Primal Passions

by Stephani Hecht

  “Where are we going?” Jacyn finally broke the silence. He turned to look at Logan.

  “Flint, Michigan.” Logan white knuckled the steering wheel as he directed his gaze forward. Maybe if he avoided looking at Jacyn, he wouldn’t want him so much. God, where had this come from? He hadn’t felt this drawn to someone in years. That had been just fine, too. A loner, Logan had convinced himself he didn’t need anyone. Now all of the sudden a pair of cute brown eyes and a nice ass changed all that.

  “Why do they live in Flint?” Jacyn hedged, a worried expression playing across his soft features. “Am I bugging you with all my questions?”

  “Yes,” Logan admitted. “That’s okay though. You have a right to know who you are.”

  “How can you be so sure that I really am the one you’re looking for?”

  “Easy, you look a lot like your brothers. Plus, you have the distinct scent of a jaguar.” Logan didn’t add how he’d heard snarls coming from Jacyn earlier in the ambulance.

  “Brothers?” Jacyn’s outrage echoed in close confines of the car. “As in more than one? What else aren’t you telling me?”

  “What did you expect?” Logan cocked a brow. “Both times we’ve met have been while under gunfire. You’ll have to excuse me for not laying your whole bio out. Next time we’re under attack, I’ll crack out the flow chart and diagram your whole family tree for you.”

  “Has anyone ever told you that you’re an asshole?”

  “Daily,” Logan responded without hesitation.

  Jacyn’s gaze drifted to the door handle before it zoned back on the speedometer. He nibbled on his bottom lip and looked to be thinking so hard, it was amazing smoke didn’t pour out of his thick skull.

  “Don’t even think of bailing out of the car,” Logan snapped.

  “I wasn’t,” Jacyn denied, even as the look in his eyes screamed his guilt.

  “All it will do is give you a bad case of road rash and piss me off when I have to turn the car around to come back to get you.”

  The silence stretched out for several seconds, before Jacyn chuckled.

  For the first time, Logan saw him smile. It made him look boyish and even sexier if that were possible.

  “Okay, I’ll stay put since you went to so much trouble to rescue me. I don’t want to look ungrateful or anything.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” Now it was Logan who smiled. He couldn’t help but appreciated Jacyn’s razor sharp sense of humor.

  “Exactly how many brothers do I have?” Jacyn asked, getting serious again.

  “You have two brothers and one sister living at the compound. We think there are three more brothers though living with the humans like you’ve been.”

  “What are their names?” Jacyn rested his cheek against the headrest of the seat. His lids were heavy with sleep. It always took a lot out of the body the first time a shift happened. Most felines crashed for days after.

  “You already know about Mitchell. Brent is from his litter and he lives at the compound, too. You remind me a lot of him since you both have the same smartass sense of humor.” Logan didn’t add that Jacyn was the more attractive one though.

  “You said I have a sister, too?”

  “Yes, she’s your littermate and her name is Cassandra. Now she’s more like Mitchell. If you piss her off, she’ll kick your ass for it and then buy you coffee the next day like nothing ever happened.” Logan smiled, despite temper, he had a soft spot for Cassie. The sister he never had.

  “If she’s with the others then how is it I ended up living with humans?” Jacyn stammered on the last part, seeming to trip on the word humans.

  “That’s kind of a long story and goes back before any of us were born.”

  “We’ve got time. It’s going to take a while to get to Michigan.” Jacyn smiled.

  Logan knew he couldn’t deny him. “We belong to an ancient race. Although we’re all half-human, feline shifters come from all cat species. We have jaguars, cheetahs, lions—you name it. While we may have some prejudices and bickering between the different breeds, we’ve always managed to live in peace with one another. From what I hear, it’s that way with the canine shifters, too. Although I’ve never gone to one of their dens to find out whether it’s true.”

  “So how do the Ravens fit in?” Jacyn shifted in his seat, a brief wince of pain crossing his bruised face.

