Chapter Twenty #2
“What I’ve noticed about my other mated packmates is that some of them will travel until they find the place that speaks to them, and then they buy a home together.
I think it was Patrick who said he wanted to do that.
I figure we can’t go wrong by doing something similar.
We’ll go places, stay as long as we like, and then move on when we feel like it.
Your days of deadlines and clocking in are done, my precious.
I have eleven packmates who can’t wait to meet you, and they’re spread all over the world. ”
“That’s a lot of options.”
“You’re my mate,” Lamont said simply. “Wherever you are is home to me, so I don’t really care where we are.”
A flood of emotions seeped through their bond. Ewen was still getting used to the fact that he was loved and accepted, but he was getting better at it. Lamont reached over the table and squeezed his hand, letting his own feelings answer. You’re mine. Always. Just the same as I am yours.
As they finished their wine, Lamont shared stories from his early years on Earth and how much of a culture shock it was living among mortals and having to hide what he was. He had Ewen laughing as he explained about how some of the simple things mortals took for granted, Lamont had to learn.
“Wait,” Ewen interrupted. “You’re telling me you didn’t know what money was?”
“The Underworld doesn’t use currency. Demons barter favors, and Lord Hades provides everything we need.
” Lamont grimaced at the memory. “The first time someone asked me to pay for something, I just stared at them, hoping they’d explain, and then when they didn’t, I just shrugged and then quickly walked away - leaving the goods behind, of course.
It took me two weeks watching locals interact with each other, all while staying completely hidden, before I understood the concept of money, both working for it and using it to pay for goods and services.
It was a totally foreign concept to me at the time. ”
“How did you survive?”
“I still had my clicky fingers, so it’s not like I starved.
I was stronger than most, so there was always work around, and as the years passed, I managed to accrue more money than I could ever spend.
Now all our accounts and investments are handled by the Zeus network, but I got pretty good at finding ways to make money well before all that happened. ”
“Sitting with you now, it’s difficult to remember sometimes, just how old you are,” Ewen said, his grin showing he was teasing.
“Does it bother you?”
“Not really. You don’t act ancient.” Ewen’s grin turned wicked. “Well, except when you start talking about the historical accuracy in the movies we watch. That’s when your old age starts showing.”
“I can’t help it. They keep getting things wrong,” Lamont protested. “Do you know how many films set in ancient Rome have completely…”
Ewen leaned across the table and kissed him, and Lamont completely forgot what he was going to say.
“You’re trouble,” he said when Ewen sat back in his seat again.
“You like it.”
“I really do.”
By the time they finished their wine, the restaurant was nearly empty.
Lamont went to the desk to pay the check while Ewen excused himself to use the restroom.
Lamont was humming quietly, already thinking of the fun they would be having when they got back to the hotel.
The sexual tension had been building all evening, and Lamont was looking forward to seeing how loud he could make Ewen moan before they thought about sleeping.
He was just tucking his credit card away when the screech of an angered fox rang through their bond. Lamont moved without thinking, his hound surging forward as he burst through the bathroom door, slamming it shut behind him.
There were three men dressed in black tactical gear, and they had Ewen pinned against the far wall. One held his arms, another had a cloth moving toward his mate’s handsome face - fucking chloroform - while the third was reaching for zip ties.
Ewen was fighting hard. His animal side was giving him faster reflexes, but not much in the way of strength. His knee connected with one attacker’s groin, making the man grunt, but the one with the chloroform was getting closer, even as Ewen was leaning back and tossing his head from side to side.
Lamont’s hound roared with fury as Lamont grabbed the nearest attacker - the one with the zip ties - and threw him bodily into the tile wall.
The man hit with a sickening crack and slumped, unconscious.
The second man released Ewen’s arms and spun around, pulling out his gun.
Lamont was faster. He caught the man’s wrist and twisted it until a crack of a wrist bone breaking filled the air.
The gun clattered to the floor as the man attached to that wrist screamed.
