by Lynn Hagen
Moose shrugged. “That’s up to the Ultionem, but once I let them know how he’s treated you, I don’t think they’ll hesitate to sentence him.”
Jericho’s stomach rolled. He felt sick as he sat there thinking about everything. The ball was set into motion, and now Ivan would pay for what he’d done, but Jericho still feared retaliation.
“You two stay safe,” Grayson said. “We’ll handle things from here.”
“I’ll be able to scent Robbie’s body,” Moose said. “We’ll get him to his father and make Ivan and Landon pay for their crimes.”
When the two left, Jericho sagged against Ben. “I wish I’d never gone outside that night.”
“But you did the right thing by telling me, pup.” Ben used his fingers to grip Jericho’s chin and lift his head. “Robbie deserves better.”
Jericho sighed. Ben was right, but that didn’t make him any less afraid of what Ivan would do.
* * * *
“They said to stay put,” Jericho strongly protested as Ben grabbed their bags.
“No, they said to stay safe,” Ben corrected. “And staying in one spot for too long isn’t safe, pup. Ivan’ll eventually find us, and I’d rather not be here when he does.”
Ben hated the fact that he couldn’t go to Jericho’s house, knock on the door, and kill whoever answered. He was still pissed as fuck that Landon had been abusing Jericho all this time. The guy might not have committed the murder, but in Ben’s eyes, Landon was just as guilty.
“So where are we going?” Jericho bounced from foot to foot, looking as though he’d pass out at any second.
Ben didn’t blame his mate for being afraid. He was a bunny shifter, after all. They were timid creatures who avoided this kind of mess at all costs.
But Ben was a wolf shifter, and he wanted to be on the hunting party, badly. He wanted to find Ivan and rip the bastard apart. He wanted to watch the life bleed from Ivan’s eyes as Ben slowly choked the fuck out of him.
He stored their belongings in his saddlebag and straddled his bike, starting it as he waited for Jericho to climb on. It took two attempts before his mate was seated behind him, then Ben took off, heading toward town.
The only place he knew to take Jericho was back to Montana, but he wasn’t going to ride that far. He wasn’t going to take his mate from the only home he’d ever known.
So Ben headed toward the house he was purchasing. They could stay there. What was the realtor going to do, call the cops because they were squatting? Ben seriously doubted Sheriff Copache would arrest him.
In fact, he planned on telling the sheriff where they were. He reeved his motorcycle, pressing his hand over Jericho’s. Ben loved when his mate was wrapped around him. He loved how Jericho felt at his back. Ben had never let anyone ride bitch until he’d met his mate.
He still couldn’t believe he was actually settling down, actually buying a house. And he most definitely still couldn't believe he’d found his mate. That was still giving him a head trip.
Ben had been alive for over two hundred and fifty years. He’d been alone so long that none of this seemed real. He wanted to ask Jericho to pinch him to make sure that it was.
He felt giddy and terrified in the same breath. On the one hand, finding his mate was a dream come true. On the other, he was scared out of his mind that Ivan would find a way to get to Jericho when Ben wasn’t looking. He wanted to shove Jericho in a closet and keep him in there until this fucked-up situation was resolved.
At the first streetlight that led into town, Ben stopped and waited for it to turn green. It was late evening, and people were still out on the street, either driving by or strolling to wherever they were going.
Ben studied the small town as he drove through the green light. Now that he was about to become a resident, he looked at Maple Grove in a whole new light. The quaint shops and the homes had an appeal he’d never seen in any other town before.
There was a blend of upscale houses and not-so-great ones. And there were even some impressive-looking estates. The vehicles on the street were a blend of craptastic and brand-knew.
But what he loved most of all was the fact that nonhumans lived there, too.
Ben hooked a left and drove down their street, gazing at their soon-to-be neighbors. The neighborhood was set in the upscale part of town, with manicured lawns and nice cars, and he sniffed the air when he smelled someone barbecuing.
