Without Reservations

by J. L. Langley

  “Chay?” Keaton looked like he didn’t know what to do. He started trembling.

  Chay took the phone and pulled Bit to his chest, making him rest his head on Chay’s shoulder. “Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds?”

  “Who is this?” Howard demanded.

  “Chayton Winston, sir. I’m Bi…Keaton’s mate.”

  Bit’s mother gasped.

  “Well. I… Uh, hello, Mr. Winston. I’m Howard Reynolds, Keaton’s father.”

  “Hello, Mr. Reynolds. Listen, we are having some issues here. There have been three attempts made on Keaton’s life.”

  “What?” Howard thundered.

  “My God! Is he all right? Keaton?” Bit’s mother’s voice trembled.

  Chay frowned. These honestly did not sound like two people who wanted their son dead. But they had kicked Keaton out of their lives for being gay. What the fuck? “Keaton’s fine. Listen, Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds. The reason we called is…well…” Shit. How did he put this? “I thought you kicked Keaton out? I thought you disowned him?”

  “We did not,” Mrs. Reynolds shouted.

  “Keaton is the one who left.” Keaton’s dad sounded offended. “We had a slight misunderstanding, but we never disowned him. I admit, we were not happy with some of the choices he made, but Keaton is the one who disappeared out of our lives. We thought he needed time to think, so we let him be. When he up and disappeared after graduation, that is when we realized he was more than just mad. I assure you, Mr. Winston—”

  Keaton rolled his eyes, his shoulders slumping.

  “Whoa. Say no more. I know Bit…er, Keaton quite well. I know what a temper he has. I understand.” Or at least he thought he did. He wasn’t sure why Bit’s parents hadn’t gone after him, when after several months he hadn’t contacted them, but he did know how hardheaded Keaton could be. “And please call me Chay.”

  Chay talked to Bit’s parents for several more minutes, then Keaton talked to them some more. By the time the conversation ended, Chay felt fairly certain Aubrey hadn’t acted on the consent of his parents. But he had to have the help of another wolf, the one who cut Keaton’s brake line.

  Keaton said goodbye to his parents and hung up the phone. Sitting back with a sigh, he looked Chay right in the eye. “Looks like we are going to Georgia.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Keaton was in their room packing. His and Chay’s phone conversation with his parents kept playing over and over in his head.

  His parents had insisted he come home so they could get to the bottom of things. After explaining the entire situation to them, they even suspected Aubrey. Keaton was just plain stunned. He’d gone from having been disowned to fawned over and chastised for disappearing. And damned if his parents and Chay hadn’t all three turned the incident into a lesson, admonishing Keaton for his temper and his “too independent” ways.

  Pushing Pita out of the way for the fiftieth time, Keaton closed the lid on his suitcase.

  Chay came in with Remi on his heels. “You damned sure are coming with us.” Chay tossed a smaller empty bag, to be filled with toiletries, on the mattress.

  “Why?” Remi sat on the bed. Immediately, Pita pounced over to him.

  Digging through the nightstand, Chay heaved the we’ve-been-over-this-already sigh. “Because you don’t have enough control to be on your own yet. What happens if you get ticked off at someone and turn into a wolf?”

  Remi blinked, looking startled. “Seriously?”

  Keaton nodded. “Seriously. You’ve already had your eyes shift twice over breakfast. What if we weren’t there to talk you through it?”

  “I’d have continued to shift?” Absently, Remi petted Pita.

  Opening the toiletries case, Chay dropped in four bottles of lube. “Exactly.” He stalked to the adjoining bathroom.

  Keaton frowned and took out three bottles of lube, putting them back in the nightstand drawer. He headed for the dresser for Chay’s underwear and socks. “We aren’t trying to be assholes and run your life. We just don’t want you to get yourself in a situation. All new wolves have to learn control. Most of us learn before we are even able to shift. But since you were made this way rather than born, you have to learn now.” Placing Chay’s boxers and socks in the suitcase, Keaton went to Chay’s closet.

  Remi sighed and flopped back on the bed. “I haven’t even changed yet. Shouldn’t you have me change so I can see what it’s like? Won’t that help me learn faster?”

