Page 13 of Chaos Claimed

Santiago chuckled, imagining the scene and pissed that he’d missed it. “Since you’re bringing up Macey, I take it she got home safely?”

“Yeah, she walked in while we were all still there. For a second, I thought she’d faint.” Diablo glanced at the sky. “Said she had a flat tire and had to wait to get it fixed.”

It was a relief to hear it was just a flat and nothing more serious. Percy adored his mother and would’ve been devastated if anything happened to her.

“He’s still up.” Diablo stood and stretched, joints popping. “Pretending to watch TV in the living room.”

As Santiago looked him over, he thought of Rico. The hyena had wanted him to betray his entire pack. Un-fucking-real. “Any changes yet?”

Diablo walked toward his motorcycle parked in front of Percy’s house, tossing a casual peace sign into the air.

Guess that means no.

The engine roared to life, breaking the night’s silence, before Diablo rode off down the street.

Santiago closed his eyes, leaning his head back to savor the fresh breeze after being locked in that dimly-lit cell. It was Gilmore who had framed him, with Jacob merely serving as a pawn.

The real culprits were the deputy and Rico. Had the hyena alpha simply bribed Gilmore or was the cop aware of the existence of shifters? Santiago had too many questions and no answers.

Currently, Matias was at the tavern, alerting the pack about Rico’s deception and advising them to stay vigilant. As soon as Diablo arrived, he would be informed too. But the brother didn’t need to be warned. He’d witnessed firsthand what the hyenas were up to and had been on high alert since.

Santiago sensed the moment he was no longer alone. Percy’s scent filled his lungs, and he inhaled deeply.

His mate.

Percy had tried to prevent the arrest, but Elijah had held him back. The echoes of his shouts still lingered in Santiago’s mind. Three hours in a holding cell had done little to dull the memory.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were home,” he huffed. “Instead, you’re out here relaxing like nothing happened.”

Santiago grinned at his mate’s frustration. “Dime cuánto me extrañaste, hermosa.” Tell me how much you missed me, beautiful.

“Muchísimo, cuchara.” Very much, spoon.

Santiago chuckled as he opened his eyes, gazing at the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen. “I can’t believe how much I’ve missed your random-ass Spanish, cariño.”

“Random?” Percy seemed highly offended, with his hands resting between his knees. “I’ll have you know I speak fluent Spanish,” he retorted, sniffing indignantly. “There’s nothing random about me.”

Wait. Did he really believe he was making sense? “You just called me a spoon.”

Percy blinked several times, as if Santiago’s comment didn’t register. He felt an overwhelming urge to kiss that puzzled expression right off his face.

“You’re trippin’,” Percy scoffed then held up his finger and wiggled it. “Volé la clase de español con lápices.” I flew Spanish class with pencils. He smirked at Santiago.

Unable to hold back, Santiago burst into a full-bodied laugh, the deep sound startling some nearby birds into taking flight.

Percy’s lips twitched. “Told ya.”

“I stand corrected.” He raised a hand, palm out to stop his mate from saying more.

Instead, Percy misinterpreted the gesture and gave Santiago a high-five. His mate had touched him. It was the first physical contact since Percy had come home from the hospital.

“I’m sorry I missed your spaghetti.” Santiago turned somber. “I was really looking forward to it.”

Percy averted his gaze, his knees pressing tighter against his hands. “You didn’t miss much.”

Santiago raised his hand to tuck some stray golden strands behind Percy’s ear, but stopped short, letting his hand drop. “I missed out on a meal you made, cariño.”

A meal Percy had fought against his fears to prepare. It wasn’t just about the food, but about enjoying it after a hard-fought battle.

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