Lion's Wrath

by Lynn Hagen

  His mate might’ve gotten his butt whooped when he was a kid challenging some wolf shifters, but Baxter saw Scott’s badass persona lock into place as he strode toward the door. He looked fierce and ready to tear someone apart.

  Was it wrong to be turned on by that?

  Scott yanked the door open, and it was Baxter’s turn to be Mr. Nosy. He hurried behind his mate and peered out into the hallway. He didn’t recognize the guy kicking ass. But the one taking the punishment was all too familiar.

  He was one of the men who’d tried to kidnap Baxter.

  “What the fuck is going on out here?” Scott demanded.

  The stranger grabbed the biker by the scruff of his neck and hauled him into the apartment, pushing past Scott and Baxter.

  “Caught this one trying to pick your lock.” The stranger shoved the biker away from him.

  The ass-kicker was tall with dark features. He was lean with muscles and had chains around his neck. One of those chains held a ring. But it was his eyes that drew Baxter’s attention. They seemed cold and void of any emotion.

  “You are?” Scott asked.

  Mr. Stranger looked Scott over. “Your babysitter.”

  “Gotta name?” Baxter asked then curled his lips in when the guy shot him a glare.

  “Caine.” He turned to the biker. “You’re about to die. Any last words?”

  “Mount.” The biker looked at all three of them with narrowed eyes. “Name’s Mount.” His evil gaze settled on Baxter. “I came here to kill you. Can’t let Wheeler do the job. He’s a fucking idiot and doesn’t deserve the president patch.”

  Baxter furrowed his brows as he looked over at Scott, but his mate was too busy studying Caine.

  “Demon,” Scott said.

  “Irrelevant,” Caine replied. “I’m being paid to guard your asses. That’s all that matters.”

  Scott turned his attention to Mount. “What’re you talking about? Why do you want Baxter dead?”

  “Not just him.” Mount gave a toothy smile. “The other twit, too.”

  Baxter was completely lost. Clearly Scott was, too, because he gripped Mount by the throat and snarled. “Don’t make me ask you a million questions.”

  To Mount’s credit, he didn’t even flinch. He simply gave Scott a cold, hard glare. Baxter had a feeling the biker was a hard nut to crack, not easily intimidated.

  “He’s not going to tell us anything.” Caine stepped close to Mount and Scott. “I can make him sing.”

  Was it Baxter’s imagination, or had Caine glitched a little? He sort of faded just a bit before becoming solid again.

  What the hell?

  Mount must’ve noticed, too, because his gaze became wary. “Ruiz has been missing for a month. Chapter is having a hard time replacing him. Too many people want the position, so the other presidents of the other chapters have made a sort of contest to see who is worthy enough. Normally the vice president takes over, but Casey was killed.”

  Baxter took a seat on one of the barstools at his counter. He pressed his hand to his stomach. Casey. The guy who had kidnapped Baxter, who had lured him away from town.

  The guy who had gotten Baxter hooked on drugs. He couldn’t remember anything about that night before, but now that Mount was talking, pieces and parts were coming back.

  “So you decided to double cross this Wheeler guy,” Scott said. “Am I right?”

  Mount shrugged. “Wheeler has no direction. He does shit before he thinks things through, like causing a fire at a fireman’s house. Plumb dumb if you ask me. But he was onto something. Kill the men responsible for Ruiz’s disappearance and Casey’s death, and that’ll make him a shoo-in for the spot.”

  “And you decided on the more direct approach?” Scott snarled. “Thought you could blitz attack my mate?”

  Mount gave Caine a scathing look. “Until that jackoff interfered.”

  “Who was the third guy?” Scott asked. “You need to tell me right the fuck now.”

  Mount looked down at his nails. The bastard wasn’t going to tell.

  “Sorry to say, but your club is now one down in the competition.” Caine struck so fast that Scott hadn’t had time to react. Baxter jumped from his stool and shouted as Caine snapped Mount’s neck.

  Scott was still holding Mount by his throat. He dropped the guy and turned on Caine. “What the fuck, man?”

  “He was of no more use.” Caine picked Mount’s body up and headed toward the door. “Don’t take off until I dispose of him. Gotta keep an eye on you two.”

