25. Keagan
Chapter twenty-five
Keagan
K eagan Aged 21
I inhale the smoke and pick up the empty bottle of whiskey and hurl it at the wall.
“Talk!”
The man hangs his head, blood drips to the floor, but he’s ready to talk. His fear is a noxious, sour scent in the air that masks everything else.
“I took her to the beach, and I held her down. She tried to fight me, but she couldn’t. I was so much bigger than her, so much stronger. I remember the way she screamed when I broke her…”
I ’m thorough when I bury the body. We’ve taken all precautions. There are no teeth or fingers, tattoos or anything else that can identify him, and we’ve brought him to the deepest, darkest part of our jungle home and buried him in the most wild place.
No one will look for him. His boat he rented will be found empty, floating off the north shore of the island. His personal items have been thrown into the ocean.
As far as anyone knows, he got up one day, went fishing, and simply fell over the side of his boat and vanished into the blue depths.
I finish putting the leaf litter over the burial site, restoring it to its previous splendor.
“This is the first time we’ve done this in a while. Are we okay?” Shale asks.
I snort. “I’m good.”
Beau laughs. “We didn’t do anything wrong. The courts found him innocent. We know he’s not. We did the world a solid.”
Shale smiles widely. “Cool, drinks are on me.”
I laugh as we head back into town.
They keep their eyes down when we pass; they call us demons under their breath.
They are so very afraid of us. They should be.
And yet, we protect them, and for that, we are respected.
Our bank account is heavy, our house is built, we have anything we could possibly want or need.
So why do I feel so restless?
P resent Day
I look at the waves coming in and glance back at Ezy, who is currently getting ready. Okay, so I’ve got a hell of a lot more respect for these three idiots than I had a few minutes ago.
“Just how big are those waves?”
“Bout sixty feet, give or take.”
“Why?” I say flatly, no hiding my displeasure.
When I glance over my shoulder, Kelly is smiling to himself. “It’s an invitation only experience. The chance to really feel the power of nature, to experience the ocean with all its glory. Look at those waves, bro, look at the insanity of them. I want to feel the strength, ride it, be part of it. Just once. I need to do this.”
I get an uneasy feeling and glance back at the Raines section of our pack.
Aspyn is edgy, too.
Shale tilts his head and considers the wave before he glances over his shoulder.
“Can you do it? Will you be safe?”
Kelly looks up. “We wouldn’t be here if we couldn’t. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to get here. I’ve been invited the last three years in a row. It’s wild.” He lets out a bark of laughter and, to be honest, looks happier than I’ve ever seen him.
I rub my chin. I’m crazy, but this is some next level craziness, and if something happens to them, it’s going to hurt her.
Nope. Not on my watch.
I plant my feet and glare at them. “You’re not doing it.”
Kelly stands up straight, but it’s Ezy who glares at me bitterly.
“Please, if we die, you’ll be happy. One less alpha to make stupid mistakes.”
Aspyn goes white. He doesn’t even notice.
I clench my hand into a fist and point at Kelly and Gael. “Don’t let them go anywhere. I need to have a chat with my boy here.”
Ezy stands up straight but lets out a huff of annoyance that only pisses me off more.
I grab him by the nape and walk him back towards the lonely stone building at the top of the cliff. There are heaps of people around, but they’re watching the other surfers out there. The stiff breeze is at our back, blowing the salty sea air straight at us.
Ezy tries to fight me, but I slam my palms into his chest and send him careening through the door. As soon as we’re in, I close the door and lock it. There’s a table with bags and personal items that belong to the surfers, their clothes and towels. Water, first aid kits. The guys who ride on the jet skis have left their personal belongings here, too.
This is fucking stupid.
“Keagan, stop,” Ezy whispers fearfully.
He backs up a step, but there’s nowhere for him to go. I grab the back of his head, and, when he fights me, I slam our skulls together. He’s dazed and stunned when I move in and kiss him.
I can’t help it. There is something so defensive and adorable about this alpha. I want to destroy him and protect him. Break him to build him up.
As soon as I draw away, he inhales a trembling breath.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you doing this? Why bond us? Why come here? Why stop me? Why kiss me? Why, Keagan, why?”
“Because.” I lean forward, ghosting my lips along his strong jaw. He clenches his fingers in my shirt and holds on to me. “You’re sabotaging, Mr Death Wish.”
Ezy stiffens. “Not true.”
“It is true, though. All these things have happened. You ran away from home, your parents died, I forced you to be mine, your omega is here, she got hurt, everything is spinning out of your control, and you feel nothing but anger that your parents couldn’t accept you for who you were, and now they’re dead, and you can never fix it. How could anyone else love you when your parents couldn’t?”
Ezy’s eyes well with tears. “How can you know that?” he rasps out.
I rest my cheek against his and wrap him in a hug so tight that when his legs give, I’ve got him.
“Because that was me years ago. But here’s a truth for you, Ezy. She was in love with you. Those emails that you sent her. She loved you enough to lie to us and try to sneak out. And I read them, and I really wanted to meet that person, too.”
Ezy starts to cry harder, more brokenly.
“Your parents can’t accept you, but we do. Let us be your people.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“But I do, I read all your emails, Ezy. Every word. I know that you like the stillness of the ocean more than the wildest waves. I know you love to eat cookie dough when you’re sad. You love action movies and fantasy books. I know you love Kelly and Gael more than anyone in the world. I know you don’t care about money or how much you just inherited, and all you want is someone who is happy to see you come home.”
