Chapter 33
Evan
There had been many times during this encounter when I’d wanted to shift back to my human form. When I’d longed for my voice so I could insist that none of these fuckers were coming anywhere near Reid.
But remaining shifted was safer. It made it easier to protect him. I trusted that Finn and the others would have my back in making sure Reid’s wishes were heard. Something they’d done in spades.
Now though, I couldn’t hold the shift back. My wolf was so shocked that he didn’t even protest, handing the reins over to me willingly.
When the shift was finished, I cupped Reid’s face. “What are ye implying, sweetheart?”
“Make me your mate,” he said simply. “I’ll officially become a McCarthy, and I’m sure these kind gentlemen will escort the Clarksons off the property for us.”
I couldn’t believe I was about to say this. My wolf, realising what was coming, tried to force a shift just so I wouldn’t. “No, sweetheart.”
Rejection flared so bright and sudden in Reid’s eyes that it was like someone had stabbed me. “What? I thought you loved me.”
“I do.” I dragged him a few feet away, not wanting an audience for this.
We didn’t go far, staying in sight but giving ourselves the illusion of privacy.
“Sweetheart, I do love you. That’s why I’m saying no.
I don’t want you to do this because you feel like you don’t have another choice, but because you want it.
We’ll find another way around this, Reid.
Don’t worry. You don’t need to do this.”
To my surprise, Reid started to chuckle.
I frowned. “What?”
“This is one of those times when we need to communicate better.” He settled his hand over my heart as he smiled shyly up at me. “Evan, I want to be your mate. I think I’ve wanted it for a while now, I just didn’t realise. I want to belong to your clan. To your family. To you.”
“You’d always be mine, but you’d never be my possession.”
“I know.” He rose on tiptoes to brush a kiss over my lips.
“That’s what makes this decision so easy.
I love you, and you’ll always let me be me.
That’s all I want in a partner. And the only partner I’ll ever want is you, so let’s make it official.
Right now. I want to flick both middle fingers up at fuckface over there before we go to the fishing cabin and you try to fuck me through something solid again. ”
Logan chuffed; the wolf equivalent of a laugh. Even Finn looked like he was fighting to keep a straight face.
Guess we hadn’t gone far enough away.
Calan, however, was still locked in. From how he was watching Neil, he was intending on making him his next meal.
“Are ye sure?” I said, searching Reid’s face.
“Are you sure?”
“About you? Always.”
“Good.” He grinned. “Then I’m sure too.”
“No,” Neil blustered, wheeling around on Benji. “You must be mistaken. That law can’t be superseded.”
“The mating bond is respected above everything,” Benji replied. “Plus, I never make mistakes about the law.”
“No. This has to happen. It must.” Neil’s whole form was vibrating. “I can’t fail.”
Several things happened in quick succession.
Neil shifted.
The Clarksons waiting behind him shifted too.
Followed quickly by Finn.
The angels threw up shields.
Finn, Logan and Calan drew closer to us, dropping to their haunches with deadly growls.
I didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly the clearing was a mass of brawling shifters. Jaws were snapping, blood spraying, bright light flaring, illuminating the chaos.
“Quickly,” Reid said, yanking his hoody to the side and exposing his neck.
He was right. We didn’t have time to make this romantic, or do it the way it should be done. But that was okay.
We’d have the rest of eternity for romance. This bond would ensure that.
“I love you,” I said before letting my jaws elongate.
My fangs slipped through Reid’s skin like it was butter. The bridge was built, and I felt Reid across the divide.
Then in my chest. In my head. Wrapped around my heart. Tucked inside my soul.
Reid was everywhere. Forever. Now, he’d be happy, safe, and loved.
And I was the lucky fucker who got to make that happen.
He gasped, but not in pain. “Evan. Oh, you really do love me.”
I laved over the bite until it was healed over. Only then did I shift back fully so I could speak. “Aye, you knew that.”
Reid rolled his eyes. “Well it’s different feeling it, okay?”
“It’s more than okay.” I pulled my mate into my arms. “Feeling your love for me might just be the best thing in the world.” I kissed him, but he pulled back all too soon.
“Um, do you think we should help?”
Oh. Bonding with Reid had made me forget that there was a literal battle happening around us. “Fuck.”
Despite being outnumbered, the inner circle were holding their own. It helped that the angels appeared to be fighting on their side, keeping the Clarksons at bay.
“I should help,” I said. “Wait here and don’t come closer. I’ll be right back.”
Without the bond, I wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving him. But with it, Reid was as immortal as I was. That didn’t mean I wanted him getting hurt, or even being put at risk, but he was right. This was my family fighting. I had to protect them.
