Tasker felt the knife sink into the flesh of his forefinger, and he hissed, more from being startled than from being in pain. He dropped the knife and quickly moved his bleeding hand away from the pile of potatoes he was dicing. Grabbing a hand towel, Tasker quickly wrapped it around his injured digit.
“You okay?” Kort asked, stopping beside the counter beside him. He glanced from the potatoes to Tasker and back again. “What happened?”
“Knife just slipped,” Tasker claimed, watching Kort move the knife, which still had traces of his blood on it, to the dirty dishes sink.
“Yeah, right.” Kort smirked at him. The deep red gargoyle was the second in command of the kitchens and had the right to boot Tasker out if he didn’t get his act together.
“I’ll be more careful,” Tasker promised. Due to his increased gargoyle healing, he would bet his finger was already healed beneath the towel, but he hesitated to remove it until Kort moved on.
“Heard you found your mate,” Kort commented, sounding way too casual. He glanced at him side-eyed. “Where and when? Human?”
Kort knew he couldn’t lie, and he would never deny his mate, anyway. “I did.” Thinking of Camry, he couldn’t help but smile. “He’s gorgeous. Toned from dancing, and bendy.” Sighing deeply, he recalled some of his mate’s moves, wondering how long it would take before he could put his mate’s flexibility to use in bed. “So bendy,” Tasker whispered.
“You’re such a horndog,” Twilden cut in with a sneer. “You want your mate for one thing. Sex.” Glaring at Tasker, the small yellow gargoyle asked, “You gonna compare his dick to Beldrew’s, too? Maybe I should warn him that your brain-to-mouth filter is shit in bed. He—”
“Twilden, that’s enough,” Kort snapped harshly. His blue eyes flashed with clear warning as he snarled, “You know the law. Coming between fated mates is taboo.”
Twilden crossed his arms over his lean torso and jutted his chin out belligerently. “How do we know this human is really Tasker’s fated mate?” His eyes narrowed as he mused, “He spotted him at that strip club. Maybe he’s just horny since me and Beldrew have refused to touch him. I’d be doing this guy a favor by—”
“Chieftain Maelgwn and Second Tobias have already met with Tasker and his human,” Kort snarled, revealing he knew plenty more than what he’d been letting on to Tasker. “Do you honestly think they would allow that kind of subterfuge to continue if Tasker wasn’t telling the truth?” Without waiting for Twilden to reply, Kort ordered, “You have dishwashing duty for the next week. I’ll make the necessary scheduling changes shortly.” Pointing at the pile of dishes still needing to be done, the chef stated, “Better get started.”
Gasping in clear outrage, Twilden stared in disbelief for all of two seconds. When Kort didn’t change his command, the small gargoyle growled under his breath as he spun away from them. He flounced across the room, giving away his anger even more than the spicy scent emanating from him.
As soon as Twilden started the water running, Tasker muttered, “He has a right to be upset with me.” He winced as he began pulling off the towel, and not because there was any pain, since there wasn’t any. His wound had healed. “I really put my foot in it with him.”
“No one deserves to have threats made against their fated mate, Tasker,” Kort rumbled, patting him on the back. “I’ll be reporting his comment to Enforcer Einan,” he told him, referring to their clutch’s head enforcer. “He’ll need to be watched, just in case he decides to do something stupid in his anger.”
Tasker grimaced. “Shit. I don’t want him in trouble.”
“That’s because you’re a good guy.” Smirking, Kort added, “A little thoughtless in bed, so watch yourself with your mate, but good, nonetheless.” Then he started sliding the potato chunks that had drops of Tasker’s blood on them into his palm. “Also, you shouldn’t be wielding a knife when you’re so distracted.” Kort offered him a commiserating smile as he tidied up Tasker’s mess. “Go do laundry, instead.”
Nodding, Tasker offered, “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Then Tasker headed to the laundry room, the bloodied towel still in his hand.
“Will you come to the estate after your shift?” Tasker did his best to keep his desperation out of his tone, but he certainly felt that way—desperate. He hadn’t seen his mate in forty-eight hours, and already he felt as if he were about to go out of his mind with need.
While Tasker had met Camry at the strip club, he hadn’t given it much thought on how that would impact their schedules. His mate worked well into the night. He’d worked Monday, but was supposed to have Tuesday evening off. Except, once again, his asshole boss had called him in.
That meant Camry would be working his third night in a row, and Tasker desperately wanted his mate to come to him after his shift.
“I normally just shower and crash after my shift,” Camry hedged. “I wouldn’t make very good company.”
