Interspecies Public Relations Officer [Milson Valley 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)

by Jo Penn

  Laurie was tall for a wizard, as they were usually on the shorter side and none were above five foot ten. He was handsome in a boyish way, very slender, and often distracted. Now Luka’s old friend stood at the front door of the huge old brick coven mansion when Drax and Luka drove up.

  Luka quickly jogged up the stairs. “Need to speak to you. In private.”

  Laurie sighed. “I said no more potions, Luka. I’m not going to keep giving you potions to ward off every damn creature you fuck and promise to call then don’t. One day you’re going to get caught, and it won’t be pleasant.”

  Laurie didn’t know how right he was. This wasn’t pleasant at all!

  He’d seen his mate! Scented the fae among all the others, known instantly, and got the hells out of there as fast as he could!

  “No, no, nothing like that.” Luka quickly tried to push Laurie inside.

  “Do you need something, Enforcer Drax?” Laurie asked a little nervously.

  Drax raised a brow at Luka. “To book my brother for dangerous driving and speeding, and to find out why he’s in such a panic.”

  “Panic?” Laurie eyed Luka and seemed to take pity on him. “Come inside.”

  “Drax, good.” Second of the coven, Lord Mason Armstrong, strode down the hall. “I wanted to talk to you about…” Mason eyed Luka. “Well, isn’t that interesting—”

  Luka grabbed Laurie’s arm and practically dragged his friend down the hall to the wizard’s potion room. He didn’t want to know what Mason found interesting. The damn wizard seemed to know too much about everything and was in everyone’s business as much as Drax. At least Mason and Drax didn’t know Luka was well aware the pair had been lovers for years, and if necessary, Luka would use that information in emergencies, as they didn’t advertise their relationship. It was hush-hush, secret, and whatever else. Luka had no idea why, and right now, he didn’t care. He often didn’t care. He found it easier to stay out of Drax’s business, otherwise his brother dragged Luka along and made him do some actual work.

  Luka much preferred to have a good time, which usually meant hanging out with his surrogate younger brother, Ran, Ran’s mate Deakin, and his best friends Marco and Laurie.

  “Okay, okay! Stop pushing me!” Laurie stumbled into the potion room he shared with a few others. “What’s got you so worked up?”

  Luka so wasn’t going to tell Laurie, but how did he ask for a potion that would stop him scenting, even knowing his mate? Reacting to the creature? Yeah, that was going to be difficult.

  So he began with asking about mates and scents, how the W&Ws knew who was theirs, and was surprised at the answer. They delved into that a bit, then he plunged in.

  “I need a potion that will stop a creature reacting to his or her mate. No scent, no hearing and magic feely things you were just describing with the W&Ws, no nothing. Err, yeah, and to stop the clawing need to mate and claim.” He felt the color sneak up to his face as Laurie stared at him, mouth hanging open, eyes bugged out.

  It wasn’t the most attractive look on his wizard friend’s face, that was for sure.

  “Holy Goddess and stars! Did you find your mate, Luka?”

  “Ugh, no!” Luka paced, hands running through his now disheveled hair. “This is for a friend. Yeah, a friend. Laurie!” He snapped at the wizard. “A potion!”

  Gods, the need to mate and claim was clawing at him with sharp, pointy claws! Soon he would be panting and his wolf needing to hunt down his mate, fuck and claim. He should have had some time. Wolves felt the need to mate, sure, the driving need to claim their fated one, but it wasn’t like feline shifters who had the mating heat and went feral after a few days if they didn’t claim their mate. With wolves the need was there, but it could be cooled down with meditation, breathing, and specially designed drugs for that purpose. But Luka was far too panicked for that.

  Nope, wolves could wait a while, so why was he feeling like this?

  Ugh, of course! With Luka, everything was just a bit more extreme, which meant he didn’t have longer to claim a mate. Fortunately, he had a wizard for a best friend…or really, a wizard in training who often blew things up and messed up spells. Still, better than nothing!

  “No, no, no, Luka! I’m not messing with that. If you’ve found your mate, you need to go and deal with the creature.”

