Ever After (6 page)

Colin, Ben and the other wolves he hadn’t cared to get their names of before, seemed to want to have their own small Pack within the main Pack. Hunter had told him that he had the crew on his radar, but technically, they showed more dominant wolves respect.

The Beta of the Pack had already threatened to kick their asses and it hadn’t been enough. He’d given Fawkes—an outsider—permission to provide justice. If the crew came anywhere near Leslie, he’d fight back.

Well, he would if Leslie would let him. For some reason she had an aversion to violence. No, he knew the reason.

Dorian.

That brother of hers had scared her more than the others thought. Sure, she stayed with Hunter at first because she’d had nowhere else to go, but then most of them had thought she stayed because she liked it. He’d seen the way she was around Hazel and how her eyes would light up every time she saw the little girl. She’d sigh with contentment when she held her and would laugh when Hunter would act overprotective.

Yet, Fawkes had a feeling she stayed for other reasons.

No, not because he was near, but because she didn’t want to leave.

She
couldn’t
leave.

Staying in a house with a sadistic, power-hungry, asshole had scarred her. He knew she shied away from violence, but she was a wolf.

How could she stay away from it all?

Wolves here entwined with the darkness and violence as much as demons were. Wolves went on monthly hunts that always led to blood or sex. That was just the way of it. He knew she was submissive, but now she was ignoring her call—ignoring who she was.

He didn’t know what to do about it.

“Fawkes? What’s wrong?”

He looked down into her big brown eyes, then kissed her nose. She sighed against him and he hugged her tighter.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he lied.

She wrinkled her nose and pulled back from him but still kept her arms wrapped around his waist. “You’re lying.”

“I’m just thinking,” he said then leaned for another kiss. He couldn’t get enough of her taste. He knew that sudden love-at-first sight thing wasn’t quite accurate, it was more of a could-be-perfect-forever-and-ever-at-first sight thing, but he didn’t care.

His demon wanted this wolf.

Badly.

“Okay, fine, but I want to know later.”

He nodded, knowing he’d have to get her to talk about why she’d wanted him to stand back and let Colin growl without getting his face kicked in.

They stood to the side of the den circle, the trees swaying behind them in the breeze. There was going to be a dominance battle within the circle a bit later and Fawkes wanted to watch as he’d never seen one before. He had a feeling Leslie would want to leave, but she wouldn’t be able to.

All wolves would have to be present—especially since she lived with the Beta.

It would be bad form to miss it and show weakness if she were too scared to show up.

He’d stand by her side though. No matter what.

“Tell me more about you,” she whispered.

There were others around them, but they were off to the side enough that they had a semblance of privacy.

They’d already talked about growing up without mothers and her case, without a father. Dorian had raised her—something she hadn’t wanted to get into. He’d already gone into detail on how he’d met Hunter and Ambrose and how Balin had trained him had a young age.

“Well, I’m the youngest son in my family,” he began.

“Do you have any sisters?” she asked as she played with his fingers. Her hands were so small compared to his.

Not weak, but fragile none the less. If he’d been a wolf, he’d probably already have gone to his animal side and marked her. Because he was a demon, he wouldn’t do that, but the idea of her bearing his mark held a certain appeal. That way everyone would know she was his and when she marked him, the same would be true of he being hers.

“No, I don’t have any sisters,” Fawkes answered as he trailed his fingers up her arm, loving the way her body shuddered.

“That’s odd considering how old Lucifer is,” Leslie commented. She ran her other hand up his stomach, seemingly unaware they were in public and all he wanted to do was bend her over and mount her.

Well, he’d make it less crude, but still.

“Either my dad is really, really good at making boys, or any demons who have his baby girls hide them,” Fawkes answered. “I don’t think Lucifer would want to acknowledge girls anyway. He’s a misogynist ass that way. So, yeah, I guess I could have some sisters out there, but none that call me brother. Technically, I don’t really know what it feels like to have siblings. I wasn’t raised with the rest of them.”

Leslie furrowed her brow and he leaned down to kiss it. She sighed against him then pulled back to look into his eyes.

“I kind of wish I hadn’t been raised with my sibling.”

