Colin’s eyes widened. “They’re werewolves, too?”
“Yes, and so are their husbands. You can see the need for secrecy, can’t you?”
“Of course I can.” Colin smiled at Scott, who had made his way around the table and was now sniffing him out. He ran his fingers through Scott’s soft, black coat. “Wow, he’s so beautiful.” Colin got a soft whine and a lick up his cheek.
“Dude?” Nikolai glared at Scott. “Really?”
Scott huffed and pushed into Nik’s side, almost knocking him over. Nikolai laughed and grabbed Scott’s face, looking into his eyes.
“Just because you’re big now, doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass in human form.”
Scott raised a brow.
Tristan chuckled.
“So, you guys need help cleaning up?” Colin stood with his plate.
“I can get it.” Tristan stood up and threw his bone to Scott — who swallowed it whole.
The kitchen had gotten much smaller due to Scott’s size and Colin squeezed around him to get to the sink. He rinsed his plate off and handed it to Tristan. “So, have you guys always been werewolves?”
“Pretty much,” Tristan nodded. “You seem to be taking it in stride.”
“Yeah well, I’m kind of a sci-fi nerd. Like I said, I’ve always believed in stuff like that.”
“It’s good you’re so open-minded. You and Nik make a good couple.”
“Oh, we’re not—”
“No, we’re not.” Nikolai broke in. “Although it’s not from my lack of trying.” Nikolai put his plate in the sink. “I’m going to go shower. Goodnight guys.”
Tristan watched Nikolai’s back as he left. He turned his attention back to Colin and smiled.
“Trouble in paradise?”
Colin snorted.
“Oh, just like us in the beginning,” Scott sighed.
Colin jumped at the new voice and turned to see Scott back in his human form.
“Jesus!” Colin held a hand to his chest.
“Sorry,” Scott smiled. “I know it’s none of our business, but Nikolai Markov doesn’t act like that over someone he just wants to screw.”
Colin looked from Scott to Tristan. “I just… I don’t know,” Colin sighed in frustration.
“Give the guy a shot.” Tristan patted Colin on the back. “You’re open-minded - well, apply that to Nik. He cares; I can see it.”
“We put your stuff in Jude’s old room.” Scott mussed Colin’s hair. “You seem like a good kid. Give Nik a chance.”
“I’ll think about it. Thanks for dinner, guys,” Colin smiled.
Tristan sighed as Colin made his way down the hall to Jude’s old room. He hoped that Colin would finally see that Nikolai truly wanted him, and not as a conquest. The kid showed it in every move he made.
“I hope those two give in soon. The furniture is melting,” Tristan chuckled.
Scott rubbed up against Tristan and smiled wickedly. The heat from Tristan’s skin seeped into his own. Just being close to his mate set his dick throbbing.
“Scott…” Tristan growled softly.
“Yes?” Scott ran a hand over Tristan’s erection. Scott was gripped in strong arms and pushed against the counter. He gasped as Tristan’s hand slipped inside his sweats.
“I hope you can be quiet.” Tristan bit Scott’s bottom lip, letting it slide slowly between his teeth.
“Fuck,” Scott breathed.
“Oh yeah.”
~*Chapter Five*~
Colin spread out on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Nikolai was in the shower and, God help him, all he could envision was Nik’s strong hands gripping his cock. Colin’s own prick was rising in his boxers and he rolled onto to his stomach to hide his growing desire. Dammit, this was such a bad idea. He could strangle his fathers for putting Nik back into his orbit. It had taken him so long to put Nikolai in the back of his mind just so he could function. And years spent away from the man hadn’t lessened his feelings for him.
Colin buried his face in the pillow and tried not to think about Nikolai’s habit of fucking anything that moved. Just having to deal with Brock on a regular basis pissed him off. It was a constant reminder that Brock had gotten to kiss Nik, touch Nik and be fucked by Nik. It wasn’t fair. Colin squeezed his eyes shut as the jealousy reared its ugly head.
The bed dipped and Colin froze. Nikolai’s warm skin touched his arm and he fought the urge to shiver from the contact.
“Colin?” Nikolai whispered.
