by Amber Kell
Laurence raised an eyebrow at the cheery red ceramic bowl.
“What? You wanted me to be picky?” Nate snapped.
“No, no—it’s fine. Come here, pet.” Laurence settled cross-legged on the floor and pulled his mate across his lap. Dallas’ skin colour alarmed him. He alternated between too red and too pale. “Hang in there. You aren’t allowed to die on me.”
He didn’t care if he sounded more desperate than commanding, Dallas couldn’t die.
“Damn it, Laurence, focus! You’re going to lose him!” Nate’s angry tone snapped Laurence out of his depressing introspection.
He took a deep breath and positioned the bowl in front of him. “Do you agree to be mine forever, my sweet wolf?” he asked.
“Yes.” Dallas gave a soft hiss when his arm accidentally brushed the floor. He curled up closer to Laurence, seeking reassurance from his mate. The shifter’s eyes had a glazed over look. Laurence’s heart pounded in fear.
“I’ve got you. I’ll always have you.” Taking a slow breath, Laurence slid the blade across both his and Dallas’ right wrists with two quick, efficient motions. He pressed their open wounds together. “Do you accept my bond, my love and my protection for the rest of your days?”
The long pause had Laurence holding his breath.
“I do,” Dallas whispered.
There were several different types of bonds a sorcerer could create with others in his life. Laurence went with the one he knew suited Dallas’ wolf nature. Complete bonding of mind, heart and spirit. He didn’t want any hint of question to fill Laurence’s mind over his commitment to their pairing.
“With your acceptance, we are one,” Laurence vowed.
Closing his eyes, he focused on pouring magic through their connected wound. A loud ringing filled his ears, echoed in his head and sent pulses throughout his body. He reflexively clutched Dallas, unwilling to drop his lover despite the pain rolling through his system. A howl rolled up his throat and filled the room with its echo. After small explosions burst behind his eyelids, Laurence forced his eyes open. His gaze locked with Dallas’. His mate’s green eyes turned icy blue and Laurence shivered beneath the wolf’s examination.
He cupped Dallas’ face between his hands. “Come back to me, pet.”
Dallas snarled, exposing a set of deadly fangs. “You are mine!” A deep gravelly voice emitted from his lover like a horror movie monster. Little of Dallas’ humanity lived in those eyes.
The connection vibrated between them, unsettled and wavering. Laurence knew if he didn’t give in this one time, he could lose the man he loved. With his instincts screaming against a show of submission, Laurence tilted his neck.
Dallas struck, plunging his fangs into Laurence’s neck. Laurence gasped as, instead of blood being sucked from him, a warm liquid seeped into his veins. He could feel it join his blood flow. His energy sapped, Laurence’s world went black.
* * * *
Laurence awoke. Jolting upright, his heart slammed against his chest as panic took over his breathing.
“Shh, I’m here,” Dallas’ familiar voice immediately calmed him. Turning, he almost feared meeting his mate’s eyes.
Green.
Oh thank the gods and goddesses.
His Dallas was back. Love glowed from his shifter’s eyes and relief swamped Laurence. He might be considered a powerful wizard among his own people, but he had nothing if he lost Dallas’ affection.
“Let me see your arm,” he demanded.
Dallas showed him a smooth, clean limb with no markings.
Laurence crushed his lover to him. “We cured you. That bitch can’t hurt you anymore. If she even comes near you, I’m going to turn her into a bunny.”
Laughter burst from Dallas. “Bunny?”
“Anything you might want to eat in wolf form,” Laurence explained. “I’ll do anything to protect you. You know that right?”
Laurence knew if he couldn’t protect what was his, the wolf inside his lover wouldn’t respect him and their mating would falter.
“I know,” Dallas agreed.
Laurence watched Dallas’ eyes flashed to blue then back to green. Rolling over, Laurence pinned his wolf to the mattress. “Mine.”
Somewhere along the way, they’d both lost their clothes. With the delicious slide of bare skin against bare skin, Laurence approved.