“I need to prove that I’m worth something.”
“You don’t need to prove it, you idiot.” I snarl and push him back against the wall. Fine, if I can’t get through to him the other way, I’ll get through to him this way.
I open the bond and let him feel all the feelings I have for him. The fascination, the admiration, the raw sexual heat. I slide my hand down and into his pants.
“You were angry or frightened when we bonded you. It was never about what we did. It was the loss of control that terrified you.”
Ezy gasps into my neck, turning his mouth so the hot heat sits right there against my chin, our lips almost touching.
Reach out, Ezekial, reach out, and I’ll save you.
“I just want-”
“What do you want, Alpha?”
“I want a home.”
An image blooms through the bond so clearly and so detailed that I can see it in my mind. He comes home, and Aspyn rushes to greet him, Gael and Kelly hug him. I’m there grinning. Shale passes him a beer while Beau pulls him onto the couch to listen intently to his day.
He wants it more than I think I’ve ever known anyone to want anything.
“No one notices when I come home. Gael drinks too much, and Kelly is preoccupied,” Ezy whispers into my neck, answering my silent question.
I notice when he walks into a room, and I notice when he walks out, but I don’t think he’d believe me right now.
“Ezy?”
He lifts his face, and I kiss him before I can stop and think. I tease his lips open and push my tongue into his mouth, exploring every inch of this alpha that is quickly becoming an addiction for me. I pull back and realise I’ve got my fingers curled into his ass, dragging him up against my erection.
“Don’t ride those waves, Ezekial Boothe. Stay with me. Please.”
Other than Aspyn, I don’t think I’ve ever pleaded for anything before.
“I have-”
I kiss him again. “Please, Ezy, don’t go out there. You’re not in the right mindset, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“No one would miss me.”
I slam him against the wall and wrap my hand around his throat. “Did you listen to what I just said? I’m saying I, as your alpha, don’t want you to ride those waves because I would miss you, because I am worried about you. I don’t want you hurt or dead. I want you to be part of this pack.”
Ezy’s eyes widen as he stares at me. His Adam's apple bobs.
“Okay.”
I kiss him hard, and when I pull back, he looks dazed. “Good boy.”
And, to my surprise, Ezy lets out a low moan. In that moment, I wish we had more time, but I can feel the frustration of the others through the bond, so I grab him by the back of the neck and guide him in front of me.
“Let’s go share the good news.”
Ezy follows me out to the group.
“I’m not surfing,” Ezy says and swallows hard.
Gael makes a sound and stops himself. He glances at Kelly and sighs heavily.
“I don’t want to either.”
Two out of three, can I get a third? Kelly turns back and looks at the massive waves.
“I need to do this.”
The resolve, the calm inside him, tells me that he’s going, and nothing is going to dissuade him. Beau snatches up Aspyn and whispers something in her ear. She nods but looks miserable.
Kelly comes out of his hypnotised stare and turns to her and cups her cheek.
“I’m coming back.”
She nods. He turns to walk away, but she calls out his name. He looks back, and something silent is communicated between them.
“I promise, I’m coming back.”
We go to the cliff’s edge and stand there while Kelly grabs his board and makes his way down to where the jet skis will take him out.
Aspyn is all right, but I stand with Ezy, watching how he nervously watches the waves.
“They’re growing.”
“What?”
“The sets, they’re growing in height. These are bigger.”
Down below, we can see several jet skis, and one is towing Kelly out. Ezy reaches out and grips my hand. I hold him tight while Aspyn, Beau, Shale, and Gael line up on my other side.
Come on, Kelly.
They tow him right out onto the wave. I feel sick watching how tiny he is. The jet ski comes down on an angle, looking like a toy against the huge power of the wave. Kelly lets go, and he stands up, floating down the massive force like its air. The world seems to slow down. The unearthly grey green of the monster wave grows in height, the top rippling with movement. It swells larger, and Kelly floats effortlessly down the front.
Aspyn makes a small sound of pure fear, and the pack tightens around her. Shale has the bonds closed, but I feel them tighten up even more. It would not do for Kelly to be distracted. The irony of the fact we are keeping him safe after what they’ve done is not lost on me, but maybe it is time to bury the hatchet.
The cap breaks, a wall of white water moving like snow down a mountain, crashing and speeding towards the tiny figure of our alpha. I can taste the salty air, the wind is crisp against my face. Ezy’s hand is hot in mine.
We watch as Kelly disappears behind the wall of white. For one, two, three seconds and then three more. What would happen if he were to get caught in the wall of white? Would he survive it? Could anyone? Would it crush bones? Would it hold him under until he drowned?
And, suddenly, he’s there, reappearing like we’ve fucking conjured him, the devil dancing on his impossible feat, riding the wave back to safety and where the jet skis are waiting.
He did it.
Ezy lets out a sob. I pull him into my arms as a grin spreads across my face.
The son of a bitch did it!
We can accomplish the most amazing things when we try. The biggest, the cruelest, the more generous. We can do those when we’re inspired. I think of that day in the jungle. I felt the same high that I feel now.
“That’s it.”
“What is?” Beau asks Gael.
“We’re retired. It’s over. I’m so…” he pauses, searching for the word, “relieved.”
I’m shocked. I don’t know why I expected their competitions to go longer.
Aspyn is frowning at the massive waves, her brow pursed.
“I’m not ready to go home yet. We need somewhere quiet, for just us.”
My attention focuses on her, but she’s not giving anything away.
Gael turns and looks past me to Ezy. “We might know a place.”