An Assassin's Touch

Nobody realizes better than Shane that he has no real future. As a Leopard, he’s destined to live alone and be reviled ...

Author: Hecht Stephani

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Nobody realizes better than Shane that he has no real future. As a Leopard, he’s destined to live alone and be reviled by his fellow feline shifters. Instead of letting that hurt him, Shane just throws himself into his work as the coalition’s top assassin. A job that his breeding makes him perfect for. He tells himself that he doesn’t need anyone else—that he’s fine living a solitary life. Then one, brief encounter with a bratty, Panther shifter named, Trevor, changes everything. Now all Shane can think about is the Panther and how to get the man back in his bed. The only problem is Trevor hasn’t given Shane so much as a second glance since their one time together. A situation that frustrates and intrigues Shane even more. Trevor has always enjoyed playing the field. With so many sexy temptations at his disposal, he doesn’t see why he should have to settle for the same warm body in his bed night after night. While the sex with Shane had been great, Trevor is determined to put the encounter behind him. A task that’s not as easy as it would seem. Not when every night he continues to dream of the Leopard. Or how, whenever they’re in the same room, Trevor can’t stop himself from wanting to reach out and caress the Leopard. Trevor knows that there can never be anything between them and resolves to put his desires behind him. Will they be able to learn to trust each other in time to save themselves, or will their past doubts destroy them?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. An Assassin’s Touch Copyright © 2011 Stephani Hecht ISBN: 978-1-55487-802-4 Cover art by Angela Waters All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by eXtasy Books Look for us online at: www.eXtasybooks.com

An Assassin’s Touch

By

Stephani Hecht

Get this straight, you can use a Leopard in a mission, you can send him out to kill for you. Hell, you can even fuck one. The one thing you can, never, never do is trust one. Leopards by nature are cold, emotionless and psychotic. They were made with one purpose and that was to destroy others. So whatever you do, don’t turn your back on one and you sure as hell don’t fall in love with one of the batshit, crazy loons. Carson of the Mitchell Feline Coalition.

Chapter One

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omebody was going to die before the night was over and Shane felt eighty-five percent sure that it wouldn’t be him. Usually he’d give himself higher odds—much higher, but the bleeding gash in his side and the fact that he was on his third attacker made things a bit more difficult. Difficult, but not impossible. He ran through the deserted warehouse, the dark building somehow managing to seem cavernous, yet claustrophobic at the same time. His footsteps echoed throughout the nearly empty interior, the wet slapping sounds screaming his location to the asshole who was tracking him. Just for good measure he knocked down a nearby metal shelving unit. As it fell to the floor with an ear-jarring crash, Shane gave a smile he knew to be feral. Yes, that’s it mother fucker. Come and get me. He flipped the hood of his black cloak over his face, then grabbed his twin short swords, giving 1


the blades an experimental swing before he crouched into a ready fight position. Even in the dim light he could make out the patches of blood already marring the metal. A souvenir from the past two battles he’d engaged in only moments before. One! That’s how many Rattler shifters were supposed to be there. His informant had been quite adamant about that fact. Now, as he looked back and reflected, perhaps a bit too adamant. Shane let out a soft growl. Damn it, he should have known better than to trust a frigging Hyena shifter. Those idiots were always looking for the first chance to shank you in the spine. Now, thanks to the chuckling backstabber, what should have been an easy mission had turned in a colossal fuck-me of epic proportions. Instead of coming in and finding his target alone and vulnerable, Shane stumbled across nest of Rattlers, a pile of drugs and an even bigger pile of human bodies. Not even someone as screwed up as Shane thought any of those were the ingredients for a fun evening. He let out a snarl of frustration as he waited for the final Rattler to attack. It didn’t take long for the snake to show himself. A set of red glowing eyes rounded the corner and slowly made their way toward Shane. A few steps closer and he could finally make out the body belonging 2

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to the creeper peepers, an overly muscle bound, bald man who stood at well over six foot, five inches. To add even more to his ick factor, his body was locked halfway into his shift so his skin had a brownish-green, scaly appearance. When the man flicked out a forked tongue to taste the air, Shane curled his lip in disgust, Oh yeah, this guy needed to die for sure. If for nothing else than for grossing Shane the frick out. Nothing that ugly and mean should be allowed to live. “Did you think you could actually run away from me?” the Rattler asked, his voice so gravely it set Shane’s nerves on end. “Not really. I just wanted to see how long you’d chase me,” Shane replied in his best bored tone. Years of practice allowed him to keep his face as impassive as ever. While inside his heart may be pounding as a ton of adrenaline shot through his body, on the outside, he knew he looked as cool as a Michigan winter. “You made a huge mistake in coming here tonight,” the other man sneered. “Funny, that’s the exact thing the last idiot said. That was right before I sliced his head off.” “I saw that you left it sitting on a shelf.” Now Shane allowed himself a flicker of emotion as he flashed a dumb-much look. “Yeah, it was supposed to serve as a warning, but it looks like 3


you ignored it. Pity really since I’m really sick of killing you snakes tonight.” The Rattler flicked a dismissive glare over Shane’s body. “Really? Do you honestly think you can take me down?” Shane knew exactly what the Rattler thought as his gaze assessed him—a short, thin feline shifter who looked barely out of his teens. With his mop of slightly curly, dirty blond hair peeking out from under his hood and wide, brown, innocent eyes, Shane often got mistaken for the choir boy type. A mistake that’d cost many of his enemies to lose their lives. The Rattler gave Shane a look of utter contempt. “I’m thinking a tiny thing like you won’t even make a decent meal.” Shane flashed back on some of the partially digested bodies he’d stumbled across when he first entered the building and had to repress a shudder of disgust. Yet, people often accused him of having poor table manners. At least he didn’t regurgitate his meal back onto the table. The snake continued, “I think maybe I’ll just rip you to pieces and serve you on crackers.” God, how he hated it when they tried to get clever with their death threats. Shane made no attempt to hide that he was rolling his eyes. “Can we get this thing going? I have another job penciled in for tonight and I’d like to get to it 4

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before it gets too late. I really hate to miss my nightly Conan fix. It makes me cranky.” His side picked that moment to begin bleeding in earnest, as if the wound was giving him a great big Fuck this. You shouldn’t be standing, let alone fighting. He ignored both the wet stickiness and pain as he waited for the Rattler to charge. Shane gave his blades one last spin as he prayed that the battle would be quick. He’d started to feel a bit dizzy and somehow he didn’t think the snake would play fair if Shane fainted at his feet. Then things grew from bad to worse when a large explosion sounded from the other side of the building. A few moments later, the clamor of several voices filled the air. All of them calling for the occupants, To drop to the ground and stand down! Shit! The drugs, the snake shifters, the dead humans. It all now made sense. Somehow Shane’s sorry ass had stumbled on a shifter-run drug den. One that was now being infiltrated by the soldiers from his own feline coalition. To say things had gone FUBAR would be the understatement of the decade. In the half-breath of time it took for him to figure all that out, the Rattler made contact. He tackled Shane and brought him down to the ground. Shane let out a growl that sounded more Leopard than human as panic coursed through him like a bad drug. 5


Fine, if this fucker wanted to play dirty, Shane would accommodate him. After all, what was it they said about Leopard shifters? Oh, yeah. They were all batshit crazy and not one of them fought a fair fight. Kicking his heel sharply against the concrete floor, he flicked a blade out of the tip of his boot. Shane let out another growl, this one more a battle cry, as he brought his foot up toward the snake’s skull. **** Trevor licked his lips in anxious anticipation as they approached the warehouse. Even though this marked his fifth mission on a bonafide team, he still had the same conflicting emotions clashing inside his chest. Excitement over finally being able to see some real action after all the months of training. Plus, fear over….finally being able to see some real action and stumbling into a situation in which he’d not come back alive from. He had no delusions. As a soldier, there were no guarantees. As a soldier of a feline coalition, those odds went down to razor thin and not in his favor. Not only did they have to deal with the human slime, but they had other shifter breeds to contend with as well. Most of which, if Trevor was totally honest with himself, were bone-chilling scary. In his short time since he’d found out he 6

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was a feline, he’d encountered Scorpions, Ravens, Rattlers and even one time a Tarantula shifter. He still had nightmares about that last one. He tightened his grip on his rifle, more happy than ever that the uniform called for black gloves, otherwise the weapon would have slipped from his sweaty hands. Not for the first time, he became acutely aware of how much smaller he seemed than the rest of his team. All of them were huge, muscular and hardened. In other words, perfectly bred badasses. While he’d always been the tall one amongst his friends, with the soldiers he stood a few inches smaller and weighed at least fifty pounds less. One time when he’d brought that point up to his mentors, Kevin and Jared, they’d assured him it didn’t matter. You’re faster than they are, more flexible. You also know how to think on your feet scary quick. Why else do you think you’ve excelled in your training? Kevin told him. Trevor clung to those words as the second flash grenade went off with a loud boom. He followed the rest of the team inside. Since the others were already yelling out orders to their targets, Trevor kept his yap shut, not wanting to make a rookie mistake by screaming out the wrong command or something. As soon as they all were inside, even a green solider like Trevor realized something was amiss. Not only were there no human or snake drug 7


dealers as expected, but the place looked to be deserted. That was until they ventured a bit further inside. Then they were met with a site that was so terrible it made his breath catch in chest, while at the same time, arousing him in a way no porn flick ever could. Shane, the temptation that always been so close, yet only tasted once, stood feet away. The Leopard battled with what looked to be a half-transformed snake shifter. The horrendous appearance of the attacker somehow managed to take second place for scary, compared to the man’s sword. It flashed quickly around, making it difficult to track the path of the blade as it swung in Shane’s direction. Shane wore the same hooded cloak he always donned when going out on missions. It made him look even smaller than usual. Or maybe that was all do to the sheer enormity of the snake. The size difference didn’t appear to concern Shane in the least. His face remained a cold mask as he dodged the sword. Shane’s normally soft, baby face was covered with a bit of stubble and a smattering of blood marred one side of his jaw. He held a set of twin short swords that he used to deflect the attacker’s weapon. Trevor held back a moan of appreciation as his body hummed with arousal. Fuck, the way Shane moved was a thing of beauty. Sensual, graceful and deadly it mesmerized Trevor. 8

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The feline soldiers watched in rapt silence. Their general, Brent, held up one hand to indicate for them all to stay put and continue to keep their yaps shut. An order Trevor was only too glad to obey. He could have watched this show all night long. That was until the snake began to get the upper hand. He swung his sword to the side, the blade slicing into the edge of Shane’s right hand. Shane let out a low hiss of pain as a spray of blood hit a nearby wall. His fingers lost the grip and one of the short swords hit the ground with a loud clang. “Stupid, fucking Leopards. They’re always the hardest to kill. But in the end, everyone always dies under my sword,” the snake spat. Shane glanced up and arched a brow before a smile curled his lips. A shiver danced along Trevor’s spine as he caught the predatory glint in Shane’s gaze. For someone who was cornered and bleeding, Shane didn’t act afraid at all. If anything, Trevor would say the guy acted as if he’d just won the fight. “Stupid, fucking snakes. They never know when to shut their damn mouths,” Shane returned, his soft voice a near purr. The snake blinked a few times, a stunned expression crossing his face, the one someone would get right after they’d been bitch slapped. “What did you just say?” 9


“Here, I’ll shorten it so you’re nugget-sized brain can understand. Shut the fuck up, your twocent comments are boring me. I heard better dialog when I watched Mega Python vs. Gaitoroid.” The huge man snarled before he charged. Shane gave a disapproving hiss. Trevor’s heart caught in his chest. It wasn’t until he felt Brent’s hand on his arm, staying him, that Trevor realized he’d even started to rush forward to help. “Don’t worry, Shane can handle this on his own,” Brent advised in a low tone Trevor glanced up at his team leader. With short brown hair and amber eyes, plus an easygoing nature, Trevor had harbored a crush on the man for a while, despite the fact Brent was mated. At that moment though, Trevor almost hated the man. How dare he just assume that Shane could take down someone so big and mean looking? Just because Shane was hard and a ruthless fighter didn’t mean that he was frigging infallible. Leopard or not, Shane deserved to have the same support and care as the rest of the coalition. His fury must have shown on his face because Brent cocked a brow at him. “If I even thought for a moment that Shane was in over his head, I would jump in and help him myself. He’s still one of us, no matter who his parents were.” A part of Trevor still didn’t buy the 10

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explanation, but he didn’t dare voice it aloud. It just wasn’t part of his nature to defy an authority figure like Brent. Trevor pressed his lips into a tight line and watched the battle. Shane’s bleeding looked worse, a small circle of blood droplets forming a circle on the dusty floor as combatants continued to attack and defend. Just when Trevor felt ready to scream from the anxiety, Shane gave a loud battle cry. He executed a perfect jumping spin kick. Trevor caught a glint of light reflecting off the small blade protruding from the Leopard’s boot. The snake saw it, too, but too late to do anything about it. Shane’s foot arched in front of the snake’s neck, neatly slicing open the soft flesh. A collective gasp went over the feline soldiers as more blood spilled onto the floor, this time it was snake instead of feline. The snake made a futile attempt to hold the wound closed, his hands clawing at his neck. Shane gave him one more impassive stare before he brought up his remaining short sword. With one smooth move, he plunged it into the snake’s chest. The large man gave out a pathetic sounding gurgle as Shane pulled his sword free. “Now it’s you who will die,” Shane told him in an eerily calm voice. The snake fell to the ground with a loud thump, his body twitched once and then went still. It was 11


only then that Shane finally glanced at the rest of them. He titled his head slightly, as if confused as his gaze slowly traveled over the group before honing in on Trevor. A slight tremble racked Trevor as he found himself unable to look away or even breathe. The sheer intensity stamped in Shane’s brown-eyed stare gave Trevor this whole startled deer kind of feeling. Finally Shane gave a slight knowing smirk before he directed his attention to Brent. Walking slowly over to the team leader, Shane said, “There are three dead humans in the front office. That was none of my doing.” The blasé way Shane delivered that information stunned Trevor. For all the care the guy showed, he could have been mentioning something as boring as whose turn it was to pick up the dry cleaning or something. Brent didn’t act too surprised. He just nodded. “Okay, then what happened to them?” “The snakes got hungry, so they went out and hunted for some dinner.” Shane gave a positively wicked smile. “Now, the two dead snakes in the office…those were all my doing.” One of the soldiers, a Lion shifter let out a low curse, “Damn, he’d cold.” Shane fixed the critic with a lethal glare. “They were very, very bad so I had to show them the error of their ways. It’s what Mitchell pays me to 12

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do.” Mitchell was the leader of the coalition and one of the very few who had any semblance of control over Shane. From what Trevor could tell, Shane nearly idolized the guy. Shane and Brent exchanged a few more words, but truth be told, Trevor didn’t hear most of it. He was too intent on studying Shane’s profile. Despite knowing it would be a bad idea, Trevor allowed his mind to wander back to that one brief encounter the two of them shared just a couple months ago. It wasn’t anything long and drawn out, just a few moments stolen in a pantry. But those few moments had haunted Trevor ever since. Try as he may, he couldn’t forget the way it felt when Shane pinned him down, or the way it’d felt so right to Trevor when he’d yielded to the Leopard any more than he could erase how right it’d felt as Shane’s cock had filled him so perfectly, almost as if Trevor been made to be fucked by the other man. Damn, what Trevor would have done to get a repeat of that encounter? He’d never dared to approach Shane since that one time, however. Ever since he’d come into the coalition, all Trevor heard was how Leopards were cold and emotionless. They certainly couldn’t fall in love or have any semblance of a relationship. Despite all 13


the playing around he’d done in the past, Trevor felt certain that it would only take one more time and he’d fall hard for Shane. The only way that situation could end would be with him nursing a broken heart and Shane being annoyed by the little Panther who wouldn’t leave him alone. So, raging hard-on or not, Trevor vowed he would manage to keep his cool until they were all back at headquarters. Once there, Trevor could find a bathroom where he could release some of the tension and then maybe get Shane off his mind for more than five minutes. He got so caught up in his lustful thoughts that Trevor didn’t realize the conversation had ended until Shane moved to stand in front of him. For some strange reason, Trevor experienced a bout of shyness which had to be a first for him. His heart pounded ferociously as a tingling sensation spread out over his body. Cheeks flaming, he gazed up from under his lashes at Shane. “You look so fucking hot all weaponed up like that,” Shane declared as his gaze traveled over all the various guns, knives and ammo strapped to Trevor’s chest and hips. Before Trevor could come up with an eloquent response to that oddball comment, Shane reached over and gently gripped Trevor’s chin. Trevor could feel a warm, stickiness as the blood from Shane’s wound became smeared on his face. 14

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Somehow even that felt right, almost as if Shane was leaving behind some mark of ownership. After giving his own lips a lick, Shane brought their mouths together in a hard kiss. Trevor stiffened in surprise. While he’d never been one to boycott PDA’s, not even he thought it appropriate to play around like this while on a mission, let alone in front of a whole team of feline soldiers. Then Shane’s tongue darted out to caress the seam of Trevor’s lips and he gave his morals a great big fuck-it. With a moan, Trevor parted his mouth, allowing Shane access. Much to his disappointment, Shane only made a couple passes before he abruptly broke the kiss. Turning his face so his lips hovered over Trevor’s ear, Shane whispered, “You can’t keep ignoring me forever, Panther. Especially since I know where you live.” Desire shot through Trevor like a bullet. He opened his mouth to fire off one of his usually flirty responses, but all that fumbled from his mouth was a, “Huh?” “I’m not going to rest until I have your hard body under me again.” “You’re not?” Trevor felt a sense of victory at finally being able to form two words. “Nope, all I can think about is how tight your ass felt…the sweet sounds you made when you came.” 15


After delivering that cock-hardening statement, Shane stood back so abruptly, Trevor swayed and nearly fell forward. By the time he regained his balance, Shane was already halfway to the front door. Trevor became painfully aware of all the stares directed at him. Some were amused, but just as many looked disgusted and angry. Giving the group a helpless shrug, he said, “So, how about them Red Wings? I think they may have a good shot at the playoffs this year?” One glace at the shocked expressions let him know his attempt to change the subject didn’t work in the least. Trevor gave a self-conscious sigh even as his body continued to tingle from that damn kiss.

