by Sean Michael
He needed this, needed to feel wanted, mated, whole.
Barker rolled them so Cody was on top, legs on either side of Barker’s thighs. “Ride me.”
“God, yes.” He sucked his fingers into his mouth, wet them then wet his hole.
Barker groaned then growled, hands wrapping around his hip. He pressed two fingers inside, the stretch sweet, deep. Deep, but not enough.
“Want you,” Barker told him, the need filling their bond as well.
“Take me.” He was Barker’s.
Barker shifted him, pressed the tip of the hard cock against him. Cody let his fingers slip free, let Barker press in.
“Oh, fuck, you’re tight.” Barker pressed up, hips pushing the thick prick into him.
He threw his head back, throat working. “More. Please.”
“Uh-huh. More. Lots and lots more.”
Cody fought the urge to howl as Barker buried himself to the root. Then Barker pulled out and thrust back in, hands pulling his hips up and bringing them back down.
“Mate. Again.” He drove himself up, slammed himself down.
Barker met his thrust, adding his power to it.
“Yes!” Cody’s toes curled as their skin slapping together.
“Mate! Mate!” Barker’s voice rang out.
He nodded, grunting. Yes. Mate. Please.
Barker’s hand slid around his cock, his own movements driving it along his lover’s palm. Pleasure so sharp it was almost pain shot up his spine.
I feel you, mate!
Cody couldn’t answer. He simply felt and moved and rode.
They moved together for a long time, the pleasure building, twisting. Barker’s gaze burned into him, the desire there echoed by their bond. For the first time in days, Cody felt whole. Barker’s skin became limned with sweat, his, too, the sound of their bodies coming together loud.
“Need.” More than breathing.
“Take,” muttered Barker as love and want and Barker’s strength pushed toward him.
“Yes.” Cody slammed back, his ass hitting Barker’s thighs.
“Fuck!” Barker cried out, the hand on his cock going so tight Cody thought the skin might split.
Spunk shot out of him, his ass squeezing Barker’s prick. Barker’s climax followed his almost immediately, heat spraying deep inside him. His howl rang out, filling the air, rejoicing. Barker’s met it, the sounds not quite right from their human throats, but heartfelt, real.
He leaned down, cheek on Barker’s shoulder, panting hard. Barker’s hands slid around to hold onto him, his lover matching him breath for breath.
“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do.”
“I say we run until we feel like we’ve put enough miles between us and the Clan. Then we can think without it hanging over us.” Barker’s voice rumbled up along where their chests were pressed together, almost like a purr soothing through him.
“Okay.” Cody nodded, relaxed down against his mate, and hummed softly.
Barker kissed the top of his head. “It’s okay. No one will hurt you, I swear.”
Just then, the door of the motel room burst open, the sting of a dart in his neck sending him winding into a sudden, undeniable blackness.
Chapter Sixteen
The sound of the door slamming open startled Barker, making him jerk as Cody became a dead weight on top of him.
Howling, snarling, he shoved Cody off him, putting himself between his mate and the door. Ignoring the pain in his leg, he went to his haunches, snarling as he faced the threat.
He saw faces he’d grown up with, friends become enemies. “Let him go, Barker. He’s not one of us.”
“He’s mine.” Barker reached behind him, pushing Cody until his mate’s body fell onto the floor with a thump, the entire bed between Cody and these assholes.
Mate! He called out through the bond. He needed Cody to wake up.
Barker…The thought was distant, fuzzy.
“He’s an abomination. Unnatural. He’ll expose us.”
He stayed crouched where he was. “Expose us?” He snorted. His mate was special, better than the rest of them. Wake up, mate.
“Yes. He’s abnormal. We cannot accept him.” Harry looked at him, the Elder’s eyes actually sad. “Please, friend. Move.”
Trying.
Now, mate. I need you to run.
“We aren’t hurting you. Leave us be.” They knew what being mates meant; they should have known better than to even ask.
