Chapter 19 Will #2
“Nope, that’s Will,” Sage said, the pride evident in his voice.
Peter crossed the threshold and looked down at Will, who didn’t meet the vampire’s eyes. “Were you having furry sex?”
“Oh, yuck! Fuck you. Of course we weren’t.”
“Sage, you have cum on your shirt. Which honestly improves the shirt, if you ask me.”
“Ew, gross, and again, no. He just shifted after…well. You know, after.”
Peter looked at Will, the vampire’s eyes glacial and dark despite their pale blue color. “Turn back.”
Will whined. Not obeying Peter felt wrong, and defying an alpha in front of Sage was even worse, so the wolf gave in to the shift, much like he did at moonset each morning after a full moon. And that was great, apart from the fact that he wasn’t wearing any pants.
“Uhm.” He pulled his shirt down to cover himself. “Hi, I guess. I’m gonna go upstairs and find pants.”
He hurried past Peter, eyes down, hands covering his back and front bits.
“Sage, what did I tell you about house-training the young wolf?” Will heard Peter say.
When Will got back downstairs, looking a lot more house-trained, Sage and Peter were already sitting at the dining room table, and Will took a chair next to Sage.
There was an enchanted cushion there, but Will didn’t wait for it to squeeze his ass, he just tossed it in the general direction of the couch.
Peter gave him a look but didn’t comment.
“The brother drove into town in a rental,” Peter said without preamble.
“If he stayed or is currently staying somewhere, he is paying cash, and I can’t track him, but Celeste’s cameras captured a nice image of him, and the staff are keeping their eyes peeled.
I’d like to find that loup-garou and explain to him why one does not break into other people’s houses.
In fact, I’d like to have a long and intense conversation about the matter.
There are certain cultural practices I haven’t had a chance to perform in ages, and I feel this would be a good opportunity for another blood eagle. ”
Sage’s jaw dropped. Will had no idea what a blood eagle was, but he sure as fuck wasn’t going to ask Peter about it.
“Ethics expert, my ass,” Sage said.
Peter turned his nose up. “It’s perfectly ethical. It’s punishment, and punishment is ethical. Besides, the efficacy has been tested multiple times on…volunteers.”
Sage rubbed his face. “Volunteers. Right.”
Judging by the look on Sage’s face, Will definitely didn’t want to steal Sage’s phone from his pocket and google what the blood eagle was.
Peter asked them both to stay inside behind the newly enforced wards. He was going to see if he could track down the car and Ed’s murderous asshole of a brother. Until he did, there was nothing much for Sage and Will to do.
Will had looked at Sage’s phone after all, and apparently the blood eagle involved slicing the ribs away from a person’s spine and pulling their lungs out through their back.
While they were still alive. And the longer they stayed alive, the more revered the…
practitioner was. Will swore to himself that he would never ever do anything at all to upset Peter. Not even the tiniest little bit. Ever.
I’ll be very house-trained, and he’ll get to praise Sage for that. I’ll never give him a reason to scare Sage with something like the blood eagle again.
Peter eventually left, and Will relaxed.
He put Sage’s phone back down on the dining table. “Hey, do you have Carl’s number?”
Sage pulled Lemon out from under the couch, although the cushion was resisting. “Oh, stop that. You have cum all over you again. Why do you want Carl’s number?”
Will straightened. He knew this was the right thing to do. “I think he should come over.”
Sage gave him a surprised look, and Lemon almost wiggled out of his hands.
Will shrugged. “I could protect you, maybe, if I knew how to actually do witch wolf magic. Magicking you into the pond last night may have been a fluke, and even if it wasn’t, there’s no time to learn how to really use my magic in my wolf form.
I’m no good at protecting you. Not good enough, not on my own. ”
Sage walked to the laundry room with Lemon struggling in his arms. “What makes you think I need you to protect me? Sweetcakes, I’m a witch. I can give a loup-garou a hard time. And I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
Will knew Sage had no idea what he was talking about.
Sage hadn’t lived with loups-garous for four years.
Sage hadn’t felt them, their cruel touches, teeth, and tempers.
Sage was a better witch than Will, yes, but Will didn’t want to see his own mate, the person he held so dear, go up against what he knew to be so vile.
He didn’t want to argue with Sage either though.
“I’d feel better if Carl were here. Do you think that would be okay?” he asked, making sure to give Sage his very best puppy eyes.
“Of course it’s okay. I’m just surprised. And you still have my phone; the number should be in there.”
Will nodded. “Thank you.” He kissed Sage on the cheek. Lemon was throwing itself against the glass door of the washing machine while Sage was measuring out the detergent.
Will walked to the other end of the house to make the call.
“Sage? You need anything?” Carl’s voice sounded hopeful.
“This is Will, actually.” The three truly mended glass monkey figures sat on the mantel opposite him, the sunlight hitting them just so. He could do this. “I wanted to ask you for your help.”
Carl chuckled. “You want my help, pup? That’s cute.”
“Would you come over here as soon as you can? Peter couldn’t find that loup-garou, and if he comes back, I’m well aware that I’m not a match for him.”
“So true.”
“Well, are you going to help me protect my mate or not?”
Carl clicked his tongue. “Your mate, is he? And what does your mate have to say about that?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Carl went quiet. “Are you from a traditional pack, pup?”
“What if I am?”
“Then I’d ask, does your pack hold with the tradition of allowing a challenger before you take a mate?”
“Are you saying you want to challenge me for the right to take Sage as my mate?” Will wanted to scream, but he also didn’t want Sage to overhear this conversation.
“I just thought, since you were so stupidly brave in attacking that loup-garou head-on, you wouldn’t have an issue fighting for your mate’s favor. Am I wrong?”
Will couldn’t keep the growl that built deep in the back of his throat from slipping out. “He’s not a wolf, and it doesn’t work like that for him. He wants me. He loves me.”
Carl snorted. “Not sounding needy there at all. Maybe I just want the chance to make an impression.”
Will took a steadying breath. “Fuck tradition. I’m not entering a schoolyard fight with a grown man for something I already have and you’ll never get, you hear?”
“I do. Fine. I can get off early. I’ll help you, pup, but don’t you think I won’t take the first opportunity to swoop in when you mess this up.”
“I won’t mess anything up. Hello?” Will looked at the screen. Carl had already hung up. “Asshole.”
Music from the kitchen drew Will’s attention. Sage was getting ready to make lunch, and Will smiled. Watching Sage dance around the kitchen was the best way to relieve stress and get over wolves like Carl.