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Chapter Two

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hane went into headquarters, trying hard not to notice that his arrival was met with the usual responses. He kept his focus forward, but his peripheral vision still caught the wary glances, the barely masked expressions of revulsion, the gasps of horror, the whole oh-no-we-have-a-Leopard-inour-midst reactions. He walked down the center of the large building, slightly annoyed at how the other felines pulled a Red Sea act and parted to make way for him. When one female even let out a short scream, he curled his lip up in self-hatred. Damn, who needed the frigging boogey man when there was a Leopard in the building? Even though it’d been several months since Shane and his two foster brothers, Andrew and Owen, had been taken into the fold of the coalition, he’d never felt more out of place. While Andrew and Owen both found mates, discovered their niche within the community and had happily 17


been accepted by their newfound birth families, Shane had withdrawn further within himself. Of course it didn’t help matters that while Shane still had some members of his birth family alive, they wanted nothing to do with him. Leopards usually lived alone and weren’t known for their loveydovey ways. Leopards were aggressive, mean and hated their own kind more than anything. If Shane and his birth father were to enter the same room, only one of them would be walking out alive. There was no doubt in Shane’s mind about that little fact. He held in a sigh as he curled his fingers into tight fists. It was at times like this he wished he truly were dead and cold inside like everyone assumed. Maybe then he wouldn’t feel the sting of rejection every time another feline looked at him like he were Hannibal Lector’s long lost twin or something. Despite the act he put on and the expectations everyone took with all Leopards, Shane did have feelings and he did get hurt inside. Very often, in fact. He wondered what they would all think if they knew that most nights he buried his face into his pillow and screamed until his throat grew hoarse. Or that he still carried a picture of his mother on him at all times. The photograph was creased from being handled so many times, the image marred with tear stains. 18

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He swallowed hard, the emotional pain much worse than the hurt coming from his injured hand and side. As he brought his uninjured hand to the wound on his right flank, he blanched at the amount of blood soaked into his shirt. He realized he should have asked for help back on scene instead of driving into headquarters. All teams had a medic on them, so all he had to do was speak up. A scowl twisted his lips. On the other hand, they could have fucking offered their medic. Even if Brent and the others hadn’t been aware of his cut side, they’d all seen his hand get sliced so they knew he’d been injured. But nooooooo…they’d all been too busy being offended by his gruesome acts to worry about little things like him bleeding out. It didn’t help soothe his mood that despite having three more kills under his belt, he still hadn’t nailed the asshole he’d come there for in the first place. Fuck it! Yet another time he’d failed to find his target. This was the fourth time he’d been certain he had the Cobra shifter cornered and each time the bastard managed to slither away. To top it off, he hadn’t arrived in time to save the humans. While Shane usually didn’t give humans a second thought, it would have been nice to have gotten there before the poor saps had become snake food. 19


Shane wouldn’t wish that fate on anybody. The only bright spot on his whole cluster fuck of a day had been Trevor. Ever since their Christmas day fuck fest, Shane been trying to think of an excuse to cross paths with the Panther again. A small angry part of Shane wondered why he even bothered since Trevor hadn’t so much as looked twice at him since that one encounter. It almost felt like Trevor had just used Shane to get off on. Shane heard that Trevor liked to play around, that he never fucked the same guy twice. For all Shane knew, Trevor could have screwed him just so he could find out what it was like to be with a Leopard. Then Shane recalled Trevor’s reaction to the kiss earlier and a soft smile came over his face. The way Trevor had moaned before he practically melted in Shane’s arms couldn’t have been faked. So there still had to be something there, even if it were lingering under layers of doubt and prejudges. All Shane had to do was find a way around those barriers and he could have another taste of the Panther. It seemed to take him forever to get to the infirmary. When he did, he immediately scanned the room for Jacyn. Not only was he related to Mitchell and Brent, but he was also Andrew’s birth brother. More importantly, Andrew trusted the Jaguar so that meant that Shane could as well. 20

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He didn’t just want anyone pawing him up. He found the man hunched over some paperwork. Similar in looks to Brent and Mitchell with the brown hair and amber eyes, Jacyn stood shorter and was thinner. He wore a pair of dark scrubs and had a stethoscope looped around his neck. “I was hoping you could stitch me up or something,” Shane said by way of greeting. Jacyn jerked his head up, alarm passing over his face until he met Shane’s eyes. After that the medic gave a sigh of relief. “Sorry about that, I didn’t hear you coming in.” And that was another reason why he respected Jacyn, all of Mitchell and Andrew’s family for that matter. While they may tell Shane to his face that some of his ideas and actions were out there, they all at least treated him as if he were sane. “I got into a fight with a snake shifter,” Shane announced, giving an internal wince when he noticed how his voice had the usual flat and dull tone it. Damn, only he would worry about something so trivial while this wounded. He really needed to start getting his priorities back into order. This whole situation with Trevor had thrown his mind out of whack. The sooner he reconnected with Trevor the better. If Shane could just fuck the guy one more time, he felt certain he’d be over this damn 21


infatuation with the Panther. After all, if there was one lesson drummed into Shane’s head while growing up it was that Leopards were incapable of forming any kind of real relationship. Jacyn motioned Shane to a nearby examining table. Other than a Cougar shifter sleeping three beds over, the place was empty. It appeared that Jacyn was the only staff member on duty, too. “Where are you hurt?” Jacyn asked. “My hand and my side.” Shane lifted his shirt to show off the wound. Jacyn let out a low hiss as his eyes grew wide. “Son of a bitch! This looks pretty deep. Why didn’t you shift? If you had, then this would have at least healed partially.” “It was snake shifter, remember?” Shane asked. When Jacyn just shrugged, Shane sighed. Sometimes he wondered how the felines got along this far. They sometimes had no clue when it came to how nasty the bad guys could be. “Haven’t you ever dealt with snake shifters before?” “No, they pretty much stayed out of our way and we repaid the favor,” Jacyn replied. “It’s common practice for them to coat their blades with their own venom. It acts as an anticoagulant for other shifters. So even if I transformed into my Leopard, the wounds would have stayed.” “Is there any antidote?” Jacyn quizzed as he 22

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probed the wound. Shane let out a low moan of pain. “Owen may have something. He was working on it before we came to the coalition. I don’t know if he ever managed to come up with anything.” “Okay, I’ll put a call into him. In the meantime, I think the best bet would be to try suturing the wound. It may help to stem some of the bleeding.” Jacyn stepped away to the phone. Shane slid off his cloak before he gently pulled his shirt the rest of the way off. After tossing the items on the next bed over, Shane laid down on his uninjured side. Now that he’d stopped moving and all the adrenaline had left his system, the wound hurt like a son of a bitch. He bit his lip to hold back a moan as the cut pounded in time with his heart. His hand didn’t feel much better and the fingers were beginning to stiffen up from his holding them in an awkward position for so long. “Fucking snake shifters” he growled under his breath. Jacyn returned with an armload of supplies. “Owen said he may have something that could help, but he’s out of the building. He’s coming here, but it’s going to take him a couple of hours.” Shane nodded, his gut clenching at the thought of being in pain for that long. When he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, he started in 23


shock. When he gazed up at Jacyn and saw the soft understanding on the medic’s face, Shane grew further surprised. “I have something to ease the pain right here,” Jacyn soothed. Alarm slammed into Shane, making him feel weak and terrified at the same time. Even though a tiny sane part of him knew that Jacyn meant him no harm, Shane couldn’t help but flash back on all the other times he’d been injected with stuff…stuff that hurt and nearly drove him insane. He gave an internal snort. Who the fuck was he kidding? He was crazy. As a Leopard, that little trait had been mixed into his DNA and there would be no extracting it. That still didn’t mean he wanted another injection of pain though. Throat dry, Shane watched as Jacyn pulled out a needle and plunged it into the top of a small glass vial. “What is it?” Shane asked, pleased with himself that his voice sounded as flat and impassive as ever. The voice of Edward, his now deceased guardian, filled Shane’s head, Good boy! Never let them see your weaknesses. If they know that you can feel pain, sadness or fear, they’ll use it against you. So as usual, he kept his face a blank canvas so he didn’t give away that inside his heart pounded painfully as adrenaline danced through his veins. He worked up a shallow swallow in a desperate 24

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attempt to soothe his dry throat. “It’s just an amped up version of Morphine,” Jacyn assured him as he flicked the side of the syringe a few times. “I don’t want it.” Shane swallowed again and gave a slight shake of his head. “What I mean is, I don’t need it. I’m not in that much pain.” “Sorry, this isn’t an option. I can’t have you jerking away from me when I’m trying to treat your wounds.” Jacyn turned to him and held the needle in what Shane viewed as a very threatening manner. Aaaaaaand….so the bargaining began. “I won’t flinch or anything,” Shane countered, his gaze never leaving the sharp needle. “I know you won’t and that’ll be because you’re going to be doped up.” “I’m pretty sure I’m allergic to Morphine.” How was it that damn needle looked ten times more threatening than the snake shifter’s sword? During the entire battle when that blade had been swinging his way, Shane never once felt the same amount of fear he currently experienced. Jacyn gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t be a baby.” “I’m not being a baby. I’m just pointing out my medical history to you. In fact, I think you were pretty lax in not asking me for all my information before you began treating me.” 25


Ha! Let that stupid Jaguar chew on that for a while. “Shane, you’ve been to this clinic so many times in the past few months we have a bed permanently reserved for you. Even if we didn’t have all your information stored on our computer, I could recite your entire medical history without even trying. So I know all about you fear of needles. Just like I know that shifters can’t be allergic to anything, let alone drugs.” Shane gave a low hiss. “I’m not afraid of a goddamn shot.” “Of course, now what ever made me think that?” Jacyn drawled sarcastically. It was only then that Shane realized he’d retreated to the other side of the bed. Any further and he’d topple over the side. Shame slammed into him so hard the breath left his lungs. Edward would have been so disappointed in him. He nervously cleared his throat as he scooted his ass back to the center of the bed. “Can I see the bottle that the drug came from?” he asked, hating himself for showing even a glimmer of weakness. Jacyn’s eyes softened with understanding as he passed over the small vial. Shane studied the label closely, noting the stamp on it did indeed say it was Morphine. It also had the paw-print mark on it that showed it came from one the few shifter 26

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pharmaceutical companies in the country. Next, Shane rolled the vial around, looking closely for any signs of tampering. “Is that one of the ways he punished you?” Jacyn asked in a soothing tone. It spoke volumes that neither one of them needed any clarification on who he was. Edward…sir…guardian, Shane had called the man by all those names. From the moment his birth mother had sold him to the bastard to the day Edward died, Shane had lived under the iron rule of the man. Not only had Edward controlled Shane, but he also had Andrew and Owen in his command. “Yes, he did that amongst other things. If we failed in our missions or didn’t learn our lessons quick enough, he’d think of the most creative ways to make us want to do better next time.” Shane kept his gaze locked on the vial the entire time he made that admission. Jacyn didn’t ask what those lessons or missions entailed and Shane didn’t offer up the information. Since Andrew was the medic’s brother, he already knew that any mentoring or teaching Edward did only consisted of lessons on how to steal, cheat or kill for a profit. “At least I’m able to use what I learned to help the coalition,” Shane mused. Thanks to those lessons, Shane now was the 27


coalition’s best assassin. Sure, he now killed only bad guys and threats to the feline population, but at least he was of some use. Now if he could only lose all the night sweats and tremors from the memories of those years spent under Edward, then Shane would all be set. It’s not like he could even go to anyone to talk things through. The one and only time he’d tried to have an emotional conversation with Owen had been five years ago when they still lived with Edward. Not only had Owen looked at Shane as if he’d suddenly grown two tails, but Edward had overheard. The punishment for that lapse had been particularly severe. “If it’s any consolation, Mitchell says you’re doing a fantastic job,” Jacyn offered with a feeble smile. This time Shane didn’t bother to hide the snort of disgust. Good at killing. Good at terrorizing. Good at maiming. Call him crazy, which they often did, but Shane would have much preferred to be just so-so at something else…anything. Just so long as he could close his eyes at night and not be haunted by the screams of the dying. While most of them had been bastards who deserved every bit of what they got, some of them had been a tad bit loud when he finished them off. “I’m glad that Mitchell’s happy,” Shane replied. Even if he wanted to get more chatty the giant 28

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wave of pain that sliced through him would have made it impossible. Hot and sharp, it consumed every inch of his body. Shane ground his teeth together to hold back from crying out as a cold sweat broke out over his face. “Shit, are you okay?” Jacyn asked, putting a hand on Shane’s back. Shane couldn’t hold back a groan as even that little touch set even more nerve endings screaming. Damn, Rattle shifters and damn their fucking venom. If the assholes already weren’t dead, Shane would have hunted them down and made them regret coating their weapons with the venom. Come on! Who in their right fucking mind spits on their own arsenal anyway? Yet everyone said he was the batshit crazy one. Keeping his teeth clenched together, Shane grit out, “Venom. Hurts. Gonna. Kill. Them. Again. Stupid. Rat. Bastards.” “I thought they were snake shifters?” The way Jacyn’s lips twitched showed just how damn funny he thought he was. Shane glared to show he was nowhere near amused. “Shot.” Jacyn held up the full syringe. “Oh, you mean this? The thing you didn’t want any part of not five minutes ago.” A small growl rumbled in Shane’s chest as he bared his teeth in aggression. It didn’t seem to 29


impress or scare Jacyn in the least. Shane wondered if maybe he was going soft or something because there were not too many who’d tease him like that. Trevor would tease me. He’d been doing it in more ways than one since we met. Before he could allow his mind to marinate on that topic, Jacyn swathed his upper arm with a wet cotton ball. Shane’s nose twitched as the hard scent of alcohol wafted up. “I thought shifters couldn’t get infections?” Shane hissed around the agony dancing up his body. Why a little detail like that bothered him at that moment confused Shane, but he still was interested in the answer. “We can, it’s just harder for us to catch them than humans,” Jacyn explained as he pinched Shan’s skin, then poked the needle in. The other pain was so intense that Shane barely felt the sting of the needle as it breached his skin. It consumed him so fully that when Jacyn urged him to lie back on the bed, Shane didn’t argue. He rested on his uninjured side, drawing his knees to his stomach in a weakling, oh-God-don’t-hit-meagain fetal position. “There you go,” Jacyn said in that same soothing voice, the one that had started to grate on Shane’s nerves. “The drug should kick in a few minutes and last long enough for Owen to get 30

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back with the antidote.” Shane nodded, in too much pain to tell Jacyn where he could put his fucking reassuring words. That wasn’t the worst part. No, what ate at him even worse than the hurt was the fact that he’d failed yet again to track down and eliminate his primary target. “Fuck that damn Cobra to hell and back,” Shane murmured to himself. Since before Christmas he’d been hunting a Cobra shifter who’d developed the taste for feline flesh. In the ensuing months, not only had Shane failed in all his attempts to eliminate the snake, but several more felines had ended up dead, or worse, missing. Shane didn’t even have to guess what’d happened to those remains. In all that time, Shane hadn’t even found out the fucker’s name, let alone spot him. To make things even froggier, the rest of the snake breeds were going out of their way to protect the man. He closed his eyes as the overwhelming sense of failure washed over him. Mitchell would be well in his rights to order a punishment for Shane. He deserved no less for all his mess ups. If it had been Edward who’d been pulling the strings, there would have already been severe repercussions. Shane idly wondered what Edward would have done had he been in Mitchell’s position. A public flogging? A couple days on the kneeling rack? Or, 31


dear God no, a week in the closet or cellar. That Shane hated worse of all. Since he’d only been with the coalition for such a short time, Shane still didn’t know what Mitchell was capable of if he became seriously pissed. The last thing Shane wanted was to find out the answer to that from firsthand experience. That meant any further failure was not an option. Shane would have to take down that Cobra shifter. Even if he had to die himself in the process.

