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Warriors of the Light 7

Carter and His Bear

Carter Herrington has never needed anyone or anything until he
met his mate. Now all the things Carter thought he never wanted

are suffocating him so badly he doesn’t know what to do. But he
does know one thing. Living without Abner White isn’t possible.

Falling in love and living happily ever after was what Abner

envisioned when he found his mate, but what he got was one
disappointment after another. Sure Carter is everything he's ever

dreamed of, funny, witty, and the sexiest man he’s ever seen, but
he can’t forgive Carter’s callous behavior. But the more time he

spends with Carter, the harder it’s becoming to deny the man he
can’t help but fall in love with.

When the council of paranormal beings calls seeking Carter’s help,
he returns with Abner by his side. Just as their relationship starts
to blossom, a hidden evil threatens to blow their newfound

happiness right off the map.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal,
Shape-shifter
Length: 40,404 words

CARTER AND HIS BEAR

Warriors of the Light 7

AJ Jarrett

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

CARTER AND HIS BEAR
Copyright © 2014 by AJ Jarrett
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-385-5

First E-book Publication: February 2014

Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
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express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of Carter and His Bear by AJ Jarrett
from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also,
thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

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CARTER AND HIS BEAR

Warriors of the Light 7

AJ JARRETT

Chapter One

“Harder!” Carter shouted out his demand. His fingers curled into

the hard wood surface of the dresser he was bent over, clawing lines
down the sleek wood.

Abner never said a word, which was normal. Carter had grown

accustomed to his mate’s overly quiet nature and that was fine. Carter
could be loud enough for both of them.

“Fuck, Abby, give it to me.” Carter thrust his ass back, pounding

his abused hole harder down on Abner’s invading cock. He winced a
little from the massive girth filling his hole, but god! Carter couldn’t
get enough.

“I.” Abner slammed his hips forward. “Told you to never.”

Another slam forward. “Call me that!”

Carter cried out in pain and pleasure as the large prick in his ass

pulled at his tender flesh and the fat mushroom head pummeled his
sweet spot. Sweat covered his body and his balls drew up tight to his
body as his orgasm begged for freedom. As if sensing his need, Abner
slowed down, only giving halfhearted strokes, teasing Carter.

“For the love of God!” Carter roared. He looked over his shoulder

at the giant of a man who was fucking him. “Fuck me!”

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Abner’s lip curled into a sneer and his large meaty hand grabbed

Carter by the side of the head and pushed his face down onto the
desktop. With one hand on Carter’s head and the other on the small of
his back, Abner gave Carter exactly what he asked for.

Carter moaned and smacked his hands on the desk as Abner

unleased his sexual fury on him. The sweet glide of his mate’s cock
into his wet channel made Carter’s body sing with joy and desire.

Letting go of his hold on the desk, Carter reached for his straining

cock. He fisted the heated flesh and jerked his hand in earnest. Carter
had learned if he didn’t come before Abner, did he wouldn’t be
coming with Abner’s thick cock in his ass.

“Yeah, right there.” Carter groaned as the cum shot from his body.

Abner continued to plow his large pole into Carter’s ass, massaging
his prostate with every push. Cum spit forth from his dick and
covered the front of the desk as Carter’s hand raced up and down his
length.

With a loud roar, Abner shot his gooey, hot load right into

Carter’s clenching channel. There was so much that Carter could feel
it swirling around the cock in his ass. Carter treasured these moments.
To feel for one instant Abner letting go of his anger and curling his
body into Carter’s as he filled him with the hot, sticky cum.

A minute or so had passed and Abner still hadn’t pulled out of

Carter. He wasn’t complaining, but it was just dragging out the
inevitable.

“That was amazing,” Carter whispered. His head was turned to the

side, holding completely still.

For one brief moment, Abner’s breath fanned over his neck as if

he were about to say something, but just as the moment progressed it
stopped. Abner pulled his cock free rather unkindly and took a step
back.

Carter pushed himself up. It took a moment for the feeling to

come back into his legs. He bent down to pull up his jeans that were
still around his ankles. Carter didn’t look up or acknowledge Abner as

Carter and His Bear

he zipped up his pants and left the room. It hurt too much to watch his
mate turn his back to him and walk away. Carter didn’t know how
much more of this he could take.

“Is this ever going to change?” Carter slid to the floor, wincing as

his back scrapped against the handles of the drawers. He plopped
down on the floor, his legs sprawled out in front of him, and then
began to cry.

He cried for what would never be and for the way things were

now. If he had only been kinder to Abner when he first met him. If
only he showed understanding and compassion to the man who was
now forever stuck with him.

Carter had never given a second thought about the men in his life

until Abner. He knew it was the instinctual bond between mates that
drew them together, but it was more than that. Abner was kindhearted
and loving toward the people he considered his friends. There was no
doubt in Carter’s mind that Abner would put his friends and family’s
safety before his own. Carter couldn’t say the same about himself.

As more tears overcame him, Carter’s mind conjured up the

memory of their first time together.

“We don’t have to do this.” Abner said as he went for the zipper

of his jeans.

“Oh no!” Carter yanked his pants down hard and turned his back

to Abner. “If anything happens to your little fairy you’ll blame me
and I’m not going to be a martyr for you or anyone,” he snapped.
Carter bent over the bed and spread his legs. “Just get over here and
fuck me so we can get this over with.”

Why did he keep saying such shitty things to Abner? Carter had to

assume it was a self-mechanism to keep himself from being hurt.

“Trust me,” Abner shouted. “I’m not looking forward to this any

more than you are.”

“Yeah, right.” Carter chuckled.

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A hard slap came down on his ass cheek, causing Carter to jump.

“Don’t flatter yourself, witch. If it weren’t for Astrid and his safety, I
sure as fuck wouldn’t be doing this.”

Carter still can’t get over how rude and cruel he’d been to Abner.

Some of it was jealousy and some of it was fear that Carter had finally
met the one man who could break his heart.

Carter grew up quick. Both his parents were witches that worked

for the Council of Paranormal Beings. Once his gift came to fruition
and the council caught wind that he could look into a person’s past,
they immediately asked him to join up as soon as he turned eighteen.
His parents were always working and didn’t give two shits what their
only son did. For nothing more than to have something to do, Carter
agreed. He’d met so many different people at council headquarters
that filled a void in his life left by his too-busy parents. Sure, his mom
and dad said they loved him, but work always came first.

On rare occasions, he’d get emails from his mom or dad giving

long, detailed accounts of their latest mission. Carter assumed it was
better than nothing.

Carter pushed himself up off the floor and walked toward the

bathroom. He could feel the warm fluid leaking out his hole and
wanted to get it cleaned up so he wouldn’t have any visual reminders
of his once-a-day fuck-fest with his mate.

The only reason he and Abner had sex was because they were

mated and if they were to avoid each other for more than a couple of
days, they’d go insane with sexual need. They had learned that the
hard way. After they mated, they both tried to avoid one another,
thinking it was for the best. They weren’t on friendly terms and it just
felt awkward.

Finally one night the sweats and the shakes got to be so bad Carter

went in search of his Abner. He found his mate in the bathroom in
Abner’s room taking a cold shower. Carter could see that his mate
was suffering just as bad as he was. Without hesitation, Abner
pounced on him and took him roughly and with abandon. Carter loved

Carter and His Bear

it. It had been the only time that they had ever kissed. So plagued by
desire, Abner kissed him so forcefully Carter’s lips had bruised. It had
been amazing. But once it was over, Abner had asked him to leave.

As he looked in the mirror, Carter could see the difference in

himself. Since meeting Abner and the other Warriors of the Light,
he’d changed. The people who he lived with were good men that
cared about one another. All these warriors put their lives on the line
to save others and that was something Carter didn’t understand until
he came to live here.

Besides the emotional changes within himself, he also had started

to change in his appearance. He’d stopped dyeing his hair because
every time he did, Abner would give him this look that screamed
disappointment. So neon pink and green weren’t for everyone, and if
Carter thought about it, he’d only done that shit to get a reaction from
his folks. All the dark clothes and makeup were for their benefit. He
so desperately wanted them to notice him that he’d done anything, but
it didn’t matter.

Carter let his natural, deep-brown hair show through. It had grown

some and lay floppy on the top of his head, spilling across his
forehead, and his dark-blue eyes looked even more so against his pale
skin. A line of freckles across his nose that he usually kept covered
with a touch of makeup stood out. The man staring back at Carter was
a stranger, but one that he was getting used to. For once he just
wanted a normal life. He wanted all the hustle that came with being in
love and having friends. Carter wanted the stress of having to worry
about another person’s wellbeing and feelings. If only Abner would
just give him a second chance.

The only thing Carter hadn’t changed was how he dressed. He

liked his tight-fitting jeans and dark colors. Today’s choice was a
black thermal shirt paired with dark denim jeans and his black combat
boots. Some things he couldn’t change.

Turning off the light, Carter walked out into the hallway. The

house was busy. It had been a month since Lawson, Quinn, and

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Trevor had returned. They had found the missing warrior Sayer and
brought him home. In that month Sayer stayed locked away in his
room, ignoring the world around him. Carter couldn’t really blame the
guy. He’d been abused and tortured for over a year. They were lucky
his mind had survived all that.

Carter couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed that Lawson had

found his mate while on his mission to find Sayer, and that Quinn and
Trevor were mates. It seemed everyone was falling in love and
finding happiness, all but him.

As he turned down the hallway, Carter saw Ben pacing back and

forth in front of the door. The man had his hand raised to his lips and
was chewing on his nails. Ben, being the leader of the Warriors of the
Light, was always well put together, flawless. At times Carter
wondered if the man thrived on danger.

“Hey, Ben. What’s up?” Carter nudged his chin up in greeting.

“You look a little panicked. What gives?”

Ben turned to look at him. His long, blond hair lay in a mess

around his head as if he’d been yanking at it.

“Oh, hey, Carter.” Ben took a deep breath. “I’m waiting on Astrid

and Klaus to arrive.”

“Oh yeah.” Carter smiled. He worked with Klaus at headquarters

and they were friends. He’d also gotten to know Klaus’s mate Astrid
and they’d become fast friends as well. “I didn’t think they’d be back
for a few more weeks.”

“Well they weren’t, but something came up.” Ben started chewing

on his fingernails again.

“Dude, is everything all right?” Now Carter was feeling a little

shaky with panic.

Ben looked at Carter, then from side to side. “Come here.” Ben

waved him over into the sitting room to the right of the front door. He
closed the door once Carter was inside. “Do you remember how Miles
was hearing that voice claiming to be our son?”

Carter and His Bear

“Uh-huh.” Carter nodded his head. Miles was Ben’s mate and

after Astrid had been abducted by his crazy father, who also just
happened to be Carter’s ex, Miles said he could hear a voice in his
head. The mysterious voice claimed to be Ben and Miles’s unborn
son. Carter wasn’t sure how all that was going to work out, but he was
dying to find out.

“Well the voice told Miles that it was time for him to be

conceived or some shit and that Astrid and Klaus had to come home
and make the wish for Miles and I to have him.” Ben fisted his hands
in his hair, his face turning red. “It sounds so fucking insane!”

Astrid was part fairy and part witch, which made him capable of

granting any wish he wanted. With Klaus, who was a full-blooded
witch, they could make crazy fucking wishes, like wishing a person to
death, so it wasn’t hard for Carter to believe they could give someone
a baby. But how?

“So how is that going to happen?” Carter crossed his arms over

his chest and scrunched up his face in confusion. “Are they going to
conjure a baby out of thin air?”

“Fuck if I know,” Ben grumbled and flopped down in a chair. “All

I know is what Miles told me and that was Klaus and Astrid needed to
come home to make the wish.” Ben’s head moved down to stare at the
floor, then just as fast, his head popped up. “Fuck! Do I need to go
buy diapers and a car seat?” Ben stood up and started pacing the floor
again. Carter had to move out of the way or stood the chance of
getting run over. “I feel so unprepared for all this.”

“Ben, calm down.” Carter grabbed Ben by the shoulders and

looked into his eyes. As he did that, he saw flashes of Ben’s past
when he was a little boy playing in the snow. The smile on his
windburned face and the snow crystals reflecting off his hair warmed
Carter’s heart. No matter how big and strong a warrior he might be,
he once was a child who lived without a care in the world. “You’ll
know more once Klaus and Astrid make their wish.” He patted Ben

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on the back. “You can take your little guy to play in the snow like
your parents did with you.”

“You saw that?” Carter nodded. “I keep forgetting you can do

that. I need to guard my thoughts better from you.”

“Eh.” Carter shrugged his shoulders. “Doesn’t matter. I get the

visions even if I don’t want to. Most of the time I choose to ignore
them though.”

“Thank god for that.” Ben chuckled. “Really don’t need you

having visions of Miles and I having sex.” Carter started to laugh.
“What?”

“Ben, I don’t need any special powers to see that. You guys go at

it like rabbits and I’ve walked in on you two a couple of times. Plus
the noise you guys make. Really? Why are you so loud?” he teased.

“I’m sure you and Abner get loud, too.”
The laughter in Carter’s throat dried up and he turned away from

Ben, not wanting him to see him in so much pain.

“Hey, Carter, talk to me.” Ben turned him around to face him.

“Has Abner still not forgiven you?”

“Nope.” Carter shook his head. “And why should he? The first

time I met him, I refused him and even offered him up to anyone else
to take. I hurt him bad, and I don’t blame him for being upset with
me.” And he didn’t. Abner had every right to hate him. Carter just
prayed he hadn’t damaged Abner’s heart for good.

“Give it time.” Ben gave him a one-armed hug. “You’re mates

and, if anything, the bond between you will help.”

Carter wanted to roll his eyes. Yes, the bond. The only reason

Abner mated him was to help save Astrid. If it weren’t for that, Abner
would have refused Carter, and he had no one but himself to thank for
that.

“We shall see.” Carter gave Ben a small grin.
The sound of a car door slamming had Ben jumping. “Did you

hear that?” Carter nodded. “They’re here!” Ben ran out of the room
and toward the front door.

Carter and His Bear

“Abby!” Astrid squealed as he came through the door. Klaus

trailed behind him.

“Hey, little man.” Carter watched as Abner wrapped Astrid up in a

big hug, spinning the smaller man around in a circle.

A sharp pain ripped through his heart as he watched his mate give

affection so easily to another man. Carter sank his hands in his
pockets and leaned against the doorframe.

“Thank you guys for coming.” Ben shook Klaus’s hand. “Miles

has been in his room ever since I called you. I think he’s freaking
out.”

“He isn’t the only one,” Carter said from behind him as he walked

up to shake Klaus’s hand. “Hey, Klaus. How was your trip?”

“Excellent.” Klaus beamed. “We went and saw where Astrid’s

mom is buried. Beautiful place.”

“Yes, it was.” Astrid cuddled up close to Klaus’s side and smiled

up at him. “I believe she’d have loved the location. Tons of flowers
growing all around the property. Peaceful.”

Carter stood there and watched as Astrid and Klaus stared into

each other’s eyes. Once again the feeling of hurt and envy crept into
his body.

“I’d love to stay around and chat but let’s get upstairs.” Ben urged

Klaus and Astrid up the stairs. “My mate is dying to see you and we
both have a million questions.”

Carter laughed to himself as Astrid looked over his shoulder and

mouthed “Help” at him and Abner. Carter gave him a thumbs-up.

“I can’t wait to see how this turns out,” he said as he looked over

at Abner.

“Yeah, it should be pretty funny.” Abner chuckled, his dazzling,

blues eyes sparkling as he looked at Carter. “It’ll be totally weird
having a baby around here.”

“Totally,” Carter agreed. “I mean all these mated couples will

need to start locking their doors.”

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Abner gave a hearty laugh at that. “So true. Starting with the little

guy’s parents.”

“No doubt!” Carter hooted. “Those two are always going at it.”
Abner looked at him, they both stood there laughing, and for one

brief moment it was like all their differences didn’t exist. They were
getting along and laughing together. It was perfect.

And just like that, like all the times they’d made love, the moment

passed. Abner straightened his shoulders and his face went blank. It
was as if he remembered he hated Carter and needed to get away.
Without a word, Abner turned to leave.

Carter watched the tall giant with the short, blond hair walk away

from him yet again. At times Carter would try to tell himself he didn’t
find Abner attractive and that he could do better, but he was lying to
himself. Abner was the boy-next-door type that anyone would
proudly take home to Mom and Dad. Hell, even Carter’s folks would
love Abner.

Abner’s fit body was corded with hard muscles and Carter loved

when Abner would pick him up and toss him on the bed. He felt safe
with Abner, even though he could tell Abner despised him. The most
beautiful thing about Abner was his smile. When he smiled, his whole
face lit up and his eyes would twinkle a crystal-clear blue that always
seemed to hypnotize Carter. Carter might be the witch and Abner a
bear shifter, but there was no doubt in Carter’s mind that he was
under Abner’s spell.

Carter and His Bear

Chapter Two

Abner raced down the hallway, doing his best to get away from

Carter. The little witch was easing under his skin just a little more
each day. It was almost like Carter was becoming a different person,
more caring and social. Abner found himself hating the little jerk less
and less.

When Carter first came to the warrior’s compound, he was decked

out in all black, makeup plastered on his face, and blue hair. Not a bad
look on Carter, but Abner came to learn it was all just a disguise.
Carter tried to hide that he had a heart in his chest that beat just like
everyone else’s. The crazy getup was just a way for Carter to shock
people into leaving him alone. But the moment Abner saw Carter, all
that didn’t matter. He could have lived with the weird makeup and
crazy hair as long as he had Carter’s love, but the witch shot him
down instantly.

I belong to no one, had been Carter’s words that still rang in

Abner’s ears. It pained him to even think about that day or the fact
that Carter was his mate. He’d be forever tied to Carter but he
wouldn’t regret it. Him mating Carter helped them find Astrid when
he’d been taken, and Abner would do anything for Astrid.

Abner found himself in the kitchen and made himself a sandwich.

Whenever times got too stressful, he ate. At six feet eight inches and
being a bear shifter, he ate a lot. The trouble he was having with
Carter just added on to his already extensive appetite.

With every bite he took, the sandwich felt like paste on his

tongue. Sure he liked to eat, enjoyed it, but ever since Carter came
into his life, everything seemed dull. Nothing compared to Carter.

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Even with as much as Abner despised the man, he couldn’t stop
craving just one more touch, but Abner’s pride kept him at a distance.
He wasn’t about to give Carter the power to hurt him again. They
might be mates and stuck together, but it didn’t mean Abner had to
concede and give in to whatever Carter wanted.

Abner was old fashioned. He wanted a love like his parents had.

His father, a polar bear, met his mother, who was a black bear, and
fell in love instantly. For his great love, Abner’s father moved from
the freezing-cold depths of Alaska to be with her in Minnesota. His
father gave up his family and friends to move to a place he’d never
been before just to be with her. It was a romantic love story he wanted
for himself. He wanted Carter to love him like his father loved his
mother. Not that Abner wanted Carter to give up anything or change
who he was, but to at least consider Abner’s feelings every now and
again.

“God, I sound like a fucking a baby,” Abner mumbled to himself.

It was an unrealistic expectation to set upon Carter, but to be fair, the
witch hadn’t set the best first impression either.

Abner just wanted to be important to someone and that someone

was Carter. Because every time he thought about Carter, his heart
raced and his skin quivered. Abner might play the strong, silent type
and show indifference to Carter when they were around one another,
but Abner just wanted to hold the man. He wanted to show Carter all
the love he felt for him. Something told Abner that Carter wasn’t used
to being cared for or shown affection very often. Being as they
weren’t really on speaking terms, Abner didn’t have a clue as to
Carter’s past or if he had any family to speak of.

Even now, sitting alone in the kitchen, Carter’s face haunted him.

The creamy flesh that seemed to cover his entire body and his delicate
facial features. Carter’s bone structure looked so feminine, high
cheekbones, short, straight nose, and wide-set blue eyes. Abner’s
heart literally stopped beating the first time he saw the other man.
Abner knew then that Carter held his future in the palm of his hand.

Carter and His Bear

Abner and Carter had come to an agreement when it came to sex.

Being mates, they craved each other’s touch, but that was only
physical. The emotional damage had already been done and Abner
wasn’t willing to forgive his mate just yet. It hurt Abner deep that his
mate was so willing to cast him off like an annoyance.

The sex between them was good but it wasn’t enough. Carter’s

trim, lithe body moved with such seduction under Abner’s touch that
it took no time at all for Abner’s dick to stand to attention. Every time
he plunged his shaft deep into Carter, his world felt at peace. He’d
pull moan after moan from Carter’s raw throat and took pleasure in
knowing he brought the man that satisfaction. But as soon as his
orgasm subsided, his brain started to function again, reminding him of
how cruel Carter had been, and he’d pull out and leave the room. He
didn’t want to either begin to cry or yell at his mate.

Carter was young and had a right to live his life as he chose. Them

being immortal gave them all the time in the world to do anything and
everything. Just because Abner was ready to settle down didn’t mean
Carter was, and Abner wouldn’t force his mate to do something he
wasn’t ready for. Abner didn’t want Carter to look back a thousand
years from now and resent him. So no matter how much it pained him
to let Carter go, he would. Abner wasn’t a selfish man and he
wouldn’t let his wants and needs overshadow what Carter wanted.

“Oh my god I’m starving!”
Abner jerked in his chair as Miles came barreling through the

kitchen door, Ben, Astrid, and Klaus hot on his heels.

“Babe, are you okay?” Ben asked Miles.
“Sure,” Miles said around a mouthful of cereal he’d just shoved in

there. “Just starving is all.”

“Is he okay?” Abner cocked an eyebrow at his friends as they

stood around the kitchen staring at Miles.

“Not really sure.” Klaus pulled out the chair next to Abner and sat

down.

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“What do you mean, ‘not really sure’?” Abner watched as Miles

began to sift through the refrigerator.

“Well Miles called Astrid and I back here because the little voice

in his head claiming to be his son said it was time for him to be born,”
Klaus explained.

“And that means what?” Abner looked at Klaus in confusion.

“What did he need you guys for?”

“Astrid and I needed to make a wish. We both laid our hands on

Miles and wished for him to have a child.” Klaus shrugged his
shoulders then pointed over to where Astrid chased Miles around the
kitchen, catching the food he tossed at him. “Now he’s acting a little
strange.”

Abner sat back and watched as Miles devoured almost everything

in the refrigerator then headed for the pantry. The man’s appetite
couldn’t seem to be quenched, and he was looking a little pudgy
around the mid-section.

“It can’t be possible,” Abner said to himself as he sat up in his

chair.

His sister had six cubs and he still lived at home when she was

pregnant with three of them. She ate everything in sight then would
get sick.

“Oh no!” Miles ran to the sink and proceeded to throw up

everything he had just eaten.

“He’s pregnant.” Abner stood up and walked over to the kitchen

sink.

“What?” Ben shouted. “Are you insane? He’s a man, for god’s

sake.”

Abner started to laugh. “Maybe so, but he’s pregnant. I have a

sister who had six rug rats, so trust me.” Abner pointed down to
Miles. “He’s pregnant.”

“But how’s that possible?” Ben’s face was one of shock.
“Maybe it was the wish,” Astrid offered in a shy voice.

Carter and His Bear

“You made my mate pregnant!” Ben’s voice echoed off the walls.

“But he’s a freaking man.”

“That’s what happens when you mess with magic.” Abner patted

Ben on the shoulder. “Congrats, daddy!”

Ben looked over his shoulder at Abner like he wanted to punch

him in the face, but then Miles started to get sick again and he turned
back to his mate. “That can’t be possible.”

“I think he’s right.” Klaus pointed a finger down to Miles’s

stomach. “And it looks like he’s starting to show.”

Abner nodded his agreement. The tight shirt Miles wore was

looking snug around his abdomen. Abner had never heard of
something like this happening before, and by the look of shocked
faces surrounding Miles, neither had any of them. After the contents
of Miles’s stomach had been washed down the drain, Ben carried his
mate back to their room.

With everything going on in Abner’s love life, Miles’s pregnancy

was a great distraction. He’d never seen a man get pregnant before so
this would be an interesting thing to witness, and Abner missed his
nieces and nephews and thought it would be nice to have a kid
around.

Abner’s first instinct had been to run and find Carter to tell him

the good news, but he stopped himself. Carter and he didn’t have that
type of relationship, not yet anyway. Abner turned in the other
direction and headed for his room.

AJ Jarrett

Chapter Three

“So he’s like pregnant, pregnant like a woman?” Carter couldn’t

believe his ears.