The need to dominate burned through him. His magic flared through his body seeking its other half, to bind Dallas to him. He blindly grabbed the bottle of lube he kept on the nightstand. Without taking his gaze away from his lover’s ever changing eyes, he poured liquid on his fingers and plunged two fingers into Dallas’ ass.
Dallas jerked from the intrusion but the lust on his face told Laurence he hadn’t hurt his lover.
“Good?” he asked as he probed inside his werekin mate, searching for the perfect spot.
“Oh, there! Right there!” A broken howl filled the air.
The need to be one with Dallas clawed at him like a hungry wolf. With a shaking hand he slicked up his cock. Wrapping his hands around the back of Dallas’ thighs, Laurence positioned him at the perfect angle. Laurence moaned as he pushed inside and Dallas’ heat surrounded him. Like plunging into a warm sea, Laurence sank into his lover joining them as one.
Before, making love had connected them on a purely physical level. Now, as he slid inside Dallas, he could almost feel their souls brush across each other.
Dallas’ eyes flared bright blue. For a second Laurence thought Dallas’ wolf would challenge him.
“Mine,” Laurence growled. Not waiting for a response he covered Dallas’ body with his own, wrapping himself across his lover and coating him with Laurence’s scent. He needed Dallas’ wolf to accept him as the alpha and submit. If he couldn’t get the upper hand, their relationship would suffer and neither of them would get what they needed.
With their bodies intertwined, Laurence claimed his mate. Pressure built in his chest making it hard to breathe. Red lines of magic snaked out of his body and wrapped around Dallas.
“Do you feel my magic?” he asked.
“Yes, Master. I can feel you,” Dallas replied.
He’d ask him about that later. Right now, he needed Dallas’ focus on him. “You’re mine. You’ll be mine until we’re both dust in the ground. Understand?”
“Yes. Yours.” The joy in Dallas’ voice made Laurence smile. Blue eyes faded to green and Laurence knew he’d reached an accord with both halves of his lover.
They reached their releases together. Laurence’s grunt met Dallas’ howl in a noise that would’ve brought Nate into the room if his brother didn’t likely already suspect what they were doing.
Satisfied, Laurence collapsed beside his mate cuddling him close and breathing in the combined scent of their lovemaking.
“I love you,” Dallas said, his voice sounding normal.
Laurence didn’t try to hide his relieved sigh. “I love you, too. Let’s nap, then we’ll go visit Mila and explain to her the error of her ways.” Laurence tried to keep his tone casual but the bloodthirsty smile Dallas gave him declared louder than words that he’d failed.
Chapter Five
If you live among wolves, you have to act like a wolf.
—Nikita Khrushchev
Dallas woke and stretched, his muscles protesting his movement after hours of stillness in sleep. He needed to face Mila. The heat of the body warming his back reassured him he didn’t need to go alone, even though he knew he would.
His inner beast moved about pacing restlessly, eager to go after their enemy. First he needed to verify that Rolf wasn’t involved. As much as he appreciated his alpha, he knew love could make men do stupid things. If, as Laurence suspected, Rolf had nothing to do with Dallas’ injury, then their meeting should go well. If Rolf had engineered the whole thing in concert with the witches, Dallas would leave.
Dallas knew it would be best if he went alone to face his pack. Bringing his master would only make thing
s worse. Rolf wouldn’t appreciate Laurence’s interference in pack matters, even if it had saved Dallas’ life. Alphas were stubborn.
Walking towards the door, Dallas looked over his shoulder at Laurence. His master’s face fell into serene lines while he slept. Not youthful lines. Nothing would make his hard-faced lover appear innocent, even in sleep, but he appeared less animated—almost as if he had put the stronger essence of him to rest in order to shore up the energy he’d need to tackle the world later.
Dallas hoped he could deal with Mila then return to his mate. He would understand if Laurence couldn’t forgive betrayal. Going behind his back to confront Rolf’s mate went against every instinct his lover had, but, although his alpha skills as a human were amazing, Laurence wasn’t a wolf.
