Wolfman 3: Judgment Brannan Black All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Brannan Black
ISBN: 978-1-60521-623-2
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Editor: Margaret Riley
Cover Artist: Bryan Keller
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Wolfman 3: Judgment Brannan Black
Life as we knew it pretty much ended after a virus killed billions. Those men who didn’t die… changed. The media called it Werewolf Syndrome. The world fell apart. Those of us scrounging for survival in the post-apocalyptic devastation have one chance left -- learn to work together, or face extinction. It wasn’t much of a choice. Return to Mace’s den with him, or stay here, alone, with the women -- and the most bigoted redneck in the world. I didn’t count on getting attacked by rabids -- violent, crazy rabids -- or rescuing two slightly less crazy wolfmen and a blind woman. Or ending up back at my mother’s compound. My mother’s a surgeon. With any luck she’ll be able to save the blind woman’s man, Derek. And convince our two factions not to kill one another. And maybe -- just maybe -- find some common ground between us that offers some hope for the future. Because where Mace is concerned, I kind of like the idea of us staying alive…
Chapter One I jerked up in bed, sweat beading my brow, my heart pounding. “Daniel?” Mace stuck his head in from the bathroom. “I’m OK, just had a bad dream.” A fucking nightmare! Tat was tearing Mace apart while the Major and Frank held him down. The rest of the compound just stood around laughing while I tried to get someone to help me stop them. “You still worried about Tat?” He walked back in the bedroom, naked. Fucking sex god naked. Even bandages and a cast looked sexy on him. He’d pulled his hair over one shoulder while he finished braiding it. I wanted to yank the braid back out and wrap my hands in it while I fucked him senseless. “Fuck it, Mace. After all you’ve done to convince everyone you’re a good guy, you really want the whole compound to watch you two try to kill each other?” He stalked over to sit beside me on the bed. That man never just fucking walked. Not like a human, anyway. He moved with an animal grace that never failed to get my cock hard. “There won’t be any trying, Daniel. He put the pack at risk. He lied to Hawk about what I told him and he came within minutes of starting an attack on this compound. I won’t tolerate that.” “Right, and did you forget you have one arm tied behind your back, so to speak?” I rapped my knuckles against his cast. “It’s healed enough for your mother to remove it. I can and will take Tat down, Daniel. Don’t ever doubt that.” His eyes glowed brightly to match the deep growl in his voice. “Fuck, Mace. Don’t pull that show no weakness crap with me. We both know you’re not one hundred percent. And you said your first fight was close. You won’t have Slade or Hawk to watch your back. Don’t do this.”
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He stepped up and cupped my cheek with his palm. “I have to, Daniel. He challenged me, and most of the pack knows it.” He shrugged and let out a deep breath. “I take him down now or face even more challengers. And they won’t wait for me to heal, either. Besides, I’ve got you watching my back.” His sly wink had me wondering just what he meant by that. In a dog pack, caveman sort of way I understood why he had to face Tat. And I fucking hated it. Images from my dreams cooled the heat in my cock. Mace leaned against me, his naked body pressing mine back into the bed. “I know you’re just trying to distract me.” I arched a brow at him and leaned away. He mirrored my moves. “Umm, you sure that’s all?” I chuckled. “Fucking horny wolfman.” I tried to crawl out the other side of the bed. “We’ve got shit to do, starting with breakfast.” His strong grip held me in place while he crawled over me, pinning me with his weight. His hands trailed down, teasing through my chest hair. He slid his thigh between mine, pressing and rubbing the underside of my balls. “Mace…” I promptly forgot what I was going to say as his tongue danced across the hard peak of my nipple and a hand stroked down my reemerging hard on. “Exactly.” He punctuated each word with a hot, sucking kiss lower down my belly and a firm stroke of my cock. “What. I. Had. In. Mind!” By the time he placed a kiss on the broad head, I was hard, eagerly thrusting up to meet his mouth as it closed around me. I moaned, hands gripping the sheets, my legs pinned by his heavy frame. He rocked his hips, thrusting his hot cock between my legs. “Turn around,” I choked out, tugging at him. He raised his head, a quizzical look on his face. “Turn around so I can suck that beast of yours.” His eyebrows shot up and a grin stretched his face. He swapped positions, crouching over me. Wrapping a hand around him, I licked the head of his dick, down under the rim.
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He moaned around my cock, the vibration tingling up my spine. He sucked me down deeper and I groaned my pleasure around his. His hips rocked in time with his head bobbing up and down my length, sucking so hard I felt like I would turn inside out. I held on to his hips, letting him fuck my mouth as he sucked me off. His big body quivered with the strain of holding back. I’d never known him not to come before me, at least the first time. My balls drew up tight. Heat pulsed down my cock with each pull. Nearly mindless, I struggled to focus attention on him. Make it as good for him. “Unngghhh!” Hot come pulsed into Mace’s mouth just moments before his moaning whine rumbled up along with his jiz. I swallowed around his cock, trying like hell not to choke as waves of pleasure rolled through me. Mace collapsed off to the side, breathing hard and smiling. “See, arm’s fine.” I made the mistake of rolling toward him. Pain shot from my shoulder sharp enough to take my breath. I flopped back. “How nice for you,” I groaned out. Fucking beast! It would take the gunshot wound on my shoulder weeks to heal. His fucking crushed arm was good to go in a day? It sucked to be me, or at least to be human. I never kept much food in my place so we headed down to the big house once we were dressed. Angie and Kim were sitting on the small porch at the foot of the stairs to my loft. The day looked clear but had a serious chill to it. “Morning ladies. Afraid we’ll get lost on the way to breakfast?” I was in no mood for their shit. Angie snorted. “Just following orders. The council’s, not the Major’s.” She had her hands in her pockets, and one hung heavy, no doubt weighed down with her Glock. Kim rested her hand on her holstered gun and fell in behind us. Keeping her coat open couldn’t be a lot of fun this morning. That little mean streak of mine hoped she was freezing. Mace glanced over his shoulder, zeroing in on the one open window on the top floor of the barracks. “And whose order is she following?” I snorted rudely. “Do we even have to ask? Fucking bitch.”
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Angie shook her head no. “Major’s been locked up with Chris and Anna until the council decides what to do with them. Whoever that is, she’s on her own.” “I thought Chris and Anna were on their way out already? For bringing guns to the meeting yesterday.” Angie shot me a hard glance. “Death penalty for obeying their commander? We both know that’s what getting kicked out of the compound means. The council thinks that’s a bit harsh.” I shook my head. “They knew the consequences up front. It’s still Mom’s house. The council has no right to overrule her.” Angie chuckled. “You never have understood politics or even human nature. It’s not that easy, but your mom can handle it.” We reached the porch and went in, heading straight for the kitchen. Mom stood at the stove fixing breakfast. Eggs, biscuits and gravy with a bit of sausage in it. We’d managed to store a fair amount of flour and last year even harvested a fresh crop of winter wheat. There were some decided advantages to setting up on a ranch that already had pigs, chickens and cows. Although most of the cows didn’t make the first few winters. We didn’t have enough hay to feed them when the snow got too deep for them to forage. Pigs were a lot easier as long as they didn’t get too cold. They eat anything and everything, great recyclers. Mace’s eyes lit up and he inhaled deeply. “Damn, that smells good!” He offered Mom a smile that she returned freely. She handed him a plate already heaped with food and took one for herself to the table. Guess I had to serve myself. And I’d been worried she didn’t like him? “Eat up, I want to change your bandages before your friends arrive. And you might want to spend some time with Jeremy. Your lesson in manners has worn off completely.” Mace nodded and spoke around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “To be expected. Before I deal with him, though, I need you to remove these bandages, the stitches, and the cast.”
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“That cast isn’t going anywhere, Mace. I am quite sure you’re not that healed up.” Mom gave him her sternest look. I poured myself some of the herbal tea we grew. I took a sip and grimaced. “What’s the matter, Daniel? That stuffs pretty good.” Mace grinned and winked at me. “It’s not coffee! That’s what’s the matter.” Mom clucked her tongue. “It’s been how many years since we’ve had coffee? And you’re still whining about it.” Mace chuckled, a self-satisfied look crossing his face as he shoveled in another bite. I smirked. “I had coffee every morning at the den.” Her eyes flew wide. “Where’d they find coffee?” Mace shrugged. “In a warehouse. We took it all and stored it with the rest of the supplies in our basement.” “Oh? How do you keep the bugs and mice out of it?” “Food goes in one of the walk-in freezers. They don’t work except to keep vermin out and stabilize the temperature. And we seal everything in plastic or metal containers.” A grin twisted the edges of his lips. Mom, Angie and Kim stared at me like they couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t help my smug tone. “They have a fu-- ah, damn shopping mall in the basement. Clothes, blankets and shit all sealed up. They must have cleaned out half the city.” I wondered who’d had the foresight not only to grab all that stuff but store it properly, too. Mace snickered. “No, just our territory. Keeps the scavengers from stealing it.” His gaze locked on Mom’s. She nodded and returned to eating. Her voice sounded casual but her question was anything but. “Are there parts of the city that haven’t been claimed?” Mace chewed thoughtfully. “Some, mostly on the edges or where there’s nothing worth fighting over. But I don’t think that’s going to last much longer. More packs are
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getting organized all the time and there’s less stuff lying around that’s still worth having. Rodents have proliferated now that most of the cats and dogs are gone.” I snorted. Eaten by rabids, most likely. I briefly wondered if any of that mystery meat in the den’s stew had been someone’s pet. Or a rat, eww! Wolfmen weren’t picky about what they ate as far as I knew. As soon as we’d finished our quick meal, Mom hustled us over to the clinic. She waved Mace to the exam table. “Take your shirt off and have a seat.” She didn’t say anything about how healed Mace looked but I could see it in her face. The smaller bruises had vanished. The gunshot wounds looked weeks, maybe even months old with little scaring. Even his face looked almost normal, just a bit mottled with the last of the bruising. Mace arched a brow at her and flashed a magnanimous smile. “You do nice work. Now how about this cast?” “No way even you could heal a break that bad this fast. Especially since you wouldn’t let me put any pins in.” I couldn’t imagine how Mace had convinced her not to. She didn’t even have any bite marks. “Like I told you, the pins would’ve caused problems when I healed over them. I’ve seen it. Now, the cast?” His steady gaze met Mom’s in a duel of wills. A brief urge to sell tickets hit me. This could be better than a prize fight. “This is not needed and it makes me slow in a fight. It has to go, now.” Mom pursed her lips and crossed her arms. “Planning on picking a fight?” “Tat’s challenged my authority for the last time. If he sees me hobbled like this, he won’t just try to defeat me, he’ll try to kill me.” “Then we’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t get the chance,” she tossed back with all the arrogance of years in charge. Mace snarled and his eyes took on that eerie glow. I had to give Mom credit, she didn’t twitch or even blink. Without breaking his glare, he raised his good hand and sliced into the cast with a claw.
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Mom grabbed Mace’s hand, earning a snarl and snap from him. This time she did flinch, but still held on. “Don’t give me that! You are not clawing your cast off!” She shoved his hand away. “Then you take it off, but I am not greeting my pack like this!” Mace’s lips curled back to show his fangs. Mom remained as unmovable as the Rocky Mountains. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him her fiercest stubborn look. Mace growled louder with his fangs in full display. “Would you two kids play nice?” They both turned on me, Mom’s eyes wide with shock before narrowing in anger. Mace just growled louder at me. “Daniel Baker, you do not speak to your mother that way.” Arrogant surgeons had been known to blanch at that tone. Long years of practice let me keep the wincing inside. I arched a brow. “Then stop with the pissing contest. Tat will be here any minute. There’s no time for this shit.” First I poke the bear, then I tease it. Fucking stupid, Daniel. Mace’s angry yellow gold eyes locked on me. Snake quick he had me by the shoulder, a growl rumbling louder from his chest. I shifted my gaze to the floor and then out the side of my eyes to Mom. I think she finally got it and backed away. Several tense heartbeats passed before he spoke, a deep growl distorting his words. “Get this thing off my arm. Now.” He let me go and swung around to face Mom. Fuck, he was on edge this morning. Thank God the door flew open before they started round two. “Sounds like someone’s in a bad mood this morning.” Angie swaggered in. “The truck’s pulling up to the gate. Should we let them in?” Mom’s terse words sliced through the tension filled air. “Just inside the gate will be fine.” Mace snarled his agreement. Angie backed out the door and fled down the hall in a flash. I couldn’t blame her. I’d run too if I could get away with it. Instead, I got to play referee. Lucky me.
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“Mom, please, just cut it off. He’s a big boy and knows the risks.” She frowned at me. She was gonna making me fucking beg. “Please, for me?” Mom sighed heavily, looking at Mace’s arm. “If you break it again, I’m not fixing it.” She opened a drawer and retrieved the cast saw. “Hold still, this will hurt if that bone hasn’t healed enough. I’d feel better if we’d put the pins in.” Mace sat back on the exam table and rested his arm on the tray Mom pushed toward him. His face showed no sign of discomfort as she cut it off, not that it meant anything. He wouldn’t show pain even if it was killing him. Once done, she carefully palpated the well healed scars from the surgery. Her brows knit down in a frown. “Hmm, feels pretty solid. Any pain?” “Only when you squeeze it really hard.” Mace sounded slightly irritated. It wasn’t like him to be so touchy. I’d bet he was as concerned about confronting Tat as I was. And that wasn’t a good sign. Mom clipped out the wound staples she’d put in without another word. Her pursed lips showed her disapproval perfectly well. As soon as she finished, Mace drew his shirt on, ignoring the denim jacket I’d found to replace his ruined leather one. Angie waited just inside the clinic door, eyes on the truck and a single barrel twelve gauge in her hand. I grabbed it from her as I hobbled after Mace. The chances of killing wolfmen with a shotgun weren’t high, but it’d sure knock them on their ass. Hell, hit them right and they’d need to grow new legs. Could they do that? That would be fucking insane. The truck sat just inside the front gate, engine off. Three wolfmen leaned against it. Tat had his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. The early morning light highlighted the tattoos on his bald head and bare arms. Didn’t these guys feel the cold? He locked his gaze on Mace and stayed there as if he hadn’t a worry in the world. Mace’s body slipped into that deceptively relaxed gait as he crossed the yard. The other two I didn’t know well. Lanky, fair haired Race and black as the ace of spades Spider hung together at the compound with a couple other of the younger adults. They’d never bothered me and I thought they were firmly in Mace’s camp. They
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shifted nervously, moving away from Tat. No doubt they could see the fight coming and wanted no part of it. Tat raked his gaze slowly over Mace. “You’re looking better. How’s the arm?” I couldn’t see his face, but Mace’s voice sounded relaxed, conversational even. “Feels fine. You know how those human women worry about every little scratch.” The other two wolfmen put the truck between them and Tat. It also put them farther from Mace. OK, so maybe they weren’t that firmly in Mace’s camp. Unlike the fight at the den, neither had any supporters backing them. Except me. I wasn’t gonna let Mace down. Tat was on his own. Tat stood, arms loose, a smirk on his face. “If I hadn’t seen what they did to you before they brought you here, I might believe that. Those bullet holes have got to hurt still.” Mace shrugged and planted himself loosely in front of Tat. “And yet you still put the pack at risk rather than face me yourself. You lied to Hawk and nearly started a fight we didn’t need. Did you even think how many of our own might die? Do you care?” Tat stood fully. “A true leader does what’s necessary to protect the pack. Even if that means losses.” Mace snorted. “Uh huh, and if I just happened to get killed in the process, so much the better for you. Planning on Hawk accidentally taking one in the head? That would make it real easy for you to step in, wouldn’t it?” If he weren’t such a dick, I’d love to play poker with Tat. His face gave away everything. Fucking bastard had been plotting to get Mace killed. I spared a glance at the other two wolfmen. They both looked shocked and angry. Either way this played out, now the pack would know how far Tat would go to be leader. Would it matter in a world where the strongest ruled? Tat spit at Mace’s feet. “You still aren’t fit to lead this pack! You all but cower in front of these humans. You’re weak without your betas to back you. The pack deserves a real alpha leader. Someone strong enough to protect the pack, strong enough to defeat
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our enemies.” His gaze never wavered, but a slight hand gesture made it clear who he meant. The compound in general, and Mom in particular. Mace snorted. “And you think that’s you? I proved you wrong twice already.” Tat growled and moved into the open, clawed hands open and tense, ready to strike. They started to circle. I pumped the shotgun once, the sound echoing in the suddenly silent yard. “Back off, both of you.” Mace and Tat froze. “This isn’t your den. You won’t be doing this here.” I stared straight at Tat, locking my gaze to his. He growled and took a step toward me. A single puff of dirt by his foot and the crack of a rifle froze him. I arched a brow and smiled with false sweetness. Mace turned his angry glowing eyes on me. His lips twisted up to show all his fangs and his growl deepened. I hadn’t seen that much anger directed at me for a while. Maybe ever. He stalked toward me without a word. That fight or flight instinct I’m supposed to have? Locked up like a PC with the blue screen of death, a lifetime ago. He stopped with the end of the barrel jammed into his chest. “If you’re going to shoot me, you should have done it before now, chosen.” His voice sounded a lot more human than the look on his face. I dropped my gaze. If he felt the need to put me in my fucking place here, it would get real ugly, real fast. Mom wouldn’t sit by and allow it. Shit, whoever had that rifle could splatter his brains all over me. So fucking not good! He took a step to the side and wrenched the shotgun out of my hands. I winced as pain shot from my shoulder. “Don’t you lay a hand on him, Mace. This is my den and that is my son.” Of course Mom had to say something. Couldn’t she see I was handling it? Mace leaned close, speaking for my ears alone. “Not what I had in mind when I asked you to watch my back. You know you’re gonna pay for this later.” I glanced over at him just in time to see that predatory look turn to lust. Shit, maybe I couldn’t handle it. A slight smile twisted his lips when he focused on my suicide cock thickening in my jeans.
