The Mates Who Gave Him Salvation [Feral 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) (11 page)

The Spirit Mother got between them before things could progress any further. “Stop,” the Spirit Mother said. “You must stop. Quinn, G’aladon, please remain calm. I can bring Roarke back, but you must stay focused on him, not on your desire for vengeance. You are destroying yourselves by summoning such power to your aid. Havedok, leave before you cause any further damage.”

“You cannot order me around, Shaiyta.” The panther growled. “I am not your slave.”

“Leave,” the white wolf repeated. “I will not say this again. You have hurt one of my children, and I don’t take kindly to such betrayals.”

A small trickle of hope invaded Quinn’s soul, like a hesitant ray of sunlight struggling its way through the clouds. It was probably foolish of him to believe in such words of encouragement. The Spirit Mother hadn’t prevented Roarke from being killed in the first place. But she had helped them free G’aladon. If nothing else, her intentions were good, and Quinn was fairly certain that she did indeed have the ability to return Roarke to them. Not to mention that Quinn wasn’t actually sure that he and G’aladon could win in a battle against that damned Havedok. The Spirit Mother, on the other hand, was more than a formidable opponent, and she seemed very pissed.

Perhaps realizing that as well, the panther backed down. Quinn didn’t want to let him off that easily, but the choice was taken out of his hands. “Very well, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when he turns against you and your kind,” the panther said.

With that final warning, he disappeared, leaving no trace that he’d ever been there. Instantly, the Spirit Mother was by their side. Hewitt, Devon, and Mason, who had been impotently watching the entire scene, followed behind her. G’aladon and Quinn knelt by their dead mate’s side, hugging him once more. The rigidity of death had already started to settle in. Could the Spirit Mother truly cast it aside?

Before Quinn could express any possible doubt, a bright light bled out of the Spirit Mother and into Roarke. Instantly, the deathly palor of the feral’s skin vanished, turning into a healthy, rosy hue. The feral took a deep breath and cracked his eyes open.

The transition was so smooth that Quinn almost thought it was all a dream. Unable to hold back, he mapped Roarke’s beloved face with his fingers, tracing the lines of his cheeks and his nose, brushing his thumb over Roarke’s lips to truly acknowledge that yes, his mate was breathing. G’aladon crushed Roarke to his chest, not even trying to mask the tears flowing down his cheeks.

“You’re back. Oh gods, you’re alive.”

“Wow.” Roarke sounded gobsmacked. “I guess I am. I just…What happened?”

“Havedok’s power struck you very hard,” the Spirit Mother replied. “If you hadn’t gotten in the way, he would have killed G’aladon, and I’m not sure I could have brought him back. He knew this.” Veiled anger burned in her voice. “I did not realize he meant to betray me. I apologize.”

Quinn had not expected that, but it seemed that in dealings between godlike beings, everyone was fallible. He truly did not know what to say. He was too overwhelmed by the joy of having Roarke back to even think.

G’aladon found his composure faster than Quinn. “Thank you,” he said in a choked voice. “Thank you, Shaiyta. For this, you have my allegiance for all time.”

“No thanks are needed. He is my child. I love Roarke, and I love you and Quinn for what you give him.”

There were so many things Quinn wanted to say, to do, mostly rotating around kissing Roarke, making love to him, and reassuring himself that the feral was truly there. However, the Spirit Mother had other plans. “Unfortunately, Havedok is not one to accept defeat easily,” she said. “You two challenged him, and even if you could not have defeated him, you did take him by surprise. He is very angry now. Quinn, he might try to enact revenge on your loved ones.”

Quinn’s eyes widened. “Mom. Dawn. We have to warn them.”

“There’s something you need to know,” the Spirit Mother said. “Your friend, Shen, he is a child of Havedok’s. He can easily take them out if Havedok orders him to.”

Roarke struggled to his feet, still pale, but seemingly recovering more and more with each second that passed. “Then what are we standing here for? We must go.”

For the first time, Devon spoke. “I’m not sure you’re up to it, my friend,” he said. “You’ve literally just returned from the dead. You should rest.”

“I agree,” G’aladon said. “You are not in any condition to fight.”

“This is not the time to argue,” Roarke said bluntly. “I’m not sure I’ll be much of an asset in battle, but you’re not leaving me behind, either.”

