by Shelby Lynn
With this Demon, it was just the opposite in fact. He was made to be the weaker servant for this masterful man. When he was made to bond and serve himself up like a pig on a platter, he had baulked at first. The first moment he had felt Slater’s teeth pierce his vein was as if lightning rushed through his veins straight to his cock.
Slater had not been gentle in the first taking of his body. Instead of feeling hurt, it had inflamed his senses to be dominated by this Demon who looked like a man. That was the first of many nights of rapture between the men. Chad made sure he had no reason to find another outlet for the kind of loving he had learned to crave.
“I found your brother,” Slater told him. He regretted ever saying anything the moment the insane look filled his eyes. If Chad had his way, then he would have left at that moment. This had to stop, but now that he had ‘let the cat out of the bag,’ he couldn’t take it back. Chad wouldn’t stop until he had the information he wanted.
***
Mandy woke up to the ringing of the telephone. When she quietly picked it up, she was shocked to hear her best friend on the line talking to Haven. She quickly hung up the phone, not wanting to intrude on the conversation. It really was a no-brainer to know what her best friend was talking to Haven about. She kind of figured it would have happened sooner if Teddy hadn’t been on tour.
She would call him later, if Haven didn’t mention the phone call this morning. It seemed like last night was a dream, as she remembered everything she had found out last night. Mandy couldn’t wait to learn all about the Pack. She was still reeling from the information this morning. She could honestly say it was one particular man’s kindness that helped her especially. The feel of his soft fur was still lingering in her mind.
His handsome face had watched her throughout the night, while most of that time he was in his wolf form. Simon had not left Mandy’s side all the way through everything that had happened. She would have thought he was just being nice, but right before bed he escorted her to her own room and asked if she would have breakfast with him. She was still reeling at the thought of Simon wanting to be around her. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t stop smiling this morning.
Jasmine still hadn’t woken up this morning so she decided to go and check on the little girl. Mandy gasped when she walked in the room and a beautiful little jade Dragon was flying above the crib. Well, it seemed Jasmine was no longer worried about Mandy catching her in a shifted form. Mandy was just glad she hadn’t screamed upon entering the Nursery. Within moments, Jasmine gracefully landed on the crib and transformed into her beautiful giggling self.
“Wow—baby girl, you are a very beautiful Dragon. I can’t wait to see you transform into a little wolf later as well. Now that I know about your wonderful gifts, you can talk to me anytime, sweetie. If that bad person comes back, make sure and let me know, and then I will tell your daddies,” she told her little charge.
Mandy heard the whisper of Jasmine in her mind. ‘I promise to tell you, Mandy. I love Mandy,” as Jasmine swung her arms up to be picked up from the crib. Then she went about her normal morning routine with Jasmine. She didn’t know how long Jasmine had been awake. She had to be starving by now, so she carried the precious bundle down to the kitchen to make a bottle.
The men were already in the kitchen when she walked in the door with Jasmine.
“Come in, Mandy. I have a bottle almost ready for the little one. Would you like some bacon and eggs for breakfast?” Lucas asked his friend.
“Yum—that sounds great,” Mandy told him. All the time she was aware of Simon in the background watching her every move. It wasn’t a scary type of watching. It felt caring in nature, and the feeling went all the way to her soul. She didn’t know why she was comfortable with the feelings enveloping her, but nothing had ever felt so right.
“Mandy, your friend Teddy called this morning and wanted to know if it was okay to visit you this evening. He has plans to take you out for a celebrity dinner since he is done with his book tour. I told him it would be fine. Let me tell you. I was kind of embarrassed to find out he was one of the most famous Mystery Writers of the M/M Genre. I didn’t even know your Teddy was the one and only Theodore Ramsey,” Haven told her.
Mandy was so glad to find out her best friend was welcome here as well. She couldn’t wait to hear all about his last tour. She had really missed Teddy.
“I am really glad you’re okay with him coming here. Did he say what time he was coming over?” Mandy asked.
“He is coming over around six I believe, but you might want to call him to be sure,” Haven told her. He was watching the body language happening between Simon and Mandy already. Haven wondered if she even realized she was watching him closely. If one would move, it was matched by the other in some way. The pull was already strong between them.
“Mandy, I have your breakfast ready,” Lucas told his friend. He was happy for her, and only hoped he would find his own mate before too long. He knew Simon had been waiting for Mandy to come down before eating. Lucas called him over to get his food as well.
Simon picked up his plate with a quiet, “Thank you.” He made his way over to the table to sit with his mate.
“Mandy, may I sit beside you?” Simon asked.
“Please—have a seat, Simon. When are you heading back to your Pack?” Mandy asked. It made her sad to think of him leaving.
“I have actually talked to Alpha Haven about staying here. They are going to need a lot of building done in the near future, which is my line of work. My business back in California is well taken care of. It practically runs itself, and my partners are more than capable of taking it over,” Simon said with a smile. He hoped it was good news for her that he wanted to stay.
