A Cold Winter's Day 25 (14 page)

“Then tell me why you are here,” Maverick snapped as he took a seat behind a large mahogany desk, waving at two chairs that sat in front of it. Malcolm released Luke’s hand and took a seat, Luke following his lead.

“I came to talk to you about D,” Malcolm started.

“You mean my traitorous ex-mate?” the man on the sofa spat.

So he was D’s mate. Luke’s heart went out to the guy. It had to be hard to swallow the fact that your mate wanted you dead. Luke couldn’t even wrap his head around that. He’d die a thousand deaths if Malcolm had done what the vampire had called his brothers to do.

“He was scared.”

Sloane laughed bitterly as he sat there. Luke could see the raw pain radiating from Sloane’s eyes. “I did nothing to warrant it. I’ve been nothing but patient and kind to him.
He’s
the one that ran from me every time I tried to get close.
He’s
the one who called his brothers to come deal with me because he was too afraid to confront me. Being afraid is one thing. I could have handled my mate being afraid. We could have dealt with that. Wanting me dead defies all logic.”

“It was a mistake,” Malcolm argued.

“Then why isn’t
he
here telling me this?”

Malcolm growled low as he rose from his chair, making Sloane, as well as Maverick, stand. “Because he’s in his room right now starving himself to death. He’s so fucking thin that his skin is transparent. He won’t eat, bathe, or come out of his bedroom. He’s trying to die!”

Luke held back the tears as Sloane’s anger turned to concern. His eyes grew wide. Luke just knew Sloane was going to go running to D, but then the angry expression was back, his lips curling up. “Good.”

“You son of a bitch!” Malcolm shouted as he leapt for Sloane, shifting into his bear form. Luke screamed as Sloane shifted into his wolf form, both snarling and snapping.

“Stop them!” Luke shouted at the alpha.

Maverick shook his head as he glanced at Luke. “They need to work this out. They’re both angry because they both love D. Sloane may not act like he cares, but he does. He’s suffering, so he’s using Malcolm as an outlet.”

Luke gaped at Maverick. “He’s using my mate to vent his anger? Hell, no!” Luke ran between the two as they circled each other, determined to stop this crazy shit.

“Luke.” Maverick called his name.

“No,” he shouted over his shoulder. “I won’t have Malcolm hurt because of D’s fuckup. The little bastard can die for all I care. Malcolm is the most important man in my life, and I won’t have him pay because he loves that little shit like a son.”

Sloane shifted, his hands fisted at his sides as he howled. “Don’t talk about my mate that way, or I’ll fucking kill you!”

Malcolm roared as he leapt, but Luke held on to him. “Just go with it,” he whispered into Malcolm’s ear.

Luke spun around, glaring at Sloane. “What do you care? You told him you were dead to him. So why do you care if he dies? Let the bastard dwindle away. It’ll be one less problem we have to deal with!”

Sloane howled again, his nostrils flaring as he looked at Luke with such hate that he should be dead. And then he started to laugh. The laughter was bitter and didn’t reach his eyes. They remained pain filled and angry. “I see what you are doing, and it won’t work. I’m a timber wolf. I heard what you just whispered to your mate. You come in here with some sob story about Dudley dying. Nice try. For all I know, he’s at home laughing over his betrayal. Fuck all of you.” Sloane all but sneered the words as he stormed from the office, slamming the door behind him.

Well, he had to give it a try.

“Give me the truth,” Maverick said as he sat back down.

Luke swallowed as he turned toward the alpha. Now that the drama scene had ended, the man looked menacingly evil sitting behind his desk. Luke scooted into the leather chair as Malcolm stood beside him, still in his bear form.

“What Malcolm said was true. D was lied to his whole life, told by his father that shifters were barbaric and would rather kill him than mate with him. He was in fear of his life.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. He lives with shifters,” Maverick pointed out.

“Have you met D? The man doesn’t have a logical bone in his body. Malcolm tells me that he threw all the food away because he watched a program on television that said it was all bad for consumption. D has a strange way of thinking, but he always has good intentions.”

“Good intentions?” Maverick scoffed. “Wanting my annoying cousin dead was good intentions? He may be a pain in my ever-loving ass, but he’s still family.”

“Didn’t you want him dead?” Luke pointed out, and wished he had kept his mouth shut when Maverick narrowed his eyes. “I’m just saying, Malcolm has told me a lot, and it seems Sloane has been on more than one hit list.”

Maverick sat back, studying Luke. And then he smiled, which made Luke’s balls unclench. “That I did. Tell me about his brothers.”

Luke wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t know much about D’s brothers. From what he had witnessed, they cared about him and were only trying to look out for their youngest brother. “They are just as blind to the truth. Their father filled their heads with hate. They are only trying to protect D.”

Maverick nodded as Malcolm shifted. He growled when he saw his mate’s naked state. “Put some damn clothes on! Those are my goodies,” Luke snarled.

Maverick chuckled as he stood. “I’ll go see Tank about some clothes for your mate.”

As the alpha walked out of the office, Malcolm grabbed Luke from the seat. “You had me fooled for a minute there. I thought you really wanted D dead.”

