Coaxing His Skittish Lynx

by Charlie Richards

  That was what had happened? Why? “I’ve never heard of that either,” he admitted.

  “Maybe something in you felt your mate was in trouble, and it triggered the completion of your bond.”

  “Roland?” Tobias’ heart tightened in his chest. He lunged to his feet and glared at the other gargoyle. “Where the fuck is my mate?”

  Vane slowly rose, and while the red gargoyle stood a couple of inches taller than him, he averted his gaze. “We’re trying to figure that out. Marty and Cornelius are missing, too.”

  Lifting his arms to the heavens, Tobias let out an anguished cry, screaming his mate’s name. His body felt as if it were on fire again, but this time only for a second or two, as he returned to gargoyle form. Lowering his arms, he glared at the beautiful sky above him. He’d always wanted to share the first time he saw the sky with his mate and now—

  Tobias cut off that train of thought. He refused to give in to despondency. His mate needed him. Turning and glaring at Vane, he growled, “Tell me everything,” then spread his black wings and leaped from the roof.

  Vane followed. He spoke as they flew. “Leroy said Cornelius escorted Roland to see him, then left a little after two. They talked about going for a run. Marty was in the back yard working on the outline for the deck Maelgwn wants built, and for some reason, he must have decided to go with them.”

  “Probably because he knew Einan would go into a rage if he found out Cornelius went hiking alone,” Tobias grumbled. He knew he was so damn angry at Roland for the same thing. As soon as he found his mate, he was going to tie him to the bed until he promised never to pull a stunt like that again.

  “But he was with Roland. They weren’t alone.”

  Tobias cast a look the other gargoyle’s way and saw true confusion on his face. “Roland was most likely running in lynx form. Because of how far along Cornelius is, he can’t shift. That means they were both alone…and Einan’s mate is quite slow moving right now.”

  Vane grunted in understanding and nodded once.

  Landing on a second story patio, Tobias yanked open the doors and stalked swiftly through the manor. Upon reaching the security room, he slammed open the doors, finding the room nearly filled to capacity.

  Maelgwn stood against the far wall, staring over the shoulder of Raymond, one of the clutch’s tech gurus. Being mated to Marty, Raymond expressed his agitation by tapping furiously at the keys of his computer and glancing quickly between four monitors. Matthew, Vane’s mate and Marty’s brother, sat against the left wall with his head in his hands. Also clustered around were Sapian, Leroy, Einan, and Greg. Einan stood behind a chair rather than in it, and his claws were dug deeply into the back’s plush cushion.

  Maelgwn pulled his gaze away from his focus of the screens and his brow ridges shot up. “Tobias?”

  “I was on my way here when I heard him going through molt,” Vane explained from behind him.

  “How—”

  “Look at this! It’s Marty!” Raymond shouted, pointing at the screen.

  Einan shoved around the desk while Tobias pushed between gargoyles. Vane headed to Matthew’s side, whose head had snapped up to stare at Raymond with wide eyes. They crowded around the desk.

  Tobias scowled as he watched Marty sprint for all he was worth through the forest. At first, he didn’t understand why the human dodged around trees and kept zigzagging this way and that. It all became clear when a pair of humans appeared at the edge of the screen. They chased Marty, guns in their hands as if they were trying to get a shot.

  Raymond leaped to his feet. “Marty!”

  “Where is that?” Einan snapped.

  “Um, quadrant two B,” Raymond said, backing a step, obviously feeling the same urge Tobias felt…go to Marty. Of course, in Tobias’ case, he’d be asking the human where Roland was as opposed to clutching him close.

  “Vane, take over here,” Maelgwn ordered. “Stay with your mate.”

  “Wait, I want to come!” Matthew cried.

  Maelgwn shook his head. “No, I need you and Vane to keep an eye on the monitors. See if anyone else turns up. Call and let us know.” From his firm voice, Tobias knew the chieftain expected to be obeyed.

  “Yes, sir,” Vane replied. The big gargoyle gave his mate a warning look when Matthew looked like he was going to protest again.

  “Look!” Einan pointed at the monitor.

