Gilbert (17 page)

Jihu settled beside Bae and waited for orders. Gilbert took his position as did Isaiah, and his previous battle with the Amurs was almost nothing compared to trying to hold Lyndon down. By the time Bae had him cleaned and stitched, Josiah was back and helping, too, and Gilbert was going to have a black eye from getting kicked in the face.

His other injuries ached and burned, but Gilbert knew they were just scratches. Some deep, yeah, but nothing like Lyndon’s.

“I can take Lyndon back to the van,” Josiah offered. “We’ve got about an hour until the shaman arrives. I didn’t know he was away from the pack, but Dad’s got him on the plane.”

Bae wiped at his brow and looked at Jihu and Gilbert. “You two need tending, as does Kwan. I don’t have enough supplies with me, so we need to head back, all of us. We’ll have to try again tomorrow. And Kwan might have more information for us, right, Kwan?”

“Maybe?” Kwan asked. “It depends on what you want to know?”

“Everything,” Gilbert supplied. “We need to know everything we can about Chung-Hee, his guards, Bae and Jihu’s family, the shamans—all of it.”

“But, we’ll get you taken care of first, and fed. Your stomach’s growled louder than I can when I’m shifted.” Bae packed the rest of his equipment.

“Levi, let me help you with Lyndon,” Gilbert offered. He and Levi got Lyndon settled on the ATV in Levi’s lap. It couldn’t have been comfortable for either man, but Lyndon was not entirely conscious and Levi just wanted to get his mate to safety. The sound of the ATV seemed exceptionally loud in the night, or now, early morning hours.

Kwan stood and winced. “I’m surprised they haven’t come after us.”

Gilbert shook his head. “The odds were bad for them. If there were six guards, and eight of us, not counting Lyndon, they wouldn’t risk it.”

“No, I guess not,” Kwan agreed.

“Has anyone heard from Esau?” Jihu asked. “He had a radio, right?”

“No, and no,” Josiah answered. “But he said he was going to do reconnaissance and he might just meet us back at the van. I didn’t like it, but he’s a grown man and knows his own mind.”

“I thought he’d be back after a couple of hours but he wasn’t.” Bae rubbed at his lower back. “I should go—”

“No, you shouldn’t,” Isaiah interrupted him in a growly voice. “You’re exhausted, and there’re more wounded, Bae. You can’t leave us.”

“You wouldn’t come with me?”

Isaiah snorted. “Try to stop me. Of course I would, but that’s not the point. Look at Gilbert, Jihu and Kwan. I don’t know what to do with that.”

“That?” Gilbert looked at himself then at Jihu and Kwan. They were scratched and dinged, but they weren’t ‘that’. “Seriously, Isaiah?”

Isaiah flapped a hand at him. “You know what I meant.”

Gilbert was too tired and sore to argue or joke about it. “Bae should go on the other ATV, along with Kwan. He’s got more damage than me or Jihu.”

“I can walk.” Kwan stood up a little straighter. “I’m fine. Ish.”

“Shut up and get on with Bae,” Oscar ordered. “Isaiah, you can fit, too. The rest of us will walk, or you know, someone can come back for us on the ATV’s once people are dropped off. Hint hint.”

“Hint taken.” Bae, Kwan and Isaiah loaded up and left, then it was Gilbert and Jihu with Oscar and Josiah.

Oscar turned to Josiah. “Let’s do it.”

“Do what?” Gilbert asked at the same time as Jihu.

Oscar didn’t look away from his mate and Josiah nodded. “You two head back. We’ll get there eventually.”

It dawned on Gilbert what they were about to do. “You’re going after Esau.”

Oscar turned a hard expression on him. “Go. Back. Both of you are hurt.”

“No. Tell him no, Gilbert. We aren’t hurt that bad, and four against six is better than two against six.”

“Agreed.”

Gilbert gave Oscar and Josiah a thin smile. “Lead the way. We’re not going back without you.”

Oscar planted his hands on his hips. “Someone has to let the others know where we’ve gone.”

“Yup, they sure do.” Gilbert turned his attention to Josiah. “So how far back until you had signal? We should get going since we’ll have to backtrack first.”

“You’re an ass,” Oscar groused, but he smiled when he said it. “Fine. We’ll all go.”

“Okay.” Gilbert lifted his pack and handed Jihu his, too. “Want an energy bar or two? Water?”

“Yes, to all of it.” Oscar trotted over and took the proffered food and water for him and Josiah. “Really, I’m fucking starving.”

“Me too,” Jihu mumbled around a mouthful of trail mix. “How far?”

