Wood, metal, car plates from all over the country. He liked the dead stuff hanging from the walls a bit less, but this was hunting country, so he’d expected it.
A man rose from a table close to the wall. “Guys! I thought you wouldn’t come.”
Darin gave Ira a tight smile and they walked toward what had to be Jimmy. Everyone shook hands and Ira noticed Jimmy stiffen when it was their turn.
“This is Ira. He’s my mate,” Darin said.
Ira looked around, but the TV was on some game and almost everyone was looking at it, paying them no attention.
Jimmy nodded and gestured at the table. “Did you want to sit and eat?”
“Oh, no. It’s Mom’s birthday, so we’re full.”
“Great.”
“What did you have in mind for today?”
“Well, since we’re all furry, I thought we could head out and have a romp in the forest.”
Ira saw Darin blanch. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Jimmy shrugged. “Why not? It’s been a while since we had a run together.”
Darin looked at Ira, and Ira put his hand on Darin’s shoulder. “I’ll stay with Gabriel, don’t worry.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Once they’d decided, they headed back to the car. The small group of men who’d been waiting in the bar divided in smaller groups and they all headed toward cars parked on the street.
“We can go home,” Darin proposed.
Ira looked at the other cars. “It’s fine. I’ll stay with Gabriel. He can’t shift anyway.”
“They’re bound to get curious. They can smell you’re not human.”
“They can probably also smell you’re a predator,” Gabriel added from the passenger seat.
Darin’s forehead creased in a worried frown. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I had,” Ira told him. “I think Jimmy knows it, from the way he reacted when he met me, but he didn’t say anything, so it can’t be that bad.”
Darin sighed. “We’ll see.”
“I don’t have to shift now, and if you want to see my snake, I can show you at home.”
Shad snickered. “That sounds way more interesting than it really is.”
“Shut up,” Darin answered.
It didn’t take them long to get where they were going, and there were already one rabbit and two mice running around the small clearing they’d stopped at. Ira arched a brow at Darin and Darin shrugged. “Lots of small shifters in town.”
“I can see that.”
“So, are you going to stay with Gabriel?”
“Why can’t he shift with us?” Jimmy asked from where he was standing next to a car.
Darin looked uncomfortable. “You know why.”
“You could’ve told me.”
“I know, but I didn’t find out about the outing until Shad told me a few hours ago.”
Jimmy’s gaze slid to Ira. “What is he?”
“I’m a snake,” Ira answered. Jimmy’s eyes went wide and he shivered. Ira raised his hands and took a step backward. “I won’t hurt you. I won’t even come near you.” He held his hand out to Shad and Shad gave him the car keys. “See? I’ll stay in the car the entire time.”
Jimmy looked at his feet. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be. Darin and Shad told me what happened to you, and I understand. Really. Now go have fun.”
Ira unlocked the car, quickly kissed Darin, and climbed in. He watched as Gabriel kissed Shad and followed his lead. The twins undressed and Ira kept his eyes on Darin. Darin smiled and shifted, and dang, he was cute. All furry and with a cute pink nose, he made Ira want to grab him and cuddle him.
“Sweet, huh?” Gabriel asked from the backseat. Ira looked back and saw Gabriel had taken his shoes off and had stretched along the entire seat.
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry you couldn’t go with them.”
Ira shrugged and watched the rabbit run after the squirrel—Jimmy. “It’s fine. It’s not like I have to shift, and if I want to, I can do it at home.”
“True.”
The light outside was fading, but it was still enough for Ira to be able to see the small shifters run after each other and have fun. That was why he managed to see the human grabbing Jimmy right away.
Ira looked back at Gabriel. “You know that guy?”
Gabriel rose and looked, and when Ira looked outside again, there were more people in the clearing. A few were naked—Darin’s friends—but the other three were human and armed to the teeth.
Darin and Shad ran toward the car just as Ira got out of it. One of the sugar gliders jumped on Ira’s leg and quickly climbed it until it could settle on Ira’s shoulder. Ira hoped Darin wouldn’t fall and faced the humans. “Put him down.”
