“What the hell?” Liam slammed on his brakes and narrowly avoided hitting Theo who appeared to be standing at the door of a huge tent. Looking around, he could see no sign of the road or Lucien and Beau, but on the plus side, he couldn’t scent anyone else around either. “Where am I? What sort of magic is this?”
“You’re not as stupid as you look, are you surfer boy?” Theo smirked. “Come into my temporary abode. Take a load off. We might as well be comfortable while we wait for the rich one who calls himself my mate.”
“His name is Beau and you already know that.” Liam turned off his bike and swung his leg over his seat, leaving the bike on it’s stand. “What are you doing, Theo? Is Simon really that important to you, you risk death to get your hands on him?”
Theo looked at his expensive watch. “Simon will be delivered into my hands in roughly twenty minutes. Plenty of time to sink my teeth and cock into Mr. Beau Ferris, claiming him and his millions as mine.”
“He won’t come,” Liam moved closer. Surely the mating pull worked both ways this close up. But as he got closer his lion growled; his animal spirit was on the defensive against his mate? Sniffing the air, Liam immediately knew why. It was just as Beau had described. The pull was there, but Theo’s scent reeked of something foul. “What the hell happened to you,” he whispered, horrified.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” No one could do looking down his nose like Theo Western. “I’m just the same as I always was, only stronger, more powerful and more capable of taking what I want.” Liam’s arm was grabbed in a powerful grip. “You’ll do for a snack while we wait for the others.” Theo’s tongue swiped up Liam’s neck and Liam felt his stomach churn.
“You thought we were mates too, didn’t you, surfer boy? Mates are a weakness; a threat to the strongest among us.” Theo’s cock was rubbing on Liam’s ass through the two layers of cloth separating them. Liam was torn. His lion was struggling to get free, but his cock was hardening fast. Beau. Beau. Beau. Thinking of his true mate reminded him of all that was wrong with Theo.
Pulling himself from Theo’s grip, Liam growled. “Mates are not a weakness,” he said turning and poking Theo in the chest. “They are not toys, a source of income or something put on this earth for your amusement. That hard on you’re sporting is because your lion recognizes me as his mate. I’ll bet you anything you like, it only works for me and Beau. Listen to your animal spirit, moron.”
“That useless being?” Theo scoffed. “I traded my animal spirit for one far more powerful than that. I doubt there’s barely a shred of him left in me now.”
Liam’s mouth. “You allowed yourself to be possessed?” He could barely get the words past his throat. In normal circumstances it wasn’t possible for any shifter to be possessed by a demon or evil spirit. They already carried a spirit animal. But if a shifter willingly exchanged his animal spirit with another…. Liam’s heart broke as his resolve to do the right thing hardened.
“The word possessed has such a negative connotation, don’t you think?” Theo ran his hand down his chest before cupping the bulge in his pants. “Let’s just say I made a mutually beneficial arrangement with a friend of friends and now I’m far stronger because of it. But you still smell good enough to fuck and as your silly animal half thinks I’m something special, you don’t have any choice but to drop your pants and bend over, do you?”
“Drop my pants, yeah I can do that for my mate.” Liam kicked off his boots. His cock was hard and leaking, but thanks to the asshole in front of him, he was well used to ignoring it. “So, what are your plans for Simon then? If you mate with Beau, you won’t be able to get your dick hard anywhere near the snake shifter.” He undid his zip and pushed his jeans down his legs. Theo’s tongue was hanging out and his eyes were taking on a red tinge. Liam shivered with revulsion, but he kept stripping.
“Mating rules are so cliché don’t’ you think?” Theo’s laugh was dirty. “All of this fidelity, honesty and protecting lesser beings. It’s a load of shit. My teeth in Beau’s neck will ensure the beefy guy bottoms for me for eternity while I roll around in his obscene amounts of money. He told me he had to have two mates, and Simon will do perfectly for that. Simon’s already proven his child-bearing capabilities and I can keep him pregnant all the time, selling off the worthless cubs every time he pops them out.”
“And what am I? Chopped liver?” Liam threw his shirt to the ground and stood tall, his lion bristling under his skin. He tapped the scar on his shoulder. “Beau’s already claimed his first mate. Me.”
Theo glared at his scar and for a split-second Liam thought he saw a flash of regret on his mate’s face. But then Theo shrugged, and the arrogant mask was back. “No matter. The more pets the merrier I suppose. Get on the ground and hold that sexy ass open for me. I want to see if you’re worth the cost of food and lodgings.” He unzipped his pants as Liam dropped to his knees.
