Secret Chemistry (Shifters)

by Kat, Chris T.

  “Tim, calm down, for heaven’s sake! This is my dad we’re talking about. It’s not like I have another lover or something.”

  The small flame of irrational fear and anger blazed up fiercely within Tim. Not caring about how threatening he must look to Jay, he manhandled him until Jay was on his back, sprawled out underneath Tim.

  “Mine!” was all Tim could squeeze out before he covered Jay’s body with his. Roughly nudging Jay’s face to one side, Tim inhaled his scent.

  “Tim? Tim! What are you doing?”

  Tim growled, dropped his canines, and bit into the mating mark he had left on Jay. Tim ignored the struggling beneath him—even though Jay convulsed in pain—he just made sure to keep his mate in his place while he sucked and tasted drops of Jay’s blood.

  At the edge of his consciousness Tim was aware that Jay’s struggle to get away from him had turned into a struggle to get closer to him. Jay encircled his neck with his arms and wrapped his legs around Tim’s waist, and yet it didn’t seem to be enough. Tim dug his canines deeper into Jay’s neck until he heard him whisper, “Yours, only yours, Tim, always and forever.”

  Tim shivered, his wolf finally feeling appeased by Jay’s words. Soothingly, he lapped at the mark, watching as the blood stopped oozing out until the small dots closed completely.

  Jay breathed heavily underneath him before he lost the death grip he had on Tim. Dazed blue eyes stared at Tim in bafflement. “What was that?”

  “I marked you as mine,” Tim replied gruffly.

  “I thought you did that already?”

  “Needed to do it again.”

  “Do you feel better now? Can we talk like humans instead of, I dunno, one human to a wolf?”

  “You’re not human.”

  Twenty

  “EXCUSE me?”

  Tim froze. He hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. He felt Jay’s heart thumping fast again, looking at him with wide blue eyes as if he’d grown a second head. Briefly, Tim thought about dismissing his outburst as a joke.

  Pushing himself onto his elbows so he didn’t smother Jay, Tim gazed into those stunningly bright eyes. Softly, he said, “You’re not human either.”

  “I’m… I’m n-not?”

  Tim shook his head.

  “Oh.”

  “You seem more shocked by that fact than by being mated to me.”

  Jay shrugged. “I don’t mind being mated to you.”

  “How very comforting to know.”

  Jay slapped his hands on Tim’s bare shoulders, rolling his eyes. “That’s not how I meant it and you know it. So… I’m a werewolf too? Shouldn’t I already know about this?”

  Here came the tricky part. Tim couldn’t help but tense up in anticipation. “No, you’re not a wolf. At least not solely. You’re… a hybrid.”

  Jay frowned, the confusion apparent on his face. “A hybrid? Tim, you’re not making much sense.”

  “You’re a hybrid between a wolf and a fox. Your mother was a werewolf and your dad a fox-shifter. You inherited both.”

  “How do you know all that? We’ve never met before—”

  “We did,” Tim broke in. Time to lay it all out in the open. “About eighteen years ago.”

  “Eighteen years! I was a kid at that time! Wait, that’s… that’s also the time my biological dad died and Mom and I moved.”

  “You know your father isn’t your biological father?”

  “Of course I know that. He and my mother met when I was six. They married a year later, and a year after that, he adopted me.”

  “But you’re sure your mother was your real mother?” Tim asked.

  His thoughts whirled. Could this really have happened? Had the female wolf he had left at that creek survived? Could that be possible? She hadn’t been able to walk and—suddenly Tim’s eyes widened. Of course—she had healed quickly, and maybe she had somehow been able to get rid of her hunters. Maybe she had even been able to locate her son and ensure his safety.

  “Yes, I am sure. Why?” Jay asked, definitely curious. “I don’t remember so much about the time my real dad and my sister died. I only found out later they were both killed at home. My mother somehow got out with me. We lost each other in the woods, and I was picked up by an older couple when I showed up close to a road. They claimed I had been attacked by a wolf, and it took the police a few days to locate my mother. Mom never wanted to talk about it. She never let me go anywhere without supervision. I swear, I thought she’d never let me grow up, but then again… she had lost one of her children already, so….”

