True Blood Mates 6
Seeing Is Believing
“I need you, Ian” ... Those words haunt Ian
Kline, mostly because he has no idea who
whispered them. Ian has been dreaming about
him for weeks. Each night the dreams grow
stronger, more alluring, and yet Ian can never
quite see his lover's face...until someone
arrives to challenge Ian for leadership of his
coven.
Billy spent the majority of his life as the pet of
a coven leader. At night, he entered a fantasy
world where his mate kept him safe from the
horrors of his daily life. When his master
challenges Ian Kline for leadership of his
coven, Billy knows his duty and attacks, but it's
a death offense to interfere in a challenge and
that's exactly what Billy does when he kills the
man that had held him prisoner for nearly
twenty years
Recognizing that mating bond between them,
Ian acts to bind them together and save his mate
from execution. Keeping Billy out of trouble
quickly becomes a full time job when someone
from Billy's past tries to break that bond. With
misunderstandings and a new threat around
every corner, Ian and Billy have their hands full
just trying to hold on to each other. Staying
alive might be impossible.
Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Paranormal,
Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 35,900 words
SEEING IS
BELIEVING
True Blood Mate 6
Stormy Glenn
THE STORMY GLENN
MANLOVE COLLECTION
Siren Publishing, Inc.
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SEEING IS BELIEVING
Copyright © 2016 by Stormy Glenn
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-255-9
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
SEEING IS
BELIEVING
True Blood Mate 6
STORMY GLENN
Copyright © 2016
Prologue
He felt a warm glow flow through
him as Ian’s hands stroked down his
sides. Every time Ian’s black eyes met
his, Billy’s heart turned over in
response. His pulse pounded. A
delightful shiver of wanting ran
through him. He tossed his head back
and groaned.
Ian’s touch always affected him this
way. It had from the first day he laid
eyes on the man when they were just
kids in second grade. Ian Thomas was
Billy’s knight in shining armor,
protecting him from all the evils on the
playground.
“Ian,” Billy gasped. His need for Ian
overrode everything in his world,
maybe even his need to breath. Ian was
everything Billy had ever wanted, ever
desired. Being here in his arms felt like
heaven on earth.
“I’ll take care of you, Billy,” Ian
whispered back, “I’ve always taken
care of you, haven’t I?”
“Yes,” Billy hissed. He curled into
the curve of Ian’s body, pressing his
hard cock against the man’s abdomen.
He buried his face in the corded
muscles of Ian’s chest, overwhelmed by
the desire burning through him.
A large hand took his face and held it
gently. Soft lips nipped at his. “I’ll
always take care of you, Billy.”
Billy turned his head and pressed a
kiss into Ian’s hand before giving his
response. “Ian,” he whimpered again.
“I need you, Ian.”
“I’m here for you, Billy.”
His touch, firm and persuasive,
invited Billy to lean into a kiss that
curled his toes with its intensity. Ian’s
lips were warm and sweet against
Billy’s, reminding him of honey and
sunshine.
“Ian, love.”
“Yes, Billy.”
“Billy…”
“Billy! Wake the hell up!”
Billy jerked awake, the pain in his
side making him wince. He opened his
eyes to see a dark form standing over
him. He recognized the boot aimed at
him a moment before it rammed into his
ribcage. He wrapped his arms around
his stomach and rolled to his side,
drawing his knees up to his chest to
protect himself.
“Get up, you lazy shit,” the figure
shouted. “You have work to do.”
Tears blinded Billy’s eyes and choked
his voice as he realized his knight in
shining armor wasn’t there to save him
this time, or any other time. He was
alone, but he had always been alone. He
was actually kind of used to it.
“Yes, master.”
Chapter One
Ian Kline’s eyes snapped open as he
jerked awake. He stared at the ceiling
for a moment, trying to figure out what
had just happened. Something had woken
him up. His heart was racing as though
he had just run a marathon.
He sniffed the air just to be sure he
was alone and then sat up and swung his
legs over the side of the bed. Ian
dropped his head into his hands, rubbing
away the tail-end of what might have
been a nightmare, or might not. He was
no longer sure.
He had been having odd dreams for
the last few weeks. He had always had
odd dreams, vivid dreams, but nothing
on this scale. Everything had been so
dramatic, he felt as if he could actually
reach out and touch…touch…touch the
face with the deep, crystal-blue eyes.
God, who was he and why had he
been dominating Ian’s dreams? The face
had changed over the years, growing
older and more mature, but the eyes had
stayed the same. Soulful. Dreamy. Sad.
Since the dreams had increased in
frequency over the last couple of weeks,
those
stunning
eyes
had
grown
anguished.
Ian didn’t know what it meant.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Ian lifted his head and glanced toward
his nightstand when his phone rang.
Feeling like he had gravel in his eyes,
Ian reached for his phone and swiped his
finger over the screen before holding it
up to his ear.
“Yeah?”
“Dude, you’re late.”
Ian groaned as he flopped back on his
mattress. He had totally forgotten that he
was supposed to meet his best friend for
breakfast. “Sorry, man, I overslept. I’ll
be there in ten.”
“Yeah,
well,”
Ryan
McDonnell
replied, “you’d better hurry or I’m going
to keep this cute new barista all to
myself.”
Ian couldn’t even muster up a grunt of
enthusiasm. He just hung up the phone.
After staring up at the ceiling for five of
his ten minutes, he got up and went to the
bathroom and then got ready to go. At
least they were meeting at a coffee shop.
The metal shades were up on the
windows, so the sun had gone down
enough that he knew it was safe for him
to be outside. Still, Ian grabbed his
sunglasses off the nightstand and slid
them on before heading out. He
preferred not burning out his retinas.
The coffee place he had agreed to
meet Ryan at was just a couple blocks
from his apartment. He was going to
miss his quant little neighborhood when
he moved into the new coven house.
He’d stay in his two-bedroom
apartment if it wasn’t for the fact that he
would need a much bigger place once he
became the new prince of the Silverlight
Coven. Coven members needed to be
able to come and go, and to stay, if they
needed to. They couldn’t do that at his
current place.
Still, maybe he could get Ryan to
organize their weekly coven meetings
down at the coffee shop. It was a whole
lot less formal than an office or
something similar.
When his phone rang again, Ian pulled
it out and answered it without looking at
the screen. “I’m on my way,” he
grumbled.
“Excellent.”
“Oh, hey, Dad. I thought you were
Ryan. I’m meeting him for coffee and I’m
running a little late.”
“Could you come by the house when
you’re done?”
“Yeah, sure.” Ian frowned at the semi-
serious tone in his father’s voice. “Is
something wrong?”
“Not at all, son. I just need to discuss
a few things with you about the
ceremony next week.”
“Oh, okay.” Ian still felt as if there
was something up, but he wasn’t about to
second-guess his father. Andrew Kline
had been leader of their clan for more
than two centuries. He was good at it,
too. The only reason he was stepping
down was his desire to live life a little
more easily and spend more time
traveling with Ian’s mother.
At least, that’s the reason he gave. Ian
secretly suspected that his father was
giving up the leadership role in their
coven so that Ian could have it. Leading
was a young man’s game nowadays.
While things were relatively calm
between covens, and even with the
surrounding wolf clans, a strong leader
still insured less attacks.
“I can drop by in about an hour if that
works for you.”
“Yes, that would be fine,” Andrew
replied. “I’ll have your mother make
lunch.”
Ian chuckled simply because he knew
that would entail his mother ordering the
cook to make lunch. Mina Kline did not
cook. Ever. She supervised cooking as
well as a houseful of servants. She did
not do the work herself. The woman
couldn’t boil water.
“I’ll be there.”
Ian hung up the phone and stuck it back
into his pocket. He smelled the rich
roasted coffee before he rounded the
corner. He was drooling by the time he
walked into the quant corner cafe. He
ignored the hand Ryan waved in the air
and walked straight up to the counter. It
wasn’t until he had coffee in hand and
had taken a few sips that he was even
able to contemplate functioning on a
human level.
“You look like shit, man.”
Ian rolled his eyes as he dropped
down into a chair and then stuck his
tongue out at Ryan McDonnell, his best
friend for the last several years. “And
you look like a jackass. Luckily for me, I
can rest and look better. You’re stuck
looking like that.”
Ryan chuckled for a moment before
growing serious. “What’s going on,
Ian?”
Ian shrugged. “I didn’t sleep very well
last night.”
“Again?” Ryan asked. “This is, what,
like the third time this week you haven’t
been able to sleep? Are you still having
that same crazy-ass dream?”
Ian nodded gloomily. He sat back in
his chair, slamming his clenched fist
down on his jean-clad thigh. “It’s the
same dream over and over again.”
“Have you figured out who the guy is
yet?”
“No, but I feel like I know him from
somewhere,” Ian replied as he thought
about the erotic dreams he had been
having of late. Only one man starred in
them…Billy, whoever he was. “The
dreams are just too intense, too vivid not
to have some connection, but just when I
think I’m going to see his face, I
suddenly wake up.”
“Well.” Ryan took a drink of his
coffee before setting the cup down on the
counter. “You’d better figure something
out. You’re supposed to have the transfer
ceremony in two days. If you’re not on
your game, you’re going to have your
head handed to you by some idiot with
too much testosterone and I’m going to
be kissing the ass of a new prince.”
Ryan’s upper lip curled back in disgust.
“God, I hate breaking in new princes.
Such delicate pansies.”
“Hey!” Ian frowned at his friend.
“Oh, you aren’t so bad.” Ryan
chuckled. “I think I’ll be able to break
you in with a minimum of ass-kissing.”
“Gee, thanks. You’re all heart.”
“Naw.” Ryan wiggled his eyebrows.
“I’m all cock, all nine inches.”
Ian rolled his eyes. He so did not need
to know anything about his best friend’s
dick. He knew Ryan had his back, but the
man was his friend. Ryan was going to
be his lieutenant when he took over as
prince for his coven. He was not a
romantic interest. He wasn’t even Ian’s
type.
But this Billy he had been dreaming
about…he was exactly the type of man
Ian would be interested in. If Ian only
knew who he was.
* * * *
Ian knocked on the front door of his
parents’ house and then let himself
inside. He knew the guards at the gate
had radioed ahead and told those inside
that he had arrived. His father was
serious about security where his mother
was concerned. There had been more
than one attempt to kidnap her over the
years to gain control of Andrew Kline.
His father had learned to be vigilant.
“Mom? Dad?” Ian called out as he
shut the door. “I’m here.”
“We’re in the dining room, son,”
Andrew called out.
Ian grinned at the glower on his
mother’s face when he entered the
formal dining room. He knew she hated
it when he acted—in her words—like a
buffoon. He bent down and brushed a
kiss on the woman’s cheek, knowing that
her reprimand was coming. He was
actually kind of looking forward to it.
He had missed listening to his mother
bitch him out since he moved away from
home.
“You shouldn’t yell, Ian,” the woman
said. “I taught you better than that.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Mina gave a dismissive snort under
her breath. “Behave, Ian.”
Ian grinned wider. “Yes, Mother.”
Mina’s eyes rolled. “Sit down and eat
your lunch, Ian.”
Ian walked around the table and slid
into the chair opposite his mother. By the
time he had his napkin spread out over
his lap, one of the servants was bringing
in the food. Ian smiled at the woman as
she set a plate down in front of him.
“Thank you, Margaret.”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
Lunch with his parents was something
Ian had missed since he moved away
from home. Sure, he came by often, but
they used to eat together every day. Now,
it seemed that they only got together
when there was a meeting or something.
“How are your roses, Mother?” Ian
asked between bites of the steaming hot
pasta primavera. His mother planted a
rosebush every time there was a special
occasion, like a birth or a death or
whatever. Ian had red roses planted for
his birth.
“They are doing well,” Mina replied.
“I do have some aphids on a couple
down by the south fence. The gardener
says he has something that will get rid of
them right away, but I so hate using
pesticides on my roses.”
Ian had no idea what his mother was
talking about, but it obviously made her
unhappy, which usually led to everyone
else being unhappy. “I’m sorry to hear
that, Mother. Is there anything I can do?”
Mina smiled. “No, son, but thank you
for asking. The gardener will take care
of it.”
Ian was really glad she said that. He
wanted to be supportive. She was his
mother and her roses were her passion,
but he didn’t know a damn thing about
them.
He glanced toward his father, his
curiosity about why he had been asked to
come home growing by the second. “You
asked to speak to me, Dad?”
“No coven business at the dinner
table, Ian,” his mother reminded him.
“Yes,
Mother,”
Ian
answered
automatically.
Even though Ian heard his father
chuckle, he refused to look up. He knew
if he did, his mother would be glaring at
him. She wasn’t really mad. Mina Kline
didn’t get mad very often, but she could
sure make his life miserable if he pissed
her off.
“The Thomas girl is back in town.”
“Mother,” Ian groaned, knowing
where this line of conversation was
headed.
Ian had never hidden the fact that he
was gay from his parents. For the most
part, they seemed to be accepting of that
fact. That didn’t mean his mother didn’t
throw every available girl in the coven
over the age of twenty-one at him.
She wanted grandchildren.
“I’m just saying.”
“Well, don’t. Please.” Ian tried to be
as polite as possible, but this was an old
story. “I’m sure that the Thomas girl is
very nice, but I am not interested. Now,
if she had a brother…”
“Ian.”
“I’m just saying, Mother,” Ian said,
throwing her words back at her. He
laughed when his mother rolled her eyes.
Very few people got to see her in this
mood. It was reserved strictly for family.
“If I ever change my mind about liking
guys, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“You do that.” Mina wiped her mouth
and then tossed her napkin down on the
table before standing. She pressed a kiss
to Andrew’s cheek. “I have to go see to
the catering for next week’s ceremony.
I’ll be in my study if you need me.”
“Okay, dear.” Andrew patted his
wife’s hand before she pulled it away
and walked out of the room.
Ian knew by the way his father didn’t
talk until his mother had left the room
that he probably wasn’t going to like
what the man had to say. His gut
clenched when his father’s gaze landed
on him. Nope, he wasn’t going to like
this at all.
“Your mother is right,” Andrew said.
“You need a mate.”
Ian groaned. “Dad.”
Andrew held up a hand. “I’m not
saying it has to be female, just that you
need one. Once you take over the coven,
they will start looking to hook you up
with someone, and believe me, you do
not want to be fresh meat in their climb-
to-the-top market.”
Ian shuddered.
“That being said, we’ve had some
coven business come up that I feel you
need to know about.”
Ian’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
“It can’t wait until next week?”
“No.” Andrew stood. “It also can’t be
discussed here. Let’s go to my office.”
The ominous feeling in the pit of Ian’s
gut started to knot as he got up and then
followed his father out of the dining
room and down the hallway to the man’s
office. Instead of sitting down behind his
large wooden desk, Andrew headed for
the crystal decanter on a small table in
the corner. He came back with two
glasses, holding one out to Ian.
“You might need this.”
The hair’s on Ian’s arm stood on end
as he took the glass and then sat down in
the chair opposite his father. “What’s
going on, Dad? Has someone issued a
challenge or something?” Everyone in
their coven knew Andrew was stepping
down next week and appointing Ian as
his successor. Most would accept the
decision easily, but not everyone.
“No.” Andrew took a small sip from
his glass. “Do you remember Isac and
Catherine Yves?”
Ian thought for a moment before
nodding. “Sure,” he replied. “They
transferred to our coven a couple of
years ago.”
“Correct.”
Ian frowned as he searched his
memory for any information on the older
couple. “Weren’t they looking for their
son?”
“Jacopo.” Andrew nodded. “Yes, and
they found him.”
“That should be a good thing and yet it
sounds like it isn’t.”
“Isac and Catherine Yves were sent
away by their former coven leader so
that he could get rid of their son. Jacopo
was kicked out of his coven and was
literally living on the streets until he was
found and saved by his mate. Douglas
Stone ended up challenging his alpha,
and winning, when Jacopo’s life was
endangered.”
“Have they declared war on us or
something?” That was the only reason
Ian could think of that his father would
be so upset about all of this.
“No.” Andrew sighed deeply, sadly.
“That almost would have been better.”
Ian’s eyebrows shot up. “War would
have been better?”
Just what in the hell had happened?
“Jacopo and his mate discovered that
there was a well-established slavery
ring being operated by some alphas,
princes, and unfortunately, several
members of both the Wolf Council and
the Vampire Council.”
Ian’s eyes bugged. “Holy shit.” He
suddenly understood the necessity of the
liquor and took a large gulp. He
promptly choked when the amber liquid
burned a path down his throat. “Holy
shit.”
“The ones involved have been or are
being taken into custody and vacant seats
on both councils filled by those more
deserving of them. However, I suspect
there will be much upheaval in our
world until things are settled.”
“How so?” Ian asked.
“Both councils are being blended into
one paranormal council.”
“That should be interesting.” Ian
wouldn’t want to be organizing that for
love or money. When his father grew
silent, just staring down at the liquid in
his glass, Ian grew concerned. “Dad?”
“This slavery ring thing,” Andrew
said in a grave tone, “It’s going to hit our
community hard, son. I never condoned
selling people and would have put a stop
to it if I discovered anyone in our coven
doing such a despicable thing, but I can’t
honestly say everyone in our coven
would feel the same way. You must be
vigilant when you take over. If you
suspect for one moment that someone
was involved in this slavery ring, don’t
hesitate to act.”
“I won’t.” Ian was just as disgusted as
his father. “I won’t allow anyone who
sells another to remain in our coven.”
“Just be careful who you go after, Ian.
Leader of the coven or not, there are
those who won’t hesitate to attack you if
their way of life is threatened.”
“I understand.” It was good advice
and Ian had a very bad feeling he would
need it in the days and weeks to come.
Ian glanced over when the office door
opened. He smiled when he saw his
uncle walk in. Aaron Kline might be the
younger brother of Andrew Kline, but he
was the adored uncle and a mentor to
Ian.
“Ian, just the vampire I was looking
for,” Aaron said as he walked over to
pat Ian on the shoulder. “I wanted to
make sure you were all set for next
week’s ceremony.”
“If you mean full of brittle nerves,”
Ian replied, “then I’m ready.”
Aaron laughed. “You’ll do fine.”
“Was there something you needed,
Aaron?” Andrew asked.
Ian sighed at the stilted tone in his
father’s tone. There had been tension
between the two brothers for as long as
Ian could remember. He just never
understood why. He had asked once why
the two men seemed to be at such odds,
but his mother quickly ushered him away
from his growling father. Ian had never
brought it up again.
Still, his uncle had been his mentor
since right after he had hit puberty and
transitioned. When it became known that
he would be the next prince, Uncle
Aaron had taken Ian under his wing,
teaching him everything he knew about
being a vampire.
“I just wanted to check on the boy,
Andrew.”
“The boy is fine.”
“Hey, look,” Ian said as he got to his
feet. He so didn’t want to be here for
another one of their stare-offs. “I need to
get going. I have a few things to get to.
I’ll give you a call later this week,
Dad.” He nodded to his father then to his
uncle, shaking Aaron’s hand. “Catch you
next time, Uncle.”
“Call me, Ian,” Aaron said. “We’ll do
lunch.”
“I will.” Ian hightailed it out of his
father’s office just as fast as his feet
would carry him. He could hear raised
voice before he even got the door shut.
One of these days, he was going to pin
both men down and demand to know
why they hated each other so much.
Today would not be that day. He had
bigger things to worry about, like
becoming the next prince of the
Silverlight Coven.
Chapter Two
“Nervous?”
“No.” Ian laughed—nervously—as he
glanced at his best friend in the
bathroom mirror. “Yes.”
Ryan patted him on the shoulder.
“You’ll be fine, dude. It’s just a little
ceremony. You’ve been to hundreds of
them over the years.”
“Yeah, but I was never the reason for
the ceremony.” He’d be center stage. He
preferred just doing the job. He didn’t
need all the pomp and circumstance that
went along with an elaborate ceremony.
And no one could throw a ceremony
like his mother. The mansion had been
decorated to within an inch of its life.
Silver and white swag—the colors of
their coven—decorated nearly every
surface, and what wasn’t decorated with
colorful swag was covered in vases of
his mother’s prize roses.
Even without looking, Ian knew the
ballroom was just as decorated as the
rest of the house. There would also be
tables laden with food, a blood bar for
those who chose to just drink blood, a
band would be getting their instruments
ready to play, and servants would be
putting the last touches on everything.
And Ian was so glad he didn’t have to
do any of it.
“I’m going to hire my mother to be my
social director.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.” Ryan
snickered. “If your dad has anything to
say about it, your mother is going to be
gallivanting around the globe for at least
the next year, if not more.”
Ian chuckled. “She deserves it. She’s
put up with being the wife of the coven
leader for the last two hundred years.
You can’t even imagine the number of
birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and
family dinners my father has missed due
to his responsibilities to the coven. It’s
about time he put her first.”
“How long do you give it?”
Ian glanced at Ryan, frowning. “Give
what?”
“How long do you think it will be
before your mother gives in to her need
to have her fingers in everyone’s pie?”
Ian laughed. “Two weeks, tops.”
He adored the woman, but Mina Kline
was not someone who could sit on the
sidelines of life. That tenaciousness had
aided her well as the mate of the leader
of a coven with over a hundred
members. No one ever made the mistake
of thinking she was just a pretty face.
Well, no one that wanted to continue
breathing, anyway.
Ryan crossed his arms and leaned his
hip against the side of the counter. “It’s a
little weird to think you’ll be in charge
of the coven in the next couple of hours.”
“Don’t forget that you’re going to be
my second-in-command.”
Ryan grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”
“Do you not want the position?”
“I didn’t say that,” Ryan replied as he
scratched the shadow of stubble on his
chin. “You know I’ll stand by your side
in anything you do.”
“But?’ Ian knew Ryan well. There was
always a but.
“I’m not sure I’m the right man for the
job, Ian.”
“Well, you’d better hope you are,
’cause I’m not picking anyone else.” Ian
couldn’t think of anyone else he could
pick. Ryan was his best friend. They
might not have been lifelong friends,
having only met a few years previous
when Ryan joined the coven, but Ian
trusted Ryan with his life. They had
clicked almost instantly and were now
best friends.
Ryan shrugged as if he didn’t care, but
the paleness of his face said otherwise.
“Your funeral, man.”
Ian chuckled. “If I go down, you go
down.” He groaned a moment later when
someone knocked on the door. “I guess
that means it’s time.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“You better hope so or this is going to
be the shortest reign in history.” Ian
glanced at himself in the bathroom
mirror one last time before turning and
exiting the bathroom. His father’s
second-in-command was waiting for
him.
“Ward.” Ian nodded respectfully at the
man. Ward had stood at his father’s side
since way before Ian was even a twinkle
in his father’s eye. He had learned to
respect the man simply for the loyalty he
gave to Ian’s father. The lessons he had
learned from Ward as he grew up were
an added bonus. “Is Dad ready?”
This was a momentous occasion for
both of them. Andrew Kline was
stepping down and Ian was stepping up.
The coven would continue to be led by
their family, but Andrew would no
longer be the one in charge. Ian would
be.
