14. CHAPTER 14
“I’ll put my armor on, show you how strong I am.”
Everett
Before I can reach the door and look through the peephole, I hear the distinctive scrape of a metal key pressing into the lock.
I freeze watching the handle turn. Who the hell would have a key to my mate’s cabin?
My head whips around the living room, looking for something I can use as a weapon.
Somewhere my brain registers that a burglar is unlikely to use a key, but panic has taken over and shut off all rational thinking.
I reach for a table lamp but it feels too light. I'm not sure how much help this is going to be, but in the movies it's always a lamp the fearless omega wields against an intruder. So I raise it above my head, moving to stand where the door will hide me when it opens.
I don’t think I thought this plan through properly. In fact, I know I didn't when the thick wooden door blocked my view, leaving me with no choice but to rely on guesswork and luck to know when the intruder is far enough through the door.
Taking a deep breath, I steel my spine, pushing any trace of fear down.
I will not risk this guy getting anywhere near my mate.
Raising the black hollow metal lap above my head, I charge forward.
Kicking the door closed, I release a wild, slightly unhinged scream as I throw the lamp, hitting my target on the back of the head. The damn thing didn't even stun him.
“What the fuck.”
“Who are you, and why are you breaking into my mate’s cabin?” I demand, eyes darting around the entrance for another weapon, preferably a more effective one. “You picked the wrong cabin to steal from…punk.” I’m aiming for threatening, but I’m pretty sure it's as successful as the lamp.
“Fucking hell, trust Henry to find a hellcat omega.” The would-be thief mutters, one hand rubbing the back of his head where the lamp made brief contact.
This stranger, who apparently knows my mate well enough to have a key to his place, stands a good head and shoulders taller than me.
Not as tall as Henry, but still towering over me, not that it's hard. He’s objectively hot, with dark hair cut shorter at the sides and messy on top.
Eyes glacier blue, a wolf shifter if I'm not mistaken.
A brief flash of jealousy courses through me, Is this really Henry's best friend, or is there more to their relationship?
That would explain why he was confident enough to just strut in here like he owns the place.
Well, fuck that. A growl fiercer than I have ever managed before escapes my lips, accompanied by a snarl.
“Hellcat?? I’ll show you a hellcat. Now, how do you know Henry?
” I ask, stepping closer, wishing I had some badass claws to threaten him with.
I’m not sure where this new-found bravery has come from, but I’m rolling with it.
I narrow my eyes suspiciously at the handsome fucker.
He could just be saying all of this to make me drop my guard so he can rob the place.
“Yes, I know Henry, little hellcat. I’m Austin, his oldest and bestest friend. I’m sure he’s mentioned me.” He says with a cocksure grin, adding a wink that makes me want to punch him in the pec.
“Actually, he never mentioned you.” If I take a little pleasure in the way that smirk drops, mind your business.
“I’m going to guess you guys had better things to be doing with your mouth than talking” Ugh, he recovered far too quickly.
“Something I’m sure you would know nothing about.” I fire back as I move to stand in front of him, blocking his obvious attempts to get further into the cabin.
I do not expect him to throw back his head, a loud guffaw filling the otherwise quiet space. My eyes flick toward the stairs, there is no way that didn't wake Henry up.
“I like you. You’re perfect for my best friend. The yin to his yang.” Austin tells me, still chuckling to himself as he wipes moisture from the corner of his eyes and holds out his hand to me. “It’s really good to meet you.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny, jackass.” I huff but all malice has drained from my voice as my cheeks heat at the compliment. I suppose if this really is Henry's best friend, and he thinks I'm perfect for him, I can’t be mad about it. “Everett,” I offer accepting his handshake.
“Get your filthy fucking mitts of my mate, Aussy.”
Henry’s voice, rough from sleep, has my cock jerking under my stolen t-shirt. Thankfully, Austin has the sense to lift both hands in surrender as he moves away from me as my mate descends the stairs and comes straight for me.
“I like you in my clothes, sweetheart.” He growls, nuzzling against my neck, making me whimper. God, that is so hot.
“That being said,” I rise to my tiptoes and kiss his cheek, “I’m going to put on more of them while you take care of your friend.”
Turning around, I wave my fingers at Austin and make my way to the stairs.
“Don’t stay long up there, I want to introduce you properly.”
“Sure thing, alpha.” I wink, getting far too much enjoyment out of the way Henry's eyes flare with heat as he watches my every step.
A naughty part of me wants to walk around for the rest of my life with my alpha’s scent clinging to my skin, his spend dripping down my thighs. Sadly, that isn’t yet socially acceptable, even within the magic of Valleywood. So, I reluctantly head to the shower.
