Prompt #15: The first time Cael and Ash meet.
“AS YOU all know, there have been a lot of structural changes over the last year at HQ, as well as within Unit Alpha. Agents have been shuffled around, new recruits hired, and Team Leaders assigned partners.”
“Yeah, we know,” Ash grumbled. “That’s how we got stuck with this degenerate.” He held back a smile as he gave Gabe’s boot a kick.
Gabe chuckled and kicked him back. “Love you too, Ash.” He turned his attention to Sloane. “Daley, right? I’ve heard my brother talk about him. A real charmer, or so I hear.” He gave Sloane a wink. “Just your type.”
“I’ve got all the charm I need already,” Sloane replied, his gaze lingering a little too long on Gabe’s.
Jesus. These two. They needed to fuck already and get it over with. It was so obvious they had a hard-on for each other. Well, it was obvious to Ash anyway. The way Gabe flirted with Sloane? How did no one else notice it? Probably because Gabe was so smiley all the time.
Ash hadn’t been sure about Gabe at first. He didn’t like change, especially when it meant replacing a teammate, but there was nothing any of them could have done about Seb. Sometimes fucked-up shit happened, and all they could do was find a way to deal with it and move on. Luckily, Gabe turned out to be a good fit. A little too by the book at times but a cool guy.
Sloane shook his head. “It’s not Daley. Cael Maddock. The sergeant’s youngest son. He’s a cheetah Therian. I’ll be making the introductions in a few minutes.”
Ash sat up. “Hold up a minute. Isn’t the kid like twelve or something?”
“He’s twenty-two, just graduated top of his class. He’s a whiz with technology.”
Ash folded his arms over his chest. “Fucking great. The last thing we need is to babysit some green video-game-playing punk who thinks he’s hot shit because he can hack a computer. Congratu-fucking-lations, you can type nerd code.” He could tell Sloane was trying his hardest to be patient. Like his best friend didn’t know him by now.
“Ash, please. Remember, this isn’t just any agent. He’s Maddock’s son. Besides, if Sparks assigned him to our team, it means he’s good.”
Gabe elbowed Ash, that cheeky schoolboy grin of his on his stupidly handsome face. “What’s the matter, Ash? Afraid you might like him?”
“Fuck off.”
Sloane arched an eyebrow at him, his expression unimpressed. “You done?”
“For now.”
“Good. Everyone stay put. I’m bringing him in.” Sloane headed for the door, but not before stopping next to Ash. “Do not scare the shit out of him on his first day.”
Ash smiled sweetly. “For you? Anything.”
Sloane eyed him warily before leaving the room, mumbling to himself.
“Let me guess,” Gabe said, leaning over, his sharp hazel eyes telling Ash he knew exactly what he was up to. “You’re going to give him an hour.”
Ash shrugged. “I’m feeling generous. I might even give him until lunchtime.” This was going to be fun.
OH, GOD. He was such a loser. No, it’ll be fine. So what if his teammates were all huge Felids? That didn’t mean he should be intimidated. He could do this. Breathe, just breathe.
Cael dug into his pocket, fished out his phone, and called the only person who could help. Two rings later….
“Hey, little brother. How’d it go?”
Just the sound of Dex’s voice helped soothe him. “I haven’t gone in yet.”
“Are you hiding in the bathroom?”
Cael let out a snort. “No.” A toilet flushed two stalls down. He sighed. “Yes.”
“Listen here, Chirpy. You can do this. You’re there because they need you. From what I’ve heard, the THIRDS don’t hire just anyone. You’re not there because of Dad. You got there on your own achievements and merits. You earned it. You’re more than qualified. You’re a badass.”
Cael couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thanks, Dex.”
“However big or fierce those guys are doesn’t give them the right to push you around. Remember that, okay? Because you know I’ll go down there, bust heads, and break shit.”
“I know you would,” Cael said with a smile. Not that he needed his big brother to fight his battles for him, but once Dex set his mind to something, there was no deterring him. It didn’t matter how old Cael got, his brother never stopped being protective of him. Sure, it got annoying at times, but at least he knew Dex always had his back. “I need to go. My new Team Leader’s gonna be picking me up for introductions.”
