Chapter Five

Atlas gazed at his neck in Kellen's bathroom mirror. He was positive he'd have deep purple bruising from the brutal grip last night. But the handprint outline was already turning a light green and yellow, as if a week had already passed.

Had he slept that long? Atlas doubted it, but he eased into the bedroom anyway and grabbed his phone off the nightstand. Kellen must have felt it in Atlas's back pocket and set it aside. It wasn't unusual for Atlas to wiggle out of his clothes while he slept if he'd fallen asleep with them on. That would explain why all he had on was his underwear.

Nope, it was nine o'clock the following morning. Why on earth did his bruises look almost healed? Oh hell, was he turning into a wolf since Kellen had bitten him?

He glanced at the guy still asleep and decided he would wait until Kellen was up. Atlas could suppress the mounting fear for another hour or two. Right now he was starving since the jackass last night had made him drop his food.

That way Atlas could have a meltdown on a full stomach. It would give him something to throw up when he found out he was going to sprout fur and howl at the moon.

After he'd left the bedroom and headed down the spiral staircase, the rich aroma of coffee floated his way. Atlas inhaled deeply, wondering if Kellen had his coffee pot set on a timer.

The morning sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a soft golden glow over every inch of the house that Atlas could see from where he stood. He stepped into the living room and looked around. The sunlight made the room look even more inviting.

Turning around, Atlas made his way to the kitchen, craving that first morning cup of coffee. Hopefully Kellen wouldn't be upset if he cooked breakfast. After storming out of the living room last night, he'd poked around the kitchen, noticing how well stocked it was before he'd found the ice cream.

Atlas walked in and looked around, trying to spot where the coffee pot was. A stranger was leaning against the counter, one arm crossed over his chest, the other holding a mug.

He scratched at a black five o'clock shadow that was neatly trimmed. "I've never known Kellen to bring home one of his skanks."

Atlas took a cautious step back, his heart doubling in beat.

Anger flashed in the stranger's eyes as he set his mug aside and advanced toward Atlas. "Don't you dare fucking run."

The stranger's harsh command froze Atlas to the spot. He had no idea who this man was or why one snarled command stopped him in his tracks.

Gripping Atlas's jaw, the man jerked Atlas's head from side to side, his gaze locked on his neck.

"Kellen!" The guy made his way toward the staircase then walked up them. "Get your fucking ass out of bed right now!"

Atlas's body seemed to jump back to life. He raced up the steps behind the guy, wondering what in the hell was going on. Atlas entered the room and shouted when the stranger tried to yank Kellen by his arm from the bed.

Losing his damn mind, Atlas jumped on the muscled guy's back and started slapping him in the head and face. "Get your hands off of him!"

Kellen was on his feet in the blink of an eye, taking a swing at the stranger.

"Get off my back." The guy reached around and grabbed Atlas by his leg, yanking on it.

Atlas shoved himself off the stranger's back and landed on his ass when Kellen shifted into a wolf, knocking things over with its immense size. The wolf snarled at the stranger, its ears flat, baring its sharp teeth. In the light of day, Kellen's wolf was even more terrifying than last night in the shadows.

"Shift back now!" The guy pointed at Atlas who was still on the carpet. "Tell me why one of your bar whores has bruising around his neck. If you did that, I will beat you to within an inch of your life!"

Scrambling to his feet, Atlas yanked on the guy's arm. "Who in the hell are you, and why are you screaming at Kellen?"

"Take your ass downstairs," the guy snapped at Atlas as he jerked his arm free, causing Atlas to lose his balance and collide with the dresser behind him.

Kellen shifted into his human form and punched the stranger so hard that even Atlas saw stars. The guy stumbled back then snarled as he rushed Kellen, gripping him around his waist. Both fought to take the other one down.

Atlas screamed and ran toward the window on the opposite side of the room as the two collided with the dresser he'd just been standing by. The distinct sound of snapping wood echoed in the room, but neither man was giving in.

He had no idea how to stop them. They were going to kill each other. "I'm not a bar whore!" Atlas shouted. "Kellen didn't do this to me!"

Kellen stumbled over something on the floor but twisted sideway and got out from under the man's tight hold. Atlas really had lost his mind. He rushed across the room and slugged the stranger in a jaw that felt like pure concrete.

