Take My Hand [Brac Pack 28] (8 page)

“But I thought you said we already had a connection?” Why in the hell was Raven making him think right now? Darcy could barely string two thoughts together while Raven was buried in his ass and the man wanted to talk?
The side of Raven’s mouth lifted in a half smile, and then he nuzzled his face in Darcy’s neck. Darcy shouted, his hips snapping up when Raven bit into his neck.
Fuck!
His semen shot from his cock in a wet, sticky mess, wetting his and Raven’s abdomens thoroughly. Raven grunted, fucking Darcy harder, pounding into him mercilessly, and then Darcy felt Raven’s cock pulsing in his ass.
“Oh, gods!” Darcy cried out, feeling as if his mind and body had just separated. He gasped, sucking in lungfuls of air as he tried to settle his raging heart. His mind and body fell back together, leaving Darcy a quivering mess as he lay under Raven, soaked in sweat and seed, and regretting none of it.
Never had he thought it would be this good with a man, let alone a vampire. His breath stuttered as he slowly opened his eyes, staring into a black canvas that twinkled back at him.
Raven lowered his head and licked Darcy’s neck. He pulled back and kissed Darcy’s jaw lightly, a feathered touch.“You belong to me now, Darcy.”

Raven hated to leave Darcy ’s bed. It felt good and right to lie next to his mate. What they had shared together was beyond Raven’s wildest hopes. His mate had fit around Raven’s cock like a tight glove, bringing him so much pleasure that all Raven could do was sigh in contentment at the memory.

And the claiming? Raven shivered at the thought of tasting Darcy’s sweet blood again while being buried deep in the man’s tight ass.

He hated to leave, but he needed to find out who attacked Darcy, and he needed to make sure Sterling was okay. Darcy would go nuts if something happened to his little brother.

But Raven had a feeling Riley Lakeland had things covered when it came to Sterling’s safety. It hadn’t slipped his notice that Riley had bolted from the house when they heard Darcy shouting. The man had looked murderous as everyone raced to the humans’ cries.

And if Raven ever saw a shifter attacking his mate again, he would probably die of a heart attack. Just seeing that shifter sitting on Darcy’s chest had caused anger and retribution to boil inside of Raven.

He tucked Darcy in and then stood by the bed, looking down at his human mate. Raven was still trying to adjust to his new life since his father had disowned him. Raven hadn’t thought Magnum had it in him to turn his back on his sons, but he had with a coldness that still made Raven shiver. The man was an asshole, but he was Raven’s father. He had loved the man, even after he saw Magnum for what the man truly was.

When his father disowned him, a part of Raven had died. He knew he would choose his brothers over the man who had ruled over his life since his birth, but it didn’t take away the hurt that Raven felt every time he thought of the betrayal.

One thing did comfort him, though. There were no more rules and stringent guidelines to follow. Raven was free to live his life how he saw fit. Even though his father had been a force to be reckoned with, Raven reveled in the fact that he didn’t have a damn soul to answer to.

There was no denying that being with Darcy was both exhilarating and strange.
Damn, he had slept with a man.
A human male.
As he stared down at his sleeping mate, Raven’s heart clenched, feeling as though it were going to shatter into a thousand pieces when he thought about being without his mate. Male or human, Raven was going to do whatever it took to make his mate happy.
I haven’t seen that shine in so long that I sometimes wonder if it was ever there. Help him get it back, Raven.
Raven was determined to put the shine back in Darcy’s eyes. The man was simply beautiful. His mate had shown so much bravery last night when defending his brother, but Raven had also seen the vulnerability in the man’s eyes. He wanted to shelter Darcy from the world, but knew the man wouldn’t let him.
Darcy, if nothing else, was a very stubborn man. He could not only tell by his mate’s mannerism, but the steel glint in his eyes. Darcy was nobody’s fool.
And that made Raven even more proud of the man.
He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, wondering if he could take care of a mate. Financially he could, but what if he failed to protect him? He wasn’t doing a bang-up job so far with letting Darcy get attacked.
Speaking of…

Raven gave one last glance at Darcy and then headed downstairs. He wanted answers. He wanted to know who the man who attacked Darcy was before he killed him.

Raven felt as though he was walking into a warm and loving kitchen. The men sat around the table, all looking at him with concern in their eyes. Raven was momentarily taken aback. He had seen how the bears acted with their mates, but he never thought to see such concern for Darcy from them.

