The Love He Squirreled Away (17 page)

The medic nodded. “The bullet was indeed made out of silver, but the precious metal didn’t actually hurt Mr. Piece. The projectile seems to have been embedded with a substance extracted from sea
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anemones. Smaller species of shifters, and especially sea animals like Mr. Pierce, are very vulnerable to such venoms.”

Garth cursed. “How typical of Heathcliff. Will Skylar be all right?”

“We’ve managed to eliminate the substance from his system. Sea horses are actually quite sturdy in case of blunt trauma, but penetrative injuries allow bacteria in the system, something they are sensitive to. They heal slower than other shape-shifters from such wounds. Still, Mr. Pierce’s condition has improved considerably since he was brought in. The following hours will be critical, but our prognosis is optimistic.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Soren said. “Can I see my mate?”

“Of course. Step this way.”

The doctor led Soren to a private room. Garth stayed behind, obviously intending to find Nicolas. Once Soren’s eyes fell on Daniel, however, he forgot all about anyone else. His mate had turned into his human form once again. He looked pale and exhausted and was the most beautiful thing Soren had seen in his life.

From the hospital bed, Daniel smiled sleepily at him. “I’m told I’ll make a complete recovery, but I can’t go to sleep yet.”

Soren made his way to his mate’s side and brushed a light kiss over Daniel’s lips. He sat on a chair next to the bed and took the squirrel’s hand. “Just hang in there. You’ll be all better in no time.”

Daniel’s expression sobered. “But Skylar won’t, will he?”

Soren squeezed his mate’s palm. “Trust your friend, baby. He’ll pull through. He has too much to live for.”

At the back of his mind, Soren had an unsettling sensation of being watched. There was truly nothing that could help him identify the presence, but he did anyway. He hid a smile as he realized Byron had followed them there. Yes, indeed, Skylar had a lot to live for. If fate was in any way fair, it would repay Byron for the help he’d given Soren and his friends.

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“In the end, Skylar got out of the hospital all right. It seems he was stronger than anyone thought.” Daniel smiled sadly. “Soren met up with Byron, and I hear Heathcliff got his just desserts. He won’t be bothering anyone, ever.” He caressed the gravestone. “I still wish you were here, Carlie. I know it doesn’t make things better, but I miss you.”

Tears threatened as Daniel stared at the silent tomb. Indeed, Soren and Byron had decided of common accord to put to death all those involved in Carlie’s assassination. Both Heathcliff and his remaining accomplice had been put to death. Still, that didn’t bring her back.

Now that the immediate problem had been solved, Daniel could allow himself to mourn.

A steady hand landed on his shoulder. “We all miss her, baby,”

Soren whispered in his ear. “We always will.”

Daniel nodded silently. He placed the bouquet of flowers on the tomb and just stood there, watching. He remembered Carlie’s laughter, the way she and Daniel used to play with the pups, her generosity, trust, and caring. She would never see her children grow or find the mate she’d wanted so much. It hurt Daniel deep inside to know that he was indirectly responsible for it.

His medic had also been taken into custody, this time by the squirrel elder. Soren had been consulted in his punishment. The decided penalty ended up to be incarceration for an indefinite amount of time, until the elder decided Perry had served his sentence. It was sad since, in a way, Daniel still considered Perry a good man. He’d heard that the other squirrel’s services as a doctor had been enlisted
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by the prisons. Perhaps that would help him atone for what he’d done to Daniel.

Daniel didn’t know how long he and Soren remained at Carlie’s grave. They came here from time to time, to talk to her and to remember. Something inside Daniel told him that Carlie was still watching over them, wherever she might be.

At last, Daniel tore himself from his friend’s tomb. “Let’s go,”

Soren said. “The kids are waiting.”

They headed back to the main house, steadily walking hand in hand. Carlie had been buried quite close to the building, so it didn’t take them long. As they approached, they ran into several guards.

Soren had improved the security on pack lands, not wanting to risk another death.

Daniel was pleased to note that the wolves no longer seemed tense upon seeing him. It had taken a great deal of effort, but they’d finally come to accept that Carlie’s death hadn’t been Daniel’s fault. Liam’s support helped a lot, as did the pups’ affection and Anson’s devotion.

