by Lisa Oliver
“But you’re mates. That has to mean something.” Seth tried one last time, but Darwin was beyond listening. Blood pounding in his ears had a way of doing that. He pulled on his boots and grabbed his backpack, stuffing his tips from the night into a side pocket.
“I don’t even know what being a mate means,” he lied as he stormed out the door. And if his heart was breaking over his lost opportunity as he ran down the hallway and escaped out the fire exit door, then no one would ever know about it but him. That’s the way it’d always been and that’s the way it would stay.
~~~~/
“Thank fuck I’ve got a spare set of keys,” Ra grumbled as he opened the SUV. “Oh, there you are. I sent Seth to talk to your mate, but…here he comes now and he’s on his own. I think you should…Simon, no. Get back here.”
Simon’s snake was in full control and all he’d been waiting for was an opportunity. Was he grateful his friends had tried to intervene with his mate for him? Yes. But this was a situation he needed to handle for himself and the more he’d thought about it, the more Simon knew his snake was right. They couldn’t and wouldn’t walk away from the chance of a mate. He slid out of the door before Ra could stop him, disappearing under parked cars as he scented the air. In his snake form it was easy; his long, forked tongue picking up the scents of dirt, exhaust, and pollution. As he got closer to the club, the smell of papaya hung in the air and he quickly changed direction.
His mate was fast on two feet, but Simon was faster and quickly caught up; his rippling dark scales blending with the shadows. He spied the delicious dancer heading into a building just two blocks down from the club. Slipping into an unlit alley, his long neck arched as he watched and waited for a light to go on. There. Three floors up. A piece of cake. At least in this form.
Open a window, honey, I’m heading in.
Chapter Three
I won’t cry, I won’t cry. I will not cry. Darwin angrily wiped away the wet streaks on his face as he slung his bag on the couch and slumped beside it. I’ve got to eat. I need a shower. I should…. He had a routine and his sanity insisted that he stick to it. But somehow, one huge predator and a tiny rabbit had thrown his equilibrium out of the window.
Window. It was hot and Darwin begrudged the money for air conditioning. His mind still in a daze, he opened a couple of windows and took his bag over to the bed. His studio apartment was cheap as far as apartments went, but he’d made a couple of adjustments the landlord didn’t know about. His floor safe was one of them.
Calling on his claws, he carefully edged up the board under his bed. Not even the sight of his safe could make him smile. It was a gun safe; long and thin, perfectly designed to hide under the floor. Part of Darwin’s nightly ritual was to put away his money, carefully sorting it so that all the bills were facing the same way, the denominations separated by dividers. But tonight, he just threw the money in, slamming the lid closed. His nest egg, the one thing that gave him any sense of security couldn’t compete with his shattered dreams of a mate.
A snake? Is this some kind of cosmic joke? Darwin rubbed his hands over his face, ignoring the hardwood under his knees. He’d met a snake shifter before. A tall, slender, greasy-haired man with a grip like a vise who’d bought him a drink, fucked him and then threatened to force his shift so he could eat him. It was about that time Darwin decided being around any kind of shifter was bad for his health. His animal wasn’t aggressive; he was average height in human form and no one currently in his life knew he was a shifter.
Except for that rabbit and his toothy friends. Darwin slapped himself. He’d been around humans too long. He’d got complacent; judging himself safe by hiding from others. Although…Darwin froze as the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He had that eerie sense he wasn’t alone and being on his knees beside a bed wasn’t a position of strength. A quiet hiss had him rolling under the bed, grabbing his baseball bat as he came out the other side.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” He yelled, raising his bat, ready to swing. The snake had to be fifteen feet long, its black body thicker than his bat. A narrow diamond-shaped head looked as though dusted with glitter, the only color on the monochrome body. The front half of the snake rose at Darwin’s threat; his head slightly tilted as though confused by his actions.
“This is my house and you’ve got no right sliding in here as though you own the place,” Darwin raged. He didn’t need this. The scent filling the room told him everything he needed to know and even if it didn’t, what were the odds he’d come across two different snakes in the same night? “I told your friend I don’t do shifter towns. I’m not a fit mate and I wished you a safe trip home. Why aren’t you on your way home?” Why did you come after me? Can’t you see I’m not worth it?
