Hunting Season (The Gathering Book 1)

by Shelly Laurenston

  “That had to be the most bizarre dinner I’ve ever experienced.”

  They spoke in tight whispers since they didn’t know who might be outside Yager’s door, but it wasn’t easy.

  “And,” Neecy choked from beneath the covers, “it just kept getting worse as the night wore on.”

  Yager was still shocked no one had come to blows. Although it didn’t all start at the dinner. It started at the grocery store. Apparently Mike and Janelle argued about what to buy since it would be going on Yager’s account. According to the Crows, it got so bad, eventually Mike called Janelle “Bigfoot”. Which prompted him to ask about her actual foot size. This seemed to be a sore point for Janelle, who placed Mike in a headlock and repeatedly slammed him into the glass doors of the frozen food section. Katie separated them by punching both of them in the back of the head.

  Picking up the Chinese food seemed to go without incident, the Crows and Ravens even working together to set up the table and lay out the food. All went fine—until they started eating.

  Mike decided to hit on one of the girls. Normal behavior for Mike when he was slightly bored. But Mike wasn’t used to having a Greek chorus made up of a tiny Asian girl who continually told the entire table, “He’s lying, ya know? He is such a liar.”

  For once, Mike had no idea how to handle this. True. He was lying. But that wasn’t exactly new for Mike. He lied to women all the time. Prided himself on it, in fact. The only people he didn’t lie to were his Raven brothers. Of course, that usually meant they heard details about his conquests they could have done without. But even Yager could see having someone call him out every thirty seconds began to wear on Mike. Plus the fact that the Crows seemed to believe Arri didn’t really help either.

  Then there was Tye, who decided staring at Janelle was a good idea. Tye was what Yager referred to as a “watcher”. He didn’t say much because he spent most of his time watching what everyone else was up to. Normally not a problem, but Janelle came from a place where staring was a very, very bad thing. Tye may have thought he was making his intentions clear by staring at Janelle like a piece of rib-eye steak fresh off the grill, but Janelle felt threatened. And she let him know that when she threw one of her chopsticks at him, aiming right for Tye’s eye. Any other girl, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But Crows were infamous at turning everything around them into a weapon. Thankfully, Ravens were infamous at defending themselves from any weapon. So, Tye simply caught the chopstick in midair and, to Janelle’s eternal annoyance, grinned.

  All that, though, merely the activities on the main stage. All around them, antics abounded between the Ravens and the Crows.

  Yager kept waiting for knives to be drawn. Or at least to see a few talons. But most of it was merely verbal. Lots of yelling, swearing, threatening, and quite a few slap fights. Like he had a house full of ten-year-old first cousins.

  To be honest, Yager loved it. Ravens could be a little stoic at times. Stale being the word Tye always used. The Crows, however, knew how to have fun even when they were pissed off. Didi was right. They really were a “Gathering”.

  “You think we should have left them alone?” Neecy peeked out from the covers. “There might be bloodshed.”

  “Nah. Didi’s down there.” The Crow leader kept quiet through the entire dinner, but when they started arguing during dessert in the living room so that she couldn’t hear the lines from her favorite movie, Aliens, she’d taken everyone firmly in hand. Yager had learned a lot from her in the few days she’d been around.

  “Okay.” Neecy pulled the covers back over her head.

  “Uh… baby? Whatcha doin’?”

  “Nothing?”

  “Come on, Lawrence. What’s the problem?”

  “I can’t say it.”

  “Spit it or I’m bringing Didi in here to ask.”

  The comforter moved just enough so that he could clearly see two beautiful black eyes glare at him.

  “Well?” he prompted when she continued to stare at him.

  Sighing, she said softly, “I’m funky.”

  Yager frowned. “You mean musically?”

  “No, you geek.” She sighed. “I mean… I haven’t bathed in a few days ‘cause of the stitches, and—”

  Yager was off the bed. “Come on, I’ll give ya a bath.”

  “No!”

