~*An Ignited Passion*~ Sandrine Gasq-Dion ~Dedication~
To my Family
Jenjo, Kim, Theresa and Jen My readers at LRO and the newest ones.
Jen at Jennifer F. Photography for the pictures.
Theresa Webber for the cover art.
My cover model for his humor, even in the presence of tarantulas. © Copyright 2011 This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events or locales is coincidental. All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission. WARNING: This book contains material that maybe offensive to some: Violence, graphic language, homosexual relations and adult situations.
CHAPTER ONE 4 CHAPTER TWO 9 CHAPTER THREE 15 CHAPTER FOUR 21 CHAPTER FIVE 30 CHAPTER SIX 35 CHAPTER SEVEN 43 CHAPTER EIGHT 51 CHAPTER NINE 60 CHAPTER TEN 68 ~~EPILOGUE~~ 71
SNEAKPEEK:
REFLASH 74
Chapter One
“What the fuck are you doing?” Wyatt whispered. The flashlight hung from his jeans loop, as he, Sebastian and Nikolai crept through the academics building.
The farther down the hall they went, the more Wyatt’s hair stood on end. Sebastian’s bright idea was to break into the dean’s office and steal his most prized possession - a baseball. Wyatt smelled the hallway; someone had been by recently.
“Sebastian, come on.”
“It’s just a few more doors down,” Sebastian whispered, looking over at Nik. “You got the lock-pick?”
Nikolai raised an eyebrow.
“Of course I do, but Wyatt’s right. This is a very bad idea, Bastian.” “The asshole is breathing down my neck; you know I’m already struggling. My dad refuses to pay for school unless I retract my statement that I’m gay. I can’t lose my scholarship because of this guy.”
“Who gives a shit if you’re gay?” Nikolai sighed in frustration. “You know my dads will pay for your schooling.”
Wyatt looked down the hall; school was out for summer the next day. He couldn’t believe he was going along with this stupid plan. At least Nikolai seemed to be on his side. They’d met a few years ago and when he realized who Nikolai was it was a laugh riot.
Nikolai Markov, son of Vince Markov and Andrei Panchenko: One was a notorious killer and the other was the head of the Russian mob. Wyatt had laughed when Nikolai asked if he had any problems with that. ‘Hell no’ had been his answer, thinking of his own brother-inlaw, Troy, and Troy’s fellow assassins who were also Wyatt’s friends. Nikolai was over six feet tall and weighed in at a whopping two hundred thirty pounds. The guy was covered in muscles and had tattoos over most of his body. They’d hit it off from the get-go.
“Wyatt?” Nikolai whispered. “Anyone coming?”
“Not yet; hurry up Sebastian.”
Sebastian stopped in front of the dean’s door. “Do your thing, Nik.”
Nikolai pulled the lock-pick set out.
“I swear Sebastian, if I get in trouble for this …” Nikolai growled. “Hurry up!” Nikolai picked the lock and opened the door. Sebastian slipped inside the office, looking for the baseball. It was on the bookshelf behind the desk. Wyatt came in, shutting and locking the door quietly behind them.
“Someone’s coming,” Wyatt whispered.
Sebastian grabbed the baseball in its case. “Okay, let’s go.” The door handle turned suddenly and Wyatt looked for another way out. “Out the window, hurry!”
Sebastian opened the window. The floor below them had an awning and he jumped for it. “Come on!”
Nikolai heard the shouts down the hallway. Shit, the cops were here. “Go, Wyatt!”
“No, you go; if you get caught it’s going to be ten times worse!” Wyatt shoved Nikolai towards the window. “Get out, hurry!”
“I’m not leaving you!” Nikolai grabbed Wyatt’s hand, pulling him towards the open window.
“Dammit, Nikolai! You’re a Markov, you know what’s going to happen
- now go!” Wyatt pushed Nikolai out the window. He turned just as the door to the dean’s office opened. Four cops stood scowling at him.
“Shit.”
~~ Wyatt looked at the bars of the cell and sighed.
