Cole and His Dog

by Edward Kendrick

  “We did. Mike, this is Ky. He’s the friend I’ve mentioned. We not only found my mother, but I met her husband, and my grandfather, and I have a brother. Well, a half-brother.”

  “Congratulations. From your expression, I take it things went well?”

  “Oh, yeah. With luck, they’ll be able to come visit, soon. Eldon, he’s my brother, is already planning on it.” In extremely general terms, Cole went on to tell Mike about getting to know his family. When he finished, he said, “If you want, I can work tomorrow, and Tuesday, too, so that whoever filled in for me can have a day off.”

  “I’m sure they’d appreciate it,” Mike replied. Then he gave Ky a long look, studying him before asking, “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-five. Why?”

  “Isn’t Cole a bit young for you?”

  “Mike!” Cole protested.

  “Let him answer the question,” Mike said sternly.

  Ky did, saying, “I don’t think age should be a deterrent where feelings are involved. He’s old enough to know his own mind. That’s beside the point, however, since you’re jumping to conclusions that may be unwarranted.”

  Mike laughed. “All I have to do was watch how the two of you look at each other to know something’s going on between you.” He tapped his fingers together. “Tell me about yourself, Ky.”

  Ky did, as much as Cole knew he was willing to reveal. Somehow, telling Mike that he was a shifter didn’t enter into the equation.

  “All right,” Mike said when Ky finished, “you sound as if you have your life together, which is a good thing.” He pointed a finger at Ky. “If you hurt him, you’ll have to answer to me. Got that?”

  “Got it,” Ky replied. He glanced at Cole, grinning. “I think you’ve got a second grandfather.”

  “Grandfather?” Mike harrumphed. “As I told Cole, I consider all of the youngsters who work here as family—especially the ones Adam sends me.”

  “I have no problem with that.”

  “You hadn’t better,” Mike grumbled, smiling a second later. “Okay, out of here, both of you. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than take up my precious time. Congratulations, again, on finding your real family, Cole, and I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”

  “Thanks. Umm…ten is bright and early?”

  “You know what I meant. Now, get.”

  * * * *

  Cole and Ky did go to a movie, then out to eat afterward. Their day ended as it had begun, making love. Later, curled in Ky’s embrace, Cole sighed happily. “This is how I always hoped my life would be,” he whispered.

  Ky grinned, kissing his nose. “Spending half your time in bed?”

  “That, too, but more. Having someone like you in it. Wait a minute. I don’t want to spend half my time in bed. Maybe a quarter, but that’s it.”

  Amusement filled Ky’s voice as he replied, “That can be arranged, if you’re counting sleep time, too. Something we’d both better do since we have to work tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, that might be a good idea.” They shared a long, slow kiss before falling asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

  Chapter 15

  As soon as he got to work Monday morning—and after assuring his employees that yes, he really hadn’t run away to a deserted island to live in seclusion with a lover—Ky checked on the various Hammar stocks. Their value had already begun to diminish, down by one point twenty-four percent overall. An hour later, they were down at least another two percent, if not more.

  Marsham must be having kittens right now. If this keeps up, within the week Hammar’s stock certificates won’t be worth the paper they’re printed on, and he’ll be in full damage control mode.

  He hoped that would happen, as it would keep Marsham’s mind off Cole.

  That evening, when Cole arrived home from work, Ky told him the good news. “Between them, they down over ten percentage points when I left the office.”

  Cole pumped a fist. “He’s going to be broke by the end of the week. That’ll teach him.”

  “Not sure he’ll be broke. He can sell some of his real estate before that happens. But this should keep him busy and out of our hair until he dies.”

  “Which will be soon.” Cole sobered. “I know I shouldn’t be happy when anyone dies, even him.”

  “In his case, it’s understandable. Remember, he’s been responsible for making a lot of people’s lives miserable. How he’s dying may be horrible, but the fact that his is will rid the world, our world especially, of a very evil man.”

  “I know. Still…”

  “It’s good that it bothers you,” Ky replied. “If it didn’t, at least on some level, you’d lose some of your humanity.”

