by Lynn Hagen
Horace got up and padded from the room. Keller sat up, biting back a scream as he clutched his arm. He was glad his mate hadn’t seen that. He didn’t need Horace to worry any more than he already did.
Hayward rapped his knuckles on the door before he entered. As if reading Keller’s mind, he closed the door behind him. “How’re you feeling?”
Keller drew in a few breaths. “My arm is in fucking pain.”
“Anything you need from me?”
“That goddamn wolf,” Keller bit out. “I want to hunt him down and rip his damn spine out, tear his black heart out, and set him on fire.”
Hayward stared intently at him. “Can you hunt?”
His brother wasn’t trying to talk him out of it. Hayward just wanted to know if he was up to the task. God, Keller loved him. He had a feeling Hayward was a little too familiar with vengeance. It was in his blue eyes, along with pain, anger, and a few other emotions Keller couldn’t quite make out.
“I can hunt.” Keller slid from the bed, uncaring that he was nude. Shifters didn’t have hang-ups about nudity. He was sore and achy, but steady. If only his arm would stop pulsing with shooting shock waves of pain.
“It’ll lessen,” Hayward said, “but it’ll never go away. You know that, right?”
Keller knew that from the journals. He also knew he’d won the lottery when it came to surviving the bite. “Why do you think it keeps coming back?”
Keller went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxer briefs. Hayward didn’t say anything about Keller not answering him. His brother wasn’t much for words, and that was okay with him.
“I don’t know, but I’ve been reading Beatrice’s journals, learning as much as I can. Unless this is just a coincidence, which I don’t believe in, someone sicced it on you.”
Keller swiped his phone from his dresser and called Marcus. When his ex answered, Keller bit out, “If you sent that fucking beast after me, I’m going to tear your fucking head off.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Marcus snapped, but Keller knew when the guy was hiding something from him. He’d become an expert at sniffing out Marcus’s guilt.
“You did send that thing after me, didn’t you?” Marcus was human and knew nothing of his world. Not that Keller was aware of. For all he knew Marcus had some dark and deviant people on speed dial.
“What thing?”
“Oh my fucking god.” A bark of contemptuous laughter escaped Keller. “You paid someone to teach me a lesson, and you have no idea what you unleashed, do you? Who did you pay, Marcus? If you play dumb, I’ll fly to California with my brother and slowly tear you apart.”
“You can’t threaten me!” Marcus snapped.
“Who’d you pay?” Keller snarled. “You know what, don’t tell me. I’m on my way, so get your affairs in order.”
“Wait!” Marcus’s breathing became shallow. “I’ll text you the information. He’s already been paid, so he won’t stop until the job is done. Not even I can call him off.”
“You paid to have me killed?” Keller shouted.
“No! But no one up and leaves me. I thought you had someone back home that you kept running to, and I wanted to make you pay for that.”
Anger boiled inside Keller. He couldn’t even begin to tell Marcus how he truly felt. “You sent a fucking demon after me.”
Marcus gave a shrill laugh. “Get real. They don’t even exist, unless you’re talking about his sparkling personality.”
“When this is over, and I kill the demon, I’m coming after you.” Keller hung up and threw his phone onto the dresser. He couldn’t believe the audacity of Marcus. The son of a bitch had cheated on him multiple times, yet he wanted payback for an affair he thought Keller was having.
He also knew that Hayward had heard the entire conversation.
“We’re going out there.”
Keller shook his head. “I was just pissed when I made that threat.”
He checked his phone, but Marcus hadn’t texted him the information yet. Keller doubted Marcus would. The guy never kept his word. Even if Keller did find out the guy’s name, what good would that do him? The villain was the demon, and Keller was already planning to kill it.
Hayward opened the bedroom door. “If you say so.”
“I mean it,” Keller said as he followed his brother down the stairs. Hayward didn’t answer him, and Keller had a feeling that, even if he didn’t give his brother any information, Hayward would still track Marcus down.
