Oscar growled as he flopped back in his chair. “What an ass—”
“Oscar David Travis, watch your mouth!” Cheryl admonished, sending her son a scalding look.
Oscar cringed and slunk further down in his seat. “Yes ma’am. Sorry.” Oscar glanced at his mom. “But you have to admit, calling the guy a jerk is just not accurate. He’s way worse than a guy who says he’ll call and doesn’t, which is jerk-level as far as I’m concerned. Levi called him a jerk earlier but he’s just nicer than I am.”
Cheryl didn’t let up on the glare she was sending his way. “Be that as it may, I won’t have cursing at the table.”
“So if I get up—”
Henry reached over and popped Oscar, eliciting a yelp from the younger man. “Stop smarting off before I take you outside and tan your hide. I don’t care if you’re eighteen, I’m still your dad and Cheryl is still your mom and you will respect our rules.”
“Yes, sir.” Oscar rubbed at his head.
Levi had to bite his cheek to keep from snickering, and Orion and Drake seemed to be doing the same thing. There was no way the remaining brothers wanted to be cuffed upside the head or scolded like a wayward child as Oscar had been. Levi peeked at Lyndon and saw his lover was managing to keep a straight face, but Levi could feel his amusement. Levi turned his attention back to his mom when she cleared her throat.
“Are you sure the cougar who’s been following you isn’t your father?” Cheryl asked Lyndon.
“Doesn’t smell like him,” Lyndon said, “and he didn’t bother playing games with me before. He was very direct, punctuated his threat by beating the tar out of me. Used his claws, too,” Lyndon added, touching the right side of his ribs.
Levi hadn’t yet got to lick every inch of Lyndon’s body, but he would, and if he found scars there where Lyndon was rubbing… Well, he’d just have to do everything he could to help eradicate the bad memories associated with that area.
His mom continued asking questions. “And you’ve no idea who else it could be?”
Lyndon stopped fidgeting and gripped the edge of the table instead. “No, ma’am, I really don’t. Like I told y’all, the only other cougar I’ve ever met was Grady, and he died. My mother was human, but she did know what I was.” Lyndon sucked in a breath then exhaled slowly. “Most of the time, at least. Sometimes when she wasn’t stable, she’d forget, I think.” Lyndon shook himself as if shaking off the memories from the past. “Anyway, I couldn’t even tell you if I have brothers and sisters. It isn’t like I could ask.”
“The scent isn’t familiar at all to you?”
Levi perked up at the question, because there was just a hint of something important in his mother’s voice.
Lyndon mulled it over for a moment before answering. “I—it’s hard to say. The scent is definitely familiar to me now, but I’d think that’s because I’ve been smelling it for months.”
“His senses aren’t as acute as ours when he’s not in his cougar form,” Levi pointed out, then thought to add, “and he shifts a lot faster than we can. I don’t know if that’s due to his breed of cat or what.”
Cheryl appeared thoughtful for a moment, her gaze distant as she tapped a rhythmic beat on the tabletop. “Hmm. I don’t know either, but both things are interesting. I wish we had someone we could ask about such differences. Do you know if the cougars you’ve met shift as fast as you do?”
“Yeah.” Lyndon offered. “My father and Grady were both at least as fast to shift as I am.”
Levi thought now might be the best time for him to add a bit more about the differences between cougar and snow leopard shifters. “I think it might be breed specific.” And now he had everyone’s undivided attention. Lyndon’s intense gaze was going to distract Levi if he wasn’t careful, so Levi reluctantly looked away, staring at his mom instead. “I can sort of sense some of what Lyndon is feeling, but he can’t do the same to me.”
Lyndon smiled crookedly, making Levi’s heart thud a rapid beat. “No, I can’t, but I can read your expressions. You say a lot without even speaking.”
“Levi’s always been an open book,” Henry chimed in, grinning at him. “Which might explain why we saw so little of him this past week.” He narrowed his eyes and his grin vanished. “And we are going to have a talk about that, young man. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us about meeting Lyndon.”
