Jackson's Rise

by Tielle St Clare

  “Take care of her.”

  “I will.”

  Reign nodded, trusting Jackson, knowing the wolf would do anything to protect this mate. He watched as Jackson took Dani’s arm and eased her up to standing, leading her away through the back hallways, avoiding the main club.

  Reign waited until they were safely positioned in the elevator before he flipped open his phone.

  “Charlie? I’ve got the weirdest thing in front of me. Maybe you could come by and help me out.”

  Charlie responded as Reign had expected him to, vowing to be there in moments. Reign wandered back into the main fight room. The Cats were still there in Cat form, teeth marks marring throats and bellies.

  Serves you right, you bastards.

  He had a scratch on his face and some claw marks on his ass. They wouldn’t heal quickly but it shouldn’t leave a scar.

  He flipped open his phone and called the zoo’s emergency line. A groggy zookeeper answered.

  “This is Agent Alastair Reign with the Las Vegas PD and I have a couple of mountain lions…at least that’s what it looks like,” he said, adding a touch of confusion to his voice. “Looks like some kind of cat fight club. They’re injured and bleeding. Can you come get them?”

  He gave the address and smirked as he closed his phone. Perfect. Those bastards would be trapped while the zookeepers observed them. And maybe, just maybe they’d become part of the exhibit, locked forever in their animal forms in a cage. That was the perfect revenge.

  He crouched down and watched the Cats. One would probably die. He was bleeding pretty badly. One other just looked stunned. The other two had scratches and some deep bites from the wolf. Reign nodded to himself. Jax had been good in the fight. He owed the werewolf his life.

  Reign had slipped into the storage room and gotten there in time to see Winston slip out the far door. Led away by James. Bastard. The Cats had jumped Reign before he’d had a chance to follow.

  “Stupid assholes,” Reign said to the Cats. “The guy is killing your own people.” He stood up and walked around the scene. Charlie and the others would be here any minute. He needed to get his story straight and it couldn’t include Dani or Jax.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Reign rolled his shoulders back as he stepped onto Dani’s front porch. It was late, or early, depending on how he wanted to look at it. Going on four o’clock. He stared at the door but didn’t knock. He shouldn’t be here. He was tired. It was late. Jackson and Dani were probably asleep. Naked. Together.

  His lips pulled back in a snarl. The potent rush of sexual desire had smoothed out over the last hour but that still left the original lust for Dani. And now that he’d had a sampling of her, he wanted more. Wanted to play and fuck.

  And there was Jackson. The few men Reign had fucked before had been random encounters, usually at the sexual peak of a Clowder. No one he’d ever cared to meet with again. Something about the wolf intrigued him. He gave the impression of being buttoned down, the conservative accountant his brother had described, but he’d let Reign fuck him and come hard from it.

  But things were different now. He couldn’t expect that kind of welcome. Earlier in the evening Jackson had been willing to let Reign fuck him and Dani because it had a purpose. Somehow he couldn’t imagine the wolf letting him back in their bed. Even just seeing them together for the few hours tonight he could see they were much more solid than Dani and Max had ever been. Dani was sleeping with the right brother now.

  Too bad wolves don’t like to share.

  He sighed and rubbed his finger over the screen of his phone. He wasn’t in the mood to be rejected. He’d just call and tell them everything was fine, leave a message on Dani’s cell phone so he didn’t have to interrupt.

  Before he’d dialed the first number, the door swung open and Jackson filled the open space. Reign’s cock gave a little twitch, renewed interest in once again having the wolf beneath him.

  “Going to stand there all night?”

  Damn dog hearing. He looked so calm and distant while all Reign wanted to do was bend him over and push inside him again. Wolves heal fast, his ass could probably take another round. The smug voice in his head wasn’t helping his dick quiet down at all. Of course, Reign doubted Jackson would be willing to take it again so easily.

  “Did your pointed little ears perk up when I walked up?”

