by Lisa Oliver
He coughed, and his voice came out huskier than intended. “So, what do you want to do? If we stay, we need to talk to my friends and figure out what’s the best way to get the townspeople on board. If we go, I need to grab a couple of changes of clothes and then we can head out. We can be five hundred miles from here before sundown.”
“I’m not taking you away from your friends and your home,” Seth’s eyes watered. “If there’s a way I could stay, I would. You know that. I was born here. I’ve never been anywhere else. I just don’t want you or your friends getting into trouble.”
“Your herd are the only people likely to get into trouble. They have no right to interfere in a mating. And we are mates, aren’t we? You feel it too?” Ra had to make sure.
“I think I knew before you grabbed me,” Seth tilted his head and Ra brushed their lips together, noticing his cock, which was squished into his denims start to firm up again. Not that it’d truly gone down.
Seth’s lips were like cotton candy and Ra had a sweet tooth. “I’ll end up claiming you here if we do much more of this,” he growled after a long moment of lip presses and a lot of sniffing going on between the pair of them. Seth looked as if he’d happily agree, but then his bunny shifter pulled back reluctantly.
“You can’t claim me until I know we’re safe,” Seth said firmly. “I’m not having you lose your tiger if my herd gets hold of me and I end up disappearing.”
Ra wasn’t keen on losing his animal spirit or his mate. “Will you shift for me?”
“I can, but why?” Seth started removing his shirt. “I’m a very tiny rabbit.”
“That’s what I’m counting on,” Ra said. He gripped his pants so he wouldn’t touch as Seth took off his clothes. Oh my gods, look at that little bubble butt. Gritting his teeth, thinking of every bad thing he’d ever seen, Ra controlled himself until Seth’s rabbit form appeared. “A white lop-eared; you’re a long way from home and so damned cute,” he said, laughing as the white rabbit stood up on his hind legs and started twittering.
“I’ll consider myself told off,” he said gravely. “What I meant to say was you have a very lovely animal form. Now hop over there and let me clean this food away, then I want to cuddle you in my jacket, okay? That way, no one will see you as we ride through town.”
Ra assumed Seth agreed because the little rabbit hopped over to the stream and then disappeared into the bushes for a moment, coming back looking a lot less anxious. As he packed up their picnic, Ra wondered how long Seth had been up that tree.
Chapter Three
Seth shivered as Ra started the bike and slowly made his way back to the road. He snuggled against Ra’s chest, but Seth couldn’t overcome his ingrained anxiety. He’d rather be in human form so he could hang onto something, but Ra’s plan made sense. He didn’t want Ra getting into trouble for being seen with him; as the only lop-eared white rabbit in the herd, he was easy to spot.
Seth had never been sure why he was white when his parents, siblings, and cousins were all natural brown rabbits. His dad joked about the milkman when he’d shifted for the first time but no one was upset about it and over time Seth accepted his place as the runt of the herd. He’d been totally honest with Ra. He helped people; it’s what he did. He volunteered to care for the numerous kits in his herd and worked hard at his filing job in the library. His dad built him a studio apartment above their garage, but Seth was rarely ever home. His skills at getting kits to sleep were almost legendary.
Which is why the hunt for him hurt so much. He’d lived around these people all his life. Sure, his dad pointed out a few lady rabbits as they came of age after he turned twenty-one; but all Seth had to do was remind his dad that no one would take a runt as a mate, and his dad backed off. Seth worried about his parents; what they must be thinking. What had Gareth told them?
The trip was all too short, at least in Seth’s opinion. He didn’t have anything to hold onto, but Ra had been careful on the bike and it was warm and dark, tucked up in the leather jacket. Seth’s problems didn’t seem so dire when he was safe, but he heard the bike engine chug slowly as Ra dropped down through the gears. The crunch of tires on gravel sounded really loud. Seth scrunched his eyes shut. It was an animal thing. If he couldn’t see the danger, then maybe it couldn’t see him. Unfortunately, his human mind was quick to remind him life didn’t work that way.
