Better than Perfect

by Lynn Hagen

  "And you didn't bother to tell anyone about him because?"

  After leaving the sheriff's office, Brady had become obsessed with tracking down the demon. So much so that he hadn't told Matt about him. In hindsight, maybe he should have taken the time to at least call his alpha. "I told Braxton."

  Ethan rolled his eyes. "And that was about as helpful as sprouting an extra dick."

  Brady had no idea what that meant, but the image made him crinkle his nose. "I have to find Leslie."

  "Is it true?" Ethan asked while following Brady to the door. "Is Leslie pregnant?"

  The doctor had a big fucking mouth. Or it could have been Darius who told. Not that Brady was trying to keep Leslie's pregnancy a secret. But no doubt Ethan was about to lay into him. "Yes."

  "And you left him unprotected?" Ethan slammed his hand into the door, preventing Brady from leaving. "Are you out of your fucking mind? He should've been taken to the pack house. How the hell did the demon get his hands on Leslie in the first place?"

  "Remove your goddamn hand," Brady snarled. "I don't have time for this shit. I have to find my mate."

  With narrowed eyes, Ethan took a step back. Brady didn't like the fact Ethan was right. But with the way Leslie had acted, Brady would've had to kidnap his mate to get him there. If he thought Leslie wouldn't forgive him for knocking him up, he definitely wasn't gonna speak to him again after being taken by a demon.

  Even if it wasn't Brady's fault.

  After opening the door, and before he stepped outside, Brady shifted. In his wolf form, he could better track Jerry's scent. He moved up Duval Avenue and rounded the corner on Vine Street, thinking this was too damn easy. It was as though Jerry didn't bother covering his tracks.

  "Am I the only one thinking you're tracking him to easily?" Ethan spoke Brady's thoughts. "You've been on the move the entire time, not once stopping to guess where he's gone." Ethan pulled out his phone as Brady kept his nose to the ground. "I'm calling reinforcements. I've never dealt with a demon before, and I'm not sure how we end him."

  Six months ago Matt had dealt with Bael—a demon hell-bent on using his mate, Jason, as leverage. But Brady and Ethan hadn't been a part of that. There had also been that oversized demon with the tail and horns, but he'd been a different subspecies, and the king of Hell himself had taken him down.

  This demon possessed someone, and Brady hadn't the first clue how to separate the two. He wasn't even sure if killing the host would kill the demon.

  Brady stopped when Jerry's scent became so strong he gagged on the odor. They were in front of a tan-and-white one-story house with a white picket fence and an attached garage. A stone walkway led from the driveway to the door, and a pretty garden ran the length of the porch.

  Ethan tucked his phone away. "Is this the place?"

  Brady took a few steps back when the curtains in the front window separated, allowing him to see inside. The demon was bold because Brady saw a tied-up couple passed out on the couch—or dead. Next to them sat Leslie, a knife embedded into the wall behind him.

  Brady shifted and grabbed Ethan's arm, pulling him back. "This is the place."

  Ethan looked around. "We're in full view of the neighborhood. You seriously just shifted out in the open?"

  Desperate not to be seen by the demon and relieved his mate was still alive, Brady hadn't thought. If anyone saw him, Matt would have Brady's balls. They weren't on good terms with the vampires, and Matt would have to go to one to erase an eyewitness's memory.

  Brady just couldn't seem to get shit right lately. Ever since mating Leslie, he'd screwed up pretty much everything. He just prayed he didn't fuck up Leslie's rescue.

  "C'mon, let's head to the back." Brady used the adjoining driveway to sneak to the backyard of the house where Leslie was being held. If he'd been thinking, he would've had Ethan grab his go-bag before they'd taken off. Now Brady stood there naked as he glanced around the cluttered yard.

  "Damn," Ethan whispered. "It looks like an ornament shop exploded back here."

  There were a ton of plastic pink flamingos, small trolls, windmills, birdbaths, and other assorted items, as though the owner couldn't decide on what decorations they wanted, so they'd bought them all, in bulk.

  Brady grimaced and kicked the hard plastic mushroom across the yard after stubbing his toe against it, then grimaced again when the mushroom made a loud noise when it struck a nearby tree.

