by Kian Rhodes
"Mmm," Harley seemed to suddenly realize my situation. "But now it's your turn, hmm?"
When he began to snake his hand down between us, I caught it and brought it up to nip at the sensitive skin on the inside of his wrist. "Actually, there's something I'd really like, if you're okay with it." I licked the spot I'd bitten. "You might think it's a little dirty, though."
"Yeah?" The sharp intake of breath told me I had my Omega's attention.
I rolled over onto my back, wrapping one hand around my cock. "Come here."
Harley followed obediently, straddling me and rubbing his slippery entrance against the head of my cock, forcing a shudder through me. "Not that, Har." My cock slapped against my abdomen as I released it to grip his hips. "Face the other way."
He spun around so he was facing my feet, but before he could sit down, I grabbed his hips in both hands and dragged him backward so he landed exactly where I wanted him - on my face.
Releasing his hips, I spread his cheeks gently to allow me easier access to my prize. "Fucking gorgeous, baby," I muttered against his soft skin.
His hole was already relaxed from my fingers, so my tongue entered easily and Harley's long, pleasure-soaked moan made my cock jerk. Holding him in place with my left hand on his half-hard dick, I shifted his leg so I could reach my own cock with the other.
I began to stroke myself in time with my tongue thrusting inside him, and slowly his hips began to rock in time as well, fucking his dick into my fist as he rode my tongue. I sucked in his sweet slick as it dripped onto my lips, his pucker fluttering as it tried to drag my tongue in deeper. When I finally couldn't hold back any longer, I began to beat my cock like the horny mutt I really was, slobbering into Harley's hole, my heart devouring the whimpers and cries while my mouth guzzled the sweet juice his body created for me. Then his body jerked and he ground down against my face, forcing my tongue in and threatening to suffocate me with his perfect cheeks and I howled into his body, my release thundering through me in waves that were nearly painful.
Harley was gasping on top of me and he fell forward too suddenly for me to catch him. Nuzzling his cheeks against my softening cock, he continued to shudder through his second orgasm – I'd learned long before that the more he came, the better each consecutive orgasm was.
"You okay?" I asked, stroking my hand down his back as I admired the mess I'd made of his hole. His cheeks were red from my stubble and his pulsing pink rim was shiny with spit and Omega slick.
"So good," Harley agreed, making me jump when he pulled my cock into his mouth sucked it clean. Letting it fall from his lips, Harley kissed the tip. "You?"
"I don't think I've ever been better, Har." I slid my arms under his body and shifted him around, drawing the covers over both of us. "Stay with me?"
Harley snuggled up against my side, pillowing his head on my chest. "For as long as you'll have me, Scott."
When I woke several hours later, the sun had just begun to slide to the East and Harley was gone.
Reaching for the computer, I flipped the lid open and waited impatiently for the screen to load before hitting the shortcut to the internet history menu. Hitting the link at the top of the list, I shook my head as a message screen opened beneath a blinking headline that screamed Beyond the Knot: Mating With a Purpose.
"Oh, Harley," I groaned aloud after I read the message that he had sent. "Some things just never change."
Sliding the laptop back to its customary home on the shelf, I bundled some clothes together, tying them into a ball with my belt, and stepped out of the van to shift. When the transformation was complete, I gave a full body shake, grabbed the bundle of clothes in my teeth, and started toward The Oh! Club at a lope.
Chapter Nineteen
Rafe
"I'm still not seeing anything different, Alpha," Colby said with a sigh, pushing away the stack of papers that he had just finished reading through. "What about you?"
I shook my head and rubbed the back of my neck. "Nope. Nothing new here, either."
There was a cough from the hall, followed by a light knock on the open door. Bane was leaning against the frame, a single paper in one hand and a frown creasing his forehead. "I have something new, Boss, and it doesn't look good."
"Shit." I took a deep breath. "Trevor is so sure that this kid is on the level, too." I held my hand out and Bane crossed the room to hand it over. "This is the chat log from that Beyond the Knot site? Bane, we already reviewed this."
