by AJ Jarrett
“Matt, no!” Kevin cried out.
Matt glanced over to see Kevin with his arms crossed over his chest as if hugging himself. His face was flushed, and tears filled his eyes.
“Why not?” Matt asked, confused as to why he couldn’t take this monster out.
“Because we’re not murderers.” Matt looked back to Kayson. His head was lolling back and forth on the floor. He dropped the pipe and brought his foot back and kicked the man in the head, knocking him unconscious.
“Come on, Kevin.” Matt grabbed Kevin’s hand, having to drag him away from Kayson. He wasn’t sure what was going on there but now wasn’t the time to get answers.
The room had gotten quiet, and he didn’t see Colby or Hale. Matt held on to Kevin’s hand as he searched for his friend. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could make out some sounds and walked closer to the stairwell where they were getting louder.
“I’m not letting you go ever, Colby. I can’t.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
Matt followed the sound of their voices. They were coming from downstairs. Matt held his finger up to his lips, signaling to Kevin to be quiet. Matt walked as softly as he could down the creaky stairs. He spotted right away where Hale had Colby pinned against the wall. Hale had his face tucked in close to Colby’s neck. Had Matt not known what was truly taking place, he’d think they were just two people caught up in a romantic moment.
“You’re mine, Colby.” Hale lifted his head up. “You belong to me.”
“That’s just it.” Tears streamed down Colby’s cheeks, and Matt could smell his sadness filling the room. “I’m not a possession to be owned. I’m a person, and until you can see me as such, we can’t be together.”
“You just don’t get it, do you!” Hale screamed in his face. “You are mine, and I will tie you to me whether you like it or not. No matter what it takes or who has to die. You aren’t going anywhere.”
Colby looked over Hale’s shoulder and made eye contact with Matt. Matt’s heart broke for the deep sadness that was consuming Colby. Colby loved Hale no matter how evil the man had become, yet he knew the right thing to do was to leave him. Matt didn’t know how Colby had the self-control to do such a thing. The bond between him and Wes was so strong Matt didn’t think he could ever willingly walk away from him no matter what.
“See that’s where you’re wrong, Hale.” Colby leaned in close to Hale and kissed him on the lips.
Everything happened so fast had Matt not been watching he would have missed it. Colby raised his knee up, hitting Hale right in the balls. Hale grunted and fell to his knees. Colby brought his knee up, connecting to Hale’s chin, sending the other man over onto his back, crying out in pain.
“Come on!” Colby grabbed Kevin’s hand as he ran past them heading for the door. “We have to get outside in order for my magic to work. Come on!”
Once outside Colby held out his other hand for Matt to take.
“Colby!” Hale shouted from the doorway. He was crawling toward them.
The sound of glass shattering had them looking up. Kayson had jumped through the window and landed hard on the ground. His glasses were gone, and he stared with his black eyes right at Matt. His chest was heaving and spit hung from his fangs.
“Hang on tight, guys.” Colby’s grip tightened on Matt’s hand. “Here we go.”
Matt watched in horror as Kayson lunged for them, but it was too late. They were swept up in a wind storm and carried away.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Matt!” Wes sat up in bed gasping for air. He’d just had the strangest dream. Matt was in a dark building with Colby being chased by Hale. Wes rubbed at his eyes and laughed. He reached out to touch Matt, but he was gone. “What the fuck?” Wes jumped from the bed and flipped on the light. The room was empty so he ran over to check the bathroom and that too was void of all life. “Matt!”
Wes grabbed the jeans he’d thrown on the floor earlier that evening and jabbed one leg then the other inside. He threw open the bedroom door and ran down the stairs to check the kitchen. No Matt. He stepped outside and looked in the backyard. It was pitch-black, but with his wolf eyes, he could see that all was quiet.
“Where the hell is he?” Wes stood in the entry of the house looking all around. He had a bad feeling in his gut. Something wasn’t right.
“What the hell, dude.” Garrett stood at the top of the stairs. “You’re making enough noise to wake the dead.” Wes looked up at Garrett with hard eyes, and his friend knew instantly something was wrong. “What happened?”