“Now,” he whispered, his lion roaring in agreement. His change was swift and as soon as he felt complete in fur, Liam tipped back his head and roared. Holding Theo captive with his eyes, Liam stalked forward, his lips curled back to show his fangs.
“What are you doing? You said we were mates? You saved my life once already because I mean something to you. Beau told me you cared about me.” Theo fell back against the tent opening.
And I do. For a moment, Liam hesitated. But then he thought about Simon and Darwin and their twins who just wanted to grow up peacefully and in safety from assholes like Theo. He thought about his brother Hal who would spend his life as a mute simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. His final thoughts were for Beau. His mate was so proud and yet had a gentle side too. The thought of him in chains, serving a demon’s pleasure brought his protective instincts to the fore. Liam would protect his mate with his dying breath. Roaring his challenge to the skies, Liam leapt for Theo’s throat.
Burns flew across his fur where his body landed on Theo’s. Magic. Then a sharp pain in his side almost crippled him. Knife. Fuck that hurts.
“You can’t kill me, Demons are the strongest beings on earth.” Theo found the strength to push him back and Liam rolled on his side. There were black spots in front of his eyes and he knew he was losing blood fast. Pulling his feet under him, Liam staggered to his feet.
“If you won’t let me fuck you, you might as well be dead,” Theo cried as he lunged forward, the knife in his hand glinting in the sunlight. As Theo leaned down, Liam twisted his neck, his fangs tearing across Theo’s abs as he felt the knife sink between his shoulder blades. Theo’s blood gushed across his face, making him feel sick even in his furry form.
“No. This can’t be happening. No!” Theo shrieked and fell to the ground, his hands clutching at his stomach. Blood poured between his fingers, staining the ground below. “They promised, they promised. He said I’d be immortal.” A thick column of black smoke poured from Theo’s mouth, shooting straight for the sky. As soon as the last wisps fell free from Theo’s lips, they went slack. Seconds later his eyes rolled back in his head. Liam’s heart shattered, and he whimpered.
I killed my mate. Oh Gods, I killed Beau’s mate. Fates in heaven please forgive me. Liam’s head slumped. His eyes were so heavy, he couldn’t keep them open. Please give Beau another two mates, he pleaded. The man’s too damned special to live his life alone. Somewhere in the distance, Liam thought he heard an inhuman shriek followed by a loud roar, but he didn’t have the strength to stand. Closing his eyes for the last time and holding his mate’s face in his mind’s eye, Liam succumbed to the darkness.
/~/~/~/~/
“No, fuck it, no, this can’t be happening.” Lucien swiftly changed back to his human form, running to Liam’s side. As Beau circled and landed, his eyes filled with tears at the state of his precious lion. Black scorch marks covered his beautiful golden fur and the blade of a knife was still lodged in Liam’s back.
Shifting quickly, Beau pushed Lucien aside. “There’s still time, remove the knife.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Lucien raged, pushing back. “He’s got no heartbeat. That bastard killed him.”
“Get the knife out,” Beau moved around the other side, tripping on the second body. Theo in human form. Bastard indeed. Kneeling by Liam’s head, he ran his fingers through his mate’s shaggy mane. He could still feel the slight tingles of their connection. “Hold on, babe,” he whispered, stirring up the winds with his other hand. Flames flickered around his fingers, growing larger and larger until they formed a giant ball. “Get back,” he yelled at Lucien as he slammed the fireball into his mate’s body, barely missing Lucien who’d scuttled back on his butt.
“What the hell, man?” Lucien stumbled to his feet, the flames from Liam’s burning body reflected in his eyes. “You could’ve let me hold him one last time. You could’ve let me bury him. You could’ve asked, you fucking asshole!” His voice rose on a wail.
“Trust me, please. Watch,” Beau implored him, holding his magic steady. “Watch and learn what it means to be the mate of a phoenix.”
Five minutes passed. Then ten and still the two men stayed like statues as Liam’s body burned. When the body was nothing more than a heap of dust, the colors of the flames changed to a bright blue and got higher and higher. Sweat poured down Beau’s face and still he held his hand aloft. When the flames became too hot to bear, he clapped his hands together.
“Come on, babe,” he whispered as Lucien broke down in sobs. “Come on back, just the way the fates intended. Lucien, look.”
