Chapter Twelve
An hour later, the kitchen was spotless, showers were taken, and bags were packed. Teagan was practically bouncing at the thought of meeting a real-life fairy, though Liam had warned them they liked to be called fae.
Teagan didn’t understand the difference but would heed Liam’s warning since he didn’t want to offend anyone, especially since he would be staying there.
Even though this was exciting, he didn’t like the fact he was being run out his own home. It wasn’t fair he had to hide when he hadn’t done anything wrong.
But at least this time you have Liam.
That still didn’t make it right.
Liam walked in, picking up Teagan’s bag from the bed. “What’s wrong, pumpkin?”
That was a way better name than brat, even if Teagan liked Liam calling him one.
“We shouldn’t have to flee our own home. I can see if I was in the wrong, but I was assaulted simply for being gay.” He dropped onto the edge of the bed, fighting back tears. Edwin and Ramos had taken enough of them already.
Setting the bag aside, Liam crouched in front of Teagan, taking his hands.
“You’re right. It’s not fair, but men like them don’t care about fair.
They hurt you once already, and I wasn’t there to protect you.
Either of you. But I’m here now, and no one is ever hurting you again.
” He squeezed Teagan’s hands. “I just need you to stay with me until I talk with the sheriff and let him know about them, hopefully work out a plan so they’ll never come near you again. ”
Teagan wasn’t na?ve. Not entirely. There were a lot of things he struggled to understand. He’d never been the brightest student, but he wasn’t dumb. “Is the sheriff human?”
“No, and neither are his deputies.” They gazed at each other, and the look Liam had in his eyes said he knew what Teagan was thinking. “It’s best you don’t know, Teag. Just trust me to handle this.”
Because he didn’t want Teagan complicit or to carry any guilt. After what Edwin and Ramos did to him, the things they’d said, and now violated their home, Teagan wouldn’t feel an ounce of guilt.
But he could tell Liam wanted to keep him innocent in this. “Make sure they never come near me again.”
Liam smiled. “You obey so beautifully.”
“I trust your voice.”
Straightening, Liam pulled Teagan into a kiss, making him feel safe and cherished.
“You taste like Hayden. You two been making out?” Teagan smiled against Liam’s lips.
“Maybe.” Liam chuckled. “Couldn’t help it. He breathed in my direction.”
“He has the same effect on me. I sucked him off one time because he was chewing grapes. The way his jaw moved made me horny.”
Liam laughed. “He’s mated to two horndogs.”
“And he loves it.” Teagan picked up his bag, but Liam took it from him in a move that barely made their fingers touch. He studied his mate. “Let me guess, it’s best I don’t know.”
That Liam was a weapon with a body count.
“See how well you know me already?” His smile felt like an understanding. I’ll always keep my mates safe, just don’t ask how.
Liam walked out, carrying Teagan’s bag. Hayden walked in, passing Liam just outside the bedroom door.
“The way he moves sometimes…” But Hayden hadn’t said it like he was admiring Liam.
“Like he’s restraining himself,” Teagan added. “He’s a wolf, Hayden. We can’t think of him in human terms.”
“Thankfully he’s our mate and not our enemy.” He stared wide-eyed at Teagan. “I bet you he’s one scary son of a bitch when he’s in predator mode.”
Teagan chuckled, loving how they always rode the same wavelength. Hayden had figured Liam out too.
They headed outside, ready to take off in Liam’s truck when Teagan felt his bladder twinge. “I’ll be right back,” he said to his mates. “I have to use the bathroom. “
Hayden groaned. “We were just inside.”
“Thanks for the needless reminder, Captain Obvious,” Teagan said over his shoulder. “Stop being a baby and chill.”
Teagan paused when someone pulled in. Aiden got out and grinned. “Had some things to do in town. Thought I’d see if you were still here.”
“Hurry up,” Hayden said when he noticed Teagan standing by the front door.
Sticking out his tongue, Teagan unlocked the door and moved hastily to the bathroom. Thank goodness he hadn’t decided to wait. Those three glasses of orange juice had caught up to him.
After taking care of his business and washing his hands, Teagan stepped from the bathroom.
And right into Edwin.
Teagan froze, his throat constricting as if invisible fingers had closed around it. The hallway walls seemed to tilt inward, narrowing his vision until only Edwin’s face remained in focus.
Edwin wore that same hateful sneer as when boots had connected with Teagan’s ribs. Behind Edwin stood Ramos, shorter but broader. Unlike Edwin’s twisted grin, Ramos looked as if he’d rather be anywhere else.
“Surprise,” Edwin whispered, raising a matte black handgun, which looked impossibly heavy in his meaty hand. “Miss me?”
Memories slammed into Teagan with physical force—boot soles against ribs, knuckles cracking against his jaw, blood slick and hot between his teeth. His legs moved backward instinctively, while his lungs seized, each breath shallow and painful as if the beatings were happening all over again.
“How—” The word croaked out, but more words refused to follow.
“Never leave your spare key lying in some drawer.” Edwin tapped the gun against his thigh. “Don’t you how dangerous that is?”
