by Jools Louise
“What’s going on?” he asked, restraining a snarl.
“Ghost said something about a grand finale,” Geoff explained calmly. “Douglas is helping me to stop him destroying this entire mall.”
John stared at the circuit board, which looked innocent enough, except it was connected to a rather large holdall that contained a mall-destroying amount of C4.
“I do hope you know what you’re doing,” he said mildly to Geoff, glancing at Jay and Cody.
Cody snorted, then chuckled. “This from the man who lives for fireworks?” he retorted, grinning. “Cracker’s gonna be pissed if you blow his sweetshop up,” he added, then smirked when Douglas sent him an irritated glance.
“Dad, is this really the time to diss my mate?” he asked, frowning. “It’s my sweetshop, too, in case you’d forgotten.”
Cody sent John a sheepish grin. “I had forgotten that part,” he drawled, grinning.
John smirked. “Apparently your advancing years are messing with the old gray matter,” he said, dodging a punch to the arm.
“Gentlemen, my brother is extremely close to getting his face blown off,” Ethan said irritably. “If you don’t mind, can we keep the bickering to a minimum? And John, I don’t know why you’re making fun of my dad’s brain cells; yours haven’t exactly been anything to brag about lately. At least Dad’s not been given time-outs by a bunch of four-to-six-year-olds.”
John eyed Ethan warily, ignoring Cody’s snicker of amusement. “I probably shouldn’t remind you that those little fuzz butts have been a menace since they first learned to walk,” he advised sagely. “I am more than happy to be reprimanded for poor behavior…I just wonder what their punishment should be, given their penchant for disarming bombs all by themselves.”
“John, they just need more to occupy their time,” Douglas said, standing up and turning to face his friend. “We’ve been letting them go swimming, and they’re enjoying running, but I think they need some extra stuff to keep their minds from inventing new ways to terrify the town.” He pointed at the floor. “Now quit stalling, and show us how to disarm this bomb.” He gave John a mocking grin. “Unless your old gray matter is also a little defective.”
John moved the young shifter carefully aside, hugging him lightly, then knelt beside Geoff. “Who planted this one?” he asked. “We’ve managed to find all the other ones, with the help of our shifter noses.” He had the feeling Geoff was involved somehow.
“I planted it,” Geoff admitted, shrugging uncomfortably. “I came in here when the militia came into town, to arm it. Douglas followed me and showed me the error of my ways.”
John arched a brow at that. “Did he now?”
“Yeah, he told me that my wife and daughter would be ashamed that I’d let the actions of one man turn me into a murderer of small children, in a town that had already lost its share of innocents.” Geoff looked sad. “He said that I was better than that.”
John refrained from commenting for the moment, since he was struggling not to punch the man in the face. Geoff acted as though he were the only one who had suffered. Did he not understand that the town of Sage was inhabited by those who had been through as much, if not worse, and had decided not to live with bitterness and hatred, but to turn that negativity around and find something decent to live for?
“You’re disappointed,” Geoff said quietly. John shot him a fierce look and saw Geoff pale slightly, looking fearful.
“My mother was slaughtered in front of me when I was tiny,” John said emotionlessly, the stark words causing Geoff to pale even more. “She was skinned alive by a group of hunters who wanted to sell us cubs and use us to make a profit.” He jerked his chin to where Jay stood. “My brother and sister, Jay and Jayne, were separated from me, and my sister spent years being brutalized by her captors. She has two young children who barely survived, after she was made to mate with many, many men to produce children. The two she has now were the only ones who survived.” He snarled suddenly, baring his fangs. “Douglas here watched his lover be ripped apart in front of him by a shifter who had a grudge with us, because his own parents were more interested in making money than raising their sons and daughters properly. They turned their kids into killers who turned on their own siblings.” He met Geoff’s fear-filled gaze fiercely. “Cody nearly lost both of his sons, Douglas and Ethan, to a group of fanatical cultists because his ex-wife sold them to the cult to be experimented on. All because she had a grudge against her ex-husband, blaming him for her experiences at the hands of a brutal family member. Do you see where I’m going with this, Geoff?” He couldn’t contain his fury anymore and leaned in closer, letting loose a feral growl. “Every one of the people who live here, the ones you’ve decided to hate so much, has suffered. Do you see them wallowing in self-pity? Do you see Douglas, who’s blind for fuck’s sake, trying to hurt people because of what happened to him?”
