by Julia Talbot
“Cheyenne, I think you should explain,” Hallie said. “Can we all sit down?”
“Please.” Ron was a little peaky, to be honest. “And we should eat. All things are better with pasta.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Cheyenne marched to the table to sit down.
“Good to know I’m not the only grumpy one in the family.”
Jaxon chuckled. “He’s way worse than you.”
“Thanks.”
Cheyenne gave another growl, one that was answered this time by Ron.
Ron slapped his hand on the table, his eyes glowing. “I’ve had enough of your attitude, kit. Tell me what the hell is going on with your brother.” The command in the words made Sebastian’s hair rise on the back of his neck.
Cheyenne shuddered, trying to fight the command. Sebastian wanted to warn him that it was instinct, it was genetic and in the bone. If you didn’t want to obey, you challenged.
Then you got your ass kicked. Ron might not be in prime condition, but in a fair fight, the old man would win, pure and simple.
“He hates you,” Cheyenne blurted. “He thinks you left Mom. Thinks you denied him what’s rightfully his.”
“I was a prideful young pup, and I let my Alpha keep me from going after her. It was a different world. I didn’t know about you. If I had, nothing would have stopped me.”
Hallie put one hand over Ron’s. “Your grandfather threatened to kill him, Cheyenne. He was my mate. I had to toe the line.”
“This is bullshit!” Cheyenne’s roar was pure pain.
“Hey. Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” Maybe both twins were nuts, Sebastian thought. “Paradigm shifts just blow sometimes.”
“Oh, fuck you.”
Hallie glared at her son. “Are you and Cinturon saying I raised you poorly? Did I not build your own empire to inherit?”
Sebastian waved the waiter over. “Wine. Bottles of it. Red. Now. Hurry.”
Bread arrived with dipping sauce, along with a meat and cheese platter. Hallelujah. They could all eat their feelings.
You’re losing it, babe.
Totally. Have an olive.
Weirdo. Jaxon grabbed a wee plate to load it up, then handed it to Sebastian. “So let me get this right. You two”—here he waved at Cheyenne—“hate Ron because you think he abandoned your pregnant mom and disowned you?”
“And you waited until now to try and kill us all because that’ll make the pack love you?” Maybe the kitty genes made them crazy.
“No! I don’t have anything to do with it.” Cheyenne sighed, rolling his head on his neck. “I can’t even be sure it’s Cinturon, but I know he’s not in Paris, and I know his best friend is a bobcat.”
“There were three. One was named Wylie.”
From the way Cheyenne’s face went white, Sebastian knew he’d struck a nerve.
Hallie’s scowl deepened. “What can I do?”
“Mom!”
“What?” Her voice whipped out just like Ron’s, echoing in the room. “He’s your twin and you let him do this. You knew. You disappoint me.”
“I didn’t know he was going to hurt anyone! I thought he was just… blustering.”
“Well, he’s trying to kill Ron.” Sebastian looked into his cousin’s eyes. “He didn’t want me dead. He wanted to use me to get to Ron. He needs help, Cheyenne. Badly.”
“Mom. You know that this isn’t true. It can’t be. Cin wouldn’t try this.”
“Then why is Wylie involved? Chey, you know better.” Hallie shook her head. “I want to help, Ron. This is partly my fault. I told them you were their father, but I never told them the whole story.”
“Why didn’t you come to me, love? I thought you wanted me to stay away. I would have….”
“I—” She looked away. “Can we talk about this later?”
“Can we talk about it alone?”
Oh, what a dog.
He heard Jaxon’s soft chuckle in his mind. He’s good.
“Yes.” The way she looked at Ron broke his heart. To think of them being apart all this time.
“Mother!” Cheyenne was going to stroke out. Sebastian poured him another glass of wine. He was going to need it.
Cheyenne gulped it down.
“Son, I lived my life for you and your brother for years. If I want to take something for me now that you’re grown, I will.” She lifted her chin, and her eyes flashed. She was amazing.
Sebastian grinned, and she turned on him. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing. Nothing, you’re just stunning. Genuinely.”
She flushed, but laughed. “I feel more stunned.”
“I can’t believe you’re just… Mother!”