Even if some of the older members still remained skeptical about Daniel and Soren’s mating, most of the others were slowly warming up to him.

They took their time and stopped to say hello to each wolf guard, thanking them for their work to help safeguard the pack. Finally, after a little while, they reached the mansion. To his surprise, Daniel spotted two cars in the driveway, one familiar, one not.

“It would seem we have visitors,” he told his mate.

Soren nodded, looking amused. As they entered the house, they ran into the most unlikely sight imaginable. Elder Kevin Wade, Annabelle Williams, Nicolas, and Garth were watching as Garth’s two boys, Preston and Corbin, played with the pups. Anson was there, of course, ever watchful of the three young wolves. Daniel wasn’t worried, though. It was not the first time Garth brought his children here. They’d become good friends since the events in LA, especially since Nicolas and Garth had grown closer. Daniel couldn’t be sure if
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the two had mated, but they were definitely a couple and sorting things out. Daniel had even found out Garth was a lynx. It amused him that Nicolas, who’d been so against consorting with carnivores, ended up in a relationship with one.

Just when he thought nothing could surprise him, he found himself facing things like this. Apparently, the elder wolf had somehow become smitten with Carson’s mother. Just seeing them together made Daniel’s teeth ache.

Everyone turned toward him and Soren when they came inside the living room. The pups bounded toward them, yipping happily. Both Soren and Daniel knelt to greet their kids, then turned their attention toward the adults. “Hello, Father, Ms. Williams,” Soren addressed the couple. “Garth, Nico, how are you?”

Kevin Wade embraced his son, and to Daniel’s surprise, he also received a warm hug. Soren kissed Annabelle’s hand, and she smiled at them both. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“We’ve been so busy lately that we haven’t gotten to talk much,”

the elder said. “Annabelle and I decided to drop by for a quick visit.

We ran into your friends here.”

“Oh, before I forget,” the ewe said, “we brought a little something.” She retrieved a package and opened it. The scent of peanut butter immediately assaulted Daniel’s nostrils. The cookies looked amazing, but Daniel really disliked processed nuts, not because of the nuts themselves, but due to all the additives in the final product.

“Come on, try one.”

He was trying to figure out a way to say no, when she added,

“Everything’s homemade.”

Homemade? Daniel eyed Annabelle, wondering how much she knew of his distaste for processed nuts. His mother’s attempts at making homemade peanut butter had failed abysmally. Most of his family members, Daniel included, were terrible cooks, and his
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siblings preferred to purchase peanut butter or other such products, so Daniel had never insisted. This time, however, he decided to try.

He took one of the cookies and bit into them. The richness of the flavor assaulted his taste buds, pure and unmarred, completely perfect. It was nothing like the poor imitation of peanut butter humans commercialized. Daniel could identify every distinctive texture and ingredient, and it almost made him have a gourmet orgasm.

“This is really good,” he said as he snatched another cookie.

“Thank you.”

Annabelle laughed. “My pleasure. Anything for a friend of Carson’s. Now, who else wants cookies?”

Daniel smiled as the kids gathered around Annabelle to snatch some of the treats. Garth’s boys shared their prey with the pups, who seemed to like the sweet peanut butter a lot. They all sat on couches, talking and laughing, making small talk. With each moment that passed, Daniel felt more and more amazed of how things could change.

Their visitors left after dinner, just as evening started to fall.

Daniel and Soren put the kids to bed, then retreated to their own room. As the door closed behind Soren, Daniel plopped down on the soft mattress of their four-poster. “Would you have ever thought we’d one day spend a day like this?”

A lynx, a ewe, a hummingbird, two wolves, and a squirrel, plus their kids, all of them friendly to each other. It was awe-inspiring. If one year back, someone had told Daniel this was possible, he’d have laughed.

Soren joined him on the bed and took his hand. “Anything’s possible, Dani, if there’s enough love.” He laughed lightly. “God, that sounds corny.”

“It’s not corny if it’s true,” Daniel replied, smiling.

His mate met his eyes, and all laughter ceased. The mixed emotions of the day, the turmoil he always experienced when they
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visited Carlie’s grave, and the continuous need for Soren combined into one single feeling.

