Watching Out For Fangs (The Cloverleah Pack Book 7) (14 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Josh groaned as the steaming hot water poured over his head and down his back. He was so freaking glad to be back at the pack house. Kane had installed state of the art showers with perfect hot water pressure, and right now Josh would take any de-stressing he could get. He couldn’t remember the last time he had showered or slept and while he wouldn’t admit it to anybody, he was dead tired.

At least he had eaten, with Vadim watching every mouthful. Now that Vadim was reliant on him for his blood needs, Josh knew he had to be a lot more careful about eating regularly – he didn’t want his mate to get sick. In the privacy of the shower he snorted. It was a bit like being pregnant, always eating for two, although at least Vadim also ate regular food, just not very often apparently and Josh wasn’t likely to get fat.

The scent of his mate wafted through the steam and Josh groaned again, although under his breath. Tired as he was, Josh’s cock made a valiant effort to rise, and he was surprised to see it was semi-successful.  As Vadim came around the side of the shower, still dressed in his suit, Josh had this uncontrollable urge to mess his mate up. The man just looked too damn good in a suit – all powerful and untouchable. Not to mention all his, yum.

“Room in there for me, babe?” Aww, look at Vadim being all cautious and considerate.

“Room for an orgy,” Josh said, because it was true. Kane’s showers were all large, with multiple heads and room for at least five grown men.

“God, don’t use that word for a while, babe,” Vadim said with a groan of his own as he shucked off his jacket, and unbuttoned his shirt revealing the sculpted perfection of his chest. “I swear I’m going to have nightmares about Ivan in my bed with all of those limbs flying everywhere.”

“Not your type of scene then?” Josh asked with a laugh. He had never been into anything other than one on one, but given how old his mate was, he guessed Vadim had been a player in his day.

“Fuck, Methuselah was a boy the last time I did any group scenes,” Vadim said with a laugh. He popped the button on his pants and let them slide down his legs. Josh appreciated the show, even though he was sure it was unintentional. Vadim had such well-defined legs and the whole hairless thing meant every inch of well-defined flesh was on display. He looked like a Greek statue.

“It’s definitely not my thing,” Vadim added, his voice deep and sensual as he moved up close and personal. “It wasn’t then, and it isn’t now. You never have to worry about me straying and I never share what’s mine.”

“Oh, I’m not worried about that,” Josh said flippantly. Reaching for the shower gel, he saw a look of concern flash across Vadim’s face. His mate was serious. Turning, he wrapped his arms around Vadim’s waist and pulled him close.

“I’m not Edward, and I’m a shifter, not a human. See this bite here?” He stroked lovingly over the mating mark tinged with pink on Vadim’s white skin. Vadim shivered under Josh’s fingers, and Josh tightened his grip.

“This bite means you and I will never get a hard on for anyone else again. I never have to worry about you straying because an intimate touch from anyone else will make you feel sick and the same applies to me. I won’t stray, you won’t stray. Nothing to worry about. We’re stuck with each other sweetheart.”

“Oh thank the Fates for that,” Vadim whispered. “You have no idea…” Vadim broke off but Josh knew what he was trying to say. It seemed his mate’s relationship with his bonded one hadn’t been a bed of rose petals – more like a nest of thorns.

Squeezing a copious amount of gel into his hands, Josh lovingly rubbed over every part of Vadim’s body he could reach. Vadim relaxed under his touch, the stresses of the day washing away with the pounding water.

“Another thing you should know about being mated to a shifter, is that we will never be able to lie to each other – I would smell it and you would sense it through our bond and we would never, ever hurt each other. Well, you may be able to hurt me, I don’t know about vampire matings, but shifters can never physically hurt their mates.”

“Not so clear cut for us vampires, but no vampire would hurt a true match. The fidelity issue though, that depends on the couple. Some vampire pairs will share a human sometimes, even though they can’t feed from them. Same with vampire/human pairings. Staying faithful is more a matter of choice and trust, and that’s hard to find outside of a true match bond.”

