Watching Out For Fangs (The Cloverleah Pack Book 7) (24 page)

“Fuck me like you mean it,” Vadim snarled, gripping Josh’s head and pulling it up so the two men were eye to eye. Tension, his vampire was trembling with it. Searching their mind link, Josh could feel the need, the desperation, the despair that Vadim had felt by what he considered a betrayal of his mate. That short time in Everett’s cell had devastated his vampire who apparently believed that Josh would reject him. Vadim needed…reassurance?

“I’ll always mean it,” Josh growled back. Setting up a punishing rhythm, he pounded Vadim into the door, his blue eyes burning into Vadim’s black ones.  Wolf, vampire, it didn’t matter. The love was there, but Vadim’s shame was just as clear and Josh was determined to fuck the man until there wasn’t anything but love left.

Vadim’s cock throbbed and rubbed against Josh’s abs, and Josh heard Vadim’s breath hitch, a clear sign he was about to blow.

“Not yet,” he snarled. “Not until you know you’re mine.”

“I’m yours,” Vadim begged. “By the Fates, I promise I’m yours.”

“And I’m yours!” Josh slammed into Vadim who screamed and seconds later sticky warmth coated his abs. But Josh wasn’t done, not by a long shot. He kept pumping, thrusting, pounding into Vadim until the man’s cock had hardened again. Vadim was whining, growling, pleading, his hands drawing blood they held Josh’s shoulders in a death grip.  Reveling in their renewed mind link Josh pounded, waiting, waiting, and then just as he felt Vadim reach the point of no return for the second time, Josh struck – lips pulled back, a full set of wolf teeth bared.

Vadim’s skin gave way easily, and Josh moaned as he sunk his teeth deep into Vadim’s neck. Semen coated his abs as Vadim shuddered and jerked beneath him. Josh felt his own orgasm, wrenched from him as though by a great force, and he gave just a few thrusts more before he pushed in and held his lower body dead still. The shocks pinging around his body matched his mate’s – he could feel their body’s twitching, breathing, everything in tandem. Vadim slipped his arms around Josh’s back and the two men froze, relishing a connection that was so much more than physical.

Carefully disengaging his teeth, Josh smirked.  That was a damn fine bite – no one would ever dispute that his vampire was completely owned, one hundred percent mated. For the first time since he had woken up alone that morning, Josh felt at peace.

Vadim pushed on his chest gently, his own fangs evident against the dark red of his lips.

“May I?” he said, and Josh nodded. Bending his head, Vadim kissed him and then his fangs unerringly hit the mating mark he’d left above Josh’s heart. Josh closed his eyes and allowed the love he had for his mate to flow through his heart, through his blood and straight into the man he couldn’t live without.

Chapter Thirty Two

The men were all a bit subdued when they met for a late breakfast on the day of the ‘meeting’. It seemed that all of the mated pairs were feeling the tension of the day and had spent the previous night reaffirming their bonds with their loved ones. Well, Vadim assumed that was what accounted for the higher than usual re-bitten mated scars and the number of hickeys and bruises a lot of the men were wearing.

Although the invitation to the Atlanta pack had been issued by the Council, the research Jax and Diablo had unearthed about the new Alpha of the invading pack suggested he was headstrong, known for brute strength and had no compunction at all about lying to make himself look good. Which was why the vampires originally thought that the Atlanta pack was working under orders from a Shifter Council member.

Vadim still wasn’t sure that Kane’s idea of using the Council was a good one although Josh was explaining to him as they ate their meal, that because the Atlanta pack had been invited, if they then issued a challenge, or started a fight in any way, then the Cloverleah men were well within their rights to protect themselves and their territory.

“But, if this Alpha is a liar, like you say, then what’s to stop him from saying that the Atlanta pack was lured onto pack land, purely and simply to finish them off?” Vadim asked around a mouthful of bacon.

“We’ve got that covered,” Griff said from the other side of the table where he was sitting with Diablo. “The entire front yard is wired for sound and visual recordings. When the Atlanta pack arrive the Council will be notified, and they will watch the entire thing from the comfort of their offices in New York. Our man Shawn here has arranged for the entire council to be present for the show, so that there can be no discrepancy, concern or come back.”

“Provided we all behave within pack law,” Kane added from his spot at the head of the table. “That will apply to you Vadim, as well as you two, Aelfric and Fafnir and you as well Diablo. You are all pack members and under my responsibility.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Vadim wasn’t worried about a straight out fight – he was built for it. But getting the pack into trouble because he didn’t understand the rules that wolves lived by was another story all together.