  Ethan glared at him. Brady waved his hands at the maze of clutter. He snarled when the dozen wind chimes dangling from the porch started chiming from the slight breeze. If Brady made it out of this alive he was coming back to the house and burning every last decoration.

  He eased one of the metal clappers from the closest chime. The end was at an angle and would make a decent weapon.

  Ethan looked at the metal piece in Brady's hand and shook his head, as if disbelieving Brady even considered using the aluminum thing. But without his gun, Brady needed something. He simply curled his lip at Ethan before trying the knob. The door was locked.

  Brady moved from the porch and tried one of the back windows, thankful it was unlocked. He quietly spilled onto a thick carpet and got to his feet, the clapper still in his hand. Ethan came in next, and they moved toward the bedroom door. But Brady's attention was pulled away as he looked around the room.

  They were in a nursery, and judging by the explosion of blue, it belonged to a boy. He thought about his own child growing inside Leslie, how terrified and excited he was, and how much he was looking forward to seeing Leslie swell with his pup. His throat tightened and Brady wondered if Leslie would ever forgive him. This should've been a joyous occasion, but life hardly worked out the way you wanted it to.

  Even if they had a rocky road ahead of them, Brady would do whatever he had to for his mate to get past their issues.

  Ethan smacked him on the head. He jabbed a finger at the door, then tapped Brady on his temple. With a nod, Brady took a deep breath, then Ethan eased the door open. They moved silently into the hall. Brady gripped the clapper tightly as they made their way toward the living room.

  When he rounded the corner and saw his mate, Brady's heart clenched. His entire future sat there on the couch with a terrified look on his face. His wolf snarled at Leslie's disheveled appearance. Brady saw red as he advanced toward Jerry.

  Chapter Eight

  Leslie wanted to shout for joy when Brady stepped into the room. He also frowned when he saw how naked he was. He was happy his mate had come in like a knight in shining armor, he just couldn't understand why his beans and weiner were hanging out.

  Brady also had something metal in his hand. Was that a piece of a wind chime? Leslie had no idea why he was carrying it until Brady whipped it at Jerry. The metal stuck Jerry in the leg, but the demon simply pulled it free. The end was covered in blood as he dropped it to the floor.

  Brady had the worst aim ever.

  "You think you can kill me that easily?" Jerry threw his hand out and Brady flew backward. He hit the wall so hard the drywall crumpled behind him, leaving a huge hole as he fell to the carpet.

  "No!" Leslie jumped from the couch and tackled Jerry. He didn't care that the guy wasn't human, and that he might be killed in the process of stopping Jerry from hurting Brady. In that moment, Leslie realized just how much he really did care for the wolf shifter.

  Jerry slung Leslie off him with a flick of his wrist. Leslie slammed into the end table and tumbled with the lamp onto the floor. Another man charged forward, but his attack was as successful as Brady and Leslie's. He flew backward, too, and landed on top of Brady as Jerry clucked his tongue.

  "When will you pathetic assholes learn you can't defeat me?" He jabbed a finger at the wound in his leg. "And I told you before not to ruin this vessel, damn it."

  A sharp pain sliced through Leslie as something warm soaked his shirt. When he looked down, he saw a piece of the lamp was stuck in his side. Leslie covered his head when he heard the groan of wood, then the she
lf above him that was filled with fifty thousand knickknacks crashed down. Those creepy little porcelain dolls hurt as they rained down on Leslie's hands, the back of his head, and the rest of his body.

  "Leslie!" Brady tried to crawl to him but an unseen hand pulled him backward.

  "No, this won't be a happy reunion," Jerry said. "There won't be any saving going on here."

  Brady and Leslie locked gazes as Brady clawed at the carpet, struggling to get to Leslie. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth up front," Brady said. "It wasn't intentional, I swear. Just…please, give me another chance."

  "You're testing my gag reflexes," Jerry said snidely. "Shut the hell up."

  Brady's lips were still moving, but no sound came out. He glared at Jerry and bared his canines. The deadly look should have frightened Leslie, but he prayed Brady found a way to gut Jerry were he stood.

