Alec let go, and slowly stood, watching as Stu writhed in agony, gasping for breath, hands scrambling at his chest, face going white, moaning in pain.
The heart attack was massive, swift, and merciless. Better than Stu deserved. His stepfather was dead in under a minute, faded eyes staring up at the blue sky through barren branches.
The woods were quiet again. There was only the croaking of ravens in the distance, and the scent of blood was thick in the air, likely to draw in scavengers quickly once they left the area.
Alec looked around, shrugged, and went about searching the corpses, stripping the dead men of cash and valuables, leaving the phones and IDs with the bodies. He figured he deserved the money influx after weeks of captivity. He’d like to buy a refrigerator and a computer. The cabin had electricity, and he wondered how much it would cost for a satellite hookup. He ignored the guns. Those he had no use for.
Alec found an unopened water bottle in one dead man’s jacket pocket, and held it up to Leif, who was slowly transforming back into a man from his massive lycanthrope form.
His mate opened the bottle and washed his face and hands as best he could, though there wasn’t much the sixteen ounces could do against the pints of blood soaking his mate from head to toe. At least his face was mostly clean.
Not a mark remained on Leif from the fight, all bullet wounds gone as if they never existed. He knew werewolves were durable but Leif’s healing ability was amazing, even by supernatural standards.
He stuffed the goodies in the deep pockets of his borrowed pants, tying the drawstring again to keep them from falling off his hips, and rejoined his mate. Leif opened his arms, and Alec, uncaring of the remaining blood, slipped into his embrace and hugged him back, hard. A kiss landed in his hair.
“Do we need to move the bodies?” Alec asked, enjoying the body heat pouring off Leif.
“Not yet.” Leif said, holding him, one hand rubbing up and down his back, soothing. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” Alec answered honestly. “I’ve wanted to kill Stu for years after what he did to my mom. Kinda weird that he’s dead and I did it.”
“Revenge can be both freeing and baffling. It never quite ends up being what you expect it to feel like,” Leif shared. “But in this case, it was deserved and handed out with impressive swiftness. I’m proud of you.”
Alec grinned, and tilted his head back as far as he could to meet Leif’s gaze. “You’re a badass. Very scary. Very sexy.”
Leif grinned as well, tossing his blood-dampened hair back with a proud flip. “Thank you, greenbough.” He paused, then asked, “Do you have plans for your spoils?”
He was afraid Alec would leave.
“Stu came to me, so I don’t need to go back home to find him. Does Amazon deliver out here anywhere? I need a phone and a computer, and we need a refrigerator and a generator. The cabin is great, but I need some more creature comforts. Do you have a washing machine or dryer?”
Leif stared at him with wide eyes, shocked, and then he threw back his head with a peal of delighted laughter. Alec was lifted off his feet and soundly kissed, leaving him dazed and happy.
Leif held him aloft and chuckled, shaking his head a bit. “I have a small fridge at my place but that’s it, except for solar panels on the cliffs and a well. But I’m not a poor man—I’ve been alive a long time, and have more than enough money set aside in banks to fund a new life for my mate and myself. Are you certain you can destroy the curse?”
Alec was nodding before Leif finished asking. “I am. I’ll need to examine the curse again, but we can hide out in the woods for a while, get to know each other.” Alec grinnedwhen heat flashed in those wolfish eyes. “I just got mated, you see, and I need time with my mate. Lots of alone time.”
“May we have all the time we desire, my little greenbough.” Leif pressed their foreheads together, and sighed happily. “I’m so very glad I found you in my woods.”
Alec agreed wholeheartedly. “Fate knew what she was doing.”
Leif kissed him, slow and sweet, and swept Alec up into a bridal carry, making him laugh. “Let’s leave the bodies to the scavengers. We have lots of…learning to do…with each other.”
Part Two
Chapter 7
Alec
Leif carried him in his arms like he weighed nothing. Bridal style, too, which was perfect for kissing. The blood and gore was an afterthought. Leif’s tongue in his mouth had Alec thoroughly distracted.
They stumbled when Leif bounced off a tree that had sprung up out of nowhere, and they broke apart in laughter.
“Maybe we need to get back to the cabin before we go too much further,” Leif said between chuckles.
Alec pouted, but agreed. “How fast can you go?”
A wicked gleam entered those wild eyes and Alec squealed when Leif clutched him close and took off so fast that the forest passed in a blur. The wind was cold and biting but the heat pouring off Leif was enough to keep him from freezing to death in the run back to the cabin. The path up the cliffside in the daylight was a complicated maze of brambles, huge boulders, and sharp switchbacks with dizzying falls, but Leif was surefooted, even in his human form. Though not entirely human—Alec caught aglimpse of Leif’s feet, skin covered in mud and leaves, and saw claws and the dark sheen of gray fur.
