Logan muttered a curse under his breath and tried to move his body between the two of them. Jacyn stepped around him so he could stare down the cheetah. Curling his hands into tight firsts, he braced himself, waiting for an attack. After what seemed like forever, a wide grin spread out over Rat’s face.
“Brent is going to love you. His very own mini-me. You’re not too bad, makes me wonder how you ever hooked up with Logan. I swear he was born with an iron bar jammed up his ass.”
“We’re not a couple,” Logan growled.
Jacyn bit back the burning hurt at Logan’s fast denial.
“If you two haven’t been playing, then how come your scents are all over each other?” Rat asked, a wicked gleam in his blue eyes.
“Probably because we’ve been in the same car for the past couple of days,” Logan snapped.
“Oh, I see,” Rat nodded slowly, looking anything but convinced. “So we’re going with the old we-were-in-the-same-car defense. I used that one when I lost my virginity to a very hot, but very Rogue cougar.”
“Just shut up and tell me where Mitchell is.” Logan glowered at Rat.
“Sorry, I can’t.” Surprisingly, Rat did sound sincere. “I was just coming to bring you a message from him.” He turned his attention to Jacyn. “You really might want to take a shower before you meet big bro. Not that it ever works though. Once someone stinks you, it sticks around a while. This one time I hooked up with a panther and—”
Now it was Logan who cut in, “Focus just ten seconds for me, will ya? What was the message?”
“Oh, yeah, I guess I should give you that,” Rat replied slowly.
His dumbass act didn’t fool Jacyn for a second. He knew the cheetah was getting a kick out of annoying the big, bad black jaguar.
“We had an incident and there were some major causalities.”
“Yeah, we already know. Thomas said one of our teams was hit hard.” Logan ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“As usual, Thomas was only partly right.” Again, he looked back over at Jacyn. “One thing you’ll learn real quickly is not to trust lions. They never get information right. I was shot in the ass during a mission one time because one of them told me that an area was secure. Ha! Stupid me believed him and found myself surrounded by a group of drug dealers. They took offense because we had blown up most of their supply and decided to try to kill me for it.”
“And it was my misfortune they failed,” Logan snarled. By the way his eyes were glowing with anger along with his tensed muscles, he looked about ready to attack and pound the answers out of the cheetah. “Will you just give me one straight answer? I haven’t had much sleep and I’m cranky.”
Jacyn felt a slight flush come to his cheeks since he knew exactly why Logan hadn’t been getting any rest. He waited for Rat to catch on and make a zinger, but luckily the cheetah let it go.
“Well, la-di, fucking da! It hasn’t exactly been a party here either. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Rat rolled his eyes, “No offense, but sometimes you jaguars really drive me crazy with your lack of communication skills.”
“Don’t kill the cheetah,” Logan muttered under his breath, appearing to be giving himself a pep talk. “If you rip the bastard apart, Mitchell will be pissed.”
The whole situation was so amusing that Jacyn had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
“Okay,” Rat sighed, acting very put out that Logan was being such a spoilsport. “There was a huge mission that involved the terrorist group who are in cahoots with the Ravens.”
“So what went wrong?” Logan asked, quickly as if he were afraid of Rat getting off topic again.
Not an empty fear as far as Jacyn could tell.
“They somehow knew we were coming and set up an ambush. Before we even knew it, we had lost most of three teams.” Rat’s eyes went flat with rage as his jaw clenched tightly together.
“Are they dead?” Jacyn asked stupidly.
“A few, some of the others are injured badly.”
“Are they at the hospital?” While Jacyn worried that question may be another stupid one, somehow he didn’t quite see how they could explain away a whole bunch of shot up guys who kept turning into cats popping up in a human ER.
“Are you kidding?” Rat snorted. “While we may be good enough to fight the human governments battles, we’re not good enough for them to help us when we get hurt doing so.”
“We have an infirmary of our own here,” Logan explained.
