“Who is Dean White?” he asked.
Gregory looked at Tony like he’d only just noticed he was in the room.
“Does he know…?”
“He’s Pete’s mate,” Kelan said as if that explained everything.
It must have been enough for Gregory, too, because he nodded and fixed his gaze on Tony.
“Dean White worked for the Supernatural Council. He was a lunatic, personally responsible for a lot of deaths of council members’ mates. When he kidnapped my mate, I tracked him down. We fought and I killed him.”
Tony’s mouth hung open.
Killed him?
Jesus.
He wished he hadn’t asked.
Gregory’s explanation only brought up more questions, like what the hell was a supernatural council?
“And now she’s out for revenge,” Pete supplied.
Gregory nodded. “It certainly looks that way.”
Tony was still confused. “If Gregory was the one to kill this Dean White then why would she be taking revenge on the rest of you? Why blow up the dancehall and burn down Kelan’s house?”
Pete put his hand on Tony’s knee and met his gaze. Tony couldn’t help the little thrill of excitement that rushed over him at Pete’s touch.
“We were all involved in a way,” Pete said. “Each and every one of us had a hand in trying to catch the person responsible for the deaths of all the council members’ mates.”
“Dean must have known we were getting closer to finding the culprit,” Stefan said. “But I can’t imagine he would have told his mate about everything he was up to.”
“No,” Gregory agreed. “But she would have had access to the council’s report. All our names were mentioned as attending the meeting here with Dean before we found out he was the person responsible.”
“What’s going to happen now?” Cody asked.
“A couple of council members have gone to Evelyn’s house,” Gregory explained. “But I doubt we’ll be lucky enough to find her there. She may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them.
“As soon as I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
“We need to call Jared,” Kelan said. “He’ll need to know about this. He was involved, too. He’ll want to protect his brother and Nate. None of us are safe until this woman has been caught.”
Gregory nodded. “I’ll give him a call now.”
While Gregory went into the kitchen to make the call, Tony leaned his head against the sofa and closed his eyes. He hissed when the leather came into contact with the cut on the back of his head. After everything that had happened since the explosion, he had forgotten about the knock he’d taken, but there was no forgetting it now.
Pain tore across the back of his skull.
Pete’s hand squeezed his knee. “I can help with that,” he said softly.
Tony opened his eyes and met Pete’s gaze, his brow furrowed. “How?”
“A wolf’s blood has healing properties for his mate. If you were to drink from m…”
Tony didn’t think he had been able to hide the revulsion in his eyes because Pete recoiled from him as if he’d been slapped. Hurt covered his face and Tony felt a pang of regret, but it was too late.
“I’m not drinking your blood,” he said, trying to keep his tone neutral. “That’s just, uh… Well, it can’t be sanitary.”
A small smile tugged at Pete’s lips. “Wolves don’t get diseases so there’s nothing you can catch from us, and it will help you heal, I swear.”
Tony shook his head, but the movement was too quick and he had to close his eyes against another wave of pain.
“It’s the truth,” Jake said. “Look at my arm and shoulder.”
Tony took a look at Jake’s arm and had to blink several times, unable to believe what he was seeing. Jake’s arm had very nearly healed. Earlier there had been two large gashes which had knitted together, leaving nothing, but small red scars in their place.
“That’s incredible. How did it heal so quickly?”
“Wolves heal far more quickly than humans,” Pete answered. “I know the idea of it is somewhat disgusting, but I promise it will help.”
Tony cast a cursory glance around the room.
No one was watching him, but he didn’t think he could do it with everyone there. It seemed too…intimate. If they were alone in his room he might consider it. Just the thought of being alone with Pete made his cock start to harden.
Tony had been staying in the bunkhouse because the ranch bedrooms were all taken, but it suddenly occurred to him that Kelan and Jake, Cody and Stefan, and Luke and Mark now had nowhere to sleep. There were four bedrooms in the bunkhouse. He was using one, Cary and Aaron had the other, that left two empty rooms, but there were three couples in need of beds.
“Kelan, I can get a plane back to New York in the morning,” Tony said. “After what happened tonight, well, I know you’ll need my room and—”
“No!” Pete all but shouted. “You can’t leave.”
Kelan shook his head.
“You don’t have to do that. I should have apologized before now, but I’m sorry for what I said to you earlier. I didn’t mean it. I was just upset because Jake had been hurt. It’s no excuse, I know. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you want to. We can sort something out about the sleeping arrangements.”
“I have a spare room,” Pete said. “You’re more than welcome to come and stay with me.”
Tony stared at Pete.
He knew he should say no. He’d only met Pete a couple of hours ago, but he felt oddly comfortable with him. The hopeful glint in his eyes helped him make a decision. And the idea of being away from Pete for any length of time made his chest constrict.
How weird was that?
He wanted to get to know him better, and if what Pete had said about them being mates was true…
But he also thought it would be a good idea to stay with Pete because Kelan and Jake had nowhere to sleep and Tony didn’t want to be a burden.
“Okay,” he replied. “I’ll take you up on the offer of a room if you don’t mind.”
