The Runaway Cat (Book 2 Cloverleah Pack Series)

by Oliver, Lisa

  I am going home, to our home. Is it okay to call it our home?

  Griff nodded, a quick grin flashing over his face at Diablo’s thoughts.

  I will be there waiting for you when you are done here. I promise. Don’t break your bond with your pack over this. They just don’t understand that when a cat shifter mates it is as permanent, if not more so than anything a wolf shifter goes through. And I…I am too angry to explain it properly right now.

  We can both talk to Kane - we can get him to see we are the same as him and Shawn.

  He isn’t going to believe anything I say right now my lover. You know that. But he will believe you. So please honey, stay here and make the peace. It will be easier for you to do if I am not in the room stirring all Kane’s Alpha blood.

  What about my Alpha blood? That is pretty stirred up too. He had no right to attack you the way he did. You are my mate in every sense of the word and I am bloody angry at the way Kane has treated you.

  But he is still your Alpha, Griff honey. You need him in your life just as you need this pack. You don’t have to lose me over it and I won’t have you losing them. Now let me go hon and I will be waiting to stir your Alpha blood myself in a different way when you get home.

  Up against the wall?

  That’s just one way I can think of easing your tensions lover…

  Both men smiled at each other and then Griff walked with Diablo to the door. As they got there, Kane called out, “Griff we haven’t finished here,” his voice still as angry as ever.

  Griff looked back at Kane his eyes flashing and his mouth set in a harsh line. “Give me a bloody minute,” he snarled. His Alpha power snapped through the room like a whip. Kane backed off surprised. Griff had never spoken to him like that before.

  As Diablo went to go out the door, Griff pulled him back towards him and bent his head down to give Diablo a scorching kiss, his hands pulling at Diablo’s behind to hold their bodies as close together as possible. Diablo relaxed into the kiss, flexed his body into Griff’s and wound his hands in Griff’s long hair, letting Griff have his way. Long moments later Griff pulled back and let him go. Diablo gave him a saucy wink and headed down to the truck. Stripping off his clothes he put them on the hood of Griff’s truck and then he shifted and padded off, his black cat form disappearing into the darkness.

  Griff stood by the door for a minute longer, pushing away his intense feelings of arousal for his mate and called on his anger that had been festering since Kane first opened his mouth instead. Then he slammed the door shut and stalked over to the table.

  “How dare you treat my mate like that. How dare you.” Griff roared he was so bloody angry. In that moment it didn’t matter that Kane was his Alpha. It didn’t matter that they had been friends virtually their whole life. All that mattered was that Griff was a man defending his mate and that was a powerful thing to see. Griff positively bristled with anger and his power crackled off him and bounced around the room.

  Kane didn’t back down in stance but his voice did soften. Griff was his best friend after all. “I had to know about the cat, Griff. You know that. I am the Alpha here and I have to know what I am dealing with for the safety of the pack.”

  “The cat’s name is Diablo. He is my mate. That is all you have to know. He has every right to be accepted into this pack on that basis alone.” Griff wasn’t backing down.

  “Look I had to know about his size because I had to know if I could fight him. And I was trying to get him to understand that he has to stick around with you now he has claimed you because I don’t want to see you hurting. Griff you are my oldest friend, surely you understand that.”

  Griff shook his head as he pictured Diablo’s gorgeous cat form. There is no way Kane could take him - it would be pure luck if the whole pack could with the exception of Shawn.

  “So you decided the best way to convince him to stick around was to attack him, ha? Was that a really good idea? Shit Kane, Diablo could take you or me in a heartbeat as a cat. He is fucking near four hundred pounds of pure muscle. He is the most amazing bloody cat I have ever seen. It would take the whole pack, or Shawn’s magic to bring him down and even then it would be 50/50 for the pack at least.”

  “He left. He backed down. He obviously didn’t think he could take me or he would have challenged me.” Kane’s voice was so smug, Griff just wanted to hit him but before he could say anything, Shawn spoke up and he was talking to Kane.

