Getting Close to the Omega (6 page)

just in time to see a silver SUV head off down the road, with

Dean presumably inside. Not wasting any time, Matthew

pulled his phone and called Kane.

“They’ve got Dean,” he said getting into Dean’s wagon,

thankful that Cloverleah was the type of place you could leave

your keys in the vehicle. Turning the key quickly, he pulled out

onto the road, and sped off after the kidnapper’s vehicle.

“Okay,” Kane said, his calm voice obviously designed to soothe

rather than encourage Matthew’s anger. “Shawn’s here, and he

can see him. Stay on the phone. Keep following down the road

you’re on, I’ll tell you if you need to turn.”

“You do realize I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about,”

Matthew snarled, as he saw the SUV turn a corner and move

out of sight. He really should have spent more time

understanding the powers in his new pack instead of mooning

over his mate. Pressing the accelerator flat to the floor,

Matthew kept an easy control on his vehicle, while listening to

Kane explain that Shawn had special powers as a Shifter

Guardian and one of them was being able to get a holographic

image of anyone he had a scent for. Dean was pack so Shawn

could pick up on him really easily.

“Did you see how many men took him?” Kane asked as

Matthew turned the corner and caught sight of the vehicle he

was after again.

“At least two,” Matthew snapped out. “Some scruffy, dirty

looking male, long dark hair, grubby blue jeans and a blue

denim jacket, grabbed him and injected him with something.

Another had to be driving the escape vehicle. I didn’t see

anybody else.”

“Good,” Kane soothed, clearly understanding Matthew’s need to

kill someone. He had been having a really good lunch with

Dean, pleased that his little mate had relaxed while talking so

excitedly about his art. Now any positive steps he had taken

were rudely smashed by some dickhead with a syringe.

“Okay, they’re turning off the main road, small little dirt track,

coming up on your right,” Kane said after a few moments

silence. Determined to learn more about the Alpha Mate’s

special powers later, for now Matthew appreciated the heads

up because he had come to a dip in the road and lost sight of

the vehicle he was chasing.

Seeing the tiny dirt track, Matthew turned up it and carefully

drove forward. The visibility was really poor with the track

covered in trees and undergrowth.

“Pull over,” Kane said. “You’ll need to go the rest of the

distance on foot. They’re parked about 300 yards from where

you are now.”

Considering all he could see was the track disappearing into

more undergrowth, Matthew trusted Kane enough to stop his

wagon and slip out of the vehicle, his phone now pressed to his

ear.

“Keep following the track around about 200 yards and you

should see an old shack. That’s where they have taken Dean.

He’s coming around so move yourself.”

“How many?”

“Just the two,” Kane confirmed.

Nodding even though he knew Kane couldn’t see him Matthew

set off at a sharp sprint, stopping when he saw the shack that

Kane had mentioned. Although he couldn’t see anybody

through the shack’s dirty windows, he caught a thread of

Dean’s scent and growled softly. Taking a chance, he quickly

ran up to the wall of the building, noting the rotten wood and

sagging beams.

“You need to get in there now,” Kane’s voice came urgently

through the phone. Not bothering to ask why, Matthew ran

around the side of the shack and smashed through the front

door. The sight of Dean awake, fighting off the two men while

they were trying to remove his clothes was more than

Matthew’s wolf could take and with a roar he pounced on first

one man, and then the other, quickly and efficiently snapping

their necks.

It was all over in a matter of minutes, the human kidnappers

no match for Matthew’s wolf strength on a rampage. Closing

his eyes for a moment, trying to control his wolf now the need

for all of that additional power had passed, he missed Dean

coming towards him until he felt slim, strong arms slip around

his waist and a small head rest on his chest.

“Thank you.” Hearing Dean’s soft whisper, Matthew looked

down at his mate’s upturned face. The amount of trust in

Dean’s eyes slashed through Matthew’s control and without

thinking he grabbed Dean tight, bending his head and taking

his first kiss from the man he was determined to spend the rest

of his life with.

Dean’s lips were so sweet, and they opened beneath Matthew’s

questing tongue without hesitation. Matthew was finding it

difficult to feel Dean’s body, when he had to bend over so far

to kiss the little man, so he grabbed Dean by his hips and

lifted, bringing Dean up off his feet. Dean wrapped his legs

around Matthew’s waist and Matthew could feel thin, strong

fingers in his hair as Dean kissed him back.

It was heady. It was fucking awesome, but Matthew had

enough brain power left to know that if he pushed Dean now,

yes he could probably have him, but at what cost. Matthew

still didn’t know what Dean’s reservations about their mating

were and he wasn’t about to jeopardize a lifetime of bliss for

one wrong move. So despite the fact he wanted to devour the

man in his arms, he kept his hands in one place, and funneled

his passion in to his kisses.

“Matthew. Fuck it all. MATTHEW,” Kane’s tinny voice came

through the phone that Matthew had dropped to the floor and

he reluctantly raised his head, drowning for just a moment in

Dean’s heavy lidded eyes and flushed face. What a beautiful

sight.

Carefully Matthew set Dean’s feet back on the floor, and

keeping one arm firmly around Dean’s waist, he bent and

picked his phone up. “Yes, Kane. I’ve got him. Two dead, but

tough shit.”