  Jackson didn’t react to the doggy slur. “Yeah.” He nodded and stepped back, indicating that Reign should come inside. He couldn’t imagine why but he followed Jackson inside. “How did it go?” Jackson asked as he closed the door.

  He was dressed casually, bare feet which Reign found surprisingly sexy, loose pajama bottoms and a T-shirt that was a bit too big. Seemed like unusual fucking clothes to Reign.

  “Fine. I acted confused and like it was something I stumbled on. Turns out the drug is a bastardization of a cat tranquilizer. Has a really nasty effect on Cats and luckily for me, it’s also becoming a popular drug among humans.” He shrugged at Jackson’s questioning look. “If it was just a cat drug there’s nothing illegal about that.”

  “So what did you do?”

  “I called in Charlie.”

  “Charlie?”

  “My partner.” His lips curled up in a smile. “His name’s not really Charlie. It’s William Tuna.”

  Jackson chuckled, getting the joke. “You call him Charlie.”

  “Yeah. He helped me clean up. Made it look like I stumbled on the situation while I was out with friends.”

  “But you didn’t get the main guy, Winston?”

  “No, but I know where to find him.” The back of his eyes ached as he thought about it. “At least I know one of the guys who is working for him. One who didn’t end up dead or in a zoo.”

  Jackson’s eyes popped wide open. “You called the zoo?”

  “Teach those assholes to work for drug dealers.” The grin on Jackson’s face sent a warm shaft of tension into Reign’s groin. He brushed the sensation aside. He’d be home soon enough. “How’s Dani?”

  Jackson winced. “A little freaked.”

  “Can’t blame her.”

  “No.” He tipped his head toward the stairs. “You should come see her.”

  “Ahh, don’t know. She’s probably asleep.”

  “Her eyes are closed but she’s not sleeping. She’s been worried about you.” Jackson closed the space between them, the steps slow but deliberate. He stopped inches away, allowing Reign to feel the heat spiraling off his body. “So have I.” As if they’d done this hundreds of times, they moved together, leaning in, turning heads to match up mouths. Reign groaned as his lips met Jackson’s, soft and strong. A surge of lust that matched the insane need to fuck from earlier pounded through his cock but he reined it in, savoring the kiss. Taking it for what it was—a welcome, a greeting and glad you’re safe.

  He moved in, meeting Jackson as he pressed forward, close enough that he could feel Jackson’s erection pressing against his. He rocked his hips forward, enjoying the friction for a moment but instinct urged him back. Not because it was another man or even because Jackson was a wolf. But because this wasn’t about fucking. That kiss had been a lover’s kiss.

  Reign put a hand on Jackson’s shoulder and took a step back, putting inches between their bodies. It really didn’t make sense to start thinking of Jackson as his lover. Even if the wolf was willing, Cats didn’t form relationships. Not permanent ones. Not without a lot of scratching and clawing. His parents had been like that and Reign didn’t even want to go there. He was fine on his own with the occasional fuck.

  The smirk on Jackson’s face indicated he recognized Reign’s retreat and for some fucking reason found it amusing.

  “Come upstairs.” Jackson seemed to believe that Reign would follow because he turned and walked away. Reign watched for a moment, his eyes locking on Jackson’s ass as he ambled up the stairs. Fuck it had felt good pressed up against him. He resisted the urge to reach down and thump his erect
ion. It has to be some kind of lingering effect from the freaky wolf spunk.

  Jackson disappeared around the corner at the top of the stairs and moments later, Reign heard the murmur of voices—masculine and feminine. Dani was awake.

  Reign rolled his shoulders back and put his first step on the bottom stair. Every instinct he had told him to leave. Now. Before he got any more entangled. Reign recognized the voice in his head not as the Cat’s solitary nature but the male side of him. He could already see it forming. Despite Dani’s appearance and her job, she was a nest-er. And she’d taken up with the king of nest-ers—a conservative werewolf.

  They seemed to be inviting him inside.

  He found himself at the top of the stairs, not realizing he’d moved, his body drawing him forward even as his mind still debated.

