Simon Read online

Malik’s gaze went straight to one of the guys on the second couch. He was small. His blond hair fell in front of his eyes, but Malik could see they were green anyway. The guy was pretty in an almost feminine kind of way, but not quite.

  “We’re not here to be nice to each other,” Quincy said. “And I told you not to call me Quincy. I hate it.”

  Malik resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. “Fine. Being civil won’t hurt you, Quinn. I swear.”

  “Fine. I’m Quinn Wallace, and this is Malik Ayodele. We’re council members and we’re here to help save your asses from that asshole who’s bent on killing all of you.”

  Quincy could have worded that a bit better, but he’d been half-civil, and that was more than Malik could usually say of him, so he counted it as a victory.

  Malik stepped toward the two guys sitting together, shaking their hands.

  “I’m Jayden, and this is Heath, my mate. I already know you, of course. I live in Whitedell,” one of them said, and Malik thought he recognized him.

  He nodded and went to the other couch. He shook the hand of a guy who looked like he could be the twin of the guy Malik had noticed earlier, and smiled reassuringly at him. He shook the hand of the man next to him next, and then finally got to the guy he’d noticed.

  He started smiling as he leaned forward to say hello, but then he froze. He stared at the guy, knowing the guy’s gaping expression was probably mirrored on his own face. He certainly hadn’t expected to meet his mate when he’d agreed to come help Kameron.

  * * * *

  The bitchy guy called Quincy—Quinn—huffed. “Are you done being polite? We need to find Kam.”

  Malik smiled at Simon and straightened, ignoring Quinn. He held a hand out, and Simon took it, letting Malik pull him up without resisting. They were standing close, so close Simon could smell Malik. If he’d had any doubts before, he was sure Malik was his mate now.

  “I don’t live here, but I’m sure Kameron wouldn’t mind letting us use one of the rooms downstairs,” he whispered.

  Malik blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “To mate. We can use one of the rooms here to mate.”

  Quinn snorted, and Simon realized too late that he didn’t know anything about Malik, including whether or not he had a boyfriend, or if he even was into guys.

  “That guy thinks you’re his mate?” Quinn asked, and Simon decided he was going to call him Quincy, just because he could and because he wanted to be annoying.

  Malik turned to face Quinn, but he didn’t let go of Simon’s hand. “He is.”

  Quinn’s eyes widened, but he got the reaction under control fast. “How is it possible?”

  “Are you straight?” Simon asked Malik, because why else would Quinn wonder how it was possible?

  Malik shook his head. “I’m not straight. I’m pansexual.”

  “So it doesn’t matter that I’m a guy?”

  “No.”

  “Then why is your friend so surprised? Is he your boyfriend?”

  Malik’s eyes widened in horror. “God, no. I’d kill him after only a day. It’s hard enough to be one of his closest friends.”

  Someone stomped closer to them, and Simon wasn’t surprised to see it was Quinn. Quinn leaned forward, so close his nose almost touched Simon’s cheek. “He can’t be your mate,” he declared after a few seconds.

  Someone cleared his throat, and Simon turned to see Heath and Jayden leaving. Will and Mal were just behind them, but Mal had stopped to get Simon’s attention. Once he had it, he smiled an encouraging smile. “We’ll be at home when you’re done here. You’re both welcome, of course, and congratulations. Oh, and don’t listen to anyone who doesn’t like you and Malik being mates. It’s not their business.”

  Quinn turned around and scowled, and Mal scowled right back. “You’re human,” Quinn said. “Why do you think you have any say in this?”

  Mal crossed his arms on his chest. “Why do you think you do? As far as I know, being mates includes only two people. You’re the third wheel here.”

  Quinn took a step toward Mal, and Mal stayed right where he was until Will pulled him away. Simon heard him complain, but their voices faded as soon as the front door was closed behind him. That left Simon alone with Malik and Quinn, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. Well, he liked being with Malik. With Quinn, not so much. He didn’t know the guy, but he already disliked him, and from the way Quinn was looking at him, it was reciprocated.

