by Joyee Flynn
“Yeah, it explains a lot,” Bay said with a sigh. “Are you guys cleaning the lake?”
“Yup and there’s a lot coming too. I think there’s a car.”
“Is that what I’m feeling?” Tristan chuckled. “It’s like no matter how you pull that one part of the metaphysical net it just doesn’t want to move.”
“Yeah, it will eventually, but I worry why there might be a car at the bottom of the lake. I mean, that can’t be for any good reason.”
“The Sheriff knows what we are. I’ll tell him one of our visitors sensed a car. He can decide if he wants to send out a diving team. Can you mark the location?”
“You don’t want us to drag it out?” I asked instead.
“Um, no. That would be really hard to explain. We can say the extra garbage we’ve been picking out was caught in fishing nets or something but yeah, a car won’t fly with that excuse.” Bay snickered as if trying to imagine explaining that to someone.
“Gotcha. Garbage minus car, coming up in about ten minutes.”
Everyone was quiet for a little bit, their minds racing a mile a minute at what they’d learned. I couldn’t help but laugh that when they chose to speak they did all at once.
“Can I see—” Tristan started.
“So how do—” Bay said at the same time.
“Does that mean—” That was Harkin.
And Levey blurted out, “Are we forgiven then?”
They stopped when they realized they were all going at once besides Levey who was so concerned about his question that I decided to answer his first.
“Harkin and I still have a few things to work out first but yes.” Then I turned to Tristan. “We can go look at the books but I am the keeper of them and I won’t ever let them out of my sight or risk them falling into the wrong hands.” I glanced at Bay then. “You can’t protect me, Bay. I protect you guys. It’s my job as your Omega to make you strong and make sure you are protected to lead this pack in the right direction.
“That is the point of Omegas.” Lastly I looked at Harkin. “Does that mean I’ll let you grovel and try again? Yes, if someone will watch the pups tonight it would be my pleasure to let you grovel. I have to warn you that it might be hard to top the way Levey handled things.”
“I have some ideas how to properly grovel,” he purred as he leaned over and gave me a kiss.
“We’re really going to live to four hundred because we picked you?” Levey asked quietly.
“In theory but just because we can live that long doesn’t mean we will or that we’re indestructible. And if I die your life spans return to the normal length.”
“So that gives us extra incentive to keep you around,” Harkin joked. I could feel his mirth and knew that he really was teasing.
“Glad you’re so happy at the news.”
“I hope my men feel the same way,” Tristan whispered as he stared past me and out into the lake. “I do want to see those books though. I think we’ve got a good Council in place now that would want to know what their predecessors did.”
“Some of them are relatives to the old Council,” I reminded him. Sometimes it was an elected gig that was a lifelong role, but that didn’t mean the job didn’t stay with certain families. “So let’s start slow.”
“Agreed.” Tristan kept quiet as we pulled in the garbage, making sure it was up on the shore so it didn’t float right back out into the lake. Then we headed back to the house. “I don’t think we should go to where they’re hidden until whomever is following me is caught.”
“Okay, why didn’t you lead with that tidbit when you got here?” I growled. I grabbed his hand and scanned his mind. The moment he stepped off his pack lands to come visit he’d felt a dark presence, familiar maybe, but dark as if they wanted to do him harm. “Balls, Tristan!”
“You had major stuff going on. I didn’t want to show up and dump this on you guys. And at first I thought maybe I was making it all up. But it’s here, Wes. I felt it earlier watching us when we were playing with the pups. I know it’s not around now, because I wouldn’t ever have risked someone other than your inner circle listening in on what you were saying.”
“Me either. I knew when they were here and what they heard. I didn’t feel anyone else but from what I saw in your mind and reading the energy, they mean to kill you, Tristan. That’s the only time energy gets that dark.”
“I wasn’t sure if that was the case or not,” he said with a sigh. “What do we do?”
“We trap them and kill them,” I replied easily.
“Just like that?” Bay asked, looking shocked that I would say such a thing.
“No one fucks with the people I care about.” I knew my voice had gone cold, devoid of any redeeming emotions. I wanted them to know I was dead serious. Someone with that kind of energy wouldn’t stop until Tristan was dead and I would never, ever allow that to happen.
We walked back to the house in silence. I was still holding Tristan’s hand, now in comfort as opposed to earlier when I needed to so I could channel him. What comforted me was that Bay was holding my other hand. It was amazing how such a simple gesture could make me feel as if everything was going to be okay.
Silly probably, but I couldn’t help the way I felt.
When we got back, Bay showed Tristan to the guest room while I quickly checked on the pups. They were still full from their earlier meal of rabbit but were ready to play.
“Only a little while because it’s time for bed soon,” I told them firmly, knowing full well I’d play with them all night if they wanted. They had me wrapped around their little paws and they knew it.
“I’ll stay with them tonight. Harkin’s dying to grovel,” Levey said with an evil smile.
“You’re just trying to butter me up so you’re my favorite,” I teased.
“No, no favorites in a mating but I do want you to claim me like you did Bay when you’re ready. You know, if you wanted, or whatever, that is.” I smiled at how nervous he sounded as if I’d say no.