“Matt’s gone.” Wes clenched and unclenched his hands. “I can’t find him.”
“Colby.” Garrett spun around and ran down the hallway. Wes took the stairs three at a time following his friend. “Fuck!”
Wes came up behind Garrett to see that Colby’s bed was empty.
“Where could they have gone?” Wes asked.
“Why the hell are you two in my son’s room?” Ben stepped out of his room glaring at them. At the sight of their expressions, Ben shoved them aside to look in Colby’s room. “No. No. No!”
“What’s going on?” They all turned at the sound of Miles’s voice.
Wes looked from the empty room back to Miles. He opened his mouth to speak, but a loud bang quieted him. Wes whirled around to see not only Matt and Colby but a young teenage boy was with them. They were sprawled out on the floor.
“What the hell is going on here?” Ben shouted. Everyone had come out of their rooms and were staring at the three sitting on the floor where they had just fallen from the sky.
“We can explain,” Colby said as he climbed to his feet. He held his hands out in front of him to steady himself. “The downside to teleporting is the dizziness. Holy hell.”
“Matt.” Wes ran to his mate. Matt was helping the younger man, who looked very similar to Matt, to his feet. When the boy was standing, Matt turned to him, and Wes clasped his hands to either side of his mate’s face. He kissed him hard, relieved that he was okay.
“Wes.” Matt smiled at him. “God am I happy to see you.” Matt leaned in for another kiss.
“Me too but where the fuck were you?” Wes pulled back to look into his mate’s bright blue eyes.
“Getting my brother back.” Matt held his arm out to the boy next to him, and the kid went to Matt. “Wes, this is my brother, Kevin. Kevin this is my…” Matt pursed his lips then said, “My boyfriend, Wes.”
“Hey there, Kevin.” Wes held his hand out to Kevin to shake. “Nice to finally meet you.” He looked up at his mate. “Matt?”
“We can totally explain all of this, but you guys have to promise not to get mad,” Colby said. “I think some hot chocolate is in order, don’t you, Kev?” Colby walked over and put his arm around Kevin’s shoulders and led him toward the stairs. Colby turned to smile at Matt and nodded.
“That kid of yours has some balls,” Lachlan said to Ben and Miles.
“He gets that fabulous character trait from me.” Asher grinned. “Now let’s go see what these three young men have to say for themselves. Seems to me there’s a story to be told.”
Wes took hold of Matt’s hand and walked with him down the stairs. In the kitchen, they found Colby at the stove making hot chocolate, and Kevin was sitting on the counter next to him watching.
“What is going on?” Wes whispered into Matt’s ear.
“I said we will have hot chocolate first then we’ll tell you what happened,” Colby said, not bothering to look over his shoulder.
Finally after what felt like forever, Colby brought over a tray of hot chocolate. He made sure everyone had a cup before he sat down at the large kitchen table. Kevin sat down between Matt and Colby.
“Okay.” Colby took a sip of the hot liquid then sat it down. “Here’s what happened.”
Wes sat horrified by what he was hearing. Colby and Matt took turns unrolling the events of the past couple of weeks. He couldn’t believe that Hale had been visit
ing his mate and Matt had never told him. In fact, the reason Matt never wanted to perform the mating ritual was because Matt wanted to keep Wes safe just in case something were to happen to him.
Ben and Miles sat holding each other’s hand, staring at their son. Concern marred their faces, and Wes understood that stress. It was an extremely helpless feeling to have someone you love putting themselves at risk. Thank God nothing bad happened to Matt and Colby but the what ifs made Wes’s stomach hurt.
“Son, are you all right?” Miles asked.
“I am.” Colby smiled. “Hale is in a bad place, and there’s nothing I can do to save him.” Colby might have been smiling, but Wes could see the sadness in his eyes. “But I’m not going to give up hope.” Colby looked down at his hands. “We’ll find our way back to each other one day. I have to believe that.”
“Kevin,” Wes said in a calm tone. “Can you tell us anything about where you were being kept?”