“You don’t have a mate, do you?” Sebastian asked.
“What?”
“No matter how long it is, the bond is true.” He believed that.
Jaxon nodded, and so did Ron. “You’ll find a mate someday,” Ron said. “Then you’ll understand.”
“Fucking wolf mumbo jumbo.”
Sebastian had just about had enough. He lunged across the table to grab Grumpy Kitty by the throat. “Where do I find your brother?”
Fur started to fly about then.
Oops.
JAXON GROANED, jumping to his feet when Sebastian and Cheyenne slammed into the table adjacent to theirs. “Des! You and Gray need to get in here and get Ron and Miss Hallie out. Now!”
A huge striped beast grabbed Hallie up, wrapping around her as Gray snarled and pulled Ron toward the door.
“Hallie!” Ron was fighting Gray with everything he had.
“Take them together, for fuck’s sake! They’re mates!”
Sebastian couldn’t take Cheyenne alone.
Of course, Des and Alan and Ty were right there. They all charged in, and Jaxon backed off to draw his weapon. The big striped thing took Hallie and moved after Gray and Ron. Good man.
A flash of light showed, the scent of smoke flooding the air.
Oh fuck this shit. He was done with this.
“Down!” He shouted it loud enough for everyone in the room to get the message.
Through the smoke he saw Sebastian drag Cheyenne to the floor. Alan tackled Ty, and Des stayed upright, gun in his hand. Now they could do what bodyguards did best.
A flurry of black-clad men came in—four of them—and two went down as he and Des laid down cover fire. Alan and Ty crept along the floor through to the other room, so he stopped worrying about them. Sebastian was his primary.
Des took down another of the men, but it was the guy focused on Sebastian, roaring Cheyenne’s name, that Jaxon wanted.
The tricky thing was, Jaxon wanted him alive. Unbeknownst to Sebastian, Jaxon and Des had both come armed with more than pistols. They both had tranquilizers provided by Des. Apparently the full moon could get hairy in the pack….
Now he had to get close enough to use one, since it was in a syringe.
“Cin! Cin, what the fuck? Run, man!”
Sebastian turned to face Cheyenne’s brother, eyes lit up, face caught in midtransformation.
“Des!” Jaxon needed another layer of gunfire, but not aimed at the group of men. Just close enough to distract them.
“You’re taking what’s mine!”
“Fuck you. I’m not taking dick, and it’s not yours to have!” Sebastian’s roar filled the restaurant.
Listen to that man. Jaxon’s chest swelled with pride, especially when Sebastian got in a hard punch. The asshole staggered back, and Jaxon laid down two shots to separate the cat from Sebastian even further.
“Don’t kill him! He’s my brother!” Cheyenne caught Sebastian across the chest, and Sebastian went flying.
Jaxon ducked and spun, slipping past Cheyenne. Des could deal with him.
The scent of pure sickness hit him like a rush. Goddess. Broken. So broken.
Something had snapped inside this guy, and rot was filling the space. Jaxon felt sorry for the kitty, really. Not sorry enough not to draw out the
enormous needle and plunge it into the man’s neck like Hamlet going for his uncle.
Cheyenne yowled as the tranq went in, and suddenly Alan was right there, holding Cheyenne back from the other one.
“Don’t make me drug you too,” Des snarled, brandishing a needle.
The crazy brother swung at Jaxon, a slow, wild haymaker that he ducked. Then the guy tumbled to the floor.
“Brother!”
“Relax. Relax. It’s just a sedative. Breathe.” Alan strained but held on.
“He’s gonna be fine.” Sebastian stood, looking around. “Jesus, Ron is gonna take this out of our hides.”
“No meatballs for you, Seb.” Alan seemed like he was having too much fun.
Such an adrenaline junkie.
Des was doing triage, having handed off his syringe to Jaxon. “No one is going to be permanently damaged,” Des said while tying up a bobcat shifter.
“Too bad. Can I kick one of them? Hard?”
Cheyenne tried to lunge for Sebastian again.
Jaxon pressed the syringe against Cheyenne’s chest. “You want to nap with your twin?”
“No. No. Just… back the fuck up. Leave me alone.”
“Are you and Sebastian going to stop acting like morons?”
