Wolfsbane [Dark Hollow 5] (19 page)

Ironically, the general who had been captured was one of the first to find a mate. An older widower from Zack’s pack had asked for him. Now that he was Werekin, they had to accept him and not make fun of him, but Logan was finding it hard not to be just a little gleeful that the previously homophobic general was now the mate of a wolf, and from all accounts, very happy.

The most worrisome problem, of course, had been Brett. When Evan was finally allowed to see him after a few days of intensive treatment, he had still looked terrible, and had gazed at Evan with no recognition evident on his face.

The doctor had discovered the records showing the various chemicals that he’d been injected with, an assortment of acids and poisons. He said the only treatment was the alpha blood and they gave him as much as he could hold. After about a week, he’d begun to show improvement and his recovery had been steady after that. He knew who Evan was, but he still wouldn’t meet his gaze or talk to him, turning his head to the wall whenever Evan came in.

Evan wanted to throw his arms around him, and tell him how much he loved him, but Brett was somehow distant and unyielding. Evan contented himself with sitting by him quietly and holding his hand occasionally when he’d allow it. Evan went to see him less and less though, thinking Brett preferred him to stay away and not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

Marco walked in and Nicky turned to smile at him. He came over right away and dropped a kiss on his lips, rubbing a hand over his shoulders. Evan couldn’t help wishing that he had a close relationship like that with his own mate.

“Hi, Evan,” he said. “How’s Brett today?”

Evan dropped his gaze. “I-I don’t know, Marco. I haven’t been to see him today. Yesterday when I came in to see him, he gave a big sigh, like, oh God, not
him
again. I think I’m just making him miserable. He obviously doesn’t want to see me.”

Marco made a sound of exasperation. “I think this has gone on long enough, damn it. Evan, come with me. I’m putting a stop to this right now.”

Marco turned and strode off, obviously expecting Evan to follow him so he trailed along behind him down the stairs to the basement clinic, where Brett was.

As they walked in, Brett sat up in bed and looked from Evan back to Marco with a little apprehension. He swallowed hard and nodded at them. “Alpha, Evan, how are you both this evening?”

Marco folded his arms and gave Brett the look he usually saved for Nicky when he was doing something outrageous. “Brett, have you decided to come back to the pack and take up your duties here?”

 “Yes, Alpha, if you’ll have me. I know I’ve shirked my duties as lead gamma, and ruined all that, but I’ll come back in any capacity you’ll let me.”

“We can talk about that later. First there’s a little matter of thirty days of jail time you owe me. You’ve been confined in here for two weeks. I’ll count that toward your time. If the doctor says you can be released, then I’d like you to start the rest of your time tomorrow.”

Brett flushed a deep red and looked down. “Yes, Alpha, of course.”

“Since you’ve been so ill, I’m going to allow you to serve the rest of your sentence on house arrest. Evan, here, will be your jailer.”

Evan and Brett both turned looks of astonishment on Marco, but he stared steadily down at Brett. Without turning from Brett, he addressed Evan. “Evan, you are not to allow him out of your room for the full two weeks, is that clear?”

“Uh—yes sir.”

“Good. And Brett, you will do everything Evan tells you to do, is that understood?”

“Alpha, I—uh...”

“Are you questioning my ruling, Brett?”

“No, sir, I was just going to say that Evan might not...”

“Evan?” Marco said. “Do you have a problem with it?”

“No, Marco.”

“Then that’s settled. I’ll go talk to the doctor and then get someone to help move you.” He turned on his heel and left them alone together, with an awkward silence between them. Evan knew Marco was trying to help, but help what, he wondered. Brett was so cold and distant. His mind seemed to be a thousand miles away as Evan sat waiting beside him. Evan wondered what he’d been doing the past week he’d spent away from him. Maybe it had been a relief not to have to be with his mate—a human mate, that he’d never wanted in the first place because humans were too wild and unpredictable. Wasn’t that what he’d said?

When the silence between them went from awkward to excruciating Brett finally spoke.  Not looking directly at Evan, he said, “If you don’t want to do this, don’t feel you have to. I can talk to Marco and probably get you out of it.”

