by Lisa Oliver
Moments later, Cari felt the shirt over his body move. “Are you all right in there?” Keep your eyes on the road. Cari kept his eyes scrunched tight, hoping that his spines would catch in the cloth upholstery somehow preventing a near certain death. He didn’t want to die. He’d only just found his mate and for a little while there he didn’t have to worry about money anymore. Thirty minutes, he’d heard Quaid say. Cari only hoped they lasted that long.
Chapter Fourteen
Quaid realized his half of the conversations he had would have done nothing to alleviate the stress pouring off his tiny mate. He only hoped that Cari gave him a chance to explain when they’d gotten to safety. The place he was heading for was euphemistically known as the “Fort” among his colleagues and the name wasn’t far off the mark.
Owned by his bosses, mated pair Christian Le Roc and Dolph Powers, the Fort was a high priced, exclusive resort, catering to celebrities and politicians who needed to escape the heat of their lifestyle for a bit. At least, that is what was reported in the media. But under the façade of glittering swimming pools, an exclusive restaurant, and private suites that catered to every need, was a custom designed security system, second to none. Designed by Quaid’s bosses, the system ensured not only could no one come and go on the estate unless they were thoroughly vetted, but any form of digital surveillance was impossible as well.
Completely run by shifters, all staff knew that to breach their clients’ confidentiality in any way meant certain death. And it didn’t help the nark if he ran. Le Roc and Powers had contacts all over the world and never forgot a betrayal. Rather than be intimidated by the power couple, Quaid appreciated their loyalty and the chance they’d given him when he needed it.
Seeing the giant wrought iron gates in the windscreen brought a measure of relief. Even if anyone was following them, and Quaid was almost a hundred percent certain they weren’t, no one could get close to them once he passed through those gates. Slowing down at the guard tower, the blond tank of a man on duty gave him a nod. “You’re expected, Mr. Poullon. The bosses are waiting for you in their office.”
“Can you phone ahead to the kitchen for me, and ask them to send two large plates of food to the bosses’ office please? I did promise my mate breakfast and we haven’t had a chance to grab anything yet.”
If the guard was surprised there was no visible signs of the mate mentioned, he was too professional to mention it. “I’ll phone through as soon as the gates are cleared.” Reaching behind him, the guard activated the gate, which slowly opened. Quaid knew, because he’d been there when it happened, the speed of the gates was a deception. In the face of frontal attack, they could be slammed shut within two seconds.
Wasting no time driving around the back of the house, Quaid parked. Carefully disengaging the shirt that had gotten tangled in Cari’s spines, he stroked his finger over the white, almost translucent prickles. He could barely see anything of Cari’s pointed little face, but his mate’s whole body was trembling.
“We’re at our destination, sweetness, you can shift now. I’ll get some fresh clothes out for you.” Reaching over the back of the car, Quaid pulled out the fresh pants and shirt he’d selected earlier, knowing Cari would probably feel better in clean things.
The hedgehog was still curled up in a ball. Quaid tried again. “My bosses are looking forward to meeting you and I’m sure you heard me order breakfast. Aren’t you hungry?”
Tremors. All he got for his trouble was tremors. Watching for a moment, at a bit of a loss as what to do, Quaid mentally thumped himself. His mate’s fear was all because of what happened to Marcus.
“Babe, you won’t hurt anyone, especially me. I promise, I won’t let anyone else come near you. Please, will you shift for me?”
The trembling stopped. The hedgehog uncurled himself and stretched. Seconds later, Cari’s human form emerged. “Thank you for putting the idea into my head that I’ve become some form of human wrecking ball. But believe me, that wasn’t what had me scared. It was your reckless driving that upset me. I didn’t have a seatbelt on, and you were careening around the road like a maniac. We could’ve been killed.”
So relieved that his mate was all right, Quaid started to laugh. He was still chuckling when he followed a glowering fully-dressed Cari into the resort.
