Glenn, Stormy - Love Sexy [True Blood Mate 3] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (18 page)

Logan let his words sink into the clan for several moments then smiled as if amused. “And yes, his name truly is Love.” He heard several people chuckle and the tension in the room eased. “He is the
beta-mate.”

Logan felt Love jerk when the clan started clapping. He flexed his finger’s letting Love know he was there for him.
“Don’t let his gorgeous good looks or sweet personality fool you. Love can be just as fierce as any of us if he needs to be. He’s already saved my life once.”

“A human,
beta?” one man asked.

“My human.”

The man nodded quickly. Even he could hear the underlying threat in Logan’s voice. Logan wouldn’t allow any disrespect towards Love. His mate deserved all of the respect due someone of his status.

Logan opened his mouth to make his opinion perfectly clear when the front door suddenly flew open and two of his clan enforcers rushed in carrying a third man between them. The man was unconscious and bleeding.

“What happened?” Logan shouted as he ran over.

“We were attacked,
beta,” Iain said. “They were waiting for us right outside the grounds, a whole group of them. We were outnumbered.”

“They who?” Logan asked.

“Coyotes , beta.”

Logan growled. His muscles tensed.

“Beta, one of them told us to give you a message,” Iain said. “It was the only reason he let us go.”

Cold dread filled Logan. “What was the message?”

Iain’s eyes strayed to where Love stood on the stairs. “They want the human.”

“They can rot in hell!” Logan snapped. “They are not getting my mate.”

“Logan,”
Iain
said warily, “I don’t know if we have enough soldiers to fight them off.”

“Then we’ll make them fight for every inch of ground they cross. Get everyone inside the main compound. I want the cubs moved to the bunker. Then go to the armory and get enough weapons to outfit everyone.” Logan glanced down at the wounded man on the floor when he began to moan. “And get the doc in here.”

People started moving immediately. Logan had ordered emergency drills in the past so that everyone would know what to do if they were attacked. He was satisfied that his clan would react accordingly.

“Love, what are you doing?” Logan growled when Love rushed forward and fell to his knees beside the man on the floor. He forgot that Love had never participated in any of the emergency drills. “You need to get down to the bunker with everyone else. It’s the safest place in the compound.”

“And you need to hold these while I work,” Love said as he pulled his ears off and handed them over to Logan.

“Wha—”

“I told you that I worked in a hospital and attended school.” Love said as he pushed up his sleeves then leaned over the injured man and started checking him over. “Well, I do. I just wasn’t completely honest about what exactly I do at that hospital or what I’m going to school for.”

“Then tell me now.”

Logan was mystified as he watched Love work. Love was usually a little off, flighty. As Logan watched him, his mate became confident and self-assured, working briskly but carefully as he tried to stop the bleeding and assess the man’s condition.

“Love?”

“I’m a registered nurse, Logan. I work in the trauma unit at the hospital,” Love said without looking up. “I’m also attending medical school to be a doctor.”

Logan stared, stunned by Love’s words. Not in a million years would he have guessed that Love was a registered nurse or attending medical school. It just didn’t seem to be something the man would be into. Love didn’t seem that focused.

“You’re going to medical school?” Logan asked.

“I’ve been going to medical school for several years, Logan. I’m about to start my residency.”

“You’re a doctor?” a sandy browned haired man asked as he ran in and knelt down on the floor across from Love. Logan recognized Darren Stone, the alpha-mate, immediately and heaved a sigh of relief. Darren could help the injured man. It also meant Asher was home.

“Not yet.”

“Then stop touching my patient.”

Logan growled when Darren started pushing Love away. He reached down and wrapped his hand around the Darren’s wrist and pulled him away from Love. “Don’t touch!”

He knew he could lose his life if Asher ever saw him handle Darren the way he was, but Love belonged to him. No one had the right to touch him without Logan’s permission. Asher would just have to understand.

Logan wasn’t expecting Love to turn and glare at him.

“Logan, we don’t have time for this.” Love gestured to the man on the floor. “This man is going to die if he doesn’t get treated, and if I heard right, you have more pressing matters to deal with than someone touching me.”

“Love—”

“Go!”

“Love!”

Love smirked. He reached and grabbed the edge of Logan’s shirt and pulled him down for a quick kiss. When Love pulled away, they were mere inches from each other. Logan could suddenly see the worry in his mate’s eyes.

“You damn well better come back to me without a scratch on you, or I’m going to be very pissed.” One of Love’s dark eyebrows arched up as if he dared Logan to argue with him. “And Logan, I’m not nearly as sexy when I’m pissed.”

Logan grinned. He couldn’t think of anything else to do in the face of his mate’s demand. He stroked the back of his hand down the side of Love’s pale face. “As you wish, Love, so shall it be.”

Logan was ready this time when Love leaned in and kissed him. He kissed Love back, putting all of his pent-up emotions into the press of his lips against his mates. He needed Love to know how important he was to him.

