Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
B ain
Bain called Alaric and told him he wouldn’t be going back to Clive’s until the morning, then he went home because he needed a good rest. But he couldn’t sleep, his mind reeling from what Xavier had told him. He’d never given thought to having a relationship. His kind, the basilisks, did form attachments but only long enough to raise a child to puberty. He’d never wanted to risk that sort of short-term relationship, and falling for a human had been out of the question because of his longevity.
Knowing that Clive was his soulmate changed everything. Absolutely everything. He could allow himself to actually care for a change. It would mean no more sleeping around, but that didn’t bother him at all. Because he’d have one special person who was just his and his alone.
He sure as hell was going to have to work on living neater, though. He hadn’t bothered to clean his apartment, just too tired to deal with it. But still, sleep would not come.
Around two in the morning, he gave up and drove back to Clive’s. When he knocked on the door, a surprised Alaric answered. The elf didn’t look like he’d been sleeping, his eyes completely alert. Bain couldn’t help but smirk over the weird headband he wore over his shoulder-length black curls. “Did Xavier tell you to wear that here?” He pointed.
Alaric nodded. “Wouldn’t tell me why either, but he also warned me to keep my contacts in. Something about Clive I should know?”
If Xavier hadn’t told Alaric why, then it wasn’t his time to know about the special humans. Bain shook his head. “No. I think he’s being weird.”
“Not anything new there.” Alaric stepped aside to let him in. “I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow.”
“Couldn’t sleep so I decided to go ahead and come back. What’s going on with your family?” Alaric had a huge family because elves did mate for life, and with their long lifespans, had as many children as they wanted. Alaric had twelve sisters and six brothers. Bain couldn’t imagine dealing with that size of a family.
“One of my brothers got himself into a mess, so we all got together to work on how to get him out of it.” He shrugged. “Bast isn’t known for his brains.”
Having met that particular brother, Bain agreed but he didn’t voice that aloud. Alaric might get annoyed with the many shenanigans his family got into, but he also loved them all fiercely. “Clive seem okay to you today?”
“Couldn’t tell you. He only came out long enough to meet me before he disappeared into his office. He’s still in there.”
“He is? That’s not like him.” Knowing Clive had spent so much time being afraid of him ripped into his soul. He needed Alaric to leave so he could go to him, but Clive surprised them both when he stormed into the living room.
“I heard you come in.” He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. “We need to talk, Bain.”
Alaric looked back and forth between them, eyebrows high on his forehead, before he shook his head. “I probably don’t want to know what this is about. I’ll head out. Let me know if you need me to relieve you again.”
“I will, thanks.”
Bain waited until he left, then approached his amazing human, awe still filling him over what Clive was going to be to him. “You’re right,” Bain said. “It’s time.”
“Yes, it’s most definitely time, but first, I’m making tea. It’s too late for me to mess with that new coffee pot you ordered. I’ll make you some plain black so you won’t have to pretend to like it like you did with the strawberry blend I made you.”
He wasn’t sure how he’d given that away, but he would definitely prefer the black tea. But Clive’s snippy tone was amusing as hell. It somehow eased the ache he’d had in his chest since that morning. He watched the accountant fill the infuser, waiting for him to start with the questions. He probably had quite a few of them. The longer Bain watched Clive bustle around the kitchen, the more amused he grew at Clive’s anger. It was obvious in his tense shoulders and the way he was slamming things around.
Bain wasn’t sure what overcame him then. He just couldn’t help himself. When Clive stopped moving and just stared at him, Bain walked to him and stared down into his pretty eyes, watching them flare wide with complete awareness. The anger slowly drained from Clive’s expression, and he closed his eyes.
“Clive, I’m sorry I scared you,” Bain whispered.
Clive’s eyes snapped open, but he didn’t speak. Varying emotions passed over his face, but then stopped on that awareness again. It was just so powerful, these feelings they seemed to share, and Bain could no longer hold himself back.
He waited to make sure this was going to be welcome, and when Clive’s gaze dropped to his lips, his own parting in anticipation, Bain leaned down and pressed his mouth to Clive’s. He didn’t use any tongue, just softly kissed him before pulling back. It was hard because Clive had very, very soft lips, ones that he wanted to feel firming up in a harder kiss. Made him want to nibble.
Clive, blinking up at him, slowly ran his tongue over his bottom lip as if he wanted every bit of Bain’s taste. “You kissed me.”
Bain grinned at Clive. “I did.”
“But you said…” He paused, brows furrowing. “Why?”
Bain backed him into the counter behind him. “I kissed you because I wanted to. Also because you wanted me to.”
“How do you know that?”
“Do you realize how often you stare at my lips?”
Red filled Clive’s freckled cheeks. It was so fucking cute Bain had to move closer. He wanted to see that flush on other parts of Clive’s body. Badly.
He’d never been so drawn to any being, human or preternatural. Knowing what he did now only increased that to astronomical levels. That kiss had rocked his world.
He wanted more.
He wanted everything Clive had to give.
“You feel the same fire I do, don’t you?” he murmured as he caged Clive in, propping one hand on the wall next to his head and leaning down.
Clive nodded, then shocked the hell out of Bain when he grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him in. Then he smashed his mouth onto Bain’s, moaning as he did. He parted his lips.
