Bailey hoped Kass wouldn’t forget about their Friday appointment—either of them. As much as he enjoyed experimenting with sex through the bond, running was more essential. A year, or even a few months, was a long time to be hiding under the blankets, shifting out of need not pleasure. He’d never given the logistics of shifting much thought before this. He should’ve given it more consideration before pleading guilty, but he hadn’t expected the sentence to be so harsh.
His cell mate fell asleep and Bailey waited, wide awake and tense, for some kind of signal, a readiness. He’d become so used to the connection, he didn’t think he could be alone again—which was terrible. It was like he needed Kass to live and breathe, and at that moment he truly did.
Something sparked within him, and he focused on the feeling. While it was Friday, he wasn’t sure if it was shifting Friday or sex Friday and he really didn’t want to mess that up by being in the wrong body. So, he waited to see where Kass’s mood took him. It didn’t take long to figure out it was running Friday; no lust, only the feeling of freedom.
Bailey glanced at his snoring cell mate, then slipped out of his pajamas and hid under the blankets. He shifted with a shudder. Fingernails became claws. His joints cracked. His skin prickled as hair burst through. Then it was over, and the world became a different place. Smells and sounds intensified. He flexed his claws, pressing them into the mattress, but stopped short of ripping out a chunk.
He sank into himself and the bond. Deeper than he usually went. He didn’t know if it was safe, or smart, but he wanted to experience the world while Kass ran for him, that’s what he needed to do. After a few breaths, Kass’s thumping heartbeat became his and cool air swept over his skin. Then he was there, tasting the air, whiskers twitching. It wasn’t his feet on the pavement, but he didn’t care, he was out.
Running at eleven at night was dumb, even though the base was big and mostly quiet, but Kass had made a promise and he wouldn’t break it. Bailey needed this, and so he kept jogging, after a few minutes he became aware that Bailey was close. Then in his next breath the night came alive, the colors sharpened, and he saw almost as well as if it were daylight. He ran faster, reveling in the wind in his face, and running became more than a chore he needed to complete to keep his fitness up.
He completed the loop out of breath and covered in sweat, but with a big grin. A purr reverberated through his chest. He inhaled, smelling the night in a way he never had before. He sensed humans, a stray cat, and possums all doing their thing. But it wasn’t his sense, it was Bailey’s. He was experiencing the world as Bailey saw it, smelled it, and tasted it. The raw hunger to roam wasn’t his either. Bailey had used him and the run to be free, and it had worked better than Kass had imagined.
A lump formed in his throat. He couldn’t imagine how much it grated on Bailey to be trapped. The snow leopard sighed and slipped away. Kass’s vision dulled until the night was nothing but black and shadows. He couldn’t hear the rat up the tree anymore. The world had become a flat photo even though he stood in it. He wanted the brilliance and layers. But Bailey was gone.
Kass drew in a breath and sighed. He needed to stretch, shower and go to bed. But he was wired. The bond was more than he’d ever envisioned. How much closer could they get when they inhabited the others skin? Next Friday was too far away.
Bailey was woken with a pillow to the face. He shoved it off and stared at his cell mate. “What was that for?”
“You snore.”
“So do you.” Except Bailey hadn’t snored. He’d been purring, and he’d fallen asleep as a cat, meaning he was still naked under the blankets. That was dangerous, as he didn’t want his cell mate getting ideas. He couldn’t fall asleep like that again, but nothing could take the shine off last night. He’d been outside, running for the first time in months. It had been so real, like he’d actually been there with Kass. Maybe he had been. He didn’t understand how much was possible with the bond.
“Yeah, but you snore weird. You are weird.” He picked his pillow up off the floor, and when he turned his back, Bailey shimmied into his pajama pants.
“And?” He did his best not to draw attention to himself, he didn’t want people to pay him any attention and for the most part they didn’t. He was forgettable. More so now with his hair short and dark.
“I don’t know. Just try not to be weird out there. Hanging out with Eli makes you look weird like him.”
He was more like Eli than anyone else in here. Bailey shrugged. “He’s interesting.”
His cell mate stared at him. “He’s done a stint in max for murder.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, fed the body to feral pigs I heard.”
Bailey’s eyes widened. “Pigs eat people?”
His cell mate nodded. “Don’t hang out with Eli, people talk.”
“About me or him?”
“About everything. By the time you get out, you’ll be the one with all the gossip.” He grinned. “Seven months to go.”
Bailey stared at the ceiling, knowing another ten months of this would kill him. He’d already started hoping the Coven would come through with a reduced sentence, and in here hope was dangerous because it could be taken away. It was better to accept. But it was so fucking hard.
Four days later he was taken in cuffs to face another judge. This judge was a shifter from the smell. Bailey wasn’t sure what kind, but he worked some magic and just like that his sentence was reduced to six months, with two already served.
His parole conditions were tightened, but he didn’t care. Four more months he could manage. He wanted to hug his lawyer and the judge, but his hands were locked together, and he didn’t think that was the done thing. So, he settled for smiling and thanking whatever god favored him, while fearing that his luck wouldn’t hold.