Luke grinned as he hugged Malcolm, feeling his mate’s cock poking him in his belly. “I was just trying to get Sloane to see that he really does care what happens to his mate. It almost worked.” And Luke was saddened to see that Sloane wasn’t going to forgive the vampire.

D fucked up, majorly, but he prayed he and Sloane could work things out. It was such a shame to see two fated people so damn miserable.

Maverick walked back into the office, handing Malcolm some clothes, and then he grabbed Luke’s wrist. Luke panicked, not knowing why the alpha had grabbed him…until Maverick held up a key.

Luke’s eyes widened as the alpha unlocked the bracelet from his wrist. “How?”

“A little gift from Ahm.”

Now Luke was even more confused. “You know Ahm?” The shadow elf was legendary in his tribe. Ahm was responsible for the slaughter of so many. And Maverick knew him? He yanked his wrist free, glaring up at the alpha. If Maverick had a key, that meant he had to be cozy with Ahm. “Do you know how many of my people he has killed in cold blood?”

“And did anyone ever tell you why?”

Why?

Could there possibly be a reason why a man killed so many innocent elves? Their lives had changed forever because of Ahm. Shanta had turned cruel and uncaring because of the war between the wood elves and the shadow elves. “Enlighten me.”

Maverick grinned as he leaned back against his desk. “I like you.”

Whatever.

“Do you know someone named Teaky?”

“Yes, he disappeared without a trace. We assumed he was another casualty of war.” That was what Shanta had told everyone. Was it another of his lies?

“Teaky raped and murdered Ahm’s sister. That’s what started the war. Ahm was looking for the one responsible.”

Luke gasped as he stood there. His head began to spin as the truth finally came out. Shanta had told them that Ahm wanted to rule the wood elves, that that was what the war had been about. Shanta swore he was only trying to protect his people. “Did Shanta know this?”

Maverick growled, standing straighter. “Shanta knew that and so much more. He even called a hit on my head, as well as three other leaders’.”

Luke felt sick. How deep did Shanta’s betrayal go? His head snapped up as he stared into the wolf’s eyes. “He is after my son, Cole. He is trying to kill me in order to take my son. Do you know why?”

Maverick shook his head as he glanced over at Malcolm, an apologetic look in his eyes. Luke had a feeling that the alpha didn’t look that way too often. “No, but you have my pack’s full support. We won’t let anyone near Cole.” Maverick turned toward Malcolm, stretching his hand out.

Malcolm shook it as he pulled Luke into his side. “Thanks.”

Luke walked out of there feeling like a free man. He no longer had the bracelet around his wrist, confining him. He wanted to shout for joy as he flipped his middle finger toward the sky.

“What was that for?” Malcolm asked as he climbed into the truck.

“That was for Shanta. That was for that stupid bracelet, too.”

“I don’t understand what happened back there. Why did Maverick need a key to take it off?”

“That bracelet is a curse!” And it was. If Luke never saw it again in his life, he’d be a happy man. “It enslaves elves, takes away their power to shimmer.”

Malcolm backed the truck from the driveway. “I wish you had told me.”

Luke shook his head as they drove home. “Even if I had, there was nothing anyone could have done about it if they didn’t have a key.”

Malcolm leaned over and kissed Luke before pulling onto the main road, making Luke even happier as they rode home.

Malcolm rolled his eyes as he chuckled. Luke shimmered from one side of the room to the other, laughing as he appeared. “I’m back!”

It was strange seeing his mate in one spot and then gone. It was like watching a
Star Trek
movie where the crew members stepped onto the transporter, their bodies fading out. But he was happy that Luke was happy.

He had no idea that the delicately carved bracelet Luke had worn was actually a shackle. His mate hadn’t said a word about it to him. “I see.”

His chuckle turned into a groan when Luke shimmered onto the bed, straddling his lap and running his lithe fingers through Malcolm’s curly chest hairs. “So, do you want to shimmer anywhere?”

Malcolm could think of only one place he wanted to be right now, and they didn’t need to go anywhere for that. “Inside of you.”

Luke yelped when Malcolm shot forward, pinning the elf beneath him, and then flipped him over. The only thing the two were wearing was underwear, something that could be easily disposed of.

“If you shimmer out of this house without telling me where you are going”—Malcolm ran one large hand over his mate’s small, flared cheek—“Papa bear is going to spank this.” He squeezed Luke’s ass cheek gently, massaging it afterward.

Luke moaned as he raised his ass higher, trying to follow Malcolm’s hand with his butt. “I promise.”

Malcolm laced a finger into the waistband, pulling Luke’s underwear down to reveal one pale globe. His cock thickened at the sight as he leaned down and dragged his tongue along his mate’s heady skin.

One taste wasn’t going to be enough.

Malcolm pulled the underwear down and off, tossing them aside as he kicked his free. He separated Luke’s cheeks, seeing the pink puckered hole staring up at him. Leaning forward, he ran his tongue over his mate’s tight entrance, letting the tip of his tongue invade.

“Papa bear,” Luke groaned as he wiggled his ass around. “Don’t stop.”

Malcolm had no intentions of stopping. He’d never given a blow job in his life, but he was about to learn real fast. He wanted his mate to enjoy just as much pleasure as he gave. Malcolm pushed Luke to his knees, separating the elf’s legs to accommodate him. “Hold still.”