When Logan pulled away from Love, he held his hand out. “Knife and sheath, Iain.” A moment later, a knife inside of a leather sheath was pressed into his hand. Logan held it out to Love. “If anyone touches you or threatens you in a manner you do not like, I expect you to do to them what you did to Mick.”

Love blanched but nodded as he took the knife. Logan helped Love attach the sheath to his belt then stood up. “Remember what I said, Love. You’re first duty before any other is to keep yourself safe. I cannot live without you.”

Logan didn’t wait for a reply from his mate. He didn’t need one. He’d seen Love’s reaction in the glistening of tears in his eyes. He just turned and headed for the door. Just as he reached it he heard Love start talking and couldn’t help but grin. His clan had no idea what they were getting into when they tried to deal with his little human mate.

“Now, doc, this is how things are going to go…”

Logan shook his head and headed out. He took the gun that Iain handed to him and strapped it on. The earpiece communicator came next. Each of his solders had one. Logan hooked it in his ear and turned it on.

“
Cáel, can you hear me?” as he hurried toward the front gate.

“Yes,
beta.”

“I want you to go to Love. He’s with the Darren inside the main residence. I don’t care how much they argue with you, don’t let either of them out of your sight until I come back. Is that understood?”

Cáel was the best man for the job. He had a vested interest in protecting Love, one that wouldn’t send Logan’s possessive instincts through the roof. If Cáel was indeed Love’s father, Logan knew he had no reason to be jealous of the man.

“Yes,
beta.”

“I mean it,
Cáel, don’t take your eyes off of them.”

“I understand,
beta,”
Cáel said. “I will guard them
with my life.”

“You can let Love know that Garen is with me, protecting me. And tell Darren that Asher is going to be with me, too.” Logan knew Love would feel better if one of the guardians was with him, guarding his back. It might make
Cáel’s job a little easier. Love wouldn’t protest so much.

Cáel chuckled. “Yes,
beta.”

Logan rolled his eyes at
Cáel
’s impertinence and turned to Iain. “Okay, where is Asher?”

“He’s already checking the perimeter, beta.”

Logan nodded. “Good, now what can you tell me about what happened and who is attacking us?”

“Coyotes.”

Chapter 13

“You did pretty good in there.”

Love looked up from where he was washing his hands in the sink to see the doctor standing a few feet away leaning against the counter. One corner of his mouth lifted up in a slight smirk as he went back to washing his hands.

“For a human, you mean?”

“Actually, no.” The doctor sounded surprised. “You did pretty well for anyone in the medical field. It takes a special kind of person to work on a patient in a trauma situation. Add in the fact that wolf physiology is a bit different from humans and ninety-nine percent of the population would have run screaming from the room. You didn’t.”

Love shrugged. “I saw no reason to panic. A patient is a patient, no matter what their physiology. The man needed our help.”

Love wiped his hands dry on a towel then turned to face the doctor. He knew the man was suspicious of him because he was a human. He expected that and didn’t fault the doctor for it. He just hoped that time would prove he wasn’t someone the clan needed to be worried about.

“I’m not going to be going anywhere anytime soon, doctor,” Love said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I would appreciate anything you can teach me about shifter physiology. I want to learn whatever I can so I can be beneficial to this clan. I see no reason to let my skills go to waste just because I’ve joined the clan.”

“What does Logan think of this?”

“I don’t know,” Love answered truthfully. “I didn’t ask him.”

“Don’t you think you’d better?”

“No.”

“But—” The doctor looked perplexed, and just a bit worried.

“Logan is my mate. He is not my master.”

“He is the beta of our clan.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“But...it’s unheard of for the
beta-mate
not to consult the beta in all things.”

“Oh, I have every intention of consulting Logan. He knows more about these things than I do, and I imagine that he will be a great source of knowledge.”

“Oh, thank god,” the doctor whispered as he pressed his hand against his chest and blew out a relieved breath.

“But I will still be making my own decisions.”

“Beta-mate,” the doctor gasped, “you can’t—”

“Would you stop calling me that?”

“It is what you are.”

“I’m also a person.” Love frowned when he saw a small smirk beginning to cross the doctor’s lips. “My name is Love.”

The doctor’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” Love rolled his eyes. “Seriously.”

The doctor suddenly smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Darren Stone, the alpha-mate.”

Love felt the blood drain from his face as he remembered the impertinent way he had talked to the alpha-mate. He didn’t know much about clan stuff, but he was pretty sure he had just been very rude to the Alpha’s mate.

“Uh, nice to meet you.” Love tried to smile as he shook the doctor’s hand.

“It will be nice to have another doctor around here,” Darren said as he turned away and started gathering up surgical instruments. “Maybe together we can figure out the best ways to help this clan.”

“Is there something wrong with them?”

“Technically, no, but I’m their only doctor, except I’m a veterinarian.”