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Chapter Three had been right about one thing. Shane Jacyn started to feel the effects of the drug in a matter of minutes. A sleepy smile crossed his face as he watched Jacyn move through the room, tending to the one other patient. A warm stickiness told him he still bled from the wound on his side, but damned if Shane cared. Not with the warm, lethargic sensation creeping along his body. At that point, his entire insides could have started hemorrhaging and Shane wouldn’t have felt an ounce of concern. A tiny part of him screamed in concern at the thought of being so helpless and dopey. The majority of him just shrugged it off. Not only did he feel too good to care about silly things like personal safety, but he knew deep down that he could trust Jacyn. Trust wasn’t something he gave over easily either. Up until recently, the only ones he gave that honor to were Andrew and Owen. Now he found himself willing to rely on Andrew’s brothers and shockingly enough…Trevor. 33


“Hey, how are you doing?” a soft voice asked. Shane clumsily turned his head to find Trevor standing at the foot of the bed. Shane frowned, certain that his drug-addled mind must have conjured up the Panther. “Are you a hallucination?” Shane demanded in a thick voice. Trevor gave that soft laugh of his that never failed to turn Shane on. “No, I’m real.” “What are you doing here? Did you get injured?” “I’m fine. I just wanted to come and check up on you. Once I realized how hurt you were, I tried to have the team medic check you out, but you’d already left the vicinity.” “What did you expect? That after a grand exit like that, I’d hang out in the parking lot and ruin it?” That earned him another chuckle. “I guess you have a point there. It may have taken some of the sparkle out of your performance.” “It wasn’t an act. I really wanted to kiss you,” Shane felt compelled to point out. “The only thing that would have topped it off would be if you’d dropped to your knees and sucked me off first.” Shane blinked in confusion before replying with the utmost seriousness, “I don’t think even Brent would have approved of that.” That seemed to further amuse Trevor. “I know, 34

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I was just teasing.” “Oh.” Shane sighed. Why was it he always somehow managed to say the wrong things in conversations? He allowed his gaze to travel dreamily over Trevor’s slender frame. Even with his black uniform on, he still managed to pull off the whole I-don’t-care boyish thing. From the way the front of his dark hair hung over his bright green eyes to the devilish smile playing on his full lips. As Shane fixated on that mouth, he remembered all the sweet sounds that it could make. Just as he could recall the sweet taste to be found within. A small smudge of blood still marked Trevor’s cheek and Shane took feral pride in it being there. It was almost as if he’d left behind a mark of ownership. That Trevor finally belonged to him and him alone. “Why did you kiss me back there?” Trevor demanded, his expression revealing nothing. “Because you’ve been ignoring me so I thought it would be a good way to get your attention. I would have left the head from one of my kills at your doorstep, but Mitchell said I wasn’t allowed to take souvenirs home anymore,” Shane explained simply. A brief expression of shock and horror flickered over Trevor’s face. “Oh, God. At first I thought you were joking just now, but you’re serious, 35


aren’t you?” Shane gave a mental curse. There he went, saying the wrong thing again. He clamped his lips together and didn’t confirm or deny. Surprisingly, even the thought of dismembered heads on his doorstep didn’t dissuade Trevor. He moved over to the side of the bed so Shane didn’t have to strain to look at him. Shane allowed himself to bring in a deep breath so he could enjoy the sweet scent that always accompanied Trevor. It reminded Shane of the sugary candy Owen would sometimes sneak to him when they were still living with Edward. The one all-too brief time he and Trevor had screwed, that scent had covered Shane for days. Usually something like that would have annoyed him, but not when it was ode’ de Trevor. Shane liked it so much that when the smell had eventually dissipated, he’d experienced profound disappointment. “So how are you feeling?” Trevor pressed. Shane shrugged as much as his position would allow. “Right now I just feel groggy. Earlier I hurt like hell.” “I noticed some blood on your uniform. Were you hurt someplace else besides your hand?” “Yeah.” Shane lifted the sheet to show off his injured side. Trevor let out a low hiss of distress. “Damn, 36

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how did you manage to walk with that thing, let alone fight?” “Practice makes perfect. It wasn’t the first time I’d taken some damage while on a mission.” It should not have given Shane a warm feeling to see a flicker of sadness pass over Trevor’s face. Not that he’d ever want the Panther to feel a moment of unhappiness. Quite the opposite, Shane would rip anyone apart who caused the man any distress. It did feel good to know that someone gave a damn about him, however. “Why don’t you just shift and heal yourself?” Trevor asked, echoing Jacyn from earlier. “The snake venom on the weapons makes it so I can’t fix myself that way.” Trevor wrinkled his nose. “So are you trying to tell me you have that gross guy’s spit in your wounds?” “I’m afraid so.” While that wasn’t the exact definition of venom, Shane wasn’t about to split hairs. Especially since he’d had basically the same thought earlier. “Ugh, I’m sorry to hear that. If that happened to me, ten showers wouldn’t be enough to make me feel clean again.” A short laugh burst past Shane’s lips, the sound foreign even to his own ears. “Is that your way of offering to hop in to scrub my back?” “You wish,” Trevor countered, but that 37


flirtatious smile remained on his lips. It only served as a reminder of the number of times Shane had seen the Panther toss it in any other direction but him. Ever since Christmas, Trevor acted as if Shane were invisible or something. “You know I would never hurt you,” Shane said. “I mean if you’re still scared and that’s why you pushed me away, I’ll understand. I just wanted to let you know that nothing could make me want to cause you any harm.” Trevor nodded. “I’ve never been afraid of you.” That did have a ring of truth to it. One of the first things that Shane had found attractive in Trevor is how the Panther didn’t act terrified to be around him. While so many treated Shane like a pariah, Trevor had always acted as if Shane were just another member of the coalition. That was until they fucked and even then, he really hadn’t acted scared, he’d just switched to a cool indifference that’d cut Shane deeper than outright hatred. Then Trevor did the most amazing thing. He reached out to give Shane a comforting touch. It was only the smallest of caresses to his cheek, but Shane drank it in. His breath hitched in his chest. Nobody, not even Owen or Andrew had offered to soothe him when he was hurting. Yet, Trevor did so without hesitation and after they’d only talked 38

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to each other a few times. Granted one of those times Shane had the other man bent over the shelves in pantry, but it’d just been another fuck. Or had it? As Shane found himself turning into Trevor’s touch, he couldn’t help but feel that this was different. That after that encounter, they were different. Shane sure as hell knew he wasn’t the same. A year ago, he’d have shirked from a gentle caress such as this. Even when he’d managed to slip away from Edward long enough to hookup with some random guy, the screwing had always been just that—dirty, hard sex with no emotion. Jacyn walked over and Shane held back a wince as he spotted the suture kit in the medic’s hands. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have to get the wound to your side closed up some before you bleed out,” Jacyn announced with an apologetic smile. “Can’t we just wait until Owen gets home?” Shane bargained. “I haven’t had a good history as far as stitches go.” “Why? Did you have a bad reaction or something?” Trevor asked. “No. I fucked up a mission and ended up with a couple deep Raven claw marks in my chest. That was before I was capable of shifting so I had no choice but to go back home injured. Since I messed up so bad, Edward refused to numb me before he stitched me back up.” The entire time Shane made 39


that admission, he strove to make sure his voice sound as deadpan as ever. Jacyn and Trevor both stared at him with their mouths agape and eyes widened in shock. Trevor recovered first, “I don’t even want to imagine how painful that must have been.” “It didn’t exactly tickle,” Shane agreed in that same bored tone. Trevor reached down and grabbed Shane’s hand, interlacing their fingers. “Here, you can squeeze me if the pain becomes too much.” When would Trevor cease to amaze him? Struck dumb with shock, Shane merely nodded in response. Jacyn’s lips quirked into a smile before he added, “Besides, I plan to make sure you’re very numb before I start. Add in the Morphine I already gave you and you won’t be feeling a thing, Scout’s honor.” “You were a Boy Scout?” Shane asked. “Hell, no.” “Then why did you…” Shane trailed off before he shook his head. He would have thought he’d be used to the Jaguar brother’s twisted sense of humor by now. “Never mind. Let’s just get started.” True to his word, once Jacyn numbed the area, the only thing Shane felt was a slight tugging on his skin from time to time. Trevor continued to hold his hand throughout the entire process. He 40

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even stayed by Shane’s side when Jacyn sat him up and added a few sutures to the cut on his hand. Before he even had a chance to get too nervous, Jacyn tied off the last suture before he straightened and snapped off his gloves. “There, that should hold you until Owen gets here with the antidote. After that, maybe you can shift and heal,” Jacyn said as he tossed the gloves and used equipment into a nearby bio hazard bin. “That is if you can control your shift.” Most shifters didn’t have their first transformation until their mid-twenties and even after that time, it took most of them a couple years to get the hang of controlling their new skill. Luckily, Shane hadn’t had any issues at all. “I can manage the Leopard, don’t worry.” Now that the medical procedure was finished, Trevor seemed self-conscious. A slight flush came over his cheeks as dropped Shane’s hand, then stepped back. Rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous gesture, Trevor said, “Well, I should probably get going. I’m supposed to go a debriefing meeting.” Shane wanted to beg Trevor to stay, but he decided to hold onto his pride instead. Giving a non-committal grunt, Shane nodded. Trevor had taken exactly two steps toward the door before Shane decided to drop his bombshell. “You know the chase is the fun part for me.” 41


Trevor paused, the most adorable confused expression playing over his face. “I don’t get what you’re trying to say.” Jacyn, who’d been writing something in Shane’s chart, paused, pen in midair as he shot off an amused, yet stunned look. Shane sat up so he could level a really good lustful glance at Trevor. “You can run all you want, but I’ll just chase you down. I’ll enjoy every damn minute of it, too.” “Who says I’m running? Maybe I’m just not interested,” Trevor challenged as he tilted his chin up defiantly. “You do have a point, maybe I just need to check out for myself whether you’re into me or not.” After making that threat, Shane hopped down from the bed and slowly walked over until he and Trevor were facing each other. They were about the same height, Shane only an inch or two shorter so their lips hovered so temptingly close that Shane’s stomach flipped in excitement. Never breaking eye-contact, Shane slid his hand down Trevor’s chest, then his stomach, before finally coming to rest on the bulge pressing against his uniform pants. Giving the erection a healthy squeeze, Shane taunted, “Yeah, it would seem to me that you’re pretty damn interested.” Trevor’s eyes narrowed. “Has the Morphine 42

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made you lose all your common sense or something? In case you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of in a public place.” “Yet, you’re not pushing my hand away,” Shane goaded as he gave Trevor another squeeze. “Sorry,” Trevor flashed a cocky smile. “I never sleep with the same guy twice and you’ve already had a bite of the cake.” Shane gave a low laugh before he leaned in and whispered into Trevor’s ear, “Oh, I’ll be getting plenty more bites, licks, nibbles and sucks from you and you’re going to enjoy every second of it.” Trevor let out a strangled sound before he pushed away from Shane’s touch. He started for the door, only to draw up short a second time when Shane announced, “Just so you know, you belong to me and me alone now. If I smell another male’s scent on you, I’ll rip him apart.” A soft moan floated from Trevor as his body gave a slight tremble. Shane knew it didn’t come from fear because he could smell the arousal rolling from Trevor. The Panther shot off one last confused glance before he fled the room. Shane watched him leave before going back to the cot and lying down again, taking great care not to jostle his injuries. For the first time in ages, a real genuine smile spread over Shane’s face as he plotted a way for him and Trevor to meet once more. 43


Chapter Four

O

nce Trevor was clear of the infirmary, he leaned against the wall and took in a deep breath as he tried to steady his nerves. He put a hand to his chest, almost as if to hold in his pounding heart before he briefly closed his eyes. Shit, that could have gone better. When he’d gone in to see how Shane was doing, Trevor had every intention on playing the calm and collected card. Instead, he’d all but dropped to his knees and offered himself up to Shane. Trevor groaned as he ground the heel of his hand into his eye. Damn it, what’d gotten into him? He hadn’t been lying when he said he never slept with the same guy twice. Well that is except his old roommates, but that didn’t count. Over the past couple months, Trevor rarely saw Ranger and the others, let alone had time to hook up. Once they’d been rescued by Mitchell and his soldiers, Trevor and his friends had pretty much gone their own ways as various families and couples took 44

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them in. The only two he saw on a regular basis were Ranger and Noah. Noah because he was Mitchell’s younger brother and Ranger because he also lived with the coalition leader, something that still blew Trevor’s mind because Ranger was one of the few Wolf shifters in their ranks. Trevor nibbled on his bottom lip as he contemplated calling Ranger. In the past, he’d always looked up to the Wolf and had gone to him for advice. Maybe he could help Trevor get his head screwed back into place. As soon as that idea came to him, Trevor dismissed it. Ranger had his own issues to deal with without having all of Trevor’s problems on top of it. Next Trevor considered going to Kevin or Jared, the two Panther’s who’d taken him in when he’d first come into the coalition. Trevor decided against that idea as well since after he’d moved into his own place, they’d taken in Shane for a while. So there was no telling where their loyalties laid. The last thing Trevor wanted was for one of them to go blabbing everything to Shane. “What are you doing here?” Kevin demanded as he walked up. And… speaking of the devil. Kevin had the same dark hair that Trevor did, but that was where the similarity ended. Though they were both Panther shifters, they looked as if 45


they were cut from a completely different cloth. While Kevin stood a few inches shorter and had a stockier build, Trevor was more lean and tall. Not that Trevor had any ridiculous ideas that the height difference would make a difference if they were to ever get into a fight. He had no doubt that Kevin could kick his ass without even losing his breath. Trevor straightened from the wall. “I stopped by to see how Shane was doing.” Kevin got an uneasy look on his face before he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, I heard about the liplock you two engaged in while in the middle of a mission.” “Wow that was fast. I knew gossip really moved quickly here, but that has to be a record,” Trevor said, his stomach fluttering at the disapproving tone he’d picked up in Kevin’s voice. While he didn’t live with the other Panther anymore, Trevor still looked up to him and wanted to impress him. To know that he’d somehow failed him made Trevor actually feel guilty for playing around. That was a first, too. Usually, he touched who he wanted, did what he pleased and didn’t give a damn what others thought about it. “It was just a kiss,” Trevor defended, his hand going up to touch the smear of blood he knew still stained his face. When he’d got back to 46