  Luka pounced on his friend, grabbing Laurie by his shirt and shaking the frigging wizard. “Give. Me. That. Potion.”

  “You’re going crazy!” Laurie exclaimed. “Everything is extreme with you, Luka, because of the type of wolf you are.”

  “I know that! I’m too panicked to think! Look, Laurie.” Luka smoothed his friend’s silk top, then gripped it again as another wave of clawing need hit him. “Potion. Now.”

  Laurie protested, saying it was a stupid idea. Why would Luka want to stop from being able to scent and react to his mate? Then, like a light bulb, Laurie understood and shook his head.

  “You’re just prolonging the inevitable, my friend. You can’t hold off a mate forever, not even with potions and magic.”

  “Laurie, you know me. I can’t do the monogamy thing. I’m not wired that way. Dad and Drax don’t get it. I may end up claiming a mate but I’m going to be scenting and wanting to fuck anyone who smells good. My wolf just doesn’t…” Luka threw his hands in the air. “You know what happens when a creature betrays a mating bond.”

  Laurie paled, nodding his head vigorously. “But you don’t know what it’s like once you’re actually mated, Luka. They say it’s like nothing else in the world. Creatures just aren’t attracted to anyone else, can’t even get it up for them. You need to trust in the mate bond.”

  Luka sadly shook his head. “I can’t risk it. I need time to figure this out. I would disgrace my family and mate and I won’t do that, friend. What I know is, I still want to fuck half the creatures I see and am getting a hard on thinking about that hot little redhead from the airplane ride five hours ago.”

  Or maybe it was the picture of his fae mate in his head.

  Laurie winced. “Right, okay, but you need to trust the mate bond. I’m going to put some magic in a medallion also, extra strength, to stop you from having sex in the meantime.”

  “What? No way, I just want a potion—”

  “Luka, non-negotiable. You would dishonor your mate. Who is the poor creature anyway?”

  Luka blinked. “Poor creature?”

  “Yeah, you would not be easy to wrangle. Aside from the whole ‘I don’t want to be tied down to one creature’ thing, you’re a flirt, incorrigible, lazy, and pretty much cause shit where ever you go.”

  “Well thanks, friend,” Luka drawled.

  “Just saying.” Laurie smirked. “Now stay over there until I need some of your blood.”

  Again, Luka blinked. “Blood?”

  “Just shut up. Do you know how much trouble I can get into for doing this?” Laurie was flicking through a huge old book resting on an elaborate stand of some sort. “We’re not meant to mess with mate bonds, they’re sacred. If my coven finds out about this I am in deep doo-doo—”

  “Deep doo-doo?” Luka snorted. “What are you, four?”

  “Oh, shut up. I’m helping you here, not because I want to, not because I think you get a free pass on mateship just because you’re a frigging slut, but because I like and respect your father and am terrified of Drax.”

  “Everyone in their right mind is cautious of Drax. Those who are sensible are terrified.” Luka smiled. “Thanks for this, Laurie.”

  “You’re welcome. Like I said though, the mate bond is to be trusted and is sacred. This potion will wear off in a week, nothing lasts forever unless it’s one of the higher levels spells or potions that I can’t do yet. Besides, this is just to give you some time to think. I’ll give you an injection to sooth the clawing need also. So, who is the poor creature?”

  Luka had to think up another plan. He couldn’t be left hanging in a week.

  “A fae, don’t know anythin
g more. I spotted him and high tailed it out of there. Don’t tell anyone about this, Laurie.”

  “Are you nuts? I’ll get my head handed to me for this.”

  Luka felt bad for his friend, but there wasn’t anything else he could do. This was a lose/lose situation if ever there was one.

  “So what’s been happening around here?”

  Laurie studied Luka a moment before thankfully allowing the change in topic.

  “Keeley caused a few problems, of course, when he was here a few days ago and accidently blew up Mason’s potion room. Drake did some fast talking to calm that situation down.” Laurie smiled, mixing ingredients into a tall glass jar.

  Luka grinned. “Prince Drake is hot.”

  Laurie shook his head and waved Luka over. “Take off your shirt.”

  “Oh, Laurie, darlin’, are you propositioning me?”