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Mace handed the shotgun to Mom. Tat stood there with a triumphant smirk on his lips and death in his eyes. I had no doubt he’d attack Mace the first chance he got. “We can finish this discussion later. Right now, we need to get the kid out of here.” Mace turned his back on Tat without even a glance. He might as well have slapped him. Leaving his back open showed just how little he feared Tat. Tat’s eyes narrowed, and fury suffused his face. For a few tense heartbeats, I thought he would jump Mace from the back. His gaze swept around to every gun pointed his way, then back to me. He snarled. “When I’m done with him, you’re next, brain boy.” He stomped off to lean sullenly against the cab of the truck. Several women kept a close watch on him. “Uh, Mace,” Spider spoke hesitantly, “the truck’s running on fumes.” Mace paused before turning to face me. “So, Daniel, where’s the fuel?” Mom snorted. “I’m the one you should be asking. And frankly, why would I give you any?” She faced him with that stubborn set to her chin. “I’ve been giving that some thought.” Mace and Mom both turned to me. “Why don’t we get out of this fu… freezing wind and talk about it.” I shifted slightly, taking the weight off my still healing leg. Mom’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then she nodded. “The council should join us inside. The rest of you can wait in the truck.” Her gaze pinned Tat. He snarled and she cocked a brow in clear challenge. Tat might be an ass, but he wasn’t stupid enough to make a move with a dozen guns pointed his way. He let his gaze drift to the ridgeline. His lips twitched like he was holding back a smile. Fucking son of a bitch! How many snipers did he have up there? Was he still trying to start something that would get Mace killed? That’d be a real trick with his ass in the line of fire. The ends of his lips curled in a sneer, his yellow eyes full of challenge, but I refused to be intimidated. I left him scowling at my back as I strode to the house. OK, I fucking limped. Stupid crutch spoiled the effect completely.
Chapter Two We gathered in the dining room again. Lindsey set out a pitcher of water and glasses. Mace took the same chair he had before, back to the window. I glanced out and saw the weak morning sun glint off the barrel still poking out of the upper floor of the barracks. “Can we get the fucking sniper out of that window? I think it’s safe to say Mace isn’t going to go ape shit crazy all of a sudden.” I glared at the offending window. “Or at least have them point it at Tat.” The entire council, except for Jill, turned to look. Mom scowled and walked over to open a window and hollered out. “Whoever you are, you’d better back off and shut that window now, or I swear you will join the others.” The window slammed shut and a curtain was yanked across it. “Now, how about you pull your snipers off my ridge?” She crossed her arms and turned her glare on Mace. Mace nodded and joined her at the window. “Race, get back to camp and tell Hawk to pull out. I want everyone ready and waiting at the top of the rise in an hour.” Jill scowled. “And how do we know they’re really leaving?” Mace shrugged. “Send someone with him to make sure if you want, but they better hustle to catch up. He’s fast.” Miss Ellie patted Jill’s knee. “I don’t think we need to worry about that right now. Daniel trusts Mace. That’s good enough for me. Hell, makes him almost like family.” I wasn’t the only one shocked by the older woman’s statement. At seventy-two she was the oldest person in the compound and had been a family friend longer than I’d been alive.
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Ranchers in general, and especially the older ones, weren’t known for their tolerant attitudes about gays. But when I came out, she surprised me by not only accepting it but embracing any man I brought home as a friend. I’d never brought home a guy with fangs before though. Guess it didn’t matter to her. Mom looked around until she spotted Glory and Angie. “Get up on top of the barracks and follow him with the scope. That should put everyone’s mind at ease.” The collective sigh from the crowd didn’t surprise me. It would take time to build any sort of trust. She and Mace returned to their respective chairs. Someone had set a second chair next to Mace’s for me. Sharon Donovan, the Major’s second in command, took the Major’s seat at the table. “So, Mace. You want our ethanol for our truck that you stole,” Jill sneered. “No, we want it for my truck. It was mine long before this ranch was a refuge,” I shot back. “And need I remind you all that I made that still?” “We all remember just what a valuable asset you are to this community,” Kacey weighed in, giving me a long, meaningful look as she spoke. Fuck, was I a bargaining chip now? A smug smile curved Mace’s firm lips. “And your asset was caught stealing in my territory. I wonder, how much of that truckload of stuff do you really need?” Mom nodded. “So you want to trade a tank of fuel for the junk Daniel collected? Hardly fair.” A predatory grin replaced the smugness. “I agree, a single tank is only worth a few of those items. After all, you can make more fuel. There’s only so much junk available.” “That’s assuming we accept the boundaries of your so called territory.” Jill glared arrogantly at Mace. “What right do you have to any of that? No more than anyone else.” He smiled, showing fang. “We claimed and defend our territory just as you do yours. We will continue to do so. If you want it, you’ll have to take it from us. Of course
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if you fail in your attempt, we’ll feel free to claim this compound and everything and everyone in it.” We sat in a strained silence for a few minutes. “So, are you going to make a counter offer?” Kacey sounded less than pleased. “Not without knowing just what it is you want most.” Mace returned to bargaining with an easy shrug. “We have no idea what Daniel found,” Kacey countered. “But you do know what he was looking for. Even if he didn’t find it, we might be able to.” “And after you bring it to us, you get your fuel.” “We need the truck to transport it. Fuel first.” Jill leaned forward. “You expect us to trust you? Get real.” Mace bared his fangs and pinned her with his yellow gold gaze. “Not surprising considering how trustworthy you have proven to be. No, fuel first.” I snorted softly. It was starting to sound like a campy drug deal from a cheap cop show. Next they’d want to meet on a bridge for the hand off. “How’s this,” I interjected before the name calling could start… or the shooting. “They get enough fuel to get to the city and back, then fill it all the way when they bring the pump parts plus the irrigation stuff back.” Mace stared at nothing for a bit. He focused back on Mom. “Except we could use those pump parts, so I think we need more than a tank. We get as much fuel as you have on hand. You get your parts.” Mom shook her head. “It takes resources to produce and we need it too. We could add a couple five gallon jerry cans on top of the refilled tank.” Mace sat back, fixed his gaze on me like I could give him some answer he needed. The rest of the council turned to stare at me as well. “What? Have I got something in my teeth or horns sprouting on my fucking head?”
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“Daniel,” Mom sighed out my name heavily, “I really don’t understand why you have to speak so crudely. Since you have an interest on both sides, does that sound fair?” I wanted to stay fucking neutral here, Mom. Getting caught between my family and my lover did not sound like fun. Frank made a rude noise from his normal place leaning against the doorjamb. “You trust that beast-fucking fag’s opinion? His only interest is getting his fairy ass reamed.” I thought Mom was going to blow a fuse. Her face went still and cold. “You ever speak like that about my son again and I will toss your arrogant butt out that gate.” That controlled tone of hers added well honed steel to her words. He laughed. “Honey, we both know you can’t do that. I’m the last man on earth.” I snorted. “Last I checked, Isaiah and I are still men. Not to mention the wolfmen. What the fu… freak are you doing out of your cage anyway? You nearly started a riot that would have gotten a bunch of folks killed.” Frank shot me a killing glare, his hand subconsciously rubbing his chest where Jeremy had clawed him last night. “I need to get my bandages changed. That thing almost gutted me.” Mom’s lips formed such a tight line they paled. Ignoring Frank’s reply she bit out, “I don’t care. Even if you were truly the last man on earth, I won’t have that kind of talk here.” And where had she been all the other times he’d slammed me? Or had he been smart enough not to do it in front of her? I couldn’t remember either way. Still, she had to have known. I studied her face. Something else was up. She’d always figured I could and should defend myself. Toughen me up, build some backbone. So what the heck was up? “You’d best mind your manners, especially after last night. I warned you that you were on probation and I meant it.” Mom finished with a snarl to rival Mace’s.
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Was that it? Putting the fear of Dr. Sylvia Baker in him? Showing who was boss, just like Mace, only with less growling and blood? Frank paled and wisely shut up. Mom turned to Mace, her face once more a serene mask. “If we have a deal, Daniel can return with the parts. You keep the truck and leave.” Oh, fuck, that was it. The fight over me had begun. “Mom, I’m not being bartered for here.” “But without you, those parts are useless, dear. Besides, we’re your family and this is your home.” If she really wanted me to come back, she needed to stop talking to me like I was a kid. A stupid kid. “Daniel has projects he needs to finish at the den. He stays with us. With me.” Mace’s tone made it clear he wouldn’t give me up without a fight. Mom locked on Mace like a falcon on a mouse. Only Mace was no mouse. “Daniel lives here. He stays here, or you can all walk back to town.” Mace’s eyes narrowed and his lips curled back in a snarl. “Now just a fu… um, damn minute! Don’t I get a say?” Their faces said “No!” but they wisely remained silent. Finally, Mom spoke up. “Daniel, you have no idea how hard it was for me, for us, when you went missing. And to find you alive but all torn up by these… wolfmen? It breaks my heart to think of you forced to endure that kind of treatment. For God’s sake Daniel, they could kill you without a thought.” Mace snorted. “And he has it so much better here.” He turned those yellow gold eyes toward Frank, then back to Mom. “He’s earned his place in the pack. His life is not at risk.” He looked to me with a much warmer gaze and slightly wicked smile. “He owes the pack and we have an agreement. Among other things.” A single cocked brow and that look made it clear what the other things were. Mom blushed but refused to back down. “Whatever you think he owes you, we’ll cover it. Daniel stays with his family.” Mom lifted her chin, jaw set like a mule’s.
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I drew a deep breath and let it out. “Look, you two can argue all you want but I decide what to do with my life. I do have a commitment to Mace.” His triumphant smile was short lived. “But I also have a duty to my family and by extension this compound. You’ll just have to share.” I arched a brow at them both and crossed my arms. I’d learned stubborn from the best. Mom’s lips pursed in disapproval but she knew me well enough to keep quiet. I couldn’t quite read Mace’s expression but he didn’t look exactly thrilled. “That said, have we got a deal for the fuel or do you really want a lot more wolfmen hanging about? The weather’s not getting any better while we’re sitting here.” That put it in perspective for them. Mom looked to each council member for agreement before replying. “Deal. A quarter tank to get to town and back and we top if off after. Plus two jerry cans. And Daniel stays long enough to install the parts.” Mace scowled slightly before replying, “Deal.” I let out a breath. That had gone better than I expected. I had hope things were looking up again. Oddly, that made me fucking nervous. I hung back and caught hold of Angie as the meeting broke up. “Listen,” I whispered, hoping Mace’s sharp hearing wouldn’t pick it up, “I need your help.” She looked shocked. Normally, we didn’t have much use for each other. “Mace plans on fighting it out with Tat.” She snorted. “So?” “Tat keeps challenging Mace but he needs time to heal.” “And that’s my problem how?” “Look, I’ll owe you one. But you’re the only one I know with the balls and aim to do this.” Yeah, now she looked about to faint. “I need you to get between them, threaten first, shoot Tat if you have to.” An evil grin lit her face. “Why don’t I just plug the prick and get it over with?” I let out a breath. “That would make Mace look weak. Better if they just think we don’t want them fighting here.”
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She stared at me for several long minutes. I could feel her refusal coming. All the energy went out of me. I’d have to do it myself, which was going to cause no end of shit with Mace, not to mention his pack. My shoulders sagged. “OK, Daniel, I’ll do my best.” All the sarcasm left her voice and she gave my shoulder a squeeze before walking off.
*** Getting the truck fueled went a hell of a lot quicker than getting Jeremy out. That involved plenty of growling, posturing, and even some slapping him around to keep him in line. Apparently the best entertainment the compound had seen in years, since pretty much everyone hung around watching despite the cold wind. Tat seemed intent on making it as difficult for Mace as possible until Angie planted herself between him and Mace. “You do know I could rip you to pieces before your finger could pull the trigger?” he snarled. “True, but by then Sarah will have blown your brains out.” He glanced at the tiny, black haired sprite with a rifle braced on the porch rail and aimed for a kill shot. He bared his fangs, but backed off. I shook my head and decided to go pack a few things while the kid got his attitude adjusted. By the time I got back with my overnight bag, the wind had picked up and the temperature was dropping fast. Race came to the gate asking for Mace. “Problems?” Mace asked him as soon as they let him inside, guns trained on the dozen or so wolfmen hunkered down in the lee of the hill about twenty yards out. “Storm’s blowing in fast.” He gestured to the north west. Mace raised his head along with Tat and Spider. “Damn it. Smells like snow. Let’s get a move on.” I slung my bag in the cab and managed to hop in without help. “Son of a bitch!” Mace glared down at something on the driver’s side. “What?” “Got a damned spare tire?” Mace slapped the hood of the truck.
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I jumped out and winced as pain radiated from my leg. I used the truck to help me balance as I walked around to take a look. “Fuck! Let’s see if it’s repairable first. Bring it into the shop.” Mace waved Tat into the driver’s seat and Spider to open the bay door. I motioned Mom to the side. “If it looks bad, would you put Mace and his pack up until it blows over?” She stared at me with a blank look. “And just how many are there?” Mace replied, “Fifteen if you include Jeremy.” Gasps from the nearby women grated. Why couldn’t they get it? If Mace wanted this compound, he’d have it already. “I assure you, we’re house broken.” A bit of sarcasm added an edge to his words. Mom glared for just a moment, arms crossed defensively. “In my place would you just throw your doors open to such a large and dangerous group?” Mace nodded thoughtfully. “I understand. As soon as Daniel gets the tire fixed, we’ll leave.” He headed off to the workshop. Mom grabbed my arm as I started away. She looked worried, actually worried. I’d rarely seen her look worried. “Daniel, son, please don’t go with them.” “I’m going with Mace.” I patted her shoulder in what I hoped was a reassuring fashion. “I’ll be fine. We’ll be back in a few days with the parts. Weather permitting.” Still she held on. “And what if this is a bad storm? They can survive what would kill you or me.” “Daniel!” Mace called, “can we get this fixed? Now, before the weather gets any worse.” I gave Mom a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be fine. Mace won’t let anything happen to me.” She snorted rudely as I positioned my crutch. “And what a great job he’s done so far.” I scowled at her over my shoulder as I walked off. “He pulled Fang off me, saved my life.” She knew this was so, but obviously chose to ignore it.
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Spider shut the bay door behind me to keep out the growing wind.
*** For humans, bullet holes heal slowly, so I let Spider do the heavy work while I directed him. It didn’t take long to find the puncture. A nice neat hole like a nail might make. What I didn’t find was what made it. It’s not like there are nails lying all over the yard. If we’d gotten that hole at the den, the tire would have been flat long before now and the damage to the tire obvious. Tat wandered around my workshop, looking over his shoulder every now and then. That smirk on his face had me wondering if the tire had been sabotaged. But why would Tat want to delay our leaving? Just to annoy Mace? Or did he really think this was his best shot at taking Mace out? Did having his team as backup change the dynamic that much? Or was I missing something? Regardless, I had a tire to patch. Kate, the epitome of your average brown haired girl next door, joined us. She had a knack with mechanical things and often worked with me. Quiet and a bit shy around groups, she came alive when it was just the two of us getting our hands dirty. The wolfmen had her jumping at every odd noise. Tat must have found that amusing because he kept bumping into things and then snickering when she jumped. “Son of a bitch, Tat. Are you really that fucking clumsy?” I tossed over my shoulder when he knocked a jar of nails over. His growl carried quite clearly across the room. The echo of his footsteps raised the little hairs on the back of my neck. “Go sit down, Tat.” A warning growl punctuated Mace’s words. I glanced over my shoulder to see Mace blocking his way. “Your fuck-boy insulted me!” Mace snorted. “You asked for it. Now, sit!” Angie, sitting on the workbench with Lindsey and Megan, loudly cocked her gun.
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I turned back to my work. We were finishing up mounting the tire. I figured Angie could handle it, at least long enough for us to get the fuck out of there. Tat snarled. “Hiding behind the humans again, Mace?” A blast of arctic air swirled in through the open door, bringing a flurry of snow. About as good as throwing water on a cat fight, a very effective distraction. “Close the fucking door!” I hollered at whoever was holding it open.
