Cam shook his head and regretted it. ‘No. Sorry. Give me time and maybe –’
‘No matter,’ Slaughter said. ‘It’ll come to you or it won’t.’ He took Cam’s arm and tugged.
Cameron had a split second where he was sure Trace was not going to let go. But then his finger uncurled and he let the sheriff lead Cam a bit closer to the crack.
‘How about now?’ the sheriff asked. ‘This shake any memories loose?’
Cameron sighed. ‘No,’ he said. He had to be honest.
Something slid along the opposite side of the crack. It sounded like a fingernail being dragged over nylon. It was an oddly threatening sound. Something trying to find a way in. Trying to figure it all out and develop a plan of infiltration. He suppressed a shiver and studied the crack further. Too narrow to really see anything tangible other than the vague shadow of movements. And soft sounds. Another monster-cow noise and he started.
‘Weird noise, right?’ Slaughter scratched his head.
‘Definitely.’ Cameron yawned, trying to cover it quickly. He failed.
‘I’ll let you go. You’re just up and around. It’s just we’ve tried everything to close this son of a bitch. My fear –’ he dropped his voice and leant in ‘– is that if we get another tremor it will open more rifts. Or open this one all the way.’
Cameron was afraid of the same thing. ‘If I think of anything, I’ll let you know. I have to ask, though, how close are we to the falls?’
‘Maybe a quarter mile. Probably less. Why, you still think –?’
‘It makes sense.’
‘It does.’
Cam’s head was starting to ache. He shut his eyes and rubbed the middle of his forehead to try and ward off the headache. There it was – behind his eyes – that niggling, shadowy … something. Something he’d seen that just didn’t want to come back to him. Something that had seemed so silly or small. And yet …
The pounding got worse and he felt a hand on his shoulder. ‘Let’s let him relax,’ Eliot’s voice said, and Cam opened his eyes. ‘Come on, Sam. You can buy me a cup of coffee.’ She grinned at Cam, then her eyes grew concerned. ‘Call me if you need anything.’
‘I will,’ he promised.
They wandered off, and Cam felt another hand clamp onto him. But this hand he’d been intimate with. Lips pressed to his ear. ‘My shift is over. Let me take you home to rest.’
Cameron gave a short nod and let Trace hustle him off. They made their way away from the sizeable cluster of bodies and down a hallway to the fiction section. The library smelled the way Cam loved – dust, books, quiet and peace. The smell was unmistakable.
‘Just a second,’ Trace growled. He gently but firmly pushed Cam into the room and forced him up against a bookshelf. ‘I need something before we go.’
His mouth was hot and sweet on Cameron’s, and the way the wolf kissed him, Cam felt a small, shivery sob almost burst out of him, but he managed to bite it back. His whole body felt heavy and weak to the point of collapse but in an undeniably pleasant way. As if he were simply surrendering to whatever this man wanted from him.
Trace’s fingers tugged at Cam’s jean button and the zipper sounded like a buzz saw as he pulled it down. It was so quiet in the room the sound was immense.
‘What do you need?’ Cam managed before the wolf licked his lips and kissed him again.
‘Just this.’ Trace shoved his hand into Cam’s boxer briefs. His fingers were hot and strong around Cam’s cock. He squeezed with enough force to make Cam’s balls ache and his stomach tumble. God, how he wanted to come at the hands of this intense man. What a mind fuck Trace was. What a blessed, sexy mind fuck.
Trace moved in closer so very little negative space remained between them. He latched his mouth onto Cam’s neck and sucked before dragging his tongue down to his clavicle and giving Cam a little bite there. Cam’s cock jerked in the bigger man’s hand and Trace chuckled. He shoved Cam’s pants down around his hips and took him in hand properly. His upper body crushed against Cameron’s and his mouth never stopped, brushing over Cam’s lips and cheekbones, over his throat, and then giving him a love bite on the shoulder. Even through his tee, Cameron knew there was a mark on him. A mark on his skin made by the wolf, and that turned him on so much he thought for a brief and terrifying second he’d come right there.
‘Are you OK?’ Cam asked. His breath was a gasp as those hot fingers closed tighter around him. As that fist worked him perfectly as if the wolf could read his mind – his breath – what was in his heart.