The smile that spread across Pete’s face stole his breath.
It was infectious and Tony found himself mirroring the expression.
“Of course I don’t mind,” Pete said as if Tony had said the stupidest thing ever. “You’re my mate.”
Tony knew that hearing the phrase was going to take some getting used to, but he had to admit he liked it. Gregory walked back into the room before either of them could say anything else.
“I’ve told Jared to be on the lookout,” he said. “He suggested we all meet up tomorrow afternoon to discuss what we can do to find Evelyn.”
“Good idea,” Kelan agreed. “Shall we meet here, at midday?”
“Sounds good. I need to get back to Hayden. I’ve checked us into a motel under a different name until it’s safe for us to go home, but I don’t want to leave him alone for too long.”
“Of course,” Kelan replied. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
After Gregory had left, Tony went to his room to pack up his belongings.
He was so exhausted, he felt like he could sleep for a month, but Pete promised Kelan they’d be back at twelve the following day for the meeting. They said their goodbyes and Pete insisted on carrying Tony’s bags out to his truck.
As he strapped himself into the passenger seat, he watched Pete from the corner of his eye and, even though he felt connected to the handsome cowboy in some inexplicable way, he wondered why the hell he’d just agreed to go home with a man who was essentially a complete stranger.
Not only that, but the complete stranger also happened to be a werewolf.
The knock Tony had taken to the head had clearly done more damage than he’d first realized.
Chapter Seven
“Well, this is it,” Pete said, swinging the door open to his small ranch-style house. “It’s not much, but it’s home.
”
Tony followed Pete inside and looked around the neat living space. It was the complete opposite of his apartment in New York, which was undeniably too cold and clinical.
Pete’s house was homey.
It suited him.
“The living room is through there.” Pete nodded through the open door on the left of the hall. “Kitchen’s out back and there’s a half bathroom to the right. There are two bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs. Come on, I’ll show you.”
“It’s a nice place.” Tony followed Pete up the stairs. “Has a good feel to it.”
Pete nodded. “I like it.”
There were three doors on the upstairs landing and what looked to be a closet. Pete pushed open a door to the right and flicked on the light. They stepped into a spacious bedroom with a large picture window. A blue-toned patchwork comforter sat at the bottom of a wooden sleigh bed.
“This is great, Pete.”
Looking at the large bed he felt incredibly nervous all of a sudden.
He tried not to think about what he’d like Pete to do to him in that bed, but it was difficult not to after the kiss they’d shared in Kelan’s yard. He wanted a repeat performance and he wouldn’t be opposed to things going further, too.
It had been a while since he’d got laid.
New York wasn’t short of willing bed companions, but Tony had grown tired of the clubbing scene he’d once loved. He pulled in a shaky breath. Pete didn’t seem to notice his anxiety and, if he did, he didn’t comment on it. He placed Tony’s bags down on a chest at the bottom of the bed then turned to meet his gaze.
“The bathroom is just next door and my room is across the hall. I imagine you’d like to take a shower?”
Tony nodded then remembered the cut on the back of his head. He lifted his fingers to touch it then winced at the sting. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a good idea to get it wet, but he supposed he needed to clean the wound in case it got infected.
“I don’t want to keep on about this if you’re uncomfortable with it, but if you took a little of my blood that would heal in no time.”
Tony chewed on his bottom lip.
What could it hurt?
He’d seen how quickly Jake had healed from his wounds after taking Kelan’s blood.
“Okay.”
He nodded.
Just the idea was enough to accelerate his pulse.
“Uh, sure. If you think it will help.”
Pete smiled. “Come with me, we can do it in the bathroom.”
Pete must have realized the innuendo in his words because color flooded his cheeks.
“Uh, I mean the blood thing,” he mumbled.
Tony chuckled. “Yeah, I got that.”
Striding into the bathroom, Pete put down the lid of the toilet and motioned for Tony to sit on it. He did as instructed then looked up at Pete expectantly. He tried to slow his breathing and chastised himself for being so damn nervous. This was no big deal, he reminded himself.
They were only doing this to heal the cut on Tony’s head, but it felt like so much more.
Pete sat on the edge of the tub next to him.
“I’m going to shift my teeth so I can bite into my wrist, okay? I don’t want you to be afraid when you see me like that.”
Tony nodded.
He wasn’t afraid, but nervous butterflies danced in his stomach as he watched Pete’s face and waited. Pete’s eyes shifted first and Tony couldn’t help the small gasp that left his throat. Pete grinned and slowly sharp-looking incisors extended from his gums.
Tony couldn’t take his eyes off them.
“You okay?” Pete asked.
His voice seemed lower than it had been before—huskier.
Tony nodded, but he’d lost the ability of speech.
All he could do was stare.
Pete placed a comforting hand on his knee and squeezed. The touch was far from calming—it made his pulse race even faster and his cock started to harden.
Pete let out a low growl and Tony flinched.
“Sorry,” Pete said, averting his gaze. “Your scent changed, and my wolf…”
“My scent?” Tony questioned.
Pete nodded. “I can smell when you’re…aroused.”
