* * *
His eyes opened slowly in the dimly lit room. He smelled the antiseptic and bleach, a unique smell that you only had in certain places. He knew then he was in a hospital. Carter rolled his head over the pillow, wincing at the slight flare of pain, and found Hunter watching him from his seat.
When their eyes connected, Hunter leaned forward. “Hey.”
Carter swallowed, his mouth dry and Hunter picked up a plastic cup and helped him take a sip. Sighing, Carter smiled at him, then winced in pain. “Hey.”
“How are you feeling?”
Carter gently moved his jaw and touched his swollen cheek. “Tired. Sore.”
“Fractured cheek and a mild concussion.”
“Yeah.” Carter briefly closed his eyes.
“You were in overnight, but we’ll leave now you’re awake. Chester’s getting your prescription and the doctor is coming. He knows Niles, so understands our need to leave sooner rather than later.”
Carter nodded and winced again when pain flared across his face. Pointing at his cheek, he asked, “How long?”
“Around six weeks. We need to be careful. No knocking it or you’ll need surgery. You’re lucky that you don’t.”
“Shit. No more monkey sex than.”
Hunter grinned. “No, but slow and sensual we can definitely do.”
There was a knock on the door then, and Chester stepped in, closely followed by Romeo of all people.
“Got your meds so once the doc’s been in, you can go home. Romeo wanted to see you and let you know how Spencer is.”
“How is he?”
“Recovering. He was tortured—” Romeo broke off and glanced away. Chester gently patted his arm. Clearing his throat, he added, “He’ll heal. Thank you.”
“But he gave us a lot of information that he’d stored, and with what you have, we’ll be able to plan the rescue of those slaves sooner than we’d hoped.”
“My family?”
“Safe along with a vampire that was being held with them. Ever heard of a vamp named Wyatt?”
Carter shook his head then winced. “Shit.” Sighing, he said, “No. I’ve never heard of him before.”
Just at that moment, the door opened, and a doctor walked in. A few minutes later, Hunter was helping Carter out of the hospital and into a car. As soon as the door closed, Carter slumped in the seat. When Hunter got in, Carter rolled his head over the seat and watched his mate start the car and drive away.
“Where are we going?”
“Home. Your parents said they would come over tomorrow, but I figured you’d want to talk to them first.” As Hunter spoke, he handed a cell over to Carter. “They are under M&D.”
“Huh?”
“Mom and Dad.” Hunter grinned, and Carter felt his eyes sting. He blinked rapidly and breathed deeply.
He stared at the number and pressed call, listening to it ring. When it was answered, his mom, Cindy, said, “Hunter. How is he?”
“Hi Mom.”
“Baby,” she cried, and Carter closed his eyes.
“Mom,” he sobbed. It had been so long since he’d heard her voice. “Mom.”
“Oh, baby. I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Mom.” That seemed to be the only word he was capable of saying. The tears fell as Carter sobbed, listening to his mom do the same.
“Carter,” his dad, Ezra, said. “We’re so glad you’re coming home.”
“Dad.” Carter took a shaky breath in and slowly released it. “How...”
“We’re good. All of us. You go home with your mate and rest. We’ll come over and see you tomorrow. We love you, son.”
“I love you too.”
Carter ended the call and cried, his body shuddering. “Hunter, thank you,” he gasped out.
“Anything for you.”
Hunter rested his hand on Carter’s thigh and Carter gripped it in his, needing the contact. He was safe, his family was safe, and he was going home with his mate. He’d never dreamed of this happening, never thought they’d all find freedom, but here he was, and he couldn’t stop crying even though his cheek hurt.
“Hey, babe. I know, but you’re all safe now and we won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t stop,” Carter choked out.
He felt the car pull over and then suddenly he was in Hunter’s arms and he sobbed. “Let it go, Carter. Let it all go. I’ve got you.”
And Carter did. He let go of everything he’d been holding inside all this time. The pain and loneliness, the fear and worry. He let it all go and sat crying in his mate’s arms, knowing he was safe at last. Knowing Hunter would never let him go. He was finally free.
Chapter Sixteen
Waking slowly, Carter blinked his eyes open and stared around the bedroom. He could feel heat at his side and rolled his head to watch Hunter sleep. He didn’t remember going to bed. In fact, he didn’t remember the journey home.
“You fell asleep in the car.” Carter watched as Hunter’s eyes opened. “I carried you in.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Hunter sat up, the sheet pooling around his hips and Carter bit his lip when Hunter’s chest and abs came into view. “Do you need any pain meds?”
Carter nodded. As soon as Hunter mentioned pain meds, Carter’s cheek hurt. Really hurt. “Shit,” he muttered, gently prodding the area.
Hunter stood and walked naked to the bathroom and Carter’s hand fell limply to the bed. Damn, his mate was hot. His ass was unbelievable.
“Sex later, mate.” Hunter told him as he entered the bedroom. “Breakfast, pain meds, and then your family will be here.”
“But Hunter-”
“But nothing, Carter. I can wait a few days. You’re here, with me. Let me take care of you.”
Carter threw the sheet back and pointed at his hard dick. “I’ll let you take care of this.”
