Now he got it. Noah was so much more than a partner. The tie between Bondmates was special, and the golden thread between them grew stronger every second.
Eventually, however, he figured Noah must be getting tired and decided it was time to visit the creek before heading back. Nix led the way, liking the feel of his mate’s hand resting on the ruff of his neck. It was reassuring, and he loved Noah’s fingers combing through his thick fur.
At the creek, Noah exclaimed in appreciation. “Oh, it’s beautiful here! I can see why you like this spot. Every mated couple on the team has a favorite place in the forest they sneak off to—maybe this can be ours?”
Nix shifted back to his human form, and stood next to his mate, taking his hand again. “I’d like that. I brought you here hoping you’d love it as much as I do.”
“A sexy, naked man next to a babbling brook in the middle of nowhere? What’s not to love?” He arched a brow.
“Correction—two sexy, naked men. Christening their spot.”
“Oh!”
In record time, Nix had his mate’s shirt and shoes off, and stripped him of his shorts. Then he spread the shirt under Noah’s butt, lowered him to the mossy earth, and grinned. “Next time I’ll plan this better and bring a blanket. And a picnic, too.”
“Do you hear me complaining?”
“Nope, not at all.”
Neither of them were doing any complaining, since both of their mouths were plenty occupied for the better part of the next hour. Nix made love to his mate again, this time taking him on all fours. Pushing in and out of him, slowly, building their climax.
Grasping Noah’s hip, Nix reached around with a free hand and stroked his mate’s cock. He plunged deep, faster and faster until they both exploded with an orgasm so intense his vision whited out for a few seconds. When he came back to himself, he was draped over his mate’s back, sweaty and satisfied.
Inside him, however, his wolf growled and clawed to escape the confines of his human form. Before Nix could stop them, his fangs dropped and claws sprouted from his fingers. The sharp points of his canines hovered scant millimeters from Noah’s tender neck, and he battled hard against the urge to claim what was his. Ours. Me and my wolf.
But he couldn’t. Not yet.
Nix supposed the fear wasn’t gone entirely. But he was getting there, gradually. Soon, he’d claim Noah, and nothing would stop him.
Snarling, his wolf submitted once again. His fangs and claws retracted.
“We’re going to be all sticky and gross when we get back,” Nix observed, pulling gently free. “We’ll need a shower before dinner.”
“Still no complaints.” Sitting to face Nix, he smiled. But there was a blight on his happiness that hadn’t been there earlier, and it was obvious he knew Nix had held back. Again. “Sure had fun getting this way.”
So, Noah was going to let him off the hook again. God, he felt horrible.
“Me, too.” He glanced at the stream, trying to recapture the easy camaraderie they’d enjoyed before. “Hey, there’s water right here. At least we can get the sticky off.”
“Yeah, but it’s going to be freezing!”
“Chicken?”
Noah gave him a droll stare. “No. You first.”
Nix took the challenge, and hissed as he stepped in, goose bumps immediately breaking out all over his body. Holy shit, mountain streams were like ice! But he made a show of bending and splashing as though he wasn’t affected.
“Come on in,” he called to Noah. “It’s not so bad.”
His mate’s face was clearly skeptical. “I don’t know.”
“You said you weren’t chicken. Get in here.” He held out his hand, waiting. The instant Noah took it, he yanked him into the freezing water and held him so he couldn’t get away.
“Aaah!” he yelled. “You jerk! Let go of me, it’s fucking cold!”
“Suck it up, puny human!”
“Asshole!”
Splashing, they laughed like loons, getting each other good and soaked. By the time they were done, they were shivering so hard their teeth rattled, but for his part Nix had never been happier.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Now who’s chicken?” Noah said.
“Frozen chicken.”
“Ha!”
Stepping into the sunshine, they spent a few minutes drying off. Then Nix handed his mate his clothes. Once Noah was dressed again, Nix shifted to wolf form for the walk back through the forest to retrieve his own clothes. It was much more comfortable than padding naked as a human through the brush.
At last they reached the spot where Nix had left his clothes, and he shifted back. When he’d dressed, they walked together back to the compound. He hated to see their romp end, but was confident there would be many more like today.
“Shower?” he asked Noah.
“Yes. A hot one!”
“We can do that.” Smiling, he took Noah’s hand and led him across the compound’s lawn.
Aric, Jax, and their mates, Rowan and Kira, were outside talking, along with Micah and Nick. At the sight of the newest couple emerging from the forest, rumpled and obviously together, the group smiled at them, waving them over.
“Oh boy.” Noah glanced at him with worry. “You up for this?”
“I’m not ashamed of you.” But still, he let go of Noah’s hand, and his mate’s face fell. Shit.
“I know you’re not ready for the inquisition. It’s okay.” But Noah’s tone and expression betrayed his disappointment.
“Come on, let’s go see what they want.” With a wink, he walked with Noah over to their friends.
“Sooo,” Aric drawled, taking in the sight of them. “You guys look kind of disheveled, if ya know what I mean. Do I need to ask what’s going on?”
“You can ask,” Noah answered with a grin. “Doesn’t mean you’re going to get any details.”