“Boy.” Ward snickered as he shook
his head. “Your father is so proud right
now he’s about to bust something. He’s
been waiting for this moment since he
learned your mama was carrying you.”
“I kind of always thought he loved
being in charge of the coven.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Ward said.
“Your father has always loved being the
leader of our coven. He feels everyone
has a duty to care for the coven, but
being a prince doesn’t negate his need to
just be a man. He gave up a lot to serve
our people. It’s time for him to
remember why.”
That actually made sense.
“Don’t let being in charge go to your
head, boy,” Ward warned. “Remember
that you are just a man.”
Ian was starting to wonder if being in
charge was worth it. Between his mother
and his father, it was looking kind of
dismal. He glanced at Ryan to see what
his reaction to Ward’s words was. He
chuckled at the man’s wide-eyed look.
“Maybe we’ll be lucky and I’ll get
challenged before we can take over.”
“Yeah, no.” Ryan shook his head
rapidly. “Your karma isn’t that good.”
Ian laughed as he followed Ward out
of the guest bedroom. It had been his
bedroom once upon a time, but his
mother converted it into a guest room
when he moved out, insuring he couldn’t
move back in. Ian didn’t blame her. Two
alpha types under the same roof was
never a good idea.
Ian hadn’t moved away from home
because he wanted his independence. He
had moved out because he loved his
father and didn’t want to be put in a
position where he felt the need to
challenge him. That decision had helped
keep them both happy.
Andrew was waiting for them when
they reached the main floor. Ian watched
his father carefully, trying to gauge his
mood. He let out a relieved breath when
his father smiled at him.
“Are you ready for this, son?”
Hell, no! Ian smiled instead of saying
that. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I
suspect.”
“I’m not sure anyone is every really
ready to lead,” Andrew replied as he
started to smile, “but we can pretend
with the best of them.”
Ten minutes later, Ian could feel the
sweat on the palms of his hands as he
stood in the ceremonial circle and
waited for his father to finish talking.
According to tradition, once his father
stated his intention to step down, naming
Ian as his successor, anyone could
challenge him for the right to be leader
of the Silverlight Coven.
He wasn’t thrilled with the idea that
he might need to fight anyone who
thought they were big and bad, but he
knew he was the best vampire for the
position. He wouldn’t let anyone else
have it. He had been learning to be the
next prince since the time he could walk,
most of it at his father’s side, and
Andrew Kline had been the best damn
leader their coven had seen in centuries.
Those were some pretty big shoes for
Ian to fill, but he knew he was up for it.
His father was still alive and would
become his advisor. His best friend
stood at his side, soon to be his
lieutenant. His coven members were
expecting him to step up and take over
the coven, and they seemed happy about
it. All he needed to do was find a mate
and he would be set.
“Any that believe they would be a
better leader may step forward and
challenge Ian for the right to lead the
Silverlight Coven.”
Ian tensed when he heard his father
say the words that he had both been
dreading and anticipating. He eyed those
standing around the circle. He could
think of no one that truly wanted to be
prince. Everyone seemed to be pretty
damn happy with letting Ian’s family
lead the coven, which they had been
doing for the last two hundred years.
Ian started to relax his muscles,
blowing out a relieved breath when no
one stepped forward, until a commotion
at the back of the crowd caught his
attention. Ian’s muscles tensed right back
up when the crowd parted and a rather
formidable
man
stepped
forward,
following closely by two other men.
Ian’s eyes were riveted on the
beautiful man being led into the torch-lit
circle by a leash attached to a collar
around his throat. He would know those
crystal-blue eyes anywhere. He had been
seeing them in his dreams for weeks.
Billy.
* * * *
Billy’s head snapped up when he
heard his name softly whispered on the
breeze. His eyes locked on the tall,
foreboding man standing across the
ceremonial circle from him, his arms
crossed and a deep scowl on his face.
Ian.
His Ian.
The gorgeous man that haunted his
dreams for so very long. He hadn’t seen
Ian since he was a small child and was
forced to leave the coven by his
stepfather after his mother died. That had
been so many years ago, he had been
afraid he wouldn’t remember what Ian
looked like, but he hadn’t. Ian looked
just like the gorgeous man in his dreams.
Billy quickly lowered his eyes when
he felt a sharp tug on the leash held by
his master. The elation he felt upon
seeing Ian in real life quickly dwindled
as he was reminded that whatever he had
dreamed about would never be. He
belonged to another master.
“I challenge Ian Kline for leadership
of the Silverlight Coven.”
Billy’s breath hitched, catching on the
sudden lump of fear lodged in his throat.
His eyes snapped from his master to Ian
and then back again. He had heard the
ramblings, of course, but he never put
two and two together. His Ian couldn’t
be the man his master was here to kill.
Billy wouldn’t allow it.
He couldn’t. His Ian was all that was
good and beautiful in the world. His
master was evil to the core. He lived to
torture people, and in the most
imaginative ways he could conceive of.
The men that accompanied them were
just as evil, doing the master’s bidding
with glee.
The rest of the bits of conversations he
had heard while kneeling at his master’s
feet flooded his brain almost faster than
he could decipher truth from rumor. Pure
terror slammed into Billy, almost taking
him to his knees as he realized what it
all meant. Only years of practice locking
them in place to stay standing for hours
on end kept him from falling to a heap on
the ground.
Those gathered were unaware of the
danger they were in, the danger closing
in on them with each passing second.
From the worried glance Ian shot toward
the others encircling the ceremonial
circle, the man knew something was
amiss. He just didn’t know what.
Danger tainted the air.
When Ian’s beautiful black eyes came
back to rest on him, Billy knew what he
had to do. Even if it caused his death, he
couldn’t allow this stunning man to fall
victim to the horrors his master
perpetrated on anyone that caught his
attention.
Defying everything that had ever been
beaten into him over the years, Billy
grabbed the length of leather attached to
his collar and unclipped it. Before the
two men guarding the master’s back
could stop him, Billy leapt forward and
wrapped the leather leash around his
master’s throat, pulling it as tight as he
could manage.
He felt the agony of blows to his back
and head even as he heard the soft gurgle
as his master struggled to free himself
and then slowly slid to the ground, his
last breath blowing out in a surprised
hiss.
Billy gave one more hard tug, feeling
something snap in his master’s neck,
before dropping the leash and falling to
the ground. Pain stole his breath, making
it impossible for him to do anything but
lie there, waiting until he could breathe
again. He would heal, but it would take
time.
“Sweet hell, Billy.” Eyes as black as
midnight, filled with shock and worry
and something more, stared down at him.
“What did you do?”
“Da–danger,” Billy rasped. “In…in
the wo–woods…” He licked his dry
lips, wishing he had something to drink
to wet his parched throat. It felt like he
was trying to talk through sandpaper.
“Sol–soldiers.”
Ian stared for a moment then raised his
head and glanced around. He was
shouting out orders in the next second.
There was a flurry of activity around
them as people ran to confront the men
hiding in the forest, waiting to attack the
coven.
Billy only had eyes for the man
holding his hand. “I found you,” he
whispered. “I protected you.” Just like a
mate should, but the words weren’t
needed between them. Billy knew that
Ian understood what he didn’t say.
Ian smiled down at him, giving his
hand a gentle squeeze. “You did, Billy,
and I thank you for your timely
intervention. You saved a lot of lives
tonight, but now it’s time to let me take
care of you.”
Billy smiled as tears filled his eyes.
“You always take care of me.”
Ian brushed the hair back from Billy’s
face. “And I always will, mate.”
* * * *
“Son.”
Ian tightened his hold on Billy as he
glanced over his shoulder. “He’s my
mate, Dad.”
“He still interfered with lawful
challenge, Ian.” Andrew Kline’s gaze
was filled with sadness and resignation.
“I am sorry, my son. He will have to
face the council for his actions.”
Dread bled the color from Ian’s face.
He knew what that meant. Interfering in a
lawful challenge was a death sentence.
Ian prayed with everything in him that
the council would understand the
mitigating circumstances.
Billy hadn’t killed to gain the prince
position. He had done it to save his
mate. Ian could do no less and he
refused to lose his mate now that he had
found him. If Billy was to die, they
would die together.
“Your father is right, Ian,” Uncle
Aaron said from the crowd gathered
around them. “He has to go before the
council to face justice for the laws he
broke tonight.”
Ian wanted to argue with his uncle, but
he knew he couldn’t. That didn’t mean
he was totally powerless. Ian lifted Billy
up into his arms. He kept one arm
wrapped around Billy and pressed his
other hand to Billy’s cock, giving it a
good squeeze. When it thickened and
became hard, Ian whispered, “Forgive
me.”
Before anyone could stop him, Ian
bent down and sank his fangs into the
soft flesh of Billy’s throat. The instant he
took that first swallow, Ian felt his soul
reach out and connect with Billy’s.
The soft cry he heard and the sweet,
bitter scent of Billy’s semen as the man
came apart in his arms should have been
the culmination of a lifetime search for
his mate. Instead, it was taken in the
middle of a ceremonial circle in view of
over a hundred people.
The regret Ian felt was barely
overshadowed by the knowledge that he
had claimed his mate without Billy’s
permission. It was wrong, and he would
probably go to hell for it, but Ian would
gladly burn for all eternity if it meant
keeping Billy alive.
“Bloody hell, Ian,” Ryan snapped.
“Do you know what you’ve done?”
Ian took one more long sip of Billy’s
blood before extracting his fangs. One
lick over the bite wound turned into
another, and then another, as the taste of
Billy’s luscious skin blasted across his
tongue.
Had anyone ever tasted so sweet?
“You’re
mine
now,
Billy,”
he
whispered after raising his head to look
down at Billy.
Billy’s smile was languid, dreamy.
“Always been yours.”
Ian knew Billy spoke the truth. He felt
it in his soul. He just didn’t know how it
had happened. He also knew he had met
Billy at some point in his life. The
niggling of recognition was in the back
of his mind. He just couldn’t pin it
down.
When council soldiers came to pull
Billy from his arms, Ian gave a low,
threatening growl and allowed his claws
to slide out of the tips of his fingernails.
No one was taking his mate from him.
“No.” Billy’s voice was laden with
sorrow. “You have to let me go.”
“No,” Ian snarled.
“You have to.” Billy’s hand curved
around the side of Ian’s face, turning him
until their eyes met. Ian swallowed past
the lump in his throat when he saw the
tears sparkling in Billy’s crystal-blue
eyes. “You have to let me go, Ian.”
“I will never let you go,” Ian argued
even as he loosened his hold on his
mate. He knew Billy spoke the truth. If
he fought the council, he would lose. If
he used their bond and his new position
as prince of the Silverlight Coven, he
might have a chance of saving his mate.
“I will come for you, Billy.”
Billy’s smile was bittersweet. “I’ll be
waiting.”
When Billy leaned up and pressed
their lips together, Ian knew he had been
waiting for this man his entire life. The
mere brush of their lips together
garnered him more pleasure than every
sexual experience he had ever had.
Ian had been chosen to take over for
his father for a reason. His strength and
self-control were things of legend. His
steadfast
dedication
to
those
he
protected was spoken of with pride by
the members of his coven.
And yet, it took every ounce of that
hard-earned self-control to allow the
council soldiers to take Billy out of his
arms. He stood there, ramrod-stiff, as he
watched
them
lead
Billy
away,
wondering if he would ever see his mate
again or if all he would be left with
were dreams and a kiss.
“We’ll get him back, Ian,” Ryan said
as he rested his hand on Ian’s shoulder.
Ian had his doubts. What Billy had
done was in defense of him and the
Silverlight Coven, but that didn’t mean it
had been right. “He not only interfered
with a lawful challenge, he killed the
challenger. The council won’t take that
lightly.” Ian turned to look at his father,
his resolve firm. “We need to finish the
ceremony.”
Only in his position as alpha could he
save his mate.
Andrew Kline nodded his head before
turning to look at those assembled. “If
there are any other challengers to Ian’s
right to be leader of the Silverlight
Coven, speak now or forever hold your
peace.”
Ian’s quickly schooled his features to
hide his surprise when every man,
woman, and child there knelt down in
front of him, crossing their fisted hands
over their chest in a sign of respect.
Ian breathed in a deep, steadying
breath when he felt the sliver of
connection he had with his inner prince
become stronger before fanning out to
encompass every member of his coven.
From this moment on, he would be able
to feel how each member of his coven
was doing, talk to them through the
prince link, and command them to do his
bidding.
He was their prince.
“I haven’t seen this sort of devotion
since I became prince,” Andrew said in
a reverent voice. “You’ve made me
proud, son.”
“Then tell me how to get Billy back.”
Because he had no freaking clue. The
laws of the challenge were there for a
reason. He couldn’t break them just
because he wanted to. Only the council
could set Billy free. “Tell me how to
save my mate.”
Chapter Three
Billy kept his eyes lowered to the
ground as he was led to a large black
SUV. The men standing around him were
big and mean-looking. They looked a lot
like the men Prince Larson surrounded
himself with. They could eat nails for
breakfast.
When he was shown to the backseat,
Billy cast one last look to where Ian
stood watching him. He knew this would
be the last time he ever saw his mate, but
the image of the man standing there with
his arms crossed, his gaze intent, would
stay with Billy until he took his last
breath.
As he climbed into the back of the
SUV, Billy had a very bad feeling that
his last breath was going to come a lot
sooner than he would have liked,
especially when two of the large men
climbed in beside him, one on either
side. There was no escaping.
Billy had been pretty young when he
left the Silverlight Coven, but there were
still a few landmarks he recognized as
they drove off into the night. He had
played in the park often to escape his
stepfather’s wrath. The playground
equipment had been updated as well as
the nighttime lights, but the park looked
pretty much the same as it had the last
time Billy played there.
There were a few businesses in the
small town they drove through that
seemed like they had been there forever.
A corner market, the library, city hall, a
small diner on the edge of town. Other
places Billy remembered were gone,
either empty buildings or replaced with
new businesses. He supposed he would
never get to find out what had happened
to them now.
The one thing that kept Billy from
completely breaking down was the fact
that he got to see his mate before he was
taken away. He always knew he would
die at Prince Larson’s hand. Even if his
death technically came at someone else’s
hand, it was because of Prince Larson
and that was pretty much the same.
But he got to see Ian. He hadn’t had
that when he woke up today, so he was
actually better off now than he had been
before. Death was death, and it was
coming no matter what he did. At least
now, he had a good memory to take into
the hereafter.
When they pulled into a huge estate a
couple of hours later, Billy almost
breathed a sigh of relief. The end was
almost here. Even though he had never
been here before, he knew from the
opulent surroundings that the place
belonged to someone important.
Billy ignored the odd look one of the
men gave him when he willingly
climbed from the SUV and started
toward the massive front doors of the
mansion. What reason did he have to
fight? Unless he could be sent back to
Ian—and he doubted that was going to
happen—he didn’t have any place better
to be.
Why fight the evitable?
“Stand here,” one of the guards
directed once they were inside the large
mansion.
Billy watched the man walk off down
a long hallway and then glanced around.
When someone put “opulent” in the
dictionary, this was the place they were
thinking of. The high, domed ceiling with
gold trim and a massive crystal
chandelier would have been the first
clue.
The furniture looked pricey and
delicate. Billy knew he’d never want to
sit in any of it. The chairs alone had that
older-than-dirt look about them. He
imagined they had seen the inside of the
halls of a palace somewhere. This was
definitely a place he wouldn’t want to
have to clean.
Billy glanced down the hallway when
he heard voices. The guard stepped out
of a room and came back down the
hallway. The glower on his face didn’t
reassure Billy.
“Come with me.”
Billy swallowed hard, the fear
clogging his throat making it hard to
breathe. He followed the intimidating
man up the grand staircase and then
down a long hallway to a door at the far
end. The man opened a door and
gestured for Billy to precede him into
the room.
When Billy stepped inside, he
realized he was standing in a bedroom,
although why they were placing him in a
bedroom instead of a cell in the
basement, he would never know.
“There’s a bathroom through there.”
The guard pointed to a door on the other
side of the bedroom. “Go get cleaned up.
Someone will be with you shortly.”
Billy waited until the door closed
behind the guard before looking around.
It seemed like a simple bedroom, even if
the furniture was somewhat ornate.
There was a large bed, nightstands, a
dresser, and a couple of chairs by the big
windows.
Billy was a little concerned about the
massive
size
of
the
windows,
considering the sun would turn him into
crispy-fried
critter.
He
probably
wouldn’t be around when the sun rose,
so it didn’t matter anyway.
Unsure as to why he needed to get
cleaned up if he was just going to be
killed, Billy nonetheless made his way
into the bathroom. He started to reach
for the washcloth folded on the counter,
thinking to do a quick wipe-down, when
he spotted the large stone shower. It
drew him like a magnet.
A couple of moments later, Billy
shuddered as he stood in the shower.
The sensation of hot water spraying
down over his skin was so foreign, he
almost cried. He couldn’t remember the
last time he had felt hot water on his
body. His master—former master—only
allowed him to bathe in cold water, and
then infrequently.
Who knew it would take killing the
guy to get hot water?
Still, Billy didn’t understand why the
council was allowing him to shower if
they were going to execute him for
interfering in an alpha challenge. They
might see it as a small mercy. Billy saw
it as prolonging his torture.
Ian.
He had found his mate. He had saved
his mate. He had lost his mate as surely
as if the man had died. The laws of a
challenge were firm. Anyone who
interfered in a lawful challenge for
leadership was sentenced to death. Billy
had never heard of a single exception to
this law, and even if by some miracle,
there was an exception, Billy had still
killed his alpha in an unprovoked attack.
That, too, was a death sentence. Billy
simply didn’t have a single chance of
living out the day, and he knew it.
His one measure of peace was the
knowledge that he had saved Ian’s life
and been able to hold the man in his
arms just once. The kiss they shared
would carry him into the afterlife.
Billy cringed when the shower door
opened. He expected to be grabbed and
dragged out, so he was surprised when
an older man stood there with a towel in
his hand. Billy turned off the water and
took the towel, using it to dry himself
off.
Once he stepped out of the shower, the
man handed him a stack of folded
clothes. The softness of the drawstring
pants
and
tunic-style
shirt
was
unexpected. His former master had never
cared what he wore unless he was being
shown off to visitors. Soft material had
never even been a consideration.
Once he was dressed, Billy looked to
the man that had brought him his clothes.
He wasn’t exactly sure what he was
supposed to do now. There was no cage
for him to sit in as he did when he was
allowed out of his cell in the basement.
Billy glanced around the room, his hand
absently going to his bare throat. There
was no leash or collar either.
Not knowing what else to do, Billy
dropped to his knees in front of the
stranger and bowed his head, his hands
carefully clasped behind his back. He
just didn’t know what else to do so he
fell back on the things he knew.
Subservience had been his life for so
long, he knew no other way. Lack of
respect for his betters would gain him a
beating before he died, and he knew it. If
he was to die, he’d prefer doing it with
the least amount of pain as possible.
Of course, the council might want to
draw out his suffering. He had killed his
prince during a leadership challenge.
Maybe suffering was his due for his
heinous crime.
“Come with me, Billy.”
“Yes, master.”
“You may call me Elder De Luca, not
master.”
“Yes, Elder De Luca.” Billy made
sure he kept his eyes downcast as he
climbed to his feet and followed behind
the man. He wanted to lift his head and
look around, to see something besides
the cold, damp cell he had lived in for
so long, but he knew better. He kept his
gaze firmly on the heels of Elder De
Luca’s feet.
When the man stopped, Billy stopped,
making sure he was within grasp, but not
too close. It was hard to gauge just how
close to stand sometimes. If he stood too
close, he’d get hit. If he was too far
away, he’d get dragged closer and then
hit, and the lines of what was too close
or too far changed on his former prince’s
whims.
Sometimes, Billy thought the man
changed his mind about things just so he
could knock Billy around. The prince
had enjoyed it, reveled in the pain he
meted out. Even though it would take his
life, Billy held no guilt feelings about
what he had done. He had saved his
mate, his mate’s coven, and countless
other lives with the one he had taken.
He’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“Have a seat, Billy.”
Billy forgot to breathe as his eyes shot
to the chair Elder De Luca indicated. He
wasn’t allowed to sit in chairs. To do so
earned him a beating every time. On the
other hand, if he refused a direct order,
he could also be beaten.
With a sinking feeling, Billy realized
that the council was going to draw out
his punishment before killing him. There
was no way he could move an inch
without
breaking
some
rule
or
disobeying some order.
He was screwed.
With nothing left to lose, Billy did the
one thing he hadn’t done since he was a
small child. He defied his training and
raised his head to meet Elder De Luca’s
eyes. “I interfered in a challenge and
killed my master. I deserve death. Why
do you not kill me now? Why draw this
out?”
Stupid question, but one he had to ask.
“Your fate is not to die this day,
Billy.” The elder waved his hand toward
the chair he had indicated before.
“Please, have a seat. Food is being
brought for you. I’d like to sit and talk
with you while you eat.”
Billy’s eyes rounded. “Food?”
When was the last time he had been
allowed more than scraps from his
master’s table? The thinness of his frame
said it had been awhile. Billy had gotten
used to the constant ache in his stomach.
Billy pressed his lips together and
quickly dropped his eyes when the man’s
easygoing demeanor turned into a deep
grimace. He should have kept his mouth
closed. Now the food was probably
going to be denied him.
“Sit, Billy.”
Billy sat. He clasped his hands
together in his lap to keep from reaching
for the trays laden with food that were
set down on the table in front of him.
There was everything from a baked ham
to a fruit tray, all things he had dreamed
of but never hoped to have.
His mouth watered.
“Eat up, Billy.”
Billy chanced a peek at the man. He
kept a close eye on him as he reached
for some of the fruit. When Elder De
Luca simply continued to sit there
watching, Billy brought the food to his
mouth. He chewed slowly, afraid it
would cause his stomach to cramp if he
ate too fast.
But he was also afraid the food would
be taken from him.
“How did you come to be with your
former prince, Billy?”
Billy never even considered not
answering. “I was given to him when I
was a child.”
“Given?”
Billy nodded. “My stepfather owed
him a debt. He couldn’t pay. I was given
to my master as payment.”
“Do you know how long you were
with your former prince?”
“No, sir.” He had stopped counting a
long time ago. Living in a cell in the
basement with no windows made it hard
to tell when one day rolled into the next.
“You were a prisoner of Prince
Larson for nearly seventeen years.”
Billy’s stomach curdled. “Seventeen
years?” he gasped. Had it been that
long? The other words the man had
spoken slipped into his mind and Billy’s
head snapped up. “Prisoner?”
“A child cannot be traded for a bad
debt, Billy, and slavery is against the
law. What your stepfather and Prince
Larson did was against our laws.”
“He was my stepfather,” Billy
insisted. Didn’t that mean the man had
the right to do with Billy whatever he
wanted?
“He was your stepfather, Billy, but he
took you from your mother.”
“My mother is dead.” He distinctly
remembered her being in bed, sick,
dying, and then his stepfather telling him
that she had died right before he was
taken away and given to Prince Larson.
“No, she is not.” The elder snapped
his fingers. A door opened and an older
woman with faded blonde hair stepped
into the room. The tears in her eyes as
she looked at Billy made tracks down
her pale cheeks.
