by M. D. Grimm
“Hell yes,” Xavier growled as he carried Josh to the bed and laid him down. Josh yanked off Xavier’s tank, needing to feel hot flesh. He dug his fingers into Xavier’s back, feeling the muscles, the strong bones. Xavier was so strong and ruthless, but also so loving. Josh kissed Xavier’s corded neck, moving lower, licking his sweat and sucking the skin lightly.
Xavier shivered and groaned. “Fenris in chains, Josh. I’ve missed you.”
Josh had never felt such need in his life, this sense of urgency. Perhaps it was the fact that they could be interrupted at any moment, or perhaps the knowledge that Xavier hadn’t been inside Josh for far too long. Josh suddenly needed him, right then. He needed to feel his strength, to feel that connection again. Xavier was Josh’s first and only, and Josh craved him like a dying man does water.
Xavier pulled off Josh’s shirt before unzipping Josh’s pants. Rearing up, Josh kissed Xavier’s arms, and the muscles quivered under his touch, the skin heated under his palms. Josh needed to taste all of him, he needed to love all of him.
When Xavier gripped Josh’s exposed erection, Josh fell back on the bed with a gasp. Xavier stroked him with one hand as his other continued to push Josh’s pants down his legs. Josh stared and groaned at Xavier, whose eyes were bright gold, lust and need naked within them. He really, really loved Xavier’s eyes.
Xavier lowered his head—
“Xavier, Josh! Come quick!” The voice sounded distant, as if down the hall or stairs, but they both heard it clearly.
They both froze for half a second before Xavier pushed off the bed, his eyes now flashing a dark green, his skin rippling as if he was fighting the urge to shift.
Josh was as pissed as Xavier and actually growled. “What the fuck is going on?”
“They better have a fucking good reason,” Xavier growled, sounding more like a wolf than Josh ever could.
“Xavier, Josh!” The voice became louder, and then someone pounded frantically on their door.
Xavier yanked it open even as Josh got out of the line of sight and tugged his pants back on.
“What is it, Misty?” Xavier asked.
“I’m so sorry, but it’s Freddie, he’s—”
“Freddie?” Josh grabbed his shirt off the floor and ran to the doorway. He caught the panic and fear in Misty’s eyes, and the last of his raging lust died. His own fear rose up to replace it.
“What happened?” Xavier asked.
Misty’s skin was rippling, her muscles twitching with nerves. “I don’t know. He was doing fine, really. He’d helped a little around the clinic after your session with him, Josh. Then he went to his room, and his mom left, saying she was going out of town until tomorrow. But, just now, he came running out as a bear and charged Bruno when he stepped out of the kitchen. Then Freddie ran out of the clinic.”
“Is Bruno all right?” Josh asked.
“I think so.”
“Xavier—”
But Xavier was already running down the hallway toward the stairs. Josh was right on his heels, with Misty behind him. Josh surprised himself by saying, “Get the tranquilizers.”
Misty ran down another hallway as he and Xavier proceeded outside. His mind was jumbled, and he vaguely thought ordering Misty for the tranquilizers was the last coherent thought he might have. He should be better prepared for this, having been trained by the Agency, but he didn’t think he’d have to deal with aggressive patients just yet.
But that was why he had a partner.
“You.” Xavier pointed at one of the roof workers. “What direction did he take?”
“He ran down the lane. Russ, Andrew, and Lily ran after him.”
Josh briefly met Xavier’s eyes. Freddie was running straight toward Haven.
“You, you, and you—” Xavier pointed again to able-bodied workers. “—come with me. The rest of you stay here.”
The air shimmered around him as he began to strip. Josh hurried over and grabbed his arm as Misty ran out of the clinic holding a small bag.
“Just wait a minute, Xavier. Let me call Jack and—”
“There’s no time. Stay here.” He stripped off his pants and stood there, naked, his skin beginning to ripple more violently, his eyes shining.
“I’m not staying, I can—”
Xavier gripped Josh’s collar and hauled him up until his toes barely brushed the ground. Xavier’s gaze was on fire. Josh gulped.
“You are staying here. That’s an order.”