No wonder Vadim had been worried about Edward, Josh thought as he bent down, washing over his mate’s thighs and calves. He was glad he was a shifter. Wolves were jealous and possessive at the best of times, but once they had bitten, or were claimed, they stayed faithful for life. It was too dangerous for them, given the possessive nature of their beast, to be anything else.

“I’m glad you’ve bitten me,” Vadim said so softly, Josh could barely hear him under the running water. “That emotional jealousy, the thought that someone could betray you…”

“Say no more, sweetheart, I totally understand,” Josh said, standing up and tilting Vadim’s head back so he could shampoo that lovely almost white hair. “There’s no emotional baggage with wolf shifters. We’re bossy, possessive as hell, and protective to the point of being a pain in the ass.”

Vadim laughed. “I love you being a pain in my ass,” he joked. “But probably not tonight, eh? The cock is willing, but the rest of me not so much.”

Josh chuckled too. Whether it was intentional or not, Vadim was slowly letting down the guards he kept so tightly in place around others, and underneath all that starch was a caring, warm person that Josh was more than ready to love. He just had to be patient – his mate needed just a little more time.

By the time the two men were drying off, they were both almost dead on their feet. Stumbling to bed, Josh curled up in his mate’s arms. For the moment they were safe, they were together and as he fell into a deep sleep, Josh knew that as a couple, they would be all right.

/~/~/~/~/

Josh woke to his mother’s ring tone.  Damn. He’d been having an awesome dream where Vadim was down between his legs, giving him the most wonderful blowjob. Peering down the bed, he corrected himself - not a dream. Vadim
was
between his legs, his face hovering over Josh’s hardened cock, still glistening with saliva. Josh groaned as the phone rang again.

“I think I’d better get that, before my efforts go to waste,” Vadim said, a tiny furrow between his eyes the only indication he was upset about being interrupted. “Your mother, I take it?”

Josh nodded. He was still half asleep but the ache in his balls intensified as his senses woke up. The realization he’d slept through half a blow job had a lot to do with that – he must have been tired. Vadim reached over him, snagging his phone from the bedside cabinet and accepting the call.

“Vadim D’Arcy, how can I help you?”

“Who’s this? Where’s Josh? I want to speak to my son.” Josh winced. His mother sounded more strident than usual.

“I’m sorry, Josh is in a meeting right now,” Vadim said, his polite voice at odds with his wicked fingers that were teasing Josh’s length. Josh shivered, and moaned, trying to hide his reaction in his pillow. “May I take a message?”

“Meeting? At this time of the morning? I don’t believe you. Let me speak to my son, or I’ll complain to the Alpha.”

Giving up his lustful thoughts, because hearing his mother’s voice was one of the fastest erection losers known to man, Josh rolled over, holding his hand out for his phone. He knew his mother wouldn’t leave them in peace until she had spoken to him. Given that she had been on the phone only days before, Josh wasn’t sure what she wanted. He’d already told her he didn’t have any more money. Vadim quirked an eyebrow at him, but handed the phone over anyway.

“What do you want, mother? I’m busy.” Josh tried to keep the impatience out of his voice, but it wasn’t easy.

“Word around the pack is that Cloverleah is under attack. The Alpha and Alpha Mate and some of the enforcers are heading your way. I want you to come home.”

Okay, well that was unusual in itself. His mother had never worried about him before. Josh felt a warmth in his belly at the idea that his mother must care for him, even if she didn’t show it very often. Josh heard the same warmth in his voice when he replied.

“There’s nothing to worry about mother. I’m perfectly safe here. We know the attack is coming and we’re fully prepared. I won’t be the only one protecting our Alpha and territory, but you have to understand this is my home now. I won’t run out on my pack.”

“You’re a beta wolf – fodder for fighting, likely to die any minute. You’re better off here. No one attacks this pack because of Damien’s power.”

“Mother…” Josh began, but his mother hadn’t finished talking.

