Crashing into Fate (Maple Grove #25) - Lynn Hagen Page 0,35
Lewis’s chest, his breathing evening out, as if to say he completely trusted Lewis.
“You’re stronger than you think.” Lewis curled his arms around Arlan, holding him close.
“And you’re naked,” Arlan pointed out.
That made Lewis chuckle. “I’m gonna grab a shower. Why don’t you order us some breakfast?”
Lewis wasn’t going to get any more sleep. He was now wide-awake, his tiger restless, ready to hunt down every threat and eviscerate it.
He dug through his jeans and handed Arlan his credit card. “I think the diner is the only place that’s open this early.”
“I had no idea they delivered.”
“For a fee.” Lewis kissed Arlan on the forehead and walked to the bathroom. Once the door was closed, he leaned against the sink, lowered his head, and let out a shaky breath.
Things could have gone so wrong. The vampire could have overtaken Lewis and killed Arlan and his brother. Now that he was alone, Lewis lifted his hand and saw how badly it was shaking.
This had to end. His chest felt tight, and his body ached when he thought how Arlan could have been hurt or killed. How Charles had almost become a victim because he was related to Arlan, which, in turn, had made him leverage against Lewis.
He didn’t like feeling helpless, like all he could do was wait for the attacks and deal with them one at a time.
With a deep sigh, Lewis cut the shower on, almost missing the muffled cry that was quickly drowned out by the spray of water.
As quietly as he could—because if it was a false alarm, Lewis didn’t want to terrify Arlan—he eased the bathroom door opened and listened.
The room was eerily quiet. Had Arlan gone back to sleep after placing their order and was just tossing and turning? Was that what Lewis had heard?
Grabbing a towel off the shelf, Lewis curled it around his waist before he stepped into the room.
His heart gave out.
His tiger roared.
The blood thrashed in his ears as he stared at his mate, and then looked into the eyes of Mena.
The vampire held an arm around Arlan, smiling fiercely at Lewis. “If you want the job done right, don’t send newborns. Clearly I underestimated you, Lewis.”
Lewis held his hands out, palms down. “Things shouldn’t have gone down that way.”
His only priority right now was to get Arlan out of Mena’s clutches. After that, the vampire wouldn’t be so easily defeated. He wasn’t untried like his newborns. Mena was an older vampire, seasoned, and wouldn’t go down without one of them dying.
Lewis was confident in his fighting abilities, but his attention would be torn, and having Arlan in harm’s way would be a huge distraction.
He had no clue when Arlan had crashed into the office, panicked, how irrevocably the human would change his life. But he couldn’t imagine living a day without Arlan in it.
Mena clutched Arlan tighter, pressed his sharp nails harder against Arlan’s throat. Lewis snarled.
“You sealed your fate when you decided to help Christian,” Mena said. “I’ve already tracked some of the men down who were with you and killed them. Too bad the prince is too well protected or I would have torn his heart out.”
Lewis highly doubted that. The prince of vampires would have made a meal out of Mena if he ever attempted to attack Christian.
Honestly, Lewis would have paid money to see that.
Instead, Lewis rolled his shoulders, readying himself for the battle of his life. “Let him go.”
“I have no interest in the human,” Mena said. “I came here for you.”
As soon as Mena threw Arlan away from him, Lewis attacked, shifting into his tiger form and trying his best to rip Mena’s throat out.
But the vampire was strong, dodging Lewis’s sharp teeth as he tried to tear into Lewis with his claws. Mena succeeded, sending Lewis backward as pain tore through his side.
“Lewis!” Arlan cried out. “Kick his ass!”
Mena snarled at Arlan.
Lewis tried again, only to be thrown across the room. Fuck. Lewis was getting his ass kicked. He couldn’t let Mena kill him. If he succeeded, Arlan would be next.
The door burst open, and Lewis used the distraction to sink his claws into Mena’s gut. The vampire shrieked before he spun back around, baring his fangs.
