by Amber Kell
Dallas nodded. “He just told me.” His calm tone enraged the alpha further if the glowing eyes were any indication.
“Did he also tell you that sorcerers use shifters as their familiars by trapping them in cages?” Rolf growled, his wolf close to the surface. Laurence tensed, waiting for Rolf to completely transform while he worried he’d have to harm his sub’s alpha. Dallas might consider it poor behaviour for Laurence to kill Rolf.
Laurence glanced over to his sub. The carefully expressionless look Dallas sent him broke Laurence’s heart. “I would never do that to you, Dallas, you have to believe me.”
Relief struck him when his Dallas’ posture relaxed. “I do.” Those softly spoken words of support meant more to Laurence than any he’d ever heard before.
Dallas dared to step closer to him. Laurence quickly wrapped an arm around Dallas’ shoulders, cuddling him close.
“If he were going to capture a werekin for magic, he’d pick a stronger wolf,” Nate scoffed at the alpha. “He wouldn’t pick a puppy when he could capture bigger game.” Nate’s pointed look at Rolf said more than words who he thought a better choice would be.
“I’ve learned to keep out of cages,” Rolf responded.
“We were worried for you,” Mila said, stepping forward. Something in her eyes made Laurence uneasy. He didn’t think she’d harm Dallas, especially in front of the others, but she had a look about her that sent his instincts tingling.
“He’s fine,” Laurence replied. If they thought they could come and take his boy, there would be two less shifters in the world.
Before he could stop his sub, Dallas walked over to Rolf and let his guardian cup his cheeks and examine his face. Laurence clenched his hands to prevent a fireball aching to escape. The entire problem would be solved if he killed Rolf.
Nate gave him a pointed look as if his brother could read his mind.
“I want you to call and check in with me every morning when you wake up and right before you go to bed, understand?” Rolf asked.
Dallas nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Laurence gritted his teeth. He should be the only one to hear honorifics from Dallas’ lips.
“Don’t forget you have a fitting on Wednesday for your tux,” Mila reminded him.
“I’ll be there,” Dallas promised.
“Give me a hug.” She held out her arms for Dallas’ embrace.
Dallas gritted his teeth. He didn’t know if it was female wolves overall but Mila’s touch repulsed him. He’d let a few human girls hug him in college, his class friends, but none of them had set his wolf’s hackles up. Taking a quick breath, he held it while he hugged her. Her perfume seeped into his nostrils and drowned out everything else. How Rolf stood the stench, Dallas didn’t know. He’d have tossed her into the shower and scrubbed until it all washed off.
His excellent hearing picked up his master talking to Rolf.
“Can we get to the part where you tell Dallas everything is fine and you get the hell out of my living room?” Laurence demanded.
Dallas stilled beneath Mila’s touch as she rubbed her hands up and down Dallas’ arms. Dallas jerked when one of her nails scratched his upper arm.
“Ow!” Dallas jerked back from her touch. Twisting, he could see a long mark bleeding sluggishly across the back of his biceps.
He stared at her accusingly. “That hurt,” he complained.
“Oh, sorry.” She examined her hands. “My nails must’ve gotten longer than I thought. Good thing you heal quickly.”
Rolf stepped forward to examine Dallas’ injury. “You’ll be fine.” He gave Dallas a commiserating look as if he too knew the danger of her long nails.
Dallas nodded but quickly stepped away to stand next to Laurence. He knew Mila didn’t like him but he couldn’t figure out the purpose behind injuring him. The wound would be well-healed before the end of the hour.
After a final admonition to call him twice a day, Rolf ushered his fiancée out the door.
“She really doesn’t like you, does she?” Nate asked.
Dallas shook his head. “Not really. Once they’re mated I’m thinking of finding an apartment outside the pack enclave. Rolf might give me permission in order to keep the peace, as long as I return for pack meetings and runs.” Female werewolves became almost obsessive about their mates—one reason mated wolves always had their own quarters. He had a feeling Mila would be more possessive than most. Something about her eyes always gave Dallas the chills.
