Page 87 of The Runaway
Gabriel couldn’t manage to do more than moan, his hands roaming up and down Connor’s back and thighs. His hips were rocking just slightly, drawing out the sensations, and Connor could feel his own second climax rapidly approaching. “Gabriel, I’m… I’m going to…” He couldn’t finish the sentence, his breath coming in rapid pants, and then he came again, spilling himself all over Gabriel’s stomach.
Gabriel opened his eyes and stared up at him, and Connor could see that his irises were now bright gold.
Bonded. How in the world had this ever happened? The odds of it seemed too unlikely, the chances of Connor and Gabriel ever having met far too slim for this to be real. If it hadn’t rained that day, if Connor hadn’t decided to stop in the stable, if he’d been just a fraction more careful and avoided cutting himself on that nail.If, if, if. If any one of a thousand tiny details was different, none of this would ever have happened.
“I love you,” he said, because he just couldn’t keep all his joy and wonder inside himself.
“I love you too,” Gabriel said, his gaze just a touch fuzzy, his words not quite steady. “Always.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The following evening, the heavy clop of horses’ hooves broke the quiet of the day as Baron Felix Bardet and a small entourage of his assistants and family arrived in the yard. Betas and omegas rushed forward to take the reins of their horses, and Felix swung himself off his horse, landing with a thump, before stepping over to his bonded omega’s horse to help her down as well. This was the first time Gabriel had met Gisele, and she looked to be exactly the sort of woman to keep a man like Felix in line – good humoured, with a sturdy build, but a canny look about her that said she didn’t miss much.
Niles and Adalene were waiting beside Antoine and Dante, while Gabriel and Connor stood back a fraction. As first alpha of the estate, it was only proper that Niles be given the chance to greet the baron first, and to present his newly bonded omega to the man. A feast had been prepared for the two happy couples, with guests being invited from two neighbouring estates to help celebrate their bondings. But before the festivities could begin, there was the matter of an important formality from the baron.
“Well, well, well,” Felix drawled, as he stepped forward and shook Antoine’s hand. “You Calvets, eh?Twomore bonded alphas. You certainly have a way about you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Antoine said, all too accustomed to Felix’s dry commentary.
“Niles,” Felix greeted the first alpha. “I have never in my life heard of an alpha bonding as young as you have. This will be a story I’ll be telling for years to come. But then again… You’re older than Niles, right?” he asked Adalene, offering her a sly wink.
“By four years,” she confirmed. She seemed nervous, but holding herself together reasonably well. In all likelihood, she’d never been in a position to speak to the baron before.
“Maybe that’s the secret then,” Felix said. “Find a good older woman to keep the young rascals in line.”
“Well, it seems to have worked for you,” Giselle said drily from beside him. She grinned at Adalene. “I’m Gisele,” she introduced herself, not waiting for Felix to do it for her. “And if you ever have any trouble with this one,” – she nodded Niles’s way – “don’t hesitate to let me know. I have a world of good advice for how to deal with trouble-making men.”
Adalene grinned, despite her nerves. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she promised.
Then Felix turned to greet Gabriel. “Good to see you again,” he said, as he stepped forward and shook Gabriel’s hand. “I had a feeling you were going to cause trouble the moment I met you.” A wide grin split his face. “Stealing a runaway, starting a boycott of a local farmer, rioting in Paris, and now a neat little bonding to top it all off. I must say, I’m impressed.”
“I didn’t steal him,” Gabriel began, but Felix laughed right over the top of his protest.
“I know, I know. Well, Connor, it looks like you landed on your feet. Can’t say I’m not pleased about it. Sometimes we need a happily ever after to balance out the rest of the rubbish in the world.”
“Thank you, sir,” Connor said, making an effort to be polite, for all his usual habit of speaking his mind. He glanced up at Gabriel. “I’m pretty glad about where I landed as well.”
“Well now,” Felix said, rubbing his hands together. “Has Antoine told you what needs to happen next?”
Gabriel nodded. “You need to see both Niles and me flare, to confirm that a bonding has actually taken place.”
“That I do. And I’m sorry to say it, but the easiest way to get an alpha to flare is to… It sounds crude to say it like this, but it’s to threaten his omega. Nothing serious,” he added quickly, as both Gabriel and Niles immediately looked concerned. “Just enough to make the omega uncomfortable, and in doing so, to draw out the alpha’s protective instincts. The exact sort of test varies depending on the couple in question, so I’m open to suggestions.”
Niles frowned at the baron. “You mean you want us to pick something we wouldn’t like you to do, tell you what it is, and then watch while you do it to our omegas?”
“That’s pretty much the gist of it,” Felix agreed. “I know it doesn’t sound pleasant, but you need to understand that I’m not actually here to harm anyone – just to make people a little nervous.”
“What kind of ‘test’ are we talking here?” Gabriel asked. He was already not liking the sound of this.
“Something relatively harmless, but that’s going to piss you off,” Dante replied. As someone who’d actually been through the process before, he could probably offer some helpful insights. “Felix couldn’t get Antoine to flare when he was being tested. So I told Felix to kiss me. He didn’t even have to do it. He just moved closer like he was going to, and half a second later, Antoine completely lost his shit.”
“I did not lose my shit,” Antoine began to protest, but Felix laughed.
“You slammed me up against a wall and threatened to rip my balls off,” he said, a wry smirk on his face. “That’s why Karel and Borya are here,” he added, gesturing to the two men waiting off to the side. “They’re basically a backup security force, in case anyone decides to get out of hand.” He glanced pointedly at both Gabriel and Niles as he said it. “But before we get to that bit, the first thing I’ll need to do is see both omegas’ brands,” he said to Adalene and Connor. “Just to confirm ownership before I authorise the new tattoos.” He took a step towards Connor, one hand reaching up to move his shirt aside…
Gabriel moved before he’d even thought about it. All it took was the split second look of apprehension on Connor’s face, as the heavy hand of an unfamiliar alpha closed in on him, and Gabriel was stepping in between the two men, a dark glare on his face.
“I don’t give a shit what rank you hold,” he growled at Felix. “You fucking well ask before you touch my omega.”