Dallas might not be the strongest wolf ever born but with his mate’s magic tingling in his veins, he could take out one conniving witch.
Closing the door behind him, Dallas found his clothes and shoes by the door where Nate had evidently returned them after Laurence’s collapse. His fingers fumbled in his haste as he slipped them on, trying not to attract either of the brothers’ attention.
“Where are you going?”
Nate’s voice startled him. He’d hoped his mate’s brother had been sleeping so he could sneak out.
“To kill Mila.” No sense hiding his actions. “She can’t be allowed to endanger us further.”
“What about Laurence?” Nate’s voice held curiosity more than anything.
“He’s not a wolf.” Dallas tilted his head as he tried to figure out Nate’s point.
“Do you have to be a wolf to protect your wolf mate?”
Dallas frowned as he thought over the intricacies. “Yes. If she’s willing to poison me to become one with the pack, she’s willing to do much more to get her way. I can’t let her become the rot that ruins my people. I’m not the strongest, but right now I’m the only one with knowledge. If she can hurt me, what’s to stop her from hurting my alpha? She’s trying to isolate him from the people she loves. I can’t let her abuse Rolf like that.”
Dallas ran his words through his head again, but his thinking was sound. He needed to take care of the problem. No one else would stand between the alpha and his chosen.
Nate pulled on his jacket.
“What are you doing?” Dallas asked.
“I’m not going to let you go to the pack house alone, and if you have any sense, you’ll wake Laurence before you go and not tell him he’s inferior to a wolf.”
Dallas’ mouth dropped open. “I never said that!” he denied.
“You might as well have,” Laurence said as he approached. His master had dressed but had left the top two buttons of his shirt unfastened, making Dallas’ mouth water and his interest in all conversation falter.
Shaking his head, he tried to focus. “I need to talk to Rolf and possibly kill his fiancée.”
“We understand that.” Laurence stepped forward and tilted Dallas’ chin until he had to meet his lover’s eyes.
Mate.
His inner wolf whispered. Dallas barely resisted rolling his eyes because he didn’t want Laurence to think he was disrespecting him. Of course he could meet the eyes of his mate.
“We are going with you. I’m not letting you face her alone,” Laurence explained slowly, as if talking to a child.
Dallas sighed. “Fine, you can come, but if I get thrown out because I brought outsiders into a pack problem, you’d best both figure out a spell to turn into wolves because I refuse to be a lone wolf.”
Nate grinned. “That would be so cool!”
“Forget it,” Laurence snarled. “They wouldn’t dare throw you out.”
A glow filled his sorcerer’s eyes. It felt weird to think of his Laurence with magic. He’d known his love had magic hands but he hadn’t thought them literally magical.
“Wolves dare much and a pack will dare anything. We don’t use human logic,” Dallas explained.
Neither of the sorcerers looked impressed.
“We’re coming.” His master’s tone allowed no room for discussion.
* * * *
The trio took Laurence’s car to the pack house. When they pulled up, the soldier on duty took one look at Dallas and allowed them in. A sigh of relief went through him. At least Mila hadn’t take over enough to control the guards. She’d probably do that after she had Rolf permanently under her power.
Dallas wondered why a witch would want to harm a shifter. Witches in general preferred to keep to themselves. They stayed in their covens and didn’t consort with others often. From what Laurence had told him on the drive over, this might simply be a case of revenge.
They couldn’t attack a judge directly, so they went after his lover.
Entering the mansion had an unreal air to it. The place he’d called home for so many years no longer felt that way. Now, Laurence was his home. Rolf stood in the foyer with a devastated look in his eyes. Catching sight of Dallas, a smile crossed his face.
“Dallas!” Running over to him, Rolf caught Dallas in a hug, sweeping him off his feet.
Dallas could feel the magic building in the men behind him. They were ready to zap the alpha if Rolf harmed him.
When Rolf set Dallas on his feet, Laurence quickly stepped forward to wrap a possessive arm around his waist.
“She told me you died and that she would kill the rest of the pack if I didn’t go along with the marriage,” Rolf explained.
