The Chosen One Universe Volume Two: An MM Paranormal Fantasy Shifters Series

by Macy Blake

  “Got it,” Stuart said. “Ben, the tincture.”

  Ben grabbed the bundle and handed it over. Stuart put it into the hole in Sol’s side. Pain raged, even worse than before as the tincture absorbed the magic left behind.

  “Hold,” Shaq commanded. “He’s almost done.”

  Sol focused on his alpha and let out a breath when the pain began to ease.

  “Got it,” Stuart said. “His healing is kicking in. We’ll wrap him up, but it’ll probably take a few hours.”

  “Understood,” Shaq said. “We’ll stay with him.”

  Stuart nodded. “Ben, come on. Help me write up notes. What did you see?”

  Ben gave Sol one more look and seemed reassured that Sol’s healing was indeed taking place. He patted Sol on the leg before following his grandfather from the room. “The wound was bleeding more than it should, especially for a hellhound.”

  “And what did that indicate?”

  Sol stopped listening, knowing they’d slip further and further into medical mumbo jumbo he could care less about. He had something else on his mind.

  “I need food.”

  Shaq rolled his eyes.

  “We can get you food. What do you want?” Drew asked.

  “Well…”

  “No,” Shaq said.

  “Aww, come on. I took one for the team.”

  Shaq smirked. Drew looked back and forth between them until the lightbulb came on. “You want him to make Walt cook for you even though the kitchen’s already closed for the night.”

  “I would never.”

  Drew scoffed. “Liar. What do you want? Shaq’ll get it for you.”

  “Hey!”

  “Honestly, anything he’ll make for me.”

  Drew squeezed his hand and smiled. “I’ll take care of it. Shaq, come on.”

  Shaq scowled, obviously knowing he was going to do exactly what his mate wanted and not happy about it. “We should stay.”

  “Shaq, honey, he’s fine. He needs to eat and regain his strength.”

  Shaq gave Sol a dirty look over Drew’s head before turning his attention to his mate. “You know I don’t like—”

  “I know. You like to stay with them until they’re better. We won’t be gone long. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can be back.”

  Shaq threw up his hands and left the room.

  Drew rolled his eyes and turned to Sol once more. “If you so much as move, I will be pissed. You hear me?”

  “I hear you. I promise, I won’t move. Will you get me my phone, though?”

  “Why? You need to rest.”

  “Please?”

  Drew gave him another dirty look.

  “Drew! Come on!”

  “Fine, but only because he’s cranky.” Drew grabbed Sol’s jeans from his pile of clothes on the floor and dug around in the pockets for the phone.

  “Thanks, Drew. And, uh, rabbit food isn’t really food, you know?”

  Drew rolled his eyes as he handed the phone over. “Fine, I’ll check on Cody while I’m at it. One of these days, you’re going to explain what’s going on to me.”

  “I know. I will.”

  Drew huffed and started for the door before Shaq came to get him. He heard his alpha grumbling his complaints about leaving, as well as Drew’s low words right back. He let out a sigh and opened his phone. He didn’t have any messages from Cody, but then again, he wasn’t expecting any. The bar had been slammed before he’d been called away, especially once Shaq and Drew had made their appearance. He wondered if they should fly a flag above it, kind of like the queen did in England. The flag only flew when Shaq and Drew were in the building.

  Sol smirked at the idea then opened his message thread with Cody. He would pass out after he ate, so he typed out a quick message to Cody, letting him know he’d be late for their promised chat. He dozed off and on, even as Ben came into the room and sat with him. They wouldn’t leave him alone for long. It wasn’t their way. Shaq and Drew returned, and the smell of Walt’s wings was enough to pull him back to awareness. He glanced down at his side and realized it was mostly healed.

  Drew handed over the basket of wings before giving a second one to Ben. “I told Walt you helped.”

  Ben blushed and looked down. “Thanks, Drew.”

  “You’re welcome. Tell me about school.”