Chapter Three “Daniel Baker, you apologize this minute! I should wash that nasty mouth of yours out with soap.” I hung my head. Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Sorry Mom, didn’t know it was you.” The supreme disappointment in her voice could wither the staunchest selfesteem. “I don’t understand why you have to talk like that. I tried to teach you better.” There it was, that heavy sigh like the weight of the world crushed down on her. I stood. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault, Mom.” I hoped she’d quit while I still had some dignity left. Tat started laughing, followed by Spider and Jeremy. Fuck them. I shot a glare at Mace who looked about to bust at the seams trying not to laugh. Fuck him too! I sighed heavily. “What did you need, Mom?” Mace started snickering. I gave him my best Die now, fucker look which just made it worse. “Really that funny?” I glared around “Yes, actually, it is,” Spider sniggered out. “And that sigh, shit, you not only fuck like a woman you sound just like your mother.” Tat just had to rub some salt in the wound. “You’re such a bad boy.” He blatantly mocked Mom’s voice and manners. Mom’s eyes narrowed and she stalked toward Tat. “Don’t think for one minute I’m intimidated by your bad manners or ‘look how macho I am’ tattoos. You can act like a civilized hu… wolfman, or you can leave right now.” The women on the bench hopped down, guns ready to plug Tat any second. He snarled at them and froze where he was. Too bad, I was looking forward to seeing his gray matter splattered all over my workshop. “Mom, you needed something?” I prompted her gently.
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With a last arrogant glare, she turned to me like royalty granting an audience. I fought the urge to stare at my feet and shuffle nervously like a little kid. “That storm’s here. It’s bad. I can’t in good conscience let you leave. And since you insist on staying with them, I guess they have to stay too.” “I won’t leave the rest of my pack out there in this. You have room for all of us?” The way she looked around my workshop I knew what she had in mind. “No, no way are they staying in here. It’s too crowded with shit that can’t be replaced and no heat, no water, no bathroom.” She scowled, pursing her lips into a little moue of irritation. “There’s plenty of room in the barn.” I stared, open mouthed. “The barn? Are you fucking kidding me?” She gave me that look again. “They aren’t fucking animals. And it has no heat and no bathroom!” Tat snickered. “But there’s plenty of fresh meat available. Smells like pork on the hoof, a few goats…” Mace and Spider perked up. Mom stared at him horrified. Yeah, she must have had a similar mental image to mine: a bunch of wolfmen in a feeding frenzy leaving the barn soaked in blood and guts. And the compound going without. “Now wait just a minute. We are generously offering you refuge…” I cut her off. “We can argue this later. Right now, Mace’s pack is sitting out there getting buried in the fu…” Mom raised her brow in warning. “Uh, snow.” Mace nodded at Spider. “Go bring them in. Thank you for your kind hospitality, Dr. Baker.” How he could be so polite after she’d just suggested they stay in the barn like a bunch of animals, I had no idea. “Bring them to the big house, for now,” Mom grudgingly added.
*** The snow reduced visibility to near zero. No wonder Mom didn’t want me out in it. We fought our way across the yard against the force of the wind.
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The big house had been built in the late nineteen-fifties. A sprawling ranch house in every respect. The front door opened into a large living room. The formal dining room sat across the entry way behind double doors. Behind all that lay the kitchen, breakfast area and family room. Four bedrooms took up the east wing. After the virus hit, we’d popped the roof and added a second floor of bedrooms. Close to a dozen women and children lived in the big house. As often happened during a storm, a number of others joined them. It made things a bit tight. As soon as Mace’s pack strolled in, shaking off the snow, and deeper, growling voices filled the space, if felt claustrophobic. Angry voices drifted in from the kitchen. “Have you lost your ever loving mind, Sylvia? Bringing those… those things in here?” That had to be Jill’s shrill whine. “It was bad enough with just the one but there’s over a dozen of them! How the hell are we supposed to keep that many from eating us alive?” “Daniel will…” Mom started gently. “Oh God, they’ll rape us first!” “No, I’m sure…” Mom’s soothing voice went unheard in the growing panic. “This is the last straw! You should have consulted the council first.” “What about the children?” “What if they start fighting?” “Ladies…” She tried again, still trying to calm them with her voice. “Oh no, no, no no! You can’t bring those monsters in here.” “I say we shoot them all now before they have a chance to hurt us!” “That’s enough!” Blessed silence followed Mom’s terse shout. The polite soothing tone disappeared under her take charge demeanor. “There’s a blizzard raging out there. They need shelter. And,” she spoke loudly over the rising protests, “for now they are here because this house has the most room. If the storm continues like it started, we’ll find someplace better for them to sleep.”
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More protests erupted but it stayed in the back of the house where most everyone had fled when Mace and company came in. Angie, Kim and a few others hung out in the doorways and stairs leading farther into the house, heavily armed and focused on the pack. “Mace, I’m going to see if I can help settle things down. It would be best if you all stayed put. I’ll see about getting lunch for you, too.” Tat sneered at me. “What, we don’t get to hunt our own lunch? I was so looking forward to something raw and bloody.” His gaze traveled past me to the guards. A few others gave the women a heated looking, making clear what they’d like for lunch. Oh yeah, that was a big fucking help. Mace caught my gaze. I shut the double doors to the dining room behind me. Not that it would keep the wolfmen from hearing everything said but it would give the council an illusion of privacy. I crossed to the kitchen. Poking my head in, I caught Mom’s gaze and nodded toward the dining room. I leaned my crutch against the table and sank into a chair. My shoulder ached and I really wanted a nap. How many days ago did I get shot? Three? Four? I was tired of being tired. And afraid. And angry. What I wouldn’t give for a fucking vacation. I rested my head in my hands, closing my eyes, gathering my strength for what was coming. A loud crash from the living room startled me almost out of my chair. Faintly I heard Mace’s voice but couldn’t make out any words. A bunch of startled and angry looking women mobbed into the dining room. All of them looked at me like I had the answer. “I’m sure Mace has it under control.” Jill snorted and snapped out, “Right, like anyone could control that many beasts! They’ll tear this place apart and then they’ll start on us.” She stomped around the table to get in my face, knocking my crutch to the floor with a clatter. Like the starting pistol at a race, that set them off. And I was standing in the middle of the fucking track! A jumble of protests and arguments erupted with deafening noise. I rubbed my temple, not even trying to out talk them. Crissy grabbed my arm, her face right in mine
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but her voice shook with such anger or fear that I couldn’t understand her over the din of the room. Jill leaned in from the other side, yelling at me or Crissy. Who could tell? She dug her fingers into my bandaged shoulder. My yelp of pain was buried under the growing roar of women pointing, shouting even shoving. A riot in the making and me too slow to run away. Great, fucking great! Crissy yanked on my arm, pulling me out of my chair. I scrambled to keep my feet while being the rope in a tug of war. My old friend fear danced his icy hands on my spine. A loud roar from the doorway silenced them. Mace stood there, glaring around. “Hands off my chosen if you want to keep them.” Mace’s yellow gaze pinned each woman near me. I heard guns being drawn but Mace ignored them as he paced to my side. “Are you all right, Daniel?” His voice took on a gentle tone, matched by the softened look on his face. He rested his hand carefully under my elbow to steady me back into my chair. “Fine. Things just got a little heated is all. No claws out yet.” Mace’s brows raised and I heard Mom snort. She stood in the kitchen doorway blocked by her own mob of panicked women. “Are we done ladies? And I use that term lightly.” Mom’s scathing voice cut like a well honed scalpel. “Would the council please sit down and everyone else keep quiet. Perhaps we can at least pretend to some semblance of order.” Mace stood behind me, one hand resting lightly on my shoulder, the other stroking my neck. Little shivers of pleasure shot down my spine to settle pleasantly in my groin. I leaned back to look at him. He smiled softly down at me. I didn’t feel so tired anymore. “The fact is we have fifteen wolfmen here, under my roof. This is not a ploy to get inside and conquer us. It’s not like they control the weather.” Mom’s voice settled into a firm, even tone. The crowd seethed restlessly.
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Jill banged her fist on the table, jumping back to her feet. “This presents the perfect opportunity to rape and murder us all with little effort on their part! You’re not thinking straight because one of them is banging your fag son.” A disconcerting number of others seemed to agree. Mom’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Can we keep this discussion civil? I’m beginning to think the virus destroyed your manners along with any common sense.” Miss Ellie sank into her chair with a sigh. “We are certainly acting more like a lynch mob than reasoning adults.” “Fear does that to you.” Sharon quietly gave voice to the real problem. “And we are all afraid. You can’t deny, Dr. Baker, that this many of them inside the walls presents a significant risk.” Mom looked at Mace, who shrugged. “True enough. If we wanted to, we could overrun you. However, that was true before even one of us set foot inside your walls.” He gave my good shoulder a squeeze. “The fact that I’m banging Daniel, as you so crudely put it, is a large part of why we haven’t treated you like any other threat.” He ran the back of a clawed finger lovingly along my cheek. “You don’t understand what is between us.” I bit back a snort. I didn’t fucking understand what was between us. “But he is important to me. I will warn you as I did my pack, the next one who hurts him will pay in blood.” He fixed his gaze on Crissy, who cringed, and then a white-faced Jill. His gaze swept the room once more and a number of women back peddled into those behind them. Tension ratcheted up another notch. Thanks Mace. I rested my hand over his on my shoulder. Look at me, fucking domesticated. Normally, I didn’t go in for public displays like this. “As long as you don’t threaten them, I think Mace has proven they won’t attack.” Sharon’s brows drew together. “You called him your chosen. Is that like being engaged or wolf mates or what?” “Something like that, yes.”
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Mom had the strangest look on her face. “Wolves mate for life.” She sounded almost… reverent? Or maybe just freaked out. Mace’s voice deepened. “Now you begin to understand. And while his happiness is important, the safety of my pack comes first. Nothing has changed. Threaten us, we’ll fight back. Leave us alone and we’ll leave you alone.” “Didn’t we just make sort of a trade agreement here?” Kacey reminded everyone. “I would think that counts as proof of their intentions. Otherwise why agree to a trade?” Jill’s derisive snort quieted the restless crowd. “All it proves is they didn’t think they could take it from us. And now that the wolves are no longer at the door but inside, what’s to stop them?” The room plummeted into loud chaos once again. A loud bang startled everyone into silence. “That’s it, anyone who doesn’t live here, go home. Lock your doors if it makes you feel better.” Mom stood at the head of the table, a veritable ice princess except for the sparks of anger in her eyes. Sarah’s quiet scorn filled the awkward silence. “What’s the matter with you people? Why won’t you listen to him? Or Daniel? Haven’t they shown us they can be trusted?” “You of all people should know better, Sarah. Look what they did to you.” I wanted to smack that fake, condescending sympathy off Jill’s face. “You’re right, I do know better than you. I know without doubt that Mace’s pack is different than any others.” She tapped her chest right over her heart. “I know this deep down. Even though it’s still hard for me to be around any males, I know his pack would never treat me like those others. Ever.” “Now, Sarah,” Jill started in again. “No. Don’t you dare give me that crap!” “Did it occur to you that they were just using you? Showing you a lie?” That came from Crissy over by the door, looking like she might bolt at any moment.
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I’d never seen little Sarah so incensed. “Why would they? If they are the monsters you think they are, why play games?” She drew in a breath. “I’m not the first one they’ve shown kindness to. Let me tell you about China. Like me she was held by beasts, true rabid beasts. I think…” She choked. A look of horror flashed across her face. “I think they did even worse things to her. I know she nearly died. Ice and Wraith rescued her and took her to Mace. They saved her life. They take care of her. So well, in fact, that when Mace gave her the option of coming here, she chose to stay with her wolfmen.” A stunned silence followed. Jill snorted. “You really think they would have let her go? Seriously? Then you really have lost it.” “I understand needing to see for yourself. Well, here’s your chance, if you have the guts to take it.” I stood. “I understand your fears. What you don’t understand is acting on those fears may be self-fulfilling. Push them into a corner and they will fight back. The same as we would. Just leave it alone, let them be and everything will be fine.” I turned to my lover. “Right, Mace?” He nodded. “My word on it. Now, when’s lunch?” His light tone and quick change of subject derailed the few sputtering protests. For now, most seemed willing to give the pack a chance. All we had to do was keep Tat from fucking things up trying to incite Mace.
*** The guys made themselves useful, bringing in wood for the central boiler and the few individual wood burning stoves we’d installed. A stone fireplace filled part of the wall between the living room in the front of the house and the family room at the back. I’d installed a heat efficient wood box to replace the open pass-through hearth some years ago. They had it blazing in no time. A double door sized arch separated the two rooms. By the time lunch was ready, the pack had taken over the family room as well. Lunch wasn’t any better than at the den, canned veggies and canned meat. Who knew spam could be disguised in so many ways? Most of the women had retreated
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either to their own rooms or the kitchen and dining room. Worried eyes followed every move the guys made. As the afternoon wore on, a few brave women made their way into the family and living rooms, including Peg and Jackie. Like starving women at an all you can eat buffet, they seemed intent on sampling a little of everything -- or more like everyone. The guys didn’t seem to mind. We moved a couch into the archway between the family and living rooms. Mace and I curled up on it so he could keep an eye on both rooms. Kinda blocked the doorway between the rooms, but watching what Tat was up to mattered more. Snow continued to swirl down but with the wind howling around us, who could tell if it was new snow or just blown in from somewhere else? We’d have fun getting past some of those drifts unless we waited for it to melt. This time of year, that could take a few hours or a few days. By late afternoon, nearly an equal number of women filled the rooms with Mace’s pack. Everyone seemed to be getting along, more or less. Twice, minor arguments, minor for wolfmen, turned loud and physical, sending the women scampering for shelter like a bunch of skittish colts. The guys found that rather amusing. Mom would frown at their laughter until they settled back down. While dinner was cooking, Tat took two others to fetch wood. Mace caught Hawk’s gaze and nodded toward the door. On silent feet, Hawk slipped out the door behind them. Moments later it sounded like a pack of wolves was going at it in the back yard. Ah fuck, that sounded like mastiffs. Angry mastiffs. I hobbled to the door too slowly to be able to see past the bulk of wolfmen plugging the open sliding door. I heard Mom yelling from the kitchen door, calling the dogs off. I moved to a window to peer through the swirling white, but by then it, whatever it was, was over. A snarl plastered to his face, Tat returned with an armload of wood and a bad attitude. He snapped at anyone foolish enough to get too close. I could hear Frank’s angry voice enter the kitchen. “That fag beast attacked me!”
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“Yeah? And what’d you do to deserve it?” My sister Lindsey hated Frank almost as much as I did. Mom cut across Frank’s sputtering reply. “Let’s get you cleaned up, Frank. You should know better than to let the dogs out.” Frank’s protests faded from hearing as they moved out of the kitchen and down the hall toward the main floor bedrooms. “So what did that asswipe do?” I sank back onto the couch with Mace. “Which asswipe?” Mace chuckled wickedly. “Not sure how it started but someone let those horse-sized dogs out.” “Tell me you guys didn’t hurt the fucking dogs?” Hawk chuckled. “They don’t seem to like Frank, pinned him in a snow bank. That one big male did try to face Tat down but we broke it up before either got hurt.” I sighed with relief. Mom loved those dogs like they were little lap mutts instead of roughly two hundred pounds of guard dog. Normally, Blue, the big male, slept with her. “Wait, how’d you break it up?” Those dogs only answered to a select few people, none of them wolfmen. Hawk grinned, showing his rather impressive fangs. “They’re smart. They know when they’re outmatched.” Great, Mom’s fucking guard dogs were afraid of wolfmen. I remembered Mace staring down Blue on the porch. They were supposed to be fearless. I’d even seen Blue face down a bear. But a wolfman? Fucking wimps. On the other hand, the average wolfman could take down a bear with just his claws and fangs. Maybe the dogs were smarter than we gave them credit for. “You’re a stupid bitch, Sylvia, letting those things in here. Someone should do something about it.” Frank’s angry whine stomped back toward us. “They attacked me first and you just pat them on the head like the dogs they are. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when one of them bites your hand off!” The kitchen door slammed shut behind him. Mom stood for a few minutes staring at it, a far away look on her face. Thinking, but about what I could only guess.
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She met my gaze and smiled softly. I gave her a reassuring smile in return. Laughter came from the living room where a small group of wolfmen and women were playing some card game. I sighed, settled deeper into the couch and against Mace. A fleeting sense of peace filled me with dread. Seemed like every time things looked good, shit happened. Hopefully, not today.
