by Lynn Hagen
* * * *
Max had no idea how much time had passed while he’d been sleeping, but when he woke, he had a bowl of food and one of water in his cage. He wanted some water desperately, but his entire body ached, and he couldn’t manage to push himself up to get any.
The ankle biter next to him hopped up as soon as he saw Max was awake. He licked at the cage, his little tail wagging. Max slid his paw close to the cage, and the dog licked it through the bars.
He turned his head when he heard heavy footsteps just outside the main door. Please don’t let it be the doctor here to check me over.
Even ankle biter backed up, whimpering. The holding area became quiet as the doorknob rattled. Max wasn’t a violent person, but he would bite whoever opened his cage. Hell if he was gonna let anyone take his manhood from him.
He bared his canines, ready to fight…then he shifted as the door opened. Oh hell! How was he gonna explain how he’d gotten in there? Max lay there butt naked on the cold floor, blinking rapidly.
Crap! Crap! Crap!
He reached for the latch, ready to run, but instead of his fingers pushing through the cage, his paw hit it. Max had shifted again just as the portly man wandered in.
If this rapid shifting kept up, Max just might get stuck between man and dog, and that was a gruesome image he never wanted to think of again.
The guy stopped in front of ankle biter’s cage. “Okay, let’s take you to Doc and get you checked over.”
Max snarled and lunged at his cage but was unable to get to the man. Keep your goddamn hands off him! The small dog whimpered and snarled, backing away as far as he could.
The guy narrowed his eyes at Max. Gone was the apologetic look in his eyes. “Didn’t I tell you to behave? Don’t make me sedate you.”
That didn’t stop Max from barking his head off, desperate to save the little guy.
The stranger slammed his palm against Max’s cage. “Bark all you want. You’re all being sold to various companies for their cosmetic or whatever testing. I already have a buyer lined up for you.”
Max was stunned. What happened to this guy being a humanitarian? What happened to him wanting to help the animal population? Not that he’d wanted his nuts snipped, but this was far crueler, and he couldn’t let the guy take ankle biter away.
The stranger opened the cage, and with a thick-gloved hand, he reached in and grabbed the small dog by his scruff. Max went nuts, ramming his cage with his body, barking and snarling, but he couldn’t stop the guy from taking his newfound buddy.
“Hold it right there.”
Max’s heart leapt for joy when Dillon and Vince entered the room, Vince holding his weapon out in front of him as Dillon hurried to Max’s cage.
“You two are not allowed in here!” The stranger tossed the small dog back into his cage and locked it before spinning to face the deputies. “You have no right bein’ here!”
Dillon opened Max’s cage, and Max lunged into his mate’s arms, licking his face and knocking Dillon to his ass as he shoved into him.
His mate gave a light chuckle as he petted Max and then made him settle down. “What the hell is going on here?” Dillon demanded. “This animal shelter was closed down months ago.”
“You can’t stop science!” The guy spun and ran toward the door on the opposite side of the room.
Max went after him and jumped, shoving his front paws into the man’s back and knocking him to the floor. He grabbed the hem of his pants and tried to drag him backward, but the bastard weighed a ton. All Max managed to do was rip his pants.
And then Max shifted. The material was still trapped between his teeth. He let it go and scrambled backward, telling Dillon what the guy’s true intent was as he moved behind his mate to cover his nudity.
“Animal testing?” Vince scowled. “Are you fucking serious?”
As Vince hauled the screaming guy away, Dillon pulled his shirt off and gave it to Max, who pulled it on over his head. Once his bits and pieces were covered, he opened ankle biter’s cage and pulled the small shaking dog into his arms.
“It’s okay.” He petted the dog’s head. “That mean old man isn’t gonna hurt you.”
“Leave it up to you to make a prison buddy,” Dillon said. He reached out to pet the dog’s head, but ankle biter snarled.
“No, Ankle Biter,” Max chastised him. “You have to be nice to this cat. He’s special.”
“Ankle Biter?”
