by Shea Balik
CHAPTER 10
Sure he’d died and gone to heaven, Elton reached out to hold onto his mate just to be sure he was still where he belonged – in Wray’s arms. Nothing in his life had prepared him for this moment, which seemed impossible.
Elton wouldn’t consider himself a slut, but his motto to savor every moment lent itself to having more sex than any of his friends had. Not all of it had been that great, but he’d had some exceptional lovers.
Now that his mate was thrusting in and out of his body, Elton knew the truth. Those other men paled in comparison. They weren’t even a blip on his radar.
“Fuck, yes,” he cried out as Wray hit his prostate perfectly. His entire body arched up to meet Wray thrust for thrust as his orgasm started to plough through him like a runaway freight train.
He wasn’t going to last much longer. On Wray’s next thrust, Elton’s canines grew, something he’d never imagined feeling since he was a bird shifter. Wrapping his arms around Wray’s neck, he yanked his mate to him and sank his teeth into the flesh at the crook of his neck.
Things went completely blank before snapping back into focus. The connection he had with Wray intensified as their souls intertwined. His eyes rolled when Wray’s teeth drove deep within his skin.
His cock pulsed twice before fluid erupted from the tip to fill the space between them. His ass clamped down, holding his mate deep within his channel.
A guttural growl vibrated along Wray’s body, causing Elton’s dick to twitch in response. Intense pleasure filled every cell of his body as he felt his mate’s release flood his insides.
“Damn,” he breathed out as Wray dropped down next to him, rolling them both so they could stay connected.
Wray kissed him hard. “I love you, bubbly.”
Elton smiled at his mate’s admission. He was sure he’d never get tired of hearing it. “I love you, too.” Just as he was certain he’d never tire of saying it.
“Yeah?” Wray asked as he pressed another kiss to Elton’s mouth. “Because I wouldn’t blame you if you needed more time. I was a jerk to you in the beginning.”
Elton laughed lightly. “I’m not even going to try and let you off the hook on that one. You were kind of a jerk, but I also know your intentions, albeit fucked up, were with my best interests at heart.”
Wray kissed him again, this time soft and slow until both of their dicks were hard and aching again. “I promise, I’ll never be that stupid again,” his mate whispered before rolling him to his back.
This time, they made love as soft and slow as that kiss had been.
***
“We have confirmation of six shifter groups traveling in this direction from Africa, Asia, Europe, Canada, and the Southwestern United States.” Rage rolled off Saber as he gave the news.
There were thirty people, at least, in attendance, causing the meeting to be held in Kellach and Trygg’s bar right across the street from the Mousetrap. They would have held it in the diner, but they didn’t want to take away the one place the residents of Miracle had of getting a decent meal as they continued to work in order to forge a life for themselves in the town they were making their home.
Maybe that was why Elton didn’t feel the tiniest bit guilty for being so happy he had a hard time sitting still as they discussed the battle to come. He was mated with a man who accepted him, quirks and all. Not only that, but Wray had been proud of his quick thinking when it came to texting for reinforcements when his mate’s parents had arrived.
People trying to kill him and his friends had been a part of his life since his parents had dropped him off in the middle of the Everglades. But being mated? That was new and nothing, not even a bunch of packs gathering with guns outside of town, was going to put a damper on this moment.
“That number may rise, but from what we’ve been able to find out so far, there is another cackle of hyenas, a pack of wolves, a school of sharks, a band of gorillas, a streak of tigers, and a nest of rattlesnakes.” Saber put the paper he’d been reading from down. His eyes were dark and dangerous as he visibly tried to rein his anger in and unleashing his ape.
Edrick must have sensed their Council Leader needed a moment for he took over. “There are also rumors of crocodiles being seen in the area and the possibility that not all of Wray’s cackle had joined the fighting yesterday.”
“By all accounts,” Lucca, Edrick’s second in command, said, “we estimate three hundred fighters converging on Miracle in the next few days.”
