by M. A. Church
Uncomfortable, Brier sat quietly. Dolf wasn’t whining—he was praying to Bast. The tiredness he heard in Dolf’s voice scared him. Had he, or any of the others, ever stopped to think of the never-ending demands Dolf had been through since he assumed Alphaship? Of course not. That was Dolf’s job. But seeing this side of Dolf, a side Brier was sure no one saw but Tal and Kirk…. Brier straightened in his seat. Maybe that was why the goddess gave Dolf two mates, even though shit hit the fan over it. Accepting Kirk into their clowder started the winds of change, and they’d been blowing nonstop ever since. But a price had been paid. Many of the elders were unhappy with Dolf and the things he allowed to happen.
Dolf rubbed his forehead. “Have you by chance met this person?”
“Not yet, but I plan to. Her name is Shannon Smith.” Brier tilted his head as Remi’s voice drifted through the closed door. “Sounds like the other betas are here.”
“Yes. Tell Breanna you’ve spoken with me. I’ll contact her within the week after I have Heller do some checking into this human. We’ll go from there. Sorry, Brier, that’s the best I can do for now.”
Shit. “I understand.” Brier stood and followed Dolf from the office.
Chapter Five – Tyler
TYLER SIGHED. A few people had stopped and browsed the yard décor, but he hadn’t sold anything. Each time a car pulled in, he tensed. He’d thought about using that cologne Seth stole, but the strong scent made him gag.
He’d rubbed himself with whatever herbs were about and prayed for luck. Not a foolproof method, but normally they didn’t stick around long enough for it to matter. But sooner or later, his luck would run out here. Since Bast was so determined for him to stay in West Falls, he hoped she’d keep him from getting his ass kicked when the herbs wore off.
Around noon, Seth showed up. He pulled behind the stand, turned the truck off, and stuck his head out the window. “I bought lunch!” he hollered. “I’m going to change shirts so the cologne doesn’t bother you, and then it’s time to celebrate!”
“Lunch? Awesome.” There was never a time when Tyler couldn’t eat. “Want me to get an extra chair out of the camper?”
“If you don’t mind.”
Tyler strolled to the camper, opened it, and stepped inside. After he found a chair, he joined Seth at the table, where two bags of fast food sat. Tyler raised an eyebrow as Seth sat down. “What are we celebrating?”
“First place I went, I got hired—a construction gig. And get this. The guy even gave me a two-hundred-dollar advance because he was worried about me.” Seth chuckled.
“You played the sweet and helpless innocent, didn’t you?”
“Works every time.”
A truck pulled in, parked, and a man got out.
“It’s those wholesome good looks.” Tyler frowned at the stranger as Seth handed the other bag to him. “What are you going to be—?” The wind shifted, blowing in his face. A citrusy scent, light and fruity, nailed Tyler right between the eyes. Food forgotten, he grabbed Seth’s hand and sniffed. A growl rumbled in his chest, and his cat, who’d been napping, sat up and yowled.
Loudly.
The demanding presence in his mind overwhelmed Tyler. His skin was too tight. A sharp ache snaked down his spine. Holy shit, he was about to shift right fucking here. Frantic, he grasped the edge of the table, squeezed his eyes shut, and fought his cat.
“Tyler?”
Tyler hissed.
“Shit, babe, what the hell?”
More pain shot down his spine. He was losing the fight.
“Fuck! Tyler, what’s happening? Jesus fuck, are you trying to—oh my God, you are! You can’t shift.” Seth desperately reached for Tyler but stopped before he touched him. “Not here! Stop yourself. What’s wrong with you?”
That scent coming off Seth was driving Tyler crazy, that was what was wrong with him. It surrounded him. Called to him. Promised things he knew he could never have. Home. Hearth. Acceptance. He wanted to shift, sniff Seth from one end to the other, then go hunt down the owner of the smell. He opened his eyes.
“Goddammit, your eyes are that weird blue. What the hell do I…? I’m sorry. Remember that, please. Dammit!”
Pain exploded on Tyler’s cheek. His head barely moved, but it was enough to break the spell he was under. Tyler raised his hand and touched his face. “Dude, did you slap me?”