  Sol glanced at Shaq and found his alpha standing at the door of the room. Guarding. Protecting. Their eyes met and Shaq gave him a proud nod before crossing his arms over his chest and pretending he wasn’t listening with rapt attention to Ben’s excited explanations about school and his new friends. It had been a very difficult transition for him, but he seemed to be doing a lot better now. Sol finished the wings and tentatively stretched. His side was much better, but he had a feeling it would be sore for a day or so.

  “Don’t even think about it, Uncle Sol.”

  Ben had suddenly stopped talking and was giving him a frown. Coming from Ben, it was an angry shout.

  Sol sighed. “What?”

  “You’re not going back to work. Go home. Rest. No heavy lifting for at least three days until you are completely healed. And I do mean completely, Uncle Sol.”

  Sol tried to glare at him, but it was impossible. “Damn it, Ben.”

  Ben stood up at moved closer. “You had a really close call, even if you won’t admit it. Fae magic is dangerous to shifters with fire magic like you.”

  Sol grumbled.

  “Your powers might be off for a day or so. I doubt your goddess will call you while you’re healing, but you should make sure another hellhound goes with you if you do get the call.”

  “I’ll make sure of it,” Shaq growled.

  Sol glared at his alpha and got a scowl in return. They’d done it on purpose, siccing Ben on him like this. They knew he wouldn’t argue. He’d have ignored Jerrick, Sr.

  “Come on, Ben.”

  “No, Uncle Sol. Do what I’m asking, okay?”

  Like he could say no to the kid. “Fine.”

  “Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow to check on you. Please rest and let your body heal.”

  “Fine.”

  Ben grinned at him. “Go on home. I know you’re itching to get out of here before Ollie realizes you’re here. You’re lucky it’s the middle of the night, and Papa has him corralled in the house.”

  Drew snickered. “I love that kid.”

  “Let’s get back to the bar,” Sol suggested while the mood was lighter.

  “Or, you go home and Drew and I will go back to the bar,” Shaq said.

  It wasn’t a request.

  Drew, however, glanced up at his mate. “Shaq?”

  His alpha’s sappy expression when he looked at his mate was truly ridiculous. Sol couldn’t imagine ever looking at anyone like that.

  “Yeah?”

  “Would you mind if Sol came with us for a bit? I want to keep my eye on him a little while longer. Would you mind?”

  Shaq scowled, but it was directed at Sol and not at Drew. He glanced at Ben, who shrugged.

  “As long as he’s not actually working, it’s fine. I can grab him a clean shirt since his other one is destroyed.”

  “Thanks, Ben,” Shaq said. His nephew left the room and Shaq turned to Sol with a deeper scowl than before. “Not one finger will be lifted or not even my mate will be able to save you. You hear me?”

  “Understood.”

  “And you,” Shaq said, turning his attention to Drew. “I love you, but stop it with the eyes already. I swear.”

  Drew smiled and wrapped his arms around Shaq’s waist. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

  “Ugh, stop being so mushy.”

  “Shut up, Sol,” Shaq and Drew said simultaneously. They grinned up at each other like they’d done something particularly amazing.

  He groaned and pushed himself up so he could test out his ribs before he tried to get off the bed.

  “Someone want to hand me my jeans before I get up?”

  “Sure,”
Drew said. But he didn’t move. He stood there with the dopey look and the silly grin.

  Sol thumped his head back against the exam table. Ben returned with a T-shirt, glanced at Shaq, and turned to Sol. He held the shirt out and helped Sol into it before grabbing his jeans. They were covered in blood. “Let me go get you some scrub pants. You sure you don’t want to go home?”

  He thought about it. He would look ridiculous. But he couldn’t. Not right away. “You think someone at the bar is brave enough to say something stupid to me?”

  “Teague. Achim. Vice. Probably Walt. Definitely Shelly. Did Cosmo show up tonight? Because totally Cosmo.”

  Sol groaned. “Fine. You have a point.”

  “So what’s it going to be, Uncle Sol? Pride or…”

  Sol cursed under his breath. Pride wasn’t what held him back. He wanted to see Cody. But if he did, Cody would realize something was wrong the moment he saw Sol in his ridiculous outfit. “Fine. I’ll go home.”

  “Good choice.”

  “What’s going on?” Drew asked, finally emerging from his daze.

