Out of the Shadows

by Raven Darkwing

  Jake reached down and pulled Shadow’s hand up. He paused for moment, before he began to lick the come that dripped from the hand. He had to admit; it didn’t taste bad—in fact, it tasted kind of good. He glanced up when he heard Shadow moan.

  “You’re gonna kill me M&M,” Shadow said as he lay down beside Jake and pulled him into his arms. He began to slowly kiss Jake but stopped after a few moments with a sigh. “As much as I’d like to do a second round, it’s too cold out here to be doing this kind of thing, and Doc might not be too happy if we don’t get back soon.”

  “Why do you keep calling me, M&M?” Jake couldn’t help but ask as he stood on shaky legs. Man, what he’d do for a nice hot shower. Somehow the stream filled with freezing cold water wouldn’t fit the bill. Although, if Shadow kept looking at him like that, then maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

  Shadow stood and ran a finger down Jake’s stomach muscles before he brought it up to his mouth and sucked the digit. He winked, “Because I love proving that M&M’s do melt in my hands as well as my mouth.” Before Jake could respond, a black wolf stood before him. He shook his head and shifted.

  Chapter 11

  Jake saw Sammy sitting in the front room as he walked in with Shadow. She had a phone in her hand and appeared to be upset. He glanced at his lover, who nodded before they both walked into the room. Before they could get closer, his sister dropped the phone on the couch as if it burned her.

  “What’s wrong, Sammy?” Jake asked as he knelt in front of her. He saw Shadow limp slowly to sit beside her on the sofa. For a few moments, he didn’t think she would answer, but when she glanced up the haunted look in her eyes floored him. Not much could shake his little sister so whatever it was, had to be bad.

  “Are you sure Drake is dead?” Sammy whispered.

  Jake nodded. “I personally buried his body. It was the least I felt I could do. Why do you ask?” He saw Shadow quietly pick up the phone and look at the last number dialed.

  Sammy pushed her honey brown hair out of her eyes before she responded. “Because big brother, Drake just called me on the phone and asked me to meet him at our special spot.”

  “Are you sure it was him?” Jake asked. “I mean, it could be someone pretending to be him to get you out in the open. We both know Alpha Clifton won’t rest until he can get revenge for what you did.”

  Sammy stood with her hands on her hips, “Don’t you think I thought of that, big brother?”

  “Whoa there, little warrior.” Shadow held a hand out toward her as if to hold her back from hitting her brother. “No one is saying anything right now. We just want to figure out how a dead man could be calling you.”

  The she-wolf sighed. “I’m sorry, it’s just yesterday I learn he died fighting for that bastard, and now today he’s on the phone acting like nothing happened.”

  “What did he say?” Jake asked quietly.

  She sat down and glanced at the phone Shadow held in his hands as if it was a viper ready to strike. “I didn’t believe him at first, but he knew things, things only Drake would know, like the location of our secret place. We’d meet up there when he was off duty,” she blushed. “Anyway, he told me he escaped after the battle. He’s been hiding out because he didn’t want to be declared a rogue. Drake wants me to meet him and bring him back here so he can talk to the alpha about sanctuary.”

  “We have to let the alpha know,” Shadow said quietly. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but it seems mighty convenient he’s showing up so soon after you escaped.”

  “Not to mention, how did he get your phone number?” Jake added. “Your old phone was lost…”

  “I don’t care; I’m going to meet him,” Sammy stated. “I have to know the truth.”

  A short time later, Jake found himself meeting with the inner circle. David was still out working on increasing security in the more remote areas of the pack lands. He wasn’t expected back for at least a few days. But Artemus had joined them this time. Shadow sat beside him quietly listening as Sammy related once again what the man on the phone had said to her.

  It was amazing in a way to watch Shadow with others. When they were alone, the man was outgoing, funny, and smart, but when he was in a larger group, it was like he just disappeared. The others in the room didn’t help by ignoring him either. For once, Jake was seeing past the façade to the man who was underneath—the man that he was falling more for each passing day.

