When they finished, she looked thoughtful. “I’d promised not to tell,” she said, frowning. “But I think this is a case where your need to know outweighs my promise.”
Chad raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
She nodded. “I told you I knew a wolf once.”
“Right,” Chad said, blinking.
“It was your grandfather. My father. Do you remember the big dog you used to play with as a child?”
Chad’s eyes widened. “The stray?”
Molly smiled. “That wasn’t a stray. It was your grandfather. Since we lived in the city, he didn’t shift often. The full moon because he had to and a few other times to keep his wolf happy. Those times, he showed up and pretended to be a stray for you to play with.”
“Holy shit!” Chad shook his head. “All that time. What happened to him? The stray disappeared; so did Grandpa.”
It was Jamie who answered. “When wolves get to the end of their lives, they go wolf full time. We don’t have, like, funerals and the like. We believe in going back to nature. Remember Romulus and Remus?”
Chad nodded.
“The myth is that they fought over the location of Rome, and Romulus killed Remus over it. But that’s not what really happened. They both went into the woods—right near where the villa is now. Remus promised to go wolf and stay gone, letting the people believe Romulus was victorious. But Remus didn’t want to lose his brother over the fight. So Remus went wolf in those woods, and Romulus spread the rumor he’d killed his brother. Hence the tradition to go wolf instead of funerals.”
Chad blinked. “That’s… kind of cool, actually.”
Molly nodded. “It is. I was long grown by the time Mom died, and Dad just couldn’t deal with losing her. So, he went out to the forest, went wolf, and that was the last I saw of him.” She tilted her head. “You’re taking this awfully well.”
Chad gave himself a moment to think through his reply. “I think if it’d been my dad instead of Grandpa, I might feel differently, but… I mean, I knew Grandpa, but not all that well. It was a long time ago that he, I guess, went wolf.” He looked up at his mom and could see the slight strain lines around her eyes and mouth that told him she was more upset than she let on. “I also am well aware of how important secrets are. Detective, remember?” She nodded. “Right. And now private investigator. And I’ve seen first-hand how important it can be to hide being a shifter.” He turned a smile at Jamie, then looked back at his mom. “But I understand the danger you—and I—could have been in if you’d let it be known what Grandpa was. Instead… you taught me as much as you could about trusting my instincts. I got to see Grandpa as a wolf, even if I didn’t know. So I still got to be a part of that.” He frowned as something occurred to him. “So, wait, but you’re not wolf?” Chad asked, blinking at his mom.
She shook her head. “No. Apparently, if a wolf and human have sex and the human gets pregnant, there’s a chance the offspring turn out human. That chance is even greater if they’re not mated—and my mother was human and Dad didn’t know what his bite would do. He’d never heard of mating with a human. So he never claimed her. And I came out human. Anyway… what it comes down to is, there’s wolf blood in you.”
Chad stared at her for a long moment then looked over at Jamie. “That means—”
“—that your chances of survival just jumped hugely,” Jamie finished for him.
As the relief flooded the connection, Chad lifted Jamie’s hand and kissed it. “I told you I’d be fine.”
Jamie rolled his eyes. “You didn’t know that.”
Chad shrugged a shoulder. “No. But something told me I would be.”
“I always told you, you had good instincts.” She chuckled.
“That’s true. Did you mean my wolf blood?”
She nodded. “I’ve had good instincts all my life. I’m also a bit older than you think I am. Dad didn’t know how long I’d live, but it seems I’m going to live longer than normal humans.”
“That’s good,” Chad said. “Hey, do you want to be a wolf?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I’m happy as a human. I’d love to see you as one, though. I bet you’ll be gorgeous.”
Chad blushed. He opened his mouth to speak, but Panther stepped into the room then in Jamie’s blue gym shorts and plain T-shirt, looking a little sheepish.
“Uh, sorry about that.”
Mom stood. “Well, that’s my cue, I think. Call me before you do it, okay?”
Chad nodded and accepted the kiss she gave his cheek. She did the same for Jamie.
