembered his chest heaving, sweat breaking out over his skin as he sat on the bed staring at those three items. He never told his parents his sexual preference, but somehow, they knew, and going by the items on his bed, they didn’t have a problem with it.
He’d stumbled down the stairs and into the living room, staring at his parents, his mouth opening and closing, but nothing came out. His mom had asked, “So, when is Brent coming over?” And that was it.
He’d never had to have the sit-down talk, the horrendous coming out speech, because his parent
s knew him, and his sexuality didn’t bother them at all.
The only thing they worried about was how others would be with him, how they would treat him and that worry only grew when he told them he was joining the Marines. They’d made sure he knew how to defend himself and he’d left with the knowledge that they loved him regardless of who he chose to be with.
While he was in, he never admitted to his sexual preferences, but he knew he wasn’t the only gay person there. Most people he worked with figured out his sexuality, and apart from a few snide remarks, no one commented. Dean was damn good at his job and several times he’d saved the people he worked with. They were a team, they relied on each other for their very lives, and at the end of the day, the team he worked with didn’t give a shit who he fucked. They had his back, and he had theirs, and that was it.
When an IED killed three of his team, Dean knew his time was coming to an end. Watching his teammates, his friends, die changed something in him. Kneeling in the hot sun, the sun beating down on his back, staring at the devastation around him and trying to stem the blood flow from his friend, Matty, was an image that would haunt him for the rest of his days. He’d seen worse injuries, seen people blown to bits, but Matty had been his friend from the day they’d started boot camp together and then he was gone.
“Hey, you okay?” Donnie asked as he sat next to him at the table.
“Yeah, I was just thinking about my time in the Marines.”
“Afghanistan or Iraq?”
“I’ve done back-to-back tours to Afghanistan,” Dean muttered, shrugging. Leaning back in his chair, he threw his arm over the back. “You know what it’s like. The heat, the unrelenting sun, friends who are no longer with us.”
Donnie nodded, leaning on the table. “Yeah, I know. I lost a lot of good friends while on tour, but that was then, and this is now.” As he spoke, Donnie glanced over at Jeremy and smiled.
8 Mine to Love Page 1