Micah
Later that night, I still couldn’t get out of my mind the thought of not seeing Zeke, Hyde, and Cade again after they’d finished college. I didn’t understand why I was attracted to them so quickly, but I couldn’t deny the connection.
It’d been only a month since meeting them, but did it mean that there’d been enough time for me to do something about this attraction? If I found enough courage, could I make a move, or should I wait because it was too soon?
Heck, I didn’t know if any of them liked me in that way. I highly doubted Cade would want anything; he was clearly straight. There wasn’t a chance I’d ever ask him out or even hug the man. I feared his reaction the most and half expected the panther would punch me.
Groaning, I slumped back on my bed. The textbooks in front of me were forgotten, my mind refusing to stop rolling over thoughts.
I brushed my hair from my face and glanced to the door. It was quiet out there. When I’d got home after a workout and shower, no one was around. I wished they were here. Maybe I could ask Zeke or Hyde if they wanted to study. We could sit on the floor in the living room around the coffee table with our books out in front of us.
My phone chimed. I grabbed it off the bedside table. Zeke’s name popped up on the screen. He’d given me his number the other day, as well as Cade’s and Hyde’s. My heart stumbled at seeing his name on the screen.
Quickly, I opened it. The picture attached had a lump forming. It was of Zeke with a gag in his mouth, a bruised eye, and torn clothes. His hands were shackled in front of him.
Bile rose in my throat.
Sitting quickly, I gripped at my chest as my stomach filled with lead. The words and the picture chilled me to the bone.
Go to the south gym if you want to save him. Don’t contact anyone. We’ll know.
Shoving the books out the way, I dove off the bed and raced from my room. I didn’t care that I didn’t have shoes on. I didn’t care if anyone saw me. I had to get there.
I had to help.
At the elevator, I pressed the button, but it was on the bottom level. I didn’t have time to wait or run to another one. Instead, I took the stairs, jumping and running down them. My chest heaved with every breath as I kept sprinting toward the gym.
Maybe I was supposed to contact someone. Cade, Hyde, or Sebastian, but I couldn’t. Not when all I could think of was getting there to help Zeke.
I pushed through the doors and stopped. Gasping for air, I took in Zeke, who was in the middle of the gym on his knees. There were two men who stood at each side of him. Moving in more, I saw they weren’t alone. At least another ten were scattered around the room. All were dressed alike in black—pants, long-sleeve tops, and ski masks. Only their eyes and hands showed.
“W-What do you want?” I asked, my body trembling in fear. I met Zeke’s gaze, easily reading the worry, but he was also annoyed.
The man to the left of Zeke replied, “Your mother owes our boss money.”
My mother.
My damn mother.
Shock reverberated through me. I thought Ivan spoke with Lax’s boss to get him off my back. Why were they here? How did they get in here? Were they even human?
“H-How did you get in here?” Or even know about this place?
“Boss has his ways. Sent us instead of his small-time human lackeys.”
What were they?
What did they want from me? How much did Mom owe? It had to be more than I thought, or they wouldn’t have sought me out here.
How long had they been here to know Zeke meant something to me?
What did I do?
What was I supposed to do?
There were so many of them and one of me. I could see Zeke wanted to help. He wiggled and made a noise behind his gag. The cuffs must have been holding him back, blocking him, or else he would have used his powers.
My belly roiled, realizing that the outcome would be on my shoulders.
Bile threatened again. I pushed a hand to my stomach and pulled my shoulders back.
“I don’t have money.” My tone was clear and harder than before.
The man laughed. “Then we’ll take him until you do.” He reached out, pulling Zeke to his feet by his neck. He placed Zeke in front of him.
“No!” I yelled, moving forward.
“Stop,” the man ordered, and when his hand tightened, causing Zeke’s eyes to widen, I stilled.
“Take me instead. I can… I can work off the debt.”
He laughed again and threw Zeke to the floor. He closed his eyes in pain.
I winced when Zeke got a kick to the stomach for trying to yell under his gag.
“The boss won’t want a weak little boy. He’ll want the money owed to him since your mom took off and no one can find her.”
My goddamn mother.
“I don’t have the money,” I clipped.
“Then until you do, we’re taking him.” They went to Zeke and dragged him to his feet again. He stumbled forward a little until the other silent one grabbed his arm.
They turned and started for the doors behind them that would lead them outside. Fear stabbed at my chest, yet I was frozen.
Move. Do something. Help him.
They were taking Zeke.
Taking him away from me.
