Carter's Tryck [Brac Pack 17] (9 page)

68

Lynn Hagen

He could feel the heat creeping across his face. He’d never had a guy flirt with him before. It was exciting and pulse pounding. The side of his mouth pulled back slightly as he continued to stare at his mate.

“Dude, you got it bad.” Oliver chuckled, bumping shoulders with Carter.

His gaze ripped away from his mate’s, looking at the guys sitting around the table. “No I don’t.”

“That’s like the hundredth time you looked at your mate.” Blair laughed.

“I’m not looking at Tryck. I’m making sure no one has stolen our ride.” Carter huffed. He thought he had been slick about it, but he must not have. All the mates were smiling at him. “What?”

“Liar.” Keata giggled.

Carter waved a hand at them as he picked up his burger, the grease running down his hand. Maybe it wasn’t safe to eat this. He set it back down. “I can’t help it. He’s hot,” Carter confessed, feeling his cheeks burn a little more.

He liked the camaraderie, never before hanging out with a bunch of guys who were mated like him. It felt like a special kind of bonding going on between them.

Sure, he hung out with Teaky, but this felt different. Closer.

“I have to admit, he is that. But don’t tell Maverick I said that.

Those two already go head-to-head.” Cecil snickered.

Carter glanced out the window once more. The warriors were talking, just hanging out, giving their mate’s room to socialize in an outside setting. Carter had to admit, he liked hanging with the guys, but also liked the fact that his mate was close by.

To anyone else it would seem like the warriors were at ease. The mates knew better. They were being watched by their men.

“So why does he drive me so batty?” Carter asked while still watching Tryck. He wanted to go out there and crawl into this lap, and get fucked right there on the bike.
Avoid sex my ass
. Carter was addicted to it now.

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69

The thought of Tryck taking him on the bike had his heart racing and his imagination running wild. What would it be like to have sex outdoors? He definitely wanted to find out.

“It’s called being in love,” Kyoshi offered, bringing Carter out of his thoughts.

Carter’s head snapped around as Kyoshi’s words registered in his brain. “Who says I’m in love with him?” That was ridiculous.
Love?

He wasn’t sure he would call it that. Infatuation maybe, but love?

Oliver laughed as he shook his head, pointing a finger at Carter.

“Your actions do. You haven’t taken your eyes off of him for five seconds straight.”

Who cared what Oliver said, Carter wasn’t in love with big ole Biker Bob. There was no way.
No way.

Carter fought hard not to look back out of the window. His eyes kept straying that way, but he forced them back at the last minute.

“How do you know if you’re in love?” Carter became curious, needing to know. What he was feeling couldn’t possibly be that. He had never been in love before, so he didn’t have anything to compare his feelings against.

“Do you get tongue tied around him, palms sweaty, heart racing?

Would you do anything for him?” Cecil questioned him.

Carter thought about it for a moment. “I become a nervous wreck around him, and yeah, I would do anything for him.” He wasn’t going to lie about it. No matter what happened between them, Carter knew he’d do anything for his mate.

“You in love.” Keata beamed up at him.

Carter was shocked. How had he fallen in love with the gruff man? Tryck was prickly at best when they were together, gentle as all get out when they were alone. He decided to test this theory. “Excuse me.”

He stood, making his way outside and straight to the man leaning back on his bike.

“What’s wrong,
gatito
?” Tryck sat up, his eyes scanning the area.

70

Lynn Hagen

Carter walked straight up to him and pulled him into a scorching kiss. The other warriors catcalled, whistled, and whooped.

Tryck set him aside, looking around at everyone as if embarrassed. “Later.”

Carter was crushed. “So I’m good enough for the bedroom but not good enough for when we’re in public?” Carter felt his heart breaking, he turned, running back inside to the other mates. He fell into the booth, wiping the tears from his eyes. He didn’t want to be someone’s dirty little secret, and that’s exactly what it felt like.

Everyone knew they were mates, but Carter had a feeling that if it were up to his mate, no one would know.

“What happened?” Blair asked.

“He doesn’t want to acknowledge me outside of the bedroom.” Carter sniffled as he wiped at his eyes.

