Chapter Two
Dean
He pushed through the swinging door that separated the front of his business from the back kitchen area. Where the baking happened and the place that Dean was most comfortable in the world.
Glancing up from the counter, Noah smirked at him. “You finally got him inside,” Noah said. “Bravo!” The sarcastic clap was over-the-top.
Dean scowled. “Shut up!” He did not want to hear Noah’s opinion once again.
“That was at least ten minutes you got to spend with him,” Noah pointed out. “Next thing you know he’ll be falling at your feet, declaring his undying love.”
Why? Why had he been saddled with this sassy, smart-mouthed, know-it-all? “Did you finish the last of the danishes?” he inquired.
Noah crossed his arms over his chest while leaning back against one of the stainless steel working tables. Since Dean didn’t see any pastries out in the open and the kitchen was clean, it had been a stupid question. The slim well-groomed brow that Noah lifted at him was a sign that Dean knew he had irritated him.
Dean groaned. Noah was barely five foot two, maybe a hundred and twenty pounds, but he knew how to push Dean’s buttons. They stared at each other for no less than five minutes. Dean was not going to give in first. He was not—
“Damn it!” Dean huffed. “You know why I can’t get close to him.”
Noah snorted. “That boy stands out front every fucking morning. Every. Single. One. He longs to get close to you,” Noah said. “It doesn’t matter how much magic you use to try to hide the mate bond. He’s drawn to you. How can you allow him to go on so miserable?”
Dean worked every day on pushing down the guilt from denying the mate bond. He wasn’t an idiot. Dean wanted to claim his mate. He’d always wanted a mate. It just wasn’t possible. Not until he figured out how to keep Logan safe. “I’m doing what’s best.”
“You can keep lying to yourself,” Noah told him. “But I know your true heart’s desire. The fates do not like being ignored.” With that last statement, Noah shifted.
“Noah!” Dean hurried around the worktable and snagged the black cat by the back of the neck. Sometimes Dean really felt like shaking his damn familiar. “You know you can’t shift in here! You are going to get cat hair all over the place.”
Noah meowed before showing off two very sharp teeth. A threat.
Fuck! Noah really wasn’t wrong, and Dean loved his best friend. Noah called him on his shit when Dean needed it. This wasn’t easy for either of them. Tucking his familiar under his chin and against his chest, Dean closed his eyes. The magic they shared pulsed between them. Dean opened the bond. Noah was worried about him. He also feared that Logan wouldn’t understand why Dean was hiding the mating bond. As his familiar, Noah wanted Dean to be happy, healthy, and loved. It wasn’t only Dean who would benefit from Dean mating. Any boost to Dean’s magic would affect Noah as well.
“What am I going to do?” Dean mumbled into his familiar’s soft fur.
‘Mer.’
Dean chuckled. He just knew that Noah was calling him an idiot. Again.
Arriving in town, Dean hadn’t known that the territory had already been claimed by a strong dragon shifter and his unusual family. Dean had almost run but hadn’t been able to shake the throb of knowledge that he was home.
He’d put off committing until the lease for his bakery had been signed. The longer he was in town, the stronger the feeling of belonging.
Meeting the alpha and the rest of the paranormal community had sealed his fate. The quiet and very handsome lion shifter was Dean’s mate. Even though Dean shielded his full magic power and disrupted his scent, he still felt the connection with Logan deep inside him. In his heart and soul.
Due to his mate living in the big house that boarded the state park, Dean was only too happy to add his magic to the protection around the paranormal family's home. For his own benefit, Dean added an advanced warning spell that would signal him if any witch, mage, or magic wielder stepped over the boundary.
His magic probed the territory often, even as Dean tried to keep his power hidden. There were times when it was almost as if the magic inside him had a mind of its own. It didn’t. Dean could admit that his magic reacted just as strongly to his subconscious as his will. Too often Dean’s magic would test the boundary around the big house where his unclaimed mate lived.
