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As Garrett drew closer to the scene laid out before him, he instantly knew something was severely wrong. The copper scent of blood was heavy in the air, almost so that Garrett could taste the substance on his tongue. Glancing about, his eyes landed back on the water. It was flowing red. Whatever lay humped over the edge of the creek was either dead or in the process of dying.
“Who is that? I can smell blood in the air,” Lachlan’s rough, rasping voice asked from beside him.
“I’m not sure. But I’m going to find out. Keep your eyes opened for any signs of an attack. This could be that witch’s doing.” Garrett stepped closer to the motionless body on the ground. The sound of water trickling over rocks would have been soothing had he not known that a body lay only a few feet away.
Garrett bent down and rolled the wet form over. He gasped when he saw the lifeless eyes of one of the younger females staring back at him. Her throat had been ripped out. The wound was so deep and vicious it went clear down to her spine. Between her breasts lay a gaping hole where her heart should have been. Whoever did this wanted to make sure it killed the girl.
“Lachlan!”
Garrett stood up so fast he felt dizzy. He turned to his mate just in time to see another female running toward him. As the moonlight lit up her face, Garrett recognized that it was Clara.
“Clara, oh my god what happened?” Lachlan held the woman close as she sobbed into his chest.
Garrett glanced down at the lifeless body one more time then turned his attention to the hysterical woman in his mate’s arms.
“They came out of nowhere. Lacy and I were just running, enjoying the night. We never heard them coming. I…tried.” Clara’s voice hitched, and she gasped for breath. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she tried to explain what happened.
“Shh, calm down, Clara.” Lachlan pulled her close again, trying to soothe her any way he could.
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Garrett looked in all directions trying to figure out what had happened. Typically when dark warriors attacked, they didn’t leave survivors. Something about this didn’t feel right, but Garrett couldn’t be for sure.
“Oh my god, Clara, you’re bleeding.”
Garrett walked back over to his mate and a crying Clara. Her right cheek had been slashed open, and the wound wasn’t closing. Silver. It was the only thing that would cause a wound not to heal properly.
“Clara,” Garrett said as calmly as he could. “I need to know what happened here.”
Clara looked up at him but kept her head resting on Lachlan’s chest. Her eyes were wild. Garrett feared she was suffering from shock.
After a few deep breaths, Clara started to speak. “Lacy and I were running like we usually do, together. We liked to run on this side of the property because most of the unmated males don’t come this far out. We can run without being bothered.” Clara broke down again and started to cry.
“Clara, I know this must be difficult for you, but I need to know what happened.” Garrett placed his hand on the back of her head, trying to will his strength into the young woman.
Sounds of footsteps met Garrett’s ears. He recognized Wes’s scent coming toward them.
“We were running, and then the next thing we knew we were surrounded. There were so many of them we couldn’t escape. We tried to fight them but they were too strong.”
“Who? What were they, Clara?” Lachlan asked. The warrior in him was starting to show through, and Garrett feared his mate would seek out vengeance to right the wrong committed tonight.
“Vampires but not like the ones I’ve met. They had eyes black as night.” Her lips started to tremble as tears ran like a river down her cheeks smearing the blood dripping from her wound.
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“Garrett, come over here.” Garrett turned around and walked over to Wes. The man was knelt down next to Lacy’s body. “By the looks of the wound it was something with sharp teeth, but I can’t say for sure it was a vampire. But the bite looks consistent with a vampire attack.”
More wolves arrived on the scene, and Garrett quickly explained the situation. He ordered the younger wolves back to the campsite and out of harm’s way. A few older wolves ushered them back. Grace took Clara from Lachlan’s arms and promised to keep her safe.
Garrett knew how attached Lachlan had become to the young woman and promised that Grace would take excellent care of her.
Garrett chose four of his trusted pack members to stay. They needed to spread out and start searching the area for clues. The blanketing night sky wasn’t helping their cause. Even with the moon high above, it wasn’t enough light to capture a glimpse of anything of real importance.
Garrett ordered Lachlan to stay close to his side. When his mate opened his mouth to complain, Garrett cupped the side of his face and stared into the amber depths, silently pleading with Lachlan to do as he said. With a reluctant nod, Lachlan agreed.
