“I’m trying so hard to believe that. It’s just…I keep thinking about all the times we were together, you know? Was he acting with me?”
“Why don’t we come by and visit you after the run? I need some time with my bestie, and I think you need me, too.”
“I’d like that.”
“You’re still important to me, Chaz and you always will be. My mate bond and marriage won’t change that.”
“As long as I’m the best man,” Chaz winked.
“Duh. Hey, Ross and I will follow you guys back to your place.”
“Thank God.” Chaz leaned against his best friend.
~* ~
Two hours later, Lev was exhausted and driving them back to Chaz’s. The window was down and the cool, night air whispered across his face. Chaz was semi-awake in the back seat and Samson was next to him, watching their surroundings. They were pulling up to the house when Lev noticed it was darker than usual out. He turned to look at Samson.
“Smell that?”
Samson inhaled.
“They’re not hiding downwind,” he said.
“They took out the street lights.” Lev narrowed his eyes and looked out the window. “Chaz, get on the floor!”
Bullets rained down on the car seconds later. The entire passenger side was riddled with bullets. Lev slammed down on the accelerator only to have a car pull in front of him and one block him in from behind. He slammed the car in park and jumped out of the vehicle.
“Watch Chaz!” he shouted.
Lev shifted and began running at the men with automatic weapons. One of them he recognized right away. Gary Riviar, Will Cooper’s abusive ex-boyfriend. The Titans had gone to great lengths to get him back when the Skull Blasters captured him in Siberia. Lev took a running leap at him and knocked him back. A bullet entered him in the side and he cried out. Gary got out from beneath him and began running.
Cole’s truck came screeching around the corner and Ross jumped out, shifting in mid-air. It was pure pandemonium. Lev turned back to spot Samson fighting with two men in his human form. He ran toward the car in time to see Samson take a bullet to the chest.
Another wolf jumped on the man who had shot Samson and tore his throat out, snarling as he did. Lev recognized Cole’s younger brother, Calvin, as the wolf doing the mauling. Lev sent a mental message out as he advanced on the two remaining rogues. They were way too close to Chaz’s side of the car. One of them grinned, pointing the gun at him.
A single shot rang out and Lev turned quickly to find Cole holding a gun.
“I suggest you get down on the ground now. We have reinforcements coming and it won’t take them long to get here.” Cole stepped closer.
Lev shifted and ran around to the other side of his car. The door was open and Chaz was halfway out.
“Chaz!” Lev bent down and lifted his face.
“Shot,” Chaz rasped.
“Where?” Lev assessed Chaz.
“Thigh, blood everywhere,” Chaz hissed.
“Hang on, babe.” Lev bit his wrist. “I’ve got you.”
Lev dropped his healing blood into the open wound in Chaz’s leg and held him close as it worked. That was one of the biggest benefits of carrying Wayne’s lineage. He eyed the two men standing by the car with narrowed eyes.
“I say we kill them now.”
“I killed two, and Calvin killed two more,” Ross informed him, stretching out his back and arms.
“I called out to Wayne,” Lev said.
“I did, too. He’s close.” Ross let out a yelp when Chance appeared right in front of him.
“I’m here.”
Lev started, and then smiled at Chance. “How do you do that?”
“I’m working on my magic abilities. I only used to be able to astral project. Now I can just show up. Cool, huh?” Chance turned his attention to the two men held at gunpoint by Cole. He smiled, walking over to them.
“I’m going to do you a huge favor.”
“What does that mean?” one of them asked nervously.
Chance flicked his wrist and then looked down. He picked both men up and placed them on the hood of the car.
“Now, don’t you two run off! That first step’s a doozie.” He waggled a finger at them.
Lev stood up and stared at the two tiny men on the car hood.
“We’ve got a cute little cage for you guys, complete with a running wheel.” Chance smiled broadly.
Chaz moaned and Lev dropped back down to him. “Hey, how are you feeling?”
“Better, I think.” Chaz stretched out his thigh. He looked up at Lev. “Thank you.”
