by J. D. Tyler
That threw him, and he pondered it for a long moment. “Okay, that’s true,” he said slowly, looking at the doc. “But they’re guys. I don’t have to worry about being bound to one of them for the rest of our lives.”
“Actually, we have no proof that one of you couldn’t have another man for a mate.”
He cleared his throat. “Well, to each his own. I’ve got nothing against folks finding happiness with their same sex and all, but I happen to know that’s definitely not my case.”
The barest hint of humor softened her face. “Anyway, the point is that you have a family right here, one that obviously means a lot to you, though you do your best to hide your feelings behind a wall of sarcasm. It’s not as if you can’t learn to be a good, loving mate to your female.”
He wasn’t so sure about that, but figured it best not to get into that debate. “What happened to Jax… will it be the same for me?” His friend had gotten really sick before the couple decided to bond. Aric hated being ill, but he just didn’t see how mating would ever work out for the likes of him. What woman needed his shit?
“You’re already symptomatic, with the sore throat and fever, which seems to accompany the start of the mating urge. The longer you put off biting your female, taking her as your Bondmate, the sicker you’ll become. Of course, if you do bite her, then there’s a possibility she’ll turn into a shifter as well.”
“Isn’t there a chance I could just wait it out? Get well?”
“Based on what I’ve seen so far, and what Nick has told me as a born shifter who’s lived with his wolf a lot longer than all of you have…” She sighed. “It doesn’t seem likely.”
Deadly calm settled over him. There was no point in stressing about the future when he’d just learned he didn’t have one. “Listen to me and listen good,” he said in a low voice. “Rowan is not to know what’s going on with me. I won’t have her pushed into mating with me like Kira was with Jax. You understand? Rowan is a good woman and she doesn’t deserve to be saddled with this life, or me.”
“Aric, it’s not such a bad existence—”
“No. You tell Rowan, or anyone else, about this and I’ll leave. For good.”
“Nick will know, eventually. No one will have to inform him.”
“He’s different. But the same rule applies to him.”
“Try telling that to Nick,” she said drily. “He’s not bound by the same oath of confidentiality as I am.”
“I’ll deal with that when and if he confronts me.”
Melina fell silent for a moment, studying him, suddenly looking older than her years. “I honestly hope you reconsider before it’s too late.” He didn’t answer. “Okay, I’m going to get that culture, and when it comes back clear, I’ll release you.”
“Thanks.”
She left to get the kit she needed, and he sat there staring out the window once again. Only he wasn’t nearly as excited as before about the prospect of getting out. He was simply trading one prison for another, this time being held hostage by his own body. With a sigh, he slumped in his chair and covered his face with one hand.
I’m going to die. After the hell in Afghanistan. After all those weeks of torture, praying for rescue, and death finds me, anyway—in the form of my mate. Ain’t fate a bitch?
Melina returned. “Let’s get this done so you can get going.”
In less than a minute, she’d swabbed inside his throat with the end of a long stick and taken it away. In fifteen more she was back, announcing that as expected, he had no viruses or bacteria to account for the sore throat and fever. His blood work was fine, too. He was healed from his time in captivity.
“One last thing,” she said, leveling him with a firm look. “When you find yourself unable to perform on the team, remove yourself from duty or I will have to go to Nick.”
“How long do I have before I get to that point?”
“I wish I had a firm answer,” she said grimly. “The pace of decline seems to vary. But it will happen, unless you talk to Rowan. Explain to her.”
“I can’t.” God. Losing his team and his place among them would truly be the end of him. When that happened, he would shift and disappear into the Shoshone, let nature take its course.
Melina signed his paperwork, no doubt believing that when push came to shove, he’d change his mind and bite Rowan, risk turning her into a wolf, to save his own hide. The doc was wrong. He wasn’t that big an asshole, no matter what people might think.
After she left, Aric pulled his clothes out of the small closet across from the bed and dressed in sweats and an Alice in Chains T-shirt, trying to ignore the slight soreness in his muscles. How long would he be able to hide his condition from his friends? Not long enough, knowing those guys. They were too damned perceptive.
