by Lynn Hagen
He hoped that whomever Dr. Sheehan consulted with could get Kovachi out of his fucking head before Raven gave in to that impulse.
Chapter Eight
“I don’t fucking leave a man behind,” Tryck snarled at Raven as Devil entered the clinic. “When we took off, Bayne was getting into his ride.” He jabbed a finger at Caleb. “He gave us the wrong directions. There wasn’t a warehouse there, only an empty piece of land.”
“The hell there wasn’t,” Raven shot back. He was sitting up in the bed, clutching his mate to his chest, as though afraid Caleb would take off at any second.
It looked kind of odd considering Caleb wasn’t a thin guy, and he kept squirming like he was struggling to get free, but Raven refused to let him go.
Devil held up a hand, interrupting their argument. “Start from the beginning.”
Raven explained how the Santiago brothers had shown up and left with Bayne to burn down the warehouse, then how Raven had gotten a text from Bayne saying he was in trouble.
Devil furrowed his brows. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me Bayne was in trouble when you called me?”
“Because I was too busy fighting whatever Kovachi had done to me,” Raven snarled. “He monkeyed with my fucking mind and it took me hours to break free from it.”
Raven looked like shit. He was pale and sweaty, and his hand shook as he carded it through his hair. Devil had been afraid something like this would happen since they’d found out Kovachi was a sorcerer.
Tryck looked ready to snap. He worked his jaw back and forth, and his nostrils flared as his hands convulsed at his sides. “Bayne never sent a text while we were there,” he snapped. “We pulled into the lot and saw nothing but piles of dirt and trees. I told the bear shifter we were taking off, and he said he was heading home.”
Raven scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Kovachi must’ve used some kind of magic to conceal the warehouse while you were there. Bayne must’ve run into trouble after you guys left. That’s the only explanation I can come up with.”
Tryck stormed from the room. As soon as he was gone, Raven said, “There’s something else.”
Devil closed the door.
“Kovachi said he was in my head now,” Raven said. “He said he would get me to hand Caleb over, that he could make me do it, and he called Caleb the means to my destruction.” He tapped his head with his fist. “I ain’t gonna lie. I feel him in there, lurking in the shadows.”
Caleb finally managed to break free of Raven’s tight hold. He sat next to his mate and stated wide-eyed at him. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“Haven’t had time.” Raven rubbed a hand down Caleb’s back. “But like I told you, I’m not gonna let anything else happen to you. I’ll take myself out before I give you to him.”
Caleb punched Raven’s arm. “Don’t you dare talk like that! You’re not gonna do a damn thing. We’ll figure something out, and I know to haul ass if you drive me anywhere near that place.”
“I need to talk with Maverick.” Devil left the clinic and headed downstairs. On his way to the alpha’s office, he called Nyx.
“How’s Raven?”
“Awake, but he still looks fucked-up,” Devil said. “But that’s not why I’m calling. Raven said Bayne was at the warehouse, passed out on the floor. Have Kivani watch the mates while you see if you can track him down. Take Declan with you.”
“I’m on it.” Nyx hung up.
Devil had known this job wouldn’t be easy from the start, and that was one reason he’d voided his contract with the Ultionem. Killing didn’t come naturally to him, and the guilt ate away at his soul. But shit was getting too real, and he couldn’t just stand by while Bayne was in trouble and Kovachi was fucking with people’s minds.
For his brethren, Devil would slaughter every last Hunter. Or at the very least Aleksei Kovachi. And word was slowly trickling into the club that Kovachi was not only into the drug business but running a few whorehouses. Devil had never wanted to end someone as badly as he wanted to kill that son of a bitch.
Especially if hurt Bayne.
He knocked on the open office door. Maverick was seated behind his desk and talking on his phone. He waved for Devil to come in. He took a seat in one of the black leather chairs in front of Maverick’s desk and waited for him to finish up.
“Cecil and the others weren’t anywhere near that farm, Keating. They weren’t cow-tipping or chasing chickens. They stopped doing that a long time ago.” Maverick paused, then added, “I swear he was here last night. Now I gotta go.” When Maverick hung up, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m gonna strangle my mate and his cohorts.” He sighed and looked at Devil. “What can I help you with?”
