Pursuit of Excellence [Spirit of Sage 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)

by Jools Louise

  “Douglas,” John said quietly, resting his forearms on the table and staring across at the younger shifter until Douglas lifted his head and looked over. “In front of your brother, and brothers-in-law, and all your friends who are here right here, I’m making you a promise,” he began, his green eyes hard as glass. “However long it takes, whatever we have to do, we’ll make these clans pay.” John looked at the wolverines, who nodded grimly. “But not alone. Don’t go after them alone. That’s exactly what they want. To isolate us, to separate us, and then to take us down one by one. If Rage’s mother is behind this—whoever is behind this—we’ll win. It took decades, but we stopped the cult who hurt you. We cut them out of this town and the world, like the cancerous poison they were.” His eyes glittered and he smiled a deadly smile, baring his fangs. “These wolverines have a reason for what they’re doing. Bigotry is one thing, but I think this goes further. I think this is about greed and power and their own self-importance. Their pursuit of excellence above all else has clouded them to their humanity, turning them into monsters. And we’ll take them all down just as we did the cult.”

  Douglas nodded, his hazel eyes dripping with tears, but his resolve was clear. “Teach me to fight them,” he begged.

  John nodded slowly, taking Douglas’s hand in his. “We’ll all teach you,” he replied sincerely. “But promise me you won’t go after them alone. They’ll kill you in a heartbeat. Do you want your brother and father to grieve for you? They’ve only just found you.”

  Douglas shook his head, slumping a little. “I just want Ellis back,” he said brokenly. “I can’t stop thinking about all that blood.”

  Ethan held his brother tighter, closing his eyes as Douglas began sobbing again. He stared sadly at his wolverines, not knowing how else to comfort his brother.

  “Douglas, whatever it takes, we’ll help you stop those responsible,” Lash said, crouching beside the chair. “We should have done it a long time ago, but we truly didn’t realize the extent of what our families were capable of. They’re consummate liars. Evil, soulless demons. But not all of us are like that.

  Douglas lifted his head and stared at Rage, looking tormented. “I know you aren’t like that. I just don’t understand why your clans hate us so much. What have we done to them?”

  Lash shook his head, grimacing. “I don’t know what started it all,” he admitted. “Our grandparents were not like most of the clan. They were critical, free thinkers, and did things their own way. Somewhere along the way, though, I think people got greedy, wanting more. That lust for power and wealth and perfection can become all-consuming until that’s all that matters…to them anyway. The females in the clan are really the powerhouses. They have secret meetings and manipulate everyone into doing their bidding. We’re supposed to love our mothers, aren’t we? But I’ve never felt anything but disgust and fear for mine.”

  “Mine let the cult share me around their ‘clients’ as a reward for their donations or capturing new shifter victims,” Douglas replied bitterly. “Until I met Ellis, I didn’t know that sex doesn’t have to be violent.”

  Ethan let out a cry of distress, closing his eyes. His brother rarely talked about his experiences with the cult, disguising his pain with laughter, but Ethan knew that Douglas had suffered. The fact that their mother had made their childhood so miserable added to the mental anguish they’d gone through.

  “I’m glad she’s dead,” Douglas said. “She was no mother to either of us.”

  Lash nodded in empathy, his amber eyes glittering like shards of glass. “I wish mine was,” he said. “She’ll be the one who sent Lance here. And Rage’s mom is no better. They’re evil witches, brewing pain and misery in their perfect mansions.”

  Douglas remained silent, but seemed to exchange an unspoken understanding with Lash. “They’d be better off dead then,” he said after a long pause, nodding as though reaching a decision.

  “Douglas, don’t go and do something you can’t reverse,” John warned, looking troubled as he studied the young shifter’s face.

  “Let them come to us,” Slug interjected quietly. “They’ll come. We just need to give them a reason.” Everyone looked at the bald-headed, pony-tailed shifter who stood stoically watching the proceedings.

  John nodded slowly. “We need to send an invitation that they can’t refuse…and make sure they leave here with the irrevocable message that we aren’t going to be cowed.”