On his way out, he stopped to see Micah despite his hurry to put the infirmary behind him. Easing into the room, he was struck by the awful stillness from the man on the bed. The drugs were doing their job to keep his friend quiet. He’d almost rather see the guy go for his throat again than this. But either way he was suffering.
Aric went to stand by the bed and rested his hand on the side rail, not sure what to do or say. Nothing seemed adequate, so he settled for what he was best at—the blunt truth.
“Hey, man,” he told his sleeping friend. “This is a load of bullshit, huh? But I happen to know you’re too tough to let this keep you down. Don’t let those assholes win, you feel me? Get well for your sister and your team. Everyone is pulling for you. And when you get out of here, we’ll go kick some ass.”
That was about as good a pep talk as he could manage. Especially with his sudden emotions threatening to strangle him. Damn it, he might not even be around by the time Micah recovered. But his friend didn’t need to know.
“I’ll be back, buddy,” he promised.
He started out, waving to Noah and the bigger nurse, and kept going, trying to decide what to do. He probably should inform Nick he’d been sprung, but he didn’t want to see the boss just yet. The man was too weird with that PreCog shit, and if he didn’t already know what was up with Aric, being alone with him might prompt a vision. Or something. No need for him to find out sooner than necessary.
He wasn’t hungry, either, and didn’t feel like watching TV. The last thing he wanted was to be alone in his room. That left the gym. Might be a good idea to get some exercise while he still could. Blow off some frustration.
Liking this idea, he jogged straight there, glad when he arrived that he wasn’t the least bit winded. So what if he was a little sweaty and warm? That wasn’t too remarkable when he’d been running. Slowing, he walked inside and took a look to see who was hanging around.
Jax and Zan were sparring on the mats, going at it like two warring gladiators instead of best friends. They appeared to be enjoying themselves. Hammer was doing bench presses, working on the stomach that already boasted an eight-pack, being spotted by Ryon. But it was the sweet thing doing sit-ups in one corner that got his undivided attention.
Rowan wore black spandex workout pants and a matching sports bra, both of which showed off her sleek, toned body and generous breasts. She was no small, scrawny woman like Kira. No, sir, she was built like a brick shithouse, every muscular, kick-ass inch. He practically drooled watching her abs scrunch and her hips flex every time she sat up.
Damn, she’s just about perfect. How could I have ever thought I was attracted to Jax’s mate?
He’d been observing for at least a couple of minutes before she noticed and eased up one last time, then reached for a hand towel at her side. She wiped her face and then tossed it down, elbows on her knees.
“Are you spying on me?” Good-natured humor laced her tone.
“Nope, flat-out ogling. Spying implies I have something to hide.” He almost winced at his choice of words.
“Everybody has something to hide, Savage.” She arched a brow.
Yeah, including himself. Just not the way she might think. “I gu
ess you’re right about that.”
“The doc cleared you to be out running around?”
“Do you see a posse chasing me this time?” he pointed out.
“No.” She grinned. “How about going a round on the mats, then? I still want my sparring match and none of those guys would cooperate.” She flicked a hand at the others and made a disgusted face.
Damn, she was sexy. The thought of any of his friends laying a hand on her, even for an innocent wrestling match, had him smothering a growl. “Probably didn’t want to hurt a woman.”
“I’m not some helpless female,” she said with a hint of challenge.
“We’re not regular guys, though. But in the spirit of fun, I’ll take you on.”
“Human to human?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want things to be more uneven than they already are.”
She shot him an evil little smile, and the glint in her brown eyes gave him pause. “Let’s do it.”
He offered her a hand up and she took it, getting to her feet with a bounce. Together, they walked over to the mats and Aric yelled at the two combatants. “Give it a rest, knuckleheads. The cop wants to kick my ass.” He said the last with a touch of sarcasm, as if to imply she’d need a lot of luck.
