The One and Only (Fur, Fangs, and Felines Book 5)

by M. A. Church

  Brier stretched, his ass in the air. Then he wandered to Seth and stared at him, whiskers twitching.

  “What?”

  “Meer.”

  “Is this where I’m supposed to say you’re a pretty kitty? Because you are. A very pretty kitty. Here, pretty kitty, kitty, kitty.” Seth leaned over and held out his hand, his fingers wiggling.

  Tyler mentally rolled his eyes. Seth knew better. That was just asking to get nibbled on. Jerky movements were nothing but a temptation.

  Brier crouched, tail whipping.

  Tyler tilted his head. Hmm, that wasn’t what he was expecting.

  Seth sat back in his chair. “Ah, what are you doing?”

  His muscles bunched, and Brier leaped… right over Seth.

  “Whoa!” Laughing, Seth twisted to face Brier, who stood behind him. “Okay, so you’re a pretty badass kitty. Is that better?”

  Tyler laughed silently. Why had he never thought to jump over Seth? Man, the expression on his face!

  The next thing he knew, Brier made a strange chirping sound, then came flying around Seth’s chair… right at him. Panicking, Tyler darted away, then backtracked toward Seth. Another werecat running full-on at him was never good, and for a moment, Tyler forgot it was Brier. Tyler leaped and landed on Seth’s lap. Unfortunately, his momentum slammed Seth back and the chair tilted under the sudden combined force of Seth and Tyler’s weight. Tyler yelped. Seth yelled, frantically clutching at the arms, and over they both went.

  Tyler scrambled to his paws and, standing on Seth’s chest, yowled loudly in Seth’s face.

  “What? Seriously, why am I getting read the riot act? I was sitting here, minding my own business, and suddenly had a lap full of werecat.” Seth chuckled. “You, babe, caused this, not me.”

  Brier slinked over, licked Seth, then rubbed against Tyler. He trilled, and the nerves that had danced up Tyler’s spine from Brier running at him faded away. Bright blue eyes stared at him, the look in them sad.

  Tyler wasn’t sure if it was possible for him to feel more like an idiot. With an apology pat to Seth’s cheek, Tyler crawled off Seth’s lap. They were playing, for crying out loud. He could do this. He could.

  Brier hopped around him, meowing. He darted off, then came trotting back. Tyler appreciated Brier not coming at him at full speed. For now, that triggered his instinct to flee and was more than he could handle.

  “Well, that was fun,” Seth joked, righting his chair. “Maybe show Tyler how to play without barreling straight at him, huh?”

  Brier narrowed his eyes at Seth. Seth laughed loudly. With a flick of his tail, Brier jogged towards the woods, calling back to Tyler. Slowly Tyler trailed him. They weaved their way in and out of the trees and then abruptly Brier climbed one.

  Tyler was a pretty good climber, so he gleefully followed. They explored a couple of branches, meowing at each other. Brier let loose a strange purring chirp and started down the tree, with Tyler following him. Now that Tyler understood how this worked, he began racing after Brier instead of just trailing him.

  He hauled ass, his claws tearing up the grass, tail held high. Damn, this was fun. He’d never ran for the pleasure of it. And chasing Brier was exciting too. He closed the gap between them and, feeling brave, swiped at Brier’s hind legs.

  Brier chuffed, which sounded almost like a laugh, and then tossed a look over his shoulder. Oh yeah, that was straight-up a taunt. Reassured, Tyler tried again, and still nothing bad happened.

  Happiness flooded through him. It was rare for him to feel this… secure in his cat form. Brier made a loop, and Tyler followed Brier back toward Seth at full speed. Inside, he grinned, knowing what Brier planned.

  When Seth figured it out, he ducked in his chair. “Son of a—” First Brier and then Tyler flew over Seth.

  “Meow, meeeeow, meooow!” Brier hit the ground and spun.

  “Oh my God.” Seth shook his head. “You guys are so bad.”

  “Meer?” Tyler stopped by Seth’s chair and head-butted Seth’s leg, purring softly.

  “No, I’m not mad, but I have to say, having two cats as big as you guys running at you is a little intimidating.” Seth snickered, scratching Tyler under the chin. He pointed at Brier. “And you! You’re a troublemaker.”