Devil explained what Raven had told him, even the part after Tryck had left. “It has to be some kind of spell. Do you know anyone who can counter it?”
“I know several people.” He picked up his desk phone, dialed, and said into the receiver, “Need you in my office.”
A moment later, Devil saw disembodied, glowing eyes in the shadowy corner of Maverick’s office. They were more like flames one would see in a fireplace and were creepy as fuck. Then a man emerged, and Devil recognized him as one of the Ultionem.
Panahasi.
Devil opened his mouth to tell the demon leader what he’d just told Maverick, but Panahasi held up his hand. “I already know.”
“Of course you do.” Maverick rolled his eyes. “Can you help Raven?”
“I’ll have to see what’s going on in his head,” Panahasi said.
“He’s in the clinic,” Devil said.
With a nod, Panahasi left the office. Devil followed. When they entered the clinic, Raven was lying down with his eyes closed and Caleb was sitting in a chair next to his bed, looking worried.
Panahasi gave Caleb a gentle smile. “Do you mind if I examine your mate?”
Caleb looked from the demon leader to Devil. “How?”
Raven didn’t open his eyes as Panahasi approached the bed. “I just want to have a look. Nothing more. I promise.”
Caleb bit his lower lip. “Okay.”
Panahasi brushed his hand over Raven’s head, then laid it there, closing his eyes. His features darkened before he took his hand away. “Some really dark magic has been used,” he said. “A human sacrifice was involved, which makes this spell powerful.”
Declan thought of Bayne, but he refused to go there. Bayne wasn’t dead. He was alive, and Nyx and Declan would find him.
“But can you help him?” Caleb asked. “Can you get Kovachi out of his head?”
“I need to consult with someone.”
Devil didn’t like that answer. From what he’d heard, Panahasi was pretty damn powerful, and if he couldn’t just snap his fingers and reverse the spell, that didn’t bode well for Raven.
“I’ll be back,” Panahasi said before he left the room.
Devil stared at Caleb. He hoped like hell Panahasi could help Raven. Devil didn’t want to lose his friend, but Caleb had just suffered a terrible loss. He didn’t need to lose his mate, too.
Caleb clutched his phone, ready to speed-dial Devil or Kivani if Raven made one false move. He’d been sleeping on Caleb’s couch, arm slung over his face, but now he was sitting up, scrubbing his hands through his hair.
“Will you stop hovering by the door?” Raven flattened his lips as a frown puckered between his bloodshot eyes.
“I can’t help it,” Caleb said in a slightly squeaky voice. “You want to hand me over to that kook.”
“Let’s get one thing straight.” Raven stood, swayed slightly, and sat back down, clutching his head. “I don’t want to do a damn thing. And you bouncing from foot to foot by the door ain’t helping matters.”
“You don’t have to be a grouch about it.” Caleb crossed his arms, lifting his chin slightly. “I’m stressed the hell out right now, and you being grumpy ain’t helping matters, either.”
He bit the inside of his cheek as Raven gave a wry chuc
kle. “This shit is so fucked-up that I can’t even begin to count the ways.”
Caleb could, but he wasn’t going to. They both already knew everything that had happened so far, and they were both under a lot of stress. Not only was Caleb dealing with Raven’s terrifying-ass world, but rent was due in a week and he didn’t have a penny to his name. The compounded pressure made him want to scream as he ate a gallon of ice cream and cried his eyes out.
“Will you please sit down?” Raven pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “I promise, if I have an urge to snatch you up and make a run for it, I’ll let you know.”
“What if that prick in your head stops you from warning me?”
“Oh my fuck,” Raven groaned. “Fine, stand by the door if that makes you feel better.”
“You know,” Caleb said with pursed lips, “I’m not feeling the love here.”
Raven dropped his hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He patted the cushion next to him. “Just come have a seat.”
“Is this a trick?”
“Are you serious?”