Chapter Four Hawk froze, a look of listening, smelling, on his face. His yellow eyes picked up an excited glow. A heartbeat later, the whole pack came alert, focused on Mace. Was that a nod? A split second later they were in motion toward the doors. Mace shoved me off the couch and onto the floor as he jumped up. The front door and the back sliding doors flew open simultaneously, snow swirling in along with women in riot gear and assault rifles. They opened fire on Mace and his pack with no thought to anyone else in the room. The sound of gunfire ricocheted off the ceilings and walls. Screams and shattering glass added to the chaos of people running for cover -- for all of two seconds. That’s how long it took the wolfmen to disarm them. OK, might have been five seconds, maybe ten, but they moved so fucking fast most of us barely had time to react on instinct much less think. At least my instinct, and Mace’s shove, sent me to the floor. A few panicked and ran. I hoped none of them had died. Screams of panic still echoed around the drafty house. The sliding door gaped open and at least one window had been shot out. Mace’s pack had the outnumbered soldiers pinned to the ground and disarmed. Growls mingled with guttural commands to stay still. Fucking idiots attacked at close range with just seven women? Was the Major out of her fucking mind? I wouldn’t have even thought about it without double the number of wolfmen we faced. And never this close. They moved too fucking fast and were too fucking hard to kill. An army major should have known that. For the earsplitting amount of automatic gunfire, I expected to see dead and dying all around me. Mostly I saw bullet holes in the walls, ceiling and floor. Some of
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the furniture looked pretty dead, chunks missing, stuffing hanging out. The only blood I saw was on wolfmen and soldiers. A few women still cowered in crying heaps, others already moving to comfort them, followed quickly by over bearing wolfmen herding them into a corner. Mom stepped into the room only to have Tat shove her against the wall. “You’re mine now, human. You’ve threatened us for the last time.” I lunged at Tat. “Let her go, you fucking prick! This isn’t her fault.” Tat snarled over his shoulder but didn’t let go. I picked up a dropped rifle but realized I didn’t dare shoot him. I’d hit Mom. “Tat, let her go. All of you, let them go save for those who attacked us. Check for wounded.” Tat turned on Mace, fangs glinting in the light, clawed hands flexing. “They attacked us! No real leader would let this go. You’re weak. A fucking coward.” Tat leaped toward him. Mace roared and met his challenge right there in the middle of the family room. They clashed in a flurry of clawed blows, narrowly avoiding crashing over a chair. All at once and without any obvious orders, some shoved the Major and her soldiers into a corner and guarded them. Furniture screeched across the floor to thud into the walls making space for the combatants. Stray women were hustled well out of the way. Angie looked to me with a question. I shook my head no and she nodded, reholstering her weapon. Focused completely on each other, Mace and Tat ignored it all. Tat nearly tossed Mace off balance but overextended. They both stumbled in different directions before circling each other once more, stalking, weaving, looking for an opening or trying to force a mistake. They clashed again, blood flying. Mace went down, a deep gash across his hip bleeding freely. He rolled just in time to avoid getting pinned by Tat. Surging back to his feet, he angled his body to protect his wounded hip.
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“Mace! It’s not about strength, it’s about skill.” How often had he reminded me of that? Steve had a black belt, taught self defense. Other than that oh-so-loose and dangerous walk, I’d seen no sign of those skills. I fucking hoped he understood and remembered before Tat got him. For half a heartbeat, his gaze flickered to me. Something changed in the blink of an eye but that breath of inattention cost him. Tat attacked with a full body slam, taking them both down. Mace twisted as he fell and instead of ending pinned, they both slammed into the floor. Mace’s good arm lay trapped by Tat’s weight and his injured one didn’t have the strength to dislodge Tat’s hold. Tat bit hard into Mace’s shoulder, just missing his throat. I sucked in a breath, frozen in fear for my lover’s life. A twist and flex of his body and Mace had his legs around Tat. In a flurry of writhing limbs, Mace got Tat pinned, one knee in his back, claws digging into his neck. Tat went limp so fast I thought Mace had killed him. But instead he simply submitted, like before. Mace crouched over him for what felt like hours but could only have been minutes. No one moved. The whole room seemed to hold its breath as we awaited what Mace did. He looked around the circle of wolfmen, growling his dominance. Eyes dropped, postures softened. Mace shoved Tat into the ground as he levered to his feet. The sound of a scuffle in the corner with the Major drew Mace’s attention, or seemed to. In that split second, Tat leaped to his feet. Time appeared to slow as I watched his outstretched claws swipe across Mace’s throat. Or where his throat had been. Mace whirled inside Tat’s reach, taking his arm and throwing him to the ground in a move worthy of any martial arts master. Tat grabbed on as he went down, his claws raking down one side of Mace’s back. They toppled to the floor once more in a snarling tangle.
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A choked-off howl filled the room, followed by a gurgling noise. Tat went limp. Mace didn’t wait this time before standing. He rose, blood running from his mouth and spraying from Tat’s throat. Mace spat a mouthful of something bloody on his fallen enemy. Tat’s body twisted in a seizure before falling limp once more. The glow faded from his yellow eyes, staring at nothing. I heard the sounds of someone retching. More than one someone. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Allie crumple to the ground in a dead faint. I felt too numb to move. Over and over one thought ran through my mind. Mace had literally torn Tat’s throat out with his fangs. He tore Tat’s fucking throat out with his fucking teeth! Mace wiped a sleeve across his face, smearing the blood as much as removing any. He stalked to the closest of his pack, growling loudly. The signs of submission I’d seen before paled in comparison. Hound hit the floor on all fours as did the ones on either side of him. Mace moved from one to another until all the pack had dropped, save the two guarding the Major. And Hawk. Mace stopped in front of him last, still growling. Hawk hesitated, then began to kneel, but Mace stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. No words were spoken but a look passed between them. I’d thought these two had a deep bond, and this proved it. The soldiers stood there, as shocked as any. The Major? Looked ready to puke or faint. Nice. How had this woman become a Major in the army? I began to wonder if the fucking bitch had lied. Or had she been some desk jockey? Mace turned to Mom, pointing a bloody claw at the Major’s group. “Lock them up, now.” His voice barely sounded human. Too stupid to live seemed to run in the family. Mom drew herself up and met his fiery gaze. “I will deal with them. You need to take your pack out of here. Including the dead one.” Mace snarled and loomed over her. A small hand gesture stopped the few who moved either toward them or to pull guns. For several tense minutes, they stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Mace growled louder, his hands clenched and
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unclenched. He started to reach for her and stopped. Blood from the bite ran down his arm to drip from his fist. “My den, Mace. I apologize for the attack. I assure you I had nothing to do with it and they will be punished. Banished, in fact. But right now I have terrified and injured people to take care of.” Her voice remained steady and calm. She pointed with her chin past him toward the small knot of women cowering in the corner. Her gaze slipped from his. That seemed to be his signal to move. He turned toward me, looking like something out of a slasher movie. The bad guy in a bad slasher movie, wild eyed and feral. Fuck. Really, as in I was about to get fucked by an out of control wolfman soaked in blood, much of which was his own. Mace stalked toward me. Blood dripped from his claws, rimmed his lips. The heated look in his eyes drew me at the same time I wanted to run screaming. “Daniel.” Just my name and I felt my suicide cock wake up. He seemed to tower over me with a raw hunger on his face. I only hoped he wanted to eat me in a good way. One clawed hand slipped behind my neck pulling me to him then his mouth closed on mine, demanding, conquering and hot. Except for that copper taste. Blood, now there’s a real turn off. “Mace, ah, um, how about a shower?” He gripped me tighter when I tried to push away. A low growl vibrated in his chest. “Come on, dude, you’re soaked in blood and you taste like road kill.” His hands gripped my hips in a punishing hold, thrusting the hard length of his monster cock against me. His mouth rained kisses along my turned jaw and down to take hold of my neck with his fangs. “Fucking fags!” “Stinking blood thirsty beast.” “Only a monster would find this a turn on.” Mace whirled, seeking those who dared to speak but the crowd of women kept them anonymous. He snarled, more animal than man in that moment.
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“Let’s take this someplace else, Mace? Please?” I kept my voice low. Thankfully, it held steady despite the fear wrapped around my spine. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alone with him like this but I sure as hell didn’t want to get fucked in front of everyone. His nostrils flared and I felt as much as heard the deep intake of breath. Next thing I knew, he hustled me toward the front door. The rest of the pack fell in around us. Over my shoulder I caught a glimpse of Hawk and Mom talking. Angie took control of the Major’s group. Mom’s worried face followed us until Mace thrust me through the doors. I stumbled and he grabbed my arm. I’d have bruises but he kept me from falling. “Mace, let up, fuck that hurts.” His grip loosened. We slogged through the snow to my loft and stumbled up the steps. The pack squeezed in the door at the foot of the stairs and stopped. As soon as we crossed the threshold, Mace pulled me to him again. Hands roamed across my back, pulled me close. His growl went from nasty to sexy, needy. “Shower, right Mace?” I tugged him toward the bathroom. He slammed me face first against the wall as we entered the bedroom. His cock rode my ass and his hands tore at my clothes. Fuck! Cold fear killed my growing arousal just as much as the smell of blood all over him. “Mace, please.” My fucking voice broke, hitting a high note I hadn’t hit since puberty. He hesitated. I felt his lips on my neck. Tasting me? A deep draw of breath, then he let me go. I drew a couple of deep breaths, getting control of my fear before turning around to face him. The feral look had faded to a hunger I knew only too well. My cock stirred once more. “Shower?” I pointed at the bathroom door across from us. Without a word he turned and entered the bathroom. I leaned my head against the door as I closed it. Water sprayed in the shower. I toed off my shoes before turning around. Mace stood in the still warming spray of water. The tatters of his clothes ran red with blood. How the fuck much of it was Tat’s? He sucked in several mouthfuls of water, swishing and spitting. He turned and braced
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his hands on the wall, letting the spray wash over his back. He rolled his head to fix those yellow gold eyes on me. Beast eyes, glowing with that funky light. They mesmerized me, drawing me in almost against my will. “Daniel?” he sounded as wounded, as lost as he had in the basement of the barn. “I’m right here, Mace.” I stripped, his gaze following as my clothes dropped. No one had ever looked at me with such need. Made me fucking hard. I stepped gingerly into the shower. His gaze dropped to my cock and a low growl filled the shower. His face hardened into that feral, wolf like mask. He grabbed for me and I flinched. It was instinct, a knee jerk reaction but it acted like ice water poured over his head. He turned away, a stricken look flickering over his feral features. “I’m sorry, Daniel.” The spray of the shower almost drowned out his deep, growled words. “I understand,” his voice faded, “I’ll understand if you want to leave.” He leaned his head against the shower wall, refusing to face me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jerk away.” “You shouldn’t be. You should run away. I’m nothing but a bloodthirsty beast turned on by killing.” “Stop it, Mace! We both know that’s not it.” “Do we?” I pulled up all the courage I could find. “He attacked you. You survived and proved yourself to your pack. Before, it was about dominance, I got that. Now, just like in the barn, you need me to help you find the other part of yourself again. Let me help you, Mace.” He said nothing but held still as I gently peeled his shredded shirt off. Quivers of strain rippled through him. I could tell how hard he tried to hold on to his tattered control. Kneeling under him, his hands still braced on the wall, I unzipped his pants and tugged the remains off his hips. A hiss of pain escaped his lips. He had deep furrows across one hip starting just a couple of inches from his engorged cock. Way too fucking
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close. He kicked the rags off, and finally his gaze met mine. I stroked him from the base of his cock to the angry red head. His lids sagged over those glowing eyes. I barely made out his soft whimper over the sound of the shower. Gripping his shaft with one hand and holding his good hip with the other, I kissed the tip. Gentle little butterfly kisses down the sensitive underside had his hips twitching. A growling groan replaced the whimper of need. “Daniel!” the desperate hunger he put in my name had my cock throbbing in response. One of his big hands cupped the back of my head, urging me to take him in. I licked the tip and he thrust with a satisfied grunt, holding me in place. Relaxing my throat I let him thrust until his pubs tickled my nose. I cupped his balls, stroking behind them with a single finger. He moaned and thrust hard, fucking my mouth while I sucked him. His balls drew tight. I watched his face as it relaxed into that angelic look I loved so much. He needed this release, his whole body hummed with it. And only I could do this to him, for him. What a fucking head rush. And turn on. My cock stood tall and hard. He thrust and I sucked, giving his balls a light squeeze and a firm stroke right behind them. He threw his head back and howled as jiz flooded my mouth. I swallowed his cock deeper, taking it all. Under my hand on his hip I could feel the tension draining with his cum. “Daniel.” A whisper filled with emotion that zinged straight through my heart and into my cock. He pulled me to my feet and into his big hard body. He swayed into me, water washing over us both. He held me like a drowning man clutching a life line, his hand closed over my eager cock. Two firm strokes and I gasped out my own intense climax. No words were needed between us right now. I grabbed some shampoo and started on his hair. Our bodies still pressed together, he started on my back. We had to separate to finish scrubbing the fight from each other. With intense concentration, Mace soaped every inch of me. When he got to my cock, he stroked it hard again, leaving me gasping when he moved on.
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I worked around the many scratches and gouges on his chest and shoulders. Other than his hip, Tat had missed the soft, exposed parts. The water started to cool before we had finished. We didn’t care. We took our time with each other, washing, touching, loving every inch. Connecting. And bit by bit the wildness drained away. The nightly fuck fest started to make sense to me. I grabbed a towel as Mace shut the water off, and I started drying him. He did the same for me. Slow erotic strokes that turned to hunger. Fuck, I wanted him. My gaze met his and my cock jumped. I tugged his head down and devoured his lips. My tongue swept across them, demanding entrance. I moaned into the kiss. Sweet and hot and sexy, I could drown in this kiss. Mace’s growl just added fuel to my fire. He backed me to the counter. I worked my way around the end and hopped up on the cold granite surface. It had a long blank space on this end. Mace staggered between my spread thighs. Our cocks rubbed each other with every roll and thrust of our hips. He looped his hand under my thighs and pressed me back with his chest. The granite sent a few cold shivers through me, quickly warmed by Mace’s higher body heat. The heat of his kiss alone could ignite rock. I squirted some lotion on my hand and slicked his cock. He growled that soft sexy growl. Fuck, oh fuck, I wouldn’t last long at this rate. My cock nodded, tight with need. I grabbed another squirt and ran it between my ass cheeks, rimming my hole. It fluttered. I dropped my head back on a moan. Felt so good, and Mace’s hot stare watching me. Oh yeah! “Fuck! Mace, need you, want you.” That growl again, louder. I took hold of my thighs, pulling them to my chest, opened to his probing finger. “Fuck! Unngghh!” He found my on button, teased it. “Aggh, Mace, now!” The hot head of his cock thrust against me once, the only warning before he thrust in. Ah, fuck! I bit my lip, holding back a yelp.
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He froze, one hand stroking my ass, the other my cock. Pleasure overrode the burn. “Agghnnn, yeah, God yessss!” He rolled his hips in a gentle thrust, working his way in until his balls slapped my ass. My body relaxed, letting him in. Awkwardly at first, we began to move together. Flesh on flesh. Nothing else like it in the whole fucking world. Mace leaned forward, bracing one hand on the counter. His damp belly hair tickled across my cock. “Ah, yeah, yeah…” I arched up, seeking more, more contact, more pressure, more Mace. He shifted his strokes, his angle of penetration. “Unggn!” I jerked as he nailed my prostate. “Urrggggh,” Mace growled softly, sexily, thrusting harder now, driving us both higher. Heat sizzled at the base of my spine, suspended between heartbeats then shooting out of my cock in waves of white cum. My whole body jerked with each spasm, driven on by Mace’s hard thrusts. The intensity stole my breath. A howl echoed around the bathroom loud enough to be heard clear to the big house. Mace nearly collapsed on me, racked by wave after wave of orgasm filling me with his cum. Our lips met in a last kiss, a last roll of hips bringing us together. He slid away from me so slowly at first I didn’t comprehend he was falling. The sudden thud when he met the floor clued me in.