“We’re going to take him. If you walk away now…”
“You can’t have him. He’s mine.” Barker snarled. “My mate. Leave us before I tear you to pieces.”
The rifle lifted, pointed at him. “Don’t make us kill you.”
He barred his teeth, growled softly. Mate. I could really use a distraction about now.
You got it.
Cody growled, leaping from behind the bed, caught between human and wolf. Shit. They were going to be lucky if they weren’t both shot. Growling himself, he launched himself at Harry, going for the arm holding the rifle.
“Brother!”
“Get back, you silly bitch!”
Three more people pushed into the room, and Barker didn’t know how they were all fitting.
The rifle went off—pointing at the ceiling, thank fuck—and Barker wrestled Harry for it, wanting the gun out of the asshole’s hands before Cody was hurt.
He heard Cody’s snarl, heard barking and the sounds of flesh hitting flesh behind him. He finally got the rifle out of Harry’s hands and knocked the butt of it across the man’s head, hard.
Then he stood and shot the fucking rifle at the ceiling, on purpose this time, before aiming it at the crowd in general. He had no idea who some of these people were, and he wasn’t taking any chances. “Everyone fucking freeze.”
Cody—who was fully fuzzy, along with a painfully pregnant wolf and a huge gray male—trotted over to him.
Harry was passed out on the floor, another Clan member whimpering and curling over a badly mauled arm, while the third man had indeed frozen where he stood. Dirk was his name, if Barker remembered rightly, and he was mostly kept around for his muscles.
Mate. Who are these wolves? Hadn’t there been more people just a few moments ago?
Sirens sounded in the distance. Shit. He’d bet the manager had called the cops after the gun shots.
My sister. Let’s go.
Both other wolves barked, and a large, gnarled man who looked oddly familiar peered through the door.
“We have to move. Now. Mate. Now.”
The pregnant wolf’s head bobbed.
Barker didn’t know if he was ready to entirely trust Cody’s sister, but she had come to their rescue and he suspected she was their best bet. They certainly couldn’t stay here; the sirens were getting closer every second.
“My truck’s just outside.” He grabbed the duffel bag Cody had brought in.
“We’re in the Jeep. Follow us.” The man looked at the Clan, growled. “You three stay.”
Barker waved the rifle at them. “You try and follow us, and I’ll stop you with your own fucking piece.”
Cody panted, nipping at his heels. Go. Go.
“I’m going.” Barker growled a little and got to the truck, tossing the duffel bag into the bed and opening the passenger door for Cody. Cody leaped up, and he could see the big man lifting the pregnant wolf into the Jeep. Barker ran around to the other side of the truck and started the engine, pulling out and heading for the exit, glancing back to make sure the Jeep made it out, too. He’d let them pass him once they were away from the motel and the cops who were descending upon it.
Can you drive? Your leg?
“I’m fine.” In fact, until Cody had mentioned it, he hadn’t even felt his leg. Now, of course, it was starting to throb like crazy. He had a hunch they were going to have to swap out when the adrenaline wore off.
You were so brave. There was a wealth of pride in that thought.
“I was just p
rotecting my mate.” It made him smile, though. He pulled to the side of the road a few blocks from the hotel, letting the black Jeep pass him. “How did she know where we were? How did the Clan know?”
I don’t know.
“More unknowns.” Barker growled. “We don’t even know where we’re going.” And his leg was really starting to throb. A wave of regret flooded him, coming from his mate. He glanced at Cody. “I’m not sorry. I’m pissed off—fucking angry as all hell at the Clan, but I don’t regret having my mate with me for a second.”
Cody didn’t answer, muzzle on the seat of the truck.
He followed the Jeep out of town and toward the mountains in the distance, the throbbing in his leg getting worse by the second. He clenched his teeth together, hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white.
Let me drive.
He wasn’t even sure that Cody could change back yet. “Four paws, remember?”
Right. Cody chuffed, head bobbing gently. Let me try to change.
“It’s okay if you can’t. I’m good for a while longer.”
What did they put in me?
“It knocked you out for a bit, right?”