“A guy’s gotta ask.” Caleb wanted to sit down. His legs were starting to ache. He never knew standing could be so exhausting.
Raven got up, grabbed Caleb’s hand, and yanked him to the couch. Caleb dropped but made sure he was on the opposite end. He wasn’t trying to be difficult or add to Raven’s migraine, but the thought of seeing Kovachi again made his stomach twist in razor-sharp pain.
Raven grabbed him and hauled Caleb onto his lap, and Caleb squirmed, just like he had in the clinic. He’d opened his mouth to tell Raven to let him go when his mate’s lips pressed against his. But Raven wasn’t kissing him. Their lips were just sort of resting against each other’s.
“Uh, what’re you doing?” Caleb asked as Raven’s low-trimmed beard tickled his face.
“Taking your mind off your worries.” Raven’s lips curled. “Is it working?”
“It might if you actually kissed me.” Caleb swiped the tip of his tongue against his mate’s bottom lip.
Raven’s grin grew.
Caleb smiled.
Then they laughed.
Raven cupped Caleb’s face, giving him the sweetest, tenderest kiss he’d ever been given. There was no heat or passion to it. It felt more like Raven needing comfort and telling Caleb he wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Caleb sighed into his mouth, sliding his hands up Raven’s impressive chest.
“Is it working now?” He drew the pads of his thumbs over Caleb’s cheeks.
Caleb gave him a look that said he was thinking. “I might need more just to be sure.”
Raven was already ruggedly handsome, but when he smiled, showing off his brilliant white teeth, Caleb wanted to give him anything he asked for. He thought the crinkled skin around Raven’s eyes was damn sexy, too.
Raven turned and placed Caleb between his hard body and the back of the couch, tucking Caleb in and making him feel like the ugly world couldn’t get to him. If only that were true. If he could be truly safe just from being tucked against Raven’s chest, Caleb would fuse himself with his mate.
Raven slid his hand down Caleb’s hip, drawing circles with his fingers and raising goose bumps on Caleb’s skin.
“We haven’t even had the chance to get to know one another.” He kissed the tip of Caleb’s nose. It was a corny thing to do, but secretly Caleb was eating it up.
“What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Everything.”
Caleb grinned. “That could take a while.”
He felt like he was having his first crush. Seriously. Caleb’s past lovers had never made him feel this giddy. Not even Chad. His heart was fluttering, his palms were sweaty, and Caleb wanted to kiss Raven for the next decade or so.
“Just tell me something about you.”
Caleb’s eyebrows shot up. “My mind just went completely blank.”
“Don’t feel pressured.” Raven tickled his side, poking into Caleb’s pudginess. Caleb chuckled and swatted his hand away.
“I don’t feel pressured,” he lied. “There’s just nothing special about me.”
Raven’s hand stilled as his brows dipped. “I think the way you handle the situations thrown at us is amazing.” He entwined their fingers, and for the first time in his life, Caleb felt like his hand was petite because Raven’s nearly swallowed it.
“If you want the truth, half the time I was ready to pass out. The only reason I didn’t was because you were there and I trusted you to look out for me.”
“Seriously?” The skin between his eyes wrinkled. “You trusted me off the bat?”
Caleb shrugged, embarrassed for having said anything in the first place. “I just had this weird feeling in my gut. Plus, you pretended to be my boyfriend and saved me from Chad. That’s a big gold star in my book.”
Raven harrumphed. “How the hell did you end up with someone like him?”
“Lonely.” The word slipped out before Caleb could catch it. His cheeks burned as he tried to look away, but Raven placed a hand on his chin, stopping him.
“Well, that shit’s over. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
Caleb moaned as Raven nibbled his down his jaw. God, he loved Raven’s lips. They were so damn soft and he knew what he was doing. And that manly smell made Caleb’s dick hard. He loved a man’s natural odor—wild, with a hint of earthiness.
He slid his arm around Raven’s side, wiggling closer—if that was possible because Caleb was wedged tightly in the couch. Raven pulled Caleb’s leg up and placed it over his hip.
“I like this,” Raven said.
