by M. L. Briers
Flynn collapsed over his mate. His mind and body were fighting a battle to return to her. He could scent her blood, knew he needed to tend her wounds. Even as small as they were, his need to take care of her, to protect her was prevalent.
“Are you hurt?”His beast was still at the forefront of his mind, slowly receding into the background, and yet still apparent in every growled word against her ear.
“You bit me, you butthead… of course it hurt…”She breathed in and out, she spoke, and yet she was still languishing within her languid body.
Flynn couldn’t hold back the gentle laughter that rolled through his chest. Even now his mate was the fiery spirited Fae that was going to send him insane over the forever they would spend together. He tended her wounds with his tongue, tasting the last of her blood and sealing her delicate skin before he pulled back to look down at her.
“Could you be nice for just five minutes?”He growled watching her try to pry open her eyes, trying to regain her ground, her equilibrium, and failing.
“I thought I just was…”She offered with a little sarcasm.
“That wasn’t five minutes…”He started, but she just had to cut him off.
“Sure felt like it…”She pried open her eyes when he growled down a gentle warning at her.
“Are you saying I was too…?”
“Jumped the gun, tally-ho, eager… premature…?”With each teasing word he growled a little bit deeper and a little bit longer.
“You’re saying you’ve had…”
“Better?”She saw the fire in his eyes, felt his hands twitch tighter against hers and she so wanted to laugh.
“Really?”He growled down at her, feeling the thud to his ego until her eyes lit with the amusement within her.
“No, never, not once…”She admitted back up at him, and if his ego hadn’t taken a pounding he would have sensed her deceit, but he was only a man after all…
“Has nobody ever mentioned that challenging an alpha could be bad for you?”He held a hard line, stared down at her eyes, but inside he melted like ice under the fire of her admission.
“That’s only if the alpha decided to meet the challenge… does the alpha want to meet the challenge?”She squirmed beneath him, her inner muscles clasping around the width of him that was still buried inside her and getting harder by the second. She saw the flare of his eyes and knew that he wanted to meet her challenge head on.
“Over and over again.” He growled against her lips.
Summer was surprised she could walk. She was actually surprised that she could peel herself from the mattress this morning, and with almost every muscle protesting in her body, she was damned surprised she managed to shower, dress, and make it downstairs to the breakfast feast, and the word feast she didn’t think lightly when she saw the array and amount of food that his mother had prepared.
When she lowered herself towards the chair there wasn’t a muscle that didn’t want to scream at her, she winced slightly under the onslaught of different levels of stabbing and protesting pain that shot through her.
“Good morning…”Corrine gave her a knowing smile and Summer smiled back.
“Do you cook like this every morning?”She eyed the plates of food and her stomach gave an answering growl of readiness.
“Oh not every morning, but something told me that people would be hungry this morning…”Abe stalked into the room with dark eyes and an even darker scowl on his face, and Summer thought she could even see the dark little rain cloud that sat above his head. “Maybe not everyone.” Corrine rolled her eyes and turned back to the counter.
“I turned around and you were gone…”Flynn teased as he walked into the room and sat down beside her at the table. He eyed Abe across the way and couldn’t help the wicked grin that spread across his face.
“Where’s your mate this morning, Abe?”
“Probably still barricaded in her room.”Abe growled out, unimpressed with the conversation already. Summer frowned hard.
“What did you do to make her barricade herself in?”Abe’s dark gaze shot up to Summer, but she didn’t give any ground, if she could handle the alpha, she could handle the Beta…
“She objected to the fact that I thought we should mate.”Abe delivered his words precisely and calmly, but with a little venom behind each syllable.
“Well maybe you should suggest it nicer next time…”Tina hissed from the doorway and Abe’s eyes shot towards her. He was already scenting her on the air and the little black cloud above his head got a shade lighter when he saw her.
“I thought I’d been pretty nice about it.”Abe growled out into the silence of the room and all eyes turned towards Tina.
Tina chose to sit on the other side of Summer instead of with her mate as Corrine breezed into the seat between Abe and Flynn with an amused smile.
“Well now, don’t stand on ceremony, grab it and growl.”Her eyes were bright with amusement as she noted the tension between Tina and Abe. She just loved watching the mating call play out, always differently for each mate, but ultimately they would find their way.
Both males stated to heap food onto their plates, and Tina turned her attention back towards Summer.
“I’m going to need to talk to you about what you found out about the town as soon as possible…”
“We can do it after breakfast…”She turned her attention towards Flynn. “There’s that Fae that your pack found…”
“I know what you’re thinking Summer, but with the snow it would be impossible for you or Tina to get over to that part of the land. You’d have to travel by foot…”
“Hiking. Great idea. Work off some of these calories.”Summer offered. She wasn’t particularly fond of most forms of exercise, last night’s activities not included, she’d enjoyed that a lot, and this wasn’t really her thing anymore, it was Tina’s, but what else did she have to do today? And the thought of her Fae sister’s coming to a nasty end wasn’t a good one. She could help Tina resolve the issue and they could all move on with their lives.
“It’s too far, over uneven ground…”Abe offered and got a glare from his mate for his trouble.