Atlas shouted and grabbed his hand, cradling it against his chest before he dropped to his knees.

"Atlas!" Kellen slung the guy away from him and rushed to Atlas's side. "Fuck. Why did you do that?"

"Because he was attacking you," Atlas cried.

"Colt's my brother, babe." Kellen carefully took Atlas's hand in his, gently turning it over. Atlas bit his lips, trying to fight back the pain as he whimpered. "I'm almost sure you broke your hand."

"What in the hell is going on here?" Colt demanded.

Kellen shoved to his feet, and Atlas thought for sure they were going to fight again. If they did, the only thing Atlas could throw was a fit because his hand was useless now.

"That's my fucking mate!" Kellen slugged his brother square in the jaw, knocking Colt back so hard he slammed into the wall. "I didn't put those bruises on him," Kellen shouted, his jaw clenched so hard it should have shattered. "A vampire did that, right before I killed the son of a bitch!"

Colt picked himself up off the floor, working his jaw from side to side. "You could have told me you found your mate."

Kellen's nostrils flared as he glared at him. He didn't appear anywhere near settled down. "I should rip out your throat for flinging my mate around."

"He jumped on my back," Colt defended. "I was just trying to get him off of me so I could kill you for what I thought you did. I don't care how skanky the men are that you sleep with, no one deserves to be abused."

"Shut it," Kellen snarled. He crouched back down in front of Atlas. "I'm going to have to take you to the hospital."

"He's going to heal in a few days," Colt said.

Atlas was in too much agony to ask how that was even possible.

Spinning around and shooting to his feet, Kellen glared at Colt. "Go downstairs before I forget you're my brother and spill your entrails."

Colt glanced Atlas's way, regret filling his green eyes before he walked out.

Going to his dresser, Kellen yanked clothes out of the broken drawers. Atlas gritted his teeth, trying to appear as if he wasn't in that much pain. Then he tossed that asinine idea aside and cried out.

Kellen squatted back down, cupping Atlas's face. "I'm going to get us both dressed and take you to the emergency room. I know you're in pain, baby. I'll move as fast as I can."

"I want off my knees, but I can't get up," Atlas cried. "I've never broken a bone before. It's more painful than getting choked out, which I never experienced before last night."

Atlas realized something in that moment. He whined a lot when he was hurt.

Kellen helped him up and guided Atlas to the edge of the bed. "Give me five minutes and we'll be out the door."

"I get why your brother would be upset if he thought you hurt one of your skanks, but why did he explode like that?"

"First off, you are not one of my skanks. Second, we'll talk about that later." Kellen yanked on a pair of jeans, foregoing underwear. He slid on socks and a shirt before he looked around the room. "Where are your clothes?"

Atlas clenched his teeth and hissed, rocking slightly. "I pulled them off in my sleep, so they could be on the roof for all I know."

Kellen dropped to his hands and knees and looked under the bed. He stood, scowling before he whipped the covers back. Atlas spotted one of his socks.

"Can you stand, baby?"

When Atlas did, Kellen tossed the mattress off the bed. His jeans and shirt had been tucked between the mattress and the wall.

"We're missing one sock."

"Just give me a pair of yours," Atlas argued. "The longer I stand here, the more it hurts."

With a nod, Kellen pulled one of the broken drawers too hard and socks scattered everywhere. "At this point, I don't care if they match!" Atlas shouted.

Kellen squatted in front of Atlas and eased the socks on, one blue, one white. Then he helped Atlas get into his jeans.

"Screw the shirt. I don't think I can lift my arm to put it on." Atlas headed for the bedroom door. "Remind me to buy a mallet. That way, if Colt attacks you again, I don't break any bones."

"I'll use my fists anytime you need them." Kellen snatched Atlas's sneakers off the floor.

It took too long to get down the spiral staircase. Atlas didn't feel as balanced as he did on a regular staircase. Going down them was making him dizzy. Kellen kept grabbing Atlas's sides to keep him steady.

Once they were on the first floor, Kellen guided him to the kitchen. "Wait right here and I'll grab Lucille."

"Who?" Atlas wrinkled his nose.