  Simon stepped away from Malik, but he didn’t go far. He just needed a little space to think, especially since it looked like Quinn wasn’t about to let Simon’s presence stop him from saying whatever he thought of him. Simon steeled himself, because he knew it wouldn’t be pleasant.

  “Why can’t he be my mate?” Malik asked, looking calm.

  Quinn went to stand right in front of Malik, dismissing Simon entirely. Simon wasn’t sure whether to be happy or angry. His head was spinning with thoughts, and he needed to put some order to them. He couldn’t do that now, though.

  “Because you’re an alpha, and a council member,” Quinn answered.

  “I don’t see what it has to do with him.”

  “You need someone who can rule by your side and who won’t give you a bad reputation.”

  Simon opened his mouth to protest, but Malik talked before he could.

  “Why would Simon give me a bad reputation?” Malik asked before Simon could, and Simon thought he looked angry. He couldn’t be sure, because he didn’t know Malik, but the way his jaw was set and the tightening of his fists were a pretty good indication.

  “Have you looked at him?” Quinn asked. He turned to look at Simon, and Simon looked down at himself. He winced.

  It was true he didn’t look like much right now. He’d gone to see his mother that morning, so he’d exaggerated a bit, like he always did. He’d gone home and changed before coming over to Kam’s house, so he was dressed in yoga pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, but he was still wearing heavy make-up and jewelry.

  “I’m not usually like this,” he said feeling the need to defend himself.

  Quinn snorted. “Yeah? And what are you like, usually? Do you always wear make-up and look like a girl?”

  “Enough,” Malik said in a flat voice. Simon snapped his mouth shut instead of answering Quinn like he wanted to. He wasn’t sure who Malik was angry with, but from the way Malik was looking at Quinn, he was pretty sure it wasn’t him.

  Quinn shook his head. “We can find you someone else. I know it won’t be the same, but you need someone more suitable.”

  “I said enough. You’re one of my best friends, Quinn, but not even you can talk to Simon that way. I don’t care what you think about this, but Simon is my mate, and that’s all there is to it. I don’t need—or want—anyone else, and I want you to remember that, because if I hear you talk to him or about him that way again, I’m not sure our friendship will survive.”

  Quinn opened his mouth and closed it, looking very much like a fish. He finally seemed to realize what he was doing and stopped, crossed his arms on his chest again, and took a stubborn expression. “I was only trying to help.”

  “Well, you’re not. I know you care, but this isn’t the way to go about it. You don’t know Simon, not any more than I do, yet you’ve already judged him by the way he looks.”

  “You can’t tell me he looks like someone your school will accept.”

  “My school will accept him if it’s what I want.”

  Simon was a bit confused about that. Malik had a school? Was he a teacher?

  “And you want him? With all the make-up and everything?”

  Simon felt like the third wheel, but he wanted to know the answer to Quinn’s question more than he was irritated with the situation, so he kept his mouth shut.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Malik answered. “I don’t know him yet, but I’m not about to push him away and renounce my mate just because of some make-up.”<
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  “I still say he looks like a girl,” Quinn said. He looked more like a pouting kid who’d been refused ice cream at this point, and Simon knew he’d won this, whatever this was.

  Malik grinned and shrugged. “So? I’m pansexual. I don’t care what he is, or how he looks.”

  “Fine. Do what you want. I’m going to find Kameron. I guess we’ll be in his office when you decide you’ve played around enough and want to join the grown-ups.”

  Quinn stomped away, and Simon plastered his back against the wall to let him pass. Quinn scowled at him as he did so, and Simon wondered if he was going to have to sleep with one eye open from now on. Quinn sure looked like he wanted to kill Simon, and Simon wasn’t able to resist poking at him. “Bye, Quincy.”