  But he couldn’t leave. Couldn’t not see Dani after she’d had the shock of her life. Of course, he could blame that on the wolf. He hadn’t changed forms in front of her.

  He pushed open the bedroom door and saw them, snuggled in the big bed, Jackson’s body wrapped around Dani, his front to her back. Faint scents of their earlier lovemaking clung to the air. Blankets covered them but it was easy to see their legs were intertwined. He paused for a moment. They were clearly a couple and if he disappeared right now, they’d go on together.

  Maybe that was for the best.

  Then Jackson looked up, his eyes locking with Reign’s. Somehow the wolf managed to imbue that stare with a challenge, daring Reign to come forward. Why? Jackson was wrapped around one of the hottest bodies in Vegas, she appeared content with him and he seemed to be inviting Reign to join them. If she belonged to him, he’d have her hidden away from other predators.

  But she didn’t belong to him.

  He sighed. Fuck this. He was just going to go with what his body wanted and deal with the emotional crap later. And what his body wanted was to be cuddled up against the two bodies in that bed.

  His first response was to get naked but considering neither of them was naked he just kicked off his shoes and crawled up the mattress, stretching out next to Dani. As he got close, he could see the red in her eyes, the dried streaks of tears. Damn, they’d made her cry.

  “How are you doing, kitten?”

  The endearment made a lot more sense now and for the first time in hours, Dani felt like smiling.

  “I’m okay.” Or she was heading that direction. Jackson had brought her home, shock holding her together until she’d arrived safe in her own home. Then she’d lost it. The meltdown hadn’t been pretty but Jackson had withstood it. She cringed at the memories, hoping they weren’t even worse than what her mind retained. Finally, she’d cried and screamed and cried it out and all that was left was silence as she tried to accept it. Jackson had turned into a wolf. Reign turned into a cat. She hadn’t actually seen it but she’d seen the claw marks on his hip.

  She ran her finger next to the scratch mark along his cheek.

  “Does this hurt?”

  “Stings. Cats aren’t like werewolves. We don’t heal when we change form.”

  Werewolves. Changing forms. Cats. “Oh.”

  That brought a half smile to Reign’s lips. “Kind of hard to deal with, huh?”

  She took a deep breath and tried to quell the new rush of panic. Jackson’s fingers squeezing her hip helped calm her. He’d been with her all night, comforting, strong, unmovable even when she’d shouted at him to get out. He’d held his ground and let her hysteria run its course.

  Wanting to return some of that comfort, she stroked her fingers over the back of his hand.

  “It’s a lot,” she finally answered. She shook her head and then included Jackson in her gaze. “I’m not really sure what to believe right now.” He raised his eyebrows, questioning her statement. “Well, it’s pretty unbelievable, right?”

  “That’s just your mind trying to convince you what you saw wasn’t real,” Jackson said. He kissed her shoulder. “It was.”

  She gave a little shiver, almost wishing she could go back a few hours and skip the whole scene. Suddenly Winston seemed minor.

  Reign lifted his head. “Do you want to see me change?”

  She hesitated then nodded. Jackson hadn’t offered to turn back into the wolf but Dani didn’t need the reminder. She could still hear the creaking and popping of bones and muscles as he’d shifted. Reign looked over her shoulder to Jackson, seemingly waiting for an approval. Jackson nodded as well and Reign rolled away, landing lightly on the floor.

  It was strange but now that she knew he was part cat, she could see the catlike mannerisms and movements.

  He stood up and pulled off his shirt, the muscles of his back stretching and pulling. Jackson squirmed behind her and smiled. The two of them had looked hot earlier in the evening, masculine hands moving across masculine skin. Despite the gravity of the situation, she felt a little heat between her legs. It was hard not to being with these two guys.

  Reign pushed his jeans down, giving both her and Jackson a nice view of his ass.

  “Wow.” Her comment was barely audible but Reign heard it, looking over his shoulder, arrogance glittering in his eyes.

  “Come on, pussycat,” Jackson said, his voice taunting. “Just get on with it.”