  “Yes and no.” Keaton folded and packed Chay’s pants. “You will get to shift, before we go.” Gathering several shirts, Keaton returned to the bed. “But we don’t want you changing from lack of control. We want to walk you through it and have you change because you are trying to change, not accidentally. Changing accidentally is liable to make you panic and that will be counterproductive.”

  Pita bounded over, tugging on a pair of Chay’s jeans. Pushing the puppy away, Keaton repacked the jeans. “Cut it out, pest.”

  Chay came in with more essentials, dropping them all in the small case. He frowned and turned back to the nightstand. “Besides, we could use your help.” He put something else in the bag and left.

  Catching Pita just as he pounced, Keaton rescued the clothing again.

  Remi snagged Pita. “Well, why didn’t you just say you wanted my help in the first place?” he called after Chay.

  Keaton looked into the toiletries bag to make sure Chay had gotten his glasses and rolled his eyes. Chay had put the three extra bottles of lube back in. Keaton put them back in the nightstand. Zipping up Chay’s suitcase, he set it beside his. “Your help would be appreciated. But if you go, I promise to work with you on your control too. Maybe by the time we get back you will have learned enough to go back to work and out in public unsupervised.”

  Chay brought more stuff for the toiletry bag.

  Setting Pita on the floor, Remi let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay.”

  Keaton smiled. “Good. Then it’s settled?”

  “Yeah, it’s settled. I’ll call work and we can go to my place and pack.”

  Staring into the bag, Chay groaned and put his hands on his hips.

  Keaton went to get a bag for their shoes. “Chay, don’t forget my glasses and go get a bag and pack a couple books to read on the way. I want the two you bought me on Apache and Sioux culture and history. Oh, and go get my laptop.” He got their dress shoes, figuring they’d wear their sneakers and jeans on the plane. Or maybe… “Do you want your boots?”

  Grunting in response, Chay started digging through the nightstand again.

  “My glasses are in the living room. Do you want your boots or not?” Keaton waited for Chay to answer.

  Chay tossed the three bottles of lube back into the bag. “No, my tennis shoes are fine.”

  Remi’s brow scrunched up. “What the fuck are you planning on doing that you need four things of lube for?”

  Chay shrugged. “I like being prepared.”

  “For what? A freakin’ orgy?” Remi asked.

  Keaton laughed. He had been wondering the same thing.

  They had an hour and a half before they had to be at the airport. Jake lay on the floor playing with Pita. Remi sat on the couch frowning at Jake and trying to get his eyes to shift back to normal. And Keaton was getting more and more annoyed at Remi for not listening to his instruction on how to get Remi’s eyes back to normal. Watching the whole process, Chay tried to hide his smile. He wondered how long it would take Bit to lose his temper entirely and start smacking Remi around.

  Keaton growled, stomped his feet a few times and yelled, “Pay attention.”

  His teeth dropping down, Remi sighed and glared up at Keaton.

  Jake chuckled and grinned at Chay. “How long do you give them until they start throwing punches?”

  Chay laughed. “Not long. Bit has a hell of a temper. It might actually do Remi good to realize that Keaton can kick his ass.”

  Jake raised a brow. “You sure about that?”

&nb
sp; “Yup. Unless Keaton refuses to use his wolf abilities and I somehow doubt that.”

  Squeezing his eyes closed, Remi rubbed them with the heels of his hands.

  Keaton threw his arms up dramatically and stomped into the kitchen. A cabinet door slammed and the water turned on and off.

  Uh-oh. Something told Chay the fight was about to begin. He stood up and waited. Sure enough, Bit came back into the living room with a glass of water.

  Chay lunged at him just as he threw the water in Remi’s face. Chay wrapped his arms around Bit as Remi started sputtering.

  He had to give Bit credit, the cold water made Remi’s eyes go back to normal…for a second anyway, until the shock wore off.

  Remi’s eyes and teeth shifted and he charged Bit.

  Bit’s face and hands changed instantly and he caught Remi by the throat, holding him up over Bit’s head.

  Jake jumped up.

  Letting go of Bit, Chay grabbed Jake and struggled to hold the big guy back. “Keaton! Damn it. Stop.”

  Remi whimpered and morphed into a black wolf as Bit dropped him to the floor.