  Tears formed in Tim’s eyes. What an awful, awful mess, simply because some wolves had prejudices against other shifters. Though most werewolves didn’t care about other shifters and let them live in peace as long as they didn’t mix their blood with a wolf. Tim had never understood their reasoning and had given up on trying to follow those people’s logic.

  “Tim? How did we meet at that time? I don’t remember meeting you.”

  Gazing deeply into Jay’s eyes, Tim replied, “That wolf you’ve talked about? That was me. Wait, hear me out! I didn’t attack you, I protected you. Unfortunately, you shifted back into your human form and the people thought I was attacking you. I didn’t, I really didn’t… I didn’t mean to hurt you….”

  Tim felt exhausted, bone-deep exhausted and out of his depth. How could he explain to Jay what had happened? How could he make him see he was still in danger? And most importantly, how was he going to make sure Jay stayed safe? Whom could he trust?

  “You hurt me? What did you do?” Jay asked. Before Tim had a chance to answer, Jay lifted his hand and put it on the mark at his neck. “You did that. Did you… did you try to mate me? I was… I was only three!”

  Jay’s disbelieving words, combined with a disgusted expression on his face, made Tim feel like scum. Fumbling for words, he replied, “I didn’t try to mate you! I guess my wolf nature got the better of me and I needed to claim you, at least show somehow that you belong to me.”

  “I should probably run now because that just sounds gross and weird and all that, but… I think the sex short-circuited my brain and deleted my sanity. I still don’t understand why we didn’t see each other for so long. I always felt as if I was searching for someone. You know, that special someone that would rock your world and whatever other cliché you can think of. I believed I was a hormone-driven nutcase. Now, I think I might have had these thoughts for a reason and—”

  “How can you talk so much without having to take a breath in between?” Tim asked, genuinely perplexed.

  “Natural talent,” Jay replied, not in the least bit offended. Grinning, he added telepathically, And you can’t even shut me up because I can still talk to you like this. How awesome is that?

  Chuckling, Tim shook his head. Rascal.

  I… I had this weird dream. Ever since I was little, I dreamed that I’m a small animal, um, a pup, or something. I’m playing with a wolf and he’s talking to me in my head and calls me rascal. I always felt… so loved that I’d cry each and every time I woke up from this dream, realizing it was only that. A dream.

  It wasn’t. You relived a memory.

  Jay shuddered, his eyes shining wetly. Despair colored his voice when he said, I didn’t know! Why didn’t I remember? Why didn’t you come to me when you knew about us?

  “Jay,” Tim sighed.

  Once more he blanketed Jay with his body, cupping Jay’s face in his hands. He brushed his lips over Jay’s, barely touching but still sending shivers through both of them. “I didn’t know where you were. I swear, I didn’t. I was only a teenager at the time and I would have endangered you if I had asked around too obviously. Also, there was hell going on at home.”

  “Why? Tim, I don’t understand.”

  Suddenly, Tim thought how weird it was for them to have such a serious conversation with both of them naked and semen drying on their skin. He bit on his lower lip to prevent himself from laughing out loud. He should really work on
more appropriate behavior, especially around Jay.

  Tim rubbed their noses together, watching as Jay’s eyelids closed and a smile ghosted over his face. Tim bent farther over Jay’s face, fluttering his eyelashes against Jay’s, eliciting a giggle from him.

  Are you going to answer my question?

  Damn, there’s really nothing I can do to stop you from talking, huh?

  Jay smiled. “Nope.”

  “Oh, well, guess I’ll just have to get used to it.”

  Jay opened his eyes again, and more earnestly, he prompted, “Tim, tell me, please.”

  “That time your biological father and sister died, my father, who was—still is—our pack leader was out of town. There were other wolves in our pack who didn’t want wolves mating with any other kind of shifters. Mating with humans was and still is seen as completely normal, but some of our pack members feared for our pure werewolf blood,” Tim started.

