by Lisa Oliver
“I don’t understand,” and Darwin wasn’t just saying that. “Our hook up was over two years ago and when we’d finished you tried to eat me. Since when did that give you any claim over me?”
“For goodness sake, you prey animals just can’t take a joke.” Lenin huffed as though he was the one offended. “I wanted a snack. It wasn’t as though I’d actually eat you.”
“Didn’t look that way to me,” Darwin muttered. If that was a joke then Lenin needed to work on his delivery. Darwin could still remember the hiss; the way Lenin’s fangs dropped. Darwin escaped while the man was shifting. “What are you doing in Jackson anyway? You told me you came from Manhattan; worked for a big legal company in the city.”
“I was, but about six months ago I traveled here on business. Imagine my surprise when I treat myself to a night out and find you flaunting yourself in a club? It was as if Fate smiled on me.” The smile Lenin sported was all teeth and Darwin felt a chill run right down his spine.
“We’re not mates.” Darwin refused to think of Simon when faced with a snake ten times more evil than his mate. “We had one quick fuck, that’s it. I don’t even know how you got my number.”
“That was the easy part. It pays to have connections and yes, well, I must confess you’re not really my type,” Lenin admitted as if it was no big thing. “But then I see you up on that stage, moving with such sensual grace, it’s hard not to be possessive you know. You’re pretty, you move beautifully and I think with a bit of behavioral training, you’ll make the perfect partner. People lust over you and that’s enough to keep me interested. Imagine how helpful you can be in some of my business dealings.”
Darwin didn’t want to imagine it. He wasn’t a horror fan. “Look,” he said quietly, figuring an abrasive attitude wasn’t the best approach with a crazy person. “I understand, I really do, but those people who shove money at me don’t know me. At home, I’m an absolute slob and I don’t have a clue what fork to use at a fancy dinner.”
“That’s why you need training, boy. It’ll be fine.”
No, it won’t be! Darwin wanted to rant and rage but Lenin was ignoring him anyway; too busy looking at his phone. “I wish we had more time; all this thinking about your dancing has given me a boner.” Lenin sighed as though it was Darwin’s fault. “Still, can’t be helped. There will be plenty of time to enjoy that lovely mouth of yours after your shift at the club tonight.”
“You’re going to let me work?” Getting away couldn’t be that simple, could it?
“Of course. You don’t think I’m made of money, do you? I certainly wouldn’t spend it on you if I was. Your tips will make nice pocket change for me; help cover the expense of keeping you. Oh, don’t worry. No one else will get near you. These coyotes work cheap and who knows, if you treat them right, you might just get fed.” Darwin’s heart sank to his boots. He knew exactly what type of treat them right Lenin was referring too. “Don’t cause any trouble. I’ll be back tonight to take you to work. I can’t wait to be seen with you in all your sexy splendor again.”
Lenin blew a kiss in his direction before waltzing out of the door, the lock clanging as it turned. Darwin didn’t know what to do first. He’d been in some shit before, but this took the cake. Servicing coyotes. Darwin shook his head. I’d rather starve. But then, he probably would anyway. Once Gus saw he was in the company of shifters, he’d be booted out and wouldn’t have a job. Fuck, he prayed to the Fates, I promise on my life, if you get me out of this I’ll never talk back to Simon again. If only I’d kept my mouth shut at the diner.
~~~~/
“These coyotes are a pack of dumbasses.” Simon looked over the top of his laptop at Mal who was muttering and typing furiously. He was busy trying to find out who Lenin was; tracing him through his car. Mal was tracking coyotes online while Rocky was out riding around town, trying to pick up their scent. A quick shift healed Mal’s head wound, but Simon knew it would be some time before he forgot the sight of his friend unconscious in a pool of blood. Mal swore he was okay and was working hard to find any lead possible on the men who took Darwin. A hastily rented motel room and quickly decided purchases in a computer store gave the men everything they needed to mount a search in an unfamiliar town.
“What have you got?” Simon was getting nowhere. The car was registered to a holding company and Simon couldn’t find the main name behind it. The address was a postal box; another bust. Simon was finding it hard to keep his temper as his worry for Darwin mounted.