  “I can’t let you go to him,” Alpha Grant replied. When she began to object, he held up his hand. “This is a trap unless you can explain to me how a dead wolf can walk and talk. If you tell us where the meeting will take place, we can send someone else to talk to him.”

  “That won’t work; if he sees anyone else but me, he won’t show up. Don’t you get it? I know it’s a trap, but I need to find out what they’re up to. I won’t let that rat bastard put one slimy finger on those pups.” Sammy’s breasts were heaving with pent up anger. Jake knew it wouldn’t be long before she walked.

  “I’ll do it,” Jake said quietly. He watched as Shadow’s eyes narrowed for a moment, but after looking at him, he nodded. Why he’d run from this man seemed so stupid now. For the first time in a long time, Jake knew he could fight. Shadow would always be there to back him up even when he didn’t agree.

  “Out of the question,” Blaze replied. “You are good, Jake, but one of my men should be there. We’re trained to go into these kinds of situations. Besides whoever this is will be less interested in taking one of us hostage.”

  “No, they’ll just kill you,” Jake stated. “He knows me. Sammy can call and set the time. If I show, he’ll come out and then your mighty warriors can grab him.”

  “The plan has merit,” Shadow said quietly to the group. “I’ve seen him in action; Jake is more than capable of taking care of himself.”

  “Alpha the best way to handle this is to set up a perimeter around the area. We know what the wolf looks like. If he shows, we grab him. No one has to be in danger,” Blaze argued.

  “I agree with Blaze,” Dakota answered. “We all know this is a trap. Why should we bait it?”

  Sparky spoke up, “Sammy girl, you know I think you’re a badass, but you’ve got the pups to think about. What happens to them if you’re killed or worse, captured.” He turned to look at Jake, “And she needs you around to help. Especially with those toxic diapers.” The mechanic waved a hand in front of his face before he continued. “I agree with Blaze; we should try to capture the imposter.”

  Alpha Grant glanced at Artemus and Jason. “What do you two think?”

  “Why meet with the imposter at all? We’re still recovering from the recent attack. We could just ignore him and see what happens. David will have the security put in place shortly. That combined with the spells from our magi friends should prevent anyone from gaining access,” Jason said quietly. He glanced at Sammy and Jake, “I do agree with Sparky, though. Those pups need both of you.”

  Artemus cleared his throat. “While I’ve managed to extend the magic barrier to include a larger area with Sebastian’s help, we are far from impenetrable. There are many beings out there who could avoid our security precautions and slip inside. I agree with Blaze; we should try to grab the wolf in question when he enters our territory.”

  Jake felt his anger rise, but he remained calm when Shadow put a hand on his thigh. It irked him that not only were they ignoring him, but worse, they seemed to not even discuss Shadow’s point. He watched as his sister stood. “Have fun with that—the only one who knows where the secret meeting spot is me and I’m not telling you. Oh, and it’s not on your pack lands so all your security won’t help.”

  “We can always ask Charlie to help us find it,” Alpha Grant replied as he growled at the she-wolf. Before Jake could give the alpha a piece of his mind, Sparky leaped to his feet. The man advanced on the alpha; his finger pointed as if it were a knife. For the first time since the meeting started, Jake felt sorry for the alpha.

&
nbsp; “How dare you!” Sparky ground out as he poked his finger into the alpha’s chest. Jake watched as Alpha Grant pulled back a bit. “My mate is not a lie detector to be used by you or any other bastard. You know how they treated him!”

  “Look, Sparky, I know but…” Alpha Grant started to speak before Sparky held up his hand to stop him.

  “Don’t you Sparky me, mister! If you use him like this, then you’re no better than the other bastards who used him in the past.” Sparky’s chest rose rapidly while he continued to point his finger. “He’s not doing it, and that’s final. You can kick me off this inner circle if you want-”

  “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!” Jason stood and moved to stand between the two men. “Calm down. No one is going to force anyone to do something they don’t want to do. Right, Grant?”

  The alpha growled but responded, “Of course not.”

  Jason turned to Sparky, “You know better than to challenge your alpha in this manner. You’re part of the inner circle, but he’s still the alpha.”