Before I could shift, Micah’s voice boomed over the cacophony. “Enough!”
A blast of white light filled the clearing, knocking me from my feet. Shit. Panic blinded me even more thoroughly than Micah’s powers. If what he’d unleashed had been strong enough to take me down, what would it have done to Reid?
I scrambled up almost immediately, blinking to force my vision to clear. “Reid?”
“I’m here.” His voice was steady, making me sag in relief. “I’m okay.” Soft hands pressed against my chest. “You’re okay too, right? Or am I reading the bond wrong?”
The bond. I hadn’t even thought to check that. I did so now, relieved to feel how calm Reid was. “Why can’t I see?”
“Sorry about that.” A strong hand clamped down on my shoulder. Micah. “I was so focused on shielding Reid that I let a bit too much hit the rest of you wolves. Don’t worry though, you’ll be right as rain in a moment or two.”
I grabbed the angel’s hand before he could withdraw. “Thank ye. For protecting Reid.”
“Even mated, being hit by that blast would’ve hurt,” Micah said. “I can be a bit obtuse sometimes, but I’m not cruel.”
“Not just then,” I said, blinking as colours and shapes begun to take form. “Earlier too. Thank you for finding an alternative and just, you know, being decent beings.”
“Basic decency is a low bar, but if you’ve been dealing with the Clarksons’ behaviour recently, it makes sense that you’d feel that way.”
My vision finally cleared, and the first thing I saw was Reid’s azure blue eyes peering up at me.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” I whispered, cupping his face. “How is it possible that yer mine?”
I felt Reid’s quiet happiness explode into something almost overwhelming. “I could say the same.”
“On that note,” Micah said drily, “we can finish up with things here.”
Right. The battle. There were many bodies unconscious or dead on the ground, but not a single McCarthy. Benji was casually strolling between the Clarksons. Every now and again, he’d pause, slit a throat, then move on.
I realised he was seeking out those Micah’s blast hadn’t killed and finishing the job. Not permanently, of course, but buying us all some time.
Finlay, Logan, and Calan were all in their human forms now, rubbing at their eyes and muttering.
“Thank ye,” I said again. “What happens now?”
Micah inclined his head. “Like I said, Benji and I will take care of things from here. The Clarksons will be escorted from your lands and given strict orders not to return. With Reid now an official McCarthy, they don’t have a leg to stand on—legal or otherwise.
” Micah glared over at Neil’s limp form. “I’d love to say it’ll end there, but…”
“But these things rarely do,” I finished the thought for him. “Aye, I know. We’ll deal with whatever they come up with though.”
“Please do reach out to us when they do. Logan has our numbers, and we’re happy to assist. It’s what we do.”
“Thank you,” Finn said, coming up to shake Micah’s hand. “We really appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Micah winked at Reid. “Now, I believe you have plans with your new mate, so I’ll let you get to those. I don’t recommend using a tree as a hard surface though. Murder on the skin.”
Reid blushed and I laughed. “Good to know you have a sense of humour. I thought all you angels were supposed to be stuck up.”
“My mate drilled it out of me.” Micah sighed, his mock annoyance ruined by the dopey grin he was now wearing. “Never stood a chance against the cocky demon bastard.”
Calan tensed, clearly having caught the end of what Micah said. “Your mate is a demon?”
“Yes.” Micah’s tone turned frigid—evidently he’d picked up on the disgust in Calan’s tone. “Is that a problem?”
“Course not.” Calan had the good grace to blush. “Just wondered…was he one of the demons who escaped Hell a few years ago?”
Micah shot Finn a questioning look. He just shrugged. None of us knew what the fuck was going on with Calan and his odd reactions whenever demons were mentioned.
“He was,” Micah said slowly. “Why?”
Benji was staring at Calan too now. We all were, actually.
“No reason,” Calan muttered. “Forget I said anything.”
With that, he was gone, striding off into the forest. His whole form was shaking, hands fisted at his sides.
What the fuck was that about?
Logan gave a low whistle. “Yeah, we need to figure out what’s going on with him.”
“Agreed.” Finn stared after his brother, his brow furrowed. “Something’s definitely wrong.”
There was a strange feeling in my chest. An exhaustion similar to adrenaline crashing. But I was fine. As bad as this had been, I’d experienced much worse.
That was when I realised it wasn’t me I was feeling.
It was Reid.
I whipped my head around to see him swaying on his feet. “Shit.”
With a swift movement, I had him off the ground and in my arms. “What do you say to us getting out of here?”