“No.” Kevin shook his head. He was leaning into Matt’s side. “I was scared and worried. I thought…” Kevin’s voice cracked, and he started to cry. “I thought Matt was dead. I was starting to give up hope of ever escaping.”
“Did Hale say anything to you?” Ben asked.
“I didn’t see much of Hale. I’m not even sure he was there with us.” Kevin wiped at his eyes.
“Who’s us?” Ben asked.
“Kayson.” Kevin’s voice lowered, and his gaze dropped to stare at the tabletop. “He kept me in a room with no windows, so I had no clue where I was. He was the only person I saw.”
“Did he hurt you?” Matt asked.
“No,” Kevin said. “It almost seemed like he was protecting me.”
“Interesting.” Asher murmured more to himself, but Wes heard it. He too thought it was very strange.
“I guess we need to move again.” Garrett sighed.
“Well, I’m glad to move.” Lachlan stretched his arms over his head. “I need a change of scenery.”
The room grew quiet. Wes knew everyone was thinking the same thing as him, what happens next? Hale was a wild card. He once was good but now evil, but he was still in love with Colby. Wes had to hope that one day Hale could redeem himself at least for Colby’s sake.
Wes, Matt, Kevin, and Colby headed upstairs to go to bed. Kevin was still shook up, but he was doing better. Every little noise had the kid nearly jumping out of his skin. Wes had to imagine it would be like that for a while. Matt and Kevin had lost so much and had seen stuff nightmares were made of.
“Kev, why don’t you bunk with me tonight?” Colby offered. He looked up to meet Wes’s stare and smiled. “I think your brother and his mate have some things to discuss.”
“Thank you, Colbster.” Matt gave Colby a hug.
“What do you mean by mate?” Kevin asked.
“Oh boy, do I have some things to tell you.” Colby winked at them as he shut the bedroom door.
“Do you trust him not to scare your brother to death?” Wes asked.
“I do.” Matt chuckled. “Kev likes all that supernatural science fiction stuff. I think it’ll take his mind off everything that has happened. Everything he’s lost.”
“Hey, you’ve both lost a lot, but together we’ll get through this.” Wes put his hands against Matt’s cheeks and kissed his lip. “I promise.” Matt let Wes lead him by the hand into their room. Wes had so many questions to ask but wasn’t sure where to begin, so he asked the most simple one, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wanted to keep you safe.” Matt sat down on the bed. “If something were to happen to me, I’d be condemning you to the same fate, and I just couldn’t do that.” Tears dripped down his rosy cheeks. “I love you too much to ever want to willingly put you in danger.”
“Babe, that’s how I feel.” Wes sat down beside Matt and pulled him into his arms. “We might not officially be mates, but if I lost you, it wouldn’t matter. I’m nothing without you, Matt. You are my whole world.”
Matt lifted his lips to Wes’s, and they kissed. It was a slow and sensual kiss that allowed Wes to show his mate just how special he was to him.
“What do we do now?” Matt asked when they separated.
“I say we talk with Kevin and figure out where we want to live then go do just that.” Wes brushed his nose against Matt’s. “Go live. The evil is still out there, but we don’t have to let it consume our lives. You and Kevin deserve to have a normal life, and I want to make sure you get it.”
“How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?” Matt smiled against Wes’s lips.
“I think we both got lucky.” Wes brought his hand up to cup the side of Matt’s face. He deepened the kiss and slowly laid Matt back onto the bed. Now that everything was out in the open there was nothing keeping them from becoming true mates. Wes was looking forward to every second of it.
Epilogue
One year later
“Come on, babe,” Matt shouted down the hallway to Wes. “If we don’t leave now we’re going to be late to the game and Kev’s starting tonight.”
“I’m coming.” Wes ran down the hallway pulling a shirt over his head. It was a blue T-shirt with gold lettering on it. It had the school’s name on the front and Kevin’s last name and number on the back. “Where’s my keys?” Wes was patting his hands over his pockets.
“Right here, babe.” Matt held the keys up in the air.