Chapter Fifteen
Quaid’s bosses were big. That was the only thought dominating Cari’s mind as he meekly tilted his head, showing his neck to two very powerful males. Big, as in almost seven feet tall, shoulders like linebackers and biceps twice the size of Cari’s thighs. Christian’s dark hair had a wave of white through it, causing Cari to think of Orcas, while Dolph had long gray hair and a squared jaw. The men were professional, but Cari didn’t sense any warmth coming from them.
“You’ve got yourself into a right mess, Quaid,” Christian snarled, indicating for them to take a seat on one of the two couches. “Do you have any idea who you’ve tied yourself too?”
“Hey,” Quaid didn’t have any trouble facing down his boss. “We came to you for help, and maybe some freaking breakfast. I don’t care what you think you’ve found out about my mate. He’s still mine and will be until death.”
“A death that might come sooner than you think,” Dolph said casually, bringing over a tray. “Do you like crumpets with blackcurrant jam, Cari?” He asked, setting down the tray on the low table in front of the couch.
“I do.” Cari looked nervously at Quaid who was still having a staring competition with Christian.
“They’re my favorite,” Dolph said with a smile, taking off a large cloche to reveal a plate of crumpets, butter in a small silver tray, three different types of jam, plates and knives. “Help yourself.”
Cari wanted to refuse. For one thing, crumpets were more of a morning or afternoon tea type of food instead of his typical breakfast of oatmeal. Then there was the growing tension between Quaid and Christian that was upsetting his stomach. But Cari didn’t want to appear rude and he had no idea when he might get the chance to eat again. Leaning forward, he quickly made up a small plate with three crumpets and spread, picking one up and nibbling on the edges of one of them.
“What did you mean,” he asked, eyeing his mate’s staring contest with growing concern, “when you said Quaid being mated to me might bring him an early death? I didn’t hurt him. Even after I was still somehow attached to Marcus, Quaid put his hand on my shoulder, and I didn’t hurt him.”
“It’s got nothing to do with you hurting your mate.” Christian tore his eyes away from Quaid, who made some sort of victory noise and fist pumped the air. “You’re a whole bundle of power in a tiny package, not to mention, a rich one. Your best bet for safety is to buy an island and live on it, permanently.”
“How will that be fair to Quaid? And what about my prickle?” Cari gulped as the full impact of Christian’s words hit him. “What do you mean power?”
“Finally, he asks a sensible question.” Christian took the cup of coffee Dolph handed him with a smile, perching on the arm of Dolph’s seat. “You are a rare white hedgehog.” His tone reminded Cari of someone talking to a two year old.
“I’ve always been a rare white hedgehog,” Cari wasn’t fond of Christian’s attitude. “Thanks to being a rare white hedgehog, I’ve been banished from my prickle, no one wanted anything to do with me until I won a stack of money through sheer fluke. I’ve never had any power. I’ve never been anything but a runt nobody wanted.”
“I want you,” Quaid said through a mouthful of crumpet, reaching for Cari’s hand.
Cari immediately felt guilty. “I know. I wasn’t including mates in my statement. I should have been more precise. But even you didn’t believe I landed Marcus on his ass without touching him. I could tell from the way you were talking to me,” he added.
“This Marcus you mentioned is lucky to still be alive,” Dolph observed. “You could take out whole packs with one twitch of your cute button nose, and there’d be nothing and no one
who could stop you, except Quaid.”
“Oh, no.” Cari jumped to his feet. “You don’t go picking on the little guy. You’re all just playing a joke on me and it’s not fair. I don’t know you. I only know Quaid trusts you, but unless someone starts talking sense around here, then I’m leaving.”
He went to stamp his foot for emphasis, but a sharp “No,” from all three men had his leg hovering in midair.
“Put your foot down gently,” Christian said calmly, but there was no ignoring the authority in his tone. Cari lowered his foot. “Nice and gently. That’s it. I know you’re upset with us, but there’s no need to wreck my floor.”