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headquarters, he hadn’t bothered to wash it off, too intent on getting to Shane. “A kiss with a Leopard who’d just sliced and diced a trio of snake shifters,” Kevin pointed out. “So what? It’s not like Shane is Mitchell’s only assassin. There are plenty of other felines who have blood on their hands.” Trevor balled his hands into fists, anger surging through him, washing away all his earlier anxiety. Even if he did look up to Kevin, that didn’t mean Trevor was going to stand there and let the guy verbally shred Shane to bits. “He’s a Leopard,” Kevin repeated slowly as if talking to an idiot. “What point are you trying to make here?” Trevor countered. “I know about your little fuck at Christmas. Brent said when they got back that day, you and Shane reeked of each other. Or did you forget that whenever you get up and close to another feline, you leave your scents all over each other?” “No, I haven’t forgotten that fact.” Trevor didn’t add, he remembered so well because of all the times he’d gone around smelling of other guys. Come to think of it, not one of those scents had the same erotic dark edge to them that Shane’s did. Trevor braced himself for the spiel he knew was coming. He already knew some of the things 47


that’d be tossed his way, Don’t get too close. Don’t trust him. Don’t make the mistake of thinking he can actually care for you. Kevin swallowed hard, then said, “I want you to leave him alone. The last thing Shane needs is for you to hurt him.” Huh! Trevor shook his head as if clear his brain because surely he’d just misheard that last part. “What did you say?” “Look, Trevor, you know I like you and everything, but you do have a bit of a reputation.” “As what?” Trevor demanded, outraged that Kevin may be judging him and finding him lacking in some way. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this, we’re too good of friends for that kind of bullshit. So I’ll just tell you that you’re a slut.” “Only sometimes,” Trevor protested. “Most of the time,” Kevin countered drolly. “So what? And why should that affect Shane?” “Because I don’t want to see him get hurt when you lose interest in him and move on to your next flavor of the day.” “Funny, just a second ago you were pointing out to me that he’s a Leopard. I thought that breed of feline couldn’t get hurt feelings because they had no emotions at all.” It shouldn’t have hurt Trevor so much to say that, but it did. More so, it felt as if he were betraying Shane somehow. 48

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Kevin cocked a brow. “We both know better than that. While that may be true with other Leopards, I’ve seen Shane when he’s let his guard down and so have you. I’m not going to go so far as to say he’s normal or a candidate for citizen of the year, but deep down he has a soft side.” Very deep down, Trevor mused as he recalled the other two snake bodies they’d found after Shane left. He still got shivers when he thought about how one of their heads had been placed on a shelf. It felt almost like it had been a trophy put proudly on display. The he recalled the brief flicker of fear that’d passed over Shane’s face as he talked about his treatment under Edward’s hand. Or the way he’d held onto Trevor’s fingers for support. The way he’d seemed reluctant to let go of that comfort even after Jacyn finished stitching him up. “I would never purposely hurt him,” Trevor said, his cheeks flaming with shame. God, was he really that bad? The answer to that had to be yes, otherwise, Kevin never would have felt the need to warn him. Kevin gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm. “I’m not judging you or anything.” “Funny, that’s exactly what it seems like you’re doing,” Trevor replied, averting his gaze. “You can fuck as many guys as you want and I couldn’t care less.” 49


“Just so long as none of them are Shane.” “Yeah, it took me and Jared way too long to get Shane mentally stable enough to function in the coalition. If he decides that you’re his personal property and you screw some other guy, what do you think his reaction is going to be?” Shane’s parting words echoed in Trevor’s ears, Just so you know, you belong to me and me alone now. If I smell another male’s scent on you, I’ll rip him apart. “Oh, damn,” Trevor breathed, finally getting Kevin’s point. Kevin nodded once. “Mitchell’s already taken a huge risk by even accepting a Leopard into the coalition. If Shane were to lose it and kill one of our members, not even Mitchell will be able to protect him anymore. The rest of the coalition will demand Shane’s blood as payment.” For a moment, Trevor forgot to breathe as the ramifications of that implication hit him as hard as a blow to the gut. Even though he’d seen Shane take out a huge-as-hell man not hours before, Trevor felt strangely protective of the Leopard. “Why can’t people see that he’s not so bad?” Trevor asked, his voice slightly strangled. “The other day, Shane walked from an assignment, went into the cafeteria and sat down at one of the middle tables.” Trevor shrugged. “So? Did he forget to pay? Not wipe his muddy boots off on the front mat? 50

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Eat too many carbs at once?” “He was still covered in the blood of his last kill. It didn’t bother him in the least. He just sat there, eating, as if he were in his Sunday best or something.” “Oh,” Trevor replied, blanching a bit. As horrible as it sounded, he could imagine Shane doing just that, too. Shaking his head, Trevor shook off the disgust, “So he’s just a bit eccentric. We put up with a lot of other strange behaviors from others. Just the other day, I caught Carson watching Furry porn.” “Carson probably knew you were in the room and was doing that to dick with you,” Kevin retorted. Trevor nodded, that was a very distinct possibility. He still carried the emotional scars from the time the Cheetah bribed him to swallow a mouth full of cinnamon. It had been the hardest five bucks Trevor ever made. “Besides, there’s a difference between oddball and scary-as-shit behavior and we know what category Shane falls into.” “What happened to you being able to see Shane’s soft side and all that other crap you were spouting about?” “I’m only trying to point out how others see him. For some reason, you seem to have a blind spot when it comes to that. I get the feeling that 51


nothing Shane does could put you off.” Trevor flashed back to the ruthlessness the Leopard had displayed during the fight. The way he moved as if bred to kill. The sensual way his body attacked and parried. All of which did nothing for clearing up Trevor’s semi-aroused state. He’d been that way ever since that damn fight. He shifted nervously as he prayed his pants were baggy enough to hide his current condition. Unfortunately, there was no hiding the scent of oh-yeah-baby that his body was shooting off. Kevin’s mouth dropped in shock before he rolled his eyes. “Shit, you’re more turned on by him than ever.” A heat covered Trevor’s face. “I can’t help it. He does that to me.” “Then go find some other guy and rub off some of those urges. Just make sure it isn’t Shane again.” “That’s just it. Ever since I’ve been with Shane, I don’t want to be with anybody else,” Trevor finally confessed in a strained voice. “What?” Kevin looked at him as if he just announced he was joining the Murder She Wrote fan club. “I’ve tried…God knows I have, but every time I’ve tried to hook up with somebody, I haven’t been able to go through with it.” Trevor lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to see the look of shock 52

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Kevin no doubt wore. “So you haven’t fucked anybody since Christmas?” Trevor nodded. Kevin continued, “You’ve actually been celibate for longer than twenty-four hours?” “Yes! No matter how many ways you ask it, the answer is still going to be the same, the coalition slut can’t get it up for anyone but the Leopard!” Trevor realized that admission probably came out too loud when several felines looked in their direction. Muttering a curse under his breath, Trevor said in a much lower tone, “I get it though. It wouldn’t be good for Shane to get involved with me. I’ll just have to figure a way around this. So don’t worry, the whore won’t mess up your latest project.” A swell of emotions built up inside Trevor. What they were, he couldn’t figure out. All he did know was that he felt sick to his stomach and just wanted to find a dark room so he could forget the world for a while. He put a hand to his gut as he realized that nothing, not even the new training, uniforms or belonging to a coalition had changed anything. His foster dad had been right all along. Trevor just was a worthless piece of garbage who dragged others down. “I’ll leave him alone. You got what you want, so can we just drop this?” Trevor asked, his throat 53


tight with repressed emotion. “Damn, Trevor, I didn’t mean to hurt you or anything. It’s just…” Trevor cut him off. “You were more worried about my behavior fucking up yours and Jared’s hard work. Don’t worry, I get it. After all the time you put into getting Shane reformed and able to work within the coalition, the last thing you want is somebody like me messing it up.” What looked to be regret crossed Kevin’s face. “That’s not what I’m saying at all.” Ah, but it was. Trevor should know since he’d heard it so many times before. Someone across the room yelled Kevin’s name. Kevin waved at them before returning his attention to Trevor. “Damn, it. I have to leave for a mission and they’re waiting for me.” “Then you better get moving,” Trevor replied, his throat still feeling as if someone has stuffed steel down it. “I don’t like leaving with you this upset.” “Don’t sweat it. You’re not my lover or my father. Heck, we’re not even friends. I’m just the schmuck who you and Jared took pity on for a while.” And Trevor now realized he’d been a fool to think otherwise. Just because he, Jared and Kevin were all Panthers didn’t mean they were all one big fucking happy family. “That’s not how we feel about you at all.” 54

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Kevin turned to the assembling group when he looked back at Trevor. “Damn, it! I knew I should have had Jared talk to you instead. I always fuck these kinds of things up. I’m sorry if I made you feel like we didn’t care for you or something, nothing could be further from the truth.” “Sure,” Trevor replied, unconvinced. “Jared and I will be back in a couple of days and we can all have dinner or something.” Kevin’s name was yelled again, this time the tone of the caller sounded sharper and impatient. “Just go, I’m fine. Really,” Trevor assured. There was no sense in Kevin getting in trouble on account of Trevor’s hurt feelings. Especially not since nearly everyone in the coalition probably would agree with Kevin’s assessment of Trevor. Kevin studied him for a few more moments before he slowly walked away. He turned once to give a wave, Trevor returned it, pasting on a smile so fake it hurt his cheekbones. As soon as Kevin was out of view, Trevor turned heel and practically ran to the opposite side of the building. Bursting through a back door, he took in deep sucking breaths of the midday air. It may not have been exactly fresh since they were in the city of Flint and there was an airport and a couple factories nearby, but Trevor sill savored every molecule because he was free from all the judgmental stares. 55


Growling low in his throat, he turned and punched the wall, wincing as the brick cut into his knuckles. He welcomed the pain, hoping it would distract from the ache in his chest. Nothing had changed. Even though he now supposedly had a new life, under all the body armor, weapons and feline soldier insignias, he was still the same useless loser that’d he’d always been. And no matter how he tried, he’d never be able to fix that.

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Chapter Five

E

ven after he went home, showered and changed into some street clothes, Trevor couldn’t shake the effects from his conversation with Kevin. After he paced around his small apartment for an hour, Trevor finally gave up and hopped into his car. In the past, a drive always proved to be a good way for him to clear his mind. There was something about the open road and loud music blaring from his speakers that seemed to soothe him. This day was different, however, because he remained as tense as ever. The various conversations rolling around in his head made him wince for different reasons. It wasn’t until he reached the edge of the small town of Perry that he realized he’d been driving toward his childhood home. Even then he didn’t pause to think it over until he’d pulled into the rundown mobile home park and turned into the driveway in front of the worn, ragged double 57


wide trailer. Trevor gripped the steering wheel as he studied the dwelling for any sign of life. When he’d still resided there, it had been him, his foster parents and up to four other kids at a time. While those faces varied, as other foster children came and left, Trevor had remained the one consistent. The front door opened and Emma, his foster mother stuck her graying head out side. When she spotted him, her prematurely wrinkled face broke out into a gapped toothed smile. She waved, the fat under her forearm jiggling like a flag. He returned the gesture before turning off the engine. Now that she’d spotted him, he had no choice but to go inside. As he walked up the short driveway, the all-too familiar scents of the park hit his heightened feline sense, the stagnant water pooling in the numerous potholes, the rot of scattered garbage, the acid burning smell of cigarette smoke, the mold from the numerous abandoned trailers. “Trevor! It’s about time you came home for a visit,” Emma declared as she held open the door for him. “I haven’t had a chance to get away before now,” Trevor lied as he allowed her to pull him into a soft, comforting hug. “Is he here?” Trevor whispered still in her embrace. 58

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“Where else would he be?” she replied, her voice laced with worry. “Should I leave before he comes out?” Force of habit had him glancing at the closed bedroom door. Several more holes decorated the cheap, synthetic wood—all of them the size of a man’s fist. It looked like nothing had changed since he’d lived there. “To hell with him. Now that I finally have you here, I’ll be damned if he runs you off again,” she declared with a rare show of bravery, one that he knew wouldn’t last but seconds before she took on her same scared, timid nature. Trevor gave a weak, obligatory chuckle before he followed her into the kitchen. As he sat down at his old place at the table, Trevor noted that the bedroom door hadn’t been the only thing to deteriorate. The carpet looked more stained and threadbare than he remembered and the counters had additional scorch marks left behind by unattended cigarettes. The one thing missing were the large piles of toys, backpacks and youth clothing. Trevor subtly lifted his nose and scented the air, surprised to detect only the smells of Emma and her husband, John. “What happened to all your foster kids?” Her face dropped as she took the seat opposite of him, her massive body falling heavily into the chair. “The state won’t let us take them in 59


anymore since John’s arrest.” Trevor schooled his features so his disgust didn’t come through. “What did John get in trouble for?” More importantly, how did he finally get busted? It came as no surprise that John engaged in illegal activities, but him finally getting caught doing so did shock Trevor. The asshole always had been a wily one and managed to avoid detection. Maybe because on a whole, most of his crimes had been petty theft and the occasional drug dealing—not exactly things that attracted attention. At least not in that neighborhood. “They said he touched one of the girls.” Emma gave a vehement shake of her head. “It’s not true though because my John would never do that.” Ahhh…but Trevor was pretty sure that the bastard would. While the drunk of a man had never made the moves on him, Trevor hadn’t missed all the lewd glances he used to toss at the girls living there. So yeah, it didn’t take a big stretch of his imagination to think that Ol’ Johnny boy finally gave into his urges. When Trevor just sat there in silence instead of jumping to the man’s defense, Emma slammed her hands on the table. “He’s innocent.” Uh-huh. John hadn’t been innocent in at least forty years, but Trevor left that observation 60

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unspoken. Not because he had any respect for the jerk, but Trevor did care for Emma and he didn’t want to hurt her. “So, how is it he’s not in jail right now?” he asked instead. “He’s out on bail. John Jr. put his house up for collateral.” As always, when she spoke of her only birth child, Emma beamed with pride. The door of the bedroom swung open, revealing the most disgusting human being Trevor ever had the pleasure of living with. A thin, stained, dingy white tank top strained over a fat belly that John reached down to scratch with yellow, tobacco-stained nails. His brown, shaggy hair stood on end and he looked as if he hadn’t shaved in days. “Junior has a house to put up because unlike you, he has a good job,” John declared in a gruff tone that set Trevor’s nerves on edge. “He’s in construction.” “They just made him foreman,” Emma added, but her body grew stiff with tension as her gaze darted between the two men. “Good for him,” Trevor replied smoothly, his fingers curling against the cool, cheap tabletop. “So what are you doing with yourself these days?” John asked with a snide grin. No doubt he thought Trevor was still a nobody who had to take whatever job came his way. Since 61


John had thrown him out on his eighteenth birthday, Trevor never had the luxury of going to college. Not when he had more pressing matters, such as scrambling for shelter and food to worry about. Truth be told, a few years ago Trevor had been living on the streets and doing whatever it took just to earn a buck. Not anymore though. First Ranger had found him and brought him into his fold and now Trevor had a coalition at his back. It wasn’t as if he could just pop off with an I’m a Panther shifter and I go out on combat missions so scary they’d curl your greasy hair. Saying something like that would only make John suspect that he’d been dipping into the man’s private stash of pot. Of course Trevor couldn’t really do that since most human drugs didn’t affect shifters unless they were dispensed in high doses and all Johnny could ever afford to keep was a small amount on hand. “I’ve been doing security for a private firm.” A half-truth, since he had more training and weapons at his disposal than any mall cop. “Really? What are you, a bouncer at that gay strip bar you used to work for?” The condemnation in John’s question was so thick, Trevor could almost taste it. “No, I haven’t worked at that place for a couple of years now. My company does contracts for the military.” Again another half-truth since the main way the coalition 62

