Secret Energy (Shifters Book 2)

by Kat, Chris T.

  A pang of guilt surged through Robin. Since they had entered the cave and given themselves over to the protection of the were-bears, he had been busy moping or trailing after Shawn instead of helping Tim take care of Jay. Robin pushed his head back into Jay’s touch, eliciting a tiny smile from him.

  “Robin! Are you listening?” Tim’s voice had risen so far in volume Robin couldn’t tune him out anymore.

  Not really. You were saying?

  “Goddammit, kiddo! Shift!”

  You sound like Mom when she’s pissed off. No wait, actually you sound more like Debra if I really think about it.

  Tim pressed his mouth into a tight line before pinching the bridge of his nose. Jay eyed him, then transferred his hand from Robin’s ears to Tim’s shoulder.

  “Let me guess—he’s riling you up, right?”

  “Yes,” Tim growled.

  “Maybe you should let Peter deal with him?”

  Tim scowled at Jay. He then looked from Jay to Robin to Peter. Robin turned his attention to Peter as well. Peter returned Tim’s glower with a calmness Robin admired.

  “He needs to shift. He’s been in his wolf form for too long, and his wolf is taking over.”

  “I know,” Peter said.

  Seemingly effortlessly, Peter lifted Robin in his arms. Robin swiped his tongue over Peter’s biceps, closing his eyes in bliss when he tasted Peter’s unique scent. A sharp spike of desire shot through his body.

  Peter shifted Robin’s weight in his arms. “How long has he been in his wolf form?”

  “I’m not sure. Eight to twelve hours probably,” Tim replied.

  “That is not a long time. I’ll convince him to shift in private.”

  Hmm, private sounds interesting, Robin chimed in.

  “Would you just shift?” Tim asked, exasperated.

  But I’m comfy.

  Right as Tim opened his mouth, Jay hushed him. “Peter will deal with him. Stop acting like his big brother all the time. He’s a grown man.”

  “Grown man?” Tim huffed. “No way, he’s—”

  Peter cut Tim’s tirade off by saying, “I shall follow Jayden’s wise suggestion and deal with Robin on my own. Please excuse us.”

  Bye, Timothy! Robin said.

  Tim sputtered but remained where he was because Jay held on to his arm while murmuring soothing words to him.

  Peter carried Robin away, striding out fast. The deeper they walked into the cavern system, the more Robin’s nose filled with scents he now recognized as the heavy scent of matings. Whining low in his throat, he shoved his nose between Peter’s biceps and flank, only to be assaulted by Peter’s smell.

  Robin withdrew and fought a short battle with himself before he swiped his tongue over Peter’s upper arm, tracing the outstanding and pulsing vein there.

  Peter inhaled sharply, which encouraged Robin to lose himself in the sensations of tasting Peter, refamiliarizing himself with his mate.

  “Robin,” Peter said.

  Robin wagged his tail to show Peter he’d listened to him, but he had no inclination to stop licking the salt from Peter’s arm.

  They entered Peter’s personal little cavern, where Peter lowered Robin to the floor. Peter’s penetrating gaze made Robin squirm and look up at him with a mixture of arousal and apprehension.

  “Shift. I need to reclaim you. Afterward you can tell me all about why you were outside the cave. Alone.”

  Robin closed his eyes and swiftly shifted to his human form. He blinked his eyes open, as always slightly taken off balance by the change of view.

  “I can explain,” Robin started, the need to pacify Peter burning inside him.

  Peter smiled before he cupped Robin’s face in his hands. “You will, but all at the appropriate time.”

  “Now’s not the appropriate time?”

  “Now is the appropriate time for us to strengthen our bond. You are in dire need of reassurance.”

  “I am? What about you?”

  “I’m as much in need of reassurance as you are,” Peter said.

  “Shouldn’t we, uh, talk about what you found out while you were gone first? I mean, that would be appropriate, right? I don’t want Jay to believe no one takes his father’s death seriously and—”

  “We will be quick, then.”

  “We will?”

  “Yes,” Peter answered before he claimed Robin’s mouth and pushed him to the ground.