  Quinn froze, and his eyes narrowed even more. He leaned toward Simon and Simon leaned backward, not that there was much space left between his back and the wall. “He’s going to see I’m right sooner rather than later. That will be my revenge for what you just said.”

  “Whatever.” Simon tried to appear more courageous than he felt, which wasn’t really hard, since he felt as courageous as a mouse at the moment.

  Quinn stared at him for a few seconds, then he grinned maliciously and left. Simon’s knees buckled, so he stayed against the wall. He needed to gather his guts before he could face Malik.

  * * * *

  Malik waited until Quincy was out of the room to relax. He loved his friend to death, but he wasn’t blind to the worst parts of his personality. Some people would have said Quincy didn’t have good parts, but Malik knew it wasn’t true. They just were buried very deep, and Quincy didn’t show them to most people.

  “He’s very intense,” Simon said.

  He was still against the wall, and he looked mildly scared. That was the last thing Malik wanted, so he sat on the couch closest to him. “He is, but don’t let it scare you. He won’t hurt you.”

  Simon finally stepped away from the wall and came closer “I know he won’t. No matter how much of a bastard he seems to be, I know Kam wouldn’t have been okay with him being a council member if he was dangerous.”

  “Ignore what he said,” Malik told Simon. The last thing he wanted was for Simon to believe Malik didn’t think he would be a good mate for him. He might not know Simon, but he did know Fate wouldn’t have put them together if they hadn’t been good for each other.

  “I will. I don’t think it’ll be easy, though, especially if he looks at me like he’s planning to strip the flesh off my bones if I so much as look at him in the wrong way.”

  “Well, you did call him Quincy.”

  Simon grinned and sat next to Malik. “I might have pushed my luck there, but I couldn’t resist. I knew you’d save me if he tried something.”

  “He won’t. He’s probably going to be very vocal about you, though.”

  Simon shrugged. “It can’t be worse than what my parents and my brother say to me.”

  “Your family doesn’t approve of you?”

  Simon snorted. “That’s an understatement. They hate everything that makes me me, you know?”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Simon eyed Malik. “Don’t you want to go and mate instead?”

  Malik grinned. “You don’t waste time, huh?”

  “Why should I? We’re both shifters, so we know how mating works and what it means. Unless you want to wait, of course.”

  “Not particularly, but I don’t think it would be polite to leave before I’ve talked to Kameron. I’m a council member after all, and Quincy and I are here for a reason.”

  “Which is?”

  “We’re going to help you deal with Tom.”

  “Where do you usually live?”

  “South Africa.”

  Simon grimaced. “That’s going to be a big change for me.”

  “Why do you think you’re going to be the one moving there?”

  Simon looked at Malik like he was stupid to ask that question, but Malik didn’t care. He wanted Simon to understand that no matter what Malik was, they were both equal in their relationship, or at least they would be as soon as they actually had one.

  “I thought you were, like, the alpha. And a teacher. You can’t want to leave your students,” Simon said.

  Malik frowned. “I’m the alpha of my school, but I’m not a teacher.”

  Simon looked even more puzzled. “Okay, so you’re not a teacher, but still, why would you want to move here? You can’t. It’s obvious I’m going to have to move in South Africa, and shit, how am I going to tell Mal and Elliott? They’re going to flip.”

  Malik shook his head. “No, it’s not obvious. I can step down from my alpha position.”

  Simon looked horrified. “Why would you do that?”

  “I don’t want to take you away from your friends.”

  “Well, I don’t want to be the reason why you step down.”

  “I don’t think we’re at that point in our relationship yet, Simon. We have time to think and talk.”

  “Maybe, but once we’re mated, we’ll eventually have to make a decision.”

  “Yes, but I’m not going anywhere for a while.”

  “Not until you deal with Tom.”

  “Yes. I do want you to know that I’m not more important than you in our relationship.” Malik took Simon’s hand, smiling when Simon didn’t protest. “It doesn’t matter if I’m an alpha and a council member. Those things have nothing to do with me and you.”

