by M. A. Church
“Almost there,” Brier called back.
“I can smell the water,” Tyler said.
Birds squawked unhappily as they made their way through the woods. He grinned, even though he knew Brier couldn’t see it. It never failed. If there was a bird around, it read him the riot act. Poor things. Now there was double the trouble. He checked his watch and was surprised to see how much time had passed.
Brier scowled at a particularly aggressive mockingbird. “Noisy little shits.”
“Wait until it dive-bombs you. And they will, trust me.”
“I’ll have the damn thing for dinner, then. I’m already hungry,” Brier tossed over his shoulder. “And here we are.”
“Oh, it’s lovely!” Tyler exclaimed.
The bridge was wood and had railings. It stretched over a small creek that didn’t look too deep. Small boulders littered the tall banks, and trees and ferns dotted the unspoiled landscape. Sunlight peeped through the trees. His cat would love to explore, but that wasn’t happening until he had a better grip on Brier’s personality.
Tyler followed Brier to the middle of the bridge, with Seth hot on his heels. Brier sat. Okay, so they were just going to sit in the middle of the bridge? “Ah….”
“The trail isn’t used that much, plus we’ll hear anyone coming. On the off chance someone does, we can move.”
Tyler sat across from Brier. Seth sat between them but closer to Tyler. As much as he hated it, he understood Seth’s precautions. Too many close calls and the unending bias they faced taught them not to trust paranormals. He sincerely hoped Brier was different. Having to reject a mate wasn’t something he ever thought he’d have to deal with, but here they were.
“This is one of my favorite places,” Brier said. “Actually, I don’t live far from here.”
“You do?” Seth perked up. “I don’t know why, but I assumed you lived in the city.”
“Naw, that’s not for me. I love the country.”
“Tell us about your place?” Tyler asked.
“Sure. It’s a three bed, two and a half bath with a large open living area. There’s a wood-burning fireplace that’s stone, and it has large windows on either side. The fireplace is one of the first things you see when you drive up, and all the stonework is local. I recently redid the kitchen too. There’s a lot of windows. I like bringing the outside in. There’s an extensive open, covered porch I’m rather fond of too. And there’s a loft. Place looks like a log cabin set off in the woods.” Brier laughed softly. “I’ve been working on it for the past few years. I hope to show it to you both.”
The smile dropped from Tyler’s face.
“Tyler?” Brier flinched. “Did I say something—?”
“No, no.” He knew better than to let his excitement over Brier’s home get to him, but honestly, if he and Seth had a dream home, that sounded like it. Might as well get right to it, then. “There’s a lot about us you don’t know, Brier.”
“The same could be said about me,” Brier pointed out. “We just met, so of course I know nothing about either of you. That’s kind of the whole point of this.”
“I bet you haven’t been through what we have, though.” Seth glanced around. “This place—this whole clowder—seems perfect.”
Brier expelled a long breath. “Looks are often deceiving. There’s no such thing as perfection, and we have our fair share of problems. Maybe more than other clowders.”
“What do you mean?” Tyler asked.
“I’m not sure this is something I’m comfortable sharing.”
“I suggest you get over that.” Seth smirked. “Especially if we’re going to consider mating with you and staying here. We have a right to know what we’re getting into.”
Brier stiffened. “From what you said, it sounds like I could say the same.”
“Stop it, you two.” Tyler wrinkled his nose. “I swear, it’s like two bulls facing off. Brier, I understand you aren’t comfortable sharing what’s basically inside information about your clowder, but we have our reasons. And yes, I’ll tell you why we need to know this.” Here goes nothing. “I’m a half-breed.”
“You were the one at Arches not long ago, aren’t you?” Brier asked. “You were scavenging in the dumpster behind the restaurant.”
Nervous, Tyler clasped Seth’s hand, just in case. “Yes, but how could you possibly know that?”
“I didn’t fully introduce myself earlier. I’m Brier Fendon, a beta to the West Falls clowder.”
“A beta?” Seth asked, looking toward Tyler.
