Epilogue
Linc
“Why are you wearing clothes? It’s eight a.m. on a Saturday, Madden. I thought you said that you weren’t one of those morning people. I feel duped. I feel lied to. I feel—”
She leaned down and put her hand over his mouth. “I was going to make you breakfast in bed, you douche canoe.”
He nipped her palm then licked it seductively. When she giggled and moved her hand he smiled. “That’s sweet, but there is a young shifter sleeping on our couch, and you aren’t wearing pants. Again.”
She pulled away, opening a drawer. “I was in the process of getting dressed when you woke up and started to throw a fit.”
“I only threw a fit because I woke up with a massive hard-on and when I went to sink into your perfect pussy, you were gone.”
Madden snorted. “Like you said, young shifter on the couch. You know the rule. Not until after he’s out of the house.”
Linc did know that stupid rule. He and Madden had been later getting to campus for the last five days.
It’d been one week since they’d started trying to make Ox talk. Baze and Jace both assured them that it was working. Everyone knew they were all on borrowed time though. By now Franklin had to know his second in command was MIA. Any day now retaliation would come.
The twins and Riley were still staying on Faculty Row, one boy at each house. Madden and Linc had Jasper. Corey said it was Linc’s punishment that he had to live with a younger, better-looking version of himself.
But he wasn’t complaining. Not really. He had Madden, and that was all that mattered.
“We also have to meet up with Baze at some point today. I need to get the rest of my stuff out of the apartment.” Baze had changed the locks and added tons of security to the apartment they used to share. He was a little bit paranoid these days—not that any of them could blame him. He was torturing and getting information out of a violent criminal who had the backing of an even bigger violent criminal.
Madden stood over their bed. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. It’s about Baze.”
He rested his hands behind his head, gesturing down to his dick. It was tenting the covers. “Are you trying to make that go away? Because wanting to talk to your mate about another shifter while he’s got your naked body on his brain is a good way to do that.”
“Actually, yeah. If that could go away until Jasper leaves, that’d be great.” She smiled, lips thinned.
He sighed. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”
“The first time I had one of those hot flash episodes, both Jasper and Jace were affected by my scent, right? But Baze wasn’t.”
“Well, yeah, Baze is older. He’s more in control of his shifter side, which only comes with age. The twins are still so young.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed. “But Ox, when he attacked me, he could tell. Just like the twins could. He mentioned my scent. He knew what it was. He knew what was happening to me. But then when Dom and Keller came in, they didn’t react to it.”
He narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Okay…I don’t think I’m following what you’re trying to say.”
“Ox is older than Baze, but he lost control.”
“Yeah?” Either he was dumb as a rock or it was too early on a Saturday for his brain to function. Because he wasn’t getting what Madden was trying to tell him.
“Maybe my scent didn’t affect Dom or Keller because they’re mated. Could it be possible that Baze is mated too?”
Linc let out a loud laugh. “What? No. There’s no way Baze is mated and we don’t know about it.” He sat up and kissed his girl’s neck, breathing in her spicy shampoo. “And we don’t even know exactly why Kel and Dom weren’t affected.”
She wasn’t laughing. In fact, she pushed him back down on the mattress and gave him a serious look. “I’m not kidding, Linc. I saw the way Ox reacted, the way you and the twins did. Your eyes got glassy. It was like the scent took over. You guys were no longer in control. Dom, Keller, and Baze. None of them were affected, even a little.”
“Baby. Dom, Keller, and Baze are pack. They went into protection mode to save one of their own.”
“Who would want to protect me more than you would? That’s your main job, right? To protect me. To keep me safe. But you lost it. You reacted just like the twins. You had zero control.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I think I’m right, Linc. I think there is something Baze isn’t telling us.”
“No. There’s no way…” He spoke with a lot less conviction than he had moments before. What Madden was saying did make sense, sort of. “If he was mated, but not with his mate? He’d go crazy. There are cases of bonded males that actually die from the separation.”
“Well, he’s an asshole. And he’s bossy as fuck.” She shrugged. “So he has those mated characteristics down pat. Not to mention the fact that he acts like he knows everything about bonding.”
“Now that is true. He always has known more about it than the rest of us.” Linc shook his head. “No. It’s not possible. He just reads more than us.”
But? Was it possible? How would that even work? Would it work?
Linc could tell by Madden’s face that she wasn’t going to give up. She was like a dog with a bone. Baze was going to get irritated quickly if she pursued the issue.
“Baby, Baze is a private person. He’s broody and he keeps to himself. I’ve lived with the guy for years, and I still know little about his life before St. Leasing.”
“That’s because he left his mate behind to start a new life in Haxton.”
