by Maggie Walsh
“It be worse than a prison,” Harley observed.
Six bodies jumped from the sound of his voice and they all began to shake. “It’s okay, little ones. We’re here to get you out of this hell,” Valor said softly as he took a step between the rows of beds.
One of the forms moved and the blanket slowly slid from over the man’s head, and a cute face with big midnight-blue eyes peered out. Valor’s breath caught from the sight of the pretty man. “It’s okay. We won’t hurt you. We’ve come to find our friend and rescue all of you,” Valor said gently in a low, calm voice.
“W-who is y-your f-f-friend?” the little man asked.
“Sage. Do you know him? Have you seen him?”
“I know Sage, but he’s trapped in the tower.”
“Yes. His mate has gone to get him out and we’ve come to get all of you out of here,” Valor explained. The other five occupants began to move and lower their blankets. Now six sets of frightened eyes peered at him, but Valor also saw hope in all those eyes.
“But the guards. They’ll catch us,” another man whispered. His voice filled with fear.
“We didn’t be coming alone, wee one,” Harley said with a smile.
Suddenly shrieks of death could be heard from outside the room and all the men started to shake as their eyes filled with terror.
Valor took another step. “Shh. It’s all right. That’s our people making sure those guards get what they deserve for what they have done to you.”
“Then it’s true? It’s over and we’re safe?” the blue-eyed cutie asked.
Valor walked to the foot of his bed and knelt down on one knee. “What is your name?”
“Jamie,” he whispered shyly.
“Jamie. That’s a very pretty name. And yes, Jamie, you’re all safe now. My name is Valor and this is my friend Harley. I’m a fae warrior, and if you can find it in you to trust me, I can open a portal and take you all right out of here.”
“But how do we know we can trust you?” another asked.
“Would you trust me?” Micah’s voice came from the doorway and everyone turned their attention to him. Just then the room shook fiercely and all the little men gasped and started to shake as they looked around.
“It’s all right, gentlemen. That’s just one of my men making sure that all those men that hurt you couldn’t escape,” Micah explained gently, keeping his voice soft and unthreatening.
“W-who are y-you?” Jamie asked.
“I am Micah Angel and me and my men have come here to rescue all of you as well as Sage.”
All of the men gasped again when Micah introduced himself. “You’re the Prime,” Jamie declared.
“Yes, little one, and I give you my oath that we will help you all and keep you safe.”
“Sage said he was a part of your pack now. He told me that you would all come for him, and he promised me that you would help us, too,” Jamie said as he sat up.
“And he didn’t lie to you. You are all under my protection now. How about we get you all out of here and to my home? One of my pack members is a doctor and he can check you and make sure you’re all okay. We also have a fae healer named Noah. He is a very sweet man, who also happens to be my mate’s brother,” Micah explained and took a step farther into the room and sat on the edge of one of the empty beds. “We’ll get you fed, showered, and some clean, warm clothes. Anything you need. How does that sound?”
All of the men sat up and looked to one another and it seemed like a silent message passed between them. Then they each turned their attention to Micah and nodded, then began to step out of their beds.
Valor choked back a growl as he saw the condition these men were in. They were all way too skinny. He could see some of their ribcages as well as hip bones poking out. Their bodies were covered in different shades of healing bruises and wounds. Some of them looked freshly made. Whip marks and rope burns could be seen on some of the men, and each of them wore only a pair of dirty briefs.
Slowly they stepped out of their beds and moved to stand huddled together, clinging to one another. Valor stood and began to chant. A small bright light appeared and started to grow until it was big enough for them to cross through. The six little men’s eyes widened from the sight, but none of them would move.
Ryx walked through the wall beside the group of men, causing them all to scream out. “It’s all right, gentlemen, he’s with me,” Micah stated. They all looked back to Micah as if waiting for instruction. “That is a fae portal and it won’t hurt you. It leads right into my home.” Suddenly a dark form appeared inside the portal coming toward them.