  "I forgive you." Leslie knocked away the tiny dolls, along with a piece of the broken shelf. Thank goodness it hadn't had any weight to it or it might have done some serious damage to him. He hissed as he pressed his hand into his side. The lamp had been made of glass, and Leslie needed to get the shard out before he bled to death.

  Okay, so it wasn't that serious, but the wound hurt like a bitch nonetheless.

  The husband came around. Jerry hadn't noticed him stirring. If the guy freaked out, the demon just might kill him. Leslie didn't know the man from Adam. Still, just because he'd been unlucky enough to have his house randomly invaded wasn't a reason to be killed. He had a baby on the way, and since Leslie was in that same predicament, he was rooting for the couple to survive this.

  Leslie pressed his finger against his lips when the husband looked his way. The guy nodded.

  Brady, on the other hand, had stopped clawing at the carpet. He lay there, still glaring at Jerry, as though he knew his struggle was futile. The other guy was knocked out cold and had a small trail of blood at his scalp. Leslie would've worried he was dead, but the man's chest was rising and falling.

  Jerry swished his hand and the curtains on the big bay window closed. "Wouldn't want our fun to get cut short." He grinned at Brady. "And I have two wolves instead of one. Thanks for making my job that much easier."

  Brady's lips moved but no words came out.

  Jerry rolled his eye and sighed. "As much fun as it was to silence you, your pathetic attempts at silently threatening me are boring me."

  "Going to enjoy sending you back to Hell," Brady said.

  "Blah, blah, blah." Jerry lifted his arm, and Brady rose from the floor and levitated midair. The demon curled his fingers into a fist, and Brady grabbed at his own throat.

  "Stop!" Leslie cried. "You're killing him!"

  "That's the whole point." Jerry curled his lip, and Brady turned a dark shade of red as he flailed.

  In one fluid motion, Leslie shot from the floor, grabbed the piece of the wind chime Brady had brought with him, and jabbed the sharp end into Jerry's gut. The demon's eyes went wide as Brady hit the floor, sucking in deep breaths as he slapped at his neck.

  "You little prick!" Jerry curled his hand around Leslie's neck. "Didn't I warn you about playing nice?"

  The front door crashed open. Four men charged into the room. Leslie was released as the demon disappeared. He didn't take the time to figure out where he went. Leslie crawled to Brady and threw himself into the man's arms. Brady held him so tightly that Leslie cried out in pain. He still had the piece of glass stuck in his side.

  "Get Dr. Whitfield," Brady snarled to no one in particular. His hand hovered close to Leslie's wound. "How bad does it hurt?"

  "Did you really just ask me that?" Leslie pointed a finger at his side. "I have a large piece of glass in me. It tickles."

  Brady cupped Leslie's face and peppered him with kisses. "You're never leaving my fucking side again."

  "Was that a joke?" Leslie winced. "No pun intended?"

  Leslie said ouch a hundred times as he was helped to his feet and someone came back inside with a backpack.

  "Thanks." Brady took the bag and pulled out some clothing.

  Leslie had seen these men at the bakery but didn't know all their names. The one who had handed the bag to Brady was Nick—the scariest-looking man Leslie had ever seen. Leslie also knew who Matt was. And Colton, too. He hadn't a clue about the others.

  None of that mattered to him. He was just glad they'd been rescued, though he had a feeling that demon was far from done with them.

  * * * *

  "Sonny confirmed Randall does have a twin," Matt said as Brady and his alpha watched Dr. Whitfield stitch up Leslie. "I had a quick meeting with the council and filled them in on Jerry. Only Nazar didn't show up."

  Brady had tried to hold Leslie's hand, but his mate had refused, saying he wasn't a pussy and could handle a few stitches. Brady thought Leslie was just trying to be brave in front of them, so he let his mate do his thing, though Brady stood close by.

  "So why did Jerry smell human when I approached him on the street?" Brady asked. "He also smelled human when I tracked him down."

  "To throw you off his scent," Matt said. "That's my guess. I'd know more, but Nazar isn't answering my calls."

  Brady took a step forward when Leslie whimpered, but one look from him had Brady stepping back.

  "The one thing I can tell you is that demons aren't to be trusted," Matt said.