“Billy,” the woman whispered.
Billy jumped up when the woman
came toward him. He backed up,
terrified that he was hallucinating. That
could be the only explanation. He had
dreamed of his mother so many times
over the years.
She always looked younger.
“Billy.” Her dark eyes beseeched him
to come closer. “Don’t you remember
me?”
Billy shook his head.
“Give him time, Juliette,” the elder
said. “He’s been through a lot.”
“William—”
“Juliette, please, come sit by me. Give
the boy some room.”
Pressing her lips together, the woman
nodded and walked over to sit down
next to the elder. Elder De Luca gently
patted her hand before returning his
attention to Billy. “I know you don’t
understand all of this, Billy, but I would
like the chance to explain it to you.
Please, sit back down.”
Billy stared at the two people across
the table from him, wondering if they
were telling the truth or not. When he
decided he couldn’t tell, but he was still
interested in whatever tales they could
spin, he returned to his chair.
Besides, he was still hungry.
“Your mother met her true mate when
she was just a young woman. As they
were from warring covens, they met in
secret, hoping to one day run away
together. Before that could happen, your
mother was forced into a marriage by
her parents when they learned she was
pregnant with you.”
“My stepfather,” Billy said.
“Yes. He married your mother for her
position in the coven and the inheritance
that
came
with
her
when
your
grandparents died. By the time you were
a young child, he had gone through all of
your mother’s money and incurred quite
a sizeable debt to several people.”
Billy was fully aware of the debt the
scumbag had. It was why Billy had
ended up in Prince Larson’s evil hands.
“Your mother suffered abuse at the
hands of your stepfather for many years,
especially after the money ran out.”
Billy glanced up. “That’s why she was
sick all the time.”
The elder glanced at the woman
beside him. “I imagine so.”
Billy wanted to kill Alpha Larson all
over again. “I’m sorry,” he said to her.
“If I had known…” There probably
wouldn’t have been anything he could
have done. He had been just a child.
“When Prince Larson demanded
payment from your stepfather, you were
given to him. We did not know that at the
time. We merely knew you and your
stepfather had disappeared. There was
no trace of you. By order of the council,
every coven was searched.”
“He kept me in a cell in the
basement,” Billy supplied when an angry
look came over the elder’s face. “You
never would have been able to find me.”
“Your stepfather was killed in a
dispute ten years ago. After that,
everyone assumed you had died or he
had killed you. Since there had been no
sign of you for so many years, that was
the most likely answer.” A small smile
curved the elder’s lips as he glanced to
Juliette again. “Your mother never gave
up hope. She insisted we continue to
search for you everywhere.”
Billy tried to send the woman a smile,
but he might have forgotten how to. “I’m
glad I got to see you before I die.”
“Die?” the woman cried out as she
clutched at the arm of the elder.
“William, what does he mean?”
“Calm down, Juliette.” He patted her
hand before clasping it with his own.
“It’s simply a misunderstanding.”
Billy’s
eyebrows
peaked.
“My
execution is a misunderstanding?”
“There will be no execution!” the
elder shouted, losing all signs of his
calm demeanor.
“But I killed my master during a
lawful challenge for leadership.”
“You killed the man holding you
hostage for seventeen years as he was
preparing to attack another coven and
wipe them out. We were able to question
some of his soldiers before they were
executed for their crimes. They had no
intention of participating in a challenge
for leadership of the Silverlight Coven.
That was a distraction while the soldiers
got into position to attack. They would
have killed every man, woman, and
child there just so they could have the
territory.”
Billy didn’t even blink at that argued
statement. He expected nothing less from
Prince Larson. He had seen the man’s
cruelty firsthand. Prince Larson had no
sense of honor or morality. He killed
who he wanted to, when he wanted to,
and be damned the rest of the world.
“You not only saved yourself, but the
entire Silverlight Coven. You’re a hero,
son.”
Billy gulped as he stared down at the
entwined hands on the table. “Son?”
Chapter Four
Ian was so tense he feared he would
snap in two at any moment. Waiting for
an audience with the council was
probably the most nerve-wracking thing
he had ever done. It was worse than
waiting to see if anyone would challenge
him for position as leader of his coven,
but if he had any hope of saving Billy, he
had to get the council to agree to see him
so he could plead his case.
Ian paced. Sitting, as his father and
Ryan were doing, was beyond what he
was capable of doing at the moment.
They had been waiting for nearly an
hour, which, in the grand scheme of
things, wasn’t that long, especially when
it came to the council. Ian had heard that
some people had waited days for an
appointment.
When the double doors opened and an
older, stately gentleman stepped through
them, an armed guard behind him, Ian
held his breath, readying himself to hear
the words that would damn him to hell.
Had he been too late? It had only been
three days. Was the council going to
deny him? Was there any chance of
saving Billy?
“Prince Ian Kline?” the older man
asked.
“Yes.” Ian smoothed down the lapels
of his suit before stepping forward to
give the man a respectful bow. “I am
Prince Ian Kline.” He prayed that would
at least get him a meeting to discuss
Billy’s fate.
“I am Elder William De Luca. Please
come with me.”
Ian shot his father and Ryan a look. An
actual elder had come out to greet him?
Ryan shrugged and his father made a
shooing motion with his hand. Ian turned
and hurried to catch up with the elder.
The luxurious surroundings passed him
by in a blur, his mind too set on what he
needed to say to free his mate.
“I am glad you came to the council
chambers, Prince Kline. We intended to
send for you in a few days. This saves us
the trouble.”
Ian’s eyebrows shot up. “You were
going to send for me?” Hope blossomed
in his chest. It warred with the sick knot
forming in the pit of his stomach.
“Why?”
“We need your statement on what
happened with Prince Larson.”
That’s what they wanted to know? “He
challenged me for my position while the
mantle of leadership was being passed
from my father to me.”
“True, except that he wasn’t there to
challenge you for leadership. He was
there to take out your coven. Prince
Larson intended to use the alpha
challenge to distract you while his
soldiers attacked, killing everyone. We
have recorded confessions and evidence
to back that up.”
“My god.” Ian’s gut clenched and
rolled. “I knew there were soldiers
waiting in the woods because of Billy,
but I never dreamed Prince Larson
planned to wipe us out.”
“Yes. When Billy killed Larson, not
only did he save himself from a man that
had been holding him prisoner for years,
he saved your entire coven.”
Ian was almost afraid to hope.
“Then…he’s not going to be executed?”
“No.” Elder De Luca smiled. “Billy is
free to return home with his mate.” The
man’s smile grew. “I believe that would
be you, Prince Kline.”
“Yes, I claimed Billy as my mate.” Ian
would shout it to the rooftops if that’s
what it took. He swallowed hard as the
hope inside his chest exploded. “Can I
see Billy? Is he okay?”
The elder’s smile was friendly and
welcoming, an odd reaction considering
the ominous reason Ian had come to the
council chambers. The man waved his
hand to a spot just beyond him through a
set of glass doors. “See for yourself.”
Ian glanced past the man to see his
beautiful Billy floating about in a large
indoor pool. An older woman sat on a
lounge chair near the edge, and the two
seemed to be in a deep conversation.
“Billy.” He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t
move.
“You may go to him.”
Ian tore out through the patio doors
and raced across the tiled floor to the
edge of the pool. He heard a small
shriek as he jumped into the water and
waded over to his mate, grabbing the
man up in his arms.
“Billy.”
“Ian!” Billy’s voice was full of
laughter and light and happiness and…
“I missed you, mate.”
God, he was perfect.
“I missed you, too, baby.” Ian
wrapped his arms around Billy as he
claimed the man’s lips in a kiss hot
enough to boil the water in the pool. His
beautiful, sweet Billy felt so right in his
arms. Ian never wanted to let him go.
When Ian finally lifted his head, he
didn’t even try to stop the flow of tears
down his face. He rested his forehead
against Billy’s and just breathed his mate
in. “You ready to go home, mate?”
“Yes.” Billy’s smile was a wondrous
thing to see. “But I want you to meet my
parents first.”
“Your parents?” Billy had parents?
Billy pointed to the woman in the
lounge chair. “That’s my mom. I thought
she died when I was a kid, but she
didn’t. My stepfather just told me she
did so that he could take me away and
sell me to Prince Larson.”
She looked vaguely familiar to Ian, as
if he had seen her somewhere else
before, but he couldn’t quite picture
where.
“And that’s my dad.” Billy pointed to
Elder De Luca. “He’s an elder.”
Waist-deep in heated pool water, Ian
broke out in a cold sweat. “Your father
is Elder William De Luca?”
“Yeah, isn’t it great?” Billy was all
grins. “We’re all one big, happy family.”
Ian knew in that moment that the
universe really was out to fuck with him,
but at least he had Billy, and that made it
all worth it. “Yeah, mate.” He gave Billy
a quick peck on the lips. “It’s great.”
“Can they come visit?”
Ian’s grin grew painful as it stretched
across his face. “Of course.”
He glanced up when he heard a
chuckle from the side of the pool. Elder
De Luca stood beside Billy’s mother,
Ian’s father, and Ryan. “Billy gets to
come home with us.”
“So we heard,” Andrew replied, “but
you might want to think about drying off
first.”
Ian glanced down in surprise. He had
forgotten he was wearing a suit the
second he spotted Billy in the pool.
Getting to his mate had seemed so much
more important. “Oops.”
“I’ll go grab your bag from the car,
prince,” Ryan said before spinning
around and striding off through the patio
doors.
Elder De Luca chuckled. “You can use
Billy’s guestroom to change.”
Ian kept a tight grip on his mate as he
sloshed through the water to the built-in
stairs at the shallow end. Once he had
cleared the water, he swung Billy up into
his arms. He wasn’t planning on letting
go of his mate unless he absolutely had
to.
“Where’s your room, Billy?”
Billy just pointed. It was all he could
do. He had his face buried in Ian’s
throat. His arms were wrapped around
Ian’s neck in a death grip. He didn’t look
like he was planning to let go anytime
soon, either. Ian was just fine with that.
Ian nodded to his father and Elder De
Luca as he carried Billy past them. He’d
apologize later for dripping all over the
elder’s nice marbled floor. Right now,
his main goal was to get Billy alone
somewhere. He needed to touch his
mate, to reassure himself that Billy was
finally safe.
In the blink of an eye, Billy had
become the most important person in
Ian’s world. He knew it was due to the
many dreams they had shared, and he
know knew in his soul they had been
shared dreams. It was the only way to
explain the instant knowledge that he
knew Billy like he knew himself when
they met at the ceremony.
“Third door on the left,” Billy
whispered into his neck once he reached
the top of the stairs.
Ian followed Billy’s directions to a
clean, almost immaculate room. He
glanced around in confusion. There was
no sign that Billy had been living in the
room for the last three days. The bed
wasn’t even wrinkled.
“Do I have the wrong room, Billy?”
Billy lifted his head and looked
around. “No.”
“This is your room?”
“Yes,” Billy whispered as he went
back to snuggling into Ian’s neck.
Ian kicked the door closed. If Billy
said this was his room, then it was his
room. Ian really didn’t need to know any
more than that. It wouldn’t be Billy’s
room for long. The second they were
allowed to leave, Ian was taking his
mate home where he belonged.
He walked over to the large bed.
When he tried to lay Billy down on the
mattress, Billy whimpered and held on
tighter. “I’m just trying to lay you down,
Billy.”
Billy shook his head vehemently.
Ian chuckled as he stretched them both
out on the bed. Billy scooted closer until
they were pressed chest-to-chest. Ian
laid there until the man settled and then
he started stroking his hand down Billy’s
naked back.
Every instinct was screaming at him to
finish claiming Billy before they left the
room, and that his hold on his mate had
to be solid and irrefutable. He was just
worried about how Billy would handle
that. They hadn’t had the chance to talk
yet, so Ian didn’t know how bad things
had been with Prince Larson, and he was
almost afraid to ask. He wasn’t sure he
was that strong.
And yet, he knew he had to be.
“Billy.” Ian stroked his hand up
Billy’s back until he reached the nape of
the man’s neck. “Can you look at me,
baby?”
Billy became perfectly still. Ian
wasn’t even sure the man was breathing,
but then he did, slowly raising his head
up out of Ian’s neck and tilting it back to
look up at him.
Ian smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“I can’t even begin to explain how
glad I am that I found you.” That would
take years of heartache and soul-
searching on Ian’s part before he could
put his thoughts and emotions into
words.
“I think I found you.”
Ian chuckled. “I suppose you did.”
“I looked for you,” Billy said. “Every
time I was allowed out of my cage, I
looked for you, but you were only in my
dreams.”
Containing his growl of outrage took
more control than Ian thought he had, but
the trepidation flushing Billy’s cheeks
stopped him as nothing else could have.
“I looked for you, too, Billy, even in my
dreams.”
Billy sighed contentedly, as if that was
what he was waiting to hear, and then
laid his head back down on Ian’s chest.
“I was so afraid I would never find you
again.”
Again?
“Billy?”
“Hmm?”
“When did we meet before?”
Billy’s forehead was wrinkled in a
frown when he tilted his head back.
“Before my stepfather took me away and
gave me to Prince Larson.”
“Your stepfather?”
“Eric Elantra.”
“But he disappeared years ago.”
Billy nodded. “Yeah. My father said
Prince Larson had me for seventeen
years.”
Ian clutched Billy to him, suddenly
understanding how close he had come to
never finding Billy. If Alpha Larson
hadn’t decided to challenge him, Ian
might never have laid eyes on Billy
again.
“We were friends.”
“Uh-huh,” Billy replied. “We used to
play together.”
Ian brushed a hand through Billy’s
short blond hair. “I remember.”
“I knew then that you were supposed
to be mine.”
Ian couldn’t say the same thing, but he
wished he could. “I knew when I saw
you that you were mine.” He could give
that much to Billy. “And I am never
going to let anyone take you from me
again.”
Ian fisted his hand in Billy’s hair and
tilted the man’s head back. He leaned
down and pressed their lips together, the
kiss feather-light, but with each brush of
their lips, it deepened until Ian’s entire
body hardened with need. Kissing Billy
was like kissing an open flame. It burned
him, and yet he wanted more.
“I need you, Billy,” he whispered
against the man’s lips. “I need to claim
you.”
“Okay.”
Ian peered into Billy’s eyes. “Are you
sure?” he asked, because he had to know
Billy was ready for this. “Do you
understand what is going to happen?”
Billy’s face flushed as his eyes
dropped. “I know.”
“Did…did Larson ever—”
Billy’s eyes snapped back up. “No,
never. He didn’t like guys like that. He
just liked leading me around on a leash
and making me sit next to his chair. It
was a power thing for him, not a sexual
thing.”
“Some power plays can become
sexual, Billy. It doesn’t mean one person
is attracted to another, but rather that
they like the power that can exert over
someone else.”
“Yeah, but he really wasn’t into guys
being with guys.”
Ian couldn’t even begin to explain
how relieved that made him. “How do
you feel about that?”
“Guys being with guys?”
Ian nodded. This could all be over
before it started.
“I don’t want to be with anyone else.”
“No, of course not,” Ian said quickly.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?” Billy
asked, that confused frown marring his
forehead again.
“I meant, how do you feel about the
two of us being together?” Ian
swallowed hard. “Sexually.”
“You’re my mate.”
Ian nodded. “Yes.”
“That means it’s okay for us to be
together, right?”
“Yes.” Ian was confused as to where
Billy was going with his line of thought.
“It’s very okay.” Encouraged, even.
“Then what—”
Ian
interrupted
Billy’s
words,
covering his mouth with his own,
drawing him into a deep kiss. He felt
like he was flying with happiness. Billy
was giving him far more than he had
ever thought he’d have.
He had an uncontrollable urge to take
Billy. He just knew that he had to be
inside of him in the next few moments.
His very life depended on it. Grabbing
the edge of Billy’s shorts, he pulled then
down his legs and let them drop onto the
floor.
It took him mere seconds to shed his
own clothes before sliding between
Billy’s legs. Billy’s throaty whisper of
his name was all he needed to hear as he
lowered his head and engulfed the man’s
jutting cock.
He swiped his tongue over the top of
Billy’s gorgeous cock. Ian moaned at the
sweet taste of the pre-cum leaking from
the small slit in the top. He tasted so
damn good.
“Ian,” Billy cried out.
Ian couldn’t help but smile when
Billy’s hips began humping up, his hands
clenching in Ian’s hair. He loved how
responsive Billy was to his touch. It
made him feel like the most powerful
being in the world.
Ian lifted his mouth from Billy’s cock
to reach for the lube on the nightstand,
chuckling at his wail of protest.
Squirting some out on his fingers, he
reached between Billy’s ass cheeks.
Billy’s body shivered when Ian starting
rubbing the lube around his hole. Ian
gently massaged the tight ring of muscles
until he could easily push in one finger.
He couldn’t explain the deep need he
had for Billy to come apart for him. He
just knew that he needed to drive him
crazy, to have him so aroused that Billy
would never forget him. He wanted to
burn his touch, his image, into Billy
forever.
“Billy, on your hands and knees,
baby,” Ian commanded, slapping Billy
lightly on the hip. As soon as Billy
turned over, Ian pushed two fingers into
him, stretching him out even more. After
several intense moments, Ian added a
third finger.
He pushed in as far as his fingers
would reach, feeling around until he
could feel Billy’s prostate. The little
shudder and low moan let him know he
had found it as Billy began moving his
hips, impaling himself on Ian’s fingers.
“You like that, baby?”
Billy nodded his head eagerly. Ian
chuckled as he rolled onto his back and
pushed himself up between Billy’s legs.
“Then you’re going to love this,” he
growled just as he swallowed Billy’s
cock again.
Three fingers in Billy’s ass, stroking
his prostate, one stroking his nut sac, and
lips wrapped around his hard cock, Ian
went to town. He alternated between
stroking Billy’s sweet spot and thrusting
his fingers in and out of him. His tongue
and lips lavished Billy’s cock, licking
and sucking.
The soft moans coming from Billy
increased in volume and length until he
was giving out one continuous cry.
Feeling Billy suddenly stiffen, Ian thrust
his fingers in just as he swallowed the
seed pumping from him in great spurts.
Once Billy was done, Ian scooted out
from under his mate. He knelt behind
him, quickly lubing his cock up. Looking
down at him, he felt tears forming in his
eyes. This moment was so important. He
didn’t want to do it wrong. They would
only ever have one first time.
“Are you sure about this, Billy? Once
we do this, there’s no going back.”
“I’m sure, Ian.”
That was all Ian needed to hear.
Grabbing Billy’s hips, he pushed in until
his hips met Billy’s ass. He pulled
almost all of the way out, until only the
head of his cock remained inside, then
slowly pushed back into Billy again. His
cock was being repeatedly encased in
hot silk, a sensation Ian wasn’t sure he
could ever live without now that he had
experienced it.
He thrust into Billy again and again, in
a slow, methodical manner, until Billy
trembled beneath him, his hands
clenching in the sheets beside his head.
He was pushing back against Ian with
every slow withdrawal, as if he didn’t
want him to leave.
Suddenly, Ian pushed against Billy’s
hip. “I want you to ride me, baby. I want
to see your face.” He needed to see
Billy’s face.
Ian pulled out and rolled onto his
back, helping Billy straddle him. He
grabbed his cock and held it as Billy
slowly lowered himself down until he
was seated all the way.
“Okay, baby, ride me,” Ian encouraged
as he began lifting Billy by his hips until
Billy got the rhythm and took over. He
impaled himself over and over again on
Ian’s hard cock, his breathing getting
harsher.
Once Billy got going, Ian reached
down and grabbed the man’s engorged
cock, starting to stroke him to the same
rhythm. The little moans of pleasure
coming out of Billy’s mouth spurred him
on.
“Ian,” Billy cried out, his head
dropping back as his thrusts became
erratic. Ian knew his man was close. He
wanted him closer. He wanted Billy to
totally lose control.
Ian reached up and grabbed Billy’s
head, pulling him down until their lips
met. He didn’t just kiss Billy. He
devoured him, thrusting his tongue in and
demanding the response he wanted.
Billy did not disappoint him. His
hands came down to grab at Ian’s
shoulders. He thrust himself against Ian a
few more times before his body became
stiff, his head arching back as he let out
a long wail, his cock erupting and
covering Ian’s hand with his release.
Ian groaned, feeling Billy’s inner
muscles tighten around his cock.
Grabbing the vampire’s hips, Ian thrust
into him hard and fast until he joined
Billy in a climax, crying out Billy’s
name as he filled him.
He saw stars twirl behind his eyes as
Billy’s muscles milked him of all he had
to give. As his vision began to clear and
his breathing returned to normal, he
pulled Billy down beside him. Wrapping
his arms around him, he lightly kissed
him on the head before tucking Billy’s
head under his chin.
“You’re mine now, Billy, and I’m
never giving you up.”
“Okay,” Billy whispered against Ian’s
neck
Chapter Five
Billy was nervous, but he didn’t want
anyone else to know he was nervous.
Despite having Ian at his side, Billy
couldn’t help but be apprehensive about
returning to the Silverlight Coven. He
didn’t know what to expect when they
got there and he was too afraid to ask.
He had killed someone during a
challenge. No matter what anyone else
said about him saving the coven from
Prince Larson’s evil plans, he had still
interfered in a lawful challenge. Even
Billy, with his limited contact with the
real world, knew what he did was
wrong. He was terrified that Ian’s coven
would hold it against him, or worse,
hold it against Ian.
“We’re almost there,” Ian said.
Billy turned away from his window
and sent Ian a smile, or at least the best
smile he could under the circumstances.
His gut was one big knot of anxiety. He
felt like he was going to puke.
“Are you excited?”
Billy
shrugged
without
verbally
answering, simply because he refused to
lie to his mate. He wasn’t excited
exactly, more like terrified. He didn’t
want anything to cause Ian to kick him to
the curb and he was deathly afraid that
once the coven learned what he had done
and who he was, Ian would get fed up
with him.
As much as he was thrilled about
finding his parents, he knew from Ian’s
reaction—not to mention the stunned
reactions from Ian’s lieutenant and father
—that having an elder as a father was
going to be a problem.
“You will love the Silverlight Coven,
Billy,” Ian said as he patted Billy’s
thigh. “Our coven isn’t huge, just a little
over a hundred members, but they are all
good people.”
Billy nodded, unsure of what to say to
that. When he was with Prince Larson,
he hadn’t had that much interaction with
other coven members, and those that he
did have contact with had been cold and
mean and downright terrifying.
“Baby, I can feel your nervousness
from here. It’s going to be okay. I
promise. I would never take you
anywhere you were not safe.”
Billy knew Ian thought his coven was
a safe place, but Billy knew from past
experience that there was no place
absolutely safe. Evil lived everywhere,
even in places a person least expected it.
It flourished in the darkness because
people refused to believe it could
happen. It preyed on the weak and
bolstered
those
with
malicious
intentions.
And it didn’t go away just because
someone wished it.
“What will happen when we get back
to your coven?”
“Our coven, Billy.”
