Chapter 27

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

CONNOR

A new, wild light glowed within Ben's green eyes, containing an ethereal quality that called to his fae heritage.

Connor wanted to slide their mouths together again and claim Ben in front of all these wolves. But fuck them. They didn't get to see what Ben and Connor meant to each other.

"Get over here, little sprite," Vaughn said. He stood on the edge of the grotto and stretched his hand down. "I can be merciful. Stone can live if you stop these games."

"Why don't you come and get him, Vaughn?" Connor taunted. He didn't flinch when something brushed his leg. He knew it waited to pull Vaughn to the bottom the first chance it got.

"Or I could wait until the flesh leaches off your bones," Vaughn said. "I've watched it happen—it's not pretty."

Vaughn wasn't wrong. Poison remained in the water even after all these years, steadily burning Connor's skin faster than he could heal. The pinkness on Ben's face and throat showed he was hardly immune, too.

"Go," Connor said softly.

Ben tugged him in for another searing kiss, his tongue caressing the inside of Connor's mouth. Connor liked this possessive side of Ben.

"Be ready," Ben murmured against his lips.

Connor squeezed his ass in response.

Ben swam to the edge of the grotto where Vaughn waited.

Vaughn waved his hand impatiently, and Ben reached up and clasped tight onto his forearm as he was pulled out of the water.

Connor snarled at Vaughn touching his mate.

Ben rose to his full height, barely reaching the alpha's shoulders. He seemed so delicate compared to Vaughn's bulk.

"Damn you for trying to kill my beloved, Vaughn," Ben said, his voice low and melodic in a way Connor had never heard before. His forest-green eyes glowed. "Damn you all to suffering and death."

Chaos erupted.

A crack sounded overhead before a large branch randomly fell on top of three wolves. Another wolf tripped and fell in their rush to escape, smashing his head into a tree trunk.

Vaughn stepped back, eyes wide as if he knew what the chaos meant.

Connor used the distraction to leap out of the grotto. He tackled a wolf and knocked them out with a punch behind the ear. A gun jutted out of the wolf's waistband, and Connor snarled at such a mundane weapon, but damn if he wasn't going to use it.

He took down five wolves in rapid succession. The loud bang of gunfire caused other wolves to bolt like cowards into the woods. Or maybe they ran because of Ben.

His luckbringer strode fearlessly among them, green eyes glowing and a snarl curling his lip. Ben's hands stretched out as if he called the forest to him. A wolf tripped on a root and landed in a sprawl, only for another scurrying wolf to trample on his knee with a pop. The wolf howled, and suddenly Ben was there to boot him in the temple.

Connor almost grimaced in sympathy, but the fucker had stood by while Ben dived into the grotto.

The enormity of Ben's actions brought Connor's wolf to the surface with a howl. To dive into poisoned water where remnants of his kin lingered in probable torment. To likely feel them brush against Ben as they'd done with Connor…

Ben was suddenly in front of him, grabbing a fistful of his wet shirt to pull him down. Their lips smacked together hard. "Stay focused, alpha."

Connor grinned. "Give them hell, luckbringer."

"It is my luck, isn't it?" Ben said with a killer's smile. The eerie light in his eyes should have been terrifying, but Connor was all for seeing his mate bloom into his power.

Ben's attention shifted, and he stalked toward Vaughn, who seemed frozen in realization.

The alpha took one look at Ben approaching and bolted for the woods.

Ben didn't appear in any rush, trailing after the alpha.

Fighting the urge to follow—reminding himself he'd made sure Ben could win his own fights—Connor concentrated on clearing the trees of Vaughn's wolves. Without leadership, they were pathetically easy to take down—even Craven, the sniveling snot.

Craven puffed his chest whilst screaming at wolves to stop running, then shut up with a squeak when Connor found him.

"I'm glad Ben didn't kill you the first time around," Connor growled.

Craven drew his gun. " You should have killed me, Stone, instead of dumping me with those Granier idiots. Now your pack's dead, and it's all your fault."

