Will snapped his mouth shut, but it was too late. The words were out there, and Mal was gaping at him, his eyes wide. Will hadn’t wanted to say that. His mouth apparently had a mind of its own, because it had tumbled out without him even thinking about it.
Mal sat in the chair next to Will. “What?”
Will blushed and looked at his new coffee. “Nothing.”
“I don’t think so. You can’t ask something like that and not repeat it when I ask you to.”
“It’s stupid.”
“So wanting to marry me is stupid?” There was hurt in Mal’s voice, and it was the last thing Will wanted to hear.
He turned around in his chair until he faced Mal, who was looking at his hands, a frown on his face. Will reached out and tried to smooth it out with his thumb, and Mal finally looked up. “No, wanting to marry you isn’t stupid. Me asking you here, after what happened, is.”
Mal leaned forward so that only Will would hear him. “Are you asking me to marry you because you can’t ask me to do that other thing in public?”
“You mean mating?”
Mal looked around, but no one was paying attention to them. Ethan had left, and Leila was serving a small group of chatty teenagers.
Mal looked at Will again. “Yeah, that.”
“No, that’s not why.”
“Why, then? Why did you tell Paul you were my husband-to-be?”
Will didn’t want to have that talk now, in the coffee shop Mal worked in, but he could tell Mal wouldn’t let it go. He wanted an answer, and after what had happened, Will understood. “Because I want to be. That’s kind of how I think of myself, to be honest. I know we haven’t talked about marriage and that we’ve barely talked about mating, but I’m assuming we will mate one day, and you know that’s as good as married.”
“Yeah, so why the wedding bit?”
“Because marriage is recognized by this country, and mating isn’t, obviously. I know Kameron wouldn’t give you problems, nor would any other shifter, but I want to be sure. Paul is human, and he could give us problems. We can’t tell him about the mating, so marriage makes sense. If you want to, of course.”
Mal swallowed and pressed his lips together. “So you’re proposing?”
“I guess.” Will didn’t want to do this. He knew Mal would say no—they’d been together for only a little over a month. No one got married that fast. No one got married that fast and expected the marriage would last.
“Yes.”
Will wrenched himself out of his thoughts. “What?”
Mal rolled his eyes, and Will was happy to see him smile. “I said yes.”
“You... you want to marry me?”
“Yes!”
Will got up, his chair tumbling to the floor. He knew everyone was looking their way, but he didn’t care. He grabbed Mal and hugged him close, kissing every inch of skin he could get to. Mal laughed and hugged Will back. Someone was clapping, but Will didn’t even look. For the first time ever, he didn’t care about being in the spotlight.
“I don’t have a ring,” he said against Mal’s neck.
Mal slapped his back. “Who cares about rings?”
Will leaned away but didn’t let Mal go. “I do. I’ll buy you one.”
Mal shook his head, smiling. “It’s fine. I won’t change my mind if you don’t.”
Will kissed him and forgot about rings for a while. Mal was at work, though, so Will reluctantly let him go and sat again. “I’ll... I’ll wait here for you, okay?” He didn’t ask Mal if he wanted to go home again, because he knew he’d get the same answer as before. He got it. Mal didn’t want Paul to rule his life again.
Mal smiled and went back to the counter, huge smile on his face. Leila hugged him and gave Will a thumb-up. He smiled and shook his head just as someone sat in front of him. He looked up to see Zane, with Corbin standing just behind him and scowling at the other customers. Will rolled his eyes and pointed at the last free chair. “Sit down, Corbin. You’re scaring the customers.”
Zane laughed. “Isn’t that the point?”
“No, the point is scaring Mal’s ex, but he’s already gone.”
Corbin sat and looked at Will. “I could kill him. That way he wouldn’t bug Mal anymore.”
“I’ll... talk to him about it, okay?” Will never quite knew how to answer when Corbin asked stuff like that. It wasn’t the first time, either. He’d asked Will if he wanted him to kill Jayden because he’d stolen Heath away. Will had been very tempted to say yes, but he didn’t hate Jayden. Besides, he had Mal now. “But I don’t think Mal wants anyone to die. He just wants Paul to leave him alone.”
Corbin cracked his knuckles. “I can do that.”
“We’ll talk about it. Don’t do anything before we do, okay?”
Corbin nodded and Will rubbed his forehead. At least he wasn’t the one who had to keep an eye on Corbin. God knew that had to be a job of its own.
Chapter Five
“Aww, a spring wedding? You guys are so cute.”
Mal rolled his eyes at Simon and went back to his list of things to do. Organizing a wedding was a lot more work than what he’d thought. Not that he was regretting saying yes to Will, but he wished it were easier. Neither of them even had a family to invite, yet the number of people coming had already reached fifty. Luckily for him he’d decided to start on the planning the day after Will had proposed. It’d been a week, and he still wasn’t sure he had a grip on everything that needed to be done.
Simon leaned against the back of the couch and sucked on his lollipop. He took it out, licked it, and hummed. “I wish I could’ve been there to see the proposal.” He sighed. “I bet it was romantic as fuck.”
“Not really, no. Paul had just left and there were customers.”