  “You know my lover, for an Alpha, you are pretty dumb sometimes.” Kane looked at Shawn in shock.

  “You were so busy making this is a size pissing contest that you didn’t notice some really important clues about Griff and Diablo.” Now both Kane and Griff were waiting for Shawn to elaborate, as were the other men who up until now had been silent as the anger had raged around the room.

  “Diablo left because he was getting really angry at you Kane. He knew that what you were saying was upsetting Griff and he was seriously pissed when he stood up from the table. He didn’t fight with you because he knew that would hurt Griff all the more. He trusts his mate enough to let Griff stay here alone and fix a bond with his pack even though the Alpha clearly doesn’t want his mate around. He did that for Griff. He took himself out of the equation so that you, Kane, would calm down.”

  Kane sat silently for a moment thinking over what Shawn had said. Then he looked up at his oldest friend who was still angry and in mate protection mode.

  “Look Griff, I don’t know what to say. I was just angry because I knew he claimed you and then left you. I know he came back but you had to go and get him. I also know that cat shifters are loners. They don’t do pack and they don’t do mates. You wouldn’t be able to claim him…”

  Griff sat down. “Actually I have. Claimed him that is. Not that it is really any of your business. And for your information the bond between true mates with a cat shifter is more intense than anything a wolf might experience. Yes we are in pain if our mate leaves but we do have the pack support to help us through it. It’s not automatically a death sentence. You said yourself cats are solitary creatures. If something happened to me, Diablo would be totally on his own and would probably be dead within a month. He wanted to be part of this pack for my benefit, not his and you basically turned him down.”

  “You have claimed him? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Because frankly with your attitude there was no point. And it really isn’t your business. You had a hate on for the guy from the moment you saw him at Claude’s. So what is your real problem Kane? You just don’t like cats or is it Diablo specifically?”

  “I don’t have a problem with cats. It’s just Diablo’s…” The rest of what Kane had to say was lost in a mumble and Dean piped up, “What was that?”

  Shawn laughed and ran his fingers down Kane’s face. “He said that Diablo is just too damn good looking for his own good. Its okay lover, I think he is gorgeous too. Who wouldn’t think that with all that blond hair and long muscles that Diablo’s got going on? God, combine that with the whole black clothes look, tight jeans, tempting package and his ‘don’t fuck with me attitude’ and even I would be tempted.”

  Griff and Kane both growled loudly and Scott, Troy and Dean all laughed.

  “Now come on Kane and Griff too,” Shawn continued. “I am not stupid enough to come between true mates and I do have a mate of my own even if he is a bit dense sometimes. It is obvious from looking at you with Diablo Griff that you are true mates. You have claimed each other. You have the mind connection and when you two kiss man it is so hot it would make a straight man’s pants swell.”

  Scott spoke up. “Fuck yeah Griff I have never seen you in action before but man you two together are serious porn material and you were only kissing.”

  “And that is why it is also none of your business,” Griff smirked.

  Turning back to Kane his face was serious though. “Look Kane, I know you thought you were doing the right thing. But you know what you did tonight hurt
me more than you will ever understand. I have stood by you virtually my whole life and when I found a mate I had every reason to think you would be happy for me. I wanted to bring Diablo in as part of our pack because the thought of him being alone if something happened to me just makes me sick inside. You remember that feeling don’t you Kane, when you thought Shawn would be all alone with no one to help him before you two hooked up?”

  Kane nodded remembering the panic he felt when Shawn had been shot and then had his house burned to the ground. He had barely known his mate at the time but he did remember feeling so overwhelmed at the thought of his mate being in pain without anyone to help him.

  “Well we have hooked up and we are mates and if he can’t be accepted as part of this pack…well Diablo still doesn’t want me to leave you or the pack. He knows that will hurt me. But I sure as hell won’t be spending any time here more than necessary because he does come first in my life now. You know that Kane. You feel the same way about Shawn and these guys will also feel the same when they find their mates.”

