Primal Passions

by Stephani Hecht

  The handle of the door rattled.

  Jacyn’s heart raced in his chest as fear prickled down his spine. Someone was coming in and he had a sneaky suspicion it wasn’t the Prize Patrol delivering a big-ass cardboard check. Even though it made him groan in pain, he scrambled to his feet so he could be better prepared for attack.

  If they thought he was going to go down without a battle, they were sadly mistaken. He had been fighting all his life and he sure as hell wasn’t going to stop now. Balling his hands into tight fists, he braced himself and put on what he hoped was a badass face.

  Two of the thugs from the previous night came in. Though they both had the same dark hair and eyes, one stood taller and had more muscles. The alpha. As soon as that thought popped into his head, Jacyn wondered where it came from. It rang true though, just by the way this guy moved with a cool, deadly self-confidence, left no doubt he led and wasn’t afraid to kick some tail while doing it.

  “Where’s Patrick?” Jacyn asked, not even bothering to hide the disdain in his voice. He wanted a piece of his partner most of all. Former partner. Remember that, because there is no way in hell I’m working with him again after this.

  “He’s still sleeping off all the wounds you gave him,” the alpha supplied as he stepped closer and crossed his arms over his chest, a bored look on his pasty mug. The whole situation seemed like one huge yawn to the guy.

  “I didn’t do anything to him,” Jacyn denied even as some weird fleeting flashback came to him. A giant paw swiping out and catching Patrick across the throat. A bright red spray of blood. A victorious thrill going through him at knowing he’d caused the enemy some hurt. Jacyn shook his head, more to deny his inner suspicions than at the kidnapper. “Look, I don’t know what you guys are playing at, but you got the wrong guy,” Jacyn said with much more calm then he felt. “I’m just a nobody.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, my little feline.” The alpha took a couple of steps forward so he was too close. “You’re probably the biggest catch of my life. Once Mitchell finds out I have his little brother, the bastard’s going to go crazy. Especially when I start sending you home to him, piece by piece.”

  Jacyn shuddered when the man reached out and caressed his cheek. While he would have loved to have backed away from the foul touch, he knew to do so would make him look afraid and weak. Instead, he leveled a glare at the alpha and really let his disdain show. “You must be as fucking stupid as you are ugly,” he snapped, his anger taking over all his reasoning. “I don’t have a brother. How many times do I have to tell you that you have the wrong person?”

  The alpha brought his hand up and slapped Jacyn hard on the cheek. His head whipped back and he could taste blood as his teeth rattled together. Before he could recover, the alpha grabbed a handful of his hair. Jacyn bit back a grunt of pain as the man jerked hard.

  “I’m going to let that statement of yours slide because I know you’ve had a bad night, but don’t push your luck again. Now if you’re willing to shut your mouth for more than ten seconds, I’ll let you know everything. “

  “Fine,” Jacyn hissed in pain. “Since you have me chained to the wall it’s not like I can exactly walk away.”

  “You do have a brother and he’s been looking hard for you and other lost shifters. He wants nothing more than to find you so he can strengthen his ranks, but the last thing I want is more felines fucking up my life.”

  “Feline shifters?” Jacyn sputtered, even as he continued to recall the bizarre flashbacks. “Are you huffing paint or something?”

  “Boy, he sure is a shift-tard,” the beta said with a snide smile. “He really has no clue. No wonder he screamed like a girl in the ambulance. It must have been the first time he turned.”

  “Be nice to Jacyn. He wasn’t raised as a shifter so of course he doesn’t realize who he is,” the alpha chided as he leaned in even closer.

  The man had a strange smell around him, rank and wild. Jacyn had to swallow down the nausea that slammed into him. The alpha on the other hand didn’t seem to be having any problems with the close contact. He leaned forward, buried his nose in the crook of Jacyn’s neck and breathed in deep.

  “I’ve never liked the smell of felines before, but you’re nice,” he whispered.

  Jacyn had to work hard to fight down a shudder of revulsion.

  “What are you doing?” the beta barked, his black eyes glittering with anger.

