Chapter Twelve
Kye
I pushed away the thoughts of being Brodie’s mate—I could silently freak out about that later if need be, although I wasn’t sure if I even would—and concentrated on the one thing I loved and was excellent at: worshiping a man who deserved it.
The subtle or not-so-subtle flirting had been exciting and fun when I wasn’t sure if he was mine to touch. Now that I knew that he was, I could look and touch and taste to my fill.
I started with running my hands down his sides and over his thick thighs, pulling his boxer shorts off as I went. The man was a masterpiece, that was for sure.
“I love it that you’re not bulky in the way some guys are,” I murmured as I leaned to kiss the tattoo on his left thigh. I nipped at the skin as I pushed his thighs apart and settled between them. “I like that you’re proportionate.”
Brodie’s chuckle made his body vibrate. “Proportionate, huh?”
I snickered. “I didn’t mean your cock, although, I got to say it’s also proportionate.” I pushed my face into the space between his thigh and groin and inhaled. I was pretty sure he’d given himself a quick cleaning here, too, but his foresty scent and natural musk made my head spin in a good way.
“Holy shit, boy,” he grunted when I turned my head and mouthed his balls.
“How are you with edging?” I peered up at him, knowing that he’d see the mischief in my eyes.
He chuckled a bit darkly, then closed his eyes for a couple of seconds when I let my hair brush against his cock.
“Well, boy, that depends on who’s being edged,” he finally replied, challenging me with a gaze.
“What if it was you?” I leaned up and licked his frenulum teasingly. “I still want that nap, but before that?”
He seemed delighted at me or the situation or what I was about to do when he replied, “Do whatever you want, but remember there’ll be payback.”
I smirked. “I can live with that.”
The sound he made when I swallowed him down made my own cock dribble precum. I wasn’t sure how I’d survive being this gorgeous man’s lover from now on, but I’d die happy trying.
W e woke up a few hours later to a knock on the bedroom door.
“Guys? I’m done with dinner prep so I’d really like a nap before I actually cook it.”
I pushed up from where I was sprawled face down next to Brodie. “You can come in,” I called out to Carys.
“If the sheets need changing, I’m not going to want to sleep in that bed before you change them,” she said in response, still through the door.
My mind briefly went to how I’d made Brodie dizzy with my cock-sucking skills after edging him for a while, and how he had, as soon as he recovered, done the same to me sans the edging and grinned.
“It’s fine,” I assured her.
Brodie chuckled next to me. He was likely thinking about how and why+- exactly there was no cum on the sheets.
We’d pulled on underwear before we conked out, so when Carys opened the door and peered in, we were decent.
“Oh, dear lord.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, at least you both are happy.” She rounded the bed and gestured for me to move before getting into her spot. “You guys’ hair looks like you’ve been doing what I assume you did before you took a nap. Just so you know.”
Brodie grinned and sat up on the edge of the bed, then stretched his arms up high, making me tilt my head in admiration of his back tattoos and muscles and his… everything.
“By the way,” he said, turning back to grin at Carys. “I think you’re really stuck with me now. Your brother is my mate.”
Her eyes widened, and for a couple of seconds I didn’t know how she’d react, but then she let out a joyful sound and hugged me hard.
“This is awesome!”
I laughed and hugged her back, then winced when she scrambled over me to latch onto Brodie to hug him, too.
“Why is it so great?” I asked as I rolled out of bed on her side.
“Because now we’re never leaving! Not that I thought you’d want to leave without giving me a choice, but you know, I still like insurance.” She squeezed Brodie from behind once more, then flopped back on the bed, grinning like a little kid. Suddenly, she got more serious and looked at me. “I guess that might be remnants of some trauma, which I will discuss with the therapist I found online while you two were… napping .”
“You found one?” Brodie smiled. “Really?”
“Yeah, and she seems like a good one, too. I might’ve sent a message to Rian from your phone you left downstairs to ask him if it was okay to pick someone as expensive as her, but he said it was fine and he’d pay for it, so you know—” She stopped as she realized I was staring at her, feeling a bit stunned, and she deadpanned, “What? I thought this vampire fella was all our sugar daddy?”
Brodie guffawed and shook his head as he grabbed sweats and a T-shirt from the dresser. “I got to tell him that.”
“No need, I already did!” she said brightly, then burrowed under the covers.
Holding back tears, I grabbed my clothes and rolled my eyes for show, then got dressed and exited the bedroom with Brodie.
“You okay?” he murmured as soon as we were out of earshot.
I held up my hand and concentrated on getting downstairs in one piece, mentally and physically. Once in the kitchen, I leaned on the counter and pressed a hand over my mouth as my eyes filled with tears.
Brodie came to me and pulled me into his chest, then kept petting me until I was ready to make words happen.
“It’s just… she appeared so young and happy suddenly? Playful and like… like a weight had fallen off her?”
He nodded solemnly, then smiled. “I noticed. It was the first time she really felt like a teenager. I’m glad she found a therapist and I think it’s important we let her find and choose one for herself.”
