“Tell me,” Chance ordered.
“I don’t know what happened exactly, but two mages attacked Seth and another pack member.Both the mages were wounded.One is on the run right now, while the other is down.You need to send people after the first one and to help me with Seth.”
“He’s hurt?”
“I can’t see any blood, but he was slammed against a tree pretty harshly.There was nothing I could do to stop it.”
“I don’t blame you, and I’m sure he doesn’t, either.We’ll be right there.”
“Send someone after that mage before he hurts someone else,” Ryan reminded Chance.
He was pretty sure that he didn’t need to remind the alpha how to do his job, but he was scared and angry.He wanted to stay on the line to know where Chance was, but Chance hung up, so Ryan turned his attention back to Seth.
He briefly glanced at the dying mage, then dropped to his knees next to his boyfriend.He put down the phone and reached for Seth’s face.For some reason, Seth puckered his lips.
Ryan snorted.“I’m not going to kiss you.”He gently cupped Seth’s head and slid his fingers into his hair, poking around to find out if he’d hurt his head.
Seth winced and tried to get away, but Ryan didn’t let him.He could feel something damp in Seth’s hair, probably blood.He wouldn’t be surprised if Seth had a concussion.
“I’m sure a kiss from you would heal me right away,” Seth muttered.
Ryan leaned down to press his lips against Seth’s forehead.“There.”
“Maybe you could kiss me somewhere else, too.”
“Stop that.You’re hurt.”
“I meant my lips.Not my fault your mind’s in the gutter.”
Ryan rolled his eyes but pressed their lips together.He couldn’t lie and say that he didn’t want to kiss Seth, even when Seth was wounded.
Seth sighed happily and leaned back against the tree.“I really wish this hadn’t happened,” he murmured.
“You and me both.”
“We were supposed to go on a date.”
“We’ll have plenty of dates.Don’t worry too much and focus on being okay.”
“I don’t know if I’m okay.I want to puke.”
The way Seth was behaving right now reminded Ryan of how young he was—only twenty-one.While Ryan wasn’t exactly old, he felt the need to protect his boyfriend.If he could, he’d hunt down the mage who’d escaped to be sure he could never return to hurt Seth again.Instead, he pulled his fingers out of Seth’s hair and reached for one of his hands.
Ryan’s fingertips were bloody, but neither he nor Seth cared.They linked their fingers together, and Seth leaned his head back against the tree, wincing when he pressed against the spot where he was hurt.
“I’m fine, but you should probably check out that lady,” Seth said.
Ryan blinked.He’d forgotten about her.“What happened to her?”
“She was yelling at me that I don’t belong here or something just as stupid when the mages arrived.She freaked out and tried to run.”
“That clearly didn’t go well for her.Why didn’t she shift?Isn’t she a bear?”
Seth shrugged.“I think she is.I didn’t pay much attention, to be honest.I was too busy trying to protect both of us from those mages.”
Ryan eyed her.It would be the right thing to do to check in on her, but considering what Seth just said, Ryan didn’t care much if she was okay.There wasn’t anything he could do if she wasn’t, anyway.He wasn’t a healer or anything like that.If he was, he’d be helping Seth, anyway.“Are you going to tell Chance what happened with her?”
“Of course I am.She deserves it.”
