by Tl Reeve
“Where would we go?” Osirus asked.
“Canada. Specifically, Nelson, British Columbia would be our end point,” he said. “I scoped it out even before we came to Window Rock.”
“Does Kalkin know?” Osirus stared a hole through him.
Rapier shook his head. “Nope. Never had a chance to discuss it. Things happened quickly after court.”
Kalkin and Caden left almost immediately. Rapier suspected, given Kalkin’s press conference, they’d gone directly to the station so Caden could file a police report of his rape. “You got something to say, O, say it.” Rapier noticed the look of distaste on his best friend’s face.
“Kal isn’t going to leave, Rapier. We both know it,” Osirus stated. “He’s not the type of man—”
“But I am?” Rapier growled, hating the sour feeling of his stomach as his old insecurities of sending his pregnant mate away reared their head.
“I didn’t say that, asshole.” Osirus pointed at him. “Don’t you fuckin’ put words into my mouth. You’ve known me long enough to know I’m capable of speaking my own mind.”
“Then what’s the issue?” Rapier demanded. “I wouldn’t just leave. I plan on having a conversation with him sooner rather than later.”
“My issue is, Kalkin Raferty offered you the Co-Alpha position thinkin’ our Pride would have his back when shit got ugly. Now you’re talking about running away,” Osirus snapped.
“I’m talking about being prepared, O.” Rapier stood to his full height. Osirus followed, not getting right in his face, but close enough that he could feel the lion under Osirus’ skin begin to pace. “Not tuckin’ fuckin’ tail and running like cowards. You might be willing to ignore Jenna and the fact that she’s your mate, but do you really want to see her dead at the hands of Raymond Quincy?”
“Rapier,” Jasmine squealed.
Rapier turned to look at his still seated mate, who was glaring daggers at him. He shrugged. “What? News flash, kitten, it ain’t a secret. They reek of each other.”
“Could you have some tact?” Jasmine hissed.
Rapier knew immediately what his little mate was trying to do. Divert the standoff between him and Osirus. Little did she know, even as agitated as his lion was at this moment, neither he nor the beast would attack the man in front of them. The lion and the man respected Osirus.
“Do you fuckin’ know me, mate? I was born without it,” he said. How the fuck did this conversation turn into me being an asshole?
“And a filter,” Jasmine retorted.
Rapier sighed. “I risked her before, O. I won’t risk my mate or my cubs again. It killed me every goddamned day to know she was on her own.”
“She had Jenna,” Osirus said.
“Right, and don’t stand there and tell me it didn’t hurt you to lose Jenna for so long. I’m eternally grateful, now and forever, to my mate’s sister for everything she gave up for me. I can’t leave my mate alone to defend herself and our girls again. Those lost ten years, they eat at my gut every day, knowing I could have lost them and never been aware.” He felt Jasmine stand beside him, her arm intertwining with his, until her hand wrapped around the tight fist of his hand. “I’m not proud to be contemplating running, but I’m not going to risk my family this time. I’ve got to be smart and think of my family. My entire family. We’ve got to be smart. Raymond Quincy will not catch me with my dick swinging in the wind again.”
“Rapier,” Jasmine mewled. “Baby, you did what you had to do. Neither Jenna, myself, or the girls hold any ill will toward you.”
Rapier snorted. Except they did. Being away from him had worn Jasmine down. The exhaustion from being constantly on guard and stressed was still showing in her eyes. Every time he saw the shadows, and the tiredness in her face, he wanted to rip Raymond Quincy’s fuckin’ head clear off. His girls…fuck, his cubs, he couldn’t deal with what the stress of constantly being on guard had done to them. It fuckin’ killed him when the girls would bring up or ask their mother to tell them a story about an important milestone or they’d share a funny story that happened while he wasn’t around. It felt as if someone stabbed him with a dagger clear through his heart.
He’d missed it…all of it, and he was unwilling to miss another damn moment of his girl’s lives. So, no…no fuckin’ way was he planning on sending them away and missing another chunk out of their lives. He wouldn’t survive it. Not now, not ever. His girls…all of his girls needed their daddy.
