by Lynn Hagen
That they did.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Is the trap set?” O’Hanlon asked over the phone in a tight, crisp voice.
Kraven strummed his fingers impatiently on his desk as he listened to the arrogant bastard. He was getting really sick of the man and his demands.
“I have assured you that everything is in place. There is no need to continually contact me.”
“Now listen here, bloodsucker.” O’Hanlon’s calm slipped. “You haven’t kept your end of the bargain in this war. You were supposed to go after Enrique if the Death Squad failed.”
“And they are dead,” Kraven stated dryly. He had his own reasons for keeping Enrique alive, for now. Not only had the alpha killed Calico, but now Newman was dead. Kraven didn’t give a shit about those men, but he couldn’t allow their murders to go unpunished. It would make him look weak.
But O’Hanlon didn’t need to know this.
There was no way Kraven was coming out with his race and fighting in the war. He honestly didn’t care about the political side of things, and he didn’t care if the changelings were wiped from the face of the earth.
Let the two races kill each other. It would only ensure that his species ruled the nation once the war was over.
If the war was ever over.
But the less humans and changelings around, the better.
“Just make sure the trap is set and all goes as planned or I swear, Kraven,”—O’Hanlon paused, his voice dropping to a low, even tone—“I swear I will send in a fleet of tanks and blow your goddamn club off the face of the map.”
Let him try. If Kraven smelled one single soldier near his club, the Mãos da Morte were going to be dispatched. And there was only one name all twelve of them would have.
Captain O’Hanlon, Naval Special fucking Warfare.
Mason sat in the backseat, Ian tucked on his lap fast asleep. He was glad his mate could finally get some rest without having to worry about being tortured. It had gutted him to know that he had been helpless to do anything about Ian when the man was suffering at the hands of Newman in the dream realm.
It still puzzled him that there was such a place. He wondered what happened to Cheveyo after he left, but he knew there was nothing he could do about the guy. The Indian warrior had been dead for over four hundred years. Mason seriously doubted he had any kind of power to help the man, but would be eternally grateful to Cheveyo.
Even if it was the most bizarre shit Mason had ever been through.
He glanced up when he saw an out-of-the-way billboard on the back road. Mason tapped Rick’s shoulder and pointed at it.
Rick chuckled. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I am,” Mason admitted.
“You know the town could be filled with either Breed Hunters or mercenaries. Are you willing to risk it?”
Mason glanced down at Ian and knew his mate would be thrilled beyond words if Mason took the chance and succeeded. “You can stop a mile before town and I’ll take it from there.”
Freedman turned in the seat and stared at Mason, a twinkle of merriment in his eyes. “Now you have me curious to see what they have.”
“Liar.” Mason smiled at Freedman. “I can scent your curiosity, but I highly doubt you are interested in what they have. You just want to be nosey.”
“True.” Freedman chuckled as he sat back.
Mason glanced at Rick in the rearview mirror, giving him a look he knew Rick would be able to understand.
“He’ll be safe. I give you my word.”
Mason cupped Ian’s face and kissed him out of his sleep. He wasn’t going to have his mate wake up and wonder where he was. Mason had promises he had to keep with the man, and he wasn’t going to let Ian down.
Ian moaned and curled into Mason. The man was still half sleep.
“Wake up, Ian.”
Ian’s eyes fluttered open and then he stilled. He glanced at everyone looking at him and then up at Mason. A deep blush stole across his face. “What’s going on?”
“I need to make a run into town. I wanted to let you know I would be gone for only a short period of time. Rick has agreed to keep an eye on you.” Mason glanced over at Dorian.
Dorian threw his hands up as he rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to bug him about anything.”
“Take Bryson and the two enforcers with you,” Rick said. “I don’t want to take any chances. I still can’t believe I’m agreeing to this. I must be losing my damn mind.”
“Why are you going into town, Sir?” Ian asked.
“You’ll see,” Mason replied as Rick pulled over into a small rest area off of the side of the road. Mason eased Ian from his lap and settled him next to his brother. His mate grabbed the small blanket from the seat and wrapped it around him. Mason knew Ian would be fine until he returned.
He just prayed the man didn’t have a seizure or go through another bout of cravings while he was gone. Both were coming less and less, and Mason wanted to keep it that way. Ian had a long way to go to get where Mason wanted him to be, and having either a seizure or a bout of cravings was not part of Ian’s lessons.
Mason slid from the truck, heading toward Bryson’s car that had pulled up behind them.
“Grab a case of lube!” Dorian shouted out of the window. When Mason paused and glanced back, Dorian shrugged. “You’re going into town, might as well pick up the essentials.”
When Mason shook his head and turned back around, the entire car was staring at him strangely. Benito had a wide grin on his face.
“Scoot over,” he said to the two enforcers before sliding into the back.
“What’s up?” Bryson asked.
“We have a run to make,” Mason said as he closed the back door.
“Would it have anything to do with the sign I saw about a quarter mile back?” Sasha asked.
“Indeed it does,” Mason replied. “But I don’t want to be gone too long.”