“Not hard!” Seth wrung his hands. “I’m sorry! Oh my God, I didn’t want to, but Jesus, Tyler, you were seconds away from starting your shift.” Seth waved his hand. “Seconds from shifting here! Here, where anyone driving up or down the road could’ve seen you, and dammit, there’s a lot of traffic out there! What the hell?”
That scent lingered on Seth’s skin. Again it threw Tyler, but he was more in command this time. Still, his cocked jerked. Oh no. Tyler hopped out of the chair and backed away from Seth, rubbing absently at his cheek. “Just… just stay there for a minute.” If that was what he thought it was, he’d need more than a fucking minute. “I got to get control of my cat before I come anywhere near you.”
“What?” Hurt flashed across Seth’s face. “Near me? Why? And since when does your cat try to force a shift?”
Oh, this wasn’t going over well, not at all. The last thing Tyler wanted was this, but there was no hiding it from Seth. He refused to. “Since he smelled his damn mate on you.”
Seth’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
“Get it off you,” Tyler demanded, trying not to panic. “The scent. Please, Seth.” His head spun. This could not be happening. He had a mate—Seth.
Seth rushed to the camper, threw open the door, and scrambled inside. Tyler’s cat did not appreciate that. Tyler argued with the silly creature, who was not happy with Seth for trying to rid himself of that tantalizing aroma. His cat thought it made perfect sense for Seth to smell like their other mate. Fuck that. I don’t want another mate, you hear me? Especially not a werecat mate.
He listened to Seth mumbling under his breath about antibacterial wipes. Hopping out of the camper, he tore open the pack and scrubbed viciously at his arms and hands, repeating the process several times. A pile grew at his feet.
That should work. Tyler relaxed as the scent dissipated. His cat, on the other hand, growled, displeased.
“Better?” Seth asked.
“Yes. God, Seth, this is so fucked up. So fucked up.” Tyler wanted to scream. Rip something apart. Leave this place and never look back. “We need to talk.”
Everything just got upended and… and how would it affect Seth? Seth was his mate, but now he had an additional one? Could Seth accept another person in their relationship? Would this be what finally destroy them? Wait, wait, fuck. A relationship? Damn mating instinct. He wanted no one else.
“I can hear you thinking all the way over here. It’ll be okay, babe. Can I come near you now?”
Tyler’s shoulders slumped. “Do you even want to? After what I told you?”
Seth crossed the space between them and pulled Tyler into his arms. “Do I want to? Are you kidding me? I will always want to be close to you. Hold you. Love you. This, whatever this is, changes nothing.”
Tyler rested his head on Seth’s shoulder. “But it does.”
“Okay.” Seth hesitated, then nodded. “You’re right. It does. I should’ve said it changes nothing for me.”
“Does this not bother you?” Tyler asked, his heart hammering. “How can it not? Why are you not losing your mind over this?”
“Let’s get out of here first, and then we’ll talk?” Seth nudged Tyler until he could see Tyler’s eyes. “We’ll deal with this together—together, as we always do. Understand?”
“Yeah. Okay.” Tyler stepped back and fought not to wring his hands. His life was falling apart, and Seth was so damn calm. But then, he always was.
“We’ll eat on the way. No use letting all that food go to waste.”
“I guess.” Tyler helped load their stuff, then picked up the fast food and joined Se
th in the truck. They ate silently. Seth drove, thank God. Tyler was in no condition, and if he was behind the wheel, he might keep driving right on out of this damn city.
Why, Bast? Why, dammit. A mate? A mate who’s a werecat? A mate who’ll probably take one look at me and hate me on sight? Who’ll probably try and hurt me because of what I am? I will not put Seth in the position where he has to protect me. Well, more so than I already do. Don’t do that to me. You know what lengths Seth will go.
You are the one and only, child. Trust in me.
Shocked, Tyler dropped his hamburger in his lap. He glanced around frantically. Since when did Bast speak to him mentally? Oh fuck him, that was something he absolutely did not need! She only came to him in dreams, and now suddenly she could speak to him while he was awake?
Don’t call my name if you don’t want a response.
“Duly fucking noted!” Tyler yelled, shocked.