  “Why not?”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Ya know, Neecy, if this were a permanent situation, I could totally understand the movie-of-the-week theatrics about independence and all. But you’ll be back to your usual dangerously quiet self in a couple of days. So why can’t you just relax and enjoy a little Yager care?”

  Neecy pulled the covers tighter around her body. “No.”

  She could be so stubborn. And over the weirdest crap, too. Turning on his heel, Yager walked into the bathroom and ran a bath. He didn’t fill the tub all the way up, since he had to make sure her stitches didn’t get wet. Once he was satisfied, Yager went back to the bedroom and froze.

  The birds were back.

  Neecy sat on the bed, the covers still wrapped around her.

  “Neecy?”

  “I swear I didn’t call ‘em… they just sort of…” She looked around the room. “Came.”

  Stupidly, Yager’d left one of the bedroom windows cracked. Well, he wouldn’t be doing that again. Good thing he had central air and heat.

  Yager took a step forward and an enormous raven moved in front of him. They were protecting her.

  “Neecy, you need to stop being freaked out by me. That’s what they’re responding to.”

  “I’m not freaked—”

  “Neecy.”

  “Okay. Okay. Sorry.” She thought for a moment. “I know. How about you tell me something that will make me feel calmer.”

  “Nothing I ever say to you makes you feel calmer.”

  “Well you better think of something.”

  The raven at his feet moved closer. But so did a raven on each side of him. Uh-oh. The thought of life without his eyes ran through his head. Not good. Desperate, he grabbed on the first thing he could think of.

  “One night, me, Tye, and Mike got really drunk and named our cocks.”

  Neecy studied him before asking, “Excuse me?”

  “We named them. We were really drunk.”

  He saw a smile tug at the corner of her lips. “And what, exactly, did you name them?”

  Well, this was awkward. “Mike’s was Mr. Lovespussy.”

  “Of course.”

  “Tye’s was Dangerous Dan.”

  “I’m not even going to ask why. And yours?”

  He scratched the back of his head. “Remember. We were really drunk.”

  “Cough it up, Yager.”

  With a shrug, “Master and Commander.”

  When the laughing got so bad she started wheezing, the birds flew back out the window they came in.

  Neecy leaned forward, one arm around her knees the other held close to her chest as Yager carefully washed her back and argued with Morgan on the phone.

  “Don’t yell at me. No, I’m not keeping her awake. No. I’m not getting ‘frisky’. And stop calling it that. It’s freaking me out. Look, she wanted a bath. I’m being careful of her stitches. How do they look?” Yager leaned over and studied her back while Neecy stared straight ahead and tried not to think too much about his hands all over her body.

  The fact that they felt really, really good, didn’t help. Most of the time she’d been here, Neecy sat around worrying about her wing. She felt certain she’d never fly again. If she couldn’t fly, she couldn’t remain second-in-command. She’d end up doing administrative work. The thought terrified her, eating away at her like acid. Foolishly she’d taken her wings for granted.

  But for just a few minutes, Yager helped wipe her fears away simply by distracting her with those amazing hands of his. They were so big and she’d seen him do much damage with them, but when he touched her it wasn’t mer
ely gentle. It was more than that. It was… reverent. Like his hands were worshipping her flesh.

  “Yeah. The stitches look fine. You want me to what? No. Forget it. Yeah, the wound looks completely healed, but no. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Good.”

  He released her long enough to turn off his cordless phone, then his hands were right back, stroking her, caring for her.

  “Morgan’s coming by tomorrow.”

  “I hope that means I can get rid of the sling.” Yager insisted she keep her arm in the same position it was in when tied against her body. He refused to risk her healing process, even though she felt like there was no hope. The first day, there was so much pain and movement around the area where her wing was. But now there was nothing. She knew Morgan might have to take her wing and the thought sickened her.

  “That’s my hope.” He poured a palm full of expensive shampoo on her hair. The kind one could only buy at a spa. She normally used stuff from the local pharmacy. Two-for-one deals were her favorite. “She wanted me to take those stitches out myself. I told her no way.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re not Mike, ya know. I’d actually care if I left you fucked up.”

