by Alanea Alder
Chapter 2
“There he is! You’re in early today,” Rebecca said. When he first met Rebecca Arkadion she had been Rebecca Morgan, a human in a shifter-only town destined to be mated to Aleksander Arkadion, the eldest Arkadion son. When Aleks’s parents fully retired, Aleks and Rebecca would take over in leading Arkadia and the other Arkadian sister cities. Aleks and Rebecca had already started stepping into their roles and making decisions for the town.
When they first met, Rebecca had looked at him with wide eyes and said, “It’s like your beauty is wasted on my eyeballs.” Though he had known he was gay from the time he was eleven, he fell a little bit in love with her. She was the only one who ever looked at him as though he were something special, as if she could see into his very soul.
He had been kidnapped with Rebecca from Purgatory, Gabriel’s nightclub, months ago. She had bounced back from her ordeal and was now experiencing her first pregnancy and due to the bond they shared he was experiencing it right along with her, especially the morning sickness. There were days when the very smell of waffle cones sent him running to hurl in the bathroom, though he never admitted as much to his best friend.
“Marcus Evans dropped by again,” Ashby said, sliding into the chair between Rebecca and his other friend, Kate Edwards.
“That guy needs to eat out of a feeding tube for a while,” Nic said, taking a French fry from what looked to be the communal fry plate on the table. Rebecca frowned and swung her head back to Ashby.
“Did he hurt you, Ashers?” she said, making sure she made eye contact. He looked away and shrugged. She grabbed the hem of his shirt and manhandled it up over his head. It got stuck around his ears, but she had somehow managed to get his bruised arm free.
“Kate! Look at this. That asshole Marcus Evans has hurt Ashby, we need to arrest him!” she said, waving Ashby’s arm around. Ashby got his arm free and managed to pull his shirt down from where it had been lodged around his head and put his arms through the sleeves.
“It’s OK, Moe ran him off. Even Marcus isn’t stupid enough to mess around with Moe,” Ashby said grinning.
“No kidding, Moe would eat him for breakfast before coming to you for his banana split,” Nic said, laughing. Kate snorted.
“Mojo,” She chortled.
“Kate, it can’t still be funny,” Bran said from across the diner, where he and Caleb waited for their order holding the trio’s twin sons, Landon and Lucas.
“Mojo, Jojo,” Kate giggled. Rebecca, whose anger was fading, smiled.
“OK, it is kinda funny,” Rebecca said.
“As long as it doesn’t hurt his feelings, it could hurt him to hear something like that all the time,” Ashby said quietly. Rebecca nodded. Kate grinned.
“Ashby you’re so sweet,” Rebecca said hugging Ashby’s arm. He blushed.
“He’s OK with it because I told him that he was totally hot and that’s why it was so funny, because it was completely opposite to how he looked. The man is downright fuckable,” Kate said and two ominous growls were heard from the counter. She blew kisses to her mates. Rebecca nodded.
“I’d totally do him,” she said without thought, and a long low rumble echoed from the door. Rebecca turned in her chair and her eyes brightened.
“Hi, baby, how was work?” she asked, turning her face up for a kiss.
“Do who?” Aleks demanded and he stalked over to where his tiny mate sat and kissed her lovingly.
“Moe Jones. Kate and I agreed the man is fuckable,” Rebecca said.
“Girls, language!” Ma yelled from the kitchen.
“Yes Ma!” both women called out and then grinned at each other.
Aleks looked down at his mate frowning.
“You don’t need to think about doing anyone but me,” Aleks said, bending down to stare his mate in the eyes. She looked up impishly.
“Aleks, Marcus Evans went into Ashby’s shop and hurt him today. He has bruises on his arms. I’m getting a bad feeling about him,” Rebecca said as Aleks easily lifted her up, sat down in her chair, and settled her in his lap.
“Ashby, do you want to press charges?” Aleks asked, concern on his face. Ashby shook his head.
“No. He has never done anything more than harass me. I have a feeling if I press charges it would only escalate the issue. As long as he keeps his hands to himself then I don’t want to press charges,” Ashby said.