“Oh absolutely.” I wiped my cheeks and reached for a paper towel. I mopped my eyes and blew my nose, then sighed as I let the tension out. “She lost the last couple of years. She was… lost, when she was supposed to be a kid, still.”
“Whatever she needs. Or you,” Brodie said firmly.
Smiling and feeling disbelief over this wonderful man, I asked, “Coffee and mate talk?”
He smiled back. “That sounds like a good idea. Let me go see if we have cookies.”
W e sat at the table with our treats, and I quickly skimmed through the rest of the chapter on mates in Dr. Finlay’s paper.
“So what she’s saying is basically that you’re now my service Dom,” I teased, as I stuffed a snickerdoodle in my mouth.
Brodie grinned. “Pretty much.” He sipped his coffee, then hummed thoughtfully. “Being someone’s mate means that you do everything to make them safe and comfortable. Kind of like a good Dominant would.”
I brightened. “But with added perks because you’re an actual Dom!”
He burst out laughing and I might’ve started to fall in love with him at that moment.
“Yeah, I suppose. But seriously though, did the good doc mention about the negative side that can happen to the wolf?”
“Like going overboard to the detriment of themselves?”
“Exactly. It’s a fine line when all your instincts are telling you to do everything in your power to make sure your mate is cared for. That means part of your job is to make sure I don’t forget myself.”
I waved my hand dismissively. “So not an issue. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a caretaker type, too. So is Carys. I’m pretty sure we’ll be the most well taken care of pack ever.”
Brodie’s expression sort of melted into what I would call “wolfy heart eyes.”
That reminded me. “Hey, are Ben and Max there yet?”
“Oh shit, yeah, let me check my phone.” He went to get it from the counter where Carys had left it to charge. “Okay, there’s a layover note from both the guys and Rian who they kept up to date, and then another set of messages from when they arrived in Seattle. He’s taking them to dinner and then they’ll stay at Rian’s place overnight. They’re going to sign up for the rehab tomorrow morning.”
I nodded, more happiness filling my chest. “I’m glad. You got to them in time.”
Brodie came back to sit with me. “I wish I’d come here earlier, but then I don’t know there was anything I could’ve done to Rusty then. Not that I liked having to kill him or even did it consciously, but….”
Life and taking one was different for werewolves and vampires. Their worlds could be violent in ways different from humans. Not that humans were non-violent, gods no.
“So, mating?” I got us back on track.
“Right. Okay, what do you know about the bites?” he asked, grabbing a cookie.
My back straightened automatically, as if I was sitting in a classroom and a professor asked me a question.
I internally snorted at myself. “Well, I know that the whole reason we have the Turning Clause in our medical records is that if someone is on death’s door, the doctors can check if they want to be turned, right? And only happens with either a vampire staff member if the patient has specified they want that, or by a fully shifted wolf member of the staff.” I crunched on a piece of amazing cinnamon goodness, then continued, “There’s different ramifications for both types of bites and the one doing the biting, because of how different werewolf and vampire cultures are, right?”
Brodie finished his coffee and got up to go make another one, because werewolf caffeine tolerance was stupid.
“Yes, exactly. So for wolves, when it’s a random staff member at a hospital or a random EMT, they don’t have any sort of responsibility for the person they’ve turned. It’s in their contracts as well. But if it’s an Alpha who turns someone, then that person is expected to have a place in the pack and the Alpha in question is to take care of them.”
“Right, okay, makes sense. Is that some sort of a remnant of old pack dynamics from days of yore?”
“I actually think you might know more about some of this stuff based on your research than I do, but I assume so.” He came back with another double-espresso and I shuddered, making him grin. “Okay, so vampires. With them, turning someone is much more intimate. Vampires often turn people they want to have around, like lovers and extended family or friends, right? It’s more of a bond, doesn’t necessarily mean there’s the caretaking aspect, but it’s pretty normal for them to stick together.”
I frowned. “What does that mean to the vampire who has to turn someone at work, though?”
“You need to ask Rian about this, he’d know. I assume the people who want to be turned into vampires in case of emergency often have a vampire they know who is then contacted to see if they can make it to the hospital or wherever in time.” Brodie shrugged. “I haven’t really paid attention to the vamp side of things, I have Rian for that.”
“Understandable.” I grinned slightly, then finished my own coffee. “Okay, but then the mating bite. That’s different, right?”
The corner of his mouth curled up and the happiness I’d seen before entered his intense eyes again. “Yes. Because of a couple of things. For one, it’s always in human form and it won’t turn you. It will change you a bit, but it won’t make you a werewolf. For two, it needs to happen on the evening of the full moon, right before the wolf is forced into wolf form.”
I frowned. “But isn’t it a sex thing? Like how do you time it…?”
Brodie threw his head back and laughed, before looking at me fondly. “Yes, it can be, but it doesn’t need to be. The bond is already there, the bite is just sealing the deal.”
“Ah, getting wolf married?” I teased.
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, that. But it’s basically a formality, because like I said, the bond already exists. For the mate, it’s carrying the scar from that day on. I suppose it’s a bit like humans exchanging rings or some such.”
