by Lynn Hagen
Matt lunged and drove his hand deep into the vampire’s chest. Shock replaced the vampire’s smug smile as Matt yanked his heart free and tossed it aside. "Feed on that, you son of a bitch."
The vampire crumpled to the floor.
Matt spun and saw Nick and Rio fighting the other two. His gaze swung to the bed where Jason lay unmoving. He scooped up his mate and held him.
The instant Jason’s eyes opened, the scent of his terror flooded the room. He screamed as he kicked and shoved at Matt.
"You’re safe." Matt held him tighter, afraid the male would hurt himself. "Jason, look at me."
Jason stiffened as his gaze darted around wildly.
"I got you," Matt said.
Jason shook as he wept against Matt’s chest. Hearing the despair in Jason’s sobs ripped Matt to shreds. The sharp scent of anguish mingling with the terror that clung to Jason made Matt want to kill every last vampire in the club.
"I’m so sorry," he whispered. "I never meant for any of this to happen to you."
Matt wouldn’t blame Jason if his mate hated him. His eyes had been opened to the preternatural world in the worst possible way. If Matt could go back in time, he would’ve never stopped when he’d seen Jason walking home. He would have kept his distance so his life wouldn’t have bled into Jason’s.
"How is he?" Rio asked when he stepped over to them. Nick stood by the door.
"Traumatized," Matt said while he ran his hand over Jason’s hair. "I think he’s in shock."
Nick took a step back and glanced down the hallway, faint wrinkles forming between his eyes. "Colton?"
Matt’s canines lengthened. If Colton had just been honest with him, Magnus wouldn’t have called out Bael and Jason wouldn’t have been taken.
They couldn’t linger, no matter how badly Matt wanted to beat the shit out of Colton, then kill Magnus.
Taking a deep breath, Matt stepped into the hallway. Some of his anger fled when he saw Colton carrying an unconscious Anthony over his shoulder.
"I know you want to kill me right now, but I suggest we haul ass. A shitload of vampires aren’t too far behind me." Colton hurried down the hall, heading toward the stairwell.
"You heard the man." Matt took off and kicked his booted foot into the door that was starting to close. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached the roof. Colton was already climbing down the short ladder that led to the fire escape.
Matt cursed when the vampires spilled onto the roof. There were too many for Rio and Nick to fight on their own.
"Give him to me," Colton said as he moved back up the ladder. "I can carry them both while you help Nick and Rio."
Matt glanced down at Jason. His mate’s eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving. He had no doubt that Colton could carry both men, but Matt loathed letting Jason out of his sight again. He’d made that mistake once and Jason had almost paid with his life.
He stalked toward Colton, his eyes narrowed and his canines bared. "Let anything happen to my mate and, friend or not, I’ll make you beg for death."
"Love you, too." Colton took Jason and placed him over his other shoulder before moving back down the ladder.
With his mate out of harm’s way, Matt spun while grabbing his gun from its holster. "Time for the big, bad wolf to play."
Chapter Eight
Hours later Matt stood in the hallway of his home, bruised and bloody and ready to rip Colton a new asshole. They’d barely made it off that rooftop with their lives. The only reason they’d gotten away was because dawn had driven the vampires back inside.
"You could’ve come to me." Matt slammed his fist into the wall.
Jason was asleep and Matt was currently in the upstairs hallway with Colton. He curled his hands into fists at his longtime friend’s betrayal. "You told me your fight with the vampires was just a misunderstanding. You might not’ve outright lied, but withholding the truth from me is just the same."
"This is my problem and I’ll handle it." Colton’s voice was firm, but Matt saw the worry he tried hard to hide. The male had no idea what to do and looked completely lost.
"We’re a fucking pack. There’s no such thing as handling things on your own. Your problems are our problems." Matt wasn’t going to let Colton shoulder this by himself. They’d been through too much together for him to allow Colton to hang himself. He was just pissed off that Colton was being so damn stubborn.
Pain glowed in Colton’s blue eyes, but he masked the emotion quickly. "I didn’t ask any of you to get involved."