  Jay tensed underneath Tim. Not slow on the uptake, Tim thought.

  “Pure werewolf blood?” Jay echoed. “This sounds very Third Reich.”

  Tim nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

  “What happened?”

  “I only heard that later because our parents tried to protect us, but obviously some wolves had gotten wind of other wolves mating with cat-shifters. They hunted the offspring and… killed the cubs.” Tim swallowed.

  He had trouble focusing on Jay’s face as he went on in a low voice, “They killed the cubs and sometimes the cat-shifter or even the other wolf if that wolf tried to protect his mate and children. They only ever attacked when those people had shifted into their animal form, knowing very well they’d probably be successful with their attack.”

  “But… but those shifters were human too!”

  “I know.”

  “They did that with my family?” Jay whispered, his voice hitching at the end.

  “Yes, they did. I didn’t understand what was going on at that time. We had a gathering at our usual place, like we always do at the full moon. There was a lot of tension in the air, and our mother as well as other parents told us kids to get home immediately. My elder brother Daniel and I brought our siblings home, but I was on the edge. Had been the whole day already because I scented something… someone, actually. I didn’t understand it was you I scented.” Tim stopped to kiss Jay on his lips, needing to reassure himself Jay was here and alive, with him.

  “Despite the direct order of my brother, I went out again and followed your scent. I realized something horrible was going on because I heard wolves fighting with each other, wolves hurting each other and….” Tim swallowed. “I never want to witness something like that again. I turned away from the fight and chased after you and your mother. She was really fast even though she was carrying you.”

  Jay's gaze seemed to be glued to Tim’s face, and he was soaking in every word Tim said. Tears glittered in his eyes when he said softly, “She fell and couldn’t carry me anymore. You promised her you'd bring me to a safe place and you did. Kind of, at least.”

  Tim stared down into those bright-blue eyes, shocked by the intensity of feelings he discovered there. Hoarsely he asked, “You remember?”

  “I thought it was a dream, Tim. I thought I was crazy for longing for someone who was just a figure of my imagination.”

  A tear spilled over and rolled down Jay’s cheek as he struggled to keep his composure. With a swipe of his tongue, Tim licked away the tear, tasting the salt before whispering, “I’m so sorry, Jay. For everything.”

  Jay lost the fight against the tears, and a sob tore free from his throat. Tim gathered him in his arms and sat cross-legged on the floor with Jay cradled securely in his lap. He grabbed one of the blankets, wrapped it tightly around Jay’s shivering body, then draped another one loosely around his shoulders.

  Jay’s whole world had been turned upside down today. Tim intended to cushion the consequences of all the revelations as best as he could. He still had to inform Jay he was still in danger, that there were still werewolves who loathed the mere thought of hybrids being alive somewhere.

  Twenty-One

  IT TOOK Jay a long time to calm down. Tim stayed silent while Jay cried himself out, probably realizing for the first time how different his life could have been if he wasn’t a hybrid, attracting the unsolicited wrath of other people.

  Tim started when Jay croaked, “That’s probably not part of the mating ritual, huh? One of the mates bawling his eyes out, I mean. I feel even more freaky now than before and I have to tell you that I felt plenty freaky prior to that.”

  “Can’t you ever say something under less than thirty words?”

  Jay harrumphed as he pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. Balling them into fists, he rubbed his eyes, looking very young with this gesture. Tim tightened his arms around him, wanting nothing more than to protect Jay.

  “I can. See?”

  Tim dropped kisses on the tousled hair underneath him before rubbing his nose through the soft strands. A contented moan rumbled in his chest.

  “I swear, if you start licking my hair, I’ll be really grossed out. So grossed out that I’ll kick you in your private parts. We might be shifters, but I’m not having you go all animalistic on me,” Jay warned.

  “You’re such a spoilsport.”

  Jay suddenly sucked in air in a huge breath, almost choking on, “You said I’m… I’m a hybrid between wolf and fox. Does th-that mean I can, uh… shift into an animal?”

