Learning to Love [Half-Demon Mates 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)

by Sydney Lain

  The shifter focused on his property and ignored the doctor. If Dr. Fox had high blood pressure, he’d be on the verge of a stroke. The vein throbbed in the doctor’s neck.

  “I expect full restitution,” Shea said.

  Dr. Fox grabbed a cage bar, then loosened his grip. He caressed his upper lip with his tongue like it was a lover’s body. “The more stubborn and obstinate you are, the more fun you’ll be to break. Soon I’ll have you begging for my touch.”

  Shea narrowed his eyes. “I’m not some kinky bastard that gets off on being locked in a cage. So stick your tiny dick back in your pants and get the hell out of my face.”

  That was the wrong thing to say. Dr. Fox reached for a long metal pole that sent waves of strong electric charges out the end of it. He headed for Shea.

  “After a few pokes with this stick, you’ll be a lot more cooperative.”

  “If you need to torture men to sleep with you, it doesn’t say much about your technique. That long metal pole is probably the only thing that’s hard. Envious of it?”

  “Dr. Fox,” Gunner said. Shea was headed down a road of pain and anguish. He needed to become the roadblock to keep him from the end. Dr. Fox would spill his blood. Gunner tensed and stepped closer. The other hunters barely noticed him. Why would they? He was one of them. Attacking all four would get him killed and Shea would be close behind him. That was when he knew what needed to be done. If he were going to die, then he’d take Dr. Fox with him. The other hunters wouldn’t torture Shea. They’d try to take him back to headquarters, but Viktor was still out there. Even if they succeeded, Shea might be given to someone less brutal. That wasn’t much to hope for, but it was all he could do.

  “What?” Dr. Fox snarled. “I should kill you for interfering with my shifter’s training.”

  He stepped closer. No one claimed ownership over Shea. “We need information about the other wolf shifters.”

  Shea flinched at his coldness. Two year ago, Shea tempted him behind a similar cage door. He had talked to Gunner like a man, not a government created killer. Since then, he’d been haunted by those dark blue eyes and open smile.

  “Angry shifters often snarl and bite the hand that feeds him. After he calms down and thinks about the situation, he’ll talk.”

  Shea hissed, not helping the situation.

  Dr. Fox laughed. Not a laugh like they were sharing a joke, but a cold sinister chuckle that Gunner had only heard coming from Hollywood villains. “Shifters are animals. They need a firm hand like a dog in obedience training. He’ll learn.” The doctor pointed to Shea’s clawed hands and then tilted his head to address his prisoner. “I’ll start by declawing you. I’ll rip out those nails and then pour acid on your fingertips. That should keep them from growing back.”

  Hatred filled Gunner. This man wanted to mutilate his precious Shea, his mate. That was the first time he thought of Shea as a mate and he liked it. He ignored the part of his brain that reminded him that another man had claimed to be his mate, too. But where was he? They were alone, and right now only Shea mattered.

  Shea backed away from Dr. Fox, horrified by the man’s promise. Gunner walked closer to the doctor, ready to twist the man’s head and snap his neck. The other hunters surrounded him. His murderous intent must have leaked through his carefully controlled exterior.

  “Gunner, where did you go tonight?” Dr. Fox asked. “You didn’t respond to the radio calls.” His eyes raked over him in disgust. “You’re the only survivor from your last mission. Now you disappear during another one. Maybe you need to be in one of these cages.”

  “Hey, asshole,” Shea said, attempting to distract the doctor. “I’d prefer mutilation, torture, and death over sleeping with you. Does that bother you?” A cocky smile that Gunner found very annoying formed on Shea lips. That was when he knew Dr. Fox would kill the shifter very slowly.

  “After I rip out your nails, I will fuck you for hours using your blood as lube.”

  Gunner growled.

  “Hours? That will probably kill you. Look at those spaghetti legs and stick arms. The only exercise you get is carrying a ream of paper to the copy machine, and you find that strenuous. But dream big. I prefer to live in the real world.”

  Dr. Fox slammed his hand against the cage. His face turned bright red. Gunner was almost sure that this man would immediately kill Shea.

  “Make him shift into a wolf and skin him alive.”

