Peter smiled his characteristic lopsided smile again while he shook his head. “You’re not outmaneuvering me, my angel. You will go with them.”
Robin knew he was fighting a battle he’d already lost, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying one last time. “I will not!”
“That’s likely to go on for some time. He drove my parents nuts with it. How about breakfast?” Tim asked.
Outraged, Robin glared at his brother, but Tim was busy tucking Jay close to his side. Robin had to strain his ears to understand Jay’s words, “I don’t want to go to the kitchen.”
Will stepped forward and reached out for one of Jay’s hands. A deep growl from Tim caused him to snatch his hand away. “Everything is cleaned. You will not be reminded of yesterday’s incident.”
“Incident?” Jay echoed. “Are you calling my father’s mutilation an incident?”
Peter winced and looked around as if searching for the right words. When he spoke his voice was soft. “Neither of us wishes to belittle the death of Jayden’s father. We don’t always express our thoughts with the same words as you do. It leads to misunderstandings.”
Jay turned his face into Tim’s shoulder and cried.
“Look what you’ve done,” Robin accused.
“Jayden would have cried for one reason or the other. It’s to be expected after this experience.”
“How can you be so offhand about all this?” Robin swept his hand through the air.
He dropped his hands to his sides, all fight gone from him. Peter reached out for Robin’s hands, slid his fingers between Robin’s, and lifted their intertwined hands to his mouth where he pressed a kiss on each knuckle.
Peter loosened his hold and pressed Robin’s palms against his chest before he covered them with his own hands.
“I’ve gone through this many, many times,” Peter said. “Maybe I lost some compassion on the way.”
“Don’t make me go away,” Robin pleaded once more. “I need to stay with you.”
“I’m aware of your deep need to be close to me.”
Robin flushed and darted a glance to the other men, hoping no one had listened.
“They all know about your need. Some of them have mates of their own, which is why they would never laugh at you or see your behavior as a tantrum. It pains them to leave their mates behind, and they have to go through this every time their duty calls them. They know, and I know. I will hurry so I can be with you as soon as possible,” Peter told him.
Peter leaned his cheek against Robin’s, rubbing them together in a light up and down motion, his beard tickling Robin. After a while, Robin gave in to the inevitable and closed his eyes, murmuring, “I’ll get beard burn.”
“Are you ready to leave with Lance now?”
“No.”
“Will you do as I say nonetheless?” Peter nudged Robin’s face aside so they could gaze into each other’s eyes.
“Do I have another choice?”
Peter shook his head. “No.”
“I was afraid you’d say that. How about I prolong saying good-bye even more by throwing a tantrum of epic proportions?”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
Robin fiddled with the hem of Peter’s shirt. “But you said most of the men know their mates don’t like to be separated?”
“Do we really have the time to play these games, Robin? Isn’t it more important to bring Jayden and your brother to safety and deal with the other wolves?” Peter stroked his thumbs along Robin’s cheekbones.
“You know there’s only one answer to your questions.”
“Of course.”
“Promise me to come back quickly and unharmed. We haven’t really gotten to know each other and I… I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you,” Robin whispered.
“I swear I’ll hurry,” Peter said. “You will obey Lance’s commands while I’m away.”
Robin pulled a face. “Do I have to? I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
“No, don’t worry. He won’t hold your outburst against you. He has a very temperamental and powerful mate of his own,” Peter said.
“I heard that!” Lance chimed in. “Said mate will be most displeased if we don’t arrive at the announced time.”
“I foresee flying crockery in the near future,” one man snickered.
“Shut up, Landon!”
Peter guided Robin closer to the group of men and stopped next to Tim and Jay. Tim was drying the tears on Jay’s face with a tissue Will had handed him. Gently, Will said, “We shall have breakfast at the safe place.”
Jay glanced one more time around his surroundings from red-rimmed eyes before he nodded. Tim’s and Jay’s energy lines showed a renewed strength in their connection. The lines closest to Tim and Jay thickened visibly but Tim fed a lot of energy into Jay.