  Twenty-Two

  TRUE TO Peter’s words, the sex was quick, but that didn’t lessen the intensity of their orgasm. Afterward they lay on the bare floor in a tangled heap of bodies, their hearts drumming a fast tune while their energy lines whizzed around them.

  “Our energy lines… they are buzzing,” Robin said.

  “Yes, they are.”

  “Why are they doing that?”

  Peter ran his fingers through Robin’s hair. “We set free a lot of energy.”

  “That’s all? You know, for all this mumbo-jumbo stuff, you have surprisingly unexciting explanations.”

  “I’d prefer if you wouldn’t put down what we have in such terms,” Peter said, his body stiffening.

  Robin rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

  “Robin. That is very disrespectful behavior.”

  “Oh, is it? Don’t be such a stickler for proper behavior all the time. It’s really unbecoming.”

  Peter rolled them over in one swift movement. Robin jerked when the skin on his back and buttocks touched the cold stone. He gasped, “C-cold.”

  Peter turned back so he was under Robin, not even cringing when his skin came in contact with the stone. He positioned Robin atop of him, and rubbed his hands over Robin’s chilled body.

  With a bemused expression Peter said, “You’re mad at me for leaving you alone.”

  Heat rose in Robin’s cheeks. Closing his eyes, he turned his head to the side, not wanting Peter’s piercing gaze directed at him. He bit his lower lip while he searched for the right words.

  “Look at me, my angel,” Peter said. “I apologize profoundly for having left you. I shall refrain from repeating it. I will only leave you if it’s absolutely necessary. Will this arrangement appease you?”

  Robin lifted his gaze. “I can take care of myself. You don’t need to be at my side twenty-four seven.”

  Peter looked at Robin until the corners of Robin’s lips curved into a smile. He thumped Peter’s shoulder. “All right, maybe I do need you at my side let’s say… twenty-three seven.”

  Peter placed a firm, spine-tingling kiss on Robin’s lips and said, “Let us remain realistic. It’s twenty-four seven.”

  “Sheesh, you have a really bombastic ego, don’t you?”

  “I can see the need in your en—”

  “—ergy lines. Yadda, yadda, yadda.” Robin finished Peter’s sentence with a dismissive flap of his hand. “Tell me something new.”

  “You are not taking me seriously.”

  “Ah, well, see, that’s not entirely correct. I do take you seriously, especially when you fuck me.” Robin batted his eyelashes at Peter.

  “Show me how serious you take me,” Peter replied in a husky voice.

  “Now?”

  “Yes,” Peter replied.

  “But… didn’t we want to be quick so we could talk?”

  “Listen.”

  Robin quietened and listened. He grimaced when the unequivocal sounds of matings filled his ears. Still, the noises didn’t disturb him as much as they had before Peter’s return.

  “Most of them are busy,” Peter said. Robin cringed when a loud scream shattered the air. Peter grinned. “Shawn.”

  Robin’s eyes widened. “That was Shawn? I thought….”

  “He and Will have a very unique relationship. Don’t concern yourself with them. Shawn is fine. He hates to disappoint Will but can’t help testing the boundaries from time to time.”

  “Shawn explained to me why you don’t want anyone to know about me seeing the energy lines,” Robin said.
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  “Oh.” Peter’s hands squeezed Robin’s buttocks until Robin squirmed. “I wanted to be the one to tell you, but maybe it is for the best. I don’t always know how to phrase certain things.”

  “I’ve noticed,” Robin replied.

  Peter looked at him, seemingly startled.

  Robin stretched himself on Peter’s body, enjoying the feeling of Peter’s hard muscles underneath him, and kissed him.

  A loudly cleared throat from outside their cavern drew their attention. Robin slid off Peter’s body and did his best to hide behind Peter’s bulk when Peter called out, “Yes?”

  “I, um, this is Jay. Could I come in and talk to you?”

  “Where’s Tim?” Robin asked.

  “He’s talking to someone,” Jay answered.

  Robin knew an evasion when he heard one. Jay wanted to talk to them without Tim hanging around. He squirmed behind Peter, then pushed against Peter’s side. “Just a second, okay? We have to throw on some clothes.”

