Secret Chemistry (Shifters)

by Kat, Chris T.

  “I don’t think he wanted to harm the boy—it looked more like he was protecting him,” the third man threw in.

  Upon hearing a sharp slap, Tim jerked his head up. Pricking his ears in alert, he listened to a small fight that ended with the most aggressive of the three men saying, “I don’t care what you believe you saw. This is no Disney movie. This wolf attacked another man and he did not protect the boy.”

  “You still didn’t need to slap him,” a voice that held a lot of anger and concern responded.

  “He’s my son and I don’t put up with such bullshit. It’s bad enough he’s such a dreamer. Come here, James.”

  With his head cocked to the side, Tim listened to soft and hesitant footsteps walking toward the source of the voice.

  “I’m not going to search for the wolf now. It’s dark and we can barely see where we’re walking. Let the police start a hunt tomorrow. And you should take your son and drive home, Alfred. Or would you like the wolf to attack him?”

  Alfred didn’t reply for a long moment. When he did, his voice sounded choked. “No. No, you’re right. Jamie, you stay close to me while we walk back.”

  Tim breathed out a sigh of relief as he listened to the men walking away. He even smiled about Jamie’s complaint of, “Dad! You don’t have to hold my hand. I won’t get lost.”

  “No chance.”

  “But Dad!”

  The third, nameless man chuckled while Jamie’s complaints obviously fell on deaf ears.

  Tim rolled onto his right side and swallowed heavily. That had been close, way too close.

  If his parents ever learned about this incident, Tim would be toast. He groaned. How was he going to explain his sudden disappearance today? Blocking out all worried thoughts about his mother’s well-being, Tim closed his eyes and allowed his body to recover.

  His injured flesh felt hot and swollen, causing Tim to gasp in pain several times. Frightened, he lifted his head to look at the wounds. So far, he’d only ever suffered from a broken arm and some bite wounds. The broken arm had hurt immensely while the fractured bones merged back to one piece. The bite wounds healed in about five minutes, except for the thin scar lines. This… this felt different.

  Yipping softly, he stared at his wounds. His anxiety grew into full-blown panic when he discovered something moving inside him.

  Something moved inside him!

  Not only one thing moved, no, there were two: one at his leg and one at his abdomen. The movements burned like hell. Tim curled around himself so he could at least lick at his wounds. He tried to snatch the moving things in his body but quickly refrained from repeating the action. Biting himself was neither easy nor did it help.

  In growing trepidation, he followed the things movements in his body, though he had to switch back and forth between his leg and his abdomen. Suddenly a protrusion bulged at the wound in his leg. Tim stared at it, still freaked out but also weirdly fascinated by the whole process.

  A burning sensation surged through his leg and elicited a pained howl. When he looked at his leg again, a distorted bullet lay next to it.

  Tim blinked, not sure if he was seeing correctly. The bullet was outside his body, and the wound was in the process of closing. Another painful, sizzling sensation at his left flank ripped another pained howl from Tim. Then the other bullet popped out of his body too.

  Tim laid his head on the ground and thanked whoever was responsible for the great healing powers of werewolves. Shivers racked his body, and tears pooled in his eyes. He was so grateful to be alive it made him dizzy.

  As he closed his eyes, the thought of Jay perked him up immediately.

  As much as he needed to get back to Jay, he also knew he had been damn lucky tonight. He had to act reasonably. He couldn’t endanger himself again. At least not right now, with him shaking all over and his wounds still closing.

  Reclining again, he decided to wait until his body was completely healed. Then he’d follow Jay’s scent, get him back, and… well, he’d see to the rest then.

  Seven

  TIM woke up in a disorientated state. Thirst and hunger were foremost in his mind as he rolled from his side to his belly. As he got up and stretched his forelegs, a slight twinge in his left side reminded him of the previous night’s events.

  Carefully, he stuck his nose out of his shelter and sniffed the air. He only smelled what he expected to smell in the woods. The scents of his hunters were mostly gone and seemed to be several hours old.

  Several hours?

  Tim’s breathing sped up. Taking in his surroundings more thoroughly, he saw dawn had already started. He must have slept the whole night!

