“I could sit with him while you go and pick up my brother. It’s the least I can do since I’m still under house arrest,” Ricky grumbled.
Dakota shook his head, “You know Alpha Grant only wants you to stay here until Tank completes your training. You won’t be any good to your brother if you’re killed. We have too many paranormals that come through town right now. It would be easy for Alpha Clifton to insert a spy, or worse, an assassin to take you out.”
“I know, and I understand. It’s just…”
“You want to spread your wings. Look, I get it. It’s hard to stay cooped up in this house, and I’ll be honest, I also believe it would be good for the other pack members to get to know you. I’m sure Alpha Grant will relax more once he gets rid of Alpha Clifton,” Dakota broke in.
“You know, we could always have a celebration when they return,” Sparky interjected. “In fact, once I pick up Sandy, how about we put our heads together and plan it? There’s nothing like loud music, tons of junk food followed by an evening of debauchery to welcome home our warriors.”
“Debauchery?” Dakota’s eyebrow rose on his forehead. “Look who found and swallowed the dictionary.”
Before Sparky could respond, Jason entered, followed by a slightly rumpled Sheila. That is if you could call the beauty that entered anything but perfect.
As far as females go,Dakota’s sister certainly was a ten. Her slightly mussed, honey-blond hair fell below her waist in soft waves. Her smaller frame fit nicely under Jason’s arm, as her pale-green eyes lit with an inner fire. “You know I can drive myself home, big brother.”
“I’m staying here at the compound until Alpha Grant returns. Since I have to go to work and our house is next to the jailhouse, I figured I’d wait,” Dakota responded with a shrug.
Sparky wondered if the lawman ever lost his cool. No matter what the situation, he always seemed to be in control. For a short time, the mechanic had thought about seeing what would happen if he got the handsome man’s motor running, but Dakota had never shown any interest.
“Well, I think I’m going to go bring some of this coffee up for my mate.” Sparky didn’t wait for a response as he grabbed two cups and headed up the stairs. He figured once most of the people ate breakfast, he could maybe bring Charlie downstairs to eat. It would be good for the man to move around a bit more, and maybe afterward, they both could shift and take a quick run before Sparky had to leave to pick up Sandy.
◆◆◆
Grant smiled as he parked the SUV beside the Alpha’s house. He stretched his muscles briefly before he slowly got out of the vehicle. By the time he was at the main door outside the compound, his brother and father were beside him. The rest of the team waited beside their vehicles. A quick glance showed the Seattle Pack had also upped its security. The last time Grant had been here, there were no visible sentries. Now there were two stationed outside the main door, and he could see others patrolling the grounds nearby.
“I’m here to see, Alpha Torres. He’s expecting me,” Grant stated as he stood and waited. One of the sentries spoke into his phone before he nodded and smiled.
“Welcome to the Seattle Pack, Alpha Grant. Please, follow me.” The shifter quickly opened the door and motioned for them to enter.
Grant had to admit, he loved the interior courtyard, that enhanced the Mediterranean style Spanish villa. The mosaic stonework was fantastic, and the fountain that filled the center helped to set a peaceful setting. The pack was located outside of Seattle in the forest; near Mt. Rainier. It was isolated, and yet, the house gave a sense of civility in the wilderness setting.
Grant was pulled from his admiration by the appearance of his old friend and ally. “Francisco! You old wolf. It’s great to see you again.” The alpha pulled the man into a friendly hug before he stood back.
“A little less of the old thank you, my friend,” Alpha Torres replied as he slapped Grant on the back. “Too bad it isn’t under better times.”
“I’ve heard you’ve had problems with Alpha Clifton as well?”
“Si, we’ve had some of our females disappear. When I discovered the new pack setting up just outside my territory, I sent in a few of my men to find out what was happening. They also disappeared without a trace.”
“Sounds like the bastard is up to something more than just trying to steal my mate.”