“If he hurts you again, I’ll shoot him!” Rebecca said and Aleks looked down at her panicked.
“Becca, baby, did you bring your gun?” he asked gently as if approaching a wild animal. All of the shifters at the table picked up on his edginess and subconsciously scooted back a bit.
“Of course! It’s not going to do me much good in a box under the bed is it? The next time hyenas come to town it’s open season,” she said, patting her purse.
“Is the safety on this time?” Aleks asked, inventing new shades of pale. The purse had shifted down between their bodies and was resting in his lap.
“Of course it is,” Rebecca said, picking up the purse and patting it. She dropped it to the floor and a loud bang echoed throughout the diner.
“What in the hell!” Connor demanded coming out of the kitchen. Rebecca stared down at her purse and then looked up at Aleks.
“OK, I swear the safety was on.” She tilted her head the way she normally did when she was thinking.
“Maybe...” She looked around the table and Nic and Kate were trying not to laugh. Ashby was trying to get his heart to stop beating out of his chest. Aleks began to shake.
“Aleks, are you OK?” Rebecca asked. At the sound of her calm and rational voice Aleks snapped.
“That’s it! That. Is. It! No more gun for you. That is the second time you have almost killed someone, the first time was when you tried to show me your cowboy stance. I can’t do this! I can’t think knowing you have a weapon!” Aleks roared and bellowed. Rebecca sat on his lap calmly petting his chest as he ranted.
“Don’t worry, I’m getting better, see this time I wasn’t holding the gun when it went off, so technically I didn’t shoot it,” she said as if that made all the difference in the world.
Ashby watched the interaction between the mated pair. He could see Aleks’s hands shaking, he didn’t know if it was from fear or from the effort it took not to shake some sense into his tiny mate.
“Connor!” Aleks yelled.
“I’m here,” Connor said, walking over to the table and picking up the purse. He opened it up and pulled out the gun, he slid open the chamber, checked the barrel, put the safety on and tucked it into the back of his pants.
“Hey that’s my gun!” Rebecca protested.
“We’re going home!” Aleks said as he stood, and he swung his mate up in his arms.
“When we get home we’re going over gun safety, again. And this time the lesson will stick. You hear me?” Aleks demanded. Rebecca got a dreamy look on her face.
“Yes, sir,” she said as Aleks carried her out of the diner.
“Oh my God did you see the look on his face?” Connor said, doubling over laughing. That set off the entire diner. Kate wiped her eyes laughing.
“And to think he hesitated in mating her because he was scared at how delicate she was,” Kate said and that brought a fresh round of laughter. Ashby smiled. Rebecca and then Kate had found true happiness with their mates. He knew better than to ask for something like that, he only hoped his date with Gabriel would go smoothly and that he wouldn’t embarrass himself.
Chapter 3
Four hours later Ashby stood shivering in line outside the club. He was wishing he had gone practical over sexy. The line hadn’t moved at all since he had gotten there nearly an hour ago. He could feel the bass of the music from inside the club reverberating through his body. He had chosen a simple light-blue tank that matched his eyes and a pair of black jeans that, according to Nic, showed off his “bubble butt” to perfection. Looking around he felt decidedly underdressed. The parano
rmals around him were dressed to the nines. There was mesh and glitter and liberal amounts of latex, and if that didn’t have him nearly heading to the car, the conversations around him did. As a fennec fox, his sense of hearing was so good he could hear prey moving around underground. As a human he could hear nearly every conversation within a few hundred feet. Normally he was able to phase it out and make it background noise, but one name kept popping up, grabbing his attention.
“I wonder if Prince Gabriel will be in tonight.”
“Did you see Prince Gabriel’s outfit last week? I thought I was going to come in my pants the way it showed off his body.”
“Prince Gabriel looked at me last week, I just know we could hook up tonight. We are destined to be together.”
Prince Gabriel. What had he been thinking? How could a prince be serious about him? In his fantasies he was confident and suave. In real life he felt awkward and small. He stared down at his cell phone debating on texting Gabriel that he couldn’t make it. He sighed.