  Ignoring his grumbling stomach, he crawled out of his hiding place, located the creek, and greedily drank the clear water. After satisfying his thirst, he turned in the direction of the road and fell into a fast trot. Only when he neared the parkway did he slow down.

  A police car was parked on the embankment where Tim had attacked the man yesterday evening. He wondered if news of a wolf being seen in the area had made it to the newspapers or even a TV station. He hoped not, because it would mean the pack would have to be even more careful than usual.

  Tim hid beneath large bushes, watching the road. Cars drove by in a steady stream, making it impossible for Tim to get on the road to try to get a whiff of Jay. Not to mention the cop in the car would probably shoot him.

  Tim racked his brain, wondering what he could do to find out where Jay was. His thinking was rudely interrupted by several cars pulling up behind the cop’s car. Men with rifles and hounds climbed out of them.

  Tim stiffened. Then, as silently as possible, he turned and dashed away. Soon he found the creek, walked into the chilly water, and ran.

  He heard the hounds howling and the men shouting. Tim ran even faster. His heart shattered into tiny little pieces because he wasn’t just putting space between him and his hunters; he’d also made it impossible for him to find Jay ever again.

  ONE of the advantages of being a werewolf was that you always found your way home. After shaking off his pursuers, Tim trotted through the wood, already dreading his parents’ reaction. How would they respond if he told them he had found his mate, and more importantly, his mate was male, still a pup, and a hybrid?

  Tim sighed wearily. A light drizzling rain set in, and he slowed his pace to a simple walk. He was so goddamn hungry!

  All his instincts screamed at him to go back where he came from and find Jay. His poor, little, frightened mate, who surely was bawling his eyes out right now. Tim’s heart skipped a bit before it stumbled on in an unsteady rhythm.

  His stomach clenched when he reached the place where they’d left Jay’s mother yesterday. He stood there, exhaustion and hunger forgotten for the moment while he observed the place. It didn’t reek of death, not even of blood, but the scent of a lot of wolves, wolves from his father’s pack, lingered.

  Confused, Tim shifted his weight and swung his head around. The more he sniffed, the more the remains of Jay’s scent, albeit weak, filtered through, until that was all he could smell. A despairing whimper escaped him. The longing for Jay enveloped him, made it difficult to think, to breathe, to do anything else but ache fiercely from his loss.

  Tim slumped down on the ground near the spot where Jay’s scent was strongest, mourning.

  After a while, the drizzle changed into heavy rain, soaking Tim’s coat. It took Tim a long time to get his bearings and resume his way home.

  All sounds were muted as most of the animals waited for the rain to stop, seeking refuge in their dens or shelters. Tim lost interest in the brightly colored autumn leaves. Now they looked dull in some places, and in others, they seemed to mock Tim. His life would be void of color from now on.

  Not wanting to lose himself in self-pity, Tim blocked out all thoughts about Jay as much as he could. He trudged on until he was close to his home. Then he quickened his pace, the prospect of food, warmth, and his family lifting his spirits a tiny bit.
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  His parents would be mad at him and Tim would pay the price, but he was sure they would understand when he explained what had happened.

  But the closer he came to home, the more his apprehension rose. An unsettling feeling of something being horribly wrong uncoiled in his stomach. Several times he stopped and peered through the veil of rain, expecting… expecting what? A monster to attack him?

  Tim shook his head in exasperation. A fine werewolf he was. One who was afraid of his own shadow. He knew very well the real reason for his apprehension. His parents would be hopping mad, and despite knowing they loved him, he also knew from experience how devastating a serious dressing-down could be.

  Taking another deep breath, he bridged the remaining distance. Disobeying an older wolf was frowned upon, but disobeying your parents—who also happened to be the alpha pair of the pack—so not a good idea.

  Tim’s tail tucked itself behind his legs of its own accord, and a small whimper escaped his mouth. As he climbed the remaining steps toward the front door, Tim gulped in air before he finally lifted his forepaw to scratch on the door.

  He didn’t dare change into his human form. His parents were adamant that the girls saw their brothers naked as little as possible. Tim didn’t intend to get himself into more trouble than he already was.