They were shifters. He was a vampire. Raven knew his father had taught him and his brothers all the hateful things a man held in his heart. But seeing that shifters were truly kind and generous, not savages, made Raven hate his father even more.

“ He’s sleeping.”
“How’s his face?” Chance, one of the twin bears, asked. “Healed.” Raven took a seat at the table, folding his arms over his

It was Bryce Lakeland who sat back, sighing heavily. Raven had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the words that followed that sound.
“Apparently there are some new shifters in town. Maverick sent them to the Manchesters’ old farmhouse, but their enemies weren’t too far behind.”
Wait, what?
“How do you know that shifter that attacked Sterling and Darcy wasn’t one of the men the alpha allowed to stay here?”
Malcolm picked up his cup of coffee, taking a long sip before glancing over at Raven.“I know you don’t trust shifters, Raven, but I’m here to tell you that Maverick put the fear of the gods into them before allowing them to stay. They would be fools to come here looking for trouble.”
Yeah, that was like a dog owner saying,“He’s never bitten anyone before.” Raven didn’t trust the newcomers no matter what Maverick may have threatened them with. He didn’t even know who
they
were. But he half-ass trusted the Lakelands. Strangers had nothing coming from him.
“So if he is the newcomers’ enemy, why did he come here and attack Sterling?”
Raven noticed Riley shift in his seat, his jaw clenched tight.“How is Sterling?” he asked the oldest Lakeland brother.
“Sleeping.” Riley’s answer was clipped.
Did no one else see that Sterling was more than likely Riley’s mate? There was no way Raven was the only one who saw the way Riley was acting when it came to Darcy’s younger brother.
“We are still trying to figure out why Sterling was attacked,” Malcolm answered.
“What did you do, kill him?” Killing the guy was the only reason Raven could see that the shifter wouldn’t answer a mob of angry bears. Too bad, he would have loved to have found out why the man had attacked Sterling and then Darcy.
“No, but Riley broke his jaw,” Malcolm said and then shot Riley a peeved look.“And now the man refuses to shift to heal. Maverick is on his way over to take the shifter off of our hands.”
Riley leaned forward, his nostrils flaring slightly as his top lip pulled back into a snarl. The look was dark, his black brows pulling down angrily.“Just give him to me. I can make sure he never speaks again.”
“Watch your tone, son,” Malcolm said as he sat his coffee mug down.“I told you, I won’t allow you to turn into a murderer. Let’s find out why he attacked Sterling and Darcy before justice is dispensed.”
Riley sat back and snorted. Was Sterling rubbing off on the bear already?“I’d like a crack at him as well,” Raven said with a nod.
“Your mate is healed and resting. Let’s stay calm here.”
Raven was shocked that Malcolm knew Darcy was his mate. He hadn’t said a word to anyone. Maybe the way Raven had come racing out of the house and pulled the damn shifter off of Darcy was a huge clue. The shifter better be lucky he was still breathing. Riley had ripped the man from Raven’s arms before he had a chance to do anything, and then he had seen his mate’s bloody face and lost all thought about the attacker. His only goal was getting Darcy inside and healed.
Malcolm grinned at Raven. The smile was mischievous.“Just because I’m an old bear doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on in my own home.” The bear’s eyes slid over to Riley and then back to Raven.“I’m not out to pasture just yet.”
“But you will be if you don’t get up here and put Cole to sleep,” Luke, Malcolm’s mate, called from upstairs.
Malcolm chuckled as he walked his cup to the sink.“Yes, sir,” he said playfully and then headed out of the kitchen.
“Where did Pa hide him?” Riley asked Chance as he stood, looking toward the back door.
“Oh, hell no. You are
not
going to have Pa pissed at me,” Chance said as he stood.“I know nothing about where that shifter is being held.”
“He’s tied up in the barn,” Chauncey said as he walked into the kitchen.“Oops.” He grinned.“Wasn’t supposed to tell you that.”
Raven watched Riley push the screen door open and head out. The bear looked downright pissed.
“Pa!” Chance shouted.“Your dumbass son told Riley where the shifter was.”
“Snitch,” Chauncey said as he grinned.
Chance flipped him off as Malcolm raced down the steps and out the back door, but not before cuffing Chauncey on the back of his head.
“Damn it, Chance.” Chauncey scowled at his twin and then walked out of the kitchen, rubbing where his father had smacked him.
Chance chuckled.“Gods, I love living here.”