  Gunner blinked. That was a far quicker and a more humane death than the one the doctor had described. Then he knew. The shifter’s words disgusted him. Dr. Fox didn’t want to touch him.

  “You’re getting ahead of yourself, doctor,” a new voice said. No, it wasn’t a new voice. Gunner recognized Viktor’s deep sensual tone and it promised hours of pain.

  “Who’s there? Show yourself,” Dr. Fox ordered.

  Viktor stood in the back of the warehouse, nowhere near the entrance. How long had he been here watching? His white-blond hair stood out in the dark room and his blue eyes glowed. This was a man that existed in nightmares.

  Dr. Fox seemed to draw the same conclusion. “What are you?” he asked. All bravado was gone as he faced an unclassified nonhuman within his zone.

  “A dead man doesn’t need to know me.” The words sent a chill down all of their spines.

  “Hey, get me out of here,” Shea whined, pulling at the cage bars. “Stop playing with them and open the damn door.”

  “Little wolf, be patient. Stay in there and relax. I’m here. No one will hurt you.” He looked at Gunner. “Either of you. So both of you sit back and relax.”

  “Relax,” Shea repeated. “They didn’t threaten to mutilate, rape, and skin you alive. Don’t tell me to relax. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here.” Shea’s voice cracked as he said each word with such force that most men would jump to obey. The shifter’s hands shook. He yanked at the bars so hard that it had to hurt his arms and back. It didn’t make sense. Shea wasn’t going to free himself. Then Gunner realized the wolf shifter was on the verge of a panic attack. Viktor, sensing that, appeared in front of the cage. Gunner blinked. He never saw the man move. When he grabbed the cage door, the three other hunters charged at the half-demon. Gunner moved toward the fight, passing Dr. Fox as he sprinted to the door. Instead of pursuing the asshole, he went to his mates, determined to help them escape.

  Robert pulled out a gun and aimed it at Viktor. Gunner slammed him against the wall. Now sensing that Gunner was going to help the two nonhumans, Craig and Tom looked at him. They froze. Neither one had ever attacked another hunter.

  Behind him, Viktor opened the door and helped a shivering Shea from the cage. Gunner faced off against the hunters. They were the same. Maybe together they made up a race of people. Not ones born like the other men on this planet, but a group of people that he could identify with. Gunner couldn’t kill them. Both men reached inside of their coats and pulled out large hunting knives.

  “Craig. Tom. Enough. Just leave.”

  The two men stared at him. There was no anger or hate.

  “We can’t leave unharmed. That won’t be tolerated,” Tom said and Gunner knew that the hunter wouldn’t charge at him for the kill , but he wanted Gunner to beat him.

  He reached out, grabbed Tom’s arm and dislocated his shoulder. The sound of bone misaligning sickened him, but Tom would fight again. That was what mattered. Craig moved in. Viktor grabbed the hunter’s arm and, with his other one, slammed into the back of Craig’s head. The man went down.

  Gunner mimicked the move and Tom crumbled to the floor.

  Viktor’s ice blue eyes sent a chill through him. He wasn’t a weak man, but that glare could scare the deadliest criminals.

  “Do you want to die?” Viktor asked.

  Gunner blinked. “No, do you?” The question didn’t make sense. Maybe Viktor was confessing something?

  “When you’re outnumbered, a person that wants to live goes in for the kill.” He looked at the crumpled bodies. “If ordered, they w
ould gut you and feed off your intestines.”

  That was an image he didn’t need. “Thanks for that picture.” Before he could explain to the half-demon that some hunters formed a bond, Shea groaned.

  Viktor and Gunner went to him. His lips were pale and his teeth chattered as his body shook.”

  “You need to shift,” Viktor said and reached down to help Shea undress.

  “No,” Shea said. He swatted at the hands reaching for him. “No touching.”

  Viktor sighed. “You’ll freeze to death.”

  “I’d rather die as a man than walk the streets as an animal.” Shea attempted to stand, but his knees gave out.

  “Gunner, get him something dry to wear.” He snapped to attention, ready to follow Viktor’s command. The half-demon turned toward Shea. “Take off your clothes.”