  So lost in thought, he jumped when the door was torn open abruptly. A large hand grabbed him by the nape of his neck and unceremoniously pulled him inside. Everything happened so fast Tim didn’t even have time to utter a sound of protest.

  Once the door closed and locked behind him, Tim found himself face to face with his grim-looking father. Tim rolled onto his back to show his belly in submission, but instead of the expected reaction, it earned him a hard slap with a rolled-up newspaper.

  Tim gasped at the sudden sting on his flank and yowled at the second one. Disbelieving, he stared at his father. Tim had never seen his father so angry at him before.

  D-Dad? I-I can e-explain!

  You can? We’ll see about that! Now get out of my sight before I do something we both will regret.

  The barely contained fury in his father’s face scared Tim. He had seen this look occasionally but not once directed at him or his siblings. Tim whimpered, but his father merely pointed him upstairs. When Tim didn’t obey immediately, he growled and took a step toward Tim.

  “Dad! Go and look after Mom and tell her Tim is back. Maybe she’ll finally be able to sleep for a while. I’ll take care of Tim,” Daniel said.

  Tim’s father stared at Tim silently. Tim swallowed and ducked his head, almost touching the floor with it. His tail had taken up refuge behind his legs, or so it seemed. Feeling extremely in disgrace, Tim slunk closer to his brother.

  Tim’s father turned on his heels after throwing a dark glare at him. Unconsciously, Tim stepped even closer to Daniel, looking for comfort there.

  Daniel stayed rigid, only lightly touching Tim’s neck with his left hand until their father left the room. He all but collapsed when the door closed behind him. Tim yipped softly and Daniel crouched in front of him.

  “Don’t do that ever again!”

  Tim was surprised to see Daniel close to tears. Daniel hugged him tightly. “Christ, you’re soaked! Come on, let’s get you under a hot shower.”

  Tim followed Daniel upstairs into the bathroom. As they walked along the hallway, the door of the girls’ room opened. Laura peeked out, exclaiming, “Oh God, you’re back! You’re back!”

  She sprinted out of the room and ran straight into Tim. In his weakened condition, he lost his footing and toppled on his side with Laura clinging to his neck, squeezing and crying.

  Hey! What… what is going on here?

  “What’s going on? What is going on? We thought you were dead, you stubborn piece of shit!”

  “Laura!”

  “What? He is! Everyone was scared stiff! None of us slept much at all because… because….” Laura trailed off, gasping for much-needed breath.

  She sat on the floor, tucked her knees under her chin, and slung her arms around her legs, then rocked back and forth while she sobbed. Bewildered and a tad frightened, Tim got up again and nudged Laura’s tear-stained face with his nose.

  When she didn’t react, he whined and began to lick her ear. A few seconds later, she tried shoving him off her.

  “Get off! Get off, I said!”

  I’m sorry, Laura.

  “I know. Bet you’ll be even more sorry when you hear what happened.”

  A blood-curdling scream made all three of them freeze for a second. Daniel recovered first and swiftly strode into the girls’ room. More screams filled the air, and worriedly Tim followed Laura into their room.

  Daniel sat on the edge of Laura’s bed and cradled a screaming Robin in his arms. The toddler had his legs pulled under his belly, shaking his head from one side to the other, obviously caught in a horrible nightmare.

  Daniel pressed Robin’s head against his clavicle, secured Robin against his chest with his other hand, and got up. Gently, he swayed, all the while speaking soothingly into Robin’s right ear. It took Robin about five minutes to calm down enough to open his red-rimmed eyes and focus on his surroundings.

  A sleep-tousled Debra emerged from under her several blankets and said, “How is anyone supposed to sleep when he starts screaming every five minutes?”

  Tim growled. His sister responded by sneering, “Oh, look, the lost son is back. Did you have a nice trip? Geez, you smell like wet dog! Get out of my room!”

  “It’s my room as well, and I say he stays,” Laura intervened before anyone else could utter a word. “And just for the record: Robin slept as long as he was in my arms. He must have woken as I got up. It’s only natural for him to be scared.”

