The One Thing Money Can't Buy (Custom Solutions Book 1)

by Lisa Oliver

  Well that’s another way to stop the hysterics, Cari thought as he sucked in the air provided by Quaid’s mouth. Not a bad way to stop the panic attacks either. The kissing helped, having anything to do with Quaid generally did, but Cari still didn’t feel any happier about their situation much later as they got dressed and waited for Christian and Dolph to get in touch.

  Chapter Twenty One

  The knock came a minute after two am. Quaid hadn’t heard a vehicle, but then he didn’t expect to. Christian and Dolph weren’t just the pretty faces and money side of their business. Checking that Cari was okay, sitting at the kitchen table, Quaid let his bosses in and quickly locked the door behind them.

  “Have a seat. There’s coffee made if you want some.”

  “I swear, I’m getting too old to go skulking around in bushes,” Christian complained, pulling off his balaclava and shaking out his hair. “The only reason I follow this guy here is because he has such a sexy ass.”

  Dolph took off his own face covering revealing a big grin. “Go on. Admit it. You’d follow my ass to the ends of the earth.”

  “And I have done on more than one occasion.” Pulling out a chair for Dolph, Christian sat in the one next to him. “Okay, guys. I’ll lay it out for you straight. We have a situation.”

  “I guessed that,” Quaid said drily, reaching over and taking one of Cari’s hands. “What I want to know is how the hell did anyone know we were at the resort in the first place?”

  “We had a leak.” Christian’s lips twisted. “One of the scientists we contacted about Cari, put two and two together and got six. That individual has a cousin on the council. Next thing I know, we’ve got enforcers at the door flanking two elders who think they have the right to barge into my establishment any time they damn well please.”

  “They asked us outright if we had a white hedgehog staying at the resort,” Dolph spread his hands in a ‘what can you do” pose. Quaid understood. All council enforcers could scent a lie. “They claimed they only wanted to talk to you, which is when Christian suggested a dinner meeting. They could hardly refuse that without revealing their motives. When we informed them you’d gone, which was obvious when you didn’t turn up for the meal, they got all huffy about it. But Christian reminded them you were our guests, not prisoners and he had no right to stop you leaving any time you wanted to.”

  “They wouldn’t have been happy about that.” Quaid managed a quick smile for Cari who was bristling with nerves. “So, do we have a plan on where to go from here, or do we start dipping into Cari’s winnings and head for parts unknown?”

  “Have you ever known my mate not to have a plan?” Dolph’s grin was infectious. “All we need to know is, how much of a nervous disposition do you have, little hedgehog?”

  Quaid watched as Cari opened his mouth, thought about it. Closed it again. Thought some more. Christian poured himself and Dolph a cup of coffee and had just about finished the cup when Cari said, “it depends what you want me to do. I’d do anything to keep Quaid safe, but there’s a lot of things I’m not good at.”

  Quaid nodded his approval. He’d been worried Cari’s nerves at the meeting would get the better of him, but he should have known his sweet mate would think things through and come up with a reasonable answer.

  It seemed Christian was impressed too. “Don’t worry, little one, we won’t have you hang-gliding or parasailing just yet, although that could be plan B. Plan A is to sneak you back into the resort, because that will be the last place the council will be looking for you. I want you to meet some scientists, not the one with the big mouth, let them run some tests, and then we’re going to have a party. All the media will be invited.”

  “A party with the media?” Quaid could see that being a security nightmare. “And you want me and Cari to attend?”

  “You’ll be the guests of honor.” Christian had to have picked up on Cari’s nerves, or maybe it was Quaid’s emotions about the so-called plan because the damn man winked. A yacht to disappear for a while, buying a damn island. Quaid wasn’t useless. He’d been thinking of plenty of ideas of his own once he knew what danger Cari was in. He willed his boss to explain.

  It was Dolph who spoke up. “The way we see it, is that because there’s no definitive proof that Cari’s not a danger to the public, packs, prides, governments, or councils, they all have the wrong idea about him. You know he’s a sweet guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly, and so do we. What we need is proof of that.”

