by Amber Kell
Andrew stared into Marlen’s strong features. Maybe the wrens were Andrew’s last chance at a happy relationship? If he pushed them away, would he end up alone and bitter?
While his mind reeled over his choices, Marlen kissed him. A quick brush of lips across his that he barely felt before he jerked his head back.
“We know you aren’t into men, but we need to be near you. Get to know us before you reject us just because of our age, okay? You don’t have to have sex with us, just let us take care of you.”
Chen’s pleading tone gripped Andrew’s heart.
“That sounds sort of one-sided,” Andrew protested. “Listen, you guys are really sweet but…”
Chen clamped a hand down over Andrew’s mouth, his touch gentle but firm. “I don’t want to hear those words from you again. You are exactly what we need. Your age means nothing.”
Andrew shook his head and dislodged Chen’s hold. He stepped away from the wrens, more than a little surprised when they let him. He needed to stand where he could see them both and know where their hands were.
“How can you say that my age is inconsequential? You’d both outlive me even if you were human. I hope you have a backup mate because you’ll probably still look like that when I’m old and grey.”
He hated to keep harping on their age difference, but they simply refused to get the message. They still believed in happily ever after and everything turning out for the best. Sweet, delusional boys. Destroying their dreams brought him little pleasure, but breaking their hearts would bring him even less.
“We don’t get another mate. That’s not how it works,” Marlen insisted.
Andrew’s phone rang. When he saw his son’s name on the screen, he answered the call. James rarely phoned him without a reason.
“Hello, James.”
“Morning, Dad,” James’ cheery voice came over the receiver followed by a long pause as if he didn’t know what to say next.
“What’s up?” They hadn’t mended things so well that they were in the casual ‘call each other just to chat’ stage.
“Umm… If you have time I need your help.”
Andrew clenched the phone until the edges bit into his fingertips. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Concern for his child pushed everything else out of his mind. With his son’s partner out of town for a law enforcement meeting, James was on his own. Andrew had thought his son would be safe with Talan’s pride keeping an eye on him.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to panic you. Nothing drastic. The car broke down and since Lou’s out of town, I was hoping you could pick me up. The tow truck won’t be here for another hour. Apparently the owner went fishing. They said if I left the keys, they would come by and get it.”
Only in a small town could a person leave their keys in the car and still expect it to be there for the tow truck driver an hour later. Of course in a shifter town, the odds were Talan would maul any potential thief and scare him back to the big city.
Andrew sighed with relief. He’d been imagining the worse. Inwardly he did back flips. James could’ve called someone in the pride or from the sheriff’s office. Both groups would eagerly help James out. The fact he’d called Andrew had him smiling.
“I was just about to leave home. I can pick you up on the way to the hospital.”
“Thanks, Dad.” James rattled off his location, giving Andrew enough landmarks he was confident he could find his son.
Andrew grinned. “You’re welcome. See you soon.” He tucked his phone back into his pocket.
“Problem?” Chen asked.
“James is having car trouble.”
“You have to get to work. Why don’t you let us pick him up?” Marlen offered.
“I don’t know.” Andrew worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “He’s expecting me. He doesn’t usually call me for help.”
He didn’t want his son to feel he’d pawned him off on the wrens, not when they were growing closer.
“He’s counting on you to help out. We’re willing to do that and make sure you’re not late.” Chen kissed Andrew’s cheek. “Let us take care of this. We need to get to know him better anyway.”
“Are you sure?” Andrew looked from one wren shifter to another, not certain of the right thing to do.
Marlen kissed Andrew’s other cheek. “He should get to know his stepfathers.”
Cold sweat sprang up across Andrew’s body. “Stepfathers?” he asked weakly. He knew the wrens wanted him to be their mate, but he hadn’t considered the stepfather aspect. Robbing the cradle could make things awkward.
Chen grinned. “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him.”
“As if he were our own child,” Marlen agreed.
“Oh, God,” Andrew whispered. “Please don’t tell him that.”
Marlen grinned. “We’ll be discreet, but I think it’s too late to hide the fact we want you.”
“Probably.” The wrens had announced to pretty much everyone in town that they considered Andrew their mate. Still trying to recover from the idea of the young shifters trying to act fatherly to a man their own age, Andrew agreed. “Fine. You two go get him. I’ll give him a call and let him know to expect you.”
He needed to get away right now before he began to agree to things he couldn’t take back. They were sweet and young, and had a blind spot the size of Texas regarding Andrew’s suitability.
Andrew gave them James’ location then climbed in his car and sped away. Maybe he could have his courage replenished at the hospital. It had apparently leaked out of his cock.
Chapter Two
“I think that went well.” Marlen watched Andrew’s vehicle fly away over the hill.
Chen nodded at the cloud of dust forming into the air behind their fleeing mate. “Yes, I think we’re wearing him down. He’s letting us talk to the kid on our own.”
Considering Andrew’s protective streak towards his child, Chen regarded his capitulation as a victory. They had to take advantage of their mate’s moment of weakness.
