It wasn’t easy to watch another lunge and try to kill his Beloved while he stood idly by, but he knew the rules of a challenge and what it meant to break them. Wick couldn’t legally intervene, otherwise he’d have already severed the former captain’s head… without having to shift to his beast.
Wick stood in awe of Justice’s fighting abilities. He wasn’t engaging Erman at all, instead letting him swipe repeatedly at him. Justice easily spun out of reach each time until Erman got exceptionally close to Justice’s face and Justice gave him a hard head-butt to his ribs, sending his body flying across the cobblestone driveway. Wick’s heart pounded in his chest, he wanted this to be over.
Justice leapt into the air – no longer on defense – covering the distance easily and landing on top of Erman. The vampire’s body jerked like he’d been hit with a defibrillator. Justice clamped his huge mouth over the vampire’s throat and shook him roughly, dragging his body across the coarse stones. The action was vicious but not lethal. Justice was giving him another chance to submit, but Erman steadily tried to buck Justice off, clawing at his sides with those ridiculous metal weapons.
Wick was careful to keep his feelings shielded so he wasn’t a distraction to his mate. But his frustration at being forced to stand by had to be evident, no matter how he tried to hide it.
If Justice sensed anything in Wick, he didn’t acknowledge it and instead stayed in the battle. The apprehension and frustration was clear in his mate’s body language. Justice didn’t want to kill.
A blood-curdling scream rent the atmosphere when Justice clamped down harder on Erman’s throat. Wick heard Alek’s wolf growl next to him, maybe giving his big brother some encouragement. He couldn’t tell what, if anything, Alek was saying to Justice, but he could feel Alek’s presence in his mate’s head. An unbreakable sibling bond. Wick was thankful he was there.
As if he felt Wick’s appreciation, Alek’s big animal eased in closer to him, just shy of touching him. It was a display of Alek’s full support of his brother’s mating. So much that he’d protect his brother’s mate with his own life.
Dark red blood ran down the sides of Erman’s throat where Justice’s canines dug in just deep enough to inflict unbearable pain but not enough to kill. The vampire’s body went completely limp, his fake claws laying out to the sides. Justice had sustained a few scratches and pokes while he forced Erman’s submission, but they’d healed too rapidly to ever allow Erman to gain the upper hand.
Justice’s big wolf stood over Erman and howled his victory high into the mountains. He snarled and barked close to the vampire’s bloody throat before he finally backed away, never taking his eyes off his enemy. Blood flowed from Erman’s neck while he lay there defeated. Wick stepped forward and addressed the nearby vampires.
“Lord Protector.”
“Si.”
Ramon stood waiting dutifully. Wick looked down at the ex-captain’s pitiful form then back at his few remaining court officers. He wouldn’t mind them torturing the disloyal vampire for a while, but he wanted them back safely, daybreak was in a couple hours.
“Accompany him to the state line as your Alpha instructed. Then…” Justice had given his instructions as the alpha… Wick had his own as the king. “When you cross it. Take his head off.”
“He challenged my King’s Beloved. It would be an honor, my Lord,” Ramon answered with determination, the other vampires immediately stepping forward and surrounding Erman.
Justice’s dark nose and white muzzle were covered with blood. So was his lower left side. Wick could feel he wasn’t injured, but the way Justice stalked around made Wick wonder what was happening. Why was Justice not back at his side? He watched in confusion while Justice’s aggression and wildness continued to permeate the air.
“He’s warring with his victory.”
Wick started at the sound of Alek’s raspy voice. He’d been so busy watching his mate, he hadn’t noticed Justice’s huge brother silently shift and stand tall beside him. “He won.”
“Of course, he did. Justice can’t lose and he knows this, it’s why he hates fighting… he doesn’t think it’s fair to his opponent. Righteousness is at the core of his alpha spirit… not only protection.”
“I’m proud of him,” Wick whispered.
“He’s proud, too. He protected his mate. He may even be distressed by the fact he had to kill one of your kind.”
