by Anya Byrne
Jessie told himself to move, to get out of there, to do anything that would save his life. But where could he go? He was surrounded by assassins, all of them armed with the same weapons that had taken Andreas out. Andreas… Oh, God, Andreas. They'd had so little time together. How foolish Jessie had been to believe that he could change the unavoidable.
He couldn't even close his eyes, but he did avert them, looking at Andreas where he still lay on the floor. Jake gripped his chin and forced their gazes to meet. "Come on now," he said with a smirk. "Don't tell me you're afraid."
"He has nothing to be afraid of," Andreas suddenly said. "If anyone is going to die, it's you."
Jake didn't even get the chance to say anything. He turned, presumably to face Andreas. Jessie caught sight of his lover, now in human form, attacking Jake. He moved so quickly that even the rest of the assassins were taken aback. By the time they even realized what was going on, Andreas had already landed on top of Jake. He didn't waste time with fancy maneuvers. He was still bleeding badly—Jessie realized—but that didn't stop him from burying his claws into Jake's throat.
Even as he ravaged Jake, Andreas shifted into his wolf form. Although he seemed to be completely focused on his enemy now, Jessie saw the tension in him, the tremor he was barely keeping in check. He saw the slight sluggishness that shouldn't have been there, and he knew he had to do something before one bullet wound cost him his mate.
On instinct, Jessie shot forward toward the other assassins, keeping them from targeting Andreas. He moved faster than he himself had ever thought he could, managing to disarm three of his opponents before the fourth caught his arm and tossed him against the wall.
Before Jessie could even try to free himself from the assassin's hold, the man trailed the cool metal of a knife against Jessie's belly. Jessie froze. Had the man guessed Jessie was pregnant? It couldn't be—Jessie himself wasn't sure. Likely, it was just Jessie being unlucky as ever. Either way, it meant he couldn't move, lest he risk the one thing that could be as important to him as Andreas.
"Not so willing to resist now," the man said. He breathed heavily in Jessie's ear, his voice now down to a whisper. "I wonder... What would you be willing to do to save your lover?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out what the guy meant. Jessie shivered in disgust, and the assassin interpreted the gesture in the way that suited him. Laughing, he added, "You like the thought, don't you, whore? I can't wait to give you what you want."
Over his shoulder, Jessie spotted the other assassins finally removing Andreas off Jake. Jake's body was motionless, a pool of blood now forming underneath him, but Andreas wasn't much better off. He didn't resist his captors in the slightest, not even whimpering when they kicked him and trailed their knives over his back and his now blood-covered fur.
Jessie's eyes filled with tears. "Please," he said. "Please stop. I'll do whatever you want. Just stop it."
It was unlikely that anything he offered would be enough to persuade these men to leave Andreas alone, but he couldn't give up. His heart wouldn't allow him to believe Andreas was dead.
Suddenly, the assassin that had been keeping Jessie captive went rigid. Jessie's senses cleared of his panic and he finally smelled a not-quite-familiar scent. Another figure stepped into Jessie's line of sight. "I think you should stop right there, gentlemen," a cool voice said. "Let him go, now. That is, if you want to live."
A tall dark-haired man had a clawed hand on the assassin's shoulder, which he then trailed over his throat. His gray eyes reminded him an awful lot of Saul, and he knew the man must be Finn, Saul's brother.
"Apologies for the delay," Finn said, looking at Jessie. "I think we can take it from here."
One of the assassins who'd been focusing on Andreas sneered, pointing his weapon at Finn. "You and what army?"
As if in answer to his question, several more wolves entered the bathroom, all of them snarling at the assassins. Judging by the sounds Jessie could hear outside, there were more of Finn's not-quite-men in Jessie's now wrecked living room. More of them would have probably burst into the bathroom had the place not already been filled to capacity.
Now backed up by impressive forces, Finn smirked. "Would you like to rephrase that?" he asked. "I don't like to be questioned, and I don't like silencers."
