When No Doesn't Cut It (6 page)

“How long do you need to get ready?” Kane asked.  “Shawn is with Scott now
, but I can get him as soon as you are ready to travel, Shawn-style.”

Damien looked down at his dirty clothes.  He hadn’t had a shower in days and he knew he looked a mess.  He wasn’t going to his mate looking like a wreck.

“Give me thirty minutes.  I’ll give you a call when I am ready to be transported,” he said firmly, feeling more like the Damien of old than he had done all week.

“Thank you Damien,” Kane said quietly, “I don’t know what we would have done if Scott had died.”

“I would have come sooner if I had known about this,” Damien snapped. “I wouldn’t have left if I thought this could happen.”

“Your mate is stronger than you know, Damien.  Don’t underestimate him
, or the power of our pack bond.  Scott didn’t want you informed and we respected his wishes even though it was killing us too.  So get off your high horse, Damien. Accept that you should never have left him and fix this.” Kane was equally snappish. 

But then his voice changed into calmer tones, “You know Damien
, Shawn has always told me what a good and decent man you are.  How about you and I put aside our differences and work on what needs fixing?”

Taking a deep breath to calm his own nerves, Damien said quietly, “Agreed.  I will be ready in thirty minutes.  And thank you Kane.  I am in your debt.”

Kane laughed tersely. “Well that might be handy one day.  See you shortly Damien,” and he hung up.

Damien looked up from the phone to see Malacai, Lucius
, and Vincent watching him nervously.   For the first time in a week he smiled.

“I shall be out of the office for twenty four hours.  Malacai, you are in charge of the pack and the club while I am gone.  Lucius go to my apartment and pack me an overnight bag
and bring it back here.  Vincent, go to the kitchen and have the chef prepare me a large steak, quickly. I want it here on my desk in ten minutes. And Malacai, you may inform the pack that when I return, I will be holding a mandatory pack meeting.  Schedule it for six o’clock tomorrow night.  Close the club to all non-pack members for that night.”

“Yes, Alpha,” all three men chorused as they scrambled to do Damien’s bidding.  Malacai lingered by the door for just a moment, looking Damien in the eye. “Nice to have you back Alpha,” he said as he went out of the door.

Damien went through to the well-equipped bathroom that was beside his office.  As he readied himself for a shower and shave, he hummed to himself.  He was going to see his mate.  He was going to bring the man home with him to his pack.  Yes, there might be the little topping matter to take care of, but for now Damien didn’t care.  He wanted Scott.  Fuck, he needed his mate, with the same fierce intensity that had been burning in him, since he met the man. And in thirty five minutes, come hell or high water, that man would be in his arms.

Chapter Eight

It was exactly thirty three minutes later that Damien quietly let himself into Scott’s room at the Cloverleah pack house.  The room was darkened because the curtains were pulled across the windows
, and Damien had to take a minute to let his eyes adjust. He could see Scott lying on his back, dressed in a pair of jeans and nothing else, on the bed with his eyes closed.  The man was barely breathing and he didn’t appear to notice that someone had come into the room.

Damien walked around the bed and sat down on the edge, close to Scott’s chest.  He took one of Scott’s hands in his and rubbed it slowly, grateful for the touch no matter how slight.
Scott’s hand felt cold, and given that wolf shifters usually ran hotter than humans, this was a sure sign that Scott was really sick.  Damien stripped off his own shirt, intending to hug Scott close, to try and infuse some warmth and life into the man with his own body heat.

Looking at
his mate, Damien’s first thought was that there didn’t appear to be anything wrong with him.  Scott’s perfect body still seemed as solid as ever, but as Damien looked closer, he could see that his mate’s face was pale, and there were deep, dark black circles under his eyes.  When Damien moved closer, he noted the hollowed cheeks and the man’s breathing was really shallow.  Scott wasn’t wasting away in the physical sense so much. He was literally waiting to die.

“Scott,” he said in his
deep rough voice. “Mate.  I need you to wake up.”

Although Scott kept his eyes closed, Damien could see a slight furrow in his forehead
, like the man was trying to work something out.

“Damn hallucinations,” Scott rasped out softly.
“Heaven and hell all in one go.”

“Scott, come
on mate, I need you to wake up.” Damien tried again.

“Auditory, olfactory, and tactile hallucinations no less. I hit the triffecta this time.  Damn
, but you smell good enough to be real,” Scott continued.

“Scott, please I need you to open your eyes for me.”

“Na ah,” Scott gave out a weak bark of a laugh, keeping his eyes firmly closed.  “You catch me out with that every time.  I open my eyes and pouf, you’re gone.  Seems I can’t manage a visual hallucination to save my life. I’m going to enjoy this while I can. I can imagine what you look like.”  He ran his hand up Damien’s arm and across solid pectoral muscles, causing tingles to go shooting to Damien’s groin.  When Scott’s hand swept across Damien’s abs, they tightened and flexed seeking more of the sensuous touch.