"Yeah," Bane agreed, "but we've been monitoring it, remember? A new message was added to the thread a few hours ago. It's at the bottom."
Scanning through the entries, I found the last one. It was from Naughty_Boy_O, the user ID that we'd previously identified as Harley.
"Dear Lix. So sorry I missed our date. I was in an accident, but I'm better now. If you're still interested, I'll be at the mixer tomorrow at four – ready, willing, and eager to make it up to you!"
"What the hell?" Colby's eyes flashed. "Not only is he fucking with us, but he's also stringing Scott along, too?"
I raised a brow at my Omega's unusually fervent response and he shrugged.
"Anyway," I said pointedly, "We know when, so that means that we just need to find out the where." I scanned the messages again, keying in on the one that I'd been looking for. "Here it is. The Oh! Club." I frowned, pretty sure I'd heard that name before. "Why does that sound familiar?"
"That's the Alpha's only club that Quinn and Lachlan hooked up at that night," Colby reminded me.
Right. All in all, not a good place for an Omega to wander into unattended.
"Great," I groaned. "I don't suppose we know anyone with a membership?"
"Not that I know of," Bane answered thoughtfully. "But we could pull the membership list to be sure?"
"Won't help," Colby muttered, tapping at the keys of the laptop he was bending over. "The club is closed for a private event tonight." He hesitated and then scowled. "Whaddaya know? It just happens to be the mixer for Beyond the Knot."
"So we either need to find a way to get inside or we need to grab Harley before he gets in," I mused.
"I.." Colby started to speak, but I interrupted him.
"Am not going," I said firmly.
Colby huffed a sigh but nodded. "I was going to say that I wasn't sure how much help I'd be." He tapped a few keys and straightened up in his seat. "You know, Rafe, there isn't any sort of security on this list. I could add a couple of names to the invited guests and they'd never know."
And that was how Zade, Clint, and I ended up strutting into The Oh! Club like we belonged there.
"This is unreal," Clint whistled under his breath as he stared around at the garishly decorated room. "It looks like Donald Trump decorated a discount whore house."
I bit back a chuckle as I took in the red plush carpet, red and gold flocked wallpaper, red leather furniture, and dark wood trim edged with gold leaf. "It is definitely tacky."
"What now?" Zade wanted to know. "I don't see Harley anywhere."
"We're early," I reminded him. "Let's each find a spot to settle in and keep an eye out for our target. You each have your picture?"
They both nodded and I pulled out my copy of the DMV photo of Alexi Gartroli – aka Lix-you-good – and started for the stairs that led to the small balcony that overlooked the entrance to the club with Clint on my flank. Zade turned to take up his position by the door. Then, we sat back and waited.
Chapter Twenty
Harley
Sneaking out of Scott's bed was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Well, at least it was the hardest thing that I remembered doing, if I was going to be specific. Seriously, there was a knot of anxiety in my gut that seemed to grow as I stared down at his sleeping face for the second time that day.
"I'm sorry," I whispered so quietly that I wasn't even sure I'd made a sound. Leaning over him, I kissed his cheek and then backed into the front of the van and, when I was sure I hadn't given myself
away, slipped out the passenger door and carefully closed it behind me.
The bright afternoon light made me wince and I wondered for the hundredth time if whatever I had gone through was the reason that my eyes seemed to prefer the dark of night to sunlight. I picked my way through the quiet village to the main street that led to the nearest town.
I was walking along the dusty road when an old beat-up truck rattled to a stop beside me.
"Need a lift, kid?" The old man behind the steering wheel wheezed out a laugh.
"Actually, that would be great," I said before thinking better of it.
"Hop on in," he rasped out, reaching over to open the passenger side door from the interior.
"Thanks." I climbed up inside and reached over my shoulder for the safety belt, but there wasn't one there. I shrugged inwardly. It wasn't like he was going to be driving very fast down the rutted country road.