A few hours after Klaus and Astrid arrived back home, Ben called

a meeting of all the warriors in the house. He proceeded to tell all of
them that Miles was pregnant and that everyone needed to keep this
news quiet. For all they knew, it was the first time something like this
had happened and they didn’t want any dark warriors finding out. It
could possibly put a target on Miles’s back and the unborn baby.

“Yes. Like a woman,” Ben gritted out.
“How is this going to play out?” Carter shifted in his chair. He

kept imagining Miles with his legs in the air, having contractions and
trying to push out a baby. It just didn’t fit. Where the hell would the
baby be coming out of? Any thought of delivery made Carter cringe
in fear for his friend.

“Ben put a call in to his father and I called Carlos,” Klaus

explained in a calm and steady voice. “We aren’t sure what exactly is
going on here but we have every intentions of finding out some
answers. Miles and Ben’s unborn child is of the utmost importance.”

Carter nodded his agreement. Carlos was a fellow witch whose

expertise lay in building weapons to fight against dark warriors or
charms to disguise themselves from other shifters. Carlos was a smart
man but Carter didn’t foresee Carlos having a scientific fix for this
one.

“Now that Sayer is safely home, I want everyone to stay close to

the compound.” Ben tapped his fingers on his desk. “Until we know

Carter and His Bear

what’s going on with Miles and our son, I’d just feel more
comfortable knowing you all are close by.”

The Warriors of the Light’s, as of lately, main concern was

finding the mission-warrior Sayer. But he was home now and the
warriors were gearing up to continue their search for Lucian.

Lucian was a dark warrior who seemed to have connections with

all things evil that had been occurring as of late. The man had done so
many bad things, Carter couldn’t keep track of them all. But most of
all, the man seemed to be helping run the Warriors of the Dark. After
Ben killed Malcom, Lucian just slid right into the role of number one
asshole.

“Ben you don’t even have to ask,” Abner said in a loud voice,

carrying over the quiet room. “We’d do anything to keep Miles and
the baby safe.”

Carter turned back around in his chair and rolled his eyes. Abner

was always so noble. Not that Carter didn’t agree with keeping Miles
and his unborn child safe. It just really pissed him off that his mate
couldn’t show him some of that same consideration.

“Thanks, Abby.” Ben smiled. “Like I said, we don’t know the

details of this pregnancy but it’s moving rather quickly.”

“What do you mean, ‘rather quickly’?” Carter sat forward in his

chair, resting his elbows on his knees.

“He’s already starting to show and he can feel the baby moving.”

Ben’s face went pale as if he’d seen a ghost.

“That’s fucking amazing!” Carter said, more to himself. If the

human world ever got a load of this, Miles would be famous.

“Yeah, well, I’m not sure about all that.” Ben’s hair stuck out in

different directions from where he’d been combing his fingers
through it.

“Don’t worry about it, Ben.” Klaus slapped Ben on the back.

“We’re here for you guys.”

AJ Jarrett

“Thanks, Klaus.” Ben stood up and headed for the door. “I’m

going to go check on Miles. If you guys need anything, just come and
get me.”

A chorus of whispering carried across the room once Ben left.

Miles having a baby seemed to be the most extraordinary and exciting
thing most of these men had ever heard of and would probably ever
see. Carter, too, was quite impressed.

“Hey, Carter.” Klaus called out his name as he was just about to

leave the room. “I need to speak to you.”

“Sure thing!” Carter waited for the other warriors to leave the

room and walked over to stand close to Klaus.

“Is everything all right?” Carter looked over his shoulder to see

Abner leaning against the wall.

“Yes, Abner. I just need to speak to you mate for a moment.”
Carter always felt like a hypocrite at times like this. He got mad

when Carter showed indifference toward him then got pissed off
every time Abner felt the need to sit in on all his private meetings.
Just because they were mates didn’t give Abner the right to hear every
little detail of his life. Maybe if they were more like a mated couple, it
wouldn’t bother him so much. But deep down Carter knew Abner was
only doing the honorable thing. The mating bond made Abner feel
responsible for Carter. It wasn’t because Abner loved him.

“What’s up, Klaus? What do you need to talk to me about?”

Carter pushed away all his disappointing thoughts in regards to his
mate. After all, Carter created the man Abner was today.

“It’s actually in regard to your parents.”
Oh no! Carter’s pulse picked up and a bead of sweat ran down the

side of his face.

“They are back from their latest mission and are wanting to see

you.”

“Why?” Carter asked, his voice cracking as he spoke.
“I don’t know.” Klaus raised his hands in the air. “Maybe because

you’re their only child and they want to see you.”

Carter and His Bear

“They haven’t seen me in over two years and before that, they

couldn’t seem to make time for me at all. So please forgive my
skepticism.” Carter didn’t mean to snap at Klaus but anything to do
with his parents rubbed him the wrong way. They weren’t the overly
loving sort, so them wanting to see Carter just seemed like an excuse
to ease their own guilt for being shitty parents.

“It doesn’t matter.” Klaus lifted his hand and nudged Carter in the

chin. “They’re your parents and they carry a lot of pull at the council.
Like it or not, you have to go.”

“I can’t go!” Carter shouted, his hands waving wildly in the air.

“Ben just said he needed us all here. To help protect Miles. I can’t go,
not now.”

“Ben has already got the plane chartered to fly you back to

council headquarters. You leave tonight.”

The room started to feel small like the walls were closing in on

him. Carter started to breathe heavily out of his nose. He brought a
hand up to lay on his chest right above his heart. The room began to
spin and Carter wanted to escape.

“Hey, take it easy.” Abner laid a big and warm hand on the back

of Carter’s neck.

Carter looked up at Abner, and from the one gentle touch, his

pulse started to slow and his heart stopped pounding an angry
crescendo in his chest.

“I’ll go with you, Carter,” Abner said in a soft tone.
Carter’s heart fluttered in his chest. Abner wanted to go with him.
“With the mating bond, we can’t be without each other for too

long. So I’ll have to go with you.” The hand Abner had on Carter’s
neck fell away.

Motherfucker! Carter’s face scrunched up in anger. Of course the

only reason Abner would offer to go was because they were mates
and craved each other’s touch. Not because they were in love and
couldn’t stand to be apart.

AJ Jarrett

“Please don’t do me any favors.” Carter took a step away from

Abner. “After all, god gave us two hands.” He raised his hands and
wiggled his fingers around. “We should just start using them and save
the trouble of having to be around one another.” Carter looked at
Klaus. “I’ll be ready in an hour.”

Carter turned on his heel and headed up the stairs. He needed to

pack his belongings. There was no telling when or if he’d be back.
Part of him did want to come back, but there was another part that
didn’t. Having to see Abner day in, day out, and the look of
disappointment in his sky-blue eyes, was becoming harder and harder
to bear. Maybe he could ask Carlos to concoct a potion for him to
sever the bonding link between him and Abner. He was sick of
punishing himself and making Abner suffer. A clean break could be
exactly what they needed.

After he packed his suitcase and backpack, Carter went in search

of his friends to say good-bye. He stopped by Ben and Miles’s room
first. Miles was exhausted but managed to give him a hug and told
him to hurry back. Carter just smiled but didn’t say anything else.
They didn’t need him here and he didn’t want to upset them with his
choice to not come back.

As he walked down the hallway, the sound of music met his ears.

It was coming from Astrid’s room. Carter stopped to listen. The music
was so soft and sad. Love and loss and letting go were the sweetly
sung lines.

Carter slowly pushed Astrid’s door open to see his friend sitting in

the middle of his bed on his laptop.

“Hey, Carter!” Astrid gave him one of his super-bright smiles that

usually had the effect of making him smile in return, but not today.

“What is that?” Carter asked, his eyes watering.
“What?” Astrid tilted his head to the side. “The song?” Carter

nodded his head, too afraid to speak. “Oh, it’s ‘Say Something’ by A
Great Big World. Pretty cool song, huh? It’s so haunting, the lyrics

Carter and His Bear

and the artist’s voice.” Astrid wrapped his arms around his chest as if
he were cold. “Gives me chills every time I listen to it.”

“Yeah.” Carter swiped a hand under his eye to catch the stray tear

that broke free.

“Are you all right?” Astrid climbed off his bed and came to stand

in front of Carter. His small hands cupped Carter’s cheeks. “What’s
the matter?”

“Nothing.” Carter forced a smile on his face. He was going to

miss his dear friend, but the lyrics of the song still played in his head.
He feared that it might be time to give up on Abner. He’d do anything
for his mate, but Abner wasn’t ready to accept his apologies and
Carter didn’t know if his mate ever would. “I just came to say good-
bye.”

“Good-bye?” Astrid’s hands fell back to his sides. “Where are you

going?”

“The Council of Paranormal Beings has called me back home.”

Carter shrugged. “More like my parents did, but still the same result. I
leave in a few minutes and wanted to say bye before I left.”

“Will you be coming back?” Astrid asked in a voice so small

Carter could barely hear it.

“I’m not sure, bud.” Carter rubbed a hand through Astrid’s hair.

He’d trimmed his long locks into a short, shaggy-style haircut. Carter
liked the look on Astrid. “But there is always text and email. I’ll only
be a phone call away.”

“But what about Abner?”
“What about him?” The sharp spike of pain in his chest burned

brighter every time he thought of his mate and leaving him behind.

“Is he going with you?”
“I don’t know.” Carter shook his head, then grinned through the

pain. “But don’t you worry about us. I’m sure we’ll work out our
differences eventually.”

“Promise?” Tears streaked down Astrid’s rosy-red cheeks.

AJ Jarrett

“Ah, bud, you know I can’t promise something like that.” He

pulled Astrid into a tight hug. “I hope and I pray every night that one
day Abner and I will find a way to be together, but until then I just
don’t know. I wasn’t the nicest person to him in the beginning and
he’s a stubborn man with a memory a mile long.” He pushed Astrid
an arm’s length away to stare into his sad eyes. “It takes two people to
make a mating work.”

“I know!” Astrid gripped Carter’s hands in his. “Just promise you

won’t give up yet.”

“Astrid.” Carter tried to turn away. There wasn’t much Astrid

couldn’t get him to promise and he didn’t want to lie to his friend.

“Promise to not lose hope.” Astrid grinned. “Stranger things have

happened.”

Carter laughed. “I’ll try not to give up just yet. Okay?”
“That’s all I can ask for.” Astrid reached up on his tiptoes to give

Carter one last hug. “Please come back to us, Carter. This is your
home, not the council.”

“I’ll try.”
Carter walked out of Astrid’s room and back to his. He grabbed

his bags and stopped at the entryway. With one last look at the place
he’d called home for the past year, he said good-bye.

“You ready?” Klaus asked as Carter came down the stairs.
“Yep!” Carter followed Klaus out the front door. He didn’t bother

to ask where Abner was. They needed a clean break, even if just for a
while.

* * * *

“What am I going to do?” Abner paced back and forth in his

room. The carpet was becoming worn down from the path he took so
often.

Carter and His Bear

There was a knock on his door, then it slid open. Astrid stood

there looking all innocent. “You’re going to pack your things and
follow him.”

“Why would I do that?” Abner asked. He couldn’t believe his

ears. Astrid of all people knew what an asshole Carter was. Surely his
little friend took his side.

“Because no matter how hard you fight it, you’re in love with

him,” Astrid said with complete certainty in his voice.

“I wouldn’t say it’s love.” Abner wouldn’t go that far just yet.

There were times he liked Carter and enjoyed his company, but those
times were rare. There had been a few times after they’d made love
he’d forget himself and allow himself to cuddle Carter. Carter’s touch
was always so gentle and loving. It almost made Abner forget the guy
was a complete asshole.

“But it’s something.” Astrid stepped into his room and shut the

door. Abner watched as Astrid went to the closet, pulled out one of
Abner’s duffle bags, and started to put clothes in it.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he followed Astrid into his

bathroom.

“I’m packing some things you’ll need while you’re away.” Astrid

went about filling the bag in his hand, not stopping to look at Abner.

“Astrid, I’m not going anywhere.” Carter had made it perfectly

clear he didn’t need him and Abner couldn’t blame him. Abner only
offered to go so he wouldn’t be without sex for however long Carter
was gone for. And Carter did say they had two hands they could use.
Well Abner had full intentions of putting his hands to good use, and
wouldn’t feel the least bit guilty when he thought of Carter while he
jerked off.

“Oh but you are.” Astrid zipped the bag and tossed it at Abner. “I

already told Ben that you were escorting your mate to council
headquarters. So there is nothing keeping you here.”

AJ Jarrett

“Yeah well that may be so but I don’t want to go.” Abner hugged

the bag close to his chest and sat down on his bed. He was being
stubborn but he didn’t care.

“Abby.” Astrid sat next to him on the bed. His small body didn’t

even put a dent in the mattress. “Like it or not, you are tied to Carter.
Sure he was a big jerk when you first met him, but he’s changed. I can
see a difference in him, why can’t you?”

“It’s hard to forget,” he whispered. Abner had never been really

good at rejection and Carter had rejected him in front of a lot of
people. He feared it’d make him look weak to take Carter back after
what he had done. “What will everyone else think if I just forgive
Carter for treating me like trash?”

“It doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks. Only what you do.”

Astrid turned around on the bed to face Abner. He laid both his hands
on Abner’s forearm. “I love you, Abby, and I don’t like seeing you
suffer like this. I hope one day you’ll forgive me for this. I wish you
were with Carter on that plane.”

“What…” Abner’s words were cut off by a swirling sensation. He

no longer felt Astrid’s fingers on his arm and he still clutched his bag
tightly in his hands.

The next thing he knew, he was freefalling. He landed hard on his

ass.

“What the hell!” Abner pulled himself to his feet and looked

around. The narrow, tube-shaped structure he was in could only be
one thing. A plane. “Astrid, I’m so going to pay you back for this
one.”

Carter and His Bear

Chapter Four

“Be sure to call when you reach the council,” Klaus said as he

pulled up next to the plane. Being on a closed airstrip, he was able to
drive right up on the tarmac.

Carter opened the door and climbed out. He bent down to look in

the open door. “Will do!”

“Hope the flight is easy and not a lot of turbulence.” Klaus winked

at him. Carter made to stand up but Klaus called out his name again
and he stopped to look at his friend. “The flight is about three hours
long. Feel free to use the bed in the back.” Klaus chuckled. “It’s quite
comfortable and sturdy.”

“Okay.” Carter raised an eyebrow at Klaus then stood up. He shut

the door and headed toward the plane. “Why the fuck would I need to
take a nap?” Carter shook his head as he walked up the steps leading
to the plane. The flight attendant met him at the top and ushered him
inside.

“Hello there, Carter. I’m Stacy. I’ll be taking care of you this

evening.”

“Nice to meet you.” Carter shook the offered hand and followed

her.

“The flight should run about three hours and twenty or so

minutes.” She waved a hand out in front of her. “Feel free to sit
wherever you’d like, and there is a room in the back if you get—”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Carter’s mouth dropped open

when he noticed Abner sitting in one of the aisle seats. It wasn’t hard
to notice the large man.

AJ Jarrett

“How did you get in here?” Stacy asked as she looked between

him and Abner.

“You could say I arrived early and I let myself in.” Abner crossed

one of his thick, long legs over the other one.

Carter could see that Stacy was a little surprised and maybe

frightened as well. So he took pity on the poor woman.

“Stacy, this is Abner. He decided at the last minute to tag along.”

Stacy looked nervous and gnawed on her lower lip. “We drove
separately but I assure you I do know him. We work together. I’m
sure the bosses at CPB won’t mind him being on board.”

The Council of Paranormal Beings always shortened their name to

just the initials. Carter had no clue what they said they stood for, but it
was easier and more believable than saying anything with the word
paranormal in it.

What he said did the trick. Stacy smiled and went over the pre-

flight instructions. Once she was done, Carter sat down in the open
seat across from Abner.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Carter asked once Stacy

headed toward the front of the plane. He didn’t bother looking at
Abner when he spoke.

“Trust me, I don’t want to be here but Astrid wished me here. I

had no control over this.”

“Then why don’t you walk yourself off the plane and go back to

the warrior’s compound?” Carter suggested. He needed a little space
from his wayward mate. Spending the next three hours with Abner
ignoring him with nowhere to escape didn’t sound like fun.

“I would love to but we both know that Astrid will just wish me to

wherever you are at.” Abner sounded annoyed. “I’m just saving
myself the trouble. Being wished through time and space wasn’t that
much fun.”

Carter let out a heavy sigh and let his head fall back against the

seat. He didn’t want to fight with Abner. Astrid was a sweetheart that
found his happy-ever-after and wanted the rest of the world to find

Carter and His Bear

theirs as well, but it didn’t always work out like that for everyone.
Carter wanted Abner more than anything but what he wanted and
what Abner wanted were two different things. All the back-and-forth
fighting then silent treatment was just wearing on Carter. He had no
fight left in him.

“It’s fine. I get it.” Carter rolled his head to the side to look over at

Abner.

Abner’s back was straight and his chin jutted out in front of him.

His mate looked mad but Carter couldn’t help that. He could no more
control what Astrid did than he could Abner. Free will was kind of a
bitch at times.

The pilot’s voice came over the intercom telling them they were

taxiing out and would take off shortly. As the plane rolled forward,
gaining speed with every move, Carter kept his eyes on Abner.

The man truly was beautiful. He was built like a football player,

his tall body thick with muscles. Abner kept his hair short and the
blond locks were shaved close to the sides of his head with a little
length on top. Carter so badly wanted to run his fingers through the
soft hair and feel it tickle the palm of his hand.

Every time they had sex it was rushed and didn’t last long. They

both were always so turned on that it didn’t take much for either of
them to blow their load. No matter what Carter tried, he could never
get Abner to let their lovemaking go on for more than a few minutes.
He so desperately wanted to map out Abner’s body and find every
little spot that would make his mate squirm and moan for more.
That’s all Carter wanted to do, love and show his mate the greatest
pleasure he’d ever felt. But it was just a fantasy that would never
come to light. Abner was showing Carter every day that he was an
expert at holding a grudge and Carter was close to giving up on him.

“What?”
Carter looked up from staring at Abner’s hands. His thick fingers

were so large and Carter knew all the wonders those fingers could

AJ Jarrett

give him. Without any control of his own, his body immediately
began to react. His cock plumped up in his snug-fitting jeans.

God why now!
“Huh?” Carter’s lips thinned out and he arched his eyebrows. He

dropped his hands to cover the quickly growing bulge in his pants.

“You’re looking at me all crazy like.” Abner looked down at his

chest and brushed a hand over his shirt. “Do I have something on
me?”

“I wish I was on you,” Carter mumbled under his breath as his

eyes dropped to look at Abner’s lap. Even when the man wasn’t hard,
his huge cock stood out, drawing Carter’s eyes to its massive size.

“Come again?” Abner narrowed his eyes at Carter.
Carter slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head up toward the

ceiling. He said a silent prayer that he could control himself, but what
had praying ever gotten him?

“I said I wish I was on you. Are you happy now?” Carter snapped.

Between the outdoorsy, minty smell that came off Abner in waves
and his hard, sexy body, Carter didn’t stand a chance to be locked in a
plane with the man without wanting to jump his bones. “Fuck!”
Carter slapped his hands down on his knees. “How is it you can
control yourself so well? Don’t I turn you on in the least?”

Carter knew he was whiny and searching for even the smallest of

compliments from his mate, but was it too much to ask for?

“You know what?” Abner unbuckled his safety belt and shifted in

his seat to look at Carter. The cold glare made chills run down
Carter’s back. The man looked fierce and the shimmering light around
his face told Carter Abner’s bear was right at the surface wanting to
break free.

“What?” Carter shouted, but his voice croaked.
“I do want you, but every time I think about grabbing and kissing

you, the image of you turning your nose up at me comes to my mind
and that instant attraction is gone.” Abner snapped his fingers.
“Remember what you said? You belong to no one, and I’d hate for

Carter and His Bear

you to break any of your own rules.” Abner sat back in his seat, a
smug smile on his lips.

Carter threw off his seat belt and stood up. “You’re an

unforgiving asshole!” At Abner’s wide eyes, Carter forged on. “Yeah,
you heard me. A big, uncompromising jerk that obviously has never
made a mistake in his entire life. Because if you had you wouldn’t be
treating me like this.” Carter began to pace the narrow walkway
between the rows of seats. “I’m not perfect. I can admit that. And I
also know I made a huge fucking mistake treating you like I did the
first time we met but fuck, Abner. I’m young and dumb and I never
had anyone ever want me in my whole life. Sure, my parents say they
love me but they were never around. Every guy I’ve ever been with
was for only mutual gratification. Not love.”

Carter couldn’t believe he was pouring his heart out to Abner, on

a plane no less. There was nowhere to escape his embarrassment. He
didn’t want Abner’s pity. He just wanted the man to know what was
in his head. Abner couldn’t walk away while

they were thousands of

feet in the air. His mate had to listen, like it or not, and Carter didn’t
know if that was a good or bad thing at the moment.

Once Carter reached the end of the alleyway, he turned to see

Abner just staring at him. His mouth hung slightly open and his eyes
were wide. Good. He shocked his mate into silence. But Carter also
knew it wasn’t fair to dump all this on Abner. Carter being a selfish
prick when they first met was his own fault. He had no one to blame
but himself. All he wanted now was a little forgiveness so that they
could move on from here, even if that meant going their separate
ways.

“I’m sorry, Abner.” Carter sat back in his seat. “I didn’t mean to

just scream all that at you. I’m just tired of fighting with you. I fucked
up big time. But I’m just so fucking tired. I’m not sure I’ve got much
fight left in me. When we reach council headquarters I’m going to go
and talk to Carlos.” Carter had thought about finding a solution to his
and Abner’s mating. He had hoped they’d reconcile and build a life

AJ Jarrett

together, but that didn’t look to be in the cards. “Maybe there’s
something he can conjure up that will either sever our bond or at least
numb us to the feelings of wanting one another. You don’t want to be
with me and I get it. So this was the only thing I could think of.”
Carter suddenly felt tired. He stood up. “I’m going to go lay down.
I’ll see you once the flight is over.”

Abner didn’t say a single word. He gave a sharp nod of his head

and turned to look out the window. Carter pulled himself up from his
seat and walked toward the back room in the rear of the plane.
Bearing his heart and soul was exhausting and it apparently had no
impact on Abner.

Carter slid open the door and didn’t bother turning on the light. He

flopped face first on the soft mattress and the tears he hadn’t realized
he was holding back broke free. Carter had never been much of a crier
but as of late that’s all he did. Finding his mate should have been a
good thing, no, a great thing, but he let his surly attitude get in the
way of his own happiness.

“I’m just a fool,” Carter cried into his pillow. He hugged it close

and between the swift glide of the plane and his uncontrollable
sobbing, he fell asleep.

Carter and His Bear

Chapter Five

Once Carter left his sight, Abner buried his face in his hands.

“Damn it!” he roared.

He had no idea what to do. Suddenly punishing Carter didn’t seem

like such a good idea, but he couldn’t erase the memories that plagued
his brain. Sure, Carter was younger and more sophisticated than him,
but still, a mate was a mate. Like it or not, he and Carter were stuck
together, or so Abner thought.

To hear Carter admit he was going to look into breaking their

bond hurt Abner more than he expected, because isn’t that what he
wanted? To be free of a selfish mate?

Abner just didn’t know anymore. If Carter was truly as selfish as

Abner thought, would he go to all the trouble of trying to free Abner
from a loveless mating?

Abner had heard about the consequences Quinn suffered when he

tried to hide his bonding connection to his mate Trevor. Trevor didn’t
have a clue he and Quinn were mates until he got shot in the head,
shaking loose whatever spell Quinn had casted. But Quinn knew all
along that Trevor was his mate, and had all the same hungers and
desires for his mate but couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Abner
didn’t think he could subject Carter to a life like that. No matter how
angry he was at his mate, Carter didn’t deserve that either.

“What am I going to do?” Abner continued to stare out the

window, watching the clouds roll past the small window. The sky had
started to darken and lights flashed in the distance from the earth
below.

AJ Jarrett

Abner was a strong-willed man, always had been. His mother had

a saying that Abner lived by. “Abner, if a dog bites you once, shame
on the dog, but if the dog bites you twice, shame on you!”

