Secret Chemistry (Shifters)

by Kat, Chris T.

  You better be sure about that, rascal. Whether you can take a wolf-mating, that is. Otherwise, let’s shift back now.

  How can I be sure about something I’ve never experienced, Tim? I… I want this, I need this. It’s like the last puzzle piece that’s needed to bond us together. Sounds insane, I know, especially since I have no clue about shifters, mating, and whatever, but… I’m sure we need to do it this way.

  Jay peered over his shoulder, and Tim bent his big snout down to rub their noses together. Jay lifted his behind while he wound his bushy tail over Tim’s back.

  All right, here I come.

  Tim drove into Jay’s body, feeling him convulsing and hearing him keen. Despite thinking he couldn’t hold still once he was sheathed into Jay’s body, Tim stopped abruptly.

  Why’d you stop? Move it!

  You okay?

  As soon as you get a wiggle on, I will.

  Tim drowned out any worries he had about hurting Jay, his wolf instincts taking over fully. Jay responded in kind and gave Tim his body entirely.

  Streaks of light in various colors and shades twined around their joined bodies, building a web-like pattern. The web of colored lights twirled, slowly in the beginning, and then the pace increased. Sparks flew from the web until a complex, glittering net was woven, enclosing Jay and Tim completely. As soon as their climax hit them, the web exploded into cascades of multicolored sparks, bathing the shelter in warm colors.

  THE intensity of their coupling left Jay and Tim light-headed and panting. They collapsed onto the ground with Tim still firmly lodged inside Jay.

  Ugh. You’re smothering me, Jay complained.

  Laboriously, Tim got up from Jay, only to slump down on his side next to him. You’re killing me.

  I’m killing you? Very funny. I probably won’t be able to walk, but it’s me doing the killing. Where is the logic in that?

  How can you still talk so much? Shouldn’t you pass out or anything?

  Jay cackled, lifted his tail, and swished it along Tim’s snout, tickling him. Tim pulled his face away, trying to evade the bushy tip, but stopped when his movement caused Jay to hiss.

  Jay?

  Don’t move, okay. I’m really, really sore. You know, the kind of sore you’ve never experienced in your life before and sure as hell don’t want to experience ever again.

  Jay sucked in air in short bursts before his breathing became more regular and deeper again. I take it you’ll stay inside me for a while?

  I’m afraid so.

  Jay yawned heartily, showing off the full line of his sharp, white teeth. He scooted backward until his back was pressed against Tim’s belly. Tim laid one of his long legs over Jay’s torso, his big paw dangling in the air.

  Tim?

  Hmm?

  It might have been just me but… did you see sparks of lights as well? While we, um, were at it, I mean? Maybe my brain simply short-circuited like you assumed earlier.

  Tim rubbed his nose into the soft fur at Jay’s neck, inhaling deeply. With his tongue, he licked behind Jay’s left ear, causing him to shake his head unwillingly. I love how well we fit together.

  Are you evading my question?

  No, I just told you how much I love you, rascal.

  Love you too. What about the lights?

  Tim groaned. Why aren’t you in a post-coital coma?

  Tim!

  Tim sighed deeply, nuzzling his face against Jay’s for a moment before he snatched Jay’s left ear. The tug at it gained him a growl from Jay.

  Tim! Why aren’t you answering my question? Don’t tell me there are more secrets to reveal. I think I had my share of that for today.

  I saw the lights too.

  When Tim didn’t volunteer more information, just kept on grooming Jay’s head with broad strokes of his tongue, Jay asked, And?

  The web of lights only appears when an alpha couple bonds in their animal form.

  I take it there’s a catch somewhere in this sentence. One I don’t get.

  Tim remained silent as he gathered his thoughts. His life was complicated enough already, and now this. How was he supposed to keep Jay’s hybrid nature a secret now? It was impossible. Fear coiled up into a big knot inside his stomach; he couldn’t bear thinking of the danger Jay was in.

  Tim? Come on, what is it now?

  Tim felt the knot at the base of his erection softening, decreasing, and immediately pulled out of Jay’s body.

  Ow! Geez! Give me a warning the next time!