“Are you two officially mated?” the redhead pressed. The question immediately earned him an elbow to the ribs from his own mate, who scowled at him fiercely.
“That’s none of our business!” Rowan said.
“You’re kidding, right? Everybody here knows everybody else’s business,” he grumbled, rubbing his side.
“Well, it’s rude to just blurt out such a personal question.”
“Where have you been living?” Aric cracked. “You know we don’t have many boundaries here.”
“Um, guys?” Nix interrupted. “This group is nothing if not the nosiest bunch I’ve ever known. Noah and I are still working things out. But we’re headed in the right direction, and that’s all I’m going to say for now.”
“Wow,” Micah said with a smile. “That’s good news. Congrats.”
Jax nodded. “Same here.”
Nick was the only one who wasn’t looking pleased as punch. In fact, he had that sort of spaced-out look that happened whenever—crap, he was having a vision. The problem with that was, Nick’s PreCog abilities rarely boded well for anyone around him.
When the commander blinked and came back to himself, he addressed the others. “Can I have a word alone with Nix and Noah?”
“Sure thing,” Aric said, casting their boss a wary look.
The others echoed the sentiment and everyone left with promises to meet for dinner.
“What’s going on?” Nix asked.
The commander glanced around, apparently making sure nobody was within hearing range before he spoke. “You both need to hear this. You two are headed for some really rough road together. Soon.” He paused. “The Voodoo Priestess, do you remember her? From when you were on leave in New Orleans?”
A chill of foreboding shot straight down Nix’s spine, followed by ice. “How could I forget?” He didn’t ask how Nick knew—the man was a Seer. When past connected with present, he could “see”
what he needed to.
“She told you something vitally important about your special ability—not as a wolf shifter, that came later. But the one you were born with. Your Psy ability. You remember?”
“Yes,” he said in a shaky voice. “Jesus, you’re scaring me.”
“Listen. Explain to Noah about your gift. Make him understand, and I mean really understand how vitally important it is that he trust you one hundred percent. That he believes in you and what you tell him. If he doesn’t, all will be lost.”
“I . . . okay.” He raked a trembling hand through his hair. “I’ll tell him now.”
“Good. Don’t waste any time. Treasure every second you have together, because catastrophe is headed your way and I can’t stop it.”
“What’s going to happen?” he whispered. Noah edged close, tucking himself into Nix’s side.
“I don’t know, exactly,” he said with real regret. “Only what I’ve told you. Both of you remember what I said, and you’ve got a chance.”
“All right. Nick, thank you.”
“Sure. And if there’s anything else I can do to help you both, you know I will.” Clapping them both on the shoulder, he turned and left them standing there.
Noah hesitated a beat before turning to his mate. “What in the actual fuck was that about?”
Nix let out a deep sigh. “Let’s go sit somewhere and talk.”
Casting about, he settled on a popular grassy spot under a large tree at the edge of the field they used for ball games. That would be as good a place as any to unload the weirdness of his supposed gift.
Once they were seated next to each other, he began. “So, like Nick said, I was on leave—this was a few years ago, when I was about your age. I went down to New Orleans with some of my Navy buddies, and they thought it would be hilarious to go see a Voodoo witch. Get some love potions or some shit, who knows? Me, I was freaked the hell out and was just standing in the foyer of the old woman’s house while they conducted business with her.”
“If you didn’t go in to see her, how did you meet?”
“She came out with them when they were leaving and spotted me. Right off, she honed in on me, staring at me like she’d seen a ghost, and waved me forward. My friends wanted to stay, but she ordered them out. Said nobody could hear what she had to tell me until the time was right. She said, You are your namesake. I hadn’t even told her my name.”
The memory still gave him the chills.
“You are your namesake,” Noah repeated. “Phoenix?”
“Yeah. A bird that rises from the ashes.”
“Except you’re a wolf.”
“Well, I wasn’t then. The point is, she said my gift is that of the phoenix. That if I die, I can be reborn, but there’s a hitch.”
“Of course there is,” Noah said dryly. “What’s the hitch?”
“I have to die by fire.”
His mate stared at him, horror slowly dawning on his face. “No way. Fuck that shit! You’re not going to die, by fire or anything else! That’s insane!”
“I don’t want to die, but you heard Nick,” he said, taking Noah’s shaking hands in his. “You believe me, believe in me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do! But—”
“No buts. Remember what Nick said, when the time comes. I don’t know what it is, but it sounds bad. Believe in me, and remember my gift.”
He was every bit as freaked as Noah. But when he saw the tears well up in his mate’s eyes and spill over, his only thought was comforting him. Quickly, he pulled Noah into his arms and kissed him.
“Ah, baby. It’ll be all right, you’ll see.”
“Nick’s visions always come true,” he replied with a sob. “I spent so many years wishing for somebody of my own to love. I can’t lose you now.”
“Hey, they come true, but not always exactly like he saw them. Micah was supposed to die, remember? But the course of events changed, and he didn’t.”
Belatedly, he realized what Noah had said—somebody to love. Does he love me?
“I know, but it still scares me.”
“Me too. But we’re not going to let this ruin our time together, you got that?” Tilting his mate’s face up, he gave him a searing kiss, soothing him by rubbing palm down his back.