  Neecy grinned. “That’s very sweet, in a Nordic sort of way.”

  She closed her eyes as Yager’s hands massaged her scalp. Man, what a delicious feeling.

  “Look, I know my limits. I don’t do medical stuff. I leave that to the professionals.”

  She wouldn’t exactly call Morgan a “professional”, but as a healer the woman rocked. Hell, Neecy was still breathing, wasn’t she?

  “As it is,” he continued, “I hate anything medical.”

  He rinsed out her hair and then put more shampoo in.

  “You’re a big pussy when you go to the doctor, aren’t you?”

  “No. I just don’t like needles. And no sane person should.”

  “What about vaccinations and stuff like that?”

  Yager shrugged. “My doc’s an Elder. When he knows he has to give me a shot, he calls Mike and Tye. They hold me down.”

  Neecy laughed hysterically as Yager again rinsed her hair. “I can’t believe,” she spit out, “you’re admitting this to me.”

  He put his expensive conditioner on her hair and finger-combed it through. Well… that’s one way to come.

  “I figure you should know all my major flaws up front.”

  “Why?”

  Yager sat on the floor beside the tub. “We gotta leave that in for three minutes. And what d’ya mean why?”

  “I mean why do I have to know about your flaws?”

  He shook his head. “We are not having this conversation now. We’ll wait until you’re better.”

  “Have what conversation?”

  “The conversation I was going to have with you last weekend when you came over. After I’d fucked ya passive, of course.”

  “Oh, of course.” Neecy looked up to find Yager staring at her. “What?”

  “Do you have any idea how hard it’s been to…” He shook his head. “Forget it.”

  “How hard it’s been to what?”

  Taking a deep breath, “Keep my hands off you.”

  “Oh.”

  “But that’s not the priority right now.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No. It’s not. First we get you better. Then I fuck ya senseless. Then we’ll track down the motherfuckers who did this to you, and wipe them from the face of the earth. That’s my plan.”

  With that, Yager got back on his haunches and proceeded to rinse the conditioner out of Neecy’s hair. How she kept forgetting this man was a Viking, she’d never know.

  “That’s a lovely plan, Yager. And I’m all for it to a degree. But the wiping from the face of the earth thing is down to the Crows. And we don’t need the Ravens for that.”

  “Not every crow is a raven. But every raven is a crow.”

  Neecy stared at Yager. “What does that mean?”

  “It means, we’re all part of the… same… uh…”

  “Bird family?”

  “Exactly. All we’re missing are the magpies, the blue jays, and the…” He shrugged. “Something else. Besides us, I really don’t know birds.”

  “You know, Yager. You’re a unique man.”

  He leaned back. “Is this your way of saying I’m weird?”

  “No. You’re not weird. You’re unique. There’s a difference.”

  “Do you think I’m boring?”

  She snorted. “No. Why?”

  “‘Cause I’m nice.”

  “You ain’t that nice.”

  “I’m not?”

  “Yager, if you were nice, really nice, I would have scared you off by now. And the whole “wiping from the face of the earth’ thing… really nice people don’t say that and mean it.”

  “Oh. Okay.” He stood up and grabbed an enormous towel.

  “You are nice to me, though.”

  “I like being nice to you.”

  “Yeah.” She looked down at her knees. “I’m not really used to that.”

  “So I noticed.” He leaned down and lifted her out of the bath. “I’m hoping you get used to it.” Once he had her standing, he began drying her off with the towel.

  “It’s only—”

  “I’m not going to stop being nice to you, Neecy. That’s not even an option.”

  She stared at him as he dried her off. She didn’t get him. Didn’t understand him. But she really liked the way he treated her. She thought enjoying it would make her weak. Instead she felt stronger every day under his care.

  Yager finished drying her off and wrapped the towel around her. He kissed her forehead, then her nose.