Distance was nothing for Dean. It barely affected Dean to reach out and connect to the barrier he’d powered in the woods outside Logan’s home. He would know if anyone in his coven crossed over the barrier, getting close to Logan. Dean wanted to offer more, do more, but he couldn’t use too much magic or it would make it easier for his old coven to find him.
Regret ate at him.
Instead of running and hiding, Dean should have taken out his coven. Not everyone involved was evil though. Dean’s brother and sister, for example. They had just been misled teenagers when he’d left. Dean had been young, inexperienced, and without direction. All he had known was that he didn’t belong in the coven. His magic hadn’t liked the coven leaders or the magic around him.
If Dean hadn’t been planning his escape, he never would have found the coven’s Grimoire. The oily black magic that had surrounded that dark spell book had shocked Dean. The coven had never been welcoming or loving but Dean hadn’t once felt any of them using black magic.
Turned out there was a reason that the coven had hidden the usage of black magic from Dean. They wanted his power. Dean’s magic had been why his entire family had been accepted into the coven even though they’d never been part of a coven before.
Mage covens weren’t as common as they had been a century ago. Most mages didn’t have enough magic to even worry about learning and training. Even his own family didn’t have enough to warrant joining a coven. Not until Dean hit puberty and had nearly blown up his school one day. Once Dean’s power began to manifest, his mother had reached out to the magical community to help.
Help.
That was a joke. The coven members held their family at a distance. His mother, yeah Maria, tried too hard to fit in. Maria barely had enough magic to even be detected. Still Maria did everything the coven asked of her. Including the distance she’d put from her only son.
The coven wasn’t full of helpful or well-meaning members.
They had purposely kept Dean’s own family from him. His family hadn’t fought to be with Dean. His mother and siblings had enjoyed the lifestyle that Dean’s magic had provided them with. They might not have had community but they’d finally had money. Because of Dean. Instead of Dean.
He’d learned at an early age that money was more important than he was.
Dean had learned more from speaking with an old man who lived on the edge of the coven’s claimed city than he’d ever learned from the witches in the coven. Francis had been a true godsend and Dean’s heart ached missing his mentor.
Francis would have loved Dean’s new town. They’d often talked about all the places they would go to once Dean came of age. Dean’s mother and the coven had forbidden him from visiting Francis, but Dean was good at hiding things.
The old man taught Dean everything Dean knew about magic. The old ways. Not the popular spells and charms that the coven practiced. Real, dangerous magic.
Dean had hidden his mentor from everyone even after Francis had finally passed away at the age of eighty-two. Losing his one and only friend had sent Dean into a dark depression. He’d wandered the coven’s ugly and neglected territory day after day all alone until he’d stumbled across Noah.
Since the coven hadn’t believed in having a familiar—Francis had told him the real stories about why a mage needed a familiar—Dean had hidden Noah until they escaped in the middle of the night.
He hid a lot.
Always had.
Was still hiding.
Dean sighed from the depths of his soul. He cuddled Noah’s small soft body against his face, breathing deep. Noah’s natural calm eased his heavy heart. Just as a familiar should. Noah allowed this for a few minutes. When his familiar had had enough, he smacked Dean’s forehead.
“Alright, furball,” Dean said. “Alright.” He allowed Noah to jump from his arms. Dean quickly grabbed the lint roller from the nearest shelf and cleaned the black fur from his apron and clothes.
The bell sounded, announcing he had more patrons. Time to get back to work. Hopefully he could get through the day without thinking even more about his unclaimed mate and why Logan had been called from Dean’s business earlier.
A ball of unease curled in his stomach as Dean headed to greet his customers.
* * * * *
Logan
The howl startled Logan while sending a shudder over his entire body. He was running before he could even think to respond to the call from his packmate. Not that Logan belonged to an actual pack or pride. Axel, his alpha, called them family.
Shawn’s warning and snarls of anger were easy to pick up from the short distance Logan was from him. Logan had been stalking through the woods, making sure no one who wasn’t family had entered their territory.
Bursting between the trees, Logan raced onto the scene of what was already a fight. Logan didn’t recognize the humans that surrounded the boys, but he didn’t miss the danger they presented.