  “It’s not just the Ravens, but all the bird shifters that hate us. There just happens to be an influx of Raven shifters in the States so that’s who ends up fucking up our lives the most.”

  “Why do they hate us so much?”

  “Get this clear, Ravens don’t just hate felines, they hate everyone. There have been two canine breeds hunted to extinction, thanks to them. One thing about those flying bastards is they are good at what they do and that’s destroying lives. Right after you were born, they launched a series of simultaneous attacks. The chaos separated several families. Until recently, we thought we’d lost a lot of children. Now we’re finding out that many of them are alive and somehow ended up with humans raising them. Almost a whole generation of lost shifters. As soon as Mitchell found out, he ordered us to start tracking them down and bringing them back home where they belong.”

  “How many of us are there?” Jacyn’s eyes were wide with shock.

  “Dozens—maybe hundreds. Mitchell wants all of you back so he can protect you, but he’s also worried about possible exposure. While we may do some operations for the human government, most people don’t even know we exist.”

  “Feline shifters work for the government?” Jacyn wrinkled his nose in confusion.

  “There’s a terrorist group working within the states and overseas. Around five years ago, they somehow stumbled across the existence of Ravens. They offered the birds a whole hell of lot of money to come work for them. Since the Ravens have no love for the government, they jumped at the chance. Therefore, the military came to Mitchell and asked for our help in fighting the Ravens. He had no choice but to agree. Not only do we need the money, but they threatened to expose us to the rest of the human race. “ Logan felt the same bitter resentment rise in him that came whenever he thought about how the ruling humans had the feline shifters by the balls.

  “Is it really that important to keep what we are hidden?”

  “Since humans don’t take kindly to the supernatural, yes and now that we have a bunch of untrained felines running around, things have gotten even more froggy. The last thing we want is some unsuspecting sap to shift into a jungle cat and announce our existence.”

  “Kind of like what I did?” Jacyn asked sheepishly.

  “At least you did it in the back of an ambulance and the only ones who saw it were non-humans.”

  “I guess.” Jacyn didn’t sound too convinced.

  “You asked why we’re living in Flint. It wasn’t by choice. While the city is nice and big, it gets pretty cold, but it’s ideal because we can easily blend in there. Mitchell is hoping to regroup and build our numbers back up so we can start fighting for our own gain instead of constantly having to live under the boot of the humans.”

  “How’s that working for him?” Jacyn’s voice was getting groggy with sleep again.

  “Slow, but we’re starting to make some progress. Your brother is a damn good leader and I’m proud to serve under him.” A lump of emotion choked Logan up for a bit. When others had looked down at him, Mitchell had always accepted him. By opening his arms and letting Logan into his coalition, he’d done more than that. For the first time in his life, Logan had a family and a place to call home.

  He owed Mitchell so much and that’s why Logan would do everything in his power not to fuck it up by falling for the coalition leader’s brother. No matter how much he wanted Jacyn.

  Chapter Five

  Logan drove for a few hours before he finally pulled off to a lower class hotel. The night had faded and the sun began to crest, but he still didn’t feel tired. Jacyn had grown silent, but
only because he’d fallen asleep. It sure wasn’t for lack of wanting to pepper Logan with more questions.

  Logan took the time to study the jaguar shifter more closely, finally being able to openly gawk without someone catching him. Even with the bruises, Jacyn had an elegant kind of beauty that demanded attention. With full sensual lips that brought forth all kinds of erotic images, to his dark lashes that were so long they nearly feathered his highly arched cheekbones. So sexy. So handsome. So out of Logan’s league it wasn’t even funny.

  Giving a sigh of regret, Logan exited the car and went to the office. He got only one room since they would only be crashing a few hours and he didn’t want to leave Jacyn unguarded more than necessary. It was bad enough the jaguar would be vulnerable while Logan went shopping for supplies.

  A light sprinkle had started, dusting Logan’s skin with moisture when he went back outside. Even though he knocked gently on the window, Jacyn still came awake with a start, shooting straight up, eyes wide in fear. He recovered quickly as he locked gazes with Logan. A relieved smile passed over his face as he cheeks grew red with embarrassment.

