by Lisa Oliver
Snake Snack
Arrowtown Book 2
By Lisa Oliver
Copyright 2017 by Lisa Oliver
All Rights Reserved
Smashwords Edition
Snake Snack: Arrowtown Book 2
Copyright 2017 Lisa Oliver
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Cover Design by Lisa Oliver
Cover Model –courtesy of Paul Henry Serres Photography. License SC_103
Background and Snake image – Dreamstime.com
First Edition August 2017
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Lisa Oliver. [email protected]
No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Lisa Oliver. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.
Snake Snack is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Tradenames and song titles used in this story:
Hit Me baby…One More Time – Brittany Spears, 1998
Jabbawockeez – See their official YouTube site here - https://www.youtube.com/user/thewockeez
My Girl – The Temptations, 1965
YouTube – http://www.youtube.com
Dedication
This has been a really hard couple of months for me from a real-world perspective and I couldn’t have got through it, or given Simon and Darwin their well-needed HEA if it wasn’t for my wonderful friends and readers and their unfailing support.
To Phil – because when I get fluffy he makes me cut it out.
To Judy – who shines my prose.
To Leah – for her countless sources of inspiration and her ability to make me laugh.
To Torhild – who keeps my group running and never fails to be supportive.
To Avril – who lets you all know when my books are released and threatens me with a whip when my word count is down.
And most of all, to my lovely readers on social media who send me messages, post things on my timeline and most of all remind me they haven’t forgotten me.
My life would be bleak without you – thank you all.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Epilogue
Other Books By Lisa Oliver
About the Author
Chapter One
Simon slapped the hand currently groping his ass, a hiss threatening to break through. The absolute last place he wanted to be was a gay strip club in Jackson, but…looking over at Seth grinning adoringly at Ra, he needed to be here. He had a soft spot for the little bunny and when Liam and Lucien offered to babysit, so Ra and Seth could have an adult night out, he tagged along. Rocky and Mal disappeared into the crowd; Brutus elected to stay home to supervise the lions with their babysitting activities.
“Hey,” the groper didn’t look as pretty with the glare on his face. “I was only trying to be friendly. There’s no need to get physical.”
“What do you call groping my ass?”
“Foreplay.” The man winked at him. “Want to head out back so I can see if that snake in your pants is as lethal as it looks?”
Simon froze at the word snake. There was no way the human could know for sure but he had too much to lose. Shifters were known to humans, but he’d had several hookups go wrong when his eyes changed. He shook his head. “Not looking for company. Just here to have a few drinks with friends.”
“Are you sure I can’t change your mind? I can be very persuasive.”
A man yelling for everyone’s attention strode out onto the stage, cutting off Simon’s retort. Seth stood; of course, he and Ra would have a table right at the front, waving for Simon to join them. Ignoring the would-be fuck, Simon shoved his way through the crowds as the MC introduced the next act. He snagged the chair Seth held for him and folded into it.
“Isn’t this exciting?” A flushed Seth could hardly sit still. His pale blue eyes sparkled.
“Watching men take their clothes off?” Simon grinned. Seth had that effect on him. “How does Ra feel about your strong desire to ogle naked men?”
“He said I could look, but not touch.” Seth shivered as he looked around. “I’ve never been in a place like this before.”
Unfortunately, Simon had, which is why he’d volunteered to go with the pair on their night out. Rocky and Mal were good, loyal friends. But wolf shifters tended to act without thinking and were easily distracted. Seth was a bottom boy magnet for any human top. Simon didn’t want to see him get hurt. Ra was protective, as he should be, but tended to punch first and apologize later. Simon knew, from experience, apologizing from jail wasn’t easy.
“The show’s about to start,” he whispered, nudging Seth with his shoulder, almost knocking the smaller man from his chair. Leaning back, Simon crossed his arms, stretched his legs and prepared to be bored. He’d seen it all before.
~~~~/
“There are some funny ones in the crowd tonight,” Gus warned as Darwin prepared to go on stage. “Manuel and Fred will be watching to make sure there’s no trouble.”
Damn, Gus is ruining my Zen. Darwin knew only too well what “funny ones” meant. The man was phobic about shifters. What Gus didn’t know and never would if Darwin had anything to do with it, was Darwin was a shifter; a small one, making it easy to pass as human. Clearly, some in the audience weren’t so discreet. Predators probably; they were always big.