“We’d never dream of it,” Quinn replied. Being separated from either one of his mates, especially now, sounded like a nightmare.

“Don’t worry,” the Spirit Mother comforted them. “Your family is all right for now. But we must hurry before Havedok acts. Close your eyes and hang on.”

Quinn obeyed, and this time, he felt the shift in space and the change in air as the white wolf used her translocation abilities. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in his mom’s room at the diner.

Other than him and his mates, their three friends had also been brought along. The Spirit Mother was by their side as well, watching them like…well, a protective mother.

Quinn found that comforting, especially since he saw Dawn and his mom facing a torn-looking Shen in panic. “What’s going on, Shen?” Dawn was asking. “Why did you bring us here?”

She then spotted Quinn and the others, and her eyes widened. “Oh, God, Quinn. Where did you go? We were so worried. And now Shen is acting so strangely. We—”

“I’m just supposed to give you a message,” the young man interrupted her. “The Spirit Lord could easily kill you all if he so desired. However, he has no wish of pursuing this conflict here and becoming like G’aladon. But this isn’t over.”

“I didn’t think it was,” the Spirit Mother told him. “The death of one of my children isn’t something I take lightly. You can tell your master that our truce is over and broken. In his betrayal, he has broken one of the most sacred rules of our kind.”

Shen didn’t seem very happy about the circumstances, but nevertheless, he nodded and made a small bow. “I will take my leave now. Farewell. Dawn, Quinn, Mrs. Tanner, it was an honor to work with you and be by your side. Hopefully, we will never meet again.”

With that, Shen melted into a cheetah and, faster than the eye could see, ran out the door. Quinn stared after him, wondering if anything at all would make sense today.

“What did he mean by that?” he asked. “Hopefully we will never meet again. Why hopefully?”

“Shen is a trained assassin,” the Spirit Mother replied. “Like the spirit wolves, the felines have problems of their own, and Shen belongs to a long line of enforcers. But I will not get into that. He is gone for now, and we have time to figure out our next step.”

“For the moment, I think the next step should be explaining what the hell is going on,” Quinn’s mother said. “And right this instant.”

Quinn couldn’t help but smile. It was so like his mother to make demands and scowl at him even in the presence of a deity. Her strength was familiar, and after this outlandish, peculiar day, Quinn welcomed the feeling. Of course, he didn’t actually look forward to her reaction to what had happened so far, but he was sure she would eventually understand his mating. Well, pretty sure. Maybe.
Gulp
.

“So what are you saying exactly?” Mason’s friend, JC, crossed his hands over his chest. “That we’re suddenly at war and we’re not safe? Correct me if I’m wrong, but we were at war yesterday, with the spirit wolves.”

Roarke sighed, having expected resistance and wishing Devon and Mason had been able to join them. Mason in particular might have had more luck in convincing JC that there was a newer, even more dangerous problem.

“This is different,” he said. “We have another species against us, one that can take us out one by one.”

The Spirit Mother had warned them that, as long as ferals remained apart, they represented a vulnerable target, which Havedok’s people could easily take out. Therefore, she was sending people out to those ferals who might be more open to cooperation with spirit wolves, who in one way or another had more control or incentive to get it. JC was one of these men, and now, Roarke and his mates had to explain the situation to the feral. It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t help that JC owned a business which he most likely didn’t want to leave behind.

Perhaps Devon might have been a more logical choice, but he, Mason, and Hewitt had been given another task. As an Alpha feral, Mason knew a lot of people, and he was perfect for an extended campaign to bring the two sides of the spirit wolves together. Roarke didn’t envy him. If JC was so hard to convince, Roarke could only imagine how difficult it would be for other people.

“The spirit felines are a new peril,” he told JC. “This is a new age, one that marks the cooperation between ferals and spirit wolves. I am even told that there is a new drug that holds the virus in check.”

Interest glowed in JC’s eyes. “Truly? You know this for a fact?”

Roarke hesitated. He had first heard about the drug from a hunter, and Devon had confirmed it was true. However, so many things had happened that he hadn’t actually double-checked the information. There simply hadn’t been the time. Roarke’s mind still whirled after the conversation with Quinn’s family. Looking back, Roarke wondered how in the world so many things could be crammed into one day. It seemed like ages since he’d gone to the Tanners’ diner to meet up with Quinn. They had gone through so much together already, and Roarke just wanted to hide somewhere with Quinn and G’aladon.

