Mating Call

by Martha Bourke

“SE had a vision about Evy.”

  Troy sat up. “What? What the hell are you talkin’ about?”

  “I was just in your disciplinary meeting.”

  “And?”

  “You’re fine. But SE had some kind of vision about a human. It has to be Evy.”

  “I guess. What do they know?”

  “Nothing yet. SE’s visions aren’t very clear. But, my man, she has got to go.”

  “Helen said she should be ready in a couple of days. She’s healing real fast.”

  “A couple of days? Days?”

  “Yeah. Hey, thanks for taking all her meals to her, bro. I appreciate it.”

  “Yeah, no problem.”

  X started for the main corridor. Two days? Sure as shit Troy was going to end up mated to that girl. And then what the fuck would his boy do? No, no problem at all.

  Helen pushed gently on Evy’s abdomen. “Just a few more seconds, hon. No swelling. Nice vitals. Okay, you’re all set. You can hop—”

  Holy shit! Her patient took off like a shot.

  “Evy!” Helen ran after her, following her out the surgical ward door and into the main corridor. Where the hell?

  She watched as Evy flew past Diesel.

  “Did a human just run by me?”

  Helen ran by her mate. “Yep!”

  “I’d better get the deets on that later!” he called.

  She followed her patient into the gym and stopped. Troy was standing on the opposite wall, smoking a cigarette. Damn. She must have heard his voice or smelled the smoke. Thank God only Diesel had been in that hallway. “You got this?”

  Troy nodded. “Yeah, we’re okay. Thanks.”

  She shook her head and started out of the gym. “I can’t seem to get her to rest. See if you have any luck.”

  Evy couldn’t give a shit that she was standing in front of Troy in nothing but a hospital gown and panties. She watched as he put his cigarette out with the heel of his boot.

  “Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her and before she could memorize the feel of his body against hers, they were standing in his room.

  She felt dizzy for a moment. “How did we—”

  “It’s called gleaming.” He pulled open a drawer. “It’s how I got you back here the day you got stabbed. Here, I picked you up some jeans. I had no idea what size.”

  He handed her a pile of jeans. She pulled out a size four and put the rest on the bed.

  “Here’s a sweatshirt. It’s an old one of mine. It’s still going to be too big though. Sorry about that.”

  She looked down at the pullover and couldn’t believe she actually recognized it. He’d had it in school. She went into the bathroom and changed. The jeans were a little big, but that was to be expected. The weight would come back on as soon as she…as soon as she what? Got back home? Home. That word didn’t even make sense to her anymore. Her whole world had changed in just a few short days. And it had nothing to do with New Breeds, their war, or people disappearing into thin air. She was in love. She knew it now—in love with the man, shifter, whatever, who was standing next to the bed, his eyes glowing bright aqua.

  “I’m sorry, but you gotta go, Ev. You need rest.”

  Ev. No one else ever called her that. It gave her chills. “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday, but I’m not sorry for wanting you.”

  “Ev, don’t—”

  She walked closer to him and looked up into those brilliant eyes. “Why? Why is that so bad?”

  “Because I can’t say no to you. God, help me, I can’t stay away from you.”

  “Why try?”

  “I’m not human. If we’re together, I won’t ever be able to let you go. I know it. I can feel it.”

  “So, don’t.”

  “I’m afraid for you.”

  “You’ll protect me.”

  He paced and then stood still again. “Not physically. I’m afraid of what it’s gonna do to your life. What about your family? What about Kate? When she gets married. When she has her babies. You’ll miss all that. We aren’t gonna be takin’ our families to church together on Sundays, Ev.”

  “I don’t care about any of that stuff. I never have.”

  “You say that now, but—” Troy suddenly grabbed his head.

  “Troy!”

  She went for him, but he fell against a wing chair and steadied himself.

  “What can I do?”

  He grabbed the back of his neck like he was trying to protect himself. “Nothing. Just go.”

  And then it hit her. This was why he was constantly avoiding her. It had to have something to do with shifters mating. She couldn’t stand to see him in pain, but she couldn’t take the thought of being without him. She was trapped. “Troy, stop this!”

  He moaned. “Ev, please, just go.”

  “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “Evy, please, it hurts!”

  She took a step back and then another. Little by little, she managed to get herself to the door. She could still hear him breathing hard in the silence.

  “I love you,” she said to herself quietly, then closed the door behind her.

  X materialized in the Social Sciences section of the Boston Public Library. As he walked into Bates Hall and cast out his senses, he felt this odd sense of hope that she’d be there. There were only two other shifters in the room and the one he was looking for sure as hell wasn’t the male with the comb over. He looked further down the rows of oblong tables until he found her. Rose was sitting at the far end of the room where she seemed to be taking notes. She was probably preparing a lecture for one of the history classes she taught at Harvard.

  X sat down at the table closest to him. With his New Breed sight, he didn’t need to be any closer to…to what exactly? Watch her? Jesus Christ. He was still pissed at Troy for how he was handling the Evy sitch. And now he was taking a page from his boy’s book—Stalker 101 or some shit? Ever since he’d first seen Rose a few days before, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her. A photographic memory was normally a positive thing, unless of course you were trying to forget the most beautiful face you’d ever seen. Then it was a real bitch.