"Where ya headed?"
Even though the man seemed harmless, telling him I was going to a gentleman's club didn't exactly seem like a wise idea, so, instead, I pictured the map off the website and picked the building just across the street from my actual destination. "Wolfsrudel Community bank, sir."
"You got some money, have you?" He narrowed his eyes at me, making me worry that I'd misjudged him. He may have been quite a bit older than me, but he was also quite a bit larger
"No," I rushed to assure him that I wasn't worth robbing. "I heard they were hiring and I wanted to put an application in. I, uh, have an appointment."
That seemed to satisfy the old man, because he merely grunted and chewed the toothpick sticking out the corner of his mouth. The truck groaned to a stop on the street in front of the bank and I turned to thank him for the ride, but he lunged for me, his hands grabbing at my shoulders as his flappy lips tried to find my mouth.
I clawed for the door handle, managing to wrench my arm free and scramble from the cab as it swung open.
"I jest wanted a little kiss fer my troubles," he cackled after me as I bolted for the club across the street.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I chanted to myself. "You totally know better than to get into a car with a stranger, no matter how old they are." I shuddered at the thought of what the old man might have been capable.
"You okay, son?" Another strange voice was calling out to me, but this one was oddly comforting.
"Yeah, I think so," I said quietly, trying to stop my body from shaking. "I..I accepted a ride from someone and he, well, scared me. That's all."
"Just scared you? He didn't touch you or hurt you?" The low, smooth voice deepened with concern.
"No. He tried to kiss me, but I got away." I managed a smile for the man. "Thank you."
"I'm Lachlan," he said calmly. "This isn't really a safe area for you to be out alone. Are you expecting someone?"
I nodded. "Sort of, anyway. I'm actually supposed to be going to a mixer here." I tipped my head toward the club.
"Tell you what," he suggested, offering me his arm. "Why don't I escort you to the door? That way, we know you won't be accosted again before you make it inside."
The club was busier than I expected, and I was surrounded by an overwhelming number of large, muscular men almost immediately. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and cologne mixed with something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was an intoxicating scent that made my blood hum in my veins.
"Excuse me," I tried to say, groaning inwardly as it came out more of a squeak. "I was trying to find…" I swallowed the rest of my words on a gasp when I was grabbed by the wrist. The arousal building in my gut was quickly replaced by terror when I dragged through the crowd and shoved against the wall, pinned in place by a hard body in low slung jeans and a sweat-slick bare chest.
Sharp teeth scraped my neck, making me scream, but the sound was drowned out by the yelling around me. I couldn't make out the words, but it seemed as if the men were fighting amongst themselves. Fear dripped down my spine as I realized that I was the prize.
The crowd behind my captor shifted abruptly, forcing his body harder into me. He ignored the jostling and shoved his crotch against mine with a dirty laugh.
"Well, now," his rough voice growled in my ear. "Sure looks like I found myself a snack."
Chapter
Twenty-One
Rafael
"He's here," Lachlan's voice hissed through the Bluetooth receiver hidden in my left ear.
"Don't make contact!" I growled into the microphone clipped to the inside of my shirt collar.
"Not an option," Lachlan's sighed words barely carried through my earpiece.
Clint and I exchanged an exasperated look as we listened to Lachlan approach Harley and ask if he needed help. Several minutes later Lachlan was back.
"Okay. I got him through the front doors. You got eyes on him?"
I was straining to see through the throng of Alphas when an impressive string of curses from Zade's microphone made me wince.
"You're not gonna fucking believe this shit." He paused, and I almost thought I heard him stifle a laugh. No sooner had we started forcing our way through the horny Alphas than Zane's voice rang through again. "Guys, he's not alone."
"He's not?"
"Nope, but I think y'all better hurry." This time there was a definite laugh. "Rafe, Scott is squaring off against every Alpha in the damned place."
"Let's go!" I started for the steps to the main dance floor at a run with Clint on my six.