  "We can say the same thing about vampires." Brady would have told his alpha he was stating the obvious, but didn't want to cross the line into disrespectful. Matt had saved Brady a lifetime ago, and Brady still felt indebted to him. Not that Brady had been in a life-or-death situation, but he and Ethan had gone down a bad path—from a lifetime of getting kicked around and fucked over—before Matt came along.

  If his alpha hadn't taken them in and showed them a better way, there was no telling where Brady would be right now. Probably dead. And Matt ran the agency, and the pack, with authority and care. He was nice, but all business when matters called for it.

  He also wasn't a wolf to trifle with. Brady had seen Matt's bad side, and he never wanted to be on it.

  "If I had to pick the worst out of the two, I'd pick demons." Matt looked toward the door, which made Brady do the same. Jason stood there, peering in, Gabriel in his arms. The pup was getting big, losing his infant looks. He could shift now, and was in his pup form as Jason stepped into the room.

  "Is there anything I can do to help?" Jason asked as Gabriel nipped at his ear.

  The love in Jason's eyes made Brady's chest squeeze. He wanted Leslie to look at him that way, with pure reverence. At least Leslie was no longer pissed at him. That was a start.

  Matt cupped Jason's cheek, gave him a quick kiss, then petted Gabriel's head. "Leslie might need help getting comfortable here."

  As the alpha's mate, it was Jason's job to make sure the mates not only stayed in line, but were happy. Although Jason was still learning that role—getting into trouble with the mates at times instead of keeping them out of it—Brady thought he was doing fine.

  Brady and Matt stepped aside as Jason entered the room and went to Leslie. Maybe seeing Gabriel would help Leslie come to terms with being pregnant. Brady could only hope.

  * * * *

  "But why can't I go home?" Leslie knew why, but he didn't like being in a strange house surrounded by so many people.

  "Because the demon can get to you at your house," Brady argued.

  "He can get to me here, too," Leslie countered. "The guy can pop in and out of places. What's to stop him from popping in here and grabbing me?"

  If Leslie were being honest with himself, he loved Brady's house. It had all the modern conveniences a person could want, and it was enormous enough that it didn't feel overcrowded with so many living under the same roof.

  Brady's bedroom was stunning, but it was his bathroom that Leslie had fallen in love with. The guy had a freaking Jacuzzi, and a walk-in shower stall with three jet heads and a heated slab floor. Leslie's rental was nice, co
zy, and he liked it, but he'd always hated having his neighbors so close. One time Leslie was getting ready for work, butt naked, and happened to look out his window to see Mr. Yarnstead looking right at him. Here, the only view Brady had was of the vast forest behind the house. And damn, that was such a nice view.

  His room was decorated in cream and blues, the king-sized bed was a wooden four-poster, and the carpet was so soft he felt as if he were walking on clouds.

  Brady pulled Leslie into his arms. "Baby, you'll be safe. I promise."

  Hot spikes of lust shot through Leslie as his cock gave a hard jerk. Brady grabbed Leslie's hand and pulled it down to his erection.

  "What do you want?" Leslie asked, playing coy though he wasn't sure why. But he wanted to hear Brady talk dirty, to ask for whatever he wanted Leslie to do.

  "Your lips, handsome."

  As he kissed Brady, Leslie ran his hands down the man's back and cupped his ass. He gave a light squeeze before pulling his lips away, then pressed them against Brady's ear. "I want you to fuck me, stud."

  Brady's breathing became labored as his fingers gripped Leslie's hips. "Okay," he said between hard pants.

  Brady captured Leslie's lips once more as Leslie wrapped his legs around his mate's waist. Brady carried him to the bed and laid him down.

  Leslie lay there for a moment, feeling a bit awkward before Brady shoved his pants down his legs, exposing his hard cock. That awkward feeling disappeared as Leslie gazed at the beautiful sight Brady made. He was all muscles, tanned skin, gorgeous eyes, and a heavenly cock. He finished undressing as Leslie quickly removed his own clothing. He was so turned on that he didn't know if he would last very long.

  He got to his hands and knees and stroked Brady's cock. When the first spurt of pre-cum shot out, Leslie coated his fingers. With a devilish smile, he turned, still on his knees, and inserted them inside himself.