All of Darin’s other friends were back in their human forms, but Jimmy wasn’t, maybe because he saw the man holding him like a predator. The man smiled at Ira and squeezed, and Jimmy squeaked.
“Put him down,” Ira repeated.
“Are you human? Is that why you didn’t shift with them?” the man asked.
“Not your business. Now put him down.”
Instead of doing what Ira had asked, the man raised a hand and grabbed Jimmy’s head. Ira’s blood turned cold. He knew what was about to happen, and Darin squeaked from his perch on Ira’s shoulder.
Ira saw the man twist his hand as if in slow motion and reacted without even thinking about it.
He felt his face shift, and the pause the man took and the look of horror on his face told Ira he wasn’t completely human looking anymore. He moved forward and felt Darin jump from his shoulder just before he collided with the man.
They fell, Ira’s landing cushioned by the other man. The man opened his hand and Jimmy fell from it, but before the man could take out his weapon, Ira struck and bit his wrist. The man yelled and tried to shake Ira away.
Ira let go. The man tried to push Ira, but Ira leaned forward and grinned at him. “I’d stop this bullshit if I were you. You need to get an antidote if you don’t want to die.”
The man blinked. “W-what?”
Ira looked around and saw with relief that one of the other two armed men was unconscious while the other one had disappeared, probably run away when he’d seen the shifters could defend themselves. “I’m a venomous snake.”
Ira rose and the man scrambled to get on his feet. He looked scared and pressed his hand on the bite on his wrist. “Ve—venomous?”
“Yup. Hemotoxic. Run, or you’ll die before you can get to the hospital.”
Ira didn’t have to repeat himself.
Chapter Six
“What the fuck just happened?” someone asked as Darin hurried to where Jimmy had fallen.
He kneeled next to the small furry body, chanting pleasepleaseplease in his head. Jimmy couldn’t be dead. He just couldn’t, even though the guy who’d grabbed him had tried to hurt him.
Darin ran a finger on Jimmy’s fur and Jimmy twitched. Darin released the breath he’d been holding. “Hey, buddy. Come on, open your eyes.”
Jimmy blinked and seemed to remember what had happened right away. He jumped up and staggered, squeaking like crazy. Darin reached for him and tapped his finger on Jimmy’s head to get his attention. “You’re fine, and those guys are gone.” Darin looked at the one passed out on the ground. “Well, two of them are gone. Third one’s still here, but he can’t hurt you.”
Darin got up and took a step backward when Jimmy shifted. He quickly handed his friend his clothes, because it was cold, and steered him toward his car. Jimmy let Darin do whatever he wanted without protesting, and that was how Darin knew Jimmy was more hurt than he’d thought.
“I think you should see a doctor.”
Jimmy snorted as he climbed in the passenger seat of his car. “Sure. Wonder how I’ll explain that my neck was almost snapped and how I was
thrown to the ground and hit my head, all of this in my squirrel form.”
Jimmy settled against the seat and closed his eyes while Darin took his cell phone out. He dialed a number Dominic had insisted they all learned and a woman answered after only one ring. “Uh, hello. I have a wounded squirrel shifter here.” Jimmy’s eyes snapped open as Darin continued. “Someone tried to snap his neck while he was in his squirrel form, then threw him on the ground.”
“Is he conscious?” the woman asked.
“Yes. He shifted back and he’s talking normally, but I’d feel better if we could get him to you.”
“Of course. I just need your position.”
“Uh, we’re in the woods near Edgemont.”
“Can you take a picture and send it to this number.”
Darin obeyed her. He snapped the picture, sent it, and put the phone next to his ear again. “Done.”
There were some voices on the other side of the phone, then the woman came back. “Our Nix should be there in a few seconds.”
Sure enough, a tall blonde woman appeared out of nowhere a few feet away from them. She was wearing a blue uniform with a stem on her left breast, and she quickly walked toward Darin. “I see her,” he told the woman on the phone.
