Bailey Bradford - Southwestern Shifters 06 - Reverence (15 page)

But—” He held up a finger when Harley would have spoken. “But I don’t feel sorry for
myself. I had my pity party and poor me time already. Now I am just glad to be alive, and
optimistic that my wolf will come back to me fully. I will be okay, and so will you.” Harley, for the first time in a long while, believed that was true.

Frustrated didn’t begin to describe Val’s state two days later when he was still waiting to hear back from Marcus. Rather than explain what was going on to Kelly, who’d been left in charge of the guards, Val had left a message that he needed to speak to his Alpha Anax immediately. He supposed whatever was going on in Amsterdam must be bad. Added to the waiting to talk to Marcus, there was the fact that Ryder had disappeared sometime before Val had claimed Harley. They hadn’t discovered that until they’d dozed some more then got up. Harley had been just short of devastated by his brother’s sneaking off, and Harley was worried on top of that about the HIV test he was awaiting the results on.

Val was going to kick Ryder’s ass for hurting Harley, and he’d stay with Harley no matter what the test results were.
And the final straw that was making Val want to hurl his fist through a wall was that he believed they were being watched, and not by Ryder. Or not just, because the sensation was different, the threat still there when he felt eyes on him. Ryder wasn’t his biggest fan, but Val didn’t believe he’d be trying to visually annihilate him.
“Your pacing is wearing me out.”
Val turned around again and ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t help it. I feel like we’re trapped, or about to be. I can’t get hold of Marcus, and I don’t know who to ask for help. Nathan and Marcus both wanted as few people as possible to know what was going on here. They were concerned, and rightfully so, I believe, about other shifters coming after you.”
Harley walked over and pulled a drape aside to look out of the window. “And if they knew I was your mate, would they leave me alone then?”
“Probably,” Val admitted. “I mean, every shifter knows mates won’t hurt each other. Therefore, it’d stand to reason that you wouldn’t expose us because that would definitely hurt us.”
Harley rubbed the silky material between his thumb and two fingers, and Val thought of the way Harley’s hands felt on his skin. Hot, strong, delicate, perfect—“If I were to become a shifter, then they’d have to leave me alone, wouldn’t they?”
Val sighed and joined Harley at the window. “Shifters are weird, I guess. We don’t live in fear of exposure, but we are aware of the dangers of it. Some of us are rational beings, others seem more wild beast, or more mad beast, maybe, than not. Everyone is supposed to follow Marcus’ laws, but like with the President of the United States, not everyone agrees and there can be a lot of fighting. The difference, of course, is those fights are often to the death. Shifter punishment is harsh, a human court wouldn’t tolerate it, but it’s our way, and therefore, maybe, we are a more violent breed than humans.” He shook his head. “Did any of that answer your question?”
“In a way,” Harley said after laughing softly. “I think maybe shifters aren’t so different from humans in temperament, more like in strength, and of course, being part wolf, that would make you different. Law of the wild and all that. What’s it like, being a shifter? Sharing your body with another being?”
“It’s all I’ve ever known,” Val began only to stop and scrub at his scarred temple. “Well, almost all. Even now, I can feel my wolf in me, but it’s like…like when we are in bed together, and I can feel that you’re beside me even when I’m sleeping. I know you’re there.”
Harley nodded and gestured for him to continue.
“Okay, well, it’s just another part of me, like an arm or leg or heart, even, because I’m not sure I could live without my wolf. I don’t think that’s possible. I’ve never heard of a shifter losing his or her wolf. That’s another reason why I believe he’s in here,” Val touched his chest, “recovering. I think he’s ashamed, that he feels he failed me. The human part of him. He wasn’t fast enough, strong enough, whatever enough, to protect this body.” Val hadn’t shared that, but he believed it was true. His wolf was still there, and the only reason he could figure for him being so quiet was shame.
“Can’t you make it—?” Harley shook his head. “I mean, can’t you make him understand?”
“I’ve tried, but it is just going to take time. There’s always the possibility that maybe he can’t come up fully anymore. Maybe when my leg was shattered, it messed him up somehow, too.” Val couldn’t make peace with the possibility that he might never be able to shift again, he just couldn’t.
“I keep trying to decide what to do. I feel like I’m making you give up everything, your pack, your place in the guard, and if I were a shifter—”
Val hugged Harley to him, cutting off that guilt-laden stream of words. “No. Don’t think that. There have been mated pairs where one never was turned, and yes, probably because the only widely known method for changing a human to shifter is unpleasant—”
“Understatement,” Harley huffed.
“Definitely. But the fact is, I am going to be happy anywhere you are, just right now I am worried about Marcus and Nathan, about Ryder, and about whoever turned him.” Val searched the street below them as if he could find the answers there. “How many more people have been changed and are, even now, running around terrified and angry and putting all shifters at risk?”
