Chapter 11 Vin
CHAPTER 11: VIN
Vin smiled as he sat drinking his mimosa and watched his mate tussling in wolf form with Silas and Aria in the open space of land between the pack complex and their forest lands. Luca was sitting a small distance away, quietly watching on with an inscrutable expression on his face. The hacker was struggling to accept Angelo’s new bond, but he was doing a decent job of hiding it, so Vin didn’t mind as long as he didn’t make his mate sad.
Vin smiled as he waited to see when the Alpha lingering in the shadows behind him would give up his silent stalking and approach, but it had been a good ten minutes so far. They hadn’t had a chance to speak alone since he’d bonded with his Angel two days earlier. Mostly because this was the first time they’d emerged from their bedroom.
It hadn’t taken Vin long to figure out how to use his vampire powers to screen the pack bond that had formed between him and the Alpha so Marco couldn’t get a read on him. He knew it must be pissing him off. Would it be a deal-breaker for him? There wasn’t much he could do if Marco made him choose between staying in the pack and keeping his privacy, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. There was nothing that could make him leave his Angel.
“I know you’re there, Sugar,” he called softly to the Alpha. “Are you trying to hunt me?”
Marco huffed and stepped closer on silent feet to settle on the blanket Vin had stretched out across the grass. It was black velvet, and it felt delicious against his legs that were bared by the skirt he was wearing. He might picnic with a bunch of shifted wolves, but he still had standards.
“Just trying to figure you out, Vin.”
“Deciding whether to let me stay?”
Marco laughed. “You are Angel’s. You will always be welcome here. I don’t have a clue how or why, but you’re good for him. I already updated the public pack records.”
Vin looked across at Marco in surprise. If he’d updated the public records, then Kyan would’ve heard. Marco was sending a clear message that any attack on Vin would be considered an attack on the pack and would be responded to accordingly. He hadn’t expected that. He’d assumed Marco would let him stay given how most supernaturals felt about mating bonds, but the formal adoption of a vampire into a pack was unheard of.
Pressing two fingers to his lips and then a fist to his heart, he bowed his head in a vampire sign of respect. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“Does that mean you’re going to do what I say?” Marco asked, his wry smile saying he already knew the answer. Vin was lucky he’d landed with such a modern-thinking shifter, or this conversation would’ve gone very differently.
“It means you have my loyalty and all of my skills at your disposal.”
Marco nodded his gratitude and looked out at the wolves, who were now lying in a pile in the sunshine. “I know just how valuable a gift that is. I’m going to need your help keeping Luca safe and finding this traitor. You have fresh eyes. You’ll see what my family and I miss because we’re blinded by love.”
“Of course. I’m honoured to help,” Vin said.
Vin might seem relaxed, but he’d angled his position to monitor the building behind them. The wolves would notice any threat from the forest before he would, but in their animal form, he knew they might not notice the signs of a sniper hidden above until it was too late. He needed to make sure his Angel didn’t have to jump in front of any bullets.
As if he’d been waiting for them to finish their conversation, Angel chose that moment to jump on him , still in wolf form. Vin laughed and bared his fangs in mock challenge as he wrestled with the beautiful animal that was the other half of his mate. He ended up pinned to the ground by the immense power of a shifter wolf, but he also had his fangs gripped tight around his Angel’s throat, ignoring the mouthful of soft fur he was stuck with as a result. He would never hurt Angel, but he’d also never be the kind of guy to submit. Angel might be an alpha, but Vin bowed to no one, and he knew his Angel delighted in his dominance every bit as much as Vin loved showing him how much he was desired.
Angel chose that moment to shift and just about kneed him in the balls as there was suddenly a very naked male body crushing his. Vin winced and flinched away, but was quickly distracted by the way his mouth was now pressed to the warmth of a human throat thrumming with the tantalising promise of blood just beneath the surface. He groaned and tightened his bite, not quite breaking the skin.
“Get a room!” Aria called from nearby, where she was getting dressed.
“I’ve got no complaints if they want to put on a show,” Marco said from much nearer .