  “We can’t risk hurting anyone in town,” Ethan said shakily, pleadingly. “There are children here. They can’t be put at risk, and neither can anyone else.”

  John nodded, looking at Zack, who looked pensive. “No, we need to get them somewhere they can’t hurt anyone ever again,” he said.

  Zack shared a silent communication with John and then got to his feet. “I’ll speak to Joe and the others,” he said grimly. “We need to get a plan together.”

  He left, leaving a poignant silence behind.

  “I think I’d like to go to bed, now,” Douglas said tiredly, resting his head on Ethan’s shoulder.

  Ethan got to his feet and kissed his brother’s damp cheek, then carried him out of the kitchen to the spare bedroom that shared a bathroom with his and his mates’.

  Settling Douglas into his bed, Ethan stayed for a while, until his brother finally slept the sleep of the emotionally exhausted and then headed through the joint bathroom to his own room.

  Chapter Eight

  Douglas lay playing possum until his brother left the room. He wasn’t sleepy at all, just angry and heartsick, and his entire being practically vibrated with the need to get revenge for his boyfriend, Ellis Hawkwing.

  He and Ellis had skirted around each other for months, unsure of each other but feeling a mutual attraction. Finally, just over a week ago, Douglas had taken the initiative and invited Ellis on a date. He didn’t even remember the movie they’d seen. He had been so nervous that he thought he’d screwed it all up. But Ellis had been a true gentleman, not pushing, not judging. And Douglas had fallen in love.

  Douglas sat up and slid out of bed, knowing what he needed to do. He padded out of the room in his borrowed pajamas, out the back door, and into the night.

  * * * *

  Slug held his mates close, sighing deeply. Today had been a mixture of such emotional extremes, his brain was struggling to shut down. Given the circumstances, his lovers had been more interested in cuddling and comfort than sex…particularly with Ethan’s younger brother just next door. Slug almost blushed, thinking about the younger shifter listening in. So he and his mates had snuggled together, talking quietly, discussing the events of the day.

  “Can’t sleep?” Lash asked, kissing Slug gently. The kiss deepened but retained its intimate air. Slug felt his libido kick in and dragged Lash on top of him, guiding his cock to Lash’s rosebud and easing inside gently. Lash whimpered, writhing in pleasure as he rode Slug’s thick dick, working it further inside his needy ass.

  “Ohhh, that feels so good, baby,” Lash murmured, rocking back and forth, pleasuring himself on his lover. “I love you,” he added, nibbling at Slug’s soft lips. Slug felt the declaration deeply, since they didn’t often exchange words of love. Tonight, he needed to hear them.

  “I love you, too,” he replied, cupping Lash’s ass, and squeezing firmly, kneading the taut globes as he stroked his cock along the velvety walls of Lash’s chute.

  “Is this a private show or can anyone join in?” Rage growled from beside them.

  Slug chuckled quietly and turned his head to the side, kissing Rage passionately. “I think Lash needs some more meat,” he replied huskily.

  Rage grinned at them in the dark as Lash moaned breathily.

  “I don’t mind doubling up,” Rage replied, lifting up and kissing Lash before moving around between Slug’s spread thighs, stroking Lash’s smooth back gently. Pushing Lash forward into a lower position, Rage grabbed the bottle of lube and smeared a healthy amount onto his cock and the strained edges of
Lash’s rosebud before placing the head of his dick to Lash’s opening. A couple of tries, and he was in, sliding alongside Slug’s cock, smooth and moist as Lash groaned in a mixture of pleasure and pain as his hole was stretched even wider.

  Once Rage was seated, he and Slug began to move in sync, slowly, making love to Lash together, sharing tender kisses.

  All three moaned softly, enjoying the friction. Slug arched his back, groaning more loudly when Rage began to move more strongly, giving a quick snap to his hips every third stroke, adding to their pleasure. A tap on Slug’s cheek had him turning his head to the other side, and he saw Ethan kneeling beside him, needy desire in his gaze, his dick dripping pre-cum. Opening wide, Slug accepted his lover’s cock into his mouth and began sucking hungrily. Ethan sighed with pleasure, stroking Slug’s face gently as he rocked back and forth, fucking Slug’s mouth slowly.