Trace grunted, reaching down to cup Cam’s balls in his free hand. That hand was hot too – a startling, balmy heat that made Cam think of the beach during high summer. Trace cupped him, kissed him, worked him until Cameron was gasping and thrusting into the eager hand that slid along his shaft.
‘I’m fine,’ Trace growled.
‘You seem upset?’
‘Not upset. I’m relieved.’ His lips brushed over Cam’s, and Cameron wished he could see Trace’s eyes. Wished he could see his expression, but they were too close up and his eyes kept wanting to close, being on the verge of orgasm as he was.
‘Relieved?’
Another drag of the wolf’s broad, wet tongue down his neck and he did shiver. A violent tremor surged through him that was much like what he’d experienced during a bout of high fever.
‘Relieved that you’re OK. You’re really a piece of work, Lightning Boy.’
The wolf swept his thumb over Cam’s tip, sliding the precome that graced his glans over the sensitive skin. Cameron sobbed and Trace licked the sound off his lips.
‘Why-why-why?’ Cameron said, on the verge of losing it. So close, and yet he wanted this to last.
‘It’s just hard to accept that I’m happy I didn’t lose something I didn’t even know I wanted.’
Cameron heard the words, processed them, and his body made the decision for him. One more good squeeze and stroke and he was coming. Great bursts of joy sounding off deep inside him, making him shake, making him weaker. But that was OK.
Trace came in for another kiss. ‘Didn’t even know you wanted?’ Cam managed before the kiss cut him off.
‘Not babies and a formal wedding and picket fences,’ Trace said, his defence mechanism of sarcasm surging fast to the surface.
Cameron barked out a laugh even as his new lover gave his cock an affectionate squeeze and another surge of bliss spread through him. ‘No?’ he half laughed.
Trace pulled back and looked him in the eye. Now Cam could see his eyes and his expression. What he saw was humbling.
‘No.’ Trace pressed his lips together and tentatively tried on a smile. ‘But a chance. I want a chance. And I didn’t want that until you rolled into town. Literally.’
Cameron’s heart felt like someone had folded it in half and stapled it. It was the best possible hurt he’d ever experienced. That fearful flex of what might just be … something more than like. The problem was he didn’t know what to say. He reached for Trace on instinct, his fingers stumbling over the silver buckle on the man’s big, black belt.
Trace grabbed his hand and stilled it. ‘Not this time. I’m good. I’m fine.’
‘But –’
‘But nothing. You were injured, you’ve been Sleeping Beauty for several days. I just wanted … that. I wanted to touch you. I expect nothing back and I want you to put your hand down.’ He cocked a grin at Cameron and Cam obeyed. There it was again, that bend-flex-bang of his heart.
‘Then … what?’
‘Let’s take a walk. You up to that?’
‘I am. I’ve been lying around for days,’ Cam said and laughed.
Outside, the humidity had dropped a bit and there was a slight breeze. They got beyond the building and walked toward a set of benches. The further they walked, the louder the falls got.
‘Are there any people who go to the falls regularly?’ Cameron asked, not quite understanding where he was going with his question. He was flying on gut
instinct and he’d learned long ago to listen to it.
Trace looked up, seemingly studying the treetops. ‘I don’t … think … so.’ He sounded unsure but levelled his quirky periwinkle eyes at Cam and said, ‘Why?’
‘I keep coming back to the falls. It’s the hub of this town.’
‘Yep. That’s where they took the empath – Luke – when his throat was slit. They take really sick folks there sometimes. There’s quartz in the falls. Then again, there’s quartz everywhere here.
That something itched deep in Cam’s brain again. ‘You didn’t sound so positive when you said no one went to the falls regularly. It’s a town full of shifters, don’t – um – don’t animals gather at the watering hole?’ he asked, feeling sort of stupid. Nevertheless, the question had to be asked.
Trace leant forward and planted his hands on his knees. His shoulders shook with the force of his laughter. ‘Yes, animals do,’ he finally managed. ‘But in case you didn’t notice, Cameron, the town is riddled with people who just happen to be able to turn into animals at will. We don’t run around in our animal form – well, mostly. So we kind of prefer showers and tubs and sinks like everyone else, for the most part,’ he said, winking.