“Police records. I think I’ve found the attackers. Thank goodness humans are paranoid about shifters. They even have their case files separate. These are all marked as coyotes and have the same address. They’re lucky they haven’t been kicked out of town. And lookie here – in the last six months five pack members have all been released from charges of causing a public nuisance, burglary and common assault into the care of one Lenin Ophidian; their lawyer. Originally from Manhattan; he worked in a large legal firm out of New York City. More recently, opened his own practice right here in Jackson. According to his website, and I quote, ‘Shifters have the right to work and play in human towns. My mission is to see to it they do it peacefully and in harmony with the law-abiding human residents’.”
“He’s an activist?” Simon quickly typed in the search for the full name and snarled when he saw the photo. “That’s him. That’s the guy who followed us.” He quickly scanned the website. There was an office listed, which Google told him was closed. There was precious little listed in the “About” section except…. “He’s married to a human. According to this, they have two kids.” Simon looked over to see Mal’s worried face. “What the hell is he doing following Darwin around?”
“Web profiles lie,” Mal said simply. “He’s mentioned as being seen at a couple of high-profile events, but there are no pictures of his wife. Maybe she’s still in New York, or more likely, he’s invented the wife and kids to show he’s not a threat. Married men always appear more trustworthy in business, even if they aren’t.”
“And he’s living here, terrorizing Darwin and schmoozing with all the big names in town. I still can’t understand why they took him? What good can it do?” Unless they meant to kill him. Simon resolutely pushed that thought right out of his head. He refused to believe the Fates would hand him a mate one minute and take him away the next. The powers that be wouldn’t do that.
“Should I send the coyote address to Rocky?” Mal bit his lip and Simon understood his anxiety.
He shook his head. “No. Knowing Rocky, if he gets a hint of Darwin’s scent he’ll barrel in there with no thought for the consequences. They clearly live in a pack.” Slamming his laptop shut, Simon reached for his jacket. “Let’s ride. Text Rocky and tell him to meet us two streets over or something. I’m counting on you to keep him out of trouble.”
“I don’t have my bike. I brought yours over, remember.”
Shit. Simon hated anyone riding pillion with him and his friends knew it. With Darwin taken his nerves were shot to hell; his snake wanting to squeeze the life out of anyone who dared come too close. But Mal was the only one who could control Rocky when he got his wolf on. “Guess you’re riding with me then. You can swap over to Rocky’s bike when we meet up with him.”
“Thanks.” Mal hesitated and then said quietly, “We will get him back, you know.”
“I’m not worried about that. What worries me is the state he’s in when we find him.”
Refusing to give into the rage flooding his cold bloodstream, Simon ran out of the motel room, Mal hot on his heels. He needed to be calm. Rational and calm. Until he found Darwin. Then all bets were off. Fuck, he wished they were back in Arrowtown. Rescuing anyone there was easy; doing it in human form, not so much. It was at times like this, with his mate in danger, that human laws made no sense to Simon at all.
Chapter Eight
“You think you’re too good for the likes of us?” Darwin hoped the guy wasn’t in a hurry for an answer. He was
too busy trying to protect his vital organs from the punches and kicks hammering down in his direction. It turned out coyotes were an insecure bunch who tended to take “fuck no” the wrong way. Unfortunately, Darwin couldn’t think of anything else to say when two of them popped into his cell and demanded he give up his mouth and ass. Now there were four of them and they were all taking his lack of interest in them far too personally.
“You can’t do this.” Darwin refused to cry out. He couldn’t punch worth a damn, but he refused to let the coyotes think they’d got the better of him. He missed his bat. “Lenin’s coming back. He wants me to work. I can’t dance covered in bruises.” Or broken bones. Darwin bit his inside lip, tasting blood as a heavy boot came down on his ankle.
“You think the Boss is going to save you? That you’re special?” The coyote’s breath was strong enough to curl steel. “You’re just the latest flavor of the month. He finds ‘em, we catch ‘em and then when he’s done with them we dispose of the evidence. Roasted. Stewed. Hell, someone as tasty as you would be good enough raw.”