“I just don’t want to be one of the risks, you know?” Harley muttered. “I don’t want to be a cause of stress for you.”
“You’re not,” Val assured him. “And I don’t want you to feel obligated to become a shifter. I think, maybe, we’re both experiencing some doubts that we wouldn’t if our bond was fully enabled, with the mental link in force, but, as it is, we both have to trust one another to share whatever the problem is.” Here Val found himself smiling, nuzzling Harley’s soft skin. “We actually have to talk about everything.”
“Like plain ol’ human beings do,” Harley added, sounding happy about it. “We have a unique mate relationship then, which, to me at least, is cool.” He turned in Val’s arms and rubbed his cheek on Val’s chest. “You mentioned fate and destiny a couple of days ago, and I think you’re right. It had to be this way. I mean, you’re kind of what I feared the most, but also kind of not, you know? Not that I fear all shifters now, what with you and Ryder, and even Nathan being shifters. But would I have been able to handle it if you were full-blown snarly beast-man? I doubt it. I’d probably have found the mental thing intrusive, too. One more way shifters are different from humans. So to me, this is good.”
“And no more worrying about whether or not you want to be turned. Just let’s enjoy each other for now.” Val tipped Harley’s chin up and kissed him, meaning for it to be a gentle one but Harley moaned and shifted his legs until he had his hard-on pressed against Val’s thigh. Val grabbed Harley’s ass and pulled, encouraging him to rub and take what he needed—only to almost drop him when someone pounded on the door. “Sound like anyone you know?” he muttered to Harley, but, like Harley, he too hurried for the door. “Look first,” he barked when Harley immediately went for the locks.
“Right.” Harley peeked out then gasped. “Fuck! Ryder!” His hands began to shake as he fumbled with the door.
Val moved to the side of him and gently pushed his hands back. “Let me. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, he’s bleeding, he’s hurt,” Harley whispered, back to looking through the peephole. Val finished with the locks then he let Harley open the door. Ryder fell through before Harley had the door halfway open. The thud he made when he hit the floor was almost as loud as the yelp Harley loosed when he darted back to keep from getting smacked. “Ry!”
Val stepped over Ryder and into the building’s hall. He saw no one, and didn’t feel as if he was being watched. Turning around, he saw Harley struggling with Ryder’s unconscious form. “Here, let me help.”
It took them longer than Val thought it should have to get Ryder inside. Val helped Harley settle him on the couch then he hurried back to bolt the door. His cell started ringing and Val cursed. Harley needed him, but that ring tone belonged to Marcus.
“Get it,” Harley said, perhaps seeing the indecision on his face. “I’ll check for wounds. This blood’s coming from somewhere.”
Val barely managed to grab his phone before it went to voicemail. “Hello,” he panted, hoping Marcus hadn’t given up.
“What’s going on, Val? You sound like you’ve been running.”
Marcus’ deep voice held a command to it that had Val straightening his spine automatically. Val knew Marcus hated delay tactics and stalling, so he didn’t beat around the bush. “Harley Johansen is my mate, sir. I disobeyed—”
“Your mate?” Marcus snapped out, and Val cringed.
“Yes, sir.”
“Nathan!” Marcus’ shout for his mate set Val’s ear to ringing. “Come here, please. No, I mean yes, I’m sorry for yelling at you but this is—you’ll want to know this.”
“Hello, is this Val?”
“Yes, Nathan.” Jesus, Val was going to get mental whiplash from these two. “I told you I would follow orders and stay away from Harley but I didn’t. He’s—”
“Why not?” Nathan all but shouted. “What did you do?”
“He’s my mate, I was trying to tell you.” Val could have bitten his tongue for the snark in his voice, but he wasn’t up to accusations today. “He’s mine, and even though our mate bond isn’t fully in force, because of my current state, I know he’s my mate. He chased me down, Nathan, the night I moved here. He couldn’t leave me, and he’s come to realise that not all of us are the hounds of Satan.”
“Wow.”
That was it? Val pulled the phone back and glared at it.
“Stop it. I can feel that glare,” Nathan ordered.
“Yes, sir.” Val sighed internally, not daring to risk doing so out loud.
“So that actually might make things easier, then. Has he mentioned being turned—”
Val shouldn’t have, but he interrupted anyway. He wasn’t going to listen to advice on the subject. “I’m not pushing that. Look, Nathan, sir, he’s my mate, and mates don’t endanger one another. Put the word out that he’s mine and it should deter most of the potential troublemakers.”
“I can do that, but you said something about the bond not being in full force. Can anyone else tell you two are a mated pair? Like I can sense it in other mates, you know.” Nathan cursed then went on. “Right. How would you know? There aren’t any shifters around there.”
Val started for the living room. “Actually, about that. It’s very odd, but, as it turns out, Harley has a brother.”
“What’s odd about that? Lots of people have siblings.”
