Garrett's Choice Read online

  Garrett was happy. The happiest he’d ever been.

  Looking over to Lachlan, Garrett saw the same goofy grin he wore mirrored back at him. Even with everything going on, life couldn’t have been better.

  When they reached the first floor, Lachlan started to lead Garrett back to Ben’s office. They were halfway down the hall when Garrett noticed Quinn standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that ran along the far wall. Garrett couldn’t see Quinn’s face but didn’t need to.

  Quinn’s height towered over most men, and his broad shoulders could block out the full shine of the sun if he stood before it. The sharp features of his face looked cut from stone and just as hard.

  Garrett wasn’t for sure he’d ever seen Quinn smile or show any type of emotion except for annoyance. But with all that it still didn’t take away from Quinn’s attractiveness. He had thick black hair that lay straight down his back. His piercing blue eyes appeared to read into a person’s soul. Garrett didn’t find himself frightened of much, and would never admit it to anyone, but Quinn was one scary dude.

  “Hey, Quinn?” Lachlan asked.

  Quinn seemed shaken from whatever he was looking at and turned to him and Lachlan. “Oh, hey, Lachlan. Garrett.” Quinn lifted his chin in acknowledgment.

  “What are you doing?” Lachlan asked as he pulled Garrett by the hand closer to Quinn to stare at the window. “Great, Trevor and Leo are out there,” Lachlan said excitedly. “I wanted to check in on Leo and say hi to Trev.” Lachlan started to walk off then turned back to Garrett. “You want to come?”

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  Trevor was Miles’s cousin, and the man was a menace most of the time. Trevor being a newly turned vampire only made him more energetic. The guy was exhausting to be around. Now Leo, Leo was a kindhearted man who got pulled into their world when Rhett used him to gain access to Logan. Leo had been shot and left for dead and it was Trevor who made the hard decision to turn Leo in order to save his life. Garrett had to admit for all Trevor’s faults he was a sweet and caring man.

  Garrett looked out the window then back to his mate. “Naw, I’ll pass. I’m sure I’ll see them later.”

  “Okay.” Lachlan turned and walked away.

  Garrett stood there watching the two young men and saw that they were wearing track pants and sleeveless shirts. Putting two and two together, Garrett assumed they had just gotten back from a run.

  Probably a good way for Trevor to burn off all that fucking energy he carried inside him. Garrett had had the pleasure of meeting Trevor a time or two, and the kid was a chatterbox and super hyperactive.

  Since Trevor had been turned into a vamp, Garrett would bet money the kid could literally bounce off the freaking walls. Garrett couldn’t comprehend why Quinn constantly wanted to spend time with Trevor.

  No offense to Quinn, but Garrett pegged Trevor as the kind of person Quinn tried to avoid. Quinn was of the serious type. Work came first, and at the end of the day if there was time to play, then maybe Quinn would relax. But he was a warrior, and there was never time to breathe let alone relax. Quinn took his job very seriously, and Garrett couldn’t fault him that. Garrett found that admirable about the man, but everyone needed downtime, and Quinn never seemed to acquire it.

  Without looking at him Quinn began to talk. “You didn’t want to go out with your mate?”

  Garrett chuckled to himself. “No thanks. Last time I was around Trevor the kid grabbed my ass and said I had potential.” The memory still made him laugh.

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  A low growl met Garrett’s ears, and he turned his gaze from the window to Quinn. The man looked extremely pissed. Fire burned behind his blue irises with the look of intent to hurt someone. That someone being him.

  “Quinn, take it easy.” Garrett held up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t take the actions seriously, and I don’t think Trevor meant anything by it. He was just trying to be funny.” Garrett shrugged.

  “Anyway I’m with Lachlan, and no matter how adorable Trevor is, I’m spoken for, and head over heels in love with my mate.”

  The pulsing vein in Quinn’s temple seemed to slow, and Quinn’s face softened as he looked back toward the courtyard. Lachlan had made his way to the two men, and they stood there talking.

  “Sorry, Garrett.” Quinn scrubbed his hand down his face. “I guess I’m just on edge.”