A smile came to his face as he pictured his mother standing by the

stove making dinner, her long, shiny, black hair pulled back in a
ponytail, wearing the stained red apron she always wore when she
cooked. Her smile still to this day was as bright at the sun. Every
worry Abner ever had could be cured with one of her smiles and a
couple homemade cookies. Life used to be so simple when he was a
child. Now as a grown man, he didn’t feel like he could run to his
mom and dad and ask them their opinion on what he should do. He
was an adult and should be able to fix his own damn problems.

Abner closed his eyes and Carter’s image floated to the surface.

He had to smile to himself. This memory of Carter was one of the few
he cherished and held close to his heart. After a bout of sex, he and
Carter had lain twined around one another. They never really did that
but this particular time Abner had exerted too much energy and
couldn’t move a single muscle after their lovemaking. He
remembered draping his arm across Carter’s thin chest and rubbing
his nose into Carter’s soft hair, inhaling his scent. Oddly enough, his
alternatively dressed mate smelled like a summer’s breeze and apples.

“What are you doing?” Carter asked in a sexy, sleepy voice, then

began to giggle.

Abner stopped rubbing his nose in Carter’s hair and froze. What

was he doing? The soft laughter rumbling from Carter’s chest
chipped away a piece of the ice covering his heart. He needed to hear
that sound again, so he rubbed his nose down the side of Carter’s
head toward his ear. He huffed out a breath then ran his nose along
the shell of Carter’s ear. More fits of giggles rang from Carter’s
mouth and Abner loved the sound and the way Carter’s body fidgeted
against his own.

“Stop it!” Carter gulped for breath. “It tickles.”

Carter and His Bear

Abner started to laugh and then used his hands to tickle at

Carter’s sides. They were rolling around on the bed and Abner
couldn’t remember having so much fun.

“Abby, I give. You got me.”
And just like that, the spell he’d been under broke. All the things

that kept him from getting close to Carter came rushing back to the
forefront of his mind.

Abner pushed himself up and off of Carter and moved to the side

of his bed. “I think you should go,” he whispered.

Carter hadn’t said a word as he gathered his clothes and left.

Abner could hear the soft intakes of breath as Carter started to cry
but he couldn’t force himself to turn around and face what he’d done.
In Abner’s mind, Carter deserved to feel the pain he had caused
Abner when they first met. He felt justified in his actions.

Abner opened his eyes, the action chasing away the memory.

Something wet dripped onto the top of his hand. He brought his hand
up to and saw a single drop. Abner touched his cheek and could feel
the wetness under his eye.

Happiness only comes around so often, Abner. His mother’s voice

rang in his ears. You best grab on to it when you’ve got the chance.

The thought of letting Carter go scared Abner. Sure he wanted

Carter to know what it felt like to feel unwanted, but at what cost to
himself? Maybe he had punished his mate enough. It had been close
to a year now. Carter wasn’t the only one suffering. Abner needed to
let go of all the pain and hurt because he didn’t want to live a life
without ever getting to know Carter.

Abner didn’t know how much time had passed before the flight

attendant came walking down the narrow walkway.

“Excuse me, sir?”
Abner looked up at her. “It’s Abner.”
“Yes, right, Abner.” She smiled prettily at him. “We will be

landing in about twenty minutes. Would you like to go wake up your

AJ Jarrett

friend or would you rather I go and do it?” She looked down toward
the back of the plane.

He sat there for a brief moment, contemplating just letting her do

it. But Carter was his mate after all. He should be the one to wake him
up.

“No, I got it.” Abner stood up and had to dunk his head down

some to not graze the top of the plane.

The young lady smiled again then turned around to head toward

the front of the plane.

Abner walked slowly down the hallway. He could feel the plane

descending and it threw off his balance. The plane wasn’t very large
and in no time he stood at the closed door. He knocked once, not
wanting to be rude. Carter didn’t say anything but Abner could hear a
soft whimpering sound so he pushed the door open.

The room was shrouded in darkness. All the window covers had

been pulled down and no lights were turned on. Abner, with his
excellent eyesight, could easily see Carter’s form lying on top of the
covers. Another whimper followed by a gasp for air. Carter’s head
started to thrash from side to side. Abner took a step closer to the bed
and another.

“No,” Carter mumbled in his sleep. “Please stop. Run, Astrid,

run.”

Carter was having a nightmare. Abner knew exactly what the

dream was about. He, too, still woke up in the middle of the night
damp with sweat, calling out Carter’s name. The sight of seeing his
mate beaten and bloodied would never leave his mind.

Abner knelt down beside the bed. Sweat glistened on Carter’s face

and his hair lay wild around his head. Reaching out slowly, Abner
caressed the back of his fingers down the side of Carter’s pale face.
Carter whimpered again and turned away from him. The sound of
Carter’s breathing picked up and he swung his arm out in front of
him.

“No!” Carter shouted.

Carter and His Bear

Abner moved to sit on the side of the bed and laid his hands on

Carter’s thin shoulders.

“Carter, wake up,” he said softly. “There’s nothing to be afraid

of.”

“Let go of me!” Carter brought his hands up and curled his fingers

around Abner’s wrist. His eyes, bloodshot and wet with tears, opened.
So many emotions hung in the cloudy, blue depths. Carter’s pupils
were dilated.

“It’s me, Abner,” Abner said as he continued to stroke the side of

Carter’s face. “It was just a dream.”

“Abner?” Carter’s eyes gained some focus as he sat up. He

reached out and wound his arms around Abner’s neck. “I thought he
was here. I thought he would kill me this time.”

Abner wrapped his arms around Carter’s waist and whispered

softly into Carter’s ear, “Ivan’s dead, Carter. He’ll never be able to
hurt you again.” He tried to comfort his mate. Abner had always been
so stiff and unaffectionate with Carter, but his mate needed him now.

“I know that.” Carter gasped. “But I can’t help being afraid.”

Carter buried his face into Abner’s neck and sobbed.

Abner had never seen Carter like this and it broke his heart. He

was certain that the fear of the night he’d nearly been beaten to death
sat heavily on his mind but it probably didn’t help that Abner treated
him like a stranger most days.

“It’s going to be okay, Carter. I’ll never let anyone hurt you

again.”

“You won’t?” Carter pulled back to look at Abner. His eyes were

red and puffy, tears and snot smeared over his handsome face.

Abner wanted to say so many things, like he wanted to have a

fresh start, and that he forgave Carter, but he couldn’t make his
tongue comply with either notion. He stared helplessly at Carter,
praying that his mouth would sputter out something. Abner so
desperately wanted to kiss Carter’s pouty lips and take all his pain
away, and relieve his own in the process.

AJ Jarrett

“Gentlemen.” The flight attendant stood in the doorway, pulling

both Carter and Abner’s attention. “The pilot is ready to land the
plane, so if you wouldn’t mind taking your seats.”

“Sure,” Abner said, his voice shaking as he spoke. He stood up

from the bed and held a hand out for Carter.

“Thanks.” Carter took Abner’s hand and led the way out of the

room.

They took the seats they had sat in when the plane took off. Carter

fastened his belt and turned to face away from Abner. Abner did the
same thing, looking out the opposite window. He knew he should say
something but he didn’t know what. It was better to keep quiet than
make a fool of himself. Because, after all, the distance between him
and Carter was all Abner’s doing. Carter had been trying for months
to bridge the gap between them, but Abner had been too stubborn to
give in.

Abner curled his fingers around the armrest and let his claws

extend. He had to find common ground with Carter because now that
he knew Carter was willing to let him go, Abner didn’t want him to.
They had to find a way to make this work, they just had to. Abner
didn’t want to picture a life that didn’t have Carter in it.

Carter and His Bear

Chapter Six

When the plane landed, Carter couldn’t get off the damn vessel

quickly enough. Abner had witnessed him having a nightmare. It was
the same one he had most nights, but Abner had never seen him fall
apart like that. It was embarrassing. He knew Ivan was dead and
couldn’t hurt him anymore, but it seemed the terror he caused was
burned into his psyche.

Carter lugged his bag off the plane. He could hear Abner behind

him but didn’t turn around to face the man. Abner had been so kind
and gentle. It was an amazing feeling to have his mate comfort him,
but he knew Abner was just being nice. He just felt sorry for the weak
little man who got the shit beat out of him.

“Hey, Carter, wait up.” Abner called out from behind him. Carter

slowed in his tracks, letting Abner catch up to him. “Are you okay?”

“Yep, just peachy. Never been better.” Carter rocked back and

forth on his feet as he waited for their ride to pull up. He hated to
show weakness. It seemed every time he got around Abner that was
the only emotion he could display.

“Why are you acting like this?” Abner grabbed Carter by the

shoulder and pulled him around to face him. “There’s nothing wrong
with being scared. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

Anger sparked along his skin. He didn’t need Abner’s pity and he

had no one else to blame for what happened to him. He knew Ivan
was an asshole, yet he still chose to fuck the man. It had been fun at
first, no-strings-attached sex, but then the man proved to be a crazy
killer. Just another bad decision on Carter’s part.

AJ Jarrett

“I know it wasn’t,” he snapped. “I guess I just really know how to

pick ’em. My choices in men suck.” Carter spoke before he had a
chance to think about what would be flying out of his mouth.

Abner’s face grew hard and his hand fell from Carter’s shoulder.

Carter instantly missed the contact.

“Abner, I’m—” Carter was cut off by a limo coming to a stop in

front of them.

“Save it.” Abner yanked open the door, waving for the driver to

get back into the car. “Just get in.”

Carter bent over and climbed inside. The leather seats were cool

against his body as he sat down. He scooted over toward the far door,
giving Abner plenty of room. Abner didn’t say a word as he got inside
and Carter couldn’t blame him. Once again he stuck his foot in his
mouth. What he said wasn’t directed at Abner, no, just the assholes he
dated before him, and there was a long list of them.

The council had its own airstrip located just a few miles from JFK

airport. They paid a lot of money to do that, but it made the comings
and goings of the council members and the warriors a lot easier. If a
warrior had to bring a hostile dark warrior into custody back to the
council, flying commercial might be a little awkward.

The drive was quiet, and every time Carter opened his mouth to

say something, his tongue got stuck to the roof of his mouth. Nothing
he ever said seemed to please Abner so it was better to just be silent
so he didn’t offend the man yet again.

Council headquarters was like a stone fortress. It was located just

south of Times Square. It fit right in with the other office buildings
that lined the streets. The only difference was that the witches on the
council had cast a spell that made the compound invisible to humans.
If a human walked by, they just assumed it was another office
building and kept on walking.

There were two large stone buildings that held the office of

council members and living quarters. It was where Carter had lived

Carter and His Bear

before he moved to Missouri to be with the Warriors of the Light. It
seemed like a lifetime ago that he’d lived in the cold, boring building.

The limo pulled into the underground parking garage and stopped

in front of a bank of elevators.

“I had instructions to tell you to head up to your living quarters,

Mr. Herrington. Mr. Legrant and your parents will be waiting for
you.”

“Great.” Carter sang out the word. “Thanks for the lift.”
Carter opened his door and got out. Abner met him around the

back of the limo and they grabbed their bags once the driver popped
the trunk. They then headed to the elevator. Carter pushed the button
and once it opened up, he stepped inside and waited until Abner was
safely in the metal box to hit the button for the fiftieth floor.

“I’ve never been this high up in the council buildings before,”

Abner said as he stared up at the flashing numbers.

“Yeah, all the living quarters are between the thirtieth and sixtieth

floors.” Carter leaned back against the metal wall. “Trust me, it’s
nothing special.”

“Says the man who grew up here.” Abner chuckled. “Try growing

up in backwoods Minnesota. You’d have a whole new appreciation
for city life.”

Carter tilted his head to look at Abner. His mate never talked

about his personal life or his life before joining the Warriors of the
Light. This was new. “Backwoods, huh?”

“Oh yeah.” Abner nodded his head and settled in beside Carter,

leaning against the wall. “Granted, we had a huge log cabin with all
the conveniences of modern living, but damn we lived far out.” Abner
shook his head. “No neighbors and no late-night runs to Taco Bell.”

“No Taco Bell?” Carter asked in mock outrage. “That’s madness.”
“No shit.” Abner laughed.
Carter opened his mouth to say something else when the doors

opened up. Abner waved for him to go ahead and Carter led the way

AJ Jarrett

to his apartment. Once he reached his door, he typed in the code in the
number pad.

“Did you just spell out ‘fuck off’?” Abner asked as he leaned over

Carter’s shoulder.

“Um, yeah.” Carter glanced over his shoulder. “It pissed my

mother off every time she had to get into my living quarters.” He
shrugged. “I have to get my jollies where I can.”

“Your jollies, huh?” Abner chuckled.
“Once again,” Carter said as he opened the door, “I’m young and

dumb and at times do immature things.”

“I think I’ve heard you mention that before.” Abner walked past

Carter into his apartment. Carter heard Abner’s high-pitched whistle.
“Damn.”

“What’s the matter?” Carter stepped around Abner’s large frame

to look at his apartment. Everything looked as he left it a year ago.

The apartments on the top floors where most of the high-ranking

council officials were located were more traditional in décor. That had
been where Carter had grown up. He found the bland colors and old
fashions quite stuffy. On the lower living levels was where most of
the younger members of the council resided. They also had more
leeway to decorate as they chose.

Carter’s apartment had a great view of the city. The walls facing

out were all made of glass. He never bothered to put up curtains or
blinds because, contrary to what people might have thought of Carter,
saying he was a freak that liked all things dark, he truly loved the
light. There was nothing quite like the sun warming his face in the
morning, waking him up.

The walls were painted a soft gray with bright white accents. The

floors that ran throughout his apartment were a deep, rich wood. His
furniture was a dark gray and super comfy to sit on. Sure, Carter
could have gone all crazy and made his apartment more modern, but
Carter was seriously all about his comfort. To him, his apartment was
perfect.

Carter and His Bear

“Nothing.” Abner looked down at him. “I just expected to walk in

here and see nothing but black walls and red couches.” Abner
scrunched up his face. “And maybe blacked-out windows.”

Carter laughed. “Glad I was able to surprise you.” He carried his

bag back toward his bedroom.

When Carter took over the living space, he had the wall separating

the master bedroom from the spare room knocked down to make his
bedroom and bathroom larger. At the time it seemed like a good idea.
Carter never intended to find a mate or to have children, so he didn’t
need an extra bedroom. But now he was wishing he had rethought his
plans.

“Damn, this room is huge.”
Carter jumped at the sound of Abner’s voice. He hadn’t realized

the man had followed him.

“So where am I staying?” Abner looked around Carter’s large

room then back out the door. “Is there another room?”

“Shit,” Carter groaned. “Abner.” He looked up at his mate. “There

isn’t another room.” Carter tossed his bag on the bed. “When I moved
in here I had the contractors tear down the wall separating the two
rooms to make mine bigger and to go a little crazy on the bathroom.”
He gestured toward the open door leading to the bathroom.

“So what you are saying is there is no other room.” Abner’s face

went slack as they looked around. “Well, hell,” he said after a
moment. “I guess if I could design my own house I’d have done the
same thing.”

“Really.” Carter arched an eyebrow at him, and then looked out

over his room.

Unlike the living room, Carter’s bedroom was painted in light

browns, soft blues, and creams. The bathroom was done up in brown
marble. Totally not the thing people probably expected from the witch
who wore nothing but black and on occasion dyed his hair off-the-
wall colors.

AJ Jarrett

“Yeah, really.” Abner smiled at him then hefted his bag higher on

his shoulder. “I can take the couch while I’m here. It’s not a big deal.”

Carter watched as Abner turned to walk out of his room. Not

knowing why, he opened his mouth. “Abner, wait!” Abner turned to
look at him. “There’s plenty of room in here.” He pointed to his bed.
“It’s a king-sized bed and I have tons of closet space. We can share it
if you want.”

He didn’t want to insinuate anything or pressure Abner into

staying in the same room with him. But Carter thought with as big of
a room as he had, they could at least share it. It was the nice thing to
do.

Abner’s eyes traveled from the bed then back to Carter. He

chewed on the side of his cheek as if contemplating something. “If it’s
okay, I’ll just stay on the couch. But can I leave my stuff in here?”

“Sure.” Carter answered with a small smile, trying to choke back

his tears. Not that he expected they’d be cuddling when they turned in
at night but, fuck, he’d love to feel what it was like to sleep in the
same bed with someone that he actually cared about the whole night
through.

“Carter, dear.”
Carter jerked at the high-pitched shrill. Mother.
“Who’s that?” Abner pointed down the hallway.
“My mom.” Carter rushed past Abner to go and greet her.
Standing in the entry was his mother. She wore a pair of white

slacks and a bright red blouse. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a
tight bun. She looked well put together and as beautiful as ever.
Carter got his sharp, delicate, elf-like features from her, but his blue
eyes and height came from his father, who Carter didn’t see at the
moment.

“Carter.” She wrapped him in a warm embrace once he stepped

closer to her. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Right.” Carter pulled away from her and kept her at arm’s length.

“You always say that but it never keeps you from going off again.”

Carter and His Bear

He hated the bitter tone in his voice, but come on. His parents always
said they loved him and missed him so much yet when the
opportunity arose to go on a mission they were out the door in a flash.
It made it hard for Carter to actually believe what the said.

“Sweetie, it’s the nature of the beast.” His mother frowned. “If we

don’t do our jobs, people die. I would have thought you understood
that better now that you’ve joined up with the Warriors of the Light.”

“I do, Mom.” He huffed out a heavy sigh. “I do.” His mother

cupped the side of his cheek and Carter leaned into the gentle touch.
He guessed no matter what, he’d always be that little boy vying for
his parents’ attention every chance he got. “Where’s Dad?”

“I’m here!” The front door swung open and his father jogged

inside. “Hey, kiddo.” His father ruffled a hand through Carter’s hair.
“That pass code never gets old, son.”

“Thanks.” Carter couldn’t help but laugh.
“Is it just me or does something seem different about you?” His

father eyeballed him while his mother crossed her arms over her
chest.

“I know what it is,” his mother said, elbowing his father in the

ribs. “He looks so normal.”

Carter winced. She said it as if it were a bad thing.
“You’re right, that’s it.” His father ran a hand through Carter’s

light brown hair. Another thing he inherited from his father. “I don’t
think I’ve seen your natural hair color since you were a boy.”

“Yeah, well things change.” Carter took a step back. The sound of

Abner’s feet hitting the floor had him turning around.

“And who’s this?” his mother asked, looking around Carter.

Carter could see the gleeful glow in her eyes.

“This is Abner.” He motioned toward his folks. “Abner, this is my

father Richard and my mother Marybeth. Mom, Dad, this is Abner.”
He flashed a grin. “My mate.”

Carter knew it was a shit thing to do, but better to have Abner

under their microscope for a little bit. He didn’t want to talk about the

Carter and His Bear

Chapter Seven

Carter’s parents were so bright and bubbly compared to their son,

Abner thought to himself. Marybeth was a petite little blonde with a
pleasant smile and Richard was tall, dark, and handsome. Two people
who looked like upstanding citizens, very well put together.

Abner then looked at his mate and he had to wonder what

happened. Not that he didn’t find Carter attractive, but his parents
looked completely different from their alternatively dressed son. Over
the past few months, Abner had noticed that Carter stopped dyeing his
hair all together and he didn’t wear that ghastly makeup anymore.

No matter what, Abner had always been drawn to Carter, but he

could tell all that crap he wore and did to his body to make him look
different was a façade he used to cover up who he really was. If
Abner had to admit it, he’d confess he preferred this Carter more. He
still wore dark clothing but his skin had a healthy glow and his hair
shined a pretty light shade of brown that flopped over his forehead.
Abner had never been a fan of Carter spiking up his hair.

“Mate?” Marybeth arched a perfectly waxed brow at him.
“Yes, ma’am.” Abner replied, showing her the same respect he’d

show his own mother.

“We’d heard the rumors, but since we were unable to contact you,

son, we didn’t know for sure and didn’t want to assume anything,”
Richard said to Carter, then held out a hand to Abner. “It’s so nice to
meet you, Abner.”

“Likewise, sir.” Abner shook the offered hand. Carter’s parents

seemed really nice, but what kind of work could they be doing that
had them unable to contact their own son?

AJ Jarrett

“Please have a seat.” Carter gestured toward the living room.

“Since you guys had me summoned here we might as well get down
to it.”

“Carter!” Abner growled, grabbing ahold of Carter’s bicep to stop

him from moving. “These are your parents. Would it hurt you to show
them a little respect?”

Carter rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he grumbled.
Richard and Marybeth sat on the couch while Carter and Abner

sat across from them in matching chairs.

“So, Mother,” Carter said pointedly in a very sugary-sweet voice,

glancing over at Abner. “Why have you asked me here?”

It was Abner’s turn to roll his eyes.
“Son, you live here,” Richard reminded Carter. “It’s been a while

and we just wanted to see you and, if you did in fact have a mate, we
wanted to meet the man who will be protecting our son.” Richard then
looked at Abner. “You are keeping him safe, aren’t you?” Richard
asked as if he knew something Abner wasn’t privy to.

“I’d like to think that I am,” Abner admitted. Sure, there had been

the incident with Ivan, but Abner had had no clue and neither did
anyone else that the man was a killer and would hurt Carter like he
had.

“Then why was my son nearly beaten to death?” Marybeth asked

with anger and accusation dripping off each word.

“For the love of Christ, Mom,” Carter groaned. “That wasn’t

Abner’s fault.”

Abner could feel the trickle of sweat run down his spine. He was

larger and stronger than everyone else in the room but they were
witches. No telling what their powers would allow them to do to him.

“He’s your mate.” Marybeth pointed out. “He should have been

keeping better watch on you.”

“With all due respect, Mr. and Mrs. Herrington, Carter and I had

just met when all that happened, and to be fair no one, not even

Carter and His Bear

Carter, thought Ivan was a danger. After all, Carter had been dating
the man.”

“Abner,” Carter whispered. His head fell forward and his eyes

clenched tight.

“You were dating that asshole?” Marybeth asked, her voice rising.

“How could you?”

“Son, I know you like to push the envelope at times.” Richard

leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “But that man was
cruel and chauvinistic. You knew better than to mix up with a person
like that.”

“Well maybe if I had parents who were around to help teach me

the dangers of the world, then maybe I wouldn’t have fallen into his
evil clutches.”

Abner watched the scene unfold before him. All three Herringtons

were now standing and their voices were rising. Abner didn’t like
confrontation and he sure as hell didn’t like to see his mate so upset.
But what could he do? It was apparent Carter had some mommy and
daddy issues but it was also clear that Richard and Marybeth were
committed to their jobs on the council.

“Can everyone please calm down?” Abner asked in a nice and

even tone, but no one heard him. Taking a deep breath, Abner
released a long, drawn-out roar, loud enough to shake the windows.
Carter and his parents stopped to look over at him with confused eyes.
“Can you three please stop shouting and come have a seat?”

Carter and his parents shared a look, then they all scrambled back

to their seats.

“Thank you.” Abner relaxed back into his chair. “I take it you

both have had little to no contact with Carter in the past year?” It was
a question that Abner didn’t give them a chance to answer. “As you
can see, he’s changed and I’d like to think that whatever happened in
the past can stay there. You’re a family and should love one another
rather than fight every time you’re in the same room together.”

“Love?” Carter scoffed. “I’m not sure they know how to.”

AJ Jarrett

“Carter.” Marybeth’s voice cracked when she spoke.
“Son, do you really think we don’t love and care about you?”

Richard scooted closer to his wife to wrap an arm around her
trembling shoulders.

Carter’s parents really did look perplexed and saddened by

Carter’s admission. Abner looked over to Carter. His mate sat rigid in
his chair, unable to look in his parents’ direction.

“Baby.” Marybeth got up from the couch to go and kneel in front

of Carter. “I know we weren’t around much while you were growing
up, but we were doing everything we could to keep you safe.” She
looked over his shoulder at her husband then back to Carter. “Your
father and I both witnessed Dark Warriors destroy our covens and
with that, all the family and friends we had ever known. We didn’t
want anything like that to ever happen to you.”

“What?” Carter stared down at his mother. “What are you talking

about? I’ve never heard either one of you talk about anything like this
before.”

“We thought it was better not to tell you,” Richard spoke up. “We

didn’t want you to live a life in fear. As it was, your mother and I had
panic attacks every time we left the safety of the compound, but for
you we were going to make the world a safer place so you would
never have to go through that.”

Abner’s mouth opened wide. He and Carter had never talked

about their personal lives together and he was getting a crash course
in Carter’s at this very minute.

“So you thought it best to leave me behind constantly?” Carter

asked.