Cameron felt his face colour but he smiled anyway. Because it was OK. He could smile and Trace wouldn’t make fun of him. ‘Oh. Sorry.’
‘Don’t be.’ Trace grabbed his wrist and led him along, presumably toward the falls. ‘But now that you mention it, there is one person who adores the falls and comes almost every day. Batts Dunn.’
Cameron groaned. ‘Bats? Do I even need to ask what he is?’
Trace gave him a smirk. ‘It’s Batts – B-A-T-T-S – and he’s an otter.’
‘Of course he is.’ Cameron sighed. ‘This place … It’s weird.’
‘But awesome.’ Trace chuckled.
‘But awesome,’ Cam agreed. Especially since Trace was there. Any place would be awesome with Trace there.
‘So I reckon you want to see Batts?’
‘Have you seen him lately?’ Cam asked. The falls were a heavy presence now. A constant rushing hiss in the back of their conversation that could not be ignored.
‘Come to think of it … No.’
Chapter Seventeen
On the way back through the centre of town, Cameron watched Trace pull aside several residents to ask about Batts. The worry became clear as one after another of them denied having seen him for days.
‘Days,’ Trace growled. ‘We usually keep better track of our own than that.’
‘What should we do?’
The sky had grown cloudy, but Cameron didn’t think it had anything to do with him. Not at all. It was just dark and murky overhead. ‘I don’t know. Go to the falls or to his house?’
‘Let’s go to his house. If that doesn’t work we can go to the falls.’ Trace took Cam’s hand and tugged him along. ‘I really should get a fucking scooter or something for this kind of walking. It’s nice to live in a town where everything is within walking distance, but damn, sometimes it just doesn’t seem fast enough.’
‘You’d probably be there in a heartbeat if you shifted and ran.’ Cameron watched the wolf’s face.
Trace’s stark profile looked grim for a minute and he shook his head. ‘No. I’m not leaving you. We’ll go together.’
‘What about the cab?’
Trace snorted. ‘My god, the cab is mostly for off-site. For going places away from here. Into town. The city. Certainly not for going about here. Sometimes, once in a great while, due to illness or injury, yes. And the sheriff drives to save time because time could be lives. Not very often around here, but still.’ Trace let go of Cameron’s wrist and slid his hand over Cam’s. Cameron gladly held his hand, his heart twisting wildly for a split second.
‘I see.’
‘So we’ll walk. No one’s noticed Batts being gone for this long, why rush now?’ He started to whistle and swing his hand with Cam’s. ‘Yes, I know I look silly, but I’m practising not caring.’
‘I don’t think you look silly.’
‘That’s because you look silly too,’ Trace said, turning to look Cam in the eye. ‘And you’re the cause of my silliness so that’s two counts of silly I can lay on your head.’
Cam laughed. ‘If you must.’
‘I must.’ Trace tugged him up a short set of stone steps and then down a long, narrow path. ‘He lives up here. He’s got a creek running through his backyard. Must be the otter genes.’
‘That would probably be a good guess.’ Cam tried not to let it show, but the steep incline of the path that led to Batts Dunn’s house was wearing him out. He didn’t have his energy back yet.
The wind tossed Trace’s hair in his face as he looked at Cam. ‘Christ, I’m a moron.’
‘What?’
‘You’re pale as a sheet. I should have known it would be too much. I should realise not everyone bounces back as readily as shifters.’ He turned his back to Cameron. ‘Hop on.’
‘What?’ Cam almost laughed, until he realised the wolf was serious.
‘Get on up there. Piggyback.’ Trace glanced over his shoulder. ‘Ride me, cowboy.’
That did it. Cameron chuckled, though the turn of phrase turned him on more than he’d ever admit. ‘I can’t. I’m heavy,’ he whispered.
Thunder rumbled and he prayed to Brother Lightning not to choose this moment to reacquaint himself with his human counterpart. Now would not be a good time to be struck.
Trace hung his head. ‘Do you really think that little of me? I can move a car with my bare hands if I get in the mood to. I can shift and run miles in the blink of any eye. Do you really think I can’t give you a piggyback ride?’