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made enough money to function was the jobs they took for the human government. What Trevor also couldn’t add was the coalition took those certain jobs because as shifters with enhanced strength and speed, they could pull them off where humans would fail. “I’ll bet,” John snorted as he went to the counter, then pulled out a cigarette. Lighting it, he dropped his next insult, “We heard about that movie you made. It near broke Emma’s heart.” Trevor sucked in a breath as shock zipped through his body. He’d only made two videos in his entire life. One had been a YouTube goof one that had led to he and his friends being captured and held prisoner for a year. The second had been years earlier when he’d been eighteen, fresh on the street and desperate for any kind of income. Something told Trevor that John was referring to the second one, since only a porn movie could make him smirk that nastily. “It was only one time and I needed the money,” Trevor defended, his heart sinking. Damn! That’d been the only thing he’d hoped she would never hear about. Dancing for tips was one thing, but to dress up like a school boy and get spanked on film was quite another. Not that he hadn’t lived out that fantasy before, but all the other times had been safely behind closed doors. John inhaled deeply on his cigarette as he 63


slowly shook his head. “Why exactly did you come back here, boy?” Trevor cringed at that word, boy. All while growing up it had usually been proceeded by a cut-down, slur or order. Why are you so damn stupid, boy? Can’t you be good at anything, boy? No wonder your parents didn’t want you, boy. All of the sudden it became too much. Anger surged through Trevor as he growled low in this throat. After years of insults and hateful words, Trevor couldn’t stand for it anymore…no, better yet, he refused to stand for it. He wasn’t some kid desperate to please some fucked up father figure in hopes of getting some praise and affection. He was a full grown shifter. In the past months, Trevor had worked too damn hard to better himself to grovel before a pathetic loser like John. “You were wrong,” Trevor said tightly. “About what?” “They did want me.” “Who?” John’s lips curled in distaste, as if he couldn’t fathom anyone wanting Trevor. “My parents, they didn’t give me up. They were killed in a house fire.” In all actuality, they’d been murdered by Raven shifters and their bodies left to burn when the birds set the home on fire, but Trevor couldn’t give those details. Besides, all that was pertinent to the current conversation, all that mattered, was 64

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that John knew that Trevor’s parents did love their child. They would never, ever have let their son live with some slime ball like John either. “They died protecting me,” Trevor continued as he looked and meet John’s gaze. According to Kevin, Trevor’s father had died fighting to save his wife and son from the attacking birds. It’d taken four Ravens to finally take him down and even then his father had managed to take out three other birds in the process. “My father was an important man in our community. He was respected and they still speak highly of him.” Trevor allowed his gaze to grow mean, predatory, hostile, marveling how it made John squirm. “He was twice the man you’ll ever be, you sad, sack of shit.” Emma gasped. “Trevor, that’s not nice.” “I’m sorry, Emma, but not for insulting him. I’m sorry that a nice lady like you puts up with him. I only hope that someday you realize you’re much better than him.” Trevor got up and moved to the door. If he didn’t leave soon, he’d do something reckless, like giving into his animal side and going for the man’s throat. “How dare you talk to me like that, boy? After how we took you in when nobody else would?” John thundered. Trevor paused, hand on the doorknob. “You 65


only took me in because of the checks you got from the government. Or don’t you remember telling me that yourself the day you kicked me out?” Before John could thunder out a response to that, Trevor pulled open the door and left. He didn’t pause to even think until he was safely seated behind the wheel of his car. Curling his fingers around the steering wheel, he took in several deep breaths, his whole body trembling. What in the hell had he expected by coming back here? That John would welcome him with open arms? That the man would say he was sorry for all the years of verbal abuse? That he should have never kicked Trevor out? That he loved him as if he were his true son? A bitter laugh burst past Trevor’s lips. And yet people like Kevin wondered why he refused to form any permanent attachments to others. As if Trevor should willingly put his soul out there to be trashed again. Besides, who in the hell was Kevin to talk? He and Jared gave Trevor the boot as soon as they could, too. So it’s not like their paws were clean in this whole matter. Trevor sucked in a breath as he held back the tears. Not only would crying do him no good, but it would just show everybody what a weakling he was. Everyone, be they human or shifter, already called him slut, no sense in adding cry baby to it. 66

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He turned on the car and pulled out of the park. He’d been a damn fool for even coming here. He’d been hoping to get some closure, instead, he ended up ripping open some painful wounds that he thought had long healed. By the time Trevor pulled into the parking slot in front of his apartment, he felt no better. Usually a long drive soothed his nerves, but after the encounter with first Kevin and then John, Trevor felt worse than ever. He still couldn’t believe how close he’d come to attacking his foster father. Trevor closed his eyes, silently calling himself every name in the book. All the civilized breeds of shifters prided themselves on being able to separate their human emotions with their animal side. To give in and go feral was considered a failure. Yet Trevor had almost thrown away everything he worked so hard for just for one taste of John’s blood. Now I know how Shane must feel. When he kills, does he have any shame or regret after? Even if his targets are guilty, does he still hate that his animal half rules him if only for a few moments at a time? If so, then Shane must harbor more hurt inside than I ever suspected. He got out of the car and locked the door before rubbing his aching temples. The stress of the day, added with the fact he hadn’t eaten or drank anything since breakfast, had left him with a 67


monster headache. He just wanted to get inside, suck down some food and then crash for a few hundred hours. It was dark when he walked in, but he didn’t bother flipping on the lights. His shifter vision would allow him to see enough to move around and the harsh lighting would only aggravate his aching head. He kicked off his battered tennis shoes before going into the small kitchen. Since cooking didn’t appeal to him, he cracked open the freezer to pull out a pizza. It wasn’t exactly gourmet cuisine, but it would do. He shut the door, all his concentration focused on the box containing his frozen food. “It’s about time you got home.” Trevor let out a yelp of shock as he jumped several feet into the air and scanned the darkness. Heart pounding fiercely, he dropped his food before he scrambled at the back of his waistband for the gun he always kept nearby. “I would prefer if you didn’t shoot me. I’ve already had a bad day.” This time Trevor recognized the voice. Instead of calming him down, that knowledge set his pulse racing faster. “Shane?” Shane moved from the deeper shadows into the center of the kitchen. “Were you expecting somebody else?” “I wasn’t expecting anyone period.” 68

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“Hmmmm…I guess that explains why you were so scared when I showed up,” Shane observed in that odd, analytical way of his. It was almost as if he were holding up Trevor’s reactions and emotions the way a doctor holds an X-ray up to the light to examine it. Like Trevor was his gateway to finally being able to understand how normal people acted. “How did you get in here?” Trevor demanded as he glanced around the room as if he may find the answer lying around somewhere. “I picked the lock.” Shane flashed a grin to show how proud of himself he was for that accomplishment. “You broke in here?” Trevor demanded. He knew he should feel offended or violated. He sure as hell shouldn’t feel turned on, but try telling that to his cock because it’d started to swell to life the minute he saw Shane. Damn, talk about having temptation thrown right in one’s face. Trevor tried to remind himself why sleeping with Shane would be a bad, bad idea. All the while, however, all he could think about was how good Shane looked, still dressed in his dark clothes and cloak. The alluring way the Leopard’s dark scent called to Trevor like a drug. “Of course I broke in. It’s not like you ever gave me a key or anything.” Shane shrugged as if that settled everything. 69


“Do you make it a habit of breaking into people’s apartments?” Trevor demanded as he licked his lips. His gaze fixated on Shane’s mouth as he remembered how hot and demanding their kisses had been. “Only if I’m planning on killing them,” Shane replied as he took a few steps closer. Those words should have terrified Trevor, instead they sent a shot of desire to his cock. Deep down, he knew that while Shane would never hurt him, the man was very dangerous. The knowledge that Trevor could tame the Leopard where no one else could, gave him a heady thrill. Shane moved in to close the remaining space between them. Reaching up with one hand, he cupped Trevor’s face. The move was so gentle, so caring, so un-Shane-like that it made Trevor’s throat swell with emotion. “You’re sad. Why?” Shane asked. Then Trevor saw it…the brief flash of emotion that he’d only glimpsed a couple of times before in Shane’s eyes. Somehow Trevor knew that he was the only one who ever got to see it. It made him feel so close to Shane. As if they were bound together somehow and the hell with the rest of the word because nothing else mattered. Trevor let out a soft, shaky sigh. If only that were true. Shane probably just viewed him as a way to get off. For Trevor to think that anybody 70

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could have serious feelings for the coalition slut was just ridiculous fantasy. No doubt the only reason why Shane acted all possessive earlier was because he just simply didn’t like to share. Once he had his fill, he’d just chuck Trevor to the curb, just as everyone else had. “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea that you’re here,” Trevor forced himself to say. “Why?” Shane tilted his head to the side. “Because I have a monster headache going here.” “Do you know what they say is the best cure for that?” “I don’t know, a dozen aspirin and a few hours’ sleep?” Shane’s eyes glinted with what may have been amusement. “No, a good orgasm.” Despite himself, Trevor laughed. “You’re lying.” “No, honest, I read that somewhere.” Shane thought for a moment. “I think it was Cosmo.” “You read Cosmo?” Trevor asked, his voice sharp with disbelief. “I was on a stake out one night and got bored and that was the only thing to read in the car. I think Cassie must have used the vehicle before me.” “Uh-huh,” Trevor nodded, not sure if he bought the explanation or not. “Even if my head 71


didn’t hurt, we still can’t do this. Not with your injuries.” Shane lifted his shirt, showing off the tightest abs Trevor had ever seen, and only a hint of a gash on his side. “Once Owen gave me the antidote, I was able to shift. Now I’m almost completely better. However, if you still insist on kissing it better, I’m not going to argue.” As he stared at all that exposed flesh, Trevor’s mouth watered in anticipation, until he recalled the conversation with Kevin. Giving his head a shake to clear away the please-sex-me haze lingering there, Trevor said, “No, we really shouldn’t do this again. You need to leave.” “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why you’re so upset,” Shane countered, his palm going back up to cup Trevor’s cheek again. At that tender gesture, all the anger, hurt and fear from the day slammed into Trevor. He took in a shaking breath as he averted his eyes to avoid Shane’s knowing look. The Leopard didn’t object, he just waited patiently, his thumb sweeping up to catch a tear from Trevor’s cheek. It wasn’t until then that Trevor realized he’d started to cry. Great, just what he needed, to come off as weak. Maybe Shane would do him a favor and kill him after all. “I let myself forget who I really am and a couple of people were kind enough to put me back into my place,” Trevor confessed in a broken 72

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voice. “It’s all my fault. I should have known better than to hope that I could change. A fancy uniform can’t really hide the idiot who’s underneath it.” “Trevor, I see you better than anyone and I respect and like you very much.” Shane leaned forward and lightly brushed their lips together, before adding, “You just tell me the names of the assholes who upset you and I’ll kill them for you.” Trevor started to laugh until he realized Shane was dead serious. While a part of him was horrified, a warm feeling still pooled in his stomach at the thought that Shane must care at least a little if he was willing to commit homicide to defend his feelings. “You don’t need to that.” Now it was Trevor who leaned in for a brief kiss. “Just knowing that you were willing to do that makes me feel a whole lot better.” They were both silent for a moment, their lips just a breath apart. Shane continued to fan his thumb over Trevor’s face. Each pass sent a fresh wave of shivers down Trevor’s spine. He wanted so much more. He yearned to feel Shane’s strong body covering him. To have the Leopard pin him down and fuck him so hard, so long that Trevor forgot the past for a while. “Why did you come here tonight?” Trevor asked. 73


“I don’t know.” Shane’s brow briefly creased in confusion. “For some reason, I can’t forget about you and what we did.” “You must be crazy or something because there’s nothing remarkable about me.” As soon as Trevor finished saying that, he wanted to kick himself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insinuate that you were mental or anything.” Shane shrugged, his face more unreadable than ever. “That’s okay, I know what I am.” And if those words didn’t make Trevor want to start crying again. He studied Shane for a few moments before reaching out and hooking his fingers in the waistband of the Leopard’s pants. “Come on. How about we go to my room and for the rest of the night? We can pretend that I’m not the slut and you’re not the psycho?” The sweetest smile crossed over Shane’s face, the gesture turning Trevor’s insides to jelly. “That sounds like a great idea,” Shane agreed as he allowed Trevor to lead him to the bedroom.

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Chapter Six

S

hane held in another smile as Trevor gave the waistband of his pants a playful tug. They were in the hallway and the light was no better than the rest of the place, but Shane could still make out every one of Trevor’s enticing features. The Panther walked backward, his green eyes glinting with passion. Even with his body slightly twisted, Trevor still managed to walk with a slowly sensual sway that made Shane’s heart race. Earlier today, when Trevor had his uniform on, Shane had thought there was no way the man could look any sexier. Now as his gaze slowly traveled up and down Trevor’s thin body, Shane had to admit he’d been wrong. At that moment, Trevor looked like sex on a stick. With tight, black jeans and a dark-blue t-shirt that looked as if it had been molded to Trevor’s body, he managed to look cute and hot at the same time. A combination Shane was growing to really like. Trevor flashed that sexy little grin and Shane’s 75


heart swelled with happiness. For the first time in his sad, fucked up life, he felt like somebody special. Not a killer, or an emotionless shell, but almost…normal? Damn, when had that happened? What was it about this one man that made Shane experience sensations and emotions that he’d thought could never exist inside him? It made Shane want to wrap his arms around Trevor and not let go. To somehow freeze that moment forever. Now Shane understood why Owen and Andrew acted the way they did with their mates. Why they claimed they’d die for the men they loved. Because at that moment, Shane knew he’d slit his own throat if needed to protect Trevor. Trevor led him into a tiny bedroom. The queensized bed was a simple affair with a metal headboard, but it still took up nearly all the space. When Trevor paused at the edge of the mattress, Shane gave him a gentle shove in the center of his chest. The other man landed on his back and only had time for one bounce before Shane descended, bringing their mouths together. Shane put everything in the kiss that he knew he could never say aloud, his fear, his tenderness, the deep caring he had for Trevor. Whether it was because he got the message or was just plain horny, Trevor began to return the 76

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kiss in earnest. His body arched up as he threaded his fingers through Shane’s hair. Normally Shane hated for someone to touch his head during sex, now he let out a satisfied sounding hum as he ground his erection into Trevor. Shane’s entire body was stretched over Trevor. Since they were about the same size, their cocks rubbed together perfectly. Well, almost perfectly. There were way too many clothes for Shane’s liking. Abruptly, he sat up, chuckling when Trevor let out a frustrated whimper. Not wanting to keep the man waiting long, Shane quickly stripped his clothes off. Next he turned his attention to Trevor’s jeans and shirt, peeling them from the man’s body in record time. Once they were both naked, Shane slid back into place, a low groan slipping past his lips at the smooth sensation of skin rubbing against skin. “So good,” Shane purred, pre-cum leaking from his dick and leaving a sticky trail on Trevor’s flesh. Shane dipped his head and did something that was a first for him. He rubbed his cheek and jaw against Trevor, purposefully drenching the other man in his scent. Shane didn’t want to leave just the usual smell of himself on his lover, he wanted it to cover every inch of Trevor. That way any other man who came within ten feet of Trevor would know that he belonged to Shane. It was a 77


clear back-the-fuck-off message that Shane had every intention of enforcing. “Mine,” he growled, just to get his point across. Trevor didn’t agree, but he didn’t deny it either. Instead, he let out a whimper as he tilted his head to the side to give Shane better access. At the same time, Trevor thrust up into Shane’s body so their dicks rubbed together again. Shane let Trevor grind for a few minutes before taking control again. After giving Trevor’s chin a playful, love bite, Shane started to move lower. He rubbed his face everywhere, on Trevor’s neck, his chest, his stomach and finally in between his thighs. Trevor let out a happy sigh as his feet fell back to the mattress, his knees spreading out in a blatant invitation. “You really do have the most beautiful cock,” Shane praised as he paused a moment to study Trevor’s erection. Long and thick, it curved up toward the Panther’s body. Shane wrapped his fist over it, pumping a few times until he coaxed out a drop of pre-cum. His mouth watering in anticipation, Shane licked the offering clean. The salty taste made his taste buds tingle. He let out a moan as he darted his tongue again, this time making a slow, circular path across the soft head. Trevor glanced down at his cock, a bemused expression on his face. “Hey, look at that, it still 78