“Mitchell had to go meet with the locals to help clean up the mess,” Rat added as he gave Jacyn a sympathetic look. “He wanted me to make sure to let you know that he’ll be back as soon as he can. Brent and Cassie had to go with him so lucky you got me as your welcoming committee.”
Jacyn felt conflicted. While he was disappointed about not being able to meet his siblings, he was also relieved. With the emotion he was feeling over Logan right now, the last thing he needed was more drama. “Where’s the infirmary?”
“In the back, why?” Rat cocked his head to the side in confusion.
“You probably already know this, but I’m a paramedic. I may as well go back and see if I can help out with the wounded while I wait for Mitchell to get back.”
Rat looked over at Logan for silent permission, before he gave a nod and led the way.
Chapter Eleven
Jacyn quickly learned that shifter medicine was a whole world different from just plain human healing. For one thing, for the shifters even needing medical help, meant the injuries were severe, so bad that if they had been human they would have died already. Then when the fact that some of them were in their cat forms, it added a whole new difficulty to the mix.
The shifter in charge, Doctor Featherstone, was a towering mass of muscles who looked like he belonged behind a weapon, not healing the affects of one. Yet, when Jacyn looked closely into his deep brown eyes, he saw compassion. With long dark hair and high arched cheeks that came as a result of his Native American heritage, he had a strange calming quality about him, too.
The doctor and the rest of his staff were dressed in green scrubs and they moved with a well-oiled efficiency that told Jacyn they had worked many trauma situations together. He had worked in medicine long enough to see that, despite lacking the better equipment of a big hospital, this group knew what they were doing.
They still gladly took up Jacyn on his offer to help and soon he found himself elbow deep in injured shifters. The first lesson he learned was to pull his hand back quick if a cat decided to take a snap at him. Since they were in so much pain, they were operating mostly on their animal instincts. Not that Jacyn could blame them. Looking at some of the gaping wounds they sported, he would be grumpy, too, if he were them.
He was currently wrapping up the paw of a huge puma. Thankfully the animal seemed pretty out of it since they had just finished doing an emergency operation on him to remove several bullets. Still Jacyn continued to murmur soft words of comfort to the animal.
The entire time Jacyn had been working in the infirmary, Logan had stood there like some tall, menacing bodyguard. While he’d never got in the way, he’d still made it clear that if anyone made one wrong move toward Jacyn, they’d be pulling back a stump.
While it would have comforted some, Jacyn knew better than to read too much into it. Every part of him wished that Logan protected him because he actually gave a damn, but Jacyn knew better. If the words Logan had spoken in the car did not get the message across, then the way he’d reacted when Rat had mentioned them being together had. His vehement denials had cut Jacyn as deep as a blade.
Still working on the bandage, Jacyn swallowed hard against the painful lump in his throat. While that night of passion had meant so much to Jacyn, it was obviously just another tussle as far as Logan was concerned.
It’s not as if he hadn’t had one-night stands before, nor was this the first time someone had used him just for a good time. It had just never hurt
this much before. Jacyn, fool that he was, had let himself believe that someone could actually care about him. He had opened his heart to the shifter, and in turn, Logan had taken that gift and stomped on it.
The puma cracked its lids, staring at Jacyn with its bleary green eyes. The cat’s chest rumbled with a weak growl.
“It’s okay,” Jacyn crooned as he stroked the velvet-like fur on the puma’s nose. The cat gave a satisfied purr until Jacyn pulled his hand away.
The animal let out a low growl in protest.
“All right, I’ll pet you a bit longer if that’s what you need.”
“Samuel,” Logan stepped closer so he could glare down at the cat. “Stop playing games or your injuries will be the least of your worries.”
“Stop it,” Jacyn chided, shocked at Logan’s cold attitude. “He’s hurt and just needs some comfort.”
“Samuel is a man as well as a cat and his male side is enjoying your touch more than he should. He’s using your naivety to cop a feel.”
“Quit being so hard. I’m just doing my job and helping with the wounded. If you don’t like it, you know where the door is.”