“And let me know when you want to plan the wedding. Bye!”
The room fell silent as she left.
When the door clicked closed, Panther sighed. “So, I guess you know I’m Quincy Archer, don’t you?”
Chapter 17
“YEAH, WE kind of figured that out,” Chad said, nodding. “Let me make some guesses and see how close I am?”
Quincy nodded as he took his seat.
“So, you’re a cat shifter. You deal in information, hiding that behind the art stuff. Your dad is looking for you, possibly because of some info you’ve got, or maybe it’s just a family thing, but he’s the one you’ve gone to ground to get away from.”
Quincy blinked at him. “Close. Uh, do you know where my glasses went?”
Chad looked around, and when he spotted them under his desk, he got up and retrieved them. “You really need them?”
“Yeah, it’s unusual for a shifter to have problems like that, but it happens now and again.”
“Why aren’t you surprised by me?” Jamie asked.
Quincy glanced at him as he cleaned his glasses. “Jaguars have known about wolves for centuries. Your kind almost wiped us out more than once. Since then, we’ve learned to keep our scents masked and hide our natures.”
Jamie frowned. “Wolves almost wiped you out?”
Quincy nodded. “It’s been a long-standing fight.” He smirked. “Yeah, cats and dogs. The thing is, we started back with the Egyptians. All those cats they revered?”
Chad and Jamie both nodded.
“Yeah, that wasn’t just Bastet’s doing. Anyway. There’s been a fight between the two for a very long time. So, we hide.”
“That makes sense. Uh, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for my species?”
Quincy laughed. “For a dog, you’re okay.”
Jamie stuck his tongue out. “Don’t make me find a ball of yarn.”
Quincy snorted. “That doesn’t bother us.”
Chad grinned when Quincy twitched like he wanted to do something. “Uh-huh. And wolves don’t chase mailmen or sticks either.”
Jamie coughed.
“Anyway, you were close. Yes, I’ve gone to ground to avoid my father. He has decided it’s time for me to take my place in our pride. I don’t want to.” He shrugged a shoulder.
“Pride?” Jamie asked.
“What you call pack. The formal organization for our kind. Bastet’s original form was a lioness, not the domesticated cat she’s shown as mostly now. The name we chose—pride—is a reference to her original form, even though we’re not lions. Besides, the cats are all about image, and pride sounds… majestic.” He rolled his eyes.
“Ah, that makes sense.” Jamie nodded.
“What do you mean, take your place?” Chad asked.
Quincy sighed. “I am heir to the leadership. You use alpha,” he said, looking at Jamie, who nodded. “For us, it is tepey. I am tepey-sa. Or son of the leader.”
“And… this is a bad thing?” Chad asked.
Quincy studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “I would be expected to choose a tepey-hemet and father children. Except, to put it bluntly, I can’t get it up for a woman.”
“You’re gay,” Jamie blurted.
“Wonderful powers of deduction,” Quincy said with a snort.
Chad scowled at the insult to his mate, but set it aside to get to the bottom of this. “Is that a bad thi
ng among the cats?”
Quincy hesitated. “It’s actually quite common. We are, at our core, solitary creatures. It’s another reason our population is greatly reduced. We tend to get along better with someone of the same gender. However, as tepey-sa, I am expected to put those preferences—as my father puts it—aside and do right by my pride.”
Jamie made a face. “That sucks. Don’t you have a brother or someone who can take over?”
Quincy shook his head. “I’m the only offspring. Solitary also means we do not have multiple children, as a rule. I refuse to be forced, but rogue cats are generally frowned upon. I imagine it is similar for the dogs?”
Jamie nodded. “They prefer us to belong to a pack, where justice can be served if need be, though it’s not often necessary.”
“It isn’t for us either, but for the same reasons, rogues are generally not allowed.”
“What about another pride?” Chad asked.
Quincy gave a weak smile. “My pride is the only one in this part of the country. I told you we’re few in number. Ours covers the entire New England and Mid-Atlantic region. From Maine to Virginia to Ohio. And even so, at last count, there were less than a hundred and fifty cats in our pride.”