  “And, by bringing in all the big hitters who are likely to want to lock Cari away in a cage, only to be brought out for breeding or experimental purposes, alongside the media,” Christian added, “we’re killing two birds with one stone. Cari will be there, but no one will dare touch him. The media is going to love his cute face, which will help sway shifter and human perceptions about him. The scientists will provide a presentation to prove he isn’t a risk to anyone who doesn’t mean him harm, and then you guys can go and buy your new house and live the dream.”

  “The biggest problem you two have at the moment is the public are misinformed. If we mention how you were banished from your prickle and persecuted by wolves, the public is going to eat that up and be on your side in a New York minute.” Dolph smiled at Cari who seemed to want to disappear under the table. “No one who sees your face is going to think you’re a threat, a monster or a weapon.”

  As a security analyst, Quaid could see the merits of the idea. With the media present, the party would be well covered both on and offline. By painting the right picture, Cari came across as a victim instead of a threat, and public opinion couldn’t help but be swayed by his cute features. Instead of having just Christian, Dolph and the security company behind them, they’d have half the country once the world caught a glimpse of Cari’s face. But it wasn’t his decision to make.

  “What do you think, Cari?” Quaid squeezed Cari’s hand to show his support.

  “I can see what you’re trying to do,” Cari said quietly. “I can understand you’re reasoning behind all of this. I’d love to go and stay back in that house again and while the thought of a big party scares me, I’ll have Quaid with me, so it won’t be so bad.” He bit his lip, and Quaid knew his mate had more to say.

  Looking up, meeting Christian’s eyes, Cari said bluntly, “but what if you’re wrong? What if the tests prove I am a danger to society and could be used as a weapon by anyone with a big ego and no morals? What if I kill someone during these tests? Is it really worth the risk? I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.”

  Christian didn’t answer, at least not with words. All Quaid had time to register was a blur coming at him across the table, and Dolph had him in a headlock as they crashed to the floor. Struggling to free himself, Quaid saw Christian had Cari in a similar hold and he roared as he wrestled with Dolph, trying to get the room to shift.

  /~/~/~/~/

  This has to be a trick. But there was nothing fake about Quaid’s fruitless roars and the red of his face as he tried to best the man on top of him. The arm around Cari’s own neck was real and threatening to cut off his air. There was a tiny part in his brain that knew Christian was trying to test him, but that logic had no place in a brain when instincts took over.

  For the first time, Cari could feel it – an ancient power deep inside of him, forcing its way to the surface. It bubbled and boiled, infusing every cell he had. Cari’s whole body started to tremble as he tried to hold it back, but the arm around his neck tightened and finally Cari had had enough. He was tired of being picked on. These guys where Quaid’s friends. Flinging out his arms, he yelled, “No!”

  Light arched and crackled from his arms and fingers. Looking down, Cari could see his body was glowing with a white light. The pressure around his neck disappeared and there was a thud behind him. He watched as Dolph was thrown from Quaid’s body like a rag doll, collapsing on the floor six feet away. As soon as Quaid was free, he came towards him, and Cari backed up, afraid of what his power would do.
But his lion didn’t show a shred of fear. The moment Quaid touched him, the light disappeared, and Cari fell into his mate’s arms, burying his head in the broad chest offered.

  For a long moment, Cari didn’t move. He could hear the racing thump of Quaid’s heart slow down, mirroring his own. Quaid’s unique scent was all he could smell and with his eyes shut, Cari used his fingers to map out the planes and valleys of the chest he associated with love and safety. They were going to have to run. He knew it. Quaid was probably already planning something. But for one moment, and that’s all Cari wanted, he just needed the comfort of his mate’s embrace.

  Until he heard a loud groan. “Damn it, Christian, the next time you come up with one of these fool ideas, I’m going to blister your ass bright red.”

  Cari held his breath as he waited for a response. “There’s no need to share details of our sex life with the kiddies, Dolph. Just help me out, will you? I seem to be stuck in a wall.”