Josiah tore open his packet and took a bite of the energy bar. “Gross shit, Gilbert. This is really vile. And about a half hour, maybe? But not back. Oscar got a couple of bars on the way to y’all. Didn’t you, honey?”

Oscar nodded. “Yeah. I wasn’t going to mention it because I was trying to get you guys to a safer place, but, about a half mile or so back the way we came from. I’m betting wherever Chung-Hee is, there’s signal. He wouldn’t want to be without the ability to contact his minions or whatever.”

“Sounds right to me.” Jihu waved a bag of mix at Oscar and Josiah. “You can have some of this, if you’d rather. I brought a few bags of it.”

They walked at a brisk pace, and when they had signal for a few minutes, the phone call to Bae was made and Oscar grimaced as he was yelled at and called all kinds of uncomplimentary names by a panicked Bae, then by Levi. He finally told them to deal with it, and he loved them. Oscar hung up the phone and turned it off. His cheeks were red and he had a twitch beside his left eye.

“Well, that went…about as I expected. I’m probably going to be chewed out by Dad and everyone else, too, when we get home.” Oscar huffed and tipped his chin down as he looked at his mate. “You, too. At least I won’t suffer alone.”

A while later, Gilbert was wishing he’d at least got some ibuprofen or something from Bae before they’d split up. Jihu was grimacing and sore, too. They’d rinsed off the worst of their scrapes and scratches with water. As far as Gilbert could tell, there were a couple of places on each of them that probably could have used a few stitches, but nothing major. Didn’t mean they didn’t hurt.

“Right here’s where Esau lit out from us.” Josiah stopped and pointed. “He went that way, which, if Kwan was telling the truth, might be directly to Chung-Hee. I wonder how he knew?”

Oscar scratched his head and frowned. “Damned if I know. I really don’t talk to Esau much. When I was younger, he just flat-out scared me. He wasn’t mean or anything, I just sensed, I think, the ability he has for violence. I know he seems calms and all that, but under the surface, he’s always reminded me of the ocean when it’s smooth on top and the riptide is there, a little ways down, waiting to take you down.”

“That’s my reading of him too,” Jihu said. “I think Gilbert agrees, right?”

Gilbert took Jihu’s hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. He just needed to touch Jihu. “Yeah, I do. So maybe he saw or smelt something, or heard something, even, that no one else did, and he is the kind of guy who’d think he’s indestructible or that he had to protect everyone else.” Gilbert knelt, still holding onto Jihu. He leant down awkwardly and sniffed at the ground. Excitement at his discovery caused him to grin. “Here, there’s his scent, and another shifter’s. Amur, I’m guessing, since it’s none of ours.”

Jihu knelt, as did Oscar and Josiah. Oscar quipped, “We probably look like a weird group of nature worshippers or something. Imagine if someone found us all doing what we’re fixing to do.”

Gilbert snickered. So did Jihu and Josiah. Then they repeated Gilbert’s action, bending to catch a hint of the unfamiliar shifter.

Except the shifter wasn’t unfamiliar to everyone. Jihu sat up like he’d been poked in the ass. “Oh my God!”

“What?” Oscar barked.

Gilbert glared at him then took Jihu’s hand. “What? Who is it?”

Jihu’s tremulous smile and watery eyes made Gilbert want to hug him, so he did.

“It’s Ye-sun, Gil. That’s who Esau caught wind of. Ye-sun isn’t dead!”

Chapter Fifteen

“Someone needs to tell Bae. He’s been so worried.” Jihu stood and swiped at his eyes. His relief might be foolish, he didn’t know what had happened to Ye-sun since he’d left this scent behind, but hope that he’d be alive burned bright.

“I don’t think we’ll have to go back to tell him. Listen.” Josiah tilted his head and Jihu did the same. He heard the faint sound of engines in the distance. “That’s coming from where we were with Levi and Lyndon. Guess someone headed out right after your phone call, Oz.”

“Probably.” Oscar huffed a little and stared off in the direction the sound came from. “Two engines, so at least two of our family members. I’m betting on Bae and Isaiah since Levi will stay with Lyndon. Bet the shaman from your pack is there, Jo.”

Jihu listened as Josiah and Oscar talked, but only in a peripheral way. He was too busy trying to detect a trail for the way Esau had went. He couldn’t find a thing.

“He’s good, isn’t he?” Gilbert gestured at the ground. “Ye-sun must be, too, because I can’t see any hint of either of them being here.”

“I don’t know Ye-sun. In fact, I probably know Esau better, and have spent more time with Esau, all things considered. But Ye-sun seemed like a bright guy. I wish I hadn’t doubted him. I wasn’t sure he was really trying to help me, you know.” Of course Jihu knew better now.

