“Yes.” Joy and pride burst from him and he smiled so widely his cheeks hurt. “This is Brian Berger, my mate.”
Brian curled his hands over Keith’s shoulders. “It’s nice to meet you all,” he said distractedly, not taking his eyes off Keith. “What happened out here?”
“I paused them.”
Brian’s jaw dropped.
Keith started to laugh but then he stopped, stood still and focused. He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Excuse me for a moment.” He stepped out of Brian’s hold, walked around him and over to the side of the house, and closed his eyes. “Three. Two.”
“What are you—”
He jerked his head and hand to the right and dug his fingers into a furry throat. “One.” He raised his arm into the air and tightened his hold. “Did you think taking this form would help you meet a different fate from your friends?” He cackled. “Hilarious.” Just as the wolf’s growls and swipes slowed, Keith turned to the left and darted his free arm out, catching the next attacker, who was trying to sneak up on him in wolf form. “Two for the price of one.” He swung both arms toward each other, banging the two shifters’ heads together and they both went limp. “Goodie.” He let the unconscious bodies drop to the ground. “That’s twelve.” He walked back to the group. “Ladies, did Rupert Jackson have more than a dozen allies or is this all of them?”
Lorraine, Rosemary, and Gloria inspected the men on the ground.
“That’s all of them, Alpha,” Gloria said. She turned to the other two. “Right?”
They nodded. “Frankly, I’m surprised the Monster managed to get this many people on his side,” Rosemary added.
“True that,” Keith said with a dip of his chin.
“Don’t forget his son,” Lorraine said.
“I wish I could.” Keith crinkled his nose in disgust. “He paid me a visit this morning. Big mistake. We left him locked up at Purple Sky and called the Golden Valley Alpha. He’s probably taken him by now.”
As much harm as Rupert Jackson and his son had done to Keith, Morgan Peters had suffered a similar fate. He had losthis entire family at the hands of the Omega the Jacksons had drugged. Keith and Brian eliminated the senior Jackson so it was only fair that Morgan would have the right to decide Junior’s fate.
Realizing his mate hadn’t said anything in some time, Keith looked at him. “Brian? Are you okay?”
He was standing in the same spot he had been in a few minutes earlier, his mouth gaping and his eyes slowly opening and closing.
“Brian?” He snaked his hand around Brian’s neck and caressed his nape. “Mate?”
“You are insanely powerful,” he rasped.
“Yes. On both counts,” Keith agreed.
“Holy shit.” Brian swept his gaze along the ground, taking in the carnage. “Holy fucking shit. I had no idea. I thought you needed me to protect you but you’re more powerful than…”
“More powerful than I look?” Keith joked. “I probably should have told you that already. Sorry for keeping it completely to myself and never, ever mentioning it. I’m notoriously subtle.”
Brian shook his head and then looked into Keith’s eyes. “You’re more powerful than me,” he choked out. “So much more.”
“Is that a problem?” Keith asked, tipping his forehead onto Brian’s.
“That depends.”
He leaned back and arched his eyebrows in question.
Brian dragged his lips across Keith’s jaw and over to his ear. “Is there a bedroom in that big Alpha house?” He swiped his tongue over Keith’s ear. “Or really any room with a lock? I find myself in urgent need of private time with my mate.” He grasped both of Keith’s hips and yanked him forward. “Very urgent.”
Keith threw his head back and cackled. “As much as I’d love to take you up on that enticing offer, we have a dead body insidethat we need to bury and a dozen unconscious men outside that we need to dispatch one way or another. Sex will have to wait.”
“It won’t take long.” Brian licked his neck and ground against him. “You are so much more than I expected. I can’t believe I get to have you.”
His usually responsible and well-mannered mate had stopped thinking and was operating purely on hormones. Keith loved it. He caressed the side of Brian’s neck with one hand and slid the other under Brian’s shirt, petting his warm skin. “I promise to take care of you when we’re done,” he whispered. “Thoroughly and repeatedly.” He parted his mouth and tugged at Brian’s lower lip, pulling him into a soft kiss. “But three of the women who saw me learn how to walk are a couple of feet away and the men on the ground are going to hit play any second now, so we have to wait.”
Whimpering in frustration, Brian dropped his forehead onto Keith’s shoulder. “You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever imagined, let alone seen. Not being inside of you right now is killing me.”