Indignation shoved aside his panic at Xavier’s command.
“Dammit, Xavier. I will not hide like a coward. I can help—”
“You stay here.” Xavier said the words slowly, with a wild ferocity in his eyes. “We don’t have time to argue. Just do as I say.”
With that, he shoved Josh away and shifted. A large black wolf now stood where Xavier once was. He howled once, short and loud, and then charged down the lane. Three other wolf shifters followed.
Josh clenched his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. Seething, he whipped around and yanked the bag from Misty’s hands before running toward the truck, fishing the keys out of his pocket.
“Josh, wait! Xavier said—”
“He’s not my fucking commander.” Josh slammed into the truck and started the engine. He tossed the bag onto the passenger seat and put the truck in gear. He floored it, gravel and dirt flying, sending the vehicle roaring down the lane.
As he drove he yanked out his cell and called Jack.
“Sheriff, we got a problem. A bear shifter named Freddie just—” He scrambled for the right word. “—had an episode. He’s heading into Haven. We have seven shifters after him, including Xavier. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, Jack. Consider him armed and dangerous.”
He said the last on impulse, remembering the phrase from the cop shows he used to watch.
“He’s in bear form?”
“Yes.”
“Your position.”
“In a truck. I’m heading after him. I have tranqs. Hopefully we can end this without violence.”
“I’m calling in my pack. Don’t be a hero, Josh. Stay in the truck. Let the shifters handle it.” Jack hung up.
Josh seethed and threw the phone to the floor. He wasn’t helpless, for God’s sake. He was a former aide of the Agency. He’d been trained in combat and had a fucking brain. Fucking shifters. When this was over, he and Xavier would have words. That’s an order. His blood boiled. His mate had ordered him. Not in this lifetime.
Josh sped past buildings and his heart clenched as he thought of what damage Freddie could do to the houses, the citizens. They really needed to discuss putting up a fence and gate around the clinic. He entered a residential area and sped down a one-way street. It was now evening, and the sun continued to set, throwing shadows and causing the temperature to drop. Josh realized he’d forgotten a coat. He turned recklessly around several corners and four-ways before he rounded a corner and slammed on the brakes. In the middle of the side street, surrounded by homes, a good-sized bear shifter squared off with one wolf and two bear shifters. Josh wished Rita was there, but Misty had said Freddie’s mother was out of town until tomorrow. Damn the timing! She might have been able to talk him down.
His sudden stop made him bounce into the steering wheel, causing him to remember he’d forgotten to put on his seat belt. Wincing in pain, Josh grabbed the tranquilizer bag and unzipped it, struggling to steady his hands as he loaded the tranquilizer gun. It would knock Freddie out nearly instantly, and it was courtesy of the Agency. Josh had seen its effects firsthand.
But even as he finally managed to load the gun and look up, he stared straight into Freddie’s eyes when the bear turned his head. While it wasn’t as deranged as the look he’d once seen in Xavier’s eyes, there was something similar in the helpless rage, the hidden pain. Freddie roared, and just as Xavier and his group finally reached them, Freddie charged the truck. Josh yelped and fell across the seats, keeping low. Freddie leapt onto the hood o
f the trunk, denting it, and climbed over the cab, before diving off the end and turning down another road, which would lead him nearer to the town center.
Cursing, panting, Josh tried to start the engine, but the trunk stuttered, coughed, and died.
“Shit! Shit, shit.” Josh punctuated each word with a rap against the wheel. Then he opened the door and tumbled out, the tranquilizer gun in his hand. On shaky legs, his mind was now clear and set on what he needed to do. His initial panic had finally given way to determined action. Thank God for his training. He’d never been top of his class, but that didn’t mean he’d taken his training for granted.
But as he started to run after Freddie, same as the other shifters did, his legs were hit from behind, and he fell on his knees.
“What the fuck—” He turned and looked directly into dark green eyes. Xavier’s eyes. Xavier bared his teeth, curling his lips up. Josh’s heart climbed into his throat, but only for an instant. Xavier would never harm him.