A man screamed, another one attempted to use a gun, and Logan didn’t hesitate. He launched himself at the nearest stranger, pouncing on top of the human.
The problem was that Logan wasn’t a fighter. Not a good one anyway. He relied on his mass and shifter abilities but the human that he had tackled knew where to punch.
Logan grunted as the human hammered his ribs with hard hits. He didn’t want to kill the guy. Logan just wanted to stop getting hurt himself while also keeping his family safe. Logan roared.
Using his back legs, Logan pushed the human away from him. He rolled then snapped his massive jaws at the human. The human’s eyes widened as he paled.
There! That was better. Logan wanted the human to be afraid. If he was afraid, then Logan could hopefully get him contained without killing him.
Logan’s ribs ached and he limped slightly. Must have twisted his back ankle or something. Something glinted from the human’s right hand. A knife? Oh! That must be what Logan had felt earlier from his back paw. He stalked forward, ignoring any pain. The human backed up.
Movement behind the human caught his attention but Logan didn’t stop his momentum. For every one step Logan forward, the human took two back. Logan led the human right into Trevor’s waiting arms.
The human shouted but Trevor had him.
Satisfied, Logan peered around the yard, not surprised that the fight had been over quickly. And his alpha had everything under control. Logan backed away from the activity until he was across the yard and under his favorite tree. This tree was the very best place for afternoon naps. Even in the darkness Logan could find his spot.
Logan dropped down onto his haunches then brought his back leg around. It was an awkward position, but Logan was agile enough that he was able to lap at the wound. He hadn’t sprained anything. The human had cut him. Used a damn sharp knife on him.
Even knowing he should shift a few times to heal the wound, Logan kept licking the blood away. He was dirty. His pretty thick fur was dirty. Logan didn’t like that. No, no he did not. If he could just—
“Logan.” Drake’s soft voice drew Logan from his grooming.
Logan slowly stopped licking as he brought his big head up. He always felt so powerful in this form. Even though Drake was a very old, powerful vampire, Logan could give Drake a run for his money. Not that Logan would ever do that.
“Hey, bud.” Drake crouched in front of him. “I smell blood. Hurt?”
He shook his massive head. Logan was okay.
“Can I have a look?” Drake requested.
Oh! Yeah, that was probably a good idea. Logan nodded.
Drake’s hands were gentle as he cupped Logan’s ankle. He turned Logan’s leg back and forth then nodded. Next, Drake ran his palm over Logan’s side. Logan didn’t bother to hide his wince. There would be no point to it anyway. His family was connected in ways that Logan didn’t completely understand.
“I don’t think your injuries aren’t anything a shift or two can’t fix.”
Since Logan agreed with Drake’s assessment, he gave a huff.
“Okay. The boys are headed inside. They’re going to watch a movie, if you want to join them,” Drake offered.
Logan glanced toward where he could sense his alpha and some of the other men.
“There’s still some cleanup to do,” Drake said. “Axel has it in hand. We shouldn’t have any more problems tonight, but he’d like everyone else inside where he knows we’ll be safe.”
That reminded Logan that he had left something in his room. Something just for him.
He initiated his shift.
Drake laughed. “I still can’t get over how fast you all do that.”
Logan grinned. He was so proud of his shifter side. “Practice.”
“I know. I know.” Drake rose, offering his hand to Logan.
Logan accepted the assistance. They both ignored his nakedness. It wasn’t like the guys hadn’t seen him or one another naked hundreds of times. “I think I’ll head to my room,” Logan said. He had a pretty waiting on him.
“Sure, man. Let me know if you need anything though.”
He took a step toward the back door, thankful that there wasn’t even a twinge from the cut. His ribs did ache a little but not too bad. After he shifted a few times tomorrow, Logan wouldn’t have any lasting hurt.
Logan entered the backdoor that led into the kitchen. Drake broke off, muttering something about popcorn and drinks, but Logan knew the vampire wasn’t speaking to him. His mind was already on the boys’ movie night.
