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He would destroy anyone who ever tried to hurt her, no matter the cost.
And he’d do it with a fucking smile on his face and dark joy in his heart.
Even though he couldn’t publicly claim her, he couldn’t stay away from Autumn. He’d tried. Fucking hell, had he tried and failed…miserably. At first, leaving Mystic had seemed like the safest option, but when he’d attempted it, he’d found that it had been impossible to do.
He needed Autumn like he needed air. Even if he had to do his best to seem unaffected by his mate’s presence, just being around her was like a balm for his wounded soul.
Kingston had loved Autumn from the shadows for three long years, and every day he fell for her a little bit more. He fed his secret addiction to her by visiting her bakery every day. Honestly, he hadn’t had much of a sweet tooth before meeting her, but now he couldn’t live without her cookies and muffins.
Her peanut butter brownies were also a particular favorite of his.
The way she always made sure to put some aside for him warmed his heart. It might have seemed like a small thing, but it showed him that she cared. Kingston knew she had feelings for him. It was in the way she looked at him with her heart in her eyes, but she was too shy to pursue anything without some sort of indicator from him that he felt the same way.
And that was something he couldn’t give her yet.
It was a blessing that she didn’t know they were mates, that she didn’t feel the same inextricable pull that he did. Perhaps it had something to do with their different magic levels, or maybe it was because she was half witch and half human. No matter the reason, he was grateful that she wasn’t suffering the same way he was.
Loving her from afar was pure torture and sheer heaven at the same time, but he would continue enduring as long as he could remain close to her. That didn’t mean he was completely a passive player in their relationship, though. While Autumn might be oblivious to the many males who came into her bakery and admired her, Kingston noticed every single one of them.
Most of them were benign entities, irritating but essentially harmless. However, there were a few more persistent assholes who dared to think they could ask his sweet little mate out on a date. That would only happen over his dead fucking body. It had taken some creativity, but he had managed to dissuade all of them of that notion pretty damn quick. Keeping other males from pursuing her was the only way to stop himself from going insane and prevent him from committing murder.
Kingston felt like a fucking monster hiding in the dark and watching her like some creepy, crazy stalker. He knew he didn’t have the right to interfere with her life to the extent that he did, but he couldn’t help himself. On his days off, he would sometimes bring a book or some other work and hang out on the upper floor during her shift. He also began accepting any invitations Thayer or Huxley offered to attend Bazin pack dinners just so he could sit across the table and admire her.
He’d lurked in the shadows to make sure she was safe when she opted to walk instead of drive to the bakery in the early morning hours, or home in the evening. He didn’t do it every day since he couldn’t always get away from the firehouse, but he tried to be there as often as he could. Thankfully, she was usually with her fairy friend, who was well-versed in using her magic to protect them if the need arose.
It was easy to monitor Autumn’s schedule since he had moved into the same small condo complex that she and Jordan lived in. There were only eight units in the square building with a large, shared courtyard in the center. Since Thayer and Huxley also lived there, it had been easy enough to arrange.
There had been a condo available downstairs, but Kingston had ended up bribing a guy to move out of the second-floor unit he now lived in. His unit was directly across from Autumn’s, and his doorbell camera afforded him the perfect view of her front door. He knew that was more stalker shit he would have a hard time explaining if he ever got caught, but he couldn’t help himself.
It was getting harder for him to hide his obsession from his friends, but he didn’t have a choice. It was safer for everyone that way. So far, only Thayer knew about his connection to Autumn. After spending time in prison together, Thayer had gotten good at reading Kingston’s expressions and moods.
Thayer discovering his secret had turned out to be a good thing since he helped keep an eye on Autumn whenever Kingston couldn’t. His friend knew just how hard it was for him since he couldn’t claim her, so Thayer did whatever he could to help keep her safe.
Autumn hadn’t been home or at the bakery over the last few days, and Kingston was starting to freak out. It wasn’t like her to take time off without notice, and that worried him. At least he knew she was safe since he’d heard that she and Jordan had been staying at their cottage on pack land, but he didn’t know why. Since Huxley had spent the last few days back on the farm, Kingston hoped he could pry some information out of him since he needed an update on Autumn like an addict needed a fix.
When Huxley shoved his leg aside and sat down on the bench next to him, Kingston sat up and reached for his water bottle. Twisting off the cap, he took a long drink before saying, “What are you doing here? I thought you were off today.”
“I am, but there’s a…thing we have to deal with here this afternoon.”
Across the table, Thayer frowned. “What thing?”
Colton sighed as he leaned against the thick trunk of the tree instead of taking a seat at the table. “It’s a doozy.”
Thayer smirked. “No one says doozy anymore.”
Colton’s chin lifted. “Don’t you know? Old school terms are hip again.”
“I really don’t think so.” Huxley snickered when Colton reached out and slapped him on the back of his head. “Careful old man. Don’t strain yourself.”
“Disrespectful little shit,” Colton said fondly.
“So, what’s the thing?” Thayer asked again, getting the conversation back on track.
Huxley sighed. “We need to test something out with just supes around. We figured strong supes who are used to dealing with disasters would be best.”
“It’s why I let the trainees go early today,” Colton added. “Safer for them.”
“It’s been a rough few days dealing with the clusterfuck Autumn has found herself in, but if we can—”