Chapter Five “Mace?” I rolled off the counter, wincing as my bad leg took all my weight. “Mace?” He leaned up against the wall in an awkward pile. “Fuck, Mace. Say something!” I squatted down by him. He blinked up at me with glassy eyes. “I’m OK, Daniel. Just, ah, a little dizzy.” He forced a weak chuckle. “First time I’ve been fucked senseless.” I snorted. “I was the one getting fucked. More like the endorphins and adrenaline finally wore off and you’re feeling the effects of getting mauled.” I stroked next to a new hole in his arm. “And shot, again.” At least it had passed straight through. A sharp knock on the door scared the fucking shit out of me. I banged my head against the end of the counter when I jerked upright. “Daniel?” Fucking son of a bitch! “Mom?” My face flushed with heat. How fucking long had she been out there listening to us fucking? High school flashbacks, anyone? “Is everything all right in there? Is Mace OK? Daniel? I thought I heard someone fall.” “Yeah Mom, we’re fine.” I rolled my eyes. “As a doctor, I’d like to see for myself. Now open this door, young man.” She had that tone again. Now I really was having flashbacks. Nothing like having your mother walk in on you with your cock out. “Aw, shit.” I tossed Mace a towel and wrapped one around my hips. Sighing, I opened the door. She stood right outside, her medical bag in hand. She inspected me like she expected to find me shredded, instead of Mace. I stepped aside and let her in. From the
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doorway, I could see into the main living area. Wall to wall wolfmen and all looking back at me. Fucking great. I just loved an audience. “Let me have a look at you, Mace. How’s the arm?” She scowled. “Daniel, fetch a chair and set out my supplies.” Race already stood in the door with a barstool in hand. I pulled bandages and sutures out along with her needle kit and alcohol. We had to re-sterilize needles now and without sterile packing, we always washed them in alcohol before using them. Once she had Mace sitting where she wanted him, she proceeded to stitch up the deepest gouges, the worst being his hip and groin. Two furrows raked down his back to the top curve of his ass. The bite on his shoulder went clear to the bone but he hadn’t torn anything out. The other dozen or so shallower ones had already scabbed over despite soaking in the shower. That prick Tat had torn the shit out of him! Mom tsked and shook her head as she examined his arm. “I warned you about this arm. A quick x-ray would tell us if you re-fractured it.” “It’s fine, Sylvia.” Mace moved it gingerly. I’d noticed he was favoring it again. Surprisingly, she didn’t argue, just wrapped it back up with an ace bandage. “A sling would be good, if it wouldn’t damage your macho image too much.” Mace stood, not caring that the towel draped loosely across his lap slipped to the floor. Mom did a quick double take. Damned if Mace wasn’t semi hard. She looked at me with a question in her eyes. “It’s a wolfman thing.” I shrugged. “Huh,” was all she replied. “We brought some stew over. Left it on the counter.” Her too-business-like tone bothered me. What was going on in her mind? Other than images of me getting my ass fucked. After pulling on some sweats, I walked her to the door. From the number of bandages all around, I could tell she’d been hard at work patching up the pack. It was almost like they stood in front of the guns. I couldn’t figure out any other way for them to get so shot up.
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“How bad is it? Back at the house, anyone seriously hurt?” or dead? but I didn’t want to say it. Mom shook her head. “Amazingly, only bumps, bruises and two grazed by bullets.” She waved toward the pack. “I’m shocked none of them are dead. It’s almost like they purposefully let themselves get shot.” “Like they might have been protecting the rest of us?” I looked to Mace for confirmation but neither Mace nor Hawk said anything. Mom sighed. “Regardless, it wouldn’t change anything. At least not for right now.” Mace stepped up beside me. “And what would that be?” “You have to leave as soon as you can. Hawk had them load the body in the truck. I know you did what you had to but…” Mom at a loss for words? And next pigs would fly. “I understand.” I doubt anyone one else caught the note of regret in his voice. “The snow’s stopped but it looks like a mess out there. You can stay the night.” Mom stopped with her hand on the door knob. “Daniel, may I speak with you, alone?” I followed her out to the landing. Should I remind her they could still hear us? Nah. Then I’d just have to crawl down the stairs and back up. I didn’t think I had the energy left. “Are you sure about this? Staying with Mace and his pack?” She sounded tired, old even. She leaned against the wall, letting it hold her up. “He was so wild. I thought… I thought he might hurt you.” Were those tears in her eyes? “Mom,” I pulled her into a hug, “he wouldn’t hurt me. Not like that. No matter how wild he gets, he hasn’t. Not in the barn or after this fight. I’m his chosen, his mate.” Slamming me into walls or the hood of my truck? Sure. Information she didn’t need. “And the others?” “I don’t know for sure but I have to give this a chance, Mom.” Watching him fight for his life and then for his sanity scared the shit out of me. I didn’t want to lose him, not again.
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“You’d choose him over your own family? Even after everything that’s happened? We both know he was holding you against your will, Daniel. How can you care about him after that?” I stared at the floor, trying to find the words. “He’s not Steven. Even if you think he is, he’s not. He’s a beast. Today proves it.” “That’s where you’re wrong. He acted to protect his pack and this compound. Just because he used his body as a weapon instead of a gun doesn’t make him a beast!” I held up my hand to stop her protest. “He didn’t shoot up a room full of people. And his pack made sure everyone was out of harm’s way. Didn’t they?” “You really do care about him, don’t you?” Her voice softened and held a hint of regret. The sudden change threw me for a second. “Yeah, Mom, a lot.” “I saw it on your face, Daniel. But son, he can never live here. None of them can. Not after what happened.” Her voice got really strained. “I’ve seen a lot of carnage as a surgeon. I’ve never seen anything like that. To tear out…” I drew a deep breath. “I have, not in a long time and not that close up, but I’ve seen them do shit like that before. Not Mace, but rabids…” And worse, a lot worse. I’d spent months patrolling the city, rescuing those I could, never sure if I was going to change, living alone just in case. The things I’d seen them do… “And you can still sleep next to him?” I held her away from me so she could see my face. “Better than I have in years. The nightmares are even starting to fade.” Mom pulled me in for one last hug. “I love you, son. Be careful. Please,” her voice wavered. I hugged her hard, tears welling in my eyes. Why did it feel like the last goodbye? “We’ll bring the parts, Mom. I’ll see you then.” “As much as we need them, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not unless you come alone. They can’t come here again. There are a number who don’t want you here either. Not as long as you’re with him.”
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I felt a knot tighten in my chest. Fuck. How could they make me choose between my family and my lover? Yeah, lover. Shit. “I understand, Mom. It’ll be a few days at least, maybe longer before I can bring the parts. You need them. And don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine.” She kissed my cheek and turned down the stairs. I watched until she let herself out. I felt cold inside and shivered. Of course that could have been standing around in nothing but sweat pants on a snowy day… I returned to find Mace surrounded by his pack. They’d pulled the cushions off the couch and gathered all the pillows and blankets they could find. No one said a word but they all watched me. Even little Jeremy. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I felt like a fucking deer that had stumbled on a pack of wolves. “Umm, I assume you all heard that?”
With an eerie unity, they all looked to Mace. He nodded slightly.
Goosebumps rose all over my body. “Is there a fucking problem or what? Cause
you guys are freaking me out.” “You’ve seen what we are. Monsters.” The self loathing and regret in his voice sliced through me. “How can you stand to be here?” “Mace, nothing’s changed. I knew what you were from the moment we met.” I sucked in a breath. “I thought I did, anyway. Until you showed me who you really are, not monsters but a bunch of guys doing the best they can in a fucked up world. Just like the rest of us.” Mace shifted and the group made space next to him. “Will you join us?”
He asked? He fucking asked? Now? After all we’d been through?
Did he really think he needed to?
“Mace, you don’t have to ask. I made my choice.”
“I know.” Two words, just two little words and I felt tears forming. Pack meant
everything to them and I’d just given mine up. And he knew it. “So will you join us, Daniel?”
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Us. An offer to become a true member of the pack. More than the human guy they’d captured. More than Mace’s bedmate. A pack member, an equal, more or less. “Yes.” With that word, much of the tension in the room eased. As one they all stood and I found myself surround by big hard bodies intent on rubbing any part of me they could touch. And for once, it didn’t scare the living hell out of me. I found myself getting into it. It felt amazingly good to be touched, accepted so completely. Those odd little whines and rubbing the side of their face and head on mine should have freaked me out, or driven Mace into a jealous rage, but right now, right here, it felt perfect. Once they’d finished, we settled back down on the floor. The stew got passed around and we ate it straight out of the pot. The guys took turns showering in pairs. Some of those showers took longer than others. But hey, what could I say after Mace and I had spent so long in there? We slept right there in a big pile on the floor. Not the most comfortable bed but warm and safe. In the middle of a pack of wolfmen, I felt fucking safe. I was wrong. Everything had changed. At least for me.
*** We left at dawn, so early only the guards on duty saw us. Mace let Hawk drive since his hip would take another day or so to finish healing. I got to squeeze in between them. Race, Mutt and Jeff rode in the back seat and the rest crouched in the bed. It took four wheel drive to get out of there and headed back to town. Bright morning sun turned the world an eye-searing sparkling white. We’d dropped several hundred feet in elevation on our way north. Much less snow had fallen here, and that was rapidly turning to slush and mud. The den sat near the Platte River, nearly a thousand feet lower than the compound. The Mile High City, sounds so cool, right? Never mind the city sits in a hole. We made our way north on highway 83 toward Parker, or what was left of it. Most of the track homes and apartments on the south side had burned. Ragged,
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blackened pieces of walls thrust fingers up from slush covered mounds of ash and rubble. Here and there a nearly intact building stood among the wreckage. We passed shopping areas, parking lots slowly growing over with grass and weeds. Most of the planted trees had long since died from lack of water, their bony fingered branches a stark contrast to bright blue sky.
*** We entered a den in crisis. Mace’s return sparked almost as many snarls as smiles. The main room was oddly empty of women and children. Slade, Vegas and Cowboy all sported healing bruises and claw gouges. Looked like they’d had a hell of a time keeping order. Tat’s supporters and even Alpha looked like they’d gotten the worse end of that deal. I didn’t see Fang anywhere and Spike kept his head down, limping off to a corner as soon as Mace came in. Hawk motioned for me to find a spot with Doc and a few of the braver women hanging out in the kitchen. “Where’s Tat?” Alpha stalked up to Mace, raking her cold gaze up and down his body. Her arrogant tone and stance had growls and snarls turned her way. And that triggered others to stand up with her, snarling back. Mace smiled slightly and stepped up to tower over her. “Go see for yourself. His body’s in the back of the truck.” That acted like a spark in a pile of Forth of July fireworks. The room exploded into factions of snarling, clawing, fighting wolfmen with Tat’s former followers catching the brunt of it. Alpha lunged for Mace, her supporters right behind her Mace’s team fell into the fray, tossing battling wolfmen aside. Mace snarled and growled, grabbing Alpha by the throat. As soon as she yielded, he and his team had yet another batch to deal with. The rail overhead filled with curious women. Ice and Wraith left their posts on either side of China to join in the mayhem on the main floor. This must really be a big fucking deal. I couldn’t help notice that few challenged them directly, and they backed Mace.
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A chair crashed over as a couple of wolfmen jumped to avoid getting flattened by a skirmish. “What’s up with this shit?” That got me several blank stares. Like I should know why the pack seemed to have lost its fucking mind. Doc snorted softly. “Mace got captured and no one was sure if he was even alive.” “OK, and that leads to this how? I thought having him back should settle things down.” “It’s like yanking the keystone out of an arch. Everything starts to collapse. Even if you put it back right away, a lot of repair work is still needed.” Leave it to Lori to put it in terms that made sense to me. Patty hopped up on the counter next to where I stood. “After Hawk left with a group to get him back, it got even worse. Tat’s faction tried to take control.” Doc shook her head sadly. “That was one ugly fight, but Slade backed by Vegas and Cowboy held their own. Even worse, Tat’s followers weren’t the only ones making a power grab.” “It looked a lot like this, only spread out over the last few days,” Patty added with a resigned sigh. Another loud bang drew my focus back to the floor. I didn’t know the wolfman getting his clock cleaned by Hawk. Mace ignored them, busy facing down another one. A crowd circled around them but Mace’s team wouldn’t let them close enough to join in. They had his back while letting him do what he needed to. Good for them. I just hoped that leg held out. The good news? All that martial arts training was back and kicking ass. Doc started to speak, stopped and then blurted out, “So what the hell happened? We heard about the ambush, you and Mace getting shot and then hauled off. It was two days before we got word either of you were still alive. And then nothing.” I drew a deep breath and hopped up on the counter. “A fucking mess is what happened.” I left nothing out except a few personal details like that last shower, all the
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while watching Mace reading the riot act to his pack. The man was fucking hot and amazing. A few challenged Mace outright but most of the fighting was among the lower ranked factions. Tat’s followers were the primary target. Mace and his team had their hands full preventing anyone from getting killed. Around noon, things looked like they were wrapping up. I expected the kitchen detail to show up. Instead, the crowd on the rail melted back into hiding. “Ah, Doc, what am I missing here. Looks like the worst is over.” I watched Patty and Lori scamper out of sight. Doc snickered. “Now the pack needs to re-bond with each other.” Like last night, that sounded kinda cool. Although I wasn’t sure I wanted certain pack members in spitting distance, much less rubbing on me. “So, why run off?” She grinned wickedly. “As you would put it, the nightly fuck fest, only more intense and everyone is going to want to be close to Mace and his team.” Oh shit. “And you aren’t afraid of getting caught in a gang bang because?” “I’m with Slade, so unless he gets taken down, I’m safe, and someone might need me before the day’s over.” “So as Mace’s chosen, I’m safe too?” She snickered. “From everyone but Mace.”
Chapter Six My cock jumped with joy, but orgies are really not my thing. The outright challenges turned to wrestling, stroking and rubbing on each other. Fuck, what had happened to Jeremy? I craned my neck, searching through the throng but with most wolfmen being better than six and half feet tall, I couldn’t find him. “Who are you looking for?” “Jeremy. A kid from the compound. He turned this winter and Mace brought him here to live.” “Ah, the boy. I saw the other young ones surrounding him.” Doc climbed up on the counter to look over the tops of all those heads. “There, in the corner. I’d say he’s making friends just fine.” If I didn’t ask what that meant, I wouldn’t have to lie to his grandmother later. Doc must have read my mind. “Not like that, Daniel. The youths tend to, ah, play with those closest to their own age. The others won’t hesitate putting him in his place, forcefully if need be, but they don’t take advantage. You know him?” “Yeah, he’s the grandson of our neighbor. I grew up with his mom, known him since he was born.” She sighed heavily. “It’s lucky you were there when he changed.” “He changed last winter. They locked him in a cell hoping they could turn him loose come spring.” Her eyebrows shot up and her mouth dropped open. “They locked him in a cage?” “You’d rather they’d kick a thirteen year old out in the fucking snow? Or shoot him when he got out of control? He may be small but he’s still a wolfman, rabid almost.”
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She blinked. “Oh. I hadn’t thought of it like that.” Looking like a fucking king on his throne, Mace held court from his couch. His team settled around him first, after spending several minutes rubbing and wrestling around. In the end, Hawk took Mace’s left with Vegas next to him. Slade sat on the right and Cowboy had Slade’s normal spot on the end. Mace caught me watching and winked, running a heated gaze over me that had my cock looking for escape from my tight jeans. Note to self, scavenge some looser pants! He waved me over, patting my spot next to him. Oh goody, I got to play with the big boys. Doc gave me a wry grin and a gentle nudge to start me on my way. “Aren’t you coming?” She chuckled. “Oh, I don’t think so.” “Doc!” Slade’s voice rang across the hall. He pointed to the open spot next to him. I flashed her an evil grin. “Guess you don’t get out of all the fun.” She snorted. “Lucky me.” This round of “bonding” didn’t feel nearly as good as last night’s. A few earned themselves a snarl or snap for getting rough with me. Only this time, Mace wasn’t the only one watching out for me. Spider and Race had moved up in the world and joined us on the dais. Along with Mace’s team, they took my safety seriously. Jeff and Mutt had a new spot at the foot of the dais where some of Tat’s followers once sat. Nice. Alpha stalked onto the dais like queen accepting her due. Her yellow gaze locked onto me like a laser guided missile. Anyone in her way received a snarl or angry snap of her fangs. They moved. I didn’t. Did that bitch really think she could scare me off with a snarl? After every fucking thing I’d been through? Mace’s warning growl only seemed to excite her. The “can’t wait to fuck you” kind of excited. “Move, brain boy. Before I kick your ass out the door.” She settled her hands on her outthrust hip. For all the world she looked like a wolfman in drag. Not that she was
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made up or anything, just the way she posed and pouted down her nose at me reminded me of some drag queens I’d known. It didn’t impress me at all. Mace uncoiled to tower over her, growling deep in his chest. Slade and Hawk flanked him. She growled, stretching up as tall as she could to face the guys down. “You won your spot at the top. I should have the same privilege.” She thrust her chin out, defiant, and then struck a pose any whore would have envied. Showed off every female attribute she had. And she had plenty, despite all that lean wolfwoman muscle. Mace snorted. “I choose who shares my bed. Besides, I doubt Daniel wants to be in charge of the women any more than you do. Den-Mom handles it quite well. Daniel has other skills we need. You, I have no use for.” You’d have thought he’d spit on her. She snarled and leaped at him, claws bared. Mace punted her off the dais with a well placed standing kick. His sensei would have been proud. She shook herself as she rose from the pile of wolfmen she’d landed on. For several minutes, she found herself embroiled in defending herself from both angry and lecherous wolfmen. “Let her go! She may be a bitch but she’s still female.” Mace growled down at the knot of snarling, snapping wolfmen surrounding her. She shot a killing look my way before stalking off. Guess we wouldn’t be making nice and bonding tonight. Fucking worked for me. Spike was among the last to make his way to Mace. Head down and eyes hooded, he looked downright scared. Considering how torn up he was, I wasn’t surprised. Fang followed behind, leaning on a younger wolfman so hard I wondered if he could even stand on his own. Both of them threw themselves at Mace’s feet, whining and rubbing. Fucking pitiful. I almost felt sorry for Spike. Almost. “So, Fang old buddy, what the fuck happened to you?” Did enjoying his misery make me a bad guy?
