“I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“More like you wanted to peek and see what was happening, huh?”
Oliver blushed, but the grin on his face was unabashed as he put his hand on his heart. “Who, me? How can you think that?”
Keenan snorted. “Well, as you can see everything is fine, so shoo.” Keenan waved his friend away, ignoring the chuckles coming from both their mates.
Oliver flopped down on the bench, ignoring Keenan’s scowl. “So, Jonah, have you talked it out with Keenan? I have to say I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you would wait until after the raid.”
“Well, a raid is always dangerous, and I wanted Keenan to know and to, you know, tell him not to worry.”
Keenan felt his stomach fall. He hadn’t really thought about the dangers his mate was going against. Sure, he knew the raids were dangerous. The guys who went had to face armed humans, and more than once they returned with wounds. Sebastian had been shot in the raid where they had liberated Jonah. But he hadn’t thought about it—until now. Now all he could see was Jonah dead before they could be together.
He clutched at Jonah’s chest, trying to get them even closer, but it wasn’t possible unless he tried to crawl in the man. He would have, if he could have managed to find a way.
“I’ll be fine,” Jonah cooed in Keenan’s ear, his hand caressing Keenan’s back in soothing circles. “I was one of the pack’s soldiers, and I know what I’m doing. Besides, I won’t be alone. Kameron will be there, and I trust him. I also trust Oliver and Sebastian to have my back, and my old pack friends. They’ll keep me safe.”
“We’ll keep each other safe, Keenan,” Sebastian said softly.
Keenan knew he shouldn’t think about it, not if he wanted to be able to let Jonah go and still function normally. He had a job to do. He might not be able to go with them and fight, but as Dominic’s PA, he was one of the minds behind the raid. He had been the one to talk with Nysys and convince him they needed his friends to help them. He had been the one to decide who would go—along with Dominic and Nate, of course. He could do this.
Keenan consciously made an effort to let Jonah’s T-shirt go. “You three better be careful, or I’ll find a way to resurrect you just to kill you myself.”
“By the way, is it true that you told Nysys he could bake the cake for your birthday?” Oliver asked, disbelief and horror on his face. “He was just about bouncing around the kitchen and telling anyone who passed by.”
“Yup.”
Oliver’s eyes widened. “Are you trying to get us killed? We could send the cake to the lab, that way we wouldn’t even have to fight!”
“I had one slice of his cake, and it was good! Besides, I told him to ask Darin to help. That way it should at least be edible, you know, Darin being a baker and all.”
As the four of them chatted about unimportant stuff, it took a little while for Keenan to realize that he was happy and peaceful. Jamie had been right when he had tried to describe what being with your mate felt like.
Keenan might have had several girlfriends over the years, and one very serious relationship with Bryce, but even that one hadn’t felt so right. He shouldn’t have felt like that, because he didn’t really know Jonah, but it felt as if his soul recognized his missing half, and Keenan hadn’t even known he was missing it. He felt happy, at peace, and he could only imagine how he would feel when they mated. He already knew he wasn’t going to ask Jonah to wait.
Keenan might not know his mate very well, but he trusted his heart. It might have been different if Jonah had been human, but knowing that they were destined to each other pushed Keenan to want their bond to be complete as soon as possible.
“I have to go,” Jonah said softly. Keenan looked up, noticing that Sebastian and Oliver were talking, their heads together as they tried to give Keenan and Jonah a bit of privacy.
“Oh, sure. I didn’t ask before, but is your friend okay? Elliott, right?”
“Yes. He’s surprisingly strong. I guess I thought he would be ashamed and stuff like that, but he’s not. He knows what happened to him wasn’t his fault and that it doesn’t change who he is.”
Oliver had told Keenan a bit of what had happened to Elliott. While Keenan didn’t know everything, he knew enough to have a good idea what Elliott had been through. “So he’ll be fine?”
“Yeah. He’s back home, and even if things aren’t perfect with the pack yet, I’m sure Kameron will be able to resolve the problems.”
A thought sparked in Keenan’s mind. “Where do you want to live?”
Jonah raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re a wolf, so maybe you’ll want to move to Gillham.”
Jonah shook his head and Keenan felt relief flooding him. He hadn’t realized until now how much living at the mansion meant to him. “No. I’d like to stay here, if Dominic lets me and if you’re okay with it. I know things are different in Gillham now, but I’m not sure I can live there again, not after what happened. It was... weird to go there, you know, to see Kameron in the Alpha’s house. More than that, some of the people who supported Erskine still live there, and I don’t want to see them.”
It was a good thing Keenan was moving into Soren’s old suite, then.
Jonah gently pushed Keenan until Keenan was standing in front of him. He rose from the bench, holding his hand out, and Keenan squeezed it. “I’ll walk you to your car.” He stuck his tongue out at Oliver one last time before following Jonah along the small path that led to the house. “I know you said I have to wait at least a week, but can I call you? Maybe text you?”
Jonah looked over his shoulder and smiled before reaching for Keenan. He looped his arm around Keenan’s shoulders and held him close as they walked to the car. “Of course. I think I’ll need to hear your voice to make it through the raid. Now that I know you want me, it’s going to be even harder to stay away.”