“Their money’s as good as the next man’s,” Darwin said firmly pulling on the calm he’d spent half an hour preparing. “My only worry is if the crowd doesn’t respond. That means I’m not doing my job right.” He smoothed the flak jacket he wore; the word police emblazoned in white across one of its many pockets and checked the shield on his belt was securely fastened. Pulling on fingerless gloves, he flipped his dark shades over his eyes. He preferred to dance with them on; somet
imes the scent of pheromones in the air could cause his animal to want to break free. Thank goodness, the costume called for them. “Cue the music.”
Catching Jude’s eyes across the stage, his counterpart dressed exactly as he was, he nodded once as the beat of the drums filled his ears. The two men ran onto the stage and Darwin let the music fill his soul. His body moved automatically, hours of practice making concentration unnecessary. His eyes, hidden by his shades scanned the crowd for the “funny ones” and he didn’t have to look far.
Right there in front of him, looking for all the world like he’d rather be anywhere else but watching them was the most stunning biker he’d ever seen. He had friends; a big guy with a mane of multi-colored hair and a cute little blond who didn’t look old enough to be in the joint. But his eyes flicked back to the mountain man. Dark hair kissing his shoulders, slicked back from his face. A long straight nose and full lips closely guarded by a well-trimmed mustache and goatee. Sharp jawline, thick neck, and his eyes. Darwin’s dance faltered. Dark eyes, almost black were focused on… the ceiling?
“Pay attention,” Jude hissed as he sailed past, his limbs contorting as he went down into the splits. Darwin’s legs split on cue, and as he sank to the floor and started humping the wooden boards in time to the beat, he wished with everything he was the mountain man was underneath him.
~~~~/
“He’s watching you,” Seth nudged Simon out of his stupor. Already bored with the flesh on display, he was doing his best to tune out the noise and the smell of lust emanating from the audience who were catcalling and waving money in the air as the dancers performed.
“Which one? They all look the same to me,” but in spite of himself, Simon looked and then cursed under his breath. Not four feet in front of him was a truly delicious morsel of a man. Broad shoulders leading to a slender waist highlighting the bubble butt currently waving in Simon’s direction as the man humped the floor. Short blond hair slicked down with products, a whisper of stubble outlining a sharp chin and full lips. The only things Simon couldn’t see were the man’s eyes, but by the Fates, he wanted to. As the man tore off his shirt Simon caught a smattering of tattoos on the man’s forearm.
His mouth dry, his snake was awake and unthinkingly his tongue pushed past his lips as he scented the air. Smoke, booze, lust and dried spunk. But there was a hint of something; something sweet and erotic at the same time. “Papaya,” Simon whispered, aware Seth and Ra giving him funny looks.
But Simon couldn’t look away from the stage. Every movement was fluid yet a challenge. The dancer’s body language yelled, “you can look but you can’t touch.” And boy, Simon wanted to touch. His snake wanted out; wanted to wrap the smaller man up in his coils so no one could ever gaze upon that perfect flesh but him. There was nothing weak about the man as he contorted in positions designed to tempt Simon’s lust; skin being revealed inch by calculating inch. He shivered as his scales erupted along his arms.
“I can’t watch this.” He groaned as the sound of ripping Velcro signaled the loss of the stripper’s pants. The crowd roared their approval but all Simon could feel was his scales morphing along his spine. “I’ve got to get out,” he muttered to a stunned Seth. “Find out who he is. He’s mine.” Evading Seth’s comforting hand and ignoring his startled “eep”, Simon leaped from his seat, powering through the surge of the crowd as they all vied for the right to touch, to stuff dollar bills in the G-string of the man destined to be his. He wanted to kill them all; grab his mate from the stage and run off with him, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Not in a human town.
Mustn’t shift. Mustn’t shift. Must. Not. Shift. His teeth dug a hole in his gums. Outside, Simon looked around wildly. The SUV; that would have to do. Thanking the Fates he was the designated driver, Simon ran, pressing the buttons on his remote. A beep and he was inside, slamming the door shut and locking it; his clothes falling in a heap on the floor well as he lost control of his snake.
Just as well I haven’t got thumbs in this form, he thought, eyeing the door lock. His snake was angry at having to hide; having to run away from his mate. But Simon knew he couldn’t risk showing his true form. The predominantly human town would have problems with it and Simon had no wish to be detained. He coiled up on the floor well, the space barely big enough to hold his bulk and seethed; snake and man having a running battle. Simon didn’t want to spend the night in jail; his snake wanted that little man in their clutches. Given how stroppy his snake could be, Simon wasn’t sure how long he could control him.