Matt fell silent for several heartbeats. He didn’t want to ask but needed to know the answer. "And how are you going to stop the kill warrant?"
Colton’s eyes tightened as his nostrils flared. "If Eric can be pardoned from the Consiglio, why can’t Anthony?"
"Because Eric is Magnus’s son." Matt ran a hand down his face. Magnus and Eric's relationship had been a well-kept secret, but this was Colton. Screw secrets if they worked against his pack. Matt just had to figure how to make that secret work for Colton. He glanced at the wolf to see how he would take the information. "They were turned at the same time. Their Master wasn’t going to let Eric be destroyed."
"That still doesn’t tell me why Anthony can’t be pardoned, as well." He could feel the anger pulsing from Colton. "Anthony killed those men in self-defense. Eric purposely killed because he’s a sick psychopath. The piece of shit enjoyed the kill, Matt, and we just handed him back to his daddy. How the fuck is that fair?"
"Because I have a councilmember to back me, Colton. I don’t have friends in high places like Magnus does." That was the cold, hard truth. He understood Colton’s frustrations. He truly did. Although he thought Anthony should pay for what he’d done, he was also Colton’s brother.
Family will fuck you over quicker than a stranger. Wasn’t that the truth. Father and son would be spared the pain of loss while brothers were going to be torn apart for the exact same thing—murder. Mostly the same thing, because Anthony hadn’t enjoyed the kills.
Favoritism shouldn’t be allowed with the Consiglio. They were supposed to hold themselves to a higher standard than that. What they did for Eric made a mockery of the fight Matt and his men waged to keep violent preternatural off the streets.
They’d basically given Eric a free pass to kill again. And he would. It was only a matter of time.
"So, what, you’re just going to kill my little brother?" Colton took a step back, as if ready to take Anthony from the house if need be. "And you wonder why I tried to take care of this myself."
"No one said anything about killing him," Matt said. "We’ll figure something out."
"And if you don’t? Am I supposed to hand him over to you?" Colton narrowed his eyes. He didn’t trust Matt at his word and that hurt like a bitch. "This isn’t like the time when John Matthews had a kill warrant put on his head. I couldn’t live here knowing one of you took him out."
John Matthews had been Tap’s father and had killed his mate. To this day Tap had no clue who’d executed the kill warrant and no one would ever tell him. That was the fucked-up part of the business, when a family member had to be taken down. But Colton was right. This wasn’t like John Matthew. Colton was too close to his brother—unlike Tap who had hated his father. Matt had to think of a better solution.
"You’re going to let the warrant be executed, aren’t you?"
"You fucking doubt me?" Matt was angry, but truth be told, he hadn’t a clue how he was going to get Anthony out of this. How do you tell someone you’ve known for over a hundred years, someone who has been there with you through thick and thin, that although his brother was the world’s biggest fuck-up, you had to hand the guy over to be killed? How in the fuck did you say something like that?
It wasn’t like he could tell the Consiglio to go screw themselves. If Matt didn’t execute the warrant, they would send somebody who had no personal stake in this. There were preternatural agencies in every state and spread out over the globe. Someone woul
d take the contract.
Either way, Anthony was as good as dead. It was only a matter of when.
"No, I don’t that you’d fight for Anthony. I just think there’s no hope of saving him." Colton glanced away, but not before Matt saw the despair in his eyes. "How’s Jason?"
The quick change of subject threw Matt off, and it took a second for his brain to catch up. He shook his head and knew there wasn’t much more they could talk about. Matt would have to show Colton that he was in the male’s corner. Regardless what happened, Matt would always back his friends. That was what family did. "I need to go check on him."
Matt stepped into his bedroom to find Jason sitting up in bed, gazing out the balcony doors. "You’re awake," he said as he closed the door behind him.
He didn’t understand how he’d ever thought Jason plain. His auburn hair was deep and rich, and the morning sun highlighted the red and brown hues. His skin was pale and flawless, and his eyes were the color of emeralds. He was the most handsome man Matt had ever seen.
