Mates in Life and Death (4 page)

“I’m just worried about my mother,” Linden said, unsure as to

why he even confessed his concern. “She’s got emphysema. She’d be

very vulnerable to an attack.”

“Don’t worry,” Ash answered. “There aren’t any more wolves in

the town. Your mother is safe.”

Linden saw the truth in Ash’s gaze, and relief coursed through

him. “Thanks. I appreciate this.”

Ash just offered him a tender smile. Linden supposed that

knowing this, he’d be safe to go back, but he couldn’t exactly

abandon Ash after everything the man had done for him.

“Do you need help?”

Ash shook his head once again. He grabbed what looked like a

heavy branch and began to dig a hole. “Just tell me about yourself.”

Linden sat down on the cool grass and leaned against the bark of a

tree. He felt guilty for making Ash do all the work, but he probably

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couldn’t have helped much anyway. His legs still trembled from the

shock of his near-death experience, and Ash’s proximity didn’t help.

In the darkness, he couldn’t even see Ash anymore, but he could hear

the man work on the hole.

“Well, there’s not much to tell. My name is Linden Rivers. I’ve

lived and worked here for quite a while now, with my mother. My

favorite color is gray, and I enjoy swimming, reading, and spending

time in the forest. That’s about it.”

A low chuckle sounded from straight behind him. “I’m sure

there’s much more to you than that.”

Linden yelped, for the first time realizing the digging had stopped.

“What? Are you done already?”

“I moved quickly,” Ash answered. “Don’t want you to keep you

from your mom. Let’s go.”

Linden obeyed and followed behind Ash. The man took his hand

once more, and the heat he radiated scorched Linden.

“What about you?” he somehow managed to ask. “How does this

hunting activity of yours work?”

“It’s a long and complicated story,” Ash answered. “I’ve been

doing it for quite a while now. Basically, I follow the sick animals

around wherever they go and prevent them from attacking people.”

A lot of questions passed through Linden’s mind, but one

dilemma prevailed. “That sounds lonely. Don’t you have a family?”
A

lover?
went unsaid.

“I have a family, yes. But my parents are also used to our way of

life.” He sounded thoughtful. “I suppose it can get lonely.”

Silence fell between them, until at last they reached the town once

more. When the moonlight fell upon them, Linden realized his rescuer

had, at some point, gotten dressed, probably in the forest, after he’d

dug the hole. How fast did the man move, really?

Technically speaking, a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, and some

sneakers did not take a long time to put on. But where had he gotten

them from?

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27

“I hid the clothing in the forest,” Ash explained. “I do understand

indecent exposure and have no desire to get arrested.”

They walked toward Linden’s house, making small talk about the

town and its inhabitants. At last, Linden’s small home was in view. It

wasn’t much, but they were lucky to have it. His grandparents had left

it to him when they’d died, and it proved to be quite useful now, with

his mother so sick.

They stopped in front of the door and stared a few seconds at each

other. This night seemed surreal, and for them to stand like this, like

two teens after their first date, almost made Linden laugh.

He ached to invite Ash inside, for a cup of tea, at least, but before

he could decide to do so, Ash pressed a kiss to his forehead and

whispered, “Good night. Sleep well, beautiful.”

Ash turned and began to walk off. Still in shock, Linden

completely missed his chance to tell the man to stop.

As Ash disappeared into the night, Linden entered his home. He

rubbed his chest, a strange sensation of acute loneliness gripping him.

How odd. He’d told Ash a life on the road would mean isolation, but

he felt just as bereft. Somewhere in his heart, he wondered about what

secrets Ash kept. Clearly, the man’s life went beyond uncommon.

What did Ash’s explanation really hide?

Sighing to himself, Linden headed to his mother’s room. He

peeked inside and noticed she slept peacefully. For once, her

breathing seemed to be even. Linden’s efforts to provide her with

medicine and care were paying off. Still, it wasn’t exactly a cure, and

they couldn’t afford a lung transplant. The thought always weighed

heavily on Linden, along with the fear that soon, the pills might not

work.

Once he assured himself all the doors and windows were locked,

Linden retreated to his own room and collapsed on the bed. He fell

asleep a second later, the exhaustion returning with full force as soon

as he hit the mattress. That night, he dreamt of deep gray eyes and a

warm, solid embrace.

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* * * *

Ash sipped his coffee, the hot liquid scalding his tongue. He

didn’t really taste it, nor did he feel its temperature. His every sense

focused on the little human dodging tables in front of him, carrying

trays laden with food and drinks. Linden Rivers. His mate. His very

human mate.

Ash had been on the trail of a feral when he’d sensed the

distinctive scent that marked his other half. He’d never expected to

run into a mate here of all places. His kind, the spirit wolves, arranged

special gatherings to facilitate their search, but Ash never had any

luck there. To his shock, the one he’d scented had been a human.

Ash still recalled the moment when he’d seen the feral attack his

mate. As much as it saddened him to acknowledge the necessity of his

duty, on this particular occasion, he’d been merciless. O ne bite and

the beautiful Linden could have become feral as well. He could have

lost his humanity and turned into a bane for his own loved ones. Ash

might have been forced to hunt him. He couldn’t even stomach the

thought.

Thankfully, he’d managed to save Linden from being infected

with the feral virus. But now, he was faced with a choice, and he

didn’t know what to do. He should leave his mate be. A man like

Linden would find someone who could give him a real, human

relationship, whereas Ash could only offer danger. He didn’t even

know if they could have sex. In the heat of passion, many wolves

desired to claim their mate, and that could bring about disaster for

Linden.