“Okay,” Billy replied, even though he
didn’t believe that for a moment. He
might wear the title of mate, but he was
by no means part of anything.
Ian chuckled. “You’ll see when we get
there.”
Billy sent Ian another smile.
“What happens when we get home
kind of depends on you, Billy.”
“Me?”
“Our coven is waiting to meet my new
mate. They want to throw us a big
celebration.” Ian’s grin made Billy’s
breath catch. It was so filled with
happiness that Billy almost believed
him.
“Why would that depend on me?”
“I don’t want you to be overwhelmed,
Billy.” A frown wrinkled between Ian’s
eyes, taking away the smile. Billy almost
cried out in protest. “You haven’t really
talked about it, but I can imagine some of
what you went through at the hands of
Prince Larson.”
Billy shook his head. “You can’t
imagine it. You don’t have that type of
evil inside of you. You can’t even
conceive of doing some of the things he
did.”
“I’m glad you think so.” When Ian
held his hand out, Billy gave in to his
urge to touch his mate and clasped Ian’s
hand, entwining their fingers. “Until you
are ready to tell me what you went
through, I can only imagine.”
“I don’t want to tell you.” Billy lifted
his eyes from where he had been staring
at their intertwined fingers and looked
up at his mate. “I don’t want you to know
what he did to me.” He never wanted Ian
to know. The humiliation would be too
great. He didn’t want anyone to know.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t
want to, Billy, but I wish you would. If I
know what you went through, I might be
able to help you get through it.”
Billy didn’t want to deny Ian,
but…”Maybe…someday.”
Ian’s smile was filled with a bit of
sadness, which ate at Billy’s heart.
“Okay, baby. You don’t have to tell me
until you are ready.”
Billy wasn’t sure he would ever be
ready.
When Ian tugged on his hand, Billy
slid as far across the seat as his seatbelt
would allow and then laid his head on
the man’s shoulder. Ian’s arm came
around him, hugging him close. Billy
closed his eyes and let the soothing
presence of his mate wash over him.
A moment later, his eyes snapped open
as the front windshield shattered. His
cry of fear filled the car as it began to
swerve across the road. “Ian!”
“Get down!” Ian shouted as the side
window shattered. He flicked out his
claws and sliced through Billy’s seatbelt
like a hot knife through butter.
As he was shoved to the floorboard,
Billy heard a thunk. He glanced up just
in time to see a small puff of air as
something tore into the leather headrest
right where he had been sitting a mere
moment ago.
Another puff joined the first one.
“Ian!” he screamed.
“I know,” Ian shouted.
When Ian squeezed past him and
started climbing into the front seat, Billy
knew they were in trouble. The car was
still swerving madly, but they hadn’t hit
anything yet.
“Help me, Billy,” Ian said from the
front seat.
Billy scooted up. Ian was trying to
move the driver into the backseat—the
badly bleeding driver. “He’s been shot!”
“Yeah.”
It took a bit of maneuvering,
especially since Ian seemed to be sliding
into the driver seat while moving the
injured man out. Billy almost swallowed
his tongue as he realized the car was
still in motion. The metallic plunking
noise told Billy that they were still being
shot at, too.
Billy knelt behind the front passenger
seat as he pulled Ryan into the backseat,
helping the guy get stretched out. Geez,
there was so much blood. It took him a
moment of searching before he found
where Ryan had been shot. Billy pulled
his shirt off over his head and then
bundled it up into a ball, and pressed it
down on the bullet wound in Ryan’s
shoulder.
“Sorry about this,” Billy said when
Ryan grunted. The wound didn’t look
fatal, but what did he know? It was high
enough up on Ryan’s chest to have
missed his heart, but the damn thing was
bleeding like a squashed sponge. “He’s
bleeding an awful lot, Ian.”
“Just keep pressure on it, Billy.”
“I’ve had worse, kid,” Ryan said in a
thick voice, one filled with pain.
“Billy,” Ian called from the front of
the car, “I need you to find my cell
phone. Lost it somewhere back there.
Call my father. Let him know we are
under attack.”
Billy gulped painfully as he glanced
toward Ian. “We’re being attacked?”
“Just call him, Billy. He’ll know what
to do.”
“Um…” Billy glanced around the
floor and the backseat area. He spotted
the slim, black device half under Ian’s
seat. Billy reached down and grabbed it,
turning it over to look at the screen.
Now what?
“Ian, I don’t know what to do.” He
had seen his former alpha use such a
device a hundred times. He had never
used one himself.
Ryan held out a bloody hand. “Let me
see it, kid.” Billy handed the phone over
and then watched as Ryan swiped his
finger over the screen a couple of times.
A moment later, it began to ring and then
someone spoke.
“Ian,” the voice greeted.
Billy leaned down close over the
phone. “No, this is Billy.”
“Hello, Billy,” Andrew Kline replied.
“What can I do for you?”
Billy took the phone from Ryan and
held it to his mouth. “Ian said to call.
He’s driving because Ryan got shot.
We’re under attack.”
“What?” Andrew shouted, making
Billy rear back. “What do you mean
you’re under attack?”
Billy kind of thought his statement was
self-explanatory, but he could be wrong.
“Someone is shooting at us.”
Was that plain enough?
“Someone is shooting at you?”
Guess not.
“Yes.” Billy started speaking slower
just in case the man didn’t understand
him. “Someone is shooting at us. They
shot Ryan. Ryan and Ian traded places
and now Ian is driving. He told me to
call you.”
Billy glanced up when he heard a
snicker. Ryan was pressing his lips
tightly together, but his eyes danced with
amusement. When the man held out his
hand, Billy handed the phone over.
“Prince Kline, this is Ryan.”
“Tell me what’s going on, Ryan,” the
man demanded in a high, agitated voice.
“Who’s shooting at you? And stop
calling me Prince Kline. Ian has that
designation now. Call me Andrew.”
“Yes, sir.” Ryan glanced toward the
back window. Billy was scrunched
down on the floorboard, but he could
still see headlights behind them. “I have
no idea who’s shooting at us. They came
out of nowhere and just started
shooting.”
“Tell my dad that there are three
people in the car behind us,” Ian called
out from the front seat, drawing Billy’s
attention.
He peeked through the opening
between the seats and gave Ian a once-
over, checking for any signs if injury.
When he didn’t find any, he settled back
onto the floor and continued to listen as
Ryan gave their location and a
description of the car following them.
He kept a firm pressure on the shirt
covering Ryan’s wound as the man
finished his conversation and hung up.
Luckily, the bleeding seemed to be
slowing. Billy hoped that meant the
healing had started. Billy wasn’t an
expert on gun wounds by any means, but
he was pretty sure it was going to take
more than a couple of days to heal.
The vampire was going to need a good
amount of blood to replace what he had
lost. Billy held out his arm. “Do you
need blood?”
Ryan hissed as his face drained of
color. He reared back, turning his face
away from Billy’s wrist. Billy swung
around when he heard a loud growl from
the front of the car. He so didn’t
understand the enraged glower on Ian’s
face, but he knew he didn’t like it aimed
at him.
“What?”
Ian’s eyes narrowed. “You do not
offer your blood to another.”
“But…” Billy glanced down to where
he was holding the now-blood-soaked
shirt to Ryan’s wound. “He’s still
bleeding. He’s going to need blood to
heal.”
“Billy,” Ryan said.
Billy glanced up at the wounded
vampire.
“Once
mated,”
Ryan
continued,
“offering your blood to another is the
same as being unfaithful to your mate.”
Billy’s eyes rounded. “Oh, but, I
wouldn’t…” Holy hell, he had screwed
up. “I didn’t know.”
“Now you do,” Ian growled from the
front seat.
Billy dropped his head down as his
throat clogged with tears. He could hear
the censure in Ian’s voice and it ate at
him. Ian was the last man he wanted to
disappoint. He had been nothing but kind
and accepting since the moment they set
eyes on each other again. Disappointing
him was worse than slitting his own
throat.
“Hey.”
Billy wiped a hand over his eyes
before lifting his head. “What?”
“You didn’t know, right?” Ryan asked.
Billy quickly shook his head. “No one
ever said anything about that, and Prince
Larson took blood from whoever he
wanted, whether they were mated or
not.”
Ryan’s eyebrows peaked. “He took
blood from mated vampires?”
Billy nodded. “It was the duty of
every coven member to give blood to the
prince.”
“Yeah, no.” Ryan instantly shook his
head. “I don’t know what in the hell was
going on in that coven, but it’s against
vampire law to force someone to give
you blood, mated or not.”
Billy inhaled swiftly as fear knotted in
his gut. “We were breaking the law?” He
hadn’t had a lot of good experiences
where the law was concerned.
“No, your prince was breaking the
law.”
Billy almost collapsed in relief.
“Just make sure you don’t offer your
blood to anyone else. They might not be
so understanding.”
“I won’t.” Billy doubted he would
ever offer his blood to anyone again, not
if it meant Ian being upset with him. He
could still feel the knot in his stomach
from the anger he had seen in Ian’s eyes.
He just prayed that Ian forgave him.
Billy shot Ian a quick look. He needed
Ian not to be angry with him. “Ian—”
“Come up here, Billy.”
Billy stared at the front seat Ian patted.
He was supposed to climb up there? He
glanced up at Ian again. Seeing the man’s
clenched jaw, Billy decided doing as Ian
asked was a good idea. He started to
climb into the front seat when a hand on
his arm stopped him. He glanced at the
hand and then up to Ryan.
The man wasn’t looking good.
“Here.” Ryan held out the cell phone.
“You’d better take this.”
Billy took the phone and slid it into
his pocket before squeezing between the
seats and climbing into the front
passenger seat.
“Seatbelt, Billy.”
Seatbelt.
Right.
Billy grabbed the seatbelt and brought
it around his body. As he clicked it into
place, he glanced into the backseat. Ryan
really wasn’t looking so hot. His face
had taken on a pasty white hue, which
was really kind of stomach-turning. The
perspiration on his face made it even
more morbid.
Billy glanced at Ian and then back to
Ryan. He didn’t know what had
happened, but Ryan was taking a turn for
the worse. His not-fatal bullet wound
might be fatal after all. Knowing it was
going to get him in a shitload of trouble
with his mate, but seeing no other option,
Billy undid his seatbelt and then slid
back between the seats again.
“Billy, what are you doing?” Ian
called out.
“Ryan needs help.” It was the only
explanation he had. Billy bit into his
wrist until he tasted blood and then held
it up under Ryan’s nose. “Drink.”
“I cannot,” Ryan whispered even as
his eyes watered with desperation.
“Please, Billy.”
“Billy, no!” Ian shouted from the front
seat. “Don’t do this.”
Billy ignored Ian and raised his wrist
up. He knew if Ryan didn’t get some
blood, and soon, he wasn’t going to
make it much longer. His eyes were
already starting to droop. “I am your
prince’s mate and you have to do what I
say, right?”
Ryan’s eyes dropped to Billy’s wrist.
He licked his lips before replying,
“Yes.”
“Then do as I said.”
The outraged roar that came from the
front of the car when Ryan’s fangs sank
into his wrist would remain with Billy
for the rest of his life. Tears filled
Billy’s eyes at the animosity and anguish
he could feel coming from the front of
the car. He knew he had broken
something he might never be able to fix,
but he also knew he had saved a life.
The color was already coming back to
Ryan’s cheeks.
“Thank you, Billy,” Ryan said after
withdrawing his fangs.
Billy nodded. There really didn’t
seem to be any need to say anything. He
had done what needed to be done and
that was it. He lifted the edge of the
bloody shirt covering Ryan’s wound and
checked it. As he suspected would
happen, the jagged edges were closing
up. With a little more blood and a lot of
rest, Ryan would be fine.
He hoped.
Now, he just had to get Ian to speak to
him again, because from where he was
sitting, the man didn’t look like he had
intention of speaking any time soon.
Ian’s jaw was clenched so tight, Billy
was surprised it didn’t crack. He didn’t
know whether to scoot back into the
front seat or not.
“I think we lost them,” Ian said,
surprising Billy when he spoke. “Ryan,
can you check? Do you still see someone
following us?”
Curious himself, Billy peeked up over
the backseat. It was totally dark behind
them. There wasn’t even a hint of
moonlight. Billy slumped down on the
floorboard. He finally felt like he could
breathe again.
“It looks clear, Ian.”
Billy’s gaze shot to the front of the car
when it suddenly slowed before coming
to a stop. As soon as it was fully
stopped, Ian was up and out of the car.
“Crap,” Ryan mumbled as he scooted
across the seat until he could get the
door open and climb out. “Ian.”
“Not now!” Ian snapped.
Billy crawled to the open door and
looked out. His heart ached in his chest
as he watched his mate pace up and
down near the front of the car. His quick,
jerky movements were clearly agitated.
Billy felt a monster-sized clog of
emotion well up in his throat. He
climbed out and stood beside the car,
watching as Ryan tried to calm Ian
down. He couldn’t hear exactly what
Ryan was saying as he was speaking in a
low tone, but it didn’t seem to be
helping. Ian was enraged, and Billy was
pretty sure he knew why.
“Ian.” Billy stepped closer and
grabbed Ian’s arm when the man stalked
close enough.
Ian jerked his arm away. “Don’t!”
Billy sucked in a painful breath as he
stumbled back a few steps. Anguish
erupted in every cell of his body, a pain
so deep, he didn’t know if he would
ever recover. Ian was supposed to be his
mate. He was supposed to accept Billy
no matter what.
He wasn’t supposed to rip Billy’s
heart out.
“Ian,” Billy whispered with the
desperate hope that the man wouldn’t
turn his world into a nightmare. When
Ian didn’t even acknowledge him, just
went back to pacing and conversing with
Ryan, Billy knew all the dreams he had
harbored that he had finally found a
home had been just that—dreams.
With his heart shattered into little
pieces, Billy stepped into the trees and
disappeared into the darkness. It was
telling to him that Ian never even noticed
when he stepped away.
Chapter Six
“Where’s Billy?”
Ian spun around at Ryan’s question,
searching for his mate. When he realized
the spot behind him where Billy had
been standing mere moments ago was
empty, he raced to the car. He checked
the front and the back of the vehicle
before turning to look at Ryan.
Panic started to set in. “He’s not
here.”
“Well, I can see that, Ian.”
“But where did he go?” Ian started
scanning their immediate vicinity. Billy
had to be here somewhere. Had he
wandered off into the woods? Was he
lost? Each second that he was missing,
Ian felt more pressure in his chest. He
couldn’t lose his mate.
“Well,” Ryan said, “if you had talked
to me the way you just talked to him, I’d
be hightailing it back to Elder De Luca’s
estate.”
“What are you talking about?” Ryan
was going on about some nonsense when
Billy was missing. Had they been wrong
about losing the people chasing them?
Could Billy have been taken?
Ian lifted his nose into the air and
drew in a deep breath, trying to find
Billy’s sweet scent. There was a faint
scent, but it led off into the woods.
There were no other scents around it,
which couldn’t be right. That could only
mean Billy had left on his own.
“Ryan, what if— Ouch!” Ian frowned
as he rubbed the back of his head,
turning to glare at his best friend and
lieutenant. “Why in the hell did you hit
me?”
There was some part of Ian being
prince to Ryan’s lieutenant that the man
never understood.
“Because you’re a fucking idiot.”
Ian stared. He stared hard. He wanted
to reprimand his lieutenant for speaking
to him in such a disrespectful tone, but
the hateful word he had spewed at Billy
slammed into him before he could,
stealing any words he might have
spoken.
Gods, he should be shot.
Ian raked a hand through his hair. Ian
just knew Billy thought Ian had rejected
him when that couldn’t be farther from
the truth. He had been so upset that he
hadn’t thought how his anger would be
perceived by the more submissive man.
His baby could be lost out there in the
woods or worse, and it would be all
Ian’s damn fault.
“We have to find him, Ryan.”
“You need to call your father and tell
him what’s going on.” Ryan’s face took
on a look of determination when he
glanced toward the dark woods. “It’s
going to take more than you and me to
find him out there.”
Ian patted his pant pockets then the
pockets on his shirt, coming up empty
both times. “My phone—”
His eyes widened when Ryan pumped
his fist into the air and yelled, “Hell,
yeah!”
“You want to fill in the rest of the
class?” he asked because he had no idea
what was making Ryan so excited.
“Billy has your phone,” Ryan said as
he pulled his own cell phone out. “It has
that ‘find your lost cell phone’ app on it.
We can track him with that.”
“Damn.” Ian stepped over to Ryan,
watching as the man tapped away on his
phone screen. He wanted to kiss his
mother for making him install that stupid
app, and he would, just as soon as he
found his mate and took him home.
“Got him.”
Ian’s heart pounded faster as he leaned
closer and peered down at the red dot on
the screen. “Where is he?”
Ryan frowned as he slowly turned in a
complete circle, the cell phone held up
into the air.
“Ryan!”
“He’s moving,” Ryan said, “but unless
he learned how to fly in the last five
minutes, he’s not moving under his own
steam.”
“What?” Ian ripped the cell phone out
of Ryan’s hand. He watched the red dot
on the screen move across the GPS map.
Ryan was right. Billy was moving far
faster than he should have been.
Unless…
“You don’t think whoever was
shooting at us took him, do you?”
Ian prayed Ryan would lie to him.
“Anything is possible, Ian.”
Ian shot his lieutenant a deep glare.
“You could have lied to me, you know.”
“I could have, but that won’t help us
find Billy.”
Ian hated it that Ryan was right. “Can
you bring this app back up if I close it
for a moment?”
Ryan’s frown was back. “Yeah, but
why would you want to do that?”
“We need to call my father and get
some help.”
“Your father is already on his way
here.”
“We need more help than that,” Ian
insisted. He would call in every coven
in the world if it meant getting Billy
back.
Ryan held his hand out for the phone.
“This is the latest model. We don’t have
to close the app to make a phone call.
Just put it in the background.”
Ian handed the phone over and then
watched as Ryan did something that
made the app disappear, and then the
dial pad came up. Ryan tapped another
button and the phone began to ring.
“We’re on our way, Ryan,” Andrew
said as soon as the phone connected.
“We should meet up with you in about
twenty minutes.”
“We have another problem,” Ryan
said before Ian could.
“Dad,
Billy’s
missing,”
Ian
interjected. “We think he’s been taken.”
“What?” Andrew shouted. “How in
the hell did that happen?”
Ian really didn’t want to admit what an
idiot he had been. “Never mind that now.
We need to find Billy.”
“Billy has Ian’s phone, sir,” Ryan
said. “It has that app your mate made us
all install on our phones after we kept
losing them. We can track Billy through
that app.”
“That’s how we know Billy was
taken, Dad. He’s moving too fast to be
walking or even running. He has to be in
a car.” Ian felt bile well up in his throat
as fear dug into him with razor-sharp
claws. “They have my mate, Dad.”
“You follow Billy,” Andrew directed.
“I need to make some phone calls, but
keep me informed of his location.”
“He’s heading east away from us at
the moment,” Ryan said.
“Okay, good. If that changes or he
stops moving, let me know. I’ll call you
back just as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“We’ll find him, son.”
Ian knew that, because he would fight
the whole universe until he had Billy
back in his arms. He was just worried
about what kind of condition his mate
would be in by the time he got him back,
especially if the people that had him
were the same people that had shot at
them.
But nothing would stop him until Billy
was safe.
“Just hurry, Dad.” Ian didn’t hang up.
He just handed the phone back to Ryan.
He was too afraid of losing Billy on the
app if he started pushing buttons.
“Where’s Billy now?”
Ryan tapped the screen and the GPS
came back up. Ian didn’t like it that the
little red dot was farther away than it
had been before.
“He’s about three miles from here,”
Ryan said. “He’s still heading east.”
“I’ll drive.” Ian hurried to the car.
Once Ryan was inside, Ian turned the car
around and started heading back the way
they had come. Ian’s hands shook as he
drove. He tightened his grip around the
steering wheel, praying he could hold it
together long enough to find Billy.
If Billy never forgave him, he
deserved no less. He had been a
complete bastard to the man, and they
both knew it. Hell, even Ryan knew it.
Billy would be fully within his rights to
tell Ian to take a flying leap.
“How are you feeling?” Ian shot his
best friend a quick look as he asked his
question. Ryan’s color was good, but Ian
was still worried about the bullet wound
in the man’s chest. Even though Ryan had
had some of Billy’s blood, he still had to
be hurting.
“I’ll live,” Ryan replied. He lifted the
edge of his shirt out of the way and
glanced down to the puckered pink skin.
“It’s closed up and healing now. It
should be pretty much gone in another
few hours.”
“There are some wipes in the glove
compartment,” Ian advised. “You should
wipe yourself off and put on a clean
shirt. You’re covered in blood. They’re
going to be able to smell you coming a
mile off.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan grumbled as he
opened the glove compartment.
Ian watched for a moment and then
went back to looking out the front
window of the vehicle. He wracked his
brain and tried to reason who could be
after them. The only conclusion he could
come to was that it was someone from
Prince Larson’s coven out for revenge.
He couldn’t think of anyone else that
would have it out for him. He didn’t
know that many people.
“Ideas?”
“One.” Ryan snickered as he glanced
down at the healing wound on his chest.
It had closed up and even now was
simply pink puckered flesh. To the
human eye, it would look like a week
old wound. “Learn to duck.”
Ian growled.
“Prince Larson,” Ryan said in a more
serious tone.
“That’s kind of what I had been
thinking,” Ian admitted. “I can’t really
think of anyone else that would be after
me except one of Larson’s cronies.”
“How do you know anyone is after
you?” Ryan asked. “Considering that
they took Billy, I’d say they were after
him.”
“Why?” Ian had to ask even though his
stomach grew queasy at the thought of
someone, anyone, being after his sweet
mate.
“What do we actually know about
Billy?”
Ian’s angry gaze cut to his best friend.
“Billy didn’t do this.”
Ryan instantly held up a hand. “I
didn’t say he did. I was merely
suggesting that we don’t know much
about him or the life that he lived for the
last
seventeen
years
since
he
disappeared from the coven. Who knows
if what he went through had a connection
to this?”
“Okay, I admit that much is true.” Ian
didn’t like it, but Ryan had a point. “Do
you think they took Billy to make him a
slave again?” Thoughts of what his
father had told him last week filtered
through his mind. He hadn’t had the
chance to discuss it with Ryan yet, but
now might be the time. “There’s
something you don’t know, something my
father told me that needs to stay
confidential.”
Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you
sure you want to tell me?”
“You’re
my
second-in-command,
Ryan,” Ian replied. “You need to know.”
“Okay,” Ryan said hesitantly.
“It was recently discovered that there
was a massive slavery ring working in
the paranormal community. Wolf shifters
and vampires were involved, and the
perpetrators go all the way to the top.”
“Holy shit!” Ryan’s eyes were wide
and rounded as he rubbed his hand over
his face. “That’s just…That’s…Do you
know what you are saying?”
“Yes.” Unfortunately, he did. “They
were kidnapping and selling our own
kind, kids mostly.”
Ryan was silent for a moment, his gaze
hard as he stared out the window. “And
you say this goes to the top?” he finally
asked.