Connor knew in his bones that Craven lied. It wasn't because he had Ben and the sprite's luck by his side. He knew the strength of his pack. Vaughn and his group of rampaging cowards knew nothing of pack or family.

"On your knees, Stone," Craven said, waving his gun.

"Fuck you, Craven," Connor replied. He stepped close, shifting to the side as Craven's grip tightened on the trigger. The gunshot rang in Connor's ears as he grabbed the gun, twisting the barrel skyward.

The idiot wolf pulled the trigger again, blowing his jaw and half his brains out.

"Moron," Connor said as Craven toppled backwards to the ground, eyes unseeing.

He hoped Ben wasn't disappointed at missing his chance at Vaughn's second. Thinking of his wild, beautiful sprite made him want to kiss Ben again. But first he needed to wipe this territory of wolves.

He rounded a tree on the hunt for another wolf when he bumped into a large form running toward the grotto.

"Connor, you fortunate fuck!" Seamus said, steadying him. His nose wrinkled. "Gross, man, you stink!"

"I got tossed into the grotto," Connor said, looking about. To his immense relief, Kris and Anders weren't far behind. He spied Jake leaping off a branch to land on the back of a fleeing wolf, quietly taking them out before they knew what hit them.

Anders gave Connor a brief wave before he slinked off to cause his own mayhem in the woods.

"Sorry it took us so long," Seamus said, grinning.

"Not like there's much to do," Kris pouted. His knives were barely bloodied.

Connor refused to roll his eyes. "There's plenty of cleanup. Ben's chasing down Vaughn—oh."

The alpha in question launched through the bushes as if a demon was on his tail. Ben emerged soon after, following at a light jog. He practically glowed with confidence.

Vaughn stopped short when he realized they'd returned to the grotto. He spun about, looking for allies. Finding his pack dead or dispersed, he turned on Ben. Face twisted in a snarl, Vaughn went for Ben's throat.

Ben ducked, quick and determined, and punched Vaughn in the chin and ribs before bouncing out of reach. "What's the matter, Vaughn?" he taunted. "Getting slow in your old age? Or are you just weak?"

Vaughn roared and pounced. He scored a glancing blow to Ben's temple, but it didn't slow the sprite down. Ben landed rapid hits to Vaughn's torso, a pattern Connor recognized that Anders favored. Then Ben kicked Vaughn in the knee with a resounding crack.

Vaughn staggered back, howling in pain. His heel caught on a tree root, and he stumbled backward to the edge of the grotto. Arms cartwheeling, he fell into the water.

Ben straightened, his expression blank as he strode to the edge.

The water around Vaughn hissed, pulling down on his shoulders. He frantically kicked to the side of the grotto, only to be dragged back by unseen force.

"Help me!" Vaughn shouted, fingers gouging into the muddy edge before being carried back to the center of the grotto. "Show mercy!"

"Like you showed mercy to my family? To Connor?" Ben asked.

"You're better than me!" Vaughn shouted.

"Maybe," Ben said with a shrug. "My kin want to talk to you, though." He pointed down into the dark water.

Vaughn shrieked as the water churned around him. It let the alpha thrash about and almost reach the side of the grotto, taunting him with the possibility of escape.

Connor grimaced. The sprites were due their vengeance.

Finally, the water pulled Vaughn under. Bubbles reached the surface, the pool becoming unnaturally still.

Kris swore under his breath. "You were in the water, too?" he asked Connor, looking a little green. "And they let you live?"

Connor could hardly believe it himself.

"Of course they did," Ben answered for Connor. "He's mine."

They found a gaudy silver box holding the last of the sprite ash in Vaughn's quarters.

Ben took one look at the box and left the room with Seamus and Jake as vanguards. Connor wanted to go after him and hold him close, but first he needed to secure the precious cargo. A few of Vaughn's pack remained at large, and no sprite, living or dead, would fall into their hands again.