‘Um … no?’ Cameron pressed his lips together to try and keep his smile at bay.
‘Get on.’
Cameron did as told and then they were moving. Three times as fast as they’d been moving before and he had the extra bonus of having his arms wrapped tight around a man he’d grown to care for. A man who knew pain and loneliness the way he did. A man who could say whatever he wanted, could roll his eyes and make sarcastic jokes, but Cam was pretty sure he cared for him too. And that made Cam’s heart beat faster and his stomach grow tight.
He held on, enjoying the warmth of the wolf – the smell of him – and the swift but sure motion of the walk toward Batts Dunn’s house.
He wondered what the otter would have to say when they got there.
The house brought nothing. Locked up tight. Batts had about 20 store-bought and handmade wind chimes on his front porch. His house was an inviting, squat wood cabin that brought to mind Lincoln Logs for Cameron. How many days of his childhood had he spent making small towns with those little wooden logs?
Trace knocked again, his knuckles banging so hard on the wood door that Cam expected to see blood where the skin had split.
Cameron circled the house, rapping gently on a window here, a window there. All the blinds were down and the house sported nothing but covered windows like blind eyes. Nothing.
‘Maybe he’s just out!’ he called over the increasingly rough wind.
‘Maybe! But seeing as no one’s seen him in days I’d like to know!’ Trace’s voice was clipped with concern.
The back patio was small and butted up to a small, kidney-shaped pool. Really only big enough for one man to swim and twist in. ‘So he didn’t need the falls,’ he muttered.
‘What?’
Trace had snuck up right behind him and Cam jumped, feeling foolish, but he couldn’t help it. ‘Jesus Christ on a cracker. You need to make some noise when you’re coming up behind a person.’
Trace chuckled, wrapped his thick arms around Cam’s waist, and ground his body to the back of Cam. It was easy to feel the hefty cock that nudged the split of his ass even through his jeans. Cameron found himself blushing and short of breath. ‘How about if I just do this?’
‘That works.’ Cam sighed. When Trace let him go it took a minute for his
brain to reboot. ‘I don’t like the vibe here. It feels abandoned. And if no one’s seen this man in days, where is he? This is a well-loved home. Look.’ Cameron pointed. A pair of beat up flip-flops sat where they’d been kicked off by a small barbeque grill. A few empty beer cans had been stacked on a table next to some magazines and newspapers. Under the awning was a thick stack of beach towels and, next to that, a hamper probably full of dirty ones. A double swing, a glider, a hammock, and lawn chairs all crowed the perimeter of the humble but welcoming patio. ‘He not only spent a lot of time out here, he invited people over. And now …’
‘Now he’s in the wind.’
‘Or somewhere worse. How far to the falls from here?’ Cam asked. The question alone exhausted him. He wanted to sit down and rest. Or lie down and rest. Or, if he was brutally honest, shut his eyes and take a nap. Which was downright insane since he’d been asleep for more hours than he usually slept in almost a whole week.
‘Not far. Quarter mile? Maybe less,’ Trace said. He bent to snag something bobbing at the very edge of the pool. A crumpled piece of paper. When he unfolded it, it started to break apart. Nothing but a soggy mess of white mush and pencil smudges. ‘Trash.’ He sighed. ‘Doesn’t look like anything now.’
‘Can we go there?’
‘Do you know how tired you look just saying it?’ Trace grinned at him.
Cameron hung his head. ‘I am tired, honestly, but something’s wrong. Something’s been off about your whole town since I got here. And if they think I can figure it out, or fix it, or something, I feel like I should really, really try to.’
‘You’re a good man,’ Trace said.
The statement came out of nowhere and it hit Cameron like a soft punch to the gut. He heard himself inhale quickly, then something akin to pleasure spread through his chest and stomach. Praise. Wow. ‘I –’
Trace shook his head, cutting him off. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes darted around, taking in the sights at Batts Dunn’s home but not looking directly at Cameron. He cleared his throat. ‘Hop on. We’ll go look at the falls. I don’t know why they’re so important.’
Beast in Me (The Divination Falls Trilogy) Page 10