by Parker Skye
Just then, Kai walked out onto the front porch. Logan suppressed a groan. The warlock had obviously dressed up for the occasion, Logan thought sarcastically. The tall Asian sported a pair of frayed cargo shorts that had seen better days and a muddy-brown Firefly t-shirt. If the muffled comments behind him were any indication, Logan’s pack was not inspired by Kai’s shabby appearance.
Logan pushed aside their silent judgement and stalked across the yard, meeting up with the warlock near the fire pit. Kai stood silent and seemed to be analyzing Logan’s pack. Ryan cautiously approached to stand just off Logan’s shoulder. The other wolf’s arms were crossed over his chest tightly and Logan could tell Ryan was practically vibrating with nerves. Logan had not-so-fond memories of the last time Ryan had lost control while separated from his mate. As if sensing the other shifter’s bleeding energy, Kai nodded in Ryan’s direction but focused his words on Logan instead.
“This is Ryan?” Kai asked. Logan simply nodded in confirmation. He chose to ignore the warlock’s use of his pack mate’s name. He had no idea how the warlock had so much information, but Logan knew they needed Kai’s help too much right now to quibble over the details. Logan stifled his questions for now.
“Alright. Let’s get started,” Kai said. “You guys may want to stand back. Shit’s about to get real exciting.” Kai motioned for Ben and Adam to move back closer to his truck. Ben looked about to argue, but things progressed quicker than Logan even imagined possible. Seconds later, Kai laid one hand on Ryan’s shoulder and the light surrounding them dimmed.
Kai’s eyes morphed from chocolate brown in a sea of white to solid black orbs. The black slowly swirled in from the edges like oil covering the surface of a pond. The air around them crackled and began to stink with the smell of ozone. Logan felt the hairs on his arms standing up as if electrically charged.
Ryan looked more than a little terrified, but Kai either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Logan strongly suspected it was the latter. A strong wind began to swirl, scattering dead leaves in a mini tornado around their feet. Logan felt something physically pulling at his core and he fought the urge to step away from the source of the disturbance. Logan reached for Ryan’s arm as if to steady them both but before he could make contact, the world around them exploded and Logan found himself flying.
Logan’s senses finally stirred an unknown time later. He found himself lying flat on the hard ground, Ben and Adam’s concerned faces leaning down over him. Logan could see their lips moving, but could hear nothing over the loud buzzing in his ears. Ben looked over his shoulder, obviously yelling at someone, but Logan’s brain was too stunned to understand what was going on.
Suddenly, Ben was being pushed away and those pitch black orbs were looking down on him instead. Kai’s mental order to ‘SHIFT!’ stabbed down through Logan’s brain like a hot poker. Logan screamed in pain from the warlock’s intrusion. Seconds later though, Logan found himself in wolf form and the ringing in his ears had thankfully improved. Logan’s huge ebony wolf was still shaky, but every second that passed Logan could feel his body healing a little more.
Logan’s wolf scanned the yard, as if trying to make sense of the chaos around him. The warlock had relocated to the edge of the porch and calmly sat, legs swinging back and forth while he smoked another cigarette. Ben was yelling at the warlock again, but Kai was apparently ignoring his brother’s tirade. Adam stood at Ben’s shoulder and seemed to be trying to reason with his mate. From the looks of it, though, Ben wasn’t ready to back down. Logan wolf scanned the yard again, realizing what was missing…Ryan. Logan’s wolf snarled in Kai’s direction, offering his brother his support as he wondered what had become of the fourth member of their small pack.
“Oh, shut it, Wolfie. Tell your brother to back off, will you? He’s getting annoying and I might be tempted to swat this buzzing fly,” Kai said as he aimed an irritated glare Ben’s direction. When Logan’s wolf only snarled in response, Kai sighed in apparent frustration.
