He looked in Mal’s eyes as he moved, and the words tumbled out of his mouth. No matter how hesitant he’d been to say them before, he could see Mal loved him just as much as he loved Mal. “I love you.”
Mal’s eyes glinted in pleasure and happiness. “I love you too.”
Will reached up to his neck, and shifting only one finger, he slashed the skin. He winced, and Mal bit on his lower lip, as if he shared the pain. Will didn’t have to tell Mal what to do.
Mal pulled on Will’s shoulder until their chests were plastered together, then sealed his lips on the wound. Every suck resonated in the entirety of Will’s body, and he had to stop himself from coming right away.
Mal slumped back against the mattress, his lips reddened, a hint of blood on the corner of it. “Is it enough?”
Will didn’t know, and he wouldn’t until he bit Mal too. He leaned down and nuzzled Mal’s neck, and Mal moved on instinct, baring his neck to him. Will bit down, smoothing his hand down Mal’s arm when Mal tensed.
He was surprised when Mal came, but then he’d been trying to stop himself from coming ever since Mal had started sucking on his neck. Will let go, drinking his mate’s blood, and felt the bond between them anchor in their souls.
He came right after retracting his fangs from Mal’s neck. He pressed his forehead against Mal’s shoulder and Mal stroked his back, his head, tangled his fingers in his hair.
“I can feel it,” Mal said, wonder in his voice. “I almost can’t believe it worked.”
Will pushed up and kissed his mate. Just like Mal, he felt incredulous, like he’d wake up tomorrow morning and find out it had all been a dream. It didn’t matter, though. Even if it had been a dream, he’d just bite Mal again.
Chapter Six
Mal bounced down the stairs, whistling his heart out. He walked into the kitchen, stole Simon’s muffin from his fingers, and gave it a bite.
“Hey! I was eating that!” Simon protested.
“You were sleeping on it.”
Simon grumbled and took a fresh muffin from the box on the kitchen table. “How can you be so happy and fresh so early in the morning?”
“We already had this conversation. Ten A.M. is not early. It’s actually kinda late.”
“That still doesn’t tell me why you’re so happy.” Simon cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at Mal. “It can’t be that you got laid, because from the sounds that regularly come from your bedroom, I know it happens often. Mmm. You did something different in bed?”
Mal chuckled. “That we did.”
Simon suddenly didn’t look sleepy anymore. “What was it?”
“Something that happens once in a lifetime. Well, maybe two for lucky people, but still.”
“Why are you torturing me like this?” Simon bemoaned.
Mal filled a mug with coffee and sat in front of Simon. He put the mug down, bit on the muffin, and pulled the collar of his T-shirt away from his neck as he chewed.
The bite didn’t hurt, but it was sensitive, almost like a wound still healing. It was already healed, though. Mal had checked in the mirror, and apart from a little redness, there was nothing that indicated it had happened the night before.
Simon squealed and launched himself toward Mal. Mal was lucky the table was between them, because Simon only managed to grab his hand. He’d have to climb on the table to hug Mal, and at that hour in the morning, Simon wasn’t awake enough to manage that without falling on his ass.
“Will bit you! You mated with him! That fucker, he didn’t tell me anything when he came down earlier. At least now I understand why he was smiling like a fool.” Simon squeezed Mal’s hand and finally got up. He rounded the table and Mal got up, ready to be hugged within an inch of his life.
Simon didn’t waste time and hugged Mal harder than Mal thought he could. He patted Simon’s back. “Can’t breathe.”
Simon jumped away. “Sorry. I’m just so happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
“So, what happened?”
They sat back and Mal went back to his muffin. “Nothing much. We talked, and we realized we hadn’t done it yet because we were both scared. We decided to take the leap.”
Simon propped his head on his elbow. “Aww, that’s so romantic. Well, it would have been if I hadn’t had to listen to the noise you were making. Iggy stayed red most of the night, poor thing. I think it was his first time hearing two guys going at it.”
“Has he left with Will?”
“Yup. They should both be back sometime this afternoon.”
“I have to go in town for a bit.”
Simon’s smile vanished from his lips. “Alone?”
“Yes.”
“Nope. I’m not letting you.”
Mal sighed. “I can’t let Paul dictate the way I live my life.”
“No, but you can’t go out there without taking precautions. You know him better than I do, and even I know he’s out there somewhere waiting for an opportunity to get to you.”
Mal couldn’t deny Simon was right. He hated it, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. “Fine. You want to come?”
“I do, but we should take someone else too. Someone who can actually fight his way out of a wet paper bag.”
Mal snickered. “Yeah, okay. I don’t know who’s free right now, though.”
“Let’s go to Kam’s house and find out.”
Mal had to wait for Simon to go dress since he still was in his pajamas, but he used the time to text Will.
Hi there.
It took Will a few minutes to reply.
Hi.
Working?
Yes.
I’m going to Gillham in a bit.
Alone?
Mal rolled his eyes. Of course Will’s first thought would be the same as Simon’s.
No. Simon’s coming.
Take someone else.
Yeah. We’re coming over to see who can come.
Come by the office while you’re here?
