Purrfect Protector (20 page)

Aleksi nodded and took Khan at his word.

“Okay then, just keep being careful.” He hugged Kale closer when he felt his mate getting lost in the conversation. He knew he’d have to explain the risks and dangers about the fact that they had enemies. Aleksi was hoping to convince Kale to train to defend himself. It wasn’t realistic to think he would always be by Kale’s side to protect him—as bitter as that was to acknowledge.

Khan nodded to him and turned to Kale, speaking to his mate. “I will. Now…your mate’s wounds are actually at the perfect stage to start the treatment for the best effects. The only problem is that the treatment will take about two months to be completed and there’s another month of aftercare too. However, from what I’ve seen of the doctor’s work, your mate shouldn’t have anything but faint shadows at the end of it.”

Kale jolted beside him and Aleksi worried that his mate was going to pin all his hopes on this option.

“Are there any side effects from the venom?” Aleksi wanted to be one hundred percent sure that the experimental treatment wasn’t going to harm Kale in any way.

Kahn shot him a look but continued talking to Kale. “There haven’t been any severe negative side effects. One person said the application of the venom solution gel stung and another experienced hair loss. However, both subjects also scored highly on the psychological test that measured how likely a patient was to exaggerate symptoms. There were also reports of mood swings and aggression from those who took the medicine orally.”

On the surface that was better than Aleksi had feared, but his tiger still wasn’t thrilled with the idea. Kale must have picked up on his lack of enthusiasm. His mate leaned away from him. “Do you not want me to do it?”

Even though he considered an angry Kale incredibly hot, not even he was stupid enough to fall into that trap. No, he didn’t want Kale to do it, but he understood why it was important to Kale and his career.

“It’s your decision.” He knew as he said it that Kale wasn’t going to let this drop but he couldn’t think of anything better to say.

Kale hit him with a hard stare. “That’s not what I asked.”

Aleksi’s brothers backed away, sniggering from their direction.

“This is something you need to decide,” Aleksi hedged.

“This affects you too,” Kale pointed out, biting on his swollen bottom lip.

Aleksi realized now that it wasn’t a shy characteristic but something his mate did to hold back that viscous tongue of his.

All this talking about his feelings was beginning to tear down his front of being a stoic, emotionally repressed Russian. He’d worked hard to maintain that stereotype. Chatty protectees were worse than the stupid, obnoxious ones.

Aleksi grabbed Kale, gently bringing him closer as he captured his mate’s mouth with his own. This was a much better way to deal with things. Kissing Kale could make him forget the world.

One kiss extended into two and soon Aleksi wasn’t thinking about the hospital, their wounds or the issue of Khan’s experimental treatment. It was only a retching noise that brought him back to the room and he realized he was massaging Kale’s growing cock behind the thin cotton of the scrubs.

“Uh. Can you
not
molest my brother when I’m in the room?” Caleb made a gagging sound at the end of his complaint.

“You can always leave,” Aleksi offered, chasing Kale’s sweet-tasting lips.

Kale laughed and pushed him back, pulling the hospital blankets up to cover their waists. It might have disguised their erections tenting their hospital clothes but nothing could hide the thick scent of desire in the air. Aleksi decided not to bring up that fact and let his mate think no one had noticed. It was the least he could do since he was the reason for the uncomfortable situation.

“I would if I had anywhere to go. I forgot to get the number of the hotel next door while I was milling around the front desk waiting for you two to talk it out,” Caleb said.

“We booked rooms. You can stay with us if you want to.” Viktor extended the offer freely

Aleksi smiled. He wanted his family to like his mate and new brother-in-law.

Caleb visibly relaxed. Aleksi got the feeling his brother-in-law would feel much better with them after the trauma of the abduction from a hotel room. He caught Viktor’s eye and motioned discretely to Caleb. Viktor looked at Caleb, then nodded and moved closer to him.

Kale squeezed his hand and mouthed ‘thank you’ as Caleb walked out of the door with Viktor and Raptor. Aleksi squeezed back. Dean, Harris and Iago blew him kisses as they exited. Scott remained behind.