"My car."

Colt stood by the sink, his arms crossed, looking like a kid who'd been told he wasn't having Christmas this year. Kellen hurried out the back door, leaving Atlas alone with his brother.

"I'll find some way to make this up to you, Atlas. I had no idea you were going to clock me, or I would have dodged the blow."

"If you hadn't turned into a raving lunatic…" Atlas dropped it. There wasn't anything he could say that Colt didn't already know.

As badly as Atlas's hand hurt, his eyes widened when Kellen pulled a cherry-red muscle car out of the garage. The car shined like it was brand new. "That's his car?"

"That's Lucille," Colt said. "Kellen has a dozen muscle cars, but she's his pride and joy."

Atlas saw why. And it explained a lot. Like how Kellen had driven Atlas's car way too fast. The guy liked power under his palms.

"Have patience with Kellen," Colt said, drawing Atlas's attention. "He's going to fuck up a lot with you, but his heart will always be in the right place."

"Do you two always try and kill each other?"

Kellen honked the horn.

"Let my brother explain our upbringing to you." Colt jerked his head toward the door. "Kellen is panicking right now because of your hand. I wouldn't suggest you keep him waiting."

Using his good hand, Atlas twisted the door knob and hurried out. Kellen jumped from the driver's seat and opened the passenger door. The smell of leather enveloped Atlas's senses. He inhaled as he slid into the passenger seat, noticing how soft the leather was. Kellen reached in and buckled his seat belt, closed the door, and hurried around the car.

Atlas's dad would need a drool bib if he saw this car. Kellen had ten muscle cars? If the two men ever met, Kellen had one hell of a conversation icebreaker.

"Try not to speed," Atlas said. "This isn't life or death, and I already broke one hand by stupidly punching a brick jaw. I don't need to end up in a body cast."

"You really do need to meet Sam." Kellen pulled from the back of the house and drove down the driveway.

"Is he one of your skanks?"

Kellen chuckled, but Atlas saw the worry in his eyes. "He tried to beat the brakes off of one of them. Sam is mated to my friend Morgan. If he didn't have two hundred stitches in his back, it would have been an epic takedown."

Atlas lowered his hand onto his lap but quickly pulled it up and cradled it to his chest. "Why did he have two hundred stitches in his back?"

"I'm not telling you until your mind has dealt with what you already know."

No lie, Atlas was curious as hell, but he was thankful Kellen was looking out for sanity. "Just how many shanks and bar whores do you have?"

Kellen sped down the road. He was probably used to driving that way in Lucille and didn't notice his speed. "None. I've never double-dipped."

"Not that it's any of my business, but aren't you afraid of catching something? I know condoms are effective, but—" Atlas's mind froze when he realized they hadn't used a condom. For the first time ever, he'd forgotten.

"Nonhumans can't catch diseases," Kellen explained. "Which means we can't pass any along."

"So I'm safe? We didn't use one. I've never let any guy go bareback."

Kellen clenched his jaw as his nostrils flared. "Babe, preternatural are extremely protective and possessive of their mates. Just hearing you talk about having sex with another guy makes me want to hunt him down and—"

"How many times within the past hour have I heard about the guys you've fucked?" Atlas demanded. "From what I gathered while you and Colt were trying to kill each other, every twink in town has been with you."

"Not true," Kellen argued. "I've rarely picked up a guy from Midnight Falls. I know a lot of people in different towns and cities. Whenever I visit, I find a hookup. The handful of guys in our town that I have had sex with have never stepped foot in my house."

"You are a double-standard douchebag, Kellen. At least I can say I've only been with three guys before you. How many notches do you have on your belt?"

"I'm over two hundred years old!" Kellen exclaimed. "You can't hold that against me!"

Atlas twisted in his seat and crossed his arms, only to shout when he remembered his hand was probably broken.

"Damn it, babe." Kellen glanced at his hand. "You have to keep it still."

"Watch the road! You're going a hundred!"

Kellen rolled his eyes. "I'm going sixty. I feel like I'm going through a school zone at this speed."

Atlas eyed him. "You do know that a school zone is twenty?"