John reined in his temper, knowing he was close to tearing the man apart he was so angry at the man’s stupidity. “Let’s deactivate this bloody thing before I forget you’re human,” he said, staring at the mess of wires and electrodes. “You’re a fucking disgrace to the regiment you served under.”
Geoff took a shaky breath as John looked away, then another. “I think this is the right wire,” he said hesitantly. John looked at him, wide-eyed with fury.
“You didn’t bother to ask how to stop it?” he asked angrily.
“I didn’t…” Geoff stammered, looking terrified.
“Get the fuck out of my sight,” John said, his voice a snarl. “Everyone, clear the mall.”
“I’ll stay,” Douglas said fiercely. “Geoff, you said you knew which was the right one.”
“I said…”
“No, Geoff, you said you knew,” Douglas bit out. “Were you lying again, is that it? Get the fucking blind man out here, pretend that you know what the fuck you’re doing, and then blow us both to smithereens because you don’t want to live anymore?” Douglas was shouting now. “Well, fuck you, moron. I do want to live, because unlike you, I haven’t turned myself into a mindless fucking idiot. Now tell John which is the right wire, or I’ll rip you apart myself.”
Douglas suddenly shifted into his jaguar. His ears lay flat against his skull, his mouth open in a fierce grimace.
Immediately, Geoff brought his fingers to one of the wires, and he pointed at two more, looking nervously at Douglas. “We have to cut them all at the same time,” he stammered. “If not, the whole place goes up.”
“You’d better not be lying,” John said grimly. “On three, snip,” he ordered, grabbing a set of wire cutters. He watched as Geoff took hold of a second pair, holding a duo of wires, both red. John counted down, staring Geoff in the eye, and at the right moment, they both cut their wires. A small, electronic beep sounded, and then the small digital clock that was attached to the device went blank, the circuit now disconnected. “Is that all of them?” he asked, staring into Geoff’s eyes, watching for any telltale signs that the man was lying.
“Just the ones at the ranch and sports complex.” Geoff seemed to slump, as though every bit of energy had left him. “I’m sorry,” he said forlornly. “Susan and Melissa would have been horrified at what I’ve become.” He began to sob, head in his hands, looking broken.
John tried to drum up some sympathy, but could find none. The man would have killed Douglas just to prove a point. He was a sniveling coward.
“Let Murphy help him,” Douglas suggested calmly after shifting back to human form, unconcernedly naked. “Geoff hasn’t had the support that we’ve all had since coming through the fire. He’s had the likes of Ghost and those idiots at Flashpoint to stir up his hatred and bitterness. Maybe he just needs to remember how good it was when he had someone who really cared about him. Ghost was never a friend. He was a sick, dangerous man.”
John sighed, flinching slightly when his phone buzzed against his thigh. He lifted it and held the thing to his ear. “Did you find Mason?” he ask
ed.
“John, we got all the devices, and got the bitch who hurt Douglas,” Mason said tiredly. John heard a slight edge to the man’s voice.
“Where’s Alfie?” he asked, concerned that Mason had his phone.
Mason laughed suddenly, almost crying, which had John closing his eyes in fear. He expected the worst. “Alfie went after her when she tried to run. She had a remote device, a detonator.” John growled, feeling sick suddenly. “When Alfie went for her, she exploded the suicide vest she was wearing. Alfie got caught in the blast.”
“Is he…” John asked, swallowing hard. Then he heard a familiar, strident tone screaming furiously at someone in the background. Alfie sounded as though he was recovering. A grin spread across John’s face as he heard the young leopard shifter talking to some unfortunate person about how much time he’d spent organizing the tournament, in full rant.
“He was knocked out, and went deaf for a few minutes, but he’s recovering nicely,” Mason said, sounding tearful and relieved at the same time. “He’s currently having an argument with one of the idiots who worked for the wolverine witch, and is letting them know that he’s…displeased by their actions.”
John chuckled at that. “Give him a hug and kiss from us,” he said. “We’re clear at this end.” He turned to see Jay already running for the main door to the mall, going after his mate. “Jay’s on his way.”
