by Alex Kidwell
But he took another deep breath and squared his shoulders. Though he wasn’t typically in the business of appearing totally in control, he fit himself into that persona then, thinking back to the Lewises and their comfort in their own skin, particularly Anthony, with his casual confidence. Redford tilted his chin up slightly, pushed his hair back from his face, setting his expression in vague indifference like he wasn’t impressed or startled by any of this, and guided Jed toward the bar.
Jed had given him tips on body language before, so Redford settled his hand on the back of Jed’s neck, pushing his head down ever so slightly. He didn’t like doing it, but apparently doing so gave off the air of control over a lowly human. Jed, he noticed, seemed tailor-made for the club, fitting in easily with his leather and, again, the kind of confidence that Redford could never call up naturally. The blinking colored lights flashed across Jed’s skin, turning it red, blue, yellow, a dizzying quick change.
Redford leaned in again. He wanted to tell Jed he looked amazing. Instead, he lightly bit at Jed’s earlobe. He hoped it would convey the same message. He used the closeness as an excuse to breathe in deeply, focusing himself on Jed’s scent, grinning at the shiver that went through Jed’s shoulders.
The man behind the bar turned toward them, revealing a face that had more piercings than free skin. His eyes glittered yellow in the flashing lights, and he smelled of old blood. Vampire, Redford realized.
“Nice,” the vampire smirked, nodding at Jed. “Haven’t seen either of you around before. He new?”
It took everything Redford had to bite back the growl that wanted to emerge. Instead, he shrugged, the motion casual. “I’m new in town. I just picked this one up,” he replied, raising his voice to be heard. “I don’t even know his name.”
The vampire laughed, fangs flashing as a bright-red light hit his face. “It’s better not to know,” he replied, filling a glass from the tap and pushing it toward Redford. “On the house. Everybody gets a free first drink.”
Redford took the glass and faked a sip. He didn’t particularly enjoy the taste of beer, but even he could tell that this one would be considered a cheap brand. Tightening his grip on the back of Jed’s neck, he nodded in thanks at the bartender and took Jed over in the opposite direction of the dance floor. There were tables set up in the far corner, the kind of place where Jed would typically set himself up—his back to the wall, a place where he could keep an eye on the whole room.
He wasn’t sure of the protocol, so he motioned Jed toward a chair. With a quick wink, Jed sprawled out into it, legs spread, arms hanging loosely, looking every inch as though he wasn’t scanning the room for possible escape routes or for makeshift weapons, or for anywhere that could be used as a trap. The leash tugged tighter when Redford tried to take the seat across the small table. He slid his own chair closer, making sure Jed had enough slack. Once he did so, Jed nudged his shoulder in close to Redford’s, giving him a little smile. “You’re doing great,” he murmured, just barely moving his lips. “Free drinks! That’s a good sign.”
Redford just summoned up a sickly smile. If the wolves treated humans like this, he suddenly wasn’t so sure he wanted to find them.
He cast his gaze over the crowd of people again. Unless he spent a decent amount of time here to get used to the chaos, Redford knew he couldn’t rely on his nose. Instead, he looked for body language and eyes that might look yellow. There were more vampires off to the side, gathered in a group, some of them sneering at the rest of the room. When he inhaled, he could smell, well, everything: old blood, earthy scents, something that smelled more like fire, another that hit his nose like fireworks. More half bloods than anything else, he assumed.
Jed nudged his arm slightly, surprisingly quiet. His eyes were on a group across the room, a few older men, a woman with gray hair and a kind smile, and then five or six younger people. They were sitting at a large table, drinking and talking quietly, one girl leaning against another, eyes half-shut as she listened to the music. The group held themselves apart a little. A woman with dark hair was giving Redford sidelong glances. Unlike the side of the bar they were in, with men and women in leather and a few humans in ropes and chains sitting adoringly by the vampires, that one group just looked like some friends out for a few drinks.
Redford liked the look of that side of the room better. He touched his hand to Jed’s shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze to let Jed know they were moving, and got to his feet, picking his way through the crowd. As he got closer, he breathed in, and the scents he noticed were definitely wolf.
