The Runaway Cat (Book 2 Cloverleah Pack Series) (27 page)

“Miss me,” he said quietly.

Griff leaned over and licked up Diablo’s neck.  “You know it babe, what did that ass hole want with you anyway?” He growled in Diablo’s ear. Diablo looked around the club and then switched to mind-speak as he noted patrons sitting at the booth next to them.

He was just filling me in on what happened at Georgio - that the man was dead…and that the arrests I wanted were made the next day.

Hey that is awesome lover, so your case did get closed after all.  But what was ass hole getting all excited about.

He’s in lust and didn’t know what to do about it. Seems the object of his affections used to talk about
me a lot and Petrov got jealous and thought this guy might not be interested in him.

Is he?

I haven’t got a clue but that’s up to Petrov to work out.  Not me.  I just gave him some advice and given that he has just walked out of the club I guess that he has taken it.

Hmmm, well Angel doesn’t take kindly to his new husband spending so much time with another man.  But I do love being able to talk to you while my mouth is otherwise occupied.

Diablo grinned because yes as they were ‘talking’ Griff had been nibbling up Diablo’s neck and was in the process of sucking up a huge hickey on the side of his throat.  Diablo moaned at the sensation that seemed travel straight through to his dick and said out loud, “Come on lover, does the great Angel Bandures actually dance?”

“Course I can babe.”  And with his confident grin plastered on his face the great Angel Bandures, crime lord of Florida led his new husband and partner onto the dance floor and proceeded to show Diablo just how well he could dance.

Chapter Twenty Six

A week later

Diablo growled low in his throat as Griff pounded his body from above.  Damn that man could make his body sing and since returning to Cloverleah said lover had been more insatiable than ever.  Griff had taken him hard and fast over and over in the previous week, coming up on Diablo when he was trying to work, or waking him through the night.  And while Diablo certainly appreciated the attention he wouldn’t mind having his own go at being top once in a while.
He was starting to think he was going to have to revisit his idea on FBI torture methods if Griff kept at him the way he was.

But in this moment Griff had once again pushed Diablo to the peak of pleasure and Diablo could feel his orgasm pulling at his spine, building in his balls and just seconds later, his release spurting all over his chest.  With a roar Griff came straight afterwards
as Diablo’s ass muscles clenched tight around his lover’s cock and both men collapsed in a heap on the bed. Diablo soothed the rippling muscles on Griff’s chest as the man fought to get his breathing under control.

“So,” Diablo said slowly, “Just a little bit nervous about today’s challenges?”

Griff rubbed his chin up the side of Diablo’s neck as he chuckled softly.  “Not at all my lover, I am simply making sure that everyone, and I mean everyone will smell my claim on you today.  I have marked you inside and out - I want the whole world to know you are mine.”

Diablo shouldn’t find his mate’s words so arousing, but maybe it was a shifter thing because he did.  He purred as he tilted his head to allow Griff greater access to his neck, his body shaking as Griff licked across the mating mark on his shoulder, once again bright with scabs as Griff had bitten him yet again.

“How many challengers turned up, do you know?” Diablo asked. Griff reached around the side of the bed and found his cell phone in his jean’s pocket.  Pulling it out he scanned the messages that had arrived since he had jumped on Diablo as they had walked into their temporary room at Kane’s house. 

Since Cheryl’s announcement about Griff and Diablo’s mating had gone out the week before Shawn had received information that suggested a couple of shifters from the pack in Texas had decided not to bother going through the challenge process and wanted to abduct Diablo themselves before the Mating Ritual began.  Since none of the
pack wanted Griff to go through the agony of knowing that his mate might be kidnapped for a second time Kane moved Griff and Diablo back into his house until after the Mating Ritual was completed.

Normally in a Mating Ritual any challenges to the union would be held in the morning and then the ritual itself would be held in the afternoon.  However, given that Diablo was gay and Mating Rituals with
gay non-wolf shifters were a rare event the number of shifters signing up to challenge Griff for the right to mate with Diablo was higher than had ever been seen before in a Mating Ritual event. Because of the high amount of interest generated the Alpha’s of the three packs concerned agreed to allow the challenges to be held on the one day with the Mating Ritual ceremony to held on the following day.

“Twenty six so far,”
Griff said with a grin, flopping back down on the bed next to Diablo who was sprawled out naked on his back beside him.