He nodded, waiting for her to continue. They’d said they’d take this whole true half thing slow so they could get to know one another. This was one thing he’d been waiting for.

“He ruined everything, Fawkes. He might have beaten me, but the physical things don’t matter as much as everything else.” She looked over her shoulder and he squeezed her side before moving her toward the trees. Here at least people wouldn’t be likely to overhear.

Though he wanted to comment on the beating part of her statement, he stayed quiet, knowing she needed to talk.

“I’m afraid, Fawkes. I
hate
being afraid. What kind of wolf does that make me? I’m afraid of others fighting. I’m afraid of wanting to fight myself. I’m
supposed
to want to fight for my Pack, even as a submissive, but I can’t.”

He swallowed hard and slid his hand through her hair. She leaned into his touch and his demon calmed.

“I don’t know, Leslie. I don’t know how to fix this. All I can do is promise that I’ll be by your side. I know Hunter and Becca feel the same way, well not the
same
way as me, but they think of you as family. Liam and Alec too.”

“I don’t think I can be fixed, Fawkes.”

Not knowing what to do, he leaned down and kissed her.

Hard.

She sucked in a breath then sank into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up so her feet dangled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he deepened the kiss.

When he pulled back they were both out of breath but she smiled. “Okay, that might help.”

He snorted, but let her down to the ground. “Come on, the dominance battle is starting.”

She nodded, but he saw the tension that had left her when he kissed her slide right back into her body.

Damn.

As they walked toward the circle again Fawkes held back a curse. Colin stood in the center, shirtless and wearing a sneer.

“Who is it you wish to fight?” Hunter asked, anger laced within his tone.

“As my right as a dominant wolf, I claim a battle with the newest member of our Pack, Fawkes.”

Fawkes stiffened and Leslie gasped.

What the fuck?

Murmurs and shouts echoed around the circle while the Alpha raised his hand to quiet them all. They immediately shut up.

“Fawkes is but a guest, not Pack,” Hunter stated.

His words didn’t hurt Fawkes. It was true. To others because called out as non-Pack might have hurt, but Fawkes wasn’t a wolf.

“He’s staying at the home of the Beta and putting his hands on a woman that I desire to claim as my own. That gives me the right.” Colin folded his arms over his chest and smirked again.

Fawkes risked a glance at Hunter. The Beta looked ready to tear Colin limb from limb—something Fawkes would gladly help with.

This fight for dominance was a joke. He’d learned enough about the Pack during his small time there that Colin couldn’t outright ask for a battle like this, but he could provoke an outsider in fighting.

If the outsider lost, then he’d be banned from the den.

Banned from Leslie.

That result was enough that he wouldn’t have thought twice about fighting. He’d stand back and let Colin make an ass out of himself so he couldn’t leave her. However, he knew that if he said no now, it would only be a matter of time before Colin tried again, albeit another approach.

Colin wanted Leslie because of her blood, not because of who she was. Fawkes wanted Leslie because of their fate
and
who she was. He loved the way she smiled, the way she helped people when they weren’t looking, the way she slid to his side without even knowing it.

He’d fight Colin to the ends of the depths of hell for her.

Fighting though would drive Leslie away.

Did he really have a choice?

“I’ll fight,” Fawkes growled.

Leslie sucked in a breath and he looked down at the betrayal in her eyes. Damn it. She’d have to get used to him fighting. He might not be down in hell, but he was still a warrior demon. He was stronger than Colin, but he had a feeling the other wolf didn’t know that.

Good.

Risking her wrath, he pulled Leslie into his arms and kissed her hard.

“I’ll win this. I promise. I know you hate fighting, but I’ll win this and it’ll be over.”

She sighed and shook her head. “Will it, Fawkes? Will it be over?”

He walked into to circle, taking off his shirt as he did so. He wanted the freedom of movement. He let his horns grow from his head, the sight startling people be he didn’t care.

He glanced at Hunter who gave him a small nod. “Colin, you’ve chosen to fight a demon. He can’t shift into wolf, so neither shall you.”

Colin glared. “They why did he shift to his demon form?”

Because he was tired of hiding, but Fawkes didn’t say that.