  Brier licked Seth’s finger. “Meooow.” Turning, Brier wacked Seth with his tail.

  “Dude, do you have any clue how much that hurts?”

  Tyler jumped into Seth’s lap. Brier attempted to joined them, and Seth grunted. “Well, at least you didn’t knock me over this time. But, I’m not really sure this is a good—” There was a loud crack, and the three of them hit the ground. One leg of the chair rested next to them, snapped in half. Seth stared up at the sky, both cats laying on him. “Yup, a troublemaker,” he groaned, pushing at Tyler. “I tried to tell you guys, and oh my God, get off. Fuck, you guys are heavy.”

  “Mmmrreee.” Brier scooted off Seth, boosted himself up, and licked Seth’s cheek.

  Tyler rolled, hooked the chair leg, and cradled it, his back legs kicking.

  Seth leaned on his elbow, watching Tyler. “Someone’s having fun.”

  Tyler abandoned his newfound toy and cuddled up to Seth. Brier settled on the other side. One of Brier’s ears twitched as he found a comfortable position.

  “This is nice, but it’d be nicer with human bodies pressed close to me.” Seth petted each of them. “Just saying.”

  Bones breaking filled the air. Mercy, Tyler hated this. He gasped as the change ended. “Shit. That was fun. I had no idea.” He shoved his hair out of his face.

  Brier grabbed his clothes. “It was, wasn’t it? We can do that anytime you want. Just say the word.”

  Tyler nodded. He planned to.

  “So, anyone hungry?” Brier slid the shorts over his hips, buttoned them, and then covered the fire pit.

  Tyler’s stomach growled. Man, he was starved. Shifting always did that to him. He yanked on his clothes. “I could eat!”

  Shaking his head, Seth followed the pair back to the house.

  TYLER TOSSED and turned. Going to bed without Brier next to them was becoming harder each time. The blazing need in Brier’s eyes before he retreated to his room was bad enough, but the loneliness Tyler saw was slowly killing him.

  This had to stop. Brier explained his reasons for waiting, but several days had passed and they’d heard nothing. In Tyler’s mind, that wasn’t a good sign, so screw it. This separation was hurting Brier, and Tyler was determined to put an end to it.

  He peeked at the alarm clock. It was still early, but a decent hour. He rose, grabbed his pajama bottoms, and slipped into them.

  Seth sat up. “Finally gave it up, huh?”

  “Yup. I’m going to fix breakfast. After we eat, the three of us need to sit down and have a long talk. Brier’s suffering, and it needs to stop.”

  “I agree.” Seth climbed out of bed and pulled on his pajamas also. “He tries to hide it, but yeah, he’s miserable.”

  While Tyler cooked, he rehearsed what he wanted to say to Brier. Fuck waiting. He was done with it. Brier needed them. Each day that passed, Brier showed more signs of what resisting the mating call was doing to him.

  Once more Tyler fried some bacon, sure it would lure Brier out. A few moments later, Brier staggered into the kitchen. Tyler bit his lip to keep from saying anything. Brier looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes, something that wasn’t normal to see on a werecat.

  After breakfast was done, they cleaned up.

  “I’m going to take a shower, and then we can figure out what we want to do today. That sound good?” Brier asked.

  Seth pressed a kiss to Brier’s lips. “Sure. We’ll meet you back here shortly.”

  Tyler hugged Brier and quickly followed Seth. Once in their room, Tyler shut the door and leaned against it. “After we shower, we talked to him.”

  “Okay. But there’s also something else we need to do.”

  “What’s that?”
>
  “Show him my world. I can’t in good conscience mate him without showing Brier exactly who and what I am. I’ve told him, but, babe, seeing is believing.”

  Tyler ran a hand through his hair. “I know. It’s just… it’s a scary place.”

  “It is, yes. It’s also part of who I am, and he needs to see that. We do that first, and then if he hasn’t run screaming, we tell him we’re done waiting.”

  “Okay. I agree, but when you show him the shadow world, make it fast.”

  “Oh? I thought we take a stroll, enjoy the sights—”

  Tyler lightly punched Seth on the shoulder. “Ass.”

  “You love my ass.”

  “I do, and I would also love to see your ass in the shower.” Tyler slapped Seth on the aforementioned ass. “Get going.”

  “Mmm, bossy.”