Tyler jumped to his feet, dragging Seth with him. “A beta! Fuck!” This was bad. Oh, this was very bad. His mate was part of the hierarchy Tyler despised.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Brier, still sitting, held his hands up, palms out. “Easy there. Yes, I’m a beta. I’m also no threat to you or Seth. Please, calm down. Please.”
A million memories ran through Tyler’s mind—memories of every werecat who tried to hunt him. Hurt him. Of every Alpha who purposely sent his betas after him and Seth. Of the names he was called, of the pure hate directed at him.
“What about your Alpha? Is he no threat to me too?”
“Again, I’m going to be honest.” Brier grimaced. “This is going to be a huge problem, but not for the reason you’re thinking. Dolf would never order you hunted or run off. In fact, he told us to treat you with respect if we found you in our territory.”
“Oh fuck, he knows I’m here?” Tyler’s first instinct was to haul ass.
“Yes. Let me start at the beginning. Please, Tyler? A clowder member, Sam, owns Arches. He reported an odd-smelling werecat around his dumpster. I was sent to investigate and reported my findings.”
“This is bad. Really bad!” Tyler grabbed Seth’s arm. “Seth? Maybe we should—”
Brier kept speaking. “Sam is also mated, Tyler. He’s mated to Janelle. She’s a beta to this clowder.”
Stunned, Tyler stared at Brier. “What?”
Brier hurried on. “She’s also a Vetala.”
“What?” Knees weak, Tyler sank to the ground, pulling Seth with him again. He gaped at Brier. Everything he knew about werecats—everything he’d experienced personally—said there was no way what Brier told him was the truth.
Concerned, Seth tightened his grip on Tyler’s hand. “Babe?”
Nothing made sense. “Are you seriously telling me your Alpha has a female beta who’s also a Vetala? How is that possible?”
“Remember that inside information? Well, this is part of it. Dolf is a progressive Alpha. Seth, you met with his mates the day you applied for a job. Tal is an Omega, and part owner of the business, as you know. The guy who was sitting next to me was Kirk. He’s also Dolf’s mate. When they accepted Kirk, they gave him the mating bite. Kirk was human, but he’s not now.”
“K-Kirk was h-human? And the clowder accepted him?” Tyler stuttered, shocked. He’d never heard of an Alpha allowing that, much less taking a human for a mate.
“He’s not the only one. Heller, another beta, mated with Lawson, who was also human. Another beta, Remi, mated with Marshell, who is a Vetala too. He’s Janelle’s brother.”
Tyler’s head swam. “But, but—”
“Janelle fought for her position as beta and won. She took the place of Aidric. He was a beta, but he left to be the Alpha-mate to a guy named Carter, who is a werewolf Alpha. Dolf gave Aidric his blessing, Tyler. Not only that, Aidric and Carter have come to our territory to visit.”
“Holy. Shit.” The thought was nearly more than Tyler could wrap his head around. “A werewolf? He let one of his betas mate a werewolf and allowed that werewolf on clowder land?”
“He did. Please believe me when I say that Dolf is different. He isn’t mired in the stupid biases and speciesism of our kind. But make no mistake, this hasn’t been easy for him either. We’ve lost clowder members. A few elders too. Now we have a handful of elders meeting in private because they’re unhappy with the changes Dolf has allowed. Things are a
mess, and I don’t see them getting better.”
“And now me.”
“And now you. Look, I’m not going to lie. Finding out you’re a half-breed, well… it rattles me, but I have absolutely no problem with who you are. Are you listening, Tyler? No problem at all. But the elders—”
“Will.” The disappointment was crushing. This was what he got for allowing himself hope. “And that means it’ll be a problem for your Alpha.”
“Yes. As much as I hate to say it, yes.” Brier rubbed his temples.
“Unfortunately, there’s more,” Seth said.
Chapter Eleven – Seth
AS MUCH as Seth hated to add to the worry on Brier’s face, it had to be done. It was only fair, seeing how Brier had shared with them.
“More?” Defeated, Brier glanced between Tyler and Seth.
“I’m afraid so.
“Something that’s going to freak the elders out more than Tyler being a half-breed?”
“Oh yeah.”