As he walked into the kitchen, Keller decided he wasn’t going to worry about that right now. Marcus was on his own. Hayward left out the back door as Keller went to the fridge.
Layne and Horace were in there, and Layne’s eyes widened. “I’m glad to see you’re up and moving around, but can you put some more clothes on?”
“Why?” Horace wore a cheeky smile. “He has a rocking body.”
“What’s your point?” Layne asked. “I’m mated to someone with a nice body, too. That doesn’t mean I want my ass kicked for drooling over your mate.”
Keller grabbed a bottled water, took Horace’s hand, and went back to their room. It wasn’t as if his dick had been out and swinging from side to side. Keller had underwear on.
“How’re you feeling now?” Horace asked.
“Tired.” Keller had used what little energy he’d had to go downstairs. Now all he wanted to do was rest until later when he and Hayward went on the hunt for the cythraul. Keller also needed to study the journals a little more. There had to be a way to kill the demon besides decapitation, and he wasn’t fond of the idea of ripping its heart out, no matter what he’d thought earlier.
But for now all he wanted to do was curl around Horace and get some more sleep. Hopefully he could since his arm was killing him, but Keller would damn well try.
* * * *
Horace wasn’t a fool. Keller might have played it off downstairs, but he knew his mate was in a lot of pain. He’d seen it in Keller’s eyes, and now that he was asleep, Keller jerked as he grabbed his arm, clutching it to him.
Horace doubted a few aspirin would do any good. There had to be something he could do to help, but what? He hated seeing Keller like this. He sat up and tried to massage his mate’s arm, but Keller jerked it away.
Horace brushed his fingers through Keller’s sweaty hair. “I’m gonna protect you, too. I’ll find a way to help you.”
Keller curled on his side and settled, as if Horace’s words comforted him. He pressed a kiss to his mate’s forehead and got up. After going downstairs, Horace grabbed the journals and sat on the couch in the living room. He pored over them for the next few hours until hunger drove him into the kitchen.
Stevie came in and squeezed Horace’s shoulder. “How’re you holding up?”
It was nice of Stevie to be concerned about him. “Determined to find a way to help my mate.”
Stevie grabbed a package of cookies from the pantry. “I love that word. Mate. It sounds better than boyfriend.”
Horace agreed. He grabbed the things he would need to make a sandwich. “Where is Buttercup?”
With everything happening and Horace focusing on Keller, he hadn’t spent much time with his furry friend, and that made him feel guilty.
“Layne took the baby on a walk. He took Buttercup with him so the dog could get rid of some of his energy.”
Horace’s heart beat faster. “What about the demon?”
Was Layne crazy? Why would he take such a risk? Horace loved him like a brother and adored Connor. He didn’t want anything happening to them. He also didn’t want Buttercup used as a snack.
“Calm down. Nash and Quinn went with them. Besides, Quinn told me that demons can’t come out during the day.” He popped a cookie into his mouth.
“How the hell do you stay so skinny when you snack all the time?”
Stevie shrugged. “Good genes, I guess. Though I have frequent-flyer miles at the dentist office. I get free samples of stuff every time I
go.”
Horace knew that to be true because, at their old house, the cabinet in their bathroom used to be crammed with brand-new toothbrushes still in the packet, a million tiny containers of dental floss, and tons of mouthwash.
Stevie had to have the cleanest, brightest teeth Horace had ever seen.
He finished making his sandwich and went back to the living room to do some more reading. Horace paid close attention to every word and searched out anything that would help with Keller’s pain. The more he read about cythraul, the more frightened he became.
And the more it hit home that Keller should’ve died.
Horace looked at the hand-drawn picture of one of them. Then he looked at the ancient photo. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been studying it when a hand landed on his shoulder.
Horace shouted and dropped his plate and the journal. His heart thundered as he spun around, only to find Keller standing behind him. “You scared the life out of me!”
