Tearing Down Walls (Miracle Book 5)

by Shea Balik

  He dropped down onto his other hand so his body draped over Chadwick’s body. Then he licked a path along his mate’s neck where he planned on leaving his mark. Just as his balls pulled up tight to his body, he felt Chadwick’s dick throb in his hand. A heartbeat later, that tight ass clamped down on Saber’s cock and fluid poured over Saber’s hand.

  His own orgasm crashed through him and Saber sank his teeth deep into Chadwick’s neck at the same moment his seed jetted from his body to fill his mate’s channel. Saber was transported to heaven in that moment, he was sure of it. Nothing in his life had ever felt as it did then. Bliss, excitement, peace, and contentment all flooded his body along with the feeling of finally finding his home.

  Saber hadn’t been prepared for the overwhelming sensations and he found he didn’t want to ever leave his mate’s body. Only the sheer exhaustion from their exertion forced him to do so as they collapsed to the ground. At the last second, Saber had the presence of mind to roll to his side so he didn’t crush Chadwick.

  But that was all he could manage as he lay there with his mate next to him. A smile that he knew covered his entire face formed. What would happen in the future, hell, in just a few hours, Saber didn’t know. All he did know was that right then, with his mate by his side, Saber was invincible. He had found his mate and claimed him. Nothing else mattered.

  CHAPTER 9

  If Chadwick had known how amazing it was to take a dick, he would have done so years ago. Not that he’d ever tell his mate that. Saber seemed to love the thought that he was Chadwick’s first and, if he were honest, Chadwick liked knowing that as well.

  Wild cheers could just be heard in the distance followed by a gong, announcing the end of the first challenge. Chadwick sighed as the reality of their world came crashing into his euphoria of finding his mate and completing their bond. It had been what he’d held onto all these years as he’d withdrawn from the rest of the world.

  That image of his knight in shining armor racing to his rescue and slaying the dragon to free him from the prison of lies and secrets he’d been forced to live. Saber had certainly done that by breaking through the walls Chadwick had erected to protect himself from a world he hadn’t wanted to even know about, much less reside in.

  “I hope the cheers mean we won,” Saber murmured as he wrapped his arms around Chadwick and tugged him close. Firm lips pressed a kiss against his temple and for the first time since he was five years old, Chadwick felt safe, protected, cared for.

  Strange, considering they’d pitted themselves against the Council. Even if they won, those shifters who hated gays wouldn’t just take it laying down. They would fight to get the world they wanted back. But Chadwick and the others wouldn’t back down. They had too much to fight for – their very lives.

  “Me too.” Chadwick threaded his fingers with Saber’s, loving that his mate was willing to cuddle with him. That didn’t happen too often, encounters with other men always meant doing so in secret. The longer they spent together the better chance they’d be discovered, something neither party wanted to have happen.

  Another cheer, this one even louder, could be heard and as much as Chadwick didn’t want to, his thoughts turned to Saber’s challenge. “What if I asked you to not fight Refugio?” It was a stupid request but Chadwick couldn’t stop himself from asking anyway.

  His mate sighed, but instead of pulling away, he tightened his hold even more. “As much as I would do anything for you, Kitten, I can’t back down from this. It’s too important that Refugio die. The man is evil.”

  He knew that, but that didn’t make it any easier. “I just don’t want to lose you,” Chadwick whispered.

  “I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Saber’s hand cupped his cheek and turned Chadwick’s head to place a kiss on his lips. “But I have to do this.”

  Tears pricked Chadwick’s eyes as he thought about Saber dying in that ring, the one he’d made. “Even with Refugio dead, we won’t be safe,” he insisted. “Shifters have never accepted gay matings. So, why risk your life?”

  “Actually, that isn’t true,” Saber said.

  “What isn’t?” Chadwick asked, turning over so he could more easily look at his mate as they talked. When he settled back against Saber, his mate closed his arms around him once more, drawing him close.