“One of my mates is a human and the other one is a half-breed and….” Brier frowned. “And you know what? I hate that word. It’s deplorable. We call our human mates hybrids because, seriously, after the mating bite, they’re no longer human… but they’re not fully werecat either. So why the hell don’t we call werecats like Tyler hybrids?” Brier stared at Tyler. “I mean, you’re a mixture of human and werecat—you just happened to be birthed instead of changed, so why the fuck do we use such a derogatory label?”
Seth couldn’t have agreed more. “Good question.” He hated the term half-breed, and seeing a pure-` blooded werecat come upon that conclusion on his own was promising.
“Which, again, Tyler, I think you’re incredibly sexy and sweet. I can see the love between you and Seth. I hope you’ll give me a chance to prove I’m worthy of that too. But make no mistake, if Dolf stands with me, this may be what sends the elders right over the edge. So what could possibly be worse than Tyler being a hybrid?”
Although the situation wasn’t funny, Seth grinned. “Didn’t your mama ever tell you not to dare fate?”
“Oh goddess.” Brier rubbed his hands over his face. “Okay, so what is it?”
“I’m not human.”
Brier froze. “Excuse me? But—”
“Hold on to your ass, because this is gonna blow your mind. I’m a shadow walker.”
Brier scrambled to his feet, nearly tripped himself, and grabbed the bridge’s railing. “You’re a what?”
“Oh, sit your ass down.” Seth rolled his eyes. “I swear, are you and Tyler part grasshopper? Up and down, up and down. Jesus.”
“Hey!” Tyler smacked Seth on the arm.
“Between the two of you doing all this damn jumping around, I’m exhausted. Yes, I’m a shadow walker, and yes, I’m fully aware of the rumors about us—which, okay, are pretty accurate.” Seth shaded his eyes with his hand and stared up at Brier. “Dude, seriously, sit down before I get a crick in my neck. You’re perfectly safe.”
“I… I….” Brier, chest heaving, stared at Seth.
Seth studied Brier’s pale face. “Now you know how Tyler feels all the damn time. Miserable way to live, isn’t it?”
“Seth,” Tyler muttered.
Seth heard the disappointment in Tyler’s voice. “Like I said, I’m not going to hurt you. You’re my mate, for crying out loud. I couldn’t hurt you any more than I could Tyler. I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I guess I just wanted you to have an inkling of what Tyler goes through.”
“He’s afraid of you, you ass. I’m afraid of how other paranormals react when they figure out what I am. Not the same damn thing, Seth.” Tyler stood and held his hand out toward Brier. “But he’s right. Paranormals fear Seth based on what he is. Look at you. As soon as you heard the words shadow walker, you freaked. See now why he said there’s bigger problems than just what I am?”
“Brier, please don’t leave,” Seth added. “I was an ass, and I’m sorry. I meant what I said, but that probably wasn’t the best time to say it.”
“Gee, you think?” Tyler demanded, his hands on his hips.
“Right. That wasn’t comforting at all. Fuck, I should’ve been reassuring you instead,” Seth muttered.
“He doesn’t go around attacking folks for no reason, and he’s not going to attack you,” Tyler added.
“I’m not like a serial killer or anything. And no more smart-assed comments either,” Seth promised. “Please sit back down?”
“I… I….” Brier swallowed. “I need to think about this. I…. This is huge. I’m sorry….” He took another step back. “I just…. I need some time and….” Turning, Brier walked over the bridge.
Tyler sank down next to Seth, staring at the place where Brier had stood moments ago. “Did he just reject us?”
“I… shit. I don’t know.” Pain lanced through Seth.
“Should we go after him, do you think?” Tyler blinked rapidly, then sniffed. “I mean, how can we let him walk away?”
“No. He wants time, and chasing after him… well, I think that would do more harm than good right now.” Seth checked the sky. Fuck, the sun was setting. Chasing after Brier in the dark would certainly endear him to Brier. Not. Guy would probably have a damn heart attack.
This was his fault. If he wasn’t a thing everyone feared, then maybe this wouldn’t be happening. He should’ve kept his mouth shut. Did Brier really need to know the kind of paranormal Seth was? He could’ve hidden his nature and fooled Brier.