“Perfect. She’ll bring your friend and another person to the hospital, but if more people have to come you’ll have to call another number and ask for another Nix.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Don’t worry, and thank you.”
Darin hung up just as the Nix got to the car. He stepped backward to give her space and she leaned forward to look at Jimmy. “Who’s going with him?” she asked.
Darin looked around. “Guys?”
Lenny, the rabbit shifter, stepped forward. “I’ll come. Ben can take my car back.”
“Darin?” Jimmy asked from the car. The Nix moved away and went to talk to Gabriel, who was still hovering above the guy he’d knocked out.
“Yeah?”
“She’s taking me to the hospital?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry, it’s the supernatural one, so they’ll know what to do, and you won’t have to hide your squirrel.”
“Can I talk to Ira first?”
Darin raised his brows, but he nodded. He turned to look at his mate, who was leaning against the side of their car, and gestured him forward. Ira cocked his head but came closer, and Darin stepped backward once again. Ira looked at him and frowned, but Darin just pointed at Jimmy. “He wants to tell you something.”
Ira looked surprised and stayed far enough away that Jimmy wouldn’t feel threatened. Jimmy gulped, loud enough that Darin heard it, but he didn’t cower in front of Ira. “I wanted to thank you. That man would’ve snapped my neck if you hadn’t intervened.”
“Uh, it’s fine.”
“You saved my life.”
Ira looked uncomfortable. “Anyone would’ve done it.”
Jimmy shook his head and winced. “That’s not true, especially after the way I treated you. So thank you.”
Ira nodded and quickly put some more distance between the two of them. He came to stand by Darin’s side and they both watched as the Nix came back and held her hands out. Jimmy looked wary, but Lenny looked like he was having the time of his life as he grabbed the offered hand and beamed at the Nix. She smiled back, and it made Lenny’s smile grow even more.
“Hey, no flirting until I get to the hospital,” Jimmy groused.
Lenny went red but the Nix just looked at Darin, nodded, and shimmered them away. Darin looked at the now empty space and sighed. He leaned against Ira and Ira looped an arm around his waist. “I want to go home.”
Ira nodded against Darin’s head. “Gabriel already called the mansion. They’re sending someone so that guy will be taken care of, then we can go.”
Darin kept his eyes on the clearing and he was the first one to see Cerris shimmer in. He wore the council uniform, black with red trim, and strode toward Gabriel with only a little hesitation. He was very different from the last time Darin had seen him. Cerris and the other Nix that had come with Nysys were almost all painfully shy and self-conscious. Darin wasn’t exactly friends with any of them but Nysys, but it was nice to see they were finally coming out of their shells.
Darin sighed and walked toward them, Ira following him. He got there in time to hear Gabriel explaining the two other guys were gone. “—but Ira bit one of them, so you should be able to find him if you check the closest hospitals. Unless he doesn’t make it there, of course.”
Cerris arched a brow and looked at Ira. “Doesn’t make it?”
“I’m a snake shifter,” Ira answered.
“I see. Venomous?”
“Yeah.”
“All right. I’ll take this guy to the council jail and let you know what happens.” He looked at Darin. “You all still live in the mansion, right?”
“Yes. And your room is still yours,” Darin told him.
Cerris smiled. “Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll need it anymore.”
He crouched and grabbed the still unconscious man’s wrist. He shimmered them both away, leaving Darin, Ira, Shad, and Gabriel alone in the clearing. Darin’s friends had already left after talking to Shad, and Darin finally relaxed. All the adrenaline seemed to drain from his body and he stumbled. Ira caught him before he could actually fall, and Darin smiled up at him.
Ira helped him climb in the car and pulled him against his side as soon as he’d climbed next to him. Darin reclined against his mate and closed his eyes. “You scared me to death, you know?”
“Sorry,” Ira murmured against Darin’s ear.
