by Alanea Alder
“You give me too much credit,” Claybourne said, wrapping an arm across Felix’s chest, the other going around his waist to support him as he thrust again and again into his body.
“You can never leave me!” he yelled, thrusting harder. Knowing that his mate needed this catharsis, Felix leaned forward out of Claybourne’s embrace and extended his hands over his head as he lay on the table. With his cheek against the cool wood, he could smell the faint hint of Pledge.
Claybourne’s fingers dug into his hips. Felix felt one hand leave his hips to be placed square in the middle of his back. Claybourne began a relentless pounding, pushing deeper into him than ever before.
“Never,” he yelled hoarsely.
“Never, my mate. I will be with you forever,” Felix said, flexing his ass muscles so that they constricted around his mate’s invading cock.
“I love you, trouble.” Claybourne moved his hands and leaned over his mate, covering him with his heated body.
“I love you, too, Mr. Clean.” Felix gasped as Claybourne began to peg his sweet spot on every downstroke.
“Claim me,” Felix whispered. That seemed to be exactly what his mate needed to hear. Claybourne nudged his neck with his nose before biting down. Feeling his mate’s canines slide through his skin was too much, Felix exploded and screamed out his pleasure. Behind him Claybourne roared and thrust one last time, staying as deep as he could, filling him with jet after jet of his seed. He came so much that Felix could feel it come out of his ass and begin to drip down his leg.
Exhausted, Claybourne pulled Felix off of the table and onto the floor to lay next to him. Snuggling into his mate’s arms, Felix smiled.
“You know I came on the dining room table right?” he said, smirking. Claybourne’s hands stilled where they had been lazily caressing his body.
“At the moment I don’t give a damn,” Claybourne said and rubbed Felix’s back.
“I am a ginger sex god,” Felix said and yawned.
“That you are, trouble,” Claybourne agreed. Felix closed his eyes and let the relaxed darkness take him.
Chapter 13
When Felix woke up the next morning he was cleaned up and in their bed. He stretched and grinned. He hopped out of bed and went to their closet. It was their closet now, since Claybourne had made it a point to get his things from the pride house after the virus was cured.
He pulled on his clothes and went in search of his mate. He walked past the dining room table and his nose picked up the scent of fresh Pledge. Grinning, he found his mate humming to himself making waffles. Felix watched his mate for a moment, thanking Fate for the man.
“Good, you’re up. I’m making the waffles I promised you,” Claybourne said, smiling at him. Felix couldn’t help it. He walked over and burrowed under his mate’s arm.
“I love you,” he said. Claybourne stilled.
“I can never hear that enough. I love you too, my mate.” Claybourne leaned down and gave him a simple kiss.
“Take this plate. I’m cooking the last one now. Then we need to head over to the clinic. Sebastian and Kate have an appointment today,” Claybourne explained.
Felix devoured every morsel that Claybourne cooked, to the point his stomach was sticking out.
“Come on, trouble, time to go,” Claybourne said from the front door.
“I can’t move. You killed me,” Felix moaned and got up from the sofa. He collapsed there after breakfast and hadn’t moved an inch the entire time it took Claybourne to clean up after breakfast.
“You didn’t have to eat all of it,” Claybourne said, leaning against the arch that led into the den.
“All your fault. I can’t move,” Felix whimpered.
“Do you want me to carry you?” Claybourne asked. Felix thought about it for a second and shook his head.
“I need to move to get this digesting.” Felix hobbled to the car and groaned the entire way to town. Claybourne surprised him by parking at the diner. He looked to his mate questioningly.
“It’s breakfast time and they both have morning appointments. Where do you think they are?” he asked. Felix nodded and got out of the car. When they opened the diner door, the smell of freshly baked muffins hit Felix in the face.
“Ma! I’m hungry!” Felix yelled, heading to the table where Sebastian and Kate sat with their mates. He heard the slap of skin on skin when he turned back. Yep. Mate had his face in his palm.
“You cannot be hungry! You moaned and complained the entire car trip here about how much you ate at breakfast,” Claybourne said, sitting next to Felix.
Felix turned to his mate, his eyes wide and innocent.
