Free Rick's Reluctant Mate by Alice Cain

had no
intention of releasing him while Rick jumped through their hoops. His mate
would find a way to stop these idiots and save Jordan. Of that he was very certain.
    Fuck. If he'd been in human form he would
have laughed in a self-deprecating manner. When had he begun to think of his
mate as a grown adult capable of not only looking after himself but the people
around him as well? Jordan had spent the past four years watching his mate grow
into a mature, intelligent, truly incredible man, and yet, for some reason,
he'd continued to think of him as someone not quite capable of running his own
life.
    Perhaps it was the age difference. Jordan
barely remembered being twenty-two, but it was clear that he was finally seeing
the real person Rick had become and not the eighteen-year-old human he'd busted
through a wooden window louver to protect.
    Even in his head he'd begun to think of his
mate as "Rick"—the name everyone else used for him these days—rather
than the childhood version he'd grown up with.
    His stomach lurched uncomfortably as the
truck once again began to move.
    He had absolute confidence that his mate
would find him, but it was going to be a whole lot harder while they kept him
moving around. Hopefully they'd get wherever they were going soon.
     
    ~*~
     
    Rick sat staring at the screen and wondering
if something had gone wrong with the GPS. Why would his mate be heading south?
It was possible that he'd changed his mind about claiming Rick as his mate and
had literally run in the opposite direction, but Rick didn't really want to
believe that. His dad had been positive that Jordan had planned to come home to
Rick.
    Home.
    He hadn't even realized how comfortable he
was among the Alateekas and their security people. It
was true that his skills made him different to them all, but somehow he fit in.
Perhaps it was because everyone here was unique in some way. They were a bunch
of misfits that somehow fit together.
    He belonged here and so did his mate, even if
Jordan didn't understand that yet.
    It was a rather strange thing to notice at a
time like this, but it was probably a good way to distract himself while he waited for Brody to do an aerial sweep of the continuously moving
coordinates Rick had found.
    Rick answered his phone before the first
ring even sounded. "Dad?"
    "We found Jordan's car and his clothes
on the side of the highway and we're picking up unusual scents. We're not sure
why he stopped, but there's evidence of a fight. Did you have any luck with the
GPS tracker?"
    "Not yet," Rick said, trying to
stay calm. "It's moving fast, like he's in a car, but if it's not his car,
and he left without any of his things, it's possible he's not there of his own
free will."
    Again emotion thickened Rick's voice. Was
this how Jordan felt anytime he thought of Rick being
attacked or abducted? God, even if Jordan was rejecting him, Rick was going to
talk to the alpha of Lupinville. No way was he staying human when this was how
terrified he felt for his mate who was actually a werewolf.
    Just the thought of how much stress Rick
being young and human must have put on his mate was enough to make him feel
queasy.
    "It's a truck," Lilly said,
relaying whatever her brother was telling her on the phone, "driven by
hyenas." She rolled her eyes, apparently well acquainted with the species.
"If Jordan was abducted, there's a good chance they're the people behind
it."
    Again Lilly did that short-hand style of
talking that she and her twin seemed to do, but as far as Rick could tell, they'd
already contacted Trent and were planning to stop the truck, liberate Jordan,
and perhaps even refer his abductors to some sort of paranormal judicial
system.
    Lilly smiled as she hung up the phone.
"We'll have him back in no time."
    " Lil , I can't
just sit here," Rick said, too agitated to sit still.
    " Which is why Adrian
is going to swing by and pick us up. "
    Rick grinned, grateful for the woman's
thoughtful reaction. "Thanks, Lil