Rapier placed his hand on Osirus’ shoulder. “No harm ever came, brother, from being prepared. You think Kalkin Raferty doesn’t have a plan in place for his family, his mate, and his pups? Sure as shit a man like that does.”
Osirus didn’t say a word. Didn’t have to. Rapier could see the wheels turning in his dark-brown eyes. His gaze flicked to Rapier before landing on Jasmine. “You agree with this?”
“Yes,” Jasmine said without any hesitation.
Her hand squeezed his a little hard, giving him both a verbal and physical assurance. The lion inside of him visibly relaxed, and the breath Rapier hadn’t been aware he was holding slowly slipped between his lips. “Decisions about going with us or not, if shit goes down, doesn’t have to be made tonight.”
Wy stood, surprising Rapier. “I’m going with you. We’re a family. Family sticks together.”
Cormyr, Rashid, and Saber all stood, one by one, informing him they’d also follow. It didn’t surprise him Osirus didn’t immediately agree. He had Utah to think about. The young tiger shifter was just getting comfortable, coming out of his shell and finding himself. Pulling him from Window Rock could negate all the progress he’d made recently.
“It’s okay, O. You do what you gotta do. We’re still brothers, no matter what,” Rapier pledged. He removed his hand from Osirus’ shoulder, then gripped Osirus’ large forearm. Rapier pulled him close, giving him their version of a hug.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join?” Kalkin Raferty muttered.
Rapier’s eyes flickered to the doorway leading to the kitchen. The wolf Alpha leaned against the casing wearing a pair of jeans and t-shirt, both black. He didn’t miss the sardonic smile on the Sheriff’s lips. Rapier suspected the other man had heard plenty of their conversation to connect the dots on what was actually going on in the Dryer household.
“I knocked. Couple of times. No one answered, so I let myself in,” Kalkin said. “Looks like a family meeting?”
“Yeah,” Rapier said. “It is.”
“Just came from one myself,” Kalkin admitted, his ice-blue gaze holding his.
Curiosity got the better of Rapier. “And how’d that go?”
Kalkin snorted. “Unlike you, I gave orders. Which will be followed.” Kalkin pushed off the doorframe. He looked at each of Rapier’s family members before he crossed to the living room where their meeting took place. “FYI, I realize I don’t have a say, but Rapier is right. Having a contingency plan isn’t running. It’s being smart. As your Alpha, it’s Rapier’s job to protect you. Being prepared is just part of it.”
“Yeah, well, tell it to this asshole,” Rashid said. “He’s the one thinking he could ditch us and we’d be fine with it.”
Kalkin chuckled. “I don’t think anyone tells Rapier anything when he’s in this kind of mood.”
Rapier flipped Kalkin off.
“See,” Kalkin scoffed.
“Well, if we’re done here,” Cormyr said, standing. “We all need showers and food.”
Once everyone left, Rapier sat beside Jasmine while Kalkin took the chair Osirus had been occupying. “Do you have a backup plan if this all goes to shit?” Might as well dig into the shit pile before it covered them.
“Yup,” Kalkin replied.
“Going to let me in on it?” Rapier asked.
“Fuck no. Just like I don’t want to know your plans.”
Guess he hadn’t heard all of our conversation. “Don’t you trust anyone?”
Kalkin’s left brow rose. “M
y mate. My kids and my siblings. In that order.” Kalkin leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Do us all a favor, Rapier, and keep your plans to yourselves. Less chance of Quincy finding out.”
“Can I get you something to drink, Sheriff?” Jasmine pipped up.
Kalkin smiled. “It’s Kalkin or Kal, or if you’re like my mate, hey asshole works too.”
Jasmine chuckled. “Okay, asshole. Would you like a beer?”
Kalkin snorted. “Now, you’re getting it. I’d love a beer, if you got one.”
“This house is overrun by males, it’s a given.” Jasmine turned to Rapier. “Want one?”
“Yeah,” Rapier said, feeling tired.
“Be right back,” she said before she scurried out of the room.
“Saw the press conference,” Rapier said.
“Yeah. It’s beyond fucked up.” Kalkin rubbed at the back of his neck. “We’ve had about a dozen and half calls come into the station with the same story as Caden since we did that.”