  All of a sudden, Rose looked up. Holy shit. She was looking right at him. She must have sensed his damn New Breed k’ul. And here he was without so much as a book in front of him. What was he doing? This wasn’t him. This kind of behavior wasn’t only irrational, it was dangerous. He stood and walked out the closest door. Without Troy’s antics, there would be no reason for him to be there again. As he took the stairs down to the first floor, he promised himself this was the last he would see of BPL.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Richard walked from the living room into the bedroom. “Still up with your books, female? Why aren’t I surprised?”

  He kissed his mate’s forehead and started to get undressed.

  “I can’t help it. It’s so interesting.”

  “I’m afraid I’m lost after Tarot cards.” He grinned and crawled in beside her.

  “I’m serious. Did you know there’s only one true Seer born every thousand years?”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I did the calculation and SE isn’t that far off. Maybe a few years. Oh, but the Seer is marked with a symbol.”

  “Ah. You know, I really think it’s probably just a gift he’ll have to learn how to use. Remember what I was like when the telepathy first came on?”

  “Hell, yes. I thought I’d never have a thought to myself again and you were about to lose your mind. Literally.”

  He laughed. “It was a good thing we’d had some experience with it. I might still be refusing to leave the suite.”

  Just then, they heard Maya wake in her crib across the room.

  “I’ve got her,” Richard said, sliding out of bed. He walked to her crib and picked her up, holding her against him with one hand. “You know, she’s been really fussy the last couple of days. Have you noticed?”

  She smiled. “Maybe we just thought she was t
he easiest offspring on the planet. Maybe this is the real Maya.”

  He grinned. “Don’t even think it.”

  As Maya quieted, he gently placed her back in her crib and got back into bed. He took the book from his female’s hands and put it on the bedside table. “Can I convince you to take a ten minute break?”

  She smiled and her beautiful chocolate brown eyes smoldered. “Make it twenty and you’ve got a deal.”

  Seth blew through downtown, letting his rage fuel his frantic pace. He couldn’t believe he’d already lost three guys. It had barely taken them two weeks to commit losercide. And the pathetic part was that it was all avoidable. One used a female New Breed for batting practice. Another couldn’t keep his pants on, for Chrissakes. He was totally up shit creek. They still hadn’t found any other rogues and now he had to replace three. They couldn’t afford to join the endangered species list, but that’s right where they were headed. At least he still had Mark and Tommy.

  He turned onto Washington Street and slowed to a walk as he entered Chinatown. It just didn’t make any sense. Based on the number of hellions living in his old den, there should be plenty of others. His den had been small and still there were three others like him. Had the Tolies figured it out? That was a major possibility that would totally suck. If they had, the Tolie soldiers had probably been given kill orders. Fuck. Me. He hung a left, paying no attention to the group of guys jaywalking a block up. No one paid attention to that shit. It was Boston’s favorite crime of convenience.

  Then they started heading right for him. Wait a second. These weren’t humans. They struck his Spidey sense with a grand total of zero k’ul. They were hellions? He swept the area. There were no shifters nearby at all. These mutants were on their own like him. He kept his guard up. He had no idea if they were friend or foe. This could go either way. Just as he began to think they were gonna pass him by, the biggest one grabbed him around the neck and put him into a headlock before he could tuck his chin. As his air supply was cut off, everything slowly started to go hazy until he was swallowed by darkness.

  Evy stood at her window and looked up into the clear winter sky. It was late, after two, but she couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Tears fell down her face as frustration once again won out. She felt so powerless, as if she were being held hostage by her situation. It wasn’t a welcome thought after everything she’d been through. As the night wore on, she looked up at the moon and thought about the night she had practically chewed her own leg off to get to the window at the apartment.

  The voice.

  The female voice she’d heard every time a man had come anywhere near her body the past few days. What had it said? Not for you. That was it. She had no idea how it happened. Was it some strange inner voice? She couldn’t be sure. But when she’d touched Troy’s hand in the hospital ward there had been no warning voice in her head. Since then, he’d touched her twice more. Still nothing. She reached out and touched the glass. Damn it. He wanted her. She knew he did. But he wasn’t going to give in.

  Not unless…

  Evy picked up her small purse and felt for the largest most flexible card she had. She walked to the door of her room and took a deep breath. Shifters had some seriously heightened senses. She’d have to be as quiet and as fast as she’d ever been. She opened her door and poked her head out. Light flooded most of the upstairs. Luckily, their rooms were way to the right of the staircase. The opposite wall gave her some coverage at least. She stepped into the hallway and crouched down in the shadows. She heard a baby cry from somewhere down the hall. Hmm. No light showed from under the door. She had no way of knowing if he was in there, but this was her only shot. Sliding the credit card between the door jamb and the door, Evy leaned it toward the handle and shoved it as far in as she could. When it wouldn’t go in any farther, she moved it back in the direction of the jamb.