Seth dragged his gaze from the rearview mirror and eyed Tyler. “What’s duly fucking noted? You okay over there?”
“No. No, I am not. I was rambling in my head, you know, just some personal thoughts”—he glared out the windshield at the sky, like maybe she was up there somewhere—“about what the hell she was thinking… and she answered me! In my head!” he shouted. “Something she has never done! And I hope she stops doing!”
“Hmm.” Seth’s gaze returned to the rearview mirror. “Sounds as if she’s stepping up her game.”
Tyler goggled at Seth. “What the hell, Seth?” Had Seth lost his mind? Had they all lost their damn minds? A hundred things ran through Tyler’s head, and he didn’t trust himself to say any of them. “I just can’t right now.”
Seth frowned at the rearview mirror, then tapped his finger on the steering wheel. “Okay. We’ll drop it until we get to the campsite, babe. And eat, please.”
No talking. Best idea he’d heard all day. Even if I was willing, and so was Seth, how’s this going to work? We never stay anyplace long. We have no real home, job, or friends. No possessions. Not really. I’m a freak of nature, and Seth’s a paranormal who’s feared. Who would want to live like we have to? Who would want us?
Now, if he could only get his thoughts to settle, he’d have it made.
Once they finished eating, he stuffed their garbage in the fast-food bag and stared out the window. Seth was certainly taking the long way home. Civilization faded and country took over. West Falls was a lovely place, the city well-kept and growing. The land surrounding it was a natural wonderland. Who’d want to leave all this? Tyler bit his lip. The more he thought on it, the more convinced he became that this would never work.
When they arrived at the campsite, Seth parked, came over the other side of the truck, and opened the door. “Come on. Let’s talk about this.”
Tyler sat in the seat, sulking. “I don’t want to.”
“This can’t be ignored.” Seth tugged Tyler’s arm.
“Fine.” Tyler climbed down. “And what was with you taking the long way here?”
“I thought someone was following us when we left earlier, but they turned off. With you trying to shift earlier on me, and all the traffic going by, I was keeping watch. Just in case. Turns out it was nothing.”
“Shit.” Tyler groaned. “That was stupid of me.”
“Babe, you were pretty much not in control there for a few seconds. And they didn’t follow us here. It was nothing.”
“Still. I can’t believe my cat did that.”
Seth grabbed Tyler’s hand and led him to the firepit they’d built. Tyler collapsed into a chair.
“So.” Seth sat across from Tyler. He leaned forward. “You said your cat smelled your mate on me.”
Tyler stiffened. “First off, you are my mate too. That hasn’t changed. My cat just happened to smell someone who is also a mate.” He scrubbed at his face. “Some werecats have two of them. It’s looking like I’m one of them, dammit.”
“Hey, I’m not threatened by another mate.” Seth left his seat and walked to Tyler. He knelt, resting his hand on Tyler’s knee. “We’ve been together for a long time. We have a history, babe. It’s always been me and you against the world, and no one can change that or make it matter less. Understand?”
“I know that. I do.” Tyler stared at Seth’s fingers, playing with them. “I just…. Why aren’t you more upset?” He glanced up. “We’re talking about possibly bringing another into our relationship. Does that not bother you? Not at all?”
“Why would it?” Seth maintained eye contact with Tyler. “You love me, and no one can ever change that. Just because you may have another mate doesn’t make what you feel for me less. I’m not threatened, babe. We’re a package deal, right?”
“Damn straight!”
“And there you go. I know you love me—that I’m part of you, just like you’re a part of me. That you would never leave me. That’s why I’m not threatened. Look, you told me once that a mate is a gift from Bast, right? So wouldn’t it stand to reason that if she has another mate for you, then this person and I will also come to care for each other? Maybe love each other?”
“You’re taking this really well. If it was me, I’d be freaking out.” Tyler stopped playing with Seth’s fingers and clenched his fist. “Hell, it is me, and I am freaking out.”
“I trust Bast.” Seth laid his hand on Tyler’s fist. “She wouldn’t do this if she didn’t have a reason. We just need to find what the reason is. Can you do that? Can you trust her too?”
Tyler unclenched his fist and threaded his fingers through Seth’s. He squinted at Seth. “Are you sure you aren’t part werecat?”