  “Being gay wasn’t against the law until Refugio took over the Council. Until then, a mating was a mating, no matter the sex of the partners.” Saber’s dark eyes, darkened even further. “That’s just one reason he has to be punished.”

  Chadwick was shocked. He honestly didn’t know what to say. “Wait,” he said. “When was this?”

  Anger crept into Saber’s gaze. “When my father was alive and part of the Council, there were no laws against same sex matings. They also didn’t force segregation as they do now between the groups.”

  “Your father was on the Council?” How had Chadwick not know that? Although, now that he thought about it, he hadn’t given Saber much of a chance since meeting him, so it made sense he knew little about him. Chadwick thought about his own father and how their relationship was strained at best, mostly because Chadwick didn’t trust him any longer. “Did you get along with your father?”

  Saber’s lips curled up into a soft smile. “Most of the time. We butted heads a lot as I was stretching my wings and becoming more independent but I knew he loved me and respected me, no matter how stupid some of my decisions were at the time.”

  Chadwick caressed Saber’s cheek with his hand. “I’m sorry you lost him.”

  “I didn’t lose him,” Saber spat out, his voice hard and cold. “Refugio killed him.”

  That didn’t make the prospect of his mate challenging the man any easier to handle. “Isn’t that reason enough not to get into that ring with him? He beat your father. What if he beats you, too?” A cry of anguish came from deep within his body.

  “He didn’t beat my father,” Saber said, his voice softening a bit as he tried to reassure Chadwick. “He had him ambushed and killed when he was vulnerable. Refugio wouldn’t have stood a chance in a fair fight.”

  Saber sounded so sure, yet Chadwick had heard the rumors of how underhanded the Council Chief was. But he also didn’t want to fight with Saber, especially since he knew he’d never win. “What happened?” he asked instead, wanting to know as much about Saber and his family as possible in the short time they had left. Now that they were mated, it seemed vital for him to know who his mate was, just in case.

  “He had been on a peacekeeping mission to the Duma Coalition, who were a group of cheetah shifters accused of murdering antelope shifters from the Suluhu herd in Central Africa. My father, Karlin, had been prepared for trouble when he’d visited the Duma Coalition as those cheetah shifters were known to be an aggressive bunch.

  “But Refugio had waited until his guard was down while visiting the Suluhu herd to strike. He’d paid the Duma Coalition to attack, killing not only my father but more than half of the Suluhu herd as well.” Saber’s voice waivered. “My father and the small contingent of guards that had been traveling with him fought to give as many of the herd as possible time to get away, but the coalition overwhelmed them with their numbers.”

  Chadwick wrapped his arms around Saber and held him as his mate cried. It touched him that Saber was man enough to cry in front of him. “I’m so sorry,” he murmured.

  “Refugio used the massacre to not only get on the Council, but as a reason for keeping shifter groups separate instead of trying to bring peace by intermixing.” Saber leaned back to once more stare into Chadwick’s eyes. “He claimed the cheetah’s had attacked because the leader’s daughter had lowered herself by marrying a member of the Suluhu herd.”

  “But a Council member had been killed,” Chadwick said. “There would have been an investigation and the truth would have come out.”

  Saber snorted. “By then, too many on the Council were corrupt and only too happy to use Refugio�
��s lies to further their own power. It didn’t hurt that Refugio was rich and could pay them off.”

  “How did you know what happened?” Chadwick had never known any of this and he was pretty sure his friends didn’t know the truth either.

  “I went against Council orders and investigated my father’s death. But when I found the truth, it didn’t help. The Council didn’t care, especially since they not only had already voted Refugio in but made him Chief.” Saber’s jaw clenched. “They fired me from my position as security, not that I would have continued to work for them, and Refugio sent men after me to silence me.”

  Chadwick’s heart leapt into his throat at the thought of his mate being a target. “Is that why you move around so much?”

  Saber’s lips turned up into a mischievous smile. “In the beginning it was, but now I do it to piss Refugio off. Whenever I hear of the Council using its power against shifters, I do whatever it takes to stop it.” His smile turned downright wicked. “Even converting Refugio’s own men, so they know that their boss is a tyrant that needs to be taken out.”