“At least we know you’ll find your friends tomorrow.”
Jonah sighed and stopped in front of the car, gathering Keenan in his arms and holding him close, leaning their foreheads together. “I hope so, Keenan. I really hope so.”
* * * *
Jonah hadn’t wanted to leave Keenan, but he had to check on Elliott and get ready for the raid. Physically, it wouldn’t be a problem, but Jonah hadn’t been in one of those labs since he had been liberated a little over two months ago. After spending a whole year of his life in there, he wasn’t sure about how he was going to react. He just hoped he wouldn’t run away screaming like a girl.
“Elliott?” Jonah asked, knocking on the door of Elliott’s room. He had taken his friend back to his parents’ house, even though he wasn’t sure about bringing him back to the pack who had sold him. Sure, he knew Erskine wasn’t the Alpha anymore, but he also knew that most of his inner circle was still there, as influential as ever. But he trusted Kameron to keep Elliott, Merle and Simon safe.
“Jonah, hey. How did it go?”
Jonah had told Elliott about Keenan, both because he wanted to take the man’s mind off what he had been through and because he needed a friend to talk to. Someone who wasn’t close to Keenan, who could be objective about their situation.
The two of them had become friends after Erskine had sold them. Sure, they’d known each other from the pack, but there was such a big age difference between them that they’d never really been friends. Jonah, Simon, Elliott and Merle had all been sold together, although Erskine had not kidnapped them at the same time.
Simon was the first. Jonah remembered that he’d disappeared a month before Merle. Jonah had been worried when the second young man disappeared, and he’d started to think he should look for them. He hadn’t had the time, because Vince, Erskine’s Beta, had attacked him and knocked him out, and he’d woken up in a cage with them. Elliott had arrived soon after that and they’d all been brought to a lab. Jonah didn’t know where that lab was, and he d
idn’t care. They’d been drugged and helpless, and he still felt guilty about not being able to protect his three friends when he should have.
They had stayed together, although in separated cages, for a while. Jonah couldn’t tell how long—it wasn’t as if the company had given them a calendar—but he guessed it was about three months, maybe more. Then he had been moved to the lab where Dominic had found him nine months later.
They had spent those three months together, and the three younger men had quickly become part of Jonah’s family, much like younger brothers.
“It went well. Very well.”
Jonah smiled at Elliott as he entered the man’s room and sat next to him on the bed. Elliott was buried under the covers, only his head peeking out. His hair was wild and messy, a halo of fiery red surrounding his head and making a stark contrast with the white sheets. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“I talked to Keenan, told him I wanted him but that I had to free you guys before. He agreed, so after we find Merle and Simon I’ll stay with the three of you for a week or so then, I’ll go to Keenan.”
Elliott scoffed. “Okay, there are several wrong things I want you to notice here. One, I hope you realize that you could have saved yourself and your mate a lot of heartache if only you’d have talked to him before leaving?”
Jonah growled a bit. “I know. You already told me, about a hundred times.”
Elliott waved his hand in the air, dismissing Jonah’s words. “Anyway. There’s also the fact that you’re acting as if I’m a five-year-old. I’m an adult, Jonah. I can take care of myself now that I’m home. I’m sure Merle and Simon will say the same thing. You don’t have to babysit us. Go to your mate.”
“Elliott... ” Jonah wasn’t sure how to say this. He knew that what Elliott had been through had been horrible, and they weren’t sure about what Merle and Simon had had to suffer through yet, but it was probably even worse. “As bad as you had it, I think Merle and Simon will be worse. I don’t mean to say that what you went through—”
“I know. As bad as it was, they probably had it worse. I understand that. I know you want to protect us, and I’d love to have you here with us, but you’ve done so much for us already, Jonah. You saved my life, you’re going to save Merle’s and Simon’s too. You’ve done enough. You deserve to be happy with your mate.”
Jonah scowled. “I will, just as soon as I’m sure you three brats are fine.”
Elliott threw his hands in the air. “Fine, have it your way.” The banter between them was nice. It was nice to see Elliott smile after not seeing him for close to a year. Elliott pointed his index finger into Jonah’s face. “But I want to meet the man, you got me?”
Jonah smiled and put his palm on his chest, bowing at his friend. “Your request is an order, your majesty.”
Elliott just slapped him on the arm. “Laugh all you want, but I’ll meet your mate, one way or another. It’ll be less painful for you if you just bring him to me.”
Jonah could see that Elliott was tired, even if he was trying to put on a brave face. “I think I’m going to go. I have stuff to do before I head out tomorrow night.”
“Where are you sleeping, Jonah? Not in that motel, I hope.”
Jonah shook his head. “No, I’m staying with Kameron. He’s trying to convince me to come back to the pack.”
Elliott hesitated. “You don’t want to?”
“Even if I wanted to, and I’m not sure I do, Keenan’s life is in Whitedell. He’s Dominic’s PA, and he loves his job. I don’t want to take that away from him. But I promise I’ll visit. Gillham isn’t that far away, especially if I ask one of the Nix to bring me here.”
“Make sure you do that, Jonah.”
