Blinded Read online

  "Would you quit worrying?" He inhaled as I flipped on the lights. "It smells like you. I like it."

  "Good, I'm glad. You're in the living room now. Six feet in front of you is a coffee table and couch, to your side is a TV and stand. Ten feet to your left is the fireplace, and if you go to the right about five feet is the door to the bedroom. The kitchen is to the right and in front of you about ten feet." I didn't plan on him learning his way around right away, but I needed him to know what was there.

  "Lead me to the kitchen. I wish I could help you unload the car." Brett sighed.

  "I know, but it's just a few bags. This way you won't risk falling. Until you get the layout of the area, we'll take it slow. You'll catch on in no time and be all over the place." I flipped the light on in the kitchen and led him to the table. "You're at the table. Fridge is to the right and forward about six feet. The sink is directly in front of you, and the stove is to the left." I kissed his cheek. I'm going to run out and get the groceries. I'll be right back, and then we can fix something for dinner."

  "Sounds good." Brett smiled.

  He looked lost sitting at the table alone. It had to be hard being in a new place, unable to see. I couldn't imagine how scared he must be, but through our link, it wasn't fear I felt from him, it was regret. He wanted to help, wanted to take an active role in everything we did, but couldn't. It was going to take time for him to learn to get around the place and figure out what he could and couldn't do.

  I prayed Cohen found a donor soon so we wouldn't have to struggle through all this. Either way, I would be there for him and do everything I could to make it easier. It was so odd. It was like I'd known him for years, but we were really only days into our relationship. He was such a part of me now that I honestly didn't know how I survived without him. Being mated was the most natural thing. I'd always thought I'd feel tied down or like I had to work harder to be with someone, but with Brett, nothing was changing. I simply had someone by my side to live life with, and that was amazing.

  I grabbed the bags and hurried back into the house. "So, what are you in the mood for tonight?" I started emptying the bags and putting things away.

  "Something light. I'm not really hungry. Honestly, I'm exhausted. We didn't do much today, but I feel as if I've been on a day-long hunt and haven't had a moment to rest. It's probably just mental stress. I'd be happy with a frozen dinner and curling up on the couch in front of the TV. I can listen while you watch."

  "We can do that. In fact, the TV in the bedroom is nicer. We'll eat, then we can curl up in there and forget everything. We don't have anything we have to be up for tomorrow. We can spend the day being lazy. When you're ready, we can go out and explore the town and try and find that scent, but there's no rush. Neither of us are going to forget the scent, and Kurt has other wolves hunting it down as well." I pulled out two frozen chicken pot pies. "One pot pie enough for you?"

  "Yeah, plenty. After eating Corta's food for a few days, I'm stuffed. I don't think I've ever eaten so much or so well."

  "She is amazing. Her mate died several years back, and she came to the pack house and started cooking and hasn't stopped. I think it took her mind off losing her mate and helped her to feel needed. Everyone loves her."

  Brett stretched his legs out from the chair. "I can see why. It's amazing how well your pack gets along. It's not like that in mine. We are there for each other when we have to be, but very few hang out together. We have a small place that the pack meets for meetings and such, but nothing like your pack house."

  I switched on the microwave and grabbed two beers, taking them to the table. "Handing you a beer." I extended it to Brett. Once he took it, I sat down. "It was Kurt's father that got the pack running so well. He wanted a community. He said times were changing and we were no longer living our lives hidden. We might not be out to the world, but we could live with them. He wanted us integrated with the human world. He put people in positions where we could have a wolf in almost all areas of the community. Cohen's mate works at the DMV, a few wolves work at the hospital, one of our wolves is even mayor now. It's worked out well. It makes it easier to keep our secrets. We still have to be careful, and in time, we need to go away for a bit since we don't age. We come back with a new identity, claiming to be relatives, sons, or daughters. I've heard of a pack back in Tennessee, where the whole pack moves its location every ten to twenty years. That way they don't have to split up and still avoid the question about why they haven't aged. I kind of like that idea. I'm not fond of leaving Montana, but I don't want to leave and find another pack for a few years. I'd rather stay with Kurt and the friends I have here. If that meant moving to Nebraska or Wyoming for a few years, then it would be worth it."