“I am really glad you're staying, Simon,” Mandy told him shyly.
She took his breath away, with her innocence and beauty. All he wanted to do was shower her with happiness. They sat and ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. When they were both finished, Simon picked up her plate and carried them to the kitchen.
“Would you like to go for a walk with me, Mandy?” Simon asked.
“That would be nice, but I’ll have to bundle up Jasmine before we go. I bet she would like a little fresh air as well.” She couldn’t remember ever going out on a walk with anyone other than Teddy.
“Do you need to call your friend before we get the little one all bundled up?”
“I’ll run up to our rooms and get our coats and things. I’ll just take a moment and call Teddy while I am up there. He has been my best friend for a long time now,” she told the handsome man. Wow—every time she looked into his amazing green eyes she wondered why he was giving her the time of day. He could have any woman he wanted, but for now, he seemed to enjoy becoming her friend as well. Mandy told him she would be back very soon.
As he watched her walk up the stairs, he had to readjust his tight jeans in reaction to being so close to his sexy mate. His thoughts and dreams were filled with her beautiful body responding to his own. He needed to walk off the stiff evidence of his desire.
Mandy could feel his eyes watching her as she walked away from him. Wow—was all she could think about. She needed a nice cool walk to settle down her own flushed body. She quickly gathered up her things, as well as Jasmine’s outerwear. She decided the baby-sling would be the perfect way to go. Then she headed over to her phone to call her friend, and see what he was up to. Mandy listened to the phone ring, and heard him pick up on the second ring.
“Hi—sweetie, how is your day going so far,” Teddy asked.
“It has been amazing day so far, Teddy. Haven told me about the invitation to dinner tonight. I am so glad you talked him into letting you come. I really want you to meet everyone here. Well almost everyone anyway. Wolfe is away right now on business, so he will be the only one you can’t meet right away.
“I am glad Haven is allowing us to meet at the house as well. He seemed like a really nice guy when I talked to him earlier.”
“He is a great guy, and he is so generous. There is a new man here, and he is a good friend of Johnny’s. Haven is letting him stay, if he decides that is what he wants to do.”
“Hmm—am I sensing something between the two of you, Mandy?”
“Oh, you are just being silly—Simon is so handsome and strong. Why would he ever be interested in me?”
“Well, for lots of reasons! You are a beautiful and strong woman, Mandy, and I think he would be one lucky man to have found a very special lady like you,” her friend told her. It was just the thing her best friend would say to give her a boost of confidence. For as long as she had known him, he had been this way. Never would she have found a better friend than him.
“You are so good for my ego, Teddy. I can’t wait to see you this evening,” Mandy told him. She hoped he found someone special himself someday. If her little bit of matchmaking played out, then he just might find a very special wolf of his own.
“I will see you tonight.”
***
Simon was trying his best not to be nervous, but hell, this would be the first time he and his mate would be relatively alone. He wanted to make a good impression on her. His excitement and nervousness must have shown because just then Garrett came over and gave him a pat on the back in reassurance.
“I will take care of Jasmine this morning for a little while. You go and enjoy a little alone time with Mandy,” Garrett told him.
“Thanks, Garrett—I appreciate it. I wouldn’t have minded taking Jasmine along though. She is a little darling.”
Simon turned at the sound of his mate coming back down the stairs.
“Haven and I are going into town for a little while so we decided to take Jasmine with us. Then you can have a nice walk without having to carry this little one. She is growing so much, it just amazes me,” Garrett told her with a wink.
***
Slater had heard all he needed, for the moment, as he teleported from the adjacent room. He was enough out of the radar of the little one. She hadn’t noticed him like yesterday. It was time to put his plan into motion. He had the perfect pawn, and now all he had to do was wait.
***
Simon would’ve thought he was some young one going on his very first date. The way his hands were sweating inside his gloves. They had just left the house and headed onto what looked like a very much-used path. It was in a very companionable silence they walked together. Her delicious scent wound around them to ease his nervousness. He just wanted this to be perfect for Mandy. If he had his way, from this point forward she would never want for anything again.
What happened in the next moment was beyond belief. As they were just coming around the bend of the road ahead, there was a loud boom. It was unheard of for anyone to hunt on these lands. They were protected by the government, as well as the animals that lived on them. It was the gasp from her, and then the smell of blood, that brought Simon out of his thoughts.
When he turned to look at his mate, it was the shocked look on her face that hit him hard. All he could think was, my mate just got shot! A few seconds later, he caught Mandy as she fell. When Simon pulled apart her coat, he found the wound. She had been shot in the chest and was bleeding profusely. He put pressure on the wound to try to stop the bleeding as he raced for the Pack house.
