Rescuing His Heart [Wolves of Desire 13] (The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection) Read online

  Xander was on his feet and around the inn in seconds when he smelled his mate’s strong scent. As Sylvester sneaked down the alley, Xander hurried around him and stopped in front of his mate. “You just can’t seem to stop running from me.”

  Sylvester’s eyes widened as he backpedaled. “And you can’t seem to stop stalking me. How did you even know I was back here?”

  Xander ran his hands through his hair, wondering how he could convince his mate to listen to him, to believe he was only trying to help. “I’m not stalking you, Sylvester.” He held his hands out, trying his best to give his mate his warmest smile. “I know I’m being pushy, but…”

  Xander wished he could find the words that would make Sylvester accept his help. He fisted his hand and tapped it against his chest. “Tell me you don’t feel that connection between us.”

  Twisting his hands in front of him, Sylvester peeked up at him. “I feel…something.”

  God, those blue eyes would be Xander’s undoing. They were soft, as dark as sapphires, and filled with so much innocence. They also sent a flare of heat through Xander’s body. If he didn’t have such award-winning restraint, he might’ve pulled Sylvester into his arms and kissed him until neither of them could breathe.

  “Okay.” Xander held his hands up, letting go of a shaky breath. “I’m gonna show you something, but I swear to you that you’re safe.”

  Sylvester’s cheeks went from flushed to pale. He looked around, but they were the only ones in the alley. “See, now saying something like that makes me not want to trust you.”

  Instead of fully shifting, Xander allowed his claws to slide free as his canines lengthened.

  Sylvester’s dark brows shot to his hairline as his jaw dropped. He shook so badly that Xander thought he would shake apart. “Take deep breaths, Sylvester.”

  “I…you…what the—” Sylvester dodged around Xander and shot down the side of the house, spilling onto the street. Xander let him go. Sylvester wouldn’t listen to reason right now, not when Xander had just blown the guy’s mind.

  And maybe his chances.

  “Good going, you idiot,” he grumbled to himself as he headed to Sylvester and Sario’s blue Camaro. “You just had to go and push him.”

  But Xander hadn’t been able to help himself. He was over two hundred years old, and finally finding his mate made him half-crazy. He needed to slow down, woo Sylvester instead of scaring ten years off the guy’s life.

  Xander groaned as Aldrich walked toward him. He’d called Aldrich to run Sebastian’s errand. Was their alpha pissed that he’d passed the errand off to someone else? If he was, Sebastian hadn’t said anything to him when Xander had run into him.

  “Okay,” Aldrich said as he approached. “Mind telling me what the hell that was all about?”

  “Did you run that errand?”

  Aldrich shook his head. “I went to The Lucky Clover, but Maverick told me he’d already called Sebastian to meet with him.”

  Xander wondered how pissed Sebastian would be that he’d handed the errand off to someone else, then had to come to Brac Village anyway. “I needed to separate the brothers so I could talk to my mate.”

  Aldrich leaned against the blue car next to Xander and crossed his arms over his chest. “How’d it go?”

  Xander arched a brow. “How do you think it went? He’s human. I showed him my claws and canines and he freaked out.”

  “Can’t be any worse than being left with his brother. The guy stuck me with the bill when he took off out of the diner.”

  “It was drinks,” Xander said.

  “So what’re you gonna do?”

  Xander sighed. “For now, I’ll let him run. I need to figure out what kind of mess he’s in.” He told Aldrich about Sylvester and Sario’s conversation.

  A wide grin spread across Aldrich’s face. “I want in on this. You’ve got a murder mystery to solve. And my day had started out boring as hell.”

  Xander started to tell Aldrich that this wasn’t a game, but having help couldn’t hurt. “I need to find out who the corpse in the motel room was.”

  “Have Nero do background checks on the brothers,” Aldrich suggested. “When we find out where they live, we can work from there.”

  “I knew we were friends for a reason,” Xander teased. “I’ll also need you to keep Sario occupied if I’m to have any chance of convincing Sylvester to confide in me.”