  “Tell me about it.” With all the crap that had happened the previous night, Garrett could relate, but something about the way Quinn looked at Trevor didn’t seem right.

  “Quinn, are sure everything is okay? I mean I know you don’t know me all too well, but you’ve known Lachlan for years. I’d like to think one day you and I could be friends. So if you ever want to talk, I’m here for you.”

  Quinn stood there quiet for so long Garrett didn’t think the man would answer before Lachlan came back inside. But the man surprised him when he spoke.

  “Have you ever wanted something so bad, but to have it could cause you great pain?” Quinn asked, still not looking at Garrett.

  Garrett thought about it, and sure, who didn’t? “Sure. I think we’ve all felt that way at some time in our life. But most times the risk is worth the reward.”

  “You think?” Quinn looked at him, his expression skeptical.

  “Yeah, Quinn. If you never try, you’ll always wonder what if.”

  Quinn nodded his head and went back to staring out the window.

  Garrett followed his gaze and noticed how Quinn seemed to track Garrett’s Choice

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  Trevor’s every movement. In an instant the light clicked on for Garrett.

  “Oh my god! You like Trevor?” The words were out before Garrett could think them through. His brain was having a spaz attack.

  Could it be that the big, serious, and scary Quinn had a thing for the annoying little shit?

  Quinn’s eyes widened in shock then he quickly schooled his features. “No, it’s just…” Quinn’s voice trailed off. “It’s just complicated.”

  “Man, it’s understandable. From what I’ve heard from Lachlan and seen with my own two eyes, you spend a lot of time with Trevor.

  It’s only natural.” Garrett rushed to reassure the man. Trevor was cute as a button and had a mouth that could make sailor blush. Garrett could definitely see the appeal. He slapped Quinn on the back. “You should go for it, dude. Ask Trev out.”

  “It’s not that easy.” Quinn crossed his arms over his chest and hugged his body tight.

  Garrett thought the action unusual. Quinn always seemed so certain of himself, but now he looked like a little lost puppy. He looked from Quinn then back to Trevor, who was talking Lachlan’s ear off, then back to Quinn again. It was then that everything started to fall into place. Quinn was always around Trevor. Be it training him or just being near to him. He didn’t like any of the other warriors talking to Trevor, and if one had the nerve to flirt with the guy, Quinn would lose his shit. Garrett remembered the story Miles told him about when Quinn and Trevor first met and how Quinn punched a guy, knocking him unconscious all because he kissed Trevor.

  But if what Garrett assumed was true and Quinn and Trevor were mates, how come Trevor wasn’t going bat-shit crazy over Quinn?

  Trevor didn’t seem the type to ignore his mate or turn him away. No, Trevor was outgoing and caring. He’d accept his mate and love him to death. And with that kid, Garrett thought that might be a real possibility.

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  “You don’t have to confirm or admit anything to me, but if you’re keeping something from Trevor and denying yourself, that’s not right,” Garrett said softly. “I’m no expert on love or on mating. As you can see Lachlan and I have had our ups and downs, but we worked through it and here we are.” Garrett rested his hand over his heart and could feel the strong thud, thud. “Lachlan is my heart and soul. I couldn’t live without him and to try to would be suicide, Qu
inn.”

  A smirk quirked up Quinn’s lips. “You see a lot, don’t you, Alpha?”

  Garrett squinted one eye in thought, then shook his head. “I’d like to think I do.” Resting a hand on Quinn’s shoulder, Garrett took a step closer. “I have to ask, if Trevor is your mate, how does he not know this?”

  “Magic, my friend,” Quinn admitted and it was Garrett’s turn to be surprised. He didn’t think Quinn would actually confess anything to him. “You can’t say anything. Not even to Lachlan. He wouldn’t understand.”

  “Quinn, I’m not sure I understand.” Keeping secrets was bad, but this wasn’t a secret Lachlan needed to know, and it wasn’t Garrett’s business to spread. He was sure Lachlan would understand.