Hunter chuckled. “As my mate commands.”
Carter blinked, surprised that Hunter had agreed so easily. “Really?” The word started out normal but ended on a high-pitched squeak as Hunter sucked the crown into his mouth.
Carter lay back on the bed, panting as Hunter worked his dick, licking and sucking, his head bobbing up and down and taking more of Carter’s dick into his mouth.
Carter groaned harshly. “Hunter,” he whispered.
His fingers threaded through Hunter’s long hair and he punched his hips up, pushing his dick further into Hunter’s mouth. He lost complete control of his body, but Hunter didn’t seem to mind. He moaned as he sucked Carter’s dick, his fingers rolling his balls before sliding further south to tease his hole.
Carter moaned, his body flushed with heat and damp as sweat bloomed over his skin. “Hunter,” he whispered again.
He felt his balls tighten and his hips stuttered. “Hunter...” He tried to warn him but cried out as come erupted from his body. His hips jerked, and he squeezed his eyes shut. He lost all sense of time as his orgasm roared through him and he eventually fell back onto the bed, panting.
As he came back to himself, he felt Hunter kiss his jaw. “Hey.”
Carter stared up into his mate’s dark eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Time to shower, baby. Your family will be here soon.”
* * *
An hour later and Carter was sat in the living room on the sofa with a parent on either side. The second they had walked through the door, Carter had been in their arms and they’d barely left each other’s side since. He’d missed them so much and even though he knew they were free, a small part of him was too afraid to let go in case they suddenly disappeared.
They obviously felt the same way and Hunter left them alone to cook dinner and give them the time they needed.
Eventually, Carter pulled back from them and asked, “How’s Wyatt? I don’t know anything about him.”
“Neither do we and we lived with him. He kept to himself and stayed in his room most of
the time. He didn’t speak about his family, I think he left home under difficult circumstances.” His mom sighed. “I feel for him, Carter. He seems so alone.”
“He does,” his dad agreed. “We talked a little, but he never gave much away. I think he felt he couldn’t trust anyone, and I understand that, given the circumstances. We couldn’t show any weakness, or it was used against us. You have no idea how many times we were threatened, or they would threaten you.”
Carter nodded. “They did the same to me too. I was so scared I’d never see you again.”
His mom looked over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. “How does he treat you? Your mate, Hunter.”
“He loves me, Mom. He saved me and Spencer, stayed with me at the hospital and made sure I was safe. You don’t have to worry. He won’t hurt me.”
“He’s right, I won’t. He’s my mate. The most important person in my life.”
“I’m sorry, Hunter. Don’t think we were-”
“No, I understand, and I know it’ll take time. You’re free to come here whenever you want. I can have the spare room made up for you too. Never think you’re not welcome.”
Carter pulled free from his parents and hugged Hunter. “I love you. Thank you so much.”
“I love you too, and whatever it takes, baby. Now, who’s hungry?”
Epilogue
Three months later...
Hunter sat at the table drinking coffee. He watched Spencer and Romeo cuddle up together and smiled. Spencer had recovered well, and the two vampires had finally mated. He’d been a fountain of knowledge, and the information he had been hoarding was proving to be very useful and the team were now pouring over it.
What they’d discovered was frightening. They’d had the information from Carter and what Hunter had been able to access, but the details that Spencer had handed them... shit, it was deep.
The Tierney Corporation, as it was actually called, was far closer to initiating their plan than any of them had expected. Now, they were busy trying to find a way to put a stop to it and free the slaves.
Euan was handling the necessary manpower, and that was one meeting Hunter wished he could have been part of. Whatever he’d told Chester, Ale and Silas had been huge. They’d all come out wearing shocked expressions, while Euan simply smiled.
Hunter’s job, along with Carter’s, was to gain as much information as possible about locations for the members of the council.
“Right, everyone. It seems Spencer had been holding some information back until we had gone through all of this.” Chester waved his hand at the mountains of paperwork littering the table.
Spencer nodded and after kissing Romeo walked over to the table and looked at each man.
“We’ve forgotten so much of our past, or should I say much of our past has been erased so they could build a new future.”
“Fuckers,” Ale muttered.
Spencer nodded. Taking a deep breath, he said, “We have a king.”
His statement was met by silence and then Troy said, “Wait. What?”
Chester blinked. “A king? A vampire king?”
“Yes, we do.”
“Why would they hide that from us? I don’t understand the rationale behind it.” Silas glanced around the table, his eyes lingering on all the vampires. “Why hide the fact you have a king? Many countries have royalty. This would be no different.”
“It would, if that king was set on ruling the world.” Spencer sighed. “When we revealed ourselves, we never mentioned royalty because they wanted to see how humans reacted. At first, it was a way to protect the king, but over time, they saw how some vampires were treated by humans and a new plan was made.”
“To take over,” Carter muttered. “This has been in the works for decades. You’ve seen the plans. They’ve covered all their bases. If their plan succeeds, then all they do is sit back and wait. What, six months, Spencer?” When Spencer nodded, Carter continued, “Six months and they would have the man and fire power to take over. This country first, and then in time they would move to other countries. We now know they have bases in Europe, Russia, and Asia. Even Australia has a few. Most families are here, but they have smaller bases everywhere.”