  “Just go!” Laughter babbling up, Tyler pushed Seth toward the bathroom attached to their room.

  Neither spoke as they cleaned up, then hurried back to the living area. Tyler’s hands shook slightly as he waited, so Seth covered his with his own.

  Brier walked in moments later, also dressed for the day.

  “Hey.” Tyler patted the empty space next to him. “Come sit down. Seth and I want to talk to you about something.”

  Chapter Twenty – Seth

  VERY FEW things terrified Seth, but this definitely qualified.

  Brier raised an eyebrow as he moved toward them. “What’s up?”

  Tyler tugged Brier between them on the couch. “Seth and I realized something earlier. You’ve heard my story, but you’ve only been told the basics about Seth.”

  “What Tyler is trying to say is, I don’t feel comfortable mating you without showing you my world. It’s part of who I am. If you accept me, then you’ll have to accept all of me. You can’t do that without….”

  “Without seeing him in his natural habitat,” Tyler finished.

  “Not exactly how I would’ve put it, but yes. We might need to travel the shadows, and I’d rather your first time not be in case of an emergency. So, are you up for it?”

  Brier’s breathing quickened. He picked at his shorts before glancing at Seth. “I, ah. Look, I’m only slightly terrified at the prospect, and please don’t take that the wrong way. This is a big deal for me. Can we maybe, I don’t know, ease into this?”

  “I have an idea.” Tyler patted Brier on the knee, drawing Brier’s attention. “Seth? Why don’t you demonstrate what you can do first off? It might be easier for him.”

  Nodding, Seth rose, determined not to show how nervous this made him. “As you know, shadow walkers use any shadow to travel. Let’s see.” He studied the surrounding area. “There are several table lamps on in here, plus the sun coming in through the windows.” He cleared his throat. Why was this so hard?

  Brier’s brow furrowed. “Okay?”

  “Right. Have you ever noticed the shadows cast by different objects?” Seth walked to the entertainment center, which held Brier’s TV and other knickknacks. He pointed. “See this? This shadow?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now watch.” Seth stepped into the narrow band of shadow by the entertainment center and disappeared. From the darkness, he watched.

  Briar jumped. “Holy shit. Did you see his eyes? They turned black. His whole eye was black. And he’s gone. Just gone. It’s like the shadow absorbed him. Just sucked him in. One second he was there, and the next second he was gone. Fuck. Fuck.”

  Sighing, Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. Silence engulfed him. So far, not so good.

  Tyler grabbed Brier’s trembling hand. “I know it can seem intimidating. Scary, even. But keep in mind that this was a demonstration. You knew what was happening and what to look for. A lot of times when Seth uses his ability, no one ever notices. Humans tend to be oblivious. They think they just overlooked someone who suddenly appeared because they were distracted.”

  Seth nodded. Tyler explained it quite nicely.

  “And paranormals?” Brier asked.

  Tyler half smiled. “Fortunately, most believe shadow walkers are only myths. And those who do know fact from fiction?” Tyler tsked. “What are they going to do? I’m not trying to scare you, but if a shadow walker is after you, there aren’t too many places to hide.”

  More like there was nowhere to hide, but why split hairs?

  “Mother fucking hell.” Brier dropped his head into his hands. “They truly are the most dangerous of the paranormals, aren’t they?”

  “Hey.” Tyler nudged Brier’s shoulder until Brier finally looked up. “Keep in mind dangerous doesn’t necessarily mean bad.”

  Seth cheered from the shadows. Tyler was much better at this talking deal than him.

  “I know. I’m trying here. Seeing it… well, it’s a lot to take in.”

  “Look at it like this. The humans who are mated to werecats? I’m positive they struggled too. Shifter bodies tear themselves apart, then reassemble into some kind of creature that can be rather big. Are we cognizant in that form? Are we all just wild beasts? Those are questions I bet every human connected to our world has asked.”

  Seth paused as he walked through the shadows. Interesting. He never thought about it like that, but damn if Tyler didn’t make a good point. It was his ability that caused fear, not his body.

  “Then there’s the whole shifting thing itself. That’s got to be an ordeal for humans to accept.”

  Brier blew out a breath. “Dolf’s mate, Kirk, said much of the same.”

  “I’m going to put this in the simplest way I know how—don’t fear the unknown.” Tyler curled his lip. “Don’t hate something because that something isn’t what you consider normal.”

