by Stormy Glenn
I didn’t know if that was allowed.
“Of course, Henry, but we need to get back to the estate where it’s safe first. We haven’t come across the boss man yet, so I know there are others out there.”
Right.
I nodded quickly. I should have been thinking about that. I had just been too preoccupied with the need to call my parents and reassure them that I was safe. They had to be going out of their minds. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what they might be going through.
“Who’s this boss man you mentioned?” Stone asked.
“He’s the asshole throwing this little shindig,” Samson replied.
Stone raised an eyebrow. “What exactly did happen?”
“Do you think maybe we could discuss that in the car?” Samson asked. “Like I said, I don’t know where that asshole is or if he has any more guards.”
“More guards?” Stone glanced down the stairs. “Do we need a clean-up crew?”
Samson sighed. “Might not be a bad idea.”
What in the hell was a clean-up crew?
Stone nodded before turning toward the door. “I’ll call Ion once we’re in the car.”
I tugged on Samson’s arm to get his attention. When he leaned down toward me, I whispered, “Who’s Ion?”
“He’s my handler, baby.”
Handler?
“He’s your what?”
“My handler,” Samson replied. “He hands out my assignments, makes sure I have help when I need it, and keeps me up to date on whatever I need to know to complete my missions.”
“Oh.”
He sounded kind of like a secretary.
I wasn’t going to mention that.
I kept close to Samson’s side as we followed Stone through the double doors and out into what appeared to be some sort of warehouse-type building. There were a lot of air ducts and metal beams.
At least the place was clean.
It was also empty. Except for the doors leading down into the basement, some stadium seating that looked as if it had been stolen from a gymnasium, and a metal railing that went around the upper level of the pit, there was nothing. No furniture, no garbage, no people.
The no-people thing was a plus.
We made it outside of the building quickly, especially since there was no one there to stop us. I had to admit that felt odd to me. After all the work put in to kidnap us and keep us locked up, there should have been someone trying to keep us there.
The dead guards in the basement didn’t seem like enough. Whoever had taken us knew we were shifters. Maybe they didn’t think they would need more guards since we had been the only ones still alive.
I stumbled when we reached a dark-colored SUV. I didn’t like the looks of the men standing around it. I really didn’t like the looks of the rifles they held at the ready.
“It’s okay, Henry,” Samson said. “They’re friends.”
His friends maybe. I didn’t know these guys from a hole in my head. The omega inside of me quivered in fear.
One of the men—a guy with short black hair and a scar over his left eye—reached inside the vehicle and pulled out some blankets. “You two look like you could use these,” the man said as he held them out to us.
“Thanks, Shade.” Samson smiled as he took one and wrapped it around my shoulders before wrapping the other one around his.
Shifters weren’t hung up on nudity like humans tended to be, but I was still glad to be covered up. Not only was I cold, but I didn’t like having all my bits and pieces on display. They were for Samson’s eyes only.
“Come on, we’d better get out of here before they discover you escaped.”
When Samson held the door open, I climbed into the SUV and scooted over to make room for him. The moment he was seated inside, I scooted back over and snuggled into the bigger man. I was starting to feel as though we might actually get out of this alive.
I should have known better.
The door wasn’t even closed before I heard something strike the side of the SUV. I cried out as I was shoved to the floor, Samson coming down on top of me.
The SUV rocked, a couple of doors slammed, and someone shouted, “Get us the fuck out of here now!”
I silently seconded that exclamation.
My heart thundered painfully in my chest. I just knew it had been too good to be true. Not only were they going to capture us again, but now they had a whole new batch of shifters to fight in the pit.
And this time, I wasn’t so sure Samson would win.
The SUV jerked and then took off so fast I heard the tires squeal. The only thing keeping me from being tossed around the floor of the vehicle was the weight of my mate on top of me.
He was really heavy.
“Are you hit?” Samson asked as his hands roamed over my body.
“No.” I shook my head.
I was surprised by the relief I saw in Samson’s eyes right before they closed. The man’s head dropped down to rest against mine.
“I’m okay, Samson.”
“I know. I just…” Samson opened his eyes and stared at me so intently I had to swallow the lump in my throat at the misery in them. “I just found you. If anything happened to you…”
“I’m going to spend a lot of time in protective custody, aren’t I?”
I could see it now.
I pressed my lips together to suppress my chuckle when Samson’s cheeks flushed.
“I’m sorry, baby. I just can’t let anything happen to you.”
I winked at the man. “Good thing I work from home then.”
Samson’s eyebrows shot up. “You work from home?”
When I nodded, a slow grin began to spread across the man’s lips.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long while.”
I enjoyed the deep chuckle that came from Samson when I rolled my eyes.
It was a good sound.
“You can get up now,” someone from the front of the vehicle said. “No one’s following us.”
Samson brushed a soft kiss across my lips before scooting back onto the seat. I didn’t even have time to turn over before I was pulled up and settled onto the seat next to him.
I realized immediately that I was sandwiched between Samson and Stone. While it might be the safest place to sit, it wasn’t the most comfortable.