He finally felt as though he’d found a home, and what made it perfect was the little bunny shifter hugging him tightly. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Jericho. Nothing. Ben wanted to give his mate the life he truly deserved, free of abuse and breaking his back at the bar.
If he could talk Jericho into quitting, Ben planned on doing just that.
Ben stopped in the driveway and used the code to get the key from the lockbox that hung from the door handle. The realtor hadn’t removed it yet, which was beneficial to Ben and Jericho. He and his mate walked into the house.
“Stay right here while I pull my bike into the garage.” Ben gave Jericho a quick kiss before he headed into the garage, used the button to open it, then drove his bike inside, sealing it behind the bay door.
“I’m still in love with this house,” Jericho said when Ben entered the kitchen from the garage. “It’s charming.”
Ben grinned, remembering how “charming” the bedroom had been the last time they’d been there. “We can sleep in our animal forms to make us more comfortable.”
Jericho arched a brow. “You’re just trying to get me naked.”
“That I am.” Ben pulled Jericho into his arms. “Is it working, handsome?”
He felt the nervous vibe coming off Jericho in waves. His mate was terrified, but Ben would try his best to calm Jericho’s nerves.
“It is, but I’m starving, Ben. I want to get something to eat, but I’m afraid of being seen in town.”
Ben pulled out his phone while still keeping one arm curled around his mate. “Hey, Moose,” he said when the bear shifter answered. “It’s Ben.”
“Are you in trouble?” Moose asked.
“In trouble of starving,” Ben said. “We moved to the house I’m purchasing.” Ben gave him the address. “Do you think you could drop some food off here?”
“I’ll send Russell,” he said. “He’s a real good friend. I’m sending him because I stick out like a sore thumb and you don’t want anyone knowing you’re there. Besides, he does handyman work, and no one will think anything of him coming by.”
That was smart thinking. “Thanks.”
“I’m gonna let you go,” Moose said. “We’re closing in on Robbie’s grave.”
Ben’s wolf snarled to be a part of the action, but his first priority was keeping Jericho safe. “Let me know how it goes down.”
“You got it.” Moose hung up.
“Do you know Russell?” Ben asked.
Jericho nodded. “He’s been at my house twice to do some work. He’s a really nice guy, and he’s also a cheetah shifter.”
That made Ben feel better knowing a shifter was coming by.
He went around the house to make sure all the windows and doors were locked before walking back into the kitchen to find Jericho looking through the cupboards and drawers.
“I’m pretty sure you won’t find anything in them.” Ben smiled.
“I’m just checking out the space we have. There’s like, a thousand drawers, and did you see the deep pantry?”
Ben shook his head. How had he missed that when he’d been through this house three times already? He strode across the kitchen as Jericho pushed a panel on the wall. It was more like a secret room as Ben stepped inside. There were shelves on either side of him, and the width of the room allowed him plenty of space to walk without feeling cramped.
He turned on the overhead light and saw there was a handle on the inside of the door, so he used it to close them in.
“Cozy,” he said as he wiggled his brows. “We could sneak in here
during dinner parties and fool around.”
Ben couldn’t believe he’d said that. He’d never had a dinner party in his life.
Jericho’s green eyes lit up. “I like the sound of that. We can invite Moose and his mate over, and Emilio and his mate, too. We could have a backyard barbeque to make our house feel more like a home.”
The thought made Ben’s chest feel tight. They had real friends they could invite over. That made him miss Milo, and Ben wondered how things were going. He’d have to call his friend tonight and check on him to see how Alice was doing.
He didn’t care how much Milo protested. When his friend got back to town, Milo was moving in with them until he got a place of his own. The house had three bedrooms, and Milo would be using one of them.
The sound of the doorbell brought Ben from his thoughts. He highly doubted Ivan would ring it, but he erred on the side of caution.
“Stay right here until I see who it is.”
Jericho nodded. He grabbed Ben and pulled him down for a quick kiss. “Be careful.”
He pressed his hand against Jericho’s jaw. “Always.”