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works.” Deciding to let that odd comment slide by, Shane parted his lips and just sucked in the tip of Trevor’s dick. He was rewarded with another tiny spurt of pre-cum, which Shane eagerly swallowed. “I have some lube in the drawer over there.” Trevor nodded to the nightstand. Shane gave the side of Trevor’s ass a quick slap. “I’ll get to it eventually. Now sit back and be patient. Last time we did this, I didn’t take nearly enough time to play with you.” “Oh, God. Please,” Trevor panted, his eyes darkening with arousal. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to beg a lot more than that before you get my cock.” Another whimper passed Trevor’s plump lips. His cheeks were flush with passion and his hair messy from rolling around. Shane drank in that image, burning it to memory. That way when this night was over and he had to go back to the nightmare that was his real life, Shane could cling to this encounter. If only I were capable of love, I would be so gone for him. Shane felt regret. There were many times in the past where he cursed being born a Leopard, but none more so than just then. Shane would have given a limb to have been able to make Trevor his forever. Pushing those wishful thoughts aside, Shane 79


lowered his head and slowly sucked Trevor’s cock into his mouth. Even though it wasn’t his dick getting the special treatment, pleasure still shot down Shane’s spine. The sensual, hot glide of Trevor’s shaft against his lips had to be one of the most erotic sensations Shane ever experienced. His own cock twitched in glee as a moan rumbled in his throat. Shane bobbed his head up and down, setting a quick rhythm that soon had Trevor babbling. Even then Shane still didn’t have mercy on him, transferring his mouth to Trevor’s balls before moving on to his ass. He rimmed Trevor’s hole before spearing his tongue inside the tight opening. Trevor let out a yelp, his hands shooting down to once more tangle in Shane’s hair. “Please, Shane. I’m begging you to fuck me. Screw me so hard that I feel it a week from now,” Trevor babbled. After giving Trevor’s ass one last lick, Shane got up to his knees and stretched his arm out to the nightstand. Fumbling blindly around, he pulled out a large, bright purple dildo. Holding it up with a cocked brow, he nearly laughed when Trevor turned bright red and covered his face with his hands. “Oops, this isn’t lube,” Shane teased. Not taking his hands away, Trevor replied, 80

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“No, it’s not.” “Life is never dull with you around. I’ll give you that.” Shane tossed the dildo back into the drawer and searched until his fingers brushed against a bottle. Hoping it wasn’t something else kinky, but yet curious as to what the other contents may be, Shane pulled it out. When it was the lube, Trevor let out a relived sounding sigh. “Do I even want to know what else is in there?” Shane asked as he opened the bottle and poured a fair amount into the palm of his hand. If he remembered right from their last encounter, Trevor liked things to be slicked and stretched. “I don’t know.” Trevor’s lips twisted into an impish grin. “How do you feel about nipple clamps and floggers?” Even though nothing Trevor said or did should have come as a shock, that question nearly made Shane drop the bottle. He just grinned and shook his head. A soft, thoughtful expression settled onto Trevor’s face. “You smile so much when you’re with me. If I never do anything else good with my life, I can die happy knowing that I at least was able to do that.” Shit! Forget about being a damn Leopard because at that moment, Shane realized he’d fallen 81


deeply in love with Trevor. Somehow the sassy Panther had managed to break through all the stigma and emotional barriers surrounding Shane’s Leopard heart. While that did scare the snot out of Shane, it also gave him a sense of peace that he never thought he’d be able to attain. Now all he had to do was somehow convince Trevor to actually love him back. Was that even possible? Somehow Shane didn’t see even someone as sweet and compassionate as Trevor actually taking a Leopard as a mate. The chances of that were less likely than snake shifters settling down to live in peace and harmony with the rest of the world. Not wanting to dwell on his thoughts because they were starting to scare him, Shane dipped his head down and captured Trevor’s lips in a hot, carnal, wet, messy kiss. Trevor gave back as good as he got, a muffled whimper escaping him when Shane slid a finger up his ass. One finger turned into two. Shane sawed them in and out, curling them so the tips brushed against Trevor’s sweet spot. After what seemed like an eternity of sweet torture, Shane removed his fingers. Grabbing his cock, he ordered, “Put your ankles on my shoulders.” Trevor scrambled to obey, his breaths coming out as ragged pants. Once Trevor was in position, 82

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Shane lined up the tip of his cock and slowly pressed through the tight ring of muscle. “Fuck, yes,” Trevor moaned as Shane’s cock popped past the barrier. “Mine,” Shane growled again as he slid all the way home. He stilled to give Trevor time to adjust. Once he felt Trevor’s ass relax, Shane began to move in and out at a hard pace. Trevor didn’t seem to mind the quickness, he even thrust up as best he could in his awkward position. As he continued to fuck Trevor until they were both sweating and on the edge, Shane found himself unable to look away from the Panther, drinking in the image of Trevor’s passion-infused face. Shane reached between them and grabbed the man’s dick. Giving the shaft a few fast tugs, Shane brought Trevor to orgasm. Trevor screamed Shane’s name as he shot off, thin ribbons of cum coating Shane’s fingers. That, combined with the sensation of Trevor’s ass clamping down on his cock, sent Shane over the edge. He tilted his head back and let out a long, deep moan as his cock jerked, then filled Trevor’s sweet ass. Never before has it been this good. But then that’s because none of them were my Panther. For once the thought of being possessive when it came to Trevor didn’t bother Shane. Instead it gave him a 83


measure of peace he’d never experienced before. Shane let Trevor’s legs slide down before collapsing onto the other man. Their bodies were sweat-slicked and his hand was still covered in spunk, but Shane couldn’t force himself to give a damn. All that mattered to him was the fact that he’d finally been able to get another taste of Trevor’s passion. A lazy feeling settled over Shane. He could have stayed like this forever. Them stuck together, their scents mingling as they….cuddled. Holy damn, Shane had never so much as given his other fucks a goodbye hug. Usually, once he got off, he left before his partner even started to get dressed. Now with Trevor, Shane didn’t want to leave. Ever. He sat up enough so he could gaze down at Trevor’s face. The Panther had a look of utter satisfaction on his face. All the sorrow and pain that had been lingering there washed away. “That was fantastic,” Trevor praised as he reached up and brushed a lock of Shane’s hair out of his eyes. “It was alright,” Shane lied. “I think we need to do it a few more times to make sure we have it down correctly though.” Trevor laughed. “Whoever knew that my Leopard had such a great sense of humor?” My Leopard. Shane’s heart sang at those words. It looked as if he weren’t the only one with a 84

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possessive streak. Reaching up, Trevor traced a line of stars that were tattooed on Shane’s flank. Black with red outlining, they went up both sides of his body. “Let me guess, you get one of these every time you kill somebody?” Trevor asked, with a chuckle. Shane glanced down at them. “No, if that were the case, then I would have a lot more.” As soon as he saw Trevor blanch, Shane knew he’d said the wrong thing. Damn it! What was it with him? Get him around normal people and Shane always managed to say something that scared or disgusted them, it never failed. Sad thing was, half the time, Shane had no clue as to what his flub may have been. God, what had he been thinking? That just because they had some great sex and he was stupid enough to fall for Trevor that the Panther would return the feelings? Shane cursed himself for ever being stupid enough to think that Trevor would actually want a long term commitment to a batshit crazy Leopard. “I’m sorry. I’ll get going.” He started to get up, but Trevor wrapped his arms around Shane’s neck and held on, preventing him from leaving. “Don’t leave, please?” Shane sighed. “We both know this can never work out. You’re too good and nice to be stuck with some psycho.” 85


“You’re not crazy!” Trevor declared with such vehemence that Shane’s mouth opened slightly in shock. “You just react different to some situations. That doesn’t mean I don’t want you to stay for the rest of the night.” “Are you sure?” Shane pressed, his heart hammering with excitement. Trevor nodded as he ran his palms down Shane’s back. “I’m positive.” Shane settled back on the bed, tensing at first when Trevor threw an arm around his chest and then snuggled in, making himself right at home half on top of Shane’s body. At first the Leopard in Shane snarled in protest at so much affection being thrust on him. Then as Trevor’s breaths slipped into a slow easy rhythm as he fell asleep, Shane found his own body relaxing as well. He twisted his face so he could bury his nose in the nook of the Panther’s neck. Breathing in deep, Shane savored the way their mixed scents clung to Trevor’s tanned flesh. He thought back to the hurt he’d seen lingering in Trevor’s eyes and let out a growl. Shane vowed that if he found out who was responsible for it, he’d skin them alive. He wasn’t thinking figuratively either, he would literally take out his knife and flay the person or persons. Pressing a kiss to Trevor’s sweat-soaked temple, Shane closed his eyes and allowed himself 86

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to go to sleep. His last conscious thought was how his Leopard no longer objected to Trevor’s presence. If anything, it seemed to be satisfied, too.

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Chapter Seven

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he annoying chirp of his cell phone jerked Shane awake. Years of training made it so he was instantly alert as he jumped from the bed and searched for his pants. Upon finding them, he fished the cell from the front pocked and glanced at the caller ID. He frowned when he saw the screen flash the name he’d so painstakingly typed in when he added the contact, Giggles. He walked into the other room so he wouldn’t disturb Trevor before answering it, “Hey, Chuckles. You’ve gone and pissed me off. That’s very detrimental to your health. Just ask the last Hyena who fucked with me. While he can’t speak because I cut out his lying tongue, I hear he’s a whiz at writing out his messages.” The Hyena on the other end of the phone let out a terrified whimper. “I’m sorry, Shane. He made me do it.” “I need a name and location, Giggles. That’s the only thing that’s going to make it so I leave all 88

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your body parts intact.” “Oh, God, no.” A high-pitched yip sounded in his ear, making Shane wince. Damn, Hyenas. The sounds they made when scared had to rank number one on Shane’s list of annoying things. It’d been one of the reasons he’d relieved the last one of his tongue. To be fair, he had asked that guy several times to shut up so Shane had given the jerk more than a couple of chances—the Hyena just refused to take advantage of them. “Zip it,” Shane ordered in his coldest tone. Only when the Hyena obeyed did he continue. “You set me up and I almost lost my head because of it. Call me cranky, but things like that really piss me off. So now, you’re going to tell me that Cobra’s name before I pay you a personal visit.” “You don’t know where I live,” the Hyena replied shakily. “And you know that a little something like that won’t stop me. What I do best is track down and eliminate rats like you. Which is the reason you’re calling and groveling. Let’s not play coy, if those snakes had killed me, you wouldn’t have lost a second of sleep over it.” “If I tell you, he’ll kill me.” “If you don’t tell me, I’ll torture then kill you. Trust me when I say that I’m much better at causing pain then he is.” 89


That wasn’t a false claim either. While other kids were taught math and science, Edward had forced Shane to study the various torture techniques used by some of the worst governments out there. Shane had been an excellent student in that area, too. The Hyena let out moan before saying, “His name is Orion.” “Really?” Shane voice had a sharp bite of disbelief to it. “Yeah, what’s wrong with it?” “Nothing if you’re a constellation.” “A what?” Shane sighed. God, save him from dumb-as-shit Hyenas. While the mangy asses may be good for getting dirt on others, not one of them possessed a lick of common sense. Shane had the sneaky suspicion that if he really did want to kill the jerk, all he’d have to do is throw a fifty off the edge of a cliff and say, Fetch! “Never mind. Let’s just stick with you telling me everything you know about the Cobra.” “The talk on the street is he’s become some kind of hero to all the other snake shifters.” That much Shane had already figured out on his own. It explained why the Rattlers had tried to kill him back at the warehouse. They were doing it to protect their idol. “Why is he so popular with the belly walkers?” 90

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Shane demanded, freely using the slur to refer to snakes. “You know how it goes. One certain group doesn’t think the rest of the world is treating them right so they finally lash out.” “Do all the other snakes know Orion is dabbling in drugs and cannibalism?” The Hyena snorted. “You can’t really call it cannibalism since he’s not eating other shifters. Eating humans doesn’t count.” Shane pulled a face. Even his fucked up logic couldn’t follow that kind of twisted thinking. “Where’s Orion holed up at?” “I don’t know for sure, only that it’s on the North end of Flint.” That made sense. Since that happened to be the worst area of the city, it would be easy even for a murderous, Cobra shifter to blend in. It would also be a great place for Orion to unload his supply of drugs. While the coalition soldiers may have already seized a ton of the crap earlier that day, Shane didn’t doubt that Orion had plenty more on hand. “I do know that he hangs out at a couple of different bars, The Hole in the Wall and Eddie’s,” the Hyena offered. Shane cursed in his head. While Eddie’s was a new name to him, he knew The Hole in the Wall intimately. Back during the Edward days, he and 91


his foster brothers often met there with various black market connections. Shane hung up without saying goodbye, his mind already working out the problem. If he went to The Hole in the Wall, he’d be immediately recognized. If Orion was indeed there, someone would be bound to tip the Cobra off. So that left Eddie’s. Shane would hit it up tonight and pray that the Cobra had chosen that bar to play in this night. Mind made up, he went back into the bedroom and started to slip his clothes on. As he sat on the edge of the bed to do up his boots, Trevor moaned sleepily before sitting up. The Panther looked instantly awake, like Shane had earlier. Shane wondered if that had something to do with the year Trevor spent as a captive to some shifter slave traders. While Trevor never spoke about that chapter in his life, Shane had heard enough horror stories from Noah to know that it hadn’t been a walk in the daisy field for any of them. “You’re leaving?” Trevor asked, a slight twinge of disappointment in his voice. Shane leaned over the bed so they could share a soft, slow kiss. Once they had parted, Shane said, “I have to go check up on something for a job I’m doing for Mitchell.” Trevor frowned. “Is it safe for you to go out without some sort of backup?” 92

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That almost made Shane laugh. He couldn’t think of one time when he’d ever gone out with a partner or a team, other than a few jobs he’d worked with Andrew. Even then, Shane had felt hindered by having the other feline breathing down his neck. “It’s nothing serious, just some recon at a bar.” Once Shane pulled back, Trevor sat up straighter and began to pluck at the blanket in a nervous gesture. “When will I…what I mean is, are we….”He trailed off before nibbling on his bottom lip as he averted his gaze. Shane slipped a knuckle under Trevor’s chin and forced him to look back at him. “If I don’t get too tied up with this assignment, I’ll see you tonight.” Trevor’s lips curled up in a wavering smile. “Only if you want to. I don’t want you to think that just because we fucked you owe me anything.” “We fucked twice and I already told you that you and your ass belong to me now.” Shane feathered his thumb over Trevor’s lips, savoring how soft the flesh felt. “That means I don’t want anyone else touching you. I meant what I said yesterday, if I catch anyone getting into your personal space, I’ll rip them apart and damn the consequences.” A shiver went through the Panther. At first 93


Shane thought it was terror brought on by his threat, then he caught the scent of Trevor’s arousal and had to bite back a happy growl. It appeared Shane finally found someone that was turned on by the psycho in him Giving Trevor one last kiss, Shane got up and left. As he stepped outside into the night, he couldn’t help but already miss the Panther he left behind. Shane paused, head cocked to the side. Did the fact that he actually cared for somebody make him soft? He felt for certain that his father and Edward would both give that question a resounding yes. Shane gave a slight shake of his head before he forced himself to center on his job. If he wasn’t focused and ran into more Rattlers or the Cobra than Shane wouldn’t have to worry about anything because he’d be dead. So he did what he did best—he put the problem of Trevor in a locked area of his brain and concentrated on being the killer he was bred to be. **** After Shane left, Trevor tried to go back to sleep, but his growling stomach protested, reminding him that he never got around to eating the previous night. A smile curved his lips, not that he was complaining since the distraction had proved to be more delicious than any meal. 94

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Sliding out of bed, he shoved on some clothes and padded to the kitchen. Everywhere he looked brought back memories of Shane and the previous night. A flutter went through his empty gut as he recalled Shane’s repeated threat. Trevor realized that it should have concerned him or maybe even creeped him out a little because Shane basically had gone all caveman over him. Instead, it made a warm feeling settle in Trevor’s chest. Before then, nobody had ever cared about him period, let alone enough to actually feel possessive of him. He filled a bowl with Apple Jacks and milk, then settled down in a chair. As he ate, he continued to work over the situation in his mind. Despite Shane saying he now owned Trevor, he still couldn’t help but worry that Shane would eventually get tired of him like everyone else had in his life. Then Trevor realized that he’d been foolish to let the past hinder the enjoyment he got from being with Shane. As Trevor took a bite, he resolved that he’d just cling to what he had now. That way when and if Shane did chuck him to the side, at least Trevor would have some good memories to hold on to. It may not be much, but really it was better than he’d ever hoped for. The sounds of Ke$ha’s We Are Who We Are broke the silence, making him jump. Reaching over the counter, he snagged up his cell phone, 95


smiling when he saw it was Ranger. “It’s about time I heard from you, you flea-ridden bastard,” Trevor said by way of greeting. Ranger’s laugh floated through the ear piece. “I missed you too, kitten.” “Are you back at headquarters?” Trevor asked, hopefully. “Yeah, I just got in from a mission. Are you coming in today?” “I am for sure now. We have some catching up to do.” Trevor was already standing and putting his bowel in the sink. “So I’ve heard.” Ranger chuckled knowingly. “Man, I realized you liked to flirt around with trouble, but not even I would have guessed that you’d mate with a Leopard.” “We’re not mated,” Trevor argued, amazed how much it hurt to say those three small words. “You may want to tell Shane that. Word has it, as he left the infirmary yesterday, he stopped and warned several guys off you.” “Did he really?” Trevor asked, his stomach doing a happy flip. “Do you have to sound so happy about it?” “I’m not,” Trevor denied, despite the huge grin nearly cracking his face. “Suuuuuure, you’re not,” Ranger drawled out slowly. “So is this the part where you give me the 96