Val watched as Harley prodded a nasty-looking gash on Ryder’s chest. “Well, sure, but not ones who were drugged, and changed into a shifter against their will.”
The silence seemed louder than any of the words Nathan had spoken, until Nathan shouted, “Marcus! We’ve got a serious problem!” Then to Val, “He’s coming. He was getting an update on—well, whatever, that’s not your concern. So Harley knew about shifters all this time?”
“No,” Val growled, only to stop when Nathan growled right back. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to deal with this, with having a mate and feeling bits and flashes of our mate nature. No, he didn’t know. He and Ryder have never been real close for several reasons, but I’ll explain that later, because right now Ryder just showed up and he looks…” Val realised Harley was watching him, listening, and he rethought saying Ryder looked like he was on Death’s doorstep. “He looks like he’s been hurt pretty bad. I need to help Harley with him.”
“Jesus, we leave for a few days and all hell breaks loose. Okay, let me talk to Marcus. Keep your phone close by, and, and call Shania if you need help with any medical issues for Ryder. I’ll be calling you back shortly.”
“Yes, sir,” Val said, “Thank you.” He disconnected the call. “Are those knife wounds?” He came closer and saw the jagged edges. “Fuck. No, those are claws and bites. Damn it, I wish I could still scent properly! I might be able to pick up the smell of the shifter who did this to him.”
“He’s gonna be okay, right?” Harley asked as he peeled a piece of material out of a particularly nasty gouge. “I mean, he’s a shifter, he’ll heal really fast and wake up.”
“He should.” Val thumbed in the direction of the bathroom. “Let me get some damp cloths and antiseptic.”
“There’s a first-aid kit in the guest bathroom, too,” Harley offered.
“I’ll get it, thanks.” Val found the kit and ran warm water to wet the cloths with. He carried everything back into the living room, where Ryder was already beginning to come to, judging by the way he was twitching and groaning.
Val helped Harley strip Ryder, and the number of injuries made Harley cry and Val’s stomach threaten to flip over. A normal human being wouldn’t have survived what looked like it had been an attack by a pack of wolves. Val spotted at least three different bites on Ryder’s legs.
“It wasn’t just one shifter,” he muttered as he wiped at the bloody filth on Ryder’s skin. “Let me get us a couple of bowls of water. We need to rinse these cloths out.”
“Okay, thanks.” Harley handed his over and Val bent to cup his cheek and thumb off the tears streaking it.
“He’s going to be okay, honey. He’s already trying to wake up.”
“I know.” Harley sniffled and tried to suppress a sob. “I’m just, I’m scared, for him, for us, for whoever else might become a victim.”
Val stopped in his attempt to stand. “You think this is the same shifter who made him what he is now?”
Harley gave him an incredulous look. “Don’t you? Who else would it be? The sick fuck is making his own pack or whatever, and somehow he let Ryder escape, or he didn’t know what he was doing or something! But it has to be him, don’t you think? He’s either trying to force Ryder to join his pack or—”
“Or kill him because he’s competition,” Val murmured, remembering the wave of power he’d felt coming from Ryder. “Your brother’s a very powerful shifter, Harley. He’s an alpha, without a doubt. He’s meant to lead, not follow, so I think,” and he hated to say it, but he wouldn’t lie, “I think it’s the latter option. Whoever made him a shifter regrets it and wants him dead before Ryder figures out just how strong he is. And I should have mentioned him being an alpha to Marcus and Nathan, damn it!”
“Whassa alpha?”
Val rose and looked down at the now awake shifter. “You, Ryder. Don’t you feel the power in you? I’m not sure how to describe it, because I am not an alpha. I don’t have the tendency, the nature of one. But you do, and I think, if you’ll let me help you, let me get you to people, shifters, who can teach you, you’ll find out just how much you do belong in our world.”
“Fuck that,” Ryder huffed. He tried to sit up and grimaced. “Damn freaking psychotic werewolf bastards!”
Harley pointed at him. “Calm down. You’re making it hard to play doctor.”
Ryder opened and closed his mouth a few times as he gawked at Harley, who took advantage of having stumped his brother and pushed him flat onto his back again. “Stay.”
Val went for the bowls of water and rinsed the cloths out as well. He came back into the living room to find Ryder listening as Harley reiterated what he and Val had just discussed.
“Marcus and Nathan are exceptional people,” Val said when he got a chance to speak. “Marcus was held captive by the same shifter who took Harley. Six months of torture and starvation didn’t turn Marcus into a weaker man, or a cruel one. He’s truly someone who could, and would, help you.”
In fact, Val halfway expected Marcus and Nathan to show up in a few hours, but that was probably an off-base thought. He didn’t know what had been going on in Amsterdam, and with Gabe and Mika and who knew what other people were involved. There was just no telling what had happened. It sounded like a big mess to Val, but then again, he was kind of in a damned big mess himself.