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He didn’t even look up or snarl. Fuck me sideways. What the fuck had happened? “Thought they were tough enough to take over the pack, along with Beta. Stupid pricks.” Slade roughly toed Spike’s shoulder with his boot. “Beta?” “Used to be Tat’s beta. Tan skinned, shaved head? That’s what they called him.” Slade shrugged. “Oh yeah, so where is he?” I bet he would want a piece of Mace for killing his alpha. Slade laughed roughly. “He won’t be walking for another day or two.” Ouch, what the fuck did it take to hurt one that bad? Mace let them grovel for several minutes before gripping their throats and having them go belly up. He released them with a stroke of their heads and that weird whine. Spike took Fang’s other side since he could barely stand, much less walk. A small growling group moved to intercept them. Mace’s growl stopped them in their tracks. They got the message. The fighting was over, at least for now. Mace looked over the pack. “Who’s on cooking detail? Since you idiots scared all the women off…” A few headed to the kitchen. Lunch wasn’t half bad considering the available ingredients. By dinner, I think half the pack had fucked each other. The other half might as well have for all the petting, rubbing and wrestling going on. A few, like Mace and Slade, didn’t participate in the naked games or even any serious frotting. Other than Doc, Alpha and Den-Mom, the women were conspicuously absent. A few women trickled in around dinner time to help cook. A few even stayed to join in the pack bonding. We slept in a pile of wolfmen bodies on the dais. Mace’s team surrounded us, and even Doc was there. A few fights broke out over who got closer but they ended quickly and with little blood. For the first time since I’d come here, the entire male population slept in the main room.
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Ice and Wraith carved out a prime spot on one corner of the dais. A slight growl or snarl sent others packing. Under their watchful eye, a nervous looking China made her way through the throng that parted like the Red Sea. No one touched her or even looked at her. I’d never seen Ice and Wraith anywhere but on the edges of the pack. Looked like they’d moved up in the world.
*** The next couple of days were much the same, but with less and less violence. I went back to work on the water system. The biggest change? Fewer of the pack harassed me. And the ones who had been with us at the compound were looking out for me, so the few who did got smacked around for it. Things had changed. It’d been about three days since we’d returned and Mace was out late with a patrol. I decided I wanted to sleep in a real bed for a change. I mean, all that group love was great but… OK, so I didn’t really think it was all that great. Try sleeping on a couch with a big and tall sized guy, surrounded by more beef cake than the average gym. Did I mention that some of them snore? And how many times had I woken up to the overly loud sounds of yet another round of sex? Play, they called it because none of them were chosen mates. Real sex was between mates. In the middle of the night, I don’t think it mattered. At least not to me. And as much as I didn’t want to join in, it was making me fucking horny. And needing a trip to the bathroom, with Mace. I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep here. Not long after I crawled into bed, the door opened and Mace slipped in. In the near total darkness, all I could really see was a vague outline and a faint glow to his eyes. I fucking hoped it was Mace. He didn’t say anything, just started stripping. “Ah, Mace?” “Sorry, didn’t want to wake you.” I snorted. “Fuck that.” He chuckled. “Or maybe I should just fuck you?” Now he had the idea. “I don’t know, you got time for a serious work out?”
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Naked, he literally pounced on the bed, shaking it so hard I worried it would break. He stalked on all fours, straddling my body, like some fucking wolf on the hunt. He reached the top of the blanket and pulled it down. And down, to where my cock was raising a tent. He growled that sexy growl and it jerked in anticipation. “Hmmm, somebody’s eager to see me.” He pulled the blanket down to my thighs, trapping me under it. He dipped his head, nuzzling the head of my stiffy, caressing it with his cheek. “Ahhhhgggnn.” He stole my breath, sucking me all the way down at once. He swallowed around the head and my hips jerked off the bed. “Fuck! Mace!” My balls drew up, semen rising. That fast he had me ready to shoot. I groaned my disappointment when he let me go. “Now that you’re awake…” He chuckled and dropped on top of me, catching himself just before crushing me into the bed. “Someone’s feeling playful tonight.” “Um hm, and you’re my favorite toy.” I snorted and shoved against the unmovable granite of his chest. “Toy am I?” He laughed and nipped a sharp yip out of my neck. Fuck, that zinged all the way down to my balls. “Not so much toy, but definitely my favorite. I want you.” I knew what that meant and so did my ass, which fluttered. My whole body responded with tingling anticipation. “So what are you waiting for? Fuck me already.” Pinned by the blanket, I couldn’t quite reach the nightstand and the lube. Mace kissed his way down my outstretched arm and fetched it. He kicked the blanket the rest of the way off me and drew my legs over his shoulders. A few quick thrust of lubed fingers and we were both ready. I expected a fierce fucking. Instead, he slowly drilled into me, watching as his cock vanished inside. He stroked me. “Beautiful, so damned hot. You have the best ass, lover.” I wiggled, trying to force him deeper, faster. “Then fuck it, you tease.”
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He looked up with a big grin and leaned over, folding me in half. His lips seized mine in a demanding kiss. I gasped as he sunk in the rest of the way with a solid thrust. In and out he stroked, enjoying the sensations of fullness, the soft, yet rough caress of his belly hair on my cock. I threw my head back, moaning, unable to do more than take what he gave me. Tightness radiated out from deep inside, pulling my balls up. My cock felt like it would explode. Mace growled and froze, hot jiz slicking my hole. He lifted up, unfolding me. “Fuck, Mace!” I was so close, so fucking close!
His fangs glinted in the low light. The fucker was laughing at me.
“How do you want it? Want me to suck you or fuck you?”
Shit, I had to choose? “Fuck me, you’re there already.”
“I wish I could do both.”
My cock throbbed. Yeah, that would feel fucking amazing. He slicked his hand
and grasped me. Working together, pounding into me, pumping my cock, he had me at the edge again… And stopped! “Ahhggg. You’re killing me here.” He leaned down, braced on one arm, his mouth kissing and sucking at my neck. His hips flexed, shoving him in and out. His hand formed a tunnel and I bent my knees so I could match his rhythm and fuck his hand. My whole body tensed, ached with the impending explosion of orgasm. And his fangs closed on my shoulder. I howled and came, wave after wave racking my body, sending cum shooting over my belly in sticky waves. Mace howled and filled me again. That just made me come harder. I couldn’t breathe. My body fell limp, spent. Deep satisfaction radiated through me. Fuck, that was good. Mace levered up on one arm to look at me. “See, it’s better when I make you wait.” Smug bastard! “Fuck you.”
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“Maybe next time, lover.” He snuggled down next to me, one leg over mine. That was the last thing I remembered.
*** A week had made a big difference in my ability to hobble around without crutches. The rest of the pack showed no signs of the major mayhem, fights and even gunshot wounds. Some days, it fucking sucked to be human. We’d risen just after daybreak. The plan was to get to the compound, make the repairs and come back. Mace adamantly refused to let me go alone. “Hawk, Spider, Race, Hound and Slick, you’re with me and Daniel. Truck’s loaded, let’s hit the road.” Mace slid on the new leather jacket that replaced the one the Major had ruined. If he felt any concern over going back, it didn’t show. I felt as nervous as a virgin on their first hot date. Mace had picked men who’d been with us before and got along well with the women of the compound. In Slick’s case, maybe too well. He’d earned his name. That smooth talker could charm the skin off a snake or an unsuspecting woman out of her panties. Peg and Jackie had vied for his attention before it all went to shit. The four door, full sized truck could seat four comfortably, six if we crowded. Spider, Hound and Slick chose to ride in the truck bed. Spring sun shown down brightly but the damp feel of the air suggested thunderstorms later. Typical for this time of year. The overgrown yards and gardens blazed with green, dotted by splashes of flowers gone wild. Most of the trees planted in the medians had died, leaving hardier grass and weeds to fill in. The trees in yards did better since the rain could get to their roots but our dry climate wasn’t nice to them. Most looked ragged now. Still, the crabapples persisted in blooming. Hardy lilacs readied their buds, soon to burst forth in sprays of color. OK, not the massive displays of the well watered and fertilized but at least they were surviving. Better than the overgrown lawns could say. Not far south of Cherry Creek Reservoir, we came over a rise and Mace slammed on the brakes. Not more than 100 yards from us, a gang of rabids dined on what looked
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like a deer in the middle of the fucking road. Their heads snapped up, and suddenly they had no interest in eating venison any more. I counted at least sixteen raggedly dressed, filthy, mangy, snarling, glowing eyed, nasty as they get rabids. Every survivor’s worst nightmare. Not since the collapse of the quarantine centers had I seen so many in one place! We were seriously outnumbered and being well armed was no fucking guarantee. Some rabids carried weapons, including guns. I prayed these didn’t. Mace slowed, but didn’t stop. We couldn’t turn the truck around before they reached us. Cross country, we’d never out run them. Any sign of weakness would trigger a killing frenzy. Think great white sharks on land. Our only chance was to barrel through them. I yanked my shotgun from under the seat and stuck it out the window. Behind me, Hawk and Race did the same with their handguns. The center console flew open and extra clips and boxes of shells were passed out. The gang of rabids had frozen where they were, like deer in the headlights. Mace dodged a fucking pothole. It broke the spell and they surged toward us. At first they made a nice, easy to shoot group. But it still took multiple hits to stop one, much less kill them. I saw a couple go down, tripping the ones behind them and tumbling into balls of pissed off rabids attacking each other. Vicious fuckers. Mace gunned the truck into the thinning gang. A few had broken out and looked like they might flank us. I yanked my rifle in just before we plowed into them, sending rabids over the hood, into the ditches and that bump meant one or more went under the wheels. One grabbed onto the side mirror, growling and clawing at me. Ever shoot a watermelon at close range? I tried not to think about the wet shit all over me and reloaded. A shotgun butt in the face knocked the next one off the truck. The truck bumped over something that screamed. Ouch, that had to hurt.
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Rabids might be vicious but they weren’t stupid. After tasting our firepower, those that could, ran. Those that didn’t or couldn’t kept fighting and dying. In minutes it was over, blood pooling and running across cracked pavement. The truck slid to a stop. What the fuck was Mace doing? He got out along with the rest of pack. “Take the driver’s seat and keep your eyes open,” he threw over his shoulder at me. More than happy to get away from the gory shit on my side, I slid behind the wheel. Not able to see far from inside, I stood on the running board. I made the mistake of looking behind. Like any good rubbernecker, I just couldn’t look away after that. What is it about carnage that makes us want to stare at it? “Mace!” Hawk called him over to the deer remains. “This deer’s been shot and cleaned somewhere else.” Rabids might shoot one, but gut it and then find a clean spot to feast? Not very fucking likely. “Hound, scout the area for someone other than rabids.” Hound got his name not from his looks but his ability to track like a blood hound. Quiet guy, average looking, for a wolfman. He nodded and started sniffing around the perimeter of the fight. “Hawk, let’s see if any of these injured rabids will submit. If they’ve figured out how to live in a larger group they might be able to join the pack.” “This one’s unconscious.” Spider toed a body laying in the road. “If we leave him the others will tear him apart.” I couldn’t help watching Mace squat down to exam the rabid. “How the hell did he get a blow to the face?” I cleared my throat as I walked toward them. “That would be me. He wanted in the window.” The guys paused to look at me. “What? I can defend myself.” “Daniel, tell me that’s not your blood and, um, stuff, all over you.” Mace’s voice sounded kinda funny.
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I looked down at my splattered shirt and snorted. “No, Mace, my brains are still where they should be. How the fuck did you miss me blowing that one’s head off?” They looked where I pointed back down the road. The headless rabid was pretty obvious. They looked back at me. “Huh, guess I was too focused on driving.” He still sounded odd. Spider shook his head. “Damn, our brainiac’s got balls.” I shrugged. What other choice did I have? Wasn’t bravery, it was necessity. I liked living. “You really think you can rehabilitate these rabids?” I glanced at the rabid we’d run over. He was out cold, his nose smashed by the butt of my shotgun. His clothes, already filthy and torn, had shredded on the road, along with a lot of skin. He looked like fresh road kill. “Wouldn’t be the first, Daniel. We were all rabid once,” Hawk pointed out as he bent to examine another still body. He stood and moved on. Oh, fuck. I’d forgotten that. I looked at the one at my feet again. Could all of them be rehabbed? How many had I fucking killed over the years? Not in self-defense but just because I could?
Chapter Seven Now I felt like puking. Mace’s arm slid around me. “Don’t, Daniel. He would have torn you to pieces. You did what you had to. We help the ones we can and kill the ones we have to. It’s just how it is.” I leaned against him. “Still sucks.” And if we were going to help any of them, they’d need to be bandaged. I returned to the truck. Lifting the back seat, I pulled out an old blanket and started ripping strips. Not having to worry about infection made it so much easier. Spider grabbed a bunch of strips and shared them out. I grabbed a length of tow rope. I counted six that looked dead. Race broke the neck of one still alive but missing parts. I did not want to think about how that happened. Mace and Hawk focused on the conscious ones. One could barely lift his head but somehow managed to offer his throat to Mace. Mace knelt and briefly set his clawed hand around it, then he motioned Spider over and moved on. In the end, two more submitted to Mace. Neither looked steady on their feet but could manage. Hands bound, they were loaded in the bed along with the semiconscious one. Two others snarled and snapped when anyone got close. I turned away when I saw the glint of a gun in Mace’s hand. Two quick pops followed by two more and then silence. The one at my feet coughed and wheezed, blood dribbled out of his mouth. I felt along his side. Could be a broken rib or two along with some internal bleeding. Or it could all be coming from his nose. I took a quick look at his pupils. Hard to tell being
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beast eyes but I thought he might have a head injury. What would brain damage do to someone already fucked up in the head? “If we leave him and the others come back, they’ll tear him apart.” Mace squatted beside me. “Let me take care of it while you help the others.” “No, Mace. He deserves a chance, doesn’t he?” “Does he?” “Well, yeah, I mean, what if he could be like you or Hawk? Is it fair for us to pass judgment, to condemn him when he’s not even aware?” Mace clasped my shoulder tighter. “Just remember he might not submit. And he’s not a damn pet.” Mace and Hawk hefted him into the bed of the truck. They’d tied the other three to the sides. This one didn’t seem worth the trouble. Race ran up as I slammed the tailgate. “Hound found a trail, two followed by four that stink.” “You think the two are pack?” Race nodded. “Smelled gun oil and soap. They were running for their lives, Mace. They dropped these.” A pair of backpacks full of canned goods and clothes. Jeans, T-shirts, socks, one smoking hot red dress. I’d never seen a wolfman small enough to wear a dress that size. Never seen one wear a dress at all. “They’re pack alright. At least one woman with them.” The excited look on Hawk’s face had me wondering who he imagined wearing that slinky little dress. Mace nodded. “Let’s go. Daniel, you drive. Hawk, you’re in charge of the rabids. Show me the trail, Race. Spider, Slick.” They fell in behind him. Race led them south toward the overgrown fairways of an abandoned golf course where Hound waited. Hawk stood in the bed of the truck, tracking them by sound as they were quickly out of sight. Shortly he had me turn off the main road and we wound through an abandoned shopping center and the half burnt out shells of apartments behind it.
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The trail ended in a cluster of empty houses. Hound froze, head high as he turned back and forth, testing the wind. He took off in a straight line across yards and driveways. Mace and the others followed, flat out running. “What’s up?” I stuck my head out the window to holler at Hawk. “Smells like fresh blood, death up ahead.” The two subdued but very conscious rabids reacted with snarls. I nearly crashed watching Hawk slap them down in the rearview mirror. At least the ropes were holding, for now. I saw the first body as I pulled into the driveway. A filthy rabid with his throat torn out and multiple gunshot wounds. But who’d killed him? His own buddies after he got shot? Or the pack Mace thought was out here? Mace strode out of the broken front door looking a good bit calmer. Hound followed but looked like he was scanning for another trail. Mace leaned on the window. “It’s a damned mess in there. Someone took out two more rabids.” “Humans?” Mace shook his head. “No, either other rabids or pack. A couple other rabids fled back north toward the lake, both bleeding heavy. Looks like two had tried to flank them while the three drove them.” Fucking smart rabids. Only it looked like their prey had turned the tables, going to ground where they could defend against larger numbers. “Mace!” Hound pointed off to the south east. “They went that way. Smells like just two and one is hurt bad. Smells like a gut wound.” He walked off a short bit and came back. “I think one’s carrying the other.” Mace looked thoughtful. “Pack, then.” At my quizzical look he continued. “Rabid don’t care for their own. Not true rabid. Could still be wild but like Jeremy, easy enough to turn to pack.” Hmm. Learned something new everyday. “So are we going to track them down? If one has a gut wound they could need help.”