“You will move in here,” Laurence ordered.
Lowering his eyes, Dallas didn’t speak. He couldn’t argue with Laurence. As much as he longed to stay with his master, Dallas would have to see how he handled the full moon.
The wound pulsed and Dallas absently rubbed at the sore.
“She got you good,” Nate declared.
Dallas sniffed. He didn’t know if he liked his master’s brother. They shared the same hair and eye colour, but their scents were completely different. Nate smelt of burnt cinnamon—not necessarily a bad smell but not one he’d want to roll around in and claim, either.
“What are you doing here?” Dallas asked Nate. He winced at his petulant tone but he somehow doubted his master’s brother had come to bring good news.
“Impudent pup,” Nate replied without any real heat to his words.
“My brother had an unpleasant encounter with a harpy,” Laurence offered.
“Ahh—trying to steal her eggs?” Dallas asked. Harpies were avidly territorial but they rarely attacked without provocation.
“A witch incited her to attack me.”
“Huh.”
Laurence cupped Dallas’ face. “Did you get the food ready?”
Dallas nodded. “I’ll go make some for your brother.”
“Thanks,” Nate offered from the chair.
“You’re welcome.” Dallas headed back to the kitchen and quickly made another sandwich and brought it out to the brothers. He happily ate his sitting on the floor beside his master. It took him a few minutes to realise Nate was staring at him.
“Is there a particular reason you’re watching my sub as if he were going to rip out your throat?” Laurence asked. Dallas sighed at the feel of his master’s hand stroking his hair.
Nate shrugged. “I haven’t met very many werekin and the ones I’ve met have been more like his alpha. I’ve never met a submissive wolf before.”
“Make no mistake—he might not be an alpha, but he definitely can take care of himself,” Laurence said.
Dallas preened beneath his master’s words, proud that Laurence thought so highly of him.
He enjoyed sitting there by his master’s side. While waiting for Dallas to bring the food, they’d started a fire in the fireplace. The heat soothed Dallas. He hadn’t realised he was cold. His arm burned. Blinking, he tried to focus but the room began to sway. After a particularly bad twirl, Dallas crumpled to the floor as the world went black.
Chapter Four
If you call one wolf you invite the pack
—Bulgarian proverb
Dallas awoke, his body aching and his arm on fire.
A man stood above him.
His wolf half reacted, snarling at the stranger, lashing out at the perceived danger.
“Enough!”
The commanding voice snapped Dallas out of his violent haze. He knew that voice. His head snapped around as he caught sight of his mate. Licking his dry lips, he tried to speak through their cracked surface. “Mate,” he whispered.
“That’s right. I’m your mate. Nate, go get Dallas some food. I’m sure he’s starving.”
Dallas’ stomach growled on cue. Confusion had him looking around the room for some clue. He knew this bedroom. He’d been in Laurence’s bed enough times to recognise the smell of his mate soaked into the sheets.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Drink.” Laurence pressed a glass of water to his lips.
He gulped a few mouthfuls before pushing it away.
“The scratch in your arm became infected,” Laurence explained.
“That’s impossible.” Werekin didn’t become infected. They were immune to just about everything on the planet.
“Not if the bitch’s nails were laced with poison. Apparently Mila felt you were standing in the way of her and Rolf’s relationship. He’s been getting cold feet. She told him if he doesn’t go through with it she’ll let you die.”
“What kind of poison affects shifters?” Dallas wondered out loud.
“One laced with silver.” Laurence’s mouth tightened into a hard line. “More than one person doesn’t want us to live happily ever after.”
“Fuck them!” Dallas snapped. “They don’t get to decide if we belong together.”
His gums ached as his fangs tried to burst through. He’d destroy anyone who harmed his master.
A hard grip clamped onto the back of his neck and shook him. “Be careful, pet. I don’t appreciate you swearing and I definitely don’t give you permission to shift. You need to keep control. You remember control, don’t you?”