Logan leaned down so his lips were just inches from Jacyn’s ear and whispered, “Your whole life is different now. Remember what I told you, looks can be deceiving.”
Logan’s hot breath skated across Jacyn’s skin, making him shiver with need. Despite the fact he was still pissed at him, Jacyn felt his cock come to life, pressing painfully against his jeans. God, he must be losing it. Here he was, getting a boner in the middle of the infirmary and all over a guy who made it clear he wanted nothing to do with him.
* * * *
Mitchell stood at the entrance of the infirmary, watching Jacyn move around. His brother. Found. After all these years of thinking he had been dead, finally Jacyn was safe and home where he belonged. Mitchell only regretted that their parents hadn’t lived long enough to see this.
Rat had reported how Jacyn had rushed instantly to the infirmary, not even taking time to settle in. A thrill of pride went through Mitchell, even though he was still new to all this, Jacyn had put helping his own kind first. Because of his haste, Jacyn wasn’t even dressed in the scrubs like the rest of the medical staff. Instead, he was dressed in a pair of black jeans and shirt.
“Is it really him?” Brent asked in a strangled voice as he came up next to Mitchell.
“Yes,” Mitchell replied, past the boulder of emotion clogging his throat. Just one look at Jacyn answered that. With the same speckled brown hair and brown eyes, he was a match to Mitchell, Brent and Cassie. It was obvious to anyone who looked close enough that they all came from the same genetic mold.
While Mitchell wanted nothing more than to run over and embrace Jacyn, he couldn’t move. Here he was the leader of the feline shifters. A warrior known worldwide for his bravery and he was terrified of how his brother would react to him.
Pathetic. The only comfort he had was that Brent seemed affected by the same chicken-shit syndrome. His littermate just stood there, rooted in place, a deep longing in his eyes as he gazed at Jacyn.
The sound of footsteps reached Mitchell and he didn’t even have to turn to know it was Cassie. By the time she reached them, she was panting for breath, her cheeks flushed from exertion.
“Where is he?” she demanded in a trembling voice. Cassie never showed fear or anxiety, yet here she was close to tears. Unable to speak, Mitchell just tilted his head in Jacyn’s direction.
Unlike him and Brent, Cassie had no problem moving. She let out a gasp of joy as she ran into the room, her long hair swirling around her small frame. Jacyn must have sensed her presence because he looked over at her, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face. Mitchell knew the instant he realized who she was. He sucked in a huge breath as his mouth hung open in shock.
Cassie reached Jacyn and stopped just inches from him. They faced each other, neither moving as they gazed into each other’s faces. Mitchell found himself unable to breathe, the scene so touching, it made everyone in the room stop and stare.
“I knew it,” Cassie sobbed. She reached up to touch Jacyn’s face, but pulled her hand back as if afraid of his reaction. “Even though they said you were dead, I knew you were just lost. I never gave up on you.”
“Cassie?” Jacyn choked out.
“Yes, it’s me.” Cassie hadn’t cried since she was a little girl, yet now she had huge tears spilling down her cheeks. With a loud hiccup, she launched herself at Jacyn and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Jacyn stiffened as if he weren’t used to affection. That made Mitchell want to break down and ball like a baby, too. What had happened to his brother during all those years he was missing? Finally, Jacyn slowly raised his arms and returned Cassie’s embrace.
“Now that’s strange,” Brent whispered. Instead of looking at his reuniting siblings, he had his gaze directed elsewhere. Mitchell followed it and saw that Logan was standing nearby, watching Jacyn intently. Usually stoic, there was a strange mixture of emotions playing on the black jaguar’s face. Hope, sadness and even a bit of wistfulness were present. If Mitchell hadn’t of known better, he could have sworn they were all directed at Jacyn, too.
The fact that Brent noticed this despite the emotional situation going on between Jacyn and Cassie, didn’t surprise Mitchell. Always alert, nothing ever got by him. It was the reason he was one of Mitchell’s best fighters.
