Mates in Life and Death (5 page)

“It’s far too much to explain on the phone. We need to see each

other.”

Obviously. But Ash couldn’t leave his newfound mate. “Father, I

found my mate, too. He is human.”

Silence followed his reply. “O h, that changes things. Does he

know about us?”

“We just met yesterday,” Ash answered. “I didn’t even intend to

tell him. You know the risks.”

“Don’t be hasty, son. The virus is being studied. You two have a

chance.”

Ash certainly hoped so, but until then, he’d promised Linden to

help him with his mother. “I’ll remember that. O ne more thing. I

called to ask you for a favor for my mate. His mother is sick with

emphysema. Do you think we could help her out?”

“Of course, son,” Grant told him. “We’ll send someone at once.

Where are you?”

“Timber Lake. It’s in Michigan, close to the border with Canada.”

“Understood. Wait for us.” Grant paused. “I’m happy for you,

son. Things will work out, you’ll see.”

Ash thanked his father and ended the conversation. He looked at

his mate, only to see Linden stare at him in clear shock. “Uh… I

talked to my family,” he said. “They’ll send someone over.”

“So I heard,” Linden replied. “What’s all this about a mate and a

virus?”

Ash gaped at Linden. He’d spoken to his father in the language of

the spirit wolves. For this reason, he didn’t even bother to take his

conversation elsewhere. Not to mention that he’d never expected his

father to go into such a discussion. Fuck, he was such an idiot.

Mates in Life and Death

33

“You understood what I said?” he asked, skirting Linden’s

question.

Linden frowned at him. “Does it look like I’m deaf? You were

speaking in plain English.”

No, he hadn’t, but clearly, their mate bond gave Linden the ability

to understand anyway. “Come on,” he told his human. “Walk with me

for five minutes. This isn’t the best place to do this.”

“Obviously,” Linden replied, sounding irritated. He shot to his

feet and glared at Ash. “But I have a job to do. Call me when you’ve

decided to be honest.”

34

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Three

Linden headed back to the bar, furious with himself and Ash.

Sure, he’d known something wasn’t quite right with the other man,

but apparently, the secrets Ash kept involved him. He had no idea

what to think about the phone call, other than the fact that, for

whatever reason, he’d stumbled into a wacko—a hot one—but a

wacko nevertheless.

Halfway across the coffee shop, he began to hesitate. Perhaps he

should have given Ash the chance to explain. Everyone deserved the

benefit of the doubt. He turned, but to his shock, Ash had vanished

from the table, the only sign that he’d been there the steaming mugs

and the cash left behind to pay the bill.

Linden went back, took the money, and cleaned the table. He bit

his lip in frustration. Now what? Yes, he was pissed, but that didn’t

mean he didn’t want to see Ash again. Fucking hell.

Grumbling under his breath, Linden took the mugs to the bar. He

ran straight into another barista, Jocelyn. “Where did your boyfriend

go?” she asked.

“None of your fucking business,” he spat at her. He didn’t like her

on a regular basis, let alone today. The entire thing with Ash put him

in a rotten mood.

Jocelyn grinned at him, obviously amused at his annoyance. “Oh,

did you get your ass dumped? Wait, you must’ve had it fucked, and

now the hottie doesn’t want anything to do with you anymore. He

probably told you he’s returning to the right type of relationship.

Women.”

Mates in Life and Death

35

Linden made it no secret that he liked men. He was by no means

the only gay man in Timber Lake, but for whatever reason, he’d

ended up working with the most fanatical homophobe in town. She’d

moved in a couple of months ago and gotten a job at the coffee shop.

He found her persecution more than a little irritating, especially since

he’d never pursued his attraction toward his own sex. He didn’t have

time for anything beyond the occasional flirty smile exchanged with a

customer at the pub. These days, his exhaustion even kept him from

touching himself.

