by M. A. Church
“Slow.” Leaning against the counter, I sipped my third cup of coffee. “That’s how it’s going.”
Remi put his fingers up to his temples. “I’m getting… I’m getting…. The spirits tell me….”
I threw a dishtowel at him. “That you’re a smartass? No surprise there.”
Remi grinned, picked up the towel, and threw it back to me. “You want to stay here today?”
I glanced around the place. Now that Dolf and Tal were gone, there wasn’t a reason for me hang around too. “Naw.”
“Cool. Let’s ride.” Remi spun on his heel and headed toward the door.
Shrugging, I grabbed my coat and followed Remi to the Mustang. “Where are we riding to?”
“My house, if that’s okay. I have some things to do today. If you don’t mind helping, I could sure use it.”
Opening the door, I sat down. “Least I can do since you’re stuck babysitting me.”
“Hey.” Remi started the car. “Someone attacked you. You’re one of the head beta’s mates. Next to the Alpha’s mate, you and Tal are the most important to our clowder.”
“Boy, I bet that chaps some folks’ asses.” I stared out the window, watching the landscape speed past. “So, you’re not going to deny guarding me?”
“Nope.”
“Thanks for that. I hate it when people treat me like I’m stupid.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’re stupid. I have a feeling you might be as strong-willed as Dolf.”
Snickering, I glanced at Remi. “Are you saying I’m hardheaded?”
“Absolutely.”
Laughing outright, I slapped my leg. “You’d be right.”
We drove up his drive, his home slowly coming into view. “This is a great place, Remi. True old-world charm.”
“Yeah, well, that charm needs updating. I’m laying hardwood floors in the main living area. You up to spending the day on your knees?” Remi leered at me.
“Oh, that’s bad. Really bad. And I thought Dolf was a perv.” I got out. “And Remi? Can… and have.”
Remi’s rolling laugh echoed through the countryside. “That’s what I’m talking about! I need a mate like you.”
We were in the house, heading toward the living area. “Really? A mate like me, huh? A guy or a human?”
Remi stopped, head tilted to the side while he studied me. “I’ll be honest. I never thought about having a human mate. I’m not blind like some of my species, but I…. Well, I guess I really never thought about it. But a human mate isn’t going to send me running for the hills. It would be hard explaining the whole paranormal thing, though.”
“A human mate would be okay?”
“I’m beginning to think most of the folks acting like asses are those of us who haven’t found their mate, so they don’t get it. Kirk, I’d be so thankful to find my mate, I wouldn’t care if he were human. I want that forever love, you know?”
“He? I didn’t know you were gay.”
“I’m bi, but I have a feeling my mate is going to be a male.”
“Well, I guess if you have a feeling about your mate, then he must be out there, just waiting for you to find him.”
“I just wish he’d make himself a little more visible.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll probably trip across him when you least expect it.”
“Probably.” Remi led me to where we were working. “Okay, let’s get to work. Dolf wants you home for dinner.”
I stared at the mess, his words ringing in my head. “Good grief, did he leave you emergency numbers and a list of foods I’m allergic to?”
Remi snickered. “Yes to the numbers, and no to the foods.”
Frowning, I turned him. “Are you serious?”
“Well, to be fair, we all have emergency numbers programmed in our cells.”
“Okay. That makes sense. It’s nothing special done for me.” I waved my hand at the floor. “Show me what to do, man. This is all new to me.”
Remi immediately got to it. It wasn’t hard, but I figured out quickly I was going to be spending a lot of time on my knees. Finally, we took a break, and Remi went to get us something to drink. I was the only one left in the living area.
“Well, shit.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Standing there was a tall, scowling man with dark, wavy hair that fell to his shoulders. He had stubble along his jawline, with a mustache and goatee. His slightly slanted eyes were a dark blue. A nice leather jacket covered a blue jean shirt that wasn’t tucked into khaki pants. Jesus, that was Heller standing there.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“What am I doing here?” Heller glared at me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Look at that. The scowl deepened. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit a small shiver crept up my spine. That pissed me off. Pissed-off-ness was getting to be a constant state lately.