  Aldrich grimaced. “The guy’s got the manners of a slug, and that’s insulting slugs.”

  “You said you wanted to help,” Xander reminded him.

  “Yeah, but why do I get babysitting duty? I thought I was gonna do some detective work.” Aldrich straightened and frowned. “I think you just conned me, man.”

  “Stop bitching,” Xander said. “Meet me back here in the morning so you can keep Sario out of my hair.”

  “Fine.” Aldrich jabbed a finger at him. “But I want hazard pay for this.”

  Xander grinned as he watched Aldrich walk away. With a sigh, he headed into the bed-and-breakfast to rent a room. Xander wanted to stay close to Sylvester, and he didn’t care if he had to sleep in the laundry room to make sure his mate didn’t leave town.

  Aldrich didn’t go far. What he hadn’t told Xander was that Sario was his mate. He hadn’t told Sario, either. From the way the human acted, his mate wanted no part of Aldrich.

  But he would make sure his mate was safe, and when this was over, if Sario wanted to leave, Aldrich wouldn’t stop him. The humans weren’t the only ones laying low, and Aldrich refused to drag his mate into his complicated life.

  Chapter Four

  When Sylvester arrived back at the bed-and-breakfast, he’d been relieved to see that Xander was nowhere around. He raced upstairs to his room, Sario right behind him.

  “Are you sure that’s what you saw?” Sario asked as Sylvester opened the door to their room with the key.

  Sylvester tossed the key on the dresser and turned, placing his hands on his hips. “I know I’ve been freaked out since the motel, but I’m not so freaked that I imaged what Xander showed me.” He held both hands out. “Claws slid from his fingernails, Sario. And two of his teeth grew longer. How the hell do you imagine something like that?”

  Pacing the length of the room, Sylvester repeatedly ran his hands through his short hair. He was trying desperately to piece everything together, but nothing made sense. Xander had shown up out of the blue when they’d arrived at the inn. He’d seamlessly inserted himself into their lives, offering his unwanted help. He’d chased Sylvester, asked if Sylvester felt a connection between them, then…then…crap.

  “Could it have been the lighting in the alley?” Sario asked as he dropped onto the bed and leaned back on his elbows. “Light can be tricky sometimes.”

  “Are you serious?” Sylvester sat in the chair by the dresser. “No lighting in the world can play that kind of trick.”

  “I’m just trying to come up with a sane explanation. Claws just don’t grow out of people’s fingernails.”

  “And dead bodies with holes in their chests just don’t show up in motel rooms,” Sylvester said. “But at least that’s believable, even rational. What Xander showed me is…downright crazy.”

  Sario kicked his shoes off and curled up with his head on the pillow. “Fine, come first light, we’re out of here.” He yawned. “I didn’t even get to eat, so I’m going to sleep.”

  Sylvester moved to the window and pulled back the lace curtain. He stared into the front yard, looking for any sign of Xander. His gut told him that he hadn’t seen the last of the man.

  The sun had finally set and darkness crept in. Sylvester watched as two men walked by the inn, the shorter one wearing pink Hello Kitty socks and orange tennis shoes. He had a can of orange soda in his hand, and he was laughing as he talked to the behemoth walking next to him.

  Sylvester squinted at the shadows surrounding the cluster of trees in the yard. He thought he saw movement. The behemoth stopped, turned, and scanned the area. The shorter guy did the same. Sylvester’s heart sped as he waited, but nothing happened. The two wandered farther down the street as Sylvester let the curtain fall back into place.

  He still had no clue who the man asking for him at the front desk was. No one knew that he and Sario had fled to Brac Village. He might’ve thought Leo had sent the guy, but again, his stepdad had no idea where he was.

  They had two older stepbrothers, but Sylvester and Sario rarely talked to them. Duke and Riley were just as shady as their father, and they loved picking on Sylvester and Sario. Especially Duke. He was a straight-up bully, and Sylvester hated him.

  But even they didn’t know where Sylvester and Sario were. So who could that guy have been?

  Sario began to lightly snore, but Sylvester was too wound up to sleep. His restlessness made him ease from the room, and he locked the door behind him before he wandered downstairs.