“So do I,” Caleb admitted. “Too bad it isn’t Sunday and raining outside.”
Raven chuckled. “What does Sunday have to do with anything?”
“It’s the day most people relax and do nothing. Rain makes it feel more intimate. We could be under a blanket, watching a movie, cuddling as we listen to the rain patter against the window.”
“Mmm.” Raven nipped his chin. “You make it sound perfect.”
It would be now that Caleb had someone to cuddle with. Chad hated rain. He’d always complained about the dampness, and he wasn’t a movie watcher.
And Caleb inwardly growled that he was thinking of his ex right now when he had a big, hunky guy touching him all over and making his dick drool just from nibbling on him like Caleb was his favorite snack.
“God, I fucking want you.” Raven’s voice came out in a husky rumble. “I love how your lips taste, how you feel under my hands, how hard you make my dick, and how badly I want to bury it inside you.”
Caleb had been reaching for Raven’s cock but reached for his own instead. He bit hard into his bottom lip as he pressed the heel of his hand against Raven’s pulsing dick.
Raven’s hand curled around Caleb’s wrist. “You like when I say those things?”
“You’re joking, right?”
He shrugged. “Never said those kinds of words to anyone. I thought maybe…” He kissed the very breath from Caleb’s lungs. “I sounded stupid,” he said when he pulled back.
“Hardly.” Caleb skimmed his lips across his mate’s jaw. “You keep talking to me like that and I just might lose my heart to you.”
Caleb had a feeling that was happening already. In just a few short days he was over the moon for this guy. That hadn’t been his intention when he’d followed Raven the day of the funeral. Love had been the last thing on his mind. But being with Raven made Caleb feel like he was flying, and he never wanted that feeling to go away.
Raven’s eyes became heavy-lidded. He got off the couch and Caleb thought he’d freaked the guy out with the L word, but he helped Caleb out of his jeans, then knelt in front of him. Raven’s dark eyes were smoldering as he took Caleb’s cock into his mouth. His gaze never left Caleb’s as he suckled at the head. Caleb’s lips parted and he started to pant, unsure what to do with his hands. They were at his sides, curling into tight fists as Raven took his length down his throat.<
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“Oh fuck!” That had to be a record for Caleb. His spunk hit the back of Raven’s throat as his hips shot upward. He was breathing hard and licking his dry lips as Raven stood and pulled his cock free. He jerked off, his expression one of pure rapture.
He knew Raven intended to just come on Caleb’s chest and face, but Caleb couldn’t let a good, hard dick go to waste. He jolted forward and engulfed Raven’s cock. The tendons in Raven’s neck grew taut, and a few strokes later, Caleb tasted his lover’s seed.
Raven stumbled backward and Caleb instinctively shot from the couch to catch him—as if he really could. Raven fell on the coffee table, smashing the wood under his weight.
“Oh my God! Are you all right?” Caleb tried to help him up, but Raven waved Caleb’s hand away as he threw his head back and laughed. He looked a sight, sitting on broken wood with his junk hanging out. Caleb wasn’t sure what was so funny, but a bubble of laughter burped its way up and spilled from his throat.
Caleb dropped to the couch as Raven got up and fixed his pants. “I’ll replace your coffee table.”
“The coffee table is the least of my worries,” Caleb said as the laughter died down. “Being homeless is my number-one concern right now.” Caleb’s brows shot up as he got off the couch, reaching for his underwear. What a perfect way to ruin things.
“Hey.” Raven grabbed Caleb’s arm, stopping him from running to his bedroom. “Tell me what’s going on.” He pulled Caleb back down to the couch and took a seat next to him.
Caleb told Raven about how Jacob had been the one who paid the bills, and now that he was gone, Caleb was screwed.
“You told me yesterday that you needed to find a place, but I thought you wanted to move because staying here was too painful.” Raven scowled. “Do you think I’d let my mate get put out on the street?”
“I didn’t tell you so you could pay my rent.”
“I don’t like where I’m living, and four out of six Knights already live in this building. It only makes sense for me to be here full-time, too.”