“Don’t even start,” Josh snapped. He pushed to his feet and ran, the tranq gun gripped tightly in his hand. Xavier ran alongside him, despite the fact Josh knew he could run faster. Fine, if his wolf wanted to be his bodyguard, that was just fine. But he wasn’t going to be shut out from doing his duty.
They ran down modern streets before coming to old, narrow streets, the sort made for horse and buggy. They were getting closer to the city center. Relief flooded Josh now that they were moving away from residential areas. But businesses were still open, and restaurants were full for the dinner hour. The danger was still immediate.
They burst into the city center, a large plaza surrounded by city hall, the post office, a house of worship, and several restaurants and markets. There was a lot of room for a battle. Josh grimly prepared himself for that. But even as Freddie charged into the middle, bodies began to appear, many of them, and they blocked the main and side streets. Sheriff Jack’s pack had mobilized fast. Not all of them had shifted, and Jack was still in human form as he stood in front of city hall. Josh estimated around thirty other wolf shifters were with him, and they took positions to surround Freddie. They acted as a barricade against Freddie’s forward movement, or any movement, actually. Any direction Freddie took would have him charging trained wolves.
Josh realized something as he came closer. This had been a trap. Had the shifters with him smelled Jack’s pack and chased Freddie into the middle of it? Freddie skidded to a stop in the plaza upon seeing the wolves. He swung his head around, obviously realizing he was surrounded. A low rumble of growls filled the late evening. The shifters from the clinic halted, and Josh stepped up behind them, panting hard. He’d have lost the trail if Xavier hadn’t led him. Distantly, he noticed that faces were pressed against windows inside the restaurants and markets overlooking the street. They would have an audience.
“Jack! Don’t attack!” Josh pushed his way between the shifters to stand in front. Xavier’s jaw snapped around his shirt and tugged him backward.
“Dammit, Xavier! I know what I’m doing. Let go. Let go.” He tugged hard, and his shirt ripped against Xavier’s teeth. He met Xavier’s eyes when he growled.
“Trust me.”
Xavier’s lips folded back over his teeth, but he still stared with a fierceness Josh had only seen once before: when the knights had held him captive, and Xavier had blasted them away with high-powered rifles. A deep growl rumbled inside the wolf’s chest.
Josh turned around, relieved that Jack was holding his pack back. Travis was also there by Jack’s side, in his human form.
Josh didn’t dare get any closer to Freddie but did lift his voice. Freddie was currently pacing restlessly around the plaza, never getting any closer to any of the groups of shifters. He was panting, groaning, twitching with anxiety and perhaps pain. He snorted and limped, his bad leg tucked against his good one. His eyes, though, were still fierce, still looking for an escape route.
Josh took a deep breath. “Freddie, it’s Josh. Can you hear me?”
Freddie continued to shake his head and growl, his movements jerky.
“Freddie, we’re here to help you. Let us help you.” He kept his voice calm, steady. He remembered the tone he’d used on Xavier during one of his episodes. He hoped to God it would work on Freddie.
He tried to take another step forward, but Xavier stopped him by stepping in front, pushing back against him: a clear warning.
Josh swallowed hard and lifted his tranquilizer gun, aimed. “You’re going to be all right, Freddie. I promise. We’re going to help you and—”
As if the starting shot of a race had fired, Freddie suddenly whipped around, stared directly at him, and charged. Josh would never know if he could have made the shot, if he could have remained steady and fast. Xavier bounded up, launching off powerful hind legs and hit Freddie square in the face. Freddie fell back from the blow and locked deadly arms around Xavier even as Xavier clawed at his face.
“Xavier!” All the blood drained from Josh’s body. Somehow he managed not to freeze and screamed at Jack. “Jack! Keep your pack back! Do you hear me?”
Jack snapped out an order even as his own skin rippled with the urge to shift, and his eyes glowed with an intense light. Josh knew he must keep this from turning into a mob, into a slaughter. Everyone needed to make this out alive. Everyone.
Freddie let Xavier go but then swatted him hard in the face. Xavier tumbled to his side but came up swiftly, bloodlust in his eyes and stance.