Darwin’s sick stomach had nothing to do with his bruises. Just the thought of him ever being with a man who had such a callous disregard for life made his stomach revolt. “Kill me now,” he snarled. “I won’t ever submit to you or your boss. Kill me now and I hope you get diarrhea for a month.” He closed his eyes as another fist crashed into his head. His last thought was of Simon. At least he didn’t claim me. He should be all right. He has friends. Gods, Simon, I’m so sorry.
~~~~/
Simon slithered through the coyote’s house; the stench of rotting food, garbage and filthy clothes covering his own unique scent. Mal and Rocky were looking for a back way in; the front of the house was covered in bars. But his snake could climb walls and slide into any crack or window and there were plenty of them on the deserted first floor.
Heading down the stairs, he hesitated as he caught Darwin’s scent, the taint of blood and then he heard yelling as though there was a fight going on. At least four different voices then Darwin’s calling for death. Not on my watch. Not giving a shit where Rocky and Mal were or that he was outnumbered, Simon slithered towards the noise. Hands. I need hands. Fingers to wrap around a coyote’s throat squeezing hard enough his eyes pop out. How dare they touch my mate?
As he got close to the door of what looked like a storeroom, Simon shifted, flexing his muscles, he lunged, grabbing one of the assailants by the neck. A quick wrench and the man fell to the floor, his unseeing eyes staring at the ceiling. Simon was on the second one before anyone noticed he was there. But then it was all on. Three against one. Odds he could handle when his anger was fueled by the sight of Darwin pale and lifeless on the floor.
“We got no beef with you,” One of the coyotes gasped as Simon held him in a stranglehold. “Lenin should’ve told us his brother was coming. We’d have left him for you.”
“That snake’s no brother of mine,” Simon flicked his wrist, ignoring the jerk beating on his back. Dropping the second assailant, he turned, his eyes showing slits as he eyed the two men left. He punched one fist into his palm and inhaled. “Who’s next?”
“Nah, man. We didn’t sign up for this shit,” the smaller of the two men started backing out the door.
“He’s yours. You can have him,” the other one agreed. “Not that there’s much left of him.”
Menacing growls stopped the men’s disappearing tactics. Simon saw a flash of fang and fur before turning back to his mate. Rocky and Mal could take out the trash. Hurrying to Darwin’s side, Simon noted the damage. Darwin’s ankle was lying at an odd angle and one side of his face seemed caved in. What was more worrying though was the pale blue tinge around his lips. Simon snarled at the manacle around his mate’s foot and with a strong pull, broke the chain with his bare hands.
Kneeling on the cold floor, Simon put his head on Darwin’s chest. It barely moved. “Come on, babe, don’t you dare die on me now.”
“They’re dead, but we can’t hang around,” Mal came racing in. “My gods, he’s a mess.”
“You need to bite him,” Rocky looked over Mal’s shoulder. Both men had lost their clothes, but that was the least of their worries. “Bite him and your energies will sync. We’ve got to get out of here. There’s no telling how many other mongrels live here or when that bastard Lenin will be back.”
“I’m venomous. I don’t know that I can.”
“He’s your mate and he’s fucking dying,” Rocky said bluntly. “Bite him and let’s get out of here.”
“It should be his choice,” Simon traced Darwin’s unbattered cheek with his finger. “He’ll hate me if I bond with him without permission. He was going to hit me with a baseball bat the first time he saw me.” A smile hovered over Simon’s mouth as he thought about his feisty mate.
“If he’s dead you won’t have to worry about apologizing. Get on with it,” Mal urged, looking back over his shoulder.
The situation was hardly ideal. When Simon thought of his mating, and he’d done that a lot since Ra claimed Seth, he’d imagined a soft bed, candles, warm kisses and skin glowing in the reflection of a hot fire. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The hint of papaya was still evident among the gore.