Lack of food and a long day had Darwin’s arms trembling with the effort of holding the bat above his head and Darwin dropped it in defeat. He couldn’t hit his mate. And Simon was his mate. The pressure in his pants let him know that. “Shift and say what you’ve got to say. I need my sleep. I’ve got to get up for my other job in four hours.”
Ignoring the snake’s curious eyes, refusing to marvel at how the snake’s body curled around itself, following his every move, Darwin edged over to the couch and flopped down. He couldn’t do anything about his racing heart, or the way his animal couldn’t decide if he wanted to run and hide or snuggle up to a pile of scales. He nudged his cock into a more comfortable position, jumping slightly as Simon hissed and stuck out his tongue. Crossing his arms, he stared at the snake and waited.
~~~~/
Lunch. Mate. Snack. Not snack. Mate. Okay, Simon was getting a bit befuddled. His snake recognized the sexy stripper as a food group first; he wasn’t interested in sex, although he recognized his mate. Simon himself wasn’t strictly interested in the sex side of things just yet either…oh, who the hell am I kidding…but the young man’s attitude didn’t make sense. Pushing aside his hurt and his snake, Simon shifted and wished he’d bought clothes with him.
“Cover yourself.” Simon reached up and grabbed the throw tossed at him. “I’m not interested in seeing your dangly bits.”
There’s nothing dangling here. Simon draped the throw over his lap, planting his butt on the floor. He’d far rather sit on something else, but the couch, bed and a couple of bar stools at the kitchen counter were the only options in the tiny apartment and he didn’t think his bare ass would be welcome on any of them.
“Well, aren’t you going to say something? You followed me from the club; broke into my apartment, you must’ve….”
“The window was open.” Simon didn’t want his mate to think he was a criminal.
“And I’m three floors up. I don’t expect anyone to come bounding into my window anytime they feel like it.”
“Do you have a name? I wasn’t paying attention when your segment was introduced.” Simon decided the bounding comment wasn’t worth defending. His snake never bounded in his life.
“You weren’t paying attention?” Darwin’s voice rose in a screech. “Me and my friends perform every night so guys like you have something to dream about when you’re playing with yourself in that lonely bed of yours and you can’t be bothered to pay attention to our names?”
“I’m not interested in your stage name. It’d be nice to know who you really are.” Now his mate was home, the dark glasses were gone and Simon could see a ton of conflict in his deep brown eyes. “I’d like to get to know you.”
“Didn’t you listen to your little rabbit friend either? I told him I don’t do shifter towns. I’m not educated. I don’t have a trade or profession. I won’t just pull up stakes and move to a town run by predators that see me as their next meal especially when I have to be dependent on someone else for my next meal.”
Simon frowned. “Who hurt you?” He’d get them; if there was one thing his snake could be counted on, it was tracking down the bad guys. He’d find whoever hurt his mate and see they met an ugly end.
�
�What? You’re going to run rampant through every shifter town between New York and Jackson? Very commendable, but that’s just my point. You’re a predator. Those places are run by predators. I won’t live in a shifter town again.”
“And now, I’ve scented you, I can’t live without you. How long do you think I’ll last, living in Jackson before someone runs me out of town or puts me in jail?” Simon felt truth was his best option. His seduction techniques sucked.
Darwin’s mouth opened, snapped shut. Opened again and then settled into a frown. Simon tucked the throw a little more under his butt cheeks. The air was warm, the floor wasn’t. But it was nice to see his mate could take the time to think about things if he needed to; although given that they were mates, what the hell did he have to think about?
Chapter Four
If I don’t get some sleep soon, I’m going to get shit at work. Maybe I can get Simon to reschedule this discussion when I’m free…. That would be a problem though. Darwin never had free time. He’d run so far for so long, working three jobs at a time was second nature to him. He’d depended on people once and when that crashed around his ass, he vowed never to do it again. That meant relying on himself and working his ass off.