“Remi!”
I flinched. Dude was loud. Remi came running, and that worried me. I slowly got up and faced this asshole.
“Shit, shit, shit.” Remi stepped closer to me.
I put my hand over the pocket that held my phone. What was going on here?
“Heller, what are you doing here?” Remi asked.
“What’s he doing here? When you asked me to help out, you didn’t mention he’d be here,” Heller spat.
“Um… ‘he’ has a name,” I volunteered, irked.
“I’m well aware of that. We’re all well aware of what you are.” Heller’s balled fists hung at his sides. Anger rolled off him.
“Oh good. Then you know I’m a mate. Dolf and Tal’s mate.”
“You’re human.”
Remi’s gaze bounced back and forth between Heller and me. “Um… Kirk—”
“Man, I’m so fucking sick of hearing that.” I glared at Heller. “I was human. Was. As in past tense. Know what past tense means? They fed me their blood. You’re a shifter, so you know what that means. Grow the fuck up, man, and get over yourself.”
Heller turned red, veins bulging in his neck and forehead. I squinted at him. Actually, that might be more of a purple color. Could shifters have heart attacks?
“You… you—”
“Yeah, me.” I’d had enough. “Are you mated?”
The purple color faded from Heller’s face as he glared at me. “W-what? What business is that of yours?”
I ran my hands over my face. “I take that as a no. So, you don’t understand that… need. Look, man, Dolf and Tal are the most important things in my life. The most important. You don’t like me because I was human. Humans are a threat to paranormal society. I understand. Heller, if anyone—human or otherwise—threatened my mates, I’d do whatever needed to protect them. Whatever needed, man. I’ll get down on my aching knees right here and thank the goddess for bringing them into my life.”
Heller glower hadn’t faded. “Nice speech, but I’m still not impressed.”
Why had I even bothered? “Well, then, let me say fuck you, buddy.”
“Ooookay.” Remi stepped between us. “Heller, you know I’ve been assigned to watch Kirk. I forgot I asked you to help me today. Sorry about that. It, ah, might be better if you left.”
“Like I want to stay here,” Heller sneered.
“Over the top, much?” I asked.
“Kirk, please. If Heller makes a threatening move at you, I’ll defend you. That’s my job. Then Dolf and our Alpha will have to be told. Heller could lose his position… and be challenged by Dolf. No one wants that, right, Heller? A beta’s role is to protect. Right, Heller?”
I got it, then. Remi was trying to talk Heller down.
“Y-yes. You’re right. I….” Heller grimaced as he struggled to speak. “I-I apologize, Kirk. I was out of order in how I spoke to you. I… need to go.”
I watched as Heller shot out of the house. Could a person actually choke on words? It seemed I had yet another friend to add to my growing list.
“Kirk? I’m sorry.�
�
At least Remi was on my side. “This is not your problem to apologize for, Remi. It just… It’ll get better as people meet me. That’s my hope. But people like Heller? There’s more here than a dislike for humans. Come on, let’s get back to work. I don’t want to talk about this. Hell, lately I can’t seem to get away from it, though.”
We worked for several more hours, and then Remi took me home. Dolf and Tal were waiting. Remi and Dolf stepped outside, and I knew, just knew, Remi told him what happened earlier. Sure enough, I heard Dolf’s voice raised in anger and Heller’s name. Since the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, I told Tal. Remi left, and Dolf started dinner. Tal and I sat at the barstools. The three of us talked about what had happened while Dolf cooked dinner. We ate, then settled down to watch TV. Before I was ready, it was time for bed. I wasn’t in the mood to make love, but we cuddled until I fell asleep.
DANGER WAS thick in the air, the feeling of hate suffocating me. It was the damn dream again. My first response was to fight to wake up, but Dolf’s words came back to me about my subconscious mind trying to tell me something. I stopped fighting, but shit, I did not want to do this.