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Mace looked thoughtful. “Could be others they’re running to. They might object to us in their territory.” “Those two picked a good place to stand, killed three rabids and drove the others off. Good fighters.” Hawk cocked his head. “I don’t smell any others on them. They might be just the two of them and the woman.” “Come on, Mace, we’re wasting time. What if more rabids track them? We can’t just leave them without at least offering help.” This impulse to rescue others had gotten me in trouble several times over the last few years. But it wasn’t like we could call 9-1-1 and let the authorities help them. Mace nodded sharply. “Hound, track ‘em. Let’s see how far their den is. Daniel, you hang back on the road like before.” I nodded and backed the truck around, headed out to the highway. The trail led about a mile south, crossed over the hwy and back in an older acreage neighborhood. I caught up to them in front of a normal looking house with a normal looking detached garage or workshop set behind and to the side. The blood trail led into the garage. I waited on the road. Me with two very agitated rabids, a woozy one and the still unconscious almost road kill. I kept one eye and my loaded shotgun trained on them. The pack surrounded the building, silently sneaking up on whoever was inside. Which seemed kinda pointless given the noise the truck made. For several long heartbeats, nothing happened. “You inside, we want to talk.” Mace called at the door. A short wait and then the door was yanked open and they flowed inside. A few minutes later, Mace came out and waved for me to join him. I parked in front of the garage. “They’re in a basement of some kind and real nervous. There’s a woman. She might respond to you better, since you’re human.” I followed him through the shop, through a doorway and up to a fucking blast door. “Mace, this was an old fallout shelter. How the fuck did you get the door open?”
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Mace snorted. “They forgot to close it.” What kind of idiot forgets to close and lock their door? I moved to the top of the stairs leading down. “Hi, I’m Daniel. We’re here to help if you want it.” “You… you sound human.” A woman’s voice came from deep inside. “I am. I’m going to come down the steps far enough so we can see each other. That OK?” A firm growl echoed up the stairs. I heard soft words but couldn’t make out what was said. Mace set a hand on my arm. “Wait, they’re arguing. One is hurt bad and she’s afraid for him. Sounds like she’s willing to take a chance with us. But the other is afraid we’ll attack. He might come after you.” Mace carefully made his way lower with me safely behind him. “You did a hell of a job taking those rabids out. Nasty bastards.” Mace stopped halfway down the stairs. “But it looks like you and your friend there took a hell of beating. We can help. We’ve got a really good doc.” A tall black wolfman snarled and growled from the flickering shadows cast by a pair of oil lamps, the only light source. From his stance, I suspected the woman was behind his bulk. “Fuck off! You just want our den and our woman. I won’t let you hurt her!” His words sounded far more confident than his tone. “I promise we won’t hurt you or your wounded friend. Won’t try to take your woman. We just want to help.” A warning growl roughened the edges of Mace’s words. I squinted at the dark shape. It had the lanky look of a man not fully grown, late teens, early twenties maybe? Fuck, he was going to be massive when he finished out, fucking football player massive. Slowly, we descended the remaining steps. Hound had found their empty rifle. They must not have another since it wasn’t pointed at us. The young wolfman’s growls grew louder. Mace answered with his own deepening growl. I knew that stance. The kid was about to get his clock cleaned. “Let it go, boy. We’re here to help.” Mace stopped just a couple feet from the snarling young man. “You first,” he snarled back.
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Mace pounced, yanking the guy forward and slamming him to the ground in one move. The woman squealed, “No, oh, God. No. Please! You said you were here to help!” She was on the small side, Asian looking and cute, if you like girls. She hovered by the bed with the wounded wolfman on it. Hawk brushed by to kneel by the bed. “Take it easy, woman. He’s just teaching the kid some manners. Daniel, is this as bad as it looks?” One eye on the woman, who seemed confused as much as panicked, I took a look. Fuck! Could even a wolfman survive having his insides scrambled? From the sound, he had a punctured lung, too. They’d obviously been trying to treat his wounds but didn’t have a clue. “Give it up kid, I’m not trying to hurt you!” Mace snarled in the young man’s ear. “Fuck! Mace, this guy is bad. We need to get him to the compound ASAP. I don’t think Doc has the skill or equipment to deal with this fucking mess. Mom does. Not that it will matter if you spend the next hour playing with the fucking pup.” “It’s OK Jay, just do what he tells you. They can help Derek.” The woman let out a tense breath. “Please, Jay.” Hawk snorted at the struggling body under Mace. “Looks like Jay here could use some stitches too.” “Jay, please, for Derek. I’ll be fine.” The woman spoke softly, calmly. The snarling stopped. Mace jerked him to his feet and nodded at the one she called Derek. “Get that one out of here.” Mace gave Jay’s neck a squeeze for emphasis. “You ready to behave or should I choke you out and leave you here by yourself?” “Don’t touch pretty, OK? Just leave her alone, she’s ours.” He sounded almost resigned. “Your chosen, got it. I told you we aren’t here to take anything from you. Got my own.” He gave me that possessive smile.
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I turned back to Derek, working with Hawk to get as much bleeding stopped as we could before we tried to move him. “Best we can do. Let’s use this blanket to carry him.” Hawk, Race, Hound and Spider situated themselves to lift the blanket like a sling. “You, get moving to the truck.” Mace jerked his head toward the door, indicating the woman should move. She hesitated. “Mei, go on.” Jay’s voice showed pain that minutes ago it hadn’t. The young man must be at the end of his rope too. Mei cautiously stepped around Mace and Jay and took a couple tentative steps. Almost like she thought the floor was going to rise up and trip her. She relaxed a little and took a few full strides, straight into Slick. He snarled and grabbed her arm, causing her to squeak. “Sssorry,” she choked out. “Leave her alone!” Jay growled and resumed struggling. Mace growled. “Knock it off, boy. She’s fine.” “She should watch where she’s going.” Slick snickered, “not that I mind a little up close with a woman.” “She’s blind, you moron. Let her go!” Jay’s derisive voice silenced the room. “You have got to be fucking kidding us.” I limped over to her and took her chin. “Look at me, May? Right?” “Mei Lin.” She tipped her head where I directed it. I could feel a tremble under my fingers. “Son of a bitch, you are blind.” “This boy needs help sooner rather than later.” Hawk reminded us. “And he’s getting heavy, so move.” Slick tugged her to the side out of the way. “You’re caring for a blind woman? And took out those rabids, just the two of you? You want a home, boy, you’re welcome at my pack.” Mace looked impressed. She listened to the others moving up the stairs. “Aren’t we going with them? I understand if you don’t want to take me, but please, help Derek and Jay.” She
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swallowed hard and continued in a forced tone. “No one needs the burden of a blind woman. It’s OK. I was living here alone before. I’ll be fine.” I limped over, tapped the back of her hand with mine. “Fuck that. We aren’t leaving you here. I’m Daniel.” The Major had mentioned several times that the old or infirm should take a walk. For the good of the whole. I’d run across a few other refugee groups that felt the same. I’d guess she’d run across some of them too. Jay growled at me as I escorted her toward the stair. “For God’s sake, boy, he’s my chosen and you don’t hear me snarling every time he touches someone.” I snickered. “At least not if they’re female. He’s not so good if it’s a guy, trust me.” Mace snarled at me. “Move, you two. They should have the boy loaded in the truck by the time you gimp your way up those stairs.” “Mind if I lean on you a bit? My leg’s still healing and not so good on stairs.” “You have a truck? Where’d you find the gas?” She sounded suitably impressed. “Runs on ethanol, make my own.” We slid Derek across the back seat, Mei and Jay up front. Jay’s head dropped onto her shoulder not long after we started out. I don’t think the young man had even noticed the wounded rabids in the back. He looked beat, but then he had just run a good mile carrying his buddy. Not to mention the fight with the rabids. I had wormed my way into the back seat to keep an eye on Derek. He looked way too pale and his heart labored as much as his breath. I prayed he held on. Hell, I prayed Mace didn’t kill us driving like a bat out of hell on a road full of pot holes! “How’d you guys meet? Been together long?” Her tale wasn’t a good one. She’d been alone for months before Derek and Jay found her. Her concern for them was real and palpable. “We’re here. Stay put until we tell you to move.” Mace put the truck in park and nodded at me.
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I opened the back door and stood up on the running board. “Open up Kim, got injured here.” “Beasts? No fucking way am I letting a bunch of beasts back inside. We haven’t finished fixing the damage from last time!” We didn’t have time for this shit. “Fuck off bitch. Where’s my mother?” “Sylvia!” Mace bellowed loud enough to be heard even inside. “Got a couple of boys hurt bad by rabids.” I heard Mom’s angry voice but couldn’t make out the words. Didn’t need to, the gate swung open. I jumped back in my seat. Mace drove the truck straight to the clinic. “Jay, honey, wake up. We’re here.” Mei gently stroked his arm “Wha?” Jay’s voice slurred with sleep or maybe blood loss. Mom opened the front passenger door, eliciting a growl from Jay. “Shut it, boy. That woman is your buddy’s only hope for surviving,” Mace snarled at him. Seeing the bigger medical disaster in the back seat she yanked open the back door and started to climb in. “Let Mace and the guys get him out, Mom.” “What’s his name?” Mom asked, watching closely as the guys slid him out still wrapped in the blood soaked blanket. “Derek, I’m Jay and this is our pretty, Mei.” I heard a snicker in the gathered crowd. A crowd that stayed well back. I glanced up at the barracks but this time, no rifle barrels poked out the window. Derek started moaning softly as they moved him. “Get him in the first bay. Betty, get an IV prepped, I don’t like his color. How’s your leg, Jay?” “OK. Just take care of Derek.” Jay’s worried look followed his pack mate. “Don’t you worry, we’ll take good care of him. Lindsey, take this one to Two and see if he needs anything. Someone find Nan. Move, people!”
Chapter Eight “The rest of you, go on about your business.” Mom was in her element, handling the situation with ease. “With these beasts roaming loose in here again?” I could have gone the rest of my life without hearing Jill’s shrill whine. “We’ll stick to the clinic and truck as long as no one takes a shot at us.” Mace’s commanding voice brooked no argument. “You better,” Frank snarked before intercepting Mei. “You can come with us, honey. No need to stay with your captors anymore.” He stepped closer. Jay howled and launched himself toward Frank only to brought up short by Hawk. “Keep your damn hands off her!” Jay sounded wide awake and pissed off. “Knock that shit off, boy. He’s not touching her. And he won’t.” Mace glowered at Frank, who melted back toward the comfort of the crowd. “I am not your boy, damn it!” Jay snarled back. “Mei?” “I’m coming, Jay. Could someone guide me?” She reached out, looking for a guiding arm. Her blindness became painfully apparent. Shocked murmurs ran through the crowd. Hawk laughed. “That’s right, Frank. These two young beasts took out three nasty rabids to protect a blind woman. And she hasn’t got a scratch on her. Does that really sound like something a beast would do?” I offered her my arm again and guided her into the clinic. “Can I sit with Jay, please?” “Sure.” I guided her into the second bay where Lindsey was looking at Jay’s leg, then backtracked to the first bay where Mom and Mace were facing off again. “If you give him saline it’ll dilute the healing stuff in his blood,” Mace growled
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“Or we could let him stroke out because his blood pressure is still dropping.” Mom tried to get around him to start the IV. “Why not give him plasma? I’m sure one of the pack would donate,” I suggested. “Takes too long to process. So unless you have a universal donor, get me the God damned saline!” “I’m a universal donor.” Hawk’s soft voice cut through the growing tension. “You sure? It could kill him otherwise.” “Doc’s used me before with success.” Hawk was already shedding his bloody shirt. Mom ran a critical look over his stocky frame. “Most of this isn’t mine. We ran into the same pack of rabids they did,” Hawk explained, taking the damp rag I offered him and wiping himself down. His deep barrel chest rippled with each flex of his arms. And I’d thought Mace was ripped. Betty arrived with the extra gear to take Hawk’s blood and the room got crowded. “Daniel, Mace, out. You can stand in the hall if you want.” She paused. “If anyone else is hurt you can use Three. I’m sure you remember where everything is?” I didn’t bother replying, heading out the door and into the waiting room. A certain rabid needed attention. The rabid that had been semiconscious seemed much more alert, but until we got some of the dirt and old blood off him, we wouldn’t know how bad he’d been hurt. Spider parked him in a chair in Three. Slick helped Mace bring Road Kill in. I thought I’d have to do all the work but Mace knew his way around a bandage. I took Road Kill, he took the other one. I had Spider, Race and Hound take the other two rabids to the basement and start cleaning them up. Amazingly, they did what I told them without looking to Mace. Just like they did to any of Mace’s inner circle. Blew my fucking mind. Half of treating these two involved getting them clean. We’d barely made a dent in that before Nan, the medic, joined us. “Oh my God, what is that smell?” She stood in the door with her hand over her mouth.
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I chuckled. “Rabids.” “Rabids? As in big bad wolves? Not Mace’s pack?” her voice slid up the scale as her face paled. “At the moment they’re rabid. We’ll take them back to the den and see if they can become pack. Just like Jeremy,” Mace responded evenly. “Just like that? You’re kidding right?” her voice quavered slightly. “And while they’re here? I mean look at what little Jeremy did to Frank.” Mace stopped to give her his full attention. I thought I saw a shiver run through her. “We’ll keep them contained, just like the two downstairs. Although I don’t plan on being here long enough for these two to be a concern. Speaking of which, Daniel, don’t you have some parts to unload and install?” “You aren’t going to leave me here with them?” Nan didn’t even try to hide her discomfort -- make that near panic -- at the idea. “I’ll send Angie in if it will make you feel better but trust me, you’re safe with Mace.” I didn’t have time to hold her hand, I had shit to do. “Just don’t stare him in the eyes, do what he tells you and you’ll be fine.” Her face paled even more. “Daniel!” I left her calling after me. Angie was in the lobby. “Hey, Nan’s nervous around Mace. Want to hold her hand?” Angie snorted rudely. “And where are you going?” “I’ve got a hot date with a cranky pump.” I smelled nearly as bad as the rabids but figured there was no point in doing more than splashing off most of the gunk. I would be plenty dirty by the time I was finished. And then I could shower, with Mace. That’s what I told myself. The truth? I didn’t want a chance to think about what I’d done. It didn’t take long to round up Kate and a couple of others to help me unload the parts. Most of it was for maintenance but a few pieces were critical. The main well pump had started acting up last winter. I’d managed to keep it going, but soon enough
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it would fail all together. That had to be my first priority. The trick would be getting it done fast enough we wouldn’t need to stay the night. I had no idea how many hours had passed until Mom showed up with lunch. She looked tired. “How’d the surgery go?” I asked around a mouthful of sandwich. Miss Ellie made a mean loaf of bread. As in you could kill someone with it. But it was filling. Mom sighed, staring off at nothing. Fuck, that couldn’t be good. “Mom? What happened? Did he make it?” “What? Yeah, of course he’ll live. I… I don’t understand. How can someone lose that much blood, get their intestines ripped part way out along with the lower part of their lung and still be alive? It’s not natural.” I put an arm around her shoulder. “It’s pretty weird, I’ll give you that, but it’s natural to them.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “What I don’t understand is why it effects the men that way but not the women it infects. It’s not right.” “So, what’s really bothering you?” She glared at me then snorted. “I feel useless with them. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d have recovered even without my help. He should have been dead long before he got here. And what are we supposed to do with the rest of them? Daniel, he brought beasts, wild beasts into the compound.” “Mace will handle them.” “They’re crazy, feral. Why on earth would he want to save them?” “Because they were all rabids at some point. They’ve done this before, Mom. He knows what he’s doing.” I really hoped he knew what the fuck he was doing. “The council wants them to leave. Now.” “I’m not done yet.” “Not you, just them.” “That is not going to happen. Mace won’t leave me here alone. And with all the love he’s been shown here, he’s not anxious to stay.”
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She got up. “Well, I’d better let you get back to work, then. If fuel weren’t so precious you could just come back as often as it takes.” “It’s not just the fuel. We ran into that pack of rabids on our way here. Half of them are still out there. Travel is dangerous even for wolfmen.” “But none of you were injured.” I faced her. “Physically, no, but that’s as much luck as skill. And I’ve got a whole new set of nightmares coming.” “I’m sure watching them kill each other can’t be easy.” She’d never wanted to admit what I used to do prowling the streets as things went bad. And that was when I wasn’t sitting on top of a building shooting any beast I spotted. “Mom, you see this.” I pointed to the stains on my shirt. “I blew a guy’s brains out with a shotgun at close range. I got lucky -- I pulled the trigger before he could yank me out the window of the still moving truck. The one that was unconscious? I slammed the butt of the gun in his face and we ran over him. I really, really don’t want to do that again anytime soon.” Mom and Kate looked stunned, shocked and maybe even appalled. My stomach twisted into a knot and I felt light headed. I’d blown a man’s fucking head off and I had his fucking blood, brains and… and shit all over me. That sandwich wanted to make a repeat appearance. No, I didn’t fucking have time to fall apart. I stuffed it back into that corner of my mind where I hid shit like this and locked it up tight. “I’ve got work to do. Please do your job and keep them safe. They’ve had their share of carnage for the day, too.” I went back to seating the pump fittings, fully expecting her to chew me out for talking to her like that. But nothing came. I glanced up to see both women still staring at me like I’d grown a second head. “Kate, I could use a hand here. Thanks for lunch, Mom.” “Don’t worry, son, he’s safe. The Major and her soldiers are gone. Banished. I don’t think anyone else wants to join them.” She paused at the door. “All the same,
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Mace and his group are staying in the clinic this time. It’s the most secure place. I’ll make sure you have clean clothes and hot water in your loft.” If only a shower could wash away the memories with the rest of it.
