“It’s no trouble.”
“Do you have anything to do today other than the meeting at Kelan’s?”
“Not really.” Pete shrugged. “I don’t have a job anymore so I’m a free agent for the time being.”
“Oh, damn, of course. You worked at the dancehall, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I managed the place. I was even in the process of buying it. But after what happened, well…” Pete let his words trail off.
He didn’t want to worry about that now. He had to keep remembering that, however difficult it was for him, he wasn’t the worst off in this whole mess. Jessie had lost his bar and with it, his livelihood, at least until his insurance paid him out and Kelan, his brothers and their mates had lost their home.
Then, of course, there were all the people who had lost their lives in the fire at Jessie’s—men and women that Pete had got to know, no doubt. People he called friends who had families that loved them. The thought made him furious.
They had to catch this damn woman before she could ruin any more lives.
“It might still be worth thinking of buying the bar.” Tony took a sip of his coffee.
Pete turned and pulled his eyebrows together in a frown. “What? Buy a pile of rubble?”
Tony nodded. “Why not? There isn’t exactly a business to buy any more so you would only need to buy the land. The current owner can cash in on his insurance to cover his loss and if he doesn’t want to go through the trouble of rebuilding the dancehall then you might get the land cheap.
“To rebuild the bar yourself would probably cost you less than it would have to buy the bar as an ongoing business interest.”
“Huh, I hadn’t thought of it like that,” Pete said. “I’ll have to have a word with Jessie. See what he wants to do. I just… It’s hard to think about things like that right now, you know? People died there. A lot of people.”
Tony sighed. “Christ. I’m sorry. I was being insensitive. I should think before I open my big mouth.”
“Don’t apologize, you didn’t mean anything by it. I know you were only trying to help me out. I appreciate it.”
Pete began heaping the bacon, eggs, and pancakes onto plates then placed one in front of Tony and sat down opposite him to eat his own.
“Thanks, this is great.”
They were quiet for a few moments while they tucked into their food. Pete hadn’t even realized how hungry he was until he’d started eating, but he was making quick work of the meal. Tony seemed ravenous, too.
“Mmm…‘s good,” Tony said around a mouthful of pancake.
“I’m glad you like it.”
After he’d finished eating, Tony put down his cutlery and frowned.
“You know, I can’t even imagine how Jake and the others are feeling right now. To lose their home like that? It’ll take a while for them to rebuild.”
Pete sighed. “I just hope to God we can catch this woman before she does any more damage. Hopefully, the council will find her.”
Tony pursed his lips. “Uh, what is the council exactly? I heard Gregory mention it before, but I didn’t know what he was referring to.”
Pete smiled at his mate. “I keep forgetting you’re new to this life. The supernatural council is basically a division of the government that deals specifically with shifters.”
Tony’s eyes became wide with surprise and his mouth fell open.
“The government knows about shifters?”
Pete let out a loud guffaw. “Well, sure they do. Everyone that works in the supernatural council is a shifter, and there are a lot of us working in normal government, too. You’ve got to remember, we’ve been around just as long as humans.”
Tony shook his head, his face filled with wonder. “But where did you come from?”
Pete shrugged. “Hell if I know. Most of my kind believe we evolved somehow from wolves, the same as humans evolved from apes, but I don’t know if I believe that myself.
There seems to be too much…magic involved in the shift to our other forms. I mean, if we’d evolved in the same way then humans would be able to shift into apes, right?”
Tony huffed out a laugh. “I can’t believe I didn’t know about any of this. Was Jake this surprised when he met Kelan? I kept thinking about that last night when I couldn’t sleep.
“I was with Jake when he met Kelan, and the next time I saw them together, just a couple of days later, they seemed completely in love. How could he accept all this so easily?”
“Well, Jake already knew about shifters and the mating bond before he met Kelan.”
“What?” Hurt covered Tony’s face like a veil. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
Pete rubbed the back of his neck.
He hated that the conversation had got around to Jake again. The green-eyed monster inside him stirred, but he tried to keep it at bay and remember that Tony and Jake had been friends for a long time. He couldn’t let himself dwell on what else they’d been.
“I don’t rightly know. I guess you’ll need to speak to Jake about that. But you do realize this is not something you can tell people, right? It’s important we keep our existence a secret. Most humans would be terrified if they knew about us.”
“I wouldn’t say anything,” Tony said resolutely. “It’s just that Jake and I have been best friends for ten years. I thought he would have trusted me enough to tell me something like that.”
“Would you have believed him? You didn’t believe it last night and that was after you’d seen our eyes and teeth shift.”
Tony pursed his lips. “Yeah, you’re right. I probably wouldn’t have believed it. Maybe that’s the reason he didn’t say anything.”
“Maybe,” Pete said. “Or maybe Jake felt it wasn’t his secret to tell.”
Tony nodded and chewed on his bottom lip. “Will I get to see you shift?”
Pete placed his hand over Tony’s on the tabletop. “I can shift for you right now if you’d like to see it, only I don’t want to scare you. Do you think you’re ready to see me in my wolf form?”