“Damn it all, Logan. Tell him to quit freaking out. Ryan’s fine. He should be calling,” Kai paused mid-sentence to glance down at his phone, “right about now.” Ben’s back pocket rang and Logan watched as his brother halted in the middle of his rant. Ben visibly deflated when he read the displayed caller ID.
“Ryan?” Ben asked.
“Hey, Ben. Can you come get us?” Ryan’s voice sounded through the speaker. His tone broadcasted nothing but happiness. Logan knew instinctively, he and Izzy must have reunited safely.
Kai stood from where he sat on the porch and brushed the dirt off his butt. Apparently the warlock was satisfied his job here was finished. As he stepped inside the trailer, Kai turned to deliver Logan a parting reminder.
“Don’t forget our deal, Logan. I’ll be contacting you later to fulfill your end of the bargain.” The door clicked shut behind the warlock and Logan felt the unbreakable contract between them slam into place.
Chapter 2
Logan slapped his hand blindly across the bed covers searching for his blaring phone. This had better be important; otherwise whoever was calling was a dead man. Logan had barely shut his eyes minutes before after a long, long day. Their pack’s new house in Tuscaloosa was still barely habitable, even after almost a full day of hauling and sweating most of their combined worldly belongings. To add insult to injury, they’d been down a man, too.
Izzy had come down with some sort of stomach bug on the ride up from Florida that they had all assumed was simple car sickness. Once they arrived though, Ryan’s mate had spent most of the morning worshiping the porcelain goddess. By the time the vomiting had subsided, Izzy had still been weak as a kitten. Logan had insisted they unload the couple’s furniture from the moving truck first. Once it was assembled, complete with fresh sheets, Izzy was put to bed. Izzy had tried to argue, but he was too exhausted to do more than pretend to put up a fight.
It was bizarre, to say the least. Shifters rarely got sick, even turned shifters. Ryan had been distracted all day, disappearing to check on his mate repeatedly throughout the unloading process. Thankfully, Izzy seemed to be recovering by midday, but none of them were willing to risk a relapse by letting him help.
Logan finally found his phone and groaned. His arm muscles screamed how much they hated him just from the simple act of bringing his phone up to his ear. He probably pushed himself more than he should have, he realized as his arm still sang its displeasure.
“Hello?” Logan mumbled, refusing to open his eyes without good reason.
“Hey, Logan. Remember me?” The thick southern drawl was unmistakable. Logan’s brain was instantly on alert and a shiver of unease ran down his spine.
“Kai. Any idea what time it is?” Logan asked calmly, faking his lack of concern for the warlock’s unexpected call. The warlock coughed out a laugh.
“Still early for me, but maybe not for you? I thought you wolves were all nocturnal,” Kai responded. “Come on, Logan. Get the fuck up. It’s time to pay the piper. If you don’t want me to wake the rest of your pack you better get here before I start pushing this bell.” Before Logan could argue further, the line disconnected.
“Fucking hell,” Logan grumbled, but he got up to do as he was told. Logan jogged to the front door in just his boxers, unwilling to risk Kai’s interpretation of patience. Logan barely opened the door a crack before the warlock pushed inside, something snarling and hissing inside the large crate Kai carried in both hands. Kai set the crate down in the entryway and stepped back, holding one hand over an obvious wound on the other forearm. Kai briefly closed his eyes and mumbled unintelligible words under his breath. When he pulled his hand away, the warlock’s wound was gone.
Kai shook out both arms and approached with an overly friendly smile. When his moves started to reflect an incoming hug, Logan stepped back and widened the distance between them again.
“Oh, come on now, Logan. Is that any way to greet an old friend?” Kai asked. Logan frowned at the warlock’s attempt at def
lection. No way would he allow himself to get distracted from the elephant in the room.
“What the hell is that?” Logan asked, pointing to the crate as it shook and rattled on the floor. The feral sounds emerging from within made the hairs on the back of Logan’s neck stand on end. Logan was not easily worried, but whatever was in that crate was broadcasting its need to destroy loud enough that even Logan’s wolf was whining uncomfortably.