Vin smirked, but his Angel had to swallow back a possessive growl. Hooking one foot around his mate’s leg, he flipped their positions so Angel was on his back and Vin’s skirt was dubiously preserving both of their modesty. A pair of sweatpants landed on Angel’s face a moment later as Luca chucked Angel his clothes. Vin pouted as Angel pulled them on before his mate tugged him into a devouring, claiming kiss to make up for the outrage of hiding his gorgeous body from Vin’s inspection.
“Fucking hell. Give it a rest,” Luca growled, dropping onto the grass near them.
Vin sighed and shifted off his Angel. He knew enough of Luca’s history to know why he struggled with their relationship, and he couldn’t take it personally.
“Sorry, Sugar. I’ll behave,” he said.
Both Angel and Marco looked at him with incredulity painted on their features.
“You’ll behave for him ? What about us?” Angel asked, gesturing to himself and his Alpha.
“You love me just the way I am,” Vin said with a wink.
Angel grumbled and pulled Vin back onto his lap, burying his nose under his ear and inhaling deeply. Luca looked away but didn’t complain again. Vin knew he was trying. They probably had more in common than anyone else in the pack except that Luca’s pack had saved him and Vin hadn’t had anyone to save him until his Angel. If anything, being saved had only left Luca more resentful. Vin had watched the dynamics between the wolves for years and he knew Luca’s frustration at being seen as smaller and weaker, at the way everyone subconsciously protected him. He’d yet to learn that playing into that assumption was a great way to ambush someone when they weren’t looking. Speaking of which …
“I want to go dancing tonight,” he said, twisting in his Angel’s hold to look back at him.
Angel frowned and looked like he was going to disagree. He was supposed to be guarding Luca, but he was far too jealous to want Vin going out without him.
“Why?” Marco asked.
“I want to talk to Cal and make sure he wasn’t in on that attack in his club. Hex-Rated has always rented its rooms out to anyone who meets his standards, but that’s just it. There are supposed to be standards and it should be a neutral location. He either let that guy in, or his wards didn’t work. I want to know which. If you hadn’t grabbed that body, it would’ve looked like a shifter attack on witch-owned property that would’ve started a war even if Cal isn’t a member of the Elemental Mayhem MC. They look after their own kind, and they would’ve responded with force.”
Vin could feel the surprised pride emanating from his mate as he realised Vin was looking out for the pack and he poked him hard in the ribs for assuming he was slacking off to go clubbing. It was another reminder that they might have the most intimate of connections that meant they could sense the essence of who they each were and what they were feeling, but they’d still only known each other less than two weeks and they hadn’t exactly had much time to chat.
Vin felt a deep satisfaction as he realised he had an entire immortal lifetime to learn his Angel’s secrets and what made him tick. Angel grasped his neck and pulled him into another kiss, which resulted in them being pelted with sticks by all four of the other shifters nearby. They were both smiling as they pulled away.
A flash of reflected sunlight on the edge of his vision had Vin’s smile disappearing in an instant, and he shoved Angelo off him with all the strength of the ancient predator that he was. His mate must’ve sensed what he was doing through their connection, because he didn’t resist or look surprised. He just shifted mid-air and let his body become a cannonball to knock Luca off his feet and six feet across the grass as a trail of machine gun rounds slammed into the earth where the Lunetti cousin had been standing moments before.
Vin used the same momentum to propel his body to the space between the attacker and Marco, grunting as a round that would’ve hit the Alpha between the eyes buried itself in his right shoulder instead.
The guards on the roof of the building seemed to have finally realised what was happening and Vin swore as they aimed at the flash of dark clothing that must’ve slipped through the pack lands from one of the rural roads to come at them from the side.
“Wait!” he called, using every bit of his supernatural speed to try and reach their attacker before he was peppered with bullets. They needed information, dammit!
He was too late.