Keller rounded the couch and took a seat, picking up the book and setting it back on Horace’s lap. He cleaned up the plate and the half-eaten sandwich, placing them on the coffee table.
“Interesting read.” Keller grabbed a book from the pile on the floor next to the couch. “I always thought the stories were made up, a fairy tale that was meant to keep us in line. I never thought they were true.”
“Who would?” Horace asked. “If I’d read them before I found out about your world, I would’ve thought them fantastic fiction.”
But they weren’t, and so far, Horace hadn’t found anything that could help Keller with his pain. He noticed how Keller kept his arm close to his chest, and his heart went out to his mate.
“Have you read all of them?” Keller flipped through the pages of the book he had.
“Most,” Horace admitted. “And the cythraul are scary. It says that they can show you their true form or their wolf form or even appear as human. It also says that they aren’t technically demons. They’re an embodiment of pure evil.”
“It also used the word demon a few times, and it’s easier to think of them that way.” Keller set his book aside.
“Do you really have to cut off their head, yank their heart out, and set them on fire?”
Keller pulled Horace to him, and Horace curled into his mate. He hadn’t known how much he needed to be close to Keller until he was tucked into the guy’s side. His mate rubbed his hand up and down Horace’s arm, which made Horace feel safe and protected.
“I’m just learning about them,” Keller said. “What my aunt told us when we were young was mostly forgotten. The stories were a distant memory, and I wish they were made up.”
So did Horace. They thrived on the anguish of others, rejoiced in killing, and they showed no mercy to those they tortured. The more a person screamed and begged for their life, the more the demon got off on it.
“Why is it here?” Horace looked up at Keller.
“I don’t know.”
From the look in Keller’s eyes, the guy was lying to him. But why? Had Keller done something to make the creature come after him? “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” Keller set Horace aside and got up. “I’m grabbing something to eat.”
Horace jumped up and pulled on his mate’s good arm. “Don’t walk away from me,” he said. “You’re holding something back, and I want to know what that something is.”
Keller gave him a tight smile. “I’ll replace the sandwich you dropped.”
“Don’t you dare shut me out,” Horace argued. “Don’t be a jerk to me.”
“I’m not being a jerk,” Keller insisted. “Even if I told you the truth, what can you do about it? I also don’t want you worrying. Goddamn it, Horace. I’m trying to protect you.”
Horace threw his hands up. He didn’t need protecting, not that kind. He believed that being fully informed was the only way to keep him safe. “Fine, if you want to be that way, I’m going home.”
“This is your home.”
“Since when?” Horace argued. “You never asked me to move in, or did you just assume I would?”
This was not how Horace had wanted to spend his morning, but he wasn’t going to be placed in a bubble. He wanted Keller to be honest with him, even if it was something he didn’t want to hear. He’d be damned if he would be relegated to the kiddie table.
Horace had street smarts. That was how he’d survived before Layne’s mom and dad had taken him in. He wasn’t going to go searching for the demon. Horace just wanted to be fully informed.
He said as much and added, “Is that asking too much?”
Keller looked as though he was mulling it over. “No, that’s not asking too much.”
He told Horace about Marcus, the cheating, and how Marcus had paid someone to teach him a lesson. “Though I know he wasn’t aware of what he was siccing on me.”
Horace was horrified that anyone would do such a thing. And he thought his father was a rank bastard for throwing him out. Horace would rather go through that again than have a demon after him.
“You have no idea how big of an ego he has,” Keller said. “He has an overinflated sense of himself and thinks people should fall at his feet.”
“You really know how to pick them.” Horace felt jealousy riding him. He didn’t want to know about Keller’s past lovers, but he’d asked, and Keller had told him the truth.
“That’s a story for another time. But now you know as much as I do.”
Horace heard the pain in Keller’s voice and saw it in his eyes. “Do you still love him?”
