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Brooklyn wiped his cheek and got a glob of cream cheese on his fingers. “Crap.”
His mate leaned forward and licked the cream cheese off Brooklyn’s finger. “Better?”
“Not unless you lick the rest of it off.”
Kieran quickly finished off Brooklyn’s bagel. He dipped his finger in the strawberry preserves and ran it along Brooklyn’s mouth. He then replaced his finger with his tongue, licking off the sweetness.
“I think I like this bagel-eating thing,” Brooklyn said. “The only thing that could make this better is if we were naked.” Brooklyn ached with need, just looking at his mate.
“I’d love nothing more than to strip you naked, but unfortunately, I have pack business I need to take care of.” Kieran kissed him deeply. “We can pick up where we left off when I get back.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Kieran got up from his chair and grabbed his jacket. “I promise I won’t be gone too long.”
Brooklyn followed him to the door. “Be safe.”
“I will. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Kieran kissed Brooklyn one last time before he left. Brooklyn watched him walk down the hallway, feeling happier than he had in years. He leaned against the doorframe, replaying the events of the evening in his head. He was grateful that Kieran had come over when he did. He shuddered to think what Blaine might have done to him if his mate hadn’t intervened.
Brooklyn took a deep breath and went back to the kitchen to clean up.
* * * *
“You got a black eye,” Cyrus said when Kieran returned home for their pack meeting. “Lose a fight?”
“I had to fight off all your adoring family members.” Kieran winked. He was acting playful right now, but underneath, he was boiling mad. He should have killed Blaine. He would have if he’d known that was Brooklyn’s ex. He should have based on the simple fact the bastard had laid a hand on Brooklyn.
But his mate had stopped him, and Kieran had backed off. If he ever saw the guy again, Kieran would make good on his promise.
The entire pack gathered in Rayne’s office. Kieran leaned against a wall, waiting for his alpha to start.
Rayne walked in and moved behind his desk but didn’t sit down. “I’m sure all of you are aware that Fayez has disappeared. In his absence, his coven has been causing a lot of problems.”
“I’ve had to kill two of his men,” Beast said from beside Kieran. “They were ganging up on a human, and when I tried to stop them, they tried to kill me.”
“Killed three myself,” Talon said. “I thought it was a fluke. I hadn’t heard about Fayez.”
“I want you guys to step up patrols,” Rayne said. “They’re leaderless, which means the leash has come off. Our only goal is to keep Ridgeway safe. I set up a meeting with Eleazar to see if he can contain this.”
Kieran snorted. “If he could, don’t you think he would have already?”
“Eleazar may be a lot of things, but he loves this city as much as you guys do,” Felix said from the back of the room. “He’s not going to stand for the chaos.”
Kieran wasn’t so confident. He didn’t trust a bloodsucker. Not a single one. Vampires were only out for themselves, uncaring who they hurt to obtain their goal.
Whatever that goal was.
He had to accept one thing though. Eleazar was strict when it came to his own coven and the independent vampires who lived in the city, but would he really intervene to stop the vampires that caused trouble? As far as Kieran knew, Eleazar hardly left his estate that sat atop a hillside, overlooking Ridgeway. Or would he send his men to clean up the trash? Either way, a little help wouldn’t hurt.
“As for you.” Rayne pointed at Kieran. “Your only goal is to keep your mate safe. You still haven’t found the vampire who attacked him. We don’t know if it was random or targeted. If Brooklyn will let you, stick to his side.”
Kieran didn’t think his mate would mind, but he was going to ask anyway. He didn’t want to take that choice out of Brooklyn’s hands. “Planned on it.”
Rayne nodded. “Good. Everyone else, keep vigilant on the streets. Stop Fayez’s coven from causing any more problems.”
