CHAPTER FIVE

N ik Hadden waited in his office. Josef sounded worried and Josef didn't worry over minor incidents. Whatever it was he was not looking forward to it especially not on the heels of what the Coven had just been through. Whatever it was he would deal with it fast and fierce. He was not going to allow anything a foothold in his territory nothing would be taken for granted or given space.

There came a quick knock, and Josef entered, taking a seat in the chair opposite the sofa where Nik was seated. He quickly brought him up to speed on the situation with Dumas and Gage and the call he had with the dragon knight Saphir.

"The evil from the Center touched the forest," Nik stated.

"Yes, and according to Saphir, it is acting like a virus."

"How many shifters have been infected?"

"That is unknown, but it appears to be many."

"They can't be saved?"

"No, the infection destroys the host after a few hours there is nothing of the original shifter remaining." Nik shook his head pained for the loss of so many.

"Michael and a team of twenty will be heading out within the hour," Josef informed.

"I'm going with them," Nik announced. "We need to keep this contained and destroy it as soon as possible." Nik leaned forward and captured Josef with a pointed stare. "This has to end, Josef. We have to end it once and for all." His tone was tense, and Josef reached out, taking Nik's hand.

"We will end this."

Harley was acting so out of character that he hardly knew himself, and he couldn't stop. Gage had a spell over him of some kind, and all he wanted was to pull him closer and have him now and thoroughly. This wasn't him. He wasn't the desperate twink type begging for a fuck, but apparently, he was. If he had to beg, he was fully prepared to do so. The thought of being denied this amazing man was unthinkable.

"I want you just as badly," Gage whispered, the words coming out in a deep growl. "Don't doubt the depth of my desire to have you."

"What is this, some kind of trauma reaction?" Harley tried for an explanation.

"Nope its Fate, it's destiny. You were always destined to be mine." Gage dropped a kiss to his lips quick yet powerful stirring things in Harley once again and bringing his need to the surface.

"Will it last, do you think?" Harley tried a lighter tone, but Gage was deadly serious with his response.

"Forever, you and I are forever. You are my beloved." Gage pushed a door open, and it was a bedroom the answer to Harley's prayer. He would have been satisfied with a large couch or any flat surface truth be told but nothing beats a large, soft bed. He walked over and sat Harley on the edge of the bed, and took a step back.

He didn't say a word; he just started peeling off his clothing while keeping his eyes glued to Harley, who kicked off his boots and took off Gage's jacket, laying it carefully on the foot of the bed. He watched Gage's shirt disappear, and a body, perfect and tantalizing, was revealed for his pleasure.

Gage was built solid and gorgeous, and he couldn't wait for him to lose the black pants. They fit him like a dream, but Harley desperately needed to see beneath. He wanted the whole intoxicating picture.

"Don't stop, baby." Gage wanted him to continue stripping.

"I'm enjoying the show," Harley said in response.

"It's all for you baby." Harley struggled to believe that this was really happening. He could never get someone like Gage. He was so powerful, focused, smart, capable, had a good job and impressive job and he looked like a fashion model, a tall, muscled fashion model.

"You're gorgeous, sweetheart," Gage responded as if hearing Harley's thoughts.

"We have zombies on our doorstep, and all I can think about is how good it will feel to have you inside me. I must be insane." Harley stated and dropped back onto the bed.

"We are insane, but in the best way possible. I'm going to throw something out, but don't dwell on it too much. I just need to say it, and we will discuss it later." That intro had Harley completely baffled. "You are my beloved, my true match, my Fated love. I recognized your wonderful scent, which called to me, and the moment I touched you, there was no doubt. You are my beloved."

"What does that mean?" Harley asked.

"Tuck it away, and I'll explain later." Surprisingly, Harley did just that.

Gage stripped off the remainder of his clothes and appreciated the hungry stare he received from his beloved. It was good to know that his lover found him attractive. He removed Harley's sweats and his briefs and had to swallow the delicious moans that threatened to pour from his lips. His beloved was pure excellence. He ran his hand down his chest and grazed the silky flesh of his hard cock and finished by molding the fine muscles of his firm thighs.