Did he really want to know that answer? Keller had said he’d just broken up with him before he’d left California. The breakup was still fresh, and no one could let go of those kinds of feelings so fast.
“I had mixed emotions,” Keller admitted, “until he paid a fucking demon to come after me. Marcus can drop dead for all I care.”
The venom in Keller’s tone was palpable. Horace believed him.
“When this is over, we’re taking a trip to California,” Horace said. He just wanted to land one good punch on Marcus’s face.
“Then you’ll be booking a ticket with Hayward,” Keller said. “He already said he wants to take care of Marcus.”
Horace grinned. “Good. I can give your ex a piece of my mind while Nomad beats him up. I’m not much of a fighter, anyway.”
Keller pulled Horace into his arms, grinning just as widely. “You’d defend my honor?”
“In a heartbeat,” Horace said.
“Marcus is six feet three inches, and he’s a gym rat.”
“He could be the Jolly Green Giant, and I wouldn’t care.” Crap. He had no idea Keller’s ex was so big. But he could spout off any threat he wanted to. It wasn’t as if Horace would actually meet the guy.
“Come on, tiger. Let’s eat and then find more interesting ways to spend our time.”
Horace felt himself blush, even though they’d licked and touched every part of each other’s body. “Dinner in the kitchen and dessert upstairs.”
Keller leaned down and whispered into Horace’s ear. “My fat cock in your tight ass. How does that sound?”
Horace grabbed his mate’s right hand and yanked him toward the steps. “Dessert now and I’ll feed you afterward.”
With a hearty chuckle, Keller followed Horace to their bedroom.
Chapter Nine
“How’s your arm feeling?” Horace let his mate’s hand go and turned as Keller walked into the bedroom behind him and closed the door.
“Don’t need it to bury my cock deep inside you.” Keller flashed him a gorgeous smile. “Now get naked so I can enjoy my dessert.”
Horace loved the size difference between them. The top of his head only reached Keller’s chest. He also loved all the freaking muscles his mate had. He ran his hand up Keller’s chest, squeezing his pecs playfully.
Keller’s purr echoed through the room. That was another thing Horace loved so much.
That sound meant he turned his mate on, and Horace had never evoked so much passion in anyone before.
He slid his hands under Keller’s tight T-shirt and tweaked his nipples. Keller’s eyes became heavy-lidded as his purr intensified. Horace bit his lip and backed away. He wanted to tease Keller, to push his mate to the edge of control.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Keller worked his shirt over his head. It hadn’t been graceful considering his left arm barely cooperated, but he’d managed.
“I thought maybe I’d take a nice long soak in the tub first.” Horace heart thundered as Keller moved slowly across the room, like predator after prey.
“You promised me dessert, and my sweet tooth is aching.”
Horace spun and ran, peals of laughter bubbling up from his throat as Keller chased him, caught him, and lifted Horace off his feet. From the way his mate was breathing, Keller had enjoyed it.
He tossed Horace onto the bed and stood over him. “Take my jeans off.” He looked down at Horace with smoldering eyes, intense, sexy.
Horace flipped to his hands and knees and crawled back to Keller, but his mate shook his head.
“Get naked and then crawl back to me.”
Keller was out to kill him. His commanding tone went straight to Horace’s cock. He slipped off the opposite side of the bed, watching Keller watch him as he did a little striptease, shimmying out of his clothes.
Keller’s gray eyes darkened. His nostrils flared. His eyes were once again heavy-lidded. Horace even saw the tips of his mate’s canines. That look would make Horace come before anything got started.
Keller crooked his finger.
Horace crawled back onto the bed and toward his mate. Instead of using his hands, he tried to use his teeth to lower Keller’s zipper, but the zipper slipped from between his teeth. It took more grace than Horace had. He wasn’t that talented, so he finally gave up and used his hands then shoved Keller’s jeans and underwear down his corded thighs.
Keller’s cock sprung free, and Horace’s hole pulsed. He licked his lips and bit into his lower lip.