Teagan inched backward, each step measured and careful. There wasn’t anywhere to go, but his body refused to stay put.
“Stop. Fucking. Moving.” The pure hatred in Edwin’s eyes said Teagan wasn’t going to survive this.
He was facing death. Actual death. This wasn’t another beating or even a threat. Edwin was here to kill him. His hatred had festered into something terminal.
Teagan’s life didn’t even flash before his eyes, just Hayden’s smile and Liam’s voice, things he’d never see or hear again.
“Six months.” Edwin’s voice remained eerily calm. “Six months I spent locked in a cage because your boyfriend went crying to cops.” He stepped closer, forcing Teagan farther back into the hallway. “Know what I thought about every single day?”
His eyes darted between the two men as he searched for an escape route that didn’t exist.
Edwin answered his own question. “How you ruined my life. Lost my job, my apartment, and my girl left me. All because you just had to play victim.”
A laugh bubbled up from Teagan’s chest, high and brittle. “Play victim? You put me in the hospital.”
“Barely.” Edwin rolled his eyes. “Three broken ribs and a concussion. Fucking drama queen.”
Panic clawed up Teagan’s throat. Words wouldn’t form. His mouth opened and closed uselessly as his heartbeat thundered in his ears. He glanced to his right, into his bedroom where he’d just talked with Liam.
“I trusted you to keep me safe,” Teagan said out loud. “I trusted you to handle it. I need my wolf right now, so keep your fucking promise.”
Edwin’s brow furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I knew you were crazy,” Ramos said. “You just got that look in your eyes.”
“Me?” Teagan stared wide-eyed at him. “You’re the psychopaths.”
“You know what? I’m done talking.” Edwin raised the gun higher, steadying his aim directly at Teagan’s forehead. Time slowed, each heartbeat stretching into eternity.
No more words. No more chances. Just the black eye of the barrel staring him down.
It couldn’t end like this. These men had already taken so much from him. His safety. His peace of mind. And now they wanted his life too?
Fueled by rage and fear, Teagan lunged forward, grabbing for the gun with both hands. The weight of it surprised him as they struggled, his fingers wrapping around Edwin’s wrist, trying to force the barrel away from his face.
Ramos cursed, lunging to help his friend as they stumbled backward. Teagan kicked and twisted, fighting with desperation he’d never known he possessed.
“Get off!” Edwin snarled, trying to regain control.
The front door crashed open, and suddenly Liam was there, a blur of motion and fury, Aiden right behind him.
Liam grabbed Edwin by the throat and slammed him against the wall hard enough to crack drywall.
The gun clattered to the floor as Liam’s fist connected with Edwin’s face once, twice, three times in rapid succession.
“You touched what’s mine,” Liam snarled, voice barely human.
The restraint was gone. This was the wolf. The weapon with a body count. Teagan watched, unable to look away.
Edwin narrowed his eyes, his lips curled into a smile. “Do it.”
Claws slid from Liam’s hand, then he slowly pushed them into Edwin’s gut, twisting his wrist before yanking upward.
Edwin’s eyes emptied of all light.
Behind them, Aiden had Ramos pinned against the wall. Unlike Liam’s controlled fury, Aiden fought with wild abandon, landing blow after blow to Ramos’s one solid punch. It almost seemed as if… Aiden was making Ramos feel what Teagan had felt.
Claws free, Aiden tore out the guy’s throat.
A lifetime of therapy wouldn’t be enough.
“Teagan!” Hayden’s voice cut through the ringing in his ears. Warm hands cupped his face, thumbs brushing over his cheeks. “Baby, are you hurt? Are you okay?”
“I just saw predator mode.” Teagan blinked several times.
“Me too.” Hayden pulled him close, arms wrapping around him so tightly Teagan could barely breathe. But he didn’t want Hayden to let go. Not ever. “Outside, Liam ordered me to stay back. He just didn’t say how far back. I saw it all. The scariest shit I’ve ever seen.”
Maybe some part of Teagan was broken, but he didn’t think it was scary. Liam had kept him safe. He’d handled it. “Pure badass.”
Hayden groaned. “You are flipped backward, you know that?”
Liam’s chest pressed into Teagan’s back, his arms wrapping around both of them, creating a protective cocoon of warmth.
The nightmare was over. Edwin and Ramos would never come back, never hurt him again.
“Let’s go home,” Liam said.
Home. Not this small house with its cheap locks and thin walls. Home meant something else now, something with Hayden and Liam, somewhere safe where the past couldn’t follow.
Outside, in the crisp mountain air, Teagan filled his lungs, trying to clear the smell of death from his nostrils. Between Hayden and Liam, he felt anchored, protected in a way he’d never experienced before.
“Take your mates home,” Aiden said, looking back at the house. “I’ll call Zeppelin. He’ll handle the cops.”
“Thanks, brother,” Liam said. “Appreciate you having my back.”
Aiden shrugged, his gaze darting between Hayden and Teagan. “Protect mates at all costs, even if they’re not your own.”
As they drove away, Teagan didn’t look back, only forward. No more fresh starts. He had what mattered most sitting on either side of him, and that was all he would ever need.
THE END