Marco was right behind him, grabbing his arm before he accidentally put himself in the line of fire again and sending searing pain through his injured shoulder. It was all he could do not to attack the Alpha instinctively. Marco must’ve realised what he’d done because he held both hands up in placation, stepping back. Vin could hear Angel’s warning growl at the pain Marco had caused him even as far apart as they were. His mate was manhandling a pissed off and scared Luca back toward the packhouse and the relative safety of his suite. At least Angel had enough control not to abandon the man he was supposed to be guarding to defend Vin unnecessarily.
“We needed him alive,” Vin said, turning back to the crumpled dead form of the human on the ground. The guards had riddled him with bullets and there was no chance he was still breathing .
“I know. He probably would’ve died like the others, though,” Marco said, gesturing to the ring on his finger.
Vin knew the man he’d delivered to Marco days earlier had succumbed to the same earth magic that had killed their attacker at the cabin after the shifters tried and failed to remove a similar death ring.
“You need to ask the witches for help questioning them,” Vin said.
“Perhaps. I don’t trust the MC, though. The relationship is tense, and I can’t afford to owe them a favour,” Marco said.
“All the more reason to check Cal out. He’s your best shot if you don’t want to approach the club.”
“If he’s not in on it.”
Vin inclined his head. “Only one way to find out.”
“I’ll stay with Luca. If you and Angelo head over there soon, he’ll be sleeping.”
Vin grinned. “I like the way you think, Sugar. Just let me sort this out and change,” he said, pointing at the shoulder wound that was dripping blood down his arm.
“Don’t get distracted in the shower,” Marco said dryly.
“No promises.”
Vin stared at his mate’s ass in appreciation as he slipped into Cal’s bedroom ahead of him later that day. For such a big guy, his Angel could fade into the background easily and pass unnoticed by anyone except Vin. He would never tire of staring at his mate.
To his credit, the water witch who owned Hex-Rated had awoken and was throwing a magical attack at them before they’d taken more than two steps into the room. Vin expected nothing less .
“It’s me, Sugar,” Vin said. Cal didn’t look reassured, but he stopped the daggers of ice he’d thrown at them mid-air.
“You here to kill me, Corvin?”
His Angel looked at him in surprise, and a not-insignificant surge of possessiveness spiked through their bond.
“He knows who you are? Why did you bother with the scent blocker?” Angel asked.
“The blockers are for my security and staff who don’t know who he is. I’ve used Corvin’s services before, but I need to maintain the club’s rep,” Cal said, sitting up in bed and revealing his heavily muscled, tattooed chest.
Vin barely noticed the naked witch, but he smiled fondly when Angel tried to step between them to block the view.
“Didn’t think you went for the possessive types,” Cal said, looking at Angel with renewed interest.
Vin gripped Angel’s shoulder before he could start growling again and squeezed gently. “Down, boy,” he whispered, pleased to notice the slight shiver in his mate at the words.
He let Angel wrap his arms around him from behind as he turned back to Cal. “He’s my mate,” he explained.
It’s not like it was a secret now that Marco had added him to the pack register, but the news must’ve been slower to get out than he thought, because Cal’s eyes widened in surprise. “Good for you. Congratulations. You’ve been alone too long.”
Vin scoffed. “You can talk. Speaking of which, I’m going to make you. Sorry, not sorry,” he said. Then he sped forward faster than sound and pressed a finger to Cal’s jaw before letting his power flow into the witch. “Did you know who the man we chased in your club was?”
“No,” Cal said, his eyes burning with anger at being forced to speak, but making no effort to pull free.
“Do you know now?” Vin asked.
“He was working for Kyan and taking out a piece of scum who was working with that new anti-supe gang. You know I don’t let vamps or their minions in here. Now get your fucking hands off me before I suck all the water from your body.”
Angel growled and pulled Vin away from Cal. To be fair, he’d never stopped growling. Vin let his mate bite down on the mating mark on his shoulder in a blatant show of possession, even though it made it very hard to concentrate on the powerful witch who may still be a threat before them. New matings were intense and he couldn’t blame his Angel for wanting him away from the naked man he was touching. Just as long as Angel knew it would always be Vin’s choice who he touched. It was a moot point anyway because he would never touch anyone like that again except for Angel.