*** I watched the lightning dancing across the sky from the door of the pump house. Rain fell in an almost deafening roar on the metal roof. It smelled so clean. I smelled like a fucking rabid. A dead fucking rabid. I could have waited until the storm passed to return to the clinic. I walked out into a freezing shower. It pelted my head, stung my face and in just a few minutes, numbed me completely. Numb felt good right now. I stopped, temporarily blinded by a close flash of lightning. Thunder shook the buildings. Pink and oil-tinged rain poured off me. “Daniel! Too stupid to live again? Standing out in a thunder storm is not bright.” Mace’s roar carried over the rushing rain and driving wind. But then he was right in front of me. He must have snuck up while I was blinded by the light. “I was coming. The rain feels good.” The numb felt better. “Feels good? You’re nearly blue. It’s freezing.” He grabbed my arm and steered me to the clinic. “It feels clean. The rain. “What the heck is up with you?” “Other than wanting to get clean? Nothing.” “Daniel, that’s what showers are for. Warm indoor showers with soap.” “I don’t think even soap can get this fucking shit off me.” By then we’d reached the clinic door and he stuffed me inside. The number of bodies kept it toasty compared to outside. They were all staring at me. I was getting fucking tired of being stared at! That’s when I realized there were more women in the waiting room than wolfmen. The room had been designed as just that, a place to wait, either for someone getting treatment or triage. No check in counter needed.
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A topographic and area road map covered a couple of end tables pushed together in the middle of the room. Hawk, Sharon, Angie, Kacey and Mom sat around it. Hound lounged in a corner with Allie and Betty. What the fuck was up with that? And Sarah sat guard by the door. Sarah? Can’t stand to be in the same room with a man Sarah. Granted she looked nervous but she was here, with several wolfmen in the room and down the hall. “Daniel, haven’t you got more sense than to stand in the rain?” Mom’s disappointed tone snapped me fully back to the here and now. I was dripping wet and fucking freezing my ass off. And tired, to the bone tired. “Let’s get you dry before hypothermia sets in.” She let out one of those weight of the world sighs as she rose. “I’ve got him, Sylvia, thanks. But he could use some dry clothes.” “I laid some out in his loft. Which is where he should go, get showered and rest.” And there was the long suffering Mom to moron son tone. Fucking great! Like I needed that right now. “Shit, Mom, I’m not three. I don’t need a nap.” The small shivers running through me ganged up into a huge and very visible whole body shake. “I suspect even a three year old would know better than to stand in the middle of a thunderstorm getting soaked.” Yeah, that had been pretty stupid. Mace pointed me toward the hall, his hand resting comfortably on the small of my back. On the right were the three exam/surgical rooms. Across the hall, one room for those needing prolonged care, a large bathroom complete with shower and tub, and Mom’s office. The door to the sleeping room was closed. Sounded like someone was getting taken care of all right. The first and last exam room doors were closed. The middle one had the door cracked and I caught a glimpse of Mei sitting beside the bed.
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Mace got the water started while I stripped. For once, he didn’t seem inclined to join me. “You gonna watch or come on in?” I went for a playful tone, but the sudden shudder that cracked my voice ruined it. Mace’s brow furrowed and he leaned against the wall, looking me over. But not the kind of look I liked. More like a puzzle he needed to figure something out. “What?” “Are you OK? You seem a little… off.” I snorted and stepped under the shower. Blessedly hot water flowed over my chilled flesh. “Daniel?” The amount of emotion he could put into my name, amazing. He sounded really worried. “I’m fine, Mace. Or I will be. It just caught up to me, that’s all.” “You were talking about this morning. That’s what you want to wash off. Ah, that makes more sense.” He paused then snorted, “Sort of.” I grabbed for some shampoo. “For starters. Mostly, I’m just tired and cold.” Exhausted more like. I shrugged. “Now, you washing my back or what?” I shot a smoldering glance over my shoulder, expecting to see Mace. But the wall was holding itself up.
Chapter Nine “Mace?” “Your Mom asked for our advice. I want to finish up so we can leave.” He had his hand on the doorknob. “Yeah, sure.” I guess I wasn’t the only one disgusted with me. I yanked the shower curtain closed. “Daniel.” Mace pulled it open. “I would love nothing more than to soap you up and fuck your sweet ass until you can’t even think, but your mother is out there. Do you really want her to get another earful?” Well, fuck. No. I shook my head. It did make an awfully convenient excuse not to touch me though. I turned my back to him. “Hey, come here.” He pulled me over, and, taking my hand, he placed it over his very stiff cock. “This is how bad I want you. But not for some quickie. We get back to the den, I will fuck you senseless for hours. Count on it.” I stood there feeling stunned, my frozen cock and balls not sure whether to stand up and cheer or not. I soaped up a second time and a third. By the time I’d rinsed, the water was almost as cold as the rain. I still felt like I had stuff on me. And I knew it was all in my head. Been here, done this before. A few months of nightmares, maybe a sudden break down or two and I’d be good as new. Or as good as I can get in this fucked up world. Someone had set clothes just inside the door for me. Fresh clean clothes. I looked at the pile of stained shit on the floor. Maybe I should just burn them. Those blood stains would never come out. Then again, could any of us afford to toss perfectly serviceable clothes anymore? I sighed and bundled them up to be washed.
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The first exam room door popped open as I passed and Jackie nearly plowed into me. Slick jerked her back at the last second setting off a bunch of giggling between her and Peg, who was buttoning up her shirt. I shot Slick a questioning look. He returned a smug smile and waggled his brows. Fuck, they got to play doctor and I had to shower alone. Not fair. Allie and Betty were gone, but Hound still sat in the corner. Spider had joined him and looked just as smug as Slick. So that must have been Spider in the overnight room getting some special care. I didn’t see who he’d been with. Not that it mattered. Hell, might even improve relations if they were half as good in the sack as Mace. “Daniel, you look better. How’s the pump?” Mom looked up from the maps. “Working like a champ. So what’s this?” “Considering recent events, we thought we should improve security around here.” Sharon leaned back from the table and looked at me. “Mace and Hawk have made some good suggestions like clearing the ridges. We just can’t figure out how to man watchtowers without risking those women getting cut off.” I folded up next to Mace, who handed me a plate with cheese, dried fruit and bread. “Yeah, that’s a problem, and why the only watch towers are inside the walls.” Hawk kicked back. “I still say you need better guards. A couple pairs of wolfmen could handle it.” “I don’t think that’s going to fly.” Mom shook her head. “I’m not giving up control of this compound to any outsiders, ever.” Mace nodded. “Well, looks like Daniel is ready to travel, the storm’s passed and we still have some daylight. Time to go.” He spoke over his shoulder to Hound, Slick and Spider. “Get the two injured loaded first then help Race bring the other two up.” He stood and stretched. “Hawk, we’ll help get Derek loaded.” Mom stood. “Absolutely not! He needs at least the night to heal before you try moving him.” “You forget how fast we heal.”
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“Not at all. If he were fully human, I wouldn’t let you move him for a week at least.” “You really want us to stay tonight?” Mace crossed his arms over his chest. Mom looked at Kacey, who shrugged, and Sharon, who nodded. “No, but those two and Mei can stay here for a few days. In the clinic. You can come get them then. Daniel has more work to do, anyway.” Mace stared down the hall, eyes narrowed. “I’ll see if Derek is up to a short chat.” Chat? Sounded more like Mace wanted to lay down the law. Wolfman style -that could get loud and physical. “Just remember how badly he’s hurt, Mace. I assure you, we can handle them. Or rather, Mei can.” Mom sounded confident. I hadn’t spent any time with the little blind woman but Mom seemed to like her. Good enough for me. Mace disappeared into their room while the guys got our new “guests” ready to travel. I walked out with Mom to get the truck. “Daniel, please be careful out there.” Mom didn’t look at me, staring instead at the gate. “I will.” I drew her into my arms for a hug. “This isn’t goodbye forever, Mom. I’ll see you in a few days.” She hugged me back and then pulled away. “I know, and yet, I worry. Living here, we tend to forget just how dangerous it is.” She gave me another quick hug. “Be safe, Daniel.” I pulled the truck, freshly refueled and with the extra cans secured in the back, up to the clinic door. The yard was empty but faces seemed to fill every window I could see. Road Kill was awake, if more than a little confused looking. Clean and shaved, he might be a nice looking guy, under the swelling and bruising from his broken nose. The road rash was well on its way to healing at least. Golden blond hair had been
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hidden under layers of dirt, blood, and God knows what. He didn’t have any fight in him, but he had to be physically moved around. He rode in the back, up against the cab. The other three looked almost human, for wolfmen. Hawk’s growled orders along with physical enforcement got them loaded and tied to the bed of the truck with only minor skirmishes. The storm left behind a clear sky and that sweet, clean smell. I inhaled deeply. I loved the fresh, new smell after a rain. I drove this time. The pack, those not watching our new friends, stayed alert. Mace rode with his window down and my shotgun on the seat. I tensed as we neared the site of this morning’s fight, expecting to see the dead still laying there. But all that was left was blood. And maybe a few bits here and there. We topped the hill. Off to the right, they sat there on top of a building, watching as we drove by. They made no move toward us. Just watched. Most of them looked dirty and unkempt like rabids. But a few looked different. Not well groomed like Mace’s pack, but different. One stood up, a snarl on his face. The others all gathered around him, focused like hounds begging to be let off the leash. But he only watched. The three rabids in the back cowered, refusing to look at him. Oh, fuck. That must be their alpha. And he looked pissed. Fear played a tune on my spine with fingers of ice. The rest of the trip passed uneventfully but the guys remained alert, paying extra attention behind us. Introducing four new wolfmen to the den proved educational. Road Kill, or RK for short, stayed in the corner I stuck him in. Yes, he even listened to me. The other three? As soon as the main room cleared of women and children, Mace had them cut loose one at a time. First Mace knocked the shit out of them. Then Hawk, Slade and the rest of Mace’s team had a go. The first guy had some real attitude. By the time they finished with him, he wouldn’t look at any one or even move until told to. The next two got the message. They might be rabid but they weren’t stupid. They gave it up pretty easy.
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We’d arrived just before dark, hungry and tired. After settling the new guys, we ate and then the fuck fest started. The newbies drew a lot of attention, not all of it good, but no one died. Looked like another night of no women and all wolfmen in the hall. Mace spent the evening keeping a close eye on the pack. After he got up for the umpteenth time to jump in the middle of a frot pile getting out of hand, I’d had enough for one night. I slipped out of the hall and into Mace’s cold, empty bed. I don’t know how long I lay there, dozing and then jerking awake with the memory of a shotgun blast ringing in my head. How long would it take me to get over it enough to sleep? After several years of this I thought it should be easier. It wasn’t. Then again, I’d never blown someone’s head off at close range before. I deserved to be a little freaked, right? In my dreams, it sounded like gun fire. It was only Mace shutting the door behind him. I sat there, sweating, heart pounding and fucking embarrassed. I think I’d screamed as I woke up. He crossed to the bed and sat down next to me. “Everything OK?” He ran his hand up my bare arm. I pulled the covers up. “Yeah, fine.” “You left without me.” I shrugged. “You had plenty going on. I wanted to get some sleep.” Like I was really going to sleep tonight. “Didn’t look like you were doing too well with that.” “Yeah, I know.” He set his hand on my thigh. Just that single touch and much of the tension knotting my gut relaxed. Mace slipped in beside me, hot, naked and comforting. I spooned my ass cheeks into the hollow of his hips. His chest pressed along my back. Our legs formed together. The miasma of the nightmare, of the day, faded with that strong body so tight to mine. The crack of my ass cradled his stiffy. That man was always fucking hard. “Were you always this hard before we met?”
Brannan Black
Wolfman 3: Judgment
- 89 -
Mace breathed a chuckle along my neck. “No, not like this, Daniel. But from the first time I saw you, face down on the muddy pavement, I wanted you. Needed you.” He lipped the rim of my ear. “Just like now.” I gasped in a breath. His hand teased down the length of my cock, calling it to full attention. “Hummmm, yeah. Like that.” Lazy finger tips caressed up and down my length. I gasped each time he reached the head, running a finger around it before stroking back down the shaft. I reached behind me to take him in hand but he stopped me. “Just be still, lover. Let me touch you.” He went back to his lazy petting. He trailed soft kisses on my neck and shoulder and back to take the lobe of my ear between his teeth and tug it. Fuck! Might as well of tugged hard on my cock. A shock of pleasure sizzled down my spine, ending with a warm pulse in my cock and balls. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” He thrust his hard on against my ass. “Hard to miss, big guy.” I turned, seeking his mouth. He let me roll to my back, our mouths meeting, devouring each other. Tongues dancing, stroking. I ran my hands over his hard chest, sought out a nipple and tweaked it. I sucked his gasp in, letting it flow down to fan the fire growing deep inside. His hand closed around me, stroking strongly. His hips thrust in an ever increasing rhythm. “Daniel, I need… unnnggg, I need…” “Shhh, I know what you need,” I whispered, my lips hovering over his. I pulled him over to cover me with his long hard body. Fuck, I love the feel of him on me. I spread my legs and our cocks lined up. He was hard, leaking precum, his body quivering with the effort not to come yet. “Give it to me, Mace. Let it go.” I dug my hands into his ass, pulling him harder to me. thrusting to meet his every stroke. “Ahhhggg! Yessss!” He jerked and warm jiz slicked our bellies. Moments later, my own climax roared through me. I moaned and thrust once, twice more, tingles of aftershocks running through me.
Brannan Black
Wolfman 3: Judgment
- 90 -
“Now that we have that out of the way, we can settle down to a nice long fuck.” I nibbled at the base of his neck. He moaned and exposed more of his throat and shoulder to my teeth. I took a firm hold where the neck meets the shoulder and pushed up and over. Urging him to roll to his back. I straddled him, sitting up and admiring his strong chest, and his lean, strong arms. That tight six pack lightly furred with dark hair. Leaning forward, I tugged his braid out and untied it. Running my fingers through the silky length, I spread it around his head like a fucking halo. He set his hands on my thighs, thumbs stroking that sensitive place between them and my balls. “Ummm, yeah, that’s good.” He rolled them more to the inside, thumbs pressing and stroking my balls, and lower. “Ahh, yeah, God, yes.” He cupped me with one hand and rimmed round my hole with the other. “Ride me, Daniel. I want to watch you ride me.” I stretched for the drawer with the lube. I took a good bit and slicked his cock with it. Then I rose up, spreading as wide as I could and teased my hole. His sexy growl vibrated up my legs to make my cock surge up toward my belly in a salute. Our gazes locked, the hunger on Mace’s face heating me. I needed him in me. I rose up and positioned him, broad head just pressing against me. Asking, waiting for me to let him in. He wanted it, I could see it in his face. His hands gripped my thighs almost too tight, but he didn’t move. Oh so slowly I slid him inside me. Ah, God the feel of him. Hard, hot, long, filling me. Joining us together in the most intimate way. I took him all the way in. Little rolls and circles of my hips and his eyes rolled back. Whines and moans replaced the growl. His whole body quivered like the string on a guitar. And I was playing it. I felt powerful in the moment. Powerful with this wolfman’s cock filling my ass. What a fucking turn on! My cock ached and leaked.
Brannan Black
Wolfman 3: Judgment
- 91 -
I rode him slowly at first, drawing out his whines, whimpers and moans of need. Controlling his pleasure in ways I had never thought of before. And it made me so fucking hard it hurt. I leaned forward and he lifted his hips, matching my rhythm, finding my own button. “Ahhh, fuck. Unnnggn, Mace!” Like that my control fled and my orgasm bowled over me, rolling me under the flood of pleasure. I came so hard I lost my balance and collapsed on him still jerking with pleasure. Jiz spurted onto his chest, belly. His howled release followed mine. He thrust in slow sensual rolls of his hips until we both stopped quivering in spikes of ecstasy. I lay on him, peace and sleep creeping over me. Vaguely aware of him slipping his softening cock from me, I slid off to the side, still half draped on him. Content, satisfied and for the moment, safe in the arms of my wolfman lover.
Brannan Black Brannan Black grew up dreaming about epic adventures with strong men and women doing heroic deeds. She’s been a belly dancer, horse breeder, mom, Reiki master and crazy. Really, certifiably crazy. That’s what folks say when the people in your head won’t leave you alone. When their worlds and lives seem as real as this one. Now she writes their stories, making them happy, and people call her an author instead of nuts. She lives quietly, more or less, on a small ranch with her husband, multiple cats, dogs and horses. Blog: http://brannansfantasies.blogspot.com Website: www.EpicRomances.com Email:
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