  The inn was quiet as Sylvester took a seat on the couch. He had to find a way out of this mess, and he prayed the cops didn’t find his prints on the faucet. He wouldn’t survive prison.

  He snapped his head around when a floorboard creaked. Sylvester jumped up when he saw Xander by the hallway entrance, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Throat growing bone-dry, Sylvester took a step back. “Stay away from me.”

  Xander simply studied him, his hazel eyes heavy-lidded as his gaze slid over Sylvester. If Sylvester wasn’t scared half out of his mind, he might have thought it was a seductive look.

  “I told you I’m here to help.” Xander’s husky voice sent a shiver down Sylvester’s spine. It was both unnerving and sensual.

  “You also showed me something that can’t be possible.” Sylvester inched toward the steps lead
ing upstairs. “I don’t know what your game is, but you can leave me out of it.”

  Xander’s hazel eyes became stormy as he pushed away from the wall and advanced toward Sylvester. “I don’t play games, human. If you’d stop running long enough, you’d figure that out.”

  “I don’t want your help…whatever you are.” Returning the insult was hard when Sylvester had no clue what exactly the guy was.

  A wicked smile curved Xander’s lips. “If I tell you what I am, you gonna come pet me?”

  The gravely challenge made Sylvester’s heart skip a beat. He moved away from the steps when Xander came too close, changing course and heading for the front door.

  “Don’t,” Xander said in warning, his teasing smile vanishing. “It’s not safe outside this late at night.”

  “It’s not safe inside, either.” Sylvester was kicking himself for leaving his room. He should have taken his butt to bed instead of wandering around the quiet inn.

  “You have no clue what’s really out there.” Xander eased closer and rested his arm on the counter.

  “Look.” Sylvester held up a hand. “You’re obviously suffering from some mental defect, physical, too. Or maybe you’re on drugs. I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. I just want you to leave me alone.”

  Xander gave a cynical laugh as he looked away. “I didn’t expect you to fall into my arms, but I didn’t expect you to insult me, either.”

  Hurt filled Xander’s eyes before he turned his head. Sylvester was torn between running up the steps and…he wasn’t sure, but Xander had looked so crushed by his words. “I-I wasn’t trying to insult you. I swear. But you have to look at this from my point of view.”

  Xander turned back around, pain evident in his eyes. “You’re a human who knows nothing of my world. Yeah, I get it. I’m a freak to you.”

  Sylvester’s brows shot up. “I never called you a freak.”

  “You didn’t have to.” Xander moved away from the counter and stood by the window. “I can see it written all over your face.”

  Sylvester took a step closer in the dimly lit room, wringing his hands. He couldn’t deny his strong attraction to Xander, but he didn’t trust the guy. The only person on the planet Sylvester trusted was Sario.

  “Explain to me why you’re so hell-bent on helping me.” Sylvester kept the couch between them for his own safety.

  Like a couch could stop a man like Xander.

  Xander shoved his hands into his front pockets as he leaned against the wall, still staring out the window. He looked so forlorn that Sylvester’s chest ached for him.

  “Do you believe in soul mates, Sylvester?”

  The question caught Sylvester off guard. He shrugged as he curled his fingers into the back cushions. “I don’t know. I’ve never given it much thought.”

  He believed in lust at first sight, and that hadn’t worked out so well for him. Sylvester had fallen for a straight guy, and for the past few years, his life had been miserable as he pined after Brad.

  But he didn’t believe Brad was his soul mate. Sylvester’s life was too chaotic, too unstable to fall in love. His mother had passed away not too long after marrying Leo, and he missed her every day. She had been loving, understanding, and kind, hadn’t cared that both her sons were gay.

  Leo was the one who took issue with it. As soon as she died, he’d gripped Sylvester and Sario in an iron fist, dictating their lives. So far Sylvester had avoided doing anything else illegal for him, but time was fast approaching where he wouldn’t be able to run and hide any longer.

  Leo wanting to see Sylvester was proof of that.

