Secrets [The Angel Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Maggie Walsh

  “No,” Storm interrupted. “Once I claim you, you can’t leave me. You can’t return to your pack. You belong here with me.”

  “I know I belong here with you, you’re my mate, but I made a promise and I have to keep it. I will bring your doctor back to Micah and then I’ll return in a few days,” Bass explained and ran his hand gently down Storm’s cheek.

  “Why a few days? I understand and respect you keeping your word, but can’t we just send the pain in the ass on a plane by himself? He’s a big boy and all, really, he hasn’t worn Underoos in years,” Storm said with mischief in his eyes. Bass threw his head back and laughed. Then he looked back at Storm and tenderly kissed his lips and pulled back to look his mate in the eye.

  “I wish I could, but I promised my Alpha along with my best friend, that I would bring Dr. Collins back as fast as I could, safely. Gabriel is my best friend and he and his mate have had some problems. Gabriel has been an ass and hasn’t even claimed Taylor yet, and now Taylor is dying of cancer. The guilt alone is tearing him apart and if Taylor does die, we’ll lose Gabe, too. He’s a good guy who has had a shitty life, and Taylor is the only one that can save him from his demons. I know this sucks, but let me go back, deliver the doc, tell Micah that I’ve found my mate and I’m leaving Angel pack. I can pack my things and say good-bye to my pack brothers, and make sure Taylor is okay. You would like him, he’s a funny little pistol.”

  Storm sighed and put their foreheads together. He looked into Bass’s violet eyes. “It makes me proud to have such an honorable mate. Fate has truly blessed me. Yes, go, do what you need to do, but come back to me as fast as you can. I don’t know how much longer I can wait to sink my cock inside your beautiful body.” Bass swallowed loudly. “What’s wrong, Sebastian?”

  “I’ve never…” Bass said nervously, then stopped.

  “Holy shit, you’re a virgin?” Storm asked in surprise.

  “Yes and no.” Bass looked at him sheepishly.

  “Which is it?”

  “I’m an Enforcer with my pack, and I have been with a few men in my life, but I haven’t been on the receiving end in a very long time…A very, very long time,” Sebastian said sheepishly.

  Storm looked at him in confusion, finally understanding it. His lips went up in a beautiful smile that just melted Bass. “Oh, I promise I’ll be gentle and make you fly to heaven in pleasure, Beauty.”

  Bass snorted. “A little full of yourself there aren’t you?” Storm laughed. Bass looked at him seriously. “I just never thought of myself as a bottom. It’s freaking me out a little.”

  “Enough to not want me to claim you?” Storm asked, worried.

  “No, not at all. I have waited a long time to find my mate, and if Fate has blessed me with you as my mate, then I will do anything to be with you. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t make me nervous though.”

  “I understand. You’ve always been the big bad enforcer and if you bottom, you’re afraid you’ll appear less of a man to your pack.” Bass nodded his head and looked away. “That couldn’t be further from the truth, Sebastian. Just because someone bottoms doesn’t make them the weaker partner. Look at me.”

  Bass’s eyes snapped to his, wide open in shock. “But you’re an Alpha.”

  “Yes, but I enjoy switching. Both positions have their advantages. Their own unique pleasures. And, when you return to me, we’ll explore them all together.” Storm leaned forward and reclaimed Bass’s lips, but this time it was a gentle, tender kiss. It felt like a promise, like Storm was trying to make him understand that he could trust Storm. This kiss rocked Bass’s world just as much as the fierce passionate one they shared earlier.

  The door banged open causing the two new lovers to pull apart and look in the direction of the noise. A small man of about five foot two and about a hundred and fifteen pounds with short spiked red hair, with golden streaks, and big golden eyes stood there looking at them in annoyance. “So, when do I leave for the puppy pound?” Storm sighed heavily and shook his head.

  Chapter 7

  “Are we sure about this guy? I mean he’s a little…” Jesse said as he paced outside Taylor’s room.

  “Mean? Rude? Egotistical? Self-absorbed? Annoying?” Bass interrupted.

  “Yeah, all of the above,” Jesse said sheepishly.

  “Let’s just see what he says about Taylor and see if he can help him, then we’ll send the little terror back to Bass’s mate,” Micah said with a smirk at Bass.

