Page 16 of A Hatchling for Valentine’s

Vic gasped, straightening. “What? What do you mean Finn?” Vic snarled and snapped. “Where is he? I’ll kill him!”

He launched himself toward the door, only vaguely taking in the sounds of the crying man on the couch and Kellan’s protests to wait. He flung the door wide, a loud snap resounding as wood cracked under the force of his anger. He shifted in an instant, clawing at the clothes he hadn’t had time to remove, his fury driving him on as he broke free of the garments. He leaped across the parking lot in a rage, his only thought being one of reaching Dora so she could guide him to the swan he was about to rip to shreds.

“Vic, please! Please don’t leave me here alone!”

His paws skidded across the ice and he rammed into a pile of snow that had been pushed against the side of the restaurant from when they’d repeatedly plowed. He hit hard against the solid mass, but the recent powder cushioned some of the blow. His wolf warned him that he’d be feeling it in his shoulder by morning.

He shook his body to get the excess snow out of his fur then scrambled to his four paws. His wolf still tasted blood, still hungered for revenge, but the insistent cries of his omega kept him from continuing on his murderous mission. Vic threw back his head, letting out one mournful howl before trotting back to his mate.

Once he’d padded inside, he shifted back. He glanced around in dismay at the mess he’d made, the shredded clothes everywhere mixed in with splinters of wood. Dammit. Fortunately, his explosion of anger had drained some of his wolf’s wrath and he figured he’d now be rational enough to listen to poor Kellan who was staring at him with rounded eyes his lips parted in shock.

His first action needed to include reassuring his mate. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. Please forgive me for that outburst. I just can’t bear the thought that Finn managed to get to you, and I wasn’t there to keep you safe.”

“Oh, Vic. Don’t be sorry.” Kellan ran to him, throwing his arms around Vic’s naked waist. He peered up at him and, to Vic’s surprise, he was smiling. “Don’t worry. I kicked the crap out of him.”

Vic sputtered laughter. “You did?”

He couldn’t stand it any longer and despite the cold draft that was literally freezing his ass off, he claimed Kellan’s mouth in a deep kiss, tasted the heat and sweetness of the man he would die for. Vic ended the exchange with one final press to Kellan’s lips then straightened.

“I guess I should quit acting like a rabid dog and hear what happened before we go any further.” He peered over his shoulder. “Although, I need to get this door shut somehow against the cold and your elbow attended too first.”

Kellan jerked from his arms. “The egg!”

Without another word, Kellan was racing to the nest and, after a quick glance at their unexpected guest who’d gone back to cowering on the couch, he set about the task of wrestling the heavy door back into the frame, relieved that he’d only torn one hinge free. Once he latched it with the bolt, that and the remaining hinge kept it in place. He’d be stuck unloading Dora’s car from the side entrance, but it was his own damn fault for flipping out.

For the next half hour, Vic focused on putting things to rights and getting them back on track. He cleaned up the mess he’d made in the entryway, guaranteed the fire was roaring and was attending to Kellan’s elbow by bringing him an ice pack and holding it to his injury so he was free to be close to the egg. Kellan was sitting up with the egg between his legs and his body wrapped around it. Vic had placed a cushioning of blankets under Kellan’s right arm so the cold radiating from the pack wouldn’t be transferred to the shell.

Vic used his free hand to stroke Kellan’s back. “How are you feeling?”

Kellan’s cheek rested on top of the egg. “My elbow’s throbbing and my eye hurts. But I’m okay. I’m sure the painkiller you gave me will help.”

Vic nodded, determined to remain calm even as his wolf’s anger fought to rise to the surface. “Right before I came in here with the ice, I noticed our guest seems to have fallen asleep on the couch. Are you sure he shouldn’t be checked out by a doctor?”

“I’m sure. Lena and Dora looked him over before we left Bobcat Stump.”

Vic arched his eyebrows. He really needed to be brought up to speed. The pack had been on Kellan’s elbow for at least fifteen minutes, so he removed the ice and set it on the nightstand. Once he’d retrieved the wrap, he encouraged Kellan to lift his arm enough so he could apply the self-sticking cloth. It also afforded him a moment to gather his thoughts. He had at least a thousand questions.

“All right, then before we go any further, I need to hear the whole story. Since we spoke right as you were leaving the mall, I assume this saga began in the afore-mentioned Bobcat Stump?”

Kellan chewed on the side of his lip, gazing at Vic as if he wasn’t sure whether Vic might get mad again. “Yeah. That’s the place I told you Dora was taking me to get some special, handcrafted baby items. Lena is her cousin who makes them.”

Vic nodded. “And how does…” Vic drew his eyebrows together. “What’s the name of the guy on our couch?”

“That’s Sean. Sean Swanson.”

Vic lifted an eyebrow. “Swanson?”

“Yeah, why? Do you know any Swansons?”

Vic sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Uh, no. Never mind. So anyway, can you tell me everything that happened? I’m not mad at you and I won’t be no matter what you say. A lot of my behavior is from the anger at myself for not being there when you needed me. I’m supposed to be protecting my family, not leaving them to be attacked.”

Kellan lifted his head and rubbed his cheek against Vic’s arm. “But you did protect your family. You were here watching over our egg and keeping it safe.”

Vic swallowed past a lump in his throat. “You’re right, sweetheart. I suppose I did.” He rubbed slow circles on Kellan’s back. “Then tell me the whole story of what went on at Bobcat Stump and how my brave swan saved the day.”

* * * *

Kellan checked once more to make sure the blankets were securely wrapped around the egg. He doubted it would be much of an issue, though. Vic had gotten the cabin’s temperature high enough that all of them—even Sean—were wearing nothing but T-shirts and boxers. Of course, that had only been after Vic had dragged everything in from the car and they’d said their goodbyes to Dora.