Ian
nodded.
“Elders
on
both
councils.”
“How could something like this
happen?”
Ian understood Ryan’s confusion, and
disgust. It went against everything they
believed in to betray one of their own
kind. They needed to support and care
for each other in order to keep their
coven safe.
“Apparently,” Ian said, “it’s been
going on for years.”
“Was Larson part of this slavery
ring?”
Ian’s mouth dropped as the sudden
shock of Ryan’s question resonated
inside of him. He had never considered
that what had happened to Billy had
anything to do with the slavery ring his
father had told him about, but it made
perfect sense.
“Call my father and ask him,” he
ordered Ryan.
“I think we have bigger problems at
the moment.”
“What?”
Ryan gestured toward the front
window. Ian glanced ahead, not realizing
he had taken his attention from the road
until he saw the stationary headlights
ahead. He slowed the car, his heartbeat
speeding up as he realized two cars
were parked sideways across the road,
leaving no way through. Several armed
men dressed all in black stood in front of
the vehicles.
“Who do you think they are?” Ryan
asked.
“I don’t know, but I hope they’re on
our side.” Ryan stopped the car right in
the middle of the road. He didn’t bother
turning the engine off, hoping he
wouldn’t need to make a quick getaway.
One of the soldiers opened the
backdoor of the vehicle on the left and a
tall figure of a man stepped out. He had
long, braided black hair that hung almost
to his waist. Even from where he sat, Ian
could see the intensity in the man’s
silver eyes. The barbed wire tattoo
around his left arm gave the tall,
muscular man an even more intimidating
pose.
“Who do you think that is?” Ryan
asked.
“Only one way to find out.” Ian
bolstered his courage as he climbed
from the car. When no one started
shooting at him, he hoped it meant they
wouldn’t. He cautiously approached the
tall, dark-haired man, watching for any
signs of aggression. He could smell
shifter in the air, but also vampire.
Considering the animosity between the
two species, that surprised him.
Ian knew before he even reached the
man that he was an alpha. It was a
powerful presence about him that spoke
of the strength and fortitude naturally
ingrained in an alpha. Ian wasn’t afraid,
but he was wary. He didn’t know this
guy…this wolf.
“Prince Ian Kline?” the man asked.
Ian nodded. “I am.”
The smile that suddenly crossed the
man’s face was as surprising as the hand
he held out. “I am Alpha Douglas Stone.
Your father called and said you might
need some assistance.”
Relief flooded Ian as he reached out
and shook the man’s hand. “Yes, thank
you, Alpha Stone.”
“Please, call me Douglas.” The man
smiled. “Now, how can I help?”
Ian had to swallow hard before he
could utter the words that would put
voice to his anguish. “My mate has been
taken.”
Strangely enough, the man’s smile
grew friendlier. “Then let’s get him back
for you, shall we?”
“I’d be very grateful for whatever
assistance you can give me.”
“I understand from your father that you
were being chased?” The uplift at the
end of that sentence told Ian it was a
question, so he nodded.
“We were headed home when a
vehicle appeared behind us and started
shooting at us. Ryan, my second”—Ian
waved his hand to gesture back toward
Ryan, who was leaning against the side
of the car—“was shot. I traded places
with him and drove until we lost our
pursuers. Billy disappeared after that.”
“Disappeared?”
The
tone
was
questioning.
Douglas might not have been able to
see it in the darkness, but Ian could still
feel
his
cheeks
heat
up
with
embarrassment. “We might have had a
little argument.”
“You had an argument?”
Ian nodded. He really didn’t want to
admit what an idiot he had been. “He
gave his blood to Ryan after we mated.”
“I see.”
“He didn’t know,” Ian insisted, not
wanting the powerful alpha to think
badly of Billy. “He was kidnapped as a
child and held captive for nearly
eighteen years. He knows nothing of
mates or what is expected of a mate.”
Ian grew wary when all of the blood
drained from the man’s face. “Douglas?”
“Your mate was a slave?”
“Yes.”
“Shit!” Douglas’s hand thrust through
his hair hard enough to unravel a portion
of his braid. The man was clearly
agitated. “I might know a little about
that.”
“You might know about what?” Ian
growled as the anger that had been
slowly burning in his gut since Billy
disappeared ignited into a full blown
inferno. “What do you know about my
mate?”
Chapter Seven
Billy slowly cracked his eyes opened,
and then wished he hadn’t when he
realized he was back in his basement
cell. After Alpha Larson’s death, he had
thought never to see this place again.
That’s what he got for thinking.
He hissed as he went to sit up and
bone-jarring pain ripped through his
body. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t felt
before, but much like the basement cell,
he hadn’t thought to experience it again.
He really needed to stop thinking.
Billy ground his teeth together as he
scooted himself back to sit against the
cold cement wall. He wracked his brain
and tried to remember how he had ended
up where he was. Little by little, things
came back to him.
Billy winced as he reached back and
rubbed the knot on the back of his head.
He was pretty sure that came from a
baton. He vaguely remembered running
through the woods. He had turned when
he heard a noise and pain had exploded
in the back of his head. It had been lights
out after that until now.
The aches and pains over a majority
of his body told him the beating hadn’t
stopped just because he had been
unconscious. That was nothing new. As
long as there was a breath left in his
body, the beatings would continue.
The question was, who was doing the
beating this time?
Billy knew for a fact that Prince
Larson was dead, as were most of the
inner circle and coven soldiers. Besides
the low-level coven members, there
weren’t too many people left to
administer his beatings, but there were a
few.
When the door at the end of the
hallway opened, Billy wasn’t surprised
in the least when Prince Larson’s
second-in-command stepped into the
corridor. The vampire with short black
hair could have been anyone. The snarl
on the man’s lips was all Carson Palmer.
Billy stared at the man, waiting for his
next beating to begin. It would come just
as sure as he sat there on the cold, hard
floor of his cell. Carson couldn’t go
more than five minutes without inflicting
his own brand of terror on someone. It
was almost as if he needed the violence
in order to breathe.
“You’ve been a very bad boy, Boy.”
Billy didn’t bother acknowledging the
man’s words. There was no point.
Besides the fact that Carson refused to
address him by his name, as though that
made him less of a person, he hadn’t
done anything wrong. His innocence
wouldn’t save him, though. He could
have a letter signed by the Pope,
proclaiming his innocence, and Carson
would still beat him.
“I have to admit, you saved me the
effort of killing Larson myself,” Carson
said, “but that doesn’t excuse your
actions.”
Of course not.
“You betrayed your prince when you
attacked him,” Carson continued. “You
betrayed your coven by killing your
prince.” Billy finally glanced up when
Carson grabbed the metal bars of Billy’s
cell. There was a cold, calculating grin
on the man’s face. “You have to be
punished, Boy.”
“You don’t have that right,” Billy
insisted. He was pretty sure being mated
to Ian, even if the man no longer wanted
him, meant he no longer fell under
Carson’s rule.
“I have every right. You took my
prince from me,” Carson shouted. Pure,
black hatred glistened in the man’s
maniacal eyes. “You will feel my
suffering before you die.”
Every painful breath he drew in
reminded Billy that he had already been
beaten, but that wouldn’t stop Carson. It
might even excite the man more as he
looked for a clear piece of skin to beat
black and blue.
“Putting that tracking chip in your ass
was one of the best ideas I ever had,”
Carson said. “It led me right to you.”
Well, that explained a lot.
“You mean the best idea Prince Larson
ever had,” Billy replied simply because
he didn’t want the man to know how
much he was affected by the idea he had
been chipped. “You’re too stupid to
conceive of an idea that smart.”
Carson snarled as he shook the bars
on the cell. “It was my idea. Larson
never even thought to put a tracking
device on any of his little pets until I
came along. Because of me, we’ve been
able to track each one of them. They can
never escape, just like you will never
escape.” The man’s smile was evil and
twisted. “I will always know where you
are, Boy. You will never get away.”
Ian’s handsome, smiling face flashed
in front of Billy, and he knew that he
couldn’t give up. Ian might not want him
anymore, but the small sliver of life
Billy had experienced while with the
man had shown him that there was a
world beyond the pain. Billy would fight
Carson, even if it meant his death. It felt
dishonorable to do anything else.
When Carson unlocked the cell door,
Billy waited until the man stepped inside
and then launched himself up off the
floor. He impacted with Carson’s legs.
When Carson fell back and crashed into
the metal bars of the cage, Billy didn’t
know who was more surprised, him or
Carson.
But he was going to use it to his full
advantage.
Billy ground his teeth together to keep
from crying out in agony as he rolled out
of the small prison cell and then reached
back to slam the door closed, locking
Carson inside. For a moment, he
crouched there on the hard cement floor
and stared at Carson through the bars,
totally stunned by this turn of events.
The man was moving, swaying just a
bit as he reached back and touched the
back of his head. Billy almost laughed
when Carson winced. The dirtbag could
dole out a beating, but he sure as shit
couldn’t take one.
When Carson’s eyes lifted and met
his, the man no longer wore his jovial
grin. “You’re going to pay for that, Boy.”
Billy couldn’t help himself. He
laughed. If Carson ever got free, Billy
knew he was going to pay for his
laughter, most likely with his life, but he
couldn’t find it in himself to care. Too
much had happened in the last few days.
He was pretty much at the end of his
tether.
“You have to catch me first,” Billy
said as he stood and started backing
back down the hallway. He knew from
experience, once the door at the end of
the corridor was closed, no one would
hear Carson’s screams.
Billy figured he had a couple of hours
before anyone would go down to check
on him. He had just that long to escape.
Strangely enough, knowing where he
was made it a bit easier to get away.
Billy could hear Carson shouting as he
spun around and then raced to the end of
the hallway and out the door to the cells.
The sound faded away to nothing when
he closed the door.
His steps were slow and cautious as
he made his way to the top of the steps
leading to the first floor. A guard was
supposed to be assigned to a post right at
the top, but Billy knew the guards were a
lazy lot. They often went off to drink or
eat or whatever it was lazy guards did.
For Billy, it meant he had a better than
fifty-fifty chance of getting away
undetected.
As he slid out of the narrow stairwell,
Billy prayed his luck stayed with him.
Instead of heading to the front door of
the large mansion, Billy turned and went
toward the back of the house. He figured
there would be more people out front
than in the back of the house.
When he heard voices, Billy slipped
into the small half bath close to the
kitchen entrance. He knew the servants
sometimes used the bathroom. Certainly
no guests did. Prince Larson would have
gone ballistic if someone had allowed
guests to use the small bathroom.
Billy waited until the voices faded
away before slipping back out of the
bathroom. At the back door, he grabbed
a jacket hanging on a hook on the wall.
Billy pulled it on before opening the
backdoor and stepping out into the cold.
One look at the dimly lit sky and Billy
knew he was in trouble. The sun hadn’t
come up yet, but it wouldn’t be long. He
had to escape and then find some sort of
shelter before the sun rose or he would
be a crispy fried vampire.
Making
escape
his
number-one
priority, Billy stepped down off the
porch steps and hurried across the
backyard and into the shadows cast by
the thickness of the trees. He stopped
inside the dense forest and stared back
toward the house. He held his breath as
he waited to see if anyone was
following him.
Billy slowly released the breath he
had been holding. It looked like his luck
might have been stronger than he thought.
Turning back to the forest, he started
moving through the trees as fast as he
could without making a whole lot of
ruckus.
The jacket he wore should mask most
of his scent. Those that guarded the
house tended not to use their instincts all
that much, which made those instincts
less effective. They preferred using
brute force instead of the gifts they were
born with.
Billy paused, tilting his head to listen
for sounds of pursuit. The darkness was
silent, almost as if holding its breath to
see what would happen. Billy took off
again. Once he felt he was far enough
away from the house, he increased his
speed, running as fast as he could. He
wanted to put as much space between
him and his former coven as he could.
Rounding a tree, Billy slammed into
something hard enough to throw off his
balance. When he fell, whatever he had
run into fell with him. The force of
landing on the ground stole Billy’s
breath, but not his fear. Terror raced
through him as he kicked with his feet
and hit out with his fists. His cries were
silent. He struggled against the hands
that held him down.
“Billy!”
Billy froze. The hard wall that had
taken him down was warm. Soothing.
“Billy.” A hand gently curled around
the side of his face, the touch hesitant.
“Oh, baby, your beautiful face. What did
they do to you?”
Billy focused on the face mere inches
from his own. “Ian?”
“Hey, baby.” The sparkle in Ian’s
black eyes was suspiciously wet.
“What are you doing here?”
Ian’s eyebrows rose sharply. “Where
else would I be?”
Billy could think of a hundred
different places. He quickly dropped his
eyes and turned his head so Ian wouldn’t
see the pain coursing through him. “I’m
sure you have better things to do.”
“I’m sorry.”
Billy glanced quickly at Ian. “What?”
“I’m sorry, Billy. I shouldn’t have
gotten upset with you the way I did.” A
pained expression crossed Ian’s face.
“You weren’t raised the way I was so
you have no idea how—”
“I’d do it again.” Billy needed to get
that out there before he allowed a kernel
of hope to blossom in his chest. He
didn’t want to start believing only to
have his world ripped apart again. “If it
meant saving a life, I’d do it again.”
“Billy.”
Billy’s heart sank. There was no give
on this from either of them. Ian felt Billy
had been unfaithful and Billy knew he
would do exactly what he had done
before if a friend’s life was in danger.
Maybe it was time to admit defeat.
Billy pressed his hands to Ian’s chest
and pushed. “I need to go.”
Ian’s forehead furrowed. “Go where?”
“I don’t know,” Billy whispered,
because he really couldn’t think of
anyone that truly wanted him. “To my
parents, maybe?”
“You want to go to your parents?”
Ian’s words were careful, yet stale. “You
don’t want to stay with me?”
“You don’t want me.” Billy barely
kept the sob out of his voice.
“Baby.” Ian let out a small chuckle,
which Billy found incredibly painful to
hear. This wasn’t a laughing matter. “I
can’t even begin to explain how much I
want you.”
“But—” His eyebrows shot up when
Ian’s finger pressed against his lips,
stopping his words. The pressure wasn’t
hard. Billy knew he could move back
and still speak, but he was also curious
as to what Ian had to say.
“No buts, Billy. I was upset and I
handled it badly. I have no excuse for my
actions or the things I said to you. Not
even knowing the way I was raised or
the things I was taught to believe in
when it came to mates excuses my
making you feel like you were not
wanted, especially when that couldn’t be
the furthest thing from the truth.”
“I would never be unfaithful to you,”
Billy said after pulled away. “You’re my
mate.”
“I know that, love.” Ian scooted up.
He grabbed Billy by his arms and pulled
him up as well. When he sat back on his
heels, he kept one hand on Billy’s arm.
“I wish I could explain this to you so that
you would understand.”
Billy wanted to roll his eyes.
He didn’t.
“I do understand, Ian. In the world you
grew up in, once someone has mated,
sharing blood with anyone else is
considered wrong.”
“Yes,” Ian breathed out as if relieved
that Billy suddenly understood.
“In the world I grew up in, you did
anything you could to help your friends
survive, even share your blood.”
Ian grimaced.
“And if you can’t trust me to share my
blood with a friend who might be dying
without thinking I’m going to sleep with
him, then we have bigger problems than
me giving Ryan some blood.”
“I trust you, Billy,” Ian said. “It’s just
that…” His frown deepened and Billy
knew his mate was trying to find a way
to explain what he was thinking, but
Billy was pretty sure he knew.
“I can’t promise that I won’t give
someone else my blood if there is a
need, but I can promise that I won’t give
it out like it doesn’t matter. Ryan is your
best friend, your second-in-command. I
couldn’t let him die.”
“And I thank you for that,” Ian said.
“Ryan is—”
“Running for his life,” the man in
question said as he rushed past Billy and
Ian. “You might want to think about
doing the same.”
Billy’s breath caught as fear flashed
through him as he glanced beyond Ian. It
looked as if Carson and the others had
caught his scent after all. Billy jumped to
his feet, grabbed Ian’s hand, and started
running after Ryan. “Time to go.”
“Who is that?” Ian asked as he ran
alongside of Billy, pointing back to the
men following them.
Billy shuddered when he heard
Carson start shouting. He knew they had
been spotted. He prayed they could get
far enough away to lose their pursuers.
He never wanted his mate subjected to
the same hell he had lived through for so
many years.
“My worst nightmare.”
Chapter Eight
Ian desperately wanted to question
Billy, but the crashing behind him as they
were chased made escaping so much
more important. Now that he had Billy
back, he wasn’t going to give the man up
for anything, not even his own stupidity.
Ian glanced over his shoulder. His
heart jumped in his chest when he saw
how close they were to capture.
Escaping was looking dim. They might
have a better chance at evading. “Run
faster, Billy.”
“This is faster,” Billy panted out as he
ran.
Ian almost laughed, and he would have
if he hadn’t been so busy trying to keep
himself between his mate and their
pursuers. He had smelled gunpowder on
the wind and knew the men chasing them
were armed. If the shooting started, he
didn’t want Billy hit.
When they rounded a thicket of
bushes, Billy yelped before spinning and
trying to go back the way they had just
come. Just as Ian started to help Billy
run again, he spotted Alpha Douglas
Stone’s long black braid.
“No, Billy, this way.” Ian didn’t wait
for Billy to understand his words and
come back. He grabbed the guy and
simply took off toward Alpha Stone and
his men. He heard a gun go off just as he
reached the men. Grabbing Billy around
the waist, he took his mate to the ground,
rolling the smaller man beneath him.
“Ian.” Billy’s normally crystal-clear
blue eyes were clouded with fear.
Ian tightened his arms around Billy.
“I’ve got you, baby.” He might not have
been proving it so far, but he’d die
before he let anything happen to Billy
again. He had a lot to prove before Billy
believed in him again after the way he
had broken the man’s trust. Keeping him
alive might tip the scales in his
direction.
“I’m so sorry for all of this, Billy,” Ian
whispered as he gently brushed the hair
back from Billy’s bruised face. “I
haven’t given you a lot of reason to trust
me up to this point, but I swear I won’t
let you down again.”
When Billy didn’t say anything, Ian
could feel his heart starting to sink.
When Billy leaned up and pressed a
small kiss to his lips, Ian’s jaw almost
dropped. “I believe you.”
If anyone questioned the sudden
wetness in his eyes, Ian would have
denied it or dismissed it as dust and dirt,
or allergies from running through the
woods. For his mate, he was unashamed
of the tears that filled his eyes and he
didn’t try to hide them. Billy deserved
that much truth from him.
“Thank you, mate.” Ian felt a great
weight lift off of him. It wasn’t all gone,
and he doubted it would be until the
shadows were gone from Billy’s yes, but
this was a start. “You won’t regret it.”
“I know I won’t.”
“Time to go, fellas,” someone shouted.
Ian lifted his head and glanced up to
see Douglas standing over the top of
them.
“It’s getting a little too crowded out
here for my comfort,” the alpha
explained. The man glanced up, his gaze
going back through the woods. “I say we
relocate this reunion to someplace less
hostile.”
Ian was all for “less hostile.” He
climbed to his feet, pulling Billy up with
him. As soon as they were on their feet,
they took off through the trees again.
“Ryan is waiting back at the car for us,
Billy. We’ll be away from here in just a
few minutes.”
“Ryan?” Billy asked. “Is he okay?”
“Yes, thanks to you.” Ian sent Billy a
smile so the man would know he wasn’t
upset. “He’s almost healed.”
Billy’s grin was all Ian needed. The
rest would settle itself.
When Ian spotted the car up ahead, he
steered Billy in that direction. Alpha
Stone’s men were standing at the ready,
a few of them in wolf form. Billy didn’t
even blink at them, which made Ian
wonder how often he had been exposed
to shifters.
The war between vampires and
wolves had died out a few years ago, but
the animosity between them was as
healthy as ever. While the two groups
were working together more and more,
there were still those that fought
progress. Ian always felt it was stupid to
hate someone because they were
different. It took too much energy, which
could be better used to keeping his
people safe.
Ryan was standing next to the car
when they reached it, holding the back
door open. Ian pushed Billy inside and
then climbed in after him. The door
slammed closed. A moment later, the
door on the far side of Billy opened and
Ryan slid into the backseat.
Ian’s gaze shot to the front seat. He
pulled Billy as close as he could without
having the man on his lap. He wasn’t
adverse to that, but he wasn’t sure what
on Billy might be injured. He didn’t
want to take any chances. “Who’s
driving?”
“The name’s Ajax,” came the reply
from the large man in the driver’s seat.
“I’m one of Alpha Stone’s enforcers.”
Ian vaguely remembered meeting the
man. His attention had been centered on
retrieving his mate at the time. Ian was a
little embarrassed that he barely
remembered the guy. Alphas were
supposed to be more aware of things
than that.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
The man chuckled as if he knew
exactly what Ian was thinking.
“Why so much security?” Ian asked
when he noticed a few more cars, one in
front of them and two more behind them.
It wasn’t that he was ungrateful, but it
seemed kind of like overkill. He didn’t
remember that many people going with
them when they left to come rescue
Billy.
“Alpha Stone’s mate discovered that
he was going into a dangerous situation.
He sent reinforcements.” Ajax chuckled
again, the sound amused. “Jilly doesn’t
like it when things happen to his mate.”
“Jilly?”
“The alpha mate, Jacopo Isac Leonide
Lorenzo Yves Stone. We call him Jilly.”
Ian shook his head. “I would, too.”
That
was
quite
the
name.
The
name…”Yves, you said?”
Ajax’s eyes narrowed as he nodded.
“Yes. Why?”
“I believe his parents recently joined
my coven.”
The tension drained from Ajax’s
shoulders. “They had to. Their former
coven leader kicked Jilly out of the
coven. He sent Jilly’s parents away so
that they couldn’t protest. As soon as
they found out what happened, they
petitioned to join another coven and then
started looking for Jilly.”
“Did the alpha mate break some sort
of rule?”
The enforcer shook his head. “No.”
“Did he betray his coven?”
“No.”
“Did he attack someone?”
“No.”
Ian was running out reasons why
someone would be banished. “Then why
in the hell did he get kicked out of his
coven?”
“He faints at the sight of blood.”
Ian stared at Ajax, waiting for the man
to say something else. When he didn’t,
Ian wondered if the man was pulling his
leg. “Your alpha mate was kicked out of
his coven because he doesn’t like the
sight of blood?”
“He’s a vampire,” Ajax replied.
“Blood is kind of a prerequisite.”
“So?” Ian snapped. “There are a lot of
different ways for someone to get blood.
They don’t have to look at it if they don’t
want to. My own mother can’t stand the
sight of blood. I don’t remember her
ever fainting from the mere sight of it,
but she sure gets pissed if you drip it on
her floor.”
“I’m not sure that’s the same thing,
sir.”
Ian snorted. “You’ve never seen my
mother when she’s pissed.”
Before Ajax could say anything, the
front passenger door opened and
Douglas climbed inside. He slammed the
door and then glanced at Ajax. “Get us
out of here before those assholes catch
us.”
Billy whimpered when the car jerked
forward. Ian pulled him closer before
brushing his lips over the top of his
head. “We’ll be home soon, baby.”