  Tobias looked down just in time to see a large white alligator launch from between two bushes and latch its strong jaws around the thigh of one of the chasers and take him down.

  Recognizing the area, Tobias didn’t wait to see what happened next. He bolted from the room and sprinted toward the balcony where he’d entered. Not stopping, he spread his wings and leaped over the edge, flapping hard, winging as swiftly as possible toward the location on the monitor.

  When he burst through the trees and spotted the large pond making up almost four acres nearly a mile from their manor, he spotted movement on the other side. He flew swiftly toward them.

  The closer Tobias got, the heavier the scent of blood hung in the air. Finally, he made out Marty on his knees, obviously searching for something in the leaves and pine needles near shore. Another male lay on his back, blood pouring from both of his thighs and he used his hands to struggle backward.

  A second male held a knife and swung it at the advancing albino alligator that Tobias recognized as one of the rescued shifters. As Tobias watched, the alligator dove left and shifted. The transition was smooth and seamless, taking place in a matter of ten seconds.

  The human’s jaw sagged open in shock, proving that he’d never seen a shifter change before. It was enough. The pale-haired male planted one bare foot, pivoted, and executed a spinning back kick, knocking the knife from the surprised human’s hand. He followed that up with a roundhouse kick to the chest, sending the attacker tumbling onto his ass.

  The blond looked over his shoulder at Marty. “You okay?” he asked in an accented tenor.

  Marty’s head snapped up. He took in the downed men and the male shifter, then looked over and saw Tobias. Picking up the weapon—which upon closer inspection, Tobias recognized as a tranquilizer gun—Marty rose to his feet.

  “Yeah. Thanks,” Marty said, sounding breathless but heartfelt.

  Tobias heard others land behind him as he angled a grateful look and nod to the alligator shifter before heading toward Marty. “Where are they?”

  “N-northwest, maybe four miles,” Marty panted. He looked at Einan. “You need to hurry. We would have tried to get away together, but Cornelius is in labor. Roland is helping him, but…I don’t think he knows what he’s doing.”

  “How many men? Who took you?” Einan demanded.

  “Bud Wallice and a number of his guards. I saw eight.”

  “Well, well,” Tobias snarled. “I get to meet the little shit face to face.” He cracked his knuckles, looking forward to that.

  Snarling, Tobias started to turn away, but Marty grabbed his wrist. “There’s more,” Marty said, struggling to talk around his gasps. “These guys have been using tranqs on us,” he told them, holding up the weapon. “But they have armor piercing bullets and the pistols to use them. You need to be careful.”

  “We will,” Maelgwn assured. “Thank you for getting this information to us. Go with your mate. We’ll take care of this.”

  “I should help,” Marty countered. “Show you where they are.”

  “We can backtrack your scent, Marty,” Tobias stated. “You’ve done your part.” He noted Einan had already started moving and turned quickly to follow.

  “Thank you, for helping my mate,” Raymond said.

  The alligator shifter offered a half bow. “Your people helped me. I return the favor.” Then, the naked male started sprinting through the woods. Surprisingly, he caught up with and passed Einan and Tobias actually found it difficult to keep up with the five foot eleven, slender male.

  “Da
mn, he’s quick,” Sapian grumbled.

  Tobias mentally agreed. He actually found it easier to kick off the ground, half-spread his wings, and zip between the trees that way. Catching up with the shifter, he bluntly stated, “This is personal for you.”

  The guy nodded once, but didn’t look at him.

  “Name?”

  “Tristan.”

  “Welcome aboard,” Tobias stated.

  Tristan grunted.

  Tobias focused on scenting Marty’s trail and moving as swiftly as possible. When the smell of others began to tickle the senses on his sensitive tongue, Tobias slowed. He dropped to the ground and came to a stop. The others gathered around. While they were off their own property, it was far too close for Tobias’ comfort. He didn’t know how they’d missed the fact that Bud Wallice and his buddies had flown into the area and gotten so close.

  Anger simmered that the fucking human would dare to take his mate. He’d make the presumptuous asshole pay.

  “Get it together, Tobias,” Maelgwn warned gruffly. “Your mate needs you. Don’t lose your head.”