  When he was gone, Baxter gaped at Scott. “He’s our babysitter? I feel safer with him gone.”

  Scott didn’t appear too happy. “Demons are unpredictable. I’m gonna have an up-close conversation with Malik about his recommendation.”

  Baxter seconded that. Then a thought struck him. “The other twit. He’s talking about Jayce. We have to warn him.”

  Even if that meant facing his best friend and confessing to how badly he’d screwed up. That no longer mattered to Baxter, not if it meant saving Jayce’s life.

  * * * *

  Although Baxter wanted to go to the farm and warn his best friend, Scott called Deon instead, warning him of the Black Pythons’ competition and how some of the members planned to avenge their president.

  Baxter might’ve argued that he was ready, but Scott’s gut told him that his mate needed more time before he faced Jayce. Then again, it could be Scott hovering. Maybe Baxter could face Jayce tomorrow, but not tonight.

  “You still want to go to dinner after what happened?” Baxter looked incredulously at Scott. “How do you even have an appetite? I can’t even think about eating right now. Caine just straight-up murdered that guy.”

  Scott parked in the lot of Tilted and turned to face his mate. “Rules are different for my kind. In my world, monsters are real, Bax. Truly frightening creatures who won’t hesitate to do some pretty horrendous shit. There are places that will give you nightmares, creatures so malicious that their hearts have never seen any light.”

  “But Mount was human,” Baxter argued. “You said so yourself.”

  “And sometimes those malevolent creatures are human. Mount wouldn’t have thought twice about ending you. You were nothing more than a pawn for him to use in order to get what he wanted. If Caine hadn’t killed him, I would have.”

  Scott could tell Baxter was mulling that over. His upstanding-citizen brain was trying to merge with the knowledge that pure evil existed in the world.

  Baxter looked out the passenger window when a truck pulled in. Calhoun and Deputy Roy Benton—who was dressed in civilian clothing—got out and headed into the tavern. A few other people Scott recognized went inside.

  It was a Friday night. Fish Friday. Everyone was showing up to eat Reese and Rudy’s amazing seafood. That had been Scott’s plan, unless Baxter demanded to go home. His plan was to take Baxter somewhere with plenty of action and friends.

  Scott wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing, but they both deserved to get out and have a good time.

  Baxter looked back at Scott. “I’m gonna shelve all that for now. I’m suddenly starving, and my brain can’t process what just happened. Not right now, anyway.”

  Scott leaned over the console and gently gripped Baxter’s jaw. He gave him a quick but thorough kiss. “See. Such a strong guy.”

  Baxter shook his head. “That’s why I’m ignoring what happened at my apartment. I just want some fish and a cold beer.”

  “That’s the spirit.” They got out and went inside.

  The tavern was crowded, country music playing on the jukebox, and the sound of cracking pool balls echoing over the loud laughter and conversation.

  It was twenty minutes before a table cleared and Scott and Baxter could sit down. Lacey made her way over, looking exhausted. “What can I get you fellas?”

  They ordered, and she hurried away, pushing through the crowd.

  “She better be getting good tips,” Scott said. “Mike need
s to hire another waitress.”

  They looked at each other and laughed, both knowing how tight Mike Cage was with his money.

  “Only death would open his wallet,” Scott teased.

  “Or his new boyfriend,” Baxter said. “I hear Kester has him remodeling that musty motel.”

  “Mate,” Scott said. “Mike is a wolf shifter, and Kester is his mate.”

  Baxter looked around before he leaned in. “Who else isn’t human?”

  Scott shook his head. “Not here. Too many ears.”

  “But you just—” Baxter rolled his eyes. “Never mind.”

  “We need to talk.”

  Scott hadn’t seen the stranger approach their table, and he was looking at Baxter, who had paled.

  “Who the fuck’re you?” Scott asked. He didn’t like how afraid Baxter seemed.

  The stranger pinched his lips and gave Scott a fleeting glance before he turned his attention back to Baxter. “Outside.”

  Baxter started to get up, but Scott beat him to it. He towered over the guy. “I asked who you were.”

  “This is between me and Baxter,” he replied. “A debt needs to be paid.”

  Scott looked at Baxter.