“M’kay,” Billy whispered against his
chest.
“How is he?” Alpha Stone asked.
“They beat him,” Ian growled as his
anger renewed.
“Arrsnn,” Billy mumbled.
“What, baby?”
Billy lifted his head just enough to
glance up. “Carson and his goons beat
me. Carson Palmer.”
Ian frowned, knowing he had heard
that name before, but not sure where.
“Wasn’t Carson Palmer second-in-
command beneath Prince Larson?”
Douglas asked.
Ian snapped his fingers. “That’s where
I kn—” Ian swallowed the sudden lump
of fear forming in his throat. “Billy, how
did Carson Palmer know where you
were?” The man should have been dead
or at least in council custody.
“The asshole put a tracking device in
my ass.” Billy shuddered in Ian’s arms.
Ian had to admit he wasn’t too far
behind. The thought of a tracking chip
imbedded in Billy’s ass made his
stomach churn.
“Did he say why?” Douglas asked.
“I don’t really know. Carson kept
going on about me not escaping,” Billy
replied. “He was pretty pissed at me for
killing his precious prince.”
“Excuse my curiosity,” Douglas said,
“but if you killed a prince, doesn’t that
make you the prince?”
Billy blanched. “I don’t want to be a
prince.”
Douglas chuckled. “We never do.”
“The circumstances surrounding Billy
killing his former prince do not
necessitate him taking over Prince
Larson’s coven. It was not a sanctioned
challenge. He was defending me at the
time.” Ian was almost positive that the
council was, even now, looking for
someone else to take over Prince
Larson’s coven.
“If he defeated Prince Larson, whether
he was defending you or not, he is still
the legitimate leader of the coven.”
“Still don’t want it,” Billy insisted.
Douglas chuckled, again. “I suppose
you could always abdicate, but then the
coven would go to the next eligible
person, and I believe that is Carson
Palmer.”
Ian’s jaw dropped when Billy
growled. He wasn’t sure he had ever
heard that particular sound come out of
his mate’s mouth before. He snapped his
mouth closed when Douglas stared at
him. “I believe the council is taking care
of that.”
He hoped, anyway.
“If not, we can always talk to your
father, Billy.”
“His father?” Douglas inquired.
“Elder De Luca.”
Douglas’s eyes dropped to Billy.
“Your father is Elder William De Luca?”
Billy nodded.
“I’ve met the man. He is quite
formidable.”
Ian couldn’t agree more. He had gone
up against some pretty scary dudes in his
time, but Billy’s father made him quake
in his boots. Ian was pretty sure it was
less because he was actually intimidated
by the man and more that he was
worried that the elder would try to take
Billy from him.
“How is it that you ended up in Prince
Larson’s coven if Elder De Luca is your
father?”
“My stepfather was an ass,” Billy
replied.
Ian burst out laughing. A couple of
days ago, he doubted Billy would have
been able to even acknowledge his
stepfather existed. Now, he seemed to
have no problem naming the man an ass.
In Ian’s book, that was progress.
“I told you a little of it before,” Ian
said. “There was a mix-up between
Elder De Luca and his mate. She ended
up married to someone else. This man
sold Billy to Prince Larson to cover his
gambling debts.”
Douglas’s eyebrow curved up. “An
ass indeed.”
“I suspect that Prince Larson was part
of that slavery ring.”
“I’ll check with Miles and see if there
is any mention of Prince Larson,”
Douglas replied, “but I suspect even if
we don’t find his name, he is involved
somehow. Anyone that would hold a
child captive would have no problem
making money off them as well.”
“There were lots of children there,”
Billy said in a low voice, “but they
never stayed very long.”
The silence that suddenly hung in the
air at Billy’s words was almost painful.
Ian tightened his arms around his mate.
“You saw other children, Billy?”
Billy nodded.
“Just how many children?” Douglas
asked.
Billy’s shoulders nudged against Ian
as the man shrugged. “Two or three a
month in the beginning, but in the last
few weeks it felt like there were two or
three a week going through the house, if
not more.”
“Holy shit!” Douglas’s face was ashen
white. He leaned forward and rested his
elbows on his knees. His hands were
shaking as he rubbed them over his face.
“This information is not to leave this
car.” Douglas raised his eyes and met
Ian’s gaze before dropping to Billy, and
then Ryan. “Understand?”
Ian nodded. He saw Billy and Ryan do
the same.
“My father was the head of a cartel of
paranormals who were kidnapping and
selling children. When my cousin Alpha
Asher Stone defeated my father and
killed him, I harbored a lot of hatred for
him. I felt that I should have been the
next alpha. Ash knew what my father had
done and hid it from me and others so
that I would not suffer because I was my
father’s son.”
Ian had a pretty good idea where this
story was headed. His father had filled
him in on some of it. He just hadn’t said
anything about Douglas’s part in it. Ian
didn’t know what he would have done if
he discovered someone he looked up to
had betrayed him so very much, and he
hoped he never did. Douglas Stone was
a far braver man than he was.
“Eaten up with my hatred and
resentment, I made some very poor
choices and ended up spending some
time in prison, but my incarceration
taught me a few things, one of them being
that I needed to decide what was
important to me. Being alpha because I
felt it was due me, or being able to look
myself in the mirror every morning.”
Ian grew confused. “You are an
alpha.”
“Yes, but not of my birth pack, and I
only became an alpha to save my mate
from the previous alpha. Alpha Jones
had planned to use my mate as a party
prize to anyone and everyone that
wanted him.” Douglas’s jaw clenched so
hard, Ian heard it. “I disagreed.”
“Good.” Ian would have done the
same thing if he had been in the same
position. “Our mates are everything.”
A smile tugged at Douglas’s lips.
“Jilly is that.”
“I look forward to meeting him.”
Douglas nodded, but the smile was no
longer on his face, so Ian didn’t know
what to think.
“When I became alpha of my pack, we
learned that the evil my father started
hadn’t ended with his death. The slavery
ring was still going strong.”
“My father told me about this,” Ian
said. “He said that it went all the way to
the top.”
“It did.” Douglas nodded. “Jilly and I
discovered a room under our house that
housed enough evidence to put a lot of
people away. We’re still going through
it, but so far, we’ve been able to locate
over a hundred children that had been
sold into slavery.”
Ian swallowed hard. “A hundred?” he
asked hoarsely. His stomach rolled when
Douglas nodded again. “Jeez, how could
this happen and no one know about it?”
“Money is a great motivator,” Douglas
replied. “We’re slowly cutting off the
funds, but there is still a long road ahead
of us. There are more children out there.
We don’t plan to stop until we find every
last one of them.”
Ian’s attention snapped to Billy when
the man sat up straighter.
“I can tell you what I know,” Billy
said, “if you think it will help.”
“Any bit of information we can get
will help.”
“Carson did say that they put tracking
chips in all of Prince Larson’s pets. If
you can figure out how to track them,
maybe you can find out who has them.”
“Baby,” Ian said, “that’s a great idea.”
“I’m afraid we might need the chip in
you to look at so we know what we’re
dealing with.” Douglas had a grimace on
his face, almost as if this was the last
thing he wanted to be discussing.
“Would you be willing to allow a doctor
to remove it?”
“Hell, yes!” Billy said instantly. “I’d
be thrilled to get this thing out of my
ass.”
“I’ll call my doctor just as soon as we
get home.” Douglas rubbed a hand over
the top of his head before settling back
against his seat. “We’ll need to get you
cleaned up first. My mate has a slight…
issue with blood.”
“I need to let my father know we’ve
found Billy,” Ian said even as he started
imaging a nice, hot shower with his
mate. It was the way it had to be because
he had no intention of letting his mate out
of his sight for the foreseeable future…
maybe never.
Chapter Nine
Ian chuckled as he watched Billy do a
face-plant into the mattress. The man’s
heavy moan was a testament to how tired
he was. Ian sat down next to him,
reaching over to pat Billy’s nice, round
ass. His fingers skimmed the area the
doctor had cut into to remove the
tracking chip. It might have been healing,
but it still had to be sore.
“You going to be okay, baby?”
Billy turned his head to one side and
peered up at Ian. “Maybe.”
He didn’t sound sure.
“We should probably get cleaned up
so we can get back downstairs and talk
with Douglas. I’m sure by now they’ve
had time to look at the tracking chip.”
Everyone seemed to be really excited
about the tracking chip. Ian was just
happy it was gone. He was so even
happier that they hadn’t found any other
tracking chips. It made him queasy even
thinking
of
that
miniature
black
electronic square being under Billy’s
skin. Luckily, it didn’t leave a scar when
they removed it.
“Yeah.” Billy turned his face away.
Ian frowned when the man rolled and
then climbed off the bed. “Where are
you going?” he asked when Billy started
to head for the door.
“I was going to go look for a shower.”
Ian glanced toward the door on the far
wall. He pointed. “I think that’s the
bathroom.”
“Oh.” Billy looked at the door for a
moment before glancing back at Ian.
“You want to shower with me?”
Ian blinked. “Of course I do.”
“But…” Billy bit his lips, his eyes
darting away. “I thought you were mad at
me.”
Ian sighed. He thought they had
already been through this, but maybe
Billy needed a bit more reassurance…
and maybe he hadn’t truly forgiven Ian
yet.
“Oh, Billy, I…” Ian shook his head
again as he reached his hand out toward
Billy. He never expected the man to take
it, stepping over to kneel between Ian’s
legs. “I’m so sorry. I know what I said
hurt you, but I never meant for you to
think I didn’t want you. I was angry and I
knew if you touched me, I’d start
shouting, and I didn’t want that for you. I
just needed a moment to calm down.”
“I’m beginning to understand that,”
Billy said after placing his finger over
Ian’s lips, “and it’s okay. I forgive you. I
told you that.”
“I’m not sure I forgive myself, Billy.
What I did was inexcusable.”
“I think that’s up for me to decide,
don’t you?”
Ian hated to argue with Billy,
especially since he might be right, but he
couldn’t get past the cold weight in his
chest. He knew it was guilt. He was
supposed to be the one person in Billy’s
life that wanted him no matter what, and
he had fucked that up right from the
beginning. How could he expect Billy to
forgive him when he couldn’t forgive
himself?
Ian didn’t wait for Billy to say
anything else. He wrapped his hand
around the man’s neck and pulled him
closer. His mouth covered Billy’s
hungrily. Much to Ian’s surprise, Billy
moaned and pushed into the kiss, his
tongue coming out to brush against Ian’s.
Billy’s lips were soft and warm, sending
spirals of ecstasy through Ian.
Ian tore his mouth away from Billy’s
and stared at the man kneeling between
his legs. He fingered the neckline of
Billy’s shirt, tugging gently on the cotton
fabric. “I don’t suppose I could talk you
out of your clothes?”
Billy grinned. “I think you could pretty
much talk me out of anything.”
Ian’s breath caught in his throat as
Billy pushed himself to his feet and
stepped back a pace. He watched with
hungry anticipation as Billy began lifting
his shirt up over his head. Bruises or
not, the smooth, bare chest revealed inch
by inch still made Ian drool.
His cock grew so hard he thought it
might rip right through his pants. Without
taking his eyes off the visual feast being
revealed before him, Ian unbuttoned his
own shirt and shrugged it from his
shoulders just about the same time that
Billy’s dropped to the floor.
“You are one sexy fucker, mate.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Billy said as
he reached for the zipper of his pants.
Billy’s eyebrow arched and a slow,
sensual grin lifted the corners of his lips.
“You’re not so bad yourself, mate.”
Billy’s steady gaze bore into Ian in
silent expectation as they both unzipped
their pants at the same time. Ian laughed
as he kicked off his shoes and wiggled
out of his pants. Billy was doing the
same thing. Ian couldn’t ever remember
laughing during sex, but it was a change
he found he liked.
Once they were both naked, Ian
beckoned with his hand. “Come here,
baby.”
Billy strolled over, his hands landing
on Ian’s shoulders. “Did I tell you how
much I like it when you call me baby?”
“Yeah?”
Billy nodded.
“Not too girly for you?” Ian worried
about that. Billy had come too far to be
made to feel like he wasn’t perfect.
“Nope.”
Ian grinned. “Good.”
There was a tingling in the pit of his
stomach as he reached out and grabbed
Billy’s hips, pulling him a bit closer. He
looked up into Billy’s crystal-clear blue
eyes as he opened his mouth and
wrapped it around the head of the man’s
cock.
Billy groaned, his body jerking as if
he had never felt anything like Ian’s lips
wrapped around his cock before, but he
didn’t take his gaze away from Ian’s.
“More, please.”
Ian would have grinned, but he was
too busy swallowing the long shaft in his
mouth. Tasting the pre-cum leaking out of
Billy’s cock explode onto his tongue, Ian
pulled back and let the man’s cock fall
from his lips. Billy groaned in protest
and thrust forward, his cock butting
against Ian’s chin.
“Spread your legs apart, baby.”
Billy arched an eyebrow as he stared
down at Ian, but did as he was asked. Ian
almost swallowed his tongue as he
watched Billy’s ball sac sway, the man’s
reddened cock bobbing in front of his
face. There might not have been a sexier
sight ever created.
Ian grinned as he wiped the tips of his
fingers over the head of Billy’s cock,
scooping up several drops of pre-cum.
He knew Billy got an idea of what he
was up to when the man’s needy groan
filled the room. Ian just reached between
Billy’s legs to spread the natural lube
over the man’s tight entrance.
Ian repeated the gesture several times,
licking along the heavily veined sides of
Billy’s cock between swiping away the
pre-cum. Each time he brushed his
fingers over Billy’s hole, he pressed in
just a bit more until he could effortlessly
slide one finger in.
Billy started moving with him, the man
going up on his tip-toes then pushing
back down. Ian wasn’t sure Billy
actually knew he was impaling himself,
but he wasn’t about to mention it. Ian just
kept sucking on the man’s cock,
distracting him until he could get all four
fingers into Billy’s ass.
Ian finally leaned back in his chair and
grabbed Billy’s cock in his hand. He
stroked the thick shaft hard and fast,
wanting more of the natural lubricant.
Billy’s hips tightened, snapping forward
and then pushing back to impale himself
on Ian’s fingers.
“Ian, please.”
“Okay, baby, I’ve got you.” Ian
wrapped his arms around Billy’s thighs
as he stood. He smiled at Billy’s small
yelp as he carried him over to the bed
before dropping him down onto the
mattress. He raced to his pants and
grabbed the tube of lube he had in his
pocket. Billy hadn’t even stopped
bouncing before Ian was back.
Ian quickly squirted some lube out on
his fingers and then rubbed them over his
cock. He squeezed a few more drops
onto his fingers.
Ian thought his body might combust as
he spread the lube between Billy’s butt
cheeks, sliding his fingers into the man’s
tight hole until Billy began to press back
against his hand. “Are you ready, baby?”
“Yeah,” Billy panted heavily. “Yeah.”
Ian knelt on the edge of the bed and
then scooted up beside Billy before
rolling over onto his back. He grabbed
his cock in his hand, giving it a few slow
strokes. “It’s all up to you now, pretty.”
Billy looked confused for a moment.
Then a wide grin crossed his lips. He
straddled Ian’s waist, one hand placed
squarely in the middle of Ian’s chest. Ian
held his cock in place as Billy slowly
lowered himself down.
“Take as much time as you need to,
Billy.” Ian gritted his teeth at the words,
but he would never do anything to hurt
Billy. He wanted it hard and fast, and he
wanted it now. The waiting was killing
him, but the way Billy bit his lip as the
head of Ian’s cock pushed past the first
ring of muscles was well worth the wait.
Billy moved slowly, taking inch after
inch of Ian’s length until he finally sat
down all the way in Ian’s lap. Billy
froze, his head dropping back on his
shoulder. “Damn, Ian, that’s…that’s
just…” Billy groaned.
Ian grinned when Billy looked back at
him. “Tell me when I can move, baby.”
Billy nodded and Ian moved. He
slowly lifted Billy up and then let
gravity take over. Billy’s moans turned
from low to loud as he sank back down
onto Ian’s cock. It was blissful, arousing,
and that was just the sounds the man
made.
The feeling of Billy’s tight hole taking
him in just about sent Ian over the edge
the very first time he sank down. By the
third time, Ian forgot that he was trying
to go slow and started thrusting up into
Billy every time the man lifted himself
up.
“Please, Ian, let me…” Billy’s words
trailed off but his eyes found their target
on Ian’s neck. Ian knew what the man
wanted and he willingly gave it, tilting
his head to one side.
Ian cried out, his hands bunching on
Billy’s hips as blinding pain exploded in
his neck. The moment Billy started to
suck, the pain disappeared to be
replaced by a pleasure so intense that
Ian wondered how he had survived so
long without it.
“I love you, Billy,” Ian whispered
simply because he couldn’t keep the
words locked behind his teeth a moment
longer.
The soft jerk of Billy’s body and the
tightening of his hands was the only
indication Billy had heard him. Ian
prayed it wasn’t too soon. He didn’t
want to scare his mate off, but this
moment was too precious for anything
but complete honesty.
Ian almost groaned when Billy
extracted his fangs. He could quickly
become addicted to being bitten by his
mate.
Billy’s eyes were flooded with tears
as he leaned up far enough to stare back
down at Ian. “I love you, Ian.”
Ian grabbed Billy by the scruff of the
neck and yanked him down, their mouths
crashing together. He tasted his own
blood mixed with the sweet flavor of
Billy’s unique essence. He deepened the
kiss, thrusting his tongue into Billy’s
mouth as his cock thrust into Billy’s
body.
Ian rolled Billy beneath him. Settling
down between Billy’s thighs, their
bodies still connected, Ian began
pounding into the man.
His hunger ate at him. He needed to
see Billy’s pleasure as much as he
needed to bury his cock in the man’s
tight channel. Both were as imperative
as breathing. Billy’s dazed eyes staring
up at him. The tight grip of the man’s
hands on his shoulders and the arch of
his body, all showed Ian what he
needed.
Billy cried out, his body going taut as
warm liquid spurted out between their
two bodies. Ian groaned when he felt
Billy’s inner muscles clamp down on
him until he could barely move.
Ian leaned up and allowed his fangs to
drop. He grinned until he heard Billy
inhale before he struck, sinking them into
Billy’s neck.
Hot, sweet blood exploded across
Ian’s tongue a second before he
exploded inside of the man, shot after
shot of cum filling Billy. Ian continued to
thrust deeply into Billy’s tight ass until
every last drop of his release was
squeezed from his body by the man’s
silken inner muscles.
Finally, not knowing what to expect
after his great declaration, Ian lifted his
head and looked down into the face of
the man fate had decided belonged to
him. “I swear you will never have
reason to doubt me again.”
Billy’s smile was serene, almost as if
everything had settled inside of the man.
“Okay.”
“Now, about that shower…”
Chapter Ten
Billy glared at the bedroom door as it
closed behind Ajax. The man had come
to
tell
them
they
were
wanted
downstairs. Billy didn’t want to leave
the little haven he had found in the
guestroom Douglas had assigned him
and Ian.
Ian was here, Billy was here, and no
one else was here. He wanted it to stay
that way, at least for a little longer. He
felt like he hadn’t had nearly enough
time with his mate. There was always
something interfering with them being
together, and it had been going on since
they were kids. It was time for it to stop.
Instead of voicing his argument, he
found himself pulling on the clothes that
had been delivered to their room the
previous evening, along with a tray of
food and a suggestion that they all get
some rest and meet up later.
“You ready, love?”
Despite how aggravated he was, Billy
smiled at Ian. “I think I like that better
than ‘baby.’”
Ian chuckled as he walked over and
stopped in front of Billy. “I know I do.”
“Can we go home soon?” Billy was
still apprehensive about starting a new
life with the Silverlight Coven, but
starting that life with Ian sounded better
and better with each passing moment.
“I’ve already called my father and
he’s coming to get us. Once you talk to
Douglas, we can head home.”
Billy leaned forward until his
forehead rested against Ian’s chin. He
settled his hands on the larger man’s
wide chest, and then he just breathed his
mate in. There was something calming in
Ian’s scent. Billy knew that was part of
the mating bond between them, but he
felt as if it was something else, too.
Ian smelled of home.
“As long as we’re together,” Billy
whispered as his fingers curled into
Ian’s shirt, “I don’t care where we go.”
The last twenty-four hours had given
Billy a lot of time to think. He had come
to realize that he was as much to blame
for the drama between him and Ian as Ian
was. Had he not taken the cowardly way
out and ran instead of staying and
talking, he might not have been
kidnapped, or felt like his heart had been
ripped out of his chest. His only excuse
was that he had never been in a
relationship and had no idea how to do
it.
It wasn’t much of an excuse.
Billy tilted his head back and stared
up into Ian’s coal-black eyes. The love
he could see in their murky depths gave
him the courage to do what he needed to
do, and that was to apologize to Ian and
ask for his forgiveness for being such an
idiot.
“I’m sorry.”
Ian’s brow furrowed as he frowned.
“Sorry about what?”
“For taking off the way I did. I should
have stayed and talked things through
with you instead of running like a scared
child.”
“Oh, baby.” Ian’s hand curled against
the side of Billy’s face, his skin warm
and soft. “You have nothing to be sorry
for. Relationships are new for both of us.
We’re going to make mistakes. The trick
is learning to make sure those mistakes
don’t come between us.”
“I’m still sorry. I should have stayed.”
“And I shouldn’t have yelled at you,
so we both screwed up.” A quizzical
little smile crossed Ian’s lips. “I’d say
that makes us even.”
Billy knew when to admit defeat.
“Okay.”
One of Ian’s eyebrows rose. “Clean
slate?”
“Clean slate.”
“Then give me a kiss so we can go
downstairs.”
Billy eagerly lifted his lips up for a
kiss. If there was one thing he had
learned since being reunited with Ian, it
was that the man knew how to kiss. He
was a freaking master at it. Billy could
kiss the man for hours, so when Ian
pulled away, Billy groaned in protest.
Ian chuckled. “We’ll get back to that
once we get home.”
“Wouldn’t it be more fun to just stay
here and lock the door?”
“Probably.” Amusement danced in
Ian’s black eyes. “But I’d prefer
ravishing you in our bedroom instead of
someone else’s guestroom.”
The man had a point.
“Are you sure you’re up for this,
Billy?”
“I don’t know if what I have to tell
Douglas is going to help, but I have to
try.” Billy couldn’t let someone else go
through what he had gone through if he
could help prevent it. Life growing up
had been hell. “If it frees just one kid, it
will be well worth it.”
“Okay, baby, but you’ll tell me if it
gets to be too much for you?”
Billy nodded.
Ian’s hand slid down until their fingers
entwined. Billy drew in a steadying
breath when Ian tugged and then
followed the man out of the room. As
much as he wanted to put on a brave
face, he was pretty much falling apart
inside. If he could have run in the other
direction, he knew he probably would
have. Only the knowledge that he could
save someone else from the hell he had
lived through kept his feet moving.
Having Ian at his side helped.
Ajax was waiting for them at the
bottom of the grand staircase. He nodded
respectfully, tilting his head slightly to
show Ian deference. “Alpha Stone and
the alpha mate are waiting for you in the
salon.”
