As Charlie began to use the soap to pump his cock, Sparky couldn’t help the moans that escaped. “Come for me, my mate,” Charlie ordered in a husky voice. The mechanic decided that was an order he could follow as he chased his orgasm. A moment later, he erupted. His come sprayed his mate’s chest and legs.
“And now we both need to shower again,” Sparky gasped as he felt his knees shake.
Charlie laughed, “Good thing there’s plenty of hot water here.”
A short time later, both shifters had managed to finish and get dressed. Sparky sat on the edge of the bed, putting his combat boots on. “So,” he began but stopped not quite knowing where to begin.
“We need to talk,” Charlie finished the sentence with a sigh. His mate sat down beside Sparky, his hands clasped between his knees and he continued, “Look, I know I’m not the easiest person to get along with.”
“Well, I don’t know. When you’re not going all Conan over my ass, you’re not too bad, Charlie.” Sparky replied.
“Conan? Is he another ex?” Charlie growled.
“Ah, no. Have you been living in a cave? Conan the Barbarian—it’s a movie with this guy who…” Sparky stopped. “Never mind.”
“Has Artemus told you anything about our family?” Charlie changed the subject which was fine with Sparky. He glanced over and noticed the white knuckles on his mates clasped hands. He reached over and gently took one and pulled it into his own.
“Some, but I’d like you to tell me if you want to,” Sparky said softly. He could feel the turmoil inside his mate. Without thinking, he began to send calming thoughts through their link. He didn’t know how it worked, but he’d noticed that somehow it helped to quiet the noise in his mate’s mind.
Charlie sighed before he stood and began to pace. He stopped and finally looked at Sparky. “Okay.”
Chapter 25
“I come from a powerful line of magi. My father, Braydon was one of the strongest and lived for many years. His first wife, my brother’s mother, was killed during the Salem witch trials.”
“Wow, just how long do magi live?” Sparky gasped. He knew it was long but damn.
Charlie shrugged, “I don’t know, it depends on the person and the strength of their magic. But it’s not unusual for a powerful magi to live a few centuries.”
“So, what happened?” Sparky said as he tried to get the conversation back on track. His mate was opening up to him, and he didn’t want it to stop.
His mate came and sat back down on the bed, “Well, for years, my father and Artemus worked to train and protect the omegas and their guardians. While they were working in a pack, my father met my mother, Naomi. They weren’t true mates, but they fell in love. I was the result, a hybrid, a freak who belonged to neither culture.”
Sparky placed his hand on his mate’s shoulder, “You’re not a freak.”
“Yeah, tell that to my birth coven. As long as I agreed not to contaminate the pure magi, my family would be allowed to stay.”
“So, what happened?” Sparky asked.
“The great war. Since my father and brother were charged with helping to protect the omegas and guardians, they were gone most of the time. That left my mother, a wolf shifter and myself alone in the coven. When my abilities began to surface, the high priest wasn’t too pleased. I guess he thought I would just be a lowly wolf.”
“He was probably afraid of you,” the mechanic said softly.
“Who knows, but my mother managed to placate him by moving us to the far edge of the coven’s lands. But really, she did it to help me with the voices. I couldn’t stand to be near other people, their thoughts…”
“Drowned out everything else,” Sparky finished. He tapped his head at the questioning look on his mate’s face. “After we mated, I could feel it and man, I don’t know how you managed for so long.”
Charlie smiled, “It was my mother. She contacted an old shaman from her pack who provided her with a magic talisman. When I wore it around my neck, it somehow absorbed the thoughts, it allowed me to control my mind.”
“But not your magic, apparently,” Sparky chuckled. “I mean, when you told me you had issues performing magic, I thought you were just being cautious. But damn, you created your own Twister moment in our backyard, dude!”
The confused look on his mate’s face was priceless, “The movie—tell me you’ve lived for years, and you’ve never seen the movie? It’s one of the classic disaster movies!”