  "My dad is at that point now. He is starting to have people question why he looks so young. I'm kinda hoping that will be one of the reasons I might be able to talk him into coming here. I think once they visit and see what pack life is like here compared to there, it will be easier to bring up the conversation." Brett wrapped his hand around the beer bottle. "If we do find a donor for me soon, I'd like to invite them to come stay for a while. I want them to meet you."

  "I want to meet them. Even if we don't get a donor or this doesn't work, they are welcome here anytime. I don't have a lot of room here, but there is plenty of space at the pack house for them to stay for a few weeks if they want. There are hotels in town too, but I think they'd like to be at the pack house with others and have the mountain there to run if they want." I was surprised there was no nervousness at the thought of meeting Brett's family. I'd always been uncomfortable meeting others, but I was looking forward to meeting my mate's family.

  "Mom asked a ton about you. It was hard to tell her anything since honestly, we'd just met, but she was so happy. She always said she dreamed that both her children would be lucky enough to find their mates someday." Brett grinned. "Never thought it would be me."

  "Your sister is still young, she might—" My cell phone rang, cutting me off mid-sentence. I quickly answered after seeing it was Kurt.

  I stared at Brett as I listened to what Kurt had to tell me, my stomach tightening as he slowly gave me information. By the time I hung up, I was sure that Brett could tell through our link that something was wrong. I set the phone on the table as I stared across the table, hating I had to tell him what I'd heard. "There was another attack. This one near the same area you were hit. The same situation, they used a tranquilizer to take them down."

  Brett swallowed hard. "Were they killed?"

  "No, just beaten and chained with wire like you were. Kurt said they should heal, but they would have died if they hadn't been found. This time, nothing was removed or cut off, but they were beaten severely. It was a couple of wolves who decided to go on an evening hunt." I rubbed my beard.

  "So, there is someone out there attacking wolves. That means what happened to me wasn't personal, right?"

  "I don't know. It would seem that way, but how come yours and Bridger's was so much worse? I mean, they killed Bridger, took his balls, took your eyes, but this time just beat the wolves? It doesn't make sense."

  "Same scents?"

  I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me. "Yeah, Kurt says it was. Exactly the same. The trail leads back to the dirt road where it had last time." I took a long drink of my beer, trying to figure out why anyone would do this to a wolf. "They must know what we are. This can't be just random wolf attacks, can it?"

  "I don't know. Maybe some rancher is mad a wolf killed their cattle or sheep?" Brett ran his fingers through his hair. "I was hoping to wait until I could see, but I can't. Whoever is doing this needs to be stopped. We need to go into town tomorrow. I can't sit back and let more wolves be hurt if I can stop this."

  "I agree. Kurt said that shifting would heal the wolves who were attacked tonight, but one still hasn't regained consciousness to shift. Cohen's done what he can. All they can do now is wait." I stood, going over to get the food from the microwave, but my app
etite was shot. I grabbed two forks and set them along with the food on the table. "Pot pie is in front of you, the fork is to the right." I sat back down.

  "So much for relaxing." Brett reached for his fork.

  "Once this is over and we've caught who is doing this, and you get your sight back, we'll take a trip somewhere. Anywhere you want to go." I loved the idea of getting away with Brett for a couple of weeks. "Maybe we can head up to Alaska and fish and run with some of the packs up there."

  "I'd like that, but we have to focus on this first. I can't let any other wolves go through this. Now everyone is going to be scared to run or hunt. Even if it's not my fault, I can't stop feeling like it is. Bridger and I were the first attacked. I know the scent. This ties to me somehow or at least to Bridger. I just don't know how." Brett dug into his pot pie, struggling to keep it on the fork.

  "Would a spoon work better?" I was up and already getting one.