  Tim moved Jay so they faced each other. A sigh escaped Tim at seeing Jay’s red-rimmed eyes and the blotchy spots on his face.

  “Yes, you can shift too. I’d love seeing you in your other form.”

  “I don’t know how to do that, and what if I can’t shift back? I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as an animal, especially if I’m really such a weird crossbreed. I’d surely attract attention and I’d rather not be caught and dissected.”

  Jay shuddered. Tim clamped his arms around him, crushing him to his chest, tearing a surprised hiss from Jay. “As long as I’m alive, no one will catch you ever again. Jay, you have to understand one thing and you have to get it right from the beginning.”

  “What is that?”

  “The people responsible for killing your father and sister have been banned, but… there are still resentments against hybrids. Every now and then we hear about attacks on crossbreed shifters and some of them end very ugly. You can’t shift whenever you want. You can do it while you’re with me, but that’s it.” Tim’s tone was insistent.

  “What… what about your family? You said your whole family are werewolves… will they accept me? What if they don’t? I don’t have a fucking clue as to how to shift. Is this something like on Star Trek? You know, like, if I don’t get it right, I’ll dissolve into tiny molecular pieces?”

  Tim groaned. “Geez, you really can’t talk in short sentences, can you?”

  “Excuse me for being freaked out just a tiny bit. So far, I’ve mated with a werewolf, found out the real circumstances of my father and sister’s death, learned that I’m a shifter, but not something ordinary like a werewolf. No! I have to be some kind of hybrid, which other shifters don’t happen to like, so I’m an endangered species and—”

  Slanting his mouth over Jay’s, Tim stopped Jay’s stream of words. He flicked his tongue along Jay’s lips, savoring the moan his action elicited from Jay. When they broke apart, he said, “I understand all that. I’m sorry if I came across rude. That wasn’t my intention.”

  Mollified, Jay smiled weakly before offering, “I’m sorry too. For flying off the handle like that. I… I’m just so confused and also, maybe, um, a bit scared. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering if someone is going to attack me. Though I’m wondering, why did no one pick up on me being a shifter? You told me you could smell other wolves and shifters. Shouldn’t someone have smelled me too?”

  “Weirdly enough, we can’t smell hybrids. I don’t know why. No one knows.
Maybe it’s genetic or something, but we just can’t. We have to see you or at least have a clue about your true nature. I could only smell you because you’re my mate, and let me tell you, I was shocked when I discovered you’re a hybrid,” Tim answered.

  “But,” Jay said, scrunching his face up in concentration, “if a wolf-shifter gives birth, doesn’t that mean all the children will be shifters as well? Wouldn’t it be suspicious if the children don’t smell like little wolves?”

  “Not all children inherit the shifter genes; some are simply human. No one would be suspicious because of that.”

  “Oh.”

  Pensive silence stretched out between them until Jay let out a long breath. Tipping up his head to get a better look at Tim, Jay asked, “To complete this really freaky day, how about you tell me how to shift? Oh, and see? I can talk in less than thirty words.”

  Tim smiled, extricated himself from Jay, and stood up. Jay called out for Tim. “Tim? Did I say something wrong?”

  “Nah, I just want to make sure there’s no one around.” Tim surveyed the field around the shelter, only finding Starlight and Ally grazing placidly. “All clear.”

  Jay rolled onto his feet as well, the blanket still tucked securely around his shoulders. Nervously, he bounced up and down, flicking his gaze around the small room. Forcing a strained smile, he quipped, “Well, then, what’s the secret? Do I need to recite a chant or wave a wand or what?”

  Tim laughed as he walked back to Jay. He engulfed him in his arms and pressed a hard kiss on the mating mark on his neck. “No chant, no wand.”

  “What am I supposed to do, then?” Jay asked nervously.

  “I was taught to close my eyes, breathe in and out deeply several times, then concentrate on a small white flame within me. I imagined the flame blazing up to a steady fire and voilà—I shifted into my wolf form.”

  “That sounds very new age,” Jay commented wryly. “How does that work with really small children, anyway? They couldn’t understand what you just told me.”