  “Thanks, Micah. Nice to know you’re on my side.” Bass laughed.

  “Always, brother. I can’t believe you’re leaving us,” Micah added.

  “I was shocked, too, when I met Storm and realized he was my mate. But I do need to be with him, and he lives across the country.”

  “I still can’t believe you’re mated to an Alpha. You know what that means, right?” Crew asked.

  “No, what does that mean, Crew?” Bass asked cautiously.

  “That you’re the Alpha mate and you’ll be on the receiving end.” Crew snickered.

  “You have a problem with that, Crew? With bottoming?” Jesse questioned with a hint of anger.

  Crew’s eyes went wide at Jesse’s tone. “No…Alpha mate.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with bottoming, Crew. It doesn’t make you weak or less of a man to be on the receiving end.” Micah looked at him with annoyance.

  Bass swallowed then asked, “Would you bottom, Alpha?”

  Without missing a beat Micah answered, “For my mate I would.”

  Jesse gasped in shock, his eyes open wide. “You would?”

  Micah pulled Jesse into him, wrapping his arms around him. “Yes, baby, for you I would, if you wanted to.”

  Just then the door opened and Dr. Collins stepped out. “Mr. O’Leary would like you all to be there when I give him my findings.” He then turned and walked back inside.

  They all gave each other a look, then followed the Doctor inside. Gabriel was sitting on the edge of the bed holding Taylor’s hand. Jesse went right to Taylor and sat on the bed on his other side and grabbed his other hand. Dr. Collins walked out of the bathroom drying his hands.

  “Okay, Doc, what can you tell us about Taylor’s condition?” Micah asked.

  “He’s very sick and he’s dying,” Dr. Collins said coldly as he looked in his bag.

  “Let’s not sugarcoat it, Doc, give it to me straight,” Taylor said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

  The doc looked up at him with an annoyed, but confused look on his face. “I just did.”

  “It’s called sarcasm, Doc. I was pretty sure you were familiar with the concept,” Taylor huffed.

  Micah shook his head and sighed. He realized they would get nowhere like this. “We know all that, Dr. Collins. Could you tell us something we don’t know, like is there something we could do to save Taylor?”

  “There’s nothing you can do to save him,” the doc answered in his usual cold, dry tone.

  “No,” Jesse said at the same time Taylor whispered, “What?”

  “There’s really nothing you can do to help him?” Gabriel asked with tears in his eyes. Taylor grabbed his hand tightly and leaned over and kissed Gabriel on the cheek.

  “I can do a lot for him. But the rest of you can’t,” Dr. Collins answered.

  “Then why didn’t you just say that?” Crew asked angrily.

  “Alpha Angel asked if there was something you all could do for Mr. O’Leary. Not what I could do for him. I answered his question.”

  “You can’t be that dense…” Crew started but Micah cut him off. “What can you do for Taylor, Dr. Collins?”

  “First, I can go in and remove the tumor.”

  “But my other doctor said that it wasn’t possible to remove the whole thing because of where it is. And even then I would probably have to go through months of chemo,” Taylor started to explain but Dr. Collins cut him off.

  “That’s because your other doctor is a moron.”

  Taylor looked
at him like he was insane. Once again Micah took over. “Doctor, could you please explain to us what you mean and exactly how you can help Taylor?”

  Dr. Collins looked at Micah for a moment then sighed. “Okay, here it is. Mr. O’Leary, your other doctor wasn’t me. He was limited in what he could do because of the restraints of his human life. I don’t have that problem. I have the added benefit of shifter knowledge. And lucky for you that I do. Your pack doctor was even more of a dolt. He’s not really a doctor, just a shifter shaman if you will. He doesn’t know a damn thing about helping humans. It’s a good thing you found your mate because that is what will save you, well besides me. What I can do is go in, take out the tumor and then start feeding you your mate’s blood. That should destroy any of the tumor that can’t be removed. I would like to test some of your blood with your mate’s blood first to see the reaction, and then I can go from there, but I think this will work.”

  “Will any shifter blood work, or just my mates?” Taylor asked quietly and looked at Gabriel. Gabriel’s eyes were now full of sadness.

  “Any shifter blood should help, but there is nothing stronger than a claimed mate’s blood,” Dr. Collins answered.

