things. Joel had been right. Stubble burn was quite delicious.
“Hmm, I sure did, and I am so glad we have this,” Zander said,
peppering his face with kisses. “It means anytime we’re apart,
we can still touch base with each other.”
“Will you hear everything I think? ‘Cos I think then it would suck
to be you,” Terry said, tilting his head back as Zander worked
his way around his throat. Stubble burn in all sorts of places.
Yum. Maybe he’d developed a new kink.
No, precious, just what you want me to hear.
Terry jumped a bit because Zander’s mouth was still busy, now
working up a hickey on his neck. Hmmm, that was another
positively wicked sensation. Who knew his neck could feel so
sensitive, especially around his mating mark, oh. Damn, that felt
good. Terry wanted to ask how come his mate knew what he
was thinking when he woke up because he hadn’t been thinking
at his mate, but rather about him. But Zander distracted him by
latching onto his nipple and giving it a little nip. He moaned and
arched his body, encouraging his mate to do more, something
Zander seemed happy to do. In the meantime his own hands
were drawn to the smooth hardness of Zander’s body. He hadn’t
had much time to explore the night before, so swept up in the
new sensations his mate had been giving him. But now.
Or not, he thought as the sound of loud pounding on Zander’s
front door broke the two men apart. Zander cursed and rolled
off of him, grabbing his rumpled pants from the floor and
throwing them on. Then, as Terry’s ears caught the
unmistakable click of a door lock being turned Zander seemed
to have second thoughts, and jumped back into the bed again,
grabbing the covers so that Terry’s body wasn’t on display. While
Terry appreciated the thought, he would far rather know what
was going on.
“Zander? What the fuck man, you still in bed? You lazy sod. Get
up and let’s go get some breakfast and you can tell me what you
were doing with that little faggot last night.”
Okay. He’d rather not know what was going on, although he
could hazard a guess. Terry definitely remembered the voice
from the night before. Seemed Sully had a key to Zander’s
house, just like Roy had one to his.
Yep, that would be Sully. Standing at the bedroom doorway, his
mouth open so wide he could catch flies, the look of shock on his
face so comical Terry almost laughed. Which would have been a
dumb thing to do considering Sully’s shock quickly morphed into
anger. Terry took the more sensible course of action and tried to
make himself look as small as possible, which wasn’t hard to do
given that Zander was looming over him protectively.
“What’s up, Sully? It’s our day off and I don’t remember us
having plans,” Zander said. Casual words but Terry could feel
the tension in that huge body. His wolf wanted to comfort his
mate. He wanted to disappear. Terry decided to stay still and
hoped Sully wouldn’t notice him.
“I wanted to know what you were doing with that little fairy. But
I can guess what you’ve been doing. What, you’re queer now? A
fucking bum bandit? What the hell is that little shrimp doing in
your bed?”
“I’ve always preferred men in my bed, Sully. I just hadn’t found
one in this town I was keen on keeping around until now.”
Zander flashed Terry a tight smile that didn’t make Terry feel
any better. Sully’s normally handsome face was twisted in rage,
going so red that Terry was worried he would blow a blood
vessel.
“You can’t be serious. Ten fucking years we’ve been friends. Ten
years! You know how I feel about fucking queers. How could you
do this to me?”
“Do this to you?” Zander sat up and the covers fell from his
shoulders, revealing his muscled chest. A heaving muscled
chest. Shit, his mate was getting angry and given that Sully was
being so rude Terry was starting to get really worried that
Zander would shift. Alpha wolves were more protective than
“I’m not doing anything to you,” Zander said, his voice rising to
match his own anger. “I’m doing something I want to do, with
someone I care about very much, so watch your fucking
language. I don’t see how this has anything to do with you. We’re
partners, yes. Friends, hell yes. But this, what I do in my bed, in
my own home, has got nothing to do with you. It doesn’t change
who I am or our friendship.”
Sully went silent for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed and
Terry tensed. He really didn’t want to know what was going to
come out of the man’s mouth next, but he knew it wouldn’t be
anything good.
“You’re doing this for a promotion, aren’t you? Ever since we
broke up that pub brawl and you saw this little shit for the first
time, something’s been different with you. You knew the Police
Commissioner had a soft spot because of his weird brother, and
you’re angling for a promotion. You sick bastard.”
“This has nothing to do with my career. Terry is my mate and
you’d better shut the fuck up right now,” Zander growled, his
words almost garbled because, oh shit, Zander’s teeth had
dropped. And then poof. Seconds later a huge black wolf was
standing where Zander had been laying, and yep, that wolf was
pissed off. Terry discretely pulled Zander’s pants off from where
they had got tangled during the change.