"I was joking. We're here, anyway." Kellen pulled into the closest parking space by the front doors. He jumped out and helped Atlas out of his seat. Then he ran inside and came back with a wheelchair.

"Not a chance," Atlas argued. "My legs work just fine, and I'm not in labor. I don't need one of those."

Kellen growled. "You're hurt. Either sit or I carry you inside."

He skirted around Kellen and headed for the doors. "Or I walk and you leave that for someone who actually needs it."

Tires screeched as a horn blared. Atlas stared wide-eyed at the car. He had been so busy being fed up with Kellen that he hadn't paid attention to the traffic around him.

Kellen stopped next to him, pushing the empty wheelchair. "We really need to work on our verbal skills. I don't want to constantly argue with you, Atlas."

"Can we talk about this after we get out of traffic?" He grabbed the other handle and helped Kellen push the wheelchair inside. The guy had said he sucked at relationships. He wasn't lying. Although Atlas knew Kellen's heart was in the right place—mostly—it was glaringly obvious he wasn't used to having a partner.

It was also possible that Atlas was towing around baggage from his last relationship, holding it against Kellen. Maybe they both needed to take a step back and learn how to have a disagreement without getting into a tizzy.

Colt had said that Kellen was just panicking because of his injury. Atlas needed to cut the guy some slack. He wheeled the chair over by the other ones, and when he turned around, he saw that Kellen was already talking to the intake lady.

He joined Kellen at the desk, booth, whatever it was, and rested his good hand on the guy's back. The tension visibly drained from Kellen's shoulders.

"How did you hurt your hand?" the lady asked.

"I was rescuing a family of geese and one of the baby ducklings got jealous that I was coddling its sibling more than him," Atlas said.

"Gosling," Kellen whispered to him, looking as if he was holding back a laugh.

"I'm sorry. I was rescuing goslings, and one of their ducklings took things too far," Atlas corrected.

The woman rolled her eyes. "You can have a seat. You'll be called when there's an available room."

"But his hand might be broken," Kellen said, his jaw flexing. "No disrespect to you, ma'am, but you don't expect him to wait, do you?"

"I have a family of goslings being seen. Some guy rescued them, and now they're claiming they have neck and back pain." She got up and headed over to the pediatric emergency waiting area that was on the other side of the room.

"She's funny," Atlas said as he watched her walk away.

Kellen turned toward Atlas. "A baby goose is called a gosling, sweetheart. You just said a baby's infant hurt you."

Atlas's mouth twitched, and then he grinned. "I totally didn't, did I?"

"Go sit your gosling ass down." Kellen pressed his palm in the center of Atlas's back, guiding him to a set of chairs by the wall. There were a handful of people in the waiting area either looking up at the television or watching them.

When they sat, Kellen pulled Atlas toward him, curling an arm around his waist.

One lady was trying her hardest to hide her curled lip.

"What? Can't two guys bring each other comfort when one broke his hand saving baby ducklings?" Atlas hadn't meant to snap, but her disapproving expression reminded him too much of his mom. Whenever he brought Glen to his mother's house, she always gave him the same look.

The woman a few seats over glanced back down at the book she'd been reading.

"My hero." Kellen kissed Atlas's temple and pulled him close again. Atlas curled up in his strong arms, daring anyone to say something about two men cuddling.

"I'll just blame my bitchy attitude on the pain."

Thirty minutes later, Atlas was still in pain, but now he was also bored to death—though he had noticed the throbbing wasn't as intense as it was before.

Kellen was using the hand that wasn't around Atlas to scroll through his phone. "Aren't you bored sitting here?"

Without looking up, Kellen said, "I'm never bored when I'm with you."

"You just earned a blowjob, mister," Atlas whispered.

The smallest of growls rumbled in Kellen's chest as he kept looking at his phone.

Atlas grinned, until he heard a familiar voice. His heart beat faster when he saw Glen talking to the intake lady. He was holding his side, wincing as she asked him questions.

Slowly, Atlas sat up. He did not want to run into his ex. Atlas waited for the hurt to surface, but it didn't. The only thing he felt was irritation that he would be stuck in the waiting area with the asshole.

Kellen's hand slid over Atlas's back. "What's wrong, babe? Is your hand feeling worse?"