  Ethan gave a low gasp, then groaned deeply. Slug watched Charm move in behind Ethan, and watched his mate pinch Ethan’s nipples. Slug imagined that Charm was sliding his cock along Ethan’s crease, and began sucking Ethan harder, increasing their mutual desire. Ethan gave another, guttural groan, arching his back, his mouth opening and his face contorting with lust.

  “So tight,” Charm muttered, nipping at Ethan’s slender neck. “So beautifully responsive, baby. I love you.”

  Ethan cried out softly, whether at the words, or the fact that Charm had just entered his ass. “I love you, too,” he whispered, pushing his ass back at Charm. “I love you so much. All of you.”

  Slug lurched up a little, grabbed Ethan by the back of the head and pulled him down. Ethan complied willingly, and they kissed tenderly as Charm began fucking Ethan’s ass with firm, forceful strokes. Ethan moaned with each thrust and whimpered when Charm played with his nipples, pinching and tugging on them until they were swollen and reddened. Slug found one of the ripe buds with his lips and bit down, his fangs descended. Ethan cried out, jerking wildly at the sudden pain, then whimpered when Slug sucked at the wound, lapping at the droplets of blood that dripped onto his tongue.

  “Baby, I love you,” Slug said in his deep, gravelly voice before finding Ethan’s lips again and kissing his lover hungrily.

  “I want a kiss, too,” Lash protested and joined in, the three-way turning sloppy and sexy as the five lovers writhed sinuously together, sighs and moans punctuating the sexy dance. “I love you, Ethan,” Lash said, nipping at Ethan’s lips. “Whatever happens, we’ll get through this. We will get through it.”

  Kissing and sucking and nipping and fucking, the five amped up the passion. With a gasping cry, Rage came first, followed in swift succession by each of the others. Jerking and moaning, they collapsed in a heap, sharing loving kisses.

  “I love you,” Rage said to Ethan, then repeated it to Charm and Lash and Slug, as well. They all returned the sentiment, then cuddled together before nodding off to sleep, sated.

  * * * *

  Douglas crept along the street, guessing that Rash would be held at the sheriff’s office. Three jail cells occupied a level below the cop shop, shifter-proof, and Rash would be held until Sheriff Pace managed to get him to trial. Douglas had some questions for the bastard before he was transferred to Federal custody. Now that shifter culture was an established part of the constitution, shifters had their own set of laws that governed their conduct. Essentially, they were the same as human laws, with specific rules that applied to shifter and human interaction. A shifter who killed a human was looking at a hefty sentence…possibly a death sentence if convicted. A shifter could not use shifter force against a human. Rash had done more than that. He’d murdered Ellis, who’d had no defense against Rash’s vicious attack.

  It was late, and the moon above shined brightly, illuminating Douglas’s journey through town. He didn’t notice the slight chill, nor the fact that he was only wearing pajamas and nothing else. His focus was on reaching the small jail and talking to Rash.

  A sound behind him had him turning, then yelping in surprise as a hard fist connected with his chin, lifting him off the ground. A second blow rendered him unconscious before he landed on hard concrete.

  * * * *

  John snarled silently as he watched Douglas being lifted into a transit van, unconscious. He palmed his cell phone and hit speed dial, getting through to Joe after only a few moments. Joe had probably only just arrived home after the drama with Ellis Hawkwing being killed.

  “Joe, get the crew together, Douglas was just kidnapped. I recognized two canine shifters from the roadside zoo we busted a few years ago. I’m going to follow them. I’ll keep my phone on so you can track me.” John spoke quickly, watching as the rear lights on the van lit up and it began to roll.

  Rather than losing the kidnappers, John stripped right there in the street after placing his phone in the front pocket of his trousers, rolled his clothing, and then he shifted. He grabbed his clothes in his jaws and leaped forward. Glancing back, he saw a flash of movement and saw his brother, also in snow leopard form, running toward him, a small backpack in his teeth.

