by Jess Buffett
He was so fucking hard it was killing him not to take her, but he knew this was as far as they would go tonight. But that didn’t stop him from petting her through her orgasm. She shuddered, her eyes fluttering open and a pretty shade of pink coloring her cheeks. He smiled, kissing her jaw as she relaxed in his arms.
“You’ll be the death of me,” she whispered.
Sage ignored the ridiculous feeling of dread that suddenly filled him at her words, nuzzling into her neck and then licked his way up to her ear. He could eat her up when she was like this, all putty and sated in his arms. It only made the anticipation of having her naked and claiming her all the more sweet.
“Talk. We should talk.”
Sage grunted but otherwise said nothing. He knew she was right, he just didn’t feel like agreeing in that moment.
“Come on,” she said with a gentle nudge, her face still flushed. “The kids will probably be up early in the morning and I’d like to get some sleep before I face them. We still have things to discuss.”
Following her to the lounge room, eyes pinned to her pert little arse as it swayed, Sage sighed. Adjusting his erection, something told him that even after they talked, he wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. Damn, forget her….his mate was going to be the death of him.
*****
The next morning Tessa pulled into the parking lot of the local grocery store. While Sage had done a fairly good job of stocking the granny flat she and her siblings had taken up, he hadn’t taken into consideration the fact five children, some of whom were growing boys, would be needing more than the basics.
She smiled when she thought of the handsome, slightly cocky Alpha. He had dropped by that morning again to introduce himself to the kids and ask her if he could join them for dinner that night given his Pride work he had to deal with that day would keep him busy. Ryder had been drawn to him, immediately taking a liking to the Alpha. Jay, April, and Bailey had been a bit more standoffish, but she knew they would warm to him and the others in time. Oliver had played it cool, though Tessa could tell he was a little in awe of Sage. She didn’t blame him, so was she.
Shutting off the engine as she parked, Tessa slid out of the car and locked it. The store was fairly quiet, though given that New Hope was a small town, that didn’t surprise her. She grabbed a cart, thinking she could pick up what she needed for that day and their dinner, then bring the kids out to help her do a proper shop tomorrow. They were all still tired from their long trip today, but it would do them the world of good to get out and see New Hope once they had rested.
Picking up everything she needed, Tessa headed for the check out. A middle-aged woman greeted her. “You must be Ella’s friend, Tessa.”
She looked up surprised. “Um, yes?”
The woman chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, honey. We’re a small community, we know when someone new comes in, that’s all.”
Tessa smiled. “Yeah, I suppose you would.”
The checkout operator, Tori, finished up her order and Tessa paid. Before she turned to grab her bags and leave, a small hand rested on her arm. She meet a pair of sympathetic eyes. “Now, you make sure you ask for help if you need it, okay? Whether it’s for you or those kids. We’re all more than happy to help.”
Appreciation swelled inside of her. “Thank you.”
And she meant it.
“You’re welcome. Now off you go, you want plenty of time to prepare your meal for the Alpha.” Tori winked, then went about serving the next customer. Tessa shook her head. Did this town know about everything?
Caught up in her thoughts, she managed to get the bags into the car, sliding in herself. Just as she was about to start the engine she paused, doing a double take. Confusion, and then fear left her frozen on the spot. No, it couldn’t be. But there was no mistaking that giant form.
Leontis.
The dark, sexy man was across the street from the store. He appeared to be leaving a motel room and heading for his familiar green jeep. Why? How?
So many thoughts swirled around her mind, but one stood out. She had known it was too good to be true, that someone like him would look at her. Granted Sage was just as fine, but he felt the pull of a mate. No, it was clear. This couldn’t be a coincidence.
Did Leontis, or whoever he was, work for the people who went after her parents? Maybe he had been sent to keep an eye on her.
Oh God.