“Babe, I’m so sorry.” Seth grabbed Tyler’s hand. “If it wasn’t for me—”
Tyler yanked his hand away. Glaring, he pointed at Seth. “Don’t you dare!”
“Maybe if I hadn’t told him what I am, he wouldn’t have—”
“No!” Tyler poked Seth in the chest with his finger. “You will not go down that road. You didn’t ask to be born a shadow walker any more than I asked to be born a half-breed.”
Grabbing the finger drilling into his chest, Seth threaded their fingers together. “Hybrid.”
Tyler frowned. “What?”
“Brier was right about calling yourself a half-breed. It’s insulting. The word has always bothered me, but you seem determined to hang on to the label.”
“That’s what werecats in particular have always called me, so… so I guess it got stuck in my head and… and I never stopped to think it was just a label they gave me—not one that I accepted or necessarily agreed with, and fuck, Seth, why haven’t you ever told me the word bothered you?”
“I don’t know.” Seth wrapped his arm around Tyler’s shoulders and pulled him closer. “I guess, in the grand scheme of things, we had more important things to worry about. But I always hated it.”
Tyler nodded slowly. “Brier was right. It was a label his kind gave me, so why should I go by what they call me?”
“You shouldn’t.”
“No, I shouldn’t. I guess I’ve never really stopped to think about it.”
“Well, while we’re on the subject, how about you stop calling yourself an abomination too? That’s another label they stuck on you. Honestly? If you were going to be called anything, I think it should be a miracle.”
Tyler grunted. “I can pretty much guarantee no one’s going to agree with that.”
“Screw them. You’re a rarity, and that makes you priceless. Their hate-filled rhetoric and narrow-minded views are why they can’t see how special you are.”
“I’m special all right.”
“You’re different from them, from what they consider the norm. They can’t get past their own insecurities. But here’s the thing about those who hate differences: it says everything about the hater, and nothing about the hated. It’s not you who’s lacking—it’s them.”
“Look at you, getting all philosophical. Now, take everything you just said to me and apply it yourself, because I can see what’s going on inside that head of yours.”
Seth flinched. “You’re right. I’ve never let what other
s think about me matter, but this is different.”
“But is it? I mean, I didn’t walk away from you when you told me.”
“Different set of circumstances, babe. The whole situation is different. Brier wasn’t raised like you or me—always on the outside looking in. I assume he grew up accepted. We didn’t. And we don’t know for sure he rejected us. All he did….” Seth trailed off, replaying in his mind exactly what Brier had said. “Okay, I see what you’re doing.”
Tyler arched a sly brow. “All he did was ask for time. Something that we both need to remember.”
Seth inhaled sharply. “We both jumped the gun, didn’t we?”
“Afraid so. We are a lot to deal with, but to automatically assume he couldn’t handle us was wrong. I did it too. And let me point out that not telling him what you are would’ve only led to trouble in the future. He would’ve found out. Omitting such important facts isn’t the best way to start a relationship.”
“You’re right, I know. It’d come back and bite me on the ass.”
“Yup.” Tyler tilted his head. “I hear footsteps.”
A moment later Brier stood near the end of the bridge. “I’m, um, sorry about that. I shouldn’t have just walked off, but I wasn’t thinking clearly, and then it hit me how that must’ve looked, and I didn’t mean for it to, and I’m just a little overwhelmed and wow. Jeez. Talk about word vomiting all over you.”
Tyler wrinkled his nose. “That’s a really disgusting visual, but I get what you mean.”
Seth laughed.
“I really am sorry. May I join you again? I need you both to understand this isn’t going to be easy. Aw fuck, who am I kidding? It’s going to be a nightmare. It doesn’t help that I don’t know anything about either of you.”
“Same goes,” Seth said.
Brier slumped. “I know.”
“Does that mean you’re not rejecting me and Seth?” Tyler asked.
“That’s exactly what it means, but we need to take this slowly. Can we just—I don’t know—just talk some? I know it sounds kind of lame—”