Perhaps his wish had been overheard, as all of a sudden, JC’s expression changed. “Well, apparently, it’s true. I might not trust you, but I trust the Spirit Mother. I will temporarily close down the hotel and come with you.”

He briefly paused, as if considering saying something else. “What is it?” Quinn inquired. “Is anything wrong?”

“Well, actually, I was wondering if our loved ones are in danger as well.”

“Uh…It depends.” Roarke truly didn’t know what to reply. “Are they feral as well?”

JC shook his head. “Human.”

“Ah, then you should be all right,” Roarke replied, mentally sighing in relief. “The leader of the felines sent a message to Quinn’s family, saying he doesn’t wish to involve humans.”

“If you want to be more certain, you can tell this person or persons to contact my mother,” Quinn piped up. “If there aren’t too many people involved, she should be able to offer them jobs and even someplace to stay.”

“It’s just one man,” JC replied quickly. “Could your family truly keep him safe?”

“They have wards around our place, but also a special guard now, just in case,” Quinn offered. “I honestly think it would be the best thing for him.”

“That would be great, then. We’ll talk about it more in the morning and make arrangements. You guys should get some rest. You look dead on your feet.”

Roarke almost laughed. “You have no idea how right you are.”

JC gave him an odd look, but G’aladon didn’t give the feral a chance to ask anything. “We’d be much obliged if you could rent us a room,” he said, speaking for the first time since their arrival. “Roarke in particular has been through a very rough time.”

JC just nodded. He retrieved a key from under his desk and offered it to G’aladon. “On the house. If you need dinner or anything, there’s a phone in the room. We don’t usually provide room service, but we make exceptions for friends.”

Roarke smiled, relieved that JC wouldn’t give them anymore trouble. He was truly exhausted, and the thought of collapsing on a bed with his mates seemed like heaven.

They thanked the feral and left him at the receiving desk of the hotel. Their room was on the first floor of the building, so they didn’t bother with the elevator, choosing the stairs instead. Soon, they reached what would be their quarters for the night.

G’aladon used the provided key, and together, the three men entered the room. The first thing Roarke did was make sure the chamber had a big enough bed. It hadn’t occurred to him to mention to JC that the three of them were mates.

Thankfully, JC must have noticed it, as a queen-sized bed with crisp white sheets beckoned him closer. It wasn’t very big, and in fact, it would probably be difficult for three men to fit in it. However, Roarke would have fun trying.

He abandoned the bag he was carrying and collapsed face-first on the mattress, testing its softness. To his satisfaction, it was quite comfortable. He rolled on his back and looked up to his mates, who were watching him with fond amusement.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to finally get a moment to ourselves,” he told them.

G’aladon offered Roarke a tiny smile. “I assure you Quinn and I feel the same.”

“Thank God I managed to convince Mom it was a bad idea to stay at the diner,” Quinn said.

Roarke shuddered, although only half of the fear he exhibited was fake. “I think I’d take on Havedok any day, as long as I don’t have to face your mother’s wrath again.”

Quinn grimaced. “Don’t say that even as a joke. You know it’s not true.”

Roarke released a heavy sigh. The day had been a roller coaster of emotions and particularly hard on Quinn and G’aladon. For his part, Roarke didn’t remember what had happened after he’d been blasted by the panther. A brief instant of agonizing pain, and then, nothing. But the other two men recalled it all, and probably would do so for as long as they lived. Roarke should have known better than to joke about it.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He reached out and pulled Quinn on top of him. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay,” Quinn told him, hugging Roarke tightly. “I just don’t want to think about it anymore.”

Roarke shared a concerned look with G’aladon. While the two of them might be worried for him, he was very worried for them. He was fairly certain that both G’aladon and Quinn had done something in an attempt to avenge him. He could feel it within them, the barely restrained power. It was the last thing they needed. G’aladon had just freed himself from the hold his own magic had over him, and Quinn was so young still. Roarke suspected that the very reason why they hadn’t been able to release G’aladon from the astral realm until now was that Quinn hadn’t been ready. Even now, those psychic abilities that could easily drive a man insane bubbled underneath the surface.