  “But they do matter. We can’t just ignore those parts of you.”

  “We can, for now.”

  Simon opened his mouth, probably to protest, but Malik shook his head. “We don’t need to make a decision now. We don’t know anything about each other. Maybe you’ll decide moving to South Africa is a great adventure for you and you’ll be happy to do so, or maybe I’ll decide I want to move to the States to be closer to the council.”

  It was something Malik had thought about. He was the only council member who lived outside of the States, and that made it hard for him to be as involved in it as the others were. He hadn’t made any decisions, but maybe meeting Simon was the push he’d need to do so. Being a council member and an alpha at the same time left him little to no time for himself, and while he hadn’t minded while he was on his own, Simon changed everything.

  “And you’d leave your school, just like that?” Simon asked dubiously.

  “It wouldn’t be just like that. It would take a bit of time, but yes, I would.”

  Simon shook his head. “We need to talk about this.”

  “Yes, but later. There are so many other things we need to talk about.”

  Simon finally smiled. “That’s true. So, do you want to mate right away?”

  “I thought it was what you wanted.”

  “It is. I know I tend to rush into things, though. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to wait. Quinn is right, up to a point. Maybe I’m not the most ideal person to be your mate, and I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to make sure before making a decision.”

  Malik shook his head and cupped Simon’s face with both hands. He forced Simon to look at him, even though Simon tried to avoid it. When their gazes finally met, Malik could see the fear and self-consciousness in Simon’s eyes.

  “Listen to me,” he said. Simon nodded, and Malik continued. “No matter who and what I am, and no matter who and what you are, we’re mates. That means I will never push you to the side, that I will never want someone else. There’s a reason why Fate thought we were perfect for each other, no matter what Quincy says or thinks. Understood?”

  Simon nodded, but Malik wasn’t sure he really understood. Something had happened to him, something that had made him think he wasn’t good enough. Malik knew he’d find out, eventually. He knew part of the Gillham Pack history, and he knew about Erskine. From what Simon had said about his family, they also seemed to have had a hand in it, and Malik coul
dn’t wait to meet them and to find out just how bad they were.

  Simon obviously had friends who cared for him, but Malik was his mate, and as such, he’d put everyone back in their places, even Simon’s parents.

  Simon blinked, and Malik realized he was still holding Simon’s face still. He smiled, wondering how Simon would take it if he kissed him. He leaned forward slowly, giving Simon the time to move away if he didn’t want it, but Simon just looked at him, his eyes wide, his mouth slightly open, as if in anticipation.

  When their mouths brushed against each other, Simon still didn’t move, so Malik took it as a go-ahead and pressed their lips together. Simon’s lips were still open, and he licked Malik’s lower lip as soon as Malik kissed him.

  Simon finally moved, wrapping his arms around Malik’s waist, trying to press closer. The only way they could have gotten closer would have been to pull Simon in his lap, and while Malik wouldn’t have minded, he didn’t think this was the right moment or place to do it.

  He gently pushed Simon away, smiling at his stunned expression. “We can continue this tonight if you want to,” he said.

  Simon licked his lips. “If I want to? I think we both know I do.”

  Malik grinned and kissed Simon again.

  Chapter Two

  “Come to see Kameron with me?” Malik asked against Simon’s lips.

  Simon groaned. “Does it mean I have to see Quinn again?”

  Malik laughed, kissed the tip of Simon’s nose, and moved away. “You’d better get used to him, you know.”

  “I know. I was hoping I could start getting used to him tomorrow, though.”

  “You could wait here.”

  “I need to talk to Kam anyway. Well, we need to.”

  Malik got up, and Simon held his hands up to him, wiggling his fingers until Malik took the hint and grabbed them. He pulled, hauling Simon up from the couch. Simon stumbled—it might have been on purpose, but he’d never admit it—and landed in Malik’s arms. The way Malik looked at him, with the right corner of his lips raised in a half-smile, made Simon think he probably knew.