Chapter Two
His metaphorical whiskers twitching, Darwin cautiously opened the dressing room door. “What do you want?” He asked the cute blond with a curly mop of white blond hair. “You’re with them, aren’t you?” His eyes widened as he caught the scent of predators. “Have you come to drag me off so your friends can eat me, because I’m telling you now, I’ve got a fucking big bat and I know how to use it.”
“See, I told Ra it was better to let me come and talk to you. He didn’t want me talking to you alone, but honestly,” the blond laughed. “Those big guys think with their dick most of the time and you can’t get a word of sense out of them at others. I promise I’m not a threat.”
“There’s more than just you three?” Darwin looked out the door, but the dim hallway was clear. For now. He looked back at the blond. “What do you want? I’m not hurting anyone.”
“Suspicious, aren’t you.” Shaking his head, the blond pushed past him and Darwin closed the door. “Nice digs. I’m Seth, by the way. Lop-eared rabbit mated to the big gallute you might have seen besides me when you were dancing.” Seth held out his hand, and feeling as though he’d fallen down a rabbit hole, Darwin took it and then dropped it quickly.
“You’re mated to….” Damn, the rabbit was obviously sent to warn him off from the mountain man. Did they know what he was? Is that why they sent a rabbit? Because they thought that’s all it would take to scare him off? He was tougher than that; he had to be. But Seth laughed, perching himself on his dressing table.
“I’m mated to a tiger, Ra,” Seth said. “But I doubt you even noticed him. The man who caught your eye and held it for most of your wonderful performance was Simon. He’s a snake.”
Darwin preened at the praise and then froze. “That hunk’s a snake?” He gulped, the lump in his throat refusing to move. His heart raced as he looked wildly for escape. His dressing room was tiny; he’d been offered his private space because he had seniority among the dancers but it wasn’t much. The room only had one door, no windows and there wasn’t even a hole in the baseboard he could disappear through.
“Don’t panic,” Seth said, his arm warm on Darwin’s bare shoulder. “Honestly, they’re all good guys. They might look rough, but Ra has a heart of gold and Simon would lay down his life for you.”
“Why?” Darwin managed to get his voice above a squeak. “I don’t know him; I’ve never seen him before. I haven’t seen any of you before.” And I’d have remembered, he thought glumly. At least he had a name to call out when he was pleasuring himself at night. Simon. Simon the snake shifter.
“Simon’s your mate; isn’t it exciting?” Seth actually squealed, making Darwin jump. “He, well, I guess Simon wasn’t keen on all those men seeing you take your clothes off and stuffing money in your G-string so he had to leave. Mates are funny like that.”
Darwin looked down at his lack of clothing. He’d done well; tens, twenties and even a fifty still poking from his remaining tiny piece of clothing. He hastily pulled the bills out, putting them on his dresser while looking for his pants.
“Anyhow,” Seth continued as if they were the best of friends. Darwin longed for friends, but… “I could feel Simon’s scales forming and his fangs were starting to drop. I’m guessing he ran back to the wagon so he wouldn’t embarrass you. This is a very conservative place from a shifter perspective.”
“It works if you can pass,” Darwin snapped, zipping up his pants and fumbling for his
shirt. “I suppose you live in one of those shifter towns? Where everyone just merrily shifts in the street and no one bats an eyelid.”
“Yes.” The smile on Seth’s face was so innocent. “Arrowtown. Have you heard of it?”
Darwin shook his head as he shrugged his shirt on. “I don’t have anything to do with shifter towns,” he said abruptly. “Predators run those places and make life hell for…for…for smaller animals.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry you feel that way. Arrowtown’s not like that, I promise you.”
See, this is why I don’t talk to people. I only upset them and it was clear Seth was upset for him, which was something Darwin didn’t understand. “It’s fine, we don’t all have rainbows and fairy dust upbringings. I’m from New York. You learn to grow up tough there. I tried living in a few shifter towns…” Darwin snapped his mouth shut. He wasn’t going to go there. “I hope you and your friends have a safe trip home.”
“You aren’t coming to meet Simon?” Seth’s eyes filled with tears and Darwin felt like shit. “He would have introduced himself, but he was really struggling with his snake. I know you’d rather talk to him….”
“I’ve not had good experiences with predators of any kind,” and a snake is one of the worst. “I’m sure this Simon is a wonderful man, but you see what I do. I have bills to pay and I’ve never been to school. This is the best I can be and he wouldn’t like it.” The last came out mumbled, but he knew Seth heard him.