“I think the kid’s as old as we are,” Marlen reminded him.
“Then we should be able to find some middle ground.” Chen grinned, unperturbed by Marlen’s concerns. His mate had always been the worrier between the two of them. Chen preferred action. If they got James on their side, that would be one less barrier Andrew could use to block their mating.
“Maybe.” Marlen bit his thumbnail.
Chen heard his mate’s stomach growl. Wrens had faster metabolisms than most shifters, causing them to eat constantly. Unfortunately, when they were nervous that became even worse.
“We can grab some takeout after we get James. Maybe he’d like a bite with us.” Chen patted Marlen’s back before transforming into his wren form. Marlen followed. They had to fly home to fetch their car and some clothes since they’d flown to visit Andrew.
Luckily they didn’t live too far away and within minutes they were driving towards James’ location. “Don’t look so nervous,” Chen scolded as he drove their battered car down the dirt road. “It’s not like we haven’t met him before.”
“Never on our own. And you know how much Andrew loves his son. If James hates us then we have no chance to win our mate.” Marlen sighed. His nervous energy crackled between them like a living beast.
“He’s not going to like you better if you puke on his shoes,” Chen snapped. He’d run out of patience for Marlen’s negative thinking. “We need to be optimistic. Andrew is ours. He just has to get used to the idea.”
“Do you think he’ll agree to be our mate soon?” The pain in Marlen’s voice smoothed over the edges of Chen’s irritation.
Waiting for their mate to acknowledge them was grinding across Chen’s soul like a sharp pebble at the bottom of his shoe, hobbling his spirit.
Chen sighed. “Truthfully, I don’t know if he will ever give in to our mate bond. I don’t think he’ll abandon us even if humans don’t feel the bond like shifters, or at least I don’t think
so. I don’t know any human-shifter pairs.”
“Yeah, me either.” Marlen’s despair whispered across their connection.
They both worried that Andrew could live quite well without them.
“I refuse to give up on him. He’s responding to us, you’ve seen him. Besides if he touches another person, man or woman, I will kill them.” Chen gritted his teeth over the thought of anyone else romantically involved with their man. He could accept Andrew’s reticence over being with two men so much younger than himself, but he wouldn’t allow their human to find a replacement. Anyone Andrew showed interest in would be dissuaded, forcibly if necessary.
“Agreed.” Marlen’s expression reflected Chen’s determination. They might not be bad-ass warriors, but they could peck the shit out of anyone who tried to get too close to their mate.
They pulled up alongside James’ car. The lion shifter paced back and forth along the side of the street. James stopped when he saw them approach.
“Hey, James,” Marlen greeted him.
“Hey, guys, thanks for coming to get me. Dad said you volunteered.” James eyed them curiously.
Chen had a feeling they were being inspected for more than their willingness to help out. “Your dad had to get to work. We didn’t have anywhere else to go so we offered.”
James raised a golden eyebrow. “And you two happened to be at my dad’s house this morning?”
Marlen blushed then bristled. “That’s between your father and us.”
Chen wrapped an arm around his lover. Marlen was generally the more level-headed of them, but Andrew brought out his protective streak. Marlen had confessed to Chen before that he thought Andrew had been beaten up by life and just needed the right people to love him. His nurturing lover couldn’t resist an injured soul.
James didn’t appear placated over Marlen’s statement. “Don’t hurt my dad. He’s pretty vulnerable right now. His last relationship ended badly.” James shoved his hands into his pockets and levelled them with a challenging look. He might be new to the shifter world, but the lion shifter was settling in just fine.
A spike of admiration went through Chen at James’ willingness to stand up for his father. Andrew didn’t know how much his son was watching out for him.
“We’re not screwing with him. He’s our mate. I’m sure you’ve heard us telling him that before.” They weren’t shy about announcing to everyone that Andrew was their mate, especially to people who looked twice at the sexy older man.
“I know you two think he’s your mate, but how’s he’s taking the news? He isn’t big on discussing his love life with his son.”
Chen could tell James worried about his father. Andrew and James might have a rocky relationship, but the love between them warmed Chen’s heart. He decided James deserved an answer. Andrew wouldn’t want his son worried about him. “We’re going slow and trying to get him used to the idea.”
Well…slow for wrens, but James didn’t need to know that part. Andrew wouldn’t want details of his courtship shared with his son, no matter James’ age.
Chen walked over until he stood shoulder to shoulder with Marlen. The soothing comfort of his mate’s warmth against him calmed Chen. “We will take good care of him.”
They stood still, frozen with apprehension as they waited for James’ decree. Their mate’s son could make things difficult for them if he chose. Chen knew if James didn’t approve, it would put the nail in the coffin of their hopes. Andrew might not let his son pick his lovers, but James’ approval would be an important factor. After what felt like forever to Chen’s thundering heart, James finally nodded.
“Good. I just want him to be happy, even if you are kind of young for him.” James’ teasing grin told Chen he was just yanking their tail feathers.
“We’re trying to wear him down,” Marlen admitted. “He thinks he’s too old for us.”