“How’s Caden doin’?” Granted, Rapier didn’t really get along with the pack Beta, but it didn’t mean he didn’t have sympathy for the other man.
“Better than I thought he would. He’s manned the phones the first hour or so. Has taken to being involved in the interview process. More importantly, he hasn’t started hitting the bottle yet.”
Rapier nodded. It took a lot of fuckin’ alcohol for their kind to get drunk. Caden had made a good go of it, keeping himself in a perpetual state of drunkenness for almost a year. Since reconnecting with his mate, to Rapier’s knowledge, Caden had never taken another sip.
Jasmine came back into the room, two brown bottles in her hands. “Here you guys go.” She handed a bottle to each of them. “I’m going to go relieve Utah. He’s been out with the girls long enough. I’m sure they’re driving him batty.”
Which was his mate’s way of giving him the privacy to talk with Kalkin. “Don’t go far.”
“No worries, daddy. I’m not,” she said before she stepped outside.
Kalkin quirked a brow. “Daddy?” A sly grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You kinky bastard.”
“It doesn’t mean what you –”
Kalkin chuckled. “I know exactly what it means, Rapier. When a woman calls her lover daddy, it doesn’t mean she is fantasying about fuckin’ her dad, asshole. It means you’re the boss, the one in charge. I actually like it.” He scratched at his beard. “Wonder if I have a shot in getting Keeley to call me daddy while I’m fuckin’ her.”
Rapier laughed. “She might take your dick off if you try.”
“That could be a problem, seeing how I’m attached to my dick and so is she,” he said, humor laced through his voice. “Let me let you on in a little secret. It takes one kinky bastard to know another.”
Rapier took a long pull from his beer before responding to Kalkin. “I’m not surprised. I took you for one dominant bastard in and out of the bedroom.”
Kalkin snorted. “You’re not far off.”
“Seriously? I was joking,” Rapier said.
“Well, I wasn’t,” Kalkin said with a droll look on his face.
“I’m not sure if this is a politically correct conversation to be having about our mates,” Rapier replied.
“Whatever,” Kalkin stated. “I’m not really known for being PC.” He dangled his bottle between his fingers and stared at the floor for a minute, as if to gather his thoughts. “Got a question for you. Something I always wanted to know.”
“Should I be scared?” Rapier asked.
Kalkin shrugged. “Nah. Just always wanted to know since wolves knot their mates when they fuck them. Do felines barb them?”
Surprise and embarrassment shot through Rapier, causing the bottle he’d been holding to slip between his fingers. He snatched at it at the last second, keeping it from ruining the hardwood floor. “What. The. Fuck. Kal? You mean you don’t know?”
“It’s a legitimate fuckin’ question, Rapier. And no, I don’t fuckin’ know. Felines tended to stay away from wolves. We’re supposed to be mortal enemies.”
Rapier shook his head. By now, he shouldn’t be surprised at the shit that came out of the other man’s mouth. Yet, time and time again, Kalkin Raferty never ceased to amaze him.
He hesitated for a second then said, “No. I don’t barb my mate when I fuck her.”
Kalkin sniggered. “I’m no fool. I heard you stress the word I. So, let me guess, you, in your human form, don’t barb her, but your lion does.”
Rapier rolled his eyes. The man was fuckin’ relentless. Rapier knew if he didn’t give him an answer, he’d bug the piss out of him for the rest of his life. “Correct.”
“Damn…that fuckin’ blows. Nothing is better than knotting your mate’s pussy.”
“But only on the full moon,” Rapier added. “I can barb her at any point in my lion form during estrus. I still think I have the upper hand here.”
“What the fuck?” Kalkin tilted his head to the side. “You fuck in your animal form?”
“Yep,” Rapier answered. “Mind you, it hasn’t happened much since I got Jasmine back in my arms, but it can. We both shift of course, so there’s nothing weird about it.”
“I’ll be damned.” Kalkin took a pull from his beer. “Learn something new every day.”
“Lion shifters. Apex predators in and out of our shifter forms.” Rapier laughed. “Hate to one-up you.”