All four of his buddies hooted with laughter, Jax and Zan pushing to their feet and getting out of the way, wiping sweat from their faces. A round of encouragement ensued as the jerks gathered, for Rowan to smear him all over the floor.
“Yeah, yeah. Root for the girl, see if I care.” Kicking off his shoes, he walked to the center of the mat and bounced on his toes, motioning Rowan forward. “Come on, sweetcakes, let’s see what you’ve got.”
“You can’t have what I’ve got, Red.”
“Ooh, can’t I?” He was thinking of their mutual dream, and saw that she got his meaning.
Though his friends didn’t know the full story behind their exchange, it caused them to hoot even more, but Aric ignored them. He focused on Rowan as they circled each other, each sizing up the opponent. He had no doubt the woman was tough, given her occupation, but he was confident of his ability to best her. Even if he held back, which he refused to do out of principle, he was a former SEAL. A highly trained operative. She just didn’t have his skill.
He waited for Rowan to make the first move, his strategy for learning hers while holding his close to the vest to start. As he expected, she took a few jabs with her fist, feinting left and right, feeling him out. Grinning, he thought she looked too frickin’ gorgeous, eyes narrowed, all serious about their match, completely oblivious to the whistles and catcalls from the cheap seats.
Jesus, look at that rack jiggle in that tiny sports bra.
Which was why he was totally unprepared when his opponent shifted her stance, and in a move worthy of the Karate Kid, delivered a high kick to his jaw that fucking knocked him into the middle of next week. The blow reverberated through his skull and he felt himself falling backward, then hitting the mat with an undignified grunt. The loud consensus from his so-called friends was “Holy shit!” and he agreed.
“Not fair,” he mumbled.
Her faces appeared over him. All three of them. “Which part? My foot in your face, or the loss of your pride?”
“Both.” Blinking, he tried to get all the tripled figures to merge again while the idiots around him almost choked on their laughter. “Shut up, needledicks.” The order didn’t help.
“Beaten by a woman,” Zan observed with a snort.
“By a cop. Got his butt served up, too!”
“That’s ’cause he was too busy ogling the package to see the dynamite!”
The four bumped knuckles and Aric sat up, glaring at the group. “Who wants to take her on next? Nobody? That’s what I thought. Losers.”
“Are you all right?” Rowan asked.
“I’m great.” To prove it, he stood. His brain swam, but damned if anyone would guess.
“Why don’t we go again, and this time keep your attention where it should be.” she suggested, flicking her ponytail over one shoulder.
Fuck if she didn’t make him half-hard! Thankfully, the loose sweats hid his problem. “Whenever you’re ready, officer.”
Determined to save face, he concentrated on her stance, how her muscles bunched. Anticipated her move before she stepped into his body and pushed, trying to unbalance him and get a foot hooked behind his ankle. Instead, he grabbed her hands and using her momentum as leverage, pressed the outside of his left knee to the inside of her right leg and twisted his upper body to the left. She was thrown off balance and easily overpowered in this type of hand-to-hand contest. He put her on the mat, but hung on to one hand to lessen the impact when she hit. No matter their deal not to pull their punches, he wasn’t capable of unleashing his full strength on his mate.
Oh, God.
“Way to go, dude,” Ryon said, and the others echoed the sentiment. “Go for the best of three.”
Suddenly all he wanted was to be alone with her, away from all these curious eyes. “Nah,” he said, giving her a hand up. He focused on Rowan, who dusted off her seat. “How about we go for a run?”
She brightened. “Sounds good. Then I won’t have to let you win again.”
The guys laughed and Aric rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Come on, let’s ditch the idiots.”
He let their comments and speculation roll off as they put their shoes back on. They were whispering, but he heard. Already, they wondered what was up. None of their biz. Aric led her from the gym. In the corridor, he absently rubbed his jaw.
“Is it bruising?”
Meeting her gaze, he saw the concern in her eyes, and he’d have been lying to himself if he pretended not to like it. “Maybe some, but it’ll heal pretty fast.”