Jail. He was in jail for a stupid prank that he hadn’t committed alone but had taken the blame for. When Sebastian had come up with the idea, Wyatt had been uncomfortable with it immediately. Then Sebastian had talked Nik into it.
Wyatt flopped down on the cot and looked around. He had to take the blame; Nikolai would have been put in prison. The authorities would do anything to get their hands on a Markov. They had broken into the dean’s office and taken a baseball. It had been a prank and that was all. But Sebastian had panicked, fled the scene of the crime and left Wyatt to take the rap. Because Sebastian had a scholarship and a future.
Wyatt supposed he didn’t have as much to lose as his boyfriend, but shit. His dad was going to come down on him like a fucking freight train for this. Wyatt sighed and looked at the time. Two in the morning. His brother would be here soon. Wyatt had been away from the reservation for four years. Going to high school in Seattle had seen to that and now he was in college at the University of Washington. At eighteen and a half he had good grades and a chance at a real future.
Until about two hours ago.
Wyatt heard keys rustling and then one of the police officers was coming towards the cell. He stood up and grabbed the bars, singing “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…”
“Shut up, Wyatt.” Wyatt snapped his head to the right and saw his older brother, Sawyer, walking with his husband, Troy.
“Aw, shit.”
Sawyer gave his brother a menacing stare. “Couldn’t you have put him in with some huge, burly, sex-craved men, officer?”
Wyatt rolled his eyes and jiggled the bars. “Lemme out.” “No can do little brother. Judge’s out for the night, won’t be back until eight in the morning for your arraignment.” Sawyer smiled wickedly and looked around the jail cell. “Look at that, all the comforts of home - although you have to pee with everyone watching you.”
“Everyone who?” Wyatt motioned to the empty cell. “If you haven’t noticed, it’s just me in this rat trap.”
“Would you like some cheese with that whine, rat?” Troy raised a brow. Wyatt fixed his brother-in-law with a look. “You know somehow I thought you’d be on my side, Troy.” Troy was an ex-Army sniper and now an assassin working for the government. Thanks to Sam, Dakota and Sawyer, Troy had been turned into a werewolf to save his life after being mortally injured. Troy had become one of his closest friends.
“This has Sebastian written all over it,” Sawyer growled at his brother. “And don’t bother denying it to me, either. Why am I not surprised that you are left holding the bag when he gets some fucked up idea in his head?”
Wyatt looked around nervously and shushed his brother. “Shut up, Sawyer! I’m almost nineteen years old and I make my own decisions.”
“Yeah? Even if they’re stupid ones?” They all turned as the outer door opened and another uniformed officer made his way down the wide white hallway. Sawyer smiled and loosened his grip on the bars a bit. Nicholas Stevens was a fellow werewolf and a good friend. When he and Troy had run into trouble a few years back, Nicholas had gotten caught in the crossfire but had kept his friendship with the Queets pack all the same.
“Hey, Ben, I got this,” Nick smiled at the other officer and nodded towards Sawyer and Troy. Nick waited until Ben had gone back down the hall and the door clicked shut. His eyes fell on Wyatt behind bars.
“Not a bad place for you, Junior.” Wyatt gritted his teeth. “I’m glad you all find my predicament so amusing.” Sawyer smiled and looked a
t his friend. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t on until morning? Already champing at the bit to start your new job?” Sawyer elbowed Nick’s side.
“Are you kidding me? As soon as the blotter rolled across my desk and I saw ‘Quinton’ I had to see for myself which one of you it was. Not really surprised to see Wyatt here.” Nick furrowed his brows. “My first day on the job as a detective and I see Wyatt’s name,” he sighed. “My friends are already in jail; how does that look for me?” Nick cocked an eyebrow at Wyatt.
Wyatt went to his cot and flopped down looking at the ceiling. “Oh, just go away. I’m sure I’ll see you all in the morning with huge smiles on your faces in the courtroom.”
“With Starbucks coffee for sure,” Troy winked. “Don’t rattle the cage all night, Wyatt.”
“Ugh! Get out!” Wyatt rolled onto his side and faced the brick wall. He heard their footsteps receding and sighed, staring at all the graffiti on the cell wall. Some pretty good raunchy poetry was there and Wyatt tried to remember some of it for future use.
