A Prideful Mate (7 page)

“What are you going to make?”

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

48

“I can’t decide.” Adrian held up his journal. “This was my grandmother’s. I’m slowly going through her baking book. I’m up to brownies. I baked brownies yesterday but this is a different recipe.”

“I somehow doubt anyone would care if you baked brownies two days in a row.”
Who
didn’t like a brownie?

“You think?” Those green eyes looked up at him.

Payce nodded.

Adrian went back to his book. “You’re probably right. As long as it contains chocolate they don’t seem to care. They’re gonna freak when I get to lemon bars and orange cake.” Like a magician, the smaller man started pulling bowls, ingredients and baking pans from concealed cabinets.

Watching Adrian crack eggs and melt chocolate was relaxing. Payce wasn’t prepared when the interrogation began.

“You don’t have any idea who is after you?”

“Um, no.” Payce sat up straighter on his stool.

“No threats, no suspicious lurkers.”

Payce shook his head. “Nope. There were a few incidents on the job site, but nothing I couldn’t brush off as an accidentuntil they blew up my car.”

“Hmm.” Eggs were blended into chocolate before the next question. “Anyone at the scene all of those time?”

“Sure the entire crew. We’re all working on the same building.”

“True.”

Adrian was quiet for a while, but Payce was learning that just meant the wolf was thinking, not that he’d given up the idea.

“What about your foreman?”

“I’d peg him for some of the worksite accidents, but I don’t think he’s smart enough to figure out how to blow up my truck.”

“Well, don’t worry too much. Kevin and Talan will figure out who’s doing it and take care of it.”

“Not you?”

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

49

Adrian laughed. “No, I’m more of a pacifist. If they came to the house, I’d take care of them.”

The look in Adrian’s eyes told Payce he was looking at the scariest pacifist he’d ever met.

“There you are, darlin’.” Kevin’s voice was a welcome relief.

“Payce and I were getting to know each other,” Adrian said in a soft voice.

“Great. You two can bond over bein’ inferior in a super lion world.” Payce looked at Kevin to see what he was up to. There was a teasing light in his mate’s eyes as he watched Adrian.

Adrian stirred his batter as he responded. “Now, Kevin, you know we only let you live because you’re too pretty to kill. Don’t make me damage your one talent.”

“Ouch, Sugar. I think you have sharper claws than any cat.”

“Are you picking on my mate?” a deep voice asked from the doorway.

Kevin’s eyes went wide; Payce turned around. Shit, that was the biggest fucking lion shifter he’d ever seen. Neither Kevin nor Payce was small, but the man standing in the doorway made him feel as small as Kevin’s children.

Kevin got to his feet, motioning for Payce to follow his cue.

“Talan, this is Payce, my mate. Payce, this is our alpha, Talan.”

“And Adrian’s mate,” the large alpha reminded him.

“And Adrian’s mate,” Kevin dutifully parroted.

Payce heard a low snicker behind him and knew Adrian was enjoying his mate’s grand entrance.

“I hope you’re making a double batch of those brownies,” Talan said. The look of total adoration he gave Adrian made Payce’s nervousness disappear. No one who looked at his mate with such love could be a completely bad guy.

“I quadrupled the batch; the woman went hunting.”

“Lord, you’d best have those done when they get back,” Kevin said, his drawl slow and easy, relaxing Payce more than any words of reassurance could.

“And be out of the kitchen,” Talan added. “They almost trampled you last time.” Adrian popped the brownies into a couple of ovens and set a timer. “I’m sure you can think of something to keep me busy for the next forty-five minutes.” A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

50

Talan’s gold eyes flared. Without a word to Payce or Kevin, he marched over, threw Adrian over his shoulder and walked away. A minute later they heard a door slam closed and a shriek filled the air.

“Don’t worry none, darlin’, that’s just Talan’s way. I’ll talk to him later about your situation after he’s done worn Adrian out.”

After talking with Adrian and finding out what the wolf did, Payce wondered once again about his own mate. “Kevin, what is it you do?” A blush crossed Kevin’s golden skin. “I’m sorta independently wealthy. I’ve got some charities I run and I enjoy my kids.”