“What are they talking about?” Cari cried, turning to Quaid who pulled him into his lap. “I don’t understand any of this. I’ve never hurt anyone before today and now your friends are acting as though I’m a loaded gun, waiting to go off.”
“Guys, I’m kinda in the dark here too.” Quaid looked at his friends. “Is there something specific to Cari you found out?”
“Dolph put in a call to London as soon as we knew what your mate was,” Christian explained. “The historical and anecdotal evidence, that our contact could find is that firstly, only one in one hundred thousand hedgehogs is white.”
“That’s what Marcus told me before I zapped him,” Cari said. “Why is that important?”
“There are only three thousand, two hundred and fifty six hedgehog shifters in the entire world. The last documented white one, was born over seven hundred years ago.” Dolph quirked an eyebrow. “That’s how rare you are. According to the records our contact accessed, there have only been four white hedgehogs ever recorded in known history. You are the fifth.”
“So, I have freak genetics,” Cari tried to pass off a casual laugh, but the laughter died in his throat. “I still don’t see how that translates to me sending a grown wolf flying across the room just by clapping my hands.”
“You’re mated now. You found your true mate,” Christian said as though it explained everything.
It didn’t, at least not from Cari’s perspective. “Why is it important that I’ve been claimed?”
Leaning back in his chair, and taking Christian’s hand, Dolph took up the story. “The only other known mated white hedgehog was over a thousand years ago. He found his true mate in a wolf pack, and surprising for the times, his mate left the pack to be with him. You’ve got to remember, this was ancient history. Shifters never acknowledged same sex attractions back then and wolves never left their pack of birth.”
Cari nodded to show he understood, even though his gut was telling him this story wasn’t going to have a happy ending.
“The two men, by all accounts, were really happy together,” Dolph went on. “They had their own little house on a plot of land, raising crops and hunting for food. But the alpha of the pack the wolf mate came from felt that his member’s defection, for a man, was going to reflect badly on his pack’s reputation.”
“What happened to the hedgehog and his mate?” Cari whispered, snuggling into Quaid’s chest.
“The entire pack attacked them one night,” Christian said somberly. “They were fast asleep and never heard the wolves coming for them.”
Cari felt tears prick his eyes, and he grabbed Quaid’s hand, holding it close to his chest. “They were killed, just for loving each other?”
“They didn’t die,” Dolph said. “Eye witness accounts at the time, and there were very few, reported seeing a huge explosion of light covering the hedgehog’s house and his land. When the neighboring villagers came to investigate at first light, they found bodies scattered everywhere. Every single wolf who attacked them that night was dead, including the alpha.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Cari covered his mouth with his hand. “What happened to the hedgehog and his mate?”
“No one bothered them anymore, that’s for sure,” Christian said. “From what we could find out, they lived long and happy lives, dying of natural causes about a hundred years later. The records made all kinds of claims – that the hedgehog was actually a magic user in disguise, he was secretly a demon, all that sort of hocus pocus common for the time. But then another one was born, the one seven hundred years ago and found his mate, and this time the hedgehog society took notice.”
“You said only one other white hedgehog was mated throughout history.” Cari was getting confused.
“It was a young woman that time,” Dolph shared a look with his mate. “Like all women of the time, when she found her mate, she took him home to get her father’s blessing. Her mate was a hawk shifter, and from all accounts they were smitten with each other at first sight.”
The churning in Cari’s gut increased. “What happened to them?”
“Her father called the prickle enforcers the moment they set foot in the house. They were killed before they had a chance to claim each other.”
“Oh no, that’s so sad. That poor young couple.” Cari buried his face in Quaid’s chest, unable to stop his tears from falling down his face.
Chapter Sixteen
Quaid softly rubbed his weeping mate’s back, his mind racing. “What does this mean for us?” He looked up at his bosses/friends. “Cari was already banished from his prickle. They turfed him out into the world with barely his wallet and shoes. Surely, they can’t come after him now?”
