Gifted with Hydrangea

by Tigertalez

  Ryker pulled his head back and moaned out loud. “I’ve been craving you all day.”

  A low rumble sounded from Rudo’s chest, and his large hands gripped his ass, lifting him off the ground. Ryker squeaked but didn’t complain as Rudo held him against one of the building’s posts. One of Rudo’s hands squeezed between them and undid both of their pants. He took out Ryker’s cock, and then his own, then pressed them together, rubbing their cockheads against each other.

  “Oh fuck! Yes. Mm.” Ryker moaned and flexed his hips.

  Rudo replaced his hand on his ass and began rutting against him.

  Ryker held both arms tight around his mate as their combined pre-cum lubed their shafts, helping their cocks to glide against the other. The zings of pleasure shot like electricity down to his toes.

  Rudo grunted and panted. “Not gonna last.”

  Ryker squeezed a hand between them, grabbed the heads of their dicks, and jacked them. Ryker’s orgasm rocketed through him and filled his hand. He parted his lips, and sank his fangs into the vein in his beloved’s neck. Rudo went rigid and let out a long moan. Warm seed once again covered Ryker’s hand. A sharp pain pierced his neck as Rudo’s canines sank into his flesh, and Ryker shouted around the flesh at his mouth as he was launched into another climax. He continued to milk them both, feeling the warm liquid run down his hand.

  Ryker sealed his mark at the same time he felt Rudo’s tongue swipe across, sealing his. He slowly pulled up on their cocks, milking the last of cum from their shafts before letting go.

  Both were still breathing heavily when Rudo slowly eased Ryker back on his feet. Rudo’s hot breath puffed down the back of his neck as he nuzzled him.

  “I crave for when you feed from me. I love that I am providing for you, and my soul feels like it orgasms with the pull each time you suck in.”

  Ryker’s heart melted, and he was struck speechless as he stared up into his beloved’s cinnamon colored eyes. Just how much can I love him before my heart bursts?

  Rudo cleaned them both up with a rag he had in his pocket, and tucked himself in. He wanted to tuck Ryker in, but he had to slap his hand away. “Sorry, stud, but if you put your hands anywhere near my dick, it won’t fit in my pants.”

  As they approached the house, Ryker could see pack members unloading a pickup. Next to it were Slate and Alphy, talking to a man he didn’t recognize.

  “Oh, that must be Slate’s friend with all his stuff. They look awfully serious. Wonder what’s going on.”

  Ryker didn’t let go of his beloved’s hand as he made his way closer. Alphy looked up at their approach and signaled for him to come over.

  Alphy introduced him. “Ryker, this is Slate’s buddy, Grey. He was just telling us about his sister, Willamina, who needs a pack. She recently found her destined mate, but he’s not a wolf, he’s a coyote. Grey’s alpha tried to have them killed. I know you’ve been swamped, and have a list of people in line for approval, but I’d like for you to make them a priority.”

  “Sounds like it. Sure, I’ll do it first thing, before I even begin to pack,” Ryker said, cheerfully.

  “Thank you,” Grey said. He looked like he had just been relieved from a great burden.

  “Also,” Alphy went on, “he said one of his sister’s best friends, Elisabeth, went missing. Their alpha isn’t doing anything about it, and it sounds like she and the alpha didn’t get along.”

  Ryker closed his eyes and shook his head. “Uh-oh. That sounds all too familiar.”

  Alphy nodded once. “Yes, but this time we think we might have a lead. Grey and his sister went through her apartment and found a diary.”

  Grey reached into the truck and pulled out what looked like a little red diary. “It couldn’t have been an hour after Mina and I had left Lizzy’s apartment that we got a call from one of their other friends, saying that someone had broken in and trashed the place. We think they were looking for this.”

  Ryker received the book and opened it up. He thumbed through it really quickly to see if there were any loose pages or extra slips of paper.

  “You said your sister was hiding. Is she here in Bancroft?” Ryker asked, without looking up.