Bryson nodded and pulled away, leaving the Suburban parked on the side of the road and Mason feeling uneasy about leaving Ian behind. He knew he would have to make this quick because not only did Ian need Mason, but Mason was finding that he needed Ian as well. Furthermore, leaving the man to go do anything was making Mason nervous. He didn’t want his mate out of his sight, yet he knew that if he snagged what he needed, their lessons would be filled with so much more pleasure.
Bryson skirted around town, pulled behind a pizza shop, and parked the car.
“Benito, Miguel, I want you to scout the area and keep an eye out while Mason and I make the run,” Sasha said as he climbed out of the front seat.
Mason’s brow rose as the wereleopard alpha shut the door behind him. “Are you going with me as backup or are you shopping?”
Sasha gave him a playful smile, but his kelly-green eyes told Mason it was none of his damn business.
“Fair enough,” Mason said as they began their trek. Mason was damn good at not being seen, but working with the leopard showed him that Sasha was an expert at getting where he needed to go with ease.
The man was filled with nothing but fluid grace and predatory swiftness as they made it to the back door of the shop.
“This town seems deserted,” Sasha commented as he tried to ease the back door open. It was locked, but Sasha gave one good shoulder bump and the door popped open.
“I didn’t scent anyone,” Mason noted. “But there is a strange smell here.”
Sasha nodded as he opened the door all the way and slipped inside. Mason followed. Sasha had the place checked out before Mason made it fully inside. But then again, the shop wasn’t that big.
The alpha whistled as he looked around. “This is some hardcore shit.”
That it was. Mason had been hoping when he saw the sign, but now that he was standing in the middle of the store, he knew the place exceeded all expectations.
“And here I called myself an educated man.” Sasha lifted up a hooded mask and studied it.
Mason
grinned. “If you ever want to get serious about playing, let me know. I can give you a few pointers.”
Sasha leaned into the counter and licked his tongue over his bottom lip, slow, sensual, but Mason knew the act wasn’t for him. He had a feeling Sasha was just that way. “I can hold my own. Trust me. I know how to please my bed partner in all kinds of wicked ways.”
Mason chuckled as his eyes raked over the wall with displays of leash and collar sets. It amazed him that a town this small would have a store this well stocked. “Yeah, I’ve met Nate. You’re going to have your hands full.”
Sasha dropped the hood and gave Mason a devilish grin. “Oh, I’m pretty sure the same thing can be said about me. Don’t forget, there is a little vixen involved as well.”
“And from what I hear, every time you two get close, Selene tries to shoot you.”
Sasha played with the ends of his long blond hair and then shrugged. “Foreplay.”
“If that’s your kink.” Mason glanced at a collar and cuff set that came with locks and keys, and even a satin blindfold. The collar and cuffs were locked into place, not buckled.
His imagination began to work overtime on what Ian would look like in the two-inch-wide leather collar. It would cover Ian’s entire neck, and the metal loop was attached to a lip, not on the main piece of the collar. He could just see Ian sitting in his rest position with this set on, the chain connecting from neck to wrists.
Mason was getting hard standing here imagining…okay, he needed to get moving.
His fingers ran over the soft leather, smiling to himself as his fingers touched the shiny chain.
“You are serious about all of this, aren’t you?” Sasha asked as he glanced at the set Mason was admiring.
“Very.” Mason grabbed the set, and placed it on the counter. He spotted a large silk over-the-shoulder bag and grabbed it.
Next he grabbed fur-lined cuffs and a lockable hogtie, shoving them into the bag. He also grabbed a leather leash. By the time Mason was done, the bag was filled with gags, toys, muzzles, and an assortment of other goodies.
Mason knew once the war was over and he and Ian were settled into their home, he was going to have one room dedicated for play, and he planned on having it well stocked for Ian’s pleasure.
“What are you doing?” Sasha asked.
“Writing out my bill.”
Sasha chuckled. “No one is here. The town is deserted,” he pointed out.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t pay what I owe, Sasha. I’m not a thief. I’ll return in the future to pay my debt. Grab a case of lube.”
Sasha grunted. “There is no way I’m carrying a case of lube with me through town.”
Mason added the case of lube to his list and then shoved the paper under the register. “And if you get the chance to fuck Nate, are you going to pass that by because you have no lube?” Mason headed toward the back door. They were going to have to fix it so no one else could get inside.
Sasha growled low as he walked into a room behind the counter and came back out with a case of lubricant.
Damn, it was the good stuff. Mason liked this store.
“Shut up,” Sasha bitched at him as he walked by Mason and out the door. Mason grinned.
They took a moment to secure the door and then they were off. When they made it back to the car, Mason stored the bag in the trunk and then glanced around. “Where are Benito and Miguel?” Mason asked Bryson.
“Not back yet,” he said, and Mason could tell the man was worried. Sasha and Mason went looking for them. Not only was it a bad thing to linger, but Mason wanted to get back to Ian.
The enforcers’ scents led them to a small clinic one block over. Mason was getting a really bad feeling about this. He now recognized the strange smell he had scented back at the store. The closer they were to Miguel and Benito, the stronger it became until the smell of rotting flesh was overwhelming.
