Seth's Chance [Brac Pack 27] (12 page)

Christian slid into the back of his car, Isla into the driver’s as they drove to Brac Village. Christian owed a debt to Chance for finding the culprit responsible for the bombing of his club. He paid his debts.

It also bode well that he wiped the mind of the person that was threatening to expose them all. Vampire rogues may feed and kill. Shifters may go rogue and kill, but even in their traitorous minds, they knew to keep the paranormal world a secret. Humans didn’t have that instinct in them. For some reason, some humans didn’t have a natural self-preservation switch inside of them. Shifters and vampires did. No matter what the situation, they knew that their very survival depended on surviving. It was just that simple. No fuss, no muss. There was no grey area.

They arrived at the apartment building that sat next to the police station.
How convenient.
Christian slid out of the backseat and walked inside, going to the apartment number Chance had provided. He knocked and waited.
When Chance opened the door, Christian paused. “I need Seth to invite me in,” he pointed out.
“Sorry, I forgot,” Chance said as he wrapped an arm around his mate’s waist and slowly coaxed him to the door. Christian could see that Seth was in a dazed state. His green eyes were semiglazed, and his steps were clumsy.
“What has happened to him?” Christian could have placed a hand on Seth and seen for himself, but one did not touch another’s mate. It was forbidden and in bad taste.
“Too much revealed too soon,” Chance answered, a hint of sorrow in his deep voice.
Christian nodded. He had seen this before. Humans mated to otherworldly beings who knew nothing about the world of vampires or shifters. The shock of finding out that they existed sometimes took longer to come to terms with, if at all.
But Christian could tell Seth would be okay, that he would come to terms with the world he now lived in. Even without touch, Christian knew this to be true. But Seth wasn’t his concern. He was here to deal with a different matter.
“How am I supposed to
touch
this Nimble man when human police are all around him?” Christian asked Tyler.
“I’ll bring him down the stairs. He’s already in cuffs. Detective Keating is going to clear the hallway. You’ll have less than a minute to do your thing before the other cops become suspicious.”
Christian nodded. “Then bring him down.”
Tyler hesitated for a moment, gazing at Christian curiously before he left the apartment.
“I think he’s besotted with you.” Chance chuckled.
“My days of casual sex are over,” Christian replied as he waited.
“You don’t sound disappointed.”
Christian turned toward Chance and then looked at Seth who was standing there trying to sneak peeks at Christian. “Are you?” he asked Chance.
Chance shook his head. “Not in the least.”
“Am I missing something here?” Seth asked as he looked up at Christian, and then his eyes darted away.
“Not a thing,” Chance said as he pulled Seth closer.
“How is your twin?” Christian inquired.
“Better. He’s up and moving around, seeming his old self,” Chance said with a grin. Christian could not only see the happiness in Chance’s eyes, but the relief as well. That look only made Christian miss his twin younger brothers. As mad as they had become, he truly missed them.
“They’re coming,” Chance pointed out as he nodded toward the door.
Christian waited until Tyler brought the man in.
“We don’t have much time,” Tyler said as he pushed Mr. Nimble closer.
“What the fuck is going on?” the human asked as he tried to back away. But with Tyler at his back, he had no hope. Tyler was a shifter, stronger than a human. Tyler could hold Mr. Nimble in place with one hand.
“In short,” Christian said as he took a step closer, watching the human grow pale, “you will forget everything you have learned.”
“The hell I will,” the human said as if Christian were a crazy man. “You don’t forget that bear shifters and vampires exist.”
“Yes,” Christian said as he placed a hand on the man’s head, “you do.”
“What is he doing?” Seth asked in panic. “Is he going to kill him?” Seth’s eyes were wide and wild as he tried to pull away from Chance. “I can’t let you do this.” He directed the statement at Christian.
“You would defend a man who wanted to kill you?” Christian asked Seth.