  “Oh,” Taylor said then looked down. Gabriel stood up and turned away. He walked to the window and stared outside.

  “What if Taylor wasn’t claimed by his mate? Would his mate’s blood still work?” Jesse asked.

  The doctor looked at him strangely with a tilted head and then answered, “Yes, it would, but a claimed mate’s blood would be stronger. I’ll have to run some tests on their blood, but I’m pretty sure that the blood of an unclaimed mate would work, but probably wouldn’t destroy the tumor.

  “Which means that Taylor would have to drink some of his mate’s blood maybe on a daily basis so the tumor would be kept under control, but it would still be there. I believe that if you drink your claimed mate’s blood right after I remove the bulk of the tumor that his blood will then kill the rest of the tumor. Leaving you healthy again.”

  “Thank you, Doc. I’ll think about it,” Taylor said.

  “What? Taylor, no,” Jesse said, grabbing onto Taylor’s hand tightly.

  “I’m confused. I thought you all dragged me out here to save his life, not think about it. Why the hell would you not want to do this? If you don’t, you will die. You understand that, right?” the doctor said angrily.

  “It’s a lot to take in, I need to think about it,” Taylor huffed.

  “You don’t have much time left, Mr. O’Leary. A few weeks, maybe months, but you’ll just get worse. The headaches will get worse. The pain will get worse. And I can tell you, I’m pretty impressed already. The pain you must be in right now would make most humans unable to function.”

  Jesse’s eyes opened in shock. “You’re in that much pain, Tay? Why didn’t you tell us?” Taylor just shrugged and looked away.

  “You said you needed to run a few tests first, right?” Micah asked. The doctor nodded. “Okay, how about we start there. We’ll set you up somewhere that you can run your tests while Taylor mulls over all the information. Just give me a list of everything you need, Dr. Collins, and I’ll make sure you get it right away.”

  “Okay, but I’ll need samples of your blood, Mr. O’Leary, along with your mates,” Dr. Collins said.

  “Why don’t you come with me to my office and we’ll start getting all the equipment you need.” Micah motioned for the doc to follow him. Everyone left the room except Taylor, Jesse, and Gabriel.

  When the door closed behind the others Jesse pounced on him. “Don’t you dare be your stubborn-ass self, Taylor O’Leary. You will do this. You will fight for your damn life, do you hear me? There is no other option.”

  “Jess, please just…” Taylor started but Jesse cut him off. “No. You cannot die on me. I need you. We just started to live, it can’t be over now. I need you, Tay,” Jesse cried. He grabbed onto Taylor and hugged him tight.

  Without turning from the window Gabriel spoke. “Could you leave us alone for a minute, Jesse?” he asked solemnly. Jesse released Taylor. He gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then climbed off the bed. He looked at Taylor and Gabriel one last time, then left.

  * * * *

  “I know I fucked up big time, Taylor. I know I hurt you, but please don’t do this. Don’t let my fuck-up kill you,” Gabriel said with his back still to Taylor.

  Taylor sighed. “I don’t want to die, Gabriel, but I won’t let you claim me just because of this. You haven’t shown me that you want me from day one. I’m not gonna turn around now and just say okay, claim me, I’m yours for all eternity. I can’t just turn off the hurt like that. And if I let you claim me it will be because I know without a doubt that you want me. Not because you feel some kind of obligation. I think I deserve someone who actually wants me, someone who’s not afraid to say ‘hey, that’s my man’ and mean it. If I can’t have that, then I would rather die.”

  Gabriel spun around to look at Taylor. His face was covered with tears. “I do want you, damn it. I want you more than I want air. It’s killing me, knowing that I hurt you so much. I’m sorry, Taylor. I’m so fucking sorry, but I had to sort out my own demons. You know that. I had to be able to come to you as a man, not some scared little boy.” Gabriel moved to the bed and grabbed Taylor’s face in his hands. “I love you, Taylor. I love you with everything that I am. With every breath I take. I can’t lose you. I can’t live without you.” Gabriel smashed their lips together.