Panicked and not a little heartbroken, Tessa started her car and pulled out of the parking lot, tires screeching. It wasn’t until she was more than five blocks away that she pulled over to the side. Trembling and struggling to breathe, she reached for her phone. She needed Sage.
Scrolling down the column for his number, she hit send and waited for him to pick up. It didn’t take long.
“Hey. Miss me already?” The sound of his smooth, liquid voice calmed her slightly.
“Sage. I need your help.”
“Tessa? What’s wrong? Where are you?” Sage demanded to know.
“I-I think I just saw someone who m-might work for the people w-who killed my parents,” she stuttered. “It’s the only reason…”
“Okay, calm down, sweetheart. Where are you now?” Sage’s voice was soothing.
“Um, I’m only a few minutes from home.”
“Good. Go straight there. I’m already at the main house so I’ll meet you there.”
She nodded even though she knew he couldn’t see. “Okay. I’ll see you in a minute.”
Tessa hung up and focused on making her way back to her new home.
Making it in record time, Tessa had barely turned off the engine and undone her belt when Sage was there, opening up her door and pulling her into his arms. The Alpha visibly trembled as he buried his face in her neck. Needing the comfort, she allowed him to hold her tight. She hadn’t been the only one worried.
After a moment, he pulled back enough so he could see her, but not enough that he let go. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.”
“Who was it?” he asked, a fierce anger in his eyes.
“His name is Leontis. I was sort of seeing him before everything happened and I had to leave.” She blushed. “I thought it was too good to be true, and it turns out I’m probably right. Why else would he be here? It can’t be a coincidence, and I can’t see him coming all the way here just because he missed me.”
Sage chuckled, though she could still feel the tension in his body. “You underestimate yourself, Tessa.”
“Maybe.” She didn’t feel like arguing with him.
“I want you to stay here. I’ll leave some of my men to watch over you and the kids while I head into town to check things out. What does Leontis look like?”
She chuckled at the question. “He’s kind of hard to miss.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He’s nearly seven foot, lean but muscular. Skin the color of dark chocolate and long black dreadlocks.”
Sage gaped at her. Well, she had said he was hard to miss.
The Alpha grimaced. “Right. Well, like I said, you stay here while I go look for him and get some answers. I’ve already informed my brothers to keep an eye out for a stranger in town.”
Tessa hid her amusement at Sage’s obvious jealousy. “Okay, just let me know if you find anything.”
“Will do,” he promised, dropping a kiss to her forehead before he turned to leave.
Tessa let out a deep sigh. Her heart hurt at the thought of Leontis working for the very people who killed her parents. She had thought what they had was real. God, when would this all stop?
*****
Nerves raced through Leontis as he craned his neck back, taking in the large building in front of him. After checking with the front desk at the motel, he had discovered the Alpha family owned and ran the infamous law firm Ashcroft and MacKenzie, he had made up his mind. Needing to introduce himself to the Alpha given he was in the man’s territory, Leontis figured it was as good as a way as any to find out which of the fo
ur stunning males from the night before was his mate.
Then maybe they could work together to woo Tessa, because he had no doubt the other male would be her mate too.
Straightening the only decent shirt he had brought with him, a tight, ice blue number with short sleeves. He raked a hand down his hair, though how he thought that would fix his long black dreadlocks he had no idea.
Steeling himself, Leontis pushed forward and walked to the reception. An older looking woman glanced up at him, her smile falling when she took in his large size.
Damn, you think he’d be used to that.
“Hi. I was hoping to see one or both of the Mr. Ashcrofts, if possible,” he asked pleasantly. “I’m new in town and was hoping to make introductions.”
Leontis wasn’t sure if every human in the town knew of shifters existence so he kept things simple. Though he could scent the woman was mated to a shifter, that didn’t mean those around her knew what was going on.