  “In my world,” Xander said, pulling Sylvester from his thoughts, “a soul mate is something we crave, look for, and dream of.” He looked at Sylvester. “But we simply call them mates.”

  Sylvester furrowed his brows. “Are you saying I’m your soul mate?”

  He would think Xander crazy, but once again, Sylvester couldn’t deny the strong attraction.

  “I know we are.” Xander turned to look back out the window. “But I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me.”

  “You can’t just drop a bomb on me like that and expect me to readily agree,” Sylvester argued. “I live in the real world, a world where love is used against you.”

  Leo had tried to pit Sylvester and Sario against each other, and when that didn’t work, he’d threatened to hurt Sylvester if Sario didn’t fall in line. Where Sylvester came from, love equaled leverage.

  “That’s not the real world.” Xander moved away from the window and approached the couch, but stayed on the opposite side. “The real world is made of monsters, Sylvester. Real monsters, not just evil humans.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” He glared at Xander. “You say you want to help, but the only thing you’re doing is scaring the crap out of me.”

  “Because you need to be aware of what you’re up against.” For the second time that day, Xander held his hand out and let his claws slide free. “And I’m not the scariest thing out there. In fact, I’m the only one who stands between you and things that’ll tear you apart.”

  Sylvester couldn’t stop staring at Xander’s claws. They were thick, long, black, and sharp.

  “I don’t know who that was who came here today asking for you, but I smelled demon.” Xander retracted his claws. “You need to tell me what you’re mixed up in.”

  A wave of dizziness washed over Sylvester as a faint image tried to surface. It was a blur, and he couldn’t make out any faces, but he heard distorted voices.

  “Sylvester?” Xander moved closer. “You look pale. Are you okay?”

  Was his mind trying to pull up his missing night, to let him know what had actually happened? Sylvester tried to hold on to the image, but it fled before he saw what it was trying to show him.

  “I-I don’t remember.”

  “Remember what?” Xander’s voice was lulling in the dim room, making Sylvester want to confess everything that had happened to him since waking up in that motel room.

  “I have no memory of what happened.” Sylvester glanced at Xander before looking at the back of the couch. “I’m trying, but…it won’t come.”

  That wasn’t entirely true. Until now, Sylvester had tried his best to forget that gaping hole in the man’s chest. He was afraid to go to sleep, afraid he would see the dead stranger in his dreams. What if he learned the truth and found out he’d killed the guy?

  Sylvester didn’t think he had it in him, but since he couldn’t remember…

  “Just walk me through what you do recall,” Xander said. “We can work from there.”

  Sylvester’s heart thrashed as he slowly nodded. “I—”

  “What the hell is going on?” Sario asked as he came down the steps. “What’re you doing here?”

  Xander looked as though he wanted to kill Sario for the interruption. “Go back upstairs.”

  “I don’t think so.” Sario moved to stand next to Sylvester.

  “You have no idea what you’re interfering with,” Xander warned.

  “Let’s go to bed.” Sario placed his hand on Sylvester’s arm. “You need some rest.”

  Sylvester didn’t want to go. He looked at Xander, unsure what to think. When Sario coaxed him toward the steps, Sylvester gave Xander once last look before he ascended and headed into the honeymoon suite.

  Xander curled his hands into fists. Sylvester had been that close to confessing everything, until his nosy brother had interfered.

  But he’d gotten through to Sylvester. Xander had seen it in his mate’s baby blues. Sylvester wanted to tell him what was going on. If they’d had ten more minutes alone, Xander would have known what his mate was running from.

  With a growl, Xander went outside and sat on the front, concrete steps, too wound up to sleep. Mrs. Briar had given him the small fold-away bed to sleep on in the laundry room. He’d explained to her that the brothers were in trouble and he needed to keep an eye on them.

  Mrs. Briar hadn’t a clue about the preternatural world, but Xander saw in her eyes that she was more intuitive than most humans. He’d offered her money for the bed, but she’d refused, saying she was worried about them, as well.

  That had gone a long way with Xander, considering she didn’t know him very well and had just met Sylvester and Sario. People like her made this town an even better place to live than it already was.