“Twenty Six!” Diablo screeched.  “Oh come on Griff this has gone on long enough.  There are only five of you to take on these idiots.  Text Cheryl and tell her to stop allowing anyone else to sign up, right now.”

“Can’t do that, my lover, under the Mating Ritual laws anyone has the right to sign up for the challenge before the fights actually take place.  Of course,” Griff said with a gleam in his eye and his sexy drawl deepened by lust, “if those men could see you right here, right now then I imagine the list would be a lot longer.”  He ran his hand down Diablo’s tanned, toned flank reveling in the way his mate always responded his touch.

“Griff honey,” Diablo purred as his own hands started working their magic on Griff’s solid thighs and hips, “come on sweetie.  Just make one little text for me
and stop these sign ups and then we can have a little more play before it’s time to show our faces.”

Groaning as Diablo’s hands found their way to his hardening cock, Griff still shook his head.

“No, sweetness, I told you the…”

There was a heavy banging at the bedroom door and Diablo released his prize and dove for his jeans, slipping them on while Griff did the same thing on the other side of the bed.  The pounding continued until Griff wrenched open the door, a mean scowl on his face.

“What?”  He snarled, stepping back as Kane and Shawn came into the room.  Smirking, Kane ran his eyes down Griff’s huge, hard body and obvious bulge in his jeans.

“Hey guys, come on, we did wait until we thought you were finished.  How were we to know you had started up again?”

Griff snorted and grabbed hold of Diablo’s hand pulling him into a one armed embrace.

“
Because my mate is irresistible, that’s why,” he said although he smiled as he said it.  Diablo was actually blushing which tickled Griff no end.  Who would have thought a hardened FBI agent could still get embarrassed about the thought of other people hearing they were having sex.

“Yes, well, that’s fair enough,” said Shawn, “but it’s time for you two to make your appearance.  Apparently there are some indecisive blokes who are waiting to actually see Diablo before they make up their mind about challenging you.”  He grinned as Diablo groaned and shook his head.

“On a positive note however, given the prospective size of the challenge Lucius and my brother-in-law Vincent from the Texas pack and one of your brothers and a brother in law have agreed to be included in our pack for the day so that they can also fight on your behalf.”

“Which two brothers?”  Griff asked, stunned that any of his family would fight on his behalf.

“Jordan and Seth,” said Kane.  “Xander will be fighting as well but as a contender.”  The grin on his face lit up his bright green eyes.

“My youngest brother is challenging me for my mate?  What the fuck?”  Griff didn’t know if he should be amused or angry.

“Yep,” Kane said happily.  “It seems he caught a glimpse of Diablo’s body when he shifted at my parent’s house. He ditched his girlfriend and headed on down to challenge you.  We thought we might let him be one of the first eight contenders so you can, er, teach him the error of his ways yourself, Griff.”

“Too bloody right I will,” Griff growled. 

“Because the newcomers all have Alpha blood, Scott and Troy are going to be held in reserve unless we get that many contenders that they are actually needed,”  Kane went on.  “I haven’t got a problem with their fighting skills but there is a hell of a lot of testosterone flying around outside and I would feel a lot better for all of us if we had Alpha’s fighting for our pack member than betas.”

Griff’s phone beeped again and he flicked a glance at it, grinning harder than ever.

“Forty four,” he told the other men.

“Christ,” Diablo spat out.  “Let’s get downstairs and get this show on the road.  You say the signups stop as soon as the challenge begins, right?”

“As soon as we step into the pack circle as a potential mated pair, my lover,” Griff said.

“Great.  No talking to anybody, let’s get down to that circle now and put a stop to all this nonsense.”  Diablo pulled Griff from the room and headed down the stairs, Kane and Shawn following them.

Of course it wasn’t that easy.  As soon as Griff and Diablo emerged from the front door of the house onto the porch, people wanted to talk to them.  First Diablo had to meet Lucius and Vincent, then Jordon and Seth and because they were actually fighting on his behalf he couldn’t very well be rude to them so he was forced to make small talk with them for a good five minutes. 

Then Cheryl, Arthur and Margaret all came forward, Cheryl twittering on about how this was the biggest Mating Ritual challenge she had ever attended.  Diablo couldn’t be rude to them either but as he stood
he could feel the hungry stares of a whole lot of men who were obviously entranced.  There were almost 100 men on the pack grounds.  All wolf shifters and more than half of them keen to grab Diablo as their own.  Diablo’s cat was pacing in his mind, ready to take off for the trees at the first available opportunity. Only the thought of a horde of angry wolves on his tail stopped him.  Well that and the really possessive grip Griff had around his shoulders.