Trying to calm down, I studied the area, hoping to see something useful. It was weird, but this time I was standing off to the side, watching myself pulling my pocketknife out of my pocket. I was observing instead of taking part. I struggled to keep my breathing level as I watched the evergreen shake. I didn’t see anything unusual… outside of something stalking me. The dream went on as I searched for clues.
Then the attack happened. A dark blur streaked toward the dream me. Squinting, I stared at the animal. Okay, it was a dark brown, not black. The cat was as large as Dolf, just like I’d thought. The snarling and growling creeped me out. The damn thing was all over me, claws flying. As I watched the attack, I noticed the cat wasn’t as… militant as they’d thought after I’d explained the attack. There was a lot of anger there, but not much coordination.
Remi and Monty had thought the attacker might be rank, but this was sloppy looking. If whoever this was had training, they seriously sucked. There went another swipe of a paw, and I cringed. Jesus, it was pure luck this fucker hadn’t managed to slice open my throat. I strained to see my attacker, looking for anything. Dammit, there was nothing…. Wait. Oh damn, how had I missed this before? It was so plain to see now that I didn’t have a handful of snarling animal to distract me. Just as I stabbed the fucker, I saw it.
There was a large white spot on the left ear.
Chapter 22
Dolf
“INTERESTING. A white spot on the ear. That’s something we can work with.” Dolf sat against the headboard, pillows stuffed behind him. “Are you feeling better, sexy?”
“Yes, actually. Seeing that distracted me from the fear. I sincerely hope now I’ll quit dreaming about it.” Kirk leaned against Dolf. “I wonder where the spot came from.”
“It’s a scar. Since we heal fast, it’s hard to leave permanent marks on our bodies, but it can be done. Whoever this is, he has a scar on or around his ear,” Tal said from the other side of Kirk. “One thing for sure. It’s not any of our betas. Not one of them has a white spot on their ear.”
“It’s not Heller.”
Kirk ran his hand over Dolf’s chest. “You were really worried about that, weren’t you?”
Dolf captured Kirk’s hand, lifted it, and nipped his fingers. “More so than I thought.”
“Outside of the spot, I also noticed the shifter didn’t really seem like he was trained. He was just all over the place, hissing and scratching.” Kirk sighed. “There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to his attack is what I’m trying to say. I don’t know how you guys train your recruits, but this was just sloppy and anger-driven.”
Tal cuddled next to Kirk, his body pressing close on the other side. “So, whoever this is, he isn’t trained. Could he possibly be just a regular clowder member?”
“But this clowder, or another?” Dolf asked.
“Why would you assume it was someone from another clowder?” Tal reached across Kirk and poked Dolf in the ribs. “What reason would they have for attacking one of ours?”
A surprised meow escaped Dolf. “Hey, now, sweetheart! Be careful, or Kirk and I will gang up on you.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Kirk waggled his eyebrows at Tal.
A sweet little purr came from Tal.
“As far as it being a nonclowder member… it may not be. I’m just keeping all options open.” Dolf shrugged.
“Could have been a rogue too.”
“Oh, good grief.” Kirk rolled his eyes. “Guys, maybe this was just a random attack. Maybe it wasn’t aimed at me at all. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Dolf rubbed at the tension forming between his eyes. “Goddess. There are all these questions and no answers. I’m frustrated.”
Kirk dropped his head on Dolf’s shoulder. “Well, we’re not going to find any answers hiding under the sheets. Let’s go back to bed.” Kirk eased down in the bed.
“Are you staying in the middle?” Tal asked.
“I need to feel the both of you next to me. You mind, Tal?”
“Naw.” Tal scrunched down in the bed and threw his arm over Kirk’s chest. “You won’t be there long. My crew’s going to be here first thing in the morning to break ground on the shop.”
“Hot damn, I can’t wait.”
DOLF SCRAMBLED eggs for them the next morning. After two cups of coffee, Kirk was so bouncy Dolf threatened to restrict his caffeine intake. That got him a saucy grin and a loud slurp of coffee. If it weren’t for the fact Tal’s crew was moments away, he and Tal would have stripped Kirk and thrown him over the kitchen table. From the grin he got, Kirk knew it.