He wanted to go to Jason, to pull his mate into his arms, but Matt lingered by the door instead, waiting to see Jason’s reaction. Although it would kill him, he wouldn’t blame Jason if he turned Matt away.
When his mate looked at him, Matt was taken aback by the anger in his eyes. "I want Bael destroyed for what he did to me."
This wasn’t the same male he’d mated. Something inside Jason had broken, and that, more than anything, crushed Matt.
He slipped into bed and pulled Jason into his arms, then held him close, pressing his cheek into his auburn hair.
Matt was thankful Jason was alive, but saddened that the demon and vampires had taken his innocence. They’d stolen something valuable from his mate, and Matt would make every last one of them pay.
"Don’t let them turn you into something you’re not." His voice was low as he brushed his lips over Jason’s hair. "Don’t let them win."
"I don’t want to become jaded," Jason admitted. "But how can I not when…when that happened to me? I don’t want to be angry. I don’t want revenge. That isn’t who I am. But I can’t stop thinking about…" He shook his head. "I never fit in when I lived in Minneapolis, and right now, I don’t feel like I fit in here. I’m kinda…lost."
"I know what that’s like." Matt tilted his head back and gazed at the room. "I’ve felt that way more times than I can count. What helps is the people you surround yourself with." He thought of the pack members he’d helped over the past two hundred years, how each had been lost and somewhat broken. Each one of his men had suffered hardship in one form or another. He didn’t want Jason to suffer or to feel like he didn’t have an anchor when Matt was right there.
"For shifters, where we came from is part of who we are. You might not have fit in back in Minneapolis, but you fit in here. You’re one of us now. If you want to lay down roots, you’re always welcome to adopt the misfits downstairs."
Matt’s heart swelled when Jason shook with soft laughter. "I think those men are a little too old for me to adopt them."
"You’d be surprised what they’re willing to do in order to belong. They would rather cut off their heads than admit any weaknesses, but everyone is lost at some point in their life. Give us a chance and don’t let the evil in this town change you."
"It’s gonna change me," Jason said. "My eyes have been opened."
Matt titled Jason’s head back and gazed into his eyes. Jason was quickly becoming his entire world. All his life he’d fought to find someone to love him, never once finding comfort from someone who cared about him, not like he did with Jason, and Matt refused to let that go.
In one motion, he spun Jason under him and stretched his mate’s arms out above his head, pinning the smaller male beneath him. He nuzzled his mate’s neck, brushing his lips over the mating mark as the scent of Jason’s arousal flared.
"You’re my haven, Jason. Don’t change too much. I like you just the way you are," Matt murmured, losing himself in the sweet exploration of Jason’s body.
* * * *
Matt’s scent was dark, his expression heavy-lidded. The whisper of Matt’s lips on the sensitive bite mark made Jason instantly hard.
"God, what are you doing to me?" Jason shook his head, his hips twisting as he fought to get closer to Matt.
"Laying down roots." Matt leaned back and winked at him. "Gonna show you exactly where you belong."
Jason fought the grin tugging at his lips. "Sex is going to show me?"
"Sex is the physical way I show you what you mean to me." Matt licked a path over the bite mark, eliciting a moan from Jason. "You have no idea what a mate means to a shifter, but you will."
Jason was starting to get an idea. His experience with Bael and the vampires had been truly terrifying. He never wanted to face something like that again, but Matt had come for him, had saved him from a fate he knew would have been far worse than death.
When Matt had come into the tavern after Jason had left the house, his eyes had been filled with not only anger, but worry. It was so genuine that Jason knew it hadn’t been faked.
He wasn’t going to pretend he knew why Matt suddenly cared for him so deeply, but he wasn’t going to fight it, either. Why should he? This was something he’d searched for his entire life. Just because Matt wasn’t human didn’t mean he was incapable of love.
The man was definitely capable of amazing sex, and Jason wasn’t going to deny him. Jason reached between them and slid his pants free. "I want to feel you inside me."