He couldn’t wait to tell Kass. Not that he knew when Kass was coming back to see him. Once again, they were dependent on the bond. He hoped his joy radiated down through the bond, and Kass got curious. Hopefully he’d call, but it would be carefully worded and recorded. Or Bailey could write something simple to keep Kass in the loop.
He wanted more than the tiny parcels of communication he was allowed. He was sure that if the prison guards knew about the bond, they’d ban that too. For the moment he had Friday to look forward to. And he wouldn’t be shifting this week.
Chapter 12
Bailey followed his usual routine—go to the gym, run a few laps, hang out with the few people who seemed normal, including Eli, though he hadn’t asked about the murder charge as that didn’t feel right—but the day crawled.
After lunch something set his whiskers twitching. While they weren’t on his face, his cheeks tightened and his senses went on alert, though he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be on alert for. His arms broke out in blotches like leopard spots as his anxiety spiraled.
Book in hand, he went outside to read, needing the distraction but unable to be around people in case he snarled.
Most prisoners were inside because the weather was brewing a storm. The clouds lowered like they planned on squashing anyone outside. He always liked storms because the energy tumbled over his skin and they tasted like…like magic a lot of the time, he realized. So, he waited for the rain, not bothered by the snap in the breeze.
When a shadow fell over his page, he knew it wasn’t the storm he’d sensed. He was in trouble and the yard was deserted.
The man in front of him drew a pen out of his pocket. He licked his lip. “You made a mistake.”
Bailey flipped the book closed and glanced up at him. Tall and thin, he looked like he belonged in a bland office crunching numbers or something. If it came to a fight, Bailey could probably knock him out with the book. “It’s a bit thick, but a good read. Passes the time.”
“You shouldn’t have gotten the Coven involved.”
Bailey sniffed, the man wasn’t a witch, or a shifter, but he was sweating and smelled like fear. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about, but I think you should put your pen away.”
He stood fluidly and put a few more inches between them.
The man jabbed the pen toward him. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Okay.” Bailey took another step back.
His eyes darted around, looking for back up or guards? “This is your only warning. Tell Kass to visit Gran.” He shook his head. “Fuck you lot are weird.”
That word again. Bailey tilted his head and stared at him. “Who’s weird?”
“The gang you’re in.”
“I’m not in a gang. And you don’t know the half of it. Drop the pen and walk away, buddy.” He drew strength from the bond, knowing he’d needed to be ready. Kass immediately pushed his strength.
His face twisted. “I can’t.”
Then he slashed and lunged toward Bailey.
Bailey skipped back, using the book to block in neat movements as though he’d been taught to fight. He wasn’t sure where that had come from. He’d only ever been in a few skirmishes in middle school, and they involved pushing and shoving until someone hit the ground.
The man didn’t quit. Desperation widened his eyes, and the stink of panic and fear roiled off him. The clouds broke open. Rain spotted the ground and slicked Bailey’s skin. He’d been going the wrong way. He needed to get to the building and the guards.
Could he break and run?
It was worth a shot.
He sidestepped and took off. His assailant was faster and leaped on his back. Bailey flung himself to the ground and rolled, mashing the man into the asphalt. He grunted and retaliated by driving the pen into Bailey’s side, twice. Skin popped and burst. Bailey flung his hand out, and the stabbing stopped.
But the pain started. The cold rain mixed with his hot blood.
He broke free and the man let him go, rain slicking his dark hair to his head, Bailey’s blood staining his clothes and the ground. “What the fuck?”
“I had to. Please don’t die. I don’t want a murder charge.” He blubbed. Then covered his face with his hands.
Bailey pressed his hand to his side and crawled away. Blood filled his mouth. Heat pushed through the bond and Bailey stood. He shuffled through the rain, barely covering the distance to the door and the cameras.
“I’ve been stabbed.” He tumbled through, his wet shoes slipping. He grabbed the wall for support and left a bloody print. He didn’t make it three meters before guards were on him. He didn’t need their help to reach the ground.
Magic pumped through him, keeping him awake when he’d much rather be asleep.
If one dies, we both die. The words echoed in his skull like Kass was right there with him, reminding him of the bond and what it meant.
Fuck, he couldn’t quit and die. Someone peeled his hand away from the wounds and lifted his shirt. They were making a hell of a fuss. He couldn’t remember anyone carrying on quite so much. More pressure.
Paramedics arrived, and he was lifted onto a stretcher and rolled out.
“What were you stabbed with?”
“A pen.” He had no idea where it, or who the man who’d attacked him was, only that it was payback for getting a reduced sentence, for getting help from the Coven. “I left my book in the rain.” The library would be pissed. He’d be fined for destroying it.
The paramedic lifted her eyebrows. Blood coated her gloves. “When did you last eat?”
“Breakfast.”
“Allergies?”
“No.”
“You’re going straight into surgery.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Do you have anyone you’d like notified?”
“No.” Kass already knew, and he wasn’t next of kin or anything official, he doubted boyfriends counted. Bailey closed his eyes, then opened them just as fast. “It was a gang attack, will there be cops guarding me?”
He shivered as a rush of cold swept through him.
She glanced at the other one, a man he could smell but not see.