“Xavier, stop—” He knew it was useless. Freddie charged, Xavier dodged, and they danced, claws, teeth, speed, and strength. Josh lifted the tranquilizer gun, but he wasn’t as confident in his shot as he should be. They kept moving, so fast, and his mind was panicked, scared. The wrong blow from one of those powerful paws and he’d lose Xavier. Even if he missed and hit Xavier with the tranq, that would give Freddie the chance to maul him to death. Josh hadn’t brought a spare dart. He only had the one in the gun. He only had one shot.
But even as the terror bloomed inside him, unchecked, and his hand shook violently, he realized Freddie was no longer touching the ground. He’d been lifted off the ground by an unseen force, and that even startled Xavier enough that he stepped away, his body crouched.
Josh sucked in a breath, realizing his telekinesis had been triggered. That was the power that had qualified him to work for the Agency, a gift from his fae ancestry. In stressful situations, it sometimes had a mind of its own, yet the fact that he’d made an animate object float in the air, without direct concentration, was a new one. That had never happened before. He’d always had more luck with inanimate objects.
Freddie roared as he flailed, his eyes wheeling with panic. He floated a couple of inches off the ground and everyone stared, dumbstruck. Even as Xavier whipped his head around to look at Josh, Josh took a deep breath, aimed, and shot. The tranquilizer hit Freddie directly in the chest. It took only a few short moments for Freddie’s eyes to close, for his movements to stop.
Then Josh closed his eyes and fought to calm his mind. He took slow breaths, in and out, and closed that portion of his mind that controlled the power, which had opened without him consciously thinking about it. When he opened his eyes, Freddie was lying on the street, breathing deeply. As they all watched, he slowly shrank, returning to his human form.
Josh shuddered out a breath, his body trembling, and wrapped his arms around himself.
There was a moment of stunned silence. Then Jack directed his pack away before stepping forward. Xavier shifted into human form and stomped up to Josh. He got directly into Josh’s face, fuming.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing? Why didn’t you listen to me? I gave you a damn order.”
That brought Josh out of his funk. He stood up straighter, pulling back his shoulders.
“I don’t take orders from you.” Josh punctuated each word with a poke to Xavier’s chest. “You’re not some damn general, Xavier. I’m your mate. Freddie is my responsibility—”
“You could have been killed!” Xavier shouted. “You stubborn idiot. We had no idea what he would do. He could have killed you when he charged over that damn truck.”
“He didn’t, and I’m fine. I’ve dealt with deranged shifters before.”
They glared at each other. Xavier trembled with rage, his muscles rippling, his teeth bared in a snarl. Despite the situation, the anger, the fear, Josh couldn’t help but admire the beauty of Xavier’s physique. Sweaty, with tight muscles and a few cuts and bruises, a massive one blooming on his cheek, Xavier certainly looked like he’d been in a battle.
Someone cleared their throat. “Gentlemen.”
“What?” They both snarled at the same time, never taking their eyes off the other.
“Would you like me to put him in my jail?” Jack asked.
Josh managed to tear his eyes away from his infuriating wolf shifter and looked at Jack. “That would be good, and safer for everyone. When he wakes, I can check on his condition—”
“You will not go near him.”
Josh glared once again at Xavier. “He’s my patient,” he said through gritted teeth. “Are you telling me how to do my job now?”
Xavier gripped Josh’s arm hard enough to bruise. “You will not go near him again. I forbid it.”
That cut it. Josh struggled to unclench his jaw and somehow managed to keep his voice calm and reasonable. “Let go or I’ll throw a damn car at your head. I mean it.”
Xavier kept hold for a few humming seconds before he slowly dropped his hand. But he didn’t step back and he didn’t retreat. He still looked like he wouldn’t mind ripping someone’s throat out. Well, fine. Josh felt the same.
Jack backed away from them, and a few of the still dressed shifters, along with Travis, helped bundle Freddie in a thick blanket before carrying him away. The other shifters who’d come with Xavier from the clinic traded glances and trotted away, leaving their bosses to their standoff. But they still had an audience in the customers who continued to stare through the glass, intrigued, most likely by the naked man in the street.