Bain quickly overtook the kiss, sending his tongue deep into Clive’s mouth. Fuck, he tasted good. Like he’d been drinking something fruity in his office.
Clive wrapped his arms around Bain’s neck and melted into him. Feeling that tight, small body against his had Bain groaning and he wound his own arms around him. He ran his hands down Clive’s taut back down to cup ass cheeks that overflowed his palms. He lifted, wanting the man even closer, and Clive jumped up to wrap his legs around Bain.
“Oh my god,” Clive panted against his lips. “You feel incredible!”
“So do you.” Bain cupped his ass tighter, grinding into him, loving the way Clive gasped and writhed.
He was losing his mind. The little human was just too delectable. Too desirable. And that connection he’d felt from the very beginning, that strange allure, it just overtook everything. He kissed Clive again, holding him as close as possible, reveling in his taste. His texture. His scent. Everything about Clive appealed to Bain on a deep level that changed his world at its core.
But his senses suddenly sent out an alert and he froze, pulling his mouth back.
They weren’t alone.
“What? Don’t stop,” Clive gasped as he wiggled his hips.
But there was a crash from behind him as something broke down the door. He quickly set Clive down.
“I need you to be very still,” Bain said, a deep warning in his voice. “Stay behind me.” He let go and turned.
A wendigo stalked into the kitchen. One that hadn’t bothered to disguise itself with magic, which meant it hadn’t cared if Clive saw its true form. It was here to kill him. It stood over eight feet, its two-foot-long antlers nearly brushing the ceiling. It had hooves for feet, a long snout, and lethal claws it held out in a horrid display.
“What the hell?” Clive yelled as he got a good look at what stood in his kitchen. grabbed the back of Bain’s shirt. “What is that?”
The wendigo leaped before Bain could answer. Claws swiped fast and hard. Bain dodged fast, wrapping one arm back to take Clive with him.
“Go into your bedroom,” he yelled as he kicked the creature back.
Clive didn’t argue, taking off fast.
Bain ducked and rammed his shoulder into the wendigo, and it staggered back, slamming into the refrigerator. Snarling, it slashed at him again, one of its claws swiping across his shoulder, tearing his shirt and drawing blood. He jumped out of the way of the rest of the claws, spun and kicked one foot hard into the thing’s knee. It howled but didn’t go down, just coming at him again with the claws of both hands.
No matter how much he dodged, those claws kept getting his skin.
It was no use. He couldn’t fight the thing off in this form. His basilisk hide would be too tough for those claws, so he brought that form forth, clothes ripping to shreds as his tail extended to take up half the kitchen. He bared his own claws, a loud hiss vibrating out of his throat. He didn’t bother to speak to the thing. It couldn’t talk back. Wendigos were silent, deadly hunters.
Bain unleashed his speed, swiping the claws of both hands in wide, slashing motions. Blood splattered the walls and cabinets, but Bain didn’t let up.
The wendigo jumped and sank its teeth into Bain’s shoulder. Despite his tough hide, a few of those teeth broke through. Bain yelled, ripped it off, and threw it into the living room. It crashed into one of the bookcases, sending books spilling off the shelves.
While it scrambled to its feet, Bain rushed it. He was tired of this fight. He grabbed the wendigo by the shoulders and glared into its eyes. He didn’t bother to mesmerize, too furious that this creature had come after Clive. He used his full power.
That was all it took.
The creature’s entire body shuddered before it collapsed.
Sightless eyes faced the ceiling, the body sprawled and bleeding into the gray carpet. The floor was littered with blood-splattered books, shelves broken, walls a gory mess of blood. The wendigo’s body took up half the living room.
Bain curled up his tail, his heart pounding, fury a burning, writhing mass in his gut. It had come here to kill Clive. To take him from Bain. He went to his ruined clothes and grabbed his phone, fumbling with claws but too impatient to shift back.
“What is it?” Xavier barked out. He’d probably been asleep.
“Whoever is after Clive sent a wendigo here. I took care of the problem, but we need the cleanup crew.”
“Clive is okay?”
“Of course.” In this form, Bain’s words were part hiss, but Xavier had been around him like this many times and would easily understand him. “But if they’re sending preternaturals, they could possibly be one themself.”
“That’s my thought. Clive gave me a list of all his new clients, so I’ll start digging in deeper. I know he prefers to be home, but it’s time to take him to one of our safe houses.”
“I agree. I’ll take him to the one in Lake Forest Park.”
“It’s free and the wards are all in place.” Xavier paused. “Are you okay, Bain?”
“The wendigo barely touched me, nothing that won’t heal when I shift back.”
“That’s not what I meant. Now you know what Clive is to you. Your protective instincts will be stronger, could make you reckless. Or distracted. Maybe it would be better to have Alaric with you from here on out.”
Bain thought about that. He’d prefer to have stronger protection on Clive, but he also wanted more time alone with him. But those feelings were selfish, and as an elf, Alaric had special talents Bain didn’t. Like the ability to heal. “Send Alaric there. He could be outside eyes.”
“Will do. The cleanup crew is already on their way.”
A loud gasp sounded from behind him, and he briefly closed his eyes. “I have to go,” he muttered into the phone before shutting it down.
Turning, he saw Clive, eyes impossibly wide and both hands over his mouth.
Well, shit.