“If I had it my way, I would have locked the three of us away

from the rest of the world.” His mother rested a hand on her son’s
knee. “But that would have been no life for you.” Abner gulped as she
looked over at him. “And you never would have met Abner, the man
who will love you until the end of time.”

Carter and His Bear

Ouch! Abner had to restrain himself from wincing. Yes, he and

Carter were mates, but it wasn’t as sweet and lovey-dovey as
Marybeth made it sound. Carter had changed, Abner could see that,
but he still wouldn’t let Carter forget his past actions. But Abner
could also see that Carter was trying to change and it made holding
onto his anger that much harder. His anger for Carter was the only
thing that seemed to keep Abner going at times.

Abner was slowly starting to realize that he’d become the

uncompromising jerk in their relationship. From what he heard, Carter
had felt unloved his whole life, and here Abner was rubbing in the
fact that he didn’t want Carter either. Yet he’d fuck him every chance
he got.

I’m such a selfish prick.
“Not just him, son.” Richard reached out for Carter’s hand. “But

us, too. We love you so much we’d do anything for you, including
leaving you here in the safety of the compound walls to battle our
own kind.”

Abner sat back and tried to make himself as small as possible. He

didn’t want to infringe on their happy family moment, but he couldn’t
deny he was eager to hear more. It was eye opening to listen to them
talk. Carter’s parents seemed to be really great people who would do
anything for their son.

But where Carter’s parents seemed to go wrong was the lack of

communication. Unlike Abner’s family, who talked everything out
and were overly involved in each other’s lives, Carter’s parents were
quiet. They wanted to shoulder their struggles and fears on their own
and, in the process, neglected their son when he needed them the
most.

Abner wasn’t saying they were bad people, but maybe now they

could all get on more common ground. A life without family was a
lonely one. Even though Abner didn’t see his family every day, they
knew he loved them. Plus the warriors were part of his extended

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family. Abner had so much love to give, and maybe now was the time
to try and give his mate some.

Do I really want to do that? Abner’s pulse started to beat rapidly.

Was he ready to let go of his own pain and trust that Carter wouldn’t
let him down again?

I think that I am.
“Abner, would you like to join us for dinner?”
“Huh?” He looked over to the Herringtons and to his mate, the

feelings of surprise and shock reeling in his body at the conclusion he
had just come to.

“Dinner?” Marybeth asked with an arch to her perfectly sculpted

eyebrow. “Would you care to join us? We’d love to have both of you
over.”

Abner looked over to see Carter with his head down and his hand

swiping under his eye.

“Sure, we’d love to.” Abner knew it was the right thing to do.

Carter might finally be able to connect with his parents and Abner
would also, hopefully, see another side to his mate.

Carter and His Bear

Chapter Eight

Carter couldn’t help notice that Abner was extremely quiet during

dinner. They had taken his parents up on the offer and Carter and
Abner went up to the apartment Carter had grown up in.

His mom kept retelling stories of when Carter was little. He

hadn’t realized she knew about half the things he’d done as a child or
that she cared enough to remember. The night was full of surprises.

“So Abner, would you like to tell us a little about your family?”

His father asked.

“Not much to tell really.” Abner took a drink from his glass. “My

father is a polar bear shifter and my mother a black bear shifter. I have
an older sister, younger brother, three nieces, and three nephews. I
grew up in a small town called Midland in Minnesota.” Abner
shrugged. “We lived a quiet life and they still do.”

Carter shifted in his chair to listen. He wanted to learn as much as

he could about Abner. If the man was willing to talk, he sure as hell
wanted to listen.

“Were your parents turned or born shifters?” Carter’s mother

asked.

“My mother was born that way, but my father had been turned.

My dad had fallen in love with a witch and she turned him so they
could live a long life together.” Abner took a deep breath and Carter
leaned closer, hanging onto every word. “My mother had been
visiting family in Alaska where my father is from and they met while
out hunting one night and that was it. They knew they were mates.
My dad’s girlfriend was livid and tried to kill my mother.” Abner
chuckled. “I feel sorry for that witch still to this day. My mother can

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be rather hotheaded and fierce when someone messes with her
family.”

“Oh that’s awful,” Carter’s mother said. “Some witches use their

magic for lewd and evil purposes too freely. Love is an emotion you
cannot make a person feel if it’s not already there. That’s why I think
it’s absurd when paranormal beings blame their mating bond on why
they got together.” His mother picked up her wine glass and took a
sip. “The mating bond only helps you identify that person, but the
love is always there stirring in the pit of your stomach, readying itself
to latch on.”

“How eloquently put, Mother.” Carter rolled his eyes.
“It’s true!” She rested her hand on her chest. “Our souls recognize

something in our mate and there is no fighting it.” Carter watched as
his mother reached out to take his father’s hand. “That’s why it’s so
easy to fall in love with each other. I’d be lost without your father.”

Carter’s father lifted his mother’s hand to his lips and kissed it

softly. It was such a sweet shared moment between his parents that it
warmed Carter’s heart.

“That’s what my parents say about each other,” Abner spoke up.

“My mother did feel awful about how everything took place. She’s
not some murderer of witches.” Abner held up his hands in a sign of
self-defense. “I don’t want you to think badly of her. She did try to
leave, but my father and she couldn’t stand the distance. She even
tried to talk to the witch, but that other woman wouldn’t hear of it.”

“Oh, sweetheart, don’t you worry about that,” his mother said. “I

might be a witch, but I know the hatred in my kind and I don’t blame
your mother in the least.”

“Thanks.” Abner’s cheeks blushed. “Do you mind me asking what

your powers are? I mean, I know Carter can see into the past but what
can you two do?”

“I’m like my son.” Carter’s mother winked at him. “I can see into

a person’s past. Now my husband here”—she patted his leg—“can
move things with his mind. It’s impressive, at times.”

Carter and His Bear

Carter sat back and listened to his parents and Abner talk a little

more. It was relaxing and felt so completely normal, as if they’d done
this a hundred times before. Abner just fit in wherever he went, and
Carter’s parents were growing to love the bear shifter. It was
something they all had in common because Carter was falling harder
every day he spent with Abner.

“Oh my, look at the time. You boys must be exhausted.”
Carter looked over his shoulder at the clock that hung on the wall.

It was getting late and he stifled a yawn as he stood up.

“You boys go on now and get some rest. A few of the council

members want to meet with your mother and I to get a report of our
findings from our last mission. I requested that you be present for that
meeting, son. I hope you don’t mind?”

“No, not at all.”
His father walked them to the door and they said their goodnights.

Carter let Abner lead the way down the hallway. The silence between
them wasn’t strained or uncomfortable. It was actually rather nice.

“Your parents are really nice,” Abner said, breaking the silence.
Carter thought about it. He’d never thought in those terms when

he thought of his parents. Until tonight, he really didn’t know too
much about them. “Yeah, they are.”

“You sound surprised.”
“I am actually.” Carter gazed up at Abner. “They never told me

about their families or how they met before. They were always so
busy working on their next assignment to spend too much time with
me.” Carter couldn’t hide the hurt that no doubt still shrouded his face
when he remembered the past. Even knowing the truth, it would still
take some time to get used to it all.

“But now you know the truth.” Abner nudged Carter’s shoulder

with his own. “They love you,” he said in a singsong-type voice.

“Oh boy.” Carter crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t make me

regret letting you tag along on this adventure,” he teased.

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The elevator doors opened up and they climbed inside. Carter hit

the number for their floor.

“Oh no, mister.” Abner let out a hearty laugh. “You didn’t have a

choice. This was all Astrid’s doing. If you would have sent me away,
he’d just have wished me back to you.” The doors opened again and
they walked to Carter’s front door. “So like it or not, you were and are
stuck with me.”

Carter tapped in the code and let Abner walk ahead of him. They

had turned off the lights when they left and now the soft glow of the
city lights lit up his living room. The dark sky with the shining lights
in the distance was beautiful. This was the one thing he missed about
living here at council headquarters.

“Man this is a gorgeous view.”
Carter glanced over to see Abner standing next to him staring out

the window. Abner’s words still hung in the air and Carter couldn’t
help but respond to them being stuck together.

“I kind of like being with you,” he whispered, and instantly

wished he could pull the words back into his throat. The night had
been going so well and they were getting along. Carter didn’t want to
blow it by confessing his feelings to Abner.

Abner tilted his head to look down at Carter. The glow of the

lights played over Abner’s eyes, making them sparkle. He couldn’t be
sure but Carter thought he saw the same longing he saw in his own
eyes when he stared at his mate.

The silence seemed too stretched out between them and Carter

couldn’t move, afraid he’d break whatever happy spell they were
under. His fingers itched to reach out and touch Abner’s face, then to
sink his fingers into his short, blond hair and pull him closer. Carter
wanted so badly to just touch his mate, to make love knowing Abner
wanted it just as much as he did.

Carter took a step forward and leaned closer to Abner. His mate

didn’t move or flinch away. Abner’s eyes were locked on Carter’s lips
and Carter let his tongue slink out to moisten them.

Carter and His Bear

“Um, we better get some sleep,” Abner said in a gravelly voice as

he took a step back.

“Yeah.” Carter looked back out the large window, hating that the

moment seemed to slip past them.

“I’m going to take a shower before bed.” Abner thumbed over his

shoulder. “I’ll use the hall bathroom.”

“Okay.” Carter tore his gaze from the view and headed toward his

bedroom. Wanting to ask one more question, he stopped to face
Abner. “Hey, Abner?”

“Yes.”
“Is your family kind of like mine?” Carter shrugged. “A little

dysfunctional?”

“Nah, my family is fucking normal,” Abner teased, and Carter

giggled. “No seriously. Every family is different. Parents do what
they have to do keep us safe because they love us. But now that you
know the truth, you should try and cut them some slack. Get to know
them.”

Abner’s words sank in deep and Carter nodded his head. “I think

you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” Abner furrowed his brow. “Did you ever doubt

my awesomeness?”

Carter laughed at this playful and joking side of his mate. He’d

never seen it before. Well he had, but never directed toward him. It
was nice.

“Good grief,” Carter mumbled jokingly as he turned around and

headed for his room. If he stood there too much longer he feared he’d
do something stupid like try and kiss Abner, no doubt putting his mate
back on the defensive. “’Night, Abner.”

“’Night,” Abner called out to him.
Once in his room, Carter shut the door and leaned against it. His

hands shook and his heart thumped in his chest. It was so natural and
comfortable, the light teasing they had just shared. Carter could
imagine a whole lifetime of moments just like that.

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“God, I’d give anything for that.” Carter looked out his window at

the dark night sky, praying that if there was a god, he’d grant Carter
this one wish.

Heaving out a sigh, Carter went about getting ready for bed. He

took a quick shower, taking extra time to pay close attention to his
dick. The hot water and slippery glide of his shower gel fueled the
brewing fire in his balls.

Carter wrapped one hand around his rapidly swelling cock and

slipped the slick fingers of his other hand behind his balls to tease his
heated entrance. He swirled his finger around, then as the pressure
built in his balls, he pushed a finger inside. In and out, up and down,
Carter had both hands working. He was impressed he could keep up
the rhythm.

“Oh god, oh god.” Carter bit his lip as his body started to

convulse. Hot, sticky cum shot out his slit and his muscles clamped
down around his fingers. His heart raced and he gasped for breath.

Letting the heated water cascade over his body and wash away all

evidence of his release, Carter slowly came back to himself. The
orgasm only provided a brief reprieve from his desire for Abner.

Carter shut the water off and climbed out of the shower. He dried

off then wrapped the fluffy beige towel around his hips and brushed
his teeth. As he rinsed out his mouth, he heard a light knock at his
bedroom door.

Not thinking about it, Carter walked to his door and opened it up.
Abner stood in his doorway. His hair was damp and Carter could

smell the fresh scent of his soap on his clean body. Abner only had on
a pair of thin sleeping pants, his chest bare to Carter’s hungry eyes.

“Hey.” Carter grabbed at his towel to keep it from slipping any

lower.

“Hey,” Abner said, clearly just as speechless as Carter was.
“Did you need something?” Carter forced himself to look over

Abner’s right shoulder, afraid to meet his eyes, knowing his mate
would be able to see his arousal shining there.

Carter and His Bear

“Uh, yeah.” Abner ran a hand through his hair and looked away

from Carter. “Do you have any extra blankets or pillows I could
borrow?”

“Sure.” Carter spun around and walked to his closet door. He

pulled out his spare comforter and sheets. “Here, you can use these
and” —Carter snatched a couple pillows off his bed— “these, too.”

“Thanks,” Abner said.
“Not a problem.” Carter grinned up at him. He gripped his

bedroom door for support. “Well, goodnight.”

“’Night.”
Carter quickly shut the door, refusing to allow himself the

pleasure of watching Abner walk away.

“Sweet Jesus, how am I going to survive with him in the next

room?” They had sex earlier that day, so they really didn’t need to do
it again. Being mated, their sexual need for one another kicked in if
they didn’t have sex at least once in a twenty-four hour period. But
Carter couldn’t deny he craved Abner again.

Carter pulled out a pair of pajama bottoms and a well-worn T-shirt

and pulled the blankets back on his bed. He’d always loved his bed,
but now as he lay awake staring at the ceiling, it felt so empty and
cold. The bed hadn’t changed. It was Carter and his need to have
Abner lying next to him that caused the change.

* * * *

Abner punched at the pillow beneath him and turned to lie on his

side. He just couldn’t get comfortable. No matter where he laid his
head, he could smell Carter. The sweet, soft scent of ripe apples
curled around his nose and it made him hungry but not for food.

Flopping onto his back, Abner stared up at the ceiling. The night

had been full of surprises. First, meeting Carter’s parents, who Abner
really liked. Second, the reveal from Carter’s parents as to why they
had always been so absent in his life. That was something Abner

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hadn’t known until tonight, but it looked like the Herrington family
was on their way to mending those troubled bridges.

So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours and the most

shocking of everything was that he actually really started to see Carter
as his mate. Sure they were already mated, but Abner had always
looked at Carter as if he were just a nuisance in his life, not a gift. But
slowly Abner was starting to see the man behind the dark clothes and
quiet demeanor. He’d known it for weeks but Abner was falling in
love with Carter more every day and for once, the confession didn’t
upset him.

Like Carter’s mother had said, the feeling of love for a mate was

always there and once two mates met, there was no denying or
running from it.

Abner knew he just had to let go of his anger and focus toward a

future with Carter. He wanted Carter to hurt for what he’d done, but
he also didn’t want to push Carter away in the process of satisfying
his own ego for revenge. They both had made their mistakes and
Abner was ready to start fresh. Carter was his mate and it was time
Abner started to treat him as such.

Carter and His Bear

Chapter Nine

Morning came too early and Abner’s appreciation for the big

floor-to-ceiling window very quickly turned to hatred as the sun
blinded him. It took him forever to fall asleep the previous night and
once he did, it was to sweet and very naughty dreams of his mate.

Abner tried closing his eyes and going back to sleep but it was no

use. The sun lit up the apartment too brightly for him to escape.
Tossing the blankets off, Abner grabbed his clothes and headed to the
bathroom to get ready for the day.

Once he emerged, he heard Carter clattering around in the kitchen

so he called, “Good morning.”

“Morning.” Carter looked over his shoulder and smiled at Abner

then went back to making the coffee.

Coffee! Thank god! Abner tossed his pajama bottoms on top of

his suitcase and wandered into the kitchen. The dark, bitter smell of
the coffee brewing seeped into his pores and Abner smiled. A big
mug of coffee was just what he needed.

“I take it you want your usual?”
Abner opened his eyes to look down at Carter. “My usual?” He

cocked an eyebrow at Carter.

“Um yeah.” Carter chuckled. “Black with two sugars.”
He was shocked, to say the least. It was such a small gesture but

to know Carter learned how he took his coffee was very touching to
Abner.

“I’ve got juice if you’d rather have that instead.” When Abner

didn’t say anything, Carter headed toward the refrigerator. “I called

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before I got on the plane yesterday and had the staff here stock my
fridge,” Carter rambled on. Abner could tell he was nervous.

“No.” Abner stepped in front of Carter. “Coffee would be great.”

He smiled down at Carter. Carter gave a slow smile in return and
Abner reached up to brush Carter’s hair from his eyes, then let his
fingers caress the side of his cheek as his hand fell away.

“Great.” Carter breathed out a heavy sigh and his cheeks flushed a

bright red. “If you’re hungry, there are bagels in there, too.” He
pointed to the refrigerator. “You just need to toast them.”

Abner nodded his head, then pulled out the bagels while Carter

got out the toaster for him. The kitchen wasn’t small by any means,
but with both of them in there together, it suddenly felt very cramped.
Abner was extremely aware of Carter’s presence as he moved around
the kitchen.

Abner sliced two bagels in half and put them in the toaster. He

glanced over to see Carter slicing up some fruit. Carter’s head was
down and his hands moved with nice steady movements as he
worked. If he felt Abner’s eyes on him, he didn’t acknowledge it as he
worked.

With Carter busy, Abner took the opportunity to look at his mate.

Today’s attire was tight, gray pants and a black T-shirt that fit snug to
Carter’s lithe body. His fingernails were painted black and he had on
several different bracelets on his left wrist. One he recognized as one
Astrid had made him. Black and gray beads with a blue bead put into
the black and gray order. Black and gray were Carter’s favorite colors
but blue wasn’t. It was Abner’s. He had to shake his head at Astrid
and his work at trying to be a peacemaker between him and Carter.

Carter shifted his feet and Abner’s eyes jumped up to see the sway

of the tight, rounded ass hidden beneath that material of Carter’s
jeans. With his pants being so tight, Abner couldn’t imagine there was
any room for underwear under them. Just the thought of his mate
freeballing it under his clothes had him swallowing down a groan.

“You okay?” Carter asked without looking over at him.

Carter and His Bear

“Yeah,” he grumbled. He turned back around as the toaster

popped and grabbed the bagels.

“I think there’s cream cheese in the drawer in the fridge.” Carter

turned around just as Abner headed for the counter next to him and
they collided together chest to chest. Carter’s hands shot out and
curled into tight fists in Abner’s shirt to keep from falling. Abner
dropped his big hands to grip Carter’s hips, keeping him from
toppling over.

They stood so close not even a piece of paper could slide between

them. Heat pulsed off of Carter and Abner dug his fingers in deeper,
pulling Carter that much closer.

Carter looked up at him under his thick eyelashes. “Sorry about

that. I didn’t mean to run into you.” He let go of Abner’s shirt.

“It’s okay.” Abner dipped his head down until he was next to

Carter’s ear. He didn’t know what he was doing, but he couldn’t stop
himself. He took a deep breath and Carter’s sweet scent went straight
to his cock. Abner let the breath exhale out his mouth and it fanned
across Carter’s cheek.

“Do…do you want to take care of this now?” Carter stuttered out,

then took a step forward, bumping their hips together.

Abner hissed when he felt the stiffness in Carter’s pants brush

against his thigh. He was so turned on and for once it wasn’t just
about the sex. He truly, madly, deeply wanted to make love to Carter.

“I know how you like to get this out of the way first thing in the

morning,” Carter said softly as he dropped his chin to his chest, his
voice sounding so dejected.

Abner didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like that, not anymore.

He wanted to say that, plus so many other things, but the phone chose
to ring at that moment.

“Excuse me.” Carter took a step away from Abner and snatched

up the phone. “Hello. Yes. We’ll be down in fifteen minutes.” Carter
said a swift good-bye then hung up the phone.

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“Who was that?” Abner asked, seeing as it was the only safe thing

he could say. He was furious with himself that his mate thought the
only reason he’d touch him like that and be turned on was because he
wanted to get their daily sex out of the way. He felt like such an
asshole.

“My father.” Carter scooped the fruit he’d been cutting up into

two bowls and handed one to Abner. “It seems Benedict has changed
the time of the meeting. We need to be down there by nine instead of
ten. So eat up.”

Abner took the bowl Carter handed him then set it aside to spread

cream cheese on their bagels. They ate their breakfast standing at the
center island in the kitchen. Neither of them spoke, just ate. Abner
wished he had the courage to tell Carter he was wrong, that he wanted
to be with him because, well, because he wanted to. Not because
Carter was the only option around.

The more he thought about it, the more he blamed himself and he

couldn’t take it. Angry and upset, he could no longer control his
emotions. “You ready?” he snapped at Carter.

Carter dropped the dish he was rinsing out in the sink. “Yeah,

sure.”

The fear in Carter’s eyes was just another reminded that Abner

was being a dick. He needed to calm down. “Hey.” He reached and
touched Carter on the elbow. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at
you.”

“No, it’s okay.” Carter dried off his hands. “We better go.”
Abner wanted to sit Carter down and talk to him, but now wasn’t

the time. Duty called and if anything, he and Carter were warriors
first.

* * * *

The elevator ride down to the conference room was long and

quiet. Carter could probably hear a pin drop.

Carter and His Bear

Abner had withdrawn back into his shell once again. Last night

seemed so long ago. Carter should have woken early so he and Abner
could have gotten their daily sex out of the way, so they weren’t so on
edge. But not getting to sleep until the wee hours in the morning had
Carter sleeping in.

The doors dinged open and Carter led the way through the offices

toward the back where the large conference rooms were. His mother
and father greeted them at the door.

“Carter.” His mom pulled him into a hug. “Did you sleep well?”

She winked at him.

“Gross.” Carter rolled his eyes. “Like I’d tell you that.” After

spending time and clearing the air with his parents the other night, he
did feel closer to him. He just wished they had told him so many years
ago why they had done the things that they had. Carter wouldn’t have
felt so lost all those years and maybe he wouldn’t have treated Abner
like shit when they first met. Showing love and getting love was still
new to Carter.

“Abner, come here.” Carter’s mother pulled Abner into a hug

while Carter stepped aside and talked to his father. Carter and his
father both rushed to Abner’s and his mother’s sides once she gasped.
She stood there, hands gripped to the sides of Abner’s face, staring
into his eyes.

“Uh, a little help here,” Abner said out loud, trying to turn his

head to look at Carter.

“Carter Allen Herrington!” his mother said in a voice Carter had

never heard. She let go of Abner and spun around to face him.

“Mother, what has gotten into you?” Carter looked at his father

for help.

“I know we’ve made mistakes but I can’t believe you would treat

another person like that.” She shook her head in disgust. “Especially
your mate.”

Oh no! Carter’s eyes went wide. She knows.

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“Marybeth.” His father pulled her to his side. “Please calm down.

We have some business to attend to. I’m sure whatever our son has
done to upset you, he can make up for it.”

“I sure hope you can, Carter.” His mother darted her eyes over

toward Abner. “I know I’ve failed you as a mother. Please don’t add
this to the list as well. Punish me all you want but don’t do this to
yourself. Make it right, son.”

“Yes, ma’am.”
It was times like this that having a mother who could see into

another person’s past was embarrassing. Abner couldn’t control what
Carter’s mother had seen. Marybeth was older and had more control
over her powers and didn’t have to focus as hard as Carter did to see
the images of a person’s life.

“I’m sorry,” Abner whispered into his ear as they took their seats

around the table. “I didn’t know she’d be able to get that all from just
a hug.”

“Well she’s older, more powerful.” Carter shifted to look at

Abner. “It usually only takes one touch and she sees everything.”

“But still.” Abner rested his large, warm hand on Carter’s knee.

Carter had to squeeze his hands around the chair’s armrest to keep
from reaching out to grab Abner’s hand. “I’m a little scared as to what
else she’s seen, if you know what I mean.” Abner winked at him.

“Oh my god!” Carter started to giggle. “I didn’t even think of

that.”

“Me neither, until like two minutes ago.” Abner joined in with

Carter’s laughter.

Carter laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe. Tears blurred his

vision and he could feel his parents’ eyes on him, but he couldn’t look
away from Abner. His big, strong mate’s smile reached his eyes and
he looked like a little boy. For once he had his own personal joke just
between him and Abner. For so many months he’d watched everyone
else have these shared moments with Abner and now Carter had one
of his own and he loved it.

Carter and His Bear

“Gentlemen.”
Carter and Abner both choked down their merriment when

Benedict walked into the room followed by two of the heads of the
witches sector of council headquarters.

All time for joking and playing around stopped as Carter sat

straighter in his chair. Whatever this meeting was about, it had to be
important. Anastasia Baggins and Seymour Collins were two people
Carter had only met in passing. He’d never been invited to sit in on
any of the meetings they held, so this was a big deal.

Abner patted Carter on the knee then pulled his hand back to rest

on the tabletop. Carter instantly missed the contact but also knew it
was time to be serious and listen to what these people had to say.