Slade disseminated into the room beside Micah. “He’s gone,” Slade snarled.
Micah shook his head and smiled. “No. I believe he’s right here.” Micah motioned toward the portal with his chin. Slade looked to the portal and his eyes widened as Sage appeared.
* * * *
Everyone moved around, helping the six wounded men into the medical wing of the pack house. Lillian quickly ran and put the large pot of soup on that had been in the fridge, then ran to help where she could. Aaron started in the first room after he barked out orders for what he would need in each of the rooms. Laylen popped over to the pride house and brought Bastian, Storm, and Noah, as well as the babies and their guards, and a few of Storm’s enforcers.
Micah asked Valor and Ryx to call on some of their fellow warriors to come and help. Once they all arrived Micah ordered one warrior to be stationed inside each room with a rescued man, and one warrior to stand guard outside each room. Bailey, Dale, and Raffy ran around bringing supplies as the enforcers who were still in the house, joined Storm’s enforcers and they took up sentry around the outside of the house.
Sage stepped into the kitchen to get six trays of food ready, and stopped dead in his tracks when he came face-to-face with his mate. He had heard someone say earlier that the man’s name was Slade, and Sage thought the name fit the man. His shoulder length, pin-straight, jet-black hair went beautifully with his cobalt-blue eyes. And the pink lips that stood out against his pale skin, caused Sage’s attention to zero in on them, and Sage wondered what those lips would feel like pressed against his.
Sage’s gaze lowered to a wide, muscled chest straining against his black T-shirt, then dropped lower to tapered hips, and nicely muscled thighs that stretched the material of his black jeans. The black combat boots topped off his ensemble, giving him the whole dangerous bad-boy look, causing a shiver of desire to race through Sage. Sage’s gaze slowly made the path back up and hesitated on the rather impressive bulge. After a quick fantasy about how his mate’s cock would taste, Sage looked up to meet his mate’s gaze.
Slade just stood there stone-still and let Sage peruse his form to his heart’s content. Their gazes locked and Sage could see the desire in Slade’s eyes, but there was also amusement. The side of the vampire’s lip twitched and a small smirk appeared. Neither said a word as they just stared at each other for a few minutes.
Why wasn’t his mate saying anything? Maybe he was waiting for me? Would he even want me once he knew everything about me? Would he be disgusted and walk away? Damn, look at the man. He must be a supermodel in his off time. What the hell would he want with me? Shit this was hard. Maybe just go with my normal smart-ass and see how he reacts? Show him right from the start who I am and what I’m like, and just get this over with. Sage raised a brow and gave a smirk of his own. “You do know that just because you’re a vampire doesn’t mean you have to wear all black all the time? There is a whole wonderful wheel of colors to choose from,” Sage said with a hint of sarcasm.
Slade just continued to silently stare at him for a moment. “I figured the black clothes make me look more mysterious. We’ll leave the rest of the rainbow to you, sweetheart,” Slade replied with the same amount of teasing that Sage had given.
Sage chuckled. “I don’t know about mysterious, but they do make you look hot as hell and edible.”
Slade finally moved and too
k a step closer. “So you’re saying you want to eat me?” Slade asked with a raised brow.
Sage licked his lips and gave Slade an appreciative look. “Who wouldn’t?”
“Only one person matters though,” Slade replied.
“Oh yeah?” Sage asked as he walked farther into the room and added a little sway to his hips. “And who would that be?”
“I think you already know the answer to that question, sweetheart. And I would say it’s about damn time, too. You’re a hard man to nail.”
Sage laughed. “Well if I’m lucky you’ll be hard. I’m pretty easy to nail if it’s the right man,” Sage flirted.
“And who would that be?” Slade asked, throwing Sage’s question back at him.
“I think you already know…sweetheart.”