“Okay,” he breathed.
“Good. Now let’s get that shower and get to dinner. That is, if you’re not too tired to go to the dining room?”
“No, I’m good. It will be great to rest after dinner, though,” he admitted.
That was a testament to just how exhausted his mate was, and Nix was afraid he’d pushed him too hard and worn him out. They’d made love twice, and gone for a long walk as well. Maybe it had all been too much.
Once back in Nix’s quarters, Nix undressed himself and his tired mate. Then he got the water warm, pulled him into the shower, and soaped him from head to toe. There was no messing around this time, though Nix could’ve been ready to go again with very little encouragement. This was a time to simply pamper his man. Out of the shower, he toweled Noah off, thinking how much he enjoyed this new sensation of taking care of his mate. Very much. Being concerned for his welfare, seeing to his needs, seemed as natural as breathing. He hoped every day it would get easier and he’d get over this irrational fear of being with a man in public.
Thanks, sperm donor. The bastard didn’t even deserve the title “father.”
“I still don’t have any clean clothes here,” Noah said suddenly. “Can we stop by my apartment?”
“Not a problem. In fact, why don’t we go get you a bag of stuff to keep here? You might as well stay here until we can figure out which quarters we’re gonna live in.”
Noah blinked at him. “Did you just ask me to move in with you?”
Nix hesitated, then said shyly, “Yeah, I suppose I did. You’re my mate, I like having you around, and I don’t plan on letting you go anywhere. What do you say?”
“As proposals go, it could use some work,” Noah said with a grin, “but yes, let’s get some of my stuff. I’ll stay with you until we decide.”
“Great!” Nix felt absurdly happy, and pulled Noah in for a kiss.
* * *
A few minutes later, that giddy feeling was gone, replaced by something like shock. Noah’s apartment looked like the inside of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, there were so many colors warring for attention.
“You like it?” Noah was regarding him eagerly.
“Um, baby, I hate to tell you this, but I’m going to be in charge of decorating.”
“But—”
“That’s final.”
Damn, he felt like he’d just kicked a puppy. Noah’s face fell as he regarded his living space.
“Well, I suppose it is a little loud.”
“Honey, this would give Freddy Krueger nightmares. Sorry.”
“Can I bring some of my pillows?”
Nix eyed the bright purple cushions like they were rattlesnakes. “We’ll see. You can help decorate, okay? But I still have final say.”
From his mate’s pleased grin, he figured he’d already lost the battle, and wondered just how awful those purple pillows were going to look on his nice brown leather sofa.
Ugh.
Packing didn’t take long, and he watched as Noah tossed clothes into a gym bag. Next came bottles of body wash and hair products Nix was certain cost more than his entire bathroom inventory.
He was going to have to ask Nick for a pay raise.
Last, Noah changed out of his dirty clothes, grabbed his bag, and they were ready to go. Nix took the bag from him and his mate didn’t protest, just looked at him like he’d hung the moon.
They dropped off the bag and headed on to dinner. When they reached the dining room, a lot of the others were already there. Noah tried to let go of his hand, but
Nix held tight.
“I’m going to work on not hiding us in public.”
The smile that earned him was worth a million dollars.
Apparently Aric and the others from earlier had already spread the word, which was fine by Nix. Saved them both from having to repeat themselves. As they sat at a table with Blue, Kalen, and Kalen’s mate, Mackenzie, Nix steeled himself to endure the congrats and backslaps, which weren’t long in coming. But he didn’t know what to say when several people showed curiosity about why he and Noah hadn’t officially mated.
Glancing over, he caught Noah turning his head away, cheeks flushed, and realized that his sweet mate was upset. Noah apparently didn’t think the teasing was any funnier than he did, but he got the distinct impression he was upset with Nix, not their friends.
Jesus Christ, this mate shit was complicated!
They put a brave face on it, getting through their meal. Once, Nix noted that Noah and Blue had their heads together whispering about something. Nix caught the words “practice tomorrow,” and shrugged it off for the time being. Not that he wasn’t curious, but whatever it was, he knew the prince and Noah were just friends. Noah wouldn’t lie to him about that.
“How’s Leonidis?” Noah asked Mackenzie. In addition to being Kalen’s mate, she was one of the doctors who worked with Melina.
Nix couldn’t care less if the tiger had fallen off the face of the earth. But his mate was a gentle soul, and clearly a better man than himself.
“He’s fine,” Mac reassured Noah. “When he attacked you, he’d just woken up and was confused and terrified. He didn’t know where he was, and he feels awful about what happened. At some point, he wants to apologize to you.”
“Over my stone-cold-dead fucking body,” Nix spat. Everyone around them froze, and he calmly went back to his meal.
Noah shot him a glare before returning his attention to Mac. “We’ll discuss that later.”
“Sure thing.”
Finally Nix could see that Noah’s head was drooping and he was just pushing his food around.
“You’ve had a big day,” Nix said, patting Noah’s thigh. “Let’s get you to bed.”
That earned him a few snickers, but thankfully no comments. Nix just rolled his eyes, helped Noah from his seat, and they were on their way back to his quarters.