“Hey!” Sebastian glared. “He hit me.”
“Children, please.” Alan grunted. “Stop.”
Sebastian bared his teeth, but backed away. Breathed.
That’s it, babe. Strategic. Wolflike.
I’m going to bite you.
I’m going to fuck your ass into the floor. As soon as he could.
Oh, now that got his wolf’s attention, didn’t it? Someone needed him.
“Okay. Des? Sitrep?”
“Secure,” Des barked.
“All but you.” Jaxon stared at kitty boy. “Sebastian, get Ron and Hallie. She needs to make a decision about what to do with nutburger.”
“Don’t you mean Psycho and the Pussycats?”
“Sebastian.” He said it with infinite patience.
“I’ll go get them. Hold up.” Sebastian stuck his tongue out at Jaxon.
Jaxon glanced back at Alan, who was sweating. “You want me to drug him?”
“Nah, I like wrestling. It’s fun.”
“Let me go!” Cheyenne struggled hard but couldn’t manage to get loose.
“What have you boys done?” Hallie’s voice shot through the room.
“We need a little guidance in here, Alpha.”
Ron strode back into the room like an avenging angel. “Cheyenne, stop. Right now. Alan, let him go.”
“Bummer. This was fun.” Alan was lit up.
Cheyenne, on the other hand, was drooping. “Cin.”
Ron looked down, his nose wrinkling. “He needs help, lady. He’s sick. He’s well and truly sick.”
“I—We have to get him help, then.” Hallie squared her shoulders. “Sam. He needs a hospital or a rehab center where he can’t hurt himself or get out.”
The big cat, who had to be a tiger working for Hallie, nodded and bent to lift Cinturon as if he was a baby. “Yes, ma’am. He’ll be safe and contained until we find that for him.”
Ron nodded. “We’ll get him what he needs.”
“You can’t just show up here and pretend you care!” Cheyenne’s cry was pure pain.
Ron knelt, creaking and popping, before Cheyenne where he’d slumped to the floor. “I don’t have to pretend. You’re my blood. My pack. I care.”
Cheyenne growled softly, the sound pure worry, stress. Poor guy. How hard did this all have to be?
Sebastian took Jaxon’s hand. The one not still holding the gun. Oops. Jaxon tucked the pistol away in its pancake holder.
I want to go home, Jaxon.
Okay, babe. We’ll go home. This is all Ron’s job now. And Alan’s.
“I’m taking Sebastian home.”
“But….”
“Mr. Zeller, Alan is here. Sebastian needs to go home. Ty can drive.”
Ron stood there for a moment, then glanced at Sebastian, who was still bruised from the freaking kidnapping. Ron nodded once. “Of course. You’re going back to Boulder, yes?”
“Yes, for the night. It’s going to snow, and we all need a break before we head home for the winter.”
“Then I’ll see you there.” Ron held out a hand to Sebastian. “Thank you, son.”
“You’re welcome, Uncle. Miss Hallie.” Sebastian offered her a half smile. “I wasn’t lying about the textile designing. I’m good at my job.”
“We’ll meet once I get Cinturon on the right track.” She gave Sebastian, and him, a slight smile. “Ron and I have some things to work out as well.”
“A few.”
Yeah, a few thousand. Jaxon couldn’t imagine how complicated shit was going to be over the next few months. He didn’t have to, though, did he? He just had to get his mate well and happy so he could create.
He needed to get Sebastian home. He wanted to cook, to touch, to make their den ready for winter.
Sebastian took his hand. “Do you mind taking us, Tyrone?”
“Shit, am I so ready to get out of here! Come on.” Tyrone grinned. “We’ll get tacos on the way to Boulder.”
Sebastian fist-pumped. “Tacos.”
Alan grumbled at them when they went by.
“You want to come, man?” Sebastian asked.
“Nah, Seb. I need to help here. Thanks, though.”
“Cool. Call if anything gets out of hand.”
“Sure.” Alan laughed, still looking as if he was having too much fun.
“Weirdo.” Sebastian gave them all glares.
“Come on, babe. Home.” Well, halfway home. They followed Tyrone out to the car. Jaxon waited until they were in the back seat to examine Sebastian fully. No bleeding. No wounds.