“Give him time.” Kyoshi patted his hand a sympathetic look on his face. Carter didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. He wanted to be left alone right now.

“No, if he can’t let others see his tender side, then I don’t want any of it.” Carter cried as he shoved from the booth and ran to the bathroom, shimmering out.

He ended up back at his old dwelling. Even though the Wood Elves had openly said they didn’t want him there, where else could he go? It hurt to know his mate didn’t want anyone to know how he felt about Carter. What was so hard about giving him a kiss, or a hug? He wasn’t asking for his mate to molest him in public, but a small sign of acknowledgement would be nice.

“What are you doing here?” Teaky asked from his bedroom doorway.

“Nothing, I just want to be alone.” Carter rolled over onto his old bed and balled up. It hurt so damn bad. Was he ugly? Was that why Tryck didn’t want others to know how gentle he could be? What was with the tough-man front?

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It may not be important to some, but to Carter, it mattered. It mattered to him that Tryck acknowledge him.

The bed dipped, Teaky resting a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his hand up and down Carter’s arm. “Talk to me.” Carter didn’t want his best friend touching him. It felt wrong now that he knew Tryck’s touch. Besides, they were best friends, always had been, but nothing more. Teaky was like a brother to him. He scooted away, wondering why his best friend was acting this way.

“I’m okay.”

He shouted in surprise when Teaky rolled him over, his eyes filled with rage. “I knew you shouldn’t have gone with that shifter. He isn’t good enough for you.” Teaky tried to pin him down, tried to hold Carter’s head while his lips hung dangerously close.

Carter fought with everything in him as Teaky ripped his shirt and yanked at his slacks, the snap breaking and his zipper coming down.

“What the hell are you doing?” Carter shouted while trying to free himself. He couldn’t think straight. This was a nightmare. He scratched and clawed, fighting for his freedom.

“You should have been mine.” Teaky growled as he ripped Carter’s pants, making them split at the seam.

Carter bit Teaky’s cheek, his teeth digging into flesh. Teaky shouted and grabbed his face, freeing Carter. He rolled over, but before he could shimmer away, Teaky cocked his arm back and punched Carter in his face.

Carter’s hand instinctively flew to his face, covering the throbbing pain as he ended up in Maverick’s office.

Thank God no one was in there. He sobbed as he crawled behind the leather sofa. He dropped to the floor and balled up, trying his best to pull his shirt closed.

His thoughts were chaotic at best. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this. Why had his best friend done this to him? Carter covered his face as he wept.

72

Lynn Hagen

* * * *

Tryck was enraged. How dare his mate shimmer out again. He stormed through the front door, heading straight for his bedroom. His heart had seized in his chest when the other mate’s ran out to tell him Carter had disappeared from the bathroom.

Maverick stormed his way, grabbing his arm and whipping him around. “Follow me.”

“Get the hell off of me. I don’t have time for your bullshit right now.” Tryck yanked his arm free. He was too busy worrying about his mate to deal with an enraged Alpha right now. He didn’t care why Maverick was upset, it wasn’t his problem.

“Follow me now!” Maverick used his commanding Alpha tone, glaring at him and begging with his eyes for Tryck to defy him.

Tryck faltered in his step. He had never seen him like this.

Something had to be wrong. He nodded, following Maverick to his office.

He heard whimpering before he even made it to the door. Tryck pushed past Maverick, looking around the office until he pinpointed where the noise was coming from.

He knew that voice. Knew it like the back of his hand.

Tryck slowly rounded the couch and his heart stopped beating.

Reality ceased to exist. He felt like he was in a fog, the voices around him echoing from somewhere off in the distance.

There was a man lying on the floor, he resembled Carter, but…it couldn’t be his delicate mate. Tryck tilted his head, staring at the torn clothing and the bruise on the man’s face.

“Who is he?” Tryck turned to Maverick.

“Tryck?” Maverick stepped closer, staring at him as if he had lost his mind. Maybe he had because none of this was making any sense to him. “It’s Carter, your mate.”

Tryck shook his head at the Alpha then looked back down at the man, wondering why Maverick would lie to him.

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73

The man whimpered, and the entire room turned crimson, his vision shifting. His heart rate beat a thousand beats per minute as his chest began to contract and expand at an alarming rate.

