Page 41 of The Rabbit's Foot
“Yeah, well, don’t expect me to believe you,” Alp snapped, but then his arrogance vanished, replaced by sadness and desperation. “I’m sorry. I got scared,” he whispered, turning away.
“No, don’t hide from me,” Mal said, reaching out to take Alp’s chin. “No one ever worried about me, and I’m not used to thinking about others. Know this, however: when I was there, the whole time I was thinking about you. When I had to choose between waiting and running in—”
“You did not go in there!” Alp shrieked, balling his hand into a fist. “I will kick your fucking ass if you did something so stupid.”
“No, baby. I didn’t go in there,” Mal crooned, pulling Alp in and enfolding him in an embrace. “I wanted to, but I knew I had a mate waiting at home, and I needed to come back to him.”
“You… did?”
Mal leaned in, sniffing Alp’s hair and letting the calming scent wash over him. “Yeah,” he breathed out. “I’m not a lone wolf anymore, so I have to make smarter choices. I find myself asking, ‘What would Alp do?’ Then I try to do the exact opposite, because that seems the smart option.”
“Hey!” Alp shouted, smacking his hand on Mal’s chest.
The chuckle felt good. After what he’d seen and heard, he needed it. “I’m kidding. I ask what you’d do, and then I try it that way, because I know it’ll make you happy.” He kissed Alp’s hair. “And for the rest of my life, that’s what I want to do. Make you happy.”
“Yeah, just keep doing that, and we’ll get along fine,” Alp said, snuggling in closer to Mal.
Screw it. Damon could wait a little bit longer. His mate needed him, and Mal would never disappoint him.
Chapter 14
“This complicates matters,” Damon intoned. “Best guess is that there’s an underground complex, but we’ll have no idea how far it extends or how it’s manned. You should have gone in.”
“No, he should not!” Alp shouted. “Don’t even try to lay this on Mal.”
It was quiet for a moment, and then Damon chuckled. “You weren’t kidding, Malachi. He’s a riot.”
Alp’s cheeks warmed. “I’m sorry.”
“No, never say that,” Damon said. “My mate would never apologize for standing up for me, and you shouldn’t either. It’s a sign of love and respect. And you’re right. If Malachi had gone in, we might have lost him, and anything he learned would never have made it back.”
The hackles were back up in an instant. “And we would have lost Mal, or did you forget that part?”
“Alp, he’s being—”
“A dick!” Alp snapped. “Look, I care about everyone down there. I do. And I get that at some point we’re going to be risking our lives trying to save them, but I’m not willing to lose Mal because of stupid choices. Or don’t you understand that.”
“Oh, he knows about stupid choices,” said a woman’s voice. “Hi. Your name is Alp, right?”
“Um, yes?”
“I’m Cecilia, this one’s mate. The thing to remember when dealing with Firsts is that they’re all arrogant and egotistical and pigheaded. And thinking before they speak? Not really something they’re good at.”
“Cece,” Damon growled.
“But they’re also fiercely loyal to what’s theirs. What my less-than-communicative mate is trying to say—stop that, ass!—is that Mal learned valuable information, and he’s grateful he was willing to risk himself to get it.” She snorted. “Now, isn’t that what you meant, Damon?”
“Cece, I—”
“Is that or is that not what you meant?” she growled, her tone showing she expected nothing less than agreement.
“Yes, my mate. That’s exactly what I meant.” A deep sigh. “Forgive me, Alp. I chose my words poorly.”
It was all Alp could do to keep the laughter from bursting out. He liked this woman, and she’d given him a good lesson in how to deal with Mal when he got stubborn.
“I could try to go back, and—”
“The fuck you could!” Alp ground out. “They took someone’s eyes, Mal. His eyes. My hand was bad enough, but this person will never be able to see again. You’re not going in there alone. If you try, I will fucking neuter you.”