Even worse was the fact that, for whatever reason, she seemed

intent on sparking hostility toward him. While Linden didn’t have

friends in town, he couldn’t have said anyone had been particularly

aggressive toward him, not until Jocelyn appeared.

He knew replying would just fuel the argument, but he couldn’t

let her have the last word. “Believe whatever you like. Clearly your

own sexual frustration is flourishing if you have nothing better to do

than to spy on other people’s boyfriends.”

Jocelyn went an interesting shade of red. Feeling a bit better,

Linden turned his back on her and began to work once more. He

needed the money, and mooning over Ash wouldn’t pay the bills.

A couple of hours later, his shift finally ended. Relieved to get

away from Jocelyn’s stressful presence, Linden rushed to gather his

stuff, when his phone rang. The caller ID said Jake. Why would his

boss call him? Linden swallowed nervously. Had he been working

poorly? Would Jake fire him?

With fearful apprehension, Linden took the call. “Hello?”

“Hi, Linden,” Jake’s voice said over the phone. “I’m closing the

pub early today. The kids are in town, and we’re spending a quiet

night at home.”

Linden’s palms were beginning to sweat. That didn’t sound good.

“Oh… Okay.”

“You’ll still get your pay. Besides, you need some sleep.”

“I’m fine,” Linden rushed to assure his boss.
Please, don’t fire me.

36

Scarlet Hyacinth

Jake chuckled. “Don’t panic. I’m just saying, like a piece of

advice. I’ll see you tomorrow, all right?”

Jake’s piece of advice sounded a lot like a warning, but at least the

man hadn’t fired him. Linden began to breathe again. “Yes. Thank

you. Good-bye.”

He left the coffee shop feeling a bit light- headed. Even if not

going to the pub would lose him the night’s tips, he felt thankful for

the reprieve. He could have a quiet dinner at home, with his mother.

A familiar warmth filled him, and his thoughts instantly turned to

Ash. He didn’t know how, but he felt the man was near. Indeed, when

he crossed the street from the coffee shop, he noticed Ash sitting on a

bench, staring at the sky.

As soon as Linden approached, Ash looked toward him and

smiled. “Hi. I figured a personal visit would be better than a call since

you never gave me your phone number in the first place.”

Linden couldn’t help but smile back. Something about Ash made

Linden want to just cuddle by his side and forget about all the evil out

there. He allowed himself the luxury to sit down next to Ash. “I’m

sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten angry. You saved my life and offered to

help my mother, and I attacked you.”

“You’re in your right to be frustrated,” Ash answered, “and I

don’t want your gratitude. I’m just doing what my heart tells me.”

Ash’s words strangely didn’t surprise Linden. At the same time,

he felt there was a knowledge there, hidden somewhere within the

corner of his mind, that he couldn’t quite acknowledge. “I don’t

understand any of this. We’ve only just met. Why do you want to help

me? Why do I want to be with you?”

“You are my mate,” Ash answered. “You understood that much

from the conversation, but I have to tell you, at the time, I spoke in

the language of my people. You shouldn’t have caught onto one

word.”

Mates in Life and Death

37

“But I did. What does it mean? Is it some sort of weird cult

thing?” He didn’t have any problem with different religions, but he

had the feeling it went beyond that.

Ash laughed. “Not quite.” He got up and extended his hand

toward Linden. “Come with me. I need to show you something, if you

have time before work.”

“I’m off today,” Linden replied as he gripped the other man’s

palm. “I intended to go home, but I guess I can delay that a little.”

The moment their skin made contact, electricity sizzled through

Linden. Ash pulled him up, and their eyes met. Their bodies were so

close Linden could feel Ash’s heat.

“Thank you,” Ash murmured. His voice turned into an almost

palpable caress, and Linden shuddered. Tired or not, his body

responded, and his cock hardened once again.

A female voice crashed through the cocoon of warmth involving

them, shattering the moment. “Linden! Wait a moment, you little

twerp.”