Yeah, and when I heard you, I was fuzzy.
He glanced over and frowned. “Are you trying to tell me there was something in whatever they shot you with that turned you fuzzy?” Shit. That wasn’t good. He was going to have to refocus and deal with the driving on his own.
I think fuzzy is where I go now.
“Like when you’re hurt? So you should be able to change back, right? Try.”
He felt Cody trying, struggling, and slowly, so fucking slowly and painfully, the change started.
It made him wince, feeling that struggle. “Stop. I don’t need you to drive yet.”
Cody whimpered, panted. Sorry. Sorry. Trying. For you. Cody would do anything for him.
“Let’s wait until I’m a little more desperate, huh?” He wouldn’t let Cody sacrifice or hurt himself for him.
Cody slumped to the seat, panting harder.
“You need anything?”
Cody groaned, eyes closing.
“Food? Painkillers?”
I’m okay.
“Yeah? You sure?” The black Jeep moved faster, and he had to speed to catch up.
Cody didn’t answer.
He growled. “Mate…”
Cody’s mind was quiet, still.
“Mate?” Mate!
Shh…
“What’s the matter?” He needed to know Cody was all right. Damn it, he’d just promised Cody he’d protect his mate when the Clan had come in and done something to him!
Stoned. The thought was distant, fuzzy.
“Oh.” He relaxed a little at that. Stoned wasn’t hurt, and it could explain the inability to change. And it would wear off, right? Right.
The Jeep ahead signaled, and he followed it as it turned off the highway and then onto a small, two-lane road. He didn’t see any signs as they continued to zoom along in the growing twilight and the landscape became more and more forested.
Where the hell were they? He was getting fucking tired of not knowing what the hell was going on.
Cody’s muzzle landed in his lap, his mate’s head heavy. He dropped one hand to Cody’s head, rubbing the soft fur there. “It’s going to be okay.” He kept the worry out of his voice and tried to believe his own words.
A soft, hot tongue brushed his wrist.
“Mmm…” He continued petting, let his feelings for his mate push through their bond.
They all slowed, a huge gate opening, letting both vehicles drive inside. Barker tried to tell himself that this wasn’t a trap, wasn’t fucked up. He couldn’t stop the worry, though. He didn’t know these people, what they wanted, what they’d do to his mate.
Men came out of the Jeep, then the super-pregnant Riana. She headed for them. “How’s he doing?”
“They shot him up full of something—he’s pretty groggy.” Barker didn’t make any attempt to get out of the truck yet.
“Poor baby. There’s a cabin. It hasn’t been used in a couple of years, but it’s solid and we have generator power.” She sniffled. “You need a doctor?”
He shook his head. “Just a day or two off my damn leg.”
“We can do that.” She pointed to a cabin—the thing wasn’t beautiful, but it was standing. “You can rest there. I need to…”
The large man from earlier wrapped his arm around her waist. “She needs to rest. She’s carrying twins. If you need anything, we’re in the red house.”
“We just need to be left alone.” He was about done. Really.
The guy nodded, smiled. “See ya.”
“Thanks.” He managed to remember his manners at the last minute. He stayed where he was, though, until he and Cody were alone, everyone else having scattered.
Mate? There’s shelter. He’d carry Cody if he had to. He was really hoping he didn’t have to.
Cody’s eyes opened, and his mate sort of…fell out of the truck before scrambling to his legs.
Barker growled, fingers curling into the fur around Cody’s neck. Okay, mate?
Good. Cody panted, almost laughing.
You really are stoned. He pushed Cody toward the dilapidated cabin.
The laughter got worse. He rolled his eyes and kept herding Cody in the right direction.
The door needed a hard tug to be opened, but it was sturdy and there was a lock on the inside. The cabin was simple: a little dusty, but decent. There was a couch, a table, a chair, a rug. Like a real house.
Barker looked for a bed and, when he didn’t find it, checked the couch. Sure enough, it was a pull-out. He opened it up and patted it. “Come on. You need to sleep it off.”