Charlie shook his head, “No, I’ve been avoiding crowds, remember? A movie theater is the last place I wanted to be. I’ve seen a few here and there, but…”
“Right, well today we have these things called DVD’s and I see many movie nights in your future grasshopper.” Sparky laughed, “And the first one will be, ‘Twister’.” The mechanic sat back and pulled his leg up so he could face his mate. “What happened to your parents?”
For a moment, he didn’t think the man would answer, but then he sighed, “My father had returned and been with us for a few days. He was despondent because he and my brother had been unable to save the last omega-guardian pair. According to Artemus, they had searched and been unable to find any survivors. Without a purpose, I think he just wanted to give up. It’s the only reason I can think of for what happened.”
Charlie paused, swallowing hard before he continued, “Artemus took me into the woods by our home to help me work on my magic. When we returned home, the house was on fire…” his mate turned his head for a moment, but Sparky had seen the moisture in his eyes.
“Don’t hide from me,” Sparky said quietly. “I’ll always be here to catch you, my mate.” Sparky pulled Charlie into his arms and held him. A few moments later, Charlie sat back up and rubbed his hand impatiently against his eyes.
“Anyway, we found them, both of them had been killed, and our property was destroyed. After we buried them, Artemus took me to my mother’s pack. We stayed there until I was old enough and able to control my ability. Then we just traveled for years. We stayed below the radar, avoiding as much of the war as we could but fighting when we had to. Finally, after the war ended, I told Artemus that I wanted to be on my own. It wasn’t fair to him, he needed a life, and if he stayed with me, he’d be an outsider.”
Charlie glanced at the door and smiled, “He didn’t agree at first, but I didn’t give him much choice. He went to college, and I held down odd jobs here and there, sort of drifting. I had a problem with the high priest in the coven I’d ended up in when I refused to use my ability to help him. I was getting ready to run again when Artemus heard about this pack. He left me here, and I managed fine until that bastard Alpha Clifton got hold of me.”
“Why did he want you?” Sparky asked.
“It’s complicated, but as far as I understand it. My original coven high priest sold me to the Cloverfield Coven’s high priest named, Ashton.”
“Winston’s coven?” Sparky growled. “How does that even work? You’re not a piece of property.”
“Technically, I never officially left my birth coven. In a coven, you aren’t owned, but you can be transferred. It happens when one coven has too much of one kind of magic user, and another needs someone with that ability. I always thought it was strange that Ashton allowed me into his coven so easily when I asked.” Charlie shrugged, “So I guess unless I officially transfer from Ashton’s coven, he could send me someplace else.”
“Not in this lifetime. I’ll rip his throat out!” Sparky growled.
“I don’t know the politics, but I think once I accepted Alpha Grant as my alpha, the hold the coven had on me should have been released.”
“Well, believe me, mister. You’re not going anywhere. I’m sure the alpha will be able to straighten it out. But that doesn’t explain why Alpha Clifton wanted you.” Sparky prodded, trying to get the rest of the story before his mate shut down again. This was the most the man had talked since they met.
“From what I was told, Ashton sold me to Alpha Clifton and tol
d him where to find me. I’m not sure how Ashton knew, but I guess it doesn’t matter. Alpha Clifton told me that I was to use my ability to help him build his army. He needed to know who he could trust. Of course, it seems that he also used me to keep my brother in line as a bonus. The bastard wanted to use the power of the magi for his cause,” Charlie spat out.
“Do you know what he was trying to do?” Sparky asked quietly.
“I’m not sure, he never came close enough to me so I could read him. But even though he was building an army, I think he was just the brawn. I got the feeling he reported to someone else.” Charlie was quiet for a moment before he sat back and looked at Sparky. “I’ve told you my sordid past, what about you? How did you manage to hook up with that bastard, Winston?”
Sparky shook his head, “Pure stupidity on my part.” Charlie quirked an eyebrow at him and motioned with his hand for the mechanic to continue. “Well, like you, I was an outcast. In my old pack, being a gay wolf was not welcomed; but being a gay wolf who didn’t want to conform and follow in the family business, was an unforgivable sin.”