“Thank you,” Ian said.
“Do you know where the other man
who came with us is?” Ian asked.
“Your lieutenant is resting in one of
the guestrooms,” Ajax replied. “Alpha
Stone thought your mate might have an
easier time talking if there weren’t a lot
of people there. I can fetch him if you
wish me to.”
“No, thank you. This will be fine,” Ian
replied as if he agreed with that
assessment. Billy knew he did, even if
he wouldn’t have minded if Ryan was
there. He had given the man his blood,
after all. He kind of felt responsible for
the man now.
Billy just trailed along as they were
escorted into a salon off the large
entryway. Douglas and a smaller,
brown-haired man were sitting on a
loveseat near the fireplace. Billy was
actually surprised to see a roaring fire in
the fireplace. He knew shifters tended to
run a little on the hot side.
When Jilly turned and smiled, Billy
suddenly understood the fire. The twin
fangs were a dead giveaway. Where
shifters tended to run hot, vampires ran
cold. It also explained why Jilly was
snuggled into Douglas’s chest.
“Coffee?”
Jilly
asked
as
he
disengaged himself from Douglas and
reached for the coffee service on the
table in front of him. “Otto is preparing
some finger foods for us. They should be
here soon.”
Billy didn’t think he could eat. His
stomach was one big knot. He gave Jilly
a weak smile as he sat down on the
lounger across from him. When Ian sat
next to him, Billy moved as close as he
could. If Jilly could cuddle with his
mate, then so could Billy.
“We haven’t had a chance to meet
yet,” Jilly said as he held out his hand.
“I’m—”
“Jilly.” Billy gave the man a real
smile as he shook his hand. “Yes, I’ve
heard a lot about you.”
“None of it is true,” Jilly said with a
perfectly straight face. “Swear.”
Billy laughed, some of his tension
easing. He liked Jilly. “It was all good.”
“Oh.” Jilly’s fangs flashed as he
grinned. “Then it was all true.”
Once Jilly settled back against
Douglas, the tension in the air ratcheted
up enough to nearly choke Billy. He
swallowed hard, the lump in his throat
growing bigger instead of smaller. He
couldn’t even smile when he felt Ian’s
arm wrap around him.
“I guess you want to know what I
know,” Billy said as he looked across at
Douglas.
“I
don’t
want
to
make
you
uncomfortable, Billy,” Douglas said,
“but anything you can tell us might help.”
The man had said that before. Billy
had believed it then and he believed it
now. He just wasn’t sure anything he had
to say would make a difference. “Where
would you like me to start?”
“Why
don’t
you
start
at
the
beginning?” Ian suggested. “Tell us what
you remember.”
“I
remember
everything,”
Billy
replied. “My stepfather said that my
mother had died and we were leaving
the coven. I didn’t even have time to
pack anything. He just put me in the car
and we drove away.”
“Did you go straight to Prince Larson
or stop along the way?” Ian asked.
Billy frowned as he searched through
his memories for the right one. “We
stopped for the night at some guy’s
house. He was a vampire like us. I
remember being astonished at how big
his house was. Granted, I was just a
child at the time, but it felt like a
hundred people could live there.”
“Okay, what else can you tell us?”
Douglas encouraged.
“I didn’t like him.”
“Prince Larson?”
“No. Well, I didn’t like him either, but
I was talking about the man we stayed
with the night we left the coven. He
seemed very…” Billy frowned as he
tried to find the right word. “He was
very pompous, as though he thought he
was better than everyone else.”
“Well, hell.” Jilly snorted. “That
could be just about anyone.”
Billy had to smile at that. “I remember
that he had this thing about keeping his
pinky in the air when he drank his
cocktails. It looked so odd, almost as if
the damn thing was broken or something.
I thought he looked ridiculous and had a
hard time not laughing at him.”
Billy knew he would have been beaten
to within an inch of his life if he had
laughed at the man. He just had that air
about him, as if he enjoyed inflicting
pain on others. Even as young as he had
been, Billy knew to steer clear of the
man.
“Most snobs do,” Douglas remarked.
“It was more than that, though,” Billy
said. “It was the way he talked. He was
almost amused that my stepfather
planned to trade me for his gambling
debt.”
Douglas’s eyebrows shot up. “He
knew?”
Billy nodded. “I heard them talking
about it. My stepfather was angry
because he didn’t want to hand me over
to Prince Larson for a debt. He wanted
money so he was trying to get this guy to
buy me instead.”
“Billy, do you remember this guy’s
name?” Douglas asked.
“No. I wasn’t allowed to speak to
him. They made me stand in the hallway
while they talked and then I was taken to
a room in the basement where the other
kids were.”
Douglas growled as he snapped to his
feet and started pacing. Billy shrank
back against Ian. He didn’t think
Douglas would attack him because he
seemed like one of the good guys, but he
had learned to be wary of others when
they were pissed. Alpha Larson might
not have touched him sexually, but the
man had no qualms against smacking him
around when the mood struck him.
“Douglas,” Jilly said softly.
Surprisingly, the large alpha stopped
and stared at his mate. Jilly nodded in
Billy’s direction. Douglas blanched
when he glanced at Billy. “Oh, Billy, I’m
sorry. I’m just a little upset that this has
been going on for so long. Knowing my
father was part of this atrocity makes my
stomach roll.”
“It’s okay,” Billy whispered.
“No, it’s not.” Douglas planted his
hands on his hips and tilted his head
back to stare up at the ceiling. His sigh
was loud in the quiet room. “My cousin
continually tells me that the actions of
my father are not mine, but it’s hard to
remember that when I know what he did
to so many people, and it never seems to
end. We cut the head off one poisonous
snake and another one pops up.”
“You’re not that much older than I am,
Douglas,” Billy said. “You were a child.
You were no more responsible for what
happened to me than I was. I certainly
didn’t ask to be sold to Prince Larson.”
“Easy to say, Billy.” Douglas lifted a
hand and rubbed the back of his neck as
if all of his tension had settled there. “A
lot harder to believe.”
“But you’re trying to stop it.” Billy
had no idea where he got the courage to
get up off the couch and go to the
heartbroken alpha, but he couldn’t stand
to see such misery on his face. “That’s
what matters.”
“Not everyone believes as you do,
Billy,” Douglas said. “Many believe me
guilty simply because I am my father’s
son.”
“Well…fuck ’em.”
A small snort of laughter burst past
Douglas’s lips.
“Seeing is believing, Douglas, and
what I am seeing is a man trying to make
right something he had no control over.
That’s what is important, and if others
can’t see what an honorable man you
are, then they can go screw themselves.”
Billy jumped and spun around when
he heard clapping. Three men he had
never seen before stood in the entrance
to the salon. Fear welled up inside of
him at the power that he could feel
coming from the strangers. It reached
him all the way across the room.
“Very well said, Billy,” the shorter
man in the middle said. Billy glanced
between him and Douglas, wondering
how a vampire and a wolf shifter could
both have such long, pitch-black hair. It
fell in waves down their backs, well,
except for the fact that Douglas’s was
pulled back in a braid.
When the man stepped into the room,
Billy spun and made a beeline for Ian.
He didn’t know these men, and after
feeling the power emanating from them,
he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He didn’t
remember to breathe until Ian’s arms
closed around him.
Power wasn’t necessarily a good
thing. It tended to make people believe
they were better than others. Billy had
seen it time and time again. He prayed
he wasn’t seeing that now. He didn’t
think he had it in him to go another round
with someone’s fists.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the
man said. “I am Elder Alejandro
Silvanus, but please, call me Joel.” He
indicated the two massive men standing
on either side of him. “These are my
mates, Alpha Grayson Crane and his
lieutenant, Caleb Redding.”
Billy blinked at the dark-haired man.
“They both belong to you?”
Elder Silvanus smiled as he clasped
his hands together in front of him. “Yes, I
have been doubly blessed.”
Grayson Crane snorted. “If you say so,
love.”
The easy camaraderie between the
three men was plain to see. It was
almost a living force between them.
Billy glanced at Ian, wondering if they
had a chance of achieving the same level
of commitment.
When Ian smiled at him and then
leaned over to press a kiss to the side of
his head, Billy knew they did. He smiled
back and leaned into his mate. He
couldn’t think of a single place on Earth
he wanted to be besides right where he
was.
Chapter Eleven
Ian kept Billy tucked closed to his
side as he listened to him tell everything
he knew about his time with Prince
Larson. With each word that spilled
from his lips, Ian realized just how damn
lucky he was that his mate even
survived.
He shouldn’t have.
Not only had he survived, he was still
sweet and wonderful, and so damn
stunning he stole Ian’s breath every time
he looked at the man. How Billy had
made it through until today with his
sanity still intact was beyond Ian’s
comprehension. He would have gone
insane by now if he had been through
what Billy had been through.
Ian was quickly coming to see that his
mate was far stronger than he was. Ian
had brute strength on his side. Billy had
an inner strength that made Ian’s physical
strength look like a wet noodle.
When Ian’s cell phone rang, he pulled
it out and looked at the screen. When he
saw it was his father, he knew he needed
to take the call. He leaned over and
pressed a kiss to the side of Billy’s head
before standing.
Holding up the phone, he said, “I need
to take this.”
Billy nodded.
Ian walked out of the room, stopping
near the bottom of the grand staircase.
He swiped his finger across the screen
and then held the phone up to his ear.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“You need to get Billy and you need to
get out of there.” Andrew Kline’s voice
was steel-hard and shaky at the same
time. The ominous tone sent shivers
down Ian’s back.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“What’s going on?”
“Your uncle has lost his mind.”
Ian almost rolled his eyes, but the
panic he could hear lacing his father’s
voice stopped him. “What happened?”
“He showed up to the house looking
for you,” Andrew said. “When I told him
where you were and what you were
doing, the fucker shot me.”
“He what?” Ian shouted. He could
hear footsteps hurrying in his direction
from the salon, but he ignored it. He
wanted to know what in the hell was
going on. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The bullet went through my
arm. Your mother, however, is pissed.”
Ian rubbed his free hand down his face
before planting it on his hip. “You bled
on her carpet, didn’t you?”
“Yep, and she’s livid.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He
glanced up to see just about everyone
standing there staring back at him. He
held up his finger for them to give him a
moment. He needed to make sure his
father was okay, and then he needed to
find out what in the hell was going on.
“I’m fine, son. It hurts. I won’t lie and
say it doesn’t, but it’s healing already.
I’m more concerned with why your uncle
went ballistic.”
“Why did he go off?” It wasn’t that he
didn’t believe his father, but he had
never known his uncle to be anything but
a good man. For him to go off his rocker
and shoot his own brother just didn’t
sound like the man Ian knew.
“I don’t know. When I told him that
you and Billy were meeting with Alpha
Stone, he started shouting all sorts of
stuff that didn’t make sense, and then he
just pulled out a gun and shot me.”
“Where is he now?”
“He took off after he shot me. I
suspect he is on his way to you.”
“Shit.”
“What’s going on, Ian?” Douglas
asked.
“My uncle apparently went berserk
and shot my father.”
Billy gasped. “Is he okay?”
“Yes.” Ian held out his free hand,
pulling Billy to him when the man took
it. “Uncle Aaron went to my father about
something and started asking where we
were. When my father told him, my uncle
lost his mind, pulled out a gun, and shot
him.”
“But he’s okay?” Tears swam in
Billy’s eyes.
“He’s fine, love. I promise.” Ian held
the phone out. “Would you like to talk to
him?”
Billy swallowed hard, but shook his
head.
Ian pulled him closer. He felt Billy’s
face press into his chest as he brought
the phone back up to his ear. “Hey, Dad,
I’m going to let you go. I need to speak
with Alpha Stone about this. I’ll call you
back.”
“Ian, look,” Andrew said. “I know
you’ve always looked up to your uncle,
but you need to be on guard with him.
He’s not the man you think he is.”
“Why do the two of you hate each
other so damn much?” It was a question
that had plagued Ian most of his life.
Andrew sighed. It was a heavy sound,
as if the former alpha always knew this
question was coming, but still held out
hope he’d never have to answer it.
“Back before your mother and I
officially mated, she was dating your
uncle. I had been away at school when
they met and didn’t meet her until I came
home on holiday. One look and we both
knew we were mates, which put an end
to their relationship.”
“Damn.”
“Your uncle was incensed. He swore
up and down I had done something and
that Mina was his mate even though she
protested. When our parents denied his
claim and supported ours, Aaron tried to
force Mina to mate with him.”
“Oh my god, and you let him in the
house with her?” Ian’s rage overflowed,
becoming a scalding fury. He felt
betrayed by a man he had always looked
up to. He wanted to rip his uncle’s throat
out.
“For the longest time, I didn’t, but on
his deathbed, your grandfather asked me
to forgive Aaron. It was decades ago,
Ian. I couldn’t say no to my father. It
gave him peace in his dying days.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Your uncle was never allowed in the
house alone with your mother or you.
Someone was always around.” Now that
he thought about it, Ian knew his father
spoke the truth. Usually, it was Wade or
his father, but there had always been
someone watching when Aaron was in
the house. “That was the promise I
extracted from him. It was the only way I
would allow him into the house.”
“I understand why you did it, but he
never should have been allowed around
mother again.”
“Look, Ian, I did what I felt was right
at the time. Obviously, I was wrong. I’m
not too proud to admit that. From here on
out, Aaron won’t be allowed in the
house again.”
“He won’t be allowed in the coven,”
Ian snapped as he raised his eyes to
Elder Silvanus. “There’s an elder here
now. I’ll inform him of my decision as
prince to banish Aaron. I don’t want him
near anyone in my coven.”
“That would probably be a good idea,
son.”
It was, and Ian still couldn’t
understand why it hadn’t been done all
those years ago. “He should have been
banished when he put his hands on my
mother.”
Angered, Ian hung up on his father
before the man could say another word.
He met Joel’s eyes. “As prince of the
Silverlight Coven, I want to officially
inform you that I am banishing Aaron
Kline from my coven for crimes against
my family.”
“I see,” the man replied slowly. “Of
course, that is your choice. It will have
to be put in writing, though.”
“It will be.” Ian wanted to make sure
his uncle didn’t have a chance in hell of
ever coming back to the coven. “You
also need to know that he is most likely
on his way here as we speak.”
Joel’s long black hair brushed over
his shoulder when he cocked his head to
one side. “Because he’s angry with your
father?”
“If you had asked me that ten minutes
ago, I would have said no, but now I
have no idea. Uncle Aaron has always
been very careful to hide this side of his
personality from me. I never would have
believed him to be a violent man, but he
shot my father, and years ago, he
attacked my mother. I wouldn’t put
anything past him.”
“I see.” Joel got a thinned-lipped look
on his face before turning to Douglas. “I
need to make some phone calls. Can I
use your office?”
“Yes, of course.” Douglas waved
Ajax over. “Please show Elder Silvanus
to my office. Give him anything he
needs.”
Ajax nodded. “Yes, alpha.”
Ian turned his attention to Douglas
after Ajax, Joel, and Joel’s mate, Caleb,
walked away. Grayson had stayed. “I
apologize for bringing this to your
doorstep.”
Douglas waved him off. “There is no
need. You certainly didn’t plan for your
uncle to go off the deep end.”
“Did your father give you specifics
about what set your uncle off?” Grayson
asked.
“No. He just said my uncle had asked
about me and Billy, and when he learned
of where we were, he flew into a rage.”
“Douglas.” Grayson faced the alpha.
“Do you have some sort of beef with this
man?”
“I’ve never even met him,” Douglas
insisted.
“Not even at one of the Lyken
Gatherings?”
“I haven’t been to one yet,” Douglas
replied. “My father never allowed us to
attend the gatherings when I was
growing up, and you know where I’ve
been for the last few years. I haven’t
been alpha here long enough to attend
one of the gatherings.”
Ian stiffened when Grayson glanced
toward him. He knew what the man was
going to ask before he even opened his
mouth. “No, I have no idea why my
uncle would be so upset with us coming
here.”
“What about Billy?”
“I don’t think Billy has even met my
uncle. We didn’t have time to get him
home before we were attacked.”
Grayson’s eyebrows lowered. “You
were attacked?”
Ian shot a quick glance at Douglas
before looking back at the alpha. “Isn’t
that why you are here?”
“We hadn’t gotten that far in our
explanations, Ian,” Douglas said. “I
asked them here because we had more
information on my father’s slavery ring.
Because of my connection to this
situation, I felt it was important that they
hear it from the source. I hadn’t even had
time to tell them about you being
attacked or Billy being kidnapped.”
“Billy was kidnapped?” Grayson
asked. “When did this happen?”
“Yesterday,” Ian replied as he hugged
Billy to him. “When we were attacked,
my second-in-command was shot. I was
able to get us away, but they must have
followed us or something. They were
able to get their hands on Billy when he
went into the woods.”
Grayson frowned as he stared at the
man in Ian’s arms. “Why was he in the
woods?”
“Because I’m an idiot,” Ian replied.
“I have two mates to deal with.”
Grayson held up his hand. “Say no
more.”
Ian chuckled, some of the tension
leaving his shoulders. “Needless to say,
I was an idiot and Billy went off into the
woods. He was taken and Douglas
helped me get him back.”
“I escaped,” Billy whispered. “I got
the better of Carson and I escaped.”
“Carson?” Grayson frowned. “Carson
Palmer?”
“Yeah.” Billy frowned at the alpha.
“How’d you know?”
“We’ve had our eye on Carson for
awhile now. His name came up in our
investigation. We’ve never been able to
directly attach him to any criminal
activity, but we highly suspect he’s
involved in the buying and selling of our
children.”
“He is,” Billy said. “Carson was
Prince Larson’s right-hand man. He did
all the dirty work Prince Larson didn’t
want to do.”
Grayson’s eyes narrowed. “Can you
prove that?”
“How?” Billy sputtered. “I know what
he did because I was there, but it’s his
word against mine, and who would
believe me?”
“I would,” Ian said. He waved his
hand to indicate Grayson and Douglas.
“They would.”
Billy’s eyes rounded in total disbelief.
“Really?”
Grayson nodded. “We have a whole
lot more reason to believe you than we
do Carson Palmer. Remember what I
said, he’s been under investigation for
awhile now. You haven’t. We’ve heard
of you, of course. Everyone connected to
the council has.”
“Why?” Ian growled as a sudden,
possessive rage swept through him.
Billy was his, damn it.
“His father is an elder,” Grayson
replied. “He searched for Billy for
years.”
“I knew that,” Billy said. “He told me
he had searched everywhere for me.
Prince Larson used to keep all the
children in the basement in case
someone searched the place.”
Douglas grimaced. “Yeah, we’re quite
familiar
with
secret
basement
hideaways.”
Ian raised an eyebrow and stared at
the man.
Douglas shrugged. “The former alpha
here was neck-deep in this shit. He was
running so many children through this
place they had to put blackout curtains
over the windows.”
“Damn.”
“One thing he did do that has helped
us bring some of these bastards down is
keep impeccable records. It seems
Alpha Jones was paranoid as hell and he
—”
“I remember Alpha Jones,” Billy said.
All eyes went to the small man.
“You met Alpha Jones, Billy?”
Douglas asked.
Billy nodded, although it wasn’t an
enthusiastic nod. “He used to come visit
Prince Larson about once a month.”
“When the new kids would come
through?” Ian asked.
Billy nodded again. “Yeah, he always
brought the new kids.”
“Fuck.” Douglas rubbed a hand over
his face. “When we discovered the
secret rooms under the house, we found
several children down there. We suspect
that Alpha Jones was just waiting to ship
them out. Fortunately, we were able to
stop him before that happened, but not
all of them could go home. Jilly and I
ended up adopting two of them because
they had no place to go.”
“I’m glad they have you and Jilly,”
Billy said. “A lot of them won’t.”
“We are going to do everything we can
to finish getting everyone returned safely
to their families.”
“That isn’t always the best choice,”
Billy said. “Some people see selling
their children as a way to get money or
to get rid of their kids. Returning them to
the same people that sold them in the
first place just puts them right back in
danger.”
“I agree,” Grayson said, “and that’s
why we are working so hard to learn
every bit of information as we can.
Information is knowledge, my friend,
and knowledge is power, and we intend
to insure that we have all the power.”
Billy sighed as he leaned against Ian.
“I spent almost eighteen years as Prince
Larson’s little pet. I saw a lot of people
come and go while kneeling at his feet.
Most of the time, they never even paid
any attention to me. I was with the
bastard so long, I was practically
furniture, but I had eyes and ears, and I
learned a lot. So, you’d better get me a
pad of paper and a pencil so I can start
naming names.”
Grayson grinned as though he had just
received the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Done.”
Douglas patted Grayson on the back as
he grinned at Billy. “I guess that leaves
me and Ian to handle his uncle when he
gets here.”
“I’ll be staying with Billy,” Ian
replied. He had no intention of leaving
his mate’s side, especially not when
danger was headed right at them.
“How about I go with Douglas,”
Grayson said, “and you can stay with
Billy?”
“That would be good,” Ian agreed.
“Caleb’s job is to guard Joel at all
times. I’ll let him know you two will be
working in the salon. As soon as Joel is
done with his phone calls, they can join
you there and then you can both guard
what’s important to us.”
“What about Jilly?” Billy asked.
“Won’t he need someone to guard him?”
“Jilly has personal guard, Billy,”
Douglas said. “He was attacked soon
after we were mated by a crazed pack
member. I assigned him a guard whose
only job is to insure Jilly stays safe.
Ripley doesn’t do anything else but
follow Jilly around all day and make
sure no one hurts him.”
Ian actually liked that idea. Ryan
would be busy helping Ian run their
coven. Someone needed to be assigned
to be Billy’s shadow. When Ian looked
up, Douglas smirked as if he knew
exactly what Ian was thinking. Ian just
shrugged. What could he say? Billy was
the most important thing in his life.
Chapter Twelve
Billy chewed on his bottom lip as he
stared down at the list of names on the
coffee table in front of him. Had he
gotten them all? Or at least the names he
could remember? He wanted to give
Grayson
and
Douglas
as
much
information as he could. Not only would
it help stop the monsters selling
children, but it would mean Billy would
only have to do this once, and he was all
for not rehashing his nightmares.
“How’s it going, baby?”
Billy glanced up. Something settled
inside of him when he saw Ian staring
back down at him from the other side of
the coffee table. It seemed have been that
way since before he could remember.
Even when they were kids, simply being
around Ian made him feel better. Billy
supposed that was the way it was
supposed to be between mates.
“Almost done,” Billy replied.
Ian gestured over his shoulder to the
archway that led into the salon. “I’m
going to go see what’s keeping our
coffee. Do you think you’ll be okay until
Joel and Caleb get back?”
“I’ll be fine.” The man wasn’t leaving
the mansion, just stepping out to find out
where their coffee was. Billy knew Ian
had a protective streak a mile wide, but
Billy was a big boy. He could take care
of himself for the most part. Billy waved
a hand at Ian. “Go.”
Billy went back to his notes after
watching Ian walk away. Damn, that man
looked good coming or going. Billy
could joyfully sit there and watch Ian
walk back and forth in front of him.