“And those bases are ready to go with everything they need. They’re smaller and easier to set up, maintain, and protect. Here, we needed more time to arrange everything.”
“Fuck,” Jared muttered, gripping Sacha’s hand in his.
“How long do we have?” Silas asked.
Spencer looked at Carter and then back at Silas. “A year tops. Now that both me and Carter are gone, they’ll speed this up. They have manpower and resources they need—food, water, weapons, energy. Freeing the slaves and destroying a couple of depots will slow them down but will also let them know we know about them. It’s a gamble, but they can’t initiate their plan without ensuring everything is ready. The king won’t allow it and that might be our only hope in stopping this before it starts.”
“The king?” Tank muttered.
“Yes. He’s an arrogant, egotistical bastard. He doesn’t think anyone can best him and he won’t move until everything is exactly as he wants it.”
“I can’t believe we have a king,” Alessio said, shaking his head. “To keep this hidden for decades...”
Silas leaned forward, his head tilted to Chester, and they both nodded. “So, we continue, but we need to move faster now. Blood slaves are still our first priority, but we need to hit several of these depots at the same time.”
“We’ll need to coordinate our attacks too,” Chester added. “Euan, I think we’ll need your guys on board for this sooner rather than later. Give them the intel and arrange a meeting.”
Euan nodded and left the table, his cell in hand.
They sat and made plans, and eventually, the meeting broke up. Hunter walked outside with Carter and they stood watching the sun set. Carter leaned back against Hunter’s chest and sighed.
“I know, baby,” Hunter whispered.
“I’m free and so is my family and now I can help the others.” Turning in his arms, Carter asked, “What’s gonna happen to Wyatt?”
“He’s staying with Donnie and Jeremy for now. He’s a victim too.”
“Good. I would hate for anything to happen to him.”
Hunter smiled and leaned down and thoroughly kissed his mate. When he leaned back, he rubbed his thumb across Carter’s wet lips. “Want to go home, mate?”
“With you?” Carter grinned. “Always.”
Hunter grinned back. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Prologue
The men converged quickly and quietly, swarming on the house, making no sound to alert the occupants they were entering. Precision like this came from years of training and careful planning, giving them the edge they needed. They took out the guards quickly and stealthily so as not to alert anyone close by. They didn’t need to cause unnecessary noise and draw unwanted attention. This was an in and out mission and they needed to follow the plan to the letter and save those trapped within the house.
Wyatt had little chance to react. The house was in darkness, but Wyatt could still see as if the light were on. One of the intruders entered his bedroom and held up a finger to his lips as he went to speak. Wyatt nodded, letting them know he understood. His heart pounded in his chest and sweat bloomed on his skin. Was this it? Were they going to kill them now or were they finally going to be freed? He did what they wanted. He wasn’t ready to die.
He could hear the sounds of movement around him, and through the open door, he saw the outline of the people he’d been staying with. Carter’s family were leaving, someone had come to rescue them, but would they leave him behind or save him too?
Another figure entered and beckoned Wyatt towards them. Wyatt stood and followed, walking out onto the landing and down the stairs with everyone else. As he passed an open door leading to the basement, he saw the vampires who’d been keeping them captive being car
ried out, already tied up.
Good. Wyatt hated every one of them for what they’d done to him and Carter’s family.
He followed everyone else’s movement, leading him out of the house and into the dark outside. He walked quickly, trying to keep up with the fast pace their rescuers had set and went through the rear garden, barely noticing what was happening around him. A black van stood waiting, the engine idling, doors opened for them. As he approached, he could see someone sat in the driver’s seat watching them and the surrounding area.
He paused briefly, unsure if this was the rescue he thought it was or if in fact it would lead to worse when a hand gripped his shoulder. “Go ahead, you’re safe. Carter sent us.”
Relief flooded through his system at the sound of Carter’s name and he stepped in and sat down quickly, the door slamming shut behind him, and the van pulled slowly away.
After months of being a prisoner to the vampires, his own people, Wyatt was finally free. Or was he? He still had no idea who these people were, but he knew why they were there.
“Who are you and is our son safe?” Cindy, Carter’s mom asked.
The man sat next to her nodded, as he pulled his balaclava off. “I’m Dean, and yes, he’s safe. His mate has him.”
“His mate?” Cindy asked, her hand raising to her throat. “I didn’t know he’d mated.”
“Yes, to one of the members of Rescue Inc. Hunter is his name. He wasn’t going to leave Carter behind.”
“He’s safe though?” Cindy pressed for an answer, her other hand reaching out to grab Dean’s arm.
“They’ve taken him to the hospital to be treated. I don’t know all the details, but I believe an incident occurred prior to getting him out. He’s safe and as soon as he has been treated, we’ll bring him to meet you.”
“Just where are you taking us? We need to be somewhere they can’t find us. They have spies everywhere,” Ezra, Carter’s dad, said. “I don’t want us to be caught again. My family has suffered enough.”
Rescue Inc Collection Vol 4: Mine for Eternity & Mine to Love Page 10