Raven was starting to see why. As loony as these bears acted, he could see the love they had for one another in everything that they did. It was the polar opposite to the way he had grown up. It was a wonder Raven wasn’t a coldhearted bastard from the way Magnum had raised him.
He knew that it was Daniel and Dudley who kept the humanity in Raven and Remus. Both of his brothers kept Raven and Remus from becoming just like their father, although it had been close. By the time their father had kicked them out, Raven was teetering on the edge between good and jackass.
Which side won was still in question some days.
“I’m going to check on Seth and Oscar. Have fun,” Chance said before he walked out, leaving Raven standing there in the kitchen by himself. His eyes snapped up when the back door opened and Maverick walked in, a few men trailing in behind him. Raven would never get used to how tall and menacing the man looked at times. The alpha put Magnum to shame in the scary department.
“Hello, Raven,” Maverick said, a smirk on his face.“Nice to see you again.”
Raven had met Maverick when he went to the alpha’s house to kill Sloane, Maverick’s cousin. Sloane was mated to Raven’s youngest brother, Dudley. It hadn’t been pretty. Magnum was the one who sent Raven, Remus, and Daniel after Sloane. That hadn’t worked out so well. And honestly, Raven hadn’t wanted to hurt the man. All he wanted was for Dudley to be happy. And his youngest brother was, although Sloane was still pissed at them for trying to kill him.
Since living here at the Lakelands’, Raven hadn’t seen Maverick. He had forgotten how damn big the man was.
“Alpha,” Raven replied, dipping his head slightly in respect. He may have been raised to believe shifters were beneath him, but Raven was no fool.
Secretly, he liked Maverick, but Raven would never admit that out loud.
“Is Malcolm around?”
“He’s in the barn trying to stop Riley from killing the shifter.”
Maverick laughed.“Gotta love those bears.” He turned, the men with him leaving, Maverick following. Raven was curious, so he followed as well. He walked into the barn behind the men and saw that Malcolm had Riley pushed up against the barn wall, growling low.
“You
will
wait.”
Riley turned his head, his lips thin and his eyes spewing hate. Raven knew that Riley was an uptight man who barely spoke and kept to himself, but he had never seen Riley this angry before. It was a sobering sight.
“Am I interrupting?” Maverick asked as he stepped closer.
“No,” Malcolm said as he released Riley.“You’re just in time. He’s over there.” Malcolm pointed to a man gagged and tied to one of the poles in the barn.
Raven could feel his fangs itching to tear the man’s throat out. This was the person responsible for hurting Darcy. It took every ounce of restraint not to charge forward and kill the bastard.
“I know him,” one of the men that had come with Maverick said.
Maverick nodded, glancing over at Malcolm.“This is Kenway.” Maverick waved a hand toward the man who had spoken.“He’s one of the men I allowed to stay here.”
No one said a word.
“How do you know him?” Maverick asked as he walked over to the bound man and knelt in front of him.
“He is one of the men who burned down our homes.” Kenway was fucking huge! Raven raked his eyes over the man, wondering what kind of shifter he was. He could smell shifter on the man, but not what breed. But there was no mistaking the man for anything but Native American. His long black hair shined in the dimly lit barn. He also had high cheekbones and a dark tan that complemented his complexion.
“So your enemies have come a-calling?” Maverick asked.
Kenway bowed his head, but not before giving a slight nod.“I didn’t mean for our trouble to follow us here, alpha.”
“Yes,” Maverick said as he turned back toward the shifter tied to the pole,“you did. But I knew this would happen.”
“Did you know he would come after my—Sterling?” Riley growled, but Raven caught the slip. Riley’s hands were fisted tight at his sides as he paced back and forth in front of the pole, his eyes murderous as he looked down at the shifter.
“No,” Maverick answered Riley and then pulled the gag from the shifter’s mouth.“So why don’t you tell us why you came here.”
When the man spoke, it was between clenched teeth. It looked like it hurt like hell. Riley really must have broken the prick’s jaw like Malcolm said.
“Fuck you,” the man snarled and then spit in the direction of Maverick’s face. He winced with the effort, but the spittle fell short.
Guess a broken jaw isn’t as effective as the man would have liked.
Raven blinked and almost missed how fast Maverick’s hand flew up and then barreled downward, slamming across the shifter’s face. “Let’s try this again.”
The man’s head wobbled on his shoulders, his eyes dazed. Damn, even Raven’s jaw hurt after that blow to the face. Maverick’s hands weren’t small.