I can’t live without you. Not…we’re mates and I’m bigger than you, you have to do what I say. Just, I can’t live without you and that means…. From the sounds of things Simon wasn’t going anywhere without him and looking at the pile of musculature Simon was sporting, it wasn’t as though he could move him. On the plus side, Simon wasn’t pushing him either. He just stated a fact leaving Darwin to deal with it whichever way he wanted.
Darwin opened his mouth and then closed it again. What could he say? He’d been looking after himself for more years than he could count. Yeah, he still got carded in a bar, but he was a lot older than he appeared. And now, for some reason, Fate dropped someone for him to care for in the middle of his living room. Him. It was all very confusing.
“I need to sleep,” he said finally as his brain gave up. “I’ve had a really long day. I need to shower, eat, then sleep and when I wake, I’ll call in sick at my other job so we can take the time to talk. But right now….”
“What do you eat?” Simon rose in a fluid motion any stripper would be proud of; the throw rug doing nothing to hide the evidence of his arousal. “I can cook the basics. You get in the shower. I’ll find something in the kitchen.”
Darwin bit his lip and fisted his hands as Simon strolled by. He was a back man; he loved nothing more than to spend hours licking and kissing over a broad back and Simon’s was droolworthy. Not an ounce of fat, shaped in that delicious V that always got Darwin’s motor running and an ass that would stop traffic. Darwin’s fingers twitched and he licked his lips. As soon as Simon was safely in the kitchen, he hurried through to his compact bathroom.
“My cock is going to fucking fall off,” he muttered as he wrenched off his clothes, sighing with relief as his strangled length fell free. “My balls will explode into tiny pieces and there’ll be nothing left of me but spunk. God damn it. Heat up.” He heard the clatter of a pan on the counter, the closing of the fridge door. “Hope he finds the eggs.” Darwin dived into the shower, soaping his hands before grabbing his dick. “Oh fuck.”
It wasn’t enough; his hands were a poor substitute for the mountain of flesh currently working in his kitchen but Darwin had a vivid imagination. His head back, he imagined himself climbing Simon’s body, his mouth latching on one of those flat brown nipples; teasing it and sucking it until it turned bright red. He could see Simon watching him as he licked his way across every neatly defined ab muscle. Simon’s cock would leave smears on his chin as he got lower. Darwin inhaled, the faint traces of Simon’s scent in the steam enough to fuel his fantasy. “In my mouth…argh.”
Darwin slapped his hand over his mouth then spat as the remnants of soap on his palm hit his tongue. Scrunching his nose, he watched as his spunk disappeared down the drain. I’ve got to clean up. The smell of freshly cooked bacon and grilled cheese made his stomach rumble and he hurriedly washed his hair free of the gunk he used at the club.
Stepping out, he grabbed his towel and wrinkled his nose at his clothes on the floor. They were grubby and he hated the thought of putting them on again. Time to test this snake’s control, he thought, wrapping a towel around his slender waist. He’d better not put a hand on me until I say so, or his head will meet my bat. Not sure who he was trying to convince, he sauntered back out to the kitchen.
~~~~/
Playing with fire already, boy? Simon refused to let thoughts of taking the man on the kitchen floor show on his face as he plated up the food he’d thrown together. Grilled bacon and fried eggs. He wasn’t sure if his mate preferred them over easy or sunny side up and he was hardly going to interrupt his mate’s frantic wank session in the shower to ask. The surprising amount of cheese in the fridge made him smile and he’d grated enough over the plate that the state of the eggs wouldn’t matter.
“This is good. Thank you. By the way, the name’s Darwin.” Darwin attacked his plate as though it was the only food he’d seen all day.
“Thank you. You only had instant coffee,” Simon resisted a shudder. “Did you want some or…?”
“Hot chocolate, please. Coffee will keep me awake.” Darwin beamed around a mouthful of eggs. “Cupboard above the fridge. Made with milk. The pan is under the kitchen sink.”