Linden winced at Jocelyn’s voice. He had no desire to engage her

in conversation, especially not now. The bitch would make him look

bad in front of Ash. He had no idea what she could want, but he didn’t

care.

“Let’s go,” he told Ash. “I don’t want her to find us.”

To his shock, Ash grabbed him in his arms. “Your wish is my

command.”

The world blurred in front of Linden’s very eyes. Cold wind beat

against his face, and Linden shielded his face in Ash’s shirt, but the

peculiar episode didn’t take long. Soon, he found himself being

placed down on the forest floor. Linden’s legs nearly gave out, but

Ash caught him. “Sorry.”

His smirk didn’t look very repentant, but Linden couldn’t make

himself be angry with Ash. He was too busy being in awe with what

the other man had done.

“What? How did we get here?”

38

Scarlet Hyacinth

“I told you I wanted to show you something,” Linden replied, now

seeming a bit hesitant. “That’s part of it.”

“Part of it,” Linden repeated. “I’m almost afraid to ask about the

rest.”

Ash caressed the side of Linden’s face, and he couldn’t help but

lean into the touch. Who was this weird man really, and why did he

make Linden feel like this? “I’d never hurt you,” Ash whispered.

The wind blew around them, and the smell of pine and green grass

melded together with Ash’s wild scent, until Linden couldn’t separate

them. This time, no Jocelyn appeared to spoil the moment. Their lips

met for the first time, and Linden wrapped his arms around Ash to

pull him closer.

Ash’s tongue licked against the seams of Linden’s lips, and he

gladly allowed the other man entrance. They kissed for the longest

time, exploring each other’s taste, a languorous, slow dance that held

so much gentleness it almost brought tears to Linden’s eyes.

They broke apart breathing hard, and Ash pecked his lips once

more. “Promise me you’ll let me explain.”

Linden nodded. “I promise.”

Ash began to take his clothes off, and Linden arched his brow

even as heavy heat coursed through him. The lazy arousal brought

about by the kiss intensified. His face heated up, but he somehow

managed to say, “I’ve already seen that.”

Ash shook his head. “Not all of it.”

At last, Ash stood there, magnificently nude and mouthwateringly

real. He dropped his clothing in the grass. Linden didn’t get to admire

him for too long. Under his astonished eyes, fur began to sprout on

Ash’s skin. The man’s muscles shifted and turned, claws and fangs,

and even a tail appeared, all in a strikingly fluid motion that left

behind a wolf instead of a man.

When the transformation finished, wolf- Ash padded to Linden’s

side. Linden stared at the animal, and his gaze met the same gray eyes he knew so well. “Holy hell,” he whispered.

Mates in Life and Death

39

The wolf nudged his wet nose against Linden’s palm. On impulse,

Linden petted Ash’s huge head, marveling at how soft the dark gray

fur felt to the touch. Ash let out a low growl Linden identified as a

sound of pleasure. Still in awe, Linden scratched behind the wolf’s

pointy ears and was rewarded with an increase in volume.

“Ash?” he asked when he could speak. “Is that you in there?”

The wolf let out a yip and pushed his head into Linden’s palm.

Linden took it as a definite “yes.” Amazing.

Linden had always believed in the existence of the supernatural.

After all, he’d spent his childhood years among hippies. Some might

have laughed at their way of life, and Linden himself did resent it, since all the weed smoking now caused his mother to be sick. But

he’d seen many truths there, truths the civilized world denied.

Perhaps for that reason, Linden knelt in front of the wolf and

hugged it. He understood now why Ash had been unable to speak of

this. Hell, “I’m a werewolf” was hardly appropriate conversation for a

first date. As a matter of fact, they hadn’t even gone on a first date. A near-death experience didn’t qualify, and his brief coffee break had

been interrupted before it could even venture into at least a game of

footsie.

Ash’s choice to share this with Linden humbled him. It seemed

clear to him now that the other man felt the same peculiar connection.

Was this what Ash meant when he mentioned the word “mate”?