A nice, soft laugh came from the gorgeous man and his eyes filled with pleasure. It made him even more gorgeous than he already was, and the sound of his laugh had Sage’s cock filling. “So we’re really mates, huh?” Slade gave a nod. “So what do we do now? Where do we go from here? Well, besides a flat surface.”
“A flat surface sounds perfect to me about now. I’ve been chasing your ass for months,” Slade said and stepped closer, bringing him within inches of Sage.
“Really? And how’s the view from back there?”
“Perfect,” Slade whispered. He reached out a hand and cupped the back of Sage’s neck, pulling him closer as he pressed their lips together. Sage gasped at first contact, but then joined in. He closed the gap between them and pressed his body against his mate’s, placing his hands on the man’s hips.
The kiss was surprisingly slow at first, making Sage light-headed. He opened his mouth to his mate’s roaming tongue and Slade accepted the invitation, sliding his tongue inside to meet Sage’s. The kiss slowly built in intensity, consuming Sage. Heat rose within him and everything became need, want, and desire. Every fiber of his being screamed out to be taken by this man and to be owned by him. That thought scared the shit out of Sage and he pulled back suddenly, breaking the kiss but not leaving Slade’s embrace.
Slade looked at him with concern. “What is it? What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing,” Sage whispered. “You did nothing wrong. I just…there’s so much…I’m not a good person. You deserve someone better than me,” Sage said in defeat as he dropped his hands away from Slade’s body and took a step back, then turned.
“That’s not true, Sage. Or Anthony. Which do you prefer?”
Sage looked back over his shoulder. “Sage,” he replied, then turned away.
“Well, Sage,” Slade said and stepped closer, his chest now against Sage’s back as he rested his hands on Sage’s hips. “I know that’s not true. When you first shifted you ran from your grandmother to protect her. That’s not a sign of a bad person. That’s someone who cared. Then as much as your life got hard living on the streets and you could have gone back, you didn’t. You didn’t want the one person you loved in this world to maybe be in danger.”
Sage shook his head as tears rolled down his cheeks from Slade’s words. “No. I was selfish. I ran because I was a chickenshit. I was afraid that the one person that loved me would suddenly stop. That she would see me as a freak and throw me out,” Sage whispered as he choked on the emotion clogging his throat.
“You still did it to protect her. I know you did. Suddenly finding out that you could shift into an animal must have been very scary for you. You had no idea what was happening or what you would do in your wolf form. I know you, Sage. Yes, there was the pain of maybe being rejected, but it was more protecting the one you loved.”
Sage spun around in Slade’s arms to face him. Confusion and anger engulfed him. “You don’t know. You don’t know anything about me,” Sage cried.
Slade cupped his cheek with one hand and looked deeply into his eyes. Sage’s breath caught from the intensity of the look. “Yes, I do know you, mate. I have been searching for you and I learned everything about you. You love deeply, giving your heart completely. You want to protect those that are important to you and make those that hurt you or someone you love; pay for what they have done. To spare your grandmother pain from finding out the life you have had since you left her, you ran again so she wouldn’t find out.”
Sage felt the tears raining down his cheeks. How did he know? How could this man, whom he just met, know any of this? “I was being selfish again. I didn’t want her to know who I had become and have her look at me with disgust. She has always shown me love. She has always been there for me and I just couldn’t bear losing her. As long as she didn’t know, I could still have that love even if we weren’t together.”
“From what I have learned about Lillian, she is a strong, wonderful woman who would never have rejected you, and she still wouldn’t. You are all she has left in this world, and even if you weren’t, she loves you,” Slade said softly as he ran his thumb across Sage’s bottom lip.
“But you don’t know the things I have done. What I am.” Sage pulled back and turned away again.