  With great responsibility comes great power. Hadn’t Seth read that somewhere? Or at least something similar.

  Brier studied Tyler. “You’re speaking from experience, aren’t you?”

  “You could say so. Seth also, to some degree.”

  Seth stepped out of a shadow next to a vase on the floor, and Brier jumped. “Unlike Tyler, though, many don’t know what I am unless I choose to expose myself. And sorry, there’s really no way for me to make a noisy appearance.”

  Brier rubbed the nape of his neck. “I take it you can hear anything that’s being said?”

  “Of course. I can also see from the shadows. It’s rumored that a shadow walker can only go to places they’d been to, but that’s not true. All I need is to have seen a place and I can get to it.”

  “That’s just extraordinary.”

  Now for the next test. Seth walked to Brier and held out his hand. “Do you trust me?”

  Time froze as he waited for Brier’s answer. Regardless of what Tyler and Brier’s goddess wanted, if Brier couldn’t trust Seth, then a mating between the three of them would never work. Without a stable foundation, whatever they built would collapse.

  Looking up, Brier met Seth’s gaze. “Yes.”

  Discreetly, Seth released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Then walk with me in my world.”

  Brier fidgeted in his chair, then finally held his hand out.

  “YOU OKAY?” Seth asked yet again, sitting next to Brier on the couch. Twenty minutes had passed since Brier walked with Seth and Tyler.

  Brier still shook slightly. “I’m fine, really. That was unlike anything I have ever experienced, and I’m not sure I want to again. Talk about a bleak, frightening place void of light and sound.”

  Seth purposely limited the visit because it was overwhelming. Intense. Fearsome. They’d entered in the living area and stepped out by the pond. He’d only kept Brier there long enough to get a feel of his realm. Having Tyler with them probably helped also.

  “Which is why I live in this reality, as most of us do,” Seth said. “The nothingness of shadows is not a pleasant place, I agree.”

  Brier shuddered. “Nothingness. That’s an excellent description.”

  “Well, you haven’t run screaming, so I’m going to
take that as a positive sign.”

  Brier straightened and turned to glare at Seth. “Never. Never, do you hear me? I will never run from you. Yes, that was alarming as fuck. I don’t deny it, but that doesn’t mean I’m scared of you. Do I have a healthy respect? Damn straight. You have an ability that is petrifying, but Seth, I trust you. You would never hurt me.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Do you think I don’t realize how much of a risk you felt this was? This is who you are, and it’s something you can’t change. Also I know you worried I couldn’t accept you, mate or not. Exposing yourself like this is hard. Opening yourself up to rejection is terrifying. But you did that. For me. So understand me right now, I’m not running anywhere. You hear me?”

  Seth smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. His relief was actually a physical thing. Before Tyler, he never allowed anybody close to him. Honestly, he didn’t care for people. Most of them, paranormals included, were more trouble than they were worth. Then he met Tyler and came to find just how much he did need someone. Now there was Brier. “I hear you.”

  “Good!” Tyler snuggled closer to Brier. “Then hear this: Seth and I talked this morning. We feel this not-mating deal has rocked on long—”

  Brier’s cell rung, and he paled. “Shit.” Frantically he pulled it out of his pocket.

  “Even with my less-than-stellar hearing, I can hear your heart pounding,” Tyler said.

  “I know. This is it.” Brier answered his cell. “Hey, Dolf. Yes, they’re here. Huh? Breakfast? Well, we’ve already eaten, but thanks. Okay, we will. Goodbye.” Brier took a deep breath. “My Alpha wants us at his house. Now.”

  Chapter Twenty-One – Brier

  BRIER WOULD never look at a shadow the same way. Seth’s world had unsettled him. The desolation was unfathomable. The darkness wasn’t complete, but it was hazy. The landscape was barren. Dead. Totally colorless.

  The absence of sound bothered Brier on a primitive level. Although he lived in the country, there was noise—even if it was only frogs croaking or birds chirping. Wind blew through the trees, making the branches rustle. Plus, he could say he’d never, in all of his life, been to a place that had an absolute absence of odor. For a shifter, that distinct lack left him reeling. There was always something—car exhaust, soap, hairspray, cut grass—and he was inundated with scents all day long.