“That is your end of our deal,” Kai said, turning the crate so Logan could see inside. A huge mangy feline stared out with mismatched eyes, one green and one blue. The creature’s mouth opened in a fang-filled hiss.
“Logan meet Judas. Judas, Logan. I have to be gone for a while for a job and I need you to take care of my cat,” Kai said. As if understanding his master’s words, the hissing and spitting intensified inside the crate.
“Fuck that! I can’t keep your cat. Did you forget I’m a werewolf? We don’t keep pets, especially cats. They are all terrified of us and with good reason. He’ll run away the first chance he gets or my wolf will eat him,” Logan argued. “Either way this isn’t going to end well.”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, Logan, but Judas is not your ordinary cat. He’s a warlock’s cat. He’ll be fine. Now here’s a list of instructions regarding his care and feeding,” Kai said, handing over several pages as if the matter was settled.
“Take good care of him. I mean it, Logan. Keep your wolf under control with him. If you hurt so much as a hair on his head, you’ll regret it.” Kai bent and blew a kiss to the cat who only hissed and spit even more impressively in response. Kai laughed as if this was expected and was just as quickly out the door. Logan’s head was still spinning, as he chased the warlock outside.
“Wait, Kai, seriously. You can’t just leave him here. When are you coming back?” Logan continued to argue as the warlock strode down the sidewalk.
“At least a few months. Maybe more. Quit worrying, Logan. Just follow the directions and you’ll both be fine,” Kai said, his back still turned as he widened the distance between them like Logan was standing still. Logan opened his mouth to argue again but before he could utter another word, a loud crash from inside the house had his attention. When he turned back, the warlock was gone.
Logan stared momentarily where the warlock had been, but quickly gave up hope he’d be coming back anytime soon. He cursed Kai for the devil and turned back to the house, easily making out the cat’s continued vocalizations even through their solid-core front door. Logan had no idea how this was going to work, but it seemed like he had no choice. He almost cursed himself for making a deal with a warlock in the first place but stopped himself when he remembered how happy Izzy made Ryan. Sighing dejectedly, Logan walked through the front door and found four wolves staring into the crate hungrily.
“Just fucking great,” Logan muttered.
Logan was finally forced to shift to get his pack to calm down. Izzy’s white wolf had been the easiest to get under control. Logan figured he was still under the weather from his mysterious illness. Izzy’s wolf mostly maintained his human half’s easy temperament anyway, though. For this, Logan was hugely grateful, especially since the other three wolves were being pig-headed enough all on their own. Once Izzy was human again, the rest followed in short order. Once they had all shifted again, however, Logan honestly wasn’t sure if that was actually the safer option. Apparently, humans were stupid for cats. Logan stared unbelieving while Adam made baby talk at the snarling ball of fur.
“Poor whittle kitty. Stuck in the cage. It’s okay, sweet boy. Adam will take care of you,” Adam crooned at the cat. Before Logan could warn him off, Adam reached for the crate latch and quickly pulled his hand back bleeding.
“Damn it, Logan,” Ben growled, examining the three parallel scratches on his mate’s hand. “What the fuck is that thing and where did he come from?”
“Guys, meet Judas. Kai’s cat. You remember Kai, don’t you?” Logan snarled aiming pointed looks at the members of his small pack. “I’m cat-sitting for him as payment for our deal earlier.”
Ryan and Izzy both looked at the floor guiltily, readily admitting what Logan had sacrificed for their happiness. Adam and Ben were suspiciously silent, however. When Logan looked to find them huddled together trying to hide their laughter, he knew why. Logan’s own answering grin was feral.
“That’s so sweet of you guys for volunteering to watch over Judas while I run to the store and get his supplies,” Logan said sarcastically, making sure Ben and Adam were fully aware he was talking to them. Adam blushed while Ben just nodded in agreement, still silently shaking with laughter.