To point out his words, he disarmed the assassin in a few efficient motions. Jessie couldn't even tell how he did it. The knife against Jessie's belly simply disappeared, as if through a magic trick, and seconds later, so did the body pinning him to the wall. Finn lifted the silencer up into the air, squeezing his throat until the guy started to turn blue.
"Isn't so fun now, is it?" he asked, barely concealed anger in his voice. "I don't appreciate mercenaries thinking they can waltz into our territory and kill people we've taken under our protection."
In Finn's hold, the assassin trembled, probably seconds away from pissing himself. But Jessie didn't care about him anymore. Now that he was free, he rushed to Andreas's side and dropped to his knees next to his lover—no, his mate. "Andreas... Oh, God. Can you hear me?"
When Jessie touched him, Andreas twitched slightly, struggling to open his eyes. He never did. "Please," Jessie called out, "somebody help me. He's badly hurt."
Having apparently lost interest in the assassin, Finn joined Jessie next to Andreas's prone form. "I take it he's your mate?" he guessed. When Jessie nodded, Finn added, "We don't have the necessary medical equipment to treat him here. We'll have to go to the Alpha mansion."
"Can he survive if we move him?" Jessie asked, unable to keep his voice from trembling.
Finn squeezed his shoulder, the striking familiarity somehow comforting Jessie. "He'll make it. Werewolves are more resilient than you think, especially when they have something to live for."
That might have been true, but Andreas was in a really bad condition. He'd lost a lot of blood already, and in spite of his fur, Jessie could see his wounds were swollen and seeping blackened blood. Even if the Alpha mansion had the facilities needed to help Andreas, they might never get there in time, especially since, from what comments Saul had made, Jessie had gathered the place wasn't even in the city. He suspected Finn knew all this as well, but he was trying to encourage Jessie.
Jessie didn't know what prompted him to do what he did next. Like a man in a dream, he took hold of Andreas's paw and bent over Andreas's body. Suddenly, he seemed to have fangs—which given what had happened earlier, wasn't all that surprising. With as much gentleness as he could muster, he bit down on Andreas's flesh.
It wasn't a sensual moment. It couldn't have been, not with Jessie's strong awareness of what he risked, of the fact that he might lose Andreas before they'd even gotten the chance to truly be together. All the accusations and the distrust had ruined their meeting, Jessie's past polluting the beautiful hours they'd shared. Jessie simply couldn't allow their story to end here.
Jessie willed Andreas to return to him, placing all the hope and need inside him into that lone desire. Something inside him snapped, much like it had when he'd first seen his lover being attacked. Even as he tasted Andreas's blood, a strange power seemed to flow out of him and into Andreas.
Somewhere at the back of his mind, images and emotions began to crystallize. It was slow at first, and Jessie couldn't be sure what was happening. But then, out of the blue, pain rushed over him, an agony not his own, but freed from Andreas's body. Jessie held on, a strange instinct telling him that everything depended on this moment, on his ability to endure what he needed to for his mate, for them both. A golden thread of emotion wrapped around him, his new mate bond with Andreas. Deep inside him, he felt an energy not his own, supporting him, giving him courage, strengthening his resolve. God, he really was pregnant.
It was just that knowledge that kept him from giving everything he could, everything he was, to Andreas. He pulled away with great reluctance, hoping that his efforts had been enough.
When his vision focused, Jessie realized wit
h relief that Andreas's eyes were open. He still hadn't shifted into his human form—which Jessie guessed would have taken strength he didn't have—but the worst of his injuries had disappeared. Jessie smiled down at his mate and pet Andreas's large head. "See? I'm stronger than you think. I told you I believed in us."
The werewolf licked his hand in response, struggling to get up, but failing. Jessie quickly pushed him down, keeping him from straining himself too much. "Don't move, Andreas. You're still not well."
He was distracted from his scrutiny of Andreas by a soft curse. When he looked up, he saw Finn staring at him in shock. "Holy shit. How did that happen?"