Wes snatched the keys from his hand and kissed Matt as he rushed for the door. Matt laughed as he followed his husband to the car.
It had been one year since Matt and Wes moved Kevin to Oklahoma. They enrolled Kevin in Stillwater High School, and Matt was taking classes at Oklahoma State College. Wes took a job at the local police station, and they bought a house on the outskirts of town. To everyone they knew, they were just a nice and normal family. Two gay men raising a teenager.
Wes and Matt were already mates, but Ben and Benedict thought it would be a good idea to get married so that their backstory was more believable to the people in the town they had chosen to live in. After they were wed, both Matt and Kevin took on Wes’s last name. Together they were taking the task of raising Kevin very seriously.
Matt got lucky really. Kevin adored Wes and the people in Stillwater were very accepting of their life together. Each one of them made friends and were fitting in. It was nice.
Matt still had bad days. Memories of his parents and the life he used to have would fill his mind until there was nothing else. He missed them like crazy. Matt and Kevin had lost everything in the house fire, but they still had their memories, and he and Kevin talked about them often. Wes liked hearing him, and Kevin tell him stories of their life back in Missouri.
Kevin was adjusting better than Matt could ever hope for. He still had nightmares, but that was to be expected. He still wouldn’t talk much about his time locked away with Kayson. A part of Matt was glad for that. It made him a coward, but he was afraid of what his little brother would tell him about his time with Hale and Kayson.
Kevin was a great kid and very understanding. He took the knowledge of the paranormal world very calmly. He wasn’t scared of Matt or Wes. He understood that them being different didn’t make them bad people.
Matt often stressed about what to do when it came to Kevin. Kevin was still mortal, and Matt was terrified that something would happen and take him away from him. Matt and Wes had had many conversations about just that. In the end, they gave Kevin the choice to decide. Kevin still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. Matt didn’t push Kevin, but he hoped that in the end, Kevin would want to become like him because Matt didn’t think he’d be able to watch Kevin grow old and die.
One bad thing about the move was that he didn’t get to see Colby that often. After they rescued Kevin and left Nebraska, Ben and Miles moved Colby to Arizona. He was currently enrolled at Arizona State and seemed to be happy. Colby and Matt talked constantly and Facetimed each other every night. No matter the distance between them they were still
best friends, and nothing would change that.
Wes parked the car once they arrived at the high school and they got out to walk to the stadium. The stands were crowded, but they were lucky to find seats at the fifty-yard line. Kevin had gotten the quarterback position on the junior varsity team. He worked his ass off and earned that spot and Matt couldn’t have been prouder. Kevin was taking his pain and turning it into something good. Their parents would be proud of their youngest son. It sad to say it took losing them in order for Kevin to grow up a little.
“I feel like I’m going to throw up.” Wes put his hand over his mouth. “I’m so nervous.”
“Why?” Matt laughed and nudged Wes in the shoulder. “It’s not you out there.”
“Still.” Wes waved his hand out toward the field where the team was warming up. “Kevin’s like a son to me, and I only want good things for him.” Wes leaned in close and whispered in Matt’s ear. “If I hear one person say anything bad about our boy I’m kicking their ass.” Wes sat back. “Just so you are aware.”
“I’m sure your boss would be thrilled to find one of his police officers locked up for assault.”
“Bart already said he’d bail me out.” Wes winked at him.
Matt laughed and shook his head. It was hard to believe it had only been a year. So much had changed. There was a lot of sadness in his past but a lot of hope for the future. Wes was always right there to have his back and help him take care of Kevin. Matt wasn’t sure what he’d do if he didn't have his mate and he didn’t want to find out.
“Oh look, babe.” Wes pointed to the field, and Kevin was waving toward them.
Matt returned the wave and took a deep breath. He no longer played football, and he didn’t miss it. He was happy just being a spectator in the stands cheering on his kid brother.
The game started and Matt watched with bated breath. He too was nervous, but he wasn’t going to say anything to Wes. Wes was stressed out enough without having Matt add to it.