“They won’t even try to kill him now he’s mated. They wouldn’t dare,” Christian said grimly. “Although, the paranormal council mentioned a court claim has been made, given that Cari won all that money, citing the prickle’s demands for him pay the expenses he incurred while they raised him. Someone told them about the lotto win, we can all guess who, and now they’re out to claim their pound of flesh too.”
Quaid clutched his mate a little tighter. “That damn Fanshaw pack. Cari was trying to get the therapist Fanshaw to negotiate with the prickle for his return. I doubt the guy did anything about it, but it’s all Cari’s ever wanted since they turfed him out. But as soon as the Fanshaw’s pack lost their chance to control him and his winnings, I bet the therapist was on the phone to the prickle faster than you could blink.”
“It would be a bad move for you two to align yourself with any group, pack, pride, or prickle,” Dolph warned. “What you’ve got to remember is that times have changed dramatically. A thousand years ago, people were wary of power and what it could do. Even seven hundred years ago, which is why that poor woman and her mate were killed by her family.”
“All of this, based on verbal accounts from a thousand years ago?” Quaid scoffed. “That’s all they’re basing this discrimination on?”
Christian shook his head. “There have been hundreds of studies conducted since then, both on the killing at that time, and on white hedgehogs since. Apparently, there were more born right up until a hundred years ago, but because of the hedgehog council’s mandate about killing them off as soon as they shifted, none of them reached sexual maturity. The paranormal council put a stop to that after the great war, claiming too many innocents were being killed randomly for reasons based on superstitious nonsense.”
“So that’s why Cari wasn’t killed when he shifted?” Quaid was trying to get his head around his increasingly complex mate. All he saw when he met Cari was a cute little guy who’d just won a fortune.
“Every major predatory form of shifter has been studying the effects of the white hedgehogs since the war,” Christian said. “From what they can deduce, Cari’s powers only work when he feels threatened, but when they do come into play, they have the potential to wipe out every threatening force within a mile radius of where he’s standing.”
“Then Marcus was bloody lucky,” Quaid said. “But I still don’t see how that translates to you suggesting we both live on a deserted island somewhere. Cari hasn’t got a malicious bone in his body.”
“I’m glad you can see that,” Cari muttered into his chest, showing he was following the conversation even if he didn’t add much to it. Quaid couldn’t imagine how
hard all of this would be on his mate.
“Cari, Quaid, you need to listen, and you need to listen good,” Christian leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees. “The reason white hedgehogs have been studied so intently is because of Cari’s potential, as a weapon.”
“My mate’s right,” Dolph nodded. “In the eyes of any predatory group, Cari is the ultimate weapon now he’s mated. All they have to do, is contain you, point him at their enemies and rely on Cari’s emotions to do the rest. He’s the shifter equivalent of a nuclear bomb.”
“Hang on, that doesn’t make sense.” Cari lifted his head, rubbing his tear-stained cheeks. “If my so-called power only works when I’m upset, and it is directed at those who are threatening me or my mate, then how could I be used as a weapon against anyone else someone had a beef with? Surely, if I used my power then, it would only work against those that took my mate.”
“Good point. The young man has brains as well as looks,” Dolph grinned approvingly, pulling a phone out of his jacket pocket. “I think I remember reading, ah, yes,” he tapped his screen a few times. “According to the original eye witness testimony, a couple of young lovers were hiding from their parents in the field next to the hedgehog’s house the night of the attack. They heard the wolves approaching, heard a scream, then saw the light, but they didn’t come forward until two days later. They were too scared of getting told off by their parents. But,” Dolph raised a finger, “here’s the bit I was looking for. The young girl was reported as saying ‘I saw the light. It passed right through me, making me shiver and tingle all over, but then it went away, and it was night again.”
“So, there were innocents in the line of fire, assuming it was the hedgehog’s power that caused the deaths, and they weren’t affected. Surely, that has to count for something,” Quaid said thoughtfully.