In that moment, Jessie realized he had no idea exactly what he'd done to help his mate. He'd just followed his heart and his instinct, and he'd ended up with that. "I don't know," he admitted. "I never had that kind of power before. It doesn't matter. I'll figure it out later. I think Andreas still needs some help."
Finn didn't make any further inquiries. He just nodded and picked Andreas's still form without too much trouble. Jessie got up too and followed Saul's brother out of the bathroom. By now, Finn's companions had immobilized the rest of the silencers and had even removed Jake's body. Jessie realized that he was completely naked. As much as he wanted to hasten things along, he couldn't just go see Saul's father in the buff. As he pulled a pair of pants and a shirt on, it occurred to him that the neighbors should have noticed the attack on him.
As if guessing his thoughts, Finn said, "I'll have to stay behind to do some damage control, but you'll be perfectly safe with my men." He grimaced. "Usually, silencers are more discreet, but now, they wanted everyone to find out about it. It's why it took me so long to get to you in the first place. They had reinforcements trying to attack me. They're likely planning a pack war."
A pack war. Just like Andreas had told him. Judging by the destruction caused by this one small conflict, such a thing could be disastrous. But Jessie couldn't worry about the bigger picture now. His mate was still in a delicate condition, and he himself felt a little woozy.
"Are you all right?" Finn asked, obviously noticing his predicament. "You went ashen."
"A bit...weak," Jessie replied. "I'll be fine."
Finn didn't seem convinced. He gestured one of his men—wolves—close. The man shifted into his human form and Finn handed Andreas to him. "Argent, make sure they get home safe."
Argent just nodded silently. They left the apartment through the fire escape, while Finn and some others stayed behind. The quiet werewolf gestured Jessie into a jeep and Jessie obediently slid into the car. Distantly, he wondered if he could really trust these people, but he didn't have much of a choice.
It helped that Argent gently slid Andreas into the back with Jessie and joined them. Another werewolf took the wheel. When had they gotten dressed? Jessie didn't know. The light-headedness was getting stronger, so he buried his hand in Andreas's fur and closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn't throw up all over the fancy upholstery.
As the car started, Andreas placed his head on Jessie's leg. He still smelled like blood, but Jessie told himself that it didn't matter, that he'd managed to fix most of it. He focused on Andreas, petting his mate, monitoring his breathing. At one point, he almost seemed to drift into a state of near-unconsciousness, because if the werewolves in the car were speaking, he couldn't hear it.
However, he did snap out of his trance when the car finally stopped. Blinking, he finally registered that they'd stopped in front of a huge mansion. A tall dark-haired man stood in the doorway, his spine ramrod straight, a stony expression on his face.
When Jessie practically stumbled out of the car, the man's eyes widened and his facade cracked. "Will?" he asked.
That was the last thing that registered in Jessie's mind before he swayed and everything went black.
Chapter Six
"It's quite remarkable," the pack doctor said as he analyzed Andreas's body for what seemed like the nth time. "If what you say is true, the injuries should have been enough to at least have you in a coma for weeks, if you even survived."
Andreas released a sigh of frustration. He'd heard that more than once since the man had started looking him over, and he was tired of it. "How's my mate?" he inquired without bothering to acknowledge the comment.
"Sleeping," the pack doctor replied. "He was exhausted, but otherwise, unscathed."
Andreas didn't know if he could believe that. He fidgeted, then closed his eyes, reaching out to his mate through their bond. Jessie's emotions were muted, but not like they'd been before. The pack doctor was probably honest, and Jessie must be resting.
He still couldn't believe Jessie had claimed him as his mate. In a way, it seemed too good to be true, but at the same time, Andreas hated that Jessie had been put in the position of having to choose between his freedom and Andreas's life. Not to mention that Andreas still didn't have any idea how Jessie had healed him in the first place.
All of these questions and doubts had him restless. He pushed the doctor away and said, "Look, I'm fine. I want to see him."
The doctor hesitated, and Andreas's hackles rose. He bared his teeth at the other werewolf, more than ready to take the guy out just like he'd done with that asshole who'd hurt Jessie so much.