“Sorry, little one,” he murmured as he let his fangs drop. Nuzzling his nose along Darwin’s throat, the pulse barely visible, Simon struck, groaning as Darwin’s blood hit his tongue. His cock was rock hard in an instant, spurting in the next but Simon focused on what his mouth was doing. Darwin’s body trembled under his hand and then he arched up and Simon smelled the man’s release. A splash of color etched across Darwin’s cheeks and the blue tinge was gone from around his mouth. He carefully disengaged his fangs and licked over the wound. His mate would have a powerfully huge scar.
“Now you’ve done the deed, can we get the hell out of here?” Rocky demanded and Simon looked up to see his friends had turned their backs to give him some privacy.
“Can’t supply you with a washcloth, you’ll have to wear your spunk until we get back to the motel.” Mal threw him a bundle of cloth he recognized and Simon hurriedly got dressed. Yes, the drying spunk on his leg wasn’t comfortable, but that was nothing compared to the state Darwin was in.
“Do we need to find a shifter doctor?” Simon asked as he carefully picked up his mate, cradling him in his arms.
“I’ll hunt one down when we get back to the motel.” Mal screwed his face up as Simon stepped over a dead coyote. “Should we get rid of these bodies?”
Simon shook his head. “Let Lenin wonder what the hell happened to them. I’m not leaving town until I’ve taken care of him too. I won’t have him following us back to Arrowtown and he’s up to something here as well. The sooner he’s put down the better.”
“Might pay to call in a few favors then. From the looks of things at least ten people were staying in this house. There’s going to be some mighty pissed off coyotes when they get home.” Rocky led the way outside. Simon’s lip twitched at the sight of the back door ripped off its hinges. Mal could only control Rocky’s enthusiastic tendencies so far. But as the fresh air hit his nose and they were finally free from the house, all Simon could think about was the still form of his mate in his arms. Please don’t hate me.
Chapter Nine
Darwin tried to force his eyes open. His throat was parched, his body felt feverish and he ached from head to toe. He tried to move his legs, but there was a weight pinning him down and that was enough to get his eyes open. “Simon?” he croaked, his body jumping into fight or flight at the large snake covering his lower half. “What, where? Damn, that’d better be you.”
“Good, you’re awake.” Slowly turning his head, Darwin saw Mal pouring him a glass of water. Simon hissed as Mal got closer. “He’s a possessive bastard,” Mal grinned as he handed over the glass. “Sorry about the snake form, but Simon’s an emotional wreck.”
“I’m just glad you’re all right,” Darwin took a couple of mouthfuls, the water soo
thing his throat, before handing the glass back. “What happened? The last I remember was being beaten on by horny creepy coyotes who didn’t like being told to fuck off.”
The weight on his legs moved and Darwin looked down to see the reptile studying him. “They didn’t do anything; well, not that way anyway.” Darwin didn’t know why he felt he had to justify anything but being the focus of such a large and lethal predator was disconcerting even when his logical mind told him Simon would never hurt him.
“Those guys are dead,” Mal said, his voice breaking the trance Simon seemed to be holding over him. “We were going to head back to Arrowtown, but as Simon rightly pointed out, we don’t want that Lenin character following us. There’re a lot of rabbits, squirrels and other smaller shifters living in town and we tend to look out for them as much as we can.”
“That’s nice.” Darwin lay back on the pillows. His head was a mess. The coyote’s taunts about him not being special hurt, which was weird, but he also didn’t understand why Simon was in his snake form. Mal fidgeted and Darwin forced his head back up.
“You’re probably going to want to shift; it will help get rid of the bruising. Your ankle’s broken. I wrapped it up as best I could, but a shift will stop the bones setting wrong.”
“I appreciate you helping me, don’t get me wrong. But you’re on edge and Simon won’t stop hissing. What the hell am I missing here?”
“You should be the one to tell him.” Mal glared at Simon, whose expression didn’t change. Darwin wondered if it was possible for a snake to smile. He imagined it would look spooky if he could.
“Just tell me already,” Darwin sighed. “I’m not a child. I’m damn near fifty years old. I might not be a fighter, but I can handle the truth. Has Lenin hurt someone else?”
“Simon had to claim you to save your life,” Rocky wandered in chewing on a chicken leg. Darwin suddenly realized he was starving and it took a moment for Rocky’s words to sink in.