Bruises, sure, but no blood.
Thank the Goddess.
He wanted to take Sebastian home and fuck him through the floor. He’d said it and he meant it.
Did that just happen? Sebastian sounded floored.
It did. Breathe. Process later.
I don’t know if I can. I don’t know how.
He put his hand on Sebastian’s arm. “Hey. We got this. You knew there were secrets.”
“Of course, but children? Twins? Cats? Whoa.”
“You have cousins. One of them is nutso crazy.” Jaxon snort-laughed, the tension starting to wane and leave him punch-drunk.
“One of them tried to kill me. I feel vaguely like I ought to be a Florida panther.”
“If I figure out what that means, I’ll laugh at the funny part.” Jaxon leaned into Sebastian’s side.
“I meant it feels very redneck, you know?”
“Ah.” That was really funny, actually. “You feel like your name should be Cooter and you should have a pickup?”
“Indeed.” Sebastian leaned his head back. “What a fucked-up few days.”
“Yeah. I’m not sorry.” Without Crazy Kitty he would never have met his mate.
“No? You’re sure?”
He met those pretty, tired eyes. “One hundred percent.”
“Good.” Because you’re mine, and I love you.
He leaned a little harder, lifting his chin to offer his mouth. Jaxon wanted a kiss, wanted reassurance that Sebastian was safe and whole and there with him. Sebastian gave it to him, tongue pressing into him, opening him up, and tasting him.
Wrapping his arms around Sebastian’s neck, he moaned, knowing Ty would just put up the window between them and ignore them.
“There’s going to be tacos in twenty. Don’t get naked.”
“No naked.” Jaxon stroked Sebastian’s cheek, laughing at Tyrone. “Just a little happy.”
“Fair enough.” Ty let the little privacy window go up.
He grinned up at Sebastian. “I guess I just promised to wait until we get home.”
“Given what you were promising, that’s probably best.”
“Mmm. Yeah.�
� Didn’t stop him from being almost painfully hard.
Sebastian palmed his cock, giving him a little pressure, a little friction. The zipper of his pants pressed back against him, making him moan.
“If I get you off, you’ll fuck me longer.”
“I will. We can’t make a mess, though, or Tyrone will hook me with an antler, and then no one gets fucked.”
“You want me to suck you off?” Sebastian asked the question as if he didn’t know the answer.
Jaxon’s hips jerked, his breath whooshing out of him. Has any man ever said no? Ever?
Does it matter?
No. No, right now he wanted Sebastian’s mouth, his care.
Sebastian tugged him up and bent down in the same motion. Open your slacks.
Jaxon tore open his pants, trying not to rip anything off in his haste. He moaned, his dick so hard not even the craziest cat could scratch it.
Sebastian’s burning mouth crashed down over him, giving him the pressure he craved. Wet, hot, those lips closed around him, and Sebastian moved him up and down rather than bobbing his head.
He bared his teeth, fighting the urge to scream, to bite out his need. Jaxon arched back, one hand in Sebastian’s hair, the other clutching the headrest of the seat.
Going to make you scream, mate. Going to bury myself in you until you shoot. He sent the most erotic thoughts, the filthiest words.
Sebastian’s groan vibrated around Jaxon’s dick, making him jerk, dance on the air.
Need you more than breath.
Please. More, babe. More.
Everything. Sebastian swallowed around him, over and over.
He panted, sweat rising up on his skin, his cheeks hot. His balls felt so tight he could barely stand it, and all he could do was drive in and hope Sebastian had him, that he wouldn’t fall.
Sebastian’s hands held him close. No, his mate wouldn’t let him tip over.
He slid in and out of those soft lips, feeling the distinct contrast of the hard ridge of Sebastian’s teeth.
“Soon.” He wanted to fill Sebastian with his seed, then tease his lover until they got home.
Now, love. Now. Sebastian tapped his hole, the touch firm, perfect.
Jaxon grunted, his eyes flying wide, his belly pulling in. He came hard, his body sawing back and forth. Sebastian took him, every drop, every inch.
His lover held him up, not letting him down until he tugged that long ponytail. He needed to rest his shaking muscles. He slumped down, blinking as Sebastian held him.