“We fought more than that when the old Council sent in their troops,” Valor, a member of Saber’s troop, said.
Edrick nodded. “Yeah, we did. But we also had other packs here fighting with us and, for the most part, those Council soldiers were young and not well trained. The men and women fighting against us this time will be battle tested and not so easy to defeat.”
Elton knew everyone in this room considered this bad, but he just didn’t see the problem. “I know this is probably a stupid question, but why don’t we attack them as they arrive? I mean, they won’t be expecting it, and the odds are they aren’t going to be traveling together, so we’d be able to fight them, group by group, instead of all at once.”
Both Edrick and Saber blinked at him. “Just saying.” Elton shrugged. “It seems that if you allow the enemy time to gather their forces, they’d be harder to defeat. Like when I notice a knot in my hair. If I don’t get a brush and deal with it, I’ll end up with a rat’s nest by the end of the day.”
All eyes were fixed on Elton with that same look most people gave him. They thought he was nuts.
Ready to tell them all what they could do with their holier than thou attitudes, Elton nearly swallowed his tongue when his mate whispered in his ear, “I’d love to brush your hair.” As if to prove his words, Wray’s fingers combed through his strands from behind.
“I wonder what it would feel like to have these silky strands wrapped around my cock,” Wray teased. “I bet I could come just from your hair sliding along my dick as the ends curled around my balls.”
“Fuck me,” Elton said as the air whooshed from his body at the erotic image. Standing up, he dragged Wray to his feet and started to push him from the room.
“Sit,” Edrick growled in a tone that had both Wray and Elton freezing in place for less than a heartbeat before returning to their chairs. “I realize you’ve just mated and need time together, but until we figure out how to deal with the threat coming our way, I would appreciate it if you would remain,” Edrick said as if they had any choice after the man had used his Alpha voice on them.
“As for your suggestion,” Saber said. “As much as the idea is tempting, we can’t kill someone because there is a rumor they want to kill us. What kind of leaders would that make us if we killed without proof?”
Elton was willing to go on faith with that one, but Saber had a point. “Fine, but I think it’s a fairly safe bet that these assholes are heading to Alpha Vitus. If anyone is underhanded enough to try and kill us, it’s him.”
“Elton has a point,” Greyson said. “Vitus runs the closest shifter town and we’ve seen evidence of his people close to Miracle.”
Edrick nodded. “We believed he was spying. It makes sense if they are planning an attack of this magnitude.”
“Great,” Ward, another one of Elton’s best friends, griped. “Alpha Vitus has at least two hundred soldiers from all races. Most of which are as evil as a person can get.”
Considering they’d tried to burn Elton and his friends while asleep in their beds, that was an understatement.
CHAPTER 11
As much as Wray agreed with Saber and Edrick on not killing anyone without proof, he also couldn’t help but agree with his mate. Waiting to die wasn’t something he was comfortable doing. In the past, he would run, but now that he had a home to fight for, running wasn’t an option.
“We may not be able to kill them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t intimidate the hell out of them,” Wray said as a
plan started to formulate. “A visit from their Council Leader is long overdue, if you asked me.”
Saber tilted his head as he stared at Wray for several minutes as if thinking about his suggestion. “You know, you’re right. In fact, I think it might be time for the Council to become more involved in the lives of shifters.”
Wray doubted Saber showing up unannounced in Vitus’s territory would do much, but if the other shifter groups found out, it might send them scurrying back home. It was wishful thinking, but there weren’t many other options opened to them at this point.
“Hiram, Jareth, and Zayn, you’ll stay behind and protect the mates at the farm,” Saber said.
Chadwick chuckled at his mate. Saber narrowed his gaze at Chadwick. “What’s so funny, mate?”
Chadwick stood and faced the very large ape shifter. “That you think I’m going to stay behind, while you put your life in danger.”
Elton leaned closer to Wray. “That goes for me, too.”
“Absolutely not,” Wray said before he even thought about how it would sound.