“Still. I wished I had someone to ask me to marry him.”
Mal put his pen down and turned sideways, crossing his legs on the couch. “You want to get married?”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re a shifter.”
“So?”
“I’m not trying to be rude, but I thought mating was the most important thing for shifters.”
Simon wriggled into a more comfortable position and pulled his legs up, settling his socked feet into Mal’s lap. “Well, it is, but Will was right on one thing. Humans don’t recognize our matings.”
“Why would you care?”
Simon shrugged. “I don’t, not really, but it’d be nice to have a ceremony, something to show the world how much you love each other. Mating is fairly private, and we don’t usually make a big deal out of it.”
“Ah, I get it. You want to make a big deal out of it.”
“Why shouldn’t I? I mean, Will is the man you’ll spend the rest of your life with. Isn’t that something to celebrate with the people you love?”
“I guess. I never really thought I’d get married, to be honest. It wasn’t legal before, and I didn’t think I’d find a man who’d want to marry me, especially after Paul.”
Simon poked Mal’s ribs with his toes. “Shut up. Will loves you, and he’s met Paul.”
Mal sighed. “It’s not like he’s told me he loves me, though.”
“He asked you to marry him. What more do you need to realize he loves you?” Simon’s tone was incredulous, and Mal understood why. He’d asked himself the same question a few times, and he still didn’t have an answer. Why couldn’t he believe Will loved him? Was it only because Will hadn’t told him yet? Or was it because Mal didn’t really believe he deserved it? He didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever had. Feelings were so fucking complicated. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
Simon rolled his eyes. “Of course I am. He might not have told you, but you know Will better than I do, and even I know he’s not good with words.”
That was true. Will was kind of shy, even with Mal, and he didn’t usually talk about how he felt. Not that Mal did, but Mal was more open
about it, showed it more. Will was more reserved, but it didn’t mean he didn’t want or love Mal.
Mal knew he’d been the overly cautious one in the relationship. He hadn’t given all of himself to Will, because in the back of his mind, he was still waiting for Will to snap and hit him. He knew Will wasn’t like that, he did, but Paul had been sweet and nice in the beginning too.
Simon poked Mal again. “Come one. Talk to me.”
“What if he starts behaving like Paul?”
“He’s not that kind of guy.”
“Paul wasn’t either, in the beginning.”
“You’re sure of that?”
Mal scrunched his nose. “Yeah. He started hitting me only after we moved in together.”
“Yeah, okay, but hitting wasn’t the only way he was abusive, right?”
“No.”
“And when did that start?”
Mal thought about it. Paul had started monitoring Mal and his relationships with his friends almost from the beginning. He’d said he just wanted to spend more time with Mal, but he’d really put a limit on the time Mal could be with his friends, until he’d managed to isolate him.
Will had never done anything like that. Even when he’d lived in Walden and couldn’t check on Mal, he’d limited himself to some texts and a few phone calls a day. He’d never asked Mal to spend less time with Simon, Elliott, and Arlen. Mal had grown very close to Simon, because he was the only one of his friends who didn’t have a boyfriend and they’d spent a lot of time together.
Mal knew Simon was very affectionate and he didn’t have problems showing it. Will had seen Simon kissing Mal’s cheek, hugging him and even sitting in his lap, and he’d never said anything about it. Paul would have pitched a fit and would have told Mal he couldn’t see Simon anymore.
“You’re right,” Mal told Simon. “Paul started to manipulate me right from the beginning.”
“And Will?”
“Will’s never told me I couldn’t do something. I mean, he didn’t even bat an eyelash when he found you sleeping in our bed the other night.”
Simon grimaced. “There was a storm.”
“I know. I didn’t mind, and he didn’t, either.”
Simon grinned. “That’s why I woke up in a hot men sandwich.”
Mal shuddered. “That made me think of stuff I’d rather not think about.”
“You’re right. Although I wouldn’t mind doing stuff with Will, but you’re out.”
“Keep your hands off my boyfriend.”
“Off your fiancé, you mean.”
“Fiancé. That sounds so weird.”
“Well, it’s only been a week, and in a few months, you’ll call him your husband.”
“Okay, that’s even weirder.”
Simon dug his toes in Mal’s thigh. “Might be weird, but I’d sell body parts to have a husband.”
“Your mate is out there somewhere.”
“Yeah, well, I wish he’d stop hiding and come out.”
Mal opened his mouth to encourage Simon, and something thunked on the living room window, making both of them jump. They turned to look at the window, but it was already dark outside and they couldn’t see anything.
“What was that?” Simon asked.
“I don’t know. Go see.”
“You go.”
Mal swatted Simon’s leg. “You’re the one who turns into a freaking wolf, not me. If something’s about to attack, you have the most chances to make it out alive.”
Simon paled. “You think something’s out there to kill us?”
“How would I know?”
“Maaaal. Go see, please?” Simon turned his puppy eyes on Mal.
“That doesn’t work with me.”
Simon batted his lashes and Mal sighed. “Right. Where are Elliott and Mihaja?”
“Mihaja’s still at work, and I think Elliott had an appointment with Gentry.”