Of course.
Love you.
Mal beamed at his phone. It never got old. Well, it had only been since the night before, but still. Mal couldn’t imagine he’d ever have enough of hearing and reading that Will loved him. If he thought about his life only a few months ago, he couldn’t believe how happy he was, Paul notwithstanding. And even Paul didn’t scare Mal as much as he had before.
It wasn’t only thanks to Will, though. When Mal had met Paul, he’d been alone. His best friend had disappeared some time before and Mal had thought he’d never see Arlen again. He’d been an easy prey for Paul, and he realized it only now.
He knew it would never happen again. Even if he lost Will, and he hoped that never happened, Mal wouldn’t be alone. He had Arlen again, and Simon and Elliott. Kameron would do anything he could to help him, and Nick would, too, albeit more reluctantly. He’d showed up without asking questions when Paul had tried to talk to Mal in the coffee shop.
Mal heard Simon bounce down the stairs and got up. He put his phone in his pocket and left the kitchen, eager to move, to do something. Maybe he could pick up something nice for Will while he was in town, like a gift or something. He didn’t know if shifters gave gifts when they mated, but it seemed like an important occasion to him, so why not? He wasn’t a shifter after all, and he had his own ideas. He was sure Will wouldn’t mind.
“Ready?” he asked Simon when he got into the entrance. Simon didn’t answer, and a when he turned to face Mal, Mal knew something was wrong. “Simon?”
“He’s here.”
Mal frowned. “Who’s here?”
“Paul. Or at least I think it’s Paul. I don’t know, but I saw a man walking around the house from upstairs. I thought it was a pack member, but I peeked outside from here, and I don’t recognize the guy.”
“Could it be someone new?”
“I guess, but as far as I know Iggy’s the only new guy in the pack.”
“I’m going to look outside.”
“Don’t,” Simon cried out. “What if it’s him and he sees you?”
“Go lock every single door and window. I’ll wait until you’re done to look, okay?”
Simon nodded and hurried out of the room. Mal bounced his foot on the floor and jumped when his phone rang. He nearly let it fall when he took it out. He expected it to be Paul, but it was Will, and he answered. “Yes?”
“What’s wrong?”
Mal frowned. “How do you know something’s wrong?”
“I can feel it. What’s wrong, Mal?”
“Simon says someone’s outside the house, and he doesn’t recognize the man. He thinks it might be Paul.”
“Have you seen him?”
“Not yet.”
“Stay inside with Simon. I’m coming.”
“Maybe it’s nothing.”
“I’m not ready to risk it. Kameron is here, so he’ll come with me. He already called the enforcers, and they should get there soon too.”
Mal didn’t like the fact that so many people were moved just because of Paul. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s not Paul. It might be a member of Tom’s council, and Kameron wants to check.”
Mal hadn’t even thought of that. “Sure. We’ll stay inside.”
“You do that. We’ll be there in ten minutes tops.”
Mal hung up just as Simon came back from the kitchen. “I locked everything.”
“Will called. He said he, Kameron, and some enforcers are coming. They think it could be a member of Tom’s council.”
Simon looked scared, and Mal hated it. He opened his arms and Simon walked in the embrace, hugging Mal close. “It’ll be all right,” Mal murmured against Simon’s shoulder. “Help is coming and we’re inside the house.”
A window broke somewhere at the back of the house and Simon looked up, his eyes wide.
* * * *
Will was running as fast as he could, yet he knew it wasn’t fast enough. He was so damn tempted to shift, but he knew his bear wouldn’t be as fast, at least not in the middle of the woods.
He could hear Kameron running by his side, and the sound of other people running behind them, but he never looked behind. He couldn’t, not when Mal was in danger. It didn’t matter of it was Paul or someone sent by Tom—Mal wasn’t a shifter, and he couldn’t defend himself from either. Will prayed Simon would help, but he wasn’t sure it was possible. He’d never seen Simon fight, and Simon sure didn’t look like someone who could.
The house came into view just as a loud scream came from inside it. Will ran even faster, and he hadn’t thought it would be possible. He careened through the front door, opening it barely in time as not to hit it, and hurried toward the back of the house, from where he could hear snarls and growls.
He entered the kitchen, Kameron on his heels, and froze at the sight that greeted him.
Paul had his back pressed against the wall and his eyes were wide. His left sleeve was missing a piece and blood dripped from an arm wound Will couldn’t see. Paul looked terrified, and his eyes never left the small gray wolf that was standing between him and Mal, who was on the other side of the room.
A zap of lightening crossed the room and Paul jumped. Will wasn’t sure he’d been hit, but the smell of something burnt filled the room. Will looked backward to see Noah standing close behind him, his eyes narrowed at Paul, his arm extended and still sparkling. Kameron was there, his hands on Noah’s shoulder, steering him away.
The wolf snarled when Paul moved. Paul looked at Will. “The—the wolf. It’s a guy. He turned into a wolf. And that other guy...”
Will rolled his eyes and strode to Mal’s side. Mal launched himself into Will’s arms and Will held him close, taking in Mal’s scent until his bear was reassured their mate was fine. Mal didn’t look hurt when Will gently pushed him away and held him at arm’s length to check. He was pale, and he was trembling a little, but he looked fine.