  Without a word, Peter got up, held a hand out for Robin, and helped him get dressed. Jay slipped inside the room as soon as Peter told him to come in.

  Jay cast a nervous glance to the entrance, then defended himself against the unspoken question hanging in the air. “Tim doesn’t have to know everything just because he’s my mate.”

  “I beg to differ,” Peter said. “It’s of utmost importance that—”

  “Peter. Not now,” Robin cut off the impending lecture. He beckoned Jay closer before looking around. “I’d ask you to sit down to get more comfortable, but as you can see we only have the stone floor and a small blanket to do so.”

  Jay’s lips twitched into a knowing smile as he gestured to a darkened spot on the floor. “I take it that is not the best place to sit down right now?”

  Robin flushed and shrugged in what he hoped would come across as a nonchalant motion. Peter moved up next to him and looped one arm around his shoulders. He said, “There is the possibility of sitting down in the community room.”

  “No,” Jay said urgently. He shuffled his feet while he darted another glance toward the entrance, then squared his shoulders. “I want you to help me kill my father’s murderers.”

  Robin’s mouth fell open. He stared at Jay, waiting for him to take his words back. When Jay just stood there, staring back at him, Robin blurted, “Are you serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “What? But—”

  “If this is your wish, we will help you,” Peter interrupted.

  Robin pushed out of Peter’s embrace, not trusting his ears. Standing between Jay and Peter, he held out his hands, warding them off. “Are you nuts? Both of you?”

  Jay ignored Robin’s comment. “It’s what I want.”

  “Jay!”

  Peter encircled Robin’s left wrist with his hand, yanked, and tucked him against his side despite Robin’s uttered complaints. He stopped his struggle when Peter asked, “Will this still be your wish a week from now?”

  Jay crossed his arms above his chest, widening his stance and scowling at Peter. Robin’s stomach fluttered when Jay replied in a voice laced with bitterness, “So you’re not serious about helping me. You’ll just try to talk me out of it. Just like Tim.”

  Right on cue, Tim strode into the small room, his face a mask of barely contained anger. Jay’s eyes grew big while a light flush crept from his cheeks down his throat and neck. Tim didn’t say a word as he approached Jay and pulled him into a crushing hug as soon as he reached him.

  “You’re not supposed to go anywhere without me, rascal.”

  “Just because we’re mated doesn’t mean we have to be joined at the hip,” Jay mumbled into Tim’s chest.

  Jay clutched Tim’s shirt in his hands, bunching and twisting the fabric, while their energy net sparked, almost giving the impression of a small firework.

  Peter pressed a gentle kiss on Robin’s temple and whispered, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Robin nodded as he relaxed further into Peter’s embrace.

  Softly, Tim said, “I thought we had talked this through. You’re no killer, Jay.”

  “Did you eavesdrop?”

  “I’m a werewolf, I hear a lot even if it’s not destined for my ears,” Tim replied, shooting a dirty look at Peter. “A lot more.”

  Peter cocked his head but didn’t rise to the bait. Robin couldn’t resist, though. “You should invest in earplugs, brother dearest.”

  Jay chortled, effectively clearing the tension in the room.

  “Don’t laugh,” Tim chided Jay. “He’s impossible as it is.”

  “Not sure who is the impossible one around here,” Jay retorted as he lifted his head to gaze up at Tim. The smile faded from his face, making way for an earnest and sad expression. “Why can’t you support me in this matter? They killed my father. These are probably the same wolves that killed my sister and my biological father. They almost killed my mother and me, and now they managed to find me and kill someone I loved. This has to end.”

  “And you think it’ll end by becoming a murderer yourself?”

  Jay hiccupped and his energy lines coiled, knotted, and tried to withdraw from Tim’s. For a moment Robin feared Jay would do the impossible again—loosening the bond between them. Tim seemed to be prepared, though, because his energy lines expanded, pulsed, and pushed against the knots. Seconds later his lines tore down the knots in Jay’s and their lines merged anew.