  Cole smiled weakly. “I wouldn’t want that.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. So mourn a little for what’s happening to Marsham, but not for the fact that we, the ladies in his pack, and Hallam and his pack, will be well rid of him.”

  “I can do that.”

  * * * *

  Tuesday, the value of Hammar’s stocks was still plummeting. Looks like the rats are leaving a sinking ship, although I shouldn’t think of the stockholders as rats, I suppose. Half my bread-and-butter comes from advising my clients on which stocks they should be buying, or selling.

  Ky spent the rest of the day doing just that before heading home. He changed from his suit into jeans and a well-worn T-shirt, and then checked to be certain he had everything he needed to make dinner—and realized he was missing one major ingredient. Grumbling under his breath about his lack of planning, he headed to the grocery store.

  He was halfway there when he heard Cole say, ::I could use some help here::

  ::What kind?:: Ky asked, looking for a place to leave the car.

  ::Dealing with some big, bad dogs who want to turn me into a chew toy.:: Cole sent him an image of where he was.

  ::Why the hell haven’t you teleported away?::

  Cole’s words slurred as he replied, ::I’m…shorta…do…doped up?::

  “Fuck,” Ky growled. By then, he’d pulled to the side of the street. Instantly, he was in the middle of the alley behind the restaurant. For a second, he thought Cole and his attackers were gone. Then he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He whirled around to see one of Marsham’s goons from the attack at the vacant building standing there.

  “We owe you,” the goon said.

  “I’ll forgive the debt,” Ky quipped, keeping his gaze locked on the gun the guy was holding. He saw his trigger finger move and shifted to Bull. The tranquilizer dart missed him by several inches, as the guy had been aiming at his chest—when he’d been in his human form. Stupid. He should have known I wouldn’t just stand there.

  Before the goon could react, Bull was in front of him. He bit down hard on the guy’s gun hand. He heard bone crack just before the goon shifted, whimpering in pain as his foreleg buckled under his weight. That didn’t stop him from snarling and biting as Bull attacked. Given his superior size and strength, and the goon’s lack of mobility because of the broken leg, Bull soon overpowered him. With his jaws gripping the Bullmastiff’s throat, Ky said, ::Tell me where he is and I’ll let you live.::

  ::If I do, I die anyway. Marsham will see to that.::

  ::Then you have nothing to lose, and you could save a life.::

  There was a pause—so long that Ky was certain he wouldn’t get an answer. Then—::On the roof. Or they were when I came down here.::

  ::Get the hell out of here. Go to a sanctuary.:: As soon as he loosened his hold, the Bullmastiff vanished. At the same moment, Ky teleported to the roof over the restaurant, searching it and the other ones nearby for any sign of Cole and his captor.

  There were no discernable movements, no shadows cast by the waning sun that pointed to a lurking figure—human or dog—and no scents of one, either. Then, just when he was certain he’d been lied to, someone spoke.

  ::A life for a life, Kyland. Oh, yes, I know it’s you. I’m dying and I�
�m taking my son with me.::

  ::He’s not your son, Marsham.::

  ::He should have been. Would have been if that bitch hadn’t run. If I could have found her…::

  Tired of Marsham’s insane words, Ky shifted from Bull to his human form. ::Tell me where you have him,:: he demanded.

  ::Look behind you.::

  Ky turned, ready to fend off an attack. All he saw was one of the types of rooftop structures that had a door leading to the building below. It took him only a moment to realize this one was above, if he remembered rightly, a shop with a ‘For Rent’ sign—next door to the restaurant.

  As he had no visual of the interior, he walked quickly to the door, testing the handle. The door opened. There was a steep ladder, going down to the second floor. He leapt, shifting to Bull in the process, landing on all four feet. Lifting his head, he sniffed, attempting to locate Marsham. The scent of dog drifted down the narrow hallway from a door at the end. Padding silently, Bull approached it.

  The door swung open as he got to it. The room behind was almost pitch dark. Not that it stopped Bull from entering. He had other senses he could rely on. From the odor, he instantly knew where Marsham was, and that he was in his human form at the moment. He also picked up on the fact that Marsham had Cole close to him, either holding him or at his feet.