  “You are such a dweeb.”

  Laughing, Luka pulled his white t-shirt off over his head and yelped when Laurie sliced his chest right above his heart.

  “With this blood of mate take all mate bond from sight and feel.”

  Laurie carefully caught Luka’s blood in a thimble then mixed it into the potion, stirring this way and that while mumbling. He tapped the side three times and placed his palm over the top.

  “Now the mate bond is gone from sight and feel, let there be no reaction.” Removing his hand, Laurie held up the container. “Drink it all.”

  “Ugh, yuck.” Luka didn’t hesitate, drinking it down in big gulps.

  His body shuddered, and it felt like a blast of wind shot through him, twisting and turning before suddenly stopping. He could breathe and think clearly again.

  “Well?”

  “The clawing need is gone. Thanks, Laurie, I owe you.”

  “You owe me five times in the last month alone,” Laurie grumbled and quickly gave Luka a shot of the specialized drug to stop the clawing need, though thankfully that was gone due to the potion.

  “Yeah, I liked the spell you used that turned the horse shifter into a toad a few weeks ago for me. That was cool. Well, thanks, I’ll see if I can sweet talk that secretary of my father’s into a date with you.”

  “No thanks, it’s all over town you did her assistant right on your father’s desk. He was fuming, said all he could smell was sex for days, drove him crazy. And your Ma complained when your father kept going home every few hours for you know what.” Laurie blushed when he said that.

  “Oh yeah, that’s right. He jumped me, man, wasn’t my fault.” Luka gave an award winning smile. “I never touched Dad’s secretary though. I do know of a really hot lynx that moved into the Sanchez Compound a few months ago.”

  “Luka! You did him, too, and then tried to set me up with him! You’re a frigging horn dog.” Laurie grabbed something out of the draw and flicked through the big book again.

  Now Luka felt bad and started thinking. “Why don’t I call Leisha and see if she wants to come to the movies tonight?”

  Leisha was Laurie’s dream girl and Luka had never messed with her. Leisha was cool and pretty, and she didn’t mess around with Luka either. They’d been friends far too long for that. Though that didn’t stop Luka with most others, it did stop him with Leisha just because Laurie was head over heels for her.

  And maybe it was due to the fact females just didn’t do it for him.

  “Okay, I guess so.” Laurie flushed. “Luka, I’m going to cast a spell on this medallion. You need to wear it. No sex, nothing, until this whole mate fiasco is sorted out. By then you will hopefully be mated and the entire five-hundred-mile radius around Milson Valley will be safe from your constant need to fuck every creature you come across.”

  “Not every creature. I never fucked you.”

  Laurie nearly dropped the medallion, juggling it around a bit. “Luka!”

  Laughing, Luka leaned back against the counter. “Besides, I think you’d be top.”

  Despite Laurie’s blushing and bit of reservations, he was a top rather than a bottom, whereas Luka was bottom usually. Marco was all top. And speaking of Marco, the big feline shifter, tiger to be exact, strode in, all glorious six foot five inches of him.

  Laurie, Luka, and Marco, a cousin of Prince Drake the tiger, had been friends since they were in diapers and were regular fixtures at each other’s homes when growing up. Luka had been known to shift and annoy all the older tigers and felines at the Sanchez Compound, while Laurie had trouble with his magic as an adolescent and often turned things into ruined objects and wilted plants. Marco had just been a big, lazy cat and batted anyone away who bothered him, which was cool. Then there was Marco’s younger cousin Ace, a leopard shifter who was just the hottest little thing imaginable and the most temperamental. He was fun to stir up.

  “Hey, haven’t seen you since you got back earlier.” Marco gave Luka a hug and Laurie a pat on the back, which knocked their friend halfway over the bench and spilled a dozen potions. “Oops.”

  “Marco,” Laurie grumbled. “And you did see Luka, you two went on holidays together along with everyone else.”

  “Someone is still sore about that.” Luka grinned. “You were meant to come along but decided your second level test was more important.”

  “You are such a frigging pest. It was third level magic test and you could have changed the holiday dates.”

  “Couldn’t, remember. Ren and Stuart had that mission and would be gone for five months.” Marco looked around. “What are we doing?”