Dallas’ wolf growled inside. He didn’t dare bare his teeth at Laurence but a flare of resentment branched apart like a tree in his chest.
“I asked you a question,” Laurence chided, pulling Dallas’ attention back to him.
“Yes, Master, I remember control,” he forced out through his aching gums. Licking at the sensitive tissue he barely prevented the whimper from rolling up his throat. He really wanted to pounce on his master and lick him all over, but he didn’t want the punishment that would result. His wolf, close to the surface, yearned for its mate.
“Will the poison kill me?” Dallas’ arm burned with the pain of a hundred fires. He searched his arm for flames but only felt a tiny bit reassured when he didn’t find any.
“Yes.” Laurence didn’t try to sugar coat the truth.
Dallas cleared his throat as he contemplated his own death. Wolves tended to believe in the cycle of life. They understood all things had to die but Dallas hadn’t expected his turn to come so soon. Laurence ran a hand over Dallas’ head, trying to soothe him.
“Unfortunately, usually witches are the ones who heal these kinds of wounds but in this case they’re the last people who’d be willing to help us. One of their leaders is angry about the results of a case I ruled on, so we’re going to have find a way to save you on our own. Do you think if we grab Mila and rip out her heart your alpha will be upset?” Laurence’s tone indicated he didn’t really care but he thought he should ask.
“Does he know she’s done this?” Dallas’ heart sank at Laurence’s nod.
“She told him if he doesn’t go through with the wedding she’d let you die. She must’ve sensed Rolf’s cold feet and turned to the witches for a solution. I’m guessing they gave her the poison out of spite.”
Dallas sighed. Life never seemed to get easier. When he had finally thought he’d found happiness with his mate something had come to ruin it for them.
“Maybe we try too hard,” Dallas offered.
“What do you mean?”
Laurence’s tone didn’t encourage Dallas to say the necessary words but he forced them out anyway. He had to protect his mate even if it took ripping out his own heart to keep Laurence safe.
“Our relationship. As much as I want you for my mate, there are too many obstacles between us. First there’s my shifter nature, then Rolf doesn’t want us together, and now Mila’s poisoned me. It’ll be better if I leave you.” Dallas’ stomach churned like a tornado and he had to concentrate hard to keep from throwing up, but he couldn’t allow his beloved master to be endangered any longer.
Laurence gripped Dallas’ chin forcing him to look at him. “If you think you’re going to get away from me that easily, you need to think again. I’m not releasing you from our mating or whatever the fuck you want to call it. You will stay here and be mine. All you need to worry about is me. I’ll tell you when you need to worry about other things.”
Dallas let his breath out slowly. He needed to find his centre. The wolf pushed at him from inside, determined to get out and argue with his mate. If he weren’t there, Laurence wouldn’t be in trouble.
“I mean it!” Laurence snapped.
The wolf subsided, settling down to lurk beneath the surface and wait to see what his master would do.
“You belong to me and nothing will change that fact.”
“Yes, master,” Dallas responded dutifully. He dared to look up at his pacing lover. Laurence’s eyes flashed fire as he walked back and forth beside the bed. “What do we do now?”
“We need to get rid of the poison first,” Nate said, walking into the room.
Laurence ran his fingers through his hair leaving it a rumpled mess. “I realise that, but how?”
“I read somewhere that a wolf bond has its own magic,” Nate replied. He ran his fingers across his chin as he thought. “Wolf mates take on some of the abilities of their chosen. If you bond with him, it might protect him from the silver allergy.”
“No!” Horror filled Dallas. “You can’t bond with me for that.”
Mate bonds were sacred. If Laurence bound them together only to save Dallas’ life, even if it worked, they’d have nothing but misery together. No wolf wished to be bonded with a man only as a convenience.
Laurence stopped his pacing. “You don’t want me?”
“No. I mean yes.”
Crap.
“I don’t want you to mate with me because I’m going to die. I want you to mate with me because you are in love with me.” Dallas almost choked on the words and he couldn’t meet his master’s eyes afterwards.