Levi was sure his entire face was neon pink. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to tell their parents about a one-off with a stranger. He’d known his family would pick up on him being in a funk and hound the truth out of him, which was why he’d spent almost every waking hour working or in the woods—well, and because he was hoping to see Lyndon again.
Lyndon gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I imagine he didn’t want to have to tell you about what we did. What happened between us was definitely personal, and to be truthful, I handled it badly.”
Oscar snorted and Levi glared at his brother. “Don’t start.”
Cheryl turned to Oscar. “You knew about it and didn’t say anything.” It wasn’t a question, and Levi couldn’t help but think if Oscar slunk any further in his seat, he’d be under the table. “Don’t think you aren’t in trouble, too, son.”
Levi shot Oscar a sympathetic look before turning his attention back to his mom. “It’s my fault, Mom. He was just doing what I begged him to do.”
“Right,” Cheryl scoffed, but the way she smiled implied she wasn’t truly angry. “Because we
all
know Oscar is such a malleable young man, never expressing an opinion of his own, unable to think for himself—” She broke off as she laughed, and Levi couldn’t blame her.
The description of Oscar was so inaccurate it defied logic. And while Oscar tended to be quiet and avoid most people, he wasn’t standoffish with his family—at least not his immediate family.
“No, I think he did what he wanted to do, Levi. You didn’t twist his arm.”
Oscar grumbled about being perfectly capable of making up his own mind and Levi let the subject drop. Coddling his brother wasn’t something Levi did, not if he wanted to keep Oscar from feeling like Levi perceived him as being weak. As sensitive as Oscar was about his missing fingertips and his shorter stature, Levi was careful not to do anything that would further erode Oscar’s confidence.
Lyndon squirmed beside him, placing their hands on Levi’s thigh. Levi caressed the back of Lyndon’s hand, hoping the small touch would offer some comfort. Lyndon was feeling guilty, blaming himself for Levi and Oscar’s ass-chewing that was sure to come. Levi leaned closer and nuzzled Lyndon’s cheek, not bothering to whisper when he spoke but still keeping his voice soft. “Oscar and I both made our own choices. No reason for you to feel bad about it.”
“Exactly,” his dad stated firmly. “Our boys know they are responsible for their actions and words. Now”—Henry looked at Lyndon sternly—“I don’t particularly like how you ran off and left Levi, but considering your…meeting up…must have been intense and afterwards, frightening, I can understand it.” Levi found himself the recipient of and even sterner look from his dad. “And it isn’t like Levi bothered to go after you.”
Which was only the truth, so there wasn’t any point in arguing.
Henry sat back and considered them while Cheryl took over the conversation. “As for the bond you two have together, well, I haven’t seen anything quite like it before. I wonder if it’s because you are both shifters. None of the rest of the family is married to or dating other breeds of shifters. It would be weird if they were with shifters since the only ones we’ve known up ‘til now was family.”
“That kind of makes sense,” Levi said, thinking it the most likely explanation. “Maybe like our instincts helped us find the one person we were meant to be with, instead of having to wait and see if we’d fit.” Then he wanted to melt into the chair when it dawned on him what he’d just said. He’d pretty much proclaimed he and Lyndon were going to be a lifetime couple. Stupid, considering they didn’t know each other and—
Lyndon’s hand on the back of his neck caused Levi’s panic to ramp up another notch. Levi wasn’t aware of anything else just then besides Lyndon’s touch, and he forced himself to look at the man, afraid he’d find anger or disbelief in his expression. But what he found rocked the edges of his soul and warmed him to the darkest pits of his being.
Lyndon’s eyes glowed, a fondness in them that promised a future and life together. The brush of his lips over Levi’s soothed his fears. He parted his lips and let Lyndon in, shivering when Lyndon’s tongue speared into his mouth.