Slade walked around him to stand in front of Sage once more. He gently grabbed Sage’s chin, lifting his head until their eyes met. “I do know what you have done and who you are. What you were forced to do against your will, while on Francis’s drug, Rapture, was not your fault and it doesn’t define who you are, or even who you were. He trapped you, made you take mind-altering drugs that made you complacent and uninhibited. He did that. You had no idea what he was doing to you. I also know that even under the influence of that crap, you knew there was something wrong. You knew you needed to get away and escape him, and you did. You figured out a way to leave. And if it wasn’t for me showing up and outing you for who you really were, you never would have run and would have been here safe where you belong.”
“Although that does suck that everyone found out who I am after working so hard to hide it, I now know I have a family. A real one that shares my blood. I never realized Maddy was my twin and Raith was my father. I was so selfish and focused on myself that I never paid attention when they were talking about finding me. Anthony. If I had been able to take my head out of my own ass once in a while and think of others, then maybe I would have known sooner, and maybe none of this would have happened. If I’d only been honest with Evan right from the start, they would have known who I was and not sent you after me. Then I wouldn’t have taken off and fallen into Francis’s clutches again. So you see, it’s all really my fault not yours. But I’m still not good. And in less than a week, I won’t be worth anyone’s love or concern. Not Evan’s or Raith’s or Maddy’s. Not Micah’s, Jesse’s, or any of the others’. And not…yours. You would be better off forgetting me and finding someone who would be worth your time.” Sage looked away. He couldn’t stand there and watch as his mate rejected him. He knew Slade was right to, and he needed to push the man away for Slade’s own safety, but he couldn’t look in his mate’s eyes when the heartbreak of rejection came.
“While all of that may be true, I still don’t think it was out of being selfish. I think it was you still trying to protect others. If you had told Evan who you were, that may have put him and your foster brothers in danger. And from what I have gathered from speaking to your twin and your father, Maddy was a dick until he mated, and he didn’t blame you for not spending any time in his presence or talking to him, or even listening to him. And you weren’t being selfish. You had enough going on in your own life to pay attention to his drama, too.”
Sage gave Slade a small smile. “I know you’re right, but you still don’t understand. Yes, Maddy had been a real twat, but that’s only part of why I didn’t pay attention to him. There was so much more going on than anyone knew about.”
“Your witch powers and what they would mean when you received them fully?” Slade asked cautiously.
Sage’s eyes went wide. “How did you…”
“I told you I know a lot about you, sweetheart,” Slade said tenderly and cupped Sage’s cheek again. “I
know who Alison was and everything she had done to all of you. I also know that a witch’s powers go to their first-born when the witch dies. So suddenly gaining some of your mother’s powers out of the blue like that must have scared the shit out of you. Not knowing where it came from and then trying to understand how they would affect you and change you. So you weren’t being selfish, just trying to figure out who you were now, what it all meant, and where you went from there.”
Sage swallowed. “I’ll be twenty-one in less than a week and when that happens all of my mother’s powers will come to me. They are already too much and always have been. I know I can go claim them now, but I learned that on a witch’s twenty-first birthday the pull is the strongest, and I won’t be able to deny it. My whole life they have scared me. I have done evil things with them and I will only be worse next week. They are dark powers and they will make me just like her. Then I won’t be Sage anymore. I’ll be the opposite and I’ll hurt everyone I love and care about. I won’t be able to control it. Then the council will have to deal with me and kill me. It will destroy Evan and the others having that happen,” Sage explained as the tears welled in his eyes again, then spilled over the rims to roll down his cheeks.
“Just because your bloodline is of dark magic and your mother embraced it doesn’t mean you will. You have a choice. You can choose not to use those powers for evil, but for good.”
“But I won’t have a choice! Don’t you see?” Sage said in frustration and pulled away, walking across the room and grabbing on to the edge of the counter. He hung his head to hide the tears. “Once these powers fully enter me they will control me. They will be in charge. I’ve already looked up what would happen and I won’t have a choice.”
“What do you mean you looked them up? What did you do, look on a computer that is made and controlled by the humans who don’t have a fucking clue about our world?” Slade countered.