“Fawkes, does your demon form give you advantage?” Hunter asked. “Remember, I can smell a lie.”

Fawkes wasn’t sure Hunter could actually do that, but he’d let the wolf make the others think so. Anything to keep the Pack safe.

“No. My horns do nothing but remind me who I am.”

With that Colin attacked.

Fawkes countered the punch and clawed back.

Colin screamed as Fawkes slid his claws into the wolf’s side. “Yield.”

Colin narrowed his eyes but shook his head.

Fawkes growled. “You’ll never have her. She’s mine. More importantly, she’s her own. She gets the choice. She gets the decision. You get
nothing.
Don’t make me kill you. I will, but I don’t want to watch her deal with the bloodshed. You’re nothing, Colin. Just a wolf who wanted something he couldn’t have so decided to make it painful for all others. Yield.”

Colin lowered his gaze and Fawkes slid his claws out of the other man.

Ben and the other wolves ran to Colin’s side, defeat heavy on their scent.

“This battle is over,” Hunter declared. “Fawkes is now Pack.”

Fawkes blinked. He hadn’t known defeating the wolf would lead to this. He risked a glance at Leslie who had tears running down her cheeks but she didn’t run away from the blood on his hands.

He lowered his head to his Alpha and Beta then walked to Leslie’s side.

“Forgive me,” he rasped.

She looked into his eyes and nodded. “I forgive you for what you had to do. I know you had no choice, but I don’t know if I can deal with the violence, Fawkes. Help me.”

He wanted to hold her, pull her closer and never let her go, but he didn’t want to get blood on her. She seemed to understand his dilemma and gripped his hands.

“What’s wrong with me, Fawkes?”

He leaned down and captured her lips. “Nothing is wrong, baby. Nothing.”

“Then why don’t I like violence?”

“Because you’d rather deal with others with words, rather than fists. Can you deal with what I am? I’m a warrior, Leslie. I can’t help it.”

She nodded. “For you? Yes. I’ll deal. You’ll have to help me. I hate who I’ve become.”

He kissed her again then pulled back. “I love who you are, Leslie. You have a good heart. Just because you’re a wolf, doesn’t mean you have to love bloodshed. Remember that. You never have to fight. I’ll be the one to fight for you. You just have to be by my side to make sure I’m okay.”

She smiled then widened her eyes as she pushed him out of the way. Surprised she’d done that, he let her move him then turned as she growled, her claws out.

She shifted to a wolf in a flash of light, the beauty of it leaving him breathless. Colin had also changed to a wolf, trying to pounce on them. As a submissive, Leslie shouldn’t have been able to fight back, but then again, someone had threatened her mate.

The two wolves hit hard, a whimper escaping from Leslie. She was at least half the size as Colin and weaker. It didn’t matter how skilled she might have been, it would be a losing battle.

She tried to bite Colin but he pinned her to the ground. Fawkes screamed then wrapped his claws around Colin’s neck and squeezed. The other wolf let out a strangled gasp then went limp.

He’d broken the bastard’s neck in one move.

He threw the wolf to the side then pulled Leslie—still in wolf form—in his arms. She shifted back to her human from and he found his arms full of a very naked Leslie.

“Baby, are you okay?” He ran his hands down her body, checking for injury. She kissed his jaw and settled into his arms. He was aware of others surrounding them, outrage and disbelief in their voices, but he ignored them.

“I’m fine. I didn’t want him to hurt you.”

“Goddess, you scared me.” He kissed her hard then pulled her into his arms as tight as he could, trying to shield her nudity from the others.

“I fought him, Fawkes. I didn’t back down.”

The pride in her voice made him want to weep. “Yes, baby. You did amazing but never do that again. You about killed me.”

She smiled up at him and he lost his breath. “I promise to let you fight on your own from now on. Maybe.”

He rolled his eyes. “We’re going to talk about this later,” he whispered and she nodded against him.

She was stronger than she thought she’d been, but he knew they had more to work on.

Chapter Six

Leslie sat in Hunter’s guest house and watched Fawkes stalk toward her, clean and fresh from the shower. His hair touched his shoulders, way too sexy for his own good.