“What?” Colin barely choked out. Dammit, he wasn’t hiding his feelings very well. How he wished he could feel nothing. Be like Uncle Vince and never feel anything for anyone. Well, how his Uncle Vince used to be, before falling for Keegan. There was something to be said for being cold and unfeeling. Fingers trailed down his bicep and Colin held his breath.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry I’ve been an ass, but when Stefan called and they asked me to protect you, I knew I couldn’t fail.” Nikolai leaned in a bit, trying to smell Colin’s skin. He smelled so good, almost like lavender and vanilla, or something like that.
“Fine.” Colin moved towards the edge of the bed.
“I promise I won’t try anything, but could I…just hold you in my arms?”
Colin rolled over to face Nik. “Why?”
Nik could see the pain in Colin’s eyes, even in the dark. God how he wished he could take it away. This was his Colin, the one who had read him stories, had saved his life. Now that he knew more from his father about his childhood with Colin, he wanted to know it all. Nikolai reached out to touch Colin’s face. He stopped before his fingers touched his skin.
“I just need to feel your heartbeat,” Nik whispered.
Heat caressed his cheek and Colin realized he’d leaned into Nikolai’s hand.
“No funny stuff?”
“I promise,” Nik nodded.
Colin scooted closer and waited for Nikolai. Strong arms enveloped him and then he was against Nikolai’s chest. He smelled like fresh soap and something uniquely Nik. Colin fought the sigh rising inside him and laid his head on the broad chest. The loud thumping of Nikolai’s heart was beating in his ear. It was calming. Colin closed his eyes and a hand splayed out across his chest. Colin stiffened.
“I’m just putting my hand over your heart,” Nik whispered. “I promised no funny stuff.”
“Okay,” Colin whispered back. The events of the last two days swirled in his head and curiosity got the best of him. “Nik?”
“Yeah?”
“How long have you known, you know, about the werewolf stuff?”
“I found out when I was in Seattle, when Sebastian was going through all that shit with his dad. He ended up in the hospital and Detective Stevens — now he’s Bastian’s husband — kind of let his canines slip when he got angry.” Nikolai chuckled. “Shocked the shit out of me, that’s for sure. They sort of had to tell me their secret; Pops already knew, anyway.”
“No wonder they play football so well,” Colin laughed quietly.
“Nah, they don’t use their abilities on the playing field. Wyatt refuses to cheat.”
“So, Wyatt is a werewolf. Is his husband?”
Nik nodded in the dark. “Yes, they were actually mated when Wyatt was seven and Preston was thirteen.”
“Mated? Like wolf mates?”
“Yep. The problem was that Preston felt Wyatt was too young to deal with the mate concept, so he stayed clear until Wyatt turned eighteen and could fall in love with him without knowing they were mates.”
“But Bas was dating Wyatt then, right?”
“Yeah. Sebastian didn’t know then that he was a werewolf, something about the gene lying dormant, and he was acting like a complete asshole toward Wyatt. Even I thought so and well, I’m me, so that’s saying a lot. Wyatt found out the truth about being mated to Preston for so long, and got a little pissed at Preston. You’ve seen them now, though; they’re very much in love.”
“And Chance? Where
did you meet him?”
Nik smiled in the dark. “I met Chance in Ireland. Conner O’Rourke had been kidnapped and was being held there. It just so happened that Conner was Wayne Maccon’s mate.”
“And Wayne Maccon is…?”
“Wayne is the alpha of the pack and he’s a created werewolf. You know how you see in the movies that a werewolf is made by a bite of another werewolf?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen enough movies about werewolves.”
“Well the fates and gods created Wayne’s line - he was the first one. That makes him the ultimate authority, the alpha. He’s the size of a freakin’ horse when he’s in wolf form.”
“Bigger than Scott was?”
Nikolai nodded. “Oh, hell yeah. I’ve never seen anything that big before.”
“That’s what she said,” Colin snickered.
“Oh shut up,” Nikolai laughed. “So anyway, I’m helping Chance with research one day when I realize he’s not just into witchcraft, he is a witch - only he’s just learning how to use it. He’s also a werewolf.”
“Ouch,” Colin whispered. “That’s like, double the fun, huh?”