The sound of laughter had everyone jerking to a stop. Garrett turned his head from side to side searching for the direction the sound came from. It echoed so loudly it was as if it were coming from all directions, but that was impossible.
Garrett gripped Lachlan’s hand tightly when his mate tried to move away from him.
Lachlan tried to pull his hand free, but Garrett was unrelenting.
“Let go of me.” Lachlan yanked his hand out of Garrett’s hold.
“We need to catch whoever that is.” Lachlan’s eyes tracked the movement and sound of the fleeting stranger.
“Lachlan, I’m ordering you to stay put.” Garrett stepped in front of Lachlan, blocking his path as he tried to walk around him.
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“Excuse me?” Lachlan narrowed his eyes at Garrett. “Did you just say you’re ordering me? Fuck you.” Lachlan shoved Garrett in the chest and walked right on past.
“Lachlan, I gave you an order. Cease moving or else,” Garrett said forcefully as he reached for Lachlan’s arm. When his fingers wrapped around his mate’s firm bicep, Garrett tugged him around.
“Or else what?” Lachlan sneered as he stared down his nose at Garrett. Garrett was impressed with that feat since he was taller than his mate.
“This.” Before Garrett knew what he was doing he pulled back his fist and punched Lachlan square in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious. A welt the size of his fist bloomed on the side of Lachlan’s head. Had Lachlan not been a paranormal, the blow would have killed him.
“Holy shit!” Aaron exclaimed as he ran forward, falling to his knees next to friend’s prone body. “What the fuck, Garrett?”
“It was for his own good.” Garrett tried to justify his actions. His fingers ached from the force with which he struck his mate. Lachlan would be fuming when he woke up, but Garrett would deal with that later. He couldn’t do his job as alpha if he was constantly worried about his mate. They had already lost one pack member this night, and Garrett didn’t want to lose any more or worse, his mate.
“Right, see how well that excuse works for you when he wakes up.” Wes stood beside him staring down at Lachlan.
“We don’t have time for this. I did what I had to do to keep my mate safe.” Garrett believed those words. He just prayed Lachlan would, too.
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The search for the trespassing stranger and possible murderer turned up empty. Whoever was in the woods had vanished as if into thin air. No scents, no tracks, nothing to prove there had ever been anyone there at all. The only evidence they had was one dead body and one hysterical female proclaiming that there had been several men in the woods that night.
Garrett looked over at his mate. Lachlan sat stiffly in his seat with an ice pack held to his head. He was immortal, and the knot had receded quite a bit, but Garrett assumed it still hurt like a bitch.
Since Lachlan had regained consciousness, he had ignored Garrett. When Garrett and the other wolves exited the dense woods and entered the clearing where the rest of the pack had remained, Lachlan greeted him with a steely stare. There was no love or understanding for what he had done in those eyes, just pure, unadulterated hatred.
The drive home carried on in silence. If Lachlan couldn’t understand why Garrett did what he did, it was no use to try and explain it to him now. Garrett just knew he had his work cut out for him to repair, once again, the damage he’d caused.
Garrett wanted to punch the dashboard he was so fucking mad.
Everything he had done since meeting Lachlan was out of love. Why couldn’t his mate see that? It wasn’t just that Garrett was a control freak, which he was. He just needed his mate to stay alive. The paranormal world was in utter chaos, and Lachlan’s job as a warrior put him front and center of the war going on around them.
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The Carrington estate came into view, and Garrett turned down the long driveway. He parked the car and before he even shut the engine off, Lachlan had jumped out, racing up the front steps.
Garrett blew out a heavy breath and got out of the truck. He looked to the sky and prayed for the patience to deal with his surly mate.
Lachlan stormed up the stairs, and Garrett followed close behind.
They had to hash this out before it festered into an even bigger problem. Garrett had lived without Lachlan before, and he wasn’t about to do it again.
“Lachlan, we need to talk.” Lachlan spun around and the bitterness in his mate’s eyes broke his heart. He’d caused that pain.
Garrett needed to learn to trust his mate, but the fear of the unknown clawed at his insides like a beast. But by his mate’s rigid posture and clenched fist, Garrett knew he had a shitload of groveling in his future. He’d give and do anything to get them back to the way they were before the moon run.