  Sorry, Tim murmured. He hauled himself up and sniffed Jay’s nether regions. He cringed upon seeing the redness of Jay’s entrance. Without hesitation, he crawled up behind Jay and lapped the abused flesh. Jay jerked, a surprised yelp tumbling from his mouth.

  Tim, honestly, I’m not up for anything—

  I’m not interested in fucking you right now. I want to help you feel better.

  Oh.

  Do you always have such a one-track mind?

  Jay shivered when Tim lovingly licked around his entrance, soothing the quivering flesh with it. He relaxed back onto the ground, allowing Tim to do as he pleased. Closing his eyes, he replied, Since I’ve known you, yes. And you’re still evading my questions.

  I will answer them, but not like this. How about we shift back, throw on some clothes, and collect the horses before your father instigates a search-and-rescue mission?

  You want me to sit on a horse? Uh-oh.

  Tim flicked his tongue against Jay’s entrance one last time, eliciting a gurgle from Jay, and then he walked a few feet away. There, he shifted back into his human form, wondering if his worries showed on his face.

  Jay thumped his tail on the floor as he lifted his head to get a better look at Tim. Oh, man, I won’t like this, will I?

  Tim bridged the distance and patted Jay’s head. “Shift back, then we’ll talk, okay?”

  Sure. If you’d be so kind as to enlighten me as to how I’m going to achieve shifting back? Newbie here, remember?

  Tim cracked a smile. “It works similar to shifting into your animal form. Just, this time you don’t fan the flame, you extinguish it.”

  Right. Nothing easier than that.

  Tim raised an eyebrow at Jay’s sullen comment.

  I’m on it, I’m on it, no need to look all pissed off at me, because I gotta tell you that is not a pleasant sight.

  Jay closed his eyes and slowly shifted back into his human form. He swayed on the spot, reaching out for Tim to steady himself.

  “Whoa, I’m feeling a bit faint.” Jay took a step toward Tim but stopped dead in his tracks. After holding his breath for a few seconds, he expelled it in a rush. “Ow! Oh God, I’ll never be able to walk again, let alone sit on a horse.”

  Tim steadied Jay, cupping his buttocks in his hands and rubbing there. “You should be fine in a few minutes. Even though you’re not a pure wolf, you should have inherited some of our healing powers.”

  “And if I don’t?” Jay asked, his voice hitching. “I can’t stand in front of my father like that.”

  Tim laughed. “You better not. Come on, let’s dress.”

  “Very funny. Why don’t you tell me what got you so upset?”

  “Damn, and here I thought you’d forget about that!”

  “No chance,” Jay replied as he pulled away from Tim’s supporting arms.

  Very carefully, he walked in the direction of his scattered clothes, hissing and grunting as he did so. When he bent down to retrieve his underwear, he gasped in pain.

  Observing Jay, Tim swiftly threw on his own clothes, then collected Jay’s. The stain on Jay’s jeans had already dried and didn’t look all that obvious to Tim. He hoped it would look the same to anyone else. Now the smell was a different matter entirely. Silently Tim helped Jay dress. Guilt threatened to crush Tim when he saw the tears pooling in Jay’s eyes. He had done it again—brought pain to someone he loved dearly.

  “Tim? Don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m a grown-up; I knew what I was
doing. Also, it is getting better already, so maybe I do have some sort of quick healing powers like you do.” Frowning, Jay added, “I’ve always healed quicker than other people, come to think of it. But probably not as quick as you do. Maybe my fox genes are slowing the process down? How bizarre is that? Me talking about fox genes?”

  “Not bizarre at all, Jay, not at all. I’m sorry you’re hurting. I never wanted to hurt you, I swear.”

  “I know,” Jay responded. Standing in front of Tim, he cupped Tim’s face in his hands before pulling it down so they could kiss.

  When the kiss ended, Tim embraced him, then pressed light kisses along Jay’s throat line, learning that he was extremely ticklish right under his jaw. After having elicited a series of giggles, he released Jay, twined their hands together, and towed him outside.