There was something going on with Logan, of that Mitchell was sure. He would get to the bottom of it, later. Right now all that mattered was Jacyn. Finally finding the courage, Mitchell crossed the room and put his arms around Jacyn. Cassie was still there, so it made for a group hug, but that just made it even better.
Then he got a good sniff of Jacyn, and the whole reason why Logan was acting the way he was slammed home. Mitchell just barely held back the snarl threatening to rip from his lips. He was going to kill Logan for this. Not wanting Jacyn’s welcome home to be marred, Mitchell fought back his rage for now.
“Uh…hi,” Jacyn stammered with a lopsided smile. “I’m guessing you’re either Brent or Mitchell.”
“He’s Mitchell, I’m the other brother,” Brent announced as he came over and hugged Jacyn.
He must have caught the same scent Mitchell had because a look of rage passed over his face. Mitchell gave a slight shake of his head, a silent command for Brent to hold back for now. Later they would both take turns tearing Logan apart.
* * * *
Jacyn had wondered time and again how this moment would play out, but he had never imagined it would be this good. Not only were Mitchell, Cassie and Brent happy to see him, they looked as worked up about this as he was. Hell, Cassie was even crying. Over him. Nobody had ever done that.
He darted a look over at Logan, desperate to see how he was reacting to this, but saw that the man was starting to edge his way out of the room, without even bothering to say goodbye. He wasn’t the only one who noticed him leaving. Mitchell spun around and fixed Logan with a hard glare.
“Make sure you come to my office first thing in the morning,” he ordered the black jaguar in cool, clipped tones.
“Yes, sir,” Logan bowed his head respectively.
Jacyn was confused, wondering what Logan had done to piss off Mitchell so much. If anything, he should be thankful to the guy for all the trouble he went through to bring them back together. As he watched Logan walking away, Jacyn felt like a piece of him was going, too. With each step the man took, a deeper sense of longing hit Jacyn.
“Logan, thank you,” he called, desperate to do anything to put off the parting, even for a second longer. Logan stopped and looked back at him. As their gazes locked, Jacyn felt his heart breaking. The once caring expression on Logan’s face was gone. In its place was a cold emotionless mask. It was as if everything that had happened between them meant nothing to him.
“No problem,” Logan replied, flatly. “I was just doing my job.”
Then just like that, he
walked away. Jacyn waited and waited, but not once did Logan look back.
“Come on, I’ll show you our living quarters,” Cassie urged, grabbing Jacyn by the arm. She seemed completely oblivious to what had just gone on.
Not wanting to be a damper on her happiness, Jacyn allowed himself to be led away. The entire time they walked through the massive building, she kept up a steady stream of conversation. She talked so fast, he only caught half of it, but he kept nodding anyway.
“Wait until you see your room. I have it all ready for you,” she announced as she bounced up a set of stairs. Even though she was small, the weapons she had strapped all over her body said she was far from a weakling. She had a strong athletic body that showed she put time in at the gym, too. Logan had told him that Cassie fought right alongside the rest of the guys and that she held her own.
While he on the other hand, told to always stay in the car and keep his head down, was aware of how weak and ineffective he was in this new, hard world of predators. Not raised in this society, he’d watched National Geographic enough to know what happened to the meekest of the coalition.
No wonder Logan had dropped him as soon as they got back—he probably embarrassed him. Just as Cassie started to lead him through the door, Jacyn pulled on her hand to make her stop.
“Will you teach me how to fight?” he asked. It should have made him feel even lower to have to be asking a girl, but it seemed so natural to come to her for help. Maybe it was because they had some littermate bond thing going on.
“Of course I will.” Her brown eyes grew moist with emotion again. “I’ll teach you everything.”
Jacyn smiled at her and let her drag him through the door. The living quarters were more like a loft with separate bedrooms set off to the side. Decorated in the same brown tones as the rest of the building, the hardwood floors had deep-toned throw rugs over them to add some comfort and hominess to the area. He grinned in delight when he saw the huge plasma screen TV in front of the large leather sectional. “I could get used to this place,” he nearly purred in delight. They even had a Wii.
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