“He’s also not gay. That might be an even bigger issue than the age thing.” James examined them with his clear gaze as if weighing their worth. “He might be bi. He doesn’t seem to mind you two touching him. Let’s just say we never talked about my father’s sexuality as a child.”
“He didn’t say anything when you told him you were gay?”
“I never told my father I was gay. He caught me kissing a guy and that was that. We never had the ‘big discussion’,” James said, curling his fingers into quotation marks.
“Even if he was only bi-curious before, he’s more now. It’s the mate connection,” Chen said. “If he lets us stay near enough to him, I’m almost positive we can eventually wear him down.”
Chen had to believe those words were true. If Andrew didn’t accept them, their nest would never be complete. How much longer could he keep Marlen happy on his own if Andrew rejected them? Wren shifters tended to bond in groups to keep larger predators away. They rarely made successful couples.
“Good luck. I want him to be happy.” James looked down at his shoes as if contemplating their tips would reveal the secrets of the universe. “He’s had it tough with me over the years. Everything he’s ever done, he’s done for me, even when things didn’t work out quite like he was hoping. I know he feels bad for the medication, but I think without it in the beginning I would’ve died. I hope he sticks around longer. I’d like to get to know my dad better.”
The wistful words full of hope and heartache gripped Chen’s heart. He ached for the pair.
He gripped James’ shoulder. “We hope so too.”
“He’s doing good work for the hospital,” Marlen offered. “Not to mention he saved Chester. He could help out a lot around here if he decided to stay. It’s always hard for shifters to get good medical care. At least here we have a hospital, but I know Henrickson sometimes has problems finding enough staff.”
James tilted his head. “You think he’ll stay?”
Chen took this question. “Maybe, maybe not. He might decide that we’re too stalkerish and you are doing better without him. He doesn’t lack confidence in his skills as a doctor, but like you said, his relationship record isn’t the best.” He didn’t want to tell James that a lot of it depended on him. The lion shifter didn’t need the pressure. If James told Andrew he wanted his father around, Chen doubted Andrew would leave.
James ran his fingers through his hair as if the conversation had stressed him. “Can you guys take me to the pack house? I left some homework there I need to grade. Talan has convinced me to tutor some of the younger lions. He thinks if they can get extra tutoring, they’ll do better in the human school.”
Chen nodded his agreement. “School is a special hell for shifters. Staying still for hours on end is unnatural for children. For shifter children it’s even worse.”
With their quick metabolism and short attention span, both wren shifters had had difficulty in school. Focusing had been next to impossible with their fidgety bodies. Large shifters thought they had it tough. His human teachers were always quick to want to label Chen with having ADHD and recommend medication. His parents had just laughed.
“I think I’m helping some. I just have to remember to build in time for going outside to hunt and napping in the sun.”
James’ mouth quirked in one corner—he had his father’s smile. Chen’s heart ached at the sight. Any sign of their lover twisted his heart. Fear their older mate would never accept them lived like a scary beast in the corner of his mind.
Marlen jangled his keys and nodded his head towards the car. “How about we go get something to eat first? We didn’t get a chance for breakfast and I don’t know about you, but we’re starving.”
“That’s a great idea. I ran out of the house without eating. I figured I’d grab something at the pride house. Lou usually makes me honey with almond butter and toast.” James’ face lit up when the talked about his mate.
Chen hoped one day he could talk about Andrew like that, as if he were part of their lives.
“Ready to go?” Marlen asked, breaking into Chen’s thoughts.
The drive to the diner went swiftly as the three men discussed different shifters they knew.
“Have you seen that little wolf following Arturo around?” James asked.
Chen laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know his name, but I think Arturo is losing his resolve to ignore him. I saw him toss a roast beef sandwich to him the other day.”
“It wouldn’t be the first wolf and lion match,” James said.
“No, but it might be the most interesting.” Marlen grinned.
Arturo, a lion shifter, kept to himself and didn’t mix with most of the pride. He remained loyal to Cesar although he gave Talan proper respect during shifter gatherings. Chen didn’t know what he thought about the lion, but the sad wolf shadowing Arturo had come with some other pack members to help build an extension to the pride house.
“Has anyone seen him in human form?” James asked.
“I don’t think so,” Chen replied. “At least I haven’t. I mean, he has to change sometimes if he’s helping with the build, right?”
“I haven’t seen him,” Marlen said.
Chen pulled into the diner parking lot right beside a familiar car.
“Why is Dad here?” James asked.
“I don’t know. He said he had to get to the hospital.” A cold, icy shiver went down his spine.
Marlen exchanged an uncertain look with him that confirmed neither of them knew what was going on. They got out of the car. A glance through the diner window had them freezing in their tracks.
“Who the fuck is that?” Chen growled.
A beautiful woman with long golden hair sat on the opposite side of the booth from their mate. Andrew’s intent expression twisted the knife in Chen’s heart.
Marlen entwined the fingers of his left with Chen’s right hand. “You don’t think he’s on a date, do you?”