Alpha Torres smiled, “Congratulations, my friend. You will have to bring him by to meet Margarite and the rest of my family.”
“How many children do you have now?” Grant asked as he motioned the others to follow them inside the house. The inside was just as spectacular as the outside. The cool colors and tiled floors continued the sense of peace from outside.
“Would you believe five, and we have another on the way,” Francisco smiled proudly.
“Poor Margarite,” David remarked.
“Ah, David, I have missed your humor. But don’t worry, as we know, the making of the child is the fun part, Si?”
Forest chuckled, “David was just talking about having children of his own.”
“This is possible?” Francisco asked as his eyebrow rose. The alpha knew David preferred the other team and had never had an issue with it. So children probably never entered his mind.
Grant decided to save his brother, “So did you find my ‘advance’ guard?”
The other alpha sighed, “I have kept what happened close, but your man Jake certainly made it difficult. If it weren’t for Shadow, I would have had to give him less comfortable accommodations.”
“I understand, and I thank you for handling the issue. Jake will be dealt with once we have rescued our missing members and anyone else being held captive. Perhaps, we will find some of your missing people as well.” Grant took the seat offered to him by the alpha.
Another pack member came in with drinks. After everyone was settled, Alpha Torres took a seat behind his desk. He motioned to the other shifter who had entered and stood behind him.
“Bueno, this is my second, Rafael Montinegro. He will lead the enforcers I have assigned to go with you.” Grant nodded at the extremely, tall man who stood silently behind his alpha. The shifter has to be almost seven feet tall, with long, brown hair that brushed his shoulders. His brown eyes carried an intelligence in them. He had no doubt the man would be a good addition to their team.
“I have instructed that the rest of your team be shown to the rooms I have reserved for you. After we finish here, we can join them in the dining room for a meal. Once darkness arrives, we will head for the compound and rescue our people.”
Grant stood and shook the alpha’s hand. “I appreciate what you are doing for us, Francisco. Before I head to my room to clean up, would it be possible for me to check on Jake and Shadow?”
“Of course, my friend.” Francisco turned to look at the man behind him, “Could you show Alpha Grant to the room where his advance guard is resting? Wait outside and then show him the room where he can relax before dinner.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Rafael’s deep voice answered.
“Bueno, I will see you all later when we meet for dinner. Until then, try to relax my friend. Tonight we dine and later we battle. It will be like old times.”
“Yes, and when we leave, blood will flow, and Clifton’s head will no longer be attached to his body,” Grant vowed as he stood to follow the beta from the room.
Chapter 11
Sparky sat in the chair in Charlie’s room waiting for his mate to finish taking a shower. He’d offered to help, but Charlie had insisted he could do it himself. He was beginning to wonder if he’d ever get a chance to examine his mate’s body with his hands, much less, his tongue. Especially the semi-hard cock he’d seen just before the shifter disappeared into the bathroom. His own cock pressed against his zipper just at the thought.
The shifter glanced at the door before he sighed and thumped his straining member. “Be patient.” He chuckled and shook his head. It was hard to believe he was reduced to talking to
'Mr. Happy' instead of taking care of business. He stood with the intent of letting his mate know he was going to his own room to take a very cold shower when his phone rang.
The phone number wasn’t one he recognized and normally, he would have ignored it. But it was possible the alpha, or one of the members of his team were calling from a different phone. “Hello?”
“Is that any way to answer your master, pet?” A voice he hadn’t heard in years caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. How had the magi gotten his phone number? Sparky glanced at the closed bathroom door before he quickly exited the room. He didn’t need his mate to hear the conversation.
“How did you get this number?” Sparky responded with as much force as he could. Even after all these years, he could feel the fear.
“I see I have much to remind you of, once you become mine again. My other pets are nice, but you will always be my favorite. Once I have you under my control again, you’ll wish you had never left.” Winston’s voice had grown hard. The man had to be insane if he thought Sparky would go anywhere near him.