“Gods, that is few,” Jamie said softly.
Quincy nodded. “Indeed. And we’re very formal. Everything is about appearance, like I said.” He made a face. “I want nothing to do with any of it, and that’s beyond my solitary nature.”
“Your father hired us to find you,” Chad said, after a moment of silence.
Quincy sighed. “I know. I’m not going back, and I have no intention of ever seeing him until he’s given up. There are others in the pride who can take over and would be a better tepey than me, anyway.” He studied Chad. “You can tell him you found me, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell him where or how. In fact, I could pay you what he offered to not tell him you found me.”
Chad blinked. “Panther… uh, Quincy, that’s a lot of money.”
Quincy smirked. “You can call me either one. And I can handle it.” He glanced at Jamie. “I’m sure you’ve found some of my bank accounts, but that is, by far, not all of them.” He looked back to Chad. “I’ve got plenty of money. I can, and will, keep hiding if I have to. But I’ll make it worth your while to tell him to buzz off.”
Chad considered him for a long moment. “I really don’t want to turn you over. I wouldn’t want to be in your situation.” He sighed and looked at Jamie. “Can we talk alone for a minute, Quincy?”
“Of course. I should go anyway. Jamie, I’ll buy you new clothes.”
Jamie waved that away and Quincy turned back to Chad.
“Text me and tell me your decision. If you agree, I’ll wire the money tonight.”
Chad and Jamie stood and walked with him to the door.
“Hey, uh, the guy who was here? The redhead?” Jamie asked.
Quincy turned and raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Miles Grant. He lives just in Shadyside.” Jamie grinned at the slight scowl on Quincy’s face.
“Why would I care?”
Jamie’s grin widened. “He can also be found through Presby’s ER. And I think you know why.”
Quincy sniffed, and Chad would have sworn that if his tail had been visible, he’d have twitched it. “I’ll look forward to your answer.”
As he walked away, Chad started singing under his breath about strutting with a tail in the air.
Quincy groaned and slammed the door before Chad could close it for him.
Jamie grinned at Chad.
“What was all that about with Miles?” Chad asked as they went back into the kitchen.
“Oh, Quincy is Miles’s mate.”
Chad blinked at him. “You’re shitting me?”
Jamie shook his head. “Nope. You saw Miles before he left? The partial shift and boner?”
Chad nodded.
“Yeah, that’s what happens when we’re in human form when we meet our destined mate.”
“And Quincy is Miles’s? Shit.”
Jamie chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it.” He sipped his coffee, then looked back up at Chad. “So, what are you going to do?”
“Well, we are going to decide together, first.” Chad grinned at his mate’s sheepish smile. “What are you thinking?”
Jamie frowned. “I don’t like the idea of turning him over to his father. But I’m a bit biased, considering my family history.”
“I’m leaning toward agreeing with you. This is going to sound mercenary, but I’d bet Quincy will pay us better too.”
Jamie chuckled. “Well, we have to eat. So….”
“I’ll let Quincy know we agree. I didn’t think we wouldn’t, but I didn’t want to make the decision without consulting you.”
“Thank you,” Jamie murmured.
Chad pulled out his phone, found Panther’s contact, typed in a simple We agree, and hit Send.
Only a moment later, he got a surprising, Thank you *very* much. Send acct info and I’ll wire.
Chad replied with his current account number since they hadn’t gotten to the bank yet, then turned back to Jamie. “It looks like it’s too late to do the bank thing today,” he said, glancing at the clock. “We’ll go tomorrow, though.”
Jamie nodded, then frowned. “You know, you never told me about your father.”
Chad sighed. “I don’t like to talk about him. Mostly because I never knew him. He was… reckless and got himself killed in the line of duty while Mom was pregnant with me.”
Jamie frowned. “Reckless?”
Chad nodded. “Didn’t follow safety protocols and got himself shot.”
“That sucks.”