“No, that’s okay. I don’t mind. I mean, I want to help you, Brett. I’d much rather have you at home than in some jail cell after all you’ve been through.”

Brett glanced up at him for the first time, his eyes dark and sad. “I really fucked things up between us, Evan, and I want to tell you how sorry I am.”

“Okay,” Evan said, surprised at the depth of hurt he saw in Brett’s eyes.

“No, it’s not okay, but I want you to know I tried to make things right. When I first left here, before I ran into those damn Hunters, I tried to figure out what I could do to give you back your old life. The fact is, you have to feed for the rest of your life, and there’s not anything I can do about that, unless the doctors really do come up with an antidote or a synthetic substitute. Until then, I promise I’ll always make myself available to give you what you need—you have my promise on that.”

“I-uh...” Evan was at a loss for words. Brett was talking like he was going to leave again. Did he hate him so much he couldn’t wait to get away from him again? It sure sounded like he was giving him his freedom—a freedom Evan didn’t want.

“I found Eric for you.”

“You did what?”

Brett looked up at him almost shyly. “I said I found Eric for you. He hadn’t gone yet to be a Hunter, so I told him to stay away. I told him exactly what they would do to him, and he—he thanked me, and said he wouldn’t go anywhere near that place.”

“Oh,” Evan said softly. “Brett, that was very kind of you to do that. I—”

“I told him you were free now, and he said he still wants you back.”

Evan sat very still. “I’m sorry, say that again.”

“He’s waiting for you, baby, I mean, Evan, and I told him I’d bring you to him. Of course, that was a few weeks ago, but I’m sure he’d still do it. He-he seemed like a pretty nice guy, Evan. It could be just the same for you. Well, almost the same. It’s the best I can do to fix things, you know? To get things back to the way they were. Just as soon as these two weeks are up, I can help you pack up, and we can get started back down the mountain.”

“Oh really? Can’t wait to get rid of me, huh?”

“No, I didn’t mean that. What’s the matter, baby—I mean, Evan? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Why are you just now telling me all this, Brett? I sat here with you almost every day the first week until you made it plain you didn’t want me here anymore. You never once mentioned any of this.”

Brett looked confused. “Well, I don’t know, Evan. My mind has been kind of mixed up, you know, and I just remembered some of this. And I don’t know why you thought I didn’t want you here. I never said that.”

“No, you didn’t say much of anything, actually. Just turned your face to the wall most days and ignored me.”

Brett looked embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to give you that impression. All I could remember at first was that last time I talked to you was when you told me...you told me you didn’t want to be with me and that you rejected me as your mate. I figured you were coming to see me to be nice.”

“I’m not an object that you and Eric can pass back and forth between you, Brett.”

Brett looked amazed. “I know that, honey. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“And I never told you I was rejecting you as my mate. I told you I hadn’t made up my mind yet.  You’re tired of me, so you’re taking me back to where you found me like some puppy you don’t want anymore.”

“No!” Brett cried. “That’s not it at all! I was only trying to make things right again for you.”

“Did you ever think of asking me how you could do that? Did my wants and needs ever enter into the equation at all?”

“Of course they did, Evan.”

“Really? Because all I ever wanted after that mess was a sincere apology, which you apparently were unwilling to give me, and so terrified by the idea of it, and of us, that you ran away from me. I had no idea if you were ever coming back, and then we got the news that Winters had you and they were torturing you. Ian said...he said you were out of your mind, and do you have any idea how I
felt?
”

“But Evan, of
course
, I’d come back. I
was coming back
when those Hunters got me. I was sort of distracted, you know, and I wasn’t paying attention. I ran right into them.”

 Evan simply stared at him saying nothing for a long moment. “I was so worried about you,” he said softly. “I thought you stayed away on purpose.”

“Evan, I
can’t
stay away from you. That’s the whole point.”

“Well, you did a pretty damn good job of it. And how dare you take it upon yourself to decide who I am going to spend the rest of my life with? I told you I didn’t want Eric. Did I stutter? How can you treat me like some stupid puppy you just take back to the pound and forget?”

“But baby...I thought we established this.” Brett leaned forward and took his hand. He gazed into his eyes very solemnly.  “You’re not a puppy at all. You’re my bunny.”