He probably wouldn’t even me miss anyway, Ashby thought.
He sniffled and sighed again. Now that his nose was running, his picture as a pathetic loser was complete. At least he didn’t have to smell the cologne of the raccoon in front of him anymore.
* * * *
“Where in the hell is he?” Gabriel paced his office checking the monitors constantly hoping to catch a glimpse of the man whose blood caught his attention months ago. When the vans he had loaned the Arkadions came back from the rescue operation, he had caught a faint whiff of blood from the one that had held Rebecca and her missing friend Ashby Fairfax. He knew that it wasn’t Rebecca’s blood that had affected him. That only left Ashby. And the man was late.
“What time did he say he would be here?” a calm voice asked and Gabriel swung his head around to look at his acting second-in-command. He would have just called the man his second-in-command, but Roman rejected the title outright saying that title belonged to Mikhail and Mikhail alone. Roman didn’t want to be second-in-command to anything.
“An hour ago,” Gabriel grumbled, staring at the monitors again.
“Did you check outside in the line to get in?” Roman asked. Gabriel snorted.
“Why would he be in line? He knew he was expected as my guest,” he said, his eyes moving from one monitor to the next. Roman rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed.
“From everything you have told me about him, in detail, repeatedly, whether I wanted to hear it or not. He sounds like the type of man who wouldn’t assume he was entitled to anything. I bet he is freezing his ass off outside,” Roman said, watching his words start to penetrate his Prince’s thinking.
“Damn. You may be right. Could you…no. Never mind, I’ll go look for him myself,” Gabriel said, ignoring Roman’s astonished expression. He made his way downstairs. He passed the dance floor and walked to the front doors. The two vampires he trusted to monitor admittance practically snapped to attention. Around him people hushed their conversations, trying to hear what would bring Prince Gabriel to the front door. Bryn stepped forward, his blond hair pulled back from his face.
“Sir? Was there something we could do for you?” he began. Radek stepped up beside Bryn.
“I’m waiting on a young man. The name is Ashby Fairfax, has he been by?” Gabriel asked. Bryn didn’t even have to look at his clipboard.
“No sir. We have been waiting for him to arrive so that we could show him in and bring him directly to you,” Bryn said. Gabriel took a few steps outside and immediately the front of the line grew silent before quiet whispers spoke of his presence at the door.
“Sir, he wouldn’t be in line, not if he was expected,” Bryn said. Gabriel nodded, thinking back at Roman’s words about Ashby. The man was right, Ashby would never assume anything was due to him. He stepped outside and started walking down the line. People stared and stopped their conversations as he walked by, Bryn walking behind him. Radek stayed behind to watch the door. Gabriel scanned the faces as he walked. He had memorized Ashby’s features from the only picture Ashby had sent him on his cell phone. Gabriel had almost reached the end of the line when he spotted a familiar head of soft blond curls. He stopped in front of the smaller man who gazed up at him with one of the most beautiful faces he had ever seen. His aura was nearly as pure as the Alpha Mother’s whom he had met months ago. He watched as the man opened his mouth then closed it, then sniffed, obviously cold. The beautiful man blushed and ducked his head.
“I have been waiting for you, mon ange. I wish you had let me know you were waiting, I could have come to get you before you got so cold.” He wrapped an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders and guided him to the door.
Gabriel heard the astonished whispers that he had come out to personally get someone. There were a few low growls of anger, but what concerned him the most was the wave of intense hatred mixed with lust and jealousy. Most vampires were empathetic to some degree. It was nature’s way of helping them keep their prey calm while they fed.
When he got Ashby to the doors he leaned in and whispered to Bryn.
“There is someone in line...” Bryn nodded.
“I felt it as well, we’ll take care of it my prince, enjoy your evening,” Bryn said winking. Gabriel gifted him with a rare half smile and they felt the line surge forward.
“Sir, not to be disrespectful, but can you go be stunning in your rooms, where you won’t cause a riot?” Bryn said, trying to hold back a smile. Gabriel nodded and steered the angelic man toward the stairs that led to his personal rooms.