“Okay. Remember, you’re a badass.”
“I’m a badass,” Cael said, feeling absolutely nothing like a badass. “Thanks, Dex. Be careful out there.”
“You too. Call me later.”
They said their good-byes, and Cael left the stall he’d been cowering in, washed his hands, dried them, and left the bathroom. He was headed back toward the bullpen when a huge black-haired Therian caught up to him and held his hand out.
“Cael, I’m your new Team Leader, Sloane Brodie. Congratulations on the new position.”
Cael shook his hand and tried his best not to come off as nervous as he felt. “Thank you, sir.”
“Sloane’s fine. You’ve already met your partner, so I’m going to take you to meet the rest of the team. Don’t let them scare you. They’re nice guys.” They walked down the hall and stopped in front of a door, where Sloane paused. “Some of them—one of them is… a little rough around the edges, but he’s a good guy.”
Cael nodded. So basically, one was an asshole. Yay. He followed Sloane into the conference room where several agents stood. Well, this was it. His new team.
“All right, everyone. I’d like you to meet Recon Agent Cael Maddock.”
Sloane made the introductions one by one, stating who everyone was and the position they held. Everyone greeted him with friendly smiles. See, that wasn’t so bad.
“And finally, our entry tactics and close-quarter combat expert, Ash Keeler.” Sloane turned, and there was no one there. Cael’s Team Leader sighed in frustration. “Where the hell is Ash?”
“He went for coffee,” Letty said, shrugging when Sloane arched an eyebrow at her. “What? Like he listens to me.”
“I’m here. Don’t get your fucking panties in a bunch.”
The deep baritone voice boomed from somewhere behind Cael, startling the hell out of him. He spun around and came up against a brick wall. Or so it felt. A wave of cursing the likes of which he’d never heard met his ears, and Cael gaped at his teammate’s now coffee-soaked uniform. Oh, crap. His eyes traveled up to the agent’s tattooed neck. Lion Therian. Double crap. This had to be the worst first impression in the history of bad first impressions. This would never have happened to Dex.
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” Cael’s eyes widened, and he forced his gaze up to meet glowing amber eyes. He felt his face go up in flames. Not only was he mortified for having spilled his teammate’s coffee on him, but the guy was freakin’ hot. Way to go, Cael. “I’m really, really sorry!” Cael squeaked. My God, why couldn’t he stop apologizing? His teammate smiled warmly at him, forming little creases at the ends of his eyes. Cael thought his heart would beat out of his chest.
“It’s fine. I’ve got a spare in my locker. You’re Cael, right?”
“Yeah.” Cael swallowed hard as his teammate chucked his empty coffee cup into the trash bin next to him, then proceeded to unbutton the top buttons of his shirt before pulling it off, staying in only a tight black undershirt. Jumping crackerjacks! Look at his arms! So it was possible for his face to get redder.
“I’m Ash.” He wiped his hand on his rolled-up shirt before extending it to Cael, his smile still on his face.
“I’m so sorry about your shirt,” Cael said, taking his hand. It was way bigger than Cael’s, and strong. Man, the guy was tall. And all muscly. And… not appropriate to have the hots for a fellow agent first day on the job.
“Sloane, I’m scared,” som
eone whispered hoarsely behind him. “I think someone body-snatched Ash.”
Ash thrust a finger over Cael’s head. “Fuck you, Gabe.” He turned his attention back to Cael. “Ignore them. They’re all a bunch of dicks.”
“All right. I think it’s time for Cael to get back to his induction. You’ll be seeing plenty more of him soon.” Sloane motioned to the door, and Cael nodded. He took one step and tripped over his own feet. Could this morning get any worse? It was him. Of course it could. A strong arm caught him and steadied him.
“Easy there.” Ash gave him a wink and nodded toward the door. “Have a good day.”
“Thanks. You too.” Cael waved at the rest of his teammates, who were all staring and slack jawed for some weird reason. They were probably thinking he was a moron. “It was nice meeting all of you.” He quickly followed Sloane out of the room. Once outside, he let out a groan.