There was the briefest moment of stunned silence and then Evan looked into those big, green eyes and burst into laughter. “Idiot!” he said, punching him on the shoulder. When he stopped laughing, he fixed him with a hard stare. “Do you or do you not want me as your mate?”

Brett looked at him blankly, blinking his eyes rapidly.

“It’s a simple question, Brett. Do you want me or not?” Evan folded his arms and stared straight into his mate’s eyes.

Brett looked so confused he almost took pity on him. Almost.

“Of
course,
I want you. Evan, I’ve been such an idiot. I almost threw everything away, and I
hurt
you. It was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I didn’t blame you for hating me.”

“I didn’t hate you,” Evan said. “Exactly. I just wanted you to realize what an idiot you were, and
apologize
. Why didn’t you say you were sorry that day in Marco’s apartment when you came to see me?”

Brett looked down at his lap. “I thought you were leaving me, baby. I was so hurt I couldn’t even talk. I thought my life was over.” He raised his eyes to meet Evan’s.

A long silence fell between them as they stared at each other. Finally, when it dawned on Brett that Evan was waiting for him to make the next move, he smiled broadly at Evan and started to move toward him. He caught himself halfway and drew back. “Can I kiss you, baby?”

“You damn well better.”

Brett almost lunged toward him and pulled him over into his lap. For the next few minutes, he kissed every available surface and then breathlessly, he picked Evan up in his arms and took him to the bed, laying him down almost reverently. Evan began scooting out of his clothes and Brett took his off at record speed, then lay down beside him to just gaze at him, like he couldn’t believe it was actually happening. Evan never wanted to kiss anyone so badly in his life.

Brett seemed to recover and trailed a hot line of kisses down Evan’s neck ending at his nipples. He spent some time licking and nipping at them before he slid lower down his body. He moved his tongue over the head, lapping at the drops of pre-cum forming there.

Unable to wait any longer, Evan said, “Oh, God, do something!”

 Brett laughed and pulled Evan’s legs up and licked at his entrance. He inserted a finger and stretched him carefully. Evan tried to stop his trembling and make this good for his lover.

“Lube?” Evan asked, and Brett looked wildly around the room finally spotting a jar on a nearby table. He reached for it and quickly spread it over his cock. Unable to wait a second longer, Evan pulled Brett down inside him and he pushed until he was all the way in. Evan loved the little whimpers and sweet sounds he made as he held himself there. Then once there he waited, as if letting Evan get used to him again and savoring the sensation of Evan’s tight hold around him.

Evan punched him on his shoulder again. “Hey, do something. Move!”

“Oh, like this, baby?” he moved his hips back and forth, nailing Evan’s prostate until he writhed against him in a frenzy of need. Brett wrapped his hand around Evan’s cock and pumped it in concert with the movement of his hips. “Come for me, sweetheart.”

Evan came, his cock and balls and whole body spasming as Brett worked him and then Brett was crying out as he came too, filling him full of cum. He bit down on Evan’s neck as he climaxed, perhaps needing to claim him again in some way. Evan screamed and clung to his shoulders, boneless, lost in the sensations flooding his body.

Brett collapsed on top of him and Evan breathed in his scent deeply, loving the smell and feel of him. Not moving from inside him, he bit into his wrist and held it up in an offering to Evan’s lips. Evan smiled and pulled it to his lips greedily, sucking down the sweet, hot blood and looking up at Brett through his lashes occasionally to make Brett gasp and slowly harden again.

When he was done, Brett fucked him again, unable to help himself, and Evan wrapped his legs around his waist and held on tight. This time when he finished, he fell off to the side, almost unable to breathe. Evan followed him over and threw a leg over him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

He wondered idly what could have happened to Marco and decided he had left them alone for this very reason. Probably waiting outside for us to finish, he thought, chuckling to himself. Evan knew he really did need to move before someone came in. He had to get his man home and then keep him prisoner for the next two weeks. He imagined Brett naked in their bed, totally dependent on him for a while. Not that he would make him suffer. No, on the contrary, he would be a benevolent jailer and keep his prisoner well satisfied. The idea made him harden all over again.