  Gunner pulled off Craig’s coat and walked back. Shea stood with both arms crossed over his chest.

  “Undress,” Viktor ordered again.

  “No thanks. I’m fine just like this.”

  The half-demon reached out and started to rip off the shifter’s clothes. Shea tried to push the hands away, but the speed that Viktor moved was inhuman. When he reached for Shea’s boxers, Gunner grabbed the half-demon’s arm, surprising him with his own speed. Gunner handed Shea the coat.

  Viktor growled at Gunner.

  “Stripping him in a building where a depraved man threatened to do horrible things to him isn’t what Shea needs. Give him some space. Let’s get him to a warm place and into a hot bath.”

  Viktor relaxed and then nodded. Shea reached down to put on his soggy sneakers. The half-demon lifted the shifter up before his foot slipped into the shoe and then threw him over his wide shoulder. He wrapped an arm around the back of Shea’s thighs as the shifter hit Viktor’s back.

  “Put me down,” Shea demanded.

  Viktor rolled his eyes. Shea continued to slap the half-demon. He tried to kick and thrash his legs, but Viktor was too strong. He looked like a flailing child, throwing a temper tantrum. Viktor’s hand slapped against Shea’s ass.

  Gunner winced at the sound, but if he was in Viktor’s place, he might do the same thing.

  “Hey, stop that,” Shea demanded.

  “Each time you hit me, I’ll give you a good hard swat. So keep it up,” Viktor warned, “and your ass will be bright red and sore.”

  Shea growled and hissed, but stopped trying to beat his way free. “I can walk.”

  Viktor snorted. “Not without shoes.”

  “The least you could do is be more gentle.”

  “Prefer bridal style?” the half-demon asked.

  Gunner almost laughed as a look of horror flashed across Shea’s face. “We need to go.” He looked at the bodies on the floor and at the door. “With Dr. Fox out there, we’re not safe here.”

  Viktor tightened his hold on Shea and stepped closer to Gunner. He felt the half-demon’s breath on his face. “We still need to talk about your careless behavior.”

  As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. Viktor didn’t wait for an answer as he headed for the door. Gunner took one last look around the warehouse. If he walked out now, this part of his life was over. Without any hesitation, he followed behind Viktor.

  Chapter Five

  Shea felt like an utter idiot. This was worse than the time he wet his pants in first grade. That was hard to top, and it took him over fifteen years, but he managed to do it. At least, twenty other kids weren’t laughing while he looked foolish in his wet jeans.

  Gunner and Viktor made him feel small or weak. Who was he kidding? He was weak, couldn’t take care of himself, and just exposed that to the two men he wanted respect from. He couldn’t even walk to wherever they were going. This was another example of his many failures. Hunters captured him twice and both times he needed a man to rescue him. Now, Gunner and Viktor saw him as weak and useless. He wasn’t a damsel in distress that needed a man to rush in and save him. All he needed was a pink dress and to scream help me in a soprano tone, which sadly he might be able to reach. But he still had a dick. If he thought dropping his pants to show it would fix the problem, he’d wave his friend at them, but they knew he was a man. It just didn’t stop them from treating him like a man that needed saving.

  “I can walk,” Shea said. How many times had he said that? Apparently not enough. Each time he indicated that fact, a hand rubbed his ass in a placating way used to stop a tantrum.

  Viktor opened the door to a very large mansion. He wasn’t sure a house this big could be called a mansion. It looked like a castle or an estate. They crossed over the threshold. Shea expected to be placed on his feet, but no. As if to add to his humiliation, he was carried up a flight of stairs. Maybe Viktor should lock him in a high tower and after decades of being kept a prisoner, he’d let his hair down and cry out for help. That seemed to be where his life was heading.

  Viktor placed him onto a soft white carpet. Shea rubbed his toes into the plush rug as his eyes widened at the massive size of the bedroom. It was larger than his childhood home, and that hadn’t been tiny.

  Shea’s jacket opened, exposing his chest. Viktor cocked his head and stared. Shea looked down. It was nothing the other man hadn’t seen before. There were streaks running down his chest where the water washed away the sweat exposing skin under the dirt and grime. He pulled the ends together.