Okay, so his boyfriend was a troublemaker. But Sebastian was a good guy most of the time. Besides, Wyatt was tired of waiting for his ‘supposed’ mate who he’d been told didn’t exist.
All werewolves had predetermined mates and Wyatt knew he’d smelled his mate when he was seven years old. But over the years his family had tried to convince him that he had made the whole thing up. Now, at almost nineteen, he was starting to believe they were right.
But he had seen him - a beautiful white wolf with chocolate brown eyes. Even at seven the reaction had been immediate. Maybe not on a sexual level, but he’d had a reaction just the same. Wyatt closed his eyes and pulled the coarse wool blanket over his shoulders; he’d have to face the music in the morning. Until then he’d close his eyes and hope for mercy.
~~*~~ Wyatt was woken up by keys jingling in the cell door. Nick was smiling at him, a set of clothing in one hand.
“You’re still here?” Wyatt groused. “God, you guys are like a rash on my ass, corn on my foot, a pebble in my shoe…”
“Yeah, I got it, you little shit.” Nick handed Wyatt his clothes and sat on the cot next to him. “Why do you let your boyfriend get away with this shit, Wyatt? Jesus!” Nick ran his fingers through his hair. “You are so much smarter than this.”
Wyatt stood up and stretched, wincing at the crick in his neck. “Save me the speech, please, I just want a shower and some hot food.”
“Well then hurry up, you have to be before Judge Phillips in an hour and he is known for making a statement. This could go very badly for you, Wyatt, so think about that the next time you let your boyfriend talk you into his wild and crazy shit.” Nicholas regarded Wyatt and frowned. “And for Christ’s sake, take the earring out!”
“What about my nipple piercing?” Wyatt crossed his arms in mock
indignation.
Nicholas threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “Jesus! I liked it better when you only wore eyeliner!”
* After taking what Wyatt could only describe as the fastest shower he’d ever had - and the coldest as well - he was shown to the dining area. It consisted of a chair with a card table. He ate runny eggs, some undercooked bacon and something that resembled sausage but at closer glance looked like a small piece of dog shit. Wyatt groaned and ate the cardboard toast instead.
He dressed in his suit and was shown to the courtroom; shame
immediately flooded his face when he looked at his father. The disappointment was evident in John Quinton’s green eyes. Nadine and Joe, friends who were more like family, sat next to John along with Wyatt’s three brothers. Nadine gave him a small smile as Wyatt took his place on the bench up front. There were quite a few lawbreakers ahead of him and Wyatt couldn’t believe the sentences being handed down to them. His hands started sweating at what could be coming his way, and for once he really hated
Sebastian. Finally his name was called and he stood with his lawyer before the judge as he went over his offense.
“The dean has decided not to press charges since his baseball was returned. However, the DA has decided he wants to proceed with pressing charges against you for breaking and entering. Instead of jail time, I am going to give you community service at the Seattle Fire Department. You will begin this Friday at 5 a.m. and will continue until I am satisfied that you have learned a lesson, Mr. Quinton. There are things in life that are more precious to some than others. I will get weekly reports from the chief. Stay out of trouble, Mr. Quinton; I do not wish to see you in my courtroom again.”
Wyatt flinched as the gavel smacked down. It seemed to reverberate through the whole courtroom. He turned to look at his family with a sad smile. This would stay with him for a very long time.
Chapter Two
Preston awoke to the sound of the alarms going off. The female voice coming out of the ceiling made him cringe.
“Engine….Ladder.” Grabbing his turnouts he flung himself out of bed and slid down the pole to the floor below. He had just enough time to grab the rest of his gear and get on the truck before they pulled out onto the busy Seattle street. Preston watched downtown Seattle flash by and sighed.
When he’d moved here from Denali, he had done it to be closer to Wyatt Quinton - his mate. Eleven long years had gone by since the day he’d shielded Wyatt from an angry and vicious Carson Drake in the woods. Since Wyatt had been so young, Preston had asked his family to discourage Wyatt from thinking he had found his mate. All that time he had waited to take what was his and when Wyatt had turned eighteen, Preston thought that day had finally come. He had gone to find Wyatt at school to tell him they were mates.