  “I’m a warrior, and death follows on my heels every day. Why would I want to bring a newly turned vampire into my life just to watch him possibly die?”

  Understandable, but something wasn’t adding up. “That’s true, but what if he doesn’t die? What if centuries pass and you finally decide to tell him. Then what?” Garrett let out a bitter chuckle. “I’m not sure about you, but I’d be pissed at the man who made me suffer without my mate for that long. And if I were you it’d kill me to watch the man I love fall in love with someone else. Because over the years I’ve learned that two people don’t have to be mates to fall in love and you can’t keep Trevor locked away from the rest of the world. It’s bound to happen one day.”

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  “I know this already!” Quinn shouted. His voice was loud enough to carry to the men standing outside. Lachlan, Leo, and Trevor turned toward them, and Garrett just waved at them.

  “I don’t mean to upset you, Quinn, but I don’t want to see you suffer when you don’t need to. That’s not fair to either of you.”

  Garrett watched as Trevor waved back, all his attention on Quinn.

  Trevor beamed a bright smile at Quinn, and Garrett heard the big man let out airy sigh.

  “I agree, but I’m not sure I can undo what has been done.” Quinn swiped a hand under his eyes then turned away from the window.

  Fuck! Garrett didn’t know what kind of deal Quinn made, but he prayed the man found a way out of it. “My father always taught me to start at the beginning and go from there. Whoever created this magic is the key to undoing the spell. You just have to use your resources in locating them. You have access to all sorts of intel at your fingertips.

  I’m sure Ben would help you.”

  “As more time passes, I’m starting to think that’s what needs to be done but not yet. I want Trevor to be safe for as long as I can keep him that way.” Quinn shuffled his feet nervously. “Plus I’m not ready for him to hate me as much as I know he will for keeping this from him. But I had to do what was best for me back then, and hopefully one day Trevor will see it that way.”

  With that Quinn turned and strode away. Garrett watched him go, and a feeling of pity for the other man filled his gut. That had to be a lonely existence Quinn lived. Garrett could see the benefits of not having a mate, no one to worry about or care about and no one to worry or care about you in case you didn’t come home from a mission. It was both selfish and selfless all at once.

  “Hey, baby, you all right?”

  Garrett looked away from the direction Quinn had left in and turned to greet his mate. God, he loved Lachlan more than anything else in the whole fucking world and felt fortunate he’d never have to go through what Quinn had chosen to.

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  “Yep.” He pecked Lachlan on the lips. “Let’s go check back in with Ben and Miles and see if they heard back from the council yet.”

  As they walked away, Garrett chanced a glance out the window one more time. He saw Trevor roughhousing with Leo in the yard. A pang of loss for what Trevor didn’t even know he was missing punched Garrett in the heart. Maybe one day Quinn would pull his head out of his ass and claim what was his.

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  Chapter Fourteen

  “Nothing?” Lachlan asked.

  “Not a thing,” Ben answered back.

  Lachlan didn’t know what to do now. He’d put a lot of faith in the council having answers to what Damon had said.

  “My dad said we should up patrols and if you or any one of your pack members come in contact with Damon again that we should try and convince him to come to the warrior compound.”

  “I don’t want him hurt, Ben.” Lachlan had seen the fear and desperation in Damon’s eyes, and call him crazy, but Lachlan didn’t think Damon was the mastermind behind the goings-on with Rhett or Lacy’s murder.

  “He won’t be, jeez.” Ben rolled his eyes. “Damon is like Astrid and an anomaly in our world, we can’t willingly kill him. We need to get answers, and, Lachlan, I take you at your word that Damon’s an innocent. I trust you.”

  Lachlan nodded his head in thanks. He didn’t owe shit to Damon, but something about the guy tugged at his heart strings.

  “So that’s it?” Garrett stood up and began to pace the floor. “We just wait for another attack against my people?”

  “There isn’t anything else we can do right now, Garrett,” Ben answered. “We have nothing to go on, and the only witness you have didn’t get a look at her attackers. I’m sorry but we have to wait until they make themselves known again.”

  “Fuck,” Garrett growled.