  Jay sagged against Tim’s chest, his voice sounding tearful when he said, “I just want it to be over. I don’t want to be afraid for the rest of my life. I don’t want to lose you or anyone else close to me. I don’t want to be the one who’s responsible for the death of anyone else. If that means killing those men, then yes, I’m willing to become a killer.”

  Robin waited for Tim to say something, but Tim stayed silent. Shouldn’t you argue with him?

  We already did that. I thought I had gotten through to him. I don’t know what to do anymore, and quite frankly, I don’t blame him for wanting to kill those bastards.

  Robin pushed out of Peter’s embrace, smiling apologetically as he did so.

  “Go on, my angel. Do what you have to do,” Peter said. His hands lingered on Robin’s forearms for a moment, leaving a welcomed warmth there.

  Robin walked up to Tim and Jay, then took Jay’s hand in his own, discovering it was clammy and trembling slightly. Not so cool with the prospect of becoming a killer, after all.

  Tim looked at him expectantly, and cautiously Robin ventured, “How about setting priorities?”

  “Which would be?” Jay replied, aiming for a steady voice but failing.

  “Preparing Walter’s funeral.” Robin’s voice broke as he said the words, the impact of voicing Walter’s death aloud like a punch in the guts, winding him. “Decide what’s happening with the horses and so on. After dealing with all that, if you still want to… kill them, we will help you to bring down those bastards. I’m certain our pack doesn’t accept murderers into it. They could very well have already hunted them or taken them down for all we know.”

  Peter sidled up behind Robin, obviously unable to keep from touching him for even a minute—a fact Robin didn’t mind—and slid an arm around his waist.

  Tim tilted his head so he could mutter into Jay’s ear, “Why aren’t we supposed to be joined at the hip when these two can’t stay apart for more than thirty seconds?”

  “We’re still in our honeymoon phase,” Robin replied.

  “I….” Tim trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words.

  “You shouldn’t ask those kinds of questions. You always lose,” Jay said.

  “In regards to your pack, I’m able to inform you that we were able to contact your pack leader. We weren’t aware you were related. Your father, Ralf, assured me he’d be here soon. He had to make preparations for someone to guard your mother as well as inform your pack about what happened.”

  “How did you know which pack the wolves belonged to? And how did you
know who to call?” Tim asked.

  “We know about all the packs in North America, but we don’t interact often, especially not with packs who have trouble accepting hybrids.”

  “You knew about that?” Jay jumped in, his eyes flashing.

  “We know everything regarding the werewolves in North America.”

  “Why didn’t you do anything? Why didn’t you try to help? People got killed!” Jay pushed off Tim’s chest.

  Jay’s face reddened and his eyes became cold, even flinty, as he regarded Peter.

  “We’re only responsible for our own clan. We don’t interfere on principle.”

  “You don’t interfere on principle?” Jay echoed. “Why did you interfere this time?”

  “We didn’t interfere. We helped you; there’s a difference.”

  “That’s crap,” Robin said. Glowering at Peter, he added, “Tell me you agree with me.”

  “I don’t agree with your choice of words. I do, however, agree that our principle of nonintervention should be discussed.”

  “Should be discussed,” Jay spat. He grabbed Tim and towed him toward the entrance. “I will go back to my father’s house and our horses. If those guys come back, I’ll kill them. I won’t look away and pretend nothing’s happening—unlike some other people here.”

  Tim followed Jay after calling, You better get Peter to provide us with protection until Dad and the others arrive!

  Robin’s mind reeled with all the things he had heard as Tim and Jay departed. He looked at Peter, who seemed profoundly taken aback by Jay’s abrupt exit.

  “Your timing of revealing important facts and truths seriously sucks,” Robin said.

  Twenty-Three

  “HE WILL calm down,” Peter offered.

  “You don’t sound so sure about that.”

  “He is very upset right now, but I’m certain he will realize he can’t go back yet.”

  “Peter! What is it with you?” Robin threw his hands in the air before he echoed Peter with as much scorn as he could muster. “He’s upset! You always make it sound as if he lost his favorite shirt.”