“Yes, we saw. That’s great. Search the bodies quickly and then

get the hell out of there. Shawn’s not sure but he thinks you

might have company soon. Those two human’s had no reason

to take Dean and were probably just hired hands for somebody

else.”

“That means this Kylan fella is probably somewhere pretty

close, right?”

“We think so and it’s too risky for you two to stay where you

are.”

“I hear you,” Matthew said sharply as he hung up, his worry

about Dean being captured again or hurt, superseding all else.

Dean was already running his hands over the two dead bodies

on the floor and while Matthew hated the thought of him being

anywhere near the thugs, he appreciated Dean’s help. Dean’s

movements were quick and economical and he lifted two

wallets and a couple of guns. He looked at Matthew, the

question clear on his face. Matthew nodded. Taking the guns,

even though most wolf shifters hated them, was the sensible

thing to do. Dean passed them over, and Matthew stuck them,

one each, into his boots.

“Is that it?” He asked his little mate and Dean nodded. “Come

on then, Kane said we need to get out of here. He’s worried

these were just hired thugs, and that the real threat could be

on his way.”

If Dean thought his emotions were a mess before he went out,

then what he was feeling now was an emotional tsunami of

epic proportions. Kidnapped and rescued in less than half an

hour, not to mention being drugged by god knows what, would

be enough for any shifter to lose his shit for a while. But when

Matthew kissed him, his first kiss ever, Dean had to contend

with a whole new feeling – one he didn’t think he had ever had.

He wanted Matthew to claim him properly – sex, those

delicious kisses and anything else Matthew had to offer. And

the intensity that he was feeling about that situation was

overwhelming.

Kane’s voice on the phone allowed Dean to regain some

semblance of control and when he heard the instructions about

searching the men who had taken him, he quickly got to work,

wanting anything to distract him from his unsettling thoughts.

He silently followed Matthew out of the dirty shack, glad to see

the back of that place. He stayed equally silent as they got

back in the SUV, Matthew driving this time. But even as he

went through the motions, all he could think about was his

want, his need, to be with Matthew in every way possible.

“Are you okay?” Matthew asked quietly as they headed on the

road back to the pack house.

Shaking his head, Dean tried to give a small grin to Matthew,

but he didn’t think he was very successful. Matthew pulled the

SUV over to the side of the road and turned off the engine.

Turning in his seat he pulled Dean into his arms, and settled

him on his broad chest. Dean didn’t think he had ever felt so

safe. Not even Kane, who had been so good to him since they

day they met, could evoke the same feeling of calm that Dean

so desperately needed in his life.

“Did those men hurt you in any way?”

“No.” This time he did manage a small grin, looking up into

Matthew’s face. “You didn’t give them a chance.”

“Did they say anything? Do you know them? Do you know why

they took you?”

“No,” Dean said, trying to remember all the details. The

injection had knocked him out until they were at the shack and

he had regained consciousness when he felt them trying to

remove his clothes. That’s when he had started fighting, and

Matthew came in. “I’m glad they’re dead though,” he snarled.

“I don’t take kindly to being mauled. They had no right to see

me naked or anything else like that.”

“Then you must want me dead too, because I mauled you as

well,” Matthew said with a low rumble. “I’m sorry I let my

emotions get away from me. Please don’t think I don’t respect

you, or your right to say no. I’m honestly sorry.”

Throwing his arms around Matthew’s broad chest – Shit. His

arms wouldn’t go all the way round, Matthew was so big –

Dean hugged his mate as hard as he could. “You didn’t maul

me,” he said firmly. “I wanted you to kiss me and that’s the

most awesome first kiss a man could ever have so don’t you

dare be sorry.”

“First kiss,” Matthew said, looking a bit confused. “You mean

with me, right?”

Oh crap. Him and his big mouth. Dean thought about lying,

because he wasn’t sure he was ready for the conversation that

was sure to follow, but it wasn’t in him to lie to Matthew. Even

though they weren’t mated yet, the man had saved him from

god knows what today, and he deserved the truth.

“My first kiss ever,” he said, “but before you ask, no, I’m not a

virgin. I’ve just never been kissed before.” Then, before he

could stop running his mouth off, he said, “I’m sure it’s not a

big deal. Lots of guys have sex and don’t kiss.”

Now Matthew looked sad, and Dean felt awful for upsetting his

mate. He didn’t mean to do it, and now he didn’t know what to

say.

“I didn’t think you were that sort of person, Dean,” Matthew

said and now his quiet voice was sad as well. “In my

experience men who don’t kiss when they have sex, don’t like

the intimacy and have sex just for the thrill of getting off.

Doesn’t seem to matter who they’re with.”

Dean was horrified. No wonder Matthew looked upset if he

thought that he was nothing but a sex…whatever. Slut, yes

that was the word he was looking for. “I’m not like that! Not

all guys who have had sex, but didn’t kiss are sluts. Some of

them just weren’t given any choice in who they had sex with,

let alone what happens before, during or after.”

Two big arms coming around him and holding him close, big

head nestled in his hair, reminded Dean that he was actually

sitting on his upset mate’s lap. Oh crap. It was official. He was

losing it. There was no way he wanted to talk about what he

had been through, not this early on in their relationship. “I’m

sorry,” he said, and then he didn’t seem to be able to stop

saying it. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to