  He hadn’t kissed her properly since the time after Morgan left. She missed him. More than she’d missed anything before in either of her lives.

  “Can I ask you a question?” he asked.

  Neecy nodded. “Sure.”

  “I know you don’t remember much of what happened that night, the night you were attacked. But…” He took a deep breath. “I still haven’t figured out why your birds brought you here. It would have been quicker to take you to the Bird House. Or the Elders who lived downtown. But they brought you here.”

  Crap. She’d hoped he wouldn’t ask her this question, because she wasn’t sure she wanted to admit the truth. Then again, Neecy didn’t lie.

  “I remember being worried you’d think I stood you up. I guess since you were the last thing I thought about before I passed out—they brought me here.”

  Yager leaned down a bit and placed his forehead against Neecy’s. “I like that answer, Lawrence.”

  Closing her eyes, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment, “Figured you would.”

  He slid his hand behind the back of her neck, afraid she’d run. “You don’t have to be afraid, Neecy. Not of me.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Not of us either.”

  “I’m—” The bedroom door slammed open, cutting Neecy’s words off. He’d been so absorbed in Neecy he never heard the arguing right outside his door.

  Janelle stormed in, Mike right behind her. They shoved each other as they made their way to the bathroom. They really were like annoying siblings.

  “He—” Janelle began.

  “She started it,” Mike barked over her.

  Yager calmly pulled the towel tighter around Neecy, making sure she was covered. From there, he calmly walked over to Mike and Janelle. He grabbed Mike by the hair and shoved him into the doorway.

  “Ow!”

  Still gripping Mike’s hair with one hand, he picked Janelle up with the other. He dragged them both back to the bedroom door and tossed them out into the hallway.

  “I swear by all that’s holy, if I have to come downstairs tonight, you’ll be washing your own blood off the walls come morning.”

  Yager slammed the door closed and went back to the bathroom. He scooped Neecy up in his arms and took her to the bed, carefully laying her down. She smiled u
p at him.

  “What?”

  She shrugged as he pulled the wet towel off her body and tossed it aside. “Still laughing at the ‘am I too nice’ fear you seem to have.”

  Tying her arm back against her body, “I don’t want anyone upsetting you. You need to relax until you’re better.”

  Yager worked really hard not to notice her breasts, her nipples hard and begging. “I need you to get better, Lawrence.”

  He pulled his MIT sweatshirt over her head. “I feel better now, Yager.”

  Her hand slid down his chest, but he caught it before it could go any lower. He closed his eyes, the fight for control getting harder and harder every day.

  “Not until Morgan tells me you’re okay.”

  “But—”

  “No.” Releasing her hand, Yager pulled the comforter up and over Neecy’s body. “I’m not going to risk hurting you.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “No.”

  “But Yager—”

  “No.”

  Yager headed toward the bathroom.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Cold shower. A very cold shower.”

  “Just so we’re clear, I’m gettin’ kind of cranky here.”

  Yager glanced back at the woman of his dreams lying in his bed, wearing his clothes, and growled, “That makes two of us, baby.”

  Then he closed the door and headed to his very cold and very lonely shower.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Katie flew up higher into the old oak and perched herself on the sturdiest barren branch she could find. She looked again. Yup. Wolves. Thirty of them, by her estimate. She motioned to the Raven in the tree beside her and he dived back to the ground to warn the others.

  She had no idea why Shifters were here, but she bet it wasn’t to play Parcheesi.

  Wilhelm Yager was in a bad mood. A really, really bad mood. A bad enough mood to start playing fetch with the innards of a bunch of dogs. To be honest, the Viking in him was really hoping for a good fight. He was ready to start hurting people.

  He really wished he had a good reason to feel this way, but he didn’t. No, the only reason he had an overwhelming urge to shove Molinski’s head in the toilet or to set fire to Tye’s Lamborghini or to chop up another Raven’s Playboy collection was because he wanted to fuck Neecy Lawrence so bad he couldn’t see straight.