Chapter Seven
Once Zack was asleep in bed, Colton slipped into the cramped kitchen to call Grayson. Pale paint on the cupboards. Small window over the sink, hazy with smudges. Colton watched the town through the glass, waiting until the headlights from the last car faded down the block before thumbing his phone.
If silence had a weight, it blanketed everything here.
Nothing but the buzz of a street lamp outside, distant voices somewhere below, and the faint tick of the cheap clock on the wall.
The apartment, cozy enough by daylight, shrank in around him at night, shadows squeezing between stove and cabinets.
He braced a hip against the counter, arms crossed. Stalling.
Calling Grayson had always been a simple thing. Not now. Colton didn’t want to drag his team leader into the mess swirling around Zack.
Yet, just standing there, left hand curled around the phone, Colton couldn’t get the fingerprint bruises out of his head. Every time Zack smiled, the memory clipped closer and dug in.
With a sigh, he dialed.
No pause in the ring. Just a gravelly, familiar, “Hey.”
“Checking in,” he said. “You busy?”
Grayson’s answer came with a scrape, like the man had just dropped into a chair. “What’s up? I’ve got a minute before the team links up.”
Out the window, lights blinked from another building, a string of porch bulbs slumped under a fire escape. Distant laughter floated up, joined by the swish of traffic farther away. Colton leaned in, forearm anchored against the edge of the sink.
“Just checking in,” he said. “You hear anything new on that ring outside Cathedral?”
“Yeah. More than I wanted.” Grayson exhaled, the sound low and tired. “Got word today. House on the north side of the tracks. Dogs in the basement. Got intel a fight is soon, but I need a confirmed head count before we move. Humans and animals.”
Colton’s jaw flexed. “You running heavy?”
“Not sure yet. Gotta finish recon first. It’s bigger than last time. Heard they dumped dogs in the ravine last week. Heard one might have made it, but I’m not sure.”
A burst of heat simmered in Colton’s gut. “Any word on the bastard running it?”
“Nothing solid yet. Reese thinks he’s ex-military, being real careful. Only uses burners, never the same crew. You know the drill.” Rustle of paper on the other end. “Want to get the information first, then shut it down. I’ll ping you if we need more muscle.”
A nod Colton didn’t bother voicing. Nobody liked these jobs. Not even Grayson. “Stay safe.”
A moment of quiet flowed between them, but Colton didn’t move. The view outside the window had turned full dark, only the streetlights were left glimmering on the windshields below.
“Hey, you never called back yesterday.” Grayson’s voice eased, amusement creeping in at the edges. “Figured you found company, maybe a hitchhiker with a fresh attitude.”
Colton grinned so wide his damn cheeks hurt. “Maybe both.”
“You’re in better spirits than you were last month. Good sign.” The rumble in Grayson’s voice guaranteed the bastard was smirking. “More than a passing interest? Not like you to stay the night away from home.”
He stared at the water glass next to the sink, tracing the rim with a thumb. “Found my mate.”
“Did you now.” Grayson chuckled. “Is he keeping you in line, or have you already pissed him off?”
“Depends on who you ask.” Time seemed to slow down in the kitchen, every shadow lengthening. Colton picked at a loose sliver of wood on the counter’s edge. “His name’s Zack. New waiter at the diner.”
“Short guy with dark hair?”
Colton’s head jerked up. “You saw him?”
“Stopped in for a coffee and he served me a stack of hotcakes instead. Played musical plates for the next five minutes. Finally got my coffee…and another stack of pancakes. Had strawberries that time.”
“That’s him.” Colton recalled how his mate looked yesterday when he was there. Zack, cheeks flushed, dropping to his knees at Colton’s feet. He’d had to lock his jaw so he wouldn’t proposition the guy. “He’s… something else.”
Grayson hummed. “Good fit?”
It took a moment for Colton to understand what Grayson was talking about. “Yeah. Perfect.”
“Sounds like it from your smitten tone.” Grayson snickered.
His ribbing only made Colton’s grin widen as he remembered how flustered Zack had been, racing to the counter only to end up right back at his table.
“Never met anyone like him.” Admitting it made Colton feel raw and warm at the same time. “He’s human. Funny as hell. Makes every story sound like it’s the first time anyone’s heard it.”
Grayson was silent. He never interrupted when mates were the subject. Finally, “He know what you are?”
Last night, the shock in Zack’s eyes when Colton had purred, the tremble in his voice as he tried to process the truth, made him think his mate would bolt. Most people would have run, but not Zack.
Blue might’ve been terrified, but he had backbone.
“Yeah. I’m just lucky his choice of weapon doubled as a fly swatter.”
Booming laughter erupted on the other end. “Tell me he actually swatted you with a rolled up newspaper.”