  Tobias nodded. Glancing around, he noted Tristan was gone. He lifted a brow ridge in question. Sapian stepped close and stated, “The alligator is getting as close as possible. You and I are going to circle the camp to the left. Einan and Maelgwn will circle right.”

  “We’ll take out guards as we can and get a lay of the land,” Maelgwn rumbled.

  Brow ridges shooting up, Tobias cocked his head. Was his chieftain giving him the permission he thought he was?

  Maelgwn’s smile appeared hard and feral.

  Tobias let out a long, slow breath. He wrapped his wings around him and turned away. Sapian flanked him. The pair moved slowly, slipping between trees. Opening his mouth a bit, he allowed the air currents to pass across the receptors on his tongue. A musty scent caught his attention. He exchanged a look with Sapian and from the other gargoyle’s nod, knew the enforcer smelled the human, too.

  Both started moving again, circling around the source of the scent. Tobias spotted a flash of red amidst the trees ahead. Spreading his wings, he leaped and flew straight into the air. Using claws and feet, he easily ascended the thick pine next to him until he balanced twenty feet in the air.

  Spreading his wings for balance, Tobias crept along a thick branch, then leaped to a nearby one. He grew closer and spotted the human guard, who appeared to be on perimeter watch. Tobias shook his head as he saw that the red he’d noted was a red and black plaid coat. Carefully, he made his way along the tree limbs until he perched almost directly above him.

  Tobias looked left and right. Something blue some forty feet away caught his attention. Looking above him, he noted that Sapian mirrored Tobias in the trees above the other man. He caught the enforcer’s eye, then held up three fingers and counted down. Tobias dropped silently from the tree. He landed directly behind the male, reached forward, grabbed the surprised male’s head, and twisted.

  Releasing the guard, Tobias stepped back and allowed the human to topple to the ground. He looked right again and saw the guard at Sapian’s feet. After nodding once, Tobias turned his back on Sapian and he knew the other gargoyle did the same to him. They slowly moved away from each other, and Tobias knew that—like him—Sapian was checking for another guard within the next fifty paces.

  Tobias found one, and took that one out the same way he’d killed the first. Climbing another tree, he slowly made his way in the direction he guessed was the center of camp. He didn’t see anyone until the trees ended at a large shelf of mine tailings. He spotted four men standing around a campfire.

  Two of the men had their heads together—apparently strategizing. Tobias recognized the heavyset fellow as Bud, but he didn’t recognize the second man. A third man lay on a sleeping bag spread near the campfire. He had a bandage wrapped around his shoulder and that arm was in a sling. The scent of blood hovered in the air. The fourth man stood nearby, glancing around furtively—including at the pair—looking as nervous and hunched as a cowed dog.

  A scent caught Tobias’ attention and he turned to watch Sapian close the distance between them. “There’s a mine fifty feet up the hill,” the enforcer told him. “That’s where Cornelius and Roland are being held.”

  Tobias gasped and his gaze snapped to peer in that direction, as if he could see over the crest of the tailings pile. Sapian laid a hand on his shoulder and nodded. “Go. Rescue them. I’ll cover for you for ten minutes…make certain you’re not disturbed. Then, I’ll find the others and let them know the mates are safe.”

  Torn, Tobias looked up the hill, then back at the quartet of people.

  Sapian grabbed his upper arm and squeezed. “Tobias, your mate needs you.”

  Swallowing hard, Tobias jerked a nod. As much as he wished he could be the one to take out Bud, he knew Sapian was right. His mate needed him. His duty was to seeing to his mate’s safety…and his heart clenched in his chest at being able to make certain his mate was safe.

  Turning away, Tobias carefully slipped through the trees, getting as far north as possible until he ran out of cover. Dropping from the tree, he kept his body low and a careful eye on the horizon. He reached the opening to the mine without incident. When he peeked inside, he spotted a single guard. The only problem was, there was no cover between him and the human.

  Suddenly, Cornelius screamed. Tobias’ eyes widened and his jaw sagged. It sounded as if Einan’s mate was dying. The guard cringed, turned to face the locked gate of the cage, and banged on the bars as he shouted, “Shut up in there.”