“I’m sorry. I’m not usually such a klutz. Really. I’m a good agent. I got top of my class in algorithms technology. I can hack a camera feed from almost any device. I—”
“Relax.” Sloane chuckled and patted him on the back. “It was an accident. Don’t worry about it. What do you think of the team?”
Cael smiled. Hs thoughts went to one gruff agent in particular.
“I think I’m gonna like it here.”
Prompt #16: I’d love to see the first time Ash meets Cael, from Ash’s perspective. Is Ash grumpy with Cael too, or is he smitten with him from the beginning?
Since this is the same scene from when Ash met Cael, the beginning is the same, but from when Sloane leaves the room it’s all from Ash’s point of view, as opposed to the previous prompt from Cael’s point of view.
“AS YOU all know, there have been a lot of structural changes over the last year at HQ, as well as within Unit Alpha. Agents have been shuffled around, new recruits hired, and Team Leaders assigned partners.”
“Yeah, we know,” Ash grumbled. “That’s how we got stuck with this degenerate.” He held back a smile as he gave Gabe’s boot a kick.
Gabe chuckled and kicked him back. “Love you too, Ash.” He turned his attention to Sloane. “Daley, right? I’ve heard my brother talk about him. A real charmer, or so I hear.” He gave Sloane a wink. “Just your type.”
“I’ve got all the charm I need already,” Sloane replied, his gaze lingering a little too long on Gabe’s.
Jesus. These two. They needed to fuck already and get it over with. It was so obvious they had a hard-on for each other. Well, it was obvious to Ash anyway. The way Gabe flirted with Sloane? How did no one else notice it? Probably because Gabe was so smiley all the time.
Ash hadn’t been sure about Gabe at first. He didn’t like change, especially when it meant replacing a teammate, but there was nothing any of them could have done about Seb. Sometimes fucked-up shit happened, and all they could do was find a way to deal with it and move on. Luckily, Gabe turned out to be a good fit. A little too by the book at times, but a cool guy.
Sloane shook his head. “It’s not Daley. Cael Maddock. The sergeant’s youngest son. He’s a cheetah Therian. I’ll be making the introductions in a few minutes.”
Ash sat up. “Hold up a minute. Isn’t the kid like twelve or something?”
“He’s twenty-two, just graduated top of his class. He’s a whiz with technology.”
Ash folded his arms over his chest. “Fucking great. The last thing we need is to babysit some green video-game-playing punk who thinks he’s hot shit because he can hack a computer. Congratu-fucking-lations, you can type nerd code.” He could tell Sloane was trying his hardest to be patient. Like his best friend didn’t know him by now.
“Ash, please. Remember, this isn’t just any agent. He’s Maddock’s son. Besides, if Sparks assigned him to our team, it means he’s good.”
Gabe elbowed Ash, that cheeky schoolboy grin of his on his stupidly handsome face. “What’s the matter, Ash? Afraid you might like him?”
“Fuck off.”
Sloane arched an eyebrow at him, his expression unimpressed. “You done?”
“For now.”
“Good. Everyone stay put. I’m bringing him in.” Sloane headed for the door, but not before stopping next to Ash. “Do not scare the shit out of him on his first day.”
Ash smiled sweetly. “For you? Anything.”
Sloane eyed him warily before leaving the room, mumbling to himself.
“Let me guess,” Gabe said, leaning over, his sharp hazel eyes telling Ash he knew exactly what he was up to. “You’re going to give him an hour.”
Ash shrugged. “I’m feeling generous. I might even give him until lunchtime.” This was going to be fun. “I’m gonna grab some coffee while Sloane picks up Nerd Boy.” He got up and headed to the medium-sized canteen on their floor. The last thing Ash needed was to worry about some little punk while out in the field. At least the kid would be on his best behavior. He was Maddock’s son after all.
Ash took a sip before heading back to his team. He heard Sloane’s voice as he approached.
“And finally, our entry tactics and close-quarter combat expert, Ash Keeler.”
Ash heard Sloane sigh in frustration.
“Where the hell is Ash?”
“He went for coffee,” Letty said. “What? Like he listens to me.”
“I’m here. Don’t get your fucking panties in a bunch.” Just as he’d said the words, something smacked into him, spilling his coffee all over him. What the ever-living fuck?