The third man - the one with the chloroform - chucked the cloth to one side and drew a knife.
He lunged at Lamont, clearly hoping to catch him unprepared.
Lamont sidestepped and caught the man’s arm, using the man’s own momentum to slam him face-first into the sink.
Blood sprayed as the operative’s nose shattered and he sank to the floor.
The whole thing took maybe fifteen seconds, but to Lamont it felt like an hour. Ewen sagged against the wall, breathing hard, his fox showing through his eyes. Lamont pulled him close, checking for injuries while his hound’s snarls rumbled through his chest.
“Are you okay?” Lamont demanded, but it was hardly the time for polite chitchat. He was pissed off with a capital P.
“Yeah. Yes.” Ewen’s hands fisted in Lamont’s jacket lapel. “They came out of nowhere. I didn’t even hear them come in. I was washing my hands and then…”
“I know. I felt it.” Lamont pressed his forehead to Ewen’s, forcing his hound to calm enough that he could think. “We need to leave. Now.”
The operative with the broken wrist was fumbling for something with his other hand, likely for a backup weapon or communication device. Lamont kicked the man in the head, and that took care of that problem.
“Are you thinking this is Arcturus?” Ewen asked, still panting, but his voice was steadier now.
“It has to be.” Lamont pulled out his phone, already dialing Redford. “They must have tracked us somehow.”
The call connected on the second ring. “Stone.”
“Three Arcturus operatives just tried to grab Ewen in a Berlin restaurant restroom,” Lamont said curtly. “They’re all down, none of them are dead, but we need a cleanup crew and someone to take these bastards, because they’re not coming with us.”
Redford cursed. “Location?”
Lamont gave him the restaurant name and address. “We’re behind a locked door with the assailants, but there might be more outside.”
“Stay put. I’ll send a team. They’ll be there in the next ten minutes.
They’ll be gargoyles dressed in local authority uniforms. You’re not the only being that can translocate.
” Redford’s tone dropped to a growl. “And if anyone else tries to get through that door before my people get there, invite the assholes in and just add their bodies to the pile I’m sure you already have. ”
“You can bet I will.”
Lamont ended the call and turned back to Ewen, who was staring at the three unconscious men with an expression somewhere between shock and fury.
“They were going to take me again,” Ewen said quietly. “Again. Why do they keep doing that? They had chloroform and fucking zip ties, the same as last time.”
“They’re not taking you anywhere.” Lamont positioned himself between Ewen and the door, his hound on full alert.
“How did they know where we were?” Ewen asked. “We’ve been careful. No social media, no credit cards in my name…”
“I used my card for dinner.” Lamont’s jaw tightened. “They must be monitoring financial databases, flagging any transactions near you.”
“That’s…that’s not legal and how the hell did they get here so fast? You were paying for the meal when I was taking a piss. Flagging a transaction is one thing, but they’d have to have already been in the area.”
“Since when has Arcturus cared about legal?” Lamont checked his phone. Eight minutes until Redford’s team arrived. “As for how they found us…we’ll leave that for Redford to find that out. In the meantime, I need you to stay behind me. If anything happens…”
“I’m not hiding behind you.”
“Ewen…”
“No.” Yep, Ewen and his fox were understandably furious. “I stand with you, or you can hide behind me. And no,” he added, when Lamont’s lip twitched. “It’s not funny at all. You can crouch behind me, seeing as you’re so damn tall. Do you understand me? Together, or you can get behind me.”
“Yes, my mate.” Lamont checked the time on his phone again.
The team was four minutes out. All Lamont wanted to do was translocate his sweet Ewen back to the hotel.
He quite liked the idea of kneeling behind his mate, especially if they were both naked.
Perhaps not exactly the best time or place to be thinking that, but Lamont had to be thinking about something positive while they waited for reinforcements.
Otherwise, he might upset his sexy mate by kicking the shit out of unconscious people.
Lord Hades had taught him to be better than that.