“You were scared, and desperate to escape with Daniel. I’m sure Ye-sun would understand that.” Gilbert glanced at Oscar and Josiah. “Guys, we could head on, and they can follow our trail. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can go home.”

“Missing Daniel?” Jihu asked, a pang in his heart when he said Daniel’s name. “I sure do. How can such a tiny being become so deeply entrenched in your life, when all they do is sleep, eat, fuss, and mess up their diaper? And how could anyone give birth, or know their child was born, and let someone like the lepe leaders have them? I don’t get it.”

“You never will, because you are a loving man, Jihu—” Gilbert started to say more, but Oscar came over.

“Okay, I know you two are having an intense conversation, but Gilbert, you have a point. Let’s get a move on.” Oscar kicked at the ground then took a knife out of his back pocket. “I don’t have my claws handy, but this should work.”

They set out and made sure to leave obvious tracks. The whine of the ATV’s grew louder, and in under half an hour, Bae and Isaiah, along with a shifter unfamiliar to Jihu and Gilbert, at least, were only yards behind them. Josiah and Oscar were grinning like maniacs.

“Bobby!” Josiah loped over to the ATV with the new shifter on it.

“That’s his brother,” Oscar explained. “He’s…different.”

Jihu wasn’t fooled, Oscar’s smile was full of affection as he looked at Bobby. Then Jihu saw Bae and wanted to hide behind Gilbert. Bae was furious, and Isaiah didn’t look too thrilled, either.

“They won’t hurt you.”

“I know that,”
Jihu mentally grumbled.
“Doesn’t mean I have to look forward to getting my butt chewed out.”

“How about if I give you a different visual for that?”

And before Jihu could protest, images of him bent, ass in the air and Gilbert’s face between his butt cheeks, flooded his mind. Jihu now needed to hide behind Gilbert for a wholly different reason. He had a boner that he couldn’t hide. Jihu shuffled around and popped Gilbert’s ass.
“What is that, payback for earlier?”

“Not payback, a promise for later.”
Gilbert backed up and spread his legs, and Jihu’s cock was treated to a quick bit of friction as Gilbert rubbed his backside against it.
“Feels good, baby.”

“Oh God, Gil. Stop before I make a mess in my pants!”
Jihu pushed his hand between them and pinched Gilbert’s ass hard enough to make him yelp.

“Ouch!” Gilbert spun around halfway and massaged his butt.
“That was…well, it kind of made me hornier.”

“If you two are done playing grab-ass, come meet my brother,” Josiah bellowed, making it more of a demand than a suggestion.

Jihu thought if he knew Josiah a little better, he might do like he’d seen earlier and flip the man off. He hadn’t actually ever got to do that to anyone yet, but he could see himself getting comfortable enough with his new family to joke in that manner. Not with Grandma Marybeth, of course. He wasn’t an idiot.

Thinking of her helped cool his ardour right quick. “Let’s go meet him. I wonder if he’s as wild as he looks.”

Bobby had long hair that was curling every which way. He resembled Josiah somewhat, except Bobby was bulkier, older, and he had a dense beard and moustache. And he was smiling like he wasn’t quite right in the head. Jihu figured out quickly he did so to keep people from guessing how smart he was. Why he’d be embarrassed by that, Jihu didn’t know.

Another hour walking and the scent of the Amur shifters was stronger. There were still no physical signs that Esau had come through this way, but his scent lingered, too. Dawn was coming over the horizon when they paused again. The ATV’s were done for, either out of gas or something, Jihu didn’t know what.

If they’d have thought they’d have been undetected, the ATV’s would have been left behind in the first place, but sound carried well in the empty blackened forest, and they had decided Chung-Hee had undoubtedly heard them.

“Guess we just leave them here.” Bobby got off his ATV and kicked the wheel. “Piece of shit. I hate hiking.”

“You could use the exercise, your ass has gotten fatter,” Josiah said. Bobby cocked a hip and glared at him. “Quit looking at it.”

Josiah smirked and Jihu knew he was fixing to slam his brother. “Hard to miss it when it’s that size.”

“Boys, behave,” Oscar cut in. “I’m tired and bitchy, and I bet I’m not the only one.”

Jihu wasn’t bitchy, but tired, definitely. He plopped down on his ass and decided to lay down for a minute, just to rest. When he turned his head, his nose was right in a patch of Esau, and Ye-sun’s, scent. Jihu tilted his head up, towards the mountain behind him. A deep inhale and he caught more of their odour.