  "Fuck, I'm not even hungry." Brett set the fork down. "Why would someone do this?"

  "I don't know, but we are going to find out. I promise that tomorrow we'll head into town. We'll hit every place you went with Bridger. We'll find his friends and question them." I took a deep breath. "Please eat so I don't have to worry about you more than I already do."

  Brett sighed, his shoulders slumping. "You're right. There's nothing we can do tonight." He rolled his shoulders. "I hate feeling helpless."

  "You're not helpless. You're the only one who recognizes the scent. It's our only lead right now." I sent a wave of love through our link.

  "I love you. I'm sorry. I know this is weighing on you as well. I just want to make whoever is doing this pay. When we find them, I'm going to make them suffer just like I've had to. I'll make them beg for death."

  I smiled, glad my mate was a fighter and not someone to sit back and just accept the bad things that happened. When we did find who was doing this, I would stand right beside him, proudly watching as he brought them to justice. One way or another, we were going to put a stop to these attacks. It was just a matter of when.

  CHAPTER NINE

  BRETT

  Sunlight warmed my cheek, and I groaned as I rolled over, tucking my head against Bayne's shoulder. I didn't want to move. His bed was the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in. I could die a happy man in a bed like this.

  He claimed it wasn't anything special, but I had to disagree.

  "Morning," Bayne whispered to me.

  "Hush, I'm not awake. If I wake up that means I might have to leave the bed."

  "Honey, you never have to leave my bed. I'm happy to keep you here forever. Nothing would make me happier than holding you here for the rest of my life." He kissed the top of my head.

  "How do you sleep anywhere else after sleeping here?" I caressed my fingers through his chest hair, enjoying his warmth against me.

  "I guess I'm just used to it. I've had the bed for so long I take it for granted. I mean, I know the beds at the pack house aren't as nice, but hell, I'm sleeping. It doesn't matter if I'm tired enough."

  "I'm never leaving." I stretched out my legs.

  "You never need to." Bayne laughed. "I'll get up and get your breakfast and bring it to you."

  I gripped him tighter. "No, I've got to get up. I thought we'd get breakfast in town. One of Bridger's buddies works as the manager in the mornings at McDonald's. I figured it was a good place to start sniffing around."

  "Sniffing around?" Bayne snorted. "Cute, babe."

  I shrugged and grinned. "Well, I can't look around, so sniffing is what I'll be doing."

  "I guess it's breakfast sandwiches for us then." Bayne lifted my chin so he could kiss my lips. "I really hate the idea of getting out of bed. You're the first person I've ever shared this bed with. I kind of like it."

  "You've never had anyone in this bed?" I was surprised.

  "I've never had anyone other than Kurt and my neighbor in my house. I never brought hook-ups back here. If they were wolf, we stayed at the pack house, humans, we got a motel room. You're the only man I want invading my space." He brushed his fingers through my hair.

  "I like being the only other man in your bed."

  "Good thing, because it's a life-long commitment." Bayne kissed me softly again, then rolled away. "Come on, sexy, let's get up and get going. It's after nine already. We want to beat the lunch rush into McDonald's, so the scents aren't as mixed."

  I groaned as I sat up and yawned. "Isn't this supposed to be our honeymoon time?"

  "That's for humans. Wolves go right back to work and fuck like crazy the rest of our lives. Humans fuck like crazy for a week after the wedding, then let life get in the way of their happiness." Bayne set something on the bed. "Clothes there for you. You can shower first if you want."

  "Nah, I haven't done anything to get dirty." I pouted.

  "I'll let you get dirty as soon as we get back home tonight. I'm making coffee. I can't drive without at least a cup in my system. You want some?"

  "Please." I forced myself to get up, trying to remember how the room was set up so I didn't hit my knee on anything. Moving around a strange home was hard. I was lucky Bayne didn't seem to have a lot of clutter, but I still got turned around easily. I had to find the heat from the sun coming through the window to make sure I was moving the direction I wanted to be. It was only time before I would end up walking into a wall thinking it was the doorway.