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whole he’s-no-good-for-you speech?” Trevor demanded warily. “Why bother when we both know you wouldn’t listen to a word I say.” “Just wait until you meet him. Once you do, you’ll realize how great he really is.” “We have met. It was a couple of months ago and he threatened to take me out to the yard and chain me to a doghouse. That was after he promised to neuter me with a dull knife. Given how he was fingering up said blade while making the threat, I took it pretty seriously.” “Isn’t he so funny?” Trevor gave a happy sigh. “Just a riot,” Ranger replied dryly. “Now hurry up and get here. Riley is supposed to be arriving any minute.” That made Trevor perk up even more, they hadn’t seen the Eagle shifter since the day they’d all been rescued from the slavers. “Are you kidding me? Mitchell is finally letting him out of hiding? I didn’t think he’d ever do that, given the risk.” Since Eagle shifters were very rare, they were highly sought out by slave traders. Trevor heard that by the time the felines managed to spring Riley the last time, the bidding price for him had reached into the millions. “I guess Riley finally shifted and he needs to learn how to fly so one of the Hawks in the 97


coalition is going to give him lessons.” “Cool, I have to see this.” After hanging up with Ranger, Trevor quickly finished getting ready and raced to his car. Since he only lived a few miles away, it didn’t take him long to get there. Once he arrived, he raced inside, looking for his friends. He spotted Ranger first. The shifter wore the feline coalition uniform, but otherwise looked all Wolf, with shaggy brown hair, dark eyes and stocky build. As soon as Trevor spotted him, he ran up and hugged his friend. Ranger returned the embrace, although it lacked some of the usual sexual undertones. When Trevor frowned in confusion, Ranger held up his hands. “No offense, but I don’t want Shane coming after me because he catches me coping a feel.” In the past, all the roommates had been friends with benefits. Now that he had Shane, Trevor found he wasn’t interested anymore. Not even with Riley being there and that said a lot since the Eagle was darn flexible. So much so that if he laid down on his back and lifted his legs over his head he could suck his own— “Trevor! Are you listening to me?” Ranger demanded, an amused smirk on his mug. “Not really, but since when is that new?” “True, for example the time I told the rest of you to never make that damn YouTube video.” 98

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“You’re never going to let us live that down are you?” Trevor asked, scanning the crowd for any sign of Riley. “No, first of all because you picked Ke$ha of all artists to sing to.” “Don’t diss Ke$ha, that’s a fistfight offense,” Trevor cut in dryly. Ranger went on like he hadn’t heard, “But also because it led the slave traders nearly to our doorstep.” “I said I was sorry for that.” “Yeah,” Ranger rolled his eyes, “because a great big my bad can make up for me living for a year in a cell. Let’s not even add in all the times those Wolves or Ravens would make us give them private performances.” “Which you enjoyed way more than you’ll ever admit, you little voyeur.” “Not when they were yelling out hints and catcalls.” Ranger gave a slight shudder. “You’re just still upset because they voted me best ass.” “So what? They gave me the cutest cock award.” “I still say that one was rigged somehow.” Trevor sighed deeply as if he harbored deep regret over that loss. They stared at each for a few moments before they broke out laughing. Truthfully there hadn’t been anything remotely funny about that year. It 99


had been twelve months of pain and degradation for each of them. But if they didn’t find the humor in it, then they would wallow in the past hurt. Ranger patted him on the back. “Come on, let’s go find Riley. Even if you can’t give him the hello and welcome back that he’d probably looking for, I still can show him some special treatment.”

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Chapter Eight

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hey finally spotted the Eagle shifter hanging around outside the cafeteria. As soon as he glanced their way, a huge smile spread over Riley’s face. Trevor returned it, happy to see his friend again after such a long absence. Riley styled his hair a bit differently than before, the dark blond now streaked with lighter highlights. He had it all gelled up into a faux hawk. He also had pierced his bottom lip somewhere along the way. It made him look younger and more mischievous than ever. He had a pair of pants on that were so tight, Trevor felt concerned about ball damage and an equally snug t-shirt that inched up to show just a hint of skin. “I missed you guys!” Riley declared before he ran in their direction. He launched himself at Ranger and wrapped his arms and legs around the Wolf. Ranger laughed as he hurried to catch Riley before he fell. A few of the felines and Hawks milling around 101


stopped to watch the show. “We missed you, too,” Trevor said. Riley untangled himself from Ranger and ran at Trevor, only to stop a few feet away. He backed up, his nose scrunching up. “No offense, Trev, but you smell funky.” Trevor lifted an arm and gave an experimental sniff. All he detected were his hand Shane’s combines scents. “Like what?” “I don’t know, but it’s setting my Eagle on edge.” Riley shrugged. “It’s probably Shane. Even a bird knows that guy’s dangerous,” Ranger stated, for the first time showing some of his old bossy I’m-the-leader-ofthis-gang attitude. “Shane isn’t dangerous,” Trevor automatically defended. “Bull, I heard about the way he sliced those snakes up and left one of their heads on display,” Ranger countered. “He played around with their body parts?” Riley asked, his face growing pale. “Just the head and he told me he only did that to warn the others away. So if you look at it from his point of view, he was giving the rest of the snakes a chance to run away,” Trevor pointed out. Why was it everyone, even his best friends, insisted on only seeing the bad in Shane? “How very noble of him,” Ranger drawled. 102

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“You just don’t know him like I do.” When both Ranger and Riley cocked a brow at him, Trevor growled in frustration. “You guys were the last ones I thought would pass judgment. All of us have done things in the past we’re not proud of.” “Yeah, but none of us have a kill record that would put Dahmer, Gacy and Kemper to shame,” Ranger returned. “Shane’s not some pitiless serial killer. He’s nice, tender and he worries about me when I’m hurt.” Riley and Ranger both gaped at him for several moments before Ranger accused, “Oh God, you’re in love with the freak.” Rage surged through Trevor and for a moment, he almost struck out. He took several deep breaths as he reminded himself all that Ranger had done for him. Not only had the Wolf given him a home when he’d been living on the streets and dancing for a few bucks, but he’d also told Trevor who he really was. Before Ranger had stumbled on him, Trevor never heard of shifter, let alone dreamed that he could turn into a feline. “He means a lot to me,” Trevor conceded. “You do know he can never return the feelings,” Ranger pressed. “He’s a Leopard and they’re good for only two things, fucking and killing.” 103


While Trevor knew his friend was only telling him all this out of concern, it still pissed him off. Maybe because it was yet another slur against Shane’s character. Or perhaps it was due to the fact that Trevor himself held that very same fear deep down about Shane never being able to care for him. Whatever the reason, it finally snapped his control. With a snarl, he lunged at Ranger. Ranger saw him coming, but it was too late. By the time he could react, Trevor had already tackled him. His momentum carried them through the air, their bodies crashing painfully into a table. Paperwork scattered all over the place, landing at the feet of the accumulating audience. Whenever they’d sparred in the past, Ranger had always come out on top. Not only did he have more training, but he was stronger and had more muscle bulk. This time was different because Trevor had anger on his side and it made for a great ally. Pinning Ranger to the ground, he straddled the Wolf’s hips. Ranger cringed as Trevor brought his fist back, but damn if he cared. All that mattered at that moment was the fact Ranger had dared to speak ill of Shane. Just as Trevor was about to deliver the blow, a set of strong arms wrapped around his chest and hauled him off. Trevor let out a feline sounding snarl as he struggled to get away. Whoever had him in their 104

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hold didn’t seem affected by his struggles. Trevor found himself being dragged away from the scene that now looked a damn mess. It wasn’t until they were to the small office that housed the main computers for the coalition that Trevor realized who’d pulled him away. “Let me go, Carson.” “Not until you get your fangs and claws back in,” Carson replied as stubborn as ever. Damn, him! And to think there’d been a time where Trevor actually thought he liked the jerk. He started to struggle again, earning a warning thump to the back of his head. “Calm down, kitten, or else I’m going to have to cage you.” Carson shoved him into the room and locked the door. Recovering, Trevor turned around to face the Cheetah. As usual, Carson’s dyed black hair hung over his kohl-lined eyes. Dressed in the same dark coalition uniform as the rest of them, Carson added his own embellishments by wearing chains and spikes, too. Instead of finding the usual admiration he had for Carson for having the guts to be his own feline, Trevor held contempt for the jerk. Trevor would be willing to bet that if it had been the Cheetah’s mate who’d been disrespected, he would have done the same damn thing that Trevor had been about to do before he’d been so rudely interrupted. Carson pointed to a chair and ordered, “Sit.” 105


“Fuck off, “Trevor snarled. “Oh, the kitten has some bite in him. I think hanging out with Shane has rubbed off on you.” He pointed to the chair again. “Now sit your ass down and shut the hell up.” The petulant child in Trevor wanted to disobey, but he knew Carson would only force the issue. Trevor still shot off a dirty look, just so his displeasure was clearly known. “Why did you drag me in here?” “Because I wasn’t about to stand by and watch you throw a good friendship out the window because Ranger said a few mean things about your boyfriend,” Carson replied as he leaned against the desk, his arms crossing over his chest. “How is that any business of yours?” “Maybe it’s not, but I’d like to think we’re buddies and I don’t want to see you make another mistake.” “Why is everyone suddenly so interested in my life?” Trevor burst out. “Since you started playing a very, seriously, fucked up, deadly game.” “Leave Shane out of this,” Trevor snarled, claws popping out of the tips of his fingers and digging into the chair. “That’s just it, I can’t.” “I don’t get why the whole frigging coalition has to get involved with this. First I have Kevin 106

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telling me to leave Shane alone so I don’t end up hurting him and next I have Ranger and you telling me that Shane’s some evil monster. Why can’t everyone leave us alone?” “Because if you don’t watch it, you can get yourself killed,” Carson snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Shane would never hurt me!” Trevor yelled back. “He’s a Leopard and it’s in their nature. If you keep messing around with him, eventually you’re going to get burned.” “He’s not like that.” “Get this straight, you can use a Leopard in a mission, you can send him out to kill for you. Hell, you can even fuck one. The one thing you can never, ever do is trust one. Leopards by nature are cold, emotionless and psychotic. They were made with one purpose and that was to destroy others. So whatever you do, don’t turn your back on one and you sure as hell don’t fall in love with one of the batshit, crazy loons.” By the time Carson reached the end of that speech, all the venom had left his voice. He reached out and gently grabbed Trevor’s shoulder. “I was the one who did all the research on lost shifters so I know about your childhood and how crappy they treated you.” “So?” Trevor grunted, his gut churning with so many emotions he couldn’t even begin to sort 107


them out. “After all that, nobody could blame you for looking for scraps of affection. Why do you think you fucked around so much? It was because you were desperate for somebody to care about you and now you’ve transferred that need to Shane.” Trevor jerked away from Carson’s hold. “If I wanted a shrink, I’d go to one. I sure as hell wouldn’t come to the one person in the coalition who’s more fucked up than me.” Not waiting for Carson to respond, Trevor jumped to his feet and stormed from the room. His intention was to find Ranger so he could finish kicking his ass. Instead, he caught Shane just as he was walking into the building. Shane wore his dark cloak and moved through the building with a fluid grace that looked both beautiful and deadly at the same time. Although he had the hood up, Trevor could still make out every delicious curve of the man’s profile, from his thick lashes to the swell of his soft lips. His short swords were strapped to his sides and Trevor shivered as he remembered the damage the weapons were capable of when wielded by Shane’s hands. Then Trevor allowed his gaze to drift over the other shifters in the vicinity and his gut boiled with a fresh dose of rage. All the looks of disgust, hatred and fear that were leveled at Shane felt like 108

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a blade in Trevor’s chest. How dare they treat him that way? Didn’t they realize the danger Shane put himself into day after day, just to carry out Mitchell’s orders and to protect the rest of the coalition? If anything, they should be bowing at Shane’s feet and thanking him, not acting as if he were the devil himself. Trevor’s heart broke as he thought about how Shane had faced all this alone. Nobody stood by his side as all those awful looks were thrown his way. Just like on all his missions, Shane had been forced to face all the hostility without anyone backing him up. Not anymore, because now he has me. Mind made up, Trevor straightened his spine and marched over to Shane. If he had to rudely push through some of the rude felines to get there, Trevor was going to be damned if he’d care. He didn’t stop until he was standing in front of Shane. This time it was Shane who had a smear of blood on his cheek. Trevor reached up and attempted to wipe it away with his thumb. He only ended up streaking it more, but the intent had been there. Shane stilled, his head tilting to the side in the way Trevor had come to realize meant the Leopard was confused over something. Trevor only smiled in return as he pressed one of his palms on Shane’s chest. 109


“Hey, I missed you,” Trevor said, savoring the sensation of Shane’s heartbeat. “We were together only a few hours ago,” Shane replied in a toneless voice. Just a day before, Trevor would have been put off by that tone. Now he realized that it was Shane’s way of putting up a barrier between himself and the rest of the world. “It was still way too long. Already I’m aching for you to fuck me again,” Trevor replied in an overly loud voice. Not giving Shane time to reply, Trevor cupped the back of his head and brought him in for a kiss Trevor made sure it wasn’t a chaste number either. He used plenty of tongue and moaning to get his point across to all the gawkers. He’s mine and I don’t care what he is. Shane stilled at first, then after a couple passes of Trevor’s tongue, the Leopard got into it. Letting out a loud snarl, he grabbed Trevor by the hips and picked him up. Reacting purely on instinct, Trevor wrapped his legs around Shane’s waist. Another growl rumbled from Shane’s chest before he slammed Trevor’s back against a wall. Trevor let out a grunt of pain that was muffled by Shane’s thrusting tongue. That only seemed to encourage Shane because he groaned before he broke off the kiss and began to lick his way down Trevor’s neck. 110

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Trevor had heard of guys going all Alpha, but up until that moment, he’d never experienced it before. The way Shane threaded the fingers of one hand through Trevor’s hair to tug. How he nipped at Trevor’s exposed throat. With every thrust that sent their bodies rubbing together. It all screamed of dominance and ownership and Trevor drank it all in. At that moment, Shane could have commanded anything and Trevor would have happily obeyed. The Leopard could have ordered Trevor to drop and suck him off and he would have complied without hesitation. In fact that thought was so forefront in Trevor’s sex addled mind that when Shane finally did pull away, Trevor fell to his knees in front of the man. Looking up from under his lashes, Trevor let out a soft whimper as he waited for Shane’s reaction. Would he be pleased? Angry? Disgusted by Trevor’s slutty behavior? For the longest time, Shane just gazed back, his expressionless face making it impossible for Trevor to guess what he may be thinking. Even though they had a room full of witnesses, Trevor let out another whimper as he leaned forward and rubbed his cheek against Shane’s thigh. He heard someone in the crowd utter a fuck, but the voice was thick with lust instead of sharp with disgust. While Trevor wanted to look at their 111


audience to gauge their reaction, he didn’t dare take his gaze off Shane. Not because he feared the shifter, but because Trevor felt he couldn’t move until he knew his actions had pleased the other man. “Good, Panther,” Shane praised as he reached down to caress Trevor’s cheek. Trevor let out a noise that sounded almost like a purr as he pressed his face into Shane’s touch. The fight with Ranger, the argument with Carson, none of it mattered anymore. Not when he had the knowledge that he’d pleased Shane. “Mine,” Trevor declared as he continued to rub against Shane’s hand. While that declaration was made in a much softer voice, there was still no way the other felines could miss it. He waited for somebody to voice an objection, but for once, everyone kept their damn yaps shut. “Yes, I’m yours. Just like your mine,” Shane agreed as he gazed down at Trevor. Trevor closed his eyes, finally content that maybe…just maybe Shane wouldn’t throw him away after all.