His lover was smaller built, but he was solid and perfect, and Gage looked forward to fucking him long and often. His one and only was more than enough for this lifetime. Fate never made a mistake, and the truth of that statement came to him clearly.

He knew his time was limited, but he wanted to give his beloved what he needed. Harley scooted back onto the bed and spread his legs, obviously aware of their time constraint and ready to move things along. This man made Gage's heart pound and his breath catch with every look and every touch.

Gage dropped and took Harley down his throat, marveling at the warmth and flavor that shot through him while he was working to bring Harley to completion. He arched and jerked and cried out all things that made Gage certain he was doing it right. His fingers knotted in Gage's hair, and the sharp bite of pain made everything just a little bit better.

He worked him harder and harder, pushing him to the edge, and then thrust his fingers inside that gorgeous hole, stretching and massaging, prepping him for what was to come. Feeling hopeful, he reached over to the beside table and tucked in the drawer was just what he needed. Gage covered his fingers with the fine lubricant and continued to stretch and loosen those tight muscles.

It was hard to believe that he was here in the Lodge, ready to take his beloved. Things had moved fast, and Harley was just as eager as he was to take this relationship further. This would hasten their bond and push their connection forward.

There was no time to complete their bond, but he could make his mark, sealing their burgeoning connection. It would give Harley some protection and would open his mind to the new world he was about to experience.

Gage took him down, swallowing him to the base, and Harley gasped and cried out before coming in rapid bursts, filling Gage's throat and mouth with the most tantalizing flavors. It was just as wonderful and miraculous as he'd anticipated. He took it all down and licked him clean before turning his attention to that gorgeous hole.

He placed a moist kiss on the head of Harley's cock before abruptly flipping him onto his stomach. He'd caught him by surprise and was treated with a lovely giggle from his beloved. It was playful and innocent, and Gage loved it. "You have a gorgeous ass, my love." He groaned as he grabbed Harley's hips and pulled him back and slightly up onto his knees. "I'm going to take you now, baby. Are you ready?"

"Yes, yes." Harley was usually quite verbal, but he took his sudden lack of such as a good sign. Gage leaned forward, pulled Harley back further, and thrust inside with a speed and force that had the young man panting and struggling to breathe. It was just the reaction Gage was going for. He wanted his lover aching and paining for him. "More, Gage, more." Harley moaned, and Gage gave him more.

He hammered Harley's tender hole, thrusting and filling him full, stretching him to his limits and giving him the experience he was craving. Friction was built, and the pressure was incredible. His lover held him in a tight lock of sensation and need, and Gage was losing his mind. A final thrust, hard and exacting, buried him in the base, and he came. The climax tore through him, and the release was explosive, coming in waves of absolute and glorious satisfaction. No man but this man would ever be able to satisfy again.

Harley road the sensations, feeling the height of the excitement and feeding into it. Gage pulled him back up onto his lap and sunk his teeth into the soft flesh of Harley's throat and to a small taste of his beloved. It wasn't enough to bond, but it was enough to start the process. He held him and felt the tremble pass through his body and heard the soft moans that escaped his sweet lips. He licked the wound closed and placed a kiss on the small scar. It was the beginning and enough for now.

"That was fantastic," Harley mumbled as he dropped his head back against Gage's shoulder. "I've never felt so many feelings one after another. It was explosive." Gage smiled, satisfied that he had pleased his beloved.

"I enjoyed it too, sweetheart. Your body was made for me." He kissed him again and then gently placed him back onto the bed as he moved to the edge. "I wish we could stay here the rest of the day, but we can't." He reached back, lightly slapped Harley's ass, and received a salacious moan. "We have to get back to business, baby. We're not out of the woods yet." He chuckled as he got dressed. Harley lay there with his face in the pillows, groaning that he didn't want to move.