“Not one hair anywhere,” Scott murmured softly
. “So damn hot.”

His body on fire
from that simple caress, Damien tried one last time. “Scott, I’m here. I am real. Please open your eyes and look at me.”

“Not a chance,” Scott said giving a little laugh
. “This is the best hallucination slash dream I’ve had yet.  Now I wonder…” his hands going to the button on Damien’s jeans as his voice trailed off.  Within seconds he had Damien’s jeans undone and a firm hand wrapped around Damien’s hot, needy cock. 

“Oh yes,”
Scott rasped quietly, “as big as I imagined and so fucking hard.”

“Scott.
” Damien let out a tortured moan as Scott’s hand started to move, up and down his prick, catching the pre-come Damien was leaking copiously and using it to aid in his movements.

Unable to sit still a minute longer
, Damien bent and wrapped his arms firmly around Scott as the man still lay on the bed, forcing his lips over Scotts’, his tongue pushing its way in and plundering the man’s mouth. He was desperate to be inside of his mate in any way possible and his tongue in Scott’s mouth was a good start.  After just a minute hesitation Scott responded, throwing himself urgently into the simple yet carnal act of kissing - his eyes still tightly closed, his hands still working their magic on Damien’s cock.

Damien’s whole body came alive as he was swamped by the wonder that was his mate.  The man’s touch, his taste, his smell
, all worked together in perfect harmony, driving Damien to the point of release at a frantic pace.  The hands on his cock were hard and firm, manipulating Damien’s need.  Unable to help himself, Damien thrust up into those hands, twitching helplessly as Scott ran one hand over Damien’s sensitive cock head, dipping his fingernail into the tiny slit.  Damien thrust his hips again and again, begging for more. And Scott gave it to him, his two hands playing Damien’s cock and slit until the bigger man wanted to beg to come.

Wrenching his mouth from Scott
, Damien growled against the man’s ear, “Bite me,” nudging Scott’s mouth to his neck.  Scott inhaled deeply, as if to impregnate his mate’s smell deep inside his memory and then, eyes still tightly closed, Scott bit down hard, breaking the skin, and causing Damien’s blood to flow freely into his mouth.  Damien’s nerve endings went into sensory overload and he roared as his climax ripped through his entire body and exploded from the end of his cock, still encased in Scott’s firm grasp.  Seconds later, he felt Scott’s chest shudder against him as the man found his own release.

/~/~/~/~/

Scott was sure he was dreaming, yet again.  It had happened often enough in the past few days.  He would be lying quietly, just trying to hang onto his sanity and keep breathing, and he would imagine he could smell his mate.  In the brief times when he slept, his dreams were assailed with intense carnal acts, all involving Damien.  He would wake up alone, covered in his own semen, and curl up and weep as he was reminded yet again, that his mate was not with him. 

Personally
, Scott didn’t know how much longer he could go on. His wolf had given up days before and was nothing more than a whimpering mess in his mind. To be rejected with such finality by his mate - although when Scott was being honest with himself he realized it was as much his rejection of Damien as the man’s rejection of him - broke his spirit and it was only Troy’s sheer determination, and the constant pressure from his pack that kept Scott breathing.

Scott didn’t fear death.  If anything
, he welcomed it.  To live without his mate was torture, pure and simple and although Scott knew he could survive, he quite honestly didn’t want to.  His mate said ‘no’ to the one tiny condition he placed on their mating and sealed Scott’s fate. Now Scott waited to die so the torture would end.  He knew his twin would be with his own mate soon enough and would be taken care of.  He just didn’t want to be around to see that happen.

When the smell of his mate wafted over his senses this time he sighed to himself, recognizing this must be another dream.  The details were sharper this time and as Scott sank himself into his fantasy, determined to enjoy it, he wondered if this time he would even wake up
or if this was the finale before death.  As his shattered soul soaked up the distinct smell that was all Damien, as his body responded to the imaginary touch, the kiss, he kept his eyes firmly closed determined not to lose this tenuous connection with his mate.  Here in his dreams he had the lover he craved and he wasn’t going to miss a thing.

The request
to be bitten by his imaginary mate was a new thing, but Scott didn’t care.  As he sank his long teeth into Damien’s neck and felt the man’s blood hit his tongue, his soul sang, his wolf came alive, and not for the first time Scott longed with everything that he was, that this dream was real.

In the back of his consciousness he heard his bedroom door open and knew that his twin had entered the room.  Well
, he wasn’t waking up.  Oh no.  Damien’s chest was still pressed against his. Big, warm, and so solid and smelling of the sex they had shared.  He wasn’t giving that up for his twin, no way.

Then he heard Troy yelling, at Damien.

“I can’t believe you are trying to have sex with my brother when he’s so sick.” Troy’s voice piercing his dream.