“Don’t be an idiot, pup. It’s obvious to a half-blind hermit that my brother’s nutty over you,” Nate declared.
Laurence stared at Dallas. “How could you not know I love you?”
He heard Nate leave the room and close the door behind him but his eyes didn’t leave Dallas’ bent head.
“Answer me!” he snapped. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this out of control. Taking a deep breath he tried to find his quiet centre while Dallas trembled on his bed.
Trembled?
With a sigh Laurence climbed up on the bed beside Dallas and wrapped an arm around him. After a long moment, Dallas snuggled up to his side, seeking reassurance from the source of his distress.
“That’s right. Come to me. I’ll take care of you. I’ll always take care of you.” Laurence kept this voice calm and soothing as he stroked Dallas’ head. He wondered now how much of Dallas’ behaviour stemmed from his submissive nature and how much from his animal side. If Dallas saw Laurence as his alpha, Dallas’ wolf might offer more submission than a normal human.
After Dallas’ body had stopped trembling, Laurence dared to turn and face his sub. He knew he had to come across as the strong one, but right now he had to have some reassurance himself. “Do you want to be my mate?”
Dallas nodded, resting his head against Laurence’s shoulder. He should’ve made Dallas look up but he didn’t want to make it harder on his lover than necessary. Sometimes he needed to push Dallas, and other times he needed to provide the emotional support for his lover. This was one of those coddling moments.
“I love you,” Dallas muttered.
“Oh, no—you don’t get to tell me that with your head mashed against my shoulder. Look me in the eyes,” Laurence scolded even as his heart pounded in his chest.
Slowly, Dallas lifted his head until finally his stunning green eyes, filled with anxiety, met Laurence’s. “I do love you. I just want you to love me back.”
“Like my brother said, you’d have to be blind to not notice how much I love you,” Laurence whispered against Dallas’ lips.
Unable to resist he plunged his fingers into his lover’s dark strands and plundered his mouth. Wet heat lured him deeper until he knew his hold on Dallas’ hair must’ve hurt, but his sweet wolf only continued to make hungry sounds of need.
Laur
ence almost made some himself. Only pride held him back from needy groans of his own. He slid farther onto the bed until he was straddling his mate. Dallas jerked away with a high-pitched scream.
Jumping off the bed, Laurence stood helplessly by while Dallas writhed in pain, his arm almost glowing red with infection.
“Oh God, I’m sorry, pet. We’ve got to do the binding to heal you. Nate!” he shouted.
Laurence paced back and forth, unable to do anything without his brother there.
The door slammed open. “What?”
“I need to do the bonding. Dallas isn’t going to survive much longer no matter what that bitch says.” How she thought she could have leverage when Dallas might not even survive Laurence didn’t know. Rolf would never forgive her if his young pack member died. Laurence didn’t know the alpha well, but he could tell from Rolf’s behaviour that his pack members were important to him.
Nate’s dubious expression made Laurence shake with anger. He barely resisted setting his brother on fire. “He’ll survive,” he snapped.
“Of course he will,” Nate agreed, nodding vigorously.
Laurence could tell neither of them believed it. “If he dies, I’m going to rip that bitch apart.” He might do it anyway just to make her pay for Dallas’ suffering.
“Bring him,” Nate said before turning and walking out of the room.
Without argument Laurence picked up his sub and followed his brother. Dallas’ screams reached new decibels by the time he’d made it to the living room and placed his lover on the couch.
Nate ran into the kitchen and came back with a box of salt, which he poured with impressive speed and precision into a perfect circle on the floor. As soon as Nate had completed the circle, Laurence placed Dallas inside it on the tile and sat down beside him.
“We will be one soon, my pet. I’ll take care of you from now on.” Laurence needed Dallas to recover. Sorcerers might live a long time but they didn’t forget the people they loved and lost.
“Here’s the dagger.” Nate handed over the small ceremonial blade and set the empty bowl he’d retrieved from the kitchen into the middle of the circle.