  Jacyn opened the door, but didn’t get out of the car yet. “What’s going on?” he asked as he gazed over at the hotel.

  “You need to crash and recoup for a few hours and I need to get you some new clothes. You can’t go around in bloody stuff. It tends to make people talk.”

  Jacyn nodded and got out. They’d taken exactly two steps before the questions began again. “How come when we shift back our clothes are still on?” Jacyn frowned as he looked down at his uniform. “In the movies, they always get all torn up. The fact that mine are still okay besides the blood from my injuries, kind of freaks me out.”

  Logan stopped dead in his tracks so he could level an incredulous look at the man. “In the past few hours you’ve been kidnapped, shifted into a jaguar, been chased by giant homicidal birds and none of that affected you. Yet when you stop to think about what happens to your clothes when you turn, that’s what gives you the heebies?”

  “Well yeah,” Jacyn shrugged, “I can’t help but wonder where exactly they go.”

  “They go up various body orifices,” Logan deadpanned before he started walking again.

  “Really?” Jacyn called as he followed.

  “No, I’m bullshitting you.” Logan ducked his head to hide the smile threatening to come out. “You have to stop being so gullible or they’re going to have a field day with you back home.”

  “I’m not worried,” Jacyn drawled. “I have two big brothers who will look out for me.”

  Logan snorted. Knowing Brent, he would be the one dishing out most of the abuse. The guy wasn’t a bully or anything, but he did like a good practical joke too much. It had caused Mitchell more than one headache since he always had to be the one to clean up the messes.

  They got to their room and Logan carefully opened it, scoping out all the corners for hidden danger. If Jacyn thought it strange that they were bunking together, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he hung back until Logan indicated all clear. “I don’t like having to leave you while the Ravens are still hunting us down, but we need supplies and I can’t take you with me while you’re in those bloody clothes.” Logan went to the small bathroom and made sure it was empty.

  “Plus I don’t have any shoes either.” Jacyn pointed down to his filthy, tattered sock-covered feet.

  “Well they do have a sign outside all stores--No shirt. No shoes. No service,” Logan joked, surprising himself.

  “I guess I wouldn’t fit your pants or shirts.” Jacyn flicked a glance over Logan. While they were both tall, Jacyn had a lot less bulk.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Logan replied in a husky voice.

  Jacyn was still eyeing him up and this time it wasn’t to check out the size of his clothing. No, there was a spark in the man’s brown eyes that couldn’t be anything other than desire.

  Logan found himself rooted to the ground as his cock swelled. Jacyn started to walk forward, his gait slow and smooth. Even though Logan knew he should be leaving, he couldn’t seem to make his legs move. He just stood there like a frigging idiot. Jacyn didn’t stop until he was a couple of feet away from Logan.

  “The Ravens told me something interesting.” Jacyn bit his bottom lip.

  Logan realized it must be a nervous habit. “What was that?” Logan’s voice came out hoarse because his mouth was dry. Maybe Jacyn wasn’t the only one anxious.

  “That most feline shifters are bisexual. Is it true?” Jacyn’s tongue darted out to lick his lips. The move unintentionally sexy.

  Logan bit back a groan as he thought about how nice it would feel to have that tongue on him. “Yes, it’s pretty normal for us.” They were treading on dangerous ground and Logan knew he should put a stop to it. Instead, he found himself taking a step closer so he could drink in Jacyn’s smell. He nearly snarled in appreciation when he also detected the scent of desire coming from the man.

  “Are you?” Jacyn asked, his voice a mere whisper.

  “Am I what? Normal? Hell no,” Logan joked, trying to switch the topic, but Jacyn had his teeth into the topic and it didn’t seem like he was willing to let it go.

  “You know what I mean.” Jacyn blushed. “Do you like guys?”

  “Would it matter to you if I did?”

  A wry smile played at the corners of Jacyn’s mouth. “Would you kick my ass if I said yes?”