Carter wanted to know where he stood with Abner, but he also

had to look out for the best interests of his new friends. With Miles’s
unexpected and bizarre pregnancy, the other warriors needed him and
Abner to keep their ears open for anything that might be important for
them to be aware of. With Lucian on the loose and Dark Warriors still
causing destruction, they needed to be prepared and to keep that baby
safe.

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Chapter Ten

“Benedict, who is this?” a tall, thin, elegant lady said as she

pointed to Abner. Her accent sounded British and she had her nose
turned up at him.

“Madam Baggins,” Carter spoke up. “This is Abner.” Carter took

Abner’s hand in his. “He’s my mate,” Carter said sheepishly. “It’s
still fairly new to us so we don’t go anywhere without each other.”

“Oh, congratulations, Carter.” The lady looked over toward

Carter’s parents. “Marybeth, Richard, you must be so proud. What a
strapping young man. Warrior, I take it?” She arched a brow at him.

“Yes, ma’am.” Abner gave a swift nod of his head. The lady sat

too far away to reach across the table to shake hands.

“Excellent, excellent,” she said as she took her seat and opened up

a notebook. “My wife used to be a warrior until my promotion within
the council required so much travel.”

Abner turned to look at Carter and mouthed “wife.” Carter smiled

and nodded his head. He was gay but he never really thought about
two women being mated before. A little small-minded of him, but he
was learning something new every day.

“Now, Richard, Marybeth.” Anastasia turned her full attention to

Carter’s parents. “Please enlighten us on your last assignment. You
were gone for so long and we barely heard from you. For a few
months there, we thought you two were dead.”

Carter’s sharp intake of breath had everyone around the table

looking at him. Abner tightened his grip on Carter’s hand and rubbed
his thumb over his knuckles.

“You didn’t know about this?” Anastasia asked Carter.

Carter and His Bear

“No,” Carter whispered.
“Let me explain,” Marybeth said loudly, pulling the attention back

to her. “Richard and I were tracking a witch by the name of Vincent.
The man was all over the place, never staying in one location for too
long.” She looked to her husband then back to the table. “We didn’t
call because we weren’t the only ones following him. A group of
Dark Warriors were never far behind us.”

“Were they after you?” Anastasia asked.
“No, they were following Vincent. I don’t even think they knew

we were even there,” Richard answered. “Because of the dangerous
circumstances we didn’t keep in contact with anyone.” Richard gave
Carter a small smile. “Carter, we didn’t call you because we feared
that the Dark Warriors might be able to track our calls to you or
somehow find you. We didn’t want anything we had done to lead
back to you or to the council.”

Abner thought what Richard and Marybeth had done made sense.

Dark Warriors were just as crafty as the Warriors of the Light and
could easily track down a target they deemed a threat.

“So why were they chasing after the same witch you two were?”

Anastasia asked.

“It took us a good ten months of tracking him before we got close

enough to talk to him. With the Dark Warriors always so close, it was
tricky,” Marybeth explained. “We finally cornered him in a rainforest
in Brazil. He spoke in gibberish and hardly made any sense at all.”

“Why were you tracking this witch, Mom?”
Anastasia held up her hand when Marybeth was about to explain.

“Carter, dear, he was on the council’s watch list. He had been seen
working with Malcolm before his death and with Lucian, we knew he
was up to no good and when he all of the sudden left town, we sent
your parents after him.” She looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Herrington
with such admiration in her eyes. “Your parents are the best at what
they do. They are efficient and ruthless. We need more warriors like
your parents.”

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Abner glanced over at Carter’s parents. They had their eyes

downcast and if Abner wasn’t mistaken, they looked a little ashamed.
He couldn’t imagine why. Dark Warriors were merciless killers and
Marybeth and Richard shouldn’t feel guilty about anything they had
done.

“Like Anastasia said.” Richard coughed to clear his throat.

“Vincent was a cause of concern for the council because he could also
get visions of the future. A very rare gift. The council feared he was
using his powers to aid the Dark Warriors. We had surveillance
footage of him working with Malcolm before he died.”

They had Abner’s full attention with that, as well as Benedict’s.

The man turned his steely, blue eyes toward Richard. Malcom was an
extremely bad man who did terrible things when he’d been alive.
Abner was glad he was dead.

“When we found Vincent he was mumbling, not making any

sense whatsoever.” Marybeth rested a hand on her chest. “He was so
agitated. When I asked him what had happened to him, he looked at
me as if I were crazy. His eyes gained a clear focus for one brief
moment and he said, ‘The coming together of two souls will bring the
birth of a new beginning.’” Marybeth reached out to grab her
husband’s hand. “Before we could ask what that meant he pulled out a
knife and stabbed himself in the chest. Richard pulled the blade out
but it was no use. It was pure silver. I tried to link with him to see
anything from his past that might help us, but he blocked all those
memories. All I saw was blackness. Before he took his last breath, he
whispered to me that they will save us all.”

“Did he say anything else at all?” Mr. Collins asked, speaking for

the first time since he came into the room.

“No.” Richard shook his head. “Vincent didn’t have anything of

value or any information on him, so we buried the body and left. Once
we were done, we hiked out of the forest and made our way back
here.”

Carter and His Bear

“Interesting.” Anastasia tapped her pen on the tabletop, the

clicking sound echoing in the quiet room. “The coming together of
two souls will bring the birth of a new beginning. I wonder what it
means?”

Abner looked over to meet Benedict’s stare. He was sure Ben had

informed his father of Miles’s current condition. It seemed the birth
part of that comment struck the same cord in Benedict as it did in
Abner.

“Who knows?” Benedict stood up. “Richard, Marybeth, good

work. I’m sure we’ll find the meaning behind it all eventually.”

“I hope so,” Marybeth said as she pushed back from the table.

“Whatever it was it was enough to drive Vincent mad and had him
being tracked by Light and Dark Warriors. What he knew had to be
important.”

“I’m sure in time we’ll figure it out.” Benedict ushered the

Herringtons, Anastasia, and Seymour out of the room.

Carter promised his parents that he and Abner would have dinner

with them later that evening. Once everyone was out of the room,
Benedict turned his attention toward them.

“Come with me.”
Carter looked at Abner and he shrugged his shoulders then got up.

They followed Benedict down the hallway toward the man’s office.
Once inside, he shut the door and turned to face them.

“How’s Miles?” Benedict whispered softly.
“Fine.” Carter sat on the edge of Benedict’s desk. “Why are you

whispering?”

“Shh!” Benedict hissed. He then pointed to his ears and gestured

around the room. Benedict walked around his desk and opened up his
laptop and started to play some music.

“What the hell is going on here?” Abner asked in a harsh whisper.
“I think we have a spy in the council.” Benedict came to stand in

between Carter and Abner. “It’s not safe here and I’d rather the
council members not know my son-in-law is pregnant.”

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“What happened? Why do you think that?” Abner asked as he

looked around the room as if he would be able to see some type of
hidden camera.

“The last few targets we’ve sent hunters after have miraculously

disappeared, or we find them dead with their tongues cut out.”
Benedict crossed his thick arms over his chest. “So call it a hunch but
I think something definitely isn’t right here.”

“Then why would you let my parents call us back here?” Carter

gave Benedict a hard stare. “We are more useful back in Missouri
protecting Miles and the baby!”

“I was the one that demanded you come back here, not your

parents,” Benedict admitted. “I think they’d rather you stay away
because they, too, have been questioning the safety of the council.
And to answer your question I asked you instead of Klaus to come
here because, no offense, Carter, but Klaus’s powers are stronger than
yours and can protect Miles and the baby better.”

“Thanks a lot,” Carter mumbled.
“But I did need you.”
“For what?” Carter sounded annoyed and Abner couldn’t blame

him.

“I need you to snoop around the witch’s sector for me. See if you

can find any evidence of a traitor in your department.”

“You want him to spy on his own people?” Abner asked. It

sounded crazy and dangerous.

“Yes, I do. With Carter doing it, it won’t look suspicious. Carter’s

a flirt and a talker. People like him and enjoy his company. So him
asking questions and looking for information will be easy for him.”

“He has a point.” Carter hopped off the desk. “People do seem to

like me.”

Abner’s claws started to lengthen and the sharp points pinched at

his skin. “Once again, my mate will be put at risk.”

“It’s part of the job, Abner.” Benedict gave him a pointed look.

“You know this.”

Carter and His Bear

“I don’t give a fuck.” Abner stood to his full height and puffed out

his chest. “You want my mate to go down there and wiggle his ass
around to get information for you.” Abner pointed to Benedict then to
Carter. “Carter’s not a prostitute for you or the council.”

If it were possible, steam was curling out of Abner’s ears. He was

sick and tired of Carter always being put at risk. And to think
Benedict wanted Carter to go down and flirt to get information for
him just really pissed him off. Carter should only be flaunting his
sexy little ass around Abner.

“Oh my god.” Carter started to giggle. “You’re jealous.”
“What?” Abner huffed out a breath. “No I’m not!” he snapped.

“I’m just concerned is all.”

“Sure you are.” Carter stood up, crossed his arms over his thin

chest, and smiled up at Abner.

“Boys, as much fun as this is, and it is,” Benedict walked over to

his office door and opened it, “can you please have it on your own
time and not in my office?”

“Am not.” Abner stared down at Carter and smirked. He stepped

around Carter and headed for the door. “Benedict, always a pleasure.”

Carter caught up to him down the hallway just before Abner

reached the elevator to take them back up to Carter’s apartment.
Abner didn’t say anything as he stood there looking straight ahead.
He could feel Carter’s eyes on him but didn’t give him the satisfaction
of acknowledging him. Carter was right, Abner was jealous, but he
didn’t feel like having Carter gloat.

“Not jealous, huh?” Carter nudged Abner in the elbow.
“Nope, not in the least.” He silently cursed himself for not just

telling Carter he wanted them to try and make their relationship work.
Once again, his stubbornness would get the best of him.

“Okay then.” The doors dinged open and Abner followed Carter

inside. “If you’re totally cool with it, I’ll head down to the office and
start to work my god-given magic on my fellow witches.” Carter
reached out to hit the number pad.

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Abner knew this was his opportunity to react. If he didn’t say or

do something, he knew he’d regret it later. Not thinking about it,
Abner hit the button for the fiftieth floor, spun Carter around, and
pinned him to the elevator wall. He bent over until his lips caressed
the shell of Carter’s ear. Abner sucked in a deep breath, his nostrils
flaring as Carter’s sweet scent flooded his senses.

Being so close to Carter was just too much. Abner’s cock twitched

in his jeans and he didn’t want to hold back any longer. Abner
covered Carter’s lips in a hard kiss, swallowing down the gasp that
escaped Carter’s mouth. He licked inside the hot, moist cavern,
tasting every little bit of Carter’s essence in one kiss. Carter’s tongue
was hesitant at first but soon he was tangling his tongue with Abner’s.
The heat growing between them burned to a fever pitch and Abner
needed more.

“What was that for?” Carter’s words came out choppy as he

gasped for air.

Abner opened his eyes and was met by Carter’s glassy blue ones.

Confusion and hope seemed to dance in the crystal orbs. Abner could
see into Carter’s soul and he saw the fear. If Abner didn’t handle this
the right way, he would drive Carter away even further.

“We need to talk.” Abner’s voice came out strained as he pressed

closer to Carter. For the first time in the past year, Abner couldn’t
think of why exactly he thought it was such a good idea to push
Carter away at all. Abner bent down to take Carter’s lips in a gentle
kiss.

Carter and His Bear

Chapter Eleven

Carter was taken by surprise by Abner’s abrupt kiss. He’d been

teasing the man but had no clue it would work. With his arms twined
around Abner’s neck, Carter pulled himself to the wall of a man in
front of him. All the hard planes of muscles that clung to Abner’s
body felt like stone to Carter’s soft body.

When the doors opened up, Abner broke the kiss to snatch Carter

around the wrist and pull him out of the elevator. He walked at a fast
clip toward Carter’s apartment, dragging Carter behind him.

Abner typed in the code to open the door and stepped inside.

Carter followed him and once safely inside, he tried to wrap his arms
back around Abner but his mate held up his hands, stopping him from
getting any closer.

“I was serious.” Abner took Carter’s hand and led him to the

couch. “We need to talk before this goes any further.”

Carter’s shoulders slumped and he really didn’t want to talk.

Every time he opened his mouth, he felt like he stuck his foot in it.
Sure, they’d been joking and flirting down in the conference room,
and Abner seemed to get upset by Carter once again being put at risk
for the council. Carter loved that side of Abner and didn’t want to lose
that brief high they both seemed to be floating on. For once, Carter
got shown the same attention Abner showed everyone else and he
wanted more of it. He wanted to make love with his mate and it not be
about just scratching an itch. Carter wanted Abner to really, truly
want him.

“What’s wrong? You look like I just kicked your puppy.” Abner

sat beside Carter and turned to prop his knee up on the couch. Carter

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couldn’t bring himself to look at the man. He kept his gaze forward,
staring at a spot on the floor. “Carter, talk to me,” Abner said in a soft
voice.

“I’m not good at talking when it comes to you.” Carter admitted,

and finally turned to look at his mate. “I blew it the first time we met
and it seems I can never do anything right.” Carter blew out a breath,
sending his hair flying up on his forehead. “Hell, no matter how many
times I apologize to you, it doesn’t seem to work so forgive me for
not wanting to talk. I’m just afraid it’ll be more of the same.”

“The same?” Abner cocked a brow at him.
“Yeah. You chose to ignore me and that’s fine. I deserve it, but

please don’t treat me like I matter then take it away from me. I can’t
handle that.” Carter sat forward to rest his head in his hands. “The
way we were downstairs was so nice. For the first time, I felt like we
were starting to click, ya know? I’d rather you go back to ignoring me
if I can’t have that side of you all the time. I can’t go on like we’ve
been doing. I just can’t.”

And he couldn’t. Carter could only apologize so many times

before he started to become bitter. That was one thing he didn’t want
to happen. Like the song that Astrid was listening to said, maybe it
was time he gave up on Abner. If he couldn’t be what his mate needed
then he needed to let Abner go no matter how much it’d hurt.

“Oh my god!” Abner barked out a laugh.
“Are you laughing at me?” Carter’s hands fell away from his face

and he glared at Abner. Even when he was pissed, Abner still had the
ability to be the sexiest thing Carter had ever seen. Abner’s cheeks
flushed a deep red and his blue eyes crinkled as he laughed. He
looked so youthful and full of life that Carter wanted to kiss his
pillowy-soft lips until he was able to swallow down every sound
Abner made.

“Well, sort of.” Abner quieted down and wiped a hand over his

eyes. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing about how fucked up
this has all gotten.” Carter nodded his head because he totally agreed

Carter and His Bear

with Abner. “We can’t even be nice to each other without the other
getting suspicious.”

“You can’t blame me for feeling like that.” Carter’s voice rose as

he went on the defensive. “I’ve tried and tried with you.” He held up a
hand. “Granted I caused this by shunning you when we first met, but
it’s so frustrating not knowing what Abner I’m going to get day to
day.”

“I’ll admit I haven’t been the easiest person to get along with.”
“You think?” Carter snapped, his eyes going wide as he concurred

with his mate.

“Let me finish.” Abner growled low in his throat. “But you have

to understand that the first time I saw you, I knew without a doubt you
were mine, but you sloughed me off. I even heard you tell Carlos he
could have me if he wanted. That you didn’t have time to be tied
down.” Abner brought his hands up to rub at his eyes. “Sorry, man,
but that shit stung deep.” He looked up at Carter. “Truth be told, it
still does.”

Carter could see the full force of the hurt and pain in Abner’s

eyes. It killed him to know he, still after all this time, caused that
reaction to burn within his mate. He hated knowing who he used to
be, uncaring and bitchy. It took meeting Astrid, a witch who had been
abused for longer that Carter had been alive, to see that life was meant
be lived, not for hiding out alone. He knew he fucked up with Abner,
but Carter would give his left arm to make it right.

“I’m so sorry,” Carter whispered. He sounded like a broken record

but what else could he say? He was honest to god so sorry and would
do anything to take it back but he couldn’t. This was the cross he had
to bear. “That’s the only thing I can say, Abner. I wish I can go back
in time but I can’t. This is it.” Carter stood up and held his hands out
to the side. “This is me, for better or worse. Either you forgive me and
we move on from here, or we find a way to end this mating bond. I
can’t continue to live like this and I don’t want you to either. It’s not

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fair to you, Abner. You’re a good man who deserves to have
everything you want.”

Abner just looked up at him in silence. Carter felt so defeated.

This was his last-ditch effort to get Abner to forgive him and to
finally start their life together. The joking and flirting they shared had
put Carter on cloud nine. He’d been so happy. But he felt like that
happiness was in a bubble that could pop at any moment.

“Carter.” Abner stood up and walked toward Carter until he stood

right in front of him. “If you’re willing to forgive me and give me a
second chance, I think I’d like that.”

“Huh?” Carter’s face scrunched up in utter confusion. If I can

forgive him? “I’m lost.”

“I’m not stupid, Carter. I can see that you’ve changed, but I’m the

one who’s been ignoring it, not you. You’ve paid your penance to
me.” Abner shrugged his shoulders, a small grin playing over his lips.
“My mama always said if there was an Olympic medal given out for
holding a grudge I’d take home the gold.” He cupped his hand on
Carter’s face and Carter leaned into the strong, calloused hand,
soaking in Abner’s warmth. “I think it’s time I let it go. So what do
you say? Do you think you can forgive me?”

Carter’s mouth fell open. He was in shock. He totally didn’t

expect this admission from Abner, but hell if he wasn’t thrilled to the
bone to hear it. Abner wanted him and Carter couldn’t be more
excited. He was finally getting what he wanted.

Not knowing what to say, because for Carter there were no

suitable words to convey how happy he was, he took one step, closing
the distance between them, and wrapped his arms around Abner’s
thick neck. He held Abner’s blue gaze until his lips touched Abner’s.
The plump, soft flesh smoldered against his and Carter let go. He
kissed Abner like a man starving and Abner’s kisses were the only
thing that could cure his hunger.

Abner’s strong arms encircled Carter’s waist and he lifted Carter

up off the ground. Carter brought his legs up to wrap around Abner’s

Carter and His Bear

hips. He could feel the stiff hardness bulging at Abner’s pants
bumping up against his ass and the underside of his balls. It felt mind-
blowingly fantastic.

“I take that to mean you forgive me?” Abner gasped. He rested his

forehead against Carter’s, fanning him with each warm breath he
exhaled.

“Yes!” Carter’s cheeks hurt he smiled so wide. “Now please can

we get back to the kissing?”

Abner smiled as he dipped his head to take Carter’s lips once

more. As they kissed, Abner carried Carter down the hallway toward
his bedroom. Once inside, Abner fell forward, trapping Carter beneath
him. Abner absorbed his weight on his elbows so as to not crush
Carter, but Carter wanted to feel the heavy weight of his mate
smashing him into the mattress. Carter needed to be surrounded and
consumed by Abner, body and soul.

Carter’s hands were out of control as he yanked and pulled at

Abner’s shirt, trying to expose more flesh to his greedy hands. His
hands pushed down the back of Abner’s jeans and his blunt nails
scraped across the hard muscles clenching tight with every thrust of
his hips.

“Clothes,” Carter moaned into the kiss. “Off.” He sucked on

Abner’s tongue as it invaded his mouth, taking Carter’s breath away.
“Now!”

Abner nipped Carter’s bottom lip then sat back on his knees with

a smile. While Abner grabbed the hem of his shirt, Carter set about
removing his clothes, but as Abner’s shirt moved upward Carter was
struck still. This wasn’t the first time he had seen Abner naked, or
shirtless for that matter, but this was the first time he was able to show
his appreciation for how handsome and sexy his mate was.

Carter tossed his shirt to the floor and shimmied out of his pants,

then came up onto his knees. Abner grabbed for his belt buckle but
Carter smacked his hands away. He bent over and stuck out his
tongue, licking upward from Abner’s slightly furred treasure trail up

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to the center of his chest, moving to tease his right nipple while he
plucked at the left one with his fingers.

“So good,” Abner groaned as his fingers combed through Carter’s

hair, clasping him to Abner’s chest.

Carter teased the dusty-rose-colored peaks for a few more

minutes, then moved upward to sink his teeth into the soft skin where
Abner’s shoulder and neck met. His mate tasted wild and bold, like
the scent of a pine and smoke. Carter was getting drunk on the smell.

He let his hands quickly undo Abner’s buckle and pulled the

fastening free. Carter then shoved his mate’s pants down his legs.
Carter leaned back far enough to look down their bodies at the
protruding cock. Abner’s dick was thick and heavily veined. The skin
was pulled so tight around Abner’s erection, the skin looked purple.
Carter wrapped his fingers around the solid length and gave a gentle
stroke.

“Fuck yeah.” Abner jerked forward.
Carter dropped his head to kiss and suck his way up Abner’s neck

to his jaw, never once stopping his hand from jacking Abner’s cock.
Using his other hand, Carter fondled Abner’s balls, pulling and
tugging. Abner spread his knees apart and Carter reached back
further. The heat coming from Abner’s center was scorching. Carter
couldn’t resist. He eased his finger back toward Abner’s tight little
hole and circled it. The muscle tensed and fluttered under his gentle
touch.

“Carter,” Abner whispered, and pushed an inch away from Carter

to look into his eyes. “Have you…” Abner’s voice trailed off. Carter
watched him take a deep breath. “Would you mind…”

Carter wanted to smile at the perplexed look on his mate’s face.

Abner’s cheeks were bright red and sweat dotted his forehead. He
knew what Abner was trying to ask and Carter wanted to pump his
fist in the air. In the twelve months he’d been with Abner, Carter had
never once topped the man. Sure, he wanted to, but their encounters
were often swift and finished within seconds. At the time, Carter was

Carter and His Bear

happy to get what he could but he wouldn’t deny he desperately
wanted to be buried balls deep into his mate. There was something
about how big and strong Abner was that made Carter want to see the
man fall apart at his touch.

“What, Abner?” Carter applied a small amount of pressure to his

finger, dipping the tip into Abner’s scalding heat. It took everything in
Carter not to push Abner down on the bed and mount him. “Tell me
what you need, baby.” He pushed the finger deeper and he could feel
Abner’s thighs tremble.

“I want.” Abner bit his bottom lip, his head tilting back on his

shoulders. “I want you inside me.” He looked up and met Carter’s
eyes. “Will you make love to me?” he asked in a small voice, the
sound so innocent and loving Carter’s eyes welled up with tears.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Carter covered Abner’s lips with his

and teased his tongue over the seam until Abner opened up, sucking
him in further.

Abner fell back to lie on his back, spreading his legs. Carter

positioned himself between the massive tree trunks Abner called legs.
He knew if Abner squeezed his thighs together, he could crush Carter
in a heartbeat.

Carter broke the kiss to stretch over to the nightstand and pulled

out the lube he stashed there for when he jerked off. He was young so
that happened quite often.

Carter reclaimed Abner’s lips as he popped the cap and squirted

the cool, clear liquid on his fingers. He let the tube fall to the bed and
he painted his fingers over Abner’s hairy entrance. Abner shuddered
beneath him and spread his thighs further apart. Carter started with
one finger then quickly added another. He sat up and watched as his
fingers sank deeper. Carter curled his fingers and massaged over
Abner’s prostate, which sent his mate wailing in pleasure.

Abner’s entire body was flushed and glistening in sweat. The hard

length jetting up toward Abner’s bellybutton dripped pre-cum, leaving
a wet mark on Abner’s stomach.

AJ Jarrett

As he fingered Abner harder, Carter leaned forward and

swallowed down Abner’s huge cock. His tongue played at the tip.
Carter stuck his tongue into the tiny slit, trying to coax out more of
the silky smooth essence that oozed out of his mate.

“Please, Carter.” Abner begged as he thrust his hips back onto

Carter’s fingers then upward to fuck his dick into Carter’s mouth.

Carter added a third finger as he took Abner all the way down to

his throat and hummed around the wide head. Abner shouted out a
plea for him to fuck him.

He let Abner slip free of his mouth but kept his fingers buried

inside his ass. Carter reached around and snatched up the lube and
squeezed some out directly over his heated cock. He gasped as the
coolness met his hot skin.