  His mate got up and whispered into Scott’s ear. “The guy I got the drugs from. His name is Spider.”

  Scott’s blood caught fire. “Sit here,” he said to Baxter. “I’ll handle this.”

  Spider looked unfazed by Scott’s vehemence. “Don’t matter where I get the money from.”

  “We’ll take this outside.” Scott made sure Spider left first. He didn’t turn his back on the guy.

  When they went outside, Scott had every intention of beating the shit of the drug dealer, but fate had other plans. Deputy Hayley pulled into the parking lot, probably on patrol.

  Scott grabbed Spider in a chokehold and waved the cop car down.

  “What the fuck’re you doing, man?” Spider squeaked.

  “Taking scum off the street.” Scott hauled him to the car. “This here was Baxter’s drug dealer,” he said to Hayley. “I thought maybe you’d want a conversation with him.”

  Hayley got out.

  “He just tried to sell Baxter some drugs.” A lie, but what the hell. Scott wanted to make sure this guy never went near Baxter again or anyone else for that matter. Maple Grove was a nice town, and Scott didn’t want drugs to become rampant, ruining their way of life.

  Hayley tossed Spider against the car and patted him down. Lo and behold, the guy had drugs on him and a fat wad of cash.

  “I bet searching your place will yield pay dirt,” Hayley said. “For now you’re gonna cool your heels in a cell.”

  After thanking the deputy, Scott went back inside. Their food was at the table, but Baxter was gone.

  Chapter Nine

  “Thanks, it looks great,” Baxter said when Lacey brought their food.

  “Can I get you anything else?”

  “Nope, thanks.” Baxter got up and headed to the bathroom. He wanted to wait for Scott to return, to ask what happened outside, but his bladder wouldn’t let him.

  Baxter was also fighting the ache in his chest. Seeing Spider had had an effect on him, but Baxter was determined to win this fight. He took a few deep breaths and blew them out slowly as he walked toward the urinal.

  He could do this. Baxter could crush the demons that clawed at him. Now that he was with Scott, he had a good life, and no way would Baxter ruin that for a quick fix. With Scott’s help, he was stronger, and he just needed a moment to center himself.

  He took care of his business and was at the sink when the door crashed open. Baxter shouted and jumped then glared at Scott. “What the fuck?”

  Just the sight of him standing there, a wild look in his blue eyes, confirmed just how much Baxter loved this man. Scott, so sweet, yet so fierce. Baxter was crazy for him.

  Scott closed the distance in a few strides and gathered Baxter in his arms, damn near crushing him. “You can’t disappear on me like that. I thought…”

  His hug was desperate, and Baxter felt the turmoil, too. “You thought I snuck off to use.”

  “No!” Scott released him enough that they could look at one another. “I thought Wheeler or his cohort had somehow gotten their hands on you. The food was there, but you weren’t, and…” Scott crushed Baxter against him again.

  God, there was real terror in Scott’s voice. The man truly thought Baxter had been kidnapped. Even if the biker thugs had shown up, Baxter would’ve fought like hell not to be taken. He doubted they would’ve been dumb enough to try anything in a crowded bar.

  Scum like that would’ve laid in wait outside, somewhere in the shadows. Besides, where was Caine? Shouldn’t he have been lurking somewhere close by? Not that Baxter wanted the scary fuck anywhere near him.

  “I’m fine.” Baxter wiggled a hand between them and tried to push Scott off him. “Nature just called.”

  “Yeah. Got it.” Scott finally let him go. Sort of. He was still holding Baxter’s hand. “Good idea.”

  He pulled Baxter to the back stall, the one that was big enough for handicapped people.

  “What are you doing?” Baxter watched as Scott locked the door. “I don’t think I need to be in here while you take a piss. Our food is getting cold.”

  “We can order more.” Scott hemmed Baxter up against the tiled wall. “I got an ache that needs relief.”

  “Then you should see a doctor.” Baxter fought not to smile.

  “Not that kind of ache.”

  “Mr. Nosy, I do believe you’re trying to seduce me in front of a toilet.”

  “Don’t care.” Scott nibbled at his neck. “Need you.”

