More Than Pride (2 page)

Dillon shook his head. “Everyone knows who you are, Adrian. Talan’s the only lion alpha without a lion mate.”

“Really?” Adrian’s surprise made Dillon laugh despite the odd situation. Sometimes the wolf had no clue of politics outside of a pack.

“Yes, really.”

“The hunters are heading this way,” Evin said. “My brother, Tilden, made a deal with them in exchange for the pride lands when they take out the lions. Tilden is crazy. After the wildfires last month destroyed our habitat, the owl shifters are becoming increasingly displeased with Tilden’s handling of the crisis. When I protested, he had me starved and beaten. They only left me alone because they thought I was too injured to fly.”

Dillon gave the man his full attention. “What hunters?”

“I don’t know where they came from. When they first arrived they spoke about the lions stealing their experiments, but once I voiced my objections to hurting other shifters, they didn’t let me attend the rest of the meetings. They’re the ones who attacked me, so they are evidently following my brother’s orders, at least until they get what they want. They wear a lot of camo and carry big guns.”

“Well, they can’t have their experiments back,” Adrian growled. “The ones that chose to stay are part of my pride now.”

Dillon watched uneasily as the wolf slid behind Adrian’s eyes, a frightening transformation.
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“I came to tell Talan what I know,” Evin said. “I don’t support shifters turning on each other. If we don’t protect other shifters, we might as well be humans.”

“Ahh…you’re one of the safety lieutenants, aren’t you?” Adrian asked.

“Yeah.” Evin nodded. “May I come in?”

More years ago than Dillon could remember, the shifter council had set up a safety net for shifters. When there was a concern for shifter safety, a shifter could go to any lieutenant to seek help. That person would look into the charges and report back to the council. To have his own brother go rogue had to be a blow for the stalwart-looking man.

“Sure, Talan is in the living room. Some sort of vampire show is on.” Adrian rolled his eyes and made a disgusted sound. “I don’t know why he watches that crap. Like there are any vampires.”

Dillon watched the look of relief cross Evin’s face. “Thank you. I promised myself if I survived I’d warn the lions.”

“Afterwards we’ll get you something to eat. You’ve got to be hungry after your flight.”

Dillon noticed Adrian diplomatically didn’t mention Evin’s appearance. The wolf made a damn fine pride alpha mate.

Stepping aside, Dillon let the owl shifter pass. The man didn’t smell of deceit or anger but he did smell deliciously tantalising. Dillon’s fangs pushed through his gums and pricked his bottom lip as Evin’s scent filled his nose. Shaking his head, he tried to dispel the odd attraction. He’d always admired owls but he didn’t have a fetish about them.

Once Adrian and Evin had disappeared inside, he turned his attention back to the cat shifter. He’d all but forgotten Chester in his urge to see Evin settled.

Chester stood there silently, watching Dillon, as motionless as a cat about to pounce.

“Do you have a home, little cat?”

Chester ducked his head, avoiding Dillon’s eyes. “No.”

“Where’s your family?”

“Dead.” Chester swallowed as if trying to keep down the tears.

Whenever his family had died, it was apparent that Chester still hadn’t got over their deaths. Dillon’s heart ached for the pretty shifter.
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“Come here.” Dillon held out his arms. Chester leapt into them as if he had been just waiting for the invitation. The younger man trembled in his arms. “Where have you been living?”

Chester mumbled into Dillon’s chest. “Nowhere and everywhere. I’ve travelled around trying to avoid animal control, dogs and cars. I didn’t mean to intrude on your territory.

Damn you smell good.” A low purr rolled through Chester’s thin chest. Dillon could damn near feel all the younger man’s ribs with his fingers.

“You need to eat something. Come inside—we can at least give you a meal.”

Chester removed himself from Dillon’s arms and scooted out of reach. Dillon snarled at the separation. The shaking man held his ground even if he couldn’t meet Dillon’s eyes.

Apparently the wooden porch held a previously undiscovered fascination. “I’m not a charity case.”

“Get into the house.” Dillon made it an order instead of a request. Obviously the man needed someone to save him from himself. Dillon opened the door and pointed inside.

Obediently, Chester shuffled past him. He politely waited until Dillon joined him before entering any further. Dillon wrapped his hand around the back of Chester’s neck in an unbreakable hold, like he would scruff a cat. Moving them both forward, he headed towards the kitchen.

They found Adrian scooting cookies from a hot baking sheet onto a cooling rack. The entire place smelt like Christmas.

Dillon tilted his head. “Is there a particular reason you’re making sugar cookies in May?”

Adrian’s luminous smile brightened the room. “There’s never a bad time to make cookies.”

“True.” Dillon couldn’t argue with that kind of logic. “This is Chester. Do you have something more substantial he can eat?”