The sounds of screeching tires and motorcycles filled the night air. It seemed the cavalry had indeed arrived. Lev noticed quite a few lights had come on in other people's homes and he glanced over at Ross and Cole.
“We need to get inside now.”
“That is a good idea.” Wayne Maccon strolled up the path to the house. He stopped in front of Lev’s car and eyed the two tiny men on the hood. “Chance?”
“Yep?”
“I see you’ve shrunk the bad guys.”
“I have.” Chance grinned, poking one in the belly. “Darn. He doesn’t giggle like that doughboy.”
“Let’s head in.” Wayne waved at the approaching police cars.
Wesley Foster and Tucker Storm, two cops on their team, jumped from one of them and ran over.
“What the hell happened?” Tucker shouted.
“We had visitors.” Lev helped Chaz to his feet.
Wesley laughed at the two shrunken men on the hood of the car. “Them? Oooh, scary!”
“That’s two of them.” Chance picked them up. “Let’s go in. Can you take care of the neighbors?”
“Yes, we’ll do some interviews, see what people actually saw and if we need to make some people forget.” Wesley assured them.
“I can get Loki down here if it calls for something strong,” Chance said.
“Got it.” Tucker winked and began crossing the road with Wesley.
“Well, let’s head in.” Wayne surveyed his men. “Chance, cloak the dead guys on the lawn.”
Lev settled Chaz on the couch and ran to get him a glass of water. Samson was leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Lev tapped Calvin on his shoulder and eyed him suspiciously.
“What was that out there? You took it very personally when one of them shot Samson.”
Calvin shrugged. “I don’t know; it was like this rage hit and I wanted them dead. Weird, huh?”
“Uh huh,” Lev said slowly. “Weird. By the way, werewolves have to be shot directly in the heart, and decapitated, to be killed.”
Calvin thought it over. “Good to know. Still pissed me off. I must be hormonal.”
Chance looked from Lev to Chaz. “You two, come here.”
“What? Why?” Lev asked.
“Just do it.”
Lev crossed the room to Chance, and Chaz stood up on shaky legs. Chance looked from one to the other and sighed.
“This is going to hurt me more than you.”
“What does that mean?”
Chance placed one hand on Lev’s temple and the other on Chaz’s. Lev almost fell over from the electricity that bolted up his spine. A flash of light appeared behind his eyes and then he saw Chaz clearly. He was sitting on a locker room bench, crying. The next vision showed Chaz staring out alone at the ocean. It was dark and rainy and Chaz was once again crying. Lev’s hand shook as the despair soaked into him. It was so … heart-wrenchingly sad and so damned overwhelming. The anger, the sadness, the rage, all of it seeped into his soul and Lev began to cry as Chaz’s emotions filled him.
Chaz tried to hold onto something as Lev’s memories flowed within him. He saw Lev on the sidewalk, saying goodbye to a woman who was entering a cab. The cab exploded seconds later, and a very young Lev dropped to his knees in the middle of a busy street. A face came into view, an older one who looked somewhat like Lev. The man was speaking Russian an
d Lev’s eyes filled with tears. Another flash of light and Chaz was with Lev on the street again. This time he was writhing in pain as his bones cracked and Lev was calling out to him. Memory after memory flowed through him — Lev’s life in Siberia, the sadness in his heart.
But most of all, the love Lev had for him.
Chance released them and stepped back, holding onto the wall for support. His eyes filled with tears as he watched Lev and Chaz slowly come back to the present.
“Fix it.” He pointed at them both.
“Lev?”
Lev blinked and looked over at Wayne. “Yes?”
“Take Chaz to your apartment for tonight. I don’t want him here. This was one hell of a bold move on the Titans’ part. Attacking in a damn residential neighborhood?”
Lev nodded. “Okay.”
“Chance, take the tiny twins to the cage.”
“On it.”
“Come to Caden’s office tomorrow; we’ll figure out where to go from there.” Wayne placed a hand on Lev’s shoulder. “We will take care of this.’
