Demetri stripped down and let the change take over. His bones snapped, fur sprouted, and his razor-sharp claws appeared. The three werewolves leapt from the stairs, surrounding Demetri. He threw his head back and howled before he charged the three. They wouldn’t be able to defeat him. Werewolves were ten times stronger than humans, but Demetri was the first of their kind. His strength was unrivaled.
He snapped the first beast’s neck and then the second’s. The third was a little more careful. It circled around Demetri, steps measured and snarling. Demetri spotted Caleb rushing from the building, and then Wulf emerged, Justin lying limp in the man’s arms. Demetri roared at the sight of Justin so lifeless. He leapt on the third beast and tore the thing apart.
“Justin’s hurt,” Caleb shouted toward him.
Demetri shifted and quickly dressed. “What the hell happened?” He scooped Justin’s frail form into his arms, cradling the man close as they raced toward the car.
“He got sick again,” Caleb said and had the decency to look ashamed. “But he also fell. I think he hurt his wrist.”
Demetri settled into the back of the car and cradled Justin in his arms. Caleb got in and sat across from him. Demetri examined Justin’s wrist and saw that it was already swelling. His eyes snapped to his son. “How could you take him to this place? You know he’s frail, Caleb.”
“It was just a stupid party,” Caleb argued.
“Yes, but you are a young wolf. You are able to defend yourself against most things.” Though the thought of those three werewolves confronting Caleb and Justin had the hairs on Demetri’s arms standing on end. “How could you act so irresponsibly?”
Caleb crossed his arms over his chest as he settled back into the soft leather. “You know I would never do anything to hurt Justin,” he groused. “He’s my best friend.”
Demetri smoothed a hand down Justin’s red hair, tangling his fingers into the strands. Like always, he could smell the sickness inside the human, and it wrenched his heart that Justin was this weak. “You should have used better common sense.” Demetri growled the words under his breath, knowing his son could hear him.
“Since when do you go all nutty over me and Justin getting into trouble?” Caleb asked. “You don’t like it, but you’ve never acted this strongly about it before.”
That’s because Elron is interested in Justin. That’s because my feelings for Justin are growing deeper than I care to examine. “Both of you could have been hurt. There were three adult werewolves heading inside when I pulled up.”
Caleb grew pale. “Three?”
“Now you are starting to understand my anger,” Demetri said. “You can handle one, at best. You are still in training. Never assume you can go wherever you please and trouble will not follow. We are at war with the vampires, and too many werewolves have given into their beast. It isn’t safe.”
“I know, but I’m not going to live my life locked up at home, Dad,” Caleb argued. “I can’t live that way.”
“And you would put Justin in harm’s way in order to have a good time?” Demetri asked, his tone feral.
Caleb cocked his head to the side, studying Demetri. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say…” Caleb licked his lips. “Is Justin your intended mistress?”
Demetri glanced out of the window as Wulf drove through the city, heading toward the hospital. His emotions were all over the place when it came to Justin. The boy had entered their lives by accident, and Demetri had looked upon Justin as nothing more than a human who had been mistreated his entire life. With pity. But as the years droned on, he’d started seeing Justin as one of the family and had treated Justin as such. But now that the human was grown… Demetri growled to himself. Justin was grown by human standards, but he was still so young compared to Demetri’s long years. Yet knowing this, Demetri couldn’t help but imagine Justin at his side as his mistress. You’ll never find anyone your age or even remotely close. Would it be so bad to have Justin as a lover, as your partner?
“It’s complicated,” he finally answered as he turned back to Caleb.
Caleb crinkled his nose. “My father macking on my best friend. That is so weird.”
The side of Demetri’s mouth twitched toward a smile. “And would that be so bad?”
Caleb shrugged, and his amber eyes softened. Demetri had never been prouder than the day Caleb was born. He knew the pup would grow into a fine, strong man. He just wished Caleb’s maturity would kick in. But that would come with time. It had taken Demetri three thousand years before he started acting like a responsible adult. But times had been different back then.
“It would be nice to see you smile more often,” Caleb admitted.