“You okay in there?” Ra’s face appeared above the zipper. Seth bobbed his head. He liked the idea of staying in the jacket until…until…he wasn’t sure how long but longer than he apparently could, that was for sure. “I’ll take you to my room so you can shift,” Ra said gently. “Then we’ll chat with the guys and see what can be done, okay?”
No, it really wasn’t okay, but Seth nodded anyway. He’d seen the members of Ra’s club; all lone predators. A couple of lions, two wolf shifters, a bear and something decidedly reptilian that Seth had never got close enough to scent properly. He gulped as Ra got off his bike and with one hand cupped protectively under Seth’s butt, strode confidently across the gravel.
“Hey Ra, any luck? We having rabbit stew for dinner?” A loud voice made Seth cringe, especially when he heard a rumble in Ra’s chest. It made his fur tingle.
“I’ve told you to knock the rabbit jokes off, Liam,” Ra growled. “You’re frightening my mate.”
“He’s here?” Running boots across the gravel and then a face appeared above the zipper. Seth closed his eyes, his nose twitching madly and then opened them again. One of the lions, oh no, this is not good.
“He’s so cute, can I touch him?” A finger appeared in the jacket and Seth got ready to bite, but Ra slapped the hand away.
“He’s not a pet, he’s my mate. Now get the others, we’ve got a problem. His herd is trying to kill him because of me.”
“What the hell did you do?” The jolting and the sound of boots on the porch let Seth know they were moving into a building.
“I’m a tiger and apparently, rabbits don’t have interspecies mating.” The combined growls ran through Seth’s body like a vibrator and he kept his eyes firmly shut until he heard the slam of a door.
/~/~/~/~/
Ra shook his head as he carefully opened his jacket zipper and cupped the trembling rabbit in his hands. “You’re safe now,” he crooned softly. “No one will hurt you here, I promise on my life.” Seth’s fur was soft and warm and he gently ran his finger down Seth’s spine. Even in rabbit form, Ra could feel the knobs of his tiny spine and he inhaled sharply to stop his anger burning. His cat loved the good life, and there was nothing skinny about him. His tiger thought going out and hunting for their little mate was a good idea, but Ra didn’t think his tiger’s idea of a good meal and his mate’s would be the same. Somehow picking grass and dandelion weeds wasn’t his tiger’s idea of a good time. He moved slowly over to his custom-made bed and eased himself down on the mattress, crooning nonsense and stroking Seth’s form until the trembling ceased.
“There you go, feel well enough to shift now?”
Seth shook his head, his nose wiggling wildly. Ra didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone so damned cute, but he made a point of keeping his opinion to himself this time.
“You know, Liam didn’t mean to be pushy,” he explained. “He’s a strong lion, but he didn’t have a good childhood and he’s a sucker for cute, fluffy things. You should see his room. He’s got more cuddly toys than I’ve got pillows.”
Seth swiveled his head and then looked up at Ra. “I know, right,” Ra laughed. “And the rabbit stew comment; honestly it was just a joke. I’m the first to find my mate and my friends are excited for me.”
The excited chatter following that comment left Ra in no doubt about what Seth thought about rabbit stew jokes. He’d have to warn his friends to be careful until Seth got used to their ways.
“Will you please shift? I’ve got your clothes, although you can wear some of mine if you like.” It was a shifter thing. Seth wouldn’t let Ra bite him, but his tiger
wanted their mate smelling like him. He set Seth on the bed and went over to his dresser, pulling out a few bits and holding them up. There were no bottoms that would fit his mate, not even with a belt, but a tee-shirt would cover up the sexy bits.
“I’m not wearing that as a dress,” Seth’s voice came from behind him and Ra turned to see his mate naked on the bed. Just as Ra imagined, Seth’s skin shone pale and gleaming against the dark blue sheets and the multi-colored cushions and without thinking, Ra dropped the clothes and dived for him.
Only to land on the mattress with a thud; Seth was standing on the other side of the bed, shaking his head.
“What?”