“Uh, guys?”
Oscar’s smug voice penetrated the lusty fog swamping Levi’s brain. Lyndon growled softly, an acknowledgement maybe, but he didn’t end the kiss right away. Instead he sucked Levi’s bottom lip and laved it thoroughly, turning Levi into a nearly boneless, horny heap of need.
Levi’s cheeks were burning but not from embarrassment when the kiss ended. Desire was heating him from the inside out. He yearned to bend over the table and give himself to Lyndon—except not when his family was anywhere near.
“Reminds me of us,” his mom murmured, and Levi risked a glance since she sounded happy rather than irritated at their display.
Levi had half expected to get lectured on proper table manners, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was being kissed by a man. He’d have expected any of his siblings to be told to show some restraint no matter what sex their partner was. But his mother was smiling softly at his dad, who was nodding and looking back at Cheryl in a way that made Levi want to run his parents out of his home. The desire between the two of them had always been evident, as had their love, but still, there were just some things children never wanted to think about—such as their parents doing the deed.
Lyndon’s quiet chuckle had Levi turning to him instead while Drake told his parents to get a room. “It’s good knowing your parents love each other. Mine obviously didn’t. I told you about our one and only meeting. He said some horrible things about my mom then, things that hurt worse than his claws or teeth, worse than his hatred of me. From what he said about my mother, I wonder why he ever deigned to speak to her in the first place.”
“What do you mean?” Levi asked, although he thought he knew.
Lyndon’s answer confirmed Levi’s suspicions.
“He said she was a crazy bi—” Lyndon stopped short and cast an apologetic glance at Cheryl. “Er, he said she was crazy and should have killed herself before she ever had me. And if he’d known how unstable she was, he’d never have had sex with her. Then he told me I would end up just as crazy as she had been, but I’d do it out of his territory. There wasn’t much else said then. He just shoved a cheque in my jeans pocket after he tore into me then he left.”
“Jesus,” Levi whispered, aching for Lyndon. “You told us about that last night, and it still shocks me hearing it again. You’re lucky he didn’t kill you.”
Lyndon shrugged as he pushed back his chair. “Guess he figured he was right—but he wasn’t, obviously. I don’t have the same mental illness my mother had. Excuse me.” He stood and started clearing off the dishes.
Levi and his brothers rose and began clearing the table as well.
Chapter Eighteen
After cleaning the kitchen, Lyndon caught Levi’s hand in his and followed Henry out back. The scent hit Lyndon first, which meant it was strong since he had such dulled senses as a man. Then he saw the tracks, paw prints and places where another cougar had scratched, leaving his mark. The foul odour of faeces and urine made Lyndon’s eyes water and he could only begin to imagine how much worse it must be for Levi and his family with their more finely tuned senses.
“There’s scratches on these trees, too.” Orion pointed to several of the trees on the backside of the cabin’s yard. “This really pisses me off. He comes in here, marking his territory!
His
territory! What does he think we are, a bunch of pussies?”
“Orion,” Henry snapped, glaring at a particularly deep gouge on a tree. He ran his finger over it and appeared to grow angrier. “Yes, it’s an insult to us all, and a direct challenge to Lyndon. While I’d love nothing more than to catch the fucker, we need to let Lyndon decide the next move—for now.”
“Language, Dad,” Drake said smartly, only to turn repentant when Henry whirled on him. “Sorry, sir. Mom’s not here, though, so—”
“You’re mom’s hearing is sharp enough she probably heard us both and you know it! And I’m still your dad even if we aren’t at the table,” Henry pointed out, “You’d do well to keep your smart comments to yourself unless you want to be helping your mom do all the cooking for the next month. Besides which, Oscar was right. Jerk just doesn’t cover it. Whoever this guy is, he’s much worse than just a jerk.”
Cheryl came back from where she’d been tracking the cougar. She gestured at Lyndon. “Anything familiar about this scent?”