Chapter TwentyTwo
Johnny was poring over the plans for the new clinic. He still felt a little like pinching himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Not only did he have the greatest mate in the world but he was also truly blessed to do something he loved. He didn’t even turn as he felt his mate walk into the kitchen behind him. The dining room table was the perfect spot for stretching out the blueprints.
“I bet you have it completely memorized,” he teased his mate. Sawyer knew just how important this was to him. He would do everything in his power to make his dreams a reality.
In that moment, they felt as if they had been punched in the chest. As they turned to look at one another, they knew one of their Pack members was in trouble. Unfortunately, neither of them had a clue who was hurt. They headed out of the kitchen into the living area as the front door flew open and the smell of blood filled the air.
“Someone, please help! Mandy has been shot!” Simon screamed. Johnny and Sawyer both ran into the entryway. Simon was laying Mandy down onto the floor.
Johnny reached for her coat to pull it aside so he could get a look at the wound. Sawyer was right beside him to help where needed. He started to pull Simon’s hand away from the wound to see how bad the situation was. They were engulfed in sparkling lights the moment their hands touched. Not unlike the ones that brought on their change into Magical Unicorns.
Before their eyes, Mandy started changing into a silver wolf and then back to a human. With each change, the wound became smaller, until it healed completely.
“What the hell just happened?” Simon asked.
“Well, I think Mandy’s wolf came out to save her life. I didn’t even have the chance to try to heal her. When I started to move your hand to see how bad the wound was, I couldn’t feel Mandy breathing at all,” Johnny told the distraught man.
“Oh shit—I almost lost her, didn’t I?” Simon asked. His emotions were somersaulting inside of him. He was just thankful his mate was alive.
“Yes—honestly though, I have never known of a silver wolf in existence. She has to be part Dream Weaver as well,” Johnny said.
Mandy could hear their voices as if in a long tunnel. All she could remember was being shot, and the most excruciating pain imaginable. Then she felt nothing at all—until just now, and she felt so strange. It was as if she was herself, yet not. She was no longer alone in her own skin. The presence was reassuring, and telling her, she had always been here. Just sleeping until the right time came. Now she was ready to take up her rightful place within her, and fulfill her destiny.
She noticed one other very important detail. Mandy now knew why she was so drawn to Simon. He was her mate. The one person who would love her unconditionally and it was as if every wish she had ever wanted had come true in a matter of moments. Come to think of it, she wasn’t even hurting now. What happened to her wound? As she fought her way towards the surface to ask, she heard Johnny tell Simon.
“Simon—I think Mandy’s starting to wake up.”
She opened her eyes, and started to look around for her mate.
It was the gasp from all the men that got her attention.
“Oh my god—no wonder, I have never seen another silver wolf. Mandy is a Seer. There hasn’t been a Seer for over a thousand years. In fact, the stories I’ve heard were more Legend than truth,” Sawyer told them all.
By now, more of the Pack had shown up after hearing Simon shouting. They were all staring in wonder at the beautiful young woman before them. Mandy was literally shining with good health and beauty. Her hair hung in silky blond curls, and her eyes were a startling silver now. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and her goodness seemed to shine out of those impressive eyes.
***
Slater watched on in awe. The results of his experiment hadn’t gone as planned. Yet it had gotten him even better results than he’d ever imagined. It was time to report to his superior on all the things he’d found out. If the Dream Weavers got the upper hand with these special people, who just seemed to be falling into their laps, their hard work and years of planning would all be for nothing. They were lucky the idiots who had already tried to gain a foothold into the Shifter's world hadn’t screwed everything up with their idiocy. Their mistakes and too quick action had proven fatal to one.
The other was in hiding with one of the enemies, no less, and it was rumored they had life-bonded in the Demon World. It had all the Upper Demons on full alert, and very particular about whom they sent in from that point. One thing Slater would not tell his superior was the feelings he already had for his blood-bond. He was beginning to believe there was more going on than any of them had been led to believe.
All he knew was the wolves that were the offspring of the people of his realm were the ones his Superiors were determined to find. They thought by controlling these offspring, they would eventually be able to take over this realm as well. Without them on their side—even if it was by force—the Dream Weavers could overcome the Demon powers if they banded together. Honestly, Slater was beginning to think they might be right. These special wolves must have a very strong force behind them.
With every tragedy that had befallen them, they only seemed to grow stronger and bond together closer. With the information he had obtained on his fact-finding drop-ins, Slater felt they did have plans well underway to become an impressive force to be reckoned with. Those were his last thoughts before teleporting to report these findings. If he had to guess, he would say the planning for war would commence.
Chapter TwentyThree
Mandy was still in shock, and the guys staring at her wasn’t helping. Did I grow a second head or something? she thought. When her would-be mate finally said something, she was almost on her last nerve.
“How are you feeling, Mandy?” Simon asked.
“Actually, better than I have ever felt.” That was so weird.
Then she heard the slamming of the front door. Haven and Garrett ran into the living area where they had ended up.