But Ash couldn’t make himself leave. His entire being protested

against it. He dreamt of Linden, of touching that beautiful body, of

kissing those full lips. He wanted to see those deep green eyes haze

with passion and thread his fingers through Linden’s chestnut brown

hair.

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29

And so, like a freak stalker, he’d followed the young human from

his home. Apparently, Linden had three jobs, at the local library in the

morning, then at a coffee shop after lunch, and the night shift at the

town’s only pub. O ne wondered how people continued to give him

work when clearly it put a strain on his health.

Ash couldn’t, in good conscience, leave his mate like this. If he

had to guess, Linden’s efforts were all meant for his mother’s medical

treatment. Ash could at least help him with that.

Before he knew it, Ash finished his coffee, making Linden return

to his table. “Can I get you anything else?” he asked in a slightly

breathless tone.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I was wondering when your shift ends

or you take a break.”

Linden beamed at him, and Ash scented excitement and arousal

around his mate. The bond was already forming, and they hadn’t even

kissed. Hell, just the memory of the slight peck the day before made

Ash hard like hell. Fuck.

“Actually, I meant to take fifteen minutes right about now. We

could have a cup of coffee together,” Linden said. He bit his lip, his

expression turning hesitant. “If you want, of course.”

Ash wanted to take his mate in his arms and kiss the uncertainty

away, but instead he just offered Linden a smile. “I want.”

“Great. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Linden rushed off and Ash watched him lean over the counter to

ask for their coffees. From his angle, Linden’s ass ended up in perfect

view. Ash groaned and adjusted himself in his jeans. Fucking hell.

Why did Linden have to be human?

Linden returned to the table, carrying their drinks. He sat on the

chair opposite Ash’s and took a small sip of his latté. Cream lingered

on his upper lip, and Linden’s pink tongue licked it off. Ash

swallowed, his cock throbbing in need for release. He’d have thought

Linden did it on purpose if not for the innocent look the human threw

his way.

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“So… You wanted to talk to me.”

Talking was the last thing on Ash’s mind, but he needed to do the

right thing for his mate. “Indeed. About your mother.”

Linden looked surprised and a bit suspicious. “What about her?”

“You mentioned her sickness yesterday, and I can see you’re

struggling. I could help you out.”

Linden looked away, his posture now tense. “I don’t need pity.”

He bristled. “I can handle things by myself.”

Ash kicked himself, knowing he was explaining his idea poorly

and his mate would get up and leave any moment now. “It’s not pity.

I just want to help.”

Linden shook his head. “I appreciate it, but—”

Ash interrupted Linden before his mate could finish the phrase.

“Look, no strings attached, all right? Stop splitting hairs. I don’t have

any ill intentions or whatever.” He took his human’s hand over the

table and squeezed it. “Trust me. I can get her the best of care.”

Linden looked torn. “How can you possibly do that? I thought you

said your people live in the wild.”

Ash shrugged. “I have some connections. Now, tell me, will you

let me help you?” It was the least he could do.

A few moments passed as Linden considered his offer.

Reluctantly, he nodded. “It’s true I’ve been struggling, but we’re

doing all right. If I could save enough for a transplant… But it’s so

hard.”

“Let me just make a couple of phone calls. We’ll have the best

doctors see her.” His parents owned their own private hospital, and

the spirit wolves had understandings with many clinics all over the

world. With the amount of money his kind donated to each of these

medical establishments, Ash expected guaranteed service for anything

he might require.

He retrieved his cell phone and speed-dialed his father’s private

number. Grant picked up after the first ring. “Son? I’m so glad you

called.”

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31

Grant’s tone surprised him. “Why? What happened?” he asked in

alarm. “Is everyone all right?”

“Yes, we’re fine, but we need to talk. You need to come home.”

Ash began to protest. “Father, I can’t—”

“Trent found his mate, or rather, his mates,” Grant interrupted

him.

It took a little while for his father’s statement process. “Mates?”

he repeated.

“Yes. Two. The first one is Valerius D’Averam.”

Ash cursed under his breath. “The Judiciary?” Fuck. Talk about

bad luck. Sure, Ash couldn’t be happier for his brother, but having a

Judiciary in the family wasn’t his idea of fun. He knew exactly what

those people did. To think they’d considered recruiting him. Fuck

that. He had no intention to ever wipe the memories of any human.

And what was this about a second mate? Leave it up to Trent to do

things his own way. “What about the second one?” he asked.

“Andrew Blunt. Ash, he’s human. They claimed him, and he’s

fine.”

Ash froze. He couldn’t believe his ears. “What? That’s not

possible. A bite from one of us turns a human feral. The virus doesn’t

make exceptions.”

“Apparently, there’s more to it than that. Andrew is a pathologist.

He is studying the feral virus now and trying to figure out how to

replicate the effect.”

Ash’s mind swirled. Dare he hope? Could he have a chance with

Linden? “Sweet Spirit Mother… Why didn’t you tell me?” He shook

himself, knowing all too well why his parents hadn’t called. He’d

been on a mission, for crying out loud. Hunters couldn’t be contacted

by their family during such times. They needed to avoid all

distractions. “Never mind. Does the Magistrate know?”

“No,” his father answered. “It is complicated. Apparently, not

everyone wishes for a cure for the virus. There’s even been an

assassination attempt against Andrew. They broke into the compound

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and almost killed him. I shudder to think what could have happened if

your brother and Valerius hadn’t managed to get to him in time.”

“Father, you’re not making any sense. Who attacked the

compound? When?”

“Lucius D’Averam, a couple of months back,” Grant answered.