Maybe he would suggest it as a form of
exercise. Maybe he could get him to do
it naked.
Billy chuckled at the idea. He never
imagined this would be the path his life
would take. He always kind of thought
he would die at Alpha Larson’s hand or
one of his goons. He thought he would
be the man’s prisoner until he took his
dying breath.
This was so much better.
Billy finished up writing down all the
names he could think of and then he
decided to add what he could remember
about the children he had come into
contact with. There hadn’t been a lot of
them, as he was always housed
somewhere else, but he had seen plenty.
The sound of a glass shattering
somewhere in the house made Billy jerk.
He sighed as he blew out a breath,
realizing that he was a little jumpier than
he wanted to admit. All of this talk of
slavery rings and council investigations
had him a little nervous.
Billy continued to write for another
couple of minutes when the absolute
silence sank into him, making his skin
prickle with unease. He glanced up and
then toward the entry. It really was quiet,
too quiet. Billy couldn’t hear anything
but his own panic.
Billy’s fingers tightened around the
pencil in his hand. He stood and took a
hesitant
step
toward
the
entry.
Swallowing his fear, Billy took another
step, and then another until he stood in
the solid wood archway. With the double
doors open, he could see clear through
the foray and into the formal living area
on the other side.
Both were empty.
Billy pressed his hand against his
stomach when he felt a knot form. He
was overreacting, that was all. It was
quiet and he was in a strange house.
There was no reason for him to think
something had happened. Just because
Ian hadn’t come back yet and Billy
couldn’t see anyone else didn’t mean
there was a problem.
He just needed to go find Ian and then
everything would be fine.
Billy stepped out of the salon and
started toward the other side of the
house. He wasn’t exactly sure where the
kitchen was located, but if this was his
house, he’d put it somewhere close to
the dining room, which was on the far
side of the house.
The farther into the house Billy
walked, the tighter the knot in his
stomach grew. By the time he found the
entrance to the kitchen, he was gasping
for breath. Billy felt a drop of sweat
trickle down his temple. His nerves
were strung tight.
He tried to remind himself that he was
perfectly safe, surrounded by Douglas’s
guards, but that was growing harder to
believe when he couldn’t find anyone. A
search of the kitchen showed that it was
just as empty as the entry and living
room.
Billy turned and walked back out of
the kitchen. He started down the hallway
when a shaft of light at the back of the
staircase caught his attention. Billy
glanced around and then slowly crept
forward.
As soon as he got within reaching
distance, Billy could see the narrow slit
in the wall. Light was shining through
from the other side. Billy grabbed the
edge of the panel and pulled it open, his
jaw dropping when he saw the stairs
hidden on the other side.
A flash of memories of the basement
cell he had called home for so many
years made him hesitate. He would be
really stupid to go down there. Nothing
good ever came from hidden basements.
Ever.
Still, Billy’s overwhelming need to
know
where
everyone
was—
specifically Ian—and the sinking feeling
that they were downstairs drove him to
step into the small hidden passage and
start down the stairs. Each step down
made Billy feel like he was descending
to his doom. By the time Billy reached
the bottom step, he was ready to throw
up.
He swallowed hard, and then peeked
around the corner. Nothing to the left. He
glanced the other way. For a moment, he
didn’t think there was anything to the
right, but as he started to turn away, he
heard a voice.
Billy walked slowly toward the
sound, trying to place the hushed voice.
It was almost too hard to distinguish. It
was male. Billy could tell that much, and
there was a lilt to the tone that sounded
vaguely familiar. Billy just couldn’t
quite place it.
He moved closer, edging along the
wall. He wished he had a weapon. Oh
wait…Billy glanced at the pencil he had
clutched tightly in his hand. Well, it
wasn’t much of a weapon but it was
better than nothing. Maybe.
Gathering up his flagging courage,
Billy pushed away from the wall and
stepped toward the open doorway. He
froze one step in when he heard that
voice again and realized where he had
heard it before. A cold terror filled
sweat broke out over his skin. Every
instinct he had told Billy to run, to
escape.
And then he heard Ian.
Billy forgot all about being afraid for
himself. Only his mate mattered now.
Tightening his fingers around the pencil
in his hand, Billy stepped closer to the
open doorway. A quick peek around the
edge of the doorframe told Billy that the
shit had really hit the fan.
Ian knelt on the floor in the middle of
the room, his hands bound behind his
back. Billy could only see a side view
of his mate but it was enough for him to
notice the trickle of blood coming from
the corner of Ian’s mouth. Billy was
barely able to suppress the growl
building up in his throat.
Joel sat in the corner, his hands bound
together. Caleb was stretched out on the
floor next to him, his head in Jilly’s lap.
He wasn’t moving. There was another
man sitting next to Jilly, a rather large
man wearing red flannel shirt and an
apron. He was staring daggers at the man
pacing back and forth in front of Ian, a
man Billy remembered well.
“You just had to go and fuck things up,
didn’t you?” the man snapped as he
glared at Ian, pacing right in front of him.
“I had everything all planned out. How
to get you into a position of power. How
to convince you to banish your father
from the coven for his crimes. I even
knew how we were going to get you a
seat on the council.”
Aaron Kline stopped and stared down
at Ian, anger making his eyes flash,
although that might have been insanity.
Billy wasn’t quite sure. “And you had to
go and fuck it all up.”
“I never asked you to plan anything,”
Ian said.
Aaron ignored him as if he hadn’t said
a word and started pacing again. “I don’t
know how I’m going to fix this, Ian. It
wasn’t supposed to be this way. With
your father out of the picture, I know
your mother will come back to me, but
you…” Aaron shook his finger at Ian. “I
don’t know what to do about you.”
“You could let me go,” Ian suggested.
“I would, my dear boy, but you’re like
your father.” Aaron’s upper lip curled
back in a clear show of disgust. “You
believe in the greater good.”
“I was under the impression that you
did as well.”
“Yes.” Aaron grinned. “I am very
good. I should have been an actor. I had
everyone fooled.”
“Not my father,” Ian said. “He knew
you were a rat.”
Billy pressed his hand to his mouth to
keep from crying out when Aaron
backhanded Ian so hard, Ian fell to the
floor. His head made a sickening thunk
against the cement floor. Tears sprang to
Billy’s eyes as he watched Aaron squat
down in front of his mate.
Aaron brushed a lock of hair back
from Ian’s forehead. “We could have
been so good together, my boy.” There
was an almost mystical tone to Aaron’s
voice. “We could have ruled the world.”
“Are you about done, Kline?” asked a
voice from the corner. “I’d like to get out
of here before those idiot alphas figure
out we’re here.”
Billy jumped back, pressing himself
against the wall. He had somehow
missed seeing Carson Palmer in the
room, but he would know that voice
anywhere. Knowing that these two men
knew each other made all of his
confused childhood memories make
sense.
Aaron Kline was up to his neck in the
slavery ring, and Carson was helping
him.
“Go find some gas or something to
start a fire,” Aaron said. “We’ll burn the
place down with them in it. No one will
ever know we were here. By the time the
fire reaches the first floor, it will be too
late. They’ll all go up in flames right
along with their precious evidence.”
Panic stole Billy’s breath. He tried to
tiptoe as he hurried back down the
hallway, looking for a place to hide. He
spotted a stack of wooden crates in a
short hallway space on the far side of the
stairs. Praying he could reach it before
Carson came out, Billy dashed for the
crates. He dropped down behind them
just as footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Billy held his breath, hoping that
Carson would either take off upstairs or
go looking for something to burn
somewhere else. He thought he was
going to pass out when Carson paused
on the other side of the crates. It wasn’t
until Carson started to reach for the top
crate that it dawned on Billy they were
made of wood—the perfect burning
material.
Could he have chosen a stupider place
to hide?
Billy was positive he was going to be
discovered until Carson’s phone rang.
The man stopped what he was doing and
pulled it out. Billy watched through the
slates in the crate as Carson stared down
at the screen before sliding his finger
across it and then holding the phone up
to his ear.
“Are you crazy calling me here?” he
whispered harshly as he shot a look back
down the hallway. “If he discovers I’m
speaking to you, he’ll kill us both.”
Fuck! There were more of them.
“Look, Elantra, you can do whatever
the fuck you want, but if Kline discovers
you double-crossed him, it won’t be my
neck on the line.”
Fear immobilized Billy. His stepfather
wasn’t dead.
“Just stay at the house. We’ll be done
here soon, and then you and I can work
on getting those brats moved.” Carson
nodded his head as if listening to the
other man talk. “Yeah, yeah, just don’t
do anything stupid. I’ll be there as soon
as I can.”
Carson snapped his phone closed and
stormed away. Billy didn’t let out the
breath he had been holding until Carson
started up the stairs. He waited where he
was until Carson’s footsteps faded away,
and then he counted to ten before
moving.
Once he was out from behind the
crates, Billy looked up the stairs. They
were lit up, so it was easy to see that
they were empty, and that was great in
Billy’s book. He hurried back down the
hallway, making sure he stepped
carefully and didn’t make any noise.
When he reached the room with
everyone in it, he pressed himself
against the wall again and then peeked
around the edge of the doorframe. Ian
was still lying on the floor, his eyes
closed. For a moment, Billy thought he
was unconscious until he saw his eyelids
move and then open just a slit.
Billy shot a quick glance at Aaron.
When the man’s back was turned, Billy
darted to the other side of the doorway
where Ian had a better chance of seeing
him. He crouched down, waiting. His
gaze darted between Ian and Aaron,
looking across the room to the others
once or twice.
“You’ll never get away with this,”
Joel said.
Aaron laughed. “Next, you’ll be
waiting for me to tell you all my evil
plans like some stupid movie villain.”
Joel shrugged. “I’m not stopping you.”
Aaron stared at Joel for the longest
moment before walking over to squat
down in front of the man. “You want to
know all my evil plans? Fine.” Aaron’s
grin was a little nauseating. “I may not
be able to use Ian, but I will not let that
stop me.”
“Stop you from what?”
“Didn’t you hear? I’m going to take
over the world.” Aaron’s eyes grew
manic. “One little brat at a time.”
Joel’s eyebrows shot up as if he was
shocked by Aaron’s statement, but there
was something in his stiff posture that
said he expected it. “You’re the one
stealing and selling the children?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Aaron pushed
to his feet. “This isn’t about money.”
“Then what’s it about?” Joel asked.
“Power.”
Joel’s eyes narrowed with pure
hatred. “And you think amassing wealth
on the backs of children will get you that
power?”
“You’re thinking too small, Elder
Silvanus. I don’t want to sell them. I
want to train them.”
“Train them to do what?” Joel
honestly sounded confused this time.
Aaron’s malicious grin would haunt
Billy’s nightmares until his dying breath.
He didn’t think he had ever seen
anything so evil before, and he prayed he
never did again.
“It’s simple, my boy,” Aaron replied.
“I’m training them to kill.”
Chapter Thirteen
The pain in Ian’s head was nothing
compared to the pain in his chest when
he spotted Billy’s head peeking around
the edge of the doorway. If he thought it
wouldn’t endanger his mate, he would
have sat up and shouted for the man to
run.
But his uncle was clearly insane,
which meant the second he realized
Billy was there, he’d most likely try to
kill him. Billy was a liability, especially
if the shit Aaron was spouting about
training the children was true. It was
obvious the training hadn’t taken with
Billy.
Ian couldn’t stop his chest swelling
with a bit of pride when Billy held a
finger to his mouth. His crystal-clear
blue eyes were shadowed with fear, but
the man was still acting. Ian might have
been happier if his mate had stayed safe,
but knowing Billy was willing to risk his
life for him made Ian want to shout it to
the world.
“You can’t truly think you can train all
of these innocent kids to kill for you,”
Joel was saying.
It was clear to Ian that Joel had seen
Billy and was trying to distract Aaron.
Whatever Billy was planning, Ian hoped
he did it soon. He had no idea how soon
Carson would be back, and he didn’t
want Billy caught in the fight.
“A child taken at a young age and
raised in the proper environment can be
trained to do anything,” Aaron replied.
Ian heard his voice move and knew
Aaron was pacing again. His heart
jumped in his throat as he watched Billy
slip back out of view. “Robert Stone had
the right idea. He just didn’t have the
vision.”
“You know we’ll never let you get
away with this,” Joel snapped as if he
had reached the end of his patience. “We
will stop you.”
“You won’t,” Aaron replied. “You
won’t have the chance.”
Ian tensed when he heard a gun cock.
He knew his time of pretending to be
unconscious had also come to an end. He
couldn’t continue to lie there and pretend
to be knocked out. His uncle needed to
be taken down.
Ian sent up a quick prayer that he made
it out of this alive and then rolled to his
knees. Before he could climb to his feet,
he heard a low, menacing chuckle. Ian
froze and then slowly looked up—right
into the barrel of a gun.
“Do you think I’m stupid, nephew?”
Aaron asked.
“Do you really want me to answer
that?” Because he thought his uncle was
a complete loon. Ian grunted when pain
exploded in his face from the butt of the
gun as Aaron smacked him with it.
Maybe getting lippy with the man wasn’t
the best route to go.
“You never could learn from your
betters,” Aaron snapped, all semblances
of niceties gone. “You’re just like your
father, always taking what doesn’t
belong to you when you should be
bowing at my feet.”
Yeah, the man was crazy.
“Me taking what doesn’t belong to
me?” Ian countered. Face-to-face with
his uncle gave him an advantage. The
man didn’t see him start picking at the
ropes around his wrist. “What about
you? You attacked my mother when you
knew she was my father’s mate.”
“She was my mate!” Aaron shouted as
his face darkened with rage.
“She is my father’s mate!” The instant
the gun turned back on him, Ian knew he
should have held his temper. Refusing to
give in to his uncle, he stared the man
straight in the face. “Mina belongs to my
father and there is nothing you can ever
do about it. She will always be his
mate.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, my boy,”
Aaron said with so much delight, Ian
was surprised the man wasn’t laughing.
“I took care of your father before I came
here, and just as soon as I am done here,
I’m going to head back to my coven and
take care of your traitorous mother as
well.”
It would be a cold day in hell before
the Silverlight Coven belonged to Aaron
Kline. That coven belonged to Ian and he
wasn’t about to give it up, not to a man
that wanted to destroy everything they
stood for.
“Sorry to disappoint you, uncle,” Ian
said, “but you missed. I just talked to my
father not more than an hour ago. He’s
fine.”
“You’re lying,” Ian said.
Ian turned so his uncle could see the
cell phone sticking out of his front
pocket. “See for yourself.”
Aaron ripped the phone out of Ian’s
pants. He took a couple of steps back
before glancing down at the screen and
then thumbing through it. Ian knew his
uncle had seen the phone call log when
he growled and threw the phone against
the wall. He also knew he needed a new
phone. His had shattered into a bazillion
pieces.
“It doesn’t matter,” Aaron snarled. Ian
grew worried when Aaron’s eyes
narrowed, the man’s insane gaze settling
on him. “Your father took something
from me. I’m going to take something
from him.”
Once again, Ian found himself staring
down the barrel of a gun. Only, this time,
he didn’t think he was going to be able
to avoid getting shot. He could already
see his uncle’s finger squeezing the
trigger.
A high-pitched scream—a sound Ian
never wanted to hear again in his
lifetime—filled the air. Ian saw a flash
of movement and then Aaron grunted.
The gun went lax in his hand before
falling to the floor.
Ian scrambled out of the way when
Aaron collapsed onto the floor beside
the gun. He stared at the pencil sticking
out of the back of the man’s neck with a
stunned sense of disbelief before lifting
his eyes to Billy.
“I had to,” Billy whispered. “He was
going to kill you.”
Ian used his claws to finish cutting
through the rope binding his wrists
together and then slowly stood, not
wanting to frighten his mate. Billy
looked like he was about to jump out of
his skin. Ian held out his arms. A moment
later, he had an armful of shaking mate
pressing up against him.
“You did good, baby,” Ian whispered
against Billy’s hair. He held on tight,
stroking his hands up and down Billy’s
back. “You did real good.”
“I concur,” Joel said.
Ian glanced over to see Caleb sitting
up, leaning back against the wall while
Joel pressed a cloth to the bleeding
wound on the man’s head. That
explained why he had been sprawled out
on the floor when Ian came downstairs
looking for him and Joel. When he saw
Joel’s bound hands, he realized there
was a problem, and by then, it was too
late. His uncle and Carson had him.
Kind of made him wonder where
everyone else was.
“Billy saved us all,” Joel said.
“No.” Billy sniffled as he pulled away
so he could turn and look at Joel. “I
heard Carson talking on the phone. He
was talking to my stepfather.”
“Eric Elantra?” Ian asked.
Billy nodded. “I guess he’s not dead
after all.”
“What were they talking about,
Billy?” Joel asked.
“They have a bunch of kids. My
stepfather wanted to move them.” Billy
shrugged. “I guess it was against
Aaron’s wishes or something because
Carson was going on and on about not
betraying Aaron.”
“Did Carson say where these kids
were being held?” Joel asked as he
pulled his phone out.
“He just said for my stepfather to stay
at the house and he would be there soon.
I’m assuming it was Prince Larson’s
house.”
Joel didn’t say anything to Billy. He
just turned away and started talking into
his phone. Ian stood there will Billy in
his arms until Joel turned back. “Well?”
he asked.
“Grayson and Douglas suspected
something was going on when Douglas’s
cook disappeared.”
The big flannel-covered man snorted
as he headed for the doorway. “More
like he grew worried he’d starve to
death. Man can’t cook for shit.”
“What about Jilly and his bodyguard?”
Ian asked.
“Douglas was able to get a message to
Jilly and Ripley telling them to stay
locked up in the bedroom. I guess there
is a panic room in there for Jilly. It’s
windowless and can only be opened
from the inside once the lock has been
engaged.”
Ian thought that was a pretty damn
good idea. He might even have one of
those installed at home. “What about
Carson?” he asked.
“Carson was on his way out of the
mansion. He’s been taken into custody. A
unit of soldiers is being dispatched to
the house to take your stepfather into
custody and rescue any children they
find.”
“Oh, thank god.” Billy had seemed to
be holding it together up until that point.
With Joel’s words, he lost it. His
shoulders shook as he silently cried into
Ian’s shirt.
Not wanting anyone else to witness
Billy’s tears, Ian nodded to the others.
“I’m taking Billy home. If you need us,
you can call us there.”
“We appreciate everything you’ve
done, Ian, Billy,” Joel said as he nodded
to each of them, even if Billy wasn’t
aware he was doing it. “You’ve done a
great service to our people today. This
will not be forgotten.”
Ian kind of wished it would. He just
wanted to settle down at home with his
mate and lead his coven. He was tired of
the drama and danger. “Good luck with
your investigation.”
“Oh.” Joel smiled as his eyes went to
Billy. “I’m pretty sure this little bit of
drama has opened this case right up.
Between what we learned from your
idiot uncle—no offense.”
Ian nodded.
“From what we learned from him, and
what we will get out of Carson and the
others, we might have just taken out
enough of the slavery ring’s organization
to begin to put a stop to them for good.”
“Glad to be of help.” Sort of. If Ian
didn’t see a sign of danger around his
mate for the next fifty years, he’d be a
very happy person.
Ian led Billy out of the room and then
out of the basement. They were just
coming down the hallway when Ryan
reached the bottom of the stairs. The man
looked rested, refreshed. Ian almost
punched him.
“We’re leaving.”
“Uh, okay.”
Ian didn’t care if the man followed
them or not as he led Billy out to the car.
Of course, having Ryan along helped
when it came to getting home. Ian tossed
the keys to the man. “You’re driving.”
Ryan easily caught the keys. “Where
are we headed?”
“Home.”
Ian had Billy bundled in the backseat
and snuggled in his arms, the car moving
swiftly down the road, in under a minute.
He took a moment to just breathe. He
knew sooner or later, he would have to
get more involved with putting this
slavery ring out of business, but not
tonight. Tonight, he just wanted to hold
his mate in his arms and let the fact that
they were both alive settle in.
* * * *
“Billy,” Ian called out as he walked
out into the garden where Billy was
planting roses with their mothers.
Juliette and Mina had become fast
friends when they learned their sons
were mated. Ian was pretty sure Elder
De Luca and his mate spent more time at
his parents’ house than they did their
own. But it made Billy happy and that
was pretty much all Ian cared about.
Billy smiled when he glanced up.
“Ian.” The man jumped up, brushed his
pants off, and then raced down the path
to Ian.
Ian knew he would never get tired of
seeing the love on Billy’s face. He lived
for those looks. “Hi, baby,” Ian said
when Billy reached him. “How was
lunch with our mothers?”
“It was good.” Billy’s face flushed as
he leaned in close. “I would have
preferred to spend it with you, but…”
Ian chuckled at the suggestive tone in
Billy’s voice. He would never grow
tired of that either. “Sorry, love. Elder
Silvanus called.”
“How is Joel?”
Ian blinked. “Um, good.” He hoped.
He had forgotten to ask. “He wanted to
let us know that Elantra was killed while
trying to escape. And this time, Joel
made sure to confirm it himself. Elantra
won’t be coming back from the dead
again.”
Billy shot a quick glance toward his
mother, who was still talking with Mina.
“Good. He deserves to die for what he
did to my mother.”
Ian refused to bring up what the man
had done to Billy. There was enough
blame to go around. “Joel also wanted to
let us know that Carson Palmer was
found guilty of the trafficking of minors,
kidnapping, and murder. His execution
was this morning.”
“Did they learn anything about the
tracking device before they executed
him?” Billy asked as if Ian hadn’t just
mentioned someone had been put to
death. It might have been a couple of
months since Billy’s nightmare had died,
but he was still a bit detached from it
all.
Ian knew it would be awhile before
Billy was truly over his trauma, if ever.
And there would be times when Billy
needed more understanding, but he
didn’t wake in the middle of the night in
a cold sweat anymore, and that was
something. The rest would come in time.
“Yes. After they rescued the kids from
Prince Larson’s place, they were able to
trace all of the tracking signals and free
all of the children with chips. Those
children are either being returned to
their families or being placed with new
ones.”
“But they are free?”
“Yes, love.” Ian brushed a quick kiss
to Billy’s lips. “You’ve saved a lot of
lives, and helped free just as many. You,
my love, are amazing.”
Billy’s face flushed again. “I’m just
me.” Ian smiled. Billy’s whispered
words were the most precious he had
ever heard.
“You are perfect, Billy, and I love
you.” He brushed a kiss over Billy’s lips
again before meeting his gaze. Billy was
right. Seeing was believing, and he saw
his soul in crystal-clear blue eyes.
THE END
WWW.STORMYGLENN.COM
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Stormy believes the only thing sexier
than a man in cowboy boots is two or
three men in cowboy boots. She also
believes in love at first sight, soul mates,
true love, and happy endings.
You can usually find her cuddled in
bed with a book in her hand and a puppy
in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the
next sexy man for one of her stories.
Stormy
welcomes
comments
from
readers. You can find her website at
www.stormyglenn.com.
For all titles by Stormy Glenn, please
visit
www.bookstrand.com/stormy-glenn
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