  Raising his eyes, Cari met Quaid’s intense stare. “They didn’t die,” he mouthed.

  “I know they didn’t die,” Quaid said loud enough for the others to hear. “But they’ll think twice before pulling a stunt like that again. Turn around and look babe, look what you did to the great Christian Le Roc.” Quaid’s hands on his shoulders turned Cari around in time to watch Dolph pull his mate out of the wall. The immaculate man’s hair and clothes were full of dust and plaster and he had a cut above his eye. Dolph had a graze on the side of his cheek, but apart from that, both men were mobile, although there were a few groans as they helped each other to a chair.

  “You have to admit the plan worked,” Christian said, as he brushed the debris off his clothes. “I knew Cari didn’t have a murderous bone in his body, and I was proved right. Right?”

  “That was a huge gamble to take.” Cari was still shaking. And then another thought struck him. “Does that mean, that hedgehog who killed those wolves was already a killer, or capable of it?”

  “We don’t know,” Dolph wiped over his face and grimaced at the streaks of blood left on his hand. “From all the research we’ve ever done on magic, and unexplained powers, intent seems to be at the heart of it.”

  “The way you phrased your question was clue enough,” Christian said, picking a piece of plaster out of his hair. “It would devastate you to take a life. I think we’ve succinctly proven, that’s just not possible, unless possibly your life was truly in danger. But tell me, what was going on in your head when you tossed out your powers?”

  “I’d just had enough,” Cari remembered the feeling vividly. “I could feel the power inside of me this time, bubbling and trying to come out. I was tired of being picked on. I hated seeing Quaid struggle the way he was with Dolph, and I couldn’t breathe. I just wanted it to stop.”

  “Intent.” Dolph and Christian shared a look. “I told you I was right,” Christian added. “I knew Cari wasn’t the malicious type.”

  “Which means the hedgehog who killed all those wolves a thousand years ago, probably was the malicious type and that’s why his power manifested that way,” Quaid said somberly.

  “And because of that, countless numbers of white hedgehogs have been murdered ever since.” Cari suddenly felt really tired. “Did you say we were going back to the resort? I’m tired and hungry. You guys are hurt. Is it safe to stay here until morning?”

  “I’ll drive us all back to the resort,” Quaid said, sweeping his arm under Cari’s knees and picking him up. “My little honey told me he’d left his spirit in the tub back there. I thought he’d left his appetite there too. I’m glad to see that’s come back.”

  “It was the whole not killing someone thing,” Cari said, managing a smile and then a yawn. “It does wonders for a person’s self-confidence.”

  “Ha,” Christian said with a laugh as he pushed himself to his feet. “For the likes of me, Dolph, and Quaid, it’s knowing we can do the killing thing that gives us the confidence to keep going.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Quaid said quickly. “I might not have wanted to kill Dolph, but if he sits on my ass like that again, I’ll have a good go at maiming him.”

  “You know it was all in fun, right?” Dolph slapped Quaid on the shoulder, making Cari flinch. “Oops, sorry, Cari. Keeping my hands to myself. I’ve been thrown around enough for one evening.” He tucked them behind his back, making Quaid and Christian laugh.

  “Home,” Cari whispered. “Home and food please.”

  “Anything for you, sweetness. Anything for my mate.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Quaid did not like Dr. Loup, the wolf shifter scientist Christian employed to test Cari under one of the longest non-disclosure documents ever signed. He didn’t like the man’s quaffed hair, he despised the man’s starched white coats. He even hated the way Dr. Loup kept clicking the end of his ballpoint pen to punctuate his monologues. The man was annoying from the top of his lacquered head to the point of his shiny shoes and there was something shifty about him too, that had nothing to do with him being a wolf.

  It didn’t help Quaid’s opinion of him, that the most famous discovery Dr. Loup had spent a quarter of a million dollars researching was that shifter’s dicks were larger and longer on average than human ones. Quaid could have saved whoever was dumb enough to front up that sort of money the whole freaking amount. He’d seen the results of the highly publicized study for himself in a dozen clubs and bars all over the country – cost: a couple of beers and a wink. What was worse, Cari had read about that study, and the doctor, and was slightly in awe of him, which Dr. Loup took as his due. Narcissistic twit.