But then again, he didn’t know how I’d truly forgiven them all in my heart after my talk with Bay. So to him, I might really say no.
“I’d love to,” I whispered against his lips before kissing him. “I would have earlier but the wrong side was facing you to bite you, sweetie.”
“Yeah, but it was fun,” he growled as he groped me through my shorts.
“That it was.” I laughed at the pout he gave me when I moved away and headed to the back door. I had a feeling my men were insatiable and I would enjoy every second of it.
I went in search of Harkin, surprised that he hadn’t gone with us to check on the pups. I got my answer when I knocked on his door and it swung open.
“Are you ready for my groveling?” he asked in husky tone. I nodded as I stared at what he had on the bed. “How much have you ever played before, baby?”
“They fucked me, that was it. They didn’t stretch me or tease me. It was just sex. That’s why I was so shocked that my old Alpha freaked out and declared his love for me before trying to kill me. He’d never shown any signs of that or even hinted that he gave two shits about me. Hell, he’d even hid it from my powers, locking it somewhere deep inside of him.”
“Hey, that’s all over now. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories,” he said gently as he pulled me into his arms. I snuggled into his embrace, his massive frame making me feel other things than simply safe.
“No, I’m okay. It’s good you guys know what I went through otherwise we could have more issues like before.”
“You’re right, but I just didn’t want to ruin the mood. I want you smiling and playful. I want to take you places you’ve never been before and see what you like.”
“Okay,” I squeaked as he kicked the door closed. He lifted me up and tossed me on the bed as if I weighed nothing. I let out an unmanly yelp as I bounced on his bed a few times. “What now?”
“Now you get naked and we see what you like,” he growled. I shivered at the lu
st that was pointed in my direction and quickly started yanking off my clothes. “The restraints are the kind you can easily get out of yourself so it’s not about keeping you hostage but merely that you don’t have to worry about anything other than feeling every moment of pleasure.”
“I can do that.” I swallowed loudly as I held my hands up over, giving him permission to tie me down without words. He kissed up my body as he reached overhead and fastened my wrists in the padded restraints. Then he mashed his mouth to mine. I whimpered when I went to throw my arms around his neck and I couldn’t.
“Now you understand the fun and restraint you must have to play the game.”
“What if I don’t like the game?” I asked quietly as he moved to sit back on his feet. His gaze met mine and he smiled.
“The game stops and we play a new one. You’re not my prisoner, baby. We’re playing together and if you don’t like it then we try something else. I hope you will be vocal and let me know everything you’re feeling. It’s part of the fun.”
“I can do that.”
He lifted my leg and threw it over his shoulder as he reached for the bottle of lube he had lined up on the bed next to a bunch of toys. The fun kind of toys that were in no way suitable for children. The kind that were made to please and I looked forward to trying every one of them with one of the men I was giving my heart to.
Harkin pushed in a finger, smiling when I was still partially stretched from my fun with Levey a few hours earlier. “Then I guess we can move right on to the toys.”
“Okay,” I squeaked again. He grabbed the smallest dildo he had and pushed it into my ass after he pulled his finger out of my hole. I moaned as he thrust it into me, slowly at first but then faster as his other hand moved to my cock. He had built the anticipation and excitement so much that I blew in moments. I cried out his name as my cum shot all over his hand and my stomach.
“Was it as good as it looked?” he asked as he pulled the dildo out of me.
“Oh yeah,” I gasped, my eyes practically rolling back into my head. I’d never had this much fun in one day. Maybe I’d had this much sex, but never this much fun. It was tiring when the sex was kick-ass.
“Wonderful, because we’re just getting started.” My eyes snapped to his and I saw a feral smile cross his lips.
He was good to his word, giving me three more orgasms before the night was out. And then so was I.
Chapter 8
The next few days were interesting to say the least. Tristan hung around, not wanting to lead whoever was following him back to his men and pack. The moment he returned with all those guards they had at his pack keeping all the rescued Omegas safe, the person with the dark energy would have taken off. I agreed.
I spent most of my time taking care of the pups, which my men helped me with constantly. At least when we weren’t cleaning up the lake or having tons of hot sex. The sex was fun… Cleaning the lake? Not so much. But it had to be done. Well, it didn’t, but since I could clean it up, how could I not?
I felt the dark energy when I was teaching Devil and Angel to hunt in the afternoon. I wouldn’t let them near it but I focused on reading it. When I got a clear reading on who it was, I grabbed their lunch and hurried them back to the house. The moment we were there, I shifted back.
“Guys, need you out here,” I said loudly. I watched as the pups devoured the small doe I had killed. It hadn’t been easy to drag all the way back, but it didn’t matter since my boys were so excited to be eating it. Tristan was the first out the door and I stared at my feet while I pulled on my shorts. “I know who’s following you.”
“You felt the energy?”
“Oh yeah, big-time. She’s stalking the house to see if she can get to you,” I answered, noticing my men were all there now. “Tell us what happened when you rescued Gideon. I got a few snippets from her and they don’t make sense. Her brain’s all twisted up in rage though so I didn’t believe what I see from her either.”