  “No, Mina and her new mate are still in the States. She came to me when Lizzy wasn’t answering her phone, or returning her calls. Because of the threat from the mating, they had arranged to call at a certain time every day. When Lizzy didn’t call, and wouldn’t answer when my sister tried to call her, Mina chanced coming to me for help. We went over to Lizzy’s place and looked around. We took the diary hoping that it might give us clues to what happened.”

  Ryker closed the book and looked up at Grey. “Did you guys grab anything else?”

  “Yeah, her laptop, a few photos, and her purse, which had her keys, wallet, and cell. My sister kept all of that with her. When we were there, the apartment didn’t look like there was a struggle. The door was even locked.”

  Alphy motioned to Ryker for the diary, so he handed it to him.

  “I would like to take a look at her laptop and cell. Maybe I can use my mad skills to find something on them that could help,” Ryker told them.

  Alphy turned to Ryker. “Get that background check finished tonight, Rye. When Bronya flies you guys to the States for Rudo’s stuff, I want her to bring them back here before returning to pick you up. I’ll have Nix go along.”

  Before Ryker could do more than nod, Slate added, “And me.”

  Ryker could see Slate’s determination.

  “Yes, you, too, Slate,” Alphy agreed. “I’ll also call Raymond and see if he can spare a couple of his vamps.”

  Ryker could see Grey’s eyes go big. “Wow, that’s a lot of security.” Grey held his hands up. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “I know it’s a lot, but I don’t want to underestimate your alpha. And if Lizzy is in the trouble I think she might be in, then I only hope it is enough.”

  “What kind of trouble do ya think she’s in?” Grey asked.

  Ryker looked at Alphy. “Phenocorps?”

  Alphy returned his look. “Likely,” he responded.

  “This time we go during the day,” Slate said, with a deadly look. After knowing what the others had gone through, Ryker had to agree. These scientists were slated to die.

  Chapter Four

  Enzo pulled Alphy aside as he entered the house. “I have news you’re going to want to hear.”

  “Good or bad?” Alphy asked, as he stopped just inside the door.

  “It isn’t good, but I would say it is more unwanted than bad.” Enzo felt uncomfortable with telling Alphy anything negative. Alphy had already been through so much.

  Alphy nodded and headed back outside. They climbed up to the office that was now over the garage. The space was still busy with pack-members who were helping to remodel it. The main living space was going to have a desk for every officer, and a small lounge where they could hold their morning meetings comfortably, with mates included. The long closet in the bedroom was being turned around to be opened to the main room, and turned into a hutch for all of their security feeds. The bedroom was going to be split to create two offices, one for Alphy and one for himself. There was still a ton of work to be done, but Alphy’s office was already secure. Alphy led him in and closed the door.

  “So what’s the news?” he asked, as he walked behind his new desk and sat down in his comfortable chair.

  Enzo took one of the guest chairs. New furniture was slow to come in, with everyone focused on higher priorities.

  “Matteo just called and told me some reporter is snooping around town, asking about the two planes that went down. He said she had gotten an anonymous tip about them.”

  “Fuck! Of course she did, and it wouldn’t have been from the S.I.S. They would want to keep that shit quiet.”

  “Exactly. As far as we know, the only other person that knew about it was the pride alpha, Tony Smith.”

  “I can’t imagine he would want that kind of heat
on any paranormal. It’s one thing to arrange people you hate to be sent to some hellhole like Phenocorps, but it’s entirely something else when you endanger the secret of our existence.”

  “I told Matteo to keep an eye on the reporter until I had a chance to talk to you about it.”

  “Fuck!” Alphy swore again and rubbed his eyes. He let out a loud exhale and looked off into a corner in contemplation.

  “I can’t spare our guys. We’re stretched thin enough. To make matters worse, Rye and his team are leaving with Rudo.” Alphy tilted his head back. “On the other hand, we need to keep an eye out for her. We would need to do something if she gets too close.”

  “What about Raymond? His coven is huge. He’s bound to have some vamps he could spare.”

  Alphy slowly shook his head. “I’m already going to be asking him for help with Slate’s friend.”

  Alphy folded his fingers behind his head as he leaned back and told Enzo about Grey and his sister, and her friend.