“Did he hurt you?” Will asked in a rough voice.
Mal shook his head. “He tried. Me and Simon were in the entrance and we heard glass breaking. We stayed away, but Paul came in and grabbed me. He dragged me here and tried to push me outside, but Simon snapped and shifted right in front of Paul. He scared Paul to death, especially when he bit his arm. Paul tried to run away, but Simon blocked his path. He put himself between me and Paul. He saved me.”
Will hugged Mal again and promised himself he’d buy a huge cake for Simon. He needed to thank him in some way, because he’d nearly lost his mate, and Mal was fine only thanks to Simon.
Will looked at Simon, who was now sitting and licking his paw. He looked immensely pleased with himself, and Will chuckled. “He sure looks happy with what he did.”
Paul was still pressed against the wall, and no one in the room was doing anything to help him. Kameron was back and on the phone, telling the leader of the enforcers’ team that should have been right behind them they could go back to doing their patrolling job. He didn’t sound happy, and Will knew someone would pay. With all the patrolling the enforcers and the pack’s soldiers were doing, it shouldn’t have been possible for Paul to pass through, especially since he was only human.
Kameron hung up and sighed heavily. Mal left Will’s embrace to go coo at Simon, so Will moved closer to Kameron. “Do you know what happened?”
Kameron scowled at his phone “Apparently two of the recruits were being tested. Let’s just say they’re clearly not ready to be part of the security system. I also took the decision to cancel all the tests until we know we’re safer. This time it was only a human, but who knows who could pass through the next time.”
“Hu—human?” Paul asked from his corner.
Kameron and Will looked at him, and Will saw the amused glint in Kameron’s eyes as he answered, “Yes, human. That’s what you are, isn’t it?”
Paul looked from Simon to Kameron, then at Will. “You’re not human?”
Kameron snorted. “Does Simon look human to you right now?”
Paul seemed to gather his wit, because he straightened and took a tiny step away from the wall. “What are you?”
“Shifters.”
There was no way they could hide what they were from Paul, not anymore. Will didn’t know what was going to happen, but he did know they couldn’t let Paul go. Will might not know him well, but he knew enough to know Paul wouldn’t keep his mouth shut about them. They couldn’t risk it.
“You’re animals,” Paul said, looking at Simon again.
Simon grinned, showing Paul his fangs, and Paul took a step backward again. His back hit the wall and he startled, as if he hadn’t realized he was still so close to it. He swallowed heavily enough that Will heard him and looked at Mal.
“We need to go, baby. These guys are monsters.”
Will growled. He couldn’t help it. Paul had tried to take Mal away, and he was still trying to do just that. Will knew Mal wouldn’t go with his ex, of course he did, but it didn’t mean he didn’t feel a bit possessive.
Mal snorted. “Please. I’m not going anywhere.”
Paul stepped forward again, but a nice growl from Simon stopped him before he could get too close to Mal. “You saw that guy bite me, and that other one shoot lightning from his fingers. You can’t say they’re not dangerous.”
“I never said they’re not. They won’t hurt me, though.”
“How can you say that?”
Mal shook his head. “I can’t believe you have to ask. You know as well as I do why Simon bit you. It’s because you’re an asshole and you were trying to kidnap me.”
“I wasn’t kidna
pping you!”
“Yeah? What do you call grabbing someone and trying to take him away from his home?”
“This is not your home, Mal. Your home is with me.”
Damn, Paul sounded sincere. Will looked at Mal to see if he fell for it, but Mal had crossed his arms on his chest and was looking at Paul as if he were a nasty insect Mal needed to squash.
“My home is right here, with my best friends and my future husband.”
“Future husband?” Paul repeated, as if he’d forgotten all about Will since the time they’d seen each other in the coffee shop.
Will grinned. “That would be me.” He opened his arms and Mal didn’t waste time sliding into them and kissing his cheek.
Paul looked like someone had hit him, and like he wanted to protest, but before he could Kameron stepped in. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Paul’s eyes widened. “You can’t keep me here against my will!”
“Wasn’t that what you were about to do to Mal?”
“No!”
“Right. Anyway, we can’t take the chance of you telling anyone about us.”
“People should know. They should know there are monsters like you out there.”
“They also should know about human monsters. I saw the bruises when Mal first got here.”
Paul’s face crumbled, and Will almost felt sorry for him. Almost. “I never meant to hurt him. I won’t ever again, I swear.”
“You won’t because he’s not going anywhere with you. He and Will are getting married, and you should keep your distance. Mal doesn’t need you. Not that you’ll have any choice in this, of course. You broke into a house and tried to kidnap a member of my pack. You’ll be put on trial for it.”
“You’re going to call the cops?”
Kameron grinned and Will was glad he was on the alpha’s side. “Nope, no cops. You threatened a pack member. That means you’ll be held for trial by shifters.”
“But I’m not a shifter!”
“It doesn’t matter. A part of our jail is reserved for humans, don’t worry. You won’t have to share your cell with one of us.”
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