“I won’t kill you, but you let someone into your club who attacked us and tried to frame the pack. You owe us,” Vin said, letting a chill enter his words.
Cal leaned back and ran a hand down his face, looking tired. “So that’s what this is about. You want something.”
“Did you figure out how they got in?” Vin asked.
“Yeah. It won’t happen again. We’ve had problems with unauthorised protection magics. I know what to look for now. I’ve adjusted the wards.”
“Was it earth magic?” Angelo asked.
Cal frowned. “Yeah. How’d you know that?”
“There’s an earth witch working with the new gang you mentioned. They’ve been causing us problems as well. Every time we try to question someone about it, they drop dead.”
“Shit. Does the council know?” Cal asked.
“They know enough. But things are tense right now and I don’t think they want it getting out and panicking people,” Vin said, putting a warning in his tone. “The last thing we need is vigilante supernaturals taking people out and drawing the attention of the human authorities. ”
“I’m not a fucking nark, Vin. Now tell me what you’re trying to extort from me so I can go back to sleep.”
“The pack’s being targeted. I need a safe space to stash a mark,” Vin said.
His Angel stiffened behind him. They hadn’t discussed this. Vin hadn’t asked Marco either, but he was certain the Alpha would see the sense in it. He just hadn’t wanted to bring it up if Cal was going to refuse. The water witch could be prickly, but he was a decent guy underneath it all, and Luca couldn’t stay in the pack complex when he’d been attacked there three times already.
“Who’s the mark?” Cal asked, voice wary.
“Doesn’t matter, Sugar. You owe us.”
“Fuck you, Vin. I don’t owe you shit,” Cal said.
“This guy’s been shot at twice and someone tried to blow him up,” Vin said, knowing Cal was a sucker for a victim.
Cal looked thoughtful. “You’ve got a traitor in your ranks. That’s the only reason you’d need me to look after one of your own.”
Vin shrugged, neither confirming nor denying the correct assessment.
Cal swore under his breath. Something about leeches. So unimaginative. “Fine. But just him. No bodyguard. I’m not letting half the pack bunk in my club and none of my crew can know I’m helping the pack out. We’ll need a cover story. If I do this, you owe me. Not the other way around.”
“I’ll take care of it. Thanks, Sugar. You’re the best,” Vin said, blowing him a kiss that had Angelo growling again.
Cal smirked. “Stop tormenting your mate into ravaging you and fuck off.”
Angel barely greeted Marco and Luca when they made it back to the hacker’s suite, dragging Vin into the spare room they’d claimed before the two shifters had time to do more than glance up from their poker game.
Angel was all over Vin as soon as he kicked the door closed behind them, claiming his lips in a punishing kiss as he ripped Vin’s clothes from his body.
Vin couldn’t help but check the mate bond to make sure his Angel wasn’t upset. He didn’t think he was, but he needed to make sure.
“I’m sorry if I made you jealous, Angel,” Vin said.
“Shut up. I trust you. You can flirt with whoever the fuck you want. It doesn’t change the fact you’re mine. But if they touch you, they’re going to be missing a fucking hand,” Angel said, grunting in annoyance as Vin’s jeans got stuck on the boots he hadn’t taken the time to remove.
“Leave them,” Vin gasped, turning to brace himself on the wall and tilting his ass out in invitation. How could his mate be so perfect for him? Ruthlessly protective in a way he’d never had and desperately obsessed, but still willing to let him be who he needed to be to the world.
Despite his frantic desire, Angel took his time with Vin, driving him crazy before he finally lodged his perfect fucking cock deep inside him.
“Fuck, I love you. Need you. You’re everything,” Angel said as he thrust into him over and over, his fingers gripping tight to Vin’s narrow hips in a way he knew would leave bruises that would fade too soon as they both reaffirmed their bond.
Maybe he could get the fingerprints tattooed on him.
“Love you too, my Angel. Always.”