Tony squared his shoulders and gave a firm nod. “I’d like to see it.”
“Then I’ll show you.”
Pete was just pulling his t-shirt over his head when the phone started ringing in the living room.
He rolled his eyes. “How about I show you right after I get that call?”
He got up and strode through the kitchen.
“It’s a little early for someone to be calling,” Tony remarked. “The sun is barely up.”
Pete checked his watch.
It was only a little after six.
“Shit, you’re right. It is too early.”
He rushed into the den then grabbed the phone before the caller rang off. “Hello?”
“Pete, you awake?”
“Kelan? Yeah, I’m up. What’s wrong? Has something else happened?”
“Yeah.” Kelan let out a long sigh. “I just got a call from Jared. Can you meet me at the hospital?”
“Oh Jesus, is he all right?”
“He and Nate are both okay, but Tristan is hurt. He got caught in a fire at their house, which happened while they were asleep. It sounds like he’s in a bad way, Pete.”
“Fuck! I’m on my way.”
Pete hung up the phone and scrubbed a hand over his face.
“Is everything okay?” Tony asked.
Pete glanced at his mate and sighed. “No, everything is far from okay.”
Chapter Nine
Tony studied Pete while they rode to the hospital in silence. Pete’s strong jaw was clenched tightly and his knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
“Are you sure I should go to the hospital?” he asked. “I don’t know Jared or his brother very well. Won’t I be in the way?”
Pete growled. “No, you won’t and it wouldn’t even matter if you were. Until this woman has been caught I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Tony was surprised at how welcome Pete’s words were.
/> He wasn’t offended by his over-protectiveness—quite the opposite, in fact. He liked that Pete wanted to look out for him. It made him feel warm and safe, which was odd because Tony had never needed protecting before—he’d always been able to look after himself and he’d liked it that way—but this felt different.
He felt different.
He was immersed in this new world and, if he was honest with himself, it scared him. It felt a little bit like he was in over his head so he was thankful to have someone like Pete in his life.
“So, Tristan is Jared’s younger brother?” Tony asked.
He’d seen him around the ranch a couple of times with Aaron and Cary and they’d been introduced, but they hadn’t spoken much.
“Yeah, he’s a good kid.” Pete gripped the steering wheel even tighter. “If he doesn’t pull through this, I swear to God…”
On impulse, Tony reached out and put a comforting hand on Pete’s knee.
He squeezed and all the tension in Pete’s body seemed to disappear before his eyes. Pete loosened his grip on the wheel and relaxed back against his seat.
“He’ll be okay.” Even as he said it, Tony prayed for it to be true.
Too many lives had been lost already.
And Tristan was still so young—his life was just beginning.
“He has to be,” Pete replied.
He took one of his hands off the wheel then entwined his fingers with Tony’s.
“I keep thinking about how I would feel if it had been you,” Pete said quietly. “What if you’d been inside the bar when it blew or what if the fire had happened at my house and I hadn’t been able to get you out in time?
“I don’t know how I’d be able to live with myself if I couldn’t save you. I can’t lose you. I just found you.”
Tony didn’t know how to respond.
Pete’s fears were his own.
The same unwelcome thought had crossed his mind several times. He’d just met Pete, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel the connection between them. What if something happened to Pete? Tony had asked him to give him time, but what if they didn’t have time? What if now was all they had?
Shouldn’t he be living for the present?
Tony had should be cherishing every moment with Pete, welcoming a relationship with him and embracing it—not keeping his distance. At Jessie’s he’d watched body after body being brought out, their lives snuffed out, stolen before they’d been able to live them fully.
Hadn’t he learned anything from that?
The man holding his hand believed that destiny had brought them together, that they were meant for one another. Here was a man who would love him forever. A man who would never cheat on him, never leave him and would no doubt protect him with his dying breath.
Tony didn’t know how he could be certain of those facts, but he was—as certain as he was of his own name. He felt the truth of them in his heart and his soul. He didn’t know anything about shifters and mate bonds and destiny, but Pete believed in them, trusted them even, and Tony believed and trusted in Pete.
Surely he would be a fool to refuse such a precious gift. He might be afraid to make the leap, but he couldn’t throw away something that so many people searched their entire lives to find. He wouldn’t throw it away.
“You’re not going to lose me,” Tony answered at last. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
The statement didn’t frighten him in the least.
He felt good saying it out loud and knew that Pete needed to hear it. He jerked his head in Tony’s direction and the hope shining in his beautiful hazel eyes brought a lump to Tony’s throat.
“Do you mean that?” Pete asked. “You think you’re ready to give our relationship a chance?”
Tony nodded. “Yes, I’m willing to try. This thing between us—a mate bond—destiny, whatever it is, it feels right. So yes, I think I am ready. If you’ll have me.”
Pete cleared his throat before replying and when he next met Tony’s gaze, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. He squeezed Tony’s hand.