Sully reared back in horror, fumbling around under his arm. Next
thing Terry saw was the gun in the man’s hand, pointed straight
at his mate. Without thinking he grabbed the covers and moved
in front of the wolf, who growled menacingly in Sully’s direction.
“We’re shifters,” Terry said urgently, worried about the manic
look in Sully’s eyes. “Zander is totally aware in this form and is
still the same person you’ve known for ten years. Put the gun
down because I can’t promise you he won’t attack. He’s
protecting me and that gun isn’t going to encourage him to back
down anytime soon.”
“Shifters, what do you mean shifters, like werewolves or some
crap. It’s not even full moon,” Sully said, his eyes still wild. At
least the gun dropped down a bit.
“Shifters, as in a person who shares their spirit with another
animal and can change forms at will,” Terry said, dropping his
voice, trying to keep things calm. In his experience people
always listened more closely if you talked softly.
“And that’s why he’s with you, screwing you? Because you’re one
of these animals as well?”
Zander growled and barred his teeth and Terry spoke up quickly.
He didn’t want to think about what might happen if Zander
attacked his best friend. “Zander told you. We’re true mates. It
means we were brought together by the Fates to live together
for the rest of our lives. It’s like a human soul
mate. Zander can
understand everything you’re saying and he’s not happy with the
way you’re talking about me. Please, this doesn’t need to change
anything between you and him, but you need to back down.”
“If it’s like a soul mate then you need to fuck off. He can learn
to live without a soul mate. Without a man in his bed,” Sully said
fiercely. “I’m not having my best friend turn into a fucking faggot
because of some stupid curse. You leave town, fuck off and my
friend will go back to the way he was. God, he’s fucked more
women than I have. Can’t you see he’s not gay? Going through
this type of curse with you must be killing him, can’t you see
that?”
Growling again, Zander crouched on his haunches and Terry
knew if he didn’t do something quickly then there was going to
be blood on the boring beige floors. As much as he wanted to
see color in Zander’s life he didn’t think blood red would go with
what he had in mind for the bedroom.
Pulling aside the coverlet, Terry pointed to his scabbed over scar,
the mating mark he would wear proudly for the rest of his life.
“Zander has bitten me, claimed me as his. It was his decision,
what he wanted to do. If I leave then he’ll die without me. He’ll
pine away because his animal spirit needs me now to survive.
That’s what happens with mates. Do you really want your best
friend to die just because he’ll sleep with me from now on?”
For a moment Sully looked so lost that Terry almost felt sorry
for him. At least the hand holding the gun dropped to his side.
“Fuck, I don’t know what to think,” Sully whispered. “My friend
turning into a wolf, turning gay, biting a man and having him
naked in his bed. There is so much wrong with all of that, I can’t
think straight.”
“We can’t fight our nature. Finding and taking a mate, it’s just
what we do, who we are,” Terry said. “Zander didn’t want to lose
your friendship which is why he’s been so out of sorts since we
met. He wanted me from the moment we met, but he didn’t want
to hurt you. You mean so much to him, please don’t let this
change how things are between you two. I’ll stay out of your
way, you won’t even know I’m in Zander’s life.”
The wolf growled low and mean and then barked, a clear warning
even to someone like Sully, who jumped but held his ground.
Terry had the feeling he’d said something to upset his mate, but
he was desperate to make Sully understand.
“I’ll know!” Sully yelled after a long moment. “How can it not
change anything? I mean the wolf thing, yeah, a huge shock,
but you reckon Zander’s always been like this so that’s not
enough to stop me being friends with him. I can handle that. But
this, you,” he said waving his hand in Terry’s direction reminding
him he was still naked under the covers. “That’s fucking too sick
to handle and I will never accept my friend sleeping with the
likes of you. Tell your mate I’ll put in for an immediate transfer.
I can’t stand to be around him anymore.”
Zander growled again, but it was too late. Sully was gone from
the door way and mere seconds later Terry heard the slam of
the front door. Bowing his head, Terry let tears pour down his
face. His heart ached with the hatred in Sully’s voice. Even
though he understood that there was nothing he and Zander
could do to change their nature, he never wanted to be the cause
of Zander losing the one man in his life he could call a friend.
Ever the optimist, Terry had hoped that over time, Sully would
accept it because of the long term friendship he’d shared with
his partner. But now it looked like that would never be possible.