What would they do to him?
This is my fault. My mother’s fault.
I had to do something.
They were nearing the doors. If they got him outside, I knew I wouldn’t see him again.
I couldn’t let that happen.
I wouldn’t.
He’s mine.
The words echoed around my mind as I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Opening my eyes, I lifted my head and demanded, “Stop.”
For once, my body buzzed as power filled me to the brim.
I would do anything to keep Zeke safe.
Zeke
A wave of dizziness spun my head for a moment until it cleared. It felt like some of my energy had been drained away, but it had nothing to do with the power-suppressing cuffs on me.
That one word from Micah had the men turning. I blinked as I recalled his voice again and how different it had been. It held strength, determination. But I didn’t want him to fight or get hurt. The thought of Micah in pain or trouble sliced me open.
Run, I wanted to scream. Find Sebastian, Hyde, Cade. Get away. But I couldn’t get my mouth to work. Fear thickened my throat.
When they pulled me around to face Micah, I honestly gaped at the sight in front of me. He looked… powerful.
The shy and timid guy I knew was gone. He stood straight with his hands fisted at his sides, his hair flicked away from his eyes.
His gaze flicked to me and back to the threat. “Leave him here.”
“It’s not happening, kid.”
I rubbed my chin against my shoulder, loosening the gag. “Run, Micah!” I yelled, praying he would listen. The guy smacked me in the back of the head.
Micah ignored me and kept his hardened gaze on the man as he cocked his head to the side. “You try to take Zeke from me, you will pay.”
Now wasn’t the time to get hard, but hell if I could stop it from happening.
“You think you can stop this? I’ve heard how weak you are.” I glanced up to see the guy shake his head. “Let’s go.”
“Weak?”
Micah’s question held the men unmoving.
A gasp dropped from my lips as Micah lifted his body from the ground and floated two feet above. His hands spread out on each side.
“Go, and leave Zeke behind.”
The guy snorted. “You think your floaty trick is threatening?” Others laughed around us.
Micah smiled in a way I’d never seen. It was pure crazed. “No, I don’t suppose it looks threatening.” His head dropped, eyes closed, and I sensed something building in the room. The pressure of it pushed against us all, and the men took a step back, except for the two at my sides.
“You want threatening?” Micah asked.
“You don’t have it in you, kid.” Why was the fool taunting him?
Micah’s lips pulled into a smirk right before glass shattered. The ground shifted and screams started.
“Is this threatening enough for you?” Micah demanded loudly.
“Holy shit,” tumbled from my mouth when I looked around and saw the glass had come from the surrounding windows, and the jagged pieces were pointed at, near touching, my captors.
It didn’t end there, though.
In some places, the floor had been pulled up, and the splinters of wood circled the group, holding them in place.
The men on each side of me dropped my arms, and I fell to my knees. Mr. Talkative grunted and shifted slightly. The wood and glass followed his movements. “Micah—”
“You chose wrong when you took Zeke. Anything else, and I would have caved. But you touched him. You beat him. You threatened him.”
My cock shot straight to hard.
Such a fucking inappropriate time. But I couldn’t hold my desire back. Timid, shy, beautiful Micah was protecting me. His mate.
“Micah, you need to calm down.”
I glanced up at the man, scrunching my face in confusion. He’d started this. He’d wanted something to happen. He…. Fuck, he wanted to see Micah’s power.
Goddamn it, Sebastian.
“Calm?” Micah laughed, and a few whimpered when the glass pressed into the skin at their hearts.
Shit, this wasn’t good.
Sebastian lifted a hand and pulled off his ski mask. “Micah. It’s all right. Zeke’s fine.” He cringed. “A little roughed up, but he’ll be okay. It was a test.” If it was anyone but Sebastian who’d hit me, I’d kick their ass.
“A trick?” Micah asked, eerily steady.
“No, a test,” Sebastian answered, only to suck in a breath when the glass and wood pressed in harder. The glass to his chest, the wood to his waist.
“You threatened Zeke, you beat him, for a test?” Micah yelled.
My cock throbbed shamelessly.
“Zeke,” Sebastian uttered.
Christ, even though they deserved a little rough treatment, I couldn’t let Micah do this, knowing he would regret it in the end.
“Micah, I’m all right. Please, drop the glass and wood. Sebastian will unlock my cuffs.”
Micah’s hard gaze shot down to me and ran over my whole body. “They hurt you.” He floated down, and his feet hit the still smooth floor beneath him.