“It’s quite simple,” Shawn said. “These guys were invited on to our land, and that is the most important part of this whole meeting. It means they are not allowed to act with any aggression, whatsoever. This is supposed to be a peaceful meeting, for the purposes of negotiation only. They aren’t allowed to harass, upset or insult any pack members and while they are well within their rights to offer an Alpha or a mating challenge, if they do then those must adhere to pack law as well.”

“A mating challenge? What the hell is that,” Vadim said casting a worried look at Josh. He didn’t want his mate having to fight for any reason if he could help it.

“It’s a bit of a grey area in pack law, which is why we think this new Alpha, Clarkson, will use it,” Shawn said slowly. “Usually nothing can come between mated wolves, but if an unmated person claims to want someone badly enough, they can under our laws, challenge the existing mate in a fight to the death. If the challenger wins the fight, then he becomes responsible for the remaining spouse, for the want of a better word, and therefore has the chance to mate with them.”

“I thought shifter’s died if something happens to their true mate.”

“They do,” Damien said, nodding his head. “Scott almost died after I claimed and left him. We were only apart for five days, but both of us suffered for it.”

Vadim thought he might like to hear more about that story later – like why anyone would turn away from their claimed fated mate, but then he stopped himself. He had done exactly the same thing.

“Same thing with me and Troy,” Anton offered. “I was just waiting to die, but as I was the stronger wolf, I would have outlasted my mate. But it’s a death sentence waiting to happen for both of us.”

Vadim thought about what the guys had said, and yep. It didn’t make sense to him. “So why would anyone go through a mating challenge at all? You wear clear bite marks, it’s not as though any paranormal can miss them.”

“Some wolves don’t believe gays can have true mates. Some guys are just assholes, or in this case they want power over another shifter or pack member. If this pans out the way I think it might, Matthew will be challenged, Jax and possibly Josh as well, although that is less likely.”

Vadim wanted to ask more, but the table had erupted in a flood of teasing and good humor about Jax’s and Matthew’s fighting abilities.

It will be okay, love,
Josh’s voice sounded softly in his head.

I knew we might be fighting but I didn’t know you could be challenged?

It happens sometimes. It may not, but don’t worry because pack law protects me too.

I haven’t heard anything yet that could stop you from having to fight one on one and be hurt or possibly killed. This challenge shit is bullshit – I’m mated to you and you are under my protection. How can I look out for you while you’re fighting in the pack circle? It’s not good enough.
Yes, Vadim was angry and maybe he should have watched what he was saying but his anxiety levels had just escalated six hundred percent in the last ten minutes.

Josh pushed away from the table and stood up, looking across at Kane. “My mate and I need a few moments to discuss a couple of points. As a vampire Vadim isn’t fully conversant with the intricacies of pack laws and challenges.” Kane seemed to understand what Josh was
not
saying out loud, and nothing could disguise the clipped words and formal tones. Vadim had never heard his mate speak like that before and he stood up and followed Josh out of the room.

The room Josh led him too seemed to be a small sitting room, with a coffee table and a couple of large armchairs. The only other color in the room came from a large rug that sat under the wooden table. Like so many other rooms in the house, one wall of the room was floor to ceiling windows, offering a lovely view of the forest. 

Josh stalked over to the windows and stared out, not saying anything. His hands were deep in his pockets but his shoulders were ramrod straight. Unsure what to do, or if he should say anything, Vadim moved quietly and sat in one of the armchairs. Kane certainly did believe in comfortable seating, which was a blessing because he was sure he was in for a few verbal kicks in the ass.

“I’m trying not to be angry, or to feel insulted,” Josh said after a long painful silence. “I understand you feel you’re the more dominant mate, and that you should be protecting me.”

“I…” Vadim felt he should apologize although he wasn’t sure what he was trying to say sorry for. Not that Josh was going to let him speak anyway.

“Just because I’m not an Alpha does not mean I can’t hold my own in a fight, or a challenge.”

“I’m sure…”

“It’s bad enough that if I was challenged by an Alpha then Kane has the right to substitute one of our own Alphas to fight for me. Because of my beta status, I am only allowed by pack law to fight another beta or lower status wolf, unless I was the challenger or unless Kane gives me permission to take the fight.”