There was a shimmer in the air, and Zander was back in human
form. Comforting arms wrapped around his waist and Terry
found himself pulled against Zander’s wide chest. For some
reason that made him cry even more. He should be comforting
his mate, not the other way around, even if Terry couldn’t deny
how good it felt.
“It’s okay, little one. It’s okay, I knew this would happen.”
Zander’s voice was soothing, but Terry could feel the agony his
mate was feeling. It was like a sharp pain that ran through his
heart, making it difficult for Terry to breathe.
“I just don’t understand why,” Terry sobbed, clinging onto
Zander like a lifeline. “Why does he hate me so much? How can
he turn against you after all you’ve been through? You even
shifted to try and show him you couldn’t help us being mates.
Our biggest secret and still he wouldn’t understand. How can
someone have so much hate inside?”
“I shifted because I couldn’t control myself anymore. He made
me so angry and all I wanted to do was wrap my teeth around
his throat, just to stop him from talking his shit. You stopped me
from doing that, and believe me I really appreciate it, although
if you ever put yourself between me and a gun again, I will tan
your hide,” Zander said. “I’ve listened to Sully put down gays for
years and never said anything. Maybe I should have, but I didn’t
have a reason to before, and that’s on me, not you. None of this
was your fault. It’s not you he hates, it’s what you represent.”
“I honestly didn’t want you to lose your friend,” Terry said, his
sobs easing as he thought about what Zander had said.
“I gained a mate, and you’re all I will ever need,” Zander said
and bless him, Terry could tell the man was trying to inject some
happiness into his voice. “Now how soon can you move in with
me?”
“Move in with you?” Terry’s mind was fuddled enough as it was.
Just thirty minutes before he was thinking about slipping out of
Zander’s house so he didn’t have to face any negative morning
aftermath. Well, they’d had the negativity all right, but it hadn’t
come from Zander. Fucking Sully.
Terry thought about his small dingy apartment. Although he did
his best to keep it clean, it was never going to be more than
what it was – a small shack in a bad neighborhood. It was on a
month to month lease, Terry always hoping he could find
somewhere better within his budget. Basically he could leave
anytime and the landlord wouldn’t care.
“I told you before that I want to be a mate you can be proud of.
Yeah, your friends might think it’s a bit weird you moving in so
soon, but little one, I need you here, with me. Please tell me
you’ll move in with me.”
Terry was going to have to come up with some form of defense
when his mate used his deeply sensual voice in such a
persuasive manner. How could he stand to say no when Zander
was saying everything he wanted to hear? The plain and simple
truth was that he couldn’t, and once Terry accepted that, he
knew what his answer would be.
“How many days off do you have?” He said. It wasn’t as though
he had a lot of stuff. A couple of
trailer loads should do it. And
the smile on Zander’s face, as the wickedly handsome man bent
to give him another kiss, told Terry he had said exactly the right
thing.
Chapter Fourteen
Zander parked under the police building and took a deep calming
breath. He and Terry had taken three days together and in
Zander’s opinion it was by far the best three days of his life.
Terry was funny, kind, and already Zander felt his place was
looking more like a home than a house. His mate could cook,
had a wicked sense of humor and the sex…okay, probably not
the best idea thinking about that just before he went into work.
Zander adjusted the swelling in his pants and thought about
getting out of his vehicle.
No one would ever know it to look at him, but Zander was a little
anxious. He and Sully were known around the precinct as being
hard working detectives and ladies men – in every sense of the
word. Sully’s reaction to Terry had been bad enough. Zander
didn’t think he could take it, if he got shunned by other officers
as well. He didn’t have many friends on the force, as he’d
explained to his mate, but he had been on chatting terms with
everyone he worked with.
“Stop being an idiot,” he told himself firmly, getting out of the
SUV and striding up familiar steps, just as he had done a million
times before. He had a job to do, criminals to catch, cases to
work on. If he had to do it on his own, well hell, he could do it.
Zander knew he could put up with anything so long as he had
Terry to go home to at night. He held onto that thought as he
entered the building.
Marching through to his office, Zander smiled, and nodded when
people called out to him, everything apparently normal. He felt
a bit of a pang when he saw Sully wasn’t at his desk, but then
knowing what he did about his former best friend, Zander wasn’t
really surprised. Sully had probably taken personal leave.
Determined not to worry about something he could do nothing
about, Zander sat down, pulling out files, preparing to work just
like any other day.
“Samuels, in my office now.”
Crap. The Captain. Had Sully honestly put in for his transfer
already? Without even trying to talk to him again? Ignoring the
curious looks from some of the others in the large bull pen of an