“I told you,” Seth scolded. “No claiming until after this business with my herd is sorted. Your teeth are out.”
Oops. Ra slapped his hand over his mouth. “I can’t help it,” he said, his words muffled by his hand and hampered by his teeth. “We want you and you’re very sexy.”
A flush started from Seth’s chest and rose up his neck until it covered his face. “Thank you. I’ll wear your shirt, but it’s going to make me look like a homeless person in front of your friends.”
“It makes you smell like mine,” Ra said, “And that’s more important.”
Chapter Four
The last thing Seth expected to be doing when he woke up under his tree earlier that morning was to be spending the afternoon in a room full of predators wearing a tiger’s tee-shirt and sitting on his mate’s lap. His rabbit was huddled so far back in his mind he could barely sense him; he reminded himself Ra was his mate and would protect him, no matter where a threat originated.
“I think we need to speak to Joe in the sheriff’s office,” Liam said. He was a fresh-faced handsome man and the way the sun hit his face highlighted the various colors in his hair.
“Maggie in the mayor’s office would help too,” his brother Lucien said. He looked a lot like his brother, although his hair was darker and he had a slightly thinner build. Both men looked like they could easily toss a house on their shoulders and saunter away; but like Liam, Lucien kept his voice gentle around Seth and he appreciated the courtesy.
“We should call a town meeting,” Brutus the giant bear shifter said. Every time he spoke Seth could feel the vibrations through the floor. “Speaking to people individually will take too much time and with Seth trying to protect us, Ra is likely to do something stupid if he can’t sink his teeth into him soon.”
“It’s not only his teeth he wants to sink into his little rabbit,” Rocky winked and leered at Seth who blushed as Ra gave a warning growl. Rocky just flicked his black hair back over his shoulder and showed some impressive teeth of his own. But when he spoke, the wolf shifter was all business again. “What reason could we use to hold a town meeting, that’s what I want to know? Usually, only the mayor or the sheriff’s office can do that.”
“I think we should file a complaint against the herd; the mayor’s office would have to call a meeting then.” Mal seemed to be the youngest of all the men in the room. He didn’t say much, but he had a friendly smile when Seth was introduced. Seth knew he was a wolf shifter, but he was a stark contrast to Rocky who was all power and teeth. Mal was softer, quieter and yet the others in the club seemed to treat him as an equal, which made Seth feel better about things.
“I don’t want any of you getting into trouble,” Seth forced himself to speak up. “You don’t have a reason to complain against the herd. They haven’t done anything to you.”
“Ra’s our leader,” Simon said softly with a faint hiss. “He’s been denied his mating. The herd is trying to kill his mate. I think that’s reason enough, don’t you?”
“But what if the town turns against you?” Seth couldn’t bear to see anyone in trouble and shied away from conflict all his life. Which is why your herd thinks it is okay to kill you, his brain reminded him, but Seth pushed on. “What if they won’t serve you in the shops or the bars, or they might even put you in prison because your bikes are too loud or something.”
“You watch too much television, sweet thing,” Ra purred. Seth didn’t know what he had to be so happy about. He was in serious shit.
“A parade or a protest,” Rocky said sitting forward in his chair. “We’ll make big signs and picket outside the mayor’s office. That way people will come and talk to us about what’s going on and the mayor will have to call a town meeting to decide the issue. You know all town disputes have to be settled publicly.”
Rocky was right. Seth knew anytime any shifter, or group of shifters had a problem with another, the whole town got to hear about it and decide the outcome. It was one of the reasons he loved living in the little town so much. No one allowed problems to fester. Ra murmured something like an agreement and that was all it took for the others to move into action.
“I’ll make the signs,” Liam said, jumping up and dashing down the hallway, followed by his brother.
“I’ll make a picnic hamper,” Brutus said. “What?” He asked when the others looked at him in surprise. “It’s hungry work protesting. I know Seth’s important, but I’m not missing meals over this. You’ll thank me in a few hours.”
Ra shook his head as his friends rushed around getting ready for their impromptu protest. As much as Seth loved the play of light in his tiger’s multi-colored hair, he was still worried.