  “Bosce,” Chadwick whispered.

  Saber nodded. “I met him thirty years ago, when he was still an enforcer for the Council. It took time, but eventually he was able to become part of Refugio’s personal guard.”

  Chadwick didn’t get it. “If he was that close to the man, why didn’t he just take him out?”

  “There was no way he would have gotten out alive if he’d killed Refugio in cold blood.” What Saber said was true, but Chadwick wasn’t so sure it wouldn’t have been worth the risk. “Plus, I knew one day, I’d be able to challenge him officially. I’d just hoped it would have happened sooner.”

  “I don’t get it. Why bother telling Refugio about Bosce? Wouldn’t it be better to have someone on the inside in case things go south?” Chadwick hated even mentioning the possibility of his mate losing.

  “To psych him out.” Saber sounded so confident, so sure of himself. Chadwick just wished he felt as certain. “He needs to know he isn’t as safe as he thinks he is.”

  Saber took Chadwick’s lips in a soft kiss before saying, “So, you see? I can’t back out of this. Refugio has to pay for what he’s done. I’ve been studying him for more than a hundred years. I’m one of the few people who knows all his tricks. It is still a risk, but I have to try.”

  Chadwick got it. He really did. He just didn’t want to lose his mate because of one psychopath who thought himself more powerful than the Gods.

  CHAPTER 10

  The air was thick with the scents of blood and sweat. The ground beneath Saber’s feet showed the stains of the fights before him. Hard fought battles that had ended with two people dead and one disgracing himself by surrendering so he could live his life in exile. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, as he would be sent to a remote island with no way off, but at least he would live.

  The crowd, while still cheering their champions on, was more somber as the weight of those who’d died hung over them like a cloud. They may want the right to live their lives as they saw fit, but none of them wanted it to be at the expense of someone’s life.

  Too many had died already for them to truly relish anyone else having to sacrifice further. But it was their way. The laws deemed it so. Something Saber fully intended to change as soon as he became chief. Which would only happen when he killed Refugio.

  And he would die. Saber wouldn’t stop until that happened. Out of everyone on the Council, Refugio was the one who deserved to have his life snuffed out, just as he had done to countless others over the years, starting with Saber’s father.

  His gaze stayed fixed on Refugio as Edrick announced the rules of the battle. Not that Refugio would ever heed any rules. The man was ruthless when it came to winning.

  A knowing smirk was plastered on Refugio’s face. The man was way too cocky. He was up to something. Saber just needed to figure out what that was before he ended up dead himself.

  His gut clenched knowing it could so easily be him that ended up on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Death had never bothered Saber before, but that was before Chadwick. The earthy scent of his mate wafted around him, letting him know his mate was close. As much as he wanted nothing more than to search his mate out, Saber had to focus on Refugio. Now that he’d found his mate, Saber was more determined than ever not to lose.

  “Saber Thorsen has challenged Chief Council, Refugio Costa, for his seat on the Council,” Edrick’s voice boomed out over the amassing crowd. Cheers went up around them at the announcement, because Refugio was hated for his determination to wipe out those shifters he deemed degenerates. Gay shifters weren’t the only ones he’d tried to eliminate. Certain weaker species were hunted for no other reason than they were considered prey. He also had ordered some species to be laborers for the Council. What they were doing, Saber hadn’t been able to figure out, but the reports of their conditions were horrifying.

  “This challenge will be to the death,” Edrick announced. “Or until one of the two parties surrenders and concedes to being exiled far from humanity.” There was no way Saber was going to allow Refugio to live. “No weapons of any kind may be used,” Edrick continued. Other than possibly a gun, no other weapon was needed. As shifters, they had their claws and teeth. “No outside element of any kind may be used, which not only includes weapons, but also other people, animals, or props of any kind. This challenge is to be between the two people involved, only.”