“I want Mario to pay,” Lev hissed between clenched teeth.
“Oh he will.” Wayne winked. “Samson, you’re with me.”
“I’m done being a bodyguard?”
“I think they want you just as bad as they want Lev and Chaz. I promised to keep you safe and I always keep my promises. Ross, Cole and Calvin, escort Lev back to his place and then lie low together until morning.”
“Will do.” Cole took Ross’ hand.
“Okay, let’s head out.”
Chaz went to his room and looked around for just the essentials. He hadn’t wanted to leave the house, now he couldn’t wait to get out of it. Seeing rogues attack his friends had changed things just a bit. Chaz packed a bag and looked around his room.
“Well, here we go.”
Chapter Six
Lev unlocked his apartment and checked it out before letting Chaz in. He flicked on a low light and walked into the kitchen.
“Thirsty?”
“Lev.”
“I know I am after all that fighting.”
“LEV.”
“What?”
“Are you going to talk to me about what I saw when Chance did his thing?”
“Why? I told you the truth and you thought I was lying.”
“You skipped a lot.” Chaz raised his brows.
“I’m not that same kid, Chaz. If you’re threatened again, I will kill.”
Chaz’s eyes widened. “What?”
“If anyone so much as touches a hair on your head, I’ll kill them and I’ll do it with a song in my heart. As I’ve said, I’m not that same kid you met.”
“You still look like him.” Chaz tried to smile.
“Well now you know, don’t you? Who I am, how I grew up.”
“You said you love me.” Chaz stepped forward.
“I do.” Lev nodded. “That has never changed.”
“So the reason you left was because you were bitten and you were afraid you’d hurt me or I’d reject you.”
“And because of why I was sent here in the first place.” Lev added. “I couldn’t have kept that secret hanging — and you would have reacted exactly as you did.”
“But you loved me.” Chaz inched his way closer. Lev’s shoulders were tight and wound up, like he might flee if Chaz got too close, too fast.
“I still love you, Chaz.”
“I meant what I said at the office, Lev. I never stopped caring about you, no matter how much you hurt me.”
“I don’t know how many ways I can say it. I’m so sorry, Chaz.” Lev met the other man’s eyes. “I never wanted to hurt you. I was so in love with you. I couldn’t bear to leave, but I knew I couldn’t stay.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m here and I plan to stay. So the only question I have left is can you forgive me?”
“I forgive you.”
“And my part in trying to out you?”
“You didn’t.” Chaz reached a hand to Lev’s face. “Sheesh, you guys don’t play fair. Actually seeing how devastated you were when you left, the pain you endured — how could I possibly stay mad at you?”
Lev leaned into the touch and closed his eyes as Chaz’s warmth spread throughout his body. “God, you still smell so good.”
“You looked really good in my jersey.”
Lev opened his eyes and grinned. “Cost me a fortune, but I had to have it.”
“I still have yours,” Chaz admitted.
“You do?”
“I couldn’t get rid of it. You have my heart, Lev. You always did,”
“So, now what?”
“Now I want to kiss you.”
“I want you to keep kissing me and never stop,” Lev whispered.
“Never.”
Chaz pulled Lev into his arms and took his mouth. Damn, but it was the same sweet mouth from so long ago. He groaned when Lev whimpered in his mouth. It seemed as if no time had ever gone by; Lev’s mouth was pliant just as it had always been. They melded together as one and Lev’s hands traveled up the back of his shirt, caressing his back. Chaz broke from the kiss and looked into Lev’s eyes. The pupils were blown, his breath was leaving him in short gasps.
“Want you so much!”
Chaz’s arms blew up in goose bumps. Lev’s low growl tingled down his spine and into his balls.
“I want you, too.” Chaz cupped Lev’s face.
“Missed you so much.” Lev rubbed his face against Chaz’s hand like a cat wanting to be stroked.
“Naked?”
“Now.”