Movie nights were awesome, and Logan considered joining but he wanted some privacy. Making his way up to his suite, Logan grew excited. He entered his suite and made sure to lock the door behind him. The family usually went in and out of each other’s spaces freely, but a locked door was always respected.
Still sitting on his counter was the pretty pink box.
Dean had given it to him.
A present just for him.
Logan picked up the box. He had the hardest time scenting Dean. Had from the first time that he’d met the mage. Logan had no clue why but figured it had something to do with Dean being a mage. Logan had never met another mage.
Holding the box to his chest, Logan made his way into his bedroom.
Every member of the family had a suite of their own. Well, the couples and throuples shared but having a space of their own was important. A few cottages were being added around the property as well in case anyone wanted to stay close but not live in the big house.
Gavin had already claimed the first completed cottage. Logan hadn’t quite decided if he would stay or move into one of the cottages offered as well. He loved living with his family, but it was getting harder being around all the mated couples. Logan was happy for his adopted family but that didn’t help him when he lay in his bed lonely and aching for his unfound mate.
Now that Levi had found Mason—oh! And Mason’s twin had Tristan—they might need one of the cottages, so Logan could continue to put off his decision.
Decisions sucked.
Logan hated it when he didn’t know what to do. He was also afraid of making the wrong choice. He had thought it would be okay to tell his mama that he was gay and that had been the wrong thing to do after all.
No! Logan wasn’t going to get lost in bad memories. Not when he had his pretty. Glancing down at his treat, Logan was filled with happiness. Having pretty things was so wonderful. It made his heart happy.
He stopped and placed the pink box on the nightstand next to his bed before hurrying into the bathroom.
Logan tied his long hair up in a bun while waiting for the shower to heat up. Hot showers were the best! When he had lived in his lion form for those bad years, Logan had only been able to find cold streams or lakes to bathe in. Not recommended.
Stepping inside the large tiled shower stall, he closed the glass door behind him. Steam surrounded him as he stepped into the cascading shower spray. He didn’t feel like taking the time to wash, dry, and brush his hair out so Logan kept the shower quick. He scrubbed his body until his skin tingled under the hot water. The cotton candy of his bodywash scent began to fill the small space.
Ten minutes after he’d stepped into the shower, Logan was drying himself. The mirror fogged so Logan couldn’t see his reflection, but he didn’t care. Not when he had a plan in his head.
He strolled to his closet with his towel wrapped around his waist.
The third drawer down, in the back, was his favorite pair of lounge pants. Logan pulled out the light pink silk pajama pants with a big smile. He didn’t wear one of his pretties often and never where anyone else could see.
Dropping the towel, Logan slipped the pants up on his legs and settled them on his hips.
It had been a long time since he’d given himself the time and privacy to indulge. Logan had stumbled across his secret by accident. He’d ordered a new pair of pajama pants off the internet, liking the clothing with lion heads. Well, he thought that was what he had ordered.
When the pink pants arrived, Logan was confused but curious. The silk felt different in his hands than his usual cotton clothing. He had tried them on because…well he had been curious after all. The silk against his skin? Amazing! He had loved it instantly.
After that first pair, Logan had gone on a bit of a shopping spree buying silk, satin, and lace. He’d indulged for a solid week until Nate had asked Logan to shift with him and go for a run.
The horror of realizing he was wearing purple lace panties under his jeans that day had Logan being much more careful. He never wore his pretties under his clothes if he was out of his room.
A few times, Logan had considered sharing his secret with one of the other boys or his alpha. Logan just hadn’t worked up the nerve yet. He didn’t think the others would judge him…well…he hoped they wouldn’t. Not when there were boys, subs, and littles all in the family. No one else wore pretties though. Logan wanted so hard to fit in with his adopted family that he hid this secret.
Really it wasn’t that big of a deal. It wasn’t like Logan needed to wear his pretties all the time. He just liked to be soft sometimes.
Enough! He scolded himself. He had on his best pajama pants that matched the box he’d been gifted with. Even the cupcake was the same color pink.
He would be surrounded by so much prettiness!
Logan hurried to his bed and grabbed his box.
“Come to me, my pretty!” Logan murmured.