He almost sobbed in relief when Soren crushed their lips together, so hard Daniel actually tasted blood. His mate pushed him down on the bed, Soren’s body coming to cover Daniel with its larger bulk.

Daniel was in heaven. He surrendered to the incredible sensation of being marked by his mate, kept safe and possessed so completely. No matter how many times Soren took him, it always seemed to get better. Sometimes gentle, sometimes rough, Soren unerringly took Daniel’s breath away just by existing.

Soren’s tongue thrust in Daniel’s mouth, exploring and claiming, taking no prisoners. Daniel absently noted this would be one of those particularly passionate unions. Of course, he wouldn’t complain. He loved it when Soren lost control and unleashed his beast on Daniel.

“Oh, baby.”
Soren growled in Daniel’s mind.
“You drive me
wild.”

The wolf tore their lips apart and pressed fevered kisses over Daniel’s face and neck. Dazed, Daniel could do very little except lay there and take what Soren offered. His lover tore their clothes off with a frustrated, animalistic snarl. Scraps of material and buttons flew all over the place as their shirts were abandoned on the floor. For their shoes and pants, it took some maneuvering, but Soren seemed very intent on having Daniel naked. Not one inch of the garments remained on Daniel’s skin.

However, Daniel recovered a bit of his composure and did his best to help his mate out. He liked having Soren touch him, but he wanted to touch Soren in turn. Following a sudden impulse, he pushed his mate off him.

Soren gave him a confused look but relaxed on the bed when he saw what Daniel intended through their bond. Daniel finished releasing Soren from his clothes. When at last he had Soren naked, he took a few moments to simply look at his mate. All rippling muscle and strength incarnate, Soren looked more like a god than a shape-132

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shifter. Daniel’s mouth watered at the sight. He needed to taste, and he needed it badly.

Daniel lowered his lips over Soren’s body, zeroing in on the coppery nubs of Soren’s nipples. He created a tight
O
around the bits of flesh, suctioning lightly and grinning when the action drew a strangled growl from Soren. While he tortured Soren’s left teat with his mouth, he tweaked the other with his hand, making sure to draw out the sensation.

He could feel the heat of his mate’s erection against his thigh.

Soren tried to hump him, groaning in dismayed lust. “God, Dani, don’t tease.”

Daniel snickered but obeyed. He abandoned Soren’s nipples and traced the lines of Soren’s six-pack with his tongue. Down the treasure trail he went, until he reached the area Soren wanted him most. Soren’s thick prick stood up proudly, pearlescent liquid already pooling at the tip. It was practically pleading for Daniel’s attention, but with a smirk, he decided it could wait a little longer.

Daniel buried his face in Soren’s bush, loving the strong scent of sweat, wolf, and man, strongest here. He took Soren’s ball sac in his mouth, tonguing at the testes, tracing the ridges of the wrinkled skin with his tongue. Soren spread his legs wider, allowing Daniel to do whatever he wanted. Daniel took advantage of Soren’s willingness to comply and swept his tongue over his mate’s taint. Soren howled in pleasure. “Dani!”

His mate was a few steps away from coming. Daniel could feel it in the flame burning through his own body. He abandoned Soren’s perineum and took the wolf’s prick in his mouth in one fell swoop. As a rule, squirrels didn’t have much of a gag reflex, and he didn’t have a problem in deep-throating Soren, in spite of his mate’s more-than-generous size.

He also knew Soren had amazing recovery time, so he went for the gold. He sucked at Soren’s cock as if his life depended on it. With the passion steaming between them, it didn’t take long for him to
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achieve his goal. With a roar, Soren buried his cock in Daniel’s throat, sending hot jets of cream in his mouth. Daniel gleefully took it all and continued to suck at the twitching prick, reveling in his mate’s flavor.

Distantly, it occurred to Daniel that Soren tasted better than anything else, even Annabelle’s peanut butter.

Soren released a breathless laugh. “Come here, you.”

Daniel obeyed, and Soren took his mouth once again. They shared a kiss that tasted like the wolf’s essence and their shared passion. In moments, Soren’s cock hardened once again. This time, though, Soren was done playing by Daniel’s rules. He pushed Daniel down and flipped him on all fours. Daniel wiggled his ass, his anus clenching with the need to be filled.