  I made my way to the bathroom that was attached to Bayne's bedroom. It was small, but that made it easy to find my way around. Once dressed, I felt my way along the wall until I found the bedroom door and made my way out into the living room. From there, I counted my steps, trying to judge where the entrance to the kitchen was.

  "Want help?" Bayne called from the kitchen.

  "No, but keep talking to me. I'll follow your voice." I bit my lip as I held my hands out in front of me and tried to find the doorway or a solid wall.

  "What do you want me to say? How about how much I'd love to be on my knees sucking your cock right now instead of drinking coffee."

  I frowned. "It's hard enough to manage this without you making my cock stiff while I do it." I pressed my hand against a wall. "Keep talking."

  "You act like we aren't hard any time we're near each other. It seems to be an ongoing dilemma that I have to deal with. How do I hide my erection in public when my mate is near?" Bayne laughed. "I see you have the same issue."

  I pressed my hand against my growing hardness. "Stop teasing me. If I trip and fall it's your fault." I slid my hands along the wall until I found the edge of the doorway. Once I had that, I was able to walk into the kitchen, directly to the table. "Come here." I stood by my chair.

  "Do you want me or the coffee?" Bayne slid his arm around my waist.

  "You first, then coffee." I cupped his face to make sure I knew right where he was as I bent in for a long kiss. My body hardened even more at his closeness, and his scent grew stronger, making it nearly impossible to release him.

  "I'll make it up to you tonight, love, but we need to get going. If I get you naked, you're going to stay that way the rest of the day." Bayne stepped away. "Sit down and drink your coffee. I'm going to go get dressed and we can go." He brushed another kiss over my cheek before leaving me alone.

  I sat down, tempted to forget everything and strip for him, but I couldn't. We needed to search for the person attacking the wolves. I might not have joined Kurt's pack yet, but they were still mine in every way that mattered. And there was a brotherhood among shifters. We fought and supported each other. It was my duty to keep any more attacks from happening.

  The coffee did wonders to wake me up and motivate me, but little to stop thoughts of walking back into the bedroom and forcing Bayne to his knees so I could find the release I needed. No matter how the day went, it would be thoughts of coming home and being able to have him that got me through the day.

  "Ready?" Bayne asked from behind me.

  "Yeah. Let's hope it's not for nothing." I st
ood.

  Bayne came to my side. "We get breakfast if nothing else." He kissed my cheek before leading me out to the car.

  As we drove into town, I mentally tried to make a list of places I'd gone with Bridger. I'd only been in town a day before the attack happened, but we'd visited a few friends, hit the store, and even gotten a few beers at the bar. I'd met several of his friends and had contact with a hell of a lot more people as we went from one place to the other. "We really can't go door to door at Bridger's friends' houses. I'm wondering, do you think that memorial his family is planning is public or just for the wolves?"

  "I'm thinking it would be public since he had so many friends. I wouldn't be surprised," Bayne said. "What are you thinking?"

  "That the memorial might be the place to check out the people who knew him. If it was someone he knew that did this, then they would probably make an appearance at the memorial. If we can't find them today, then that might be our next best hope."

  "I'll call Kurt and talk to him. I was going to invite him and Josh to meet us at the bar later today anyway. Take him up on that double date offer. Besides, if we have Kurt with us, we drink for free. The owner of the bar is a pack member who refuses to charge Kurt for drinks. That includes anyone drinking with Kurt."

  "Nice. That's good to know. I'll remember that if I ever want to go drinking." The car turned, then came to a stop. "Are we here?"

  "Yep. We'll go in and order, then sit around while we eat. If it's not his friend, maybe we'll get lucky and whoever it is will come inside while we're there." Bayne got out of the car.

  I opened my door and stepped out right as Bayne got to my side. "Thanks."

  "Of course." Bayne shut the car door before taking my arm in his. "One good thing about you not knowing your way around yet is I get to keep my arm around you all the time."