Page 14 of Scar Bonds: The Scars That Bind Us

“You’ll have to excuse the mess,” Senan said, picking up the remains of what had clearly been a pizza meal. “Gabby and I had been watching movies and lost track of time. Take a seat. Did you want a coffee?”

“I don’t suppose you have any dark beer, do you?” Finlay had been running on coffee for the past three days. “Just water is fine if you don’t.” He perched on the edge of a single seat, watching in amazement at the fae with brilliant wings cleaning off the trash from his coffee table and taking it over to a recycling bin in the kitchen.

“Dark beer.” Senan tapped his chin. “I think I remember what that was like.” He clicked his fingers, and two cans from a brand Finlay recognized appeared in his hands. Coming back into the living area, he handed one to Finlay, and then curled his legs under him on the corner of the couch farthest from him.

I can’t blame him for that.Finlay inhaled sharply. And then wished he hadn’t. Senan’s scent was so much more intense in his own living space, and Finlay’s body reacted accordingly. “I feel I owe you an apology,” he said haltingly. “I got pushy with you at the event on Friday, and I realize that made me no better than my brother. I am sorry for that.”

Senan opened his can and took a swig from it, highlighting the beautiful arch of his neck. “I’ve never understood,” he said slowly as his head rightened up again, “how wolf shifters couldhave such amazing hearing and yet still not master the ability to listen. But apology accepted. I have no grudge with you.”

Relief flooded Finlay’s body. But he wasn’t out of the woods yet. “About my brother…”

Senan held up his hand in a classic stop signal Finlay immediately respected. “Do we have to talk about him?”

“I feel we should.” Not that Finlay was sure anything he said was going to make a difference. Morgan had behaved like a brute and an entitled ass and nothing Finlay said was going to change that. “As I said, you and I are mates. I realized that when I spoke to you on Friday. After you left, I waited until my brother’s meeting was over and confronted him about it.”

“Always respectful of an Alpha’s position. The Shifter Council had a similar attitude.” Senan’s grin wasn’t a happy one. It was more like a grimace.

“Yes. No. Yes, okay, you’re right.” Finlay recognized he was floundering and hurried to explain. “You have to realize that at that point I only had your word that Morgan was a liar, and I had no idea of how you came to that decision. While I was waiting on Morgan to finish his meeting, I used my access to criminal files and read your case notes…”

“Which would’ve taken all of five minutes,” Senan said grimly.

“Three minutes, and you were right. I was horrified on your behalf.” Finlay looked down at the can in his hands. “I had seen Morgan act in a similar way before his incident with you and simply refused to go out with him anymore. I just thought he was a lousy date. I never imagined for a second he’d get pushy with a stranger in a bar.”

He looked up to see Senan shrugging. “Now you know. Doesn’t change anything.”

“It could, but I’m genuinely hoping you won’t push me to seek justice on your behalf.”

Now Senan just looked confused. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I told you when I introduced myself I’m a negotiator with the Paranormal Council. I could insist your case be reopened due to gross negligence on behalf of the Shifter Council and the Fae Court for that matter. I could give testimony on your behalf and share what Morgan told me about that night, and there is a good chance if I did this, that Morgan would be stripped of his position and jailed for life.”

Senan’s head tilted slightly to one side, his eyes narrowing. “And you don’t want to do that because Morgan is your brother?”

“Yes, but not for the reason you might be thinking. I believe you deserve justice, you deserve to have your name cleared and for your banishment to be lifted. But if Morgan is put away for what was very definitely a crime, then…”

Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, Finlay added, “Up until last Friday I was Alpha-heir of the Luna Pack. Despite my breaking pack ties that same night, there’s a good chance the Shifter Council will insist I take over Morgan’s position as Alpha if Morgan goes to jail. There’s no one else from our family line, nor any other up-and-coming Alphas in the pack that could take over. I really don’t want to run that pack – I never did and definitely don’t want to now. I truly don’t want that life for us.”

“Well, shit. That adds a wrinkle to our dilemma that I hadn’t seen coming. It’s just as well I never thought getting any sense of justice would be a possibility then, isn’t it? Good old Morgan gets to continue to live his life without consequence, and as for us…”

Senan didn’t finish his sentence. He just lifted his can to his mouth and had another long drink. After a moment’s hesitation, Finlay did the same.

“So,” Senan said as he leaned forward a few moments later, resting his empty can on the table. “Now we’ve got that pesky business about your brother out of the way, what can you tell me about you? I guess I should know something about you personally if we’re going to do this mating thing. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a rough three days, it’s late at night, and I could do with some sleep. For starters, give me a good reason why I should be sleeping with you instead of alone.”

Finlay choked on the dregs of his drink and used his coughing fit as a chance to think of something semi-intelligent to say.

Chapter Eleven

Senan figured he had nothing to lose by putting his cards on the table, or at least being as bluntly honest as Finlay had apparently tried to be. He didn’t want to think about Morgan. He didn’t want to think about the ramifications of what might happen if Morgan was finally in jail. There was a part of him – a petty side that, like many people, he kept hidden most of the time - that thought longingly of Morgan behind bars, never allowed to be free again.

But the thought that Finlay was or at least had been the Alpha-heir of the same pack was enough to keep his petty side quiet. The last thing Senan would ever do, or ever want to do, was to be living as part of a pack.

In the meantime, Finlay was clearly shocked by his question, or perhaps it was the way he phrased it. Senan had no idea. But Senan had been telling the truth the way he saw it. He was tired. He wasn’t going to be able to sit up for hours as they walked through awkward conversations before jumping into bed together. He’d be asleep before the good stuff happened. Although the moment Finlay had walked in the door, Senan’s magic had started sizzling and he almost felt like he was ready to let off fireworks the moment he burped. That helped.

But Senan didn’t know anything about the serious-looking wolf shifter who was sitting on his chair looking so damned uncomfortable.I might as well find out something about him because I’m sure as heck we’re going to end up in bed together. He clicked up another can of beer, noticing how effectively his magic was working again – another thing that had improved from the moment Finlay entered his house.There must be something about this mating business.

There was also the little matter of Senan thinking sexy thoughts as well. There was nothing wrong with his eyesight. Finlay was a sexy man – tall, broad, with shaggy blond hair and intense dark eyes. Senan wasn’t a virgin. He’d lost that a long time ago. But he still felt cautious. For one thing, Finlay looked a lot like Morgan, and Senan didn’t need that reminder. So he was hoping that something Finlay could share with him might show the differences between him and his twin brother.

“I’ve got to admit this is a bit awkward,” Finlay admitted, looking up and catching Senan’s eyes. “I’ve never been in this position, and I worry that something I say might send you running from me again.”

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