“You’d take me home?” Logan appeared to be skeptical of his offer.
“Of course I would.” The doubt in Logan’s eyes made his chest ache. How could his mate be so untrusting of him?
“Okay, I’ll let you take me home but no sex. Not even a kiss good-bye. You hear me?” Logan pointed a finger at him. Finn nodded his understanding.
He turned around and could hear Logan following behind him.
Finn hated that his mate was treating him so poorly. He only did what Logan had asked for, but he should have seen that his mate wasn’t in the right mindset to make such a decision, and Finn had wanted the bonding so bad. He let his own desires cloud his judgment, and now he was paying for it.
When they reached Finn’s truck, he walked around the front of the vehicle and opened the door for Logan. As he climbed into the car, he didn’t seem to be upset, as if all the fight had left his body. That was a good thing. But Logan had a faraway, lost look in his eyes that bothered Finn.
Once he got into the driver’s seat and turned over the engine, Logan turned to him. “I guess I don’t have to tell you where I live since you’ve seen my license.”
He just nodded. It seemed useless to anger his mate any more than necessary. A life-changing event in their lives just took place not more than ten minutes ago. Finn had to give the skittish human some time to adjust.
As they drove down the long stretch of darkened highway, he stayed silent, waiting for his mate to become comfortable in his presence. They had completed the blood, sex, magic mating bond, and no matter how much Logan fought it, he would be drawn to Finn. It was only a matter of time before Logan realized that.
“Can I ask you something?” Logan broke the silence.
“Sure.”
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“How did I end up at your house?” Logan’s brow scrunched up in confusion.
He continued to drive but glanced over at his mate. “You don’t remember?” Finn wasn’t sure what had happened to Logan that sent him traipsing through the woods alone. When Finn came upon him, he looked frightened, as if he were running from something.
Logan nibbled on his lower lip, and Finn couldn’t help but stare at the now-plump, cherry-red tissue. A horn blared, and he turned his attention back to the road just in time to jerk the wheel to the side, barely missing a car coming in the other direction. Logan swayed in his seat when Finn wrenched the wheel.
“I remember being mad at my boyfriend.” Logan took a long pause. “Well technically he isn’t my boyfriend, just some guy I was dating, but still a guy I liked. I thought he liked me, too.” Logan shifted in his seat.
Finn didn’t like hearing that his mate liked another man, but all that happened before they met. “Did something happen between the two of you?” He had to try his hardest not to hiss out his words.
“Rhett, that’s the guy’s name, wanted me to go star gazing with him. He brought a telescope, rolled out a sleeping bag and even got a fire going. It was really romantic until three of his friends showed up.” Finn could see Logan fist his hands out of the corner of his eyes.
His knuckles turning bone white. “Everything was fine at first, then they started looking at me funny. Then the things they were thinking.”
He snorted. “I couldn’t believe people think about things like that.”
Finn chanced a glance at his mate. What did he mean what they were thinking? How could he possibly know their inner thoughts?
“I started to argue with Rhett, who tried to convince me I was overreacting.” Logan turned in his seat, anger written all over his face. He jabbed a finger into his chest. “I was overreacting? Can you believe the nerve of that guy? Just because I wasn’t into a gangbang with his buddies, I was the one with the problem.”
Logan’s Rattler
21
Finn gripped the wheel so tight he thought it would crumble to dust. His mate had been subjected to advances from not one but several men. Logan had every right to be upset, but it didn’t explain why Logan had been running.
“Logan, were they chasing you? Is that why you were running alone in the woods?” If he ever saw the guy, Finn had full intentions of beating the ever-loving crap out of Rhett.
“That’s where this whole story gets weird. I was walking along talking to myself, actually criticizing myself for once again picking a loser, when I heard howling. It was unlike anything I had ever heard before. I mean, I’ve been camping before and heard wolves howling in the distance, but this was different, louder more aggressive. Then it started to get closer, and I could hear something running behind me.
So naturally I took off running for my life which wasn’t easy in the dark. I was for sure I was going to be dog food.” Logan chuckled.
“But the last thing I saw were these glowing yellow eyes as I ran forward.” Logan took in a deep breath. “That’s all I remember before waking up in your bed.” Even in the dark Finn saw a slight blush brightening Logan’s cheeks.
Damn his mate could talk, and the man wasn’t even out of breath.
He ran through what his mate had just said quietly in his head. From the sounds of Logan’s explanation, there had to be werewolves in the woods. Question being, did Logan’s sort-of boyfriend become a victim or did he and his buddies make it out of the woods okay? Not that Finn particularly cared if the creep lived or not, but if these weren’t friendly wolves, there stood a chance they were Warriors of the Dark. And if they were Dark Warriors, they had to be dealt with.
He would have to contact the alpha of the Carrington Pack to see if they had any wolves patrolling the area earlier that evening.
Finn had known some wolves back in the day that took pleasure in taunting and chasing humans for sport. Some had even killed the humans when they caught them. That was something Finn didn’t take lightly. That’s part of the reason he joined up with the Warriors of the
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Light. Just because they had supernatural abilities didn’t give them the right to kill innocent people, and if something did happen to Rhett and his friends, they deserved justice even if they wanted to sexually molest his mate.
When Finn first saw Logan, he was in his snake form gliding across the ground getting ready to strike down any Dark Warriors that ran from Malcolm’s house. They were rescuing Miles from the evil bastards’ compound, and they had been given orders to kill any Dark Warriors on sight. But on his way across the field that surrounded the property, an intoxicating scent had him changing course toward the heavily wooded area just south of the house. As he slithered across the cool, damp ground he could feel the vibrations of footsteps coming toward him at a fast clip. His tail began to rattle, and he rose into the air. As the scent grew stronger, he watched the tree line, and when Logan came sprinting in his direction, he knew instantly from his scent that they were mates. He struck first, not thinking of the consequences.