“Yes.” The answer was quick and simple. It amazed Christian that some humans had such compassion toward someone else that intended to fatally wound them. He never understood that concept. Maybe because he had never been human, but it still baffled him. Minsheng and Yasuko had taught Christian a lot about humans, so much more than he already knew, but this concept would always elude him.
“He’s only going to make him forget,” Chance reassured his mate. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Seth watched closely as Christian placed his hand on the man’s head and then closed his eyes. Christian saw the man’s other victims and what he had done to them. If the police did not already have this human in custody, Christian would do the world a favor and snap the man’s neck. But, his only job here was to scrub the man’s mind. He pushed his power into the man’s memories, found the ones surrounding his knowledge of shifters and werewolves, and simply pulled them from the man’s mind and into his own.
Shifters thought vampires simply waved a hand and the memory was gone. Not true. Vampires had to pull the memory from the mind, take it in as their own. The bouncer at The Manacle, Harley, was a very strong vampire. He was a rare vampire who had a talent to hold so many memories inside and not go mad or start to confuse his own with others. Christian believed in surrounding himself with very talented vampires, and having Harley was only a bonus.
“His mind has been scrubbed,” Christian stated as he pulled his hand away. Tyler took the human from the apartment as Seth just stared at Christian.
“Just like that?”
Christian nodded.
“No offense, but please don’t ever touch me.”
Christian, along with Chance, chuckled. “I would never take your memories,” Christian assured him. “You are no threat to us.” He made sure Seth understood the underlying threat. Mate or not, if anyone chose to reveal that the paranormal existed, their memories would be wiped clean.
“Point taken,” Seth said as Christian walked toward the door.
“Then we have an understanding,” he said as he walked out into the night.

Seth sat at the table, eating breakfast with the Lakeland clan. He expected to be met with angry glares or snide comments on how he had run from the house yesterday, but no one said a word about his mental breakdown. As a matter of fact, they were treating him like one of the family.

Seth wasn’t sure he trusted that feeling. Who forgave someone that easily? He himself was feeling guilty as hell, so why shouldn’t Chance’s family hold it against Seth? It was logical in his mind, but the family was acting anything but logical.

“You need to eat more,” Chance pointed out as he piled more bacon and eggs onto Seth’s plate. “No offense, but you could use a few extra pounds.”

Seth was already at a healthy weight. Any more pounds and he would start to flab around the midsection. “I’m full.”
“What is it with humans and their weight?” Bryce asked as he grabbed two more biscuits coated in honey. The whole biscuit basket looked sticky and smelled wonderful, but Seth had eaten too much already. “A bear doesn’t look at his mate’s weight. I honestly could care less if my mate had extra pounds. Just as long as he fits my personality, weight doesn’t matter.”
“It would if you had to roll me through the front door,” Seth said as he pushed his plate away. “I’m not a weight lifter or a jogger, but I do try and take care of myself.”
“Trust me,” Chance said as he leaned closer, lowering his voice. “If I thought you were getting too big, we would work it off.” He winked at Seth before leaning back. Snickers sounded around the table, and Seth could feel his cheeks heating up. That was not something he wanted Chance to share with his family.
“I’ll eat it,” Oscar said as he reached for Seth’s plate. “Steven’s a good cook.”
“Why thank you, Oscar,” Steven said as he beamed with pride.
Seth stuck his tongue out at Oscar, who only giggled. It was a childish move, but Seth knew Oscar took it for what it was, teasing. He couldn’t see where Oscar was putting all of that food. He was tiny as hell. Where did all of that food go?
“If it’s okay with you, Seth, I’d like to take Oscar with me today while I work,” Bryce said before shoving the honey-coated biscuit into his mouth. Damn, the man shoved the
whole
biscuit into his mouth.
Seth grimaced. He knew the Lakelands were watching themselves around Oscar now, and it was all his fault. He had declared war on the family when it came to his nephew. They didn’t want him to go nuclear again about stealing Oscar from him. He had to fix this. “It’s fine. Honestly,” he said and then turned toward Chauncey. “I’m sorry I blew up at you. It was the stress of everything. I swear it wasn’t anything personal.”