I leaned closer to Samson.
“Don’t worry,” Stone said. “I only bite Sinclair.”
I leaned away from the man a little more.
He chuckled and started watching the passing scenery.
Samson had some really strange friends.
Chapter Seven
Samson
“He’s cute.”
I smiled as I glanced down at the sleeping man tucked under my arm. “He’s beautiful.”
Stone chuckled. “I imagine we all think that about our mates.”
Maybe so, but I knew I was right.
“He doesn’t believe omegas get mates.”
“He what?”
I glanced at Stone. “He’s an omega. Someone convinced him that omegas didn’t get mates.”
“So, he doesn’t think you two are mates?”
“I’m not sure what he thinks.” I glanced down again and then reached over to brush the hair back from Henry’s face. I could look at his forever and die a happy man. “I know he feels safe with me.”
Stone snorted. “Who wouldn’t?”
My throat felt as if it was about to close up. “They beat him, Stone,” I whispered. “They beat him and tossed him into the pit for me to kill.”
“But you didn’t kill him, Samson. That’s what you need to remember.”
“I was close.” God, I had been so close. “I had my teeth in his throat, ready to rip it out. But his blood…” I shook my head. “I took one taste of his blood and I knew. Even in my drug-induced delirium, I knew who he was to me.”
“They drugged you?”
I snapped my gaze over to Stone when the man n
early shouted. “They shot me with a synthetic adrenaline. They shot me with those stupid little darts every time they wanted me to go into the pit and kill whatever poor sucker got tossed in with me.”
I would never be able to get the stain of those deaths off my soul.
“They have to be stopped, Stone. They’re using shifters for entertainment, killing us for their sick little games.”
Stone reached over and settled his hand on my shoulder. He gave it a tight squeeze. “We’ll get them, Samson. Sinclair is already looking into it.”
That made me feel better. There wasn’t much Sinclair couldn’t do with his computers.
“You need a cat, dude.”
I slow-panned to Shade, who sat in the front seat. “I need a what?”
“A cat.” He said it as if he thought it was perfectly reasonable thing to say.
“Shade’s right,” Stone said. “Your mate needs a cat. You have to get him one.”
“And why would I need to get him a cat?”
Were they fucking insane?
“Bob has Mustachio,” Shade explained.
“Sinclair has Derp,” Stone added.
“You’ll need to get your mate one, too. All the mates have cats.”
“And if I was a dog person?” I asked.
Shade snorted. “You’re a panther, dude.”
“And my mate is a lion,” I pointed out. “That doesn’t mean I’m a cat person.”
“I’m not a cat. I’m a lion,” Henry insisted as he sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. “And I don’t do cats.”
I raised one eyebrow. “You do now.”
Henry’s eyes rounded. “Oh, shit, I do.”
I chuckled at the stunned look on Henry’s face.
“You really should consider a cat, Henry,” Stone said. “Mustachio and Derp have so much fun at the park.”
Henry blinked at Stone. “I’m sorry, did you say park?”
I tried not to laugh, but it wasn’t easy. That was the same reaction everyone had. “Mustachio is a thirty-pound Maine Coon, baby. He was too big to put in a cat kennel, so Bob taught him to walk on a leash. Now, he goes to the park with Bob all the time, walking along with his harness and leash.”
“I got Sinclair a cat named Derp,” Stone said. “He’s not quite as big as Mustachio, but he was taught to walk on a leash and harness, as well. Bob and Sinclair take them to the park together.”
“Huh.” Henry’s brow creased as if he was giving that a lot of thought. “You’re serious? You’re not screwing with me? These cats really go to the park on leashes?”
Stone chuckled as he pulled his cell phone out. He swiped over the screen a couple of times and then held the phone out to Henry.
“Holy hell, they do.”
I glanced over Henry to look at the screen, smiling when I saw the video of Sinclair wheeling himself down the sidewalk with Bob, both men holding on to leashes as they walked their cats.
“He doesn’t know you have that, does he?” I asked Stone.
“Hell no,” Stone said as he took the phone back. “Do I look stupid?”
I glanced down when Henry leaned into me.
“Why shouldn’t he have that video?”
“That’s Sinclair, his mate. He—”
“Wait, I thought you said that Stone’s mate is the alpha of your pride.” He pointed toward the pocket Stone had slid his cell phone into. “That guy is in a wheelchair.”
“He is in a wheelchair and he is my mate,” Stone said.
“But—”
“He’s also our alpha,” Shade said.
The crease in Henry’s brow deepened. “How?”
I could understand Henry’s confusion. Only the strongest led. Everyone knew that. And usually, that meant whoever was physically strongest. Sinclair wasn’t physically stronger than the rest of us—except maybe Bob—but there was something else in him, a strength at his core, that drew us to look to him to lead us.
“It’s hard to explain,” Stone said.
“Try.”
“When we all became a pride, Sinclair told us that we would just know who the alpha was. It’s a feeling deep in your gut.”
Henry nodded. “Right, I know that.”