Max shrugged. “That’s what I kept thinking of him as, so I guess that’s his name.”
Ankle Biter licked Max’s hand. Max looked at Dillon. “Can we keep him, please?”
“What if he belongs to someone?” Dillon furrowed his brows. “Is he giving me the evil eye?”
“Behave,” Max said. “How am I gonna fight for you if you’re not being nice? I’m living in his house, so you have to kiss up to him.”
“Our house.” Dillon put his arm around Max’s waist and led him away.
Max looked over his shoulder. There were at least six or seven more caged animals. “What about the others?”
“Since I’m not officially here, we’ll let Vince take care of them.” He led Max outside, the small dog still tucked in his arms. “And when we get home, you’re gonna tell me how you got yourself into this mess in the first place.
Max would rather go back to his cage than face Dillon’s anger, but that wasn’t an option. Two trucks pulled up, and Max recognized a few of the wolves from the Den.
“Mind giving us a ride?” Dillon asked Remi.
Max was not looking forward to going home. “I think I’ll walk.”
Dillon shook his head. “You’re not getting out of this that easily.”
“I promise I’ll jog.”
“You’ll get your butt in the truck,” Dillon said.
They drove home in silence, or partial silence since Remi was on the phone with his mate. Even though he knew Dillon was ticked at him, Max rested his head on his mate’s shoulder.
Dillon slid his hand over Max’s knee and kept it there until Remi pulled into their driveway.
“I’ll send you the bill.” Remi winked at them in his rearview.
“I appreciate the lift,” Dillon said as he got out and waited for Max to exit the truck. When they stepped into the house, Max put Ankle Biter down.
“Now how in the hell did you manage to get snatched by a fake dog catcher?” Dillon demanded as he closed the door. “Why were you even in town?”
“Getting some fresh air?” Max bit his lower lip as the small dog wandered around sniffing everything.
“Try again.”
“No!” Max ran over to the dog when Ankle Biter lifted his leg to pee on the side of the couch. “We go potty outside.”
Max hurried to the back door, relieved he was able to dodge Dillon’s questions. He set the dog down in the grass and turned when he heard his mate following him.
So much for a reprieve.
Dillon jabbed a finger at the dog. “He better be housebroken.”
“I think he was just trying to mark his territory since your cat scent is all over the place.”
“Ankle Biter…okay, I can’t get with that name. Think of something else.” Dillon folded his arms and watched the dog wander around, looking for the perfect place to pee.
Did that mean Dillon was gonna let Max keep him? He hoped so. They’d been through a scary situation together, and Max had felt sorry for the little guy. “How about Duke of Wellington?” he asked. “A big name for such a little warrior?”
“Duke.” Dillon cocked his head to the side. “I like it.”
Well, at least that was settled.
“Your first official act as his temporary owner is to clean up the pile of shit he just dumped.”
“Temporary?” Max asked.
“We have to give an effort to find his owner, Max. A family might be missing him.”
Max stomped into the house like a petulant child and grabbed some paper towels and a
plastic bag. He cleaned up Duke’s mess and dumped the bag into the trash can on the side of the house before going inside and washing his hands. When he returned to the backyard, Dillon was sitting on his butt, playing with Duke.
Max smiled. His mate huffed and puffed a lot, but he was a big softy. “I was desperate,” Max said. “I wanted to see if I could track Chuck down.”
Dillon patted the grass beside him. Max sat and crossed his legs, picking at a few blades. “Do you know how risky that was?” Dillon asked. “You can’t go hunting danger, Max. Your shifts are unstable, and what if Taren had caught up to you? You had no weapon and no backup. What if you’d passed out again?”
Okay, so maybe Max hadn’t thought things through. Dillon was right. He’d gone out there on his own with a single-minded focus. So much worse could have happened to him.
Although he couldn’t think of anything worse than getting his balls snipped or being sold as a testing animal. “You’re right, and I’m sorry.”