“But that was before I smelled muffins,” he said pouting.
“I am going to have to get a second job just to afford groceries. Where do you put it all?” Claybourne asked.
“My cock,” Felix quipped and reached into the muffin basket. He looked over and Claybourne’s mouth had dropped. Kate and Sebastian were laughing. Bran clapped a sympathetic hand on Claybourne’s shoulder.
“We have men’s night on Saturdays when they get together to watch some medical show about a doctor. You should come hang out with us. We understand what it’s like to be mated,” Caleb offered.
“Saturday can’t get here quick enough,” Aleks said from the counter.
“How is Rebecca doing? She was unusually quiet last night,” Felix said, digging into his muffin.
“You caught that, huh? Her crazy genius brain is working through something. She called Gabriel earlier this morning when I was in the shower so I didn’t catch everything that was said. But I get nervous when she goes to him, because that man can’t seem to tell her no. He spoils her like an indulgent older brother,” Aleks said, rubbing both hands down his face.
“Speak of the devil,” Liam said as Gabriel and Ashby walked in. Ashby was pale and hurried over to Kate.
Gabriel looked at Aleks and took a deep breath.
“In my defense, I didn’t know she wanted to drive it herself,” Gabriel began. Aleks went white.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
“Oh Kate, I think she is really mad this time.” Ashby rubbed his chest.
Sebastian and Kate nodded also, rubbing their chests.
“What? What do you guys feel!” Aleks demanded.
“Where is my mate?” he said, walking over to Gabriel.
“She was right behind us,” Gabriel explained patiently. Aleks looked to Ashby who shook his head and buried his face in Kate’s shoulder. Liam, Caleb, and Bran stood and went to Aleks, who began to shake in anger.
“If she is in any danger…” he began and the diner door slammed open. Nic stood in the doorway breathing hard and clutching his chest.
“Why in the hell is Rebecca driving a bulldozer down Market Street?” he asked breathlessly. Gabriel sighed and closed his eyes.
“What! What! You got her a fucking bulldozer?” Aleks demanded of Gabriel, who shrugged.
“She sounded so sad when she asked for it, I couldn’t say no.” He spread his hands wide. Aleks looked up to see a determined Rebecca maneuvering the bulldozer past the diner and down the street. Everyone ran for the door and chased behind the slow-moving bulldozer.
It came to a slow, grinding halt in the cemetery next to a fresh grave. Felix’s heart stopped when he read the name on the headstone.
Frances Gilberton
Weeping, Rebecca fiddled with the controls.
“How do I use this thing?” she asked, crying. Aleks leapt up to the cab and pulled Rebecca into his arms before jumping down.
“Baby, sweetheart, don’t cry like that. You know it breaks my heart. What are you doing?” Aleks asked, his large hands seeming bigger than normal as he wiped her tears gently.
“I don’t want him here. I couldn’t get it out of my mind during Ms. Brayburn’s funeral that he was so close. I couldn’t sleep last night. I want him gone. He doesn’t deserve to rest peacefully. We owe Ms. Brayburn. She shouldn’t have
to be buried so close to her killer.” Rebecca sobbed into Aleks’s chest. Felix clenched his jaw and his eyes burned. He looked around and saw that everyone from town was fighting back tears. This tiny human was willing to do whatever it took to protect her people, even after their death.
“Don’t worry, Becca, I’ll take care of it,” Duncan said, hopping into the bulldozer. Easily, he and Emmett maneuvered the large machine to scoop up the glitter-covered earth, and it wasn’t long before the casket was revealed. The townsmen worked together to pull the casket from the grave.
“Now what?” Felix asked. Everyone stood staring down at the casket.
“My people will take it from here,” Gabriel said and motioned with his hand. A group of vampires from his coven stepped forward and easily lifted the casket. They pushed it into a waiting truck. Gabriel walked over to Rebecca and wiped her tears.
“All of these years I thought I knew what it meant to be a leader, a prince. But every day you show me that there is more to leading people. I stand in awe of your capacity to love.” Gabriel leaned in and kissed her forehead.