“We were all surprised when our guts told us Sinclair was our alpha.”
Surprised was one word for it. Flabbergasted would be another, but I couldn’t say I didn’t feel the same compulsion to let Sinclair lead our newly formed pride. Like Stone said, it was a feeling in my gut that said Sinclair was my alpha and I needed to defer to him.
“Sinclair was more surprised than any of us. We all kind of assumed it would be Shade or Stone.”
“Why not Samson?” Henry asked. “He could be an alpha.”
Oh, hell no.
“I never wanted the job, baby. You have to have a desire to be the alpha, and I don’t.”
Never had, never would.
“But you could be if you wanted to be,” Henry insisted.
“Technically, that’s probably true, but I don’t want the job.”
I didn’t understand the relief on Henry’s face.
“Henry, I don’t want to be an alpha.”
He really needed to understand that.
“No, I know, but if you’re strong enough to be an alpha, then…” Henry shrugged. “You’re strong enough to survive if the guy in the white suit comes after you again.”
My eyes widened with surprise. “You’re worried about me?”
Henry dipped his head, but not before I saw his cheeks flush.
I couldn’t have kept the smile off my face if a meteor had been heading right for me. I hugged Henry to me. I’d have crawled under his skin if I could figure out how to do it.
“I am very strong, mate, both in my shifted form and on two legs. Now that I know there’s someone out there gunning for us, I’ll be extra vigilant. I promise.”
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
I met Stone’s gaze over the top of Henry’s head. The man gave me a nod as if giving his approval of the mate fate had gifted me with. I couldn’t say I was disappointed.
Henry was perfect.
“Heads up, baby. We’re home.”
I enjoyed watching the shock roll across Henry’s face when we pulled up in front of the fancy estate. While it doubled as our home base, it was still the panther council headquarters. It was kind of a prerequisite that the place be huge and posh.
“You live here?”
“We live here, mate.” I wanted to make that real clear. “Now that we’re mated, we both live here.”
Henry regarded me intently with his big brown eyes. “I have a house.”
“Is it important to you?”
I could compromise.
“It’s mine.” Henry frowned. “Well, it’s the bank’s, but in three hundred and nine payments, it will be mine.”
“If the house is that important to you, we can pay it off now, Henry.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because you’re my mate, and what’s mine is yours. That includes a very healthy bank account.”
Extremely healthy now that the money Councilman James had stolen from us had been returned. Sinclair had invested it for me, as he had done in the past, and I was several million dollars richer now than I had been six months ago.
“Oh.” Henry’s lips twisted as if he was thinking. “We could put your name on the deed.”
I smiled. “I’d like that.”
“But you don’t have to pay it off. I still owe quite a bit on the place.”
“How much?”
Henry winced. “Two hundred and thirty thousand, give or take.”
“I’ll call the bank tomorrow.”
Henry’s hand landed on my chest. “I don’t want to empty out your savings, Samson. It’s just a house. I can keep making payments on it for now. It’s okay.”
I grabbed Henry’s hand and brought it to my lips, then pressed a kiss to the top. “We�
��ll discuss finances tomorrow, after we’ve recovered from our ordeal. But I don’t want you to worry about it. I have enough money stashed away to buy and sell your house ten times over.”
And then some.
Henry’s eyebrows peaked over his face. “The assassination game that good?”
“No, Sinclair is that good at investing our money.”
“Oh.” Henry’s face brightened. “I have a little nest egg stashed away. A rainy day fund. It’s not much, but do you think he would help me invest it, too?”
I set Henry’s hand down on my thigh and gave it a gentle pat. “Bob is in charge of all our finances now, but I’m sure he would be willing to do it if we ask him.”
“That would be really cool. I could start sending my mom and dad money.”
I had to wonder about Henry’s parents. I knew he was desperate to call them, but other than that, he hadn’t said much about them until now.
“Tell me about your parents, Henry. What are they like?”
Henry had a smile on his face as he lifted his head. “My mom and dad?”
I nodded.
“They’re great. I’m an only pup, so I kind of got doted on. Dad’s a mechanic and Mom teaches second grade.”
“Do they belong to your pride?”
“Yeah.” Henry’s hair flopped as he nodded. “Dad was born in the pride, and Mom joined up when she mated him.”
“Is it just the three of you then?” Stone asked.
Henry tilted his head with a curious flare. “I don’t understand what you mean. I already told you I was an only child.”
“No, I mean, do you have grandparents, aunts and uncles, things like that.”
“Oh, no, not really. My dad does have a brother, but we don’t talk to him.” Henry shrugged. “I guess they had some sort of falling out right around the time I was born. Mom swears it had nothing to do with me, but I’ve always kind of wondered.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I’m an omega. It’s not like people don’t know that when they meet me.”
Now I was curious. “And that has what to do with anything?”
“Oh, some people don’t like omegas.”
I curled my lip back when I growled.
Henry chuckled as if he wasn’t bothered by it at all. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. If someone doesn’t like me because I’m an omega, they’re not worth my time.”