  There they found Starlight and Ally grazing a few feet away. The big Shire horses lifted their heads when Tim and Jay walked out of the shelter side by side. The horses nickered softly before going back to grazing placidly.

  Tim found a big boulder close by, sat down, and drew Jay onto his lap. Jay wiggled for a while until he was comfortable, then rested his head on Tim’s shoulder. “Tim, tell me.”

  “Only alpha couples will bond within a light-web.”

  “You said so before.”

  “Alphas are supposed to be the pack leaders. I have the alpha personality traits, and for a long time I was raised with the belief that I would lead our pack later, but… well, the elders deemed me unsuitable as an alpha wolf a long time ago.”

  “Why?”

  “When I followed your scent eighteen years ago, I disobeyed a direct order from my mother. She was hurt badly during the fights and almost died, despite her healing powers.”

  “Were you blamed for her injuries? You were only a teenager at that time!”

  “No, I wasn’t, at least not openly. Of course, I blamed myself for it. No, it was the fact that my mate was male, very, very young, and I still bit him. The elders might have overlooked all that, but… let’s say I was a tad on the unregulated side for a long time afterward,” Tim explained, his gut churning at the memories his admission brought up.

  “Unregulated?” Bright-blue eyes peered up under long eyelashes. Tim didn’t even try to squash the urge to leave one featherlight kiss on each eyelid. Jay chuckled and slapped Tim lightly on his chest. “Goof.”

  “Rascal.”

  “What does ‘unregulated’ mean?”

  “I was… very angry and got into a lot of trouble. I did some stupid things, which meant I couldn’t be trusted with leading a pack and keeping our secret.” Tim shrugged.

  “I still don’t get it why you’re so upset. They don’t want you to be their pack leader, well, it’s their loss.”

  “It’s not that easy. An alpha coupling will be noticed by some of the, uh, more sensitive wolves.”

  “Sensitive wolves? I really don’t think I can cope with more details about your wolf livelihood, so how about we leave that detail out? Anyway, someone will sense it—so what?” Jay asked, puzzlement clear on his face.

  “An alpha coupling only occurs between wolves, never between a wolf and a human. They’ll get suspicious, because you don’t smell like a wolf at all. Your… your life is in danger,” Tim concluded.

  Jay swallowed heavily. “Oh. Well, that’s… this is… can’t we talk to those people? Convince them I’m harmless?”

  “I don’t know, Jay. I really don’t know.”

  Twenty-Four

  THEY sat in silence for some time. Jay broke the silence by sliding off Tim’s lap. “We should get back. We’ve been away for hours. My dad is probably having a fit right now.”

  Tim reached out, grasped Jay’s slim hips, and turned him around. He hooked his thumbs in Jay’s belt loops and let Jay’s warmth soak into his hands, savoring the feeling. He looked up at Jay. “Stay close. Don’t wander off. Always, always tell me where you are or where you’re going, even if it’s just a trip to the bathroom. Got it?”

  Jay raised his eyebrows, and a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth by the time Tim ended his little speech. With an eye roll, Tim added, “No smart comments allowed, either.”

  “You don’t expect me to ask for permission for everything, right?”

  “I expect you to accept the danger you’re in and act appropriately, which means staying close and always letting me know where you are.”

  “You’re repeating yourself,” Jay huffed.

  “I’m aware of that, thank you.”

  “No reason to get sarcastic,” Jay snarled, annoyance creeping into his voice.

  “I’m not sure you’re taking this seriously enough. If the wrong person finds out, you could be assaulted and die!” Tim replied.

  Getting up from the boulder, Tim kept hold on Jay’s hips effortlessly, even as Jay tried to pull away. Jay stilled when his wiggling brought him not one inch of space. Instead, he glared up at Tim, his bright-blue gaze piercing into Tim’s.

  Voice vibrating with barely suppressed anger, Jay gritted out, “This whole werewolf, hybrid, or is it were-fox? Whatever! This whole shape-shifting stuff sucks big-time. I’m my own man; I don’t want or need to be supervised all the time. I also don’t want to look out for danger and be afraid or distrustful toward strangers or… or toward people I’m close to.”