The woman with the dark hair, twisted into a braid, gave him a faint smile. “Redford,” she greeted. “I knew I’d see you around again.”
Redford froze in place, trying to remember where he’d seen her before. Recognition sparked at the back of his mind, bringing up a picture of her face in a vastly different situation. Filtiarn’s pack. She’d been one of them.
“Sophia,” he said, stunned. She smelled like the Lewises did, a real wolf, not stuck halfway in between like him. Since Redford assumed Filtiarn’s pack had all been dosed with his blood, she must have gotten the full treatment. “I thought—”
Jed had blown up parts of the building and presumably taken down a large portion of the pack with it. Maybe more had escaped than they’d thought. That was just fine with Redford though, considering the majority of them had been victims. He’d had no problems with Jed killing the ones that helped Filtiarn with the kidnapping and the violence, but knowing that the ones like him, the people who had gotten pulled in and used, had gotten out? That was a good thing.
Sophia rose, putting her hand on Redford’s arm, a more genuine smile lighting her features. “You look good,” she told him. “Here, come sit with us. It’s a lot more peaceful over here.” She pulled out a chair for him but paused when she caught sight of Jed and the rope leash. A frown settled in at the edge of her lips.
“Howdy,” Jed said, sounding rather cheerful for a man who hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since they’d gotten there. With a graceful movement, he pulled up a seat next to the chair they’d indicated for Redford.
Redford settled his hand on the back of Jed’s neck again as he sat, and he didn’t miss the looks that the wolves were giving one another. None of them seemed particularly happy that he had a human on a leash. He put his untouched beer on the table, listening attentively as Sophia went around the group, introducing them to him. She was the only one that had been part of Filtiarn’s pack, Redford noticed.
“So, Redford,” one of the men—who Redford had been told was named Frank—spoke up. “What brings you here?”
Redford found himself having to internally compose his answer before he spoke it. Luckily, he had Jed to use as a suitable apparent distraction, taking a few moments to make sure the rope was still in place and comfortable, that he hadn’t tied the knot too tightly. “I’m looking for information,” Redford said honestly. Then not so honestly, “I’m looking for a pack to join. Since Filtiarn, I’ve… pretty much been on my own.”
He hated having to say it. He was well aware that Jed knew he was lying, but it felt like dismissing him, somehow. Redford would make it up to him later.
“There’s not many of Fil’s pack left wandering around alone,” another of the group said. “Which is good for them. A wolf without a pack is just about the saddest sight you’ll ever see.”
Redford tilted his head, curious. He was getting closer to the topic he wanted to discuss. “I haven’t had any luck,” he admitted. “Are you all pack?”
Sophia gave him a warm smile, leaning against the side of the man sitting next to her. Even in the chaos, Redford could smell that their scents were mingled. “Oh,” he said, surprised, and nodded toward Sophia. “Um, congratulations?”
Her smile brightened into a grin that was verging on a laugh. Redford noticed she looked younger, almost. The lines of stress and wariness she’d worn with Fil were gone, replaced with a lightness in her expression. “
You too,” she said dryly, indicating Jed. “He’s not really your pet, is he?”
“I should fucking hope not,” another wolf growled. “That shit is for the bloodsuckers. We don’t keep pets. We’ve got enough leeches trying to do the same to us.” Redford almost asked him to explain, but he remembered in a flash, the big wolf that Gabriel had kept chained in his office. That wolf had seemed slavishly devoted to Gabriel, to the point of ignoring his own imminent danger in favor of mourning Gabriel’s apparent death.
“No, I, uh—” Redford gave a sheepish smile. “I was told that it’s the only way to get humans in here.”
“And it’s true,” Sophia replied. “We just don’t involve ourselves with humans all that much. We definitely don’t keep them around on leashes.”
Redford wanted to untie the rope then and there. But just because they were on a different side of the club didn’t mean they were invisible. They’d have to keep this up until they left.
“Well, I look fucking fantastic in leather, darlin’,” Jed drawled, winking at the table at large. “So trust me, this is not a hardship.”