“Talk?” Lachlan threw Garrett into the wall and watched as he crumpled to the floor. Garrett lay there stunned, and Lachlan took advantage of his stupor to grab his shirt front and toss him up against the wall, holding the material tight in his fist. “You fucking hit me in front of our pack.”
“I had to. If I hadn’t you would have ran after those men. I couldn’t chance you getting hurt or worse, killed.” Garrett gripped Lachlan’s wrist in his hands, trying to get Lachlan to release his hold.
It only made Lachlan’s fist clench tighter, and the shirt started to rip.
“That’s my fucking job,” Lachlan spat into Garrett’s face as he banged Garrett against the wall with every word he spoke. “I’m a goddamn warrior. It’s what I’ve been trained to do.”
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“Maybe, but I’m not trained to just let someone I love run blindly into danger.”
That gave Lachlan a moment’s pause, but it was fleeting. Garrett used the word
love
to justify his actions, and it wasn’t right. Garrett was domineering and wanted everything his way, a picture-perfect, cookie-cutter life. Well he could kiss that notion good-bye because Lachlan wasn’t some weakling needing someone else to tell him what to do. Lachlan was a fierce and strong warrior. He’d killed men for less than the grievances his mate put upon him tonight.
“Please, Lachlan, understand where I’m coming from.” Garrett’s voice softened, but Lachlan wasn’t fooled. If he let Garrett go he’d get the upper hand, and Lachlan couldn’t allow that. He had to make Garrett understand he didn’t need to be taken care of. If anything, Lachlan had a more cunning mind than his mate. Garrett was just too pigheaded to realize it.
Garrett started to struggle, but Lachlan wouldn’t let go. “Let go of me. I’m your alpha, and I was just doing what was within my right.”
Lachlan started to chuckle. He couldn’t believe the nerve of his mate. “If that statement were true then I’m your alpha as well, mate.
We’re equals in everything.” Lachlan stepped close until his nose brushed against Garrett’s. “Being mated can be a real bitch, huh?”
“I understand that you’re upset and hurt and probably a little embarrassed, but you’re being irrational right now.”
“I’m being irrational?” Lachlan pushed Garrett against the wall again, and a picture fell to the floor along with some Sheetrock.
Garrett raised his arms up then brought them down quick and hard on Lachlan’s forearms. Lachlan immediately let go, and Garrett tackled him to floor. They rolled around, bumping into furniture as they did. The sounds of splintering wood and cracking glass mingled with their grunting. The sound didn’t compare to Lachlan’s racing heartbeat as it beat out of control.
They continued to grapple on the floor with Lachlan landing on his back. He bucked his hips and shoved at Garrett’s shoulders, and
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he went sailing across the room. Lachlan pounced and held Garrett pinned to the floor. Sweat gathered in his hairline and ran down his face to drip from the tip of his nose to land on Garrett’s lips.
Garrett’s tongue darted out to lick up the salty liquid, and Lachlan roared at the sight. His cock had already been half-hard from the wrestling around they’d done, now it throbbed with need. Even as angry as Lachlan was, his body didn’t know the difference. All it knew was that it wanted to claim its mate.
Lachlan gripped Garrett’s wrist in his hands and pulled them over Garrett’s head. His mate was bleeding from a split in his lip and a gash above his eyebrow. A fine layer of sweat caused Garrett’s tan skin to glow in the low lighting of the room. The predator in Lachlan had never been so turned-on. He needed to be inside his mate. He needed to prove his dominance to Garrett so that his mate knew he wasn’t the only alpha in their relationship and that Lachlan didn’t need to be coddled like an infant.
As Lachlan held on to Garrett, his mate stared up at him with half-hooded eyes. A firm bulge bumped up against his, giving away his mate’s arousal. Lachlan fell forward and covered Garrett’s lips with his own. The kiss was hard and rough. Lachlan used his teeth to nip at Garrett’s lips until they bled some more. He used his tongue to swipe away the coppery crimson, savoring every drop as it slid down his throat. Garrett’s lips parted, and a soft growl met Lachlan’s ears.