“Of course, please just hold on one moment.” With a weak smile she lifted the phone and dialed a number. “Ah, Mr. Ashcroft. I have a gentleman here who claims to be new in town.” There was a moment's pause before she continued, “Yes. Exactly like that. Okay, not a problem, I’ll bring him right up.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly, not liking the way that conversation had sounded. Exactly like what? And why did he suddenly scent a small mixture of fear in the woman in front of him?
“Is there a problem?”
The woman, Olivia, he guessed by the plaque on the desk, shook her head. “Oh no, of course not. Please follow me and I’ll take you to him.”
Leontis felt his Lion prowl just under the surface. Something about this was off. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was walking to his execution. The ride in the lift was deathly quiet, and Olivia didn’t even acknowledge him as she exited the cart and headed for one of the multitude of offices that resided on this floor.
He stopped just outside of the door as she knocked before entering. Voices murmured, though he didn’t try to hear. Leontis was more interested in finding his way out, suddenly feeling like this hadn’t been an altogether, well thought out plan.
“Please, won’t you come in,” a voice offered from inside the office.
Leontis pulled himself together and took the steps need to enter the office. Ducking under the door frame as usual, he wasn’t surprised to find himself in a room with four unknown men, though three of them he recognized from the night before. All of them glaring at him like an intruder.
“Gentlemen. My name is Leontis Harper,” he introduced himself calmly, though it was the furthest thing he felt.
The eldest of the men, Leontis presumed was the father and former Alpha, excused Olivia and she made her hasty retreat. “Please, take a seat, Mr. Harper. It would seem we have a few things to discuss.”
Leontis cleared his throat, not taking the offered chair. “Oh? I was under the assumption that I would be introducing myself to the Alpha, as a matter of respect given I am in his territory.”
The older man pinned him with a stare. “I am Richard Ashcroft, former Alpha of New Hope, and you will show me respect by taking what I have offered.”
He swallowed hard. “I mean no disrespect, but I also know that I do not have to submit to you even in the absence of your son. And especially when I feel threatened for no reason.”
Leontis knew he could take on every man in this room, his Lion was strong enough, however just because he was large, didn’t make him a fighter. A softy at heart, Leontis may scream Alpha, but he honestly didn’t have much of a dominant streak. It was the reason he had been so surprised when he discovered Tessa was his mate. He had always suspected he would end up with a more dominate male mate. It also explained his relief when he had discovered a second mate here in New Hope. And by the scents currently in the room, Leontis had been able to deduce that his male mate must be none other than the Alpha himself.
“No reason?” Richard raised a brow. “How about coming into our town uninvited, following the Alpha’s mate, and posing a threat to the Alpha family?”
Leontis reeled back on shock. “A threat? How the hell have I posed a threat?”
His stomach sunk when he began to suspect the Alpha family may not approve of his kind. As a rare Lion shifter, and a large one at that, Leontis was used to being turned away. But never thought he’d have to face it from his own mate and his family.
“Where is the bastard?” shouted a voice from outside.
Leontis swirled around, his entire being becoming rigid as he got his first real look at his mate. “Sage?” he asked tentatively.
Eyes blazing with fury, Leontis didn’t even struggle when Sage’s hand wrapped around his throat and he was shoved roughly up against a wall. A moan slipped passed his lips, however, Sage didn’t seem to notice. So consumed with anger, Leontis knew that Sage hadn’t scented him yet, though what had his mate so furious he had no idea.
“What the hell do you want?” the Alpha seethed. “You need to stay the hell away from my mate. Do you understand me? Whether it’s money or something else, you’re not going to get it.”
Thoroughly confused, Leontis struggled for breath as Sage’s hand held him tighter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about? What money?”
“You expect me to believe you came all this way because you’re in love with Tessa? That you tracked her down with no ulterior motive?”
Leontis’s vision began to dim from lack of oxygen. “I...my mate...Tessa…”
“Bullshit,” Sage snarled. “She is my mate. Try again, fucker?”
“I...know. You…too.”
For the first time, Sage’s mask of aggression slipped just slightly. “What?”