  “The water was turned off at my apartment building after a leak flooded the basement. It hasn’t been fixed yet.” Shea looked behind him and Gunner stood in the doorway, looking almost as lost as he felt. “Are you all right?” Shea asked Gunner.

  The hunter nodded.

  “You need a bath. It will warm you up,” Viktor said to Shea. He walked into the enjoining room. The sound of water broke the silence. Shea shivered in delight. Most people salivated over food, but he loved to lounge in warm water.

  “Are you cold?” Gunner asked. He laid a hand on Shea’s forehead. He nearly melted into the touch. He rubbed his fingers down Gunner’s arm.

  “I’m fine. Thank you for saving me. Not just tonight, but last time, too.”

  Viktor walked out of the bathroom. “Are you going to thank me?” The half-demon asked.

  “Your head will swell. Any bigger and it won’t fit through the door.” The half-demon and Gunner made him want things that he wasn’t willing to admit, like being held through the night and having someone waiting for him at home. The wolf stirred inside. It wanted out. He felt his eyes start to change, but before it happened Shea closed them and took a deep breath. After he regained control, he stepped past Viktor and headed toward the bathroom, but an arm much larger than his blocked the path.

  “Towels are on the counter. I started to fill the tub.” Viktor said.

  Gunner walked up behind them and peered into the bathroom. He nodded in approval before looking at Shea. “Get out of those wet clothes before you end up with pneumonia. Shifters are stronger than humans, so they don’t get colds, but when their bodies are pushed too far, they can get really sick. I know because I’ve seen it.”

  Viktor moved away from the bathroom door and rested an arm on Gunner’s shoulder. That act of kindness warmed his heart. He shivered at the loss of the half-demon’s body next to him. He’d never admit that. Shea wouldn’t surrender and be nice just because they were mates. He fought all his nonhuman urges and throwing in the towel wasn’t an option. He might’ve been turned against his will, but he didn’t have to accept it.

  “I need to warm up,” Shea said. Viktor nodded. He walked into the bathroom. The click of the door shutting behind him sent a wave of relief through him. In here, he could think before he acted and did something stupid.

  The heated floor warmed his cold toes. Shea rubbed his feet over the smooth tile. He loved to feel things with his feet. As a kid, he hated wearing shoes, but even caressing the floor with is toes didn’t help him feel less lost within the enormous Mediterranean style bathroom. It matched the massive sized mast
er suite, but both were larger than they needed to be and grander than the penthouse at most posh hotels. Not like he’d ever been inside one of those rooms, but he’d seen them in the movies and Hollywood always exaggerated. This room was better than anything onscreen.

  Shea walked deeper inside. He passed the double sinks and stopped in the middle of the bathroom. It was so roomy. He spread out his arms and wasn’t even close to touching the walls. He twirled around and then stopped. That was so girly. Ever since the second grade when he admitted to his best friend that he owned a doll and spent the following ten years being ridiculed for it, he’d been very careful about his image. He was a hot-blooded man with manly desires even though his manly desires were literal. That didn’t mean he wanted to be taken care of. No, that wasn’t the type of relationship he wanted.

  The sound of water filling the tub echoed inside the room. The soaking tub was large and deep. He couldn’t wait to feel the warmth on his skin.

  He dropped the coat. The buttons clattered as the fabric pooled at his feet. The water drew him closer. He stuck a hand into the tub and swirled the water around. He closed his eyes and relished the feel of clean water. The only thing missing was bath oil. Viktor was more of a shower guy, so he probably didn’t own any. The tub sparkled and looked barely used. Shea was tired of thinking. He needed to soak and let the warm water caress his skin.

  He pushed his boxers down and then climbed into the soothing heat. The water came halfway up the tub, but soon it would be filled. Unable to wait, Shea took in a large gulp of air and slid down into the water surrendering to the heat. He tapped his feet against the bottom of the tub. Why couldn’t he live in the water? His chest started to hurt. The dream needed to end. He sat up and gulped in air. The room spun but that little stunt wouldn’t force him to pass out. He let out a soft chuckle. That was all he needed to do. Faint in the bathtub. At least he wouldn’t have to live with that insult to his manhood.