He located Ben being checked over by Grayson, who rubbed salve onto the patchy pink skin on Ben's arms as he sat on the trunk of an old car. Members of the Grainer pack fanned out around the yard, having arrived alongside Connor's enforcers to clean out the remains of Vaughn's wolves.

Ben looked small seated beside the blond-haired Granier alpha. As if sensing Connor was close, Ben looked up, forest-green eyes glowing. Connor pushed down a flare of want at the sight of his clever mate.

"I see you've met Grayson," Connor said, coming to lean his hip against the car.

Ben tilted his head, looking sidelong at the Granier alpha. "Could have used him a day early, but I still owe him a debt."

Connor raised an eyebrow. "That's… not what I would have said. How do you figure Grayson owes you?" He gave the alpha a hard look, wondering if Grayson had done anything beyond rubbing salve on Ben's skin to get in his good graces.

Grayson raised his hands, amusement in his hazel eyes. "Keep your claws sheathed, Stone, I'm not here to steal your sprite," he said. Turning to Ben, he added, "There's no debt. Craven escaped under my watch. He's the reason you were brought back here."

Smiling, Ben said, "Yeah, but before that, you kept Craven locked away for months. If you hadn't given me so much time, I might not have known there were other options."

Connor felt his stomach drop. Was Oakford an option? Was he? Ben didn't need to return to Oakford territory—he could do anything now that he was no longer hunted.

Grayson looked between them. "I know some witches," he said carefully. "We can clean the grotto and make it safe for sprites to call home again."

Connor held his breath and gave Ben's hand a gentle squeeze. He'd support Ben no matter what, no matter the pain it caused himself. He wanted Ben to be happy and free.

"Not for me," Ben said softly.

Connor must have misheard. "Ben?—"

"This isn't my home anymore," Ben said, thumb brushing the top of Connor's hand. "But I know my kin would like it cleansed."

Grayson nodded. "Grainer Pack will guard over this place and ensure no one ever desecrates the grotto again. It's the least we can do."

"Thank you," Ben whispered.

Connor squeezed his hand again. "You don't have to leave. You can have a home again."

"I know," Ben said. "Do you—do you want me to stay?"

Connor scowled. "Here? Fuck no. I want you home with me, with our pack. I love you."

Grinning, Ben said, "Oh."

This luckbringer was going to be the end of him.

Connor gripped the front of Ben's shirt and drew him in for a searing kiss. Ben met him eagerly, their tongues clashing.

Grayson cleared his throat. "Should I leave you two—? Okay, I'm going to go."

The alpha hastily strode away, only to be replaced by Anders and Kris, who showed no shame ogling them. Connor gave them a rude gesture, even as he caught Ben's plush bottom lip with his teeth.

"Damn, boss, have at him," Kris said, then suddenly wheezed when Anders elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Come on, idiot," Anders said, pulling his mate away.

Eventually, Connor stopped kissing the breath out of Ben. He reluctantly pulled back, rewarded by a dazed look in Ben's eyes.

"I want you to take me in our grotto," Ben breathed against Connor's lips.

Our grotto .

The words sounded amazing coming from Ben's lips.

"Yes, of course," Connor said. Even if it meant going underwater again. Ben's happiness meant everything to him.

Ben hooked his leg around the back of Connor's thighs to draw him closer. "I promise you'll like it."

Connor smiled. "I'm sure I will."

Ben's green eyes brightened. His gaze flicked to the silver box on the trunk beside Connor. "What are you going to do with the box?"

"What would you like to do?" Connor asked.

Ben bit his lip. "Take it with us, if that's okay? I think the lake would be a beautiful resting place."

Connor nodded tightly. "Of course."

He thought of the ancient creature guarding the clan grotto. His people would learn to live with weird spirits in the lake. He hoped.

Snorting, Ben said, "It's only ash, Connor, not ancestral spirits."

Connor absolutely did not relax. "Doesn't matter. I'll do anything to make you happy, Ben."

Eyes twinkling, Ben said, "Yeah, I know." He leaned in, his next words a bright kiss against Connor's mouth. "I love you, too."