  “Oh come on, Curtis. What’s the big deal? We both know the cats like to go both ways. He’ll probably love it.”

  Jacyn was stunned when a low rumble started to build up in his throat. He’d been pissed off plenty of times in the past, but he’d never made a noise like that before. It sounded…animalistic? What if the hallucinations from last night had been real memoires? As impossible as it all seemed, it was beginning to be the only thing that made sense. Maybe they hadn’t drugged him after all.

  “Think about my offer,” the alpha cooed as he nuzzled the side of Jacyn’s face. “Believe it or not, I’m all you have right now. Even if you could escape, you’re wanted by the human police.”

  “For what?” Jacyn demanded. “Getting kidnapped? Last I heard that wasn’t a crime.”

  “You have a shot up store, a dead human and a missing ambulance. Of course, suspicion is going to land on you. Even more so now that several witnesses came forward to tell the police that they saw a paramedic snap and start a murderous rampage.”

  Jacyn’s gut clenched. He knew without a doubt those witnesses were the very same guys who had attacked him the night before setting him up. “So I’ll just turn myself in and tell them the truth,” he shot back with much more bravado than he felt.

  “And tell them what? That a whole bunch of bird shifting men came and attacked?” The alpha gave a snide chuckle, showing off several rotten teeth.

  Gah, just when Jacyn thought he couldn’t get any uglier. The alpha pushed him backward and leaned in even closer so his body was pressing Jacyn tight against the wall.

  “Don’t fight, fight, I don’t care. In the end, you will cave and be begging me to fuck you. They always do.”

  “You try to touch me and what I did to Patrick will seem mild compared to what happens to you,” Jacyn snarled. That was what he did, too, a real jungle cat-like snarl followed by another rumbling growl. All a sudden the room came into sharper focus. The bleak gray more stark, the dim light almost blinding and the smells harsh. It was almost too much and his head swam as everything overwhelmed him. Jacyn fought it and made sure to keep his face clear of any fear, doubt or anxiety.

  “Oh, I like your spirit,” the Alpha spat as he tugged Jacyn’s hair again. “I’m going to have fun breaking you.”

  A loud explosion made them all jump. The man threw Jacyn away from him with a curse and turned to his companion. “That better not be what I think it is or someone is going to die.”

  They bolted from the room, slamming the door behind them.

  Jacyn sank to his knees, relieved even though there were another couple of loud booms. Anything, even buried alive, had to be better than whatever the man had planned for him.

  There was another series of loud noises, but they were smaller than the other ones, and much closer as in outside his room. Jacyn sprang back to his feet, ready to battle whatever was coming next. Given how crazy things were, it could be anything on the other side. The door flew open and this time, instead of the attackers, it was Logan.

  “You,” Jacyn breathed, strangely reassured by the sight of the dark, hulking male. He even let himself fall back down onto the dirty mattress. His legs were so weak and he had a feeling he would need to conserve his energy.

  “Yes, me,” Logan replied, his jaw set in a grim line as he crossed the room and knelt beside him.

  “I thought they killed you.” Jacyn looked him up and down and saw no signs of injuries. Logan had changed his clothes, although the new outfit was all black, too, and it fit just as nice as the previous outfit had.
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br />   “Nah, all they did was piss me off more.” Logan examined the collar around Jacyn’s neck.

  “I can’t figure out how to get it off.” Jacyn winced when it pulled against his tender skin. Even though he’d only had it on for a few of hours, the thing was obviously not supposed to be comfortable. A slight shiver went through his body as Logan’s fingers brushed against his flesh. When he leaned in closer, Jacyn felt the heat coming from the tall man’s body. Nice. It almost made the whole kidnapping worthwhile. Thankfully, Logan didn’t seem to notice Jacyn gawking at him, too caught up in trying to get him free.

  “It’s a special collar made just for our type. It won’t come off by traditional methods and if we shift, it adjusts to fit our new size.” Logan pulled out a dagger from inside his long coat. Made from silver, tip to the hilt, it had some strange dark markings etched in the blade. He leaned in to examine the collar.