“I’m sorry. I only meant to take advantage of catching you off guard, not really cause any damage.”
“You played by the rules we set, that’s all. Stop fussing.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “I’m not typically a worrier. Seems I’ve done nothing but worry since I’ve been here, though.”
“You’ve had good reason.”
“That’s the understatement of the universe. I never dreamed any of this existed,” she said, waving her arms to indicate the compound and its inhabitants. “It’s a bit much, even for an L.A. cop, and I’ve seen some weird shit.”
Then and there, he knew he’d made the right decision. He could never add to her stress, tie her to this life or the dangers in it. She could not find out about the mating bond waiting to be forged between them, and he would never claim his mate.
The truth stabbed his gut, but he didn’t let his despair show. All his life he’d been good at hiding his sorrow behind a mask, and he just had to keep it up until she left for L.A.
“As strange as that?” he asked, pointing to the end of the hallway.
Rowan stopped dead at the sight of Kira and her furry little friend coming their way. “What the freaking hell is that thing?”
Aric chuckled. “That’s Chup-Chup, or just Chup for short. Kira named him after the noise he makes when he’s happy. We’re not really sure what he is, so we call him a gremlin.”
“He looks like something from a Steven Spielberg movie.”
“I suppose.”
As Kira approached them and stopped, the gremlin turned rounded eyes to Rowan and Aric, scuttling behind Kira and clutching at the leg of her jeans with tiny paws.
“Cute!” Rowan said, smiling. “Does he bite?”
“Only when he’s afraid,” Kira replied. “Want to meet him?”
“I’d love to.”
“Okay.” Bending, she picked up her charge, who immediately nestled into her arms with a contented chup. From the safety of his perch, Chup peered at Rowan curiously. Kira spoke softly. “Reach out, nice and slow, and let him smell you. Like you would with a strange dog.”
Rowan did, curling her fingers inward to present the creature with the back of her hand. Aric thought that was
pretty smart, to reduce the risk of losing a finger if the little thing got scared. He’d bitten Jax once, and according to his friend it had hurt like hell.
Chup stretched forward as far as he dared, clinging to Kira for safety. Then he sniffed for a few seconds and, apparently liking his new acquaintance, rooted under her hand with his head, making his demand clear.
“Someone wants a scratch,” Rowan cooed. Chup ate up the attention like honey, purring and making his funny noises. She looked at Aric. “Want to try?”
Shrugging, he offered the back of his hand for sniffing, and swiftly got a low growl in response. “I think he still doesn’t much care for men,” he said, dropping his arm.
Kira nodded. “It’s taken him a long time to warm up to Jax. Could be he was abused by a male figure, but I guess we’ll never know.”
“Poor guy. Who would do something like that to you?”
The gremlin knew how to work it, for sure. He went back to purring and Aric swore the creature knew exactly what he was doing. He possessed more intelligence than the average dog, in his opinion.
“Well, I need to find Jax,” Kira said. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“He’s in the gym.” Aric hitched a thumb in the direction from which they’d come. “Go get your man.”
“Thanks.” With a wink, the blonde hurried to find her mate.
Aric turned to watch her go, and a wave of sadness swept over him. His mate might hurry to him one day, if only he’d—
“Aric?”
He shook himself. “Sorry. Ready to go for that run?”
“After you.”
His route took them through the rec room, where Kalen and A.J. were playing a game on the Wii. Seeing the sorcerer without his pentagram pendant, he wondered again why it was now hanging around Mackenzie’s neck. Next chance he got, he’d ask Nick or one of the guys. Seemed he’d missed a few things while he was a guest in the motel from hell.
They exited through the door that opened straight to the outside, to the grassy lawn and a field beyond that. He pointed. “We play football, soccer, and other sports out here when we need to blow off some steam. You should see a bunch of shifters and a Fae prince out here playing ball and trying not to cheat. Funniest damned thing ever.”