“Don’t be afraid to drop him, you know, a couple times. Maybe lose an arm?” she said, looking up at Gabriel and sniffling. “You heard the Alpha Mother. Find a place outside the perimeter where this fiend will know no rest,” he ordered. They bowed to Gabriel and then to Felix’s surprise they bowed to Rebecca.
“Okay, Rebecca, we have new rules. No lab chemicals. No lab work. No operating heavy machinery. No going to Gabriel for favors,” Aleks started. Rebecca stomped her foot.
“No way! I am not agreeing to those rules. Okay, maybe the one about the machinery, but not the others. I have already worked out equations and designs for some perimeter weapons. I will definitely be in a lab again. I had forgotten the rush you get when you play with the building blocks of the universe, bending them to your will. And leave Gabriel out of this. He is my family, like Duncan is your family. It’s not favors if you love someone, right?” she asked, turning her wide violet eyes to Gabriel and Ashby. Ashby sniffed and wrapped his arms around Rebecca.
“Of course it isn’t!” They snuggled together before looking at their mates. Gabriel looked at Aleks pointedly.
“Could you say no to that?” he asked. Aleks just started to shake his head.
“One Xanax and a shot of whiskey for the Arkadion,” Felix said. Aleks looked up, his expression slightly panicked.
“That might not be a bad idea,” he said and turned to Rebecca.
“When you say ‘building blocks of the universe and bending them to your will.’ That was just an expression, right?” he asked. Rebecca took one look at her mate and stepped away from Ashby.
“I love you, my mate. I would never do anything to hurt you or endanger our baby. We’re safe.” She jumped into his arms. Felix could see the man practically sag in relief.
“Good. Okay, let’s get you home to rest. You’ve had a hard morning.” Aleks cuddled her close. She waved at them as they walked away.
Bran, Caleb, Liam, Kent, Sebastian, and Kate stepped up to stand next to Claybourne, Felix, Gabriel, Ashby, and Nic.
“She didn’t answer him,” Kate said wryly.
“Nope,” Bran said, wincing.
“She totally has a lab, doesn’t she?” Felix asked. Gabriel shook his head.
“Of course not.” Everyone sighed in relief.
“Most of the supplies couldn’t be delivered so soon,” Gabriel added.
“Gabriel, since you seem to be funding this little project of hers. Can I tack on any supplies I will need to treat things like chemical burns, poisonous gas inhalation, or radiation exposure?” Claybourne asked casually.
“That might be a good idea,” Gabriel murmured. Felix couldn’t help it. He began to laugh. He collapsed against his mate, laughing uncontrollably.
“Come on, trouble. And for the record, you stay out of that damn lab,” Claybourne said, swinging Felix up in his arms.
“No promises,” Felix said, grinning up at his mate.
He laughed at himself. Here he thought that life in Arkadia would be boring. Evidently not, especially when you are fated to be one of two healers in a shifter-only town, with a quirky, dangerously genius human for an Alpha Mother.
Epilogue
The gentleman sat back, relieved. The Alpha Mother had somehow survived the deadly shifter virus his halfwit lawyer had helped create.
“Payne,” he called out.
His manservant appeared from the shadow in the corner. For as long as he could remember Payne had always been there.
“Have the lawyer moved from the specialty cells below. He can be transferred to the pain expert in the open dungeon. The Alpha Mother lived. I need him semi-coherent later to create more havoc for the Arkadians.” The gentleman waved his hand, dismissing the tall warrior. Payne bowed silently and left the room to carry out his orders.
He walked over and picked up the report he had received earlier that day from one of his many informants. He did like to keep abreast of the happenings in the world around him. He read the report and felt a smile on his lips.
Oh this could be entertaining. If he called in a favor, he could be sure to bring this problem right to Arkadia’s doorstep. He reached for his phone and dialed a number.
“Yes. It’s me. I need you to do something for me. Do you know a Connor Arkadion?”
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alanea loves reading almost as much as she loves writing and can be found at any given moment either in front of the computer lost in her own world or on the couch with her iPad reading some of her favorite authors. She believes that love truly conquers all and that everyone no matter what, deserves a chance at that love and a place they can call home.
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