All at once, everything came rushing at him, hitting him with a force greater than a tsunami.

Tryck’s head fell back and an unearthly sound broke from his chest and then ripped from his throat. He dropped to his knees, his hand hovering over his mate. This man
was
his mate, his
gatito
.

“Tryck?” Maverick said his name again, but he wasn’t listening.

He swallowed, running his hand over his mate’s hair. “Carter.” He cried his mate’s name softly. “
Gatito
?” Carter backed away, his unfocused eyes darting around as his back hit the couch. “No!” he shouted. “Get away!” his hands flew up in front of him, blocking Tryck from making any moves toward him.

“
Gatito
.” Tryck tried to reach for him again, but Carter scrambled further away.

“No, get away from me! You don’t even want people to know about us.” Carter pulled at his torn clothing, trying his best to make his shirt close.

Tryck saw his mate’s pants ripped apart as Carter grabbed them too, trying to make his clothes close around his exposed flesh.

His canines punched through with such force his gums began to bleed. Tryck could taste the coppery liquid in his mouth as the wrath of hell tore through him. “Who did this?” Tryck growled when Nicholas approached and knelt down by Carter. He wanted to protect his mate, keep everyone away.

“Not now,” Nicholas said to Tryck as he slowly approached Carter.

“I won’t hurt you, I swear.” The doctor spoke softly to Carter.

Carter looked up at Nicholas, staring at him as if he were a stranger. His body started to shake, his fingers clenching his shirt closed. Carter whimpered, and then began to cry. It turned into hysterical screaming.

74

Lynn Hagen

Tryck moved in. He didn’t care what Nicholas said. He pulled his mate into his arms, holding on to him as he stood, cradling Carter tightly to his chest.

Tryck ran up the stairs, crashing through his bedroom door. He paced back and forth, unsure of himself. He didn’t know what to do.

“Put him on the bed. I need to examine him.” Nicholas spoke from the door. Tryck continued pacing. He couldn’t bring himself to let go. He feared by letting go, Carter would be harmed all over again.

He wanted blood, he wanted revenge, but most of all, he wanted to take his mate’s pain away.

“Tryck, he needs to be examined. I have to see what, if any, damage there is.” Nicholas insisted in a soft, compassionate tone.

He nodded, took a step toward the bed, and then turned around.

What should he do? He couldn’t do it, couldn’t let his mate go.

“Tryck.”

He turned, walked across the room, and gently laid his mate down. Tryck watched in a detached state as Nicholas coaxed Carter to uncurl himself. His eyes scanned his mate’s body as the doctor pulled the tattered clothes off of Carter.

He spun around, slamming his eyes closed when the doctor began to check anally.
God no!

Tryck punched his head with his fists. Someone was going to die.

Someone was going to die tonight and he would make sure it was long and drawn out. Whoever had done this would wish for death by the time he was done with them.

Nicholas approached him, touching his shoulder gently, but Tryck couldn’t bring himself to turn around. He couldn’t. His world was about to come crashing down around him and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

“He wasn’t violated.”

The words took a moment to register. Once Nicholas’s words sunk in, Tryck was able to breathe again. He turned and walked to the
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75

bed. He stared down at his mate who was tucked in. “Please, tell me who,” Tryck begged.

Carter buried his face, crying into the covers. His shoulders shook as he turned away from Tryck, giving him his back. “Teaky.” Tryck stormed from the room, flew down the steps, raced to his bike, and tore from the driveway. Raged filled him to the point where blood no longer pumped through his veins. Death did, and he was going to share all of it with that fucking dead man.

He leaned forward, pushing his bike past one hundred twenty as he raced to the small village.

His bike roared up into the center, jumping from it as soon as it stopped. He threw his head back and shouted. “Teaky!”

“He’s not here,” an Elvin man informed him.

Tryck's arms flung out to his sides, his nails elongating as his eyes shifted. His canines had never receded. “Bring him to me now!” Tryck looked over his shoulder as two more bikes approached, his brothers. They parked their motorcycles and walked over, standing at his flank. “We know where he lives.” Law led Tryck to a small dwelling.