* * * *
Ashby heard the astonished comments as they walked past the line. In all honesty, he couldn’t blame them. He couldn’t believe that Gabriel had come looking for him, to personally escort him into the club. He felt completely out of place at the man’s side. Before he knew it he was led up the stairs and into Gabriel’s opulent living quarters.
Everything in the apartment looked new. The color scheme was very monochromatic. Black leather and chrome accents dominated the large space. It didn’t feel homey or lived in at all. He took a deep breath and was relieved that his sense of smell had returned from being outside in the cold. He could smell cleaning agents and leather. When he turned his head to look at the man staring at him with a smile on his face he caught the scent of something else. He shook his head.
It’s not possible. He’s a prince and I scoop ice cream. He looked up to see Gabriel watching him from across the apartment with a soft smile on his lips. Ashby took another deep breath and the scent expanded in his lungs and seemed to fill his body. He looked up and stared at Gabriel as Gabriel silently watched him.
He was still staring when his cell phone started to ring. Without breaking eye contact he reached into his pocket and answered his phone.
“Hello?” Even to himself his voice sounded strained.
“Ashby, is everything OK? I’m getting overwhelming feelings from you.” Rebecca sounded worried.
“I’m fine,” he said, his eyes never leaving Gabriel.
“Where are you? Nic said you’re not at your apartment,” Rebecca said.
“I’m at Purgatory,” he said sounding lost in thought.
“Is everything OK? How are things going with Gabriel? Do you need us to come get you?” Rebecca started spitting questions at him. When she took a breath he said softly, “He’s my mate.” Silence seemed to pour from the cell phone.
“Oh my Gosh, that’s amazing, Ashers!” he heard from Rebecca.
“Bow chica wow wow. Tap that ass!” he heard Rian yell, then a slap and yelp.
“Rian hush! This isn’t some booty call, he just found his mate!” he heard Kate say.
“Maybe we should come up there anyway,” Rebecca started. Ashby was staring at his phone in horror then glanced back up to see if Gabriel had heard anything from his friends. The wide smile on the man’s face told him he had.
“Hey! That’s my phone!” he heard Rebecca exclaim.
“Ashby?” As
hby quickly brought the phone back to his ear, it was Aleks.
“Yes, Alpha?” he asked.
“Everything OK?” Aleks asked, his voice sounding concerned.
“Yes, everything is fine,” Ashby said as he watched Gabriel smile and nod.
“Good, we’ll let people know the parlor is closed for the weekend. Be safe.” Then Ashby heard a click and the call ended. He would find a way to thank Aleks later. He turned off his phone and looked back up to Gabriel.
“So you, umm, heard?” he asked and wanted to slap his forehead. Of course he had heard.
“You seem more nervous knowing I am your mate than when we were strangers getting to know one another over the phone,” Gabriel said, walking around the perimeter of the room circling Ashby.
“But I didn’t know you were my mate then. After our rescue my nose was broken. When we came back here to drop off the vans I couldn’t smell you,” Ashby said, turning his body to watch Gabriel walk around the room.
“Maybe vampires and shifters have different ideas of what mates are. For vampires, finding your mate is the ultimate gift. It’s the knowledge that you’ll never be alone again, that Fate has provided you with a friend and partner,” Gabriel said, coming to a stop watching Ashby intently who was nodding his agreement emphatically.
“It’s the same for shifters. For shifters mates come first.” He saw that nearly every muscle in Gabriel’s body was drawn tight. He could see the tension surrounding the man.
“Then treat me as the friend that I’ve become in talking to you every day. I don’t want to be the prince to my mate. Just Gabriel,” he said with a silent plea in his eyes.
Ashby’s eyes softened. He had been so wrapped up in his own insecurities, feeling like he wasn’t good enough, that he never thought how his hesitation could be perceived by his mate.
“Maybe if we talked as if we were on the phone?” Ashby suggested. Gabriel nodded.
“We could do that. Would you like something to eat? I could fix dessert.” Gabriel motioned to the small kitchen.