  The tests were being conducted in the resort’s clinic, which had been blocked from other resort residents until the doctor was satisfied that he had all he needed. Quaid had been leaning on the wall of the office for the past half hour, while Loup asked a series of questions that got more and more personal as time went on. A couple of times, Cari looked to him for guidance, something Quaid was happy to give, but he failed to see why a detailed discussion on where Cari fit in his prickle and whether he was the first, middle or last child, had anything to do with his power, or the color of his shifted form.

  “Right,” Loup said at last, giving another officious click of his pen, as he stood up, put his clipboard down, and reached for a tray of medical instruments. “That concludes the first part of the questionnaire. There will be a lot more, but I’ll take some bodily fluid samples now. The lion doesn’t need to be here for this.”

  The Lion. That’s what I’ve been relegated to. Quaid didn’t budge.

  “Oh, er… if you don’t mind, Mr. Le Roc said Quaid should stay with me at all times,” Cari said, looking at him, then back at the doctor. “I’d prefer if he stayed.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You’re a test subject and as such you’ll do as I say. Lion, leave.”

  “His name is Quaid, or Mr. Poullon to you,” Cari said, jumping to his feet. “He’s my mate and I say he stays.”

  “You are hardly going to have time for a mate in the foreseeable future,” Loup snarled, pushing Cari back onto the table. “This study will be the highlight of my career. There’re the studies to be completed, an international speaking tour has already been planned. Scientists are clamoring all over the world to study a modern specimen of a white hedgehog.”

  “You signed a non-disclosure agreement, you shouldn’t even be talking about tours, international or otherwise,” Cari gasped. “You can’t tell anyone about me or your findings unless Christian says it’s okay.”

  Loup’s look suggested Christian’s permission was the least of his problems, but at least now Quaid knew what the shifty man had been hiding.

  “Cari isn’t a specimen. He’s not a bug in your test tube, or a cadaver for you to cut open. He’s a living, breathing, person in his own right, true mated to me.” Quaid pushed himself off the wall and flexed his arms. “Or is it your standing policy to kill the subjects of your studies, doctor? Did the men you used a ruler
on, have to give up their cocks when you used them for your ‘study’.”

  “Of course not, don’t be ridiculous.” The doctor was being evasive. Quaid knew it and so did Cari.

  “You know I’ll die without Quaid and now you’re talking about my mating as though it’s not important. You just don’t care. You think because I’m smaller than you, or an oddity that my wishes don’t matter. You’d rather I was a specimen on the table, than someone who can speak up for themselves.” Cari scrambled off the table. “That’s it, we’re through. I don’t want to do this anymore and you can’t make me.”

  “You’re my fucking test subject and if you think I’m losing the biggest break in my career, you’ve got another thing coming.” Snatching something off his tray, Loup plunged it into Cari’s neck before his mate knew what was going on. A fucking syringe. Quaid had never shifted so fast. Before Cari hit the floor, Quaid had bowled Loup over, his large fangs hovering over the man’s neck, his giant paws pinned to the man’s chest. The empty syringe went clattering across the floor.

  “You can’t kill me,” the stench of urine hit the air, as Quaid growled. “I’m a respected scientist. I have friends in very high places. You put a scratch on me, and you won’t see daylight again.”

  Silly wolf. As if a lion gave a shit about friends in high places. Teasing their prey, however… Quaid growled some more and scratched his teeth along Loup’s jugular. Yuck, he doesn’t taste good. He’s taken shifter suppressants. I wonder why?

  “Fuck. Don’t maul me.” The wolf didn’t look so put together anymore, his body frozen, reeking of fear. “I’ve got money. Lots of money. An anonymous benefactor paid me a million dollars to produce Cari for the speaking tour. We can split it, fifty, fifty. You don’t need to ever let Cari out of your sight, I promise. It’ll be brilliant. We’ll travel all over the world, first class everything.”