and forth between Colin and Kevin. “Oh, your mom is a criminal, too? Welcome to the family!”
“Thanks, Trick,” said Colin, flopping into one of the big couches, opposite Max.
Judd sat next to him. Without hesitation, Colin snuggled up close, put a leg over his thighs. As if Judd belonged to him. It was awesome. Colin had initiated contact without a single flinch.
Isaac and Tank disappeared into the cloakroom. They reemerged in human form, wearing black waffle robes.
“What I want to know, Alpha,” said Isaac, before Alec could proceed upstairs with his Marvin-shaped sack of potatoes, “is where I’m going to get another set of nice silver handcuffs. Those were my favorite, you know?”
Marvin squeaked. “There were handcuffs involved! Put me down, you big lug. I’m missing gossip!”
“But I thought you wanted sex.” Alec’s eyes twinkled.
“Sex can wait. This is important. Handcuffs were involved. Although I suppose that doesn’t preclude sex.”
Bryan came home at that juncture, looking tired from a long shift. He showed absolutely no surprise at seeing Tank and Isaac in robes, Marvin in a flapper dress draped over his Alpha’s shoulder, Colin in Judd’s lap, and Trick bouncing about on an improvised runway made of Mylar tape and sequined throw pillows.
“Hello, pack,” said Bryan, a man of few words.
Max rose gracelessly and went to greet his mate.
Bryan cupped the mage’s face, kissed his nose. “Everything all right?”
“Everything’s perfect,” said Max.
Judd lifted Colin completely into his arms. Colin fitted his head under Judd’s chin. He leaned against him with a tiny sigh. Max was right. Everything was perfect.
Well, almost.
Then Alec said, “No more Lexi Blanc in this house, okay, boys? In person, in audio, or in chains.”
Now it was perfect.
“Oh my god, will someone please tell me what happened with the handcuffs,” yelled Marvin.
“Oh, I see,” came Lovejoy’s voice. “No one wants to know how my weekend at the food truck festival went? That’s how it is, is it? Lovejoy, just come home, get to work in the kitchen, slave away making everyone dinner.”
Tank moved to go help him.
Lovejoy waved him off.
“By all means,” said Alec, putting down his mate, who was practically vibrating with curiosity, “tell us about your weekend, Lovejoy.”
18
You Will Always Be My Mate
It was a nice evening. Trick was fitting in with the pack − even his damp, grassy smell was changing a little. Still otter, but also ever-so-slightly wolf. After helping to retrieve the jacket, and hosting them in his café for several days, the dratsie seemed to feel it wasn’t too much of an imposition to bunk down with them.
Judd was relieved. He didn’t like the little otter sleeping in his car. Even if it was parked on their property.
“You can have Colin’s room,” said Judd. Pleased with himself for the idea.
“He can?” Colin looking up from his bowl of stew.
“Yep.” Judd grinned at him. It was a grin that said: Don’t challenge me, kid.
Marvin propped his chin on his hand, batted his eyelashes at them. “Oh my, but where, oh where, will Colin sleep?”
“In my room, of course.” Judd tried to hide how proud that made him. Colin in his room for as long as Trick stayed. And with any luck, Trick was staying forever.
Colin raised his pretty head and stared at Judd with cool green suspicion.
Judd quieted under that gaze, tried to give him back yearning, and hope, and just… Please.
Please be with me. Please see the offer behind the demand. Please see the wounded crippled old heart that Judd was laying down on that table before him. Like it was his kill as a courting gift. Like it was all he had to trade for this new shiny copper penny of a boy. Because it was all he had.
Colin chewed his stew, swallowed.
The pack held its collective breath.
“Okay,” said Colin, and then, “Cool.”
Judd felt the joy spear into him – pride and surety and confirmation. Colin was admitting to it, here, in front of all their pack, where promises were made and kept. This would work. Colin was his. And all those stupid obstacles of confidence, and age, and loneliness would shift to love, and sex, and affection, and just… belonging.
Judd had never had that. Over one hundred and fifty years on this planet, and Judd was finally getting the thing he’d always wanted – home. This slim red-headed man, with the cluster of freckles on his hip that only Judd knew about, and the blush that spread down his neck, and the eyes full of need, and the most