“As if there’s any other way of doing it.” Simon found the chocolate and a bag of mini marshmallows. There were some things his mate didn’t stint himself on at least. Setting the milk to heat on low, he watched Darwin clear his plate, a warm glow of satisfaction blossoming through his body. He cared for the men he called his family but providing for a mate was different.
Making two mugs of chocolate, Simon set them on the counter and slowly sat down. He was still naked and as he’d been cooking, he’d cursed the fact he hadn’t thought to bring a phone. Ra and the others would be worried about him. There was a sharp knock at the door. Or not. Shit, I forgot Rocky and Mal came with us.
“I’ll get it,” he said, grabbing the throw again. “It’ll be for me unless you were expecting someone?”
“At two o’clock in the morning? And how does anyone know you’re…?” Darwin broke off as Simon opened the door to Ra standing with a bag in his hand and a smirk on his silly face.
“Rocky found you. Not here to interrupt. Rocky and Mal will bring your bike over in the morning. Gonna get some sleep first. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
As if I would. Simon returned the grin and winked before closing the door in Ra’s face, dropping his bag on the floor by the door. He still wasn’t sure if his skittish mate would let him stay and while he could dress now, he didn’t see the point.
“That was Ra,” he said as he sat down at the counter again. “He’s a tiger. Rocky and Mal are two wolves we share a house with. Nothing can beat Rocky’s nose when he’s tracking someone.”
“Must be nice to have friends,” Darwin said, his voice tight. Simon cursed his friend’s untimely arrival. For a brief moment, it seemed like Darwin was opening up.
“They’d be your friends too if you let them get to know you. There are six of us in our group; well, seven now Ra is mated or ten if you count the kids. Aside from Rocky and Mal, there’s Brutus, he’s a bear and Liam and Lucien who are brothers. They’re lions. Seth, you’ve already met. He and Ra have three children. They haven’t had their first birthday yet.”
“Adopted?” Darwin seemed to perk up at the mention of children.
“No. Seth’s not a pure rabbit. He’s half-fae.” Simon waited for the penny to drop. Darwin didn’t disappoint; his eyebrows almost disappeared.
“Wow, that is just…wow.” Darwin slurped his chocolate, clearly thinking things over. Simon was happy to just be sitting in the same room as his mate, although he’d rather be fucking his mate over the counter. Darwin glared as the scent of arousal in the room thickened.
Simon shrugged. “Can’t fight the Fates,” he said as he moved his cock so it wasn’t hitting the underside of the counter.
“Not fighting it, just not going to jump into anything either.” Darwin got up and put his cup in the sink. He turned and crossed his arms. “You can take the bed, you’d never fit on the couch. I’ll sleep there and I’m taking my bat with me. We’ll talk in the morning.”
Knowing this wasn’t a battle he would win, Darwin’s lack of trust hurting him to the core, Simon simply nodded and grabbed his bag before going through to the bathroom. He was sorely tempted to rub one out himself; it wouldn’t take long, but he refrained. When he did claim the delicious little mouse, and it was when not if, he wanted him so saturated with spunk no one would have any doubts who he belonged to. Oh, gods, that visual didn’t help. His cock jerked in response and Simon turned on the cold tap full blast. It was going to be a long night…what was left of it.
Chapter Five
“Fuck, I’m late.” Darwin gasped, his eyes opening to sunlight streaming into his apartment. “What the…?” He was on the couch, his bat clattering to the floor as it fell out of his arms. As his memories flooded back, he peered over to the bed. It was empty.
“I thought you were calling in sick today. I got you coffee.” His favorite mug appeared in his peripheral vision; Darwin took it and sipped gratefully.
“This isn’t my brand.” Darwin inhaled deeply, soaking up the rich scents of finely roasted coffee beans, before taking another mouthful. “This is expensive. Did you go out?”
“My treat,” Simon said from the kitchen. “You don’t seem to have much in the fridge for breakfast. Can I take you out for a meal?”
“I’ll call work.” Darwin put down his cup reluctantly. He did miss fine coffee but it was an expense he didn’t need. Pulling out his phone, he had a short, terse conversation with the manager of the Quickie Mart, throwing his phone on the table when he was done.