What would it be like to have that sort of freedom?

“What would you do if you could do anything?” Kevin asked. It was almost like he was reading Payce’s mind.

Payce took a long time to answer as he thought of all the things he liked to do. “I’d do mosaics for people. I really like doing tile work, there’s something satisfying when a project is done. But my real love is mosaics.”

Kevin wrinkled his forehead. “You mean like those pictures with tiles?” Payce nodded. “I’ve done a few pools, bathrooms and once a metro station with mosaics. It was really great.”

“Huh. We’ll get you set up with a nice business, darlin’. Tia does interior decorating for shifter homes, maybe you can work something out with her.” Payce had a feeling it wasn’t the only thing he’d have to work out with the lioness.

Kevin wondered how he could get Payce to agree to live in a pride house with a bunch of lions and no job. It looked like his mate had a few problems with Tia, not to mention the entire father thing. A few ideas spun through his head as he thought about job possibilities for the jaguar.

Payce’s cell phone rang, interrupting Kevin’s thoughts about how to get Payce settled.

Kevin watched curiously as his mate answered. When the jaguar turned pale, he stepped forward and put an arm around him.

“I’ll be there in a few hours,” Payce said before hanging up.

“What is it, darlin’?”

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

51

“That was the police. There was a break-in at my apartment. My place is trashed.”

“They’re trying to lure you back to the city. They can’t find you out here.” The pride house was buried in the mountains. Unless you knew what you were looking for it was easy to miss. Hell, sometimes Adrian still got lost.

“It’s working. I won’t be run out of my home.” The words sent a shaft of pain through Kevin’s heart. “I thought this was your home.”

“You know what I mean,” Payce said.

Kevin released his mate and stepped away. “No, I don’t think I do. You never really agreed to move in with me. I just assumed you’d want to because you’re my mate. If your truck hadn’t exploded, were you gonna come live with me?” He saw the truth in Payce’s eyes. The other shifter reached out to him, Kevin dodged his touch.

“We just met, Kevin, I hadn’t made any sort of decision. I was coming back to tell you I wanted to see how things worked out.”

“You were?” He hated the hope in his own voice. He sounded desperate. Fuck, he was desperate. There were cautionary tales about mates who bonded then broke apart. All of them ended in murder or suicide, sometimes both. A shifter who lost his mate went crazy.

Everyone knew that.

Kevin didn’t want to lose his mate, but even an easy-going man had his pride. His mate hadn’t really wanted him until they’d bonded. Now they were stuck with each other for life.

In his dreams of finding his mate none of them had involved the gut-wrenching pain of being unwanted by the one man he’d looked for all of his life.

“I’ll take you back to the city.” Tears clogged his throat. He’d be damned before he let them fall.

Payce’s fingers briefly brushed his back as he turned. Kevin stepped forward and away from the other man’s touch. He couldn’t bear to face his mate.

It hurt too much.

“I’ll go grab my bag.”

Kevin nodded.

As much as he loved his family, there was a jaguar shaped hole in his heart.

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

52

Chapter Six

Payce’s apartment was a wreck. They were escorted into the place by the same police officer that had helped with the exploded truck.

“You’ve got someone holding a mean grudge,” the cop said, giving a cool examination of the trashed apartment.

“Looks that way,” Payce agreed in a choked tone.

Kevin pulled himself out of his depression to notice that the slashing on the bed and couch, attributed to a knife, looked surprisingly like claws. He kept quiet because that wasn’t something you discussed in front of the humans.

Whoever was angry with Payce, wasn’t of the human variety.

Payce made a list of his damaged property for the police and his insurance company.

Gathering another small bag of his belongings, he followed Kevin back to his truck.

They stopped by the driver’s door where Kevin leaned against the door instead of unlocking it and getting in. “What do you want to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t want to stay with me. Did you want me to take you to a hotel?” He’d drop Payce wherever he wanted to go. He needed to get back home and lick his wounds. As much as he’d rather stay and watch over his mate, he wasn’t wanted, and as much as he longed for his mate, he wasn’t going to beg.