“Yeah, I kinda said the same thing when he told me. He had a thing for Logan MacLeod —”
“There can be only one,” Colin intoned.
Nikolai laughed.
“Well, we got Conner back for Wayne. In the process, we found out that a boyfriend who Chance thought was dead – Pierce was his name – wasn’t. He was actually a rogue werewolf, and their leader.”
Colin’s brows pinched. “Rogues? Like lone wolves?”
“No, rogues are yellow-eyed assholes who kill innocent people. Their saliva turns werewolves and humans into amoral assholes. They don’t care about anything or anyone. Chance’s old boyfriend had staged his death because he was tired of Chance and wanted to just disappear and be done with him. When he found out that Chance was about to inherit his entire ancestral line’s powers when he turned 21, he suddenly wanted Chance back; he knew that Chance would be so much more powerful. Pierce didn’t give a rat’s ass about Chance; he just wanted him for what he could do for him. So he made sure Chance knew he was alive and then tried to rekindle their relationship. Chance is so sweet that he thought Pierce was sincere and that we shouldn’t kill him. He found out the hard way that Pierce was a rogue, and only wanted one thing - power.
“Damn. That had to be hard on Chance, huh?” Colin shook his head sadly.
“Yeah, it was. Chance ended up killing Pierce in the mines of Arizona after Pierce kidnapped him.”
“He killed him? He seems so…gentle.”
“He is. Trust me, Chance did what he had to do. Pierce was about to kill Logan, whom Chance had fallen in love with. In that moment, Chance lost control of his powers and caused an explosion that sunk half the mines.”
Colin rose up on his elbow. “He’s that powerful?”
“You have no idea,” Nikolai sighed. “I thought I’d lost him that day. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d come to care about him until I thought he was gone.” Nikolai took a deep breath and continued. “Logan stayed with him in the cave, even though he knew he was going to die. He stayed with Chance.”
“Now that’s love,” Colin sighed.
“Yeah, it is. Luckily, Chance was able to conjure a protection spell and they were safe. They weren’t even mated at the time, but the fates decided they should be and slammed the mate bond whammy on them.”
“Huh?”
“Chance actually saw it, so did Logan. They said it was this big, bright ball of light and then it slammed into them both. I knew they belonged together. Guess the fates realized it, too. Who knows, though? Maybe the fates play the wait and see game with their werewolves. I have always said that everything happens for a reason. Look at Devin; he turned out to be Tanner. He lost his memory, was put on a case with Keegan to run surveillance on my fathers and the Youngbloods. Keegan ends up marrying my pops and Devin ends up being part of our group and marrying my dad.” Nikolai shook his head with a smile. “Life is fucking strange.”
“And Conner O’Rourke-Maccon knew my dad from childhood,” Colin chuckled. “It’s six degrees of separation.”
“Point is? Fate has a way of making sure we end up where we belong.”
Colin nestled into Nik’s chest and sighed.
“Tired?” Nik ran his fingers through Colin’s hair.
“Mmhmm. That feels good,” Colin sighed.
“Get some sleep,” Nik whispered.
“Nite,” Colin mumbled.
Warm breath caressed his forehead and Colin closed his eyes. Nikolai’s body warmth lulled him to sleep. He was in the arms of the one man he’d always loved and it was everything he thought it would be.
~*~
Nikolai closed his eyes and felt Colin’s heart beating rapidly. His lips grazed Colin’s forehead and the heartbeat under his palm sped up. Nikolai backed off a bit and closed his eyes. His feelings for Colin were beginning to overwhelm him and his actions over the last few years were coming back to haunt him. Once he was sure Colin was sleeping peacefully, he gently kissed his forehead.
“I’m so sorry, Colin,” Nik whispered against his skin.
Sleep came quickly, and Nikolai fell out faster than he ever had with the man he was falling for held securely in his arms.
~*~
Nikolai was jolted awake by a dream. He had been playing in a tree house when the boards gave way under his feet. The panic had risen until he heard Colin from the ground. Nik took a deep breath to slow his racing heart and looked into Colin’s sleeping face. His mouth was perfect, slightly open as he breathed in. Long black lashes hid beautiful pools of chocolate. Colin was breathtaking. And he was his. Nikolai moved carefully to face Colin and trailed a finger down the man’s cheek. His skin was soft, the stubble barely there. Colin’s lashed fluttered open and then they were staring into each other’s eyes. Nik’s heart raced as a smile curved Colin’s luscious lips.
