disappeared once he raised himself up and lost physical contact, but that only left him feeling bereft and empty.
He stared down into the violet eyes of the young man beneath him, now narrowed in anger, and felt remorse tug at his heart.
The man raised his hands and shoved them at Michael’s chest, delivering a blow of anger that was so strong, it sent him reeling onto his backside a good two feet away. The pain from hitting the ground was nothing compared to that which showed on the beautiful face before him.
With careful movements, Michael edged back towards the small figure of his mate when he saw him start to fold in upon himself with an expression that spoke of severe emotional pain. He placed a gentle hand on his mate’s shoulder, wanting to regain that brief connection they seemed to have built during their torrid sexual encounter of moments ago.
Pain and anger and guilt slammed into him with just as much force as before, but this time he was prepared for it. A grunt escaped his lips as the feelings raged through him, but he was able to tamp them down, channel and redirect them to a separate part of his mind. The sudden understanding that the alien emotions coursing through him were his mate’s feelings and not his own brought on a realisation that had him reeling.
“Oh shit, you’re a mage.”
Immediately after saying those callous words, he wished he could take them back, but the smaller man lying before him didn’t seem to acknowledge his voice at all. Concern began to take the forefront of his emotions, which he was still trying to disentangle from those of his mate, when a faint whimper broke through his concentration.
“Please,” a faint voice pleaded. Michael leaned in closer to his mate.
“What is it, sweetheart? What’s wrong?”
The man tilted his head to the side and opened his eyes, allowing Michael to see all of the pain shining through them, pain that he could also feel just from touching him. The man reached out a trembling hand to Michael’s chest and shook his head, pleading with his eyes and obviously trying to tell him something. It took him a few seconds before clarity dawned and he asked, “You can feel my emotions too, can’t you?”
His mate gave a slight nod and Michael almost pulled back his hand before stopping himself. He knew all mages were gifted with some kind of ability. Although Michael still had a lot of questions about how the young man’s particular gift worked, they would eventually need to get used to each other. Sooner rather than later.
His mate’s eyelids drooped as if they had become too heavy to keep open.
Michael glanced at Stephen’s ravaged body but didn’t bother to check his vitals. Judging by the amount and temperature of the blood pooling underneath his body, Michael knew he was dead and had been killed not too long ago.
He was picking up three distinct scents apart from his mate’s, but they were new to him, which meant that the killers belonged to another clan. The probability that his mate had been there during the murder had his heart racing with fear.
What might have happened had I not shown up in time?
It was too stressful to contemplate at the moment, and there was still work to do. He concentrated on the unique mental path he shared with all of his Betas and reached out to Dennis. The man had insisted on following him in a vehicle some distance away, just in case Stephen was unable to travel in wolf form when they found him.
“ Dennis, I need a pickup down the road leading to Henry Connel’s farm. I’m heading towards you now from his barn. Joseph, Nick, you’re on clean-up duty. Stephen was attacked by at least three unidentified wolves that left before I got here. He’s dead, so I’ll need you to dispose of his body. Let’s all meet up at my place once you’re done here.”
“Shit,” Nick sent. “ Guess he finally got in over his head this time. Any clue as to which clan his attackers belong to?”
“No, but I
He stared down into the violet eyes of the young man beneath him, now narrowed in anger, and felt remorse tug at his heart.
The man raised his hands and shoved them at Michael’s chest, delivering a blow of anger that was so strong, it sent him reeling onto his backside a good two feet away. The pain from hitting the ground was nothing compared to that which showed on the beautiful face before him.
With careful movements, Michael edged back towards the small figure of his mate when he saw him start to fold in upon himself with an expression that spoke of severe emotional pain. He placed a gentle hand on his mate’s shoulder, wanting to regain that brief connection they seemed to have built during their torrid sexual encounter of moments ago.
Pain and anger and guilt slammed into him with just as much force as before, but this time he was prepared for it. A grunt escaped his lips as the feelings raged through him, but he was able to tamp them down, channel and redirect them to a separate part of his mind. The sudden understanding that the alien emotions coursing through him were his mate’s feelings and not his own brought on a realisation that had him reeling.
“Oh shit, you’re a mage.”
Immediately after saying those callous words, he wished he could take them back, but the smaller man lying before him didn’t seem to acknowledge his voice at all. Concern began to take the forefront of his emotions, which he was still trying to disentangle from those of his mate, when a faint whimper broke through his concentration.
“Please,” a faint voice pleaded. Michael leaned in closer to his mate.
“What is it, sweetheart? What’s wrong?”
The man tilted his head to the side and opened his eyes, allowing Michael to see all of the pain shining through them, pain that he could also feel just from touching him. The man reached out a trembling hand to Michael’s chest and shook his head, pleading with his eyes and obviously trying to tell him something. It took him a few seconds before clarity dawned and he asked, “You can feel my emotions too, can’t you?”
His mate gave a slight nod and Michael almost pulled back his hand before stopping himself. He knew all mages were gifted with some kind of ability. Although Michael still had a lot of questions about how the young man’s particular gift worked, they would eventually need to get used to each other. Sooner rather than later.
His mate’s eyelids drooped as if they had become too heavy to keep open.
Michael glanced at Stephen’s ravaged body but didn’t bother to check his vitals. Judging by the amount and temperature of the blood pooling underneath his body, Michael knew he was dead and had been killed not too long ago.
He was picking up three distinct scents apart from his mate’s, but they were new to him, which meant that the killers belonged to another clan. The probability that his mate had been there during the murder had his heart racing with fear.
What might have happened had I not shown up in time?
It was too stressful to contemplate at the moment, and there was still work to do. He concentrated on the unique mental path he shared with all of his Betas and reached out to Dennis. The man had insisted on following him in a vehicle some distance away, just in case Stephen was unable to travel in wolf form when they found him.
“ Dennis, I need a pickup down the road leading to Henry Connel’s farm. I’m heading towards you now from his barn. Joseph, Nick, you’re on clean-up duty. Stephen was attacked by at least three unidentified wolves that left before I got here. He’s dead, so I’ll need you to dispose of his body. Let’s all meet up at my place once you’re done here.”
“Shit,” Nick sent. “ Guess he finally got in over his head this time. Any clue as to which clan his attackers belong to?”
“No, but I
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