“S-smell, me.”
He didn’t think he would hold out much longer. He needed Sage to smell his scent, recognize him.
Confusion marred the Alpha’s handsome features as he sniffed the air lightly. The confusion morphed into shock, followed by lust. The hand around his neck loosened, and Leontis gasped for breath, sliding down the wall.
From his position on the floor, he peered up at his mate. “Sage?”
“Y-you...you’re my…”
He sighed with relief, eyes closing briefly. “Yes. I’m your mate too.”
“No!”
Sage’s sudden outburst had his eyes springing open. “What?”
He felt the gaze of his mate rake over his skin, and it wasn’t entirely pleasant. Leontis couldn’t tell if it was dismay or revolution playing on Sage’s features, but either way, it sliced through him like a knife.
“You can’t be...there is no way.” The Alpha backed off, the exit his obvious direction.
Leontis sat slumped against the wall, not even moving to stop his mate from leaving as devastation flooded him.
“Well...that was unexpected,” drawled one of the brothers.
“Chase, now is not the time,” Richard warned. Leontis could feel the weight of the former Alpha’s gaze on him but refused to look. He couldn’t, didn’t want to see what was there.
Climbing to his feet, the only thought on his mind was getting as far from the Alpha family as possible.
“Wait!” Richard called to him as he stumbled to the door. “Please, son. Just wait. Clearly we didn’t know who you were to my son. All we knew was there was a possible threat to my son’s new and unclaimed mate. We had no idea.”
He darted a glance over to the man, surprised to see compassion, sympathy, and regret staring back at him. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. All I know is that I found one mate who disappeared on me, and when I tracked her down to New Hope, I discovered I had another mate.” His eyes trailed back to the spot where Sage had exited. “And he wants nothing to do with me either. Am I so horrid?”
He didn’t expect any of them to answer.
“I don’t think it’s you, son,” Richard offered. “I’m sure it came as quite a surprise to my son to find he had a male mate
.”
While Leontis could understand that to a point, to outright reject him was another thing. As it was, Chase’s next words squashed that theory.
“You’re kidding, right, dad?” Chase scoffed. When the older man frowned and the two other brothers snickered, Chase explained. “Dad, I love you, but you really can be slow. Sage has no problem with a male mate. It wouldn’t be the first time he hooked up with a guy.”
“It wouldn’t?” Richard’s eyebrows shot up, and Leontis listened eagerly.
“No.” Chase grinned. “I think it’s safe to say all of your sons have at least experimented.”
“You have?”
Richard’s responses would have been more comical if Leontis didn’t feel the need to throttle the answers he wanted out of Chase.
“If Sage has been with a man before, then why doesn’t he want me?”
Chase sent him a sympathetic look. “It’s not that you’re a guy, but, dude, seriously, have you seen yourself?”
“So what, I’m too ugly?” Sure, Leontis knew he’d never win hottest man of the year, but he wasn’t a fucking troll.
“No, but you’re bloody huge.” Chase rolled his eyes. “Sage is a big, bad, dominant Alpha, and then you come along saying you’re mates...he is going to have issues.”
The light bulb flicked on in that moment. “He’s afraid I’d want to top him.”
“Oh God, I don’t think I can hear this,” Richard muttered. He held up his hand when they all shot a glare at him. “I don’t mean because you’re talking about two men, but you are talking about one of my children. And male or female mate...there are some things a parent never needs to know.”
Leontis gave the older man that. Hell, he didn’t exactly want to have this conversation with Sage’s brothers, let alone his father.
“Listen, why don’t I take you up to see Tessa? Sage might be there, he might not. Either way, I think you should see her,” Chase offered. “After all, she is your mate.”
He appreciated the other man’s gesture, quick to take him up on it. “That would be great. Thanks.”
Leontis needed to know if at least one of his mates wanted him, but at the same time feared rejection again. He didn’t think he was strong enough to face that again.