Matt’s eyes had gone wolf. It was the only way to describe how the dark gray irises ringed the black pupils. The need to belong to Matt was a physical ache that pulsed along Jason’s skin, making his heart race. He should have been afraid of his overpowering need for Matt, but he wasn’t.
He gasped when Matt flipped him to his stomach and pressed a leg on either side of him, straddling his upper thighs. Matt began to explore him with strong hands, making Jason’s body roar to life. Waves of explosive desire pulsated through him, making him feel owned.
He was insanely aroused as Matt’s fingers trailed over his lower back and then his backside, taking time to tease the crease between his cheeks.
"Is this where you’d like to feel me?" He made the question a temptation as a lone finger dipped into the crease to circle Jason’s pulsing muscle.
"You shouldn’t tease me when I’m ready to combust."
Matt chuckled, the deep sound sliding over Jason’s body like warm silk. "If I gave in to you, it would be over before it got started. You have to learn how to enjoy the moment."
With a sigh, Jason settled, though it wasn’t easy. Not when Matt seemed to bring every cell in his body to life.
"Better." Matt eased back and pressed the head of his cock against Jason’s hole. "Part of the pleasure is the anticipation."
Jason’s eyes widened when he felt a spurt at his hole.
"I have natural lube." Matt’s smile was heartrending. "Just let it relax your tight muscles."
Jason gritted his teeth, trying not to move his hips. He didn’t want Matt to stop, but he also needed more. Jason curled his fingers in while biting his lower lip.
"You’re mine to play with." Matt’s voice was heavy with lust as Jason felt another spurt of pre-cum.
"I just…I need…more."
Matt nipped Jason’s ear. "And I plan to give you more."
Jason couldn’t stop his hips from moving no matter how hard he tried.
The head of Matt’s cock pressed at his hole sent Jason to the edge. He tried to fall over, but the pressure wasn’t enough. He sucked in a sharp breath when Matt nipped his shoulder blade.
"You’re trying to come already?"
"Hell yes," Jason said.
Matt’s cock pulsed, sending jolts of rippling pleasure through Jason.
"Please," Jason begged.
He nearly bit off his bottom lip when Matt backed off, then tapped Jason’s hip. "On your back."
As Jason turned,
Matt settled between his legs, positioned the head of his cock at Jason’s hole once again. Only this time, he pressed inward.
"So tight and hot." Matt moaned as he dropped his hands on either side of Jason’s head. "Perfection."
The pressure was immense as Matt worked his erection inside, stretching him. Jason groaned as one hard thrust buried Matt’s length balls-deep.
They moved in a rhythm so familiar and yet so new, considering this was only their second time together. Matt gripped Jason’s thighs, holding them apart as he drove in hard and deep.
Jason writhed as Matt’s angle altered and his sweet spot was struck again and again. He arched his back, trying to pull in ragged breaths as Matt continued the assault on his body.
"Mine." Matt growled the single word right before he sank his canines into Jason’s shoulder. Jason cried out, his body tight, reaching, desperate. His cock tingled, aching for release, as his balls drew up tight.
His climax crashed over him as he threw back his head, crying out Matt’s name.
Matt wasn’t too far behind him. He pulled his canines free and howled as hot spurts of cum filled Jason. As Jason went boneless, Matt’s thrusts slowed.
Matt pulled free and dropped next to him before draping an arm over Jason. He nuzzled Jason’s neck, placing small kisses along his shoulder.
"And that is what I call laying down roots." Matt nipped him as a smile spread across Jason’s face.
Matt could lay down roots anytime the man wanted.
A low, rumbling growl vibrated in Matt’s chest when someone banged on the door. "I swear I’m going to wire that door so the next person who knocks on it is electrocuted."
"Matt," Colton shouted from the other side, "Anthony is gone."
Chapter Nine
Matt turned from the window to face Colton. "Are you sure he didn’t just walk out?"
Matt had taken Jason to the agency, where all the men had gathered. If something was about to go down, he wanted everyone in one place, including Stuart. Having hell break out at home wasn’t an option.