“Abe’s right, even on a good day, which today isn’t…”
“Where’s your sense of adventure alpha?”Summer offered, trying to challenge his wolf just a little.
“I will not put a member of my pack in danger for no good reason, and both you and Tina aren’t prepared for that kind of journey. The snow should thaw soon…”Tina huffed while Summer looked slightly downcast.
“I’m not a member of your pack.”Tina offered, keeping her eyes down from Abe who had a fork full of food hovering in front of his lips as his eyes slowly moved to his mates and he took her in.
“Even if you and Abe haven’t mated yet Tina, you’re still a member of this pack from the moment you were recognised by your mate.”Flynn didn’t like just how quiet Abe was. The calm before the storm perhaps? He also wasn’t particularly fond of how Tina was evading looking at him, or that she was denying her mate, but that was for them to work out.
“Never going to happen.”Tina sounded too self assured and the room went quiet as Abe dropped his fork to his plate and pushed his chair back with the backs of his knees as he stood up.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I’m going to run the perimeter.”He growled out. Turning and leaving the room without another word or look towards his mate.
‘Are you alright brother?’ Flynn felt his tension; it was anchored to his body like a dead weight around him.
‘I’ll live. She might not. Keep an eye on my mate while I’m gone.’
‘Done.’ Flynn’s eyes took Tina in, she looked more than a little nervous as she forked her food around her plate, but her eyes stayed down. Summer’s hand touched his thigh and made his muscles tense within him as he brought his eyes towards her. She seemed to have a calming effect to his nerves that he appreciated, and he allowed it to wash through him.
“Well now…”Corrine started, but Tina
suddenly got to her feet and excused herself, and Summer sighed.
“I’ll go see what that’s all about.”She offered before getting up and following Tina out of the room.
Flynn turned his eyes on his mother who was rolling her own eyes.
“It’s so much easier when it’s Lycan mating.”She offered and Flynn just growled his agreement.
“Where are you going?”Summer found Tina at the door yanking on her boots and mumbling dark curses under her breath.
“Town. I have a room there and I can at least get the lay of the land and see if anyone might have noticed something about the Fae that went missing.”Tina reached for her jacket and pulled it on.
“That’s not a good idea…”Summer started, but Tina was more than adamant.
“I can drive in snow, and if I can’t make it down. I’ll park up and walk the rest of the way.”Tina felt as if she was wasting time here. She didn’t think that Flynn or Abe had anything to do with the Fae going missing, but right now the pack was off limits to her. She needed to feel as if she was doing something, and mating with Abe wasn’t high on her to do list.
“Is this about your mate?”Summer watched her friend yank the zip up as far as it would go, before she reached for her hat and yanked that onto her head.
“He’s not my mate, Summer…”
“Well he is…”Summer offered back and saw Tina flinch her acknowledgement.
“Not by choice. I don’t even like the guy…”
“You mean you’re not comfortable around Lycan’s. I know your past Tina. I’ve seen your scars…”Summer saw the hard look that took over her friends face. She didn’t want to be having this conversation, especially not here.
“I need to go…”Tina yanked open the front door and felt the icy cold wind hit her in the face and regretted her decision immediately. She hated the snow almost as much as she hated sitting idle when there was things to do.
Summer’s hand came down on her gloved one on the door handle and she looked back at her.
“Don’t go, not right now. Wait for the snow to…”
“See you later.”Tina jerked her hand away and crunched through the snow towards her car as Summer debated the rights and wrong of grabbing her things and following her friend out of the door.
“What the hell?”Flynn was at her side in an instant. A moment more and he was flying out of the door following Tina. It took him a few seconds to get to her as she was scooping snow from the windscreen of her car.
Flynn grabbed her, turned her and slung her over his shoulder. Bounding back into the house with her as she cursed and kicked, he deposited her on the floor and took a step back.
“You can’t keep me here.”Tina gave him a dark glare and he tipped his head and raised his brows at her.
“Let’s let your mate decide that when he gets back. But for right now, you aren’t going anywhere.”Flynn growled down at her. He shot a questioning look at Summer who shrugged her shoulders.
“What am I getting the death glare for?”
“You allowed her to leave.”Flynn accused, and Summer rounded on him, hands on her hips and full of fire.
“Well excuse me for not knowing she was prisoner here.”Summer tossed back, sarcasm dripping from her tone.
“The road is impassable, that doesn’t make her a prisoner that makes her a guest.”
“Who wants to leave.”Summer shot back and Flynn growled again.
“It’s too dangerous.”He growled down. Trying to make his mate see what he was trying to tell her. “Do I need to draw you two a picture? I know Fae are…”
“Oh don’t even go there…”
“Headstrong. I was going to say headstrong…”
“Sure you were.”Summer tossed back and Flynn growled again. He rolled his eyes and took a long step back before he did something he might regret, like putting a hole in the damn door.
“When you two have finished?”Tina put in. Standing near the door, arms folded across her padded suit.
“Look she’s even dressed for it, with the big puffy trousers and the big puffy top, she looks like a big puffy warm marshmallow…”Summer shot towards Flynn who rolled his eyes still unimpressed.