Good company or not, Tasker wanted him at the estate.
In fact—
“If you come here, I can massage your sore muscles after your shower.” Another idea struck Tasker. “Or, I have a jetted tub in my suite that’s big enough for two. I could put some oil in the water and massage you in there.” Hearing the silence coming from the other end of the line, Tasker winced.
Right. Virgin.
“Or I could just hold you, feed you chocolates and strawberries, and we could wear our shorts.”
“Um, okay.” Camry’s quiet response finally came through the line. “I, uh, normally get off at two or thereabouts.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Tasker assured.
Eagerly waiting.
“Well, I gotta go.” Camry sounded reluctant, even though he’d already said that to Tasker once.
With Camry’s promise to visit after work achieved, Tasker was willing to close the line. “Have a good shift, Camry. A safe shift,” he murmured. “I look forward to seeing you.”
“I, uh... me, too.” Then Camry disconnected the line.
Clutching the phone to his chest, Tasker thought about his words.
Have a safe shift.
Without a human form, Tasker couldn’t assure that outcome himself, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do his best to make it happen.
Quickly dialing Enforcer Einan, Tasker tapped his forefinger on his thigh.
“Hello, Tasker,” Einan greeted. “I was wondering if I’d hear from you.”
“I, uh... really?”
He had been?
Einan chuckled, deep and soft. “Sure. Your mate is working at a strip club, and you can’t be there.” Tasker could hear the amusement in the man’s voice. “You want someone to keep an eye on him for you.”
“Uh, yes, sir,” Tasker immediately replied. “I do.”
“Already on it,” Einan assured him. “Tible has never been to a strip club, so he and Gus are going tonight,” he told him, referring to a young gargoyle—well, by their standards, as he was less than a century old—and his shifter mate. Gus shared his spirit with a white rhino and was built like a bodybuilder. While both were actually gentle souls, Tasker knew they could handle any issue that came up.
Einan continued talking, pulling Tasker out of his thoughts.
“I’m passing the word around to see what mated couples might be interested,” Einan told him. “It’ll change every time, so keep me posted on his shifts.”
“His boss has been calling him in a lot,” Tasker admitted, growling in frustration. “There’s a rich client he’s trying to schmooze.”
“Hmmm,” Einan mused. “And that rich client likes your mate.”
Although Einan didn’t phrase it like a question, Tasker still growled, “Yup.”
“Oh, that’s the Morgan guy Maelgwn and Tobias were telling me about,” Einan stated, revealing he understood the score. “I’ll give everyone his picture. His boss, too.” His tone turned hard. “I think we’ll take a look into him as well. What’s his name?”
“Uh, I don’t know,” Tasker admitted. “I know he’s the owner, though.”
“Okay. That’ll be easy enough to figure out,” Einan claimed. “If anything comes up, I’ll contact you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Tasker quickly replied, barely getting the words out before Einan had closed the call.
Flopping back on the bed, Tasker stared at the ceiling. Relief that Camry was being monitored flooded him, causing tension he hadn’t even realized he carried to melt from his shoulders.
My mate will be here before too long.
Tasker peered toward the bathroom.
Time to scrub the tub.
With that thought in mind and a grin on his face, Tasker bounced from the bed and settled in to clean his ensuite.
By two-fifteen, Tasker had begun to pace the front hall. He couldn’t help it, even though he knew there was no way that Camry would arrive that swiftly. The strip club was nearly forty-five minutes away—thirty-five of those minutes on the other side of Durango.
Just as he turned to make another pass, Tasker’s phone rang. He spotted Gus’s name and quickly accepted the call. “Hey, Gus.” Concern raced through his system, and his tension ratcheted back up. “Is everything okay?”
“It will be.” Gus’s deep voice came through the line. “I’ve got ya on speaker phone.”
“Okay.” Tasker frowned. “What’s up?”
“Camry just needs assurances that me and Tible are on the up and up,” Gus told him. “He’s here with me.”
“Camry? You there?” Tasker immediately called.
“Yeah, I’m here.” Camry sounded a mixture of tired and upset with a side of uncertainty. “They said they were your friends, but you can never be too careful these days.”
Tasker nodded, even though he knew his mate couldn’t see it. “True enough. They live here at the estate with me.”
“Oh, so they’re...” Camry’s voice trailed off, but his intent was clear enough.
“Yeah. Friends of mine,” Tasker confirmed again. “What’s wrong?”