  Baxter wasn’t really protesting. He just liked to give Scott a hard time. There was no way he could resist him, even if they were in a bathroom. The room was clean, so Baxter had no problem shoving Scott away from him. Scott looked puzzled for a second, panting, his brows dipping.

  Until Baxter dropped to his knees and unfastened his mate’s pants. Scott’s nostrils flared, and his eyes turned dark. Baxter would’ve thought the guy was mad, but there was too much hunger in his eyes.

  “You owe me for doing this in such a nasty place.” Baxter was being sassy. The bathroom was the cleanest he’d seen in a bar. There was even a nice fresh-linen scent in the air.

  “Whatever you want.” Scott talked through clenched teeth.

  Baxter felt devilish at how desperate Scott looked. If he clenched his jaw any tighter, his teeth would shatter. Baxter slid his hand into Scott’s underwear and massaged his cock, teasing the head with his fingers.

  “Bax,” Scott said in warning.

  “What?” Baxter smirked. “Haven’t you told me we’re in no rush?”

  “That was at home.”

  “At home, in a bar, in the woods, on a roof, does it matter?” Baxter grinned when Scott looked down at him and narrowed his eyes. “Fine, spoilsport.”

  Baxter was feeling just as needy as Scott, but he wanted to draw it out, to pay him back for the delicious torture Scott had put him through when they’d mated.

  Baxter pulled Scott’s cock out of his underwear and levered the head toward his mouth. Mmm. The clear liquid dotted at the slit drew his attention. Baxter licked his lips, dying to taste him.

  “Goddamn it, suck it already.”

  “Not if you’re gonna turn into Mr. Bossy.” Baxter gave the hard flesh a tight squeeze. “Deal with the damn foreplay, grouchy. Do you hear me bitching because my knees hurt?”

  Just as he slid the head between his lips, the bathroom door opened. Baxter wondered if whoever it was could see his knees and Scott’s feet. There would be no doubt about what was going on in the stall.

  Sucking cock while listening to someone use the urinal kind of killed the mood. Baxter started to pull back, but Scott clamped a hand on his head and gave his warning glare.

  Why not make this thrilling? Baxter moaned loudly, dramatically, as he took Scott’s cock deeper down his
throat.

  The stranger cleared his throat.

  Baxter moaned even louder.

  Scott gripped his hair, as if to tell Baxter to be quiet, but there was humor sparking in his mate’s eyes. Scott was enjoying the little show. The water at the sink ran, and then Baxter heard the door open and close.

  They were finally alone again. Not that Baxter cared. He was too busy sucking Scott’s cock so good and so deep. He could tell Scott was ready to pop, so Baxter sucked harder.

  “Jesus!” Scott came down Baxter’s throat.

  Baxter wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Scott grabbed him and curled his fingers in Baxter’s hair, attacking his mouth, his junk still hanging loose from his jeans.

  Then Scott spun him, making Baxter grab the wall. Baxter’s pants and underwear were shoved down to his thighs. Scott got behind him, spit into his hand, and jacked Baxter off until Baxter was rising onto his tiptoes, gasping and…he might’ve been gurgling. He wasn’t real sure and didn’t give the sound much thought.

  Scott put his chest against Baxter’s back, and a purr vibrated through Baxter. Vibrated right threw him like a freight train coming down the tracks, derailing Baxter with the sound.

  Baxter clenched his teeth and said through them, “Keep purring. Oh yeah. Just like that.”

  Scott’s hand moved faster, and he stuck the other one between Baxter’s ass cheeks. Baxter hadn’t noticed Scott spitting on them, but the finger was wet when it entered him.

  With his cock and his ass being played with, it was a done deal. Baxter shouted Scott’s name, uncaring if the entire tavern heard him. His spunk hit the wall and covered some of Scott’s hand.

  Baxter was done for. He slumped against Scott to catch his breath as his mate fastened his pants. Scott kissed him on the neck. “One hell of a bathroom break.”

  With a sigh, Baxter pulled away. “Remind me to get lost in here again.”

  Scott looked sheepish. “Sorry about that. I swear I didn’t think you’d snuck off.”

  “I know.” They washed their hands, and before they left the restroom, Baxter gave Scott a quick kiss. “Love you.”

  Scott slapped Baxter’s ass and winked. “Love you, too.”