Dillon cupped his jaw, and Max swooned as he inhaled his mate’s scent and stared into his gorgeous eyes. “Promise you won’t do anything like that again. I found you by pure luck, but that might not happen a second time. Your safety and happiness are everything to me.”
As much as Max wanted to give his mate what he wanted, he wasn’t going to lie to him. “I can’t make a promise I might not keep.”
Dillon looked incredulously at him. “After what you just went through, you’re gonna go back out there?”
Max pushed to his feet and wiped his butt off. “This isn’t happening to you,” he argued. “I’m the one in danger. Dr. Fargo can guess what’ll happen, but no one knows for sure. I could permanently change into a dog, or I could be dying. I’d rather not wait around and find out which one is my fate.”
“But you can’t go running from here by yourself.” Dillon got to his feet, his face a mask of rage. “What if next time it’s Taren who finds you? What then?”
“Then I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” Max stomped off.
“Don’t you throw a damn cliché at me and walk away.” Dillon came after him. “You’re not leaving this house again until this situation is resolved.”
“Oh my god!” Max spun and glared at Dillon. “You just sounded like my father. He said the same thing to me, but he was talking about me marrying some rich guy I’d never even met. Hell, I didn’t even know his first name.”
His dad had also acted as if they were rich, which they weren’t. Max would never understand how his father lived that kind of lifestyle while being broke. He had to be involved in all types of scams, and that was another reason Max had left.
He didn’t want loan sharks or people who’d invested in something false to come looking for him when his dad couldn’t pay them back.
“Shifters don’t marry.”
“That’s what you got out of that?” Max shouted. “You marry when you’re forced to by your greedy parents. I walked away from them, and I loved them with all my heart. Don’t make me walk away from this.”
Max regretted his words as soon as he said them. The stricken look on Dillon’s face tore Max’s heart out. “I didn’t—”
“Don’t.” Dillon held up a hand. “Just…don’t.”
He brushed past Max and walked inside. He would never leave Dillon, no matter how angry he was. And after Dillon pledged that he would never leave Max’s side, Max’s words had to be a hard blow.
Kicking himself in the ass, Max hurried inside, ready to beg Dillon to forgive him. He came up short when he saw his mate with his uniform in his hands. “You’re going to work?”
“I need some fresh air.” Dillon headed toward the front door. “Lock up behind me and set the alarm.”
Max watched him walk out, helpless to stop him. He looked down at Duke. “Now how do I get myself out of this one?”
Duke barked.
“You’re no help.” Max dropped on the couch, feeling as though he would cry. He had to find a way to fix things between them, but he’d never seen Dillon this mad and wondered how badly he’d fucked up.
Chapter Seven
Gah, Dillon had to be the biggest chump, because the farthest he went was his driveway. He hated arguing, especially with his mate. He was just crushed that Max could walk easily away from their relationship, and Dillon was willing to do whatever it took to care for his mate.
You really are the biggest chump. With a frustrated grunt, he walked back inside, caught off guard when Max launched into his arms.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean what I said,” he cried. “Don’t be mad at me. There’s no way I could ever walk away from you.”
Dillon grinned as he slid his arms around Max. Chump. “You’re forgiven.”
Max peppered his face with kisses as Duke barked at his side. The damn dog trotted over to the couch, cocked his leg, and peed. “No, bad dog!”
“What?” Max pulled back, a look of shock on his face. “What did I do?”
“Not you.” Dillon released Max and went after Duke, but the dog ran around the couch, dodging him.
“Why are you chasing him?” Max grabbed Duke and pulled the little shit into his arms. “Why are you being so mean?”
“I’m not being mean.” Dillon jabbed a finger at the wet spot. “He just took a leak.”
Max’s jaw dropped. “No, Duke. You can’t potty in the house.”
Dillon had a feeling Duke was gonna make his life hell. This was why he didn’t have any pets of his own. They were hard work and hardheaded. His gut told him Duke had done that on purpose.
“Take him outside.” Dillon went to the hallway closet and grabbed a plastic bucket, a brush, and filled the bucket with soapy water, doubting he would be able to get the smell out.