“If something happens to you, no one will let me know and all your things will end up being distributed around the pack. I’ll get nothing. I have a right to your estate when you die and those wolves you’re with would cut me off without a penny. I won’t stand for that. If you’re going to insist on doing something foolish then I want assurances that I’ll get your things. I know for a fact your freaking bike is worth a pretty penny, even if you don’t have much else. I’ll need to sell it to make up the money we’ll lose if you’re not earning for us anymore…”

Josh gasped as the impact of his mother’s words cut through him as sharp as any knife and just as painful. Holding the phone away from his ear, he tried to work his throat, tried to say something, anything to stop the carnage his mother’s words were causing. But there was a huge lump where his voice box used to be and nothing would come out of his mouth. His mother knew the Cloverleah pack was in danger and she was worried about money?

Dimly he was aware of Vadim taking the phone from him, his mate’s tone harsh and purely businesslike, cutting off his mother’s tirade.

“Mrs. Francis, listen to me.” At least Josh couldn’t hear his mother’s voice anymore, because he wasn’t sure how much more he could take. His brain was numb, his voice gone and the pain in his heart hurt like…Fuck!

“I’m Lord Vadim D’Arcy, your son’s true mate” Vadim went on now he had mother-in-law’s attention. “I don’t care if you did give birth to him, how much you sacrificed raising him, or how hard your fucking life is now. No one has the right to upset my mate, not even you. We are staying here in Cloverleah because this is where the Fates want us to be. You can forget about inheriting Josh’s estate now, or in the future – one, because he is mine and I refuse to let anything happen to him and two, because we are MATED.
You
no longer have any rights in Josh’s life, or over his things. You do owe Josh a huge apology and until I actually hear you apologize, sincerely, honestly and without any other motive than that you are sorry for the disgraceful way you have behaved today, I suggest very strongly that you don’t call this number again, or you’ll be dealing with me. My accountant will be overseeing your monthly payments from now on, and until you can be the mother my mate deserves, don’t call here again.”

“You can’t…”

Vadim cut her off, switching the phone off before throwing it on the floor.  Then he leaned over and gathered Josh in his arms, pulling him close.

“I’m sorry babe,” He murmured into Josh’s hair. “I really am. I know she’s your mother and all, and I shouldn’t have overstepped, but she hurt you and no one has the right to do that. Don’t be angry with me babe, please.”

Josh clung to his mate, too broken to care about how weak he might look. He had worked hard for years trying to support his mother and sisters, ever since his father had died. His mother and father had not been true mates, but his dad had been loyal to his wife up until his death. For the first time in a long time, Josh missed him and he buried his nose in his mate’s neck, taking comfort from the scent of myrrh and apricots that infused Vadim’s skin. But as he took the comfort he needed, he could sense Vadim was still worried that he’d done the wrong thing by taking over the way he had and he pulled himself together enough to put his mate’s mind at ease.

“You did nothing wrong, sweetheart,” he whispered against Vadim’s throat. “You acted like a mate should. My mate, protecting me even from my own mother. I honestly…I didn’t know what to say to her. I was just gob-smacked and so fucking hurt. My mother has always been…self-absorbed, I suppose is the word, but never to that extent. I don’t know what the hell came over her.”

Josh took another deep sniff, feeling his body relaxed and safe against Vadim’s. It gave him the strength to say the next bit. “I love how you want to protect me, and I don’t want you to get upset with me, but I can’t have you taking over my payments to my mother for me. I made a promise to my late father and I won’t let him down. I live simply, I have never needed much and I can get by. I owe it to my father, no matter what my mother says or does.”

“You do know that I’m as rich as God, right?” Vadim’s scent carried traces of confusion and Josh wondered if anyone had actually said no to his mate before – especially when money was on the table.

“Yes,” he said cautiously, worried about how much he should reveal. He knew a lot more about Vadim, than the man would ever realize. “The pack researched you when they were planning to get you out of the coven. But I don’t expect you to pay my way. I work for the pack’s security firm, and I live off that. Scott, who owns this house, doesn’t charge me rent and I only have my utilities, food and gas to pay for. I don’t need to take anything from you. I’m not with you because you’re loaded.” Josh managed a smile. He imagined in the past a lot of men had been attracted to his mate for his ice cold looks and healthy bank account, but Josh had never been that type of person.