“What if the people decide for the herd?”.
“They won’t,” Ra said firmly. “Interspecies matings have been allowed for over a hundred years. In fact,” the tiger got a sneaky look on his face and Seth bit his bottom lip. “Our protest would have a much bigger chance of succeeding if you let me bite you. One mate dies without the other, you know that. Even if for some strange reason, they had a problem with you, they can’t basically condemn me to death as well. The worst they would do is lock us up together.”
Seth knew his tiger was right and sitting on his lap the way he was, he knew all too well that teeth weren’t the only thing on the agenda. There was a huge part of him that wanted to throw caution to the winds and say yes. But he’d lived under the influence of his herd for too long. Rabbits could be sneaky creatures and Gareth was sneakier than most. Then he had another thought.
“Once we’re mated,” he refused to use the word ‘if’ in relation to his mate, “would you want us to live here with your club?”
“I hadn’t thought about it,” Ra rubbed his face. “But yeah, I suppose. I mean, can you see me living with the herd? Unless you had your own house of course, in which case….”
“No,” Seth interrupted quickly. “I live over my dad’s garage and yeah, I don’t think I want to live that close to my parents once we’re mated. They still think I’m their innocent little boy.”
“You are innocent,” Ra purred again and the sound did wicked things to Seth’s libido.
“But if you have your way, I won’t be for long,” Seth draped his arm around his mate’s neck, pulling him closer. “Rabbits are very loud in the bedroom,” he whispered. “And you know a lot of those stories they say about rabbits are completely true. My parents are at it day and night.”
Ra’s tiger showed behind his eyes and a hint of teeth appeared over Ra’s lips.
“Go on,” Ra said, his voice deepening.
“I was just thinking….” But Seth didn’t have a chance to say what he was thinking because the others came back into the room, bearing placards – except for Brutus who was carrying a huge hamper.
“What do you think?” Liam said, holding his up. It said, ‘No one has a right to come between mates.’
“And mine,” Lucien turned his around so Seth could see it. ‘Seth’s only crime is love.’
Seth blushed at that one, but he managed a smile. “Thanks, guys, they look really good. But what happens if someone in the herd sees us before enough people are there to force a town meeting, and gets in touch with Gareth? I could be whisked away by the herd before anyone knows what you’re protesting about.”
“Th
at’s a good point although I’d like to see anyone try and whisk you away from me,” Ra beamed proudly. “But we can fix this,” he pulled out his phone. “Come on guys, call everyone you know. We want as many people in front of the mayor’s office before we get into town. It’s the only way Seth will be safe.”
Chapter Five
Ra prided himself on looking laid-back and badass. But it took far more effort than it usually did as he rode with his friends into town; Seth in human form this time, snug against his back. His tiger was edgy; wanting to claim Seth one minute and scratch the eyes out of anyone who looked at him at the same time. I should have fucking claimed him before we left the house, he admonished himself, but it would seem for all his soft looks and tiny frame, his mate had a spine of steel.
It got worse as they headed down the main street. Alerted by the noise of the bikes people came out of their shops, pointing and gossiping as they went past. Ra loved Arrowtown, with its quaint wooden buildings, bricked sidewalks, and small size, but the trip down the main street seemed ten times longer than it’d ever done before. Seth trembling against his back wasn’t helping.
He sighed with relief as the town hall came into sight. His keen eyes immediately picked out Cam, who seemed to have half his patrons with him, many of them with pints in their hands. Trent from the garage was standing with his two brothers, Roy and Calvin. Mrs. Hooper who ran the local store was there, much to Ra’s surprise. She barely ever left the counter even though she was ancient even by shifter standards. Her three boys, still in school were fussing over her, trying to get her to sit down. Barney from the library was leaning by the Town Hall door, talking to Maggie and over the back of the crowd, Ra spotted Joe in his Deputy’s uniform. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell by looking at the people gathered, how many of them might be supportive, although he knew he could count on his friends.