  Feeling more and more concerned, Tim directed at no one specific, What the hell happened? Why is no one letting me in on the big secret?

  “Maybe we think you wouldn’t care anyway?” Debra spat out.

  Robin chose that moment to wiggle vehemently in Daniel’s arms. “Tim! Tim!”

  Stunned, Tim looked at Robin. Of all the times to start saying his name….

  Daniel brought their baby brother to Tim, and Robin immediately hugged him. But only for a second, then he pulled back with a disgusted, “Eeeew!”

  Laura laughed out loud while Daniel chuckled. “Yeah, he’s really, really wet, huh? Shall we let him take a shower and later he can play with you?”

  A huge smile appeared on Robin’s face as he nodded fiercely. Laura picked him up from the floor, pasted a cheerful smile on her face, and carried him back to her bed. “How about another nap? I’ll stay with you.”

  Robin gazed at her doubtfully and tightened his hold around her neck. Laura made no move to try to dislodge Robin’s arms. Tim watched her climb into bed and get comfortable. Daniel pulled the duvet over them, kissed each of them on a cheek, and then motioned for Tim to get out.

  Tim obeyed at once. He even refrained from reacting to Debra’s vicious words when she said, “Yeah, get outta here. You’re not welcome anyway.”

  Even though he didn’t like Debra as much as he liked his other siblings, her words still stung. In his exhausted condition, Tim had no reserves left and felt tears pooling in his eyes.

  Daniel followed Tim into the bathroom and shut the door. With a smile he said, “It’s safe to shift now.”

  Tim closed his eyes and shifted back in his human form. Immediately he shivered, his teeth chattering. Daniel’s eyes widened, and he hastily retrieved a large, fluffy towel. He wrapped it tightly around Tim, then guided him over to the toilet, where Tim sat down on the closed lid.

  “I guess we better run you a bath,” Daniel remarked, already opening taps in the tub.

  “Daniel, what happened? Please, tell me.”

  Daniel let out a sigh before he turned back to him with a look so despairing Tim wished he’d never asked.

  Eight

  “DANIEL? Come on! No one died, right? Everyone is he
re, so what is so awful that everyone cries and no one wants to tell me?” Tim’s voice rose higher and higher with each word.

  Daniel looked at the floor, inspecting it closely. When he lifted his head, he asked softly, “What happened to you? You look battered, quite an accomplishment for a werewolf.”

  “Goddammit, Daniel! Will you please tell me what’s going on? I have a right to know—”

  “No!” Daniel hollered.

  It shut Tim up effectively. His brother never hollered. Never. It just wasn’t in his nature. No one could rattle Daniel enough to get him to raise his voice. Except Tim, obviously.

  Daniel fought visibly for composure. Leaning against the sink with his face hidden behind his hands, he radiated tension in palpable waves. Tim kept his mouth shut and waited, focusing on the sound of the water filling the tub.

  “You don’t have a right to know. You disobeyed Mom, Dad, and me. You endangered yourself and caused a lot of worries. You have no clue what happened here last night. We were sure you were dead!” Daniel’s voice broke.

  Tim swallowed, unsure how to respond. Daniel rescued him from his dilemma by closing the distance between them. Wordlessly, Daniel, who was a good few inches taller than Tim and weighed at least thirty pounds more, lifted Tim up, sat down on the toilet lid, and pulled Tim onto his lap.

  Tim’s whole body went rigid, while he felt his cheeks heating. Squeaking slightly, he stammered in embarrassment, “Uh, Daniel? I-I don’t think we—”

  “If you know what’s good for you, then shut up.”

  Tim shut up. Instantly, even. After a while, his body relaxed into the offered embrace and his shivering subsided to occasional trembles. The chilly feeling had to have its origin in something else.

  “You smell….” Daniel sniffed at Tim’s neck, scrunching his face up in disbelief. “… different. You… oh wow!”

  Defensively Tim countered, “What?”

  “Did you find your mate?”

  Heat rose in Tim’s cheeks anew. How was he supposed to answer? How would his brother react if he found out the specifics about Tim’s mate?