“Great. So we’re all alone in the house and something just hit the window. What do we do?”
“Call someone?”
Mal took his phone from the coffee table and speed-dialed Will. Will answered after only one ring. “Hey, Mal. I’m on my way.”
Mal sighed in relief. “Really? Because something just hit the living room window and Simon’s too much of a chicken to go check what it was.”
Simon poked at Mal’s ribs again. “You’re too much of a chicken too!”
“Something hit the window?” Will asked.
“Yeah. We were talking and there was this loud noise. We’re both too chicken to go check, but at least I have a good reason. I’m only human.” Mal made sure to look at Simon when he said it and Simon stuck his tongue out.
“I’ll be right there. You two stay inside. I’ll walk around the house and check from outside, okay?”
“Be careful.”
“Always.”
“I don’t want to become a widower before even being able to bag you.”
Will barked out a laugh. “You romantic, you.”
Mal grinned. “You know me.”
“I see the house. I’m hanging up, okay?”
“Yeah. See you in a few.”
* * * *
Will hung up and pushed his phone into his pocket. He hurried toward the house, climbed the porch, and left his messenger bag next to the door. The door opened and Mal smiled down at Will.
“I thought I told you to stay inside,” Will groused.
“Just wanted to kiss you before you go protect the house.”
Will rolled his eyes. “I’m not a dog.” Mal smiled and kissed Will’s cheek. He knew exactly how to make Will melt, and Will didn’t mind. He patted Mal’s arm and tilted his chin toward the inside of the house. “Go inside and turned the back light on.”
Mal nodded and closed the door. Will took a deep breath and started walking around the house staying on the wrap-around porch. It was probably a branch that had hit the window, or something like that, but with what was happening lately, Will wanted to be sure. He probably should have called someone else to check with him, but Mal had only talked about one noise. It didn’t seem like anything had happened since then, so Will was safe. Probably.
The backyard lights were on when he turned the corner, and he slowly walked closer to the living room windows. He could see Mal and Simon looking out, a safe distance between them and the glass, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. Those two could be ridiculous sometimes, and Will loved Mal even more for it.
Something small and light-colored was on the floor just under the window, and when Will crouched next to it, he realized it was a bat. He didn’t know what kind of bat, but the little thing was out. It had probably hit the window, although Will didn’t understand why. Maybe it had tried to go toward the light shining from the living room? But weren’t bats supposed to stay away from the light?
The window above him opened and Mal leaned out. “What is it?”
“A bat.”
Mal looked down and worried his lower lip. “Is it dead?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, do something. We can’t leave it out here.”
“Grab me a towel, will you? I’m going to wrap the bat up, just in case, and I’ll check if it’s still breathing.”
Mal disappeared and Simon’s head poked out of the window. “What is it?”
“A bat.”
Simon leaned outside, so much that Will thought he might tumble down. “Careful.”
Simon ignored him—of course he did. “Poor thing. It must have taken a bad hit. The noise we heard was loud.”
A pair of hands appeared next to Simon’s head and Mal peered outside. “Here.”
Will took the towel and reached down to pick up the bat. It was still out, or at least Will hoped it was out. It could as well be dead, and the last thing Will wanted was to have to comfort Simon and Mal over a bat’s death.
He gently lifted it and it tw
itched. “It’s not dead.”
Simon and Mal didn’t answer, but Will could feel their gazes on him. He bundled the bat up and rose from his crouch. He looked at the thing, frowning when he caught a smell he didn’t know. He raised the bat closer to his nose, ignoring Simon’s squeak, and took a deep breath.
“Shit.”
“What?” Mal asked.
“It’s a shifter.”
“There are bat shifters?”
“Of course there are.”
“Well, bring him in. Or her. I don’t know. Can you see the difference on a bat?”
“I’m not about to check its genitals!”
“Right. Well, bring it in anyway.”
Mal unlocked and opened the door that opened into the living room and Will stepped in. The room was warm and smelled of burning wood and oranges, because Simon always threw the skins of the oranges he ate in the fire.
Will walked to the couch and Mal hurried to make a blanket nest. Will put the bat in the nest. The little guy—or girl—was still out. “We need to call someone.”
“Let’s call Kam,” Simon proposed. “If Jago’s home, he can come and check the bat.”
Will sat on the couch next to the bat while Simon made the call. Mal had disappeared somewhere, and while Will wanted to find him, he didn’t want to leave the bat alone.
“They’re coming. We’re lucky Jago doesn’t work until tomorrow,” Simon said. He put his phone away and perched on the arm of the couch, looking down at the bat.
Mal came back, a bowl of water in his hands. He put it on the coffee table and looked at the bat. “I don’t have any insects on hand.”
“Insects?” Simona asked, disgust obvious in his voice.
“That’s what the website says they eat.”
“They who?”
“Pallid bats.”
“That’s what the guy is?”
“Yup.”
The bat twitched again, and Will saw one of its eyes open. He leaned forward and tried to keep his voice calm and soothing. “Hey there. I don’t know what happened to you, but you hit our living room window and got knocked out. You can shift back in your human form if you want to. You’re in a safe place for shifters.”
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