Carter removed his fingers then grabbed his cock and guided it to

Abner’s stretched, wet hole. He brushed the swollen head up and
down Abner’s slick crease and looked up at his mate when Abner
gasped. Abner’s eyes were squeezed tight, his hands fisted the pillows
next to his head, and he bit down on his bottom lip. Carter had never
seen a more gorgeous sight.

Slowly he pushed his cock into Abner’s hole. It was a tight fit but

finally the head breached Abner’s entrance. Carter didn’t stop. He fed
the rest of his length until he couldn’t go any farther.

“Fuck!” Carter shouted as he held still. Abner’s tight, silky

channel tingled around his dick and Carter feared he might spill his
seed before he really got to tear into Abner. “You’re so tight, Abby.”

“Never,” Abner panted, “done this before.”
Huh? Carter’s eyes popped open and he stared down at his mate.

“You’ve never done this before?” Abner looked up at him with soft
eyes and nodded his head. “Oh my god.” Carter groaned as the
knowledge that he was the first and only person to fuck Abner tore
through his body. If anything, it turned him on more and he wanted to
cum deep inside Abner’s body, marking him from the inside out.

Carter and His Bear

Once he got air back into his lungs and his brain started to

function again, Carter pulled his cock out, leaving just the head
inside. He took things slow, wanting to make Abner’s first time
bottoming perfect. Because if Carter made this a bad experience for
his mate, he knew Abner wouldn’t let him do it again. Carter knew
from just this much, he’d come to crave fucking Abner almost as
much as he craved Abner’s hard dick inside him.

Carter took the pace nice and easy until Abner let out an ear-

piercing growl.

“You won’t break me.” Abner grabbed at Carter’s shoulders. “But

I swear if you don’t start moving I’ll never let you do this to me
again,” Abner said in a serious tone, but Carter saw the glint of a
smile on his face.

Carter sat up on his knees and thrust his hips forward in a stabbing

motion. Abner grunted and whimpered. His hands fell down to hold
on to Carter’s knees and once Abner had a good hold of him, Carter
started to jackhammer into his mate’s eager body. If Abner wanted to
be fucked, Carter would do so like a man out of control.

Abner panted and squirmed on the bed. Sweat dripped from

Carter’s forehead to splash onto Abner’s body. He could feel Abner’s
claws as they extended to dig into the back of his thighs.

The tingling at the base of Carter’s spine started to swirl, sending

sparks up his back. Carter was close but needed to feel Abner come
first. Abner’s cock lay dripping pre-cum and when Abner reached to
stroke himself, Carter knocked his hand away. At Abner’s
questioning, pained stare Carter grinned down at him.

Carter bent himself in half, held up Abner’s dick with his hand,

and sucked him down to the root. Abner let out a pained shout and his
hands dug into Carter’s scalp.

“So freaking good!” Abner pulled Carter closer. “Don’t stop!”
There were times being tall and lanky didn’t suit Carter. He’d

never be a strong warrior or win very many bar fights if he was into
that type of thing. But with his height and extreme flexibility, he

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could fuck a man while sucking him off. Not a talent many people
possessed.

“Carter, Carter, Carter.” Abner chanted his name as his body

quivered under Carter’s touch.

Abner’s cock started to widen in his mouth and his ass muscles

clamped down on Carter’s cock. The first splash of cum down his
throat shook Carter to his core. He drank every last drop of Abner’s
liquid arousal down until the man whimpered.

Carter let Abner’s cock slide from his mouth and he sat up. He

wrapped his long, slender fingers low on Abner’s hips and fucked him
hard and fast. The tight clenching of Abner’s muscles surrounding his
cock added fuel to the fire. Carter had never felt something so
powerful before. He couldn’t deny he loved this, loved being with
Abner, loved sharing new experiences with his mate. But most of all
he loved Abner.

Two more inward thrusts and Carter came with a broken cry, his

head thrown back as his body emptied into Abner’s. Hot sprays of
cum swirled around his cock as he gave all he had to Abner.

When his body stopped convulsing, Carter fell forward on top of

Abner. Abner’s big arms held him tight to his chest and he planted
gentle kisses to Carter’s head, soothing him.

After what felt like forever, Carter propped himself up on his

elbows. The motion caused his cock to shift inside Abner and they
both moaned. Carter pulled back, letting his softening cock slip free
of Abner’s tight hold.

“So, how was it?” Carter needed to hear what Abner thought.
“It was.” Abner nibbled on the inside of his cheek and the

concentrated look he gave Carter had Carter leaning down to kiss him
on the lips. “Okay I guess,” Abner teased.

“You guess?” Carter pretended to be offended and tried to pull

away from Abner’s strong hold.

Carter and His Bear

“Where do you think you’re going?” Abner rolled until he was on

top of Carter. He licked up the side of Carter’s neck and bit down
gently on his earlobe. Carter jerked and gasped from the sensations.

“I’m never going anywhere,” Carter admitted, because he wasn’t.

This was it for him. As soon as he came to the realization over a year
ago, Carter knew his place was with Abner. The only thing holding
them back was Abner.

“That’s good to hear.” Abner kissed him hard on the mouth.
The kiss eased into a soft and sweet, lingering brush of lips. Carter

couldn’t remember being happier.

He wrapped his arms and legs around Abner’s body and slowly

Abner started to grind his body into Carter’s. Before long, Abner was
buried to the hilt and Carter writhed under him. It was times like this
that Carter couldn’t remember life before Abner and didn’t want to.
This was his new start at life and he wasn’t going to let it slip out of
his fingers.

AJ Jarrett

Chapter Twelve

Carter woke up sweating. Abner’s massive size and the heat he

generated left Carter hot and sticky, but he loved it. Being wrapped so
tightly in Abner’s arms was the best feeling in the world. He felt safe
and loved.

He looked at the clock and saw that it was approaching six

o’clock. Carter detangled himself from Abner’s embrace and went
into the bathroom. As he looked in the mirror, he couldn’t help but
grin at his reflection. His lips were kiss-swollen and his hair stood up
all over his head. He looked like a well-fucked mess and he was.

Carter glanced out the open door and saw Abner still snoring

away, so he shut the door and turned on the shower.

He had told Benedict he’d do some snooping around in the sector

where the witches’ offices were housed. They needed answers and if
one of their own had switched sides, they needed to know that more
than anything. With Miles being pregnant, they needed to find out if a
new danger was rising. From what his parents had said earlier, the
coming together of two souls will bring the birth of a new beginning,
it made Carter think it referred to Miles and Ben.

They were two people who, by magic, were bringing another

living person into the world. It scared Carter not knowing for sure, but
he would do what he could to find answers. If Benedict and his
parents thought there was a traitor among them then Carter believed
it.

After a quick shower, Carter got dressed and tiptoed out of his

room. He didn’t want to wake Abner up. The man needed his rest

Carter and His Bear

because Carter wanted to spend the night making love. It was their
opportunity to make up for lost time.

Carter took the elevator down to the fifteenth floor. He greeted the

secretary at the front desk and scanned his thumb. The doors slid open
and he nodded a good-bye to the lady answering the phone.

The council was huge. The shifter community had their own

sector and the witches had theirs. Not that witches and the shifters
distrusted one another, it was just easier for them to work and get
things done. Both groups met for meetings once a week to brainstorm
and test out new ideas. Everyone at council headquarters got along
and if they didn’t, it was something that was mentioned out loud.
Even if two people hated each other, the fight for good versus evil
stomped on all that. No matter if two or more people didn’t get along,
it was amazing how they’d work together for a common goal and the
goal was keeping the world from being overrun by evil.

The offices were like what Carter would say every other type of

office building around town would be like. People stood around
laughing and talking, drinking coffee. If a human by chance were to
get inside their building, they wouldn’t think it was abnormal or
paranormal-related. Not unless they’d gotten into the lab-testing area.
Now that was weird. Different types of magic symbols decorated the
walls. There were times witches were back there conjuring up spells
and sometimes the spells went a little haywire. On a few occasions an
explosion or two had occurred.

Carter waved “hi” to the few witches he knew by name. He

walked slowly down the hallways separating the various rooms,
listening and looking for anything out of the ordinary. But everything
looked the same as it was a year ago when he’d last been there.

There had been a time Carter loved working for the council and

living at headquarters. He had his own office and people respected
him. Sure, some thought he was a little weird, but he preferred it that
way. He wasn’t used to people caring about him or expecting
anything from him. The lack of love shown to him from his parents

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really did a number on his self-confidence. He had trust issues, no
doubt about it. After learning his parents had done what they did out
of love, not lack of love, Carter was starting to feel that open sore that
had developed years ago start to heal and close up. It wouldn’t happen
overnight, but he hoped between the new understanding with his folks
and the new connection with Abner, he’d be healed in no time.

Everything was running smoothly in the office so Carter took a

deep breath and headed for the lab area. He stopped to talk to Harriet.
She was an older witch who specialized in freezing time. A few times
Carter let her try her gift out on him. He considered her a friend.

Once he escaped Harriet and her millions of questions on where

he had been, he headed toward Carlos’s work station.

As he expected, Carlos had his head down and was jotting down

notes as he looked from his computer screen.

Carlos was a good witch. He was friendly and kind and people

liked him. His only flaw was that he loved his work and consumed
himself in it.

Carter always found Carlos attractive. There had been a few times

he tried to seduced the man into a fuck-buddy type of relationship but
he always refused. Which, looking back on it now, Carter thought was
for the best. Carlos lived for his work and finding new ways to beat
the Dark Warriors.

Carlos had been the one, along with Klaus’s help, to make the

talisman that made the Warriors of the Light tattoos invisible to Dark
Warriors. He’d also been the one to come up with the idea for the
magic bomb that had the ability to render a paranormal being
powerless for a stretch of time. Carlos was valuable to the council and
loyal to boot.

“Hey, Carlos.” Carter hopped up on the man’s desk. “Long time

no see.”

“Carter?” Carlos tilted his head to the side and gave Carter an up

and down look. “What happened to you?”

Carter and His Bear

Unlike Carlos, who looked the same, Carter had changed a lot.

Carlos had the same dark hair, deep-brown eyes, and tanned skin that
covered his lean, muscled body from head to toe. Carlos was
handsome and not someone Carter would have thought to be a total
nerd, but he was.

“What do you mean?” Carter asked, knowing exactly what his

friend was referring to.

“You look completely different.” Carlos gestured with his hand to

Carter’s hair and face. “No makeup or crazy fucking hair color. If it
weren’t for the tight, dark clothing I wouldn’t have recognized you.”

Carter absentmindedly ran his hand through his hair. He’d stopped

dyeing it months ago and his natural, soft, and shiny brown hair
covered his head. The look had started to grow on him. It was a relief
not putting eyeliner on every day or having to pick a new hair color to
shock people with.

“Hey, I’m not criticizing you.” Carlos leaned back in his chair. “I

think you look really good.”

“Thanks.” Carter felt the blush creep up his cheeks. He was used

to men hitting on him, even women on the rare occasion, but he knew
Carlos was genuine in what he said and not trying to get into Carter’s
pants.

“I guess Goth Boy won’t fit you anymore, huh?” Carlos teased

him.

Carter rolled his eyes. Goth Boy had been Carlos’s nickname for

Carter and it fit at the time but not anymore.

“Being happily mated has brought you out of your evil and weird

ways.” Carlos chuckled.

Happily? Carter looked down at Carlos. He crossed his arms over

his chest.

The last Carlos knew, Carter and Abner were still struggling with

their mating. Carlos had also been there to witness Carter being a total
dick to his mate the first time they met. So Carlos saying that he and

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Abner were happily mated was a stretch. They were now, but how did
Carlos know that?

“Hey, man, don’t freak out.” Carlos laughed. “I ran into your

mother and she was gushing about how cute you and Abner were and
how you two were flirting before your meeting with Benedict and the
super witches.” Carlos pointed a finger up at Carter. “So I made the
educated guess that you and Abner had made up, because the last time
I saw you two there was no flirting going on at all. More like go-fuck-
off glares shot back in forth, but no flirting.”

Carter’s cheeks heated even further as he thought back to earlier.

The light teasing, passionate kisses, and the mind-blowing
lovemaking. God he could truly say he was happy and mean it.

“Look at you.” Carlos stood up. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you

this happy. You’re like a different person.”

“I feel like it.” Carter admitted. “Things are good between my

folks and me and even better with Abner. It’s almost unreal how
everything turned out.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get too mushy on me.” Carlos waved him over

to another part of the room. He opened the door and ushered Carter
inside.

Carter walked inside the small room then stopped to turn and face

Carlos. The room was tiny and barely big enough for both of them.
“Carlos, what the hell, man?”

“Shh.” Carlos put a finger to his mouth and shut the door and hit

the lock.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Carter started to breathe heavily.

It felt like the walls were moving closer, caging them in.

“I’ve created this room. It’s impenetrable by magic or listening

ears.” Carlos kept his voice low.

Carlos’s magical gift was to create fire. So there were a lot of

rooms that he had used magic on to make flame retardant. He had
control over his power but there was still times if Carlos got too upset
or while sleeping he could start a fire. Carter never heard Carlos

Carter and His Bear

complain about his power but he knew it stressed the man out. But
why would he build a soundproof room unless he knew about a spy
within the council as well? “So you know?” Carter asked as he leaned
closer. They both were whispering so low it was hard to hear. Unlike
shifters, witches didn’t have super-sensitive hearing.

“Well, I’ve had my suspicions for a while now.” Carlos brought a

hand up to rub at his eyes. Being so close, Carter could see the bags
shading the delicate skin. “When I brought it up to Benedict, he
agreed. Every shifter or witch we have suspected of going dark had
either gone missing or turned up dead. And to make matters worse,
someone hacked into my computer. I’ve made it more secure but no
telling what they’ve got. I mean, think about it. With the Dark
Warriors talking about this “coming,” whatever that means, and the
uprising of dark forces. No telling what’s going on.”

“Fuck,” Carter muttered. The situation was more serious than he

thought.

He looked into Carlos’s dark eyes and something he said struck

him. The coming. That had been something Carter had seen in past
visions of Astrid’s life while in the care of Malcolm and Lucian. It
had also been mentioned by Constance and Ivan Reznick, Astrid’s
father and grandmother. The coming had something to do with Astrid,
but what?

The coming together of two souls will bring the birth of a new

beginning.

“Oh my god that has to be it.” Carter brought his hand up to his

mouth and tapped his fingertips on his lips as he thought about the
similarities.

“What?” Carlos looked at Carter with a wary eye. “What has to be

it?”

Carter had known Carlos since he joined the council. The man

was honest and hardworking and Klaus trusted him. But should he tell
him about Miles?

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“Come on, man. If you know something, you’ve got to tell me.

Something big is happening in the paranormal world and if we can
stop it we need to.” Carlos pleaded his case.

“Have you talked to Klaus lately?” Carter thought it best to see

what exactly Carlos was privy to.

“Yeah he called me the other day to see if anything else unusual

had happened here.”

“Did he mention anything about Miles?” Carter closed his eyes

and prayed he wasn’t making a mistake by saying anything to Carlos
about this.

“No. Why?” Carlos’s brow knitted tightly together.
“Miles is pregnant.”
“No fucking way?” Carlos fisted his fingers in his hair. “Why

didn’t anyone tell me?”

Carlos had been at the warriors’ compound when Miles started

hearing voices claiming to be his unborn son, but nothing ever came
of the strange voice. But Carter was willing to bet that Ben and Klaus
left Carlos in the dark about it all for fear it might make Carlos a
target if he knew anything. They didn’t need any more warriors going
missing.

“Probably because they suspected a leak here at the council and

Ben didn’t want anyone to know.” Carlos looked hurt by what he said
and Carter quickly clarified himself. “Not that they don’t trust you,
it’s just you’re here.” He gestured toward the door that led back to the
lab.

“I guess that makes sense.” He still looked wounded that he was

last to know.

“But listen, I have a thought on the coming and Miles’s

pregnancy.”

“I’m listening,” Carlos whispered, and took a step closer as if he

feared someone might overhear them.

“My parents said that witch they were hunting said the coming

together of two souls will bring about a new beginning. What if Ben

Carter and His Bear

and Miles are the two souls and the birth of this baby is the new
beginning?”

Carlos was silent for a moment as he mulled over what Carter had

said. “But what about the coming?”

“Think about it.” Carter smiled as it all started to make sense.

“The coming together of two souls. That’s Ben and Miles!” He
needed to tell Abner this.

“No freaking way!” Carlos’s eyes lit up. “I can’t believe you

figured it out.”

“Hey!” Carter punched Carlos in the arm.
“Sorry, but seriously. If you’re right, that baby could be our

savior. It could mean the end of the Dark Warriors.” Carlos sounded
excited at the possibility.

“But it also means that Miles and the baby will become a target.”

Carter started to panic. “If the Dark Warriors find out Miles is
pregnant they might try to kill him or take the baby.”

“Oh shit! We need to call Klaus and warn them.” Carlos pulled

out his cell phone.

Carter listened as Carlos explained what he and Carter had figured

out. They were only guessing, but too many things pointed to this
being the reason. If the coming was loosely referred to as the coming
together of two souls, then that had to be Miles and Ben. Carter had
never heard of two other male mates having a baby like this before.

“Klaus said to tell you good job.” Carlos patted Carter on the

shoulder. “He also said nothing too exciting has been going on there.
No sightings of Dark Warriors, but they are going to beef up on
security.”

Carlos opened the door and he and Carter stepped out. Carter

stayed for a few more minutes talking about Carlos’s new projects.
They both were busting at the seams to discuss the impending
delivery of Miles’s baby and ways to keep the baby safe, but they
couldn’t spend all day in that tiny closet.

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On his way out, Carter headed toward his office. He needed to

grab a few things because once he and Abner left, he wasn’t ever
coming back. His life was with Abner now, not the council.

Carter softly whistled as he went through his drawers and pulled

out a few photographs and notebooks he stored there. On his way
down the hallway, he heard the sound of someone whispering coming
from Seymour Collins’s office. He slowed down and listened.

He could hear angry, hushed voices but couldn’t make out what

the words were. Once again, Carter wished his witch abilities
included extraordinary hearing.

Carter stood just outside Seymour’s door but he heard nothing but

silence, then the sound of something smashing against the wall. He
jumped, startled by the crash.

“Carter, is that you?”
Carter looked up to see Seymour standing, facing him in the

entryway of his office door. “Hey, Mr. Collins.” His hands fidgeted,
smacking the notebook in his hand against his leg. “How’s it going?”

“Quite well, young man.” Seymour came to the door and looked

Carter dead in the eye. Carter’s breath hitched in his throat. Seymour
Collins was one of the oldest and most powerful witches on the
council. He’d instill the fear into anyone. Seymour wasn’t very tall,
barely matching Carter’s six-foot frame, and thin. He had beady eyes,
dark brown hair and pasty-colored skin. And he always wore a suit.
“What are you doing out here?” Seymour looked out the door, turning
his head to the left then the right.

“Oh, nothing.” Carter held up his hand showing the notebook with

a few pictures sticking out the top. “Just stopping by my office to get
a few things.” Carter looked out the corner of his eye and saw a cell
phone broken on the floor.

“Okay then.” Seymour took a step back and pulled the door

closed. “Have a good day, Carter.” Then the door was shut in his face.

“Weird,” Carter mumbled as he took off quickly down the hall

toward the elevator. Seymour Collins might not look all that

Carter and His Bear

threatening, but he was dangerous. His ability was strength. His hands
could turn to stone at his will and kill a person with one blow to the
face. He could actually rip a person’s head from their body if he
wanted to.

As the elevator door slid open, he hurried inside. He hadn’t been

gone from Abner that long but he was eager to crawl back into bed
with his mate. After the past few hours, he needed some down time.

Carter got off the elevator and hummed as he walked to his front

door. He couldn’t help but grin as he typed in the “fuckoff” passcode.
He strode inside and set his notebook on the side table right by the
door. The lingering scent of sex still clung to the air. Carter loved it.

“Where have you been?”
Carter spun around, hands grasping at his chest. “What the fuck,

man!” Carter’s heart beat rapidly in his chest. Too many surprises in
one day. “You scared me.”

Abner sat on the couch in nothing but his jeans. His feet were bare

and he tapped his left foot up and down. Abner had his arms crossed
and Carter couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his well-muscled chest
and stomach. Carter was so distracted he didn’t notice the scowl on
his mate’s face.

“Well you scared me when I woke up to find you gone.” Abner

stood up from the couch and walked over to Carter. His mate crowded
so close Carter couldn’t breathe without inhaling Abner’s scent.
“Where were you?” he asked as he backed Carter up against the wall.

“You were sleeping so I went down to my office.” He gulped.

“Didn’t want to wake you. You looked so peaceful.”

Abner put his palms flat on the wall on either side of Carter’s

head, caging him in. “Bullshit! You went snooping around down there
without me.” A low growl bubbled up and out of Abner’s mouth.
“You know how much I hate when you’re put in danger.”

“Danger?” Carter snapped. “I wasn’t in any danger.” He loved

that Abner worried about him and wanted to keep him safe but Carter

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wasn’t a child that needed to be babysat. He could fight his own
battles if he had to. “I can take of myself.”

“I know you can.” Abner closed his eyes and rested his forehead

against Carter’s. “I just worry about you.” He opened his eyes. “It’s in
my nature to protect what’s mine and you’re mine, Carter.” Abner’s
tongue came out to moisten his lips. It distracted Carter so much he
almost missed Abner’s next words. “I love you, Carter.”

“You love me?” Carter jerked his head up and bumped Abner in

the nose with the top of his head. “Are you serious?” A smile split
across his face. His cheeks ached from smiling so much in the past
twenty-four hours.

“Of course I’m serious. Jeez, who would joke about something

like that?” Abner rubbed his nose. “Damn, babe, that hurt.”

Tears burned at the back of Carter’s eyes. He’d waited and

dreamed about hearing Abner say those words for so long, Carter
didn’t know what to say.

Carter brought his hands up to rest on either side of Abner’s neck

and brought his face down toward his and kissed him. The kiss was
soft and gentle and Carter hoped all his emotions came through loud
and clear. Carter knew if he opened his mouth to talk, he’d start to
cry.

Abner moaned into his mouth and their tongues tangled together.

Carter sucked on Abner’s tongue and nibbled at his lips. He’d never
tire of kissing the breath out of his mate.

“I take it you love me, too?” Abner asked breathlessly. “Because

the polite thing to do would be to say it back, but only if you mean it.”
Carter watched as Abner’s cheeks reddened.

“Are you crazy?” Carter giggled. “I loved you the first time I saw

you.” He shrugged. “Granted I was too stubborn to admit it, but fuck,
Abby, how could I not love you? Just look in the mirror. You’re
gorgeous and ripped.” Carter winked at Abner. “But not only that,
you’ve got a good heart. That has to be the most attractive thing about
you.”

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Chapter Thirteen

When he had woken up to find Carter gone, Abner had been

pissed. Sure he knew his mate wasn’t in any real danger but he still
didn’t like how Carter had just left him there. If anything happened to
Carter while Abner was asleep on his ass, he’d beat the shit out of his
mate. Carter should have woken him up to go with him. But that was
one of the things Abner loved about Carter. The man could be
stubborn at times and challenged Abner, too.

Abner took a quick shower and only pulled back on his jeans. If

he had it his way, when Carter got back he wouldn’t even be in those
for too long.

While in the shower Abner found himself having flashbacks to

earlier. His ass was still tender from the fucking Carter had given him.
The pain and pleasure of being taken was all new to Abner. He had
never felt close enough or strong enough about another man to ever
give that side of himself. But he felt certain about Carter. He loved the
man and would give him anything.

As his desire built, he got more upset that his mate was gone. Off

snooping around by himself. Something Abner did not like.

Once Abner finished his shower and dried off, he went and sat in

the living room to wait for Carter’s return. He didn’t have to wait too
long. About forty minutes later, Carter came through the front door.
Abner didn’t mean to come off as pissed off, even though he was, he
was just happy to see his mate and that he was unharmed. Knowing
that the council feared they had a spy amongst them made Abner
worry for Carter.

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103

He didn’t mean to confess his love like he did, but something

about this new understanding with Carter brought out that side of
Abner. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops that he was madly in
love with Carter Herrington. It took them long enough to get to this
point in their relationship and Abner didn’t want to waste another
moment.

“Abby, we need to talk,” Carter said in between kisses.
“Later.” He bit down gently on Carter’s plump bottom lip and

slipped his tongue into Carter’s mouth when he gasped. To hear
Carter say he loved him, too, was the final piece of the puzzle. They
were a couple. A mated duo that had to go through hell to get to
where they were now.