  “Uncle Sol has decided to go home. I think he finally realized he’d scare the humans at the bar if he showed up all bloody and terrifying.”

  Drew turned to Sol, and the look he got was one of those significant eyebrow looks. Sol hadn’t quite figured out how Drew always knew what he was thinking. Sol didn’t want Cody to see him in his current condition.

  “Okay. We’ll get you home,” Drew said gently. “But I reserve the right to check on you first thing in the morning. And don’t be surprised if Shaq shows up at your house to see you with his own eyes the moment we wake up. There’s only so much I can do.”

  “Hey,” Shaq protested.

  Ben handed over a pair of scrub pants and bagged up Sol’s bloody clothes. Shaq guided him outside and opened a portal to the little house Sol rented not far from the bar. He had chosen it because it had woods around and wasn’t too far from his alpha’s house. They helped him inside and settled him in bed before leaving once more.

  Drew gave him one final look before he left Sol’s bedroom. “I’ll watch out for him.”

  “Thanks, Drew.”

  Drew nodded and followed his mate outside. Sol listened for the sound of the portal opening and closing, before picking up his phone. Cody would be home soon, and Sol wanted to hear from him himself to make sure he was okay.

  Cody

  Cody managed to make it home without falling asleep. He was both exhausted and wired at the same time. He had no doubt that once he took a shower, he’d be ready to sleep, though. But he really wanted to chat with HellBent. He’d been slammed all night and hadn’t had time to think about him while he was working. The bar had been packed, but something had been going on so half the guys left and were unable to help him out. Cody hadn’t complained, but it had meant he’d worked himself ragged. He hadn’t missed the fact that Shaq had put extra cash in his tip jar, even though he’d tried to be sneaky about it. His boss always made it up to him when he left him in the lurch. The extra hundred would pay his electric bill. He appreciated it.

  He put his phone beside the sink and stripped down before starting the shower. He tried not to worry too much over the fact that Sol never came back from where ever it was he went. Once under the hot water, Cody let it pour over him, releasing the tension from his stiff muscles, as he thought over the strange occurrences of the night. It wasn’t weird for one or more of the guys to randomly disappear. If they weren’t so out of date, Cody would think they had pagers or something that went off. He never saw any of them look at any other phone or anything, but somehow, they just got up and went. So that hadn’t been any weirder than it normally was.

  The guy showing up in nothing but a towel a little while later? That had definitely been unusual. And he’d seen some really unusual stuff at the bar. Vice had stopped the guy at the door, but the towel guy had said something to him, low and urgent. Vice had turned to Meshaq, who had turned and ran for the back door. So weird.

  And then Drew had followed. And they’d been gone for a long time. Meanwhile, the bar got very tense and everyone started drinking steadily and not leaving. Like they were waiting for something. It made no sense. As if that weren’t enough, when Shaq and Drew did return, they had Walt reopen the kitchen. Walt never reopened the kitchen. Ever. But he had, without even bitching about it. He’d made chicken wings, handed them to Shaq, and then Shaq and Drew had left again.

  They’d come back once more, without the wings, and acted like absolutely nothing had happened. He’d asked Drew if everything was okay, but Drew just asked him if he’d taken a dinner break. He had. Walt had asked him to try some of the baked wings he was experimenting with. They were good. He wasn’t a huge fan of wings, but he ate them and gave whatever feedback he could. Walt did a lot for him, so he’d help the guy out when he could. Of course, Walt knew he didn’t eat a lot of fried food. He’d made an exception for the rare and mystical chimichanga he’d shared with Sol because they were amazingly good. But normally fried stuff was too heavy for him, and he felt like crap after he ate it.

  He turned off the water and picked up a towel before yawning once more. After he dried off, he grabbed his phone and curled up in bed. He tapped the menu to open his contacts. Drew said everything was okay, but it was weird for Sol to not come back to the bar. He could simply text him and make sure he was okay. But it would probably irritate Sol, and he’d see him the next night anyway. And it wasn’t like they were close enough to casually text. The only reason he had Sol’s number was because he was second in command at the bar. He’d only messaged him a couple times, and it was always directly work related.