  Sparky blushed and tilted his head. He took a deep breath and sat back down in his chair. “I know, but I won’t let them use Charlie.”

  “He won’t be,” Jason assured the angry wolf. “Now let’s all sit down and talk about this without threats—we’re all supposed to be on the same damn team!” Jake didn’t know what to say. Jason was usually the calm one in the room. Still, he wasn’t going to let them walk all over him and his sister.

  Jake stood and calmly faced the alpha, “I appreciate you providing my sister and me with sanctuary, but we don’t want to bring our fight to your pack. It is our fight. I only ask you give us twenty-four hours to gather what we need before we leave.” He heard the gasp from his lover. Jake turned to him and smiled softly, “I’m not running from you, but for the first time in a long time, I’m going to stand up to the threat to my family. I’ll call you once it’s over and we can meet—”

  “Like hell! If you’re leaving the pack so am I.” Shadow stood to stand with Sammy and Jake. For a moment, the room was quiet, but it didn’t last long. Blaze stood and started to order Shadow to stand down while Alpha Grant stood and growled. Jake could see his wolf was close to the surface. But for once, he wasn’t going to back down.

  Ricky had been quiet during the whole exchange, but he stood and put his fingers to his lips and whistled until the din quieted down. He glared at Alpha Grant for a moment before he faced the rest of the inner circle. “I know I’m just the human here, but it seems to me that since Jake and Sammy asked for our help, then that is what we should give them. They didn’t ask for us to solve the problem for them or to put them in a safe place until it is solved.”

  He glanced around the room before he put a hand on Alpha Grant’s arm. “You need to help them. I don’t know why, but I’ve got a feeling this is important to all of us.” Jake watched as the alpha took a deep breath before he pulled Ricky into his arms. He pressed his nose to the mating mark on the man’s neck for a few moments before he finally stepped back.

  “Sit down, everyone,” Alpha Grant ordered.

  Jake wanted to disobey, but his wolf wouldn’t let him. He and Sammy had accepted the leader as their alpha. Shadow also tilted his neck to the side. Huh, it seems that Blaze’s Rogues also had pledged loyalty to Alpha Grant. He waited to see what the alpha would do now that they had placed all the cards on the table.

  “There will be no one leaving the pack,” the alpha nodded to Sammy, Jake, and Shadow. “And no one will be leaving the inner circle either,” he looked at Sparky who nodded. “Sammy and Jake, your enemies are our enemies. Ricky is right. Alpha Clifton’s plans affect us all. We can’t ignore the possible threat to not only us but other communities as well. Whatever the former alpha is planning it is going to take all of us working together to defeat him and whoever else is involved.”

  “What do you want to do about Drake?” Blaze asked.

  Alpha Grant sighed, “As much as I don’t like it, I think we should go with Jake’s plan.” He held up his hand when he saw Sammy begin to object, “Jake is right; if something goes wrong, those pups would lose another mother. You promised to protect them, Sammy. You can’t do that if you’re dead. However, I think we need to use one of our insurance policies. Blaze can you to talk to Dove and Mack?”

  Blaze nodded. “Sure, although Dove may still be in the doghouse with Mack. But I’m sure given the situation Mack will give him a short reprieve.”

  Jake watched as his sister sighed but nodded. He hated to see her back down, but in his heart, he knew what he was doing was the right thing. He also noticed that Shadow had gone quiet once again. When this was all over, he and Shadow were going to have another long chat. If he could come out of the closet, well sort of anyway—then his future mate could come out of the shadows he lived in and embrace the light.

  Chapter 12

  Jake stood outside the barn on his property in Willow Creek. He never thought he’d return here. Sadly, it looked even worse than when they’d lived here. As he thought about the years he’d spent trying to make the place work, it didn’t make him feel proud. In fact, it made him feel helpless. He avoided glancing around to see if he could spot the others. After all, Drake could probably see him.