  Understanding how Griff felt was one thing but Kane had just one more concern. He glanced at Shawn who nodded at him encouraging him to speak his mind.

  “Look Griff I understand what you are saying and I do want to accept Diablo into the pack because he is your mate. But look how he was with us tonight. He was quiet. He barely said anything to anyone except you. He was watching all of us all of the time. You know we all spent what, two hours with him and I don’t think any of us know anything much about him at all.” Kane looked around the table and Scott and Dean shook their heads.

  “I think I might know a few things,” Troy said quietly. As the others looked at him he blushed but continued. “We know he is FBI and been undercover for seven years because you told us and I figure the way he was tonight is because he is a really good agent. He didn’t give a lot about himself away because that is his way. But he was genuinely interested in the three of us, at least.” Troy pointed to himself, Scott and Dean.

  “He deflected Scott’s come ons at every turn which tells me he has had a lot of experience doing things like that so he is not a slut. But he didn’t make Scott feel bad about himself and he got Scott talking about his car project instead and seemed really interested.” Scott thought about it and nodded in agreement.

  Troy went on. “He got me talking about computers and programming and most people I know don’t ever want to know about that. Not only did he encourage me to talk but he also listened and asked me questions, which tells me he knows what he is talking about so he is intelligent. He even got Dean to talk about his art, which we all know is just about impossible,” Dean nodded his head and blushed a deep red.

  “And he treated me with respect even though I am only the Omega.” Dean spoke up shyly. “He really seemed interested in what I had to say and suggested courses I could study and shit that could further my art. He was really helpful and gave me a lot to think about.”

  “I noticed that too,” Shawn said. “He seems to know exactly what questions to ask to get people to open up about themselves which would be hellishly useful with the Spiritual Guardian work I do. He is also totally devoted to Griff despite what anyone else might think. Throughout the whole dinner Diablo had half an ear on what Griff was saying and doing and every time he looks at you Griff he has love in his eyes.”

  Griff didn’t say anything. Now was not the time to bring up the fact that Diablo had specifically said he couldn’t use the ‘L’ word right now, but then it didn’t mean he didn’t feel it. Thinking about it Griff realized that Shawn was right, but then so was Troy and Dean. Without any of them realizing it Diablo had taken the time to find out what his pack members interests were and then engaged them in conversation about that so they would feel good about themselves.

  Troy wasn’t quite finished. “The only reason he didn’t spend time talking to you two,” Troy pointed to Kane and Shawn, “was firstly Kane you were shooting daggers at him all through dinner and Shawn was too busy trying to keep you under control. Diablo walking out might not be considered the right thing to do under pack law, but bloody hell if you two had fought then Shawn is right. It would have been really nasty and the one that would have been hurt the most would have been Griff because whether Diablo won or lost, Griff would have been upset to lose either his mate or his best friend. Diablo would obviously rather let you think that he was the weaker man than hurt his mate, which is pretty amazing in my book.”

  Smiling at Griff, Troy said, “For what it’s worth Griff I think you have an awesome mate and I am really happy for you both.”

  “Thanks my friend, I appreciate that,” Griff said.

  Everyone sat quietly for a moment waiting on Kane to say something. Kane himself was having problems trying to work out how come he had missed so much over dinner. He was usually a lot more observant but Troy was right. Kane had been so pissed at Diablo for stupid reasons when he should have been spending time watching how the man interacted with the rest of the pack. That’s what a decent Alpha would have done. Well one of Kane’s strengths was that he wasn’t too proud to admit when he was wrong and this was one of those times. With his sheer size, his devotion to Griff, his skills at talking to people and his genuine interest in all of the members of the pack Diablo would make a great addition to his pack. Of course whether or not he still wanted to be a part of it was another question.