Not wanting to leave my mate waiting too long, I make quick work of lathering up Henry's lemon and bergamot shower gel, working it into every inch of my skin. If I’m going to remove the scent of his cum, at least I can share the scent of his soap.
Which is weirdly making my cock twitch. Gods, if all it takes is smelling his soap to get me worked up, I'm never going to get anything done. He doesn’t even need to be in the same room, apparently.
Thinking of Hen’s voice, all raspy from sleep, sounding so possessive when he came downstairs has my hand edging toward my cock. I don’t want to jerk off though. As fun as a solo session can be, I have a mate now, and I haven’t even begun discovering all the ways he can make me cum.
A shiver runs down my spine and straight to my balls, making my decision to save my erection for my mate waiver.
Even with my heat gone, the desire to always be touching Henry is strong.
I get out of the shower, pointedly ignoring my cock, which is painfully hard and jutting out from my hips like it's trying to point toward Henry.
Who knew finding your mate would make your dick semi-sentient?
I’m going to need Austin to leave sooner rather than later so I can deal with this problem. I doubt it’s going to get any better when I go downstairs, in fact, it will probably get worse once I'm in Henry's orbit again.
“Sweetheart?”
I pause, towel in hand, head tipped upside down as I dry scrunch the water from my curls. I expect Henry to be in the doorway, large body leaning on the frame with a lecherous grin on his face as he takes me in, naked, wet and hard as granite. Except I’m alone. What the hell? Did I imagine that?
I hear a low chuckle. What’s happening?
“It’s the mate bond, Ev. We can communicate like this now. Can’t you pick up on how I'm feeling right now?”
Well, that's going to take some getting used to.
I vaguely remember hearing Henry's voice in my head during that first round of my heat after he marked me. I think I was too far gone to really process it then. Now that I've returned the marking bite, and my heat is over, I can spend some time cultivating our connection. The fates allow mates to communicate like this so nothing can be misconstrued. We will always feel each other even when we aren’t together. It's a beautiful thing. I can’t believe I haven’t picked up on Henry before now.
Probably because Austin rudely burst into our first proper day as mates.
Now that I’m aware of it, I can feel the thread of fate winding around my heart and leading to Henry.
Pulses of humor come through it, an underlying vein of love and adoration that almost gets stronger now that I'm focusing on it. Ohh, I wonder if I’ll feel everything Henry does when we’re in bed? That could be fun, double the pleasure.
“Sweetheart,” Henry groans in my head. Oops.
I guess he’s as excited for this new development as I am.
“Come down here and get this over with so I can send Austin home and spend the rest of the afternoon kissing your sore hole better.” Oh my fucking gods, that absolutely did not help my current predicament.
Pre-cum beads at the tip of my cock, slick leaking between my cheeks. Hearing Henry's filthy words whispered inside my head is hotter than it ought to be. A pleased rumble comes through from Henry, clearly liking the effect this is having on me, sends tingles right to my toes.
Giving up on trying to tame my hair, I leave it to air dry and pray it doesn’t take on a life of its own.
Next, I go looking for clothes. I can see my discarded shorts and t-shirt from yesterday laying in a heap on the floor.
Remnants of dirt from our brief emergency in the forest cling to the fabric.
I definitely can’t wear that. Guess I'm raiding Henry's closet.
My choices are limited, of course. My mate is a man mountain.
Every one of his t-shirts could be a dress on me, the hems brushing my knees.
His pants are longer than my entire body, I mean, technically I don’t even need pants, all my good bits are covered, but it would totally be weird to sit my bare balls on Henry's couch with his best friend right there.
What if I left a damp patch or something? That would be embarrassing.
I’m about to just give up and steal a pair of his boxers and call it done when the last drawer I open is full of basketball shorts. Score. Grabbing the first pair that will match the black Howling Grizzly t-shirt. I pull the tie as much as I can to secure the waist.
When I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror a laugh bubbles out of me. I look absolutely ridiculous, like a kid playing dress up.
“I bet you look phenomenal sweetheart, don’t worry. Breakfast is ready and we are waiting for you.”
I smile at the reassuring nudge Henry sends my way. Rushing downstairs, I’m surprised by the platefuls of delicious smelling omelettes and bacon. Was I even upstairs that long?
“How did you manage all of that while I was gone?” I walk up to Henry’s side in front of the stove and wrap my arm around his waist, leaning into his body when he closes his arm across my shoulders, dropping a sweet kiss to my curls.
“I’m not just a pretty face.” He tells me, dropping his hand to squeeze my hip. “Take a seat, I believe you have already met the bane of my life since I was just a cub. Austin Wilder.”
“Hey, your life would be significantly more boring without me in it.” Austin smirks around a mouthful of eggs and throws a wink at me. “Hellcat and I are well acquainted. I already like him better than you Hen.”