  That put the human’s back to Tobias, and he wasted no time capitalizing. He leaped forward, spreading his wings just a bit to extend the length of his jump, and landed on the human’s back. As with the others, Tobias offered no mercy and snapped his neck.

  Stepping away from the toppling human, Tobias stepped to the cage door and swiped the lock with his claws. The new metal fell to the cavern floor. Almost instantly, Tobias found his arms filled with his mate. Hugging Roland close, Tobias captured his mouth and thrust his tongue deep. He allowed himself the pleasure of tasting his mate, touching his body, reassuring himself that his mate was uninjured.

  Both of them seemed to catch themselves at the same time and draw away. Still, Roland grinned at him, then glanced at the sunlight at the end of the tunnel. “You molted,” he whispered.

  “Yeah,” Tobias rumbled. “Nothing could keep me from coming for you.”

  Roland appeared extremely pleased by his words, but didn’t fight when Tobias lowered him back to the ground. “Can you shift, my mate? I will carry Cornelius, and we’ll get the fuck out of here.”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  Tobias turned to Cornelius and took in the sweaty countenance of the enforcer’s mate. His eyes were dilated in pain and his breath came in short pants. Stepping close, he slid his arms under the shifter’s knees and torso. “I’m sorry. This may hurt,” he warned. “I’ll take you home. Get you some help.”

  Cornelius nodded. “What the fuck took you so long?”

  Tobias chose to ignore the shifter’s belligerence—hell, the guy was in agony—and didn’t reply. Instead, he lifted the man into his arms, cradled him to his chest, and got the hell out of there.

  Tobias would rather have been in his suite with Roland, mapping every crevice of his mate’s body and making certain he was well. However, when they’d arrived at the manor and the infirmary they’d learned that Einan was still out, Roland had insisted on staying with Cornelius.

  Leroy had given the rhino shifter some pain killers and they’d kicked in just when Gus—a friend of Cornelius’ and also a rhino shifter—and his mate Tible had arrived with their son, Vaclar. While they sat and coached Cornelius, the in labor shifter still refused to release Roland’s hand and Roland didn’t try to pull away.

  As soon as night had fallen, Perseus had arrived and taken over the labor proceedings. Leroy had appeared more than happy to
relinquish control, but he stuck around and acted as the doctor’s gopher.

  Einan rushed in just as Cornelius was screaming through his final push. Sapian—his mate Missy pressed close to his side—accompanied him and stopped at Tobias’ side. With half his attention on his mate, who still coached his friend through the egg-birth, Tobias couldn’t help but ask, “You get everybody?”

  Sapian nodded. “Yes, but not in the way you mean. One of the guards, some guy named Walter turned on his buddies and took a bullet meant for Maelgwn. He’s with Leroy, who’s prepping him for surgery. Ryker’s waiting for his shoulder to be looked at.” Sapian glanced at him and smirked. “It seems your little lynx took a hell of a chunk out of him.” Before Tobias could grin with pride, Sapian added, “We also brought in Wallice. He’s being held for questioning in the servant’s quarters. Some of the things he knows about us—” Sapian paused and shook his head. “We need to know how he knew about us.”

  Growling low in his throat, Tobias frowned. He didn’t like having those assholes so near his mate…hell, anyone from his clutch, but he understood the need. “Thanks for the heads up,” he finally stated. “I’ll be interested in helping with the interrogation.”

  Snorting, Sapian nodded. “I just bet you are.”

  Roland appeared at his side and snuggled up to him. Tobias wrapped his arms around him. “Hey, sexy mate,” he greeted, so happy to have Roland safe with him again. Lowering his head until his lips were a hairsbreadth from his mate’s ear, he all but purred, “I’m going to lock you in our bedroom for the next week.”

  Tobias watched goose bumps erupt on the sensitive skin behind his lover’s ear. Roland opened his mouth and sucked in a harsh breath. He peered up at him through his lashes. “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then what?”

  Tobias grinned. His mate didn’t seem to be averse to his plan at all. Winking, he murmured, “I’m gonna show you why it’s a good idea to always have me around.”

  “Mmm, I look forward to you proving that,” Roland whispered.