Carter wrapped his arms around Abner’s neck tightly. Abner

caressed his hands down the sides of Carter’s body until he reached
the front of Carter’s pants. He unfastened then shoved them down
Carter’s thighs. Carter’s hard cock smacked up against his stomach
and Abner quickly fisted his hand around the hardened length.

“God you feel so good.” Abner sucked a mark on Carter’s neck

then slowly worked his way downward. Carter tried to yank him back
up by his hair but Abner ignored him. He needed to taste his mate.

Abner went to his knees and jerked Carter’s cock while he gazed

up at his mate. Carter met his stare and his body trembled.

Carter yanked his shirt up and pulled it to rest behind his head so

that he had a clear view of what Abner was doing. Abner smiled as he
took Carter’s swollen tip in between his lips. He swirled his tongue
around the flared head, sucking at the tiny slit, trying to get more cum
out of it.

While Abner sucked Carter off, he ran his hands down Carter’s

slender, well-defined legs to remove first his shoes, then his socks.
With those off, Abner nuzzled his nose into the crease of Carter’s leg,
and lifted up on his left leg then his right to remove his pants.

Carter slumped against the wall as Abner took him down to the

base and sucked hard on the upstroke. His hands wandered up and

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down Carter’s body and toyed with his hole. The rim twitched under
his fingertip as he petted the puckered little opening. Carter shifted his
legs further apart, giving Abner better access.

Abner teased and played around Carter’s entrance but didn’t delve

inside. Carter grunted and groaned in annoyance but Abner didn’t
give in. He wanted Carter aroused to the point of delirium by the time
Abner was ready to take him.

“Abby, this isn’t funny,” Carter moaned. “Please, fuck me!”
Until today he hadn’t liked for Carter to call him by his nickname,

but now it was like a switch had been flipped and his dick pulsed
every time he heard Carter say it.

Abner stood up and dug in his back pocket for the lube he stuck

there. He didn’t plan to fuck Carter against the wall, but he was going
to be prepared for anything.

Carter reached between them to undo Abner’s jeans and Abner

watched. Carter’s smooth, thin fingers moved so gracefully as they
helped remove Abner’s pants.

He hadn’t bothered with underwear after his shower so his cock

flopped forward as the material drifted down his legs. Abner took the
lube and smeared it over his heated shaft. He then picked Carter up
and shoved him against the wall. Carter cried out but dug his nails
into Abner’s neck, pulling him closer.

Abner positioned his cock at Carter’s fluttering hole then slowly

pulled Carter down his length. They only had sex a few hours ago so
he wasn’t worried about hurting his mate. If anything Carter’s body
took him in greedily, sucking him deeper.

“Aw, fuck yeah,” Carter whimpered.
Once Abner was seated fully, Carter’s velvety walls rippled over

his hardened cock and he released a shout of pleasure. Carter’s body
fit around his so perfectly. Abner couldn’t believe he ignored the
connection they shared for so long. Time spent being miserable only
hurt himself.

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105

“Come on, Abby, give it to me.” Carter arched his back off the

wall, trying to get Abner to move.

Abner moved his hands to grab at Carter’s ass cheeks, pulling the

firm globes apart. He then pulled his heated length from Carter’s body
and thrust back in, hard and unforgiving. Carter’s head thumped back
against the wall and his grip tightened around Abner’s neck.

Abner really laid into Carter. He shoved his swollen cock in and

out, never stopping in between. He needed to feel Carter come undone
around him.

Sweat dripped down his chest and he had to tighten his grip he

had on Carter’s ass to keep from dropping the man. His head swam in
a sea of sensations, love and pleasure.

“God! I’ll never get enough of this,” he muttered into Carter’s

neck. Abner let his teeth extend then bit down roughly on the pale
white flesh.

Carter screamed and his body went taut. Abner could feel Carter’s

muscles jerk and clamp around his dick then the warmth of Carter’s
release squirted between them. The rich, sweet smell drove Abner to
the edge of no return. He came with a shout as he pounded into
Carter’s stretched hole. The wet sloshing sounds of him entering with
such force echoed in the open room.

Once he emptied everything into his mate’s body, Abner rested

his forehead into the crook of Carter’s neck. Carter’s hold on him had
gone slack but he still held onto Abner. Their breathing evened out
and once Abner had his footing about him, he carried Carter back
toward the couch. He turned around and sat down, keeping his shaft
buried into Carter’s scalding heat.

Abner kissed around the angry red mark he left on Carter’s neck.

What with Carter being immortal, the wound had already started to
heal, but a light outlining of the mark would forever be on Carter’s
neck. That made Abner’s chest swell with pride. He wanted the world
to see that this man belonged to him and only him. Carter was his
mate for better or worse and Abner would like to think only good

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things lay ahead of them. They’d gone through enough crap to get to
this point.

“I love you so fucking much,” Carter whispered into Abner’s ear

as he kissed around the shell, sucking on Abner’s earlobe.

“Right back at you, baby.” Abner couldn’t suppress the grin on his

face. This was happiness.

“I never thought we’d get here, ya know?” Carter moved to lay his

head on Abner’s shoulder.

Abner rested one hand on Carter’s ass and used the other to run up

and down the length of his mate’s back. “Me either, but I’m glad we
did.”

“Yep!” Abner could hear the smile in Carter’s voice.
After a few minutes had passed Abner asked, “So did you find

anything out while snooping around without me?”

“Oh shit!” Carter sat up and in the process caused Abner’s semi-

hard cock to slip free. Carter winced. “Actually I did.”

Abner moved Carter to the side and shifted so they were facing

each other. “Do tell.”

Carter explained his theory that he and Carlos thought Ben and

Miles were the coming together of two souls and their baby was the
new beginning. Abner had to agree it made sense once Carter spelled
it out for him, but why hadn’t there been more attacks against the
warriors’ compound? Wouldn’t the Dark Warriors want to stop the
birth of the baby that might end their reign of terror?

“I don’t get that part either.” Carter lifted a finger to his mouth

and began to chew on a fingernail. “If what we think is true, you’re
right in thinking those assholes would want to harm the baby, but
when we called Klaus, he said all was quiet. Totally weird.”

“It is, baby.” Abner reached over and pulled Carter’s hand from

his mouth. His poor fingernail would be nothing but a nub if he didn’t
stop gnawing on the damn thing soon.

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“I think we need to go back to the compound,” Carter blurted out.

“Not that I myself make a difference, but I’d feel better knowing
everything under the sun is being done to protect that baby.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Abner leaned forward and brushed his

lips over Carter’s. “I’ll call Ben and have him make the arrangements
to have us flown home the day after tomorrow.”

“Why not sooner?” Carter’s face scrunched up, making the man

look like a little boy.

“Yes, we need to get back home but you also need to spend a little

more time with your parents.” Abner ran the tip of his finger down
Carter’s nose. “You guys have just reconnected. I think you owe it to
yourself to spend a little more time with them.”

Carter sat quietly and by the crease in his brow, Abner could tell

he was in deep thought, torn between his duty and the need to get to
know his parents better. Abner could respect that, but the warriors’
compound was filled with fierce and capable warriors that could
protect Miles and the baby.

“Once again, you’re right.” Carter closed the distance between

them and kissed Abner one more time then hopped off the couch.

“Where you going?” Abner grabbed Carter around the wrist,

stopping him from slipping away.

“Uh, to shower.” Carter rolled his eyes, but Abner saw the slight

grin tugging at his upper lip. “Then to go see my parents.” He pointed
down at Abner and his cum-covered cock. “You might want to join
me. We can’t go seeing my parents smelling like sex.” Carter pulled
his hand free and ran toward the bathroom.

Abner’s heart sped up as he jumped off the couch and took off

running after his mate. Carter caused so many emotions to course
through his body, but the one that lured him deeper into Carter’s web
was love.

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Chapter Fourteen

They had dinner with his parents that evening. With Abner’s

approval, he told his mom and dad his theory on what they heard from
the witch they’d been hunting. His folks didn’t know what to think
but said they trusted Carter and because of that believed him. They
were a little shocked to hear about Miles being pregnant but they
agreed that when magic is involved anything was possible.

After dinner and dessert, Carter led Abner back to their apartment.

Once through the door, Abner picked Carter up and carried him back
to the bed for a few more rounds of lovemaking. He was exhausted
and his body was like a wet, limp noodle but he couldn’t deny
Abner’s cravings for his body. He’d been pleasantly surprised when
he woke up to Abner sucking on his dick then to the man climbing on
top of him to ride his hard cock until he shot four long white strips of
cum over Carter’s chest and Carter, too, emptied his balls.

So much had changed in just a few days and Carter thanked the

lord every day for it. He’d waited so long to be accepted by his mate
and nothing could even compare to the happiness he felt.

The next day Carter and Abner went out into the city with Carter’s

parents. It was nice just being a normal family. He was glad Abner
had suggested they stay that extra day. He was getting to know his
parents better. They showed affection with ease and apologized so
many damn times for letting Carter think they didn’t love him. That
had been Marybeth and Richard Herrington’s one regret in life, but
they were making up for it now.

“Hey, babe.” Abner called out to him.

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109

“Yeah.” Carter shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.

He grabbed the towel on the rack and started to dry off.

“Benedict just called.” Abner leaned against the doorframe

leading into the bathroom. He’d already showered and was dressed in
a pair of dark jeans and dark gray T-shirt. His bright eyes raked over
Carter’s naked body and Carter’s dick started to react.

“And?” Carter lowered the towel to dry off his semi-hard pole and

to cover it up. If they got started again, they’d never leave the bed and
they’d miss their flight later that night.

“I got clearance to go down to the witches’ sector with you.”

Abner smiled. He’d been completely pissed off when the secretary
refused to let him go back with Carter the day before. When they had
come back from spending the day with Carter’s parents, they had
stopped by to go see Carlos but the nice lady wouldn’t bend the rules
for Abner. Not even the big man’s charms got him his way with the
lady.

“Oh wonderful.” Carter rolled his eyes and turned to face the sink.

He brushed his teeth then walked out of the bathroom.

“It is, so let’s go.” Abner banged his hand on the wall. “Hustle,

hustle, hustle.”

Carter giggled at the gleeful way Abner was acting. He was so

excited and Carter didn’t understand why. It was quite boring in the
offices that housed the witches.

“Fine,” Carter said in an annoyed voice. “I’m hurrying.”
After Carter got dressed and they ate a quick breakfast, they took

the elevator to the fifteenth floor. Abner smugly told the lady at the
desk that he had permission from Benedict to be admitted into the
offices. Of course she called to verify and Abner smiled brightly at
her when she disconnected the call and let him enter through the main
door.

“You don’t have to gloat, you know.” Carter nudged Abner in the

arm. “She was only doing her job.”

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“But still.” Abner wrapped an arm around Carter’s shoulders. “I

like to prove people wrong.”

Carter introduced Abner to the other witches that he knew. They

were happy to hear Carter had found his mate and more than a few
gave him a thumbs up when Abner wasn’t looking. Abner was a
good-looking man that anyone would be proud to show off and
luckily for Carter, Abner was his to make the world jealous with.
Abner and his boy-next-door, football-player good looks had heads
turning left and right.

When they finally made their way back to the lab, Carlos had his

head down in that same notebook he was writing in a couple of days
ago.

“Hey, Carlos!” Carter greeted his friend.
“Oh.” Carlos’s head popped up. “Hey, guys.” He closed the book

and stuck it in a drawer then pulled out a key to lock it.

“What’s up with that?” Carter pointed at Carlos’s desk.
Carlos looked around them to see who stood about the lab area

then waved him and Abner closer. “Ever since my computer was
hacked into, I’ve been keeping all my important notes in here.” He
tapped at the drawer. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

“Good thinking.” Abner agreed with him. “Any new

developments?”

Carlos’s eyes fluttered over to an area where a fellow witch sat at

a high desktop working on something, Carter didn’t know what.

“Follow me.”
Carter and Abner followed Carlos as he led them to the small

closet that was soundproof to everything.

“Dude, I’m way too big to be in here.” Abner turned to his side to

get comfortable.

“Oh, hush.” Carter shifted, scooted his back closer to Abner’s

front, and wiggled his ass, teasing the man.

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111

“Fuck, don’t do that.” Abner growled low in Carter’s ear. “You

know what that does to me and I don’t think Carlos here wants to
watch me take you against the wall.”

“Yes, please don’t do that.” Carlos narrowed his eyes as he looked

at him.

“I was just teasing, Carlos.” Abner’s cheeks flushed. “So what do

you got?”

“I think I know who might be the spy.” Carlos’s eyes lit up. “I

installed cameras all around my office that are undetectable to
witchcraft. It wasn’t easy but I created a few spells that were
foolproof.” Carlos sounded pleased with himself. “At night when I
leave, I turn the cameras on and when I come in the next day, I watch
the footage in here.” He waved a hand around the small room.

“I’m guessing you found something.” Carter leaned back against

Abner’s sturdy chest and watched his friend closely.

“Did I ever?” Carlos laughed. “Around two in the morning

someone slipped into my office and powered up my computer.”
Carlos looked at Carter and smiled, drawing out the anticipation.

“Well? Who the fuck was it?” Carter snapped.
“I thought you’d never ask.” Carlos chuckled. “It was Anastasia

Baggins. She came into my work area, thumbed through the papers on
my desk, then got on to my computer. I don’t keep anything of
importance on there anymore but she didn’t know that, and I take my
notebooks home with me every night so she didn’t find anything out.”

“What do you think she was looking for?” Abner asked.
“Who knows.” Carlos stared at Abner. “She’s a high-ranking

council member with access to everything except what I’ve hidden
from the council. I hate to point fingers at her, but it’s suspicious as
hell.”

“Yeah it is.” Carter agreed. He’d always liked Anastasia and

couldn’t believe she’d turn on the council like that. But what else
could he think? “We should confront her.”

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“Oh yeah right.” Carlos scoffed at Carter’s suggestion. “She’s

powerful enough to have us killed with a blink of her eyes. We need
to be absolutely certain before we go and accuse her.”

“I can typically smell when someone is lying,” Abner offered.
“Huh?” Carter looked over his shoulder at his mate. This was the

first he had heard of that.

“It’s true. In most people when they lie, their bodies release an

odor. It’s not super strong but it’s there. Fear is my best guess.”

“If that’s true, how come you didn’t know I was full of shit when I

said I didn’t want to be your mate a year ago?” Carter’s voice started
to rise. If Abner knew he was lying about how he felt, how could he
not say something?

“Calm down, Carter.” Abner brushed a kiss over Carter’s

forehead. “It doesn’t work all the time and when it comes to you, my
brain short-circuits.” Abner shrugged. “It must be a mate thing.”

“That might just work.” Carlos picked up the phone on his desk

and dialed a number. When it started to ring, he put the call on
speaker so they all could hear.

Carter wrapped his arms around Abner’s waist and rested his head

on his mate’s chest. He listened as Carlos set up a time to meet with
Anastasia. She was unavailable, but her assistant said this evening
she’d have some free time.

“We’ll meet you down there around 7:30, Carlos.” Abner held a

hand out to him to shake.

“Sounds good.” Carlos pulled his hand back and shoved them into

his pockets. “What time does your flight leave to head back to
Missouri?”

“Not until ten. So there should be plenty of time to confront

Anastasia,” Carter said. Anastasia seemed like a good person on the
outside, but no telling what was going on in her head.

They said good-bye to Carlos and headed out of the lab. Carter’s

mind was all over the place. For some reason, it seemed too easy for it

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113

to be Anastasia. She had too much to lose if she was found out, and
what did she hope to gain?

Abner and Carter went to eat lunch with his parents. It was easy

spending time with them. They told great stories. All the places they’d
seen and the things they had done. It truly was amazing. His parents
had been all over the world but they both agreed they’d have given it
all up had their lives been different. Fear of keeping Carter safe kept
them moving forward to take out any threat that there might be. His
mom would cry and say she’d missed so much, and there used to be a
time when Carter would have wanted her to suffer, but not now. They
were only doing what they thought was right. And, had his life gone
down a different path, he might not have met Abner. That was
something he was willing to go back and change time for.

“It’s about that time, babe.” Abner kissed the top of Carter’s head.
They’d had dinner with Carter’s parents once again and were

sitting around the TV watching some sitcom that had them all
laughing. It was nice and homey feeling.

“Yeah, I know.” Carter was so comfortable, he didn’t want to

move, but duty called.

“Son.” His dad spoke up. Carter turned his head to look at his dad

and raised an eyebrow at him. “Would you mind if we came along?”

Carter looked to Abner who only shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t

see why not.”

His mother flipped off the TV and they all headed for the front

door. They chatted quietly on the elevator ride down to the fifteenth
floor. Once the doors slid open, they exited and headed for the front
desk. The secretary that usually sat there was gone. Carter thought
that was weird. His fellow witches might call it a day and go back to
their apartments, but someone at all times sat at the front desk. It was
for security measures.

“That’s odd,” Marybeth said as she scanned her thumbprint and

the door slid open.

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Carter nodded his head and followed his mother and father into

the quiet offices. The lights were dimmed and not a single person
lingered about. Once again, very strange. When Carter lived at the
council headquarters, he did most of his work at night. He liked to
look at the lights in the distance and not as many people stopped in to
bother him. It was a peaceful time to get his work done.

“Hey!” Carter and the others turned around when they heard

Carlos call out to them. “What’s with there being no one at the front
desk?”

“That’s exactly what we were thinking.” Carter looked all around

him and the office area just seemed off somehow. They had arrived
thirty minutes before they were scheduled to meet with Anastasia and
the office was dead quiet. Eerie, almost.

“Do you smell that?” Abner sniffed the air then slowly started

walking down the far hallway.

“Ab, what are you doing?” Carter whispered as he and the others

followed Abner. Carter noticed Abner was heading back toward the
larger offices, the ones that held Anastasia’s.

Abner came to an abrupt stop. Carter ran into his back from the

sudden movement. “What is it? What do you smell?” Carter’s pulse
picked up and he was anxious.

“Blood.” Carter looked over his shoulder at the others.
“At least it’s not mine.” A man stepped out of the shadows,

wiping his hands off on a bright, white handkerchief that was now
stained red.

“Seymour?” Marybeth stepped around Carter to look at the other

man. “What are you doing?”

“Something that should have been done a long time ago.”

Seymour smiled at them but it wasn’t nice and friendly. More like
evil. A shiver ran down Carter’s back. “I hate that it has to come to
this but it’s survival of the fittest, is it not?”

“What are you talking about?” Carter asked, and Seymour turned

his beady eyes onto him then took a menacing step toward him.

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115

Abner stepped in his path and Seymour barked out a laugh.
“You stupid shifter. You’re just a poor dumb animal who found

himself mated to a weakling of a witch with abandonment issues. You
should have run when you had a chance.”

Carter flinched back as if he’d been hit. Seymour’s words stung

deep because that had been the case up until a few days ago.

“Fuck you, you crazy witch!” Abner shouted, then a low growl

seeped past his lips.

“Seymour, what has gotten into you?” Richard moved past Carter

then Abner to stand directly in front of Seymour.

“Oh Richard, don’t play the high-and-mighty card with me. You

won’t win.”

In a movement so fast Carter barely saw it coming, Seymour hit

his father square in the chin. Marybeth cried out as Richard fell to the
ground.

“Dad!” Carter tried to push past Abner but his mate threw an arm

up, keeping him back.

“Carter, Carlos, go!” Abner shouted. “Warn the others!”
Abner pushed Carter back and Carlos grabbed his arm, tugging

him back the way they came.

“Why bother?” Seymour looked around the room, hands held

high. “It’s pointless to run.” Seymour shot his hands up, spread his
fingers wide, and shouted boom. “In a few minutes this place will be
brought down to nothing but rubble.”

Carter yanked against Carlos’s hold but it was too strong.

Everything was happening so fast. Abner started to shift into his polar
bear form and his father climbed to his feet. Even his mother pulled
out a knife from the inside of her boot. In a blink of an eye, the room
erupted in chaos.

“Come on, Carter! We have to go.” Carlos started to drag him

toward the exit.

The sound of Abner’s howl of pain had him digging his feet in.

“No!” he screamed over the loud noise of fighting down the hall.

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“You go.” Carter spun around to face Carlos. The man’s expression
was pensive and tight. “Warn Benedict. Have him evacuate the
building.” When Carlos didn’t move, Carter shouted, “Go! Warn the
others.”

Carter turned back around and ran toward the fight. He could hear

the grunts of pain, crunching of bone and drywall, and the loud roars
of his mate. Carter wasn’t much of a fighter, but he’d do whatever it
took to keep his family safe. He just had to.

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117

Chapter Fifteen

The further they wandered down the hallway, the more Abner

could smell it. The bitter stench of copper.

The moment he saw Seymour step out of the darkened office, he

had known something wasn’t right. If the crazed look in his eyes
didn’t tip Abner off, it was the blood dripping off his fingertips that
did it for sure.

As Seymour spoke, he glanced over the man’s shoulder. He’d just

come from Anastasia Baggins’s office. Abner didn’t have a good
feeling about any of this and he was pretty certain Ms. Baggins wasn’t
among the living anymore.

When Seymour took an eager step toward Carter, Abner lost it. He

could feel the change coming on and once Richard was knocked to
the ground, all bets were off. Seymour could insult Abner all he
wanted, but he refused to let this man harm his mate or his new
family.

Everything seemed to happen at once. Abner’s only thought was

for Carter to get out of there. Seymour claimed a bomb was going to
go off. Abner just didn’t know when and he didn’t want Carter
anywhere near this building if it were to go up in a cloud of dust. The
look on Carter’s parents’ faces said that they agreed with him.

His skin tingled as white fur sprouted all over his body. The seams

of his jeans and shirt stretched then tore free as his body expanded.
His boots were next, exploding off his feet to lie in pieces on the
ground. As his snout lengthened, he could feel the sharp teeth
descending from his jaw. The last to finish forming were his large
paws with deadly claws extending from them. In his bear form, Abner

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was easily eight-hundred-plus pounds, if not more. And when he
stood on his back legs, he could reach just over nine feet tall. Abner
was a big boy in human and bear form.

He lunged at Seymour. The wiry little witch swung his large hand

but it was deceiving. Carter had told him that Seymour possessed the
ability to turn his fist into stone so his punches, if landed on the mark,
carried one hell of sting.

Seymour was fast, and would attack then retreat. Marybeth swung

her knife around and even sliced a deep cut across Seymour’s cheek.
He didn’t care too much for that and before Richard or Abner could
reach him, he knocked her into the office on the left. She crashed into
the wall and the force of it caused the ceiling to collapse on top of her.

“Mom!”
Abner looked over his shoulder to see Carter running toward his

mother. God damn it! He wanted Carter out of here before this
supposed bomb went off. Sure, Seymour could be lying about the
bomb, but Abner didn’t think so. Paranormals who succumbed to
their dark side had no conscience, so killing thousands of people who
worked and lived in these buildings would mean nothing to Seymour.

Richard waved his hands around and used his ability to knock

Seymour into the wall, and Abner leapt forward and bit into the man’s
shoulder. Before he could jump back, Seymour’s heavy fist clonked
him on the side of the head. Abner saw stars and stumbled back a few
feet.

“Stupid bear!” Seymour screamed as he clamped a hand down on

his neck. “I think it’s time for you to die!”

“No!” Out of nowhere, Carter appeared in front of him.
Abner’s vision was still blurry but he could smell Carter’s

summer scent. He roared out a warning but Carter didn’t budge.

“Carter, always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Seymour lifted an eyebrow at Carter. “I can’t believe Ivan didn’t kill
you when he had the chance.” He shook his head in disgust.

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119

Abner’s blood boiled at the mention of that man’s name. Ivan had

caused so much pain to Astrid and nearly beaten Carter to death.
Abner wished the man were still alive so he could rip his head from
his neck.

“Yeah, well, he didn’t.” Carter’s voice was choppy as he spoke.

“Just proves good prevails over evil every time.”

As Carter talked to Seymour, Abner noticed he started to step

away from Abner, leading Seymour in the opposite direction.

They had just gotten far enough away and Abner was climbing

back to his feet, when a loud, ear-piercing alarm went off.

“No!” Seymour yelled and fisted his hands in his hair. “No one

can leave. I want it all to go up in smoke with each and every last one
of you parasites in it.” Seymour started to fumble for something in his
pocket.

Abner shot a glance over to Richard, who looked at him and

shook his head. This couldn’t be good.

Seymour pulled what looked to be a little remote of some sort. A

green light flashed in the upper left corner.