“What did they want you to do?” Charlie asked.
“Nothing much, just marry a pretty she-wolf, have a dozen pups and someday take over my father’s accounting firm. I mean seriously, the gay part aside, can you see me in a three-piece suit dealing with numbers all day?”
Charlie laughed, “Not really.”
“Right, so when I refused, I was banished. I traveled for a short time and met up with a guy who owned a mechanic shop. He took pity on me and showed me his trade. I discovered I have a talent for fixing cars, trucks, bikes, anything with a motor basically. Things seemed to finally be going my way when in walked, Winston.”
Charlie growled, but Sparky simply slapped his thigh, “Stop it! This happened years ago when I was little more than a pup. Which is where the stupidity came in. What can I say, I was gay, he was hot, he drove a hot car, and I was tired of being a virgin.”
“Not that I’m complaining, but why did you leave him?” Charlie asked.
“Because he was a bastard. He didn’t want a boyfriend or a mate, he wanted a pet. I won’t go into the details, but let’s just say he used mind control on me to get me to do things you probably could never imagine in your worst nightmares. The man was just sick.”
Sparky picked a piece of lint from his jeans and let it fall. “I’m not sure why, but at some point, I was able to break his control and escape. I ran into Artemus, and he not only helped me heal but showed me how to block anyone from controlling my mind like that again. Then he introduced me to Alpha Grant and the rest as they say is history.”
“So, my brother brought us together in a way,” Charlie chuckled.
Sparky laughed, “Yeah, I guess he did in a roundabout way.” He paused and looked at his mate. It seemed they had more in common than he thought. No wonder they clashed, both of them had control issues. “So, where does that leave us?” Sparky asked softly.
Charlie shrugged, “Hell, if I know.”
“You know that you can’t treat me like the little woman, especially in front of the others. I’m part of the inner circle; not to mention, I’ve been fighting my own battles for a long time. I don’t need a knight in shining armor to protect me. I just can’t…” Sparky swallowed. He could see his mate tensing up. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut, they had been actually getting along for a time.
His mate sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “I still need a haircut,” he muttered.
Sparky’s mouth dropped open and stared at his mate. “You need a haircut? Is that all you have to say?”
“It seemed safer than to start the same argument we had outside,” Charlie responded. “I can’t lose you, Sparky. When Winston took you,” His mate swallowed as haunted eyes met his own.
“I get it, really I do, but did you think about how I felt when you were shot and ended up playing Dorothy in your own version of the Wizard of Oz? And here I was acting like Toto trying to follow you. I’m never going to live it down,” Sparky groaned.
“So, what do we do?” Charlie asked.
Sparky got ready to give one of his sarcastic answers but paused at the lost look on his mate’s face. He pulled Charlie into his arms and hugged him. “We learn to compromise and let’s face it, if we do fight, the makeup sex is certainly worth it!”
Charlie laughed. “I think I can live with that.”
“You better believe it because you are stuck with this gorgeous piece of man flesh for the rest of your life. I mean honestly, what’s not to like?” Sparky winked at his mate before he jumped up from the bed. “Now come on, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry, and if we don’t get down before David and Jason, there won’t be anything left.”
They walked into the dining room and grinned. From the way Ricky was sitting, he and his alpha must have found time to re-connect last night as well. Sparky was glad to see the two of them getting along better. He knew Ricky still had a few issues, but alpha Grant seemed to be more relaxed than he could remember. Maybe David was right, it just took the right person to yank the stick from the man’s ass.
“So, I hear you were trying to chase down a tornado?” David chuckled, “What were you going to do with it once you caught it?”
“Hardy, har, har,” Sparky replied as he filled his plate at the buffet and carefully sat on the wooden chair. Maybe he should suggest they get padded chairs for the future. He was sure both he and Ricky would appreciate it.
“Any news on Radar?” Jason asked.