“Oh, God.”
Tony couldn’t have prevented the blush that spread across his cheeks if he’d tried.
He was burning up from it.
“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Pete said. “It’s natural between mates. Trust me—I’m just as turned on as you are.”
Pete’s words did nothing to deflate Tony’s erection.
Knowing Pete was excited made him even harder. He didn’t know where to look, but when he finally met Pete’s gaze he could see the lust shining in his eyes and he moaned.
“We’d better get this over with or I’m not going to be able to stop myself from kissing you again.”
Before Tony could tell Pete how much he liked that idea—wanted it even—Pete bit into his wrist. Two small droplets of blood beaded from the puncture wounds then he lifted his wrist to Tony’s mouth. His breath stuttered as he closed his mouth over the wound and took in a little of Pete’s blood. It was tangy and bitter tasting at first, but the more that landed on his tongue, the better the taste became.
Pete nodded encouragingly.
“That’s it. You need to drink it fast before the wound closes.”
Tony did as instructed, sucking from Pete’s wrist until it did indeed dry up.
He pulled his mouth away and looked at Pete. It was the strangest sensation. It was as if he could feel Pete’s blood traveling through his veins and he felt stronger at once—practically invincible. The headache that had been constant for the last few hours disappeared as if by magic.
Pete licked his thumb and traced it along Tony’s lips, removing a stray spot of blood, and Tony shivered. He wanted to take Pete’s thumb into his mouth and suck it. His cheeks grew hot when he remembered what Pete had said about smelling his arousal, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it.
Pete turned him on like no other ever had.
“How do you feel?”
Tony shook his head incredulously. “Better.”
Pete nodded. “It will take a while for the wound to heal completely, but the cut should close up in a few minutes.”
“It’s incredible. Does it work on everyone?”
Pete shook his head. “It only works between mates.”
Tony held Pete’s gaze. “So we really are mates then?”
“You doubted it?” Pete sighed and lowered his head.
When he next looked up, his eyes and teeth had shifted back to their human form.
“I suppose it is a difficult thing to comprehend if you never grew up around wolves, but I hoped you’d feel the bond between us.”
“I did. I mean I do, that is. I feel something.”
He shook his head, unsure how to voice what he wanted to say.
“I just don’t know what I’m supposed to feel. I don’t know what’s normal in this situation. How does it feel for you?”
Pete stretched out his legs and ran a hand through his thick dark hair.
“Well, it’s a difficult thing to describe, but I feel…complete I suppose is the best word I could use. Your mate is the missing part of your soul and when you find them, you feel whole.
“It’s like you’re the answer to every question I ever asked or was afraid to ask. I feel like I was always searching for something even if I never knew it at the time, but I know without question that I don’t need to look anymore.
“I feel content and…at peace. I feel happy and elated. I feel like I found home.”
Tony hadn’t even realized that a lump had formed in his throat until he swallowed it down. How was he supposed to respond to that? He didn’t have the words and knew nothing he could say would be enough.
How was it possible that this beautiful man could feel all those things without really knowing anything about him? How could
he trust those words when he didn’t know Pete?
But somehow, someway, he did trust them.
As crazy as it was, he trusted this man and would trust him, even with his life. The mating bond that Pete seemed to hold in such high esteem suddenly made more sense to him. Pete’s feelings for him were very similar to his own in return. Even though he couldn’t understand them, they felt right.
They felt like the truth.
“Don’t you have anything to say?” Pete asked, somewhat bashfully.
Tony shook his head. “I couldn’t top what you said, or even match it. Besides, I don’t want to talk right now.”
Without a moment’s thought or hesitation, Tony leaned in, took hold of Pete’s face and kissed him. He hadn’t really doubted what Pete’s reaction would be, but when he kissed him back, sliding a hand around his back to pull him closer, Tony was elated.
He opened his mouth eagerly, sought out Pete’s tongue and swallowed down his moan.
Before he realized what he was doing, he’d got up and straddled Pete’s lap, their mouths not parting for even a single second. He didn’t care about wolves or mate bonds or anything else he’d learned that night.
He just knew that he needed this man now—needed his hands on his body, wanted the pleasure he knew they could give one another. Tony gasped when their cocks came into contact. Pete was as hard as he was and he wished he could feel him with no barrier in between. Pete devoured his mouth, his skillful hands kneading Tony’s ass, and pulling him closer.
Pete bucked up, grinding into Tony with wild abandon.
It was hot and raw and fierce in its intensity, but Tony never wanted the kiss to end. Goosebumps blossomed on his skin and he felt practically drunk from the pleasure inside him…dizzy certainly.
Too soon Pete broke the kiss and rested their foreheads together.
He breathed heavily and when he leaned back and met Tony’s gaze, Pete’s eyes had shifted back to their wolf form again. It was the hottest damn thing he’d ever seen. He couldn’t believe it had frightened him before.
The thrum of excitement that rushed through his body was unparalleled.
“Tell me what you want,” Pete said. “Because I’m two seconds away from ripping your clothes off and fucking you here on the bathroom floor.”
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