“Why did you do it?” Carter asked, still obviously trying to

distract the other man.

“Because I was sick of being outdone and overshadowed.” He

thumbed over his shoulder toward Anastasia’s office. “That’s why she
had to go. She wouldn’t get on board with the new program.”

“New program?” Richard asked.
Abner slowly edged his way closer to Seymour. He didn’t want to

send the man into a panic but he needed to get that remote from him.

“Yes! The one where witches have free will to do whatever they

want.” Seymour smiled from ear to ear. “I’m sick of living by
someone else’s rules. The vision of right and wrong is for each person
to decide. Not a council of self-righteous assholes. I’m my own boss,”
Seymour gritted out. “I do as I wish and Lucian promised I could live
as I saw fit if I did one little thing for him.”

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At the mention of Lucian, Abner stopped moving. This really

wasn’t good. Lucian had been behind some really nasty stuff. If he
had a hand in this, there was no doubt in Abner’s mind the building
was rigged with explosives and about to go up.

“So you want to kill everyone here at the council?” Richard

moved closer to the office that his wife had been thrown into. No
doubt he came to the same conclusion as Abner. Time was slowly
slipping away.

“There’s innocent people here.” Carter tried to reason with the

man.

“Boy.” Seymour said that word as if it were a curse. “No one’s

innocent. Look at your parents, for instance.” He waved a hand
toward his father. “They thought working long hours sacrificing
precious time with you would make you a better person. But did it?
You were a hollow person until we sent you off to live with Ben.
Then look how you treated your own mate when you met him and
then how he treated you for the better part of a year.” Seymour
grinned over at Abner. “Yes, I know all about how you denied Carter.
Used him like a toy for your own pleasure.”

“Shut up!” Carter shouted. His face had gone red. Abner had

never seen his mate this upset before.

Abner, too, was hurt and upset by what the man had just said. It

was the truth. He’d used Carter like he was nothing and he’d never
forgive himself for that.

In his bear form, Abner couldn’t speak, so he let the change from

bear to human come over him. Once it was complete, he kneeled on
the ground naked. He stood up and rushed over to Carter and pulled
him close to his side.

“So let me guess, you have this all figured out?” Abner asked

Seymour.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

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121

“If you push that button, you’ll die, too.” Abner gradually started

to shift Carter behind him. Carter refused to budge at first but he
slowly moved behind him.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Seymour waved the small device

out in front of him. If only Abner were just a little bit closer he could
reach out and snatch it from him.

Seymour held up the little remote and time seemed to stop. Abner

lunged forward and out of the corner of his eye he saw Richard
dashing for Seymour as well. In midair, Abner shifted to half-bear
half-man, his meaty jaws opening wide. He saw the fear and surprise
in Seymour’s eyes but by the time his teeth struck into the soft flesh
of his neck, the man hit the button. Richard shouted and Carter
screamed. Abner shook his head from side to side, snapping bone and
tendons from Seymour’s neck. Seymour balled up his fist, crushing
the remote as he beat his fist into Abner’s sides. It hurt like hell but he
didn’t let go.

Finally Seymour’s head tore from his body and Abner let it fall to

the floor. He shifted back to full human, fell to the floor, and spat out
the blood that pooled in his mouth. Abner glanced down at the remote
and saw a countdown had begun. They needed to get out of there, and
fast.

“Are you okay?” Carter ran his hands all over Abner’s body,

looking at every red mark and bruise Seymour had left.

“Come on, guys, help me.” Richard called out for them before

Abner could answer.

They rushed into the room and saw that a metal beam had pinned

Marybeth to the floor. Richard was yanking one side as they entered
the room.

“Fuck!” Carter ran toward his mother, grabbed the other side and

tried to lift it.

“Hey, now, Carter.” His mother wheezed out. “Watch your

mouth.” She smiled and a trickle of blood dripped out the side of her
mouth.

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“Here, let me try.” Abner moved Carter out of the way and pulled

up the heavy metal. It only budged a little. Abner looked up over head
to see the entire ceiling and beams holding up the sixteenth floor
bowed downward, readying to fall on top of Marybeth.

“We need to hurry!” Carter looked up at Abner. “He hit the

button. We need to get out of here.”

“Carter, sweetie, come here.” Carter knelt in front of his mother

and held her hand.

Richard stood up and tried to use his powers to lift the falling

debris and metal poles off his wife, but it would only shutter then land
back on top of her. She’d cry out in pain and Richard would curse.

“Carter, I know we haven’t spent much time together but I’ve

treasured these past few days with you and Abner.” She started to
cough. “Your father and I both have.”

Abner could hear her talking but refused to think this was it. He

bent down low and pulled up on the beam again, but it wouldn’t
budge.

“Stop, Abner, it’s no use.” Richard laid a warm hand on his

shoulder.

Abner wanted to refuse but the look on Richard’s face told him to

stop. That this was it. A hole gaped in Marybeth’s chest, her heart
exposed. She didn’t have much time left. With every shake of the
building the jagged pole pierced her heart. There were many things an
immortal being could survive but a damaged heart wasn’t one of
them. The more they tried to save her the more damage they did.

“Mom, don’t talk like that. We’ll all get out of here.” Carter

looked up at Abner then to his father. “Why are you guys stopping?”
Tears streamed down Carter’s face.

“Son, sometimes in life you know when the show’s over.” His

father grinned at him but Abner heard the hitch in his voice. “You
can’t feel bad about this. Everyone has a road to lead in life. We don’t
always know where it will lead us or what it’s all meant to be, but this

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here, right now, is your mother and I’s road to go on. Not yours and
Abner’s.”

“I don’t understand.” Carter shook his head from side to side and

reached for Abner’s hand.

“Sweetie, we love you so much. If there was one thing in life we

got right it was you.” Tears silently fell from Marybeth’s eyes. “No
matter where you are or what you’re doing, know that your father and
I will always love you.” She smiled over to Abner. “And you, too,
Abner. In just a few days you’ve became a son to us. Keep my baby
safe, will ya?”

“You can count on it.” He reached out to take the hand Marybeth

held out to him.

“Richard.” Marybeth motioned with her eyes to Carter and Abner.

“You know what to do.”

“Dad?” Carter’s voice broke on a sob.
“I love you boys so very much. But this is the way it has to be.

Together in life and in death is the only path for your mother and I.
I’m sure you understand.” He nudged his chin toward Abner. “The
love you have for Abner is like what I have for you mother. Please
don’t be angry with us.”

“Dad, no!” Carter spun around to face Abner. “Do something!

This can’t be it.”

“Abner, you’re stronger. You know what you have to do.”

Richard looked from him to Carter, and Abner nodded his head.
Richard and Marybeth twined their hands together and closed their
eyes.

“What’s going on?” Carter shouted. “Someone please tell me

what’s happening?”

Abner pulled Carter close to him and wrapped his arms and legs

around Carter’s thin body. Carter tried to fight him but Abner just
held on tighter. Richard opened his eyes to see if Abner was ready,
then waved his free hand, sending Abner and Carter flying out the

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window. Before they were swept away Abner saw the light flicker out
of Marybeth’s eyes. She was gone.

The air swirled around them as they plummeted to the ground.

Being immortal, a fifteen-foot fall would hurt like hell, but not kill
him, and as long as he had Carter pulled in close, Abner’s body would
take the brunt of the fall.

Just before they reached the ground, the building exploded. The

force sent Abner and Carter soaring further away and the heat could
be felt burning along Abner’s bare skin.

They dropped into what looked to be a small backyard. Abner

rolled to land on his back, protecting Carter as best as he could.

Carter cried out and Abner quickly released him to look his mate

over. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just my ankle.” Carter pulled his leg up to rest in his

lap. “Where are we?”

“I think we got thrown off-course from the explosion.” Abner

could see the smoke rising in the distance from where the council
headquarters used to be. “I wonder if everyone got out.”

The sound of Carter softly crying had Abner falling to the ground

pulling Carter into his lap. He rocked his mate back and forth, trying
to sooth him.

“I can’t believe they’re gone.” Carter mumbled into Abner’s neck.

Hot tears slid down his skin.

“I know, baby, I know.” Abner kissed the top of Carter’s head. He

didn’t know what else to say.

“It’s not fair. I can’t believe they just gave up like that,” Carter

said in a harsh voice. “They abandoned me again.”

“Don’t talk like that, Carter.” He pushed Carter an arm’s length

away so he could look into his bright blue eyes. “They sacrificed
themselves to save you. In the end you were all that mattered to
them.” He ran his fingers over Carter’s forehead, tucking his hair
behind his ear. “Please don’t be angry.”

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Carter’s eyes fell shut and his chin trembled as body-shaking sobs

came over him. Abner held Carter as he cried and continued to rock
him. It was the only comfort he could provide because nothing he said
would bring Carter’s parents back or lessen the blow of their loss.
Abner couldn’t imagine losing his mother and father.

“We need to get out of here.” Carter sat back and rubbed his eyes.

“We have to see who all got out.”

Abner nodded his agreement. He stood up and Carter gave him an

odd look. “What?”

“We need to find you some clothes or you’ll get arrested.”
They hopped the fence in the backyard they had landed in and

Carter suggested they look for a clothesline with clothes on it. Sure
enough, about a block over they spotted some clothes hanging on a
line that ran across the backyard.

Abner hopped the fence and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts

and a white undershirt. He felt bad for stealing the clothes but he
didn’t have any other option.

They walked back toward the burning building that once was

council headquarters but was now just a pile of smoldering ash and
debris.

“Good god,” Abner muttered as he took in the scene. Fire trucks

lined the street and people stood around gawking at the burning
building.

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Carter twined his fingers with

Abner’s and squeezed on tight. “We need to call Ben.”

Before Abner could answer him he heard someone shouting their

names. Abner looked toward the sound and saw Carlos running
toward them.

“Thank god you’re alive.” He pulled both men into a hug. “When

I didn’t see you guys come out I thought the worst.” Carlos looked
around Abner and Carter as if searching for someone. “Where’s your
parents, Carter?”

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“They didn’t make it.” Carter let out a heavy sigh and turned

around to curl in close to Abner’s side.

“Ah shit, man, I’m so sorry. They were good people.”
“The best,” Abner said as he kissed Carter on the top of his head.
“Who’s that over there?” Carlos pointed a figure standing across

the street. “He looks familiar.”

“Who?” Abner looked in the direction Carlos pointed but couldn’t

make out the man’s face. “I’m not sure.” The man must have sensed
them staring and turned to look at them, then slowly turned to walk
away.

“Doesn’t matter.” Carlos waved for them to follow. “We need to

get out of here. The police are saying it was a gas leak but we
shouldn’t hang around for too long.”

“Did everyone get out?” Abner asked.
“Not sure.” Carlos turned to face Abner and whispered low. “I

haven’t even seen Benedict since I left his office and he sounded the
alarm. I’m sure a lot of people survived but probably will scatter to all
four corners of the world. The Dark Warriors invaded us on our home
turf. A place we thought was secure.” Carlos shook his head.
“Nowhere is safe anymore and people will be scared.”

Abner couldn’t agree more. Fear was a big motivator. And if the

other paranormals didn’t feel safe they hid out, and Abner couldn’t
blame them. No one knew for sure how strong the Dark Warriors’
army might be. For all they knew it could be just Lucian pulling the
strings but without knowing for sure, there wasn’t much they could
do.

Abner, Carter, and Carlos walked to the airstrip that housed the

plane the council was having chartered to take them back to Branson,
Missouri, where the other warriors were.

It took them thirty minutes to reach the hanger but once they did

the pilot didn’t waste any time getting them in the air.

Carter balled up in his seat and fell asleep against Abner’s

shoulder. He wrapped his arm around his mate, wanting to give Carter

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Chapter Sixteen

“Is my father dead?” Ben asked after Carlos and Abner explained

what happened to him.

Carter just sat there staring off into space. Everything seemed so

surreal. This wasn’t how he saw his life being.

“I don’t know for sure, Ben.” Carlos answered. “After he sounded

the alarm he told he me to get out and to help the others. So I did.”

“This can’t be happening.” Ben’s leaned forward on his desk to

rest his head in his hands.

Carter understood how he felt. At least Carter knew his parents

were dead. There had been no word on Benedict, so he could be alive
for all anyone knew.

The news reports from New York did in fact go with the gas leak

assumption. It was probably for the best. There was no way anyone
from the council who had survived could explain the situation. A
crazed witch lost his mind and decided to kill everyone in the large
building. Carter knew that whoever confessed such a notion to the
police would be thrown in a padded cell.

“I’ve been contacted by a few council members,” Klaus

announced as he came back into Ben’s office. “A lot of shifters and
witches got out before it exploded but they’re in hiding. Fear has
caused a lot of paranormals to choose living in hiding for the time
being.”

“Did any of them know about my father?” Ben asked.
“I’m sorry, Ben.” Klaus shook his head. “Astrid’s grandfather was

one of the lucky ones that got out. He’s going to stay at his estate in

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Texas for the time being. He’s offering shelter to those who lost
everything in the explosion.”

“That’s very kind of him,” Abner said, jarring Carter from his

thoughts. “If you guys don’t mind, Carter and I are going to go up to
my room and clean up. It’s been a long night.”

“Of course.” Ben stood up and walked them to the door. “Hey,

Carter.”

“Yes.” Carter looked into Ben’s warm eyes. He could see the

unshed tears threatening to break free. “I’m really sorry about your
parents. They were good people. Some of the best witch hunters I
knew.”

“Thank you, Ben.” Carter slipped out of the room before he

started to cry again. He had to wonder when the tears would stop.
Sure, the sadness and hurt would always be there, but he had to get a
hold of himself.

He followed Abner up the stairs and down the hall toward the

room Abner occupied. Carter had his own life here at the compound
but didn’t want to be alone, and being with Abner was the only thing
holding him together.

“Here, babe.” Abner reached for his hand and led him to the

bathroom. He turned on the water and steam started to fill the large
open room.

Abner helped Carter take off his clothes then removed his own.

Carter stepped under the heated spray of water and let it cascade
down his body. He wanted the clear water to wash away the hurt of
the day and the memories. All these emotions were dragging him
under. It was like an open wound someone had rubbed salt into.
Carter wanted to crawl out of his skin.

There was a whimpering sound bouncing off the tiled walls and it

took Carter a minute to realize it was him making those sounds. His
shoulders slumped forward and he shook from the force of his tears.

“Carter.” Abner wrapped his arms around Carter’s waist from

behind. “I’m not going to lie and say I know what you’re going

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through. This must hurt something terrible, but please know I’m not
going anywhere. I love you, baby. We’re in this together. For better or
worse.”

At Abner’s words, Carter cried harder. He gasped for breath and

he could feel the tears and snot run down his face to be washed away
by the hot water. He must look a mess, with his pale body and red,
swollen eyes.

Carter turned around and wound his arms about Abner’s shoulders

and held on, letting all the emotions he tried to keep bottled up flow
through him. Abner held him through the tremors and sobbing,
whispering words of love and strength. With Abner in his life, Carter
knew one day he’d overcome this loss, but never would he forget it.
Like his mother had said, he would always treasure those last few
days he spent with his mom and dad. Marybeth and Richard
Herrington gave their lives to give Carter and Abner theirs. There was
no greater gift than that.

Slowly his breathing evened out and the tears trailed off to a slight

trickle. He looked up at Abner. “Will you please make love to me?”
he whispered in a rough voice, his throat raw from all the crying.

“You don’t even have to ask, baby.” Abner gently kissed down

the side of Carter’s face until he reached Carter’s mouth.

Carter moaned into the touch, loving how Abner knew just where

to touch him to help him forget, if just for a little while. Abner trailed
his fingers up and down Carter’s side, circling around his body to
knead the muscles of his ass.

As Abner showed gentle affection to him, Carter reached down

and fisted Abner’s veiny, hard cock and pumped him until the skin
pulled tight over his erection. He ran his thumb over the swollen
crown, wiping away the clear moisture that gathered at the tip.

“Need you now, please.” Carter ground his hard length into

Abner’s thigh, needing the friction.

Abner reached behind Carter and grabbed the shower gel sitting

on the shelf. Carter watched through hooded eyes as his mate poured

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131

the clear, scented gel into his hand and covered his cock. Carter didn’t
care what Abner used as long as he got inside him.

Abner stalked closer to him and Carter opened his arms to pull

himself flush to Abner’s hard chest. The heat that spurred between
them warmed Carter to the bone. This was all Carter needed. To be
here in Abner’s arms.

Carter hiked up one leg to drape over Abner’s hip. Abner reached

his hands around to lift him off the floor and pressed him against the
shower wall. They kissed as Abner ran his cock up and down Carter’s
crease until Carter pushed down, causing the head to breach into his
tight opening.

“Oh god, yes!” Carter mumbled. The thick cock stretched at his

muscles, sending sparks of burning pleasure through his body. “I need
you.” Carter cupped Abner’s face and kissed him deeply.

Abner started to thrust his hips and at the angle they were in, the

movement let the head of Abner’s dick brush over Carter’s prostate.
Stars flashed behind his tightly closed eyelids and he moaned and
arched into each thrust.

They moved together, back and forth, up and down, and soon

Carter felt his balls draw up tight. He dropped one had to grab his
cock and pumped his fist fast. The pins and needles sensation shot
throughout Carter’s body and white-hot cum shot from the head of his
dick as he let his head fall back. His mouth hung open as he let his
orgasm take him away to another place where death and sadness
didn’t exist.

Not soon after he came, Abner filled his clenching hole with his

release. The heated wetness made his blood boil and he held Abner
closer to his chest.

“I love you so much,” Carter cried into Abner’s shoulder. “Please

don’t ever leave me.” He couldn’t handle losing anyone else that he
loved.

“Never going to happen, Carter.” Abner pulled back to rest his

forehead against Carter’s. “You’re stuck with me for eternity.”

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“Sounds perfect to me.” Carter smiled as tears rolled from his

eyes. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

* * * *

They had been back at the Warriors of the Light compound for a

few weeks. Life had gone back to normal, well, as normal as life can
be with a pregnant man walking around.

“I can’t believe I’m showing already,” Miles groaned as he kicked

his feet up on the coffee table.

“You’re such a whiner,” Carter teased as he sat down next to his

friend and offered the double-meat, double-cheese sandwich with
extra mayo.

“Fuck off!” Miles snapped, but soothed it over with a smile.

“Sorry. Hormones I guess.”

“Here’s your drink!” Trevor, Miles’s cousin, sang as he took the

seat on the opposite side of Miles.

“Dude!” Carter turned his head away. “Couldn’t you have put that

in a cup that wasn’t see-through?” Miles, being a vampire, needed to
drink blood, and since he became pregnant, he drank twice what he
normally did.

“Witches.” Trevor shook his head. “So touchy.”
Carter lifted his middle finger and waved it in Trevor’s face.
“Oh, please.” Trevor pretended to flip his hair over his shoulder.

“You couldn’t handle all this awesomeness.”

“Dear god!” Abner groaned. “What have I walked in on?”
“Oh, nothing.” Carter hopped up from the couch to hug and kiss

his mate. He didn’t mean to, but his tongue slid past Abner’s soft lips
to tangle with Abner’s. He moaned and started to thrust his hips into
Abner’s crotch.

“Get a room why don’t ya.” Trevor shielded his eyes.
“Yeah, I’m trying to eat here,” Miles said around a mouthful of

food.

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“Sorry, guys.” Carter grabbed Abner’s hand and led him out of the

room. “I’ll catch up with you guys later. Remember, it’s movie
night.”

“Don’t be late this time, bitch,” Trevor shouted as Carter left the

room.

“Movie night again?” Abner whined as they stepped out onto the

back porch. Carter followed Abner as he took a seat in one of the
lounge chairs on the patio.

“We only do it once a week.” Carter moved between Abner’s

spread thighs and sat down on his lap. “And it’s fun. I never really
had close friends before, ya know?”

“I’m only teasing.” Abner kissed him softly on the lips. “I love

that you’ve all become good friends.”

“Me, too.” Carter rested his back against Abner’s front and looked

out over the yard.

Summer had set in and the temperatures were starting to rise. The

grass was a vibrant shade of green and today the sky shone a piercing
blue. It was a beautiful summer’s day.

Since they’d been back, no word had turned up on Benedict. He

was still considered one of the missing. Carlos chose to stay here at
the compound and was working on trying to find a way to stop the
Dark Warriors, but without knowing what type of weapons they had
at their disposal, it was rather difficult. Still, it helped Carlos to stay
busy.

Miles’s pregnancy seemed to be going well. No issue so far. The

elephant in the room was how exactly a man would actually deliver a
baby. Klaus and Astrid said they’d just wish the baby out of Miles’s
stomach when the time came, but still none of them were
pediatricians or knew how to care for an infant.

“Whatcha thinking about, baby?” Abner ran his fingers through

Carter’s hair, lightly scraping his nails over his scalp.

“Oh, nothing. Just stuff.”
“Like what kind of stuff?”

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“Like are we for sure Astrid can just wish that bun out of Miles’s

oven, and what do we do with the baby once it’s out?” He turned to
look at his mate. “We’re not doctors, Abner.”

“It’s funny you should mention that.” Abner chuckled.
“Why’s that?”
“Ben’s been freaking out about the same shit. He’s looking into

finding a pediatrician.”

Carter turned all the way around to look at his mate. “Are you

joking? We can’t just pick up a human doctor and ask them to come
care for Miles’s magical baby. That’s insane!”

“Actually, Ben’s thinking more along the lines of just snatching

one up.”

“Like kidnapping?”
“It sounds so bad when you say it like that.” Abner’s brow

furrowed. “Klaus and Astrid can work their freaking witchy wish shit
and erase the person’s memory afterwards. It’ll be fine.”

“Let’s hope.” Carter let out a laugh as he relaxed back into his

lover’s arms.

A long stretch of silence passed between them and Carter was

content with the quiet. He and Abner had gotten to know each other
better over the last three weeks. Nothing like death and danger to pull
two people closer together.

The clouds shifted in the sky and Carter tilted his head to get a

better look. He liked to imagine his parents were smiling down at him
and he smiled back up at the bright sky. Nothing had been left of the
council buildings so Carter wasn’t able to have a proper burial for his
parents but it didn’t matter. He held them in his heart and that was all
that mattered. They died knowing that he had forgiven them and
Carter knew they loved him and all they had ever done was for him.

“You know they loved you more than anything, right?”
“I know.” Carter grinned over at his mate. “And I’m thankful for

the time we got to spend with them.”

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“Me, too, love, me, too.” Abner started to fidget with the hem of

Carter’s shirt. “I was thinking that maybe once things calm down a
little we could go and visit my folks.” Abner’s voice cracked as he
spoke.

“Really?” Carter arched an eyebrow at his mate.
“Really, really.” Abner gave him a quick kiss. “I know they’ll

never take the place of your parents, but it never hurt to have a big
family. Plus, I know they’ll love you.”

“You think?” Carter liked Abner’s optimistic attitude.
“I know so, because how could they resist this face?” Abner

cupped the back of Carter’s neck and kissed him deeply.

Carter’s toes curled and he whimpered into Abner’s strong lips.

He’d never tire of kissing his mate. Abner had the ability to make
Carter forget his own name along with everything else.

“I love you more than words could possibly express.” Abner lay

his forehead to Carter’s.

“I feel the same way.” Carter lifted his head to kiss both of

Abner’s closed eyes. “It was worth a year of hell to get to this point,”
Carter teased.

“I’d go through hell as long as I had you by my side.” Abner’s

eyes sparkled when he smiled at Carter. “Because at the end of the
day, you’re my little piece of heaven here on Earth.”

Carter covered Abner’s lips with his own and kissed the very

breath from his lungs. Abner said the sweetest things and it still took
Carter some time to get used to it, but he loved the way Abner treated
him like he was a prized possession. Something to be cherished.

The world seemed to be going crazy all around them but as long

as Abner held his hand, Carter knew no matter what he’d be okay.
Love could make a person lose their mind, shed a million tears, and
mend a broken heart. And for Carter, he wouldn’t change a single
thing because the love he had for Abner was all that mattered. The
journey was long but the outcome was so worth it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and

four children. A lover of M/M romances, she has started writing her
own stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be
antagonistic toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever
after. She believes love can be found in the craziest of places, and a
little humor along the way never hurt. To her, there’s nothing sexier
than two men finding their soul mate in each other and falling in love.
When she isn’t chasing around her kids, she can be found sitting on
the couch with her trusted laptop, giving life to the voices in her head.

For all titles by AJ Jarrett, please visit