"That is not good."
I sighed and kept shoving my way through the throngs. I certainly couldn't disagree with Clint's assessment of the situation, but that was one werewolf with a gift for serious understatement.
The sight that greeted me when we finally made our way to the front of the club was, well, something.
Harley was backed up into the northeast corner of the room, just to the right of the front door. Carefully positioned between him and a row of angry Alphas was Scott who, to my surprise, looked completely at ease as he ducked and feigned, kicked and tripped the men who were challenging him for access to Harley.
I wound my way through to where Zade stood, watching, with his hands on his hips and a surprised expression.
"You're not getting in there?"
Zade shrugged. "So far, they're taking it one at a time and he's holding his own. Kinda figured that I'd wait and see if he needed the help."
"Ass," Clint huffed, pushing past me to the front. Before he could say anything, Scott caught his approach from the corner of his eye and turned to meet the perceived threat, landing his fist against the werewolf's jaw with a solid thud before realizing who he'd struck.
When Scott lowered his fist with an apologetic shrug, Clint laughed out loud and swung in to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
"That's my cue." Whatever response Zade made was lost in the scuffle as I shoved two bodies out of my way to cover Scott's other side.
The crowd that had been more than happy to challenge Scott individually when it was just him and an Omega, suddenly rushed as one undulating body, fists flying and boots lashing out. I wasn't sure of the exact moment that Zade joined the fray, choosing to fight from within the pack of bodies, but Lachlan's entrance was harder to miss as he slammed the door open, the hard wood colliding forcefully with several attackers and sending them skittering across the tile floor that was already slippery with blood.
By the time that the club's security staff moved in to control the scene, two dozen battered and bloody bodies littered the club floor and we were all starting to tire, which, when I replayed the events in my mind later, was how the entire situation suddenly went bad.
The bouncers began to line the attackers up against the far wall while the manager spoke softly to Harley, so I relaxed my guard and reached for my wallet to bring out my COPSD ID. Zade was mirroring my actions, reaching for his own military identification when his head jerked up.
"Knife!" he bellowed,
the words hitting me a split second too late for me to stop the bastard who dove past me, arm extended. The neon lights glittered off the metal as the dagger plunged toward Harley's exposed back.
I knew I would be too late, that I couldn't make it in time, but still I lunged toward Harley, hoping to knock him out of the way just as the blade sank into flesh with a sickening wet, tearing sound. I landed on my knees and slid as blood sprayed out into the air.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Scott
"No!"
Harley's scream echoed in my ears as the collision with his attacker threw me to the ground. I tried to speak, but the impact with the floor must have stunned me or knocked the air out of me or something, because I could seem to make any words come out. Instead, there was a gurgling noise and suddenly I was coughing as pain blazed through my chest.
"Motherfucker!" I recognized the angry snarl in my left ear as Zade's voice as another body thudded down beside me. "Hang in there, Scott."
My lungs were getting uncomfortably heavy, so instead of answering I tried to nod, only to be held down by strong hands that were oddly gentle. "Don't move, Scott. We've got Harley. He's fine."
Clint. It was the werewolf Alpha holding me in place.
"Ambulance is on the way." Rafael's voice seemed far away. "What do you need, Clint?"
"Need to stop the bleeding…" the words trailed off as darkness rushed over me, sucking me into silence.
~*~
"Harley, kid, we need to go."
A male voice whispered through my mind.
"No!"
I'd know that voice anywhere. Trembling and scared, my Omega's sweet timbre also had a touch of the defiance I was used to hearing in it. Something that had been missing since he lost his memory. "I'm staying."
"Honey, we don't even know when Scott will wake up." A soft, gentle voice. Omega, maybe? Not one I recognized.
More sounds – voices as well as odd mechanical noises – began to filter through and I realized I was waking up from…something. The noises around me combined with the anxiety that was rolling off Harley suggested that I was in a hospital or clinic, so it stood to reason that I'd been injured or fallen ill.