Gage grabbed him by the ankles and drug him to the edge of the bed and sat him up. He then proceeded to dress him, and Harley did not rebel. He let him dress him right down to tying the laces on his boots. He then stood and reached his hand out to Harley who took it, and he helped him to his feet.

Gage quite enjoyed taking care of his beloved he never realized how much a person could mean to him until he met this little troublemaker. The love building in his heart and in his mind was at times all consuming and at other times like these just plain beautiful.

"Come now, my love." He said, taking his hand and leading him out of the bedroom.

"I don't want to scare you or anything." Harley began and Gage stopped to regard him seriously, not sure what his next statement would be but ready for anything. "But I'm falling in love with you, and I can't stop it." Gage laughed and pulled him close for a solid hug.

"I'm not scared, Harley. I'm falling for you too." Gage was touched by his openness. "Like I told you, sweetheart, we were made for each other." Gage left it there, not having time to get into the weeds on this subject just yet. The bond that he was able to start would open Harley's mind to the supernatural even further than his current perceptions. He would be ready soon for the whole story. But right now, they had monsters to deal with.

Harley seemed content with his response, and they were again on their way back to the main room to wait for Dumas and keep watch on their perimeters. Harley stayed close, not getting in the way but near and Gage could feel his eyes upon him. The man was trying to figure it all out the shifters, the supernatural, the things Gage had said and his feelings that were wild and encompassing everything.

It was only a few minutes before Dumas came in looking a little worse for the wear. "I see you had to deal with a few here." He said and took off his jacket which was covered in blood and entrails. He tossed it into the corner and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

"Three came knocking." Gage said. "How about you it looks like you went a few rounds."

"There are hordes of them out there Gage." He finished washing and came back to the living room and grabbed a water bottle emptying it and then grabbed another.

"The first one we encountered was a cougar but the three at the door were different species. I would guess a fox or a rabbit and two wolves. They weren't coordinated or actually working together it was odd. Harley called them zombies and I think that is a fair description." Gage sat on the arm of the couch next to Harley and Dumas took a seat in front of the windows.

"They are roaming the woods in groups as large as forty or fifty beasts. I agree they aren't acting together. They're just following one another, no lights or direction behind their blind stares." He leaned back, downed half the water bottle, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It was obvious that he'd dealt with a lot out there.

"Any openings any possibility that we can make a successful escape from here?" Gage had his doubts before he even asked and those doubts were made true when Dumas sadly shook his head.

"There are too many, and they are spread throughout the forest, and their numbers seem to be getting larger. This is really going to decimate the shifter population around here." Dumas finished his water and set the bottle aside.

"Will it affect us? Will we become mindless murderers like those shifters?" Harley spoke up, and the question was reasonable.

"No the infection takes time and exposure from what I have gleaned from the I've killed." Dumas began to explain but Harley interrupted.

"How could you get that information? They weren't able to speak."

"Vampires and hellhounds have the ability to discern thoughts and intents in their minds and sometimes get glimpses of backgrounds. It's especially easy with some shifter species like cougars and foxes, who don't have a lot of defenses, intellectually speaking. Wolves and bears are more difficult, as are humans." Gage stopped when he saw Harley's eyes go wide.

"You've been reading my mind?" He drew out each syllable.

"No, I cannot read your mind, baby. I can get a sense of your emotions, and I can tell if you're scared or in danger, but I can't read beyond that."

"Why, is that the way it is with all humans?"

"Not all humans, but you are my beloved, as I told you earlier, and Fated pairs are unable to read one another in that way. It's just nature's way of keeping couples equal when one is more powerful than the other." Gage stood and walked over to the window.

"We're a couple?" Harley's tone had softened considerably, and Gage turned to regard him over his shoulder. That was the one point he pulled from that entire explanation, and Gage loved him just a little bit more.

"Yes, we are a couple." He responded, and Harley chuckled.

"That's cool." Was all he said, and Gage agreed.