  Instead, he opened Bear4Me and clicked his messages with HellBent.

  GoldiLad: Hey.

  Brilliant opening line. But honestly, he was so tired he probably should just go to sleep.

  HellBent: Home from work?

  GoldiLad: Yeah. Exhausted. Long and weird night.

  HellBent: You okay?

  Cody smiled, and then sent the smile emoji through the app.

  HellBent: My night was long and weird, too. Something in the air, maybe.

  GoldiLad: Probably. I should sleep. What time do you get up?

  Cody bit his lip, wondering again if he was pushing too hard or if HellBent would lose interest if he wasn’t up for playing around.

  HellBent: Sleep. Message me whenever you wake up. I’ll answer.

  GoldiLad: Goodnight. Sweet dreams.

  HellBent: They’ll be about you, so they will be.

  Cody couldn’t help but grin. What a charmer. HellBent certainly knew the right things to say. Cody decided to push a little and see what would happen.

  GoldiLad: You could give me a little something to dream about. If you wanted.

  He didn’t have to wait long for a response.

  HellBent: Dream about me, tucked in your bed behind you. I’d slip my cock between your thighs so you’d know it was there, waiting for you to be awake and ready. I’d make you wait, though. Tired boys need their rest. In the morning, it’ll be there ready for you. I’ll fill you up and make your first thought of the day about me.

  Cody groaned. What was it about this guy?

  GoldiLad: I’ll message you when I wake up. I have a toy. I want to use it. Imagine it’s you.

  HellBent growled at you.

  HellBent: Sleep tight, Goldi. Because I definitely bite.

  Cody grinned and put his phone on the charger. He curled up and tried to get comfortable, but couldn’t until he tucked a pillow between his legs. He fell asleep pretending it was one of HellBent’s thick, hairy thighs, keeping him warm until morning.

  * * *

  ***

  * * *

  Cody couldn’t remember the last time he’d woken up with a smile on his face. He rolled out of bed and ran to the bathroom. He took a much needed piss before dashing back to bed. After pausing only long enough to grab his toy and lube, Cody jumped under
the covers, shivering because he’d forgotten to turn the heater on and it had gotten really cold in the night. Since he’d gone to bed naked, he was even colder than he would have been.

  He grabbed his phone and smiled.

  GoldiLad: I’m cold.

  HellBent: I’ll warm you up.

  GoldiLad: You better. You promised.

  HellBent growled at you.

  HellBent: You have that toy handy?

  GoldiLad: Yes, Sir.

  HellBent growled at you.

  HellBent: I like that. Good boy.

  Cody shivered and twisted around on the bed until he was on his back with his knees propped up like he’d been before.

  GoldiLad: I slept with a pillow between my legs, pretending it was you.

  HellBent: I slept with a pillow in my arms, pretending it was you.

  Cody’s heart did a little twisty jump thing, and he grinned. It was sappy and ridiculous, and probably not even true, but he liked it. His phone dinged again, and he opened it to a picture of a thigh, just like the one he’d imagined, draped over a pillow. There was a glimpse of nicely formed ass, and not a tan line in sight. Cody hit the little growl button for the first time.

  HellBent: You like that?

  GoldiLad: I can tell you’re bigger than me. I’m hard from thinking about you wrapping that leg around me and holding me down.

  It was so tempting to ask for an address. Plan a meet up, and let HellBent actually fuck him. He started to ask. Came so close, but something held him back and he deleted the message.

  HellBent: Slick your fingers. Get that hole nice and wet for me. I wish I could see it, watch you tease yourself with your fingers. Watch your face as you get hotter and hotter.

  Cody did it. He put the phone down only long enough to get some lube on his fingers. He rearranged himself a little to make the stretch easier, but then he had his phone back in his hand as he teased his hole and slipped one finger through the rim.

  GoldiLad: Fuck. I’m tight. It’s been a while.

  HellBent: Only one, then. Take it slow. Work it in there for me, Goldi. I’m a lot bigger than one of those pretty fingers of yours. You’re going to have to really stretch yourself out if you want my cock.