“Do I look offended?” Chauncey asked. “You’re family. You’re allowed to act like an ass from time to time.”
“Language,” Mr. Lakeland reminded Chauncey.
“Sorry, Pa,” Chauncey said as he grinned at his father.
Mr. Lakeland rolled his eyes as he stood, grabbing Cole from his high chair. “Just get better so you can start working again.”
“Slave driver,” Chauncey shot at Mr. Lakeland as his father left the kitchen. Seth knew that Chauncey wasn’t one hundred percent better. He still walked with difficulty, and his dexterity was a little off. Chance had told Seth that Chauncey may never be fully healed, but as long as he wasn’t a vegetable, everyone was okay with helping Chauncey out.
Chauncey didn’t like being coddled, but he was good-natured about it. Seth would have probably fallen apart if he had to depend on other people for simple things. But not Chauncey, he took things in stride. That said a lot about his character.
“I have to go to work today,” Seth said as he stood. “Would you mind giving me a ride?”
“One ride coming right up,” Chance said as he quickly finished his food and drank down his juice in one gulp. Seth hadn’t meant for Chance to scarf his food down. They had plenty of time.
“Are you sure it’s okay for Oscar to hang around here?” Seth asked Bryce.
“He’s family. We take care of family,” Bryce said as if he were offended. Seth saw Chance giving him a slight nod and dropped the matter. He was trying to get along with the Lakelands, not piss them off.
“Thanks,” he said as he ruffled Oscar’s hair and then headed toward the door. He felt odd leaving Oscar. He had felt odd and guilty yesterday for leaving Oscar. Seth didn’t think he would ever feel comfortable with leaving Oscar’s care with someone else, but he was eternally grateful his nephew hadn’t been in the apartment last night. Things could have gone really bad.
Not like they hadn’t anyway.
Chance drove Seth to town, taking the scenic route. Seth knew there was a quicker way, but he had time. “Tell me about your world,” Seth said as he gazed out of the window.
“I don’t think you’re ready for that, babe. I don’t want you having another breakdown.”
“That bad?” Seth asked.
“Different.”
“Tell me.”
Chance sighed. “You know I have six brothers and two fathers, right?”
Seth nodded.
“Well, my pa mated a fey. Riley is still single. Roman mated a human. Gavin mated an ocelot shifter.”
“A cat?” Seth asked.
Chance chuckled. “Don’t let Alex hear you call him that. He gets pissed.”
A cat shifter not wanting anyone to call him a cat. How strange
.
“My twin mated a human, and Olsen mated a vampire that’s a…” Chance trailed off, scratched his chin, and then shook his head. “I’m not sure what else Tater is. He’s referred to as a hybrid, but don’t ask me what he’s mixed with. Then there are the three vampires who live there along with Abe, who is fey, and he helps out around the ranch.”
Seth sat perfectly still, trying to take in everything Chance just told him. Chance must have noticed the stiffness of his shoulders, because he stiffened himself, a dark shadow crossing his eyes. “You asked.”
Seth nodded. “I did.” He stared out of the window, watching the fields filled with cows and horses, wondering how he had stumbled into this world. “I thought living in the city was something. I have seen women walk up to strangers and proposition them, drug dealers selling their drugs right in front of the corner store, homeless people getting rolled for the joy of the attackers.” Seth continued to stare out of the window. “When I came here to Brac Village, I thought to myself that this would be a wonderful place to raise a child. It is so laid-back, and the people are really friendly.”
“Until a few days ago,” Chance added.
Seth gave a slight jerk to his head, agreeing. “Now I see that nowhere is really safe. There are worse things out there than hoodlums and drug dealers, Chance, and I don’t know what to do with that information. I feel so helpless in keeping Oscar safe.”
“He is safe, Seth. He’s with bear shifters and a family who adores him. He lives in a village that is run by a pack of timber wolves who take caring for family to a whole new level.”