“You definitely do,” Redford approved. Not that Jed needed a club to wear it to. He was far too happy to make leather pants or too-tight jeans his everyday wear, and Redford fully supported that choice.
As he sat up straight again, his eye caught the edge of a poster plastered to the wall near the table. In bold, blocky letters it proclaimed Half blood Revolution. There was a picture of a man, angular features, lean build, standing behind a podium. At the bottom of the poster, it said that someone named Phoenix was going to be giving speeches there every Thursday for the next few weeks.
It was the man Edwin had spoken of coming here to listen to. And that wasn’t the first poster of its kind that Redford had seen, he realized. They were all over the club. Sophia noticed what he was looking at, and she made a derisive noise under her breath, but she didn’t comment on it. “What were you looking to find out, Redford? We know of a few other packs. We could point you toward some.”
“Actually,” Redford started, dragging his gaze away from the poster. There was something oddly hypnotic about it, like the old World War II posters he’d seen pictures of, with propaganda smeared everywhere. “I heard that there was a big pack looking for the remains of Fil’s group. The Gray Lady?”
“That she is,” Frank confirmed. “Says she’s looking to right Fil’s wrongs, or something like that. It’s the biggest pack we know of.”
“I’d like to know where she is,” Redford replied. Then, deciding he may as well be honest, he added, “It’s not really for me. I have a friend who’s sick, and his family thinks that the Gray Lady might be able to help him. It’s not really a case where he can go to the hospital.”
Sophia’s expression softened. “A wolf sickness?” she murmured, trading looks with the other wolves around the table. “Yes, she would be the best person to go to for that. Frank can give you directions. From here, it’s about two days drive.”
Redford breathed out in relief, giving her a grateful look. “Thank you.” He hadn’t anticipated it would be that easy. He’d thought he’d have to find someone he didn’t know and gradually get the information out of them. Redford watched as Sophia passed Frank a slip of paper and a pen that she’d retrieved from her handbag, then turned his gaze to the directions Frank was writing down.
“It’s not exactly just off the highway, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for landmarks,” Frank cautioned. “Once you get into the forest, you’re not far from the compound, though. And if you get lost, you can always use your nose.” He gave Redford a quick grin, passing the paper over to him.
Redford tried to figure out how he could properly convey how appreciative he was. He reached across the table to shake Frank’s hand. “Thank you,” he repeated. “This really means a lot.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re all wolves.” Frank smiled easily, leaning back in his chair. “We might separate off into little groups, but we look after our own.”
“Promise you’ll find us if you need help with anything else,” Sophia insisted, and what else could Redford do but agree? It was odd to him, to have more than one person who wanted to look after his well-being.
He said his good-byes, and Jed stood with him. Redford didn’t really want to spend any more time in this club than he had to, so he led them toward the door. He noticed Jed giving a longing look toward every dark corner they passed, and a few seconds later, his neck was getting enthusiastically attacked with lips and teeth.
“You’re so goddamn hot when you’re in charge,” Jed breathed, sucking kisses along the slope of Redford’s throat. “You’ve got me at your beck and call. Be a shame to waste that, wouldn’t it?”
“Maybe when we’re not in the middle of a club,” he replied, wrapping his arm around Jed, though his steps kept faltering when Jed found a particularly sensitive spot on his neck. Jed knew him far too well.
“Prude,” Jed teased, but he was smiling as he nipped lightly, just under Redford’s ear. “I wish I could ride you right here and now. Club be damned.”
That made him stumble even more, and Redford had to gather every shred of willpower he had to make it out the door. They got into the dimly lit hallway, the blinking lights none too kind on his eyes, but Redford was pretty sure it was the perfect place to tug Jed into a proper kiss. Pressing Jed back against the wall, Redford bit at Jed’s lower lip. “You’re terrible for my self-control,” he said, attempting to sound stern. “I was trying to be all confident, but you kept distracting me.”