  Jake stopped struggling to get to Remi and stared, but Chay didn’t let him go entirely.

  Rolling over, Remi bared his throat and stomach to Keaton.

  Keaton stood over Remi for several seconds before his face and hands shifted back to normal. “I didn’t want to do this, but you just had to force the issue.” He bent down and lifted Remi’s canine chin to look at him. “I’m stronger than you. I know more than you and I can teach you. If you will only listen. Do you understand?”

  Remi nodded, still in a tangle of clothes.

  “Holy shit,” Jake whispered.

  Chay agreed, that was a pretty impressive show of power. He’d never seen anyone shift that fast, and Bit had only changed a few body parts. And that wasn’t even mentioning little ole Keaton picking Remi up with one arm, over his head, leaving the bigger man’s feet dangling. Chay sure hoped to God Bit never got pissed off at him.

  Keaton sat on the floor in front of Remi cross-legged.

  Pita slinked over, not quite sure what was going on, and rolled to his back, baring his underside to Bit.

  Keaton chuckled, rubbed his belly and picked him up, settling him in his lap before turning his attention back to Remi. “Close your eyes and take deep, even breaths. I’m going to pull these clothes off of you, then I’m going to walk you through shifting back.” He set Pita aside and divested Remi of his clothes. When Remi was sans clothing, Bit settled his back against the sofa, once again pulling Pita into his lap.

  Bit’s cool, calm demeanor after such a display of power was hot. Damn if Chay’s cock didn’t stand up and wave hi.

  Keaton sniffed the air, his head snapping around to Chay. Raising an eyebrow, he grinned.

  Chay raised one right back. Bit could smell his arousal. Good they still had an hour and a half. He waggled his eyebrows, urging Keaton to finish helping Remi, and realized everyone was staring at him.

  Jake shoved him away and went to sit next to Remi.

  Keaton chuckled and patted the sofa.

  Blushing, Chay made his way to the couch and sat next to Bit.

  It took several minutes for Keaton to talk Remi back into human form. During that time, Chay’s cock decided to behave and go back to sleep. Which was probably for the best. They didn’t have time for what he had in mind. Chay was amazed at what a good coach Keaton was. Once Bit got over his display of temper, he was actually very patient.

  Remi was just getting dressed, a little leery of Bit but with no apparent hard feelings, when someone knocked on the front door.

  Chay sniffed. His parents? What were they doing here?

  Jake opened the door and sure enough there stood not just Joe, but Lena Winston as well.

  “Dad? Mom?” Chay frowned.

  “Hey, son, Keaton, Remi, Jake.” Joe came in carrying a suitcase.

  “Hey, Dad. What’s up?” Keaton hopped up and greeted Chay’s father, slapping him on the back. “You going somewhere?” He extended his hand to Lena. “Hello, Mrs. Winston.”

  To Chay’s surprise, his mother took Bit’s hand and hesitantly pulled Keaton into a hug.

  Keaton wavered for a brief second and hugged her back.

  She leaned back and smiled, looking unsure. “Please forgive me, Keaton. You are now a part of our family and I’m afraid I’ve given you a horrible reception. I’d like very much to start over. You aren’t anything like what I hoped for my son, but he obviously loves you and that is all that matters. As Joseph pointed out to me, you were not given a choice of mate any more than Chay was.”

  Keaton nodded and leaned into Lena. “For what it’s worth, Lena. Chay got the raw end of the deal. I made out like a bandit.”

  Lena chuckled and hugged Bit again. “Oh, Keaton, I thought that too, but now I’m not so sure that both of you didn’t get a very good deal.”

  Chay had expected her to come around, but she’d surprised even him. He had no idea it would be this soon. He was grinning like an idiot, but he didn’t care.

  His father caught his gaze and winked at him, then set his suitcase down.

  Chay winked back, so happy he felt he’d bust.

  Lena let go of Keaton and grabbed Chay. “I’m sorry, son. Please forgive me?”

  Chay nodded, fighting back tears as he hugged his mother. “There’s nothing to forgive, Mom. You had a shock. You’re over it now.”

  Smiling, she pulled back, tears in her eyes, and patted his cheek. “You are such a good boy, Chayton. I love you.”