“You couldn’t feel the bond?” Dallas asked. For as long as he could remember Rolf’s bond had grounded him to the pack. Panic filled him at the thought of losing his connection with the other wolves.
“I got rid of that pesky bond,” Mila said walking down the stairs. “You wolves are so much more vulnerable when you’re all alone.”
Rolf growled. In wolf form, his hackles would’ve been rising. Dallas saw a flash of fang.
“Relax, darling. You can’t hurt me.” Her supreme confidence tipped Dallas over the edge.
Laurence watched as his sweet sub changed into a wolf in a flash. The brown wolf leapt at the witch and brought her to the floor. Dallas grabbed her throat between his teeth and waited.
Rolf and Laurence exchanged looks. Dallas might attack but his natural submission wouldn’t allow him to make the final kill without permission.
“Enough!” A booming voice filled the room.
Laurence turned away from the sight of his lover attacking Mila to face the group of five women entering the pack house. He made a mental note to upgrade their security. It didn’t have any magical protection and if Dallas planned to visit often, it needed, at minimum, magical sentries in place.
“Mary.” Laurence gave a brief head nod but nothing more to the witch leader.
“Laurence.” She gave him a cordial look of loathing, her mouth tightening against what she really wanted to say.
“Release Mila,” she demanded.
The compulsion she infused in her voice should’ve commanded complete obedience but Dallas calmly flicked an ear in her direction.
“He’s a wolf,” Rolf reminded her. “He won’t roll over like a trained puppy just because you ask.”
Mary sent a spurt of magic towards Dallas, who bit harder on Mila’s throat as she gave a strangled scream.
“Impossible!” she shouted in frustration.
“He’s not only a wolf, he’s my bonded mate. Hurt him, and I’ll kill you. Now why don’t you take your little witch-loving bitch and leave?” Laurence growled.
“You sanctioned my boy to rehabilitation!” she snarled at Laurence.
“That’s because he’s a little psychopath in waiting. How many zombies were destroyed in his little spree? I believe it’s not the first time he’s been in trouble, either—just the first time you couldn’t cover it up,” Laurence said shrewdly.
The fight went out of Mary as the witches behind her began to move uneasily. He would bet his favourite whip that she had misled her coven over the reason f
or their retaliation.
“You thought to use Dallas against me—if the poison didn’t make him kill me—or to have me suffer over his death. You underestimated my wolf and you underestimated what I’d be willing to do in order to keep him. For that, I should let him rip out her throat as a penalty,” Laurence said.
“No. Please don’t do that.” One of the other witches stepped forward. Laurence recognised her as Angela. “She’s mine.”
Laurence raised an eyebrow.
“I told you to give up that nonsense,” Mary snapped. “You cannot bear more witches if you bind yourself to that girl.”
Angela tilted up her head proudly. “I am greater than my uterus. I won’t be used to bring more babies into the coven. I am a living, thinking being, and I claim Mila as my own.”
Laurence resisted the urge to applaud the girl. Who knew the tiny blonde had a backbone? Even as her body trembled beneath her leader’s displeasure, she didn’t back down.
“Release her, Dallas,” he told his wolf.
Dallas immediately let go of Mila. He trotted over to Laurence as if waiting for his reward. Laurence scratched Dallas behind the ears until his shifter mate changed into a man.
“Dress.” No one got a free show of his lover if they wanted to keep their teeth.
Without a word, Dallas slid his clothes back on.
“Get out of my house,” Rolf ordered.
Mary gave Laurence a hate-filled glare. “Don’t expect to get away with your behaviour, sorcerer.”
Laurence waved his hand and with a casual incantation trapped the witch in a spell shield. “Not so fast. I’m arresting you for conspiracy to overthrow the government.”
“What government?” she snarled.
“As a judge, I am a representative of our laws, therefore when you conspired against me you conspired against the government. Not to mention you hid information about your great-grandson that would’ve changed his sentence.” Laurence waved a hand and with a pop she vanished.
“Where did she go?” Dallas asked, always the curious pup.