  John yowled softly, chuffing at his brother, and the pair began to run swiftly after the van. John bunched his muscles and jumped, clawing his way up onto the van roof, shifting into human form and holding on for dear life. Jay landed behind him, lying flat, remaining in his feline form. John smiled to himself, satisfied that his instincts had been spot on. He and Jay had been talking together when they heard Douglas leave the guest room. Following Douglas down the hall, John had stayed in the shadows, seeing the direction that Douglas had been heading. The van had come out of nowhere, stalking Douglas who had been focused on his destination. John had called for Jay, who’d come fast. Then Jay had returned inside to let Mason and Alfie know what was going on, only to come running with his backpack in his fangs within moments of the canine shifters knocking Douglas to the ground.

  John had imagined that Douglas might do something, his state of mind muddled by what had happened. He hadn’t envisaged the young jaguar shifter being kidnapped. What was the purpose? He frowned to himself, thinking about why they would choose to take Douglas. Maybe as collateral? Maybe they were after someone else? Who knew? But right now, they had a good chance of taking out the wolverine gang that was causing so much heartache. And John didn’t intend to leave any of the bastards standing. What they’d done to their sons was abominable. They needed to pay.

  The van sped along, heading north and then west toward Idaho. John frowned again. Where were they going? He didn’t have long to wait. The van left the main highway and bounced along a rough road, barely a track.

  John’s eyes widened as he realized was where they were heading. Nudging his brother, he leaped from the van, rolled into the undergrowth at the edge of the road, and then waited. He figured they may just need a little more backup. The camp the van had just arrived at was huge. If the worst scenario happened, and Douglas looked like he was going to be hurt, John would go in and tear apart as many shifters as he could get to. He glanced at Jay who stared intently at the camp.

  They both heard vicious snarls from behind them and were soon surrounded by at least five large timber wolves, four hyenas, and two wolverines. Shifting quickly, John went on the offensive, his brother at his side, tearing into flesh and fur in a desperate fight for survival. If they both died, then Douglas was toast.

  * * * *

  Ethan heard a commotion outside the bedroom door and got up to investigate, dragging on a pair of sweats and padding out into the hall. He saw Alfie and Mason, plus the sheriff, Joe, Zack, Cody, and Mick. Rafe from the ranch was there, as was Murphy and his husband Aiden. Ethan frowned as he saw the three African hunting dog shifters, Sky, Marvin, and Bryce. The most surprising visitor was Rash, Rage’s brother.

  Ethan snarled at the wolverine, unable to help himself from showing his anger with the guy. Rash had murdered his brother’s boyfriend.

  “What’s happening?” Ethan asked, frowning as he entered the large industrial-sized
kitchen.

  Zack sent him a sympathetic look. “Honey, your brother was just kidnapped. John and Jay went after him, but we’re getting a posse together to go and get him.”

  Ethan simply stared at Zack, trying to process the words. Something about his brother being kidnapped? Turning swiftly, he pelted down the hall to the spare bedroom where Douglas was in bed. He’d only gone to sleep just over an hour ago. No way could anything bad have happened in that time.

  The bed was empty. Ethan looked at it, still a little shell-shocked as it dawned on him that Douglas was actually gone. He felt sick at the thought that he’d been making love to his mates when his brother was being hurt.

  “What’s up?” Charm asked from the doorway to the connecting bathroom.

  Ethan whirled on him, unable to prevent the harsh words from leaving his lips. “Douglas is gone,” he snarled, the sickness rising in his belly. “He left while we were fucking. He’s been kidnapped.”

  Charm looked shocked, then alarmed and finally his eyes filled with remorse. “We were making love when he was taken.” It wasn’t a question. Ethan nodded anyway. “Then we’ll go after him.”

  “John and Jay went after him, but Joe’s crew is heading out soon,” Ethan replied tautly.

  “We’ll get him back,” Charm said firmly.

  “Rash is in the kitchen. I think he knows something,” Ethan told his lover, clutching his stomach as the churning increased.

  “Then let’s go and chat with him, shall we?” Slug said, coming to stand just behind Charm.

  “Quickly,” Ethan said urgently.

  The pair nodded and they all grabbed more clothing, donning it and waking up Lash and Rage. The latter looked angry when he heard that his brother was involved somehow and left the bedroom with a fierce look in his eye.