“Madden. I am asking you, nicely, to please drop it. Baze will share his past when he’s ready to share it, okay?” He waited for her to nod. He was almost positive that it was more of an I won’t involve you in this investigation type of nod instead of the I’ll drop it and leave Baze alone type of nod he was hoping for. Plan B, distraction.
“Jasper,” Linc called out loudly toward the living room.
“Yeah?” Jasper’s voice came from right outside their bedroom door. He sounded sleepy and cranky.
“Take my car and get breakfast for everyone.” Madden elbowed him in the ribs. “Please.”
“If you want me to leave so you can—”
“Don’t finish that sentence.” Linc bit his lip to keep from laughing. Jasper really was just like him. “My wallet and my keys are on the kitchen counter.”
“Fine.”
“Take Riley with you.” Everyone had to travel in pairs, never alone.
“Fine.”
Linc captured Madden’s smiling lips, kissing her senseless.
“Uh, Coach?”
Linc pounded his fists into the mattress throwing an adult-sized temper tantrum while Madden laughed. “What?”
Jasper’s voice came from right outside their bedroom door. “There is a dude walking up the driveway carrying a passed-out chick.”
Madden jumped off the bed and pulled on a pair on pajama pants, and Linc was following right behind her as she ran into the living room. She glanced out the window facing the street and then rushed to the front door.
“Baby, are you fucking crazy? You can’t just let strangers walk into the—”
“He’s not a stranger. I know him.” She opened the door, holding it wide.
Linc watched as a large, extremely muscled dude with a man-bun made his way onto the porch then into the house. “Madden. How do you know him?” Man-Bun was definitely a shifter. Linc could tell that the moment he stepped into the house.
Madden ignored him, instead choosing to help giant Man-Bun lay a passed-out blonde chick on the sofa. She was banged up and bleeding. “Matias? What are you doing here? Who is this? What the actual fuck?”
Linc stood by Madden, his hand reaching down to grip hers as the big guy dropped his beat-up backpack by the sofa. Linc pulled her toward him, wanting like hell to demand answers as well.
“Maddi, chica, I travel cross the world to see you and that’s the welcome I get?” Man-Bun tsked and took a step in her direction, causing Linc to jerk her back and let out a low growl.
Matias wrinkled his brow. “Maddi? Why is this blond man growling at…Are you mated? To this guy?” He threw his head back laughing and Linc barely resisted the urge to rip his throat out. “I knew it, mi amor. I knew you were meant for a shifter. Santi owes me some money.” Everything he said was in a thick accent and Linc was having trouble catching every word, but he understood mi amor, and that pissed him off even more. He growled again and Man-Bun held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, you’ll get no trouble from me, I know just how—”
“What in the holy hell is going on? How are you here? Why is there a bleeding girl on my couch?” Madden ripped her hand from Linc’s and put her fists on her hips, wearing her super-pissed-off expression.
Linc reached out and took her hand again. Until Rico Suave left the house, she was going to have to deal with her mate’s possessive crap.
Matias sat on the love seat, crossing his ankle onto his thigh. “The pack and I, we are visiting the States. A little vacation if you will. I took a detour. I wanted to check on our chica. See your new home.” He wagged a finger at Madden, a large grin on his face. “You left some things out of your last email, I see.”
Linc made a face. “This guy is from the Spain pack? You still keep in contact with them?” They needed to have a serious talk.
Madden let out an annoyed sigh. “The girl? Who is she, Matty?” Maddi and Matty, how adorable. Linc wanted to puke. And then punch the Spanish stranger.
“Oh, I don’t know the girl. I found her outside in the middle of the road in front of your home.”
“What?” Madden flew to her knees, instantly assessing the girl. “Jasper. I need the first-aid kit in the hall closet.” Linc had forgotten that Jasper was still in the house. He moved to the couch, looking the girl over. “Her pulse is steady, her pupils are responding fine. Why isn’t she—”
“She’s shifter.” Both Linc and Matias cut her off. Linc shot Matias a shut-the-fuck-up glare and then continued, “She’s already in a healing sleep.”
Madden started pulling supplies out of the bag Jasper had laid beside her. “Matty, was she awake when you found her? Did she say anything?”
“She said, ‘I need bass.’” He nodded once.
“Bass? Like the fish?” Linc looked down at the chick’s prone form. That was an odd thing to say to someone before passing the fuck out.
“Yes. Bazzzzz.” Matias kept his eyes on Madden, watching her work.
“Like with a z?” Linc shook his head. “That’s even dumber.”
“Baze?” Madden gasped. “She said ‘I need Baze.’”
Linc rolled his eyes. “Baby, you’ve got to let that go. Baze does not have—”
The blonde chick sat up, said something incoherent, then mumbled, “Find Baze. Please help me find my…my…” Her plea drifted off as she fell back onto the cushions.