  Letting out a sigh Kane said, “Okay its official. I was wrong and totally fucked up what should have been an evening when we should have all been welcoming Diablo to our pack. You three,” he said pointing to Scott Troy and Dean, “have done me proud in that you did just that in your own way. Griff, well you are already head over heels with the man and for good reason and as for me and Shawn, well let’s just say that Shawn probably accepts him too, but he hasn’t had a chance to get to know him yet. Much like me. So Griff will it be okay if Shawn and I come down for a visit to your house sometime tomorrow afternoon. We can bring dinner and maybe the four of us can try this again.”

  Griff was undecided. He didn’t want Diablo upset any more than he was but he also longed for everyone to just get along. He sent Diablo a message, hoping the cat had shifted by now.

  Hey lover, are you home yet?

  Yep, waiting for you.

  Got things sorted with everyone. Kane and Shawn want to come and visit tomorrow afternoon and bring dinner. Okay with you?

  Yep whatever you think best hon.

  Not angry anymore?

  Nope, won’t be by the time you get home.

  What you doing?

  Stroking my hard cock and thinking about plunging it into your sweet tight hole. What you doing?

  Coming home right now.

  Griff stood up. “Yep dinner sounds great, see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for your support the rest of you and dinner and all that. I…er gotta get home, like now.”

  He rushed out the door heading for his truck. Seconds later the guys all heard the truck peeling out of the driveway and roaring off in the direction of Griff’s place. The men sitting at the table all looked stunned for a moment until Shawn laughed, “You got to love the mated mind link.”

  “Fuck what could he have been thinking that would have made him move that fast?” Scott wanted to know.

  “None of our business Scott, but I bet its exactly what Griff is looking for.” Kane was laughing now too. “Come on guys, time to go. We have work tomorrow and I doubt that Griff will be coming in. I too have a mate to please especially after my behavior this evening and some of us need to sleep as well.”

  The men’s good natured banter followed them out of the door as they tried to work out what Diablo might have said across the mind link to make Griff move so fast. Griff was usually so laid back. When they were gone Kane pulled Shawn into his lap as Shawn fluttered his fingers at the mess on the table. Seconds later the kitchen and table were clean.

  “You know I should have handled that a whole let better than I did, don
’t you?” Kane said as Shawn wrapped his arms around Kane’s shoulders and started kissing his neck.

  “Yep, I know, you sure should have.” Shawn had found one of Kane’s most erogenous spots right below his ear and was sucking on it.

  Kane tilted his head back to give Shawn more access to his neck as he sighed. “I’m going to have to apologize to Diablo as well and invite him to be part of the pack. He will be a good fit for our small pack and it would make Griff happy.”

  “Sounds like a good idea.” Shawn had nudged Kane’s shirt aside and was licking and nibbling at the mating mark Kane proudly wore, his hands running down Kane’s pecs and stomach. Kane leaned his head back further and groaned.

  “Your not thinking about Diablo are you, cos if you are I should probably be insulted. Although…” Kane’s voice trailed off as he found he had no shirt on at all and Shawn was nibbling his nipple. God that man had magic fingers in more ways than one.

  “Nope although Diablo and Griff looked pretty hot together. You thought so too, I know you did. But I am only focused on you right now.”

  Okay Kane didn’t want to admit to his feelings about how Diablo and Griff looked together but when Shawn clicked open the button on his jeans and started pulling down the zipper he moaned again and all he wanted right that moment was Shawn. Diablo and Griff might be super hot together but no one was more of a turn on for him than his mate. Putting aside all of the unpleasantness of the evening Kane got down to the serious business of letting his lover know just how hot he was.

  Chapter Fifteen

  By the time Griff pulled into his own driveway his cock was so hard in his jeans he thought he would combust. It hadn’t helped that Diablo had been sending him wickedly sexual pictures in his head of the things they had been up to earlier that day. Griff struggled to get out of his seat belt and lurched out of the door of his truck in a rush, slamming it behind him. He could see lights on in the house. Diablo must be inside.