Seth chuckled. “All shadow walker, babe.”
“All this may be for nothing, you know. There’s a good chance whoever this is won’t want me.”
“Or me,” Seth added.
“Then fuck them,” Tyler answered hotly. “Seriously. Fuck them.”
“Or, they might want the both of us. Can you imagine?” Seth tilted his head, grinning. “If they can deal with what you are, then maybe they can deal with what I am. That would take a very special person, don’t you think?”
Tyler scowled. “As you tell me all the time, stop that crap. You act like you’re a monster.”
“Babe. I am. I’m a shadow walker.”
Seth had a point, as much as Tyler hated to admit it. Seth’s kind were loners and secretive, which was funny since they were hard to spot. They presented as human—meaning their eyesight, hearing, and strength was that of a nonparanormal. Hell, they even smelled human. But they weren’t. They terrified other paranormals because all they needed was a fucking shadow nearby, and they could step into it and—poof—they could disappear. If that wasn’t horrifying enough, they could take others into the shadows with them. Shadow walkers might be the weakest in their society, but they were the most feared. And hated.
“Well, before we worry about how this mate will react to either of us, we first have to figure out who it is,” Seth said. “If how you reacted earlier when you grabbed my hand is anything to go by, that means it had to be somebody I met today. No, no, someone I touched.”
“I think so. I smelled that scent on your hand. So?”
Seth frowned, thinking. “Let’s see. I didn’t stop on my way into town, and the first place I went to, I got hired.” Seth pursed his lips. “So somebody at the construction office, then. There were only five people there. One was a receptionist, but I didn’t go near her. Two were the owners, and I can’t remember if I shook their hands. Their names were Tal and Dolf.”
“Interesting names.”
“I know. There were two other guys with them, and I’m not sure what their relationship was with those two. One of them was called Brier, and I clearly remember touching him. We both reached for the door on the way out and… well….” Seth cleared his throat.
“What? Oh my God, what?”
“When I touched him, a tingle raced up my arm. Felt like a shock of some sort. I reacted. I kind o
f squeezed his hand.” Seth shifted his weight. “I got hard. I recall thinking that was weird because you’re the only one who affects me like that.”
“You got hard? Well, shit.”
Chapter Six – Brier
“THANKS FOR coming.” Dolf took a seat at the table in his office. His betas joined him. “Before we start, I want to update everyone on the construction on the jail. Tal and his crew finished up, and it passed inspection. We’re officially open, and Marshell is in charge.”
“Will it be open full time? Do we, I don’t know, have shifts there?” Remi asked.
“Yes, it will be. I’ll be interviewing for positions to help him out, so I don’t foresee a need for my betas to be there. There are only a few cells, but if there’s a crime committed that’s significant enough, I’ll send that person on to the Territory Leader to deal with. Think of it as a holding tank.”
“What’s he going to do when the place is empty?” Brier asked.
“Running applications for admittance into the clowder, coordinating with me for clowder-related issues, and things like that,” Dolf said. “I’ll keep him busy.”
Heller grinned. “So, he’s an administrative assistant?”
“Don’t bust his balls. He’ll help me keep things running smoothly from behind a computer,” Dolf said. “Marshell won’t hold the title of beta, but I will depend on him.”
“He’s reduced his hours at the shop for this too.” Janelle wrinkled her nose. “When the elders find out what he’s doing, they won’t be happy.”
“Yes, well, they can add it to the list of things they’re unhappy with.” Dolf’s eyes flashed blue for a second. “Moving along. The reason I called this meeting is because Sam noticed an odd scent on a dumpster at his restaurant. I sent Brier to investigate. It appears we had an unknown werecat in the territory, which, by itself, isn’t worrisome. Intruders usually move on. The problem is, this werecat had no personal scent marker.”
Remi whistled. “Whoa.”
“Indeed. Brier? Would you repeat what you told me?”
“Yes, Alpha. The first thing I noticed was the faded scent of a werecat, but it was generic. There were stronger chemical-based notes—oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and calcium. As you all know, that’s the basic composition of humans, but this was no human,” Brier said. “This was a werecat, but it had no personal marker and—”