Griff.  Diablo had to love his man.  He stood tall and proud watching over the crowd while keeping a firm hand on Diablo at all times. 
His huge muscles bulged and flexed under the sun and the gleam in his eye was positively feral as he scoped out the competition. 

You’re loving this aren’t you?

Hell yeah, honey, this is bigger than I had ever imagined.  Fuck the Fates were smiling on me when they picked you for my mate. No one has ever been more wanted than my mate today.

Well I am pleased for you my lover but if you don’t get us down to the pack circle right now then you will be spending the first week of our official mated life in the spare room.

You wouldn’t do that to me.

I would.  M
ove your butt.  I have heard there are now over sixty contenders.  There are only seven of you.  Now move it and let’s get this challenge started.

With his perpetual grin on his face Griff made their excuses from the gathering on the porch and head held high the two men made their way to the pack circle, their extended pack following behind.

/~/~/~/

Diablo was getting positively antsy - there was just no other word for it.  The fighting had started with Griff taking on the first eight contenders.  Diablo had to admit to himself that Griff as a fighter was an impressive man and wolf.  Under pack law the contender could chose whether or not to fight the challenger in either human or animal form and given the high number of contenders it was decided by the Shaman and Shawn as Shifter Guardian that none of the fights would be to the death - they were submission only.  If one of the contenders managed to best Griff or one of his pack then that winning contender would then fight with Griff to the death.  It would be physically impossible for Diablo to be able to be mated to another person now he and Griff had claimed each other and only the death of either or both of the men concerned would break that bond.  While Diablo still thought the whole thing was just barbaric he was wise enough to keep his opinions to himself.

In human form Griff was a solid and dynamic fighter.  He had more speed than one would give him credit for given his huge size and he didn’t just hit the men who were fighting him, he annihilated them, going for a knock out every time.  As a wolf Griff was larger than a lot of the animals he faced and this combined with his Alpha power which rippled around the pack circle meant he could win easily.

What Diablo couldn’t get over or ignore was that Griff was positively enjoying the whole experience.  In either form Griff’s huge muscles flexed and rippled under his skin as he kicked, punched, bit, twirled and pounced on unsuspecting contenders. All wit
h a perpetual grin on his face and a grin on the face of a huge wolf was just freaky for so many reasons.  He looked up as Griff, in wolf form, was just finishing off another contender - his huge jaw wrapped around the throat of a slightly smaller wolf, his growl menacing as he pushed his Alpha power at the other animal.  Seconds later the contender submitted and Griff moved back and shifted.

The crowd around the pack circle was in a festive and jovial mood.  While the fights themselves were serious enough Diablo came to realize as the day went on that most of the contenders were actually good guys who probably loved a good fight as much as the next wolf.  Only a couple of the contenders seemed to have any malicious thoughts of harming Griff and his pack members but in most cases once the match was over the two fighters would shake hands, the contender congratulating the pack on the win.

After Griff had completed his eight fights Kane determined who among the pack, Griff included, would fight each contender as he came up.  Diablo could see that Kane was a good Alpha with a keen sense of the type of man the contender would be.  As the contender came into the circle and declared which form he would fight in, Kane would quietly assess the man for a moment before calling out the name of the pack member who would fight. 

However Kane was extremely protective of his own mate Shawn and as the day wore on Kane had only allowed the man to fight three times.  This meant that each of the
other pack members were fighting more than they had probably anticipated and by the time the sun was starting it’s descent behind the trees all of the men in the Cloverleah pack with the exception of Shawn and Diablo and Dean, who had not been allowed to fight because of his Omega status were tired, scratched up and bruised.  And there were still eight more contenders to go. 

Diablo was particularly worried about the last man on the list who was apparently from the Texas pack.  He was a big man, solid and had a menacing attitude.  He has spent the whole day glaring at Diablo with an almost feral look in his eye
.  Diablo knew that Griff would want to take him and he actually feared for his mate and the outcome of the Mating Ritual.

Stepping close to Shawn, Diablo whispered in his ear.  “What does pack law say about the shifter mate fighting in these contests?”