“I killed the Alpha,” he whispered, looking away from us and towards the trees. “They were supposed to be out of town so we were going to snatch Gideon and leave guards there to arrest the inner circle when they got back. Everything went to shit in the blink of an eye. They knew we were coming. We had decided to go ourselves because the High Council wanted a full report on the porn movies the pack had been making.
“We knocked at the door and the second it was opened Jared had a huge shotgun pointed at his chest. I panicked and my power lashed out. I don’t even know what I did but I just wanted the threat against Jared gone and then the Alpha dropped dead. According to the High Council Jared got the gun away from the guy and he died in the fight. He didn’t want others knowing I could kill like that.”
“It makes sense to keep that quiet when you’re working to help the Omegas when it seems most are scared of their power,” Bay agreed quietly, patting Tristan on the shoulder.
“Show me,” I said gently as I held out my hand to my friend. When he took it, I watched his memories, feeling what he did, and knew what he had done. “Your power shut down his heart. You freaked out and constricted the muscle without even realizing you could.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Tristan whispered in shame. “I just didn’t want Jared to die.”
“Hey, stop that,” I chastised as I smacked him in the chest. “I would have gladly killed the guy to save Jared. He’s your mate, Tristan. No one would ever judge you for killing someone to protect him.”
“I know and I don’t regret it. I’m just having trouble processing that I took another life and I did it with my powers. I’ll get over it. For now, it’s hard to deal with.” He stared at me with pleading eyes that I understood what he was going through.
“I get it. Don’t worry. I’ll kill the bitch,” I told him firmly.
“Who is it?” He swallowed loudly as if having guessed already.
“The Alpha’s mate. I don’t know if the High Council didn’t know about her or what but she wasn’t taken captive.”
“No, they won’t do that to any of the humans in the packs. They think that a human can’t be evil enough or strong enough to start any trouble. If they attack the guards on the rescue then they can be shot, but if they stay out of it then they’re let go when it’s over.” I could feel Tristan’s annoyance at that and hear the disgust in his tone.
“Well that’s just stupid,” Harkin grumbled. “I’ve met plenty of humans that could do more damage than a crazy Alpha. The High Council needs to stop underestimating people or living with their heads in the sand. It’s not good for any of us and it’s led to so much pain and death.”
“Amen to that,” Bay agreed.
“Okay, Tristan, you stay here with Levey and keep the pups calm and happy. They’re going to need a bath,” I said with a chuckle when I looked over at them. They were still tearing into the doe, covered in nasty.
“Where are you going?”
“To kill the bitch who wants you dead,” I answered with an evil smile. “You guys care to join me?”
“Oh yeah, we’re in,” Harkin growled as he pulled off his shirt. Bay nodded and did the same.
“You don’t have to do this for me, Wes,” Tristan said quietly, nervously. “I can handle it.”
“How many times over would you kill someone who wanted me dead?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Several,” he sighed.
“It’s what friends do, buddy. I’m better at tracking energy than you are. Just let me handle this for you. Relax and play with the pups before you return home to your men who need you more than air.” He nodded and gave me a tight hug.
“You get hurt and I’m going to be pissed to the ninth degree, dude,” he whispered in my ear.
“Ninth degree, huh?” I snickered, shaking my head as he let me go.
“Yeah, it seemed about right.” He gave me a wink, trying to hide his nerves but they were there.
“We got this,” Bay assured Tristan before we all shifted. Leve
y and Tristan had to jump into action because the moment we were wolves the pups assumed it was playtime. I gave them a bark to tell them no and they settled down, whimpering a bit, but staying. They were such good pups, even when they were misbehaving. Weird, I know, but they were mischievous, not evil or mean.
It was harder for me to sense energy in this form, the only reason I had before was it was so dark with rage that even my wolf had caught it. Granted, he’d been afraid something would hurt the pups, but it was the rage that woke the powers in me nonetheless so I could get a reading. Bay and Harkin let me lead, racing to where I felt the energy last. Then I shifted back and closed my eyes.
“I’m focusing to pick up the signature and energy trail. Given how dark her intentions are they leave a residue on normal energy. It’s hard to explain and I’m sure I’m not making any sense.” Bay’s head bumped my hip as if telling me it was okay and they trusted me. “Thanks.”
I picked up on her trail right away, racing off in that direction. Then after the fifth rock I stepped on that hurt, I changed into my wolf and kept going. It amazed me how we were so much more fragile in human form sometimes. We ended back at that service road where I had found the pup’s mother weeks ago, but a few miles down.
That road was just cursed it seemed.
She was sitting in her car and when she saw us approaching she reached in the backseat. I put on a burst of speed and then shifted when she got out.
“Which one of you killed my mate?” she screeched as she focused on Bay and Harkin who were still in wolf form, assuming one was Tristan. I laughed when I saw the gun she was raising, using my power to wrench it from her fingers before she could even aim it.
“Silly woman.” I clucked my tongue in a condescending way. “He’s not here. You have me to deal with instead.”
“You’re just a little boy,” she sneered.
“Who just took your little gun away with his mind. You’ve got thirty seconds to make your peace with whatever god or gods you believe in, lady. No one threatens Tristan.”