  ::If you’ve hurt him…:: A low growl followed Bull’s words.

  “I haven’t…” There was a slight pause, as if Marsham was having difficulty speaking. “Yet.”

  As Bull’s eyes adjusted to the dark, he could make out Marsham’s form, and when Bull eased around the room to the lone window, the light from the quarter moon came through it, giving him a view of Marsham’s face. It was pale and drawn, and for a second, his expression was puzzled. Ky could also see that Cole was lying on the floor by Marsham’s side. It seemed as if he were barely breathing.

  ::Move away from him and I’ll put you out of your misery by killing you quickly.::

  Marsham sneered. “Do you really think you stand a chance against me?”

  ::I know I do:: Bull replied as he began to circle Marsham.

  Between one second and the next, Marsham shifted. In his Bullmastiff form, he was huge. Not that Bull had expected otherwise. Marsham growled low, and sprang—missing Bull by inches. Shaking his massive head, he tried again. By then, Bull had moved, standing between him and Cole.

  ::You may be larger, and once you would have been stronger,:: Bull taunted. ::Now, you’re a mere shadow of your former self. Sick. Half-blinded by the disease, from what I understand.::

  Rather than reply, Marsham’s growl deepened. His body stiffened, his hackles rose. With his lips curled back in a snarl, he attacked again.

  Bull easily avoided the worst of Marsham’s snapping jaws, sustaining only a sharp but not deep bite to his foreleg. He retaliated, his jaws clamping onto the thick flesh of Marsham’s jowl. Marsham howled in pain as he tore free then leapt, his larger body knocking Bull back and then to the floor.

  Marsham stood over him, biting deeply into his shoulder. ::You think I’m weak? Think again.:: He placed his massive paws on Bull’s side, biting once more, his fangs tearing Bull’s shoulder. Suddenly, his grip loosened. He whined, the sound rising until it was high-pitched, and agonized.

  Bull rolled away and stood, ignoring the blood and pain as he tried to figure out what had happened. Then, if he’d been in his human form, he would have grinned. A much smaller Bullmastiff was lying on his back, his jaws clamped on Marsham’s genitals.

  ::I’ve been in my share of dog fights. I don’t think I’ve every seen that tactic used before.::

  ::Just kill the bastard while you can,:: Cole replied.

  ::With pleasure.:: Bull did, tearing out Marsham’s throat. Then he used the last of his waning strength to shift, although he didn’t get up.

  Cole shifted, too, spitting several times, as soon as he was human. “That was disgusting.”

  “But effective,” Ky replied, clasping one hand over his bleeding shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

  “Weak as a…” Cole gasped, staggering to Ky’s side. “That doesn’t look good,” he stated, dropping to his knees then pulling off his shirt to press against Ky’s wound.

  “I’ll be fine. I’ve told you, we heal quickly, relative to humans.”

  “It’s the relative part I’m worried about,” Cole told him. He stared at Marsham’s corpse, shuddering. “We should do something about that, but I’m not sure I’ve got the strength to move it, to say the least of teleporting it somewhere else. For sure you don’t.”

  Ky started to deny it, then nodded in agreement. “Not really. Not yet. Give me an hour. By then, the last of the tranquilizer should have worn off for you, as well.”

  “I hope. Right now I still feel groggy.” Cole rested his head on Ky’s undamaged shoulder. “It’s the adrenaline,” he said.

  “Hmm?”

  “I think it kicked in when I heard you fighting, and brought me out of my stupor. Now…” His voice faded away and Ky realized Cole had fallen asleep. He smiled, carefully moving him so he was lying on the floor. Then he became Bull again, settled down beside him his injured foreleg over his chest, and moments later slept as well.

  They awoke a couple of hours later. The first thing Cole insisted on doing was to check Ky’s shoulder wound, so Ky shifted.

  “It’s almost gone,” Cole said in surprise.