“Rob gave me a message to pass on,” Scott said quietly, handing him a small piece of paper.

A

I taught you better than to get shot. Heal up and take some time to be with your mate. Don’t worry about the stalker.

R

Aleksi tilted the paper so that Kale could read it and shrugged when Kale gave him a questioning look. Robert only dealt with threats to his family one way. Aleksi hoped Not-Barry got what he deserved because somehow the man was clearly connected to powerful people and he had a bad feeling that Not-Barry wouldn’t see any jail time once extradited to the States.

He turned back to Scott with a scowl. “How does he always know?”

“I’m not sure. The most popular theories are some sort of microphone tracker, a ghost spying on us or that he’s brainwashing us into actually telling him everything then we forget that we gave him information.” Scott’s voice sounded level and serious.

Aleksi snorted a laugh. “A ghost spy?”

Scott held up his hands up and walked backward to the door, making to follow the rest of his brothers and Caleb. “I didn’t say they were good theories. Now get better quickly so I can send the rabble back to work. We’ll be back later in the official visiting hours.”

“Scott!”

His friend and boss hesitated to leave and Aleksi tilted his head slightly. It was such a subtle gesture that only a shifter or someone who’d spent most of their life around shifters would have noticed and understood. It was a submissive pose, but it meant more than that between them. Aleksi was letting Scott know how much he appreciated having him and his brothers come there for him. None of them liked hospitals and more than one of them had been out on assignment so they must have left the job or switched out with another protector to be here.

“Where else would we be when you got your ass shot full of holes?”

Aleksi growled and Kale handed him the hard plastic cup from the bedside table. The empty cup hit the door as it shut quickly behind Scott. His boss shot him the bird through the window and winked.

“Sorry about those clowns,” Aleksi said with a laugh. His brothers could be a little over the top if a person wasn’t expecting it or used to their weird sense of humor.

“What do you mean? They were great. I’m impressed they all managed to get through security outside of visiting hours.” Kale’s sincere smile made Aleksi relax.

“Come on. Let’s get some sleep before they invade again.” Aleksi shuffled back and rearranged the mound of pillows behind him before settling and finding a comfy spot. He patted the space on the bed.

As if on cue, Kale yawned so wide Aleksi heard the man’s jaw click. “Okay, but just for a little while,” Kale stressed. “You owe me more kisses.”

“I do?” Aleksi didn’t know why he was arguing but he was curious.

“Yes, for getting hurt,” he answered with a smirk.

He wrapped one arm around Kale and smiled sleepily as his mate curled into his side. “Oh. Well, I suppose that’s fair.”

Chapter Eleven

A few days after his brothers had turned up, Aleksi was ready to pull out his hair by the time his doctor finally signed him off as fit to travel. Caleb informed the charity shoot organizers of what had happened to Kale. Apparently, they had been so eager to get his mate on board with the shoot that they had reorganized and delayed the whole thing in order to have Kale participate.

So now, Aleksi was back in a familiar situation, standing in the shadows, watching Kale half-naked and covered in makeup with other models, both male and female, draped over his body.

Aleksi had been surprised to learn that it wasn’t just one charity this photo shoot was for, but several, as part of a new campaign to reach a wider array of people. It included a TV advertisement for domestic abuse awareness and discrimination, as well as magazine shots to improve body confidence in teenagers. Some of the advertisements had been shot using a handheld digital camera with the models wearing no makeup and holding black rectangular pieces of card like sensor bars over their genitals.

He had to admit that he’d been skeptical at first. However, seeing the way the models and charity staff were regularly stopped during the shoot to make sure Kale was okay or whether he needed a break, had changed his mind. Perhaps the fashion world wasn’t as cold as he’d thought. Egos seemed to have been left at the door for this campaign.

Kale’s bruises had actually helped with the domestic abuse image the director was going for and Aleksi had to admit that the photos he’d seen on the monitor looked amazing. Even with real bruises and makeup bruises, Kale looked stunning and drew Aleksi into the photograph. He didn’t even register the other almost-nude models in the photo or the ones walking around the set.