“Or a submissive getting a collar,” I mused. “I’ve never thought collaring would be for me, because I’m not that serious about kink, but if that’s something you—”
“Oh, not really, no. I don’t think I would want a 24/7 dynamic anyway, especially in addition to building the pack and everything. It’s never been something I’ve wanted. I’m content with occasional scenes, always have been.” He smiled at me in a way that transformed his almost severe features into something softer. “I think we will mold the D/s aspect of our relationship into whatever we might need at any given time.”
I reached over the table for his tattooed hand and began to play with his fingers. “I think so. I don’t see there being many issues between us. We seem pretty compatible and flexible where it matters the most.”
“I think so, too. I….” He hesitated, then gave me this almost awed smile that was tinged with something I could only read as sadness. “I wish I could’ve met you under different circumstances. Not through all this tragedy.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No. First of all, I’ve lived my life through ‘what ifs’ for over two years now, Brodie. I’m done with that shit. But the other thing is, who knows what kind of people we would be if we hadn’t gotten here in exactly this way.” I pulled one hand from his and ran my fingers through my hair. “I know for a fact that I will grow to love you. That this insane chemistry between us, new as it is, will carry us a long way.”
He squeezed my hand and grinned. “Who am I to question my mate, eh?”
“Exactly. Oh!” I realize I’d forgotten to ask for clarification. “What did you mean when you said the mating bite will change me?”
This time, his grin was teasing. “What? You didn’t get to that in your studies yet?”
I stuck out my tongue at him and kicked him in the shin under the table.
“Okay, okay!” He lifted his free hand, which made me more conscious—in a good way—of the fact that we were still holding hands. “So since you’re human, what will happen is that your senses will become somewhat more elevated. Nothing superhuman, but they’ll change a bit. The biggest thing is slowed aging though.”
My eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Yeah. I guess whatever the werewolf magic or whatever you’d call it—” He gestured with his free hand, frowning at the lack of a proper terminology. “—wants to make sure the mates have more time together if they are different species, you know?”
“So what you’re saying is that my aging will slow to something closer to yours because something about the bite and/or the bond basically alters my what… DNA?”
“Yeah, or… magic .” His tone suggested he wasn’t big on the magic theory, which made me snort.
“When are you going to bite me?”
“That’s up to you. It’s either the day after tomorrow or next month.” He shrugged casually, but something in his expression told me he was still thinking I’d change my mind or push it back maybe not only now but for a while.
“I don’t have anything better to do on Sunday,” I said easily. “Might as well get married, you know.”
Again, he looked at me like I was something wonderful and a bit exasperating. “How do you want to do it? Any ceremonial things? The bite goes on your wrist.”
I gave it some thought, absently rubbing my thumb over his knuckles as I stared out the window.
Eventually, I smiled at him. “Would it be okay if we did the bite now, and then eventually, when we want to get married in the human way, we make that more memorable and meaningful. Have a party and everything?”
He smiled at me gently. “Absolutely. That sounds really good.”
“And I joked about the sex with the mating bite, but I don’t think we need that. I think I want to wait a bit until….” Until we had penetrative sex.
Again, my wonderful Alpha just nodded. “Of course. We’re in no rush. I don’t need to be inside you or have you inside me to feel connected to you.”
I raised my brows. “You’re not a strict top?”
“I’m pretty much a go with the flow kind of guy.”
“Oh….” I’d keep that in mind.
As if realizing where my mind had gone, he smirked, but said nothing.
L ater, once Carys had woken up, we gorged on tacos with so many toppings because she’d been chopping “all the things” while we napped.
Then we played Uno again, chatting about everything and nothing at all. We brought her up to speed about what we were going to do with the mating bite, and she smiled so widely that I had to hide the way it made me choke up a little.
“Okay, so, there’s one thing I want to talk about, Alpha,” she said seriously after kicking our asses in yet another round of Uno.
Brodie gave her his full attention. “What’s that?”
“Well, I would like it if you would start the renovations from the family room and my room. We have time before Ben and Max come back, right? So their room isn’t a priority right now?”
“Right, they should be in rehab for two months. Depending on whether we hire more people to help us with the renovations, I don’t see there being a problem getting everyone in their rooms and the roof weatherproofed before we’ll have real snow,” he mused.
“Okay. See, I am not sure I can sleep alone yet every night, with the nightmares and all, but I also think you two need privacy.” She waggled her eyebrows at us.
I blushed and groaned. “Really?”
“Hey, think of it this way: you can be the dads with the kid who occasionally climbs into bed with them so you’ll have to close your bedroom door if you don’t want me there.” She was holding back giggles so bad that Brodie, who was sitting across from her, reached over and poked her side to make her crack.
The squealing that ensued reminded me of her when she was fifteen or sixteen. Before things went to shit. Before I almost lost her forever.
I got out of my seat at the end of the table and went to grab a soda from the fridge for something to do and give myself a moment to get it together.
Carys announced she needed to pee and skipped past me to the downstairs half-bath.
As soon as I closed the fridge door, Brodie wrapped his strong arms around me and squeezed me.
“I adore you both, you know that, right?” he whispered against my temple.
“It’s completely mutual, Alpha mine.”