  Taylor was in shock at Gabriel’s declaration of love, but now he was blown away at Gabriel’s forcefulness. His show of dominance was turning Taylor on. He stiffened at first at the contact of Gabriel’s lips, but it felt too good to stop. Taylor relaxed against him and then opened for Gabriel. Gabriel swept his tongue into Taylor’s mouth and dominated the kiss, bringing Taylor to his knees. Gabriel’s tongue slid against his in a demanding dance. He was devouring Taylor. The kiss was so full of passion that Taylor couldn’t breathe. His hands grabbed onto Gabriel’s shirt, pulling him closer. Lips, teeth and tongues dueled until Taylor finally melted against Gabriel. The kiss softened, became tender and Gabriel released Taylor’s face. He moved one hand around to the back of Taylor’s head, holding Taylor to him, and his other arm wrapped around Taylor bringing their bodies together. They pulled apart gasping for air. Gabriel opened his eyes to look at Taylor, but his eyes were still closed, his lips slightly parted, as he was panting. Taylor’s eyes blinked open and stared directly into Gabriel’s eyes. Taylor’s eyes were glazed over and full of lust.

  “Wow,” was all Taylor could say.

  “Taylor, I…” Gabriel started, but Taylor cut him off.

  “Shut up and do that again.” He grabbed onto Gabriel’s shirt and pulled Gabriel into him, smashing their lips together again. Gabriel slid his tongue into Taylor’s mouth, but this time gently, tenderly. Taylor pulled back. “No, like before, claim my mouth.” Gabriel’s eyes widened for a second and then he did as Taylor asked. He took control of Taylor’s mouth, dominating him, and it was so hot. He wanted more, so he took it. He controlled the kiss, taking what he wanted, moving his hands over Taylor’s body, pulling Taylor onto his lap. Gabriel grabbed onto Taylor’s perfect ass and started to squeeze and mold it. Gabriel pulled back when they needed air. He stared at Taylor as he panted, trying to catch his breath. It dawned on him what Taylor needed. My forcefulness turned him on. He needs me to be a man. He needs me to take control. Can I do that? Yes. For my sweet baby, I can. Gabriel thought to himself. “No more running and hiding from each other. No more misunderstandings. No more teasing. No more thinking that I feel an obligation to you and that’s why I want you. I want you because you are the most amazing man I have ever met. You are kind, and giving, and compassionate and funny as hell. You are loyal and loving. You are a great friend to those lucky enough to call you friend. You are fierce and strong, talented and incredibly beautiful. I want you because you are you. I want you because you are my man, the man I love
, the man I adore. My sweet baby, my mate. I have wanted you since the exact moment I first saw you. That is why I want you, not out of obligation, so don’t you ever think that again,” Gabriel said with great conviction. Taylor just stared at him speechless, with tears in his eyes. “Now, you will let us save you, do you hear me? There is no other option. I cannot and will not live without you, sweet baby. You are mine and I am yours. Got it?”

  Taylor just stared at him for another moment, then his lip lifted in a smirk and his eyes filled with mischief. “I like it when you get all forceful on me. I may love it when you get all Alpha in the bedroom, as you figured out. It turns me on, but don’t think that means I’ll let you walk all over me and try to control me. Because I won’t. I have my own mind and I know how to use it. I like who I am. I like how I am. Don’t try to change me, Gabriel, because then we’ll have problems.” Taylor ran his arms around Gabriel’s neck and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Now, kiss me again, my mate. Kiss me like you’re trying to remove my tonsils with your tongue.”

  Gabriel smirked at him. “I would never try to change you, my sweet baby, I love you just the way you are. I wouldn’t change a thing.” Gabriel claimed his lips again.

  * * * *

  Gabriel lay on the bed on his side with Taylor wrapped in his arms in front of him. As they stared into each other’s eyes, just looking at each other, neither said a word. Gabriel leaned in and kissed Taylor quickly and softly, then he broke the silence. “I want to claim you, sweet baby. I want to make you mine. I want to make love to you and show you how I feel, show you what you mean to me.”

  Taylor looked down for a moment, then looked back up, meeting Gabriel’s eyes. “I’m scared, Gabriel.”

  “What are you afraid of, sweet baby?” Gabriel asked, running the back of his knuckles down Taylor’s cheek lovingly.

  “I don’t want to die, but I’m scared I waited too long. I’m glad we finally worked everything out, and I believe you that you want me for me, and I want to make love with you too, but I don’t think I can. My body is just getting weaker and I don’t think I can do it.”