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Chapter Nine

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hane was well aware of crowd gathered around them and all the shocked expressions. None of it mattered though as he gazed down at Trevor. While he’d had plenty of guys kneeling at his feet before, some to suck him off, others to beg for their lives, not one of them came close to presenting the image that Trevor currently did. From the way his hair stuck up on one end from Shane tugging it, to his kiss swollen lips and the raw lust darkening his eyes, Trevor was the perfect example of sex and submission. His cock, which had already been semi-hard at first glance of Trevor, swelled fully to life as arousal soared through his body. He didn’t know what’d prompted Trevor to put on the very public show, but Shane more than approved. Growling low in his throat, Shane reached down and grabbed Trevor by the front of his shirt, jerking the Panther to his feet. A satisfied smirk 113


crossed Trevor’s lips before Shane captured that mouth into another hot kiss. They made out for a few moments before Shane pulled away and took Trevor’s hand. Not sparing the rest of the group a glance, Shane led Trevor into a nearby supply room. Letting go of Trevor’s hand, Shane shut and locked the door behind them before turning back to the other man. The room was small and reeked of cleaning supplies, but that barely registered as Trevor dropped to his knees again. “Need your cock,” Trevor declared the words in a near groan as he reached up and fumbled with Shane’s zipper. Trevor was so jacked up that his hands shook so Shane reached down to help him, even going so far as to take his own cock out. Trevor parted his lips in offering and Shane took advantage, feeding his dick into the Panther’s hot, wet mouth. “Fuck, yes. You’re so damn good at this,” Shane hissed as Trevor began to suck him off. The Panther looked up from under the fringe of his dark bangs, the look of utter and complete submission still stamped in those green eyes. There was also a little spark that let Shane know Trevor relished the praise. So Shane reached down and ran his thumb along one of Trevor’s arched cheekbones, “You please me.” While he never stopped sucking, Trevor made a 114

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pleased noise around Shane’s cock. The sounds sent vibrations shooting up Shane’s shaft, ripping a groan from his throat. While he could have stayed there all day and let Trevor worship his dick, Shane knew they only had moments before they were interrupted. He pulled a small packet of lube from his front pants pocket before ordering, “Lower your pants so I can see your sweet ass.” Trevor released Shane’s cock and went higher on his knees, then clumsily jerked his pants open and down. He only lowered them to the mid-thigh area, but it was enough for what Shane had planned. Handing Trevor the lube, Shane issued his next command, “Start sucking me off again, but get your ass ready for me at the same time.” “Fuck, me” Trevor breathed, his breath quickening as he took the packet. “That’s exactly what I have planned,” Shane teased. Trevor took the package and ripped it open with his teeth. “That’s it, babe, get them good and slick,” Shane crooned as he watched Trevor squeeze the thick liquid over his fingers. “Now take me back into your mouth.” Trevor obeyed, his mouth opening greedily to suck in Shane’s cock. At the same time, Trevor reached behind his back and started to play with his own hole. Shane felt torn between two images 115


that were equally erotic. First, the way Trevor’s lips were so perfectly stretched around cock, then the site of Trevor’s fingers pumping in and out of his ass. “That’s right, get yourself good and stretched for my cock,” Shane moaned as he fisted one hand in Trevor’s thick, dark hair. Shane gave out a loud groan that doubtless carried through the door as he began to make shallow thrusts into Trevor’s sweet mouth. His cock ached for him to plunge all the way into the moist heat, but Shane knew if he did things would be ending before he a had a turn at Trevor’s ass and that just wouldn’t do. Shane wanted it all and he wasn’t going to be satisfied by half-measures. When even the half-assed thrusting became too much, Shane pulled his cock free. Trevor let out a whimper of disappointment that made Shane smile. He loved how his Panther never had problems with letting his needs be known. “Stand up and face the wall,” Shane ordered, spitting on the palm of his hand and slicking up his cock. Trevor got to his feet, his movements awkward because his pants were still around his thighs. He managed though and soon faced the plain, white wall of the storeroom, his ass tilted out invitingly. Shane couldn’t resist running a hand over the smooth globe. Trevor looked over his shoulder, 116

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his eyes pleading with Shane. “No, I want to hear you say it,” Shane said as he gave Trevor’s ass a firm smack. Heat instantly blossomed over the tender flesh, a nice red coloring staining the pale skin. “Say what?” Trevor asked, an impish grin coming over his face. When Shane gave him two more hard spanks in response, Trevor threw his head back with a hiss of pleasure. “Don’t make me ask again,” Shane warned, his hand coming down for a third tap. This time, Trevor thrust his ass back to meet the blow halfway. His hard cock jutted out in front of him, leaving a wet trail of pre-cum on the wall. Shane reached around and began to fist it. Just as he sensed Trevor reaching the edge, Shane abruptly pulled his hand away. “Damn, you,” Trevor all but snarled, but Shane could see the look of passion still burned in the Panther’s eyes. Giving Trevor’s ass another slap, Shane ordered, “Say it.” Trevor gave a small sound of arousal before begging, “Fuck me. Please, Shane, fuck me, hard.” “Good, Panther,” Shane praised. He put one hand in the center of Trevor’s back to still him while using the other to grab his own cock. Lining it up to Trevor’s stretched ass, Shane 117


plunged in with one hard thrust. They both cried out in passion, probably alerting everyone on the other side of the door to just what was going on in the room. As if they couldn’t have already figured it out after the kneel-and-submit act Trevor had put on for the whole coalition. “You do realize that after that stunt you pulled, everyone is going to know for certain who you belong to,” Shane said as he began to fuck Trevor with hard, punishing thrusts. “I want them to know,” Trevor panted, his words punctuated by Shane’s cock plunging in and out of him. “Why?” “Because I love you,” Trevor nearly yelled at the same time he came, his spunk painting the wall in front of him. I love you. Three little words that Shane never dreamed he’d hear, but yet they sounded so right coming from Trevor’s mouth. Somehow, twisted fuck that he was, Shane still managed to have someone who cared for him. Not because they were raised together, or out of some sense of obligation, but by free choice. Shane felt humbled. He felt elated. He felt finally free to let Trevor know he felt the same way, too. Gripping Trevor by the shoulder, Shane thrust into him a few more times before he finally had 118

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the courage to confess, “I love you.” Trevor looked over his shoulder and that proved to be Shane’s undoing. The expression of pure bliss and calm on the man’s face shot right to Shane’s cock. Roaring Trevor’s name, a hard orgasm hit Shane. He continued to thrust into Trevor the entire time, not stopping until the last wave of pleasure had rolled from his body. Even then Shane didn’t pull his cock out, he simply let his face fall to rest on the nape of Trevor’s neck. At that moment Shane realized that he was finally complete. That a piece of himself that he never knew had been missing was now filled. How that had happened went against everything that Shane knew about himself and Leopards, yet there was no denying it. He’d fallen completely and totally in love with his Panther and nothing was ever going to change that. Pressing a kiss to Trevor’s sweat-soaked skin, Shane said, “I meant it, too, babe. Even though it shouldn’t be possible, I love you.” Trevor made a happy sound. “And I meant it, too. I love you…all of you. That includes the Leopard and your occasional cranky moods.” Shane laughed, only Trevor would call homicidal urges cranky. “Does this mean I can start leaving the heads of my kills on your doorstep?” “Our doorstep. Because if I have my way, you’ll 119


be moving in with me by the end of the day,” Trevor pointed out before adding, “I’d prefer not to find any body parts on my front porch. If you want to strip your kills of their weapons and bring them home to me, that’s a different story. I’m always looking for a new gun.” “I’ll try to remember that,” Shane said with a chuckle. Pulling out, he gave Trevor’s already reddened ass another smack. “Get dressed. I have a feeling that we have some people waiting to talk to us.” **** As they walked out Trevor felt a flush come over his face when several knowing smirks where thrown their way. Earlier, when he’d knelt in front of Shane, it’d felt like the right thing to do. Now however, under the scrutiny of all those gazes, Trevor wondered if maybe he’d been a bit hasty in his decision. Not the first time that’s happened. Trevor realized that he should probably resign himself to the fact that he’d probably always be getting into trouble because of his impulsive ways. He glanced up at Shane, who stood close by his side. Maybe it was good that he had his tough, collected Leopard around to bail him out now. When Trevor spotted Ranger standing by Riley, 120

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guilt sliced into him as he recalled the way he’d basically gone kamikaze on his friend. Trevor opened his mouth to apologize. Ranger held up a hand. “No, I’m the one who should be saying all of the I’m sorry’s. I should have never said those things about Shane. It’s obvious you guys mean a lot to each other.” Riley snorted. “Yeah, it’s very obvious. You guys were so loud, I think the Wolf pack on the other side of the city heard you two going at it.” Trevor would have blushed had it not been for Shane grabbing onto his hand. The move was casual. Something Trevor had seen other mates do countless times, but it was a first for him. Before Shane, guys would just use Trevor to get off and then they’d walk away without once looking back. Now that he had Shane, of all shifters showing a PDA with him, it made Trevor feel warm inside. “Shane, I know you’ve met Ranger before. The other mouth is Riley,” Trevor said. “Ah, so this is the Eagle that everyone is talking about,” Shane titled his head as he studied Riley. “A connection on the black market offered me two million if I could manage to get you away from Mitchell.” Riley squirmed under Shane’s probing stare. “What did you tell them?” “I didn’t tell them anything. I just killed him for being a threat to the coalition.” 121


“Oh.” Riley’s mouth formed an O. “Thanks, then…I guess.” “If I had known you were so important to Trevor, I would have made sure the bastard had suffered first though,” Shane added. Trevor almost laughed. A look or horror and confusion passed over Riley’s pretty-boy face. “That’s very…kind of you to say?” Riley shot Ranger a look, clearly looking for some hint as to what the proper reaction should be. Ranger just smiled back, seeming to take too much enjoyment in Riley’s discomfort to offer any help. “So when does the flying lesson begin?” Trevor asked in hopes of changing the subject. “I think right now,” Riley replied glumly as he pointed to a tall, dark-haired Hawk shifter who was coming their way. “Oh, that’s Colin. He’s the Hawk leader’s younger brother.” Ranger gave a low whistle. “They’re sending the big guns to train you.” “Yay,” Riley replied weakly without one ounce of enthusiasm. For once all his usual playful, flirtatious banter was gone as he stared at Colin. A look of pure fear passed over his soft features as he swallowed loudly. “Shit, he’s acting more scared of Colin than he 122

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was of me,” Shane observed drolly. “Maybe that’s because you’ll just gut me if I piss you off. Colin wants me to actually fly.” Riley finally tore his gaze from the Hawk and shot them an earnest look. “You guys know how I hate heights.” “Which is one of the best ironies that I’ve ever encountered,” Ranger replied. “Riley, you’re late,” Colin said once within talking distance. The Hawk shifter may have been handsome if he currently wasn’t glaring at poor Riley. With dark brown hair styled to perfection, a thin nose and dark eyes, he had a slender build that marked most Hawk shifters. Riley turned several shades paler as he began to nervously fiddle with the hem of his shirt. “I was just on my way to find you.” Colin flicked a disgusted look at the Eagle before he turned his back and began to walk away. When Riley didn’t follow, Colin stopped and glared over his shoulder, “Well, are you coming or not?” “The thing is, sir…” Riley trailed off. Sir? Ranger mouthed to Trevor who was biting his bottom lip to hold in his laughter. He couldn’t think of a time where he’d seen Riley so flustered. “What?” Colin barked. “It looks like it may rain. So perhaps we should 123


put the lesson off for another day? I wouldn’t want you to get wet or anything,” Riley hedged. Colin turned around and walked back over, not stopping until his face was inches away from Riley. “Get this straight, Eagle. The lesson is starting in five minutes and I don’t give a fuck if you’re ready or not. If I have to, I’ll just take you to the roof and throw you over the edge. I’m willing to bet you’d figure out how to fly really quick that way.” Riley stammered. “You wouldn’t…but, that can’t… Mitchell wouldn’t allow it.” Colin gave a feral grin that nearly matched Shane’s when it came to shiver inducing. “Mitchell isn’t here now, is he? Besides, this is bird business and has nothing to do with the cats. Now get your ass in gear before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out.” “Yes, sir,” Riley whispered before he rushed after Colin. The rest of them stood in stunned silence before Ranger said, “You don’t think he’d really throw Riley off the roof, do you?” “No, he wouldn’t dare. What if Riley didn’t fly and fell to his death instead?” Trevor reasoned. “Then they would know that he wouldn’t have made for a good Eagle,” Shane added. Both Ranger and Trevor shot him are-youserious glares, which Shane just shrugged off. He 124

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leaned in and gave Trevor a kiss. “I have to go. I finally have a solid lead on where that damn Cobra is and I’m not going to let him slip away from me this time.” “Good luck with the killing,” Trevor teased in a light voice. After he’d left, Trevor let out a happy sigh. “Isn’t he the best?” Range gave him a glib stare. “If that’s what works for you, I guess. Call me crazy, but I like my guys to be less violent. But hey, if that’s your thing than I’m happy for both of you.” Trevor worked around headquarters for the rest of the day, not getting back to his apartment until it was well into the evening. When he pulled up, he felt a strange pang of disappointment to see that Shane hadn’t arrived home yet. Then Trevor realized that would give him time to make a special dinner and his mood lightened. He loved to cook, but didn’t get the chance to do it that often. Not only was it stupid to waste all that time when it was just for him, but his duties usually kept him way too busy. But since this was their first official day as a mated couple, they had a reason to celebrate and Trevor was determined to make it perfect. He went inside, leaving the lights off as usual. After kicking off his shoes, he made his way to the kitchen. So caught up in his happy thoughts, he 125


didn’t notice it until it was too late—a dark, musky, rank stench that didn’t belong in his apartment. Trevor let out a low rumbling growl as he grabbed for his gun, but he moved too slow. A hand shot out and grabbed his fingers, claws painfully digging into his flesh, instantly drawing blood. Trevor bit back a yelp of pain as he fought the hold. Despite his best attempts, the weapon slipped from his grip and clattered to the ground. “Who the fuck are you?” Trevor demanded, proud that his voice didn’t shake with the fear pounding through his body. He found himself spun around and pinned to the wall. The hand that had been holding his fingers found their way to his throat. Trevor let out a gurgling sound as he was lifted off his feet and the grip on his windpipe tightened. He forced himself to focus on his attacker. Even in the dark, he could make out the sharp, angry features of a tall blond man. With high arched cheekbones and full lips, he may have been pretty if not for the forked tongue that darted out. Trevor shudder as that tongue made a lazy path on his cheek. “Tasty,” the attacker hummed. “Now I know why the Leopard is so into you.” “You,” Trevor gasped with sudden understanding. 126

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His heart hammered even harder as he realized his attacker was the Cobra Shane had been tracking. Somehow the bastard had found where Trevor lived and now the snake was going to take his grudge against Shane out on Trevor and his throat. The grip on his throat grew even tighter. Trevor kicked out uselessly as dark spots began to dance in front of his eyes. Time seemed to drag on forever as he slowly suffocated. A wave of darkness started to overcome him. “The Leopard does have good taste. I think I’m going to take you home with me.” No! Not that! Trevor would rather die than be held captive again. It didn’t look as if he were going to have any say in the matter. Just as he went under, his last coherent thought was, Shane, please find me before it’s too late.

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Author’s Note Now that you’ve read An Assassin’s Touch I can finally let you in on the exciting news. For the first time ever in the Lost Shifter Series, the same couple is getting back-to-back books. I fell so in love with Shane and Trevor that I wanted to give them some more page time. So their story will continue in the next book which will be out soon at eXtasy Books.

About the Author Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book. Contact her at: Email Address:[email protected] Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephaniHecht FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profil &id=1109353859 MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/stephanihecht Blog: http://stephanihechtauthor.blogspot.com

An Assassin's Touch

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