  “Told you so. Sleeping as Bull made the difference. We heal faster in our animal form.” Ky carefully flexed his shoulder. “Sore, still, but that’ll pass. Let’s get rid of the evidence—” he thumbed toward the Bullmastiff body, a few feet away, “—then go home.”

  Cole grimaced, asking where they’d take it.

  “Down to the alley. Whoever finds it will figure he was on the losing end of a dog fight, which he was. It’s late enough we should be able to do it without anyone seeing us.”

  Ky sent Cole down first, to be certain no one was around, then teleported to the alley with the body.

  “We could put him in that,” Cole said when Ky left the body in the shadows beside the dumpster.

  “No. No matter what he was like in life, he deserves at least a modicum of respect. Whoever finds him will call animal control and they’ll cremate him.”

  For a long moment they stood, heads bowed, beside Marsham’s remains. Then Ky put his arm around Cole, teleporting them home.

  * * * *

  “And so it ended, not with a bang but a whimper,” Ky said to Larry the following afternoon after telling him what had happened with Marsham.

  “I think T.S. Elliot was talking about the world, not the life of one son of a bitch shifter,” Larry replied with a slight smile, “but it works. What happens next?”

  “Cole asked the same thing. He was afraid some of Marsham’s Betas might be pissed enough because we killed him that they’ll come after us. I don’t think it will happen. Best guess, they fight to see which one will become the pack’s Alpha. The winner takes all. The others become his Betas or move on to start their own packs.”

  Larry nodded. “That’s usually the way. Hell, they may want you to be the Alpha, since you’re the one who killed Marsham.”

  “That is not happening. I’m quite happy with my life the way it is. I do plan on paying them a visit, however, to find out what the situation will be with the females.”

  “And if it looks like nothing will change?”

  Ky grimaced. “I’ll face that problem when the time comes.”

  “Have you let Hallam know?”

  “Yep. We called him this morning, before Cole went to work. He said he’ll decide in a few days whether to move the pack.” Ky chuckled. “I guess they like living wild, as he put it, so they may choose to stay where they are—or not.”

  “Not a bad life, I suppose,” Larry replied. “Me? I’m a city boy. I think the last time I went home was, damn, five years ago. My father couldn’t understand why I preferred to be here rather than
living in the wild.” He shrugged. “To each their own, I guess.”

  Ky nodded. “I for one am glad you’re here. Without your help, Cole might not have found his family, and we wouldn’t have been able to stop Marsham.”

  “Hey. No problem, so stop being mushy.”

  “Me? Mushy?” Ky looked at him in horror. “Not in this lifetime.”

  “Yeah. Whatever.” Larry grinned. “Go do whatever it is you do and get out of my hair. I have a shelter to run.”

  With a laugh, Ky took off.

  Chapter 16

  “Do you know how to drive?” Ky asked Cole at breakfast, two days after the battle with Marsham.

  “Sure. Why?”

  “I was thinking. I have the car, which I almost never use. Now that it’s safe, it would be a hell of a lot better for you to drive it to work, rather than teleporting. Someday you’ll land in the alley, or the storeroom at the restaurant, at the wrong time and someone will see you.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Sure.” Ky took a key off his keyring, tossing it to Cole. “That’s my only spare, so don’t lose it.”

  Cole put it on his keyring before jumping to his feet to go around the table and kiss Ky. “Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome,” Ky replied, hugging him. “Oh. One more thing. Next Monday we’re going to pay a visit to what used to be Marsham’s pack. I want to find out who the new Alpha is, and make certain he plans on treating the women better than they have been.”

  “And if he doesn’t?”

  Ky smiled slowly. “I’ll point out to him that I was able to take down Marsham, so I’d probably have no problem doing the same to him. Not that I want to be the pack’s Alpha. No way, no how. But the threat might make him decide to treat them like people, not slaves.”

  “Or we invite all the females to come here.”

  “Umm, no?”

  Cole laughed. “It was just a thought.”

  * * * *

  Cole and Ky took off very early Monday morning, heading for Grand Junction and the campground where Marsham’s pack had been living the last time they were there.