  He walked calmly toward the barn. He opened the door and walked inside, jumping a little when the door swung shut. Light filtered through the openings between the boards, but it didn’t matter because his enhanced vision would have worked as well. He saw the stall Sammy had mentioned at the back of the barn. Jake tried not to think about what his sister had done in that stall, nope not going to think about it all. He could see a shadow move on the other side of the barn.

  “It’s me, Drake,” Jake said calmly. He watched as the shadowy figure slowly moved into the light. He blinked, thinking it had to be a trick, but it wasn’t. The man standing in front of him was Drake. “How?” He couldn’t help but ask.

  “You’re not Sammy,” Drake replied instead.

  Jake chuckled. “You’re still as observant as ever. She had to stay back home because one of the twins was sick. The doctor was looking him over when I left.”

  “Twins?” Drake asked as he walked further into the light. The closer he got to Jake, the more his hackles raised. He didn’t know how he knew it, but this wasn’t Drake. He moved closer to the door.

  “Yeah, Sammy was going to tell you but surprise! You’re a daddy!” Jake tried to take a closer look. The imposter didn’t show any emotion at the news. In fact, the conversation so far had been static. He felt like he was talking to a robot. He and Drake had been friends, so his stilted conversation didn’t make sense.

  “Take me to Sammy,” Drake ordered as he stepped closer.

  “Before I take you to her, I need to know what your intentions are with my sister.” Jake crossed his arms over his chest. “I told you before, if you hurt her, I’d tear your balls off and feed them to you. I gotta tell you, disappearing and letting her think you’re dead, falls in the category of hurting her.” He tensed as the imposter grew closer. He wrinkled his nose as the other shifter’s scent assailed him. “Man, what the hell have you been bathing in?”

  “Take me to Sammy now!” Drake growled as he grabbed onto Jake’s arm.

  “I don’t think she wants company right now,” Jake said as he pulled his arm away. The imposter’s touch had been cold. As Jake looked closer, he could see there was no light behind the wolf shifter’s eyes. He was done playing. Clearly, he wasn’t going to be able to get any information from the shifter. It was time to call in the cavalry, starting with plan O; Dove’s little friend Oreo.

  Dove had placed Oreo in position hours before the meeting. He also placed one of Mack’s newest surveillance critters that Dove promptly named, Who. He glanced up and saw the large barn owl calmly sitting on one of the rafters. He knew if he said the code word, two things would happen.

  First Oreo would do his thing which sucked because it meant he would pass out along with Drake. The seco
nd was Blaze’s Rogues along with Artemus and Sparky would come in ‘guns blazing’ as Sparky had said to him on the ride over. The idea was to try to take Drake alive so they could get more information about what Alpha Clifton was up to.

  Shadow had been quiet as usual but had held him close on the ride over. He knew the man hated the plan, but he still was there backing him up. When this was over, he owed Shadow more than a blow job.

  Drake growled as he moved closer. Jake felt his claws begin to come out as his wolf started to surge to the surface to protect him. “Drake, you need to chill dude. Maybe have a couple of Oreo cookies and some nice warm milk.”

  The other shifter cocked his head to the side as if he thought Jake had lost his mind—maybe he had. His plan suddenly didn’t seem to be the best idea based on whatever was standing in front of him. Jake had never seen anything like it. The sooner the cavalry arrived, the better.

  “I need to talk to Sammy, why won’t you help me?” Drake growled. The shifter suddenly glanced down and swiped with his clawed hand at the skunk who had just appeared.

  “What are you doing? Do you want to smell worse than you do now?” Jake tried to stop the crazy shifter from damaging Oreo. Mack was going to do more than ground Dove if they destroy another one of his critters. Unfortunately, the other shifter wasn’t listening.

  Jake swiped at the shifter with his clawed hand while he pushed him back from where Oreo stood, tail raised. He felt a claw rake him across his ribs, but he wasn’t worried. A quick shift would heal it easily. He reminded his wolf they needed the shifter alive as he pushed it back. “Damn it, Drake, what did you do that for?” He stepped back, holding his hand to his side to stop the bleeding. His mouth dropped open when he noticed the claw marks he’d left on the other shifter weren’t bleeding—what the hell?