“I’m not trying to have sex with him,” Damien’s deep voice grumbled. “As you can clearly see he instigated this.  He thinks I’m a hallucination and I can’t get him to open his eyes.”

“Well you should’ve tried harder.”

Troy was still yelling.  Why was Troy yelling at his imaginary mate?  Troy couldn’t see Damien like he could.  He couldn’t feel him, or touch him, or smell him like Scott could.  So why…

Scott forced his eyes open and they fell on the tortured countenance of his mate. Damien. 

“Oh fuck,” he whispered, “You’re real.”  He struggled
weakly to wriggle out of Damien’s arms, but Damien wouldn’t let him go even as amusement tinged the big man’s eyes.

“I did tell you
I was real, and I asked you repeatedly to open your eyes so you could see that for yourself,” Damien explained.

“Yes, but…” Scott’s words were lost as Damien put his hand over his mouth, hushing him.  Damien turned to Troy and said, “I am going to get Scott into the shower.  Can you get us some food - meat if you can
, and as much of it as possible?  I take it Scott hasn’t eaten for a while?”

“Five days,” Troy said, looking at Scott as if to make sure he was going to be okay. 
Still in a state of shock, Scott nodded behind Damien’s hand, and Troy left the room closing the door behind him. Damien lifted his hand from Scott’s mouth and smiled down at him.

“Now
, what were you saying?”

“Why are you here?”  Scott managed to get the words out, his throat still a bit tight
from lack of use.

“To accept your terms for our mating
, and take you back to Texas with me,” Damien said as he stood up and gathered Scott into his arms, holding him against his broad chest.   “Now is the bathroom through here?” He asked, tilting his head towards the door at the far end of Scott’s room. All Scott could do was nod again, this time overcome at Damien’s simple words.

Damien held onto him as he got the water just right and then he maneuvered them under the water.  Scott leaned against Damien as the big man soaped him carefully all over his body, Scott’s legs still too weak to hold himself upright
for long.  But Scott’s mind was still trying to process the sudden reappearance of his mate.

“Did any of my pack members put you up to this,” Scott asked, his eyes narrowing at the possibility.

“Nope,” said Damien. “No-one told me you were sick until after I rang Kane and asked for permission to come and get you.”

“So what made you change your mind?” Scott asked even as he let out a small moan.  Damien was soaping
little small circles all over his back and the feeling was heavenly.

“I didn’t want to say no in the first place,” Damien rumbled softly.  “It’s just…I…I have issues about bottoming for anyone.”

“Because I’m only a beta wolf?” Scott guessed.

Scott felt his head being tilted up
, so he was looking squarely into Damien’s eyes.  “It has nothing to do with you, your status, your size, or anything, I promise you.  I just had a bad experience when I was very young, and time doesn’t seem to have lessened the impact for me.”  Damien’s voice was low but totally sincere.

“I will explain more
about that later, I promise,” the bigger man continued as his hands kept up a soothing melody of sensations on Scott’s skin.  “You should probably also know that I’ve never had a proper relationship, have never allowed anyone to spend the night in my bed, and there’s going to be a lot of subs in my club that are going to be pissed that we’re mates.  Still want to take the job on?”

Damien had said the words lightly, but Scott could see how nervous the Alpha was as he waited for
Scott’s response.  It was this nervousness that settled Scott’s own concerns about mating with a man he really didn’t know.  Even now, Scott could sense how important he was to Damien, and this big private man was allowing Scott to see a side of him very few people shared.

“Does this mean I
’ll have my own room?”  He said with a small smile.

“No.” Damien replied.  “It means you will have to snuggle close to me in bed because I probably hog the covers.”  Damien had started to shampoo Scott’s hair and Scott shivered as strong fingers massaged his scalp. 

“I don’t want to be apart from you Scott.  Not for one minute of one day or night.  Never again.” 

As Damien tilted Scott’s head back and gently washed the shampoo from Scott’s hair, he looked deep into Scott’s eyes and said, “I know we don’t know each other
yet, but I was a wreck without you.  I don’t want to go through that again.”

“Me neither,” Scott agreed quietly.
He took the soap from Damien and started to slowly clean his mate. Despite still feeling week and tired, Scott couldn’t help but appreciate the strong build, well defined muscles and sheer power that lurked under Damien’s skin.  At six foot six, Damien was huge.  His shoulders were twice the size of Scott’s, and Scott had never considered himself a small man.  Damien’s tanned skin was smooth all over and the only hair the man had, apart from the long thick locks falling from his head, was a tight group of curls nestled around the man’s impressive cock.

Damien wasn’t pretty by any means.  His strong face hosted
grey eyes, high cheekbones and a long straight nose.  He had thin lips for a big man, and a squared jaw that accentuated the man’s pure sex appeal.  But when the big man smiled, two dimples appeared in his cheeks and when they popped out, the man’s face went from deadly handsome to drop-dead gorgeous.