Mason’s first instinct was to get the hell away from the place as fast as he could, but he had to find the two enforcers. There was no way in hell he was leaving the two behind.
Sasha pushed open the glass door, glancing around as he walked inside. Mason looked around the outside of the clinic and then followed the leopard.
The smell hit Mason so hard he nearly doubled over. The sound of flies was all around him as he scanned the waiting area.
“This is not good,” Sasha hissed low. “We need to get out of here.”
“Not until we find Miguel and Benito.” Mason forced himself to walk down the hallway until he reached the first room. He found the two enforcers in the first room, thank fuck.
But he also found half a dozen rotting bodies.
“Holy shit,” Sasha said as he walked into the room. “It’s a fucking massacre.”
Miguel was standing there with the front of his shirt over his nose and mouth, his eyes filled with horror.
Benito was bent over the side of the desk, and Mason could smell vomit mixed in with the stench of death.
“Let’s go,” Sasha said as he grabbed Benito. “Something isn’t right here, and we don’t need to stick around to find out.”
Mason grabbed Miguel’s arm and pulled. The enforcer nodded. Mason let him go and Miguel followed as they hurried from the clinic.
“There was more,” Miguel said as he finally lowered his shirt. “The back room had twice as many bodies.”
“What in the hell happened in there?” Mason asked as he hurried toward the car one block over.
Miguel gave him a look that said he would see those bodies in his nightmares for a very long time. “I checked the first body I came to. Those were changeling mercenaries. They had the red wristbands. It looks like they were ambushed.”
“Breed Hunters,” Sasha hissed.
“I agree,” Mason replied.
“No,” Sasha said as he dropped low behind a small divider wall that sat between a drugstore and a restaurant.
Mason didn’t see anyone but followed Sasha. The two enforcers did as well. Just as Miguel dropped out of sight, a truck rolled down the middle of the street, men sitting in the back with shotguns in their arms.
The truck pulled in front of the drugstore and the men in the back jumped out. Mason’s eyes flickered over each man, burning their faces to memory.
“Get what you need, men,” the driver called out and then glanced around. “I don’t want to hang around here too long.”
One of the Breed Hunters turned and laughed. “Trust me, those animals are dead. You still afraid they’re gonna get up and come after you?”
“Shut up, Roger,” the driver snarled. “Just get moving.”
Mason ducked back down when the driver glanced over toward him. He pressed his back into the concrete wall, looking at the three men with him.
He could see Sasha’s green eyes shifting into his leopard eyes. Shards of yellow began to emerge as the man quickly made one long braid of his blond strands.
He was gearing up for battle. Mason hoped it didn’t come to that. There were four of them and at least nine of the Breed Hunters. Not bad odds, but Mason would rather get back to Ian without incident.
“I hear the military is going to be doing a sweep through here in the next day or two,” someone said on the other side of the wall. “Even though we’re sanctioned to kill those animals, I don’t want to be here when they show up. The last group we ran into was conducting tests with their BAT machines.”
“Don’t worry, Sammy. No one is going to find out your mom fucked an animal. We took care of her, and I won’t let them get anywhere near you,” a second male said.
Mason glanced at Sasha.
“If Scott finds out I’m a half breed, he’ll pull my guts out while I’m still alive like he did that mercenary,” the first man said, and Mason could hear the terror in the man’s voice. “I don’t want to die, Chris.”
“Then when we reach the next town, we’ll take off.”
The voices fell silent.
Mason wasn’t
sure what that was all about, and he didn’t care. He prayed the two died. They had killed only god knows how many changelings. He had no sympathy for them.
“Hey, Scott!” another unfamiliar voice shouted. “I just got a call from my uncle in Albuquerque. He says something big is going down. You want to head that way?”
“Sounds like a plan,” the driver called out. “Let’s get out of here.”
The truck roared to life, and Mason heard them pull out.
“The detention center is close by there in Coyote Canyon,” Miguel pointed out. “Do you think that something big has anything to do with the center?”
“Not sure,” Mason answered as he peered over the wall and saw that they were alone once more. “But we need to get the fuck ghost.”
All four took off, heading back toward the car. They needed to warn Rick that something was going on, but Mason also needed to get back to Ian. If those Breed Hunters drove past the Suburban, all hell was going to break loose.
And Mason was going to make sure he was there for the party.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Where are we, Sir?” Ian asked as he slid from the truck and followed Mason into yet another motel. He wasn’t sure how this group had done this for almost five months. Ian was getting tired of motels already, and he hadn’t been with this group that long.
He wasn’t used to moving around so much. Waking up in a strange place was still very unsettling.
Mason set a silk bag on the bed and then turned to Ian. “We are close to Coyote Canyon. Right now I want you to take a nice, long, hot shower and then come lie on the bed when you are finished.”
“Yes, Sir,” Ian replied as he glanced around the room and then headed toward the bathroom. Mason had been very quiet since he had come back from that small town. Ian could tell something was bothering him and wondered what it could be.
He hadn’t done anything wrong that he could think of, but Ian secretly wondered if Mason was upset with him about something. Being in a relationship was new to him and Ian was still trying to find his way around the dynamics. He wasn’t sure if he should ask Mason or just let it be.