Jonah left Elliott when his eyelids started to close and headed to Kameron’s house. The two houses were within walking distance, as were most of the houses of the pack, and he was very surprised to see a man standing between the trees outside Kameron’s house. Getting closer as silently as he could, he had to suppress a gasp when he recognized Zach.
The man was thin like a stick, but that wasn’t the worst part. No, the worst part was the bruises Jonah could see even at a distance. One of Zach’s eyes was black, his lower lip split. There were bruises around both his wrists and on both arms, just above his elbows, making it obvious that someone was abusing him. Jonah had no idea who it could be since he hadn’t been back in pack territory for long, but he did know Kameron didn’t know, couldn’t know about this. He wouldn’t have let Zach be hurt like that without doing anything to help him.
“Zach?” Zach jumped and twirled around, his eyes huge when he saw Jonah. “Zach? Are you okay?”
Zach shook his head frantically and turned around, giving Kameron’s house one last longing glance before running away. Jonah made to go after him, but a voice stopped him.
“Don’t.”
Jonah turned to see Kameron standing not too far away from him, his eyes following Zach’s retreating form. “What happened to him?”
Kameron’s eyes were hard when he answered, his fist clenched at his sides, his face expressionless. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
Chapter Three
Keenan was running around, making sure everyone was there. The raid would take place in only an hour or so, and everyone had to shimmer to Gillham.
Nysys’ friends had arrived, and they were huddled together in a corner of the living room while the members of the pride who were going on the raid were quietly talking with each other. Keenan wasn’t sure if any of them had tried to talk to the Nix, but he didn’t like the fact that they were kept apart. He couldn’t see any of the pride’s three Nix, so he decided to go and try to talk to them. He knew Dominic was hoping to convince them to leave their tribes and help the council, so it might be a good thing to show them they could be nice.
He glowered at the people he passed, but his only result was a smirk on Bryce’s face.
“Hi. I’m Keenan.” He held his hand out, and the five men in front of him just looked at it as if it would bite them if they shook hands with him.
Keenan was about to take his hand back when one the guys rolled his eyes and grabbed it, shaking it with a little too much enthusiasm. “I’m Wyn.”
“Wyn?”
“Yeah, but with a y instead of an i.”
“Okay, sure.” Keenan pulled a bit on his hand, just to hint that he wanted it back. Wyn grinned at him and finally let Keenan’s hand go.
“Sorry about that. We’re not really used to being around humans.”
“Oh, well, neither am I. I’ve lived with shifters for a year.”
The four other guys still looked wary, but Keenan guessed that having at least one of them speak to him was progress. Not much, but it was still better than nothing.
They looked at each other awkwardly until Keenan chuckled. “Okay, this is weird and uncomfortable.”
Wyn smiled at him. “Yeah.”
“Do you guys want something to drink or to eat?”
They all shook their heads and stayed silent. This was really awkward and Keenan wasn’t sure what to say.
“You know, Wyoming is nice,” Wyn said. “I like the trees.”
“Oh? Where do you usually live? I know Nysys said that all of you come from different tribes, but I don’t know where you come from.”
“My tribe lives in California. It’s... different. But I like it here.”
“Are you thinking of moving?”
“Nysys asked us to, and I’m leaning toward saying yes. My tribe... let’s just say I’ll be fine without them.” Keenan arched a brow in question, surprised when Wyn actually answered his silent question. “I might be blond like the other Nix, but my father was human. Finn might have told you that Nix tribes usually don’t tolerate half-breeds well.”
“Do all of you... are all of you half-breed?”
“Nope. Noem and Yerad are a hundred percent Nix, but
Cerris is half werewolf.”
Keenan felt his eyes widen. “Werewolf? I’ve never met one! Do you shift into the half-human form?” Keenan knew he often made people uncomfortable with his questions, but he didn’t mean to. They just popped out of his mouth most of the time, and he didn’t have any control over his mouth.
Cerris blushed. “Yeah, but I can’t control it very well.”
Wyn squeezed Cerris’ shoulder before explaining, “Cerris’ mother is a Nix, but his father hasn’t been allowed to see him since he was born, although he tried. Cerris isn’t allowed to shift into his half-form anywhere near the tribe, and they keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t run away or anything. His mother is the daughter of the tribe’s leader.”
Cerris grimaced. “It’s not like they actually want me in the tribe, but they’re not sure what to do with me.”
Keenan hesitated, but he had to ask. “All of you have some kind of problem with your tribe, right? So why don’t you want to move here? I know you’re not used to living with shifters and humans, but we can find you a separate house and you could make your own tribe if you want to.”
“We’re thinking about it, but some of us have family in the tribes.”
“Bring them with you if they want to come. I’m sure we can find space for everyone.” Keenan just hoped he hadn’t just accepted to take in fifty or sixty people.
He looked up and decided it didn’t matter. Only Wyn and Cerris had actually talked, but he could see the way the other three were looking around with longing in their eyes when they looked at the house and at the easy way everyone was talking and just being with each other. No one was excluded, and Keenan felt a wave of love for all the people gathered in the living room. They were his family now. A huge, nosy family, but a family nonetheless.
Keenan Page 4