“Assholes,” Logan muttered. He returned to his room and sniffed his shirt before pulling it overhead. He added locating the box holding his clean clothes to his mental to-do list. As he walked through the kitchen, Logan grabbed the cat’s care instructions and his keys off the counter.
“I’ll go with you, Logan. This territory is too new. You don’t know what’s out there yet,” Ryan offered as he pulled on his sneakers. Ryan looked as rumpled as Logan felt, but he was right. It wasn’t safe to be out at night alone yet. Logan once again reminded himself his sacrifice for Ryan’s sake had been worth it. The other man always had his back and was an irreplaceable asset to their small pack.
“Good idea. Ben, you’re in charge while I’m gone. Izzy, you still need to get some rest. If I come back and you’ve unpacked the entire kitchen, I’m going to be pissed. Got it?” Logan ordered. Izzy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest which Logan took as reluctant agreement.
“What about me, boss? What do I have to do?” Adam asked sarcastically. Logan frowned as he admitted Adam’s smart mouth only seemed to get worse as his brother’s mate grew in self-confidence. Logan wasn’t surprised to see Adam was the only one in the room still naked. He still used any excuse to ditch his clothes at the drop of a hat.
“First, go put some fucking clothes on, Adam. I only have one simple job for you to do tonight otherwise. Are you listening?” When Adam rolled his eyes, Logan took that as an affirmative.
“Your only job is to try not to get your boyfriend in any more fucking trouble tonight!” Logan groused. Adam huffed and stalked away with more sway to his hips than absolutely necessary, his middle finger held aloft in a silent salute.
“What the fuck are we supposed to do with a cat, Logan? Werewolves don’t raise pets. And if they did, it sure as hell wouldn’t be feline. What was Kai thinking?” Ryan asked once they were alone in the truck.
“I know. I tried to explain that to him, but he wouldn’t listen. Actually, I think that’s part of the fun for him, you know. He gets to torture me a little more this way,” Logan answered. Ryan clenched his fist where it rested on his thigh. Ryan sighed dejectedly and stared out the passenger window for several moments before turning back to face Logan directly.
“I’m really sorry you got stuck in this mess because of us, Logan. But know that Izzy and I will never forget it. We will forever be in your debt. I just wish warlocks weren’t such assholes,” Ryan said.
“You’re right there. I mean about the warlocks being assholes thing. Not about the other. It’s my job to take care of my pack. I wouldn’t know any other way to be. You guys don’t owe me a thing for it,” Logan said.
Two hours and several hundred dollars later, Logan and Ryan were home again. It took several trips to bring in all the things Judas would need to survive at their house. Logan realized “surviving” was the accurate term here. He didn’t imagine the cat would be ‘living’ at their house, at all. No, that was impossibility. If their relationship ever progressed from natural enemies to anything less violent, Logan would take that as a win.
When Logan brought in the last bag, he finally noticed the highly suspicious silence that permeated the house like its own entity. Logan scanned the room taking note of three guilty faces sitting all in a row on the couch. Adam blushed and broke eye contact first and Logan immediately kne
w Adam had done something epically stupid.
“Where’s Judas?” Logan asked softly. If you didn’t know Logan, you might have thought the quiet way he asked was reassuring. You would be wrong.
When no one answered, Logan snarled, “Fuck it all, Adam. Where’s the damn cat?” Adam flushed instantly and crossed his arms over his chest. His stubborn chin shot up and he met Logan’s icy blue gaze directly as if this was all Logan’s fault anyway.
“He was so upset being in that crate, Logan. Back when I was a kid, I had a cat for a while, you know. He was fine except when we had to take him to the vet or travelled and we put him in his carrier. Once he was outside of the crate again, he was a nice normal cat. Inside though, he acted just like that,” Adam explained, pointing to the now empty pet carrier.
“So you thought it would be a bright idea to let him out?” Logan asked. “And you both let him?” Logan glared at the others hotly.
When no one answered, Logan continued, “I take it that didn’t go well?”