“I just... you jumped on that guy, and I was already scared for Jimmy. I saw the guy drop him and try to get his gun, and I thought he’d shoot you.”
Ira’s arms tightened around Darin. “I’m fine.”
“I know.”
“He didn’t hurt me.”
“I know.”
Darin thought he fell asleep after that, because the next thing he knew, they were in front of the mansion’s gate. It opened and Gabriel drove in. Darin looked up and groaned. “Seriously?”
“They’re worried,” Ira said, his chest moving under Darin’s cheek.
“I get that, really, but it’s almost midnight and the only thing I want to do is drag you in our bed and sleep.”
Ira kissed Darin’s cheek. “And you’ll get to do that, just after you reassure everyone you’re fine.”
The door swung open and Keenan almost scrambled into the car in his haste to get to Darin. “What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Darin sighed. It was going to take a while before he’d be able to go to bed.
* * * *
Ira left Darin in their bed the next morning. He’d turned the alarm clock off, even though he knew Darin would probably kill him once he woke up, but Darin needed sleep. They hadn’t gone to bed until one AM the night before, and the day had been an eventful one.
He dressed and went to the kitchen, smiling when he found the man he’d been looking for there. “Keenan.”
Keenan looked up, still bleary eyed even though it wasn’t that early. “Hey.”
“I need a favor.”
Keenan raised one finger in Ira’s direction, so Ira paused. Keenan took his coffee cup from the counter, put it to his lips, and drank the entire thing in five seconds flat. Ira blinked at him and Keenan put the cup back down. He cleaned his lips, shuddered, then looked at Ira again. “Go on. I’m ready now.”
“That was... I don’t whether to be impressed or weirded out.”
Keenan shrugged. “Most people feel both when they think about me. What do you want?”
“Darin needs rest, but you know how he is with his shop.”
“Yeah, I noticed he’s not up yet. What did you do, tie him to the bed?” Keenan asked. He wiggled his brows and Ira rolled his eyes.
“No, he’s still asleep. I turned his alarm clock off.”
>
“Oooh, he’s going to kill you. Can I watch?”
“You can do whatever you want if you do this thing for me.”
“What is it?”
“I want you to go there and open the shop.”
“I can do that, but what about the cupcakes?”
“I know he already has some ready, and some batches you’ll just need to stick in the oven and frost. Think you can do that?”
Keenan puffed his chest out. “Of course I can, and I’ll call Nysys to help.” Ira must have made a weird face, because Keenan hurriedly continued, “He’s not as bad as he was before. The last time he made something explode was at least a bunch of months ago, and he’s been taking lessons, you know?”
“Explode?”
Keenan waved. “Don’t worry, it hasn’t happened in a while. Really.”
Ira didn’t know whether to trust Keenan’s word, but he didn’t really have a choice. He wanted to go visit Yanis, and then he had to at least call his parents. They’d probably want him to go home, but thank god, they lived far enough away that Ira had a very good reason not to go.
“All right. I trust you and Nysys, so... try not to completely ruin Darin’s shop.”
Keenan hugged Ira, but Ira didn’t even have the time to react because Keenan was already bounding out of the kitchen as if this was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Ira watched him leave and shook his head. He filled two clean mugs of coffee, added sugar in his, and brought both to the infirmary.
He knocked on Adan’s door with his elbow and waited for Yanis to tell him to enter before opening it. Yanis was sitting on the chair next to the bed, and Ira had a strong déjà vu impression.
“Hey. I heard you had some problems yesterday,” Yanis said.
“Yeah.” Ira handed Yanis his coffee and Yanis smiled in thanks.
“Care to tell me what happened? I’m kind of out of the loop here.”
Ira leaned against the wall and crossed his arms on his chest. “Not much. Three guys attacked us, Gabriel took one out, I bit another, and he and the third ran away. One was wounded, but not even that much.”
Yanis rolled his eyes. “Jeesh, don’t give me all those details. What did the men want? Did they know you were shifters?”
Darin Page 10