Alpha Grant nodded, “Doc has done what he can to help heal his wounds. His eyes will be sensitive to light for a few more days, but the bullet did some damage to his shoulder. If he’d been able to shift, it might have healed, but now it has made it hard for him to use his arm.”
“We need to find that bastard and end him,” Blaze growled as he entered the room. “What he did to Radar,” he paused and shook his head sadly. “I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same. He can’t even sleep inside.”
“Give him time,” Artemus replied. “Doc looked him over ,and thinks it should be fine for him to sleep as his wolf outside. I’m just glad he was able to shift. It was touch and go there for a time.”
“Any word on Jake and Shadow?” Jason asked.
“Nothing, I have Alpha Torres keeping an eye out for them; but until they report in, there is nothing we can do for now.” Alpha Grant replied. “However, we need to discuss what happened here. Apparently, we are dealing with more than a rogue alpha.”
Sparky glanced at his mate who nodded, “I think Winston’s old coven has an alliance with Alpha Clifton.” He quickly related what he’d learned while he was captive and what Charlie had told him. He held his mate’s hand under the table while he spoke as he knew it would be hard for him to talk about it again. He kept out most of the story and focused on just the part about Alpha Clifton. If Charlie wanted to tell them the rest, it was up to him.
“So, we need to increase our defenses.” Alpha Grant glanced at his brothers who nodded. “Can you extend the protection barrier so that we at least get more of a warning if magi are involved?” The alpha asked Artemus.
“I’m not sure, but maybe with help from Charlie and our new friend Sebastian, it might be possible.”
“Where is he?” Jason asked.
Artemus sighed, “He’s in his room and is refusing to come out. That poor boy has been abused by his coven and is terrified of his abilities. But with time and some training, I think he’ll come around.”
“Let’s just hope we have the time,” David remarked.
Sparky squeezed Charlie's hand, "We'll face whatever comes. I mean how can we fail when we have the original Wizard of Oz in our midst?" He listened as the others chuckled but it was the sense of peace and something deeper that he felt from his mate that filled him with wonder. The man loved him even if he hadn't admitted it out loud.
Charlie glanced down at him and smiled. The mechanic return
ed the smile before he leaned in to whisper, "And I love you too."
◆◆◆
Shadow motioned at Jake to stop as they slowly came to the entrance of the tunnel. It felt like they had been traveling in it for days, especially since both of them had been injured in the explosion. Luckily, shifting had healed most of the wounds. Jake still limped slightly, but a few more shifts should solve the problem. Luckily, the idiots they were trailing had assumed they were dead and didn’t come back to check on them.
They watched quietly, as a group of about ten wolves loaded up some crates into the back of a truck before getting into their vehicles to take off. One of the two wolves left pushed up the tailgate on the large truck and pulled down the tarp, before walking slowly towards the driver side. “I’m going to take a quick leak, be back in a moment.”
“Make it quick, the boss is going to be mad if we don’t get this stuff to our new location. He’s mad enough as it is, that our last one was compromised,” the driver replied.
Shadow watched as the other wolf went into the forest. He motioned for Jake to follow him. Keeping low to the ground, they quickly managed to get to the back of the truck unseen. Jake shifted and lifted one edge of the canvas enough for Shadow to jump inside. He shifted and helped Jake in after him. They just managed to close the tarp when he heard the passenger door open and the engine start.
“May as well rest, while we can,” Shadow motioned to the back of the truck where there was just enough space for the two of them to sit comfortably.
“Where do you think they’re going?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know, but where Alpha Clifton is, your sister is probably also there.” Shadow replied softly.
“I’m going to kill him!” Jake growled.
“Keep it down,” Shadow chastised him. “Look, we have a mission. Find out the location and report back to, Alpha Grant.” When Jake started to protest he held up his hand, “And if we can get your sister out safely, we will. But there is more at stake here, Jake. I feel it in my bones. If we don’t succeed, the Great War will seem like a little spat.”
Battle for a Mates Heart Page 24