“Yeah, about that—not happening. You remember what you were told the last time you showed up here? Well, Alpha Grant and his brothers meant what they said; you will be killed if you so much as enter our territory.” Sparky let his anger surface. “You have no claim to me, you bastard. I refuse to allow you to control me. You’re nothing more than a third level magi who needed to use drugs to keep me under your spell.”
“You think being in the alpha’s inner circle will protect you? I’ll have you know my magic has grown stronger since you left. I’m now part of the central circle and next in line to become the High Priest.”
The anger in Winston’s voice was clear as he continued, “Your alpha can’t stand against the power of our coven. If you want to save your pack, you’ll do the honorable thing and return to me. If I have to come and get you, many will die.”
“I’m no good to you any longer Winston. Even if I wanted to leave, I’m mated. Nothing can come between Semme’ mates, and you know it. Even magi must answer to the goddess from whom your powers flow.” Sparky glanced back at the closed bedroom door.
“Ah, but I can see your deceit in your mind, pet. You have not claimed him. I can understand your hesitancy. Who would want to be tied to a hybrid, and a defective one at that?”
“How?” Sparky felt a cold chill run down his spine.
“I told you. I am part of the central circle now. I can read your mind and sense your turmoil. You can’t hide from me.” Winston chuckled, “Even a simple mind like yours should be able to understand you have no choice. You never had one. I just let you think you were free all these years. Now that I have my full power, I will come to collect what is mine.”
Sparky jumped as he felt the phone being yanked from his hand. He tried to reach for it, but Charlie simply glared at him before he began to speak to his former lover, “Stop lying, you Houdini wannabe. If you’re able to read my mate’s mind, I’m the Queen of England. I know you have to be close to a person to actually read them. I also know that mind control is different than being able to see thoughts. So cut the crap and leave Sparky alone, or I will gut you.”
“Ah, the defective hybrid has a backbone. Too bad you have no say in this. You’re still bound to the High Priest and must abide by the coven’s rules.” Winston shouted loud enough that Sparky was sure everyone in the house would hear him.
Charlie laughed and shook his head. “Again, you prove your ignorance. Ashton gave up his ownership when he sold me to Alpha Clifton. Besides, since I am part wolf, the rules never fully applied to me. I’m defective remember? I’m not a full magi and therefore owe no coven my allegiance. I have pledged to Alpha Grant, and as long as I live, I will serve him and this pack.”
“You will return and do the High Priest’s bidding, and Sparky will become mine again. The shifters will not be able to protect you. Even a defect like you knows magi are the most powerful force on the planet. No one can stand against us.”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but it seems to me Salem proved how wrong you are about being all powerful. Besides, not all magi support yours or Ashton’s warped view. No one is above another. But as the goddess is my witness, if you come anywhere near this pack or my mate, I will kill you.” Charlie pressed the button to hang up before he turned to hand the phone back to Sparky. For a moment, he simply looked at his mate, before he sighed and pulled the silent shifter into his arms.
Sparky allowed himself to be held. He couldn’t seem to stop the tremors that ran through his body. Visions of the horrible things Winston had done to him began to replay in his mind. If it weren’t for the strong arms holding him, he felt as if he would fly apart. He was so deep in the memories, he didn’t even protest when Charlie lifted him and carried him back into the bedroom.
The soft bed beneath him didn’t register. All he could feel was the unwanted touches. He heard the lewd voices and cringed at the commands he heard in his mind that forced him to debase himself again and again. He had no control.
Whatever Winston told him to do, he did it without hesitation. He’d been the perfect sex slave; his will was taken from him by the crazy magi he’d thought loved him. As he continued to tumble into the past, he wondered why he ever thought he could be free.
◆◆◆
Charlie didn’t like the vacant look in his mate’s eyes. He didn’t need to use his power, to know the man was lost to old memories. When he’d heard the distress in Sparky’s voice and then heard the conversation, his wolf demanded he act. Luckily, he had come out when he’d heard the phone ring. Since his mate had stopped outside his bedroom door, he was able to hear the whole conversation. Wolf hearing was a blessing.