  Now came the tricky part. The mansion’s old doors were pretty heavy and she wasn’t sure how much noise she’d have to make to slide the latch back. Luckily, her old video membership card was so beat up; it did the trick without much work. The door creaked slightly as she opened it. Stepping inside, she put the card in her jeans pocket and closed the door behind her. The moon shone so brightly into the room that it almost felt like daylight. Troy was asleep on top of the duvet. As she approached the bed, she noticed he was still in his clothes. The closer she came to him, the more nervous she got. Then she noticed there was a book cracked open next to him on the bed. It was A Game of Thrones.

  Her stomach did a weird flip flop and she smiled to herself. He had started to read a book because she said she liked it. And he didn’t seem like the bookish type. She moved to the far side of the bed, looked down at him, and waited for the voice. Nothing. Suddenly, moonlight hit her shoulder like it had at the apartment. She turned to it, her body awash in its radiance. She closed her eyes.

  For you.

  She swallowed. This was it. It was now or never.

  “Evy,” he mumbled.

  She jumped back. Holy shit! Was he awake? His eyes were closed. He was…talking in his sleep. And he’d said her name. Was he dreaming about her? Maybe he sensed her somehow. Slowly, she leaned down to his mouth and gently touched his lips with hers. His eyes opened immediately, casting their aqua glow into her own face. And then she felt his powerful hands seize her upper arms, their death grip clamping down as a growl rumbled deep in his chest somewhere.

  Maybe surprising him wasn’t the best idea after all.

  As Troy awoke to the feeling of Evy’s soft lips on his own, he couldn’t believe his freaking eyes. If it weren’t for his instincts going into overdrive, he would have thought it was a dream. All he could think about was having her skin against his. As much as possible, as soon as possible. Which made zero sense because normally he could barely deal with a bro hug. He lifted her and rolled them over so he was partially on top of her.

  Her hands went to the sides of his face and he closed his eyes for a moment. They were so soft.

  “Are you sure about this, Ev? I mean, you have to be real sure ‘cause—”

  She linked her arms around his neck and pulled herself up against him. “Troy.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Shut up.”

  Then those beautiful rose bud lips were on his again and his hands got lost in her long, dark waves. Fuck. He pulled back again. If he wasn’t so damn serious he could have laughed at the impatient look on her face.

  “Evy, wait. If we do this, we’ll be New Breed and human mate. That’s how everyone will see us. We won’t belong in either world. I’m used to not belongin’. But you…”

  She shook her head. “I will belong. I’ll belong to you.”

  Her eyes teared up. He probably shouldn’t have done it. It was wrong to check in on her private emotions right now, but her tears had him totally confused. Once he’d gotten control of his powers, Troy came to understand that everyone had different emotional signatures. It was as if their baggage somehow gave them their own personal calling card. Evy was tough and not what you’d call a big crier. Before he let her do this, he needed to be sure. There couldn’t be any confusion. So as he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, he opened himself up to her. What he found made him suck in his breath. She wasn’t traumatized from the kidnapping and she wasn’t doing this out of gratitude or pity. She…

  “I love you. Wherever you go is where I wanna be.”

  “I love you so much.” He kissed her and then brushed his lips on her forehead. When she smiled he would have fallen over if he weren’t already lying down. She grabbed at his sweatshirt and he sat up to pull it off. That went along real nice with the nakedness plan. Then she did something that shocked the hell out of him. She got up on her knees in from of him and began to kiss each and every scar she could find.

  His eyes misted over. The fact that she wanted him at all was incredible to him. The fact that she accepted him, all of him, seemed like a miracle. Evy was human. Unlike shifters, she could cho
ose her mate. And it just blew him away that she’d chosen him. His head went back as he let himself feel the sensation of her warm lips against his arms, his chest, his—yo! Her mouth had left his navel and was now headed south. That was not part of the plan.

  Not yet.

  She let him pull his old sweatshirt over her head and wouldn’t you know. No bra to deal with and more of her beautiful skin to touch. He pulled her as close to him as he could without cracking her ribs. When her breasts hit his chest he moaned and she responded, pulling his mouth back to hers. She parted her lips for him and he deepened the kiss, letting his tongue explore her as he ran his hands up her bare back and settled her against the pillows. Her emotions were so strong he literally had to push them back and close himself off to them.

  At least he wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

  Evy looked up into Troy’s glowing eyes. She couldn’t believe this was really happening. She’d let fantasies about it get her through the toughest times of her kidnapping. But this was real. He bent down and kissed her chin, her neck, her shoulder, her belly ring. She knew where he was headed, but that didn’t stop her from praying he’d get there faster or saying his name when he took her nipple into his mouth, suckling her. Every part of her body woke up and a dam burst between her legs. Suddenly all she could think about was getting her jeans off so his mouth could go everywhere. She arched her back as he planted a kiss on the small bandage that covered her sutures.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “I’m fine.” She smiled. His concern for her only made her want him more.

  He fumbled a bit with the button on her jeans and she reached down and unbuttoned them.

  “Sorry,” he whispered, “I’ve never really done this before.”

  “Me either.”

  He scrunched his eyebrows together. “Really?”

  She looked into his eyes. “Really.”