  Logan laughed. God help him, but Jacyn’s sense of humor made him all the more attractive. “Yes, I like being with other men.”

  “Do you have someone special back home?” Jacyn ducked his head to the side, the blush on his face getting deeper.

  “No and there’s a reason for that.” Reaching out, he used his fingers to nudge Jacyn’s chin up so they could lock gazes. “I’m not good enough for you. Once you get home and learn about how things work, you’ll realize that.”

  “That’s not true.” Jacyn moved closer so his thinner body brushed against Logan. “There is nothing anyone can say that will change the way I feel about you.”

  If only that were true. “Just trust me, you will.” Logan feathered his thumb against Jacyn’s jaw line.

  “Then just tell me now. What is so bad that nobody would want to be with you?”

  “I’m a black jaguar and we’ve always been looked down on. Some consider us a birth defect.”

  “So, that doesn’t mean a thing to me.” Jacyn brought his hands up and rested them on Logan’s hips.

  Even through his leathers, Logan could still feel the heat of Jacyn’s touch. It made the throb in his cock almost painful with need. “That’s not all of it. It gets worse. Both of my parents were rogues.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “You don’t get it,” Logan growled as he stepped away. Instantly, his heart ached to be near Jacyn again, but he forced himself to ignore it. “Rogues are the lowest of the low. Most of them have been driven out of their coalitions because they’re criminals or addicts. They’re only one step above Ravens.”

  “That’s your parents, not you.”

  “With shifters you are who your parents are. As much as I’m attracted to you, I’m not going to drag you down with me. “

  Jacyn opened his mouth to argue.

  Logan cut him off, “We don’t have time to keep going over this. We have to keep moving so the Ravens don’t catch up. As it is, you’re only going to get a couple of hours sleep. You’re tired and weak and you need all the rest you can get.”

  “I feel just fine,” Jacyn argued, his mouth turning down into a small frown. While he may be trying hard to hide it, his feelings had been hurt.

  Normally Logan couldn’t care less about stepping on other’s emotions. With Jacyn, however, there was a huge pang of regret. He wanted to go over and…what? Apologize? Hug him? Kiss him? Pin him down to the bed and screw him senseless? All of those weren’t good ideas or options. Instead, he went to the door. He couldn’t resist adding some last min
ute instructions, “Don’t open this door for anyone but me, and stay away from the windows. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Promise?” Jacyn gave a nervous chuckle. “I mean you’re not going to ditch me here, are you?”

  Even though he acted as if he were teasing, Logan detected the underlying worry in that question. It made him wonder just how many times Jacyn had been abandoned in the past. “Of course I won’t leave without you,” Logan said, gruffly. “My mission is to bring you home and that’s what I intend to do.”

  * * * *

  After Logan left, Jacyn laid down on one of the double beds and replayed the previous day’s events. The one thing that kept coming up in his mind repeatedly was Logan.

  Despite his warnings to stay away, Jacyn felt even more attracted to the man than before. When they had stood so close to each other, he’d been so certain that Logan was going to kiss him. His cock had grown hard in anticipation, every nerve ending in his body alive with excitement. Then Logan had pulled away, Jacyn felt so disappointed he’d almost cursed out loud.

  Funny that’s what bothered him the most. In the span of a day, he’d lost his home, his job and everything he’d worked to build up. All of it paled in comparison to how it had felt when Logan had cock-blocked him.

  Fuck, what was wrong with him? He’d never fallen for someone this hard and this fast, yet he was so far gone for Logan, all rational thought had fled out the door. Jacyn shook his head, disgusted at his lack of control. The Ravens must have knocked all his common sense out of his thick skull while they were beating him. With all the emotions swirling around inside him, he didn’t think he would ever get to sleep, but before he knew it, he’d drifted off.

  When he woke up, a glance at the bedside clock told him two hours had passed. Logan was gone, but there was a bag at the foot of the bed. Jacyn sat up and opened it, smiling when he saw it was clothes. Although it was jeans and a t-shirt, they were all black. The color Logan wore. Digging deeper he found that even the boxer briefs were black.