“He was a traitor. Nothing more,” Wick hissed and Alek closed his mouth. Wick appreciated the respect. He turned back to Justice to see his naked, filthy body angling towards him, looking deadly and desirable at the same damn time. Wick wasn’t sure whether to stand his ground or run.
“He’s coming to claim what’s his. He’s the victor… now he’ll take his prize,” Alek said, stepping further away from Wick the closer Justice got. His head was angled down and his arms were slightly bowed-out from his sides, the veins and muscles protruding with each step he took. Justice’s dark, wavy hair was slicked back, the ends curling around his earlobes. It amazed Wick how Justice could look at him so sweetly one moment and then like this another. Like Wick was a spoil of war.
“Try to get him into the house, or he’ll take you right here on the lawn,” Alek warned.
Wick didn’t necessarily hate the sound of that. But he preferred privacy. Shifters might rejoice in the freedom of nakedness and find beauty in all-natural acts… especially sex; however, Wick wasn’t an exhibitionist. He thought of taking off and letting Justice chase him, but the way his mate looked at him – like you-better-fucking-not – made that thought flee quickly. Wick slowly took a backwards step towards the wide-open doors. When Wick did it again, Justice growled menacingly.
“Take me to bed, Justice.” Wick kept moving towards the house, his steps cautious.
“MINE!” Justice roared through their link. “When I get my hands on you, that’s—”
Wick didn’t let Justice finish that thought. Using his flash speed, Wick was in the house and up the long winding stairs in front of his suite’s doors in a couple seconds. He heard Justice’s measured footsteps enter the house. As soon as he crossed the threshold, Wick could smell his fire, feel his mate’s amazing energy consume the entire cabin. My heavens. If Wick had harbored any doubt of his mate’s power, he didn’t anymore.
Justice climbed the stairs one at time, never taking his eyes off Wick. There was blood smeared along both sides of his ribcage, and fading pink marks. His face was so covered in grime and gore he looked straight out of a slasher movie. Wick needed to get them in the shower first. Flashing to the bathroom, Wick turned on the hot tap and a smidge of cold then pressed his chest flat against the rapidly heating tiles while he waited.
By the time Justice pulled the sliding door back and stepped inside, Wick was breathing frantically. He couldn’t contain his excitement another moment. His dick was solid and shoved flat against the unforgiving surface, pulsing and leaking along with the steaming water. He thought his mate was going to press into him ruthlessly against the wall, growling obscenities in his ear while he thrashed his body, claiming him in the most barbaric, animalistic way. And Wick craved it so damn bad. But that’s not what happened.
Justice buried his face against the side of Wick’s neck while he affectionately ran his hands all over his back and torso. He heard Justice nonsensically murmuring “mine” over and over as he bathed Wick’s body with his tongue, his hands, and his love. When Wick was turned around, he saw so much emotion in Justice’s striking blue eyes, he had to pause to kiss them both and lick at his wet, salty lashes. Honesty, devotion, passion. They were all there, discernibly open and ready to be given. Wick kissed Justice until he took it over, thrusting his tongue deep inside Wick’s mouth. He surrendered willingly, his lips parted, his breathing choppy and shallow. Wick could still feel the energy pulsing around them, he wanted to calm his mate then make love to him like he needed.
Wick bathed away every speck of dirt and blood, washing Justice’s thick head of hair twice before stepping out of the steaming stall. Neither of them bothered with a towel as Wick let Justice lead him to the bed. Their sexing was slow, tender, harmonized. Wick whispered in Justice’s ear how proud he was to be his mate. How protected Justice made him feel today. And he didn’t just tell him what he thought an alpha wanted to hear. He told his mate the truth and he was sure Justice could sense it. Could feel Wick’s genuine love for him. It was in Justice’s touch, his kiss, in the ardent way he sank his teeth into the flushed skin over Wick’s throat and lovingly claimed him all over again.