Chadwick looked in his direction and winked at Elton. “You tell him, pinkie,” Chadwick said in reference to Elton’s flamingo. Then he turned back to his own mate, who had yet to respond, obviously having learned what Wray had yet to discover. Never try to dictate to his mate what he can or cannot do.
As if Chadwick hadn’t spoken, Elton glared at Wray, the fury strong enough that Wray leaned back in no small amount of fear. “In case you missed it, asshole, I was the one to kill your father. Unless you want me to show you my knife skills, up close and personal, you might want to rethink what you just said to me.”
“What he said,” Chadwick said to his mate. “You know, about the knife. I would hate to have to make you a eunuch to prove my point.”
“And what point is that, kitten?” There was a lethal tone to Saber’s voice as if he wasn’t about to be threatened by his own mate.
“That just because I’m your mate doesn’t make me a fucking damsel in distress,” Elton answered for both him and Chadwick. “So, stop acting as if I’m too weak to take care of myself.”
“Um,” Ryland, who was Draco’s mate raised his hand. “I’d just like to say that I’m more than happy to stay behind. Not that I’m trying to say you should, Elton and Chadwick, but I am human, and I learned long ago I’m not a match for even the weakest shifter in a fight. So, if Elton and Chadwick don’t need the others to protect them, I’ll take them, because the last thing I need is a shifter thinking I’m easy pickings with Draco gone.”
That caused Draco to let out a rumble that quite literally shook the building. Wray understood the feeling completely and if his growl could do that, he would have gladly voiced his own displeasure at even the thought of Elton being harmed by joining Draco.
“We’re right there with you, Ryland,” Jari spoke up with Harper nodding next to him. He nodded in Chadwick and then Elton’s direction. “If you two want to have your fun fighting, more power to you, but I, for one, have had enough bruises to last me a lifetime, thank you very much.”
Wray knew the moment he opened his mouth he was making a huge mistake, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from saying, “Why can’t you be more like them?”
Elton leaped up from his seat and started to push past Wray. He’d just gotten on Wray’s other side when he whirled around, leaned down and pointed a very angry finger at Wray’s face. “No one, not even my mate, gets to tell me to be anyone else but me. You swore you loved everything about me when we mated.”
Elton stood and moved his arms up at his sides and turned completely around. “Well, mister. This is me. Eyeliner and lip gloss wearing, singing at the top his lungs no matter who’s around as I dance in the rain, and I also happen to know how to fight. And I’ll be damned if anyone thinks they can try and chase me out of town without having to deal with me face to face.”
Then his mate turned on his heel and stomped toward the door. When he reached it, he turned one more time to look at Wray with so much hurt and sadness in those pale green eyes that they broke Wray’s heart. “I thought you loved me for me. I guess I was wrong.”
Before Wray could jump from his seat and apologize, Elton was gone.
“I suggest both of you get your heads out of your asses, because I know I’m not about to stay with someone who doesn’t believe in me,” Chadwick said before following Elton out the door.
Minutes went by in complete silence.
“Well.” Lucca stood up.
As if they’d silently come to some sort of agreement, so did the rest of the room. Those closest to the door already started filing out as Edrick spoke up.
“Yes, well, Lucca and I will work on logistics while you two…umm…anyway. We’ll all meet back here in an hour.” The last was said as Edrick was already walking out the door.
Kellach and Trygg were the only ones to stay behind, but in fairness, it was their bar. “You two really screwed that up,” Kellach announced a little too damn cheerfully considering the situation.
Trygg nudged his mate as if silently trying to keep him silent.
What Wray was discovering about way too many people who had made Miracle their home, staying quiet wasn’t in their DNA. He wasn’t sure if they were truly wired that way, or if it had to do with being forced to live their lives in hiding for so long that they refused to do so now that they no longer had to.
He was guessing the latter, not that it mattered.