Tasker couldn’t recall getting a clear answer on that. Why would Camry need to know Gus was his friend unless...”What happened?”
“I have a flat tire,” Camry admitted. “And my spare is flat, too.” His frustration came through loud and clear. “They offered a ride, but I needed to make certain they weren’t affiliated with—” Camry cut himself off and cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’ll get a ride with them and worry about my car tomorrow, I guess.”
“Definitely catch a ride with them,” Tasker encouraged, relieved that his mate wasn’t alone in his problem. “But I know my people will be willing to take care of your car for you. We’ll get it fixed.”
“What? Why would you—” Camry began, sounding confused. “You don’t have to—”
“Oh, baby,” Tasker cut in softly. “You’re not alone anymore. You have help.” Filling his tone with encouragement, he ordered, “Get in Gus and Tible’s truck and relax on the ride home, uh, here.” He winced at the slip of the tongue, but it was too late to do anything about it. “I’ll ask about who can head out to retrieve your car, and I’m sure it’ll be waiting right here in the morning for you.”
Tasker crossed his fingers, hoping he wasn’t lying to his mate. Even unmated, surely his clutch mates would help.
“Thanks, Tasker.” That time, Camry’s voice was filled with relief.
“See you soon, baby,” Tasker offered.
“Yeah.”
Then Gus came back on. “Tible already called Einan,” he revealed. “Grigoris is coming with a spare and a second person to drive Camry’s car, but I’m still going to bring him to you.” His voice lowered as he murmured, “He got hassled a bit by that rich asshole, and it looked like the bastard was going to come over here in the parking lot, but he took one look at me and took off.” Then Gus added, “Your man could use a little pampering.”
Tasker growled softly upon hearing that news, but he assured Gus, “I have pampering all set up.”
“Good. See you soon.”
Gus didn’t wait for a response, and Tasker once again found himself calling Einan.
“I heard,” Einan stated in lieu of a greeting. “Grigoris is taking a tire out there, and Sumak is going to drive Camry’s sedan.” With a scoff, the enforcer stated, “Hell, by the time Camry wakes up in the morning, I bet his car will be running better than it ever has.”
Smiling, Tasker figured that was true. It was common knowledge that Grigoris loved tinkering on all kinds of vehicles. Any time a new mate joined their clutch, he would inspect their ride from top to bottom and fix even the tiniest of problems.
“Thank you for sending them out,” Tasker still stated. “I appreciate it.”
“Yup. Have a good night now.”
When Einan hung up again, Tasker couldn’t help but grin upon hearing the mirth—and even the hint of innuendo—in the enforcer’s voice.
Yes. I certainly hope to have a good night.
Forty minutes later, Tasker spotted headlights coming up the driveway. He hurried to the garage and waited just inside the man-sized door. A garage bay door opened, and he watched Gus’s huge truck roll into the cavernous space.
The driver’s side door opened, but the passenger side did not.
As Tasker strode toward the vehicle, he watched both Gus and Tible slide out. He opened his mouth to question the rhino shifter, but the big man lifted a finger to his lips in the be quiet sign. His lips were curved into a smile, and his dark eyes twinkled with amusement.
Once Tasker reached the truck, Gus pointed at the passenger side window, and Tasker saw what seemed to be pleasing the man. Gus hadn’t been kidding about Camry needing some TLC. Tasker’s human sat with his head against the passenger side window. His eyes were closed, and he was fast asleep.
“My poor mate,” Tasker murmured, shaking his head. “Let’s get you to a more comfortable place.”
Tasker carefully opened the door just wide enough for him to stick his arm in. Gripping Camry’s upper arm, he held him steady as he opened it the rest of the way. Then he unbuckled his human’s safety belt before sliding his arms under him and cradling his mate to his chest.
While Tasker wasn’t that much larger than Camry, his paranormal strength made carrying him easy. He started across the garage, murmuring, “Thanks again, Gus.”
“You’re welcome, man.” His brows drew together as he shook his head. “I sure hope you talk him into leaving that place soon, because it’s a real dive.”
Tasker sighed. “I know it is. I’ll—”
Before more could be said, Tasker felt Camry stir in his arms. He kept half his attention on where they were going and the rest on his waking mate. To Tasker’s surprise, as soon as Camry seemed half awake, he started to struggle.
Tasker began trilling even as he crooned words of comfort to his mate.
Camry’s eyes finally snapped open, and he peered up at Tasker, his surprise clear.
“Hello, my mate,” Tasker murmured, ceasing his trilling. “Welcome to the estate.”