“Marshmallow?”Tina snorted and Summer shrugged.
“Hey, I’m on your side here, cut me some slack.”Summer shot back and Tina rolled her eyes.
“Ever heard the saying with friends like you…?”She smiled innocently, leaving her words hanging.
“Do you want to go head to head with the big fella?”Summer motioned towards Flynn who cocked his head in the other direction.
“Not particularly…” Tina snorted and Summer threw her hands up in the air.
“There you go then.”She turned her attention back towards Flynn who now had a crocked little smile of amusement on his face.
“The big fella?”He gave her a little growl and she shrugged.
“Do you want to go head to head with the headstrong Fae?”She motioned towards Tina and he rolled his eyes again. “Because I’m trying to keep the peace here folks, but if you two want to knock heads…”She shrugged and went to walk off, but Flynn caught her wrist in one large hand and pulled her back towards him.
“Tina isn’t leaving, at least not before her mate gets back, and you do not need to keep the peace, I won’t harm her…”Summer snorted a sarcastic chuckle.
“I was thinking more along the lines of what she could do to you, alpha.” Summer offered and saw him stiffen.
“You can’t keep me here…”Tina said again, and the low growl that rumbled from the kitchen door made the two Fae turn towards it. Abe stood there, half clad in a pair of jeans that he hadn’t even buttoned up as his dark eyes set on his mate.
“No, but I can.”He growled out and watched her shiver inside that snow suit.
Tina went to open her mouth, but he waved it away. “I ran down the track towards town before running the perimeter. Give it another hour or so and you’ll be able to leave. The snow is melting fast.”He growled out before turning on his heels and disappearing back into the kitchen.
Flynn saw the way Tina winced as her eyes followed Abe retreat and then she shook her head as if remembering that the others were there.
“I’ll give it an hour then.”She announced stomping across the room towards the staircase and climbing back up to her room.
“Headstrong, wilful, stubborn, obstinate…”Flynn muttered as he shook his head.
“You know those all mean the same thing right?”Summer asked and Flynn growled down at her. “Just saying…”She walked off towards the kitchen leaving her mate to continue growling out words.
Abe sat at the kitchen counter with a cup of hot coffee, and he turned his head when Summer walked in. She heard a low growl from his direction that could have been a groan, but she wasn’t betting on it in his current mood.
“It’s not my place to tell Tina’s story, but there are reasons why she’s…”Summer winced, trying to find the right word.
“A shrew.”Abe offered before dipping his head and wincing as the hot coffee hit his tongue.
“Denying your existence.”Summer scooted onto the kitchen stool at the end of the counter and regarded the Beta with a passive stare.
“Do tell…”He gave her an acid tone and she raised just one brow at him unimpressed. He turned his eyes away.
Summer debated the rights and wrongs of giving him the low down on what happened to his mate. It should really come from her, but if it was going to stand in the way of what fate had planned for her, Summer didn’t want to live with the fact that she had held something back that could have helped eased the mating process, and if Tina decided to deny her mate completely…?
“She has scars.”Summer didn’t know where to begin. She wanted to give away as little as she could, and yet thought he needed to know some of it. Abe seemed a little… wilful himself. This situation wasn’t going to be made any easier by the two of them butting heads.
“Scars?”Abe turn
ed his eyes to her and she could see the wheels turning within his mind.
“Physical and mental scars. Claw marks on her back…”Summer heard the deep rumble of the start of Abe’s anger and saw the blackness of his eyes as he pushed away from the counter. His chin tipped down and his hands clenched into fists, the sound of the mug’s handle cracking filled the silence of the room, and Summer heard Flynn at her back in an instant.
“Abe…”He growled out. His hands were on Summers upper arms ready to turn her away from his Beta.
“Who did that to her?”Abe’s wolf was as close to the surface as Summer wanted to see it right now, any closer and the Beta might have shifted.
“He’s dead.”She offered quickly, trying to ease the bloodlust within the wolf and the man, and it seemed to work, slightly, Abe was managing to push the wolf inside him back where it belonged.
“Abe you need to calm the hell down.”Flynn growled and his Beta tore himself away from the stool and stalked towards the back door. He lifted his arms and dragged his hands through his hair as his mind went wild within him. He reached for the calmness he knew he needed to still his beast from action, but it was harder to find than he realised when his mate was involved.
“What happened, Summer?”The deep hard growl of his wolf was still prominent in his tone and Flynn watched his brother stare out of the window. Every muscle in his body tensed with the need to shift and feel something between his jaws.
“It was a rogue wolf. It attacked without warning and took her down before she could even summon her magic to help her. Another Fae took it down and the pack killed it…”Abe turned back towards her, his black eyes narrowed on her as his mind churned.
“Was that other Fae you?”He asked and she nodded.
“She’s not too fond of being around Lycan’s that she doesn’t know…”
“I’m her mate, I would never…”Abe stalked a couple of steps towards her and she felt Flynn tense.
“She knows that. But you are a little…”Summer winced. How could she put this without hurting his feelings? “Moody.”She offered apologetically.