Seth closed his eyes. “Timber wolves,” he said softly. “Yes, timber wolves,” Chance repeated.
Seth opened his eyes when Chance pulled over to the side of the road. He glanced at his mate, wondering what Chance was doing. He didn’t like the storm he saw in Chance’s eyes.
“I would raise my family here in a heartbeat, Seth. The community pulls together, the people help out, and the shifters will have your back no matter what. This may be a small town, but we care about each other. No one will hurt Oscar, and no one else will hurt you. What happened in the woods was a rarity. I admit, there are dangerous things out there that will sooner kill you than talk to you, but that’s what a community is for. We look out for each other. It usually isn’t this exciting around here. As a matter of fact, it gets downright boring. But if you want to move, we’ll move. But I’m telling you now, we won’t find a safer place than Brac Village.”
“We?” Seth asked.
“We,” Chance answered. “You are my mate, and Oscar is my son, nephew, whatever title you want to use. I go where you go, and vice versa. I’m in this for the long haul, Seth.”
“Wow,” Seth said as he grinned. “That’s the most I’ve heard you say at one time.”
Chance’s grin turned into something Seth was becoming familiar with. His grey eyes smoldered as the side of his mouth tipped up higher. Yeah, Seth knew that look, but he wasn’t expecting to see it out here on the back roads. He had a sneaking suspicion Chance took the scenic route for a nefarious reason.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Seth asked innocently. He knew. He just wanted to hear Chance admit it.
“Because you are going to take those pants off and come over here and ride me, my sweet little morsel.” Chance reached down, unsnapping his jeans and separating the folds, running his fingers over the large outline that began to swell.
“Out here, where anyone could see us?” Seth asked. He knew the answer. He could see it in Chance’s eyes as his mate freed his shaft, running his thumb over the weeping head.
“Right here, right now.”
Seth licked his lips, his eyes locked onto what Chance was doing between his legs. He wanted that solid girth to slide down his throat. Seth needed to feel it in between his lips. He wasn’t sure why the need felt so desperate, but he ignored the question of why and got to his knees, watching the erotic play as he undid his own pants.
Seth’s hand hit the back of the seat when Chance released the lever, letting the seat slide back all of the way. “Don’t be shy, Seth. Take your pants off.”
The fear of being caught and the excitement of having Chance in his mouth made Seth quickly undress from the waist down. He had time to fool around and make it to work without being late. His boss, Cody, would understand, but Seth wasn’t going to explain to Cody
why
he would be late. Hell no. It wasn’t any of his business.
Once Seth kicked his clothes free, he dove between Chance’s legs, taking Chance into his mouth as he rolled his eyes up, watching the expression on his mate’s face. It was well worth the look. Chance’s eyes grew wide as a low growl, filled with bass, left his mouth. His eyes were hungry, dark, as he watched Seth stretch his lips wide to take him in.
“What a view,” Chance breathed as he watched.
Seth licked up one side and then sucked the head in, letting his tongue work his mate’s length as Chance worked a finger inside Seth’s entrance. Seth’s eyes fluttered as Chance grazed over his prostate, making Seth whimper.
As Seth worked Chance’s cock with his mouth, Chance worked Seth’s entrance until he was stretched with Chance’s thick fingers. “Now I’m going to fuck you,” Chance said as he pulled his shaft from Seth’s mouth. “Come sit on my lap.”
Seth licked his lips, drawing in the flavor of Chance as he slid one leg over his mate’s lap. Chance cupped his ass, slowly lowering Seth. Where he got the lube, Seth wasn’t sure and didn’t care at the moment. All he cared about was feeling Chance inside of him.
They both hissed and sighed as Seth lowered down onto his mate’s shaft. Seth cried out as Chance’s cock filled him. His mate was well endowed, and Seth felt it every time Chance took him. The sensation brought him both pleasure and pain, and he loved it.
“God, Seth,” Chance groaned as Seth finally settled.