To his shock and horror, Wyatt was in the arms of one Sebastian Price who was currently the quarterback of the University of Washington Huskies football team. Sebastian was loud and proud and certainly not in the closet. Preston sighed and looked at all the buildings flying by. Wyatt would be at the firehouse for his court appointed community service today, a brilliant idea that his friend Nicholas Stevens had come up with and Preston had agreed to. They both talked to the judge and he jumped on board.
Preston knew it would allow him to spend time with his mate and try to show him there was more to life than Sebastian. That guy didn’t give two shits about Wyatt and was constantly getting him into trouble, whether it was fighting at clubs or on the football field.
Wyatt had become more beautiful over the years. His black hair had been cut short for football but his eyes remained the same - those big, beautiful green eyes. Wyatt had filled out quite nicely, too. At six feet, he had a broad chest and back and was built with chiseled biceps and well-defined abs. Preston had been jacking off to that vision for years on a nightly basis.
Once he had seen Wyatt shirtless at football practice and had to stop himself from running down onto the field,
growling that Wyatt was his. As it was, it took everything he had to keep his lupine side hidden at all times. Now it was becoming a mission to not only take Wyatt away from Sebastian, but for Wyatt to fall in love with him not knowing that they were mates. Preston wanted Wyatt to fall in love with him on his own, not because they were fated to be together.
“Dalton!” Preston was snapped out of his thoughts by his chief. Chief Webber was a good guy. He knew Preston was gay and had no problems with it. In fact, most of the guys didn’t care. As long as he showed up for work and fought fires, they didn’t give a shit.
“Yes sir?”
“Get your head out of the clouds, we’re here.”
~~*~~ The alarm went off at four in the morning and Wyatt smacked it off the night stand. He rubbed his eyes and groaned, getting out of bed. He hissed as his feet hit the cold floor. He’d packed his bag the night before so he could just get up, shower and head out. His skin prickled and then a scent wafted under the door. Wyatt opened it before Nikolai even knocked.
“Damn, you’re good,” Nikolai grinned.
“It’s four in the morning, Nik,” W
yatt yawned, stretching his arms out. “I know, and I’m sorry. I realize you have community service today. Look man, I just want to say how sorry I am about all this. I’m heading out to Russia this morning and I didn’t want to miss the chance to say goodbye. I’m trying to get Bastian to come with.”
“You didn’t do anything, Nik. In fact, you were willing to sacrifice
yourself. We both know how the cops would have treated you if they’d gotten their hands on you. I appreciate you trying to take the blame with me.”
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on with Bastian, but I will find out one way or another. He’s been my best friend since elementary school; he befriended me when no one else would.”
“Gee, I wonder why?” Wyatt laughed, sidestepping Nikolai’s playful punch.
“He’s not himself right now,” Nikolai sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve never seen him act so
recklessly.”
“From what I hear, that’s your job.” “Within reason,” Nikolai chuckled. “I know you need to get ready, so I won’t keep you. If you need anything, you call me, okay? I want us to stay friends.”
Wyatt hugged Nikolai’s massive frame. Even though he was only an inch or two shorter, he was dwarfed in Nikolai’s arms.
“Take care, Nik. You’re a good guy and a good friend.”
“Don’t tell anyone.” Nikolai poked Wyatt in the chest.
Wyatt put his hands in the air in mock defense. “Never.”
~*~ Wyatt stood in front of the fire station and waited for someone to open the door. Five in the morning.
Unbelievable. After taking a lecture from his dad for over an hour after his court appearance, all Wyatt had wanted to do was go back to his dorm room and pass out for a few weeks. No such luck. He was standing in front of a fire station at five in the morning because he’d done something stupid. Again.
Wyatt had avoided Sebastian’s calls at every opportunity. He really didn’t want to talk to Sebastian right now or listen to his sorry excuses for leaving him behind. The door opened and Wyatt turned to see a guy a bit older than himself. Black hair with blue eyes squinted at him, giving him the once over.
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