  Leaning in so close Jacyn could smell him. He noticed that the man had a peculiar scent, too. Unlike the Raven though, his was earthy and much nicer. “You mean when I shift into a cat?” Jacyn hedged, still not sure if he was ready to face the truth.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean,” Logan answered in a hard voice.

  “What kind?” Jacyn gulped.

  “Do we really need to have this conversation now?” Logan sighed. “Like when I’m not trying to get us both out of here before the Ravens make us their next meal.”

  “Just tell me I’m not some wimpy type of cat like a calico or a tabby.” Jacyn knew he was babbling like an idiot, but couldn’t stop himself.

  “You’re a jaguar. Is that big and bad enough for you?” Logan sounded exasperated enough to leave him behind.

  “Yeah.” Jacyn pulled back, alarmed when he saw Logan raise the dagger. A cold sweat broke out over his body and his skin tingled from the release of adrenaline. “What, did you break in so you could kill me yourself?”

  “Mitchell so owes me overtime pay for this one,” Logan muttered under his breath. He growled, “No, this is the only thing that will take that collar off. Unless you would like to try to live the rest of your life with it on.”

  “Are you one, too? A shifter?” Jacyn asked as he gazed into Logan’s green eyes. A strange flutter went through his stomach both from fear of having to trust a complete stranger and from something else he didn’t dare dwell on.

  “Yes, I’m a feline shifter and you don’t need to worry. I don’t turn into a calico or tabby either.” A small smile formed on Logan’s full lips.

  There was another explosion, which made Jacyn jump as he let out a loud curse.

  “You need to trust that I’m the only one who can help you.” Logan brought the blade back up and cocked one brow in a silent question.

  “Okay, go ahead.”

  Jacyn must not have sounded convincing enough because Logan hesitated. “You’re not going to try to run away from me again, are you?”

  “No,” Jacyn replied bleakly. “I have a feeling that no matter where I run, I wouldn’t be safe from these guys, would I?”

  “Not on your own, no. But if you go with me, I promise I’ll do everything in my power to protect you and get you back to your real family.”

  The solemn way Logan spoke that vow gave Jacyn hope for the first time since he’d woken up to this nightmare.

  Chapter Four

  Logan slid the tip of his blade under the heavy collar and sliced it in half. His gut clenched in pity when he saw the raw strip of flesh underneath. The Ravens made it out of special leather that felines were allergic to, in order to weaken them even further. Jacyn had to be feeling a ton of pain and yet the guy hadn’t voiced one word of complaint.

  A large purple bruise marred his jaw and his lips were swollen. The Ravens obviously had used the poor guy as their own personal punching bag. When he moved around, Logan had caught how brief expressions of pain flickered over Jacyn’s face, as he gingerly cupped his side. It was obvious that he had bruises on more than just his jaw.

  Logan cursed under his breath. That made it all the harder. Jacyn would already be sore all over from the shift, now he would be hurting even more thanks to the beating. Not good. He needed to move quickly and do it now. “Are you ready for this?” Logan tried hard not to let his doubts carry over into his voice.

  Jacyn staggered to his feet and gave a nod.

  Logan couldn’t help but feel a bit of respect for the guy. He was handling all this a whole hell of a lot better than most others would. Shit, by all rights the guy should be curled in a ball crying for his mommy. Not Jacyn. He was facing this challenge head on and not even flinching. But then again, since he was related to Mitchell, he came from good pedigree.

  “I’m ready.” Jacyn winced as he fingered his raw throat.

  “Here take this back and don’t lose it this time,” Logan quipped as he pulled out the Glock and handed it over. He chose to arm up with his sword again.

  Another boom rang out. This one was much louder than the others were.

  Exactly the cue he had been waiting for. He wasted no time. Jerking his head in the direction of the door, he indicated to Jacyn it was time to leave. “Follow me,” he ordered. “I have my car parked out back and we’re going to get away as fast as we can. No matter what, you stick with me, hear?”

  “Gotcha. I’ll be on you like Angelina on a third-world orphan.”