After he bit Logan, the man fainted instantly. Finn shifted back to human form and carried his mate back to the vehicles they had ridden in. At the time, he hadn’t noticed any werewolves or men pursuing Logan, but even if they were he wouldn’t have noticed them. Finn had been too caught up in caring for his mate.
“Was it so bad waking up in my bed?” Finn changed the subject.
He’d rather talk about them being mated than go into the paranormals that had been after him. A part of Finn was curious if Logan enjoyed their first time together.
“Oh god no.” Logan’s head fell back against the head rest. “It was so perfect that I thought I was dreaming.” He sat up. “Then your friend flipped on the light and I realized I just had what was undoubtedly the best sex of my life with a complete stranger.”
His face flushed with heat. He wasn’t just some stranger. “I’m your mate, Logan. Not some one-time hookup, so stop demeaning what we shared.”
Logan’s Rattler
23
“Dude, what the hell are you talking about? Mates? I have no clue what language you are speaking right now,” Logan snapped back at him.
Finn took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging temper. He couldn’t blame Logan for not understanding. After all, it was him who bit Logan without his permission, essentially pulling Logan into the paranormal world.
“I’m sorry, Logan. There is so much I need to tell you, I just don’t know where to begin.” Finn confessed.
“I’m just dying to hear all about this, but this is me.” Logan pointed out the window to an apartment building.
Finn had been so focused on his mate and wanting to convince him of their special bond, he hadn’t realized he had driven right to the curb of the guy’s apartment.
Shit!
He had to think fast. He couldn’t just let his mate walk out of his life. Especially with the possibility there were more Dark Warriors on the loose.
As Logan opened the door to step out, Finn quickly grabbed his hand. “At least have dinner with me. Please.” Finn didn’t feel bad about begging if that’s what it took.
Logan turned his intriguing blue eyes to stare at him. “What did you say your name was again?”
“Finn.” He couldn’t hold back his smile.
Logan took his time answering, but the small smiling tugging at his mate’s cheeks held promise. “Okay. I’ll have dinner with you, but I can’t make any promises after that.”
“Duly noted.” It wasn’t much, but it was a start. “Wait a minute. I want you to have my number.” He quickly scribbled his number on a napkin he found in the glove box and handed it to Logan. “Call me if you need anything. I’m here for you.”
Logan took the napkin and nodded his head as he stared at it. “I’m off work at six, so why don’t you meet me here around seven.” Logan stepped out of the car then turned back to look at Finn.
“I’ll be here with bells on, honey.”
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Logan started to laugh. Finn’s emotions swam at the singsong sound. He couldn’t wait to get to know his mate better. Logan would be a challenge but one well worth the effort.
“Honey? I think I like that,” Logan said as he climbed back into the car and leaned over the center console. “I don’t know why I’m doing this, but is it okay to kiss you good night?”
Finn wanted to pump his fist in the air. Fate hadn’t steered him wrong. His mate wanted him. It would just take some finessing in explaining everything to Logan.
“I’d like that.”
Logan slowly moved forward, and Finn held still, not wanting to frighten his mate from coming closer. Logan’s tongue crept out to moisten his lips, and Finn wanted to moan out his frustration at seeing the pink tip dart across the plump flesh.
At the first touch of his mate’s soft lips, Finn couldn’t contain the hiss of pleasure. He brought his hand up to cup the side of Logan’s face as he deepened the kiss. Logan parted his lips, allowing Finn to taste him fully. The kiss was so much better than the sex they’d shared earlier because Finn knew Logan wanted this. Logan wanted him.
All too soon, Finn pulled back. He didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. With one more gentle brush of his lips against Logan’s, he sat back. He watched as Logan sat there, with eyes shut, as if waiting for something.
Finn traced one fingertip down the side of Logan’s face, and that seemed to jar the man from his thoughts. He smiled at the dazed expression on his mate’s face. “You okay?”
Logan dropped his gaze to the gear shift that separated them.
“Yeah.” He heard the shaky inhale of breath Logan took. Logan raised his eyes to meet Finn’s. “Would you like to get a cup of coffee now?”
Finn grinned from ear to ear. “I’d love to.”
Logan’s Rattler
25
Logan couldn’t believe he invited Finn to stay for coffee. He couldn’t explain the need he felt deep within himself to spend more time with the stranger, he just knew he wasn’t ready for Finn to leave.
“Do you own this place?” Finn asked.
He looked over his shoulder at Finn as he unlocked the door to L&L Coffee Stop. “Yep. My friend Leo and I own and operate this store,” Logan said as he stepped back to let Finn enter first.
“So I’m dating a business owner. Nice.” Finn’s smooth, low voice sent a chill down Logan’s back.
“Dating? I don’t remember that happening,” Logan teased. A part of him thought Finn was moving too fast saying that they were dating, but a part of him wanted to be with the man. He felt safe and, dare he say, loved by Finn. The man already confessed to loving him, why shouldn’t Logan enjoy the feeling?
Dear god, I must be losing my mind.
Logan pushed those crazy thoughts to the back burner. Love at first sight, or in their case, first roll in the hay, didn’t exist. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe in such childhood fantasies. This wasn’t some sort of fairy tale. No, this was real life, and real life came with a load of disappointments.
Something he learned early on.
“So, Finn, regular coffee okay? Or do you want an espresso or latte or something else?” he asked as he walked around the front counter to the where the coffeepots and equipment were stored.
Finn leaned forward and rested his elbow on the counter. “Plain old coffee is fine with me. I don’t care for all that fancy stuff. I’m easy.”