  Luka and Laurie looked at each other, then at Marco, then back to each other. Neither said anything.

  “Yeah, and that doesn’t tell me you two are up to something that is going to cause me to beat on someone to protect you.”

  “That might well be me.” Drax walked in. “Here is your speeding ticket, brother. I called in a special favor with Tripp to get that just for you. And your car is being towed to Dad’s place.”

  Luka spluttered. Drax reminded him he’d run out of points and would have to appeal to the court to get his license back or wait three months. Oh man! A suspended license. And his father would lock up his car making it very difficult to sneak a drive in every now and again. Like every frigging day.

  “Want to tell me what you were in such a panic about earlier?” Drax asked, big arms crossed over his wide chest.

  His brother was a big wolf. Powerful, legendary, protective, and actually caring beneath that tough exterior.

  “Panic? I wasn’t panicked. Just popped in to see Laurie, missed him, I’ve been gone, remember. Miss me, big brother?”

  “No.” Drax was very certain of that. “It’s been calm here, except for those few incidents with the Renegades, Keeley Tate inciting cubs to mayhem, and Deakin nearly closing down city hall when he went a bit OCD the other day and labelled everything.”

  “Man, sad to have missed that.” And he really was. Luka enjoyed Deakin Myers. Particularly when the mostly human, with a touch of sprite biology, who happened to be the mate of Luka’s surrogate brother, went a bit crazy with his OCD. “I thought Keeley was calmer these days?”

  “He’s all settled at the compound now. My cousin has his mates happy and they wrap him around their fingers and pull the strings.” Marco said lazily.

  “That is the way it should be with mates, and no one pulls Xavier’s strings.”

  “That vamp is lethal,” Marco said with admiration. “And Keeley is amazing with the cubs and older children. Hey, let’s go count clouds.”

  Drax rolled his eyes. “You felines. Luka, do you need a lift back to the station to fill the Alpha in on that scouting he ordered you to do?”

  Luka winced. “Ah, no, still have some last minute scouting.”

  Drax got that look of wanting to hold Luka up by the scruff of the neck and shake him around. “Make sure you do it and report back. This is important, Luka, more important than playing around with potions and watching clouds.”

  “What was that about?” Marco asked after Drax left.<
br />
  Luka filled his friends in about the fae.

  Then Laurie decided if he was going to get into trouble helping Luka, so should Marco. One for all, and all that crap—they were so not The Three Musketeers. He spilled everything about the fae mate and potion and gave Luka the medallion.

  Marco closed his big dark eyes, ruffling his bronzed hair. “The shit you two do. Fuck, Luka, just take it like the bottom boy you are. Up the ass.”

  “Well thanks, friend. Don’t worry, I’ve got this under control. Fae don’t scent their mate so that won’t be a problem and from what I’ve heard, it’s similar to witches and wizards with their magic. There is no way that fae will know I’m mate.”

  “Make sure you wear the medallion.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet, giving me jewelry. Thanks, honey, I love it!” Luka exclaimed.

  “You are such an idiot.” Laurie rolled his eyes.

  Marco just chuckled and manhandled Luka out of the room, saying to Laurie they’d see him tonight. Felines were all about manhandling.

  Chapter Two

  Luka forgot to wear the medallion.

  Okay, he didn’t forget. He just didn’t want to.

  He finished scouting the fae with Marco, both in their shifted forms and came across his mate again and had none of the reactions. He felt so good about that he was light-headed for a while and Marco ribbed him.

  Yeah, Luka had a few issues with monogamy, but who didn’t? One mate for the rest of your life? That just sounded suffocating, and boring as all hells. While others waited and pined for their mate, Luka rejoiced he didn’t have one.

  He was young, he was having fun, and he never wanted to mate. Now if he could just get that potion in a ready supply, he’d be happy.

  They went out to dinner with Laurie, Leisha, and a few other mutual friends then hit a movie. Afterward, Laurie, Leisha, and friends, except Brayson, another wolf, went to a café to be all deep and meaningful with heartfelt subjects while Marco, Luka, and Bray hit one of the local bars.