“What?” Kellach asked his mate. “I’m just telling them the truth. Admittedly, I don’t know Elton as well as I know Chadwick, but it was still a dick move on Wray’s part and Saber should know better. We are talking about Chadwick,” Kellach pointedly glared at Saber. “You know, the man who fought by your side against the old Council’s soldiers and who helped stop a sniper from putting a bullet in your head. That guy.”
Saber’s cheeks went pink and if Wray were honest, he felt his own heat up as he kept hearing Elton remind him how well he’d fought Wray’s father. It had been unexpected and, if Wray were honest with himself, he’d tried to push it from his mind. The thought of his sweet, bubbly mate having to kill was too much for him to wrap his brain around.
They had spent much of the night talking when they weren’t fucking. Elton had admitted that Greyson, Ward, and Teddy had demanded he learn to defend himself when it became clear his mouth was going to keep getting him into trouble.
Elton had become quite good with a knife. He’d been proud of his mate for his skill. So why had he insisted Elton stay behind?
That answer was simple. Wray would do whatever it took to keep his mate safe. Which is exactly why he’d almost lost any chance with Elton when they’d first met. Gods, he was an idiot.
As if they’d both planned it, Saber and Wray left at the same time. He had no idea what Saber would do, but Wray knew his own plan included a lot of groveling with a ton of ass kissing. Considering how he treated Elton, his mate deserved every bit of it and a whole hell of a lot more.
He just hoped Elton could find it in his heart to forgive Wray – again.
CHAPTER 12
“Fucking asshole,” Elton said to no one in particular, even though his friends were there surrounding him in total support. Even Iniko, who barely knew Elton, nodded as if in agreement.
“Yes, but fear can make people act like that,” Iniko said. “I should know, since I was the fucking asshole when I met Greyson,” he said bluntly.
It might be refreshing to hear someone admit he’d been a jerk, but Elton would have preferred Iniko keep his thoughts to himself. He didn’t want to hear about Wray’s ridiculous fears. They had caused Wray to toss him aside when they first met. Now they were just pissing him the hell off.
Kylo knew him well enough to see the rage that he’d been feeling toward his mate switch in Iniko’s direction. Ever the peacemaker, Kylo jumped in and said, “Admittedly, Wray overreacted, but don’t you think you’re kind of doing the same thing?�
�
“Did you honestly just say that to me?” What the hell was going on? Nothing in Elton’s world was normal any longer and it all started when he met his mate. “You’re supposed to be on my side, traitor,” he spat out the last word.
“Traitor?” Kylo said with far more force than his friend usually displayed. “I would think you’d thank me for my honesty instead of calling me names, you ungrateful ass.”
Elton felt his jaw drop. When he looked around, the others wore similar expressions. “Seriously, have I entered an alternate universe? Because nothing else makes any sense for what I’m hearing from you lately.”
Kylo stuck his tongue out at Elton. “Why?” he asked, crossing his arms. “Because I’m no longer letting you get away with your bullshit?”
“Well, yeah.” Elton had always gotten pushback from pretty much anyone he met. Even their other friends tried to reason with him. But not Kylo. He had always been in Elton’s corner, never once telling him he was being irrational. “It’s been our thing and I don’t like the change, damn it.”
Whirling on Iniko, he pointed a finger in the man’s direction. “You did this, didn’t you?”
Iniko cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brows. “Did what? Became friends with Kylo?”
“Exactly,” Elton lashed out. “You poisoned him with that runaway mouth of yours. It might be funny when you do it to others, but not me, got it? And while we’re on the subject of you causing trouble, how come you have managed to find everyone else in Miracle a job they love, but not me?”
Kylo let out a loud snort. “Probably because you’re too much of an ass to tell him the truth.”
“I don’t believe I was asking you,” he said, scowling at Kylo.
“Well, someone needs to call you out on your stupidity,” Kylo shot back. “Why you won’t just tell Iniko that your dream is to be an event planner and how good you are at it, I don’t understand.”