  “Thanks, Ben. We understand that there isn’t much you or the council can do. These dark warriors have us by the short hairs, and 132

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  there isn’t a damn thing we can do about it.” Lachlan needed to be the voice of reason for his mate. Garrett was upset, but Ben had a point.

  They had no clues to go on.

  “No thanks necessary, Lachlan. Just keep us informed, and if you need any of the warriors to come help keep watch, just let me know.

  Don’t hesitate to ask for help.”

  Lachlan stood and shook Ben’s hand. Garrett walked over and did the same. They left Ben’s office with the promise to stay in touch.

  Lachlan entwined his and Garrett’s fingers and left out the front door to head home.

  Home. A smile spread across Lachlan’s face. It’d been so long since he’d had a real home. Yes he had a home with the warriors but they moved around constantly, and with Garrett there was only one house, not several to live between and even if there were, Lachlan wouldn’t care. As long as he had Garrett, he’d live or move anywhere just to be near his mate, always.

  The sky had started to turn pink, and the sun would be down soon.

  Autumn had settled in on the Midwest, and with the time change it began to get dark by six o’clock. Lachlan hadn’t realized they spent that much time at the warrior compound. They’d be home just in time to eat dinner with the pack.

  “Are you worried, Lachlan?” Garrett asked as he pulled his car into the drive.

  “Why? Will it change the inevitable?” Lachlan climbed out of the truck and followed alongside his mate to the front door.

  “No, but I don’t want you to be stressed out or anything.”

  “Really? And what about you? I can practically hear your heart pounding in your chest. I know you’re worried about me and the safety of the pack, but I’m your mate. We’re equals.” Lachlan bumped shoulders with Garrett. “I’m in this mess with you.”

  When they reached the front door, Garrett tugged on Lachlan’s hand, and Lachlan fell into his mate. “And I wouldn’t want it any other way, mate.”

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  Lachlan felt like a kid with his first crush whenever he was near his mate. His heart melted at the sight of Garrett’s sexy grin. Lachlan considered that grin to be Garrett’s special grin that he only used for Lachlan.

  Staring into Garrett’s striking blue eyes, Lachlan could swear he saw his forever in the welcoming blue depths. The tan skin of his mate’s face glowed with happiness, and Lachl
an loved knowing he did that for his mate. He put that look of utter ease on Garrett’s face.

  “I love you,” Lachlan purred as he rubbed his nose against Garrett’s.

  “Me, too, babe. Me, too.”

  Lachlan opened the door and stepped inside. The house was dark and quiet. After what happened at the moon run, Lachlan wasn’t surprised by the absence of people. Lacy was a well-liked woman and her loss was felt throughout the entire pack. Lachlan had only known the wolf for a short time, but she had a smile that would bring most men to their knees. She reminded him a lot of Clara, sweet and innocent, and always with a kind word for others.

  “Lachlan, I’m going to go to my office for a bit and check in with Wes.” He locked his arms around Lachlan’s waist. “If you need anything”—Garrett nipped at Lachlan’s lips and a small gasp left his throat—“and I mean anything, just give a shout.”

  “Will do, my love. Now go and get some work done or do whatever it is that alphas do.” Lachlan swatted Garrett’s ass as his mate passed him by.

  Left alone, Lachlan went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

  His stomach rumbled loudly, letting him know it agreed with Lachlan’s decision. As he walked down the hallway toward the kitchen, bright-yellow light lit the entryway. Lachlan eased around the corner, shouting out a hello to whoever might be in there. He didn’t want to spook anyone.

  In the corner with his knees pulled up to his chest sat Toby. He sat staring down at his half-eaten sandwich. The way the young man 134

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  watched it made Lachlan think the damn thing might be readying for an attack.

  Lachlan hated how fearful the man had become, but he had every reason to be like this. Being raped and beaten took its toll on a person.

  Nothing so horrible had ever happened to Lachlan, but he detested that any person had to suffer such a horrendous act.

  “Hey, Toby,” Lachlan said softly as he walked closer to the man.

  “Everything okay?”