  “What if we just bug her phone, and where she’s staying? Maybe even put a tracker on her.”

  Alphy leaned forward and placed his arms on his desk. “That will work. Do it.”

  Enzo nodded and moved to stand but was halted by Alphy. “Hold on, Enzo. Sit down a minute.”

  Enzo froze for a second before he sat back in the hard, uncomfortable chair, and waited for Alphy to continue.

  “I also need you to head over to the Waltons,’” Alphy said seriously.

  Enzo quickly brought up who they were, in his mind. “One of the old couples who came here with the elk herd?”

  “Yeah. They’re an old couple who are pretty set in their ways. I don’t think they realized just how different it would be to live in a mixed pack. They are having a pretty severe dispute with a wolf shifter family who arrived, and just so happened to have moved into an apartment directly next door to them. See if you can find a way to settle the dispute. If you can’t, we might have to look into evicting one of them from the pack. I don’t want that to happen. I want all paranormals to see us as a refuge.” Alphy rubbed his face, and Enzo thought he looked tired.

  “I know you do.” Enzo tried to soothe him. “We expected things to be rough while we try to figure out which rules work best for a mixed pack like us. Rules, etiquette, and customs all vary, sometimes extremely, between predator and prey shifters, then add to that the vampires.”

  “Yeah, but we also expected to grow a lot slower than we are.” Stress and worry were etched on Alphy’s face. “While you’re heading over to take care of that dispute, I am heading over to another one on the other side of town. It has gotten more violent than the one I’m sending you to.”

  That isn’t good, Enzo thought. “Don’t worry about the Waltons’ dispute. I’ve got this.”

  Enzo got up and headed out. He was determined not to fail Alphy on this. Different ideas on how to best handle the situation occupied his thoughts as he grabbed the keys to the newly returned pack vehicle. Just as he sat himself in the driver’s seat, Enzo froze. His dick went ramrod hard, painfully pinching between the fabric crinkle of his jeans. His eyes shifted, and his gums ached from his canines threatening to descend.

  “Son of a bitch!” he shouted, and slammed the palms of his hands against the steering wheel. My mate was in this car! Maybe he was one of the mechanics. Enzo could smell Havana was most recently in the car. She must have picked up the car. Maybe she can tell me who my mate is. Deciding he could stop by and meet his mate while he was in town, Enzo hopped back out and went in search for the alpha’s sister.

  Enzo entered the kitchen and saw Havana putting away the dishes she had just washed. “Hey, Havana, I need to know who the last person was who drove the car before you picked it up.”

  Havana looked at him over her shoulder. “Yeah? Why? I didn’t find anything wrong with it when I picked it up.”

  Enzo felt like grinding his teeth. He didn’t have the patience to play twenty questions. “Because he is my mate. I’m in no mood for playful conversation, Havana. Now tell me who he is, or who can tell me who he is.”

  Dultyn, who was never far from his mate, walked around the corner, and stood protectively beside Havana. Enzo sighed. Ever since Havana’s abduction, Dultyn rarely ventured too far away from her.

  Havana ignored both his bad mood and her mate’s protectiveness. She smiled widely. “Congratulations. It totally makes sense now. He had all these pictures of flowers in his toolbox. Said he came from a long line of flower people. You know, like what Dex does. His name was Heath. He’s a mechanic there. Cute little guy. Short, thin, dark blond and sun-bleached hair, sweet as pie. His parents run the little flower shop downtown. Gosh, it will be awesome to have him part of our pack. Good luck.” Without waiting for any response, Havana turned around, kissed her mate, and then continued to put away the cleaned dishes.

  Enzo stood frozen for a little bit, trying to process his mixed thoughts. He was jealous Havana knew so much about his mate, when he himself didn’t, yet he was entirely grateful that she was able to help him find his elusive destined. He was also suddenly nervous, and still turned on to the point of pain, with the minor image of him she was able to provide.

  Fuck, I’m in trouble if I don’t get control over myself, he thought, then growled. Damn it, he’s human. How the hell am I going to introduce him to the paranormal world without losing him? I doubt I’ll be as lucky as Alphy, Slate, and Nix. Fourth time is definitely not a charm.