  Reign’s eyes dropped down to slits and he muttered something that Dani couldn’t hear. She looked at Jackson and he shrugged. She wasn’t sure if that meant he didn’t hear what Reign had said or he just didn’t care.

  Reign turned around. Dani gasped, first at the semihard erection that he was sporting. Then she saw the marks—four long scratches running from his hip down his thigh.

  She sat up. “Is that from tonight?”

  “Yeah, one of them got a claw on me.”

  “What about you?” she asked Jackson. He hadn’t been moving like he’d been hurt and there hadn’t been any blood but they also hadn’t been naked since they’d gotten home. She’d been a little too freaked out to think sexy.

  “I got clawed but as Reign was saying, when I come back to human, minor wounds disappear.”

  She turned back, feeling like she was watching a horror movie, waiting for something to jump out and startle her into screaming. Reign’s golden eyes met hers and she nodded, giving him permission to do whatever he was going to do.

  He took a deep breath and shimmered, the air around him turning gold as his body morphed, shrinking down, skin changing. There was no bone snapping or muscles creaking. He just changed.

  “That was different from what you did,” she said not taking her eyes off the mountain lion standing in her bedroom. The eyes were the same—Reign’s golden stare not changing even though the form around them was totally different.

  “Yes. Cats and werewolves are different kinds of shapeshifters. He is always a Cat. Even in his human form. And in his Cat form, he’s still very human.” Jackson chuckled. “He might even come when you call him.”

  A low growl that sounded nothing like a cat’s purr rumbled from the deep inside the animal’s chest.

  “Will you change?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to see it again, but it might help her mind process everything.

  Jackson shook his head. “Probably not a good idea. My wolf is a separate animal from me. We just share a body. So when I become the wolf, I really am a wolf. He can tell who is a friend and who isn’t but he might not like being this close to a Cat.” He chuckled. “He might chase Reign up a tree or something.”

  The growling turned into a full roar and the Cat leapt onto the bed, making the mattress dip. Dani’s muscles locked up. She knew it was Reign and Jackson had said Reign was still inside the animal but still, that was a lot of muscle and teeth and claws.

  The Cat opened his mouth and roared again.

  Dani flinched.

  “You’re scaring Dani,” Jackson snapped, the command and protection in his voice easing her. She snuggled backward, savoring the warmth of his body even as the big cat stretched out in front of her, head hung down,
almost as if he was apologizing for roaring at her. It was really kind of sweet. If she could get over the idea that there was a man inside that big cat body.

  “Can I touch him?” she asked Jackson, keeping her eyes locked on Reign.

  “Sure. Good little pussycats like to be petted.”

  The Cat growled and his eyes narrowed but he nudged her hand with his head, encouraging her to stroke him. Her mind told her fingers to move but she still hesitated, taking a deep breath before brushing the tips of her fingers across his coat. The top hairs were rough against her fingers but a soft undercoat drew her attention.

  Reign wiggled into her touch, rolling onto his back, baring his belly—and the hard kitty cat erection. Her hand froze as she stroked his stomach.

  “Oh.”

  Jackson chuckled. “Like I said, he’s very much the same man in this form.” He leaned in close and put his lips against her ear, whispering the almost silent sounds. “And I’m pretty sure the human gets hard whenever he’s near you as well.”

  The Cat purred and Dani continued her petting, even as her mind worked through Jackson’s words. He didn’t seem to mind that Reign wanted to fuck her. He’d actually sounded excited about it.

  And she wasn’t completely sure how she felt about that. Earlier had been one thing. There had been a purpose to it. And yes, she’d always been attracted to Reign. But then Jackson had appeared and their relationship seemed so permanent, even after just one night.

  “I’m not going anywhere, baby,” he said, nipping her earlobe, speaking as if he heard her thoughts. “We’re both going to have you until you scream.”

  Somehow that simple affirmation gave her confidence. It reminded her of last night and the solid steady statements that convinced her he would never lie to her.

  He placed another hot kiss beneath her ear. “The kitty cat and I will both have you.” A lick. “Enjoy you.”