“You won’t regret this,” Pete vowed. “I’m going to make you happier than you ever dreamed you could be.”
Tony didn’t doubt him for a second.
Kelan was waiting for them at the entrance to the ER ward of the hospital. He looked tired, but Tony supposed none of them had got much sleep the night before.
Too much had happened and it was a lot to digest.
“How’s he doing?” Pete asked by way of greeting.
“I don’t know. I haven’t been in yet. Just got here myself. Tony,”—Kelan acknowledged with a nod. “How are you today?”
“Better,” Tony replied. “My head has healed.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“He wanted to stay home,” Pete said. “But there was no way I could leave him there alone. We never know where this woman is going to turn up next.”
“Of course,” Kelan agreed. “I don’t think Tony should be left alone at all right now. None of us should be alone, in fact. I called Gregory to tell him what happened.
“He said the council didn’t find anything when they went to Evelyn’s house. She’s got to be hiding somewhere. They’re checking her records to see if she has any family in the area.”
“Let’s hope they find something.”
Kelan nodded. “Are you ready to go in?”
Chapter Ten
As they entered the waiting room to the ER, Pete caught sight of Jared and Nate and stopped dead in his tracks.
They were a mess.
Both were wearing hospital gowns and scrub pants and both had burns on their arms, their faces black with smoke. Jared was enveloped in Nate’s arms and he was sobbing uncontrollably.
Pete’s stomach lurched and, even though he tried to shake away the thought, he couldn’t help but fear the worst.
“Jared, Nate,” Kelan said gently as they approached.
Jared turned in Nate’s arms and pulled in a shaky breath.
He wiped his eyes and tried to compose himself.
“He’s going to be okay,” he said around another sob. “I thought I was going to lose him.”
Pete let out the breath he’d been holding. “Oh, thank God.”
Nate rubbed soothing circles on Jared’s back.
“It was touch and go,” he informed them.
“He got burned pretty badly trying to get out and part of the ceiling fell on him, trapping him underneath. He broke his leg. We only just managed to pull him free before the whole house went up.
“The top half of his body is covered in third-degree burns and there’s damage to his lungs. The doctor said he should recover completely, but he’ll take longer than usual to heal because of all the damage done.
“His body is trying to work harder, but it can’t heal everything at once so his entire healing ability has slowed to little better than that of a human.”
“Jesus,” Pete breathed.
Tony’s hand had found its way into his and he squeezed it tight, grateful for the comforting gesture from his mate.
“I couldn’t protect him,” Jared said. “I promised him I’d look after him when our dad died, but I failed him. He’s in so much pain. He nearly died.”
“This is not your fault, Jared,” Pete said firmly. “You couldn’t have done any more for Tristan than you already did.”
Jared shook his head. “I should never have got involved in the first place. I shouldn’t have investigated Dean—I put my family at risk.”
Nate held Jared at arm’s length and pinned him in place with a fierce glare.
“Now you listen to me. Don’t you dare apologize for doing what you did. Your need to fight injustice is one of the things I love about you. It’s part of who you are.
“Apologizing for that is like apologizing for having brown hair or blue eyes or being born gay. Tristan is going to be fine and you know you can’t protect him from everything.
“What ha
ppens when he finds his mate? He’s going to leave home and you’re not going to be there to look after him then. It will be someone else’s job. At some point, you’ve got to let him go.”
Jared sniffed loudly. “From today on, he’s not allowed to date and if any man comes near him claiming they’re mates, he’ll have me and my shotgun to deal with.”
Nate chuckled and pulled Jared back into his arms, gently rubbing his back.
“Can I be in the room when you tell Tristan that?”
A small smile ghosted over Jared’s lips. “I was going to make you do it. He listens to you.”
Nate snorted. “Nice try, but you’re on your own with that.”
He ran his fingers through Jared’s hair and pressed their lips together.
The loving and easy relationship Jared and Nate shared made Pete hope he could one day have the same thing with Tony. When he glanced at his mate, Tony was smiling shyly back at him.
“Did you see anything?” Kelan asked Nate after they separated. “Hear anything?”
Nate shook his head. “Jared didn’t get home from the station until late last night. He was exhausted. He was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow and me?” Nate sighed. “I’ll sleep through pretty much anything.”
“What the hell are we going to do to find this woman?” Pete asked. “We have no idea where or who she’s going to target next. She’s always one step ahead of us.”
“We could draw her out,” Jared suggested and they all turned to look at him.
“Draw her out?” Pete questioned. “How?”
“By using someone as bait. It was Gregory that killed her mate so it stands to reason she’s going to want revenge on him most of all.”
Pete nodded. “Sure, but if we don’t know where she’s hiding, how are we supposed to draw her out?”
Nate shrugged. “You just said yourself she’s always one step ahead—maybe if Gregory were to return home she would go after him there and we could get to her before she did anything to harm him.”
“It’s an idea,” Kelan mused. “But it’s taking a huge risk with Gregory’s life. What if we couldn’t catch her in time and she hurt Gregory or worse?”
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