The photographer called time and he watched with a smile as Kale untangled himself from the other models and started toward him. Aleksi tensed when one of the male models tried to get Kale’s attention and Aleksi shifted his claws, gouging his palms as he fought to stay where he was and not pounce on the nude model. His anger quickly gave way to amusement as Kale just walked right on by without giving the model a second look.

Since leaving the hospital, they’d been staying with Caleb in a safe house owned by Robert in New York. The brothers didn’t want to be separated yet and none of them were enthusiastic about the prospect of staying in hotels any time soon.

Kale’s nightmares were starting to ease off. They’d started in the hospital and Aleksi had taken to staying awake to stand guard and protect his mate from the fears in his mind.

“I think we’re done here. I can’t believe they waited for me, I’m so glad to be a part of something like this.” Kale stopped walking when their bodies almost touched.

Aleksi felt the heat and excitement coming off his mate. What he wouldn’t give for a soundproof room right now.

“You’re thinking naughty thoughts,” Kale accused, stroking his fingers over Aleksi’s chest.

That was something else he was beginning to notice. Kale would tease him and seemed to light up when Aleksi would always respond or when they would talk about different things, anything from the TV programs they loved to what their plans for the future were.

The beginning of their relationship had been mostly based on sex and Aleksi would be lying if he said he hadn’t been worried about whether their personalities and interests were compatible. He shouldn’t have worried. His mate was perfect, even if Kale did have a strange fascination with films like
Sharknado
. Now there was eighty-six minutes of his life he was never going to get back, but watching Kale becoming so animated over the film was interesting.

After suffering through the first film, Aleksi was hoping that the rumors were false and that the producers weren’t planning a trilogy. If they were, Aleksi might have to go and ask one of his brothers to shoot him to avoid watching it.

“The photos looked good.” He wrapped his arms around Kale’s waist and let himself look at his mate. Part of him still couldn’t believe he was mated or that he was happy about it. However, his tiger was more content than ever. The possessiveness took some getting used to but at least he was beginning to manage it better.

Kale’s eyes lit up as he asked, “You really liked them?”

“Yes. You are stunning. I didn’t think there was that much thought or effort that went into producing glossy photos for advertisements and billboards. You must have done three hours straight on the three different campaigns and each photo was just slightly different, a quirk of a lip or more intensity in your eyes.” He hoped Kale understood his explanation.

Kale grinned at him and the next thing Aleksi knew he had his arms full of Kale who was hugging him tightly and pushing his face into Aleksi’s neck. “You
get
it.”

It was only then that Aleksi realized that this had been a sort of test—albeit a subconscious one—since Kale wasn’t the type to play mind games. As Kale pulled back, there was a different kind of lightness to his mate now that hadn’t been there before.

“I think so,” Aleksi began. “This is what you love to do—to be a part of creating something with what and who you are and sharing your ideas with a photographer to make it amazing instead of good. That’s what you really want to do, isn’t it?” He wasn’t sure if his answer was right or not or even if he properly understood what he was saying. But it was the truth.

“Yes.” Kale turned a lovely shade of pink.

“Okay. You said you were going to take a break from modeling while you were on Khan’s treatment, so let’s look into how you’ll do that. I’m sure Caleb will help.” There was no way Caleb wouldn’t want to go in the new direction with Kale. The man was loyal—and strong. The man had knocked Not-Barry out before the psycho could do any more damage and the Italian police had carted him off. Aleksi wouldn’t forget that debt.

Scott was keeping him apprised of what was happening with the case, but Aleksi was worried about what Robert had written in the message for him at the hospital. He didn’t want Robert getting involved, at least until Aleksi knew for sure whether the rumors were true that Not-Barry would plea bargain. He was waiting on confirmation from his contacts.

His mate frowned and Aleksi feared he’d presumed too much.

“I think you’re right, Aleksi. Caleb has been bored for a while now, so this is probably the right time out to experience something new. I bet he’d love trying his hand at photography.”