He rang off and saw his friends smiling with relief.
“I heard,” Douglas said dryly. “My nemesis is no more.”
John nodded. “Another one bites the dust,” he replied tautly, shooting a hard glance at Geoff.
* * * *
Skull sighed with relief as the last wire was disarmed, the trap bypassed carefully, rendering the bomb useless at last. “This day has been a real bitch,” he said wearily. “Is this town always so lively?”
Sketch laughed, wiping his brow, looking exhausted. “I’m the newbie, remember?” he replied, grinning. “But I’ve been reliably informed that Sage, and this ranch, appears to be the main location in many a battle with evil.”
Skull grinned back and kissed his mate hungrily, moaning as he tasted his lover’s lips. “Lucky they’ve got us here, really,” he said in a husky growl when they came up for air. In response, Sketch lifted him into his lap and rocked him atop the thick, hard ridge of his cock as they kissed again. The stadium was well lit, but in the shadows of the bleachers, they were hidden from view. Skull ground against his mate, about ready to come right then as their passion ignited. “Baby, I need that fat cock inside me, soon,” he gritted out, moaning when Sketch’s fingers slid down his back and dipped under the waistband of his pants.
“How about a little foreplay first?” Sketch suggested huskily, and slid one finger into Skull’s quivering hole. Tensing, Skull lifted up a little, fusing his mouth to his lover’s as they swapped saliva avidly. “Ah, such a passionate little minx,” the bigger man said approvingly, fucking his finger in and out of Skull’s hole, then added a second one, stretching him carefully. “I need to call this in. Then we’ll help clear all the devices and make sure they’re all safe.” He nipped at Skull’s lip sharply, then sucked at the tiny wound. “Then I’ll make sure we’re all safe and sound, in our bed, before I take this truly amazing ass.” He swallowed Skull’s moan of excitement, then opened the front flap of Skull’s pants with his free hand and fished out his fat cock. “I want to fuck you while you and Kaden double-fuck David’s beautiful hole,” he added, the words and the sudden stroking on his cock too much for the wolverine shifter, and Skull came with a sharp cry, muffled by Sketch’s hungry mouth.
“The site’s clear,” Kaden drawled from behind them, sounding breathless.
Skull turned his head and met his mate’s gaze before glancing to where David stood beside Kaden. Both men sported large bulges in their pants and looked aroused as fuck. “We got a little carried away,” Skull said ruefully, glancing down at his cum-spattered T-shirt.
“Let’s hurry up and get the rest of the place secured, and then we can all celebrate,” David said, staring at Skull’s cock as though he wanted to devour it. “I like the thought of having you and Kaden plow my ass while Sketch fucks you blind.”
Skull felt his cock twitch in reaction, and Sketch’s fist firmed again on his dick. “Aah, baby, I can’t imagine anything better,” he said, breathing hard as he turned to look at Kaden.
David held out his hand. “What’s keeping you?” he replied, his eyes gleaming with lusty amusement. After leaping up, Skull helped Sketch upright, being careful not to jolt the man’s injured leg. He made a call to Pace, and they all waited impatiently for the bomb squad to arrive, to get rid of all the devices and then do a thorough search, with the dogs, to make sure they hadn’t missed anything.
* * * *
Kaden lay on his back, sweat sheening his body, as he panted with need. He whimpered as David clambered aboard and straddled his lap with a groan, assisted by Skull, who was coordinating the whole event. It was nearly dawn, and the ranch and sports complex was finally secured. No more bombs had been found, and the mini critters who had been so helpful earlier were fast asleep in bed, worn out by the night’s events. Everyone was exhausted, as well, but the four lovers had pressing matters to attend to before they slept. It was time to claim one another, properly, before anything else came along to try and stop them.
“I love this beautiful ass,” Skull said approvingly, fingering David’s slick hole, his hand smeared with lube as he prepared David carefully. “This isn’t normally something we’d do for a beginner, but I have this burning need to claim you guys before morning.”
Sketch sat in a chair, fisting his cock lazily, watching his mates intently. He chuckled hoarsely, his big body relaxed, his cock swollen and fully aroused as he viewed the sexy show. The boot cast on his leg was evidence that he still had a bit of healing to go, and his leg was the worst affected, with pins securing his shattered knee after Lex had organized for an orthopedic surgeon to put in brand-new bionic hardware. It was taking time, but Sketch was definitely on the mend. It was time to test it out, and fucking his mates seemed like the perfect end to a very strange day.