Coming through the wall of blue flames was the tall figure of the man he loved. Broad shouldered, trim waisted and completely naked with flowing blond hair and a smile on his face. “Pretty powerful stuff, babe,” Liam grinned as he came towards him. Then his gaze fell on Theo’s prone body and his lips trembled. “Will you ever forgive me? I had to kill him. The things he planned to do. He was possessed.”
Pulling his mate into his arms, Beau didn’t trust himself to speak. In his heart it was he who felt guilty. He and Lucien searched for ages for a break in Theo’s wards and eventually Lucien started to dig, assuming correctly that the wards sat on the ground and not under it. If only we’d been sooner. I’d give up my soul if it would take Liam’s pain away.
A huge crack of thunder boomed overhead, and a beam of light shone down, breaking apart Theo’s wards, shining on the road where the bikes were parked. Beau shielded his eyes as three female forms stepped from the light. Lucien gasped and dropped to his knees, his head bowed while Liam buried his head in Beau’s shoulder. All at once, Beau was conscious of their nudity and blushed as he inclined his head.
“We made a mistake,” the middle female’s voice was soft and rang like a chorus of tiny bells. “We could not have foreseen Theo Western’s sharp decline into madness. By the time he’d traded his soul for a demon, it was too late to remove the mating bonds as he and young Liam had already met, and your phoenix responded to that signal.”
“This had to play out,” the lady on the left said. “We are truly sorry, but young Liam, you did the only thing you could. Please, feel no guilt or shame for the life you took. Countless innocent lives have been saved by your actions today.”
“Beau was supposed to have two mates,” Liam’s face was tearstained, and his voice trembled. “I’ve ruined his chance of happiness by my actions.” Standing on tiptoes, Liam’s lips brushed Beau’s cheek and then to his shock, Liam stepped in front of the three shimmering visions.
“Please, take my life,” he said spreading his arms wide. “I’ll gladly give my soul if it means Beau can get the two mates he deserves. My soul will be forever tainted by what I did today. I accept that. But please. This lovely man doesn’t deserve to be punished for the rest of his life because of me.”
“NO!” Lucien and Beau’s voices rang out in tandem and the three women smiled, causing the road to glow with a golden hue.
“Your noble sacrifice is not necessary, young lion, and in case you’ve forgotten, you’ve already died once today on your mate’s behalf,” the lady on the right said with a gentle smile. “Any stain on your soul has been removed. Theo Western signed his own death warrant the day he traded his shifter status and allowed himself to be possessed. He was already nothing more than a demon suit by the time Beau went to see him.”
“But Theo was my mate, my body recognized that,” Beau stepped up to Liam’s side, sliding his arm around his trembling lion’s waist.
“But your phoenix tried to warn you against him, as did Liam’s lion when they met up again today. You should listen to your animal sides more often,” the middle woman smiled and the glow on the tarmac increased.
“And as we made a mistake, so we have the power to make amends.” The three women joined hands. “Beau Ferris and Liam Lamont, you have been granted one more mate.” The three voices rang out loud and clear. “He lives in Arrowtown and is another shifter. The mate intended for him has already suffered an early demise thanks to Theo Western’s actions, but this shifter is not aware of it and when you do feel the bond there will be nothing of this sadness to taint it. We’ll give it a few months before the bond hits you,” the middle lady winked. “You two need time to come to terms with what’s happened so far. But be prepared. It will happen. You have our word.”
“Now we must take our leave,” the lady on the left said with a smile. “Your pack is safe. The witches seeking to harm your friends had an unfortunate accident on their way to Arrowtown. They won’t be troubling you again. Sisters?” The three women linked arms.
“My ladies, please?” Lucien looked up, his face tracked with dust and tears.
“Oh, of course, young Lucien,” the middle lady beamed at him. “We know what you are asking. It will all work out, sooner than you think. You have our word on that. We’re not too old to learn from our mistakes.”
Lucien blinked and nodded, and seconds later the glorious light disappeared.
“Lu,” Liam asked. “What was all that about? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Yeah.” Lucien ran over, and Beau found himself holding two cuddling lions. “I need clothes, a shower and food. Then I’m going to smack your head in for making me believe you’re dead and then I’m going to do the same to your cocky mate who didn’t tell me that if you died you’d freaking come back again. After that, I’m going to sleep for a week. You died, damn it!”
Standing firm, Beau held the brothers until their tears and need to be close to each other subsided long enough for them to put their clothes back on. Inside his phoenix was preening himself. Cocky bird.