Chapter Eight
When Jericho first discovered the pantry, he’d been thrilled at a hidden room and had wondered if there were any more in the house. But now that he was in there by himself while Ben answered the door, the room felt as though it was closing in on him.
He pressed his ear to the door and heard Ben’s deep voice. It didn’t sound like a fight had broken out, so Jericho eased the door open just a tad.
“This is a nice place,” Russell said. “I did some work on it a few years back when Derek Mitchell bought the property.”
Jericho emerged, smiling and inhaling the scent of Chinese food. His stomach rumbled as he closed the pantry door behind him. Ben and Russell entered the kitchen, and Russell smiled when he saw him.
“Hey, Jericho. How’re things going?”
“Things will improve once you hand over that food.” Jericho reached for the bags, and Russell handed them to him. Not only were there containers of food inside, but utensils, napkins, and sodas. The guy had thought of it all.
“I also brought some blankets and pillows.” Russell chucked a thumb over his shoulder. “Moose didn’t tell me what was going on, but he said you guys would need them.”
Jericho was gonna hug the fuck out of Moose when he saw the guy. But at the moment, Jericho was gonna eat. He set everything on the counters, happy there was still some sunlight left. Jericho doubted they would be able to turn any lights on since the house was supposed to be empty.
Ben lifted him up and set him on the counter as his mate leaned against it, riffling through the containers. Jericho grabbed the ham fried rice and stuffed his face.
“I wasn’t sure what you guys liked, so I got a variety of food.” Russell grabbed a fortune cookie and opened it as he asked, “So what kind of trouble are you two in?” He looked up at Ben. “If you don’t mind me asking.” He waved the tiny fortune paper and snorted. “It says that I’ll die alone and poorly dressed.” He looked down at himself. “I think I’m dressed rather nicely.”
Jericho reached for a cookie and cracked it open, extracting his fortune. He frowned.
“What does it say?” Ben asked. He was eating what looked like chicken teriyaki, but there were so many vegetables that Jericho couldn’t tell.
“It says the greatest danger could be your stupidity.” Jericho tossed the paper aside. “Who the hell owns the restaurant? Some wiseass?”
“I’m pretty sure the cookies come with the fortunes when he buys them, but I can’t be certain,” Russell said.
“Grab one,” Jericho said to Ben. “I want to see what your fortune is. Hopefully it’s better than mine.”
Jericho shoved a forkful of rice into his mouth as he waited for Ben to pull his paper out.
Ben looked down at his food with furrowed brows. “It says that wasn’t chicken.”
Jericho hooted with laughter as Russell chuckled. Ben poked at his food, shrugged, and picked the container back up, taking a big bite. “Whatever it is, it’s fucking good,” he mumbled with a mouthful.
“Next time I’ll have to bring my mate,” Russell said. “Kenny always gets a kick out of the fortunes. Though his brother, Steven, believes they’re true. He still thinks someone is going to invite him to a karaoke party.”
Jericho knew who Steven was. He’d met the guy a few times at the diner, and Steven seemed…special. He was a happy guy whose train didn’t seem to stop at all stations, but he was handsome and funny, and Jericho always loved talking to him.
He was also glad they’d left the motel. Being in their house felt more intimate and relaxing, and this wouldn’t be the last time Russell was invited over.
Add another couple to your list for your first dinner party. The thought thrilled Jericho. He wanted Ben to see how great Maple Grove was and how they could have a great life here.
Just as soon as Ivan and Landon were dealt with.
Russell tossed his cookie and fortune into the makeshift trash Jericho had made with the bag the food had come in. “I’m gonna get back to my mate. Let me know if you guys need anything.” Before he left the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Well, you did feed us,” Jericho said while still sitting on the counter, so he gave Russell the condensed version of everything. Of course he left out the part about his uncle abusing him. That was none of the cheetah shifter’s business.
And quite frankly, Jericho was embarrassed by it.
Russell’s brows were by his hairline. “Fuck. That’s messed up. I know who Ivan is. I’ll keep my eye out for him.”