His wolf stirred restlessly inside him, stronger than ever. In fact, Andreas himself felt stronger. He'd already recovered from his injuries, and the last traces of pain had disappeared. The few hours he'd spent in the care of the doctor had compensated for the blood loss that, under different circumstances, could have knocked him out for a good couple of days. In his current condition, he was more than capable to handle whatever this pack threw at him.
As it turned out, the doctor knew better than to stand in Andreas's way, or perhaps he'd been warned beforehand about what Andreas was likely to do. He stepped aside and discreetly gestured Andreas to an already prepared outfit—jeans, a shirt, and a pair of shoes. Andreas hated the delay, but he got dressed anyway. As soon as he was ready, he rushed out of the room in search of his mate.
Of course, an Alpha's mansion wasn't a place where he could just roam without an explanation or a companion. Fortunately—and probably not coincidentally—he ran into Finn outside.
"Come on," Finn said without preamble. "I'll take you to your mate."
Andreas followed the other werewolf, still anxious, but knowing that he needed to say something in thanks for the assistance the Simmons pack had provided. "You saved our lives," he told Finn. "I don't think I ever mentioned how much it means to me. Thank you."
Finn shrugged. "You have nothing to thank me for. We are, after all, family."
That was a strange comment to make, but Andreas didn't have the time to inquire into what it meant. Finn stopped in front of a wooden door and opened it, gesturing for Andreas to enter.
Andreas did, and froze at the sight that greeted his eyes. Just like the pack doctor had said, Jessie lay slumbering on a big, comfortable-looking bed, his dark brown hair spread on the pillows. However, that wasn't what shocked Andreas.
The pack Alpha sat at Jessie's bedside, caressing Jessie's locks, staring at his face as if entranced. Jealousy reared up inside Andreas, his wolf snarling angrily. Andreas growled, and the other werewolf turned toward him, arching a brow. "Mr. Brandt. I see you're feeling better."
Andreas gritted his teeth, barely managing to keep himself from pouncing the Alpha. Dean Simmons might be the leader of this pack, but he had another thing coming if he thought he was going to claim Jessie for his own.
"Alpha Simmons," he said, "I'd appreciate it if you stepped back from my mate."
"Ah, yes." Dean Simmons stood up, not looking in the least bit offended. "I imagine that must have looked bad. Don't worry, Mr. Brandt. I have no intention to challenge your claim to him. I am merely making sure my oldest son is all right."
Andreas just stared at the Alpha, wondering if he'd heard that right. "Your... son? That can't be right." Sure, he'd guessed Jessie had werewolf blood.
There was no question of it now. But from that to him being Dean Simmons's son... "There must be some mistake."
"No mistake," Finn said from behind him. "I felt something from the moment we first met. I just... knew him." He looked down at Jessie with a fond expression. "I wanted to protect him, like he was pack—even if I'd never seen him before in my life."
"Jessie is the son of my true mate, whom you've undoubtedly heard rumors of. I never knew of his existence until now. Moon be blessed, I had no idea it was possible." Alpha Simmons sighed heavily, regret thick in his tone. "But it's a long story, Mr. Brandt, one you probably don't want to hear right now. We'll leave the two of you alone for now."
Together, the two men exited the room and closed the door behind them. Andreas was a little confused, since he'd thought the Alpha's true mate had been male. He had to remember to ask, because the details of Jessie's family tree were giving him a headache.
Andreas replaced Dean Simmons at Jessie's side, sitting on the very edge of the mattress. As if sensing him, Jessie finally stirred. "Andreas," he mumbled under his breath. Curling under the covers, he twitched restlessly. His voice grew more alarmed, and he thrashed, trying to shove the blankets off. "Andreas!"
Andreas slowly caressed his lover's hair, shaking Jessie out of his nightmare. Jessie's eyes shot open and he blinked several times, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Andreas?" he croaked out.
"It's okay, baby," Andreas replied. "I'm here."