Biting his lower lip, Robin followed the small troop of men outside to a minivan.
One man slid into the back seat first, and then Tim followed with Jay close behind. Peter nudged Robin to climb into the van too, but Robin planted his feet on the ground. Peter expelled a deep breath.
“Robin.”
“I’m not going to have a meltdown,” Robin said.
He slung his arms around Peter’s waist and squeezed. Peter gasped before he laid his own arms around Robin. Several seconds later, Robin jerked out of the embrace. “I’d better get going.”
Robin crawled into the van and seated himself next to Jay, who took his hand in his own. Robin tipped his head against the backrest and closed his eyes, then reopened them and forced a smile on his face.
Before the side door was shut, Robin called, “Hurry, Peter!”
“I will, my angel, I will.”
Then the door clanked shut and the car sped away.
Eighteen
ROBIN STARED out of the side window while he held on to Jay’s hand. At first they drove along an asphalt road, but soon it changed into a small dirt road with lots of bumps, shaking them thoroughly.
The pines and bushes blurred into a single mass of green and brown as they passed. Nothing seemed substantial anymore, everything was fluid, and with a jolt, Robin grasped that he had no control over the course of his life. Everything was flying apart. His stomach lurched, and he tightened his hold on Jay’s hand.
They came to an abrupt halt behind a decrepit shelter. Some of their companions dashed out of the car and vanished into the thick bushes. Lance kept the motor idling as he scanned their surroundings. Lance’s energy lines pulsed, as if they were being pulled in one direction while Lance fought to stay where he was.
Without thinking, Robin reached out, his hand sweeping through the wildly swirling green lines. Lance shot him an embarrassed glance. “Pam is displeased with me taking so long to come back to her. She’s pulling at me. It is highly uncomfortable.”
“Pam is your mate?”
Lance nodded once, and then an eruption of silver light took place in his energy web. Robin gasped, startled. A bigger eruption followed, showering Lance in tiny coppery flakes.
Robin asked, “What was that?”
“We had an argument.”
“Who won?”
“I did—for now.” He cut off the engine, turned toward the men in the backseat, and said, “There will be bears outside, and we will escort you to the safe place. Make sure to stay in the middle and follow the black bear with the white ruff. Understood?”
Did Tim and Jay feel as numb as Robin? Lance slid out the door, and shortly after, the man sitting next to Robin opened his door. He jumped out, motioned for Robin, Jay, and Tim to do so as well, and shifted quickly.
When the last man had left the vehicle, he closed the door behind him. Tim stood in front of the nondescript van with Jay in his arms, his canines already elongated, radiating the fierce protectiveness Robin was getting used to.
Robin swallowed hard as he looked around. Here he was in the middle of the forest—a part of the Pine Barrens area he didn’t know at all�
�surrounded by huge bears, one looking grimmer than the others, and he had no one to take care of him.
The remaining man spoke, “It will be easier for all of us if you’d be so forthcoming and shift into your natural form.”
“Natural form? This is my natural form.” Jay snapped.
The man tilted his head sideways before trying again. “Please shift into… your other form.”
“Stay close to me,” Tim whispered. “Wait with the shift until I’m done.”
Jay stepped away from Tim, his arms wrapped protectively around himself. Jay’s and Tim’s energy lines flared and expanded, as if they were reassuring themselves of each other’s well-being.
In the blink of an eye, Tim shifted, and Jay followed. As soon as he had completed the shift, he dove underneath Tim, only his red-furred head peering out from under Tim’s dark-coated chest.
“If you’d be so kind and shift too?” the man asked Robin.
For a moment Robin didn’t comprehend the man’s words; all he could think of was that he wanted to hide beneath a certain dark-furred someone as well. He blinked away the tears in his eyes and shifted, yipping when he was done.
Robin, come over here. We’ll stay close together.
Robin bounced over to Tim and Jay. Tim nuzzled their faces together, and Jay joined them. They must look remarkable, Robin mused, one of them red, one black, and one white, a strange combination of colors.