The man smirked, his eyes narrowed as he licked his busted lip. He gritted the words out, but Raven understood each and every one. “Was going after Kenway. Saw a hot piece of ass standing by the corral.”
Riley growled as he lunged, his boot kicking the man square in his ribs. Maverick stood, taking a step back, and raising his arm for Malcolm to stop, giving a slight shake of his head. Riley laid waste to the man’s face, his fists connecting repeatedly. When it looked like Riley was going to kill the shifter, Maverick grabbed Riley around the waist and hauled him away.
The bear’s chest was rapidly rising and falling, his canines elongated and showing from under his upper lip. He looked wild, unfocused as he lunged again, but his claws were still sheathed. Raven watched as Maverick held the bear back.
“How many are with you?” Kenway asked as he walked behind Raven and stopped in front of the bloody shifter. The bound man’s eye was swollen shut, and blood was trickling out of his nose, bathing his mouth and chin in blood-red color.
The shifter gazed up at Kenway with his one good eye, but refused to answer. Either that or his damn brain was scrambled. Riley had unleashed on the man.
“I asked, how many are with you,” Kenway said with a growl.
The shifter turned his head, his lips tightly sealed. He was slightly tilted to one side, and he winced heavily as he tried to push back up into a sitting position. Raven could feel his claws extending, thinking of what the shifter had done to his mate. He wanted a piece of the action, but feared killing the man.
No matter what his father thought, Raven was not a monster like dear old dad. He wouldn’t kill the shifter. He wasn’t going to prove his father right. Magnum had tried like hell to turn Raven into a killing machine. But as hard as his father pushed, Raven had pushed back. He wasn’t a murderer. He wasn’t going back to Darcy with blood on his hands. Watching the attacker get his just dues was enough for him. The guy wasn’t going to attack anyone else. That was for sure.
“I’m going to take him somewhere more comfortable,” Maverick said as he untied the bloody mess of a man.“It seems this piece of shit needs help in remembering how to count.”
Raven glanced toward the barn door when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Sterling quickly ducked out of sight. He wondered how much of what just took place that Sterling had seen. Raven looked over at Riley, but the bear was too busy staring daggers at the man who had attacked Darcy’s younger brother.
“I want to be in on his punishment,” Riley said as he wiped the sweat from his face with his shoulder.
Malcolm stepped closer to his son, lowering his voice. Raven wasn’t sure why Malcolm was whispering. Everyone there had exceptional hearing.“I will not have one of my sons in on a vindictive revenge. You doled out your punishment, Riley. Let it be.”
Riley opened his mouth as if to argue and then tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling, letting out a long breath.“Fine.”
Raven turned and walked away. It may have been Sterling who was targeted, but Darcy was the one who felt the shifter’s malicious intents. He once again felt the need to rip the man’s throat out and with that urge came images of his father taking him on hunts.
“Go ahead, Raven. He’s nothing more than a savage shifter. They know nothing about kindness or mercy. Kill him and feel what it is like to rid the world of violent, unrestrained creatures.”
Raven shook the memory off, gritting his teeth as he headed toward the house. He was not a monster, and he wasn’t going to kill anyone. Magnum had taken Raven on many hunts. Hunts where vampires chased shifters into the ground, killing them in the name of whatever the fuck they thought was righteous at the time. To Raven, it was only an excuse to feed their darker sides with bloodshed. He hadn’t seen it at the time, but Raven’s eyes were wide open now to what his father truly was.
Magnum, and his buddies, had been the violent, unrestrained creatures, not the shifters they hunted.
Pulling the screen door open, Raven climbed the steps until he was standing outside of Darcy’s bedroom. He stood in the hallway debating on whether to go in and crawl back into bed with his mate or go to his own bedroom.
It had been their first time together, their bonding, and their claiming. Raven should be curled around his mate, inhaling Darcy’s clean, fresh scent and nuzzling into his warm flesh. But he felt the rage and pain warring inside of him. He wanted to avenge his mate, but he feared turning into the very creature Magnum tried to mold Raven into.
Blowing out a deep breath, Raven walked across the hall and entered his own bedroom. Besides, he couldn’t wake up with Darcy. There were no protective curtains up to shield Raven from the harmful morning sun.
With a heavy heart, Raven glanced at Darcy’s bedroom door and then shut his.