Page 26 of Beautiful Butterfly

“I’ll leash my cheetah since your tush needs a break, but all bets are off as soon as the sun rises.” Wyatt reclined, stretching his powerful legs in front of him, then crossed his ankles. “Eat your food, butterfly. You have to be as hungry as I am.”

“I don’t know how I’m going to get my mouth around it.” Alister grabbed his sandwich and turned it in different angles. “How in the hell did you bite yours without dislocating your jaw?”

“You want me to smash it down?”

“I’ll just pick it apart.” He tore off a piece of the thick bread and ate it, not realizing until that moment that he was famished. Constant sex really did work up an appetite.

Wyatt got up and walked into the house. When he returned, he had a plate and two slices of bread. He took Alister’s hoagie and dismantled the sandwich, creating a smaller one with the thinner bread. “Here you go, handsome.”

“Much better.” Alister’s taste buds detonated with pleasure as he took a bite of the sandwich. He moaned, savoring the combined flavors of smoked ham, salami, pickles, provolone cheese, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. The perfect amount of Italian dressing completed the culinary masterpiece.

Now he knew why his bestie always looked on the verge of an explosive orgasm when he ate his favorite ice cream.

“Try it with the chips.” Wyatt held the bowl out to him.

Alister had to swallow most of what was in his mouth to eat a chip, but his mate was right. The barbeque flavor made it even better.

“The best million-calorie sandwich I’ve ever eaten.” He took a sip of his drink to wash it down. “If I wasn’t a shifter, I would be able to hear the plaque building up in my arteries and heart.”

Wyatt finished his sandwich and most of the chips. Then he reclined back, closed his eyes, and rested his entwined fingers over his firm stomach. “That hit the spot. You want to go for a run?”

“Because I’m sure my small panda can keep up with your cheetah’s long strides.” Alister managed to eat most of his food but didn’t push himself to finish.

Wyatt glanced at him. “Your panda can hitch a ride on my back. Since I can’t find a more enjoyable way to release my pent-up energy, I need to come up with an alternative solution to expel it from my body.”

So far, Alister had yet to meet his mate’s cheetah, and the thought excited him. “You’re appealing to my lazy side. Just don’t go so fast I fall off of you.”

Pushing from his chair, Wyatt held out his hand. “I would never let you get hurt, butterfly.”

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a secluded area of the forest with only five available parking spaces and a small wooden structure housing a single bathroom. It was dark outside, and there were no other cars in the vicinity.

As soon as Alister exited the car, a gentle breeze surrounded him with the heavenly scents of pine needles, damp moss, and sweet floral fragrances. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and breathed in deeply, unsure of the last time he’d been in a forest, much less let his animal free to run.

Alister’s eyes snapped open when Wyatt snarled. Emerging from the shadow of the trees were two strangers. Both were stratospheric, but one was beefy and had short dark hair. The other was lean, blond, and had cold, flat eyes.

The pleasure Alister had just felt from being in the forest drained from his body, replaced by deep sorrow. He stood there feeling like he wanted to bawl his eyes out as his mate moved in front of him.

Wyatt’s corded muscles visibly bunched, intensity blanketing him. “Go play in a pit of fire, hellhounds,” he snarled, the sound seeming to come from somewhere deep in his body.

Alister had no idea what a hellhound was. He glanced around Wyatt to get a better look and wished he hadn’t. The two wore malevolent expressions that guaranteed suffering and nightmares they would enjoy every second of inflicting.

Alister shuddered and covered his hand over his mouth like he could push back the screams trapped in his throat.

“We’ve got no beef with you, pussy cat,” Brawny replied with an arrogant grin. “We were summoned, and a deal was struck for the guy behind you.” His grin disappeared. “I would tell you to step out of our way, but shifters never do as they’re told.”

“Get in the car, Alister,” Wyatt growled. He rocked his head from one side to the other, cracking his vertebra. “I need to take care of these assholes real quick.”

Although Alister didn’t want to leave his mate, he would be more of a hindrance than a help. He scrambled back inside the car, locking the doors, then watched as both men advanced like impending death toward Wyatt.

Alister’s heart thrashed like it was trying to break through his ribs, his hands trembling as he grabbed his phone and called Paris.

“I haven’t heard from you in two days,” Paris complained when he answered.

“Put Cannon on the phone!”

“Hello?” Cannon said a moment later. “What’s wrong, Alister?”

“Two guys are attacking Wyatt! He called them hellhounds. They said a deal was struck for me. Please, I need you to get here and help him!”

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