  “Love you too, Mom.” Chay tugged her over to the couch and sat down.

  Joe clapped Keaton on the back. “You didn’t think I was going to let my boys go off and fight a big bad wolf on their own, did you? I’m going with you.”

  Chay sputtered. How had his dad even known they were going?

  Keaton grinned. “Cool. How about you, Lena, are you going with us?”

  She shook her head. “No, Keaton. Joseph would be afraid for my safety. Besides, someone is going to need to puppysit, yes?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll get Pita’s food, bowls and bed.” Bit bounded out of the room, a smile on his face.

  Pita took off after him, toenails sliding on the wood floor.

  Chay watched them leave and turned back to his dad. “What are you two doing here?”

  “Doc Baker called me about Remi…” He looked over at Remi. “How are you, Remi?”

  “I’ve been better, Joe. I’m a little freaked, but I guess being a—werewolf?—is better than the alternative. Chay saved me.”

  Jake cleared his throat, bringing Remi’s attention to him.

  Remi looked at Jake, blinking rapidly to keep his eyes from changing, Chay supposed. “Chay, Jake and…”

  Keaton walked back into the room, bowls in one hand and a bag of food under his arm, Pita bouncing along behind him.

  Remi’s eyes twinkled. “…and Little Bit saved me.”

  Keaton slapped Remi on the head on his way past and disappeared down the hall.

  Chay laughed. Oh lord. He supposed at least Remi wasn’t terrified of Bit…that was a good thing, right? Which was hilarious in itself. Bit was tiny in comparison. Okay, yes, Keaton was the more powerful wolf, but to someone without werewolf senses… “Dad, how did you even know we were going?”

  “Don’t look so stunned, Chay. Keaton and I talk quite frequently, we’ve become friends.” Dad looked past his shoulder. “Right, son?”

  “Right, Dad.” Keaton came back in carrying the puppy’s bed, bowls and food. Setting the stuff on the floor, he winked at Chay. “I called him when you were in the shower this morning.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Keaton!”

  Keaton looked up as his mother ran toward him, her arms out. He caught her, staggered backwards and almost fell into the luggage carousel. Fortunately, Chay stopped his momentum. “Uh, hi, Mom.”

  She started kissing his jaw, his che
eks, his forehead. Finally, she pulled back, holding him at arm’s length, looking him over, her pale blue eyes taking in everything. Her golden blonde hair had a few more gray strands, but other than that, she was the same petite little whirlwind she’d always been. “Oh, honey, look at you. So handsome.” She plucked at his hair. “Your hair is longer than it was at graduation.”

  What? How would she know? “Mom, you didn’t see me at graduation.”

  She frowned. “Of course I did. You didn’t think we’d miss you getting your doctorate, did you?”

  “I didn’t see you.”

  “No, you didn’t. Your father insisted that we leave you be and stay downwind of you. I have pictures though. We were very proud of you.”

  “Joanna, for crying out loud, let the boy get his luggage.” His dad strolled up, towering over Keaton and his mom, pulled Keaton from his mother and gave him a hug.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hey, son. Glad you’re home.” His big brown eyes stared over his shoulder to Chay, who still had his hand in the middle of Keaton’s back. He smiled, bobbing his gray head, and extended his hand. “You must be Chayton.”

  “Chay, please. Nice to meet you, Mr. Reynolds.” Chay shook his hand and tipped his head slightly, showing his respect, but not making it obvious because they were in public. Then he turned, indicating the rest of their entourage. “This is my father, Joseph Winston. And these are our friends, Remington Lassiter and Jacob Romero.”

  “Howard Reynolds,” Keaton’s father said as he shook hands with everyone. “This is my wife Joanna.”

  “Hello,” Joanna said.

  They got their luggage and walked out of the terminal. Somehow Keaton ended up with nothing to carry. He tried to take a bag from Chay, but Chay wouldn’t let him. “No. Visit with your parents, I’ve got this.”

  Keaton nodded and half-heartedly listened to his mother chatter away about how she’d missed him.

  His father and Chay’s father were having a conversation as well, and Remi hung back with Jake.

  When they got to the curb and spotted the limo, Keaton thought Chay’s eyes were going to pop out of his head.