  “Thank you,” Enzo mumbled to Havana before turning and heading back out to the car.

  As he began his trek into town, he began getting excited about finally getting to meet his destined mate. First things first. I need to take care of the feuding pack members. Then I can stop by to meet my mate. His stomach fluttered with anticipation.

  ****

  The sun was getting close to setting when Heath got out of his car and looked around. Boy, she wasn’t kidding. The place is really overgrown.

  He walked up a broken and overgrown path to the rundown house. He could smell the rot, and winced at the smell, but soon his expression turned into a large smile. Thick hydrangea trees grew around the house in many different colors and breeds. Wow!

  Heath trotted back to his car and retrieved the box he grabbed from work, and his clippers. After he returned to the bountiful hydrangea trees, he began clipping some off. He took time to smell each cluster he clipped before he laid it gently in the box, smiling the whole time. They didn’t really have a smell, but he enjoyed doing it just the same. They’re so beautiful.

  Sounds from in the forest caught his attention. He stopped and looked around. Through the trees, he saw an overly skinny girl, running naked, and laughing. A very skinny wolf was bounding playfully around her. What the—

  Before Heath could finish that thought, the laughing girl’s body contorted and grew fur, and in a matter of several seconds, she became a second playful wolf.

  Heath’s eyes grew wide. He inhaled sharply, but froze in place. Did I just see that?

  The wolves seemed to suddenly sense he was there because they both stopped and looked his way. Fear punched through his body. Both wolves howled long and loudly, then ran toward him. Heath screamed, and ran for his car. He reached the car and tried to open the door, but the wolves were there, one on each side, growling loudly. He froze. Fear spiked through him sending goosebumps to rise on his arms and down his spine.

  He slowly turned his eyes to the one on his right. She stood about five feet away, baring her teeth and growling. The other one behind him growled just as loud, giving him a stereo of the terrifying noise. His stomach tightened with fear. Heath felt like throwing up.

  He didn’t know why he did it, but Heath slowly held his arms up. He flinched, nearly leaping out of his skin, when the wolf in front of him barked, snapping her jaws in the air, spraying spittle as she did.

  Another wolf, with red fur, ran out of the forest. It was huge and had a healthy weight. Behind him trotted a
…horse? A tall, muscular, bay stallion with a long shiny, black mane.

  Heath’s body was shaking and sweating as he watched as the new wolf barked at the ones surrounding him. Behind him, he heard the sounds of joints and ligaments popping and snapping. The sound made him sick. His body had enough and rebelled. Heath heaved over and puked. Some of it hit the side of his car and rolled down the side, and its rancid smell filled the air around him. The wolf in front of him quickly backed away, trying to stay away from the foul contents that splattered on the ground. Heath’s body quaked so badly that he fell forward, and had to use the side of the car to hold him up. His diaphragm locked and wouldn’t let him drag in air. He pulled and pulled until his lungs were freed, allowing him to inhale deeply. He took several deep breaths before a round of coughing fits hit him.

  Heath continued to lean heavily against his car as he slowly started to calm down just enough to hear past the ringing in his ears. He could hear a girl crying.

  “I’m so sorry. He saw me shift.”

  Another girl’s voice added, “So we decided to hold him until you got here.”

  A man’s voice, with a southern accent, responded. “Shh, it’s ok. You did exactly the right thing. Alphy’s a good alpha. He’s not going to flog you or anything. Just calm down. We’ll handle this. Why don’t you and your sister shift, and run back to the house and get yourselves some supper.”

  Heath heard the popping and snapping sound again. His eyes were shut, and with hearing the sound, he squeezed them shut even harder.

  This isn’t happening. It’s not real. I’m hallucinating. Maybe I fell and hit my head.

  But the sick feeling that consumed his body didn’t give Heath confidence in his theory.

  The sound of padded paws thrummed through the ground, and grew distant. Heath’s head was throbbing. The nicker of a horse caused him to open his eyes, just a peek. The large bay stallion stood staring at him a few feet from him. Heath thought the horse looked like he was giving him a sympathetic look.