“Magazine. The front cover wanted to quiz me on my bedroom skills.”
That only made Grayson laugh harder. “Don’t want to know how you scored.”
“I’m legendary, bro,” Colton fired back, then sobered. “He’s got a brother. Guy’s serious trouble.”
The laughter died. “What kind of trouble?”
“Bad attitude. Fake charm. Saw him tonight. Came knocking at Zack’s door like he owned the building.” Craig had no idea how lucky he’d been walking away in one piece. “Didn’t like the way he spoke to Zack. Hated the way Zack braced like he was expecting an attack.”
His panther paced, ready to end the guy for scaring their mate.
Grayson’s exhale carried a dangerous note. “He ever lay a hand on your mate?”
“Yeah.” Colton’s grip whitened around the phone.
He stared at his own hand, knuckles pale, remembering how Zack had cradled his wrist. “Bruised him up already. Fingerprints so clear you could count them. Zack tried to hide it, but I saw. Guy’s not going to stop, either.
I suspect the abuse has been going on for some time. ”
The line went dead quiet, the air thick. He let Grayson think on it, eyes fixed on a slice of night between the buildings, where a moth battered itself against the apartment glass.
Finally Grayson’s voice cut through. “Is this call about backup?”
“Yeah, if anyone’s free. You know how the first few weeks are after finding your mate.
” Everyone on the team had already found their mate, subjecting the others to banging headboards, shouts of pleasure, and nearly catching the couple trying to screw in other rooms of the house.
A few times Colton thought he’d have to turn a hose on one of the horny couples.
“My back still hurts in a few places,” Grayson replied.
“Right now, the whole team’s buried in the fight ring case.
Big operation. Two, maybe three nights, we’ll have it down.
I can make some calls to find you an extra set of eyes.
See if anyone wants to earn a favor. A mate’s protection falls on all of us.
If I can’t find anyone, I’ll do it myself. ”
Craig was human. Colton could handle the guy. But if Craig made him leave Zack’s bed, prick would end up buried somewhere in the mountains. “Stay on the dogs. I’ll handle it.”
“You sure?” Grayson asked. “I’ll leave Malik in charge if you really need backup.”
“He’s human,” Colton grunted. “Just wanted to enjoy some uninterrupted time with Zack.” He still had to claim his mate. Colton stayed hard in Zack’s presence. Plus, once he bonded them, his panther would settle down.
“I’m still just a phone call away,” Grayson offered.
“Thanks.” Colton hung up and stared out the window, trying to picture Zack’s brother, but all he saw was the shape of Zack’s face when he smiled, that wicked gleam in his eye when he’d pounced earlier.
Turning off the kitchen lights, he padded to the bedroom.
Zack’s hand was curled close to his chest, the bruised wrist still a dark band shadowing his pale skin. He slept in a tiny curl, legs drawn in, like he was trying to protect his ribs from taking another hit.
Colton slid down carefully, mattress squeaking under his weight, while listening to the steady, even sound of his mate’s breathing.
There was nothing special in the room. No art on the walls.
No trophies or medals, nothing that said anybody had ever thought of Zack as more than a placeholder in someone else’s story.
But somehow, with his mate tucked into the sheets, the place felt crowded with a thousand better memories waiting to happen.
Moving slow, Colton curved his body around Zack’s.
Pressed close, one arm wrapping over, hand cupping the groove where Zack’s hip flared warm and solid.
With every shift, Zack’s body melted deeper into the hold, tension evaporating even in sleep.
Faint hint of sweat and laundry soap clung to his hair.
For a while, Colton watched the rise and fall, counting the rhythm until his own slowed to match.
Drifting, Colton thought of all the things he could do to keep Zack out of harm’s way. He’d owned his own security firm for decades, and possessed the skills to protect one small human.
Years of punching out threats on the wrong side of town, never feeling this outmatched. It was more than just a drive to protect. It was the way Zack’s voice, even the nervous version, made Colton want to listen, made the hours slip by as if real life waited somewhere else.
He angled his head down, breathing in the scent of Zack’s neck, careful not to wake him. Even asleep, his Blue found a way to tangle their legs together, holding him close. Sleeping with Zack meant drifting in and out of awareness, always knowing his mate was safe.
For the first time in three hundred years, Colton didn’t want to drift far.
Sometime around midnight, Zack rolled and shoved his face up under Colton’s chin, mumbling a nonsense word and curling in.
A laugh, quiet and rough, caught in Colton’s chest, but he didn’t move. This was exactly where he wanted to be. Where he was meant to be.
When sleep finally came for him, he let it. Still curled tight around his mate, holding on to what he’d spent centuries searching for.