A huff alerted them of their companions’ desire to move. Jay slid out from underneath Tim but walked close to him. Robin flanked his other side. Not for the first time, he was taken by surprise when he walked next to Jay. He was so small in his wolf-fox form. Robin himself was only a small wolf, but Jay looked more like a pup, even if he did move with the distinct grace pups usually lacked.
They hurried into the woods, their paws barely making noise on the pine-needle-covered ground, until they reached a solid rock formation that must be a dream for free climbers. Robin couldn’t detect any signs of recent use, though, no hooks left in the rock or anything, and neither could he see a way for a wolf or bear to climb up.
Lance, in his bear form, vanished into a small crevice, and the others followed him without hesitation.
Where’s he going? Robin asked.
Only one way to find out, Tim replied.
Robin huffed but hurried after Tim and Jay. Once they entered the crevice, a hidden path opened up. Lance walked ahead, his hulking form nestled close to the rock at his right.
They followed at a slow pace, sometimes skidding on loose gravel and moss-covered rocks.
Careful! Tim warned.
And here I was thinking I could try to do some flips and somersaults, Robin replied.
Tim stopped abruptly on the trail. Jay bumped into him with a surprised yelp and almost lost his footing. Tim whirled, snatched Jay’s neck, and heaved him back on solid ground.
Are you crazy? Tim demanded to know.
With his heart still thumping hard in his chest, Robin answered, How was I supposed to know you’d stop without warning? Didn’t it occur to you how dangerous this could be?
All of Tim’s muscles tensed as he bared his teeth, growling. Robin reacted in a similar fashion, ignoring the worried snorts behind and in front of them. He had no idea where the urge to bait Tim came from.
Everything seemed wrong somehow. Peter would never come back for him, and he didn’t want to go one more step without his mate. He just couldn’t. A high, yearning howl broke free from his throat, echoing from the rock walls, multiplying his hurt and alerting every living being of his pain.
Dead silence followed his call. Robin lowered himself to the ground, exhausted and aching. Tim stopped growling and now stood in front of him with his ears pricked and his head lowered to nose him.
The change in air pressure around him told Robin some people were shifting. Lance carefully picked his way back to him, one hand firmly against the rock, muttering in irritation, “I really hate this path.”
“We’ve always used this path,” Landon, the man who had been right behind Robin, remarked.
“Maybe it’s time to find us a new one. You go up front,” Lance replied.
When the two men reached each other, Lance pressed himself to the rock, making as much room as possible for Landon to get ahead of him. By the time Landon had, Landon muttered, “Maybe you’re right. Will you be able to convince him to walk any farther?”
Lance crouched in front of Robin, who closed his eyes when the action brought his eyes on par with Lance’s crotch. Lance chuckled, “Very modest.”
Robin lifted his head and snarled.
“Ah, there you are again. I wondered whether all your spirit had left you.” Lance laid a hand on Robin’s head before he kneaded the flesh behind Robin’s ears with a gentleness that surprised Robin. “We cannot stay here. Peter promised you he would be with you soon. You promised him to obey me.”
Robin curled himself tighter, yipping. He didn’t want to feel the guilt or shame Lance imposed on him. Even if he wanted to go any farther, his limbs wouldn’t cooperate. He made an attempt to haul himself to his feet, but his legs gave out under him. He stared up at Lance, whimpering.
“It’s okay, little one. I will carry you the rest of the way,” Lance said as he gathered Robin in his arms. As an afterthought he added, “I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t fight me. A fall from this height will result in deathly injuries.”
Robin risked a quick glance to the side, then swallowed. He leaned back into Lance’s hold and relaxed. Lance wasn’t Peter but he had promised. He closed his eyes for the rest of the way, deciding to trust Lance, just as Peter had asked of him.
WHEN THEY reached the entrance of a cave, Lance ducked, awkwardly walking hunkered down with Robin still in his arms. Paws scuffled on the solid ground in front and behind him.