“Is that what you thought I was saying?” Payce dropped his bag on the ground, wrapping Kevin in his arms. “I’m not saying I don’t want you for a mate. I just think we need to discuss what I’m going to do with my life instead of you planning it without me.” Payce placed a kiss on Kevin’s head. “Don’t give up on me, my mate. I just need time to adjust to belonging to someone.”

Kevin slid out of Payce’s arms. “I’ll give you all the time you need.” He couldn’t face the jaguar. “Come on, let’s get to a hotel and see if we can figure this out.” A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

53

He’d stay with Payce until they discovered who was after his mate. Then he’d let the other man go. He couldn’t force the jaguar to want him. Words of love said while having sex didn’t count.

Payce entered the hotel, barely taking in the luxurious surroundings. He could feel Kevin’s pain through their mating link. His overtures were politely rebuffed and the sparkling shine in Kevin’s gold eyes was dull and lifeless.

He’d done that.

He’d crushed his mate.

Blinking back tears, Payce set his bags on the couch, sitting beside them.

“I’m gonna call my family,” Kevin told him, going out to the balcony doors.

Payce bit his lip, to stop from blurting out that he was already with part of his family.

He didn’t say it though. He’d lost that chance when he’d told Kevin he wasn’t at home in the mountains. He was still kicking himself over that one.

If he could go back in time and take those thoughtless words back, he would.

Kevin returned and gave him a weak smile.

“Tia said she’d talk to the boys and tell them I’ll be away for a few days. I’ll call them when they get off school.”

“Where do they go to school?”

“There’s a shared shifter and human school in town.”

“Really? The humans don’t worry about their kids?”

“Nope. There are strict rules and a shifter adult is in each classroom as room helper. We all donate a few hours a week and playtime is segregated so the shifter kids can play a little rougher. It also helps build shifter-human relations. You’re less likely to be prejudiced against shifters if you’ve been friends since kindergarten.”

“Makes sense.” He walked closer to his mate, the jaguar in him seeking his mate’s touch.

Kevin stepped back, pain flaring in his eyes. “Don’t,” the lion’s voice cracked.

“Don’t what? Don’t touch my mate. You might as well tell me to stop breathing. When I said I hadn’t planned on moving in with you, I didn’t mean never. I meant I hadn’t thought that far ahead. You immediately thought the worse, why?” A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

54

Kevin looked away for a moment, walking to the large glass balcony doors. “When I was eighteen, I was tossed out of my mother’s pride. I know it’s the lion way, but it was the worst feeling I’d ever felt. One minute I was a loved and cosseted lion cub, the next I was unwanted and alone in the world. I promised myself I would never make my children feel that way. Before I joined Talan’s pack, I made him swear that my boys could stay as long as they didn’t challenge him for alpha position. I want them to make the choice to move on instead of being shoved out of the pride. We might be part animal, but we’re part human too.

When I thought you rejected me, all of those old feelings came back.”

“Oh, honey.” Payce went over to his mate. “I never meant you to feel I didn’t want you.” He turned his reluctant lover to face him. “You’re a little overwhelming, babe.” Kevin’s eyes regained some of their sparkle.

Payce decided to chance it, he leant in for a kiss. Relief rushed through him when Kevin didn’t pull away. “I will always want you. Just because we fight, don’t think it means you’re unwanted. I might be frustrated with you or angry but I will always want you. When you pull away, I can feel it in here.” Payce touched the spot over his heart. “It’s painful for both of us.”

Kevin’s eyes glowed sadly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, darlin’.”

“I know.” Payce wrapped his arms around his mate, soaking in his scent. “We just need to get used to belonging together. Any new relationship is hard. Being bound together doesn’t mean we magically understand each other. Like anything else it will take a lot of work.”

Kevin nodded against his shoulder.

A soft chiming had Kevin reaching for his phone. Glancing at the number, he stepped away from Payce. “Sorry, I’ve gotta take this.” Payce listened to Kevin’s side of the conversation, which apparently involved building some sort of centre. He enjoyed watching his lover pace as he talked; he could see the lion stalking underneath each step.

So sexy.

Payce’s own phone rang. He didn’t recognise the number. Looking up, he saw Kevin’s eyes on him.

Shrugging, Payce pressed the connect button.