He remembered Winston Taylor from the Goldfield coven, even though he’d been there but a short time. The magi had always been a mean son of a bitch. He had always looked down on Charlie because Winston felt he should have had his ability to read minds. After all, he was a pure magi while Charlie had been a hybrid. It was unheard of for a hybrid to be blessed by the goddess with a natural magic.
A soft moan from the bed brought Charlie back from his unpleasant memories of the Goldfield Coven. He had to do something to bring his mate back from the place he’d slipped in to. While Charlie could probably enter Sparky’s mind to see what had happened, and possibly pull Sparky free, he knew it would be a mistake. From the little he had learned so far, that would make things worse. So, he’d have to do it the old-fashioned way.
Charlie hadn’t bothered to dress when he heard his mate in distress. But he needed to get closer, and Sparky was definitely over-dressed. He gently removed the man’s clothes. His cock jerked at the sight before him. Sparky might not be as tall and muscular as the rest of his pack, but he was far from being a twink. Finely, defined muscles graced his frame, and the pale happy trail led to a nest of blonde hair. He wanted to touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked.
The shifter shook his head. The last thing Sparky needed was to be pawed over. He just hoped that by holding his mate close and letting his scent envelop him, it would be enough to break through. He knew what it was like to be lost to bad memories and hated the thought that his soon to be lover was trapped.
The hybrid shifter crawled into the bed next to Sparky. He pulled the covers over them both, as he tucked the shivering man in next to him. He lightly kissed his mate on the forehead, before he began to slowly stroke his hands down the man’s back. He whispered soft words of encouragement while keeping Sparky’s nose close to his collarbone. It was where his scent would be the strongest.
“Come on, Sparky. Let me see some of that fire you showed earlier.” Charlie said softly. He had to admit the shifter had made sense. Maybe having a mate, his true mate, wouldn’t be as bad as he thought.
For years, he told himself he couldn’t keep himself safe, so how could he keep someone who was so important to him safe? Obviously, from the conversation he overheard, Sparky had
survived being held by Winston. That in itself, told him the man beside him had great strength.
Then there was the sense of peace he felt whenever Sparky was near. If the man beside him had been anyone other than his other half, he’d be drowning in the negative feelings. Yet here he lay, the voices in his mind a low hum.
The goddess may have cursed him with his gift, but it appeared the fates gave him someone he could come to love; a man that he could find shelter in from the barrage of voices. A man who could understand the darkness within him; and help fight it.
Sparky had stopped shivering but his crystal blue eyes still gazed at nothing. Whatever Winston had done to his mate, it had to be worse than he’d heard. Charlie leaned in and captured his mate’s lips in a soft kiss. He waited, only gently pressing his lips to Sparky’s.
After a couple of moments, those lips opened and allowed him to press in further. He slowly began to explore the inside of Sparky’s mouth. The taste was of coffee and something sweeter beneath.
He could lie here and simply kiss his mate forever. The feeling was unlike anything he’d ever had before. To think, he had almost pushed this man away.
He could feel his mate’s hard cock rub against his abdomen. The need to rut was strong, but he controlled himself. It was clear they would be bonded sooner, rather than later. However, he needed Sparky to confirm he still wanted to take that path.
It seemed like hours, but in fact, it probably had been moments before he saw his soon to be lover’s eyes blink slowly. “Hey cupcake, you back with me?” Charlie said softly. He traced the side of Sparky’s face with his finger while he continued to rub along his mate’s side with his other hand. For a moment, he thought the wolf would pull away; but he surprised Charlie by moving his hand up to cup his face.
“Is this a dream?” Sparky asked softly.
Charlie chuckled, “Well if it is, then I say we both stay asleep for a long, long, time.”
Battle for a Mates Heart Page 11