Cody leaped up, turning around and around in the sheets. Jesus. Barker threw himself onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Cody and pulling the wolf close. Cody groaned, went boneless, and he could hear laughter and singing, random joy leaking from his mate. At least it was a good trip. He rubbed at Cody’s fur, petting and stroking and digging his fingers in.
The place was quiet and felt safe. Felt like a sanctuary. Barker started to relax, the throbbing in his leg backing off a bit now that he wasn’t using it anymore. He curled around Cody and held on, letting his mate’s giddiness roll through him.
Home. Home. Home. The word hummed and buzzed through Cody.
Home? Mate?
Smells so good here.
He breathed in and sneezed at the dust. The wolf must have caught the scents beneath that. I’ll take your word for it.
The soft laughter made him want to beat Cody.
“Some of us are stuck in our skin for another month.” He buried his nose in Cody’s fur—that was much better than the dust.
Cody snuggled back against him, boneless and relaxed. At least his mate wasn’t hurting, though it bothered him that Cody couldn’t change. A little niggling voice asked, what if they’d shot him up with something that made it so he couldn’t ever change back?
Shh. You saw. In the truck. It was hard, but I was getting there.
“What?” He hadn’t said anything out loud—or through the bond, at least not deliberately.
Cody’s eyes stared at him. What what?
I didn’t say anything. How did you know what I was thinking?
Cody’s head tilted and he felt the confusion.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” Barker rubbed the spot on the top of Cody’s head between his ears. “Probably just some weird side effect from the drugs.”
Cody’s eyes crossed, tongue lolling out.
He chuckled, rubbing his mate’s fur again. “You’re stoned. Out of your brain.”
Still, it was adorable, and for the first time in weeks, Barker felt like he could breathe. He lay there, petting and loving on Cody, his body relaxing, easing.
Chapter Seventeen
Cody slept hard, his dreams vague and distant, happy, and when he woke, Barker was besi
de him. Cody sniffed and licked, cleaning his mate gently. So beautiful. Barker made a chuffing sound, a half-laugh, and shifted, sighed. He nuzzled the soft balls then cleaned the scabbed wounds on Barker’s leg.
“Mmm.” Barker’s hand dropped to his head, fingers sliding through his fur. “Mate.”
He chuffed, nuzzled Barker’s wrist, so happy to have Barker awake and easy.
“You feeling better?”
Cody nodded, focused on his skin, his long legs.
“Oh, yeah, that’s it, Cody. You can do it. Be a man for me.”
The change happened—not fast, but it happened, and he was soon sprawled across Barker, smiling. “Mate.”
Chuckling, Barker drew him up a little more and brought their mouths together. He wrapped around Barker, diving into the kiss with a happy growl. Barker opened up for him, tongue sliding along his own. He felt Barker’s body responding to him, prick going hard, pushing up against his belly.
His cock swelled, too, and they started rocking together, finding a lazy, rolling rhythm. He felt Barker’s pleasure through their bond as Barker’s hands landed on his ass, pressing him down against the strong body.
“Feeling better?” Cody bit Barker’s bottom lip.
“Yeah. It’s just a little sore now. Easy to ignore.” Barker grinned, fingers digging in, lips reaching for his once more.
“Good to hear.” He arched into the touch, moaned into the kiss.
Barker’s agreement was more a sound in their kiss, the strong body moving beneath his. His fingers wrapped around Barker’s cock and he loved that the man was dripping for him.
“Cody!” Barker arched, beginning to pant.
“Hmm?”
“More, mate.” Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
“I won’t.” Why would he?
“Good.” Groaning, Barker moved faster, cock sliding through his fingers.
Good. Mate. He licked a line down Barker’s throat.
“Uh-huh.” Barker groaned, head going back further to give him more room.
Cody nibbled and licked, sucking up a dark mark. His. A low, rumbling noise came from Barker’s throat, pleasure emanating from his mate. Yes. His. Cody groaned, sucked harder.
“Marking me,” muttered Barker, hips jerking, pushing.