Blood dripped from the wound.
Mena stumbled backward.
Lewis attacked again, but as weak as Mena was becoming, he still put up one hell of a fight. They crashed into the dresser, into the small table by the window, and tumbled over the bed.
Lewis was breathing heavily as he stalked around the bed, a snarl erupting in his throat. He didn’t dare look over his shoulder to see where Arlan was or to find out who was in the room.
If Lewis took his eyes off Mena, the vampire would gain the upper hand.
Mena got to his feet, showing off his fangs as he hissed. The sound didn’t impress Lewis. After all Mena had done to him, Lewis was ready to end the bastard.
“As much as you would love to rip his heart out, Mena is no longer your concern.”
Lewis turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Right inside the door stood Christian.
And he wasn’t alone. Lewis had seen the men with the prince at the club. He didn’t know their names, but they appeared menacing.
“I give you my word that he will no longer be a problem.” Christian bowed his head and then snapped his fingers.
The two men with him advanced.
Lewis had no choice but to give Mena his back as he snarled at the intruders.
“Stand down,” Christian ordered.
Lewis shifted. “What kind of bullshit is this? Mena is mine after the stunts he’s pulled.”
His argument fell on deaf ears. The two men grabbed Mena—who tried to fight their clutches but failed—and hauled him toward the door.
“What just happened?” Arlan watched as the men filed from the room.
Lewis threw his arm around his mate’s shoulders. “Justice.”
“So, we’re clear?” Arlan looked up at him in surprise. “No more vampires coming after us or the people we care about?”
Lewis blew his cheeks out and then released the air, rolling his head to the side as he closed his eyes. Although he didn’t get his revenge against Mena, he was relieved this was over.
“No more vampires.”
Arlan sagged against him. “Tell me you were telling the truth when you said your life was boring.”
Lewis chuckled. “So boring that you might get sick of me.”
“Not a chance.” Arlan gazed up at Lewis. There was something strange in his eyes, something that made Lewis’s insides feel warm and fuzzy.
“What?”
Arlan smiled. “I think maybe, just maybe, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
Lewis’s heart leapt from his chest as he returned the smile. He didn’t want to think about what could or would have happened had he not stopped by that night to talk to Mike. One thing was certain. Lewis would have never met the man who meant everything to him.
“Hmm, that’s interesting.”
Arlan narrowed his eyes. “That’s all you have to say?”
Lewis’s grin widened. “Yep, and that I think I might have fallen for you, too.”
Arlan’s blue eyes sparkled, solidifying Lewis’s feelings for his mate.
“Why don’t we head home?”
“Home?” Arlan seemed completely confused.
“The mattress is gone, as well as the couch, but I think we can make due until they arrive.”
“Are you asking me to move in with you?”
Lewis grabbed his underwear from the floor and slid them on. He gave his mate a sly smile from over his shoulder. “I am. It’s about time we started our boring life together.”
Arlan threw his head back and laughed. “Slow-paced life, here we come.”
But not before they checked on Charles. They found his room empty. He must have woken up and taken off. Lewis would stop by and check on the guy. After all, Charles was family now.
And family was the most important thing.
Aside from Lewis’s mate. He and Arlan had a lifetime to get to know each other, to make memories, and to stumble into an adventure or two along the way.
* * * *
Nester had no idea why he hadn’t left Maple Grove yet. He was dead certain he was wanted for murder, although Scott had forced his hand. Nester had done everything he could to get out of that motel room, but Scott had been drunk and had held a gun to Nester’s head.
It had been self-defense, but he doubted the cops would see it that way.
Heading out of town would be the smart thing to do, but Nester wanted to find out what the cops knew, how badly he’d screwed up, and to get his cell phone back.
Nester needed his phone. If he didn’t get that back, he was in deeper trouble than for just killing his ex-boyfriend.
He sure as hell knew how to get himself in a pickle. Now he just had to figure out how he would get out of the mess he was in.
THE END

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