  A growl rumbled in Tim’s chest, the primitive feeling of jealousy sweeping him up upon hearing Jay talk about other people close to him. Jay smacked him sharply on his chest, demanding, “Stop growling, that’s so not cool. I don’t want to explain to my dad or anyone else why my new boyfriend growls whenever I do so much as talk about being close to someone else.”

  This time the growl was in a lower tone, though it was still very clearly there. “Sorry, it’s hard to control.”

  “You better learn to control it quickly. It’s only fair, seeing as you’re expecting me to be joined to your hip without fussing.”

  “I’m not being an ass, Jay. I need you to be alert and I need you to be alive. I’ve waited so long for you….” Tim trailed off.

  Jay opened his mouth, took one long look at Tim’s face, and relented. Dropping his forehead against Tim’s chest, Jay sighed. “I know. I just don’t like to be bossed around.”

  “You can do all the bossing you like as long as you stay close and always tell me—”

  “Where I am or where I’m going. I got it.”

  “Just checking.” Tim smiled. He bent down to press a kiss on the mop of brown hair and heard a sigh of contentment from Jay.

  “I’m not really sure I want to go back. I’m… maybe I’m a little bit scared. What about your parents? Won’t they smell a difference? I mean, I don’t know… won’t you smell different after you’ve mated?” Jay lifted his head up from Tim’s chest to look at him. “Also, I’m scared of getting back on that horse. I’m not sure if I can cowboy up enough not to cry.”

  “Could you ride standing? We could pull up the stirrups enough for you to do that if you want, and about my parents—neither of them is one of the special sensitive wolves, sensers we call them. Sensers are rare and usually each pack only has one. Ours is very old, and if we are lucky, he might not have sensed our coupling. We’re still not taking a chance with your secret getting out,” Tim rattled on.

  “Okay. But you’d be the first one to know if anyone finds out, right?”

  “Not necessarily, since I’m not very interested in all things wolf related.” Tim shrugged.

  “That’s comforting to know. My life might be in danger, but you don’t give a shit about what’s going on with your pack. Fantastic, I suddenly feel so safe,” Jay mocked.

  Not leaving Jay a chance to react, Tim threw him over his shoulder, eliciting a surprised squeal from him. “Hey!”

  “Hey, yourself,” Tim replied while striding over to the horses.

  Jay grappled for anything to hold onto and wiggle out of Tim’s grip, but soon gave up. “Um, would you mind telling me wh
y I’m hanging upside down? I didn’t do anything to warrant this!”

  “No? What about telling me I can’t keep you safe?”

  “I didn’t say that, I only informed you—”

  “Informed me?”

  “All right, all right.” Jay laughed. “But you have to admit it sounded strange. First you’re so keyed up about my safety and then you say you don’t give a shit—”

  “I didn’t say I don’t give a shit. I merely stated I’m not very interested in pack society and all that stuff. That doesn’t mean I don’t know about these things. My parents are the pack leaders, and my oldest brother is the pack’s beta, so I’ll always know more than I want to about almost everything.”

  Tim put him back on his feet, cupping Jay’s face. They locked eyes, small smiles appearing on both their faces until they met in a promising kiss.

  After they had tacked up their horses again, Jay asked, “Help me mount this hulk of a horse?”

  Starlight huffed and firmly nudged Jay’s shoulder with her massive head. He tumbled backward a step before finding his balance again. Tim snorted. “Now you hurt her feelings.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jay said and fed Starlight a sugar cube. She chewed on it thoughtfully, then stomped her left front hoof on the ground.

  “I think you’re forgiven,” Tim whispered conspiratorially. He gave Jay a leg up and watched closely as he settled into the saddle. Concerned, Tim asked, “You okay?”

  “I think… yes, I am. Sore but manageable,” Jay responded, looking surprised but pleased.

  Tim smiled and patted Starlight’s neck before heading over to Ally and mounting her. Together, they rode back to Tim’s home.

  EVEN from the distance they could make out the worry mingled with relief on Walter’s face. He rushed from the porch toward the pasture with Ralf on his heels. Robin sauntered over to them from a different direction, which made it possible for him to reach them out of hearing range from Walter and Ralf.