  Logan had to stop himself from laughing at that comment. Funny and brave. If he wasn’t too careful, Logan might actually start to like the guy. Holding tight to his sword, he ducked his head out and looked up and down the narrow hallway. The floors were wet and dreary, but blessedly empty and for that he could have kissed someone.

  He edged his way out, body tense in anticipation of being attacked, but nothing came. He turned to tell Jacyn to follow him, but found him already close behind. He had the Glock raised and the cold rage in his eyes let Logan know the paramedic wouldn’t hesitate to use the weapon.

  “Who else is helping you?” Jacyn asked as they made their way down the hallway.

  While they weren’t running, Logan set a pretty fast pace, wanting to get the hell out of there. “A group of rogue felines that nested in this area.”

  “Rogues?”

  “Shifters that have broken allegiance with any type of formal coalitions. They live by their own rules and are usually all-around assholes.” Logan cocked his head to the side, listening to see if they had company coming, but there were no telltale sounds of footsteps coming their way.

  “If they’re loners then why are they helping us?” Jacyn asked.

  Logan would have gotten sick of the interrogation, but he reminded himself how all this was new to the guy and cut him some slack. If the roles had been reversed, he would be damn curious, too. “They’re helping because I paid them a shit load of money to do so. We need to hurry up though because I don’t know how long they can be a distraction. Once the Ravens figure out what’s going on, they’ll be hightailing it back to your cell.”

  “Don’t we have someone from your, er…coalition that we could call for help?”

  They turned the corner. One lone Raven stood guard. By the way he carried his weapon in a death’s grip and how his black eyes were nearly bugging out of his head, it screamed his inexperience. Logan swung his sword down and into an arch, taking the kid’s legs out from him. Sure, it probably hurt like hell, but it wasn’t a deathblow. They went a few more steps before Logan answered Jacyn’s question.

  “Our coalition is several hundred miles away. A couple of them are coming to help us, but they’re still many hours out. So right now I have to get help where I can.” Even if it came from a half dozen drug-addicted felines. He didn’t add that last part out loud because he didn’t want Jacyn to worry more and lose focus.

  Another guard ran down the hall.

  Just as Logan raised his sword, a loud gunshot rang out. The Raven clutched his gut as he crumpled to the ground. Turning, Logan saw Jacyn, arm raised, the Glock still
out and ready. Logan reached over and grabbed him by the front of the shirt. “Well that’s one way to let them know that we’re here. That gunfire is about to bring us a whole bunch of unwanted visitors. Let’s go. We’re almost to the backdoor.”

  Running now, they quickly made it to the door, pushing it open, Logan led Jacyn to the small alley. In it was Logan’s pride and joy—a black Dodge Challenger in mint condition because he treated it better than a lover. It got him out of more than one mess.

  They both got in and Logan turned it on, the engine purring to life. He smiled to himself as he ran his hand over the dash. His baby had never let him down. Flooring it, he peeled out just as another explosion rocked through the building. A large fireball ripped out the roof and illuminated the sky.

  Okay, the rogues may have gone a bit overboard with that one. The local PD was sure to come now. He groaned as he mentally kicked himself for forgetting how this gang just loved to play with all things that go boom.

  “Shouldn’t we wait to make sure your friends got out okay,” Jacyn asked as Logan started to put as many miles between them and the Ravens as possible.

  “They’re not my friends,” Logan quickly pointed out. “Plus those guys are more than capable of taking care of themselves.”

  “Oh.” Jacyn fell silent for several moments, then turned his head to peer out the window.

  Logan noticed how the headlights from passing cars reflected off the highlights of the male’s brown hair. Not just brown, but several different shades, making almost a speckled pattern. His fingers itched to reach across the car and touch it, to see if it felt as soft as it looked. Hell, who was he kidding? What he really wanted was to pull the car over so he could get real up close and personal with Jacyn. Logan yearned to hold the male tight to him so his scent covered every single inch of Jacyn’s body.

  Yeah that one would go over like gangbusters with Mitchell. Here, I found your missing brother and he now stinks of me. I’m sure you won’t mind if I take him as my lover. The chances of Mitchell saying yes to that were slim to none and slim just waltzed out the door.