“Good morning.” Colin stretched his back out.
“It is that,” Nikolai smiled.
“So, what are we doing today?”
Nik sat up on his elbow. “Well, I’m sure the guys will want to go to the club. Sniff things out. Plus, Chance can do his voodoo shit.”
“Voodoo shit?” Colin chuckled.
“Yeah, his witchy stuff. Do not let him shrink you.” Nikolai shivered. “It’s freaky.”
“No shrinkage. Got it,” Colin grinned.
Nik rolled his eyes, but smiled. “Okay, let’s get a move on.”
~*~
Colin met Logan that afternoon, along with some of the other werewolves. No wonder Chance was so loyal to Logan — the man was…well, wow. Now that he knew what they were, they’d gone back to the forest to play. Colin sat on a bench with Chance as the pack ran. Nikolai had offered himself up as prey. Even as werewolves, they had a hard time catching Nikolai. Colin had to smile. Nikolai was downright scary. It was hard to picture him as cuddly little Nikolai now. Colin hadn’t even realized Chance was smiling at him until he turned to look at him.
“What?”
“You’re thinking about Nikolai.” Chance reclined back on the picnic table.
“What did you do to him? I mean, you had your hands on his temples. What did you see?”
Chance turned to look Colin in the eye. “I saw you. I saw you through his eyes.” Chance tilted his head, observing Colin’s reaction. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”
“I figured as much. So, just me? Or were their other, um, people?”
“I’m going to apologize now,” Chance said.
“For what—”
Chance grabbed Colin’s temples and closed his eyes. The other man struggled at first, and then relaxed under his hands. The first vision came and Chance could see everything through Colin’s point of view: A newborn Nikolai looking up into his eyes. Little Nikolai looking up with what could only be described as a look of complete love. Nikolai laughing. Nikolai cryi
ng. Chance’s heart wrenched as Nikolai snuggled into Colin’s chest and cried; his arm was in a cast and he was bruised and beaten. The emotions from Colin were overwhelming. Chance was wrenched from the vision. He blinked rapidly, only to find Logan holding him by his shoulders. He was speaking, but Chance couldn’t hear anything, the emotions from the vision still crippling him.
“Chance!” Logan shouted, shaking his boyfriend.
“Colin!” Nikolai caught Colin before he fell off the table. “What the hell, Chance? What did you do to him?”
Logan peered into Chance’s eyes. The tears were coming rapidly and he was shaking. “What? Oh God, what is it?” Logan took Chance into his arms.
Chance met Colin’s eyes and saw the fear in them. He shook his head, assuring Colin he wouldn’t tell. Nikolai’s pain after being kidnapped by Yuri Borkosky was almost unbearable. Chance held Logan and let the emotions out. The sobs wracked his body as he cried for Nikolai and Colin. They were meant to be together from birth. Chance pulled himself together after a few minutes and took a deep breath.
“We’re going out tonight, right?”
Logan’s brows shot up. “Seriously? What the hell is going on?”
Chance stood up and met Logan’s eyes, sending a mental message. “I can’t tell you. Just know it’s not about us and all about Nik. Okay?”
“Okay, but I don’t like what I just saw. Don’t do it again, please?”
Chance nodded.
Nikolai helped Colin up and put an arm around his waist. He was surprised when Colin leaned into him; he was shaking slightly.
“Are you okay?” Nikolai murmured into Colin’s ear.
“Yeah, just need a sec, I think.”
“He did the same thing to you that he did to me, didn’t he?”
Colin nodded.
Nikolai took Colin in his arms and held him. “I’m sorry. He shouldn’t have done that.”
Colin buried his face in Nik’s chest and closed his eyes. The sounds, sights and feelings of the visions were still fresh in his mind. Nikolai’s heartbeat thumped under his ear and Colin let out a slow breath. He straightened up and looked into Nik’s eyes, the eyes which had ensnared him the moment he’d held a newborn Nikolai Markov.
The Nik of Time Page 7