“I didn’t…”

“Know. No, I know you didn’t.” Josh turned and Vadim could see his mate’s lovely blue eyes were flashing. “Which is why I am trying fucking hard not to be angry at you. You have no idea what it is like to be in a pack dominated by Alphas. Sure we all get along, and yes I consider all of these men here my family. But the bottom line is I will always be lower ranked than most of my pack, despite the fact that I can fight as hard, and as strongly as any other person here. I didn’t need my mate to undermine my abilities as well.”

Vadim looked down at his hands. He’d clearly triggered some deep seated issue in his mate, and that was never his intention. Now he just felt like crap.

He thought for a quick moment, and then asked, “As a vampire, even though I am a pack member, do I have the right to fight for you?”

“Nobody would challenge you for me,” Josh said. “I’m a beta wolf. There may not be many of them in this pack, but there are hundreds like me all over the country. Our only value is to fight for our Alpha and keep him safe. My mother was right in that respect. We’re cannon fodder.”

Vadim wasn’t sure what prompted him to get up and go to his mate, but he went with his instincts. Cupping his hands around Josh’s face, he said softly, “You are not and never will be cannon fodder to me. I hate the fact that I may have to watch you fight for the right to stay mated to me, simply because I am different, and could be a pawn in this upstart Alpha’s quest for power. I imagine Dean, or Aelfric and Fafnir feel the same way. Nobody, regardless of species, size, power levels or anything else, wants to see the person they love walk into danger. It is no reflection on your skills, or the strength of your wolf. It’s purely to do with the fact that I love you and my life wouldn’t be worth living without you.”

Josh searched his face for a long moment, and Vadim wished he had the ability to show his emotions through his face. Centuries of learning to mask the way he felt was too hard to undo in a matter of weeks, but Josh must have seen something in his facial expression.

“I love you too,” Josh said firmly. “Believe it or not, my wolf, and me too, we’d be proud to fight for you. To know that someone wanted you enough to challenge me – that is a huge honor for any mated shifter.” He laughed softly and the sound washed through Vadim’s body like a hot bath.

“You should have seen Griff when he wanted to go through the mating ritual with Diablo. I wasn’t here, but I heard over sixty men turned up for the right to take that cat shifter as his own. The entire pack fought on Diablo’s behalf, and believe me it was a lot smaller than it is now. It was the stuff of legends.”

“A mating ritual, challenges?” Vadim didn’t really have a clue what Josh was talking about, but apparently winning a challenge was a big deal regardless of the reason for it.

“I’ll explain it all to you later, sweetheart, when this mess with Atlanta is finished. But a mating ritual is a wolf form of marriage, and because Diablo is a cat shifter, and mixed species matings are rare, there was a lot of interest when Griff and Diablo announced their intention to go through with it.”

“I was thinking more about us getting married,” Vadim said, without thinking but quickly warming to his theme. “Vampires don’t have a ritual as such, unless we did go back to Atlanta to rule the coven. Then there is a big coronation type thing that goes on. But I didn’t think it was the type of thing you would be into.”

“How did we go from me being pissed at you, to you talking about us getting married?” Josh asked, although the lights in his eyes now were more from happiness than anger, so Vadim figured he had successfully diverted his mate.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for you,” he said with pure honesty. “I would want us to get married as quickly as possible.”

“In case I get swept off my feet by a younger guy?” Vadim swallowed his growl. Even he could tell Josh was teasing him, and when was the last time anyone ever did that?

“So do we go posh and fancy, or what sort of wedding would you prefer?” He asked instead.

“Vegas,” Josh said firmly. “One of those tacky chapels, jeans and t-shirts as the dress code. You could even invite your mother.” Surely Josh was joking again, but…nope, Josh looked excited, happy and deadly serious. Shaking his head, Vadim smiled at the thought of his mother in Vegas. He didn’t think in her entire thousand years of life she would have ever imagined that her eldest son would be getting married in a tacky chapel in Vegas.

“Leave the details to me,” he said instead. “Now kiss me quick and let’s get back to the others. The Atlanta pack will be here shortly and I know Kane wants us outside and in formation.”

Josh happily tilted his face up for a kiss, one that Vadim was just as happy to give him. In the back of his head he promised himself that if they could get through the next few hours, intact, then he would plan the biggest, flashiest and gaudiest wedding that his mate had ever seen. Well, he would get in touch with Max about it. That man had a dozen staff to do his bidding.