“Don’t worry about that.” She gave the man another glance and shook her head.
“They’re ready,” the man said.
The ambulance stopped and Bailey moved so fast the world was a blur. He caught the words “bleeding out”, before a nurse told him to count backward from ten.
He made it to seven.
Kass paced the hospital corridor. He’d known something was wrong from that first rush of panic but couldn’t do much beyond pushing magic and life Bailey’s way. He had a cracking headache that the cheap coffee in his hand wasn’t helping. He’d driven to the hospital straight after work, trusting the bond to take him to the right place, not knowing if he'd be allowed in, but unable to stay away.
How useless had Bailey felt being half a world away?
Bailey was alive, but the bond had shrunk to a thread and the flow was going one way. The impressions and fragments of feelings he’d become so used to were gone. He hadn’t realized how much space they’d taken up. He was left empty.
He had another coffee and sat on an uncomfortable plastic chair. The minute hand on the clock seemed frozen. His eyes must have closed, because his coffee was cold, and his eyes were scratchy. What had woken him? There was the usual hospital noise, but it wasn’t a sound.
There was a flicker in the bond.
Bailey was getting closer.
He ditched the coffee in the bin and stood. A few seconds later a bed was wheeled down the corridor, accompanied by nurses and a cop. Kass knew it was Bailey without looking at him. The bond swelled with each breath as Bailey reached for him.
Kass stepped toward the bed, but he barely recognized the man there. Gone was the long blond hair, instead it was dark and short. The snap and sparkle that usually illuminated him was also missing. How close to death had he been.
The cop looked at him and straightened as though trying to figure out if Kass was a threat. His nose twitched.
Kass glimpsed the shifter aura around the cop, a wolf, and drew his magic in tight.
“Bailey.” Kass risked another step.
Bailey turned his head and lifted his hand, but it stopped short. The handcuff rattled on the metal bed rail.
They had him cuffed even like this?
“Who are you?” the cop said, moving his hand to rest on his gun.
Kass had seconds to decide what to say. Mate would reveal too much. Would the cop realize he was a witch? He could say friend, even though they were more than that. “I’m his boyfriend. What happened?”
“Kass,” Bailey whispered. His hand jerked again.
Kass glanced at the cop and showed his empty hands. “Please.”
The cop gave a single nod.
He didn’t need another invitation. He clasped Bailey’s hand and joined the procession to the elevator. Bailey’s skin was cold, and he was paler than usual. He didn’t know what had happened, only that Bailey had been hurt, and then he’d followed their magic to the hospital.
Bailey’s fingers curled around his. “You came.”
“Of course I did.” This was the first time they’d touched since the kiss that had changed everything. He didn’t want to let go.
The lift stopped, and the doors opened. They exited and made their way to a ward where the nurse parked Bailey’s bed.
“You have to go now,” the cop said. “I’m sorry.”
Kass nodded. “You’ll be all right.” He squeezed Bailey’s hand. “I’ll see you soon. As soon as you’re back…” He couldn’t say it.
“Only four months to go.”
Kass gave him a weak smile. “I know.”
“We can compare scars.”
The cop cleared his throat.
“Yeah. And try not to get anymore, okay?” He’d have to wait for the full story.
“You too.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.” He placed a chaste kiss on Bailey’s lips then drew back, his throat tight. He didn’t want to leave, but the cop gave him a very pointed look and Kass knew he was pushing his luck.
“I’ll see you soon.”
Kass lay on his stomach, staring through the sights. He made a couple of micro adjustments. Just because he had magic to assist, didn’t mean he didn’t understand the math and science. He’d had to pass the qualifications, so people didn’t wonder why he wasn’t lining everything up just so.
He'd spend the last week trying to stay busy. He’d called the hospital with no luck, so he’d called the prison only to be told Bailey was unavailable, which Kass took to mean he was still in hospital.
Bailey had almost died, and that was far more terrifying than when he’d been injured. Kass swallowed hard and refocused on the shot he was about to make. He’d thought training would stop his mind from running in ever smaller circles. It didn’t.
“Are you going to pull the trigger or check out the scenery a bit longer?”
“There’s no rush.” Except for when there was. A whole lot of waiting for a two-second window.
If Bailey had died, how would Kass’ death been explained? Mysterious illness? An undetected heart issue? What if Bailey got hit by a car? God, there were so many ways for a person to die, and then they’d both be snuffed out and forgotten.
He’d been worried when he was shot, but it had been different. This was a cold fear that kept him up at night. This familiar bond was bullshit.
Instead of letting his magic come to the surface, he kept it locked down. He exhaled, and pulled the trigger. With no magic to guide it, the bullet spiraled toward its target. Kass watched, already knowing it was off.
“Miss.”
“Yeah.” He’d do it again without magic. And again. And again.
But each time he was a whisper away.
“You’re having a bad day.”
He glanced up at the guy next to him. He didn’t have a clue how bad, or how much worse it could get. “Ya think?”
Without magic, he was useless. Who was he if he couldn’t do his job and shoot? What would he do? His sister was right; he’d been cheating all his life. Without magic, he was nothing.
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