When Duke started barking, Dillon dropped everything and raced for the back door.
Dillon ran out back to find the German shepherd lying on the grass, unmoving, with Duke circling him, still barking. Goddamn it. Dillon’s heart couldn’t take this anymore. If they didn’t find Chuck, and soon, Dillon feared the worse would happen sooner rather than later.
He scooped the dog up and carried him to his truck, Duke following behind him. Dillon placed Max on the passenger side, allowing Duke to get in before closing the door.
As he backed out of his drive, he called his boss, telling Werth what had happened and that he was on his way. Dillon could have stayed at home with Max, but he no longer wanted to be alone in this struggle. Werth didn’t ask any questions. He just said he’d be waiting for them. Dillon didn’t bother calling the doctor. There wasn’t anything Dr. Fargo could do for him.
“I’m so sorry this is happening to you.” Tears sprang to Dillon’s eyes as he ran his hand through Max’s fur. “You don’t deserve any of this, and I’m not gonna stop searching for Chuck. I give you my word.”
Werth was waiting in the driveway when they arrived. “I made up the guest bedroom. Take him in there.”
Dillon nodded as he opened the truck door and pulled Max out.
One of Werth’s brows rose when Duke hopped out. “Another shifter?”
“Just a pain in my ass, but Max seems to love him.” And Dillon didn’t want to leave Duke locked in his house. There was no telling what the pint-sized terror would do while he was gone. At least with Duke at Max’s side, he could keep an eye on the menace.
“Is there anything you need me to do?” Newt asked when Dillon walked in. Duke spotted Baby Girl and took off after her.
“Yeah, keep an eye on Duke for me and make sure he doesn’t destroy your house.”
Baby Girl hissed from the kitchen, and Duke barked.
“Duke!” Newt raced after the dog. “Stop chasing the kitty!”
Dillon went down the hallway and into the guest bedroom, gently placing Max on the bed.
“It tears me up to see him like that,” Werth said. “I’ve grown to love him over the years.”
So had Dillon. Just not in the way mates loved eac
h other. He’d thought Max a great dog before he’d known he was a shifter, and at times, it was still odd to him trying to reconcile the two.
“I just…” Dillon rubbed his hand over his aching chest. “I’m at a loss what to do. I haven’t the first clue where to search for this Chuck guy, and Max is only getting worse.”
“Hey.” Werth laid his hand on Dillon’s shoulder. “You’ve got help. We’ll do whatever we can to keep him comfortable.”
That sounded too much like hospice care to Dillon. He refused to accept the fact that he might lose his mate. He might have been around Max for two years, but he’d just found his mate, and no fucking way was he gonna sit on his ass and watch the man wither away.
Or never return to his human form. No one had the first clue what Max’s outcome would be.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Werth said. “Holler if you need anything.”
Already he felt a tad better knowing Werth and Newt were somewhere in the house.
When Werth walked out, Dillon closed the door and shut the light off. He was a desperate man and was willing to owe any favor he had to in order to save his mate’s life.
Clenching his eyes shut, Dillon called out Panahasi’s name. He didn’t know where else to turn.
“How is he?”
Dillon opened his eyes to find the demon leader standing next to the bed, staring down at Max.
“Getting worse.” A burning lump formed in Dillon’s throat as he turned the light on.
Panahasi sat on the side of the bed and brushed his hands through Max’s fur. “He really is a beautiful dog.” He turned and looked at Dillon with those whiskey-colored eyes. “I’ve been searching for this elusive Chuck, but so far, I haven’t found him.”
“Is there anything you can do?” Dillon asked. “Can Christian save Max with his blood?”
Dillon didn’t care if Max turned into a vampire-German shepherd. He’d take Max anyway he could get him, just as long as he didn’t lose him.
“I would use that as a last resort,” Panahasi warned. He laid his hand on Max’s chest and closed his eyes. Dillon held his breath and waited, though he had no idea what the demon leader was doing.