“I used to be really pissed at him when I was younger. I got sent to a counselor by the department after a particularly ugly case and ended up dealing with a lot of it.” He shrugged. “Now? It just is. I’m not happy I never got to know him, and I’m still not happy he left Mom alone, but….”
“Yeah,” Jamie said nodding. “Well, we’re a pair, aren’t we?”
Chad smiled. “We are, actually. And I think the mate bond has decided we’ve let enough time go since you’ve been inside me.”
“Oh really?” Jamie asked, grinning.
Chad nodded. “Really. You should fix that.”
“I should? What if I want you inside me?”
Chad laughed. “Baby, I don’t care one bit who fucks who. I just need you.”
“Then why are we still in the kitchen?”
“Ever had kitchen sex?” Chad asked, pulling Jamie’s chair over.
“ARE YOU absolutely sure about this?” Jamie asked for probably the millionth time since Miles had called earlier that day.
Chad didn’t growl or sigh, but Jamie could tell he wanted to, and it didn’t even take their link. The expression on Chad’s face told him everything. “Yes, baby, I’m sure,” he said, sounding much calmer than Jamie felt. In fact, if the emotion coming across their connection was anything to go by, he was a lot calmer than Jamie was.
“All right, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, unable to look at Chad. He focused instead on the view of the waterfall and pond outside. They’d decided to do this at Tanner and Finley’s house because there were plenty of woods if they needed to let a shifted Chad out.
Chad pulled Jamie in and kissed him hard. “I understand. Now, we’ve refreshed the bond. It’s time for me to do this. The sooner it’s done and I’ve learned to deal, the sooner we can claim each other.”
Jamie nodded, focusing on Chad’s T-shirt. He took a deep breath, then looked up. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
Chad flashed him a big smile.
“You’re awfully happy about the amount of pain coming up,” Jamie said, narrowing his eyes. “Is there something I should know about you?”
Chad laughed. “No, no, nothing like that, I promise. I’m just keeping my thoughts on what’s coming ahead.”
“Yeah, okay.” Jamie turned to
Miles. “So… how are we doing this?”
“Tanner?” Miles asked, and Tanner started stripping. “You brought pajamas or boxers or something?” he asked Chad.
“Oh, yeah.” Chad started to get up, but Jamie beat him to the bag they’d packed, pulled out the boxers they’d brought, and handed them over. Chad stripped out of his jeans and boxer-briefs, Jamie took them, then Chad pulled the boxers on. “Okay.”
“Once he bites you, from what I read, we’ll only have a few minutes to secure you and get the IV started. That’s why I want to put the tap in first. I have no idea if the painkiller will work or how well if it does.”
Chad nodded. “That’s okay.” He looked at Jamie. “He’s worth it.”
Jamie swallowed. “I can stay with him?”
“I think it’s best if you do, at least to start,” Miles said as he picked up the rubber gloves from the side table. “We’ll keep an eye on him for the time being. It’s not going to be pretty,” he warned.
Jamie nodded. “I didn’t think it would be.”
“I am not pretty, anyway,” Chad grumbled.
Jamie grinned. “Says you.”
Chad just rolled his eyes.
“Anyway,” Miles said as he worked. “We’re just going to have to keep a close eye on him, since I don’t really know what to expect. It’s one thing to read it and a different one altogether to witness.”
Tanner stepped up when Miles finished taping the IV tap down. “Ready?” he asked, and Chad nodded. Tanner closed his eyes, rolled his shoulders, and started sprouting fur. A moment later, a huge red wolf stood in front of them.
Chad squatted in front of Tanner. “Hello, little bit.”
Tanner growled softly, then licked Chad’s face, making everyone laugh. He shook, then looked up at Miles.
Miles nodded. “You remember where?”
Tanner nodded.
Miles turned to Chad. “Oh, you’ll want to take that shirt off or it’ll be ruined.”
“Right, sorry,” Chad said, stripping it off quickly and handing it to Jamie. “Ready.” He knelt in front of Tanner and tilted his head to the side.
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