My heart melted. “I’m okay. I promise.”
The glass dropped to the floor in a clatter everywhere. The wooden shards of floorboards reshaped and replanted into their original places as if they hadn’t been moved at all.
“Unlock him,” Micah ordered.
Sebastian didn’t move, but the one on my other side did with a sigh. He removed his mask, dropping it to the floor, and Professor Lynch knelt to undo the cuffs. My power soared back into me. Still, my energy felt sapped a little. On shaky legs, I stood and looked around Professor Lynch to see Micah eyeing Sebastian.
“Leave us,” Sebastian ordered, and his accomplices hurried out of the gym.
Professor Lynch paused by Micah and placed a hand on his shoulder, offering support. He said something low that I couldn’t hear, but Micah nodded at him before his professor kept going.
“Garry, let Hyde and Cade out,” Sebastian called just before Professor Lynch left.
He snorted. “Great. I get the best jobs.”
When the doors closed after him, I made my way over to Micah. Sebastian got there first, using his vampire speed.
“That is the power you need to show in class from now on. Don’t be afraid of it. I’m sorry I’ve done it this way to show you how strong you can be. We all knew you had it in you. You just needed a little incentive to touch it. To take control.”
Micah’s jaw clenched. “Never use Zeke against me again.”
“I won’t.”
Micah nodded.
Sebastian chuckled. “You were outstanding, Micah.”
Micah shrugged, his gaze shooting to me when I stopped by Sebastian’s side. I caught Sebastian taking us both in with a smirk.
“There’s something else, but we’ll talk soon. As an apology, have the day off work tomorrow. I’ll let them know. Zeke, hit the nurse’s office to get healed.” He clasped me on the shoulder, and Micah narrowed in on it. Sebastian noticed and chuckled on his way out of the gym.
Micah looked back up at me and frowned when he saw the bruising.
“I’m okay.” I took a step closer.
“I couldn’t…. I would never have let anyone take you.”
A thrill swept through my body. “Micah.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
His gaze widened. He swallowed and clutched the bottom of his tee to fiddle with as his nerves overtook. “Um, okay?”
Smiling, I reached out and gripped his waist. Tugging him close, I peered down at his lips, ones I’d wanted a taste of since the first time I saw him, and then up to his eyes.
“Thank you for protecting me.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but I crashed my lips to his with a needy hunger, desperate for a taste. I swept my tongue straight in, and he moaned when I ran mine around his before I sucked on it. His hands gripped my upper arms as he tilted his head. We deepened the kiss.
He tasted perfect.
He reacted amazingly.
He kissed me like a starved man.
It felt as if my heart opened and took some of Micah’s inside of it. Could he feel it? Feel the first touch of the mate bond? It wouldn’t be completed until we had sex, but the start was like a head rush and a shot of Viagra to the dick.
Cupping the back of his head, I slid my other arm around his waist and hauled him tighter to me. Our cocks brushed, rubbed, and it was good to see he was hard as I was.
A roar erupted in the distance. We parted and panted, our breaths mingling with one another’s as we stared and smiled, still connected with our hands. Micah’s gaze was a little dazed. He gripped me harder, maybe worried I would leave, but there wasn’t a chance of that.
“Um, that was nice.” Micah’s face flushed red.
I cocked a brow. “Nice? Only nice?” Sliding my hand to his chest over his heart, I felt how fast it beat for me. He was mine. I was his. There was no going back to only friends now. The knowledge made me want to crush him to my body and never let go, to bask in this happy glow.
Micah snorted out a laugh and dropped his forehead to my chest. I removed my hand from his chest to thread my fingers through his hair and gently tugged.
When he eased back, I smiled softly down at him. “It was nice, and I’d like to do it again. Many times. Are you all right with that?”
He bit his bottom lip, which was redder and plumper than usual from our heated kiss. When he nodded, my soul soared.
Dipping in, I pecked his lips. He followed me for more when I pulled back. I would have given it to him if it wasn’t for the wolf and panther rushing through the doors with a bang.
Micah twisted in front of me, his hands up, glass lifted, and pointed at the shifters who stilled.
Resting my hands on his shoulders, I leaned in and kissed his neck. “It’s just Hyde and Cade.” Moving to Micah’s side, I took his hand. “Come on, guys. Let’s get to the rooms and talk.”
Hyde snarled while Cade huffed, both turning and making their way out as the glass clattered to the floor once again. Together, Micah and I walked out of the gym hand in hand.
Now I had him, I wasn’t letting go.