Ben shook his head. “Thanks, but you don’t have to. You’ve done enough already, and it was much appreciated.”
“Not a problem.” Russell waved as he walked out.
Ben left the kitchen for a moment, and Jericho assumed it was to lock the door.
When he returned, he settled between Jericho’s legs. He ran his hands up Jericho’s thighs. “You good and fed?”
There was a deep rumble of pleasure in Ben’s voice, and his stormy gray eyes were heavy-lidded. Jericho set his container aside and licked the flavor from his lips. “Good and fed. Now, what do you want to do since I’m not sleepy?”
Ben buried his face in Jericho’s neck and nibbled and licked his way across. “I can think of a few things we can do to occupy our time.”
Jericho’s stomach fluttered and his cock thickened as Ben’s hands kept rubbing up and down his thighs, growing closer and closer to Jericho’s denim-covered cock.
“Like what?” Jericho knew what the hell Ben had on his mind, but he wanted to hear his mate say it, and he also didn’t want Ben to stop assaulting his neck with those soft lips. The shadow of Ben’s beard scraped along Jericho’s skin, making him shiver as he waited for Ben’s reply.
When Ben pulled back and looked at him, Jericho wanted to know everything about the guy. Where had he grown up? What was his childhood like? How had he met Milo?
Jericho frowned. “Where’s your friend?”
It just dawned on him that he hadn’t seen Milo around since the first day.
“He headed to Kentucky because his sister was in a car accident.” Ben wouldn’t stop rubbing Jericho’s thighs, as though he needed the contact.
“Is she okay?”
Ben shrugged. “I’m hoping she comes out of her coma. She had brain trauma, so the doctors won’t know much until the brain swelling goes down.”
It struck Jericho that Ben should’ve gone with his friend instead of sticking around town. But he knew the answer without having to ask. Ben had stuck around because of Jericho.
“Don’t even.” Ben gave a small growl.
“Don’t what?”
“Look guilty that I didn’t go with him.” He wiggled a finger in front of Jericho’s face. “I see the guilty look in your gorgeous-ass eyes. If Milo reall
y needed me, he’d tell me.”
Jericho wasn’t sure about that. Milo had to have known Ben had found his mate. The guy probably didn’t want to take Ben away. Jericho mentally hoped the sister pulled through.
“Change of subject,” Ben said as he worked his hands around to Jericho’s ass and squeezed. “You’re overdressed.”
Jericho pressed his hands on either side of him on the counter and lifted his bottom when Ben unsnapped his jeans and lowered his zipper. Ben pulled down Jericho’s pants and underwear, taking them completely off once he’d removed Jericho’s shoes and socks.
“Much better.” Ben nodded in approval. “Get that shirt off, pup.”
“So bossy.” Jericho tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, grimacing when it landed on Ben’s open container of chicken and veggies.
“I was done with it anyway.” Ben was back between Jericho’s legs, and Jericho reveled in the smell of his mate. He could sit there and sniff the guy all night. That was how good he smelled.
And all those muscles were wrapped around him, holding Jericho as Ben went back to nuzzling his neck. Only this time he curled his fingers around Jericho’s cock and slowly stroked it as his tongue worked magic on Jericho’s skin.
Jericho couldn’t handle Ben still wearing clothes. He grabbed at his mate’s shirt and pulled until Ben finally bought a clue and moved back so Jericho could take it off.
“Needy?” Ben asked with a smile.
“Needy as fuck,” Jericho admitted. “Wanna feel your skin against mine.”
As soon as Jericho said that, Ben stripped naked. Fuck, it didn’t matter how many times he saw his mate in the nude, Jericho was always impressed with his exquisite body. He had miles of muscles that Jericho wanted to lick every inch of.
Ben dragged his lips over Jericho’s shoulder, and then his mate took a hard nip of his skin. Jericho squeaked and slapped at Ben’s arm.
The deep, resounding chuckle vibrated against Jericho’s shoulder. “Too rough?”