Kalkin smirked. “You’re not, if you’re an Alpha wolf like me and have a super dick that knots Keeley every time.”
“How’s that even possible?” Rapier blinked, then shook his head. “Isn’t that what the full moon aids in?” If Rapier hadn’t known the other man so well, he’d think Kalkin was pulling his leg on the knotting every time bullshit.
“According to Mrs. Martin, there is some sort of folklore about how only the strongest of Alphas tend to do it more often. Something about fertility, getting your mate knocked up and shit.”
Rapier smiled. “Bet the other members of your pack are jealous of your super skills.”
Kalkin shrugged. “To my knowledge, no one knows the truth about it other than you, me, Keeley, and Mrs. Martin.”
“Yeah right. Women talk. A fuckin’ lot. I’d lay money Cookie knows,” Rapier said before taking another swallow of his drink.
“Nah, not my Keeley. She wouldn’t tell anyone about what happens behind closed doors,” Kalkin answered.
Rapier couldn’t help but silently laugh at the great Kalkin Raferty’s naivety in how much sisters tended to gossip. He’d eventually learn. The hard way. He thought like Kalkin at one time in his life, until he overheard Jasmine and Jenna talking about their sex life. In vivid detail.
“You keep thinking that, big guy,” Rapier insisted.
Chapter Thirteen
Two weeks later...
Rapier tucked Jasmine into his arms while nuzzling her neck. Since their little impromptu meeting, everything had died down—for them, anyway. Kalkin and Caden had been updating him daily on the phone calls and tips that had come in on the search for Emmitt and victim reports for anyone who might have been assaulted by Marjorie.
To date, there were five men. Six children. All of them were raised by their father. All of them had moved away from Window Rock, due to the trauma. The men were willing to return with their children to testify along with giving their DNA samples in the interim. As for Emmitt... None of the clues were leading to his discovery, and with time running out, soon, Kalkin would have to declare the boy dead. Thankfully, Aiden was completely oblivious to the situation, as he should be. He was an innocent. As much as his life got ripped apart, he deserved all the happiness of a loving family.
Which brought Rapier back to his mate. As scattered as his mind had been since all the shit hit the fan, he wondered if their little rendezvous produced another life, or like before, twins. He inhaled deeply, but all he scented was his mate’s stress and her determination. They’d been down thi
s road before, and he wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Sometimes, doing the right thing to protect the people he loved was the wrong thing to do. He wouldn’t send Jasmine away ever again. His heart, his mind, and his body couldn’t take it.
Still, he wished.
Rapier missed so much of the girls’ development. His missed feeling their kicks and seeing their images on an ultrasound machine. He missed their delivery. He missed hearing their first cries. Their first words. He missed watching his daughters grow into the two beautiful, smart-mouthed, sarcastic, proper girls. He lowered his hand to Jasmine’s belly and sighed. Maybe, this time, he’d get a chance to do it right—if she was pregnant.
So far, he hadn’t been able to smell it.
Jasmine sighed and wiggled her rear across his groin. His semi-erect cock twitched and thickened more. What he wouldn’t give to just slip between her creamy thighs and fuck her awake. She rubbed him again, and some of her slickness coated the length of his dick. Rapier bit back a moan. His little kitten was awake. Had she been pretending the whole time?
“Morning, kitten,” he purred.
“Morning, daddy.” She glanced up at him over her shoulder.
“You aching for more?”
Jasmine nodded.
“Show me.”
Jasmine guided his cock to her entrance then tilted her hips so that he slipped right into her. Rapier groaned. The wet heat of her pussy gripped him in a tight hold, the muscles rippling as she adjusted to him.
“Everyone will be waking soon,” he whispered, rocking against her. “You have to be quiet.”
She gasped when he hit the sensitive spot that drove her crazy and caused her to melt around him. Rapier reveled in the sensations. He loved watching his mate get off on his dick. Missed it even more when he didn’t have her. He’d been a rabid asshole since they reunited, staying in her as much as he was working, trying to make up lost time. Which was stupid on his part, as there’d been no way to make it up. He could only keep moving forward.
“That’s it, kitten...”