Seth used Chance’s shoulders for leverage as he rose up and then fell down. Chance curled his fingers around Seth’s length, squeezing as he moaned. He just held Seth’s cock in his hands as Seth moved, pulling up and then sliding back down, feeling Chance fill him so completely that Seth felt his eyes go wide. “So thick.”
Chance grinned, biting his bottom lip as he hitched his hips, sending Seth into the air and then back down. “You like it?”
“God, yes.”
Chance curled his free hand into Seth’s hip and bounced him, making Seth cry out as he took over and grabbed the other hip, releasing Seth’s cock. He took Seth in the cab of his truck, took him to new heights as his hips snapped and Chance crushed his mouth to Seth’s.
It felt like Chance was fighting his way inside Seth every time he pushed his hips up, and Seth loved the feeling. Seth rammed his ass downward, taking every inch of Chance as his mate thrust upward. As Chance sank into his mouth, into the warm power of the morning sun, Seth could feel Chance’s canines, sharp, growing.
He broke the kiss and tilted his head, telling Chance without words to bite him. Chance raked his teeth over Seth’s skin and then sank them into his giving flesh. The sensation made Seth shudder and writhe as Chance thrust harder.
Chance growled and then released his teeth, licking at Seth’s neck as their bodies collided together. “Mine, Seth, mine.” Chance was saying the words as if they were being pulled from somewhere deep down inside of him. Seth could feel the possession in the way Chance’s body slammed into his, the way his eyes darkened further, and the way his hands gripped tighter onto Seth’s sides.
Safety, security, love, all swirled in the depths of Chance’s dark eyes. In that moment, Seth knew that no matter where they lived, as long as he had Chance, he would be safe, loved, cherished.
“And you are mine.” Seth tried for the same growl as Chance had given him, but fell short. He wasn’t a bear, but the growl had meaning, and Chance grinned as he fucked Seth into the steering wheel.
Seth’s body bowed, his head falling back as an orgasm ripped through him, taking away his senses and leaving him shuddering and crying out Chance’s name. He could feel Chance’s hot seed fill him as Chance thrust harder, a grunt, growl, and groan filling the cab of the truck.
Seth fell into Chance’s chest, both struggling to breathe as Seth kissed the side of Chance’s neck. What a way to start his morning. He nuzzled into Chance’s neck, inhaling his scent and smelling sweat, and underneath was the familiar smell of Chance. Seth was becoming quickly addicted to the way Chance smelled. Seth was starting to associate home and safety with Chance’s smell.
Seth leaned back, his stomach cramping as he reached down and held his side. The pain was uncomfortable as hell, and getting worse. Seth moved from Chance’s lap, and Chance didn’t stop him. Thank fuck the swelling in Chance’s cock had gone down. His mate’s eyes narrowed as he studied Seth’s face. Concern filled his eyes as he watched Seth crawl backward, holding his left side. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Seth said as he let a long breath out. “My stomach hurts.” He rocked on all fours as he pressed his head into the side of Chance’s arm, feeling as though his stomach was being clawed from the inside out.
“Talk to me, Seth.” Chance wrapped his arm around Seth’s waist, laying it there as he tilted Seth’s chin up to look into his grey eyes. They looked so worried, so filled with concern. “Do I need to rush you to the hospital?”
Seth opened his mouth to answer, and all that came out was a strange strangled sound. Something was tearing him up from the inside. It hurt so damn badly. Seth’s back bowed as he threw his head back, letting out a scream as he slammed his head into Chance’s shoulder again.
“That’s it,” Chance said as he put the truck into gear and started to pull from the road, but Seth grabbed his mate’s wrist, pulling as hard as he could, but he could tell it wasn’t hard enough.
“Don’t—” He licked his lips, trying to talk through the pain. “Don’t drive. I need you.”
“But you need a hospital,” Chance said as he put the truck back into park, his eyes going slightly wide as his hands shook. “What am I supposed to do?”