Tal and Kirk left the house amidst laughing, playful shoving, and a few inventive promises. Kirk had the playful attitude Dolf didn’t have, something Tal needed. But Kirk also voiced his opinions, sometimes forcibly so. He wasn’t afraid to get in Dolf’s face, but he didn’t challenge Dolf’s cat either. Dolf sent a quick thank-you to their goddess. Kirk was strong and sweet and loving and kinky and….
He was falling in love with Kirk.
The scary thing was, Dolf didn’t know if Kirk was falling for them. Oh, there was affection. Respect. Need. But love? He wasn’t sure. He was sure Tal felt the same as him. That meant he wouldn’t be happy until Kirk was in the same boat as them.
It was only fair.
The back door slamming open startled him so badly he sloshed hot coffee over his wrist. He hissed at the burning pain. “Shit.”
Kirk stormed back into the house, flushed and scowling. “Fuck!”
Dolf quickly rinsed his hand. “What’s going on? And where is Tal?”
“He took the crew onto the site.” Kirk stomped over to the sink and looked down at Dolf’s hand. “Damn, that’s red. What happened?”
“You startled me.”
Kirk blinked, the angry look that tightened his features fading as he stared at Dolf’s hand. “I made you do that? Aw, jeez. I’m sorry, Dolf.”
“It’s okay, but would you like to tell me why you slammed the door open that hard?”
Fury flooded Kirk’s face once more. “Someone clawed the hell out of my truck.”
“W-what? Clawed? You are sure?”
“According to Tal, yes.” Kirk slammed his hand down on the counter. “When Tal and I were pulling out, we passed my truck. Since my garage spot is full of shop stuff, I’ve been parking outside in the drive, right? Well, some asshole scratched my truck. I mean, come on! It’s old, yes. It has several dings. But this? These scratches go all the way to the metal.”
“Tal was sure it wasn’t keyed?”
“He said it was claws. We stopped and checked. He took the crew onto the site, and I came in here to tell you. Dolf, some son of a bitch was out there last night creeping around our house.” Kirk slammed his hand down again on the counter. “That’s…. He’s coming t
oo close.”
A low, rolling growl broke from Dolf. Striding outside, he went straight to Kirk’s truck. Running down both sides were long scratches—although the word “scratch” didn’t really explain how deep these cuts were. Dolf had already seen the damage claws could do to flesh on his mate. The deadly intent behind the claw marks was a reminder of what could be done to Kirk… again.
The angry, screaming roar Dolf released echoed around the area. Within seconds, several calls answered him. Several of the clowder’s betas were on guard duty around the perimeter. A rather immense dark cat came rushing toward Dolf.
“Shit!” Kirk frantically glanced around.
Before Dolf could speak, Kirk grabbed a large wrench from the back of his truck. He held it tightly, arm held back, ready to swing.
“Kirk, no! That’s Remi!”
“Shit.” Kirk eyed the cat that suddenly halted a few feet from them. “You sure?”
“Positive. He heard me and came to check. Put the weapon down, sexy.”
“Shit.” Kirk said again, then dropped the wrench in the back of his truck. He looked at the cat sitting not far from him. “Remi?”
“Meow!”
“Jesus, it’s too fucking early in the morning for this shit. Okay.” Kirk wiped his hand up and down his jean leg. “Sorry, dude, but having a cat rush at me right now…. Not a good thing. I just reacted.”
“Meeer.”
“Remi, could you sniff Kirk’s truck? Someone clawed the hell out of it last night. Would you see if you pick up a shifter’s scent?”
Remi jumped on Kirk’s truck, tail held high. He took his time, sniffing every square inch. Remi ended his inspection sitting on the hood of Kirk’s truck.
“Anything?”
“Meeeeow.”
“Huh, interesting. Is Brier on duty in this area too?”
Remi jumped down. “Meowww.”
“Good. Would you come in for a minute, please?”
“Meow.”
Dolf held the back door open, and Remi followed Kirk inside. Dolf made a quick trip to the laundry room and brought back a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Remi shifted and Dolf tossed the clothes to him.