Atlas looked up at Kellen. "See the guy at intake?"

"Yeah." Kellen nodded.

"Meet my ex. The who I was just getting over when I met you."

Glen was still tall and wiry, a head full of blond hair that was styled to perfection. Atlas narrowed his eyes when he saw that Glen was wearing the shirt he'd bought him. He had a wild urge to rip it right off of him.

"We're just going to keep it civil," Kellen said with a slight growl. "We don't want hospital security trying to force us to leave just because I put my fist through his face."

Kellen would kill Glen with one punch.

"You're right." Atlas sat back. "We are going to keep it civil. If he starts acting like a dick, then I'll just shove my tongue down your throat."

Kellen pressed his lips against Atlas's ear, making him shiver. "I'll strip you naked right here and show your ex how much I appreciate what he didn't want by fucking you into the room behind this wall."

Oh shit. Now Atlas was sitting there half hard. All he could think about was the night they'd had sex. There were parts on Atlas's body that were still sore as hell.

"As long as you keep my bad hand out of the way." Atlas snickered. "We can make the biggest spectacle."

Kellen growled low in Atlas's ear. "Keep talking like that and the doctor will walk into your room and find you bent over the bed."

Atlas's breath caught just imagining Kellen's thick cock railing him over a plastic mattress.

That thought evaporated as Atlas shot into a sitting position, his lips parting as he watched Braylon join Glen. He ran his hand over Glen's back, talking softly to him.

"Isn't that your best friend?" Kellen asked.

Atlas just sat there with his jaw dropped. Braylon knew what Glen had done to him. His best friend had held Atlas as he cried, talking about how he wanted to throttle the guy.

Braylon kissed Glen's cheek and tousled his hair, looking adoringly at him.

"I can snap them both in half for you," Kellen snarled.

Grinning, Braylon glanced around, and then his gaze fell on Atlas. His smile faded as his eyes widened.

Atlas jerked from his chair, stalking toward his ex-best friend.

"I can explain, Atlas!" Braylon said.

Glen watched Atlas's approach as a smirked surfaced. "Busted," he said with a chuckle. "Didn't know your best buddy has been seeing me for over two months now, did you?"

Atlas's head snapped back as if the bastard had struck him. His chest ached so badly that it hurt. Not because of Glen, but because Braylon was having sex with the guy a month before Atlas had broken up with him.

"Close your mouth," Glen said. "It's unbecoming."

"Shut the fuck up," Atlas snapped at him.

Glen stood to his full height, his hand slipping away from his side. "Don't talk to me like that. I see whoever you're dating likes it rough from the bruises on your neck."

"Glen, you really need to shut the hell up," Braylon said as he stared wide-eyed past Atlas. "If you don't, you're definitely in the right place."

Atlas felt a large presence at his back. The intake lady just stared between them, and then she picked up the phone and dialed presumably security.

He knew the moment Glen's eyes landed on Kellen. He craned his neck back and looked above Atlas's head.

"You're a piece of shit, Braylon!" Atlas screamed as tears stung his eyes. "I confided everything in you! You held me as I cried over this worthless trash, and you were sucking his dick the entire time?"

Atlas couldn't hold back the tears. Betrayal sliced through him as Braylon stood there, refusing to look at him.

"Don't talk to him that way," Glen yelled as he met Atlas's eyes. "I can't help it if you couldn't give me what I wanted."

Kellen reached past Glen and yanked him up by the front of his shirt. "I will rip out your heart for talking to my mate that way."

"Security!" Glen yelled as his arms flailed at his sides.

Atlas pressed his good hand against Kellen's wrist. "They're not worth it. He's a cheating whore and always will be." Atlas turned to Braylon. "When he breaks your heart, don't look for my shoulder to cry on. You two deserve each other."

But it hurt. It hurt like hell to know how badly Braylon had stabbed him in the back. Atlas turned, refusing to let either man see him cry.

Kellen released Glen and curled his arms around the back of Atlas's thighs, lifting him up and holding him close.

"Atlas Havis?" a nurse called out.

All Atlas could do was bury his face in Kellen's neck as the guy strode through the door the nurse was holding for them. He heard a loud sob behind him, but Braylon could shove his tears up his ass.