Chaz shut the bedroom door and found Lev standing in the middle of the room when he turned. He had the same look on his face that he’d had six years ago — nervous, but wanting the contact. Chaz crossed the small space between them and took Lev into his arms. They kissed slowly, savoring the taste of each other. He backed Lev slowly toward the bed, his hands touching every part of him that he could. The muscles in Lev’s back twitched beneath his palms and he sighed in Lev’s mouth as the kiss deepened.
He lowered Lev onto the bed on his back and hovered above him. Lev’s eyes were wide, his breathing quickening with excitement. Chaz trailed a hand down the taut stomach, passing over tightened abdominal muscles and a soft trail of dark hair. Lev’s breath hitched as Chaz wrapped his hand around his erection.
“Chaz,” Lev breathed.
“You are so incredible, Lev,” Chaz whispered, leaning over to bring their lips together.
“Make me yours again.”
Chaz pulled away a bit and gazed into Lev’s eyes. “You never stopped being mine, Lev.”
Lev’s face was open, so many questions being asked in those eyes. Chaz knew one he could answer.
“I do love you, Lev. I always have. But I think rushing into sex is the wrong path.”
Lev nodded. “We need to start over.”
“Yes, but for now …” Chaz stroked Lev slowly, wrapping his hand around the two of them both their cocks.
Lev groaned and arched his back. “Isn’t this sex?” he panted.
“No. Penetration is sex, and I’m saving that for later.”
Lev’s eyes closed as Chaz’s mouth took his in a hungry kiss. The friction on his cock was agonizingly delicious as Chaz’s dick pressed against his. Heat flooded his balls and his stomach knotted up as Chaz began to stroke them faster.
“Chaz, can’t…oh God!” Lev’s body jerked and then cum splashed his abdomen. Chaz’s body shuddered and then warm cum covered Lev’s dick in spurts. Chaz collapsed on him and they snuggled close.
“Lev?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you, for saving my life tonight.”
“I’ll always protect you, Chaz.”
~*~
The night passed without incident and Lev was up early, making coffee and throwing breakfast together. They were heading into the Skull Blasters’ offices this morning to figure out where to go from here.
; Lev made sure all the food was on warm before heading back to the bedroom. He opened the door to find Chaz with his back to him. He leaned against the wall with a smile. Chaz was bopping up and down to the music on his iPod — which just happened to be Olivia Newton John’s ‘A Little More Love.’ That tight, round ass was bouncing and Lev adjusted his rising hard-on. Chaz turned around and froze.
“Good song?” Lev grinned.
“Um, yeah.”
“Is that Olivia Newton John?”
“What? No.”
Lev cocked his head to the side and raised his brows.
“You can hear it, can’t you?” Chaz said slowly.
Lev nodded, tapping his ear. “Werewolf hearing. It’s excellent.”
“Fuck.”
“I do seem to remember you have an eclectic taste in music.” Lev winked.
Chaz regarded his iPod. He changed the song and then fixed Lev with a look. “What’s this one?”
Lev cocked his head to the side, and then grinned. “ ‘Whip It.’ Is that a suggestion?”
“You wish.” Chaz narrowed his eyes.
“Is it Eighties day?” Lev caught the iPod as it sailed at his head. “What? I’m not saying that’s bad.”
Chaz grumbled and then checked his watch. “Do we have time to swing by somewhere?”
“I could make time, why?”
“There’s someone I need to see.”
Lev followed Chaz’s directions through Seattle. They pulled into the parking lot of a one-story building and Lev turned in the driver's seat.
“What is this?”
“A nursing home.” Chaz opened the door and got out.
Lev quickly caught up to him as they entered the building. He took his hand and turned him around to face him.
“Talk to me.”
“My…well, my adoptive mother is here. My dad died a long time ago and now she’s...” Chaz looked away, trailing off.
“She’s what? I didn’t know you were adopted.”
“I’ve known since I could understand the word. They never hid it from me,” Chaz sighed and met eyes with Lev. “She’s got dementia.”
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