Ash gritted his teeth and seethed. His shirt was soaked with hot coffee. The little shit. Fuck lunchtime. Cael Maddock was about to learn a thing or two about pain right now. Ash raised his head, ready to grab the kid and tear him a new one, when the weirdest thing happened.
His anger was gone.
Ash frowned, his gaze on the smaller Felid. Why wasn’t he angry? Somehow it had slipped away without his permission.
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!”
The young agent’s eyes widened, and Ash was momentarily caught off guard by those big silvery-gray eyes. Ash was also strangely aware of flushed cheeks and plump pink lips. Ash’s frown deepened. Why was he noticing these things in a fucking guy? He’d never noticed that sort of thing before. Hell, a good deal of the time, he didn’t notice it in women either. He just didn’t give that much of a fuck. Before his thoughts got any weirder, he focused on the situation at hand.
“I’m really, really sorry!” the guy squeaked.
Ash wasn’t sure what to make of the Recon agent. He was a cheetah Therian, petite yet strong. He had a boyish face, but there was something about him… something that spoke to Ash.
Unable to help himself, Ash smiled down at his new teammate, a genuine smile, not the one he used before he kicked someone’s ass. “It’s fine. I’ve got a spare in my locker. You’re Cael, right?”
“Yeah.”
Ash chucked his empty coffee cup into the trash bin next to him. It was no big deal. He had plenty of extra uniforms. And it wasn’t like the laundry staff wouldn’t take care of it. He unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt before pulling it off, standing in only his black undershirt.
“I’m Ash.” He wiped his hand on his rolled-up shirt before extending it to Cael, his smile still on his face. So this was Maddock’s son? Ash hadn’t expected him to be so… sweet.
“I’m so sorry about your shirt,” Cael said, taking his hand.
It was smaller than Ash’s but strong. His skin was soft. Was the rest of him like this? What the fuck are you thinking? He didn’t even know where to start with everything that was wrong with his thoughts right now. It was just one of those days. He’d put his behavior down to that.
“Sloane, I’m scared,” Gabe whispered hoarsely behind Cael. “I think someone body-snatched Ash.”
Ash thrust a finger over Cael’s head. “Fuck you, Gabe.” He turned his attention back to Cael. “Ignore them. They’re all a bunch of dicks.”
“All right. I think it’s ti
me for Cael to get back to his induction. You’ll be seeing plenty more of him soon.” Sloane motioned to the door, and Cael nodded. He took one step and tripped over his own feet.
Ash threw out an arm, caught him, and steadied him. “Easy there.” He gave him a wink and nodded toward the door. “Have a good day.”
“Thanks. You too.” Cael waved at the rest of his teammates, who were all staring and slack-jawed like a bunch of asses for some reason. “It was nice meeting all of you.”
He followed Sloane out of the room, and Ash watched him go.
Ash turned to his teammates. “He’s a nice guy.” Everyone looked at him like he’d grown another head. “What?” He looked down at his crotch. Nope. Fly wasn’t undone. He looked around him. Did he have something on his shirt? “What, man? What the fuck are you all staring at?”
Gabe cautiously stepped up to him and put a hand to Ash’s brow. “Are you okay? Are you coming down with something?”
Ash smacked Gabe’s hand away from him. “What the hell, man? No. I’m fine. What’s going on with you dipshits? You act like you ain’t never seen me before.”
“You were nice,” Letty said.
Calvin nodded. “He spilled your coffee. Your hot coffee all over you, and you didn’t throw him out the window.”
“Don’t be a jackass,” Ash grumbled. “I’d never throw anyone out the window.”
“But you’d make them feel as if you had. As in grievous bodily harm,” Gabe added.
Letty let out a gasp. “Oh my God. Is it possible?”
He was surrounded by morons. “What?” Ash folded his arm over his chest.
Gabe put a hand to his lips, his voice hushed. “Do you think?”
“I’m gonna start busting heads if one of you don’t spit it out.”
“You like him,” Calvin said.
The words hit Ash like a punch to the gut. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You like him,” Letty said in awe. “There is actually an agent in the whole of our organization who you actually like.”
THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 1 Page 9