“You were confident,” Jed corrected, dropping to his knees. Nuzzling his nose against the front of Redford’s jeans, Jed flashed him a wicked smile in the dim light. Redford was too startled to make a move to haul Jed back to his feet—and he hadn’t been lying, Jed was terrible for his self-control. “And sexy.” He slid his lips along the outline of Redford’s cock, sucking at it through his pants. “And perfect. I barely could watch the crowd, I was so busy looking at you.”
“Wait, wait a second,” Redford insisted, though he was starting to find it difficult to think. His higher thought functions always started to sink down into the gutter when Jed got going. “Can you—” He broke off, wrapping his hands around Jed’s shoulders and tugging him up again. “I’m just going to get the leash off.”
He nudged Jed to turn and started plucking at the rope around his neck. “There’s a storage room two steps to your left,” Jed rumbled, green eyes bright in the flickering light, looking back at Redford. “See if it’s unlocked?”
When the last of the rope had fallen away and was tucked into Redford’s pocket, Redford took the few steps to his left and checked the door handle. “It’s open.” He beamed at Jed, reaching out to take his hand, absently sliding his fingers along Jed’s neck, making sure there were no marks from the knotted collar.
He swung the door open and happily dragged Jed inside, hauling him in for a kiss as he kicked the door shut behind them. They were cloaked in near-total darkness, the only light coming from under the door. Jed’s hands were on Redford’s belt, yanking it open with a sharp movement. The only sounds were the faint, low thrum of music from the bar, the harsh panting of their breaths, and the creak of leather as Jed sank back to his knees.
Redford tangled his fingers in Jed’s hair, stroking through the short, messy strands, looking down to watch him. “I wish there was a decent light in here,” he admitted, running his thumb over Jed’s jaw. “I like seeing you.”
He felt Jed pause under him, a low huff of air lifting his shoulders. Fingers fumbled a bit on Redford’s zipper, and then there was Jed’s tongue, running along the underside of his cock. Redford hissed in a sharp breath, just barely stopping his head from colliding with the wall when he tipped it back. “Same to you, babe,” Jed murmured. “Best sight in the whole damn world.”
Jed apparently wasn’t in the mood for any kind of slowness or further lead up, and Redford really did thump his hea
d against the wall when Jed’s mouth wrapped around him. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the low light, but not enough to see Jed—instead of staring down at the sight of Jed on his knees, the lips wrapped around him cherry bright, the gleam of a smirk in Jed’s gaze, Redford was forced to focus only on the physical. His whole world became nothing but scent and sensation, the incredible feeling of Jed’s tongue and the slide of his mouth. Redford clenched his fingers in Jed’s hair, struggling not to turn his grip painful.
It wasn’t that they hadn’t done this before. Jed had shown, time and time again over their months together, that he was quite willing to partake of this specific activity with little to no provocation. But somehow, it was so intense. Maybe it was that it was dark, or that Jed had decided that sliding his lips down to the base of Redford’s cock in one fell swoop was the right course of action—which Redford could hardly argue with—but Redford found himself biting his lip just to keep from moaning so loud everyone could hear. He’d never exactly done this in a storage room before, especially not with an entire bar of strangers less than thirty feet away.
Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the wall, summoning every scrap of restraint he had to stop himself from advertising their presence. He wasn’t going to last long, not with Jed doing his best to make him come undone as quickly as humanly possible. Not with the strange allure of doing this in a place where they could so easily be discovered—Redford wasn’t sure why that was hot, but he didn’t have the brainpower to figure it out right then. He’d ask Jed later.
When arousal built to its peak, Redford tried to warn Jed, but all that came out was a stuttered version of Jed’s name, pleasure sweeping over him and leaving his skin alight. His head was definitely going to hurt, with all the times he’d smacked it against the wall, but the sensation drowned that out.
He sagged back against the wall like it was the only thing holding him up and managed to loosen his grip on Jed’s hair, rubbing his fingertips over Jed’s scalp in apology. “I don’t think I can move,” Redford said vaguely. “But I’d like it if you stood so I can kiss you.” If he attempted to kneel or pull Jed up, Redford was sure he might actually fall over.