  That was the moment Refugio gave himself away. For it was then that his eyes flashed with a light of triumph. He was planning on having someone else kill Saber. Most likely with a rifle, to allow the person to make a getaway before anyone could catch him.

  The sharp inhale from behind Saber told him his mate had seen what he had in Refugio’s eyes. “Participants, are you ready?” Edrick asked, first turning to Refugio, who grinned as if this were a done deal. “I’m happy to show all you miscreants why I’m your Chief Council before sending in my troops to kill you all.”

  Boos from the crowd, along with threats of their own about wiping the floor with the Council’s pathetic excuse for an army rose up around them. Refugio’s smile broadened as if he knew exactly what he was doing. But while the crowd was distracting Refugio, a voice that Saber was coming to love said from behind him, “I will find whoever Refugio has planted. You just remember what you promised me and stay alive. Got it?”

  Saber gave a slight nod of acceptance as he didn’t want to tip his hand to Refugio. Then Edrick turned to Saber. “I’m ready,” Saber told the crowd without any kind of grandstanding.

  The crowd cheered and Saber heard his mate whisper, “Please Gods, keep him alive.” Then, even though Saber couldn’t see him, he felt Chadwick turn and walk away.

  His heart ached at not having Chadwick there with him, yet at the same time, he felt safer than ever knowing his mate had his back. He had no doubt that whoever Refugio had hiding to kill him would be found and stopped.

  “The moment I step out of this ring, the challenge will commence.” Edrick waited a moment, then stepped from the ring.

  Every nerve in Saber’s body went on alert. Refugio may have a plan to ensure that Saber died if the man couldn’t beat him, but he also knew Refugio most likely had other tricks up his sleeve and he needed to stay on his toes if he was going to avoid them.

  “I am going to enjoy watching you bleed out at my feet. To beg for mercy, when we both know I will never grant it.” Refugio’s words were meant to intimidate, but all they did was show how weak the man was. The need to boast was nothing more than ego, something any good fighter didn’t bother with. Saber’s abilities did that all on their own, without words.

  He didn’t let Refugio’s taunting get to him as he waited for Edrick to step from the ring. He needed to keep a cool head if he was going to win. Taking offense to anything Refugio said wouldn’t accomplish that goal.

  Edrick walked out of the dirt circle and onto the grass that surrounded the r
ing. The challenge had begun, but both men stood there, neither willing to be the first to make their move.

  It only took two minutes of staring Refugio down before the Chief Council became enraged. Refugio was used to others cowering in fear, or at the very least bowing down to him. That Saber just stared right at him, not even looking away, enraged the man, as Saber knew it would.

  Refugio lunged at him, but Saber was ready. Using the man’s momentum against him, Saber flipped him over his head. The harsh push of air out of Refugio’s body said it all. He had landed hard and he hadn’t been prepared for Saber countering his attack.

  Why would he? The man only fought men who were weaker than him. If he did take on someone stronger, that person knew to lose or he would likely end up dead for making Refugio look foolish. Based on the rage in the Chief Council’s eyes, Saber would have been killed outright for making Refugio a laughingstock.

  A roar of outrage came from Refugio as he once more attacked Saber. Just as Refugio stepped close, Saber punched him in the face, then hooked his leg so it swept Refugio’s right out from under him. This time Refugio was a bit more prepared, for instead of landing on his back in an explosion of air, he rolled instantly back onto his feet.

  One leg shot out and slammed into Saber’s abdomen. Ignoring the pain, Saber grabbed hold of Refugio’s leg and twisted it hard. Before it could break, Refugio’s body morphed into his animal, a panther. Black and gold fur shimmered all around Refugio and the leg Saber had been holding slid out of his grasp as it shrunk, not giving him a good grasp any longer.

  The scream of the feline rang out around them as Refugio swept his claws at Saber. The sting of his side being ripped open wasn’t enough to stop Saber’s own attack. He let his own claws come out and slammed them into Refugio’s exposed flank, ripping a chuck of flesh from his body.