He’d signed up to join in the wheelchair rugby that had been arranged by the British contingent. Able-bodied and disabled contenders were joining together in mixed teams, and so far the sport was proving to be a rousing success. It was tough and brutal, and required strength and stamina and high doses of sheer grit. Sketch had said he figured it would be a good way to let off steam after weeks in traction. First, though, it was time to get sweaty and jiggly with his quad.
David gave a low moan as he was lowered onto Kaden’s rigid cock, his back arching as he plunged downward. Panting, he licked his lips, his face contorted with pleasure and pain. “It’ll sting for just a moment, baby,” Skull said soothingly, stroking David’s back as he hopped up behind his younger mate. “You look so fucking sexy sitting on Kaden’s dick. I bet you’re so fucking tight, aren’t you? So beautifully warm.” He nuzzled against David’s nape, nipping at the cougar shifter’s shoulder, his fangs elongating.
“That looks so hot,” Sketch murmured, standing and moving in behind Skull. He cupped the man’s sexy butt in both hands, then massaged his smooth glutes firmly. “So gorgeous, baby.”
Skull turned his head, inviting a kiss, and Sketch complied willingly, finding Skull’s hole and plunging two lube-slicked fingers inside. Skull moaned in heady bliss, fucking himself gently on the twin intruders, lost in pleasure. He stroked David’s back restlessly, pushing him forward slightly so that he lay flat along Kaden’s prone form.
“Here you go, love,” Kaden whispered before kissing David hungrily, their lips meeting again and again as they gorged on each other. “You feel amazing,” he added softly. Skull felt Kaden move up and down, fucking slowly in and out of David’s ass, as the younger shifter found the rhythm and began to move, as well. They both groaned, and Kaden wrapped his arms around his mate, then
held him tightly as they glided together languidly.
“Ready for my cock?” Skull asked. David gave a desperate nod. Sketch kept up a slow fuck with his fingers as Skull moved forward slightly and slid carefully inside David’s stretched chute. His more slender cock rode alongside Kaden’s, the three lovers gasping out their approval as Skull bottomed out.
“Oh, darling, that’s so fucking sexy,” Sketch drawled, adding a third finger inside Skull’s clenching hole. A second later, Skull felt the blunt head of the man’s cock replace the fingers, and he bit back a guttural snarl as the man shoved several inches inside him, gave a short, shallow thrust, and then plowed the rest of the way in.
Skull felt light-headed, every nerve ending centered around his lower extremities, the tightness around his cock in contrast to the burn as Sketch filled his ass to capacity. Sketch was bigger than even Kaden, who was not small in the dick department by any means. Sketch was definitely up there in the big leagues.
“Here we go, lads,” Sketch quipped hoarsely. “Hold on to something firm, strap yourselves on, and don’t forget to scream.” He began to move, slowly and surely, his thrusts smooth and steady. Skull gritted his teeth, the fuck-master to the rear forcing him in and out of David’s overstretched hole. He bit down into David’s shoulder, blanketing his lover’s back, feeling the vibration of his mate’s fluid moans as Sketch began to pick up speed.
Skull let his mate take the lead, forcing the tempo, and then gave a yelp when Kaden powered up from below. The dual assault had David and Skull crying out as the power tops took control, moving steadily toward a messy climax. Skull found David’s bobbing dick and squeezed it lightly, then pumped his fist in time to Sketch and Kaden’s rhythm. Kaden lurched up, propped himself on his elbows, and sank his fangs into David’s opposite shoulder. His thrusts became faster, more erratic, his control waning as they all moved in sync. David cried out, bouncing between his lovers, with Skull clutching on for dear life, as caught up as David in their orgy. He’d never had so many lovers at once before, and he couldn’t help but thank the fates for gifting him with such a beautiful array of mates. He’d been alone for so long and had been delighted when he’d first met Kaden. Now, with David and Sketch added to their relationship, Skull was ecstatic. Not only was he not alone, but it meant his days of sexual abstinence would never rear their lonely heads again.