The slow creep through the entrance tunnel ended abruptly. Robin opened his eyes when Lance straightened up and squinted in the torch-lit cave. He tried to estimate the extent of the cave’s size, but gave up when he discovered several side tunnels branching off from the main entrance hall.
A tall woman with flaming red hair approached Lance, then stopped. With her hands on her hips, she glared at Lance.
“Hello, darling,” Lance said in greeting.
“You’re late. Why are you carrying the wolf? I don’t see any traces of an injury.”
“Oh, this is Peter’s mate. He felt discouraged without him.”
“He? Isn’t it a bit small for a male?”
Robin struggled in Lance’s arms until Lance set him on the ground. About ten more people were in the cave, welcoming the arriving men. The men who had brought them here shifted and dressed in provided clothes.
“Pam, this is Tim, Jay, and Robin.” Lance introduced them to his mate.
“Greetings,” Pam said. She advanced on Lance, kissing him savagely once she reached him. Lance reciprocated with eagerness, forgetting all about the rest of them.
Robin sighed as most of the other men embraced their mates. Two children, both girls with braided red hair, knelt beside Jay, petting and cooing at him. Jay looked startled at first, but soon played while Tim sat next to them, watching over his mate.
Another man, not much older than Robin, strutted from an aisle, holding a package of clothes in his hands. He dumped most of the clothes where Tim and Jay were and carried the remaining ones over to Robin.
Robin cocked his head as he studied the energy lines surrounding the man. The predominant color was a light red with heavy flashes of indigo. It seemed as if the indigo tried to feed the red but was denied access with vigor.
Robin glanced up when the man approached him. He started when dark green eyes peered right into him. “Stop that and shift!”
Robin bared his teeth and growled.
Out of the blue, Lance appeared next to them, laying a hand on Robin’s head, petting him. “Shawn, behave.”
Shawn scowled at Lance, strands of dark brown hair
falling over his forehead. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Someone has to while your mate is absent. Your self-control isn’t the best without a firm hand ensuring it.”
“And you think you’re up to the job?” Shawn asked. “You can’t even deal with your own mate.”
Lance’s expression darkened. “Leave Pam out of it.”
“Or what?”
This guy—Shawn—was obviously out for a fight and not in the slightest concerned what would bring it on.
Robin lost interest in the argument and instead stuck his nose into the clothes, shoving them this way and that way. He pushed a checkered shirt aside and found a pair of jeans that might fit if he rolled up the legs. He pawed through the clothes until he reached a heavy gray woolen sweater. The scent that clung to it was familiar, soothing and so very welcome.
“It’s one of Peter’s,” Shawn said, his voice devoid of the earlier anger. “When I heard you’re his mate, I thought you’d like to wear something of his. It always helps me to feel better when Will isn’t here.”
Will, the incredibly large man he’d met earlier, was Shawn’s mate? Robin pondered this revelation while he shifted and dressed. Shawn sat cross-legged next to him, waving Lance away.
“I will be polite, and I will not aggravate anyone as not to embarrass my mate in his absence,” Shawn recited in a bored voice.
“I’m so glad you’re Will’s mate and not my mine,” Lance said as he got up.
Shawn grinned up at him, a sweet, innocent grin, and replied, “The feeling’s absolutely mutual.”
Lance shook his head and directed a stern look at Shawn before he reminded him, “You know Will’s feeling about disobedience. Try to adhere to his rules for once. None of us here wish to be a bystander to a demonstration of Will’s dominance again.”
Shawn gave a curt nod, and Lance left them to look after Pam. Robin finished dressing, sighing when he pulled the heavy sweater over his head.
“Gray really isn’t your color,” Shawn remarked.
“Politeness isn’t really your strongest character trait,” Robin replied without heat. Shawn might want to come across as rude and aggressive, but Robin had known his share of guys like him. Their bark was usually worse than their bite and not worth engaging in an argument.
Secret Energy (Shifters Book 2) Page 13