“Sure. I think there’s some venison stew in the fridge.” Adrian set down his bakeware, opened the refrigerator and pulled out a large container. After putting several scoops in a soup bowl, he popped it into the microwave. “That should be ready in two minutes. I’m going to go get some work done while the cookies are cooling. Eat whatever you want, Chester. Let us know if you need anything.”
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With a final smile at the pair of them, Adrian left the room.

“What does he do?” Chester asked.

“Besides keep the alpha in line? He’s a game programmer.”

“Huh. He seems nice but he smells odd.”

“He’s a wolf shifter.” Dillon moved closer to Chester, unable to resist stroking the silky bare skin. When Chester began to purr, Dillon snatched his hand back. “Um…sorry. Wait here and I’ll get you something to wear.”

“Why?” Chester tilted his head as he examined Dillon with his odd gold eyes. “I don’t mind being naked.”

Dillon ground his teeth together. “Because if you don’t get some clothes on, I’m going to fuck you in the middle of the pride kitchen and I don’t think the others would appreciate coming in here and finding my cock buried in your ass.” Shifters were casual about nudity but sex generally was kept within the privacy of their rooms or remote outside locations.

“Oh.” Chester blushed a bright red. “Yeah, I didn’t think about that. I-I like you touching me.”

Dillon brushed his lips across the top of Chester’s head, his chest tightening with unnamed emotions. “Wait here and I’ll get you some clothes.” He vanished down the hall before he could give up on his resolve not to molest a complete stranger in his pride family’s kitchen.

Chester stood perfectly still as Dillon walked away. Betraying the kind shifter would break his heart. When he’d agreed to give in to the humans’ blackmail, he hadn’t thought about the people he’d be spying on. Apparently, word among shifter hate groups was that the lion prides were difficult to infiltrate, but open to other shifters.

The poison they’d injected into Chester’s body would kill him in five days if he didn’t come back with news about the pride. Having a photographic memory, he’d be able to draw them a map and tell them all about the pride members and any weaknesses. Chester didn’t want to die—not when he’d never really had a chance to live. However, after meeting Dillon, Chester didn’t want to hurt him, either.

A loud beep from the microwave announced that his stew was finished. Chester’s stomach growled in response, as if it knew the food was for him and wanted it now.
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“Shhh, you’re lucky I don’t starve you.” The poison slowly moving its way through his system would kill him way before starvation anyway.

“Still naked, kitty cat?” The owl shifter had found clothing somewhere and now had a pair of jeans and a tight T-shirt lovingly caressing his thin body. Chester quickly swallowed his drool. He hadn’t forgiven the owl for his part in causing Chester’s moment of terror. The fear from being snatched off the ground and dangled from a pair of large talons lived fresh in his mind.

“Um, Dillon went to get me clothes,” he said in a shaky voice.

The owl shifter’s hot gaze slid up and down Chester’s body, a visual caress. Chester shivered beneath the stare.

“I think it would be a shame to cover you.” Evin’s deep voice poured across Chester like warm chocolate. He barely stopped the responding purr. He had a feeling that any show of weakness and Evin would have him ass up on the closest surface despite what Dillon had said about no sex in the kitchen.

Chester cleared his throat. “Dillon thought it would be best if I had clothes so I don’t upset the others.” He didn’t mention what Dillon had said about fucking him.

Avoiding the owl shifter, he scurried over to the microwave and took out the bowl of hot soup. Luckily the glass hadn’t got too hot because Chester needed the distraction. He opened and closed several drawers before he found a spoon, but at least the search had kept his gaze away from the sexy owl man.

“What are you doing here, little one?”

Chester slammed the drawer shut. “I’m not little,” he growled. He could almost feel his hackles rise.

Evin settled on a stool on the opposite side of the counter, keeping his motions slow and non-threatening. “I didn’t mean to anger you, Chester. I’m just having some fun.”

Chester took a bite of the stew. The chunks of vegetables and meat were welcome additions to his empty stomach. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a solid meal.

They hadn’t been big on feeding him during his time in the cage. After three months of barely any food and constant beatings he’d been willing to agree to just about anything to get out of there. Unfortunately his captors had figured that out, which was why they’d injected
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him and his brother with poison. If he didn’t care about dying himself, they were hoping the idea of his brother’s death would keep him compliant.

He knew they weren’t bluffing. They’d shown him the bodies of the shifters who’d refused them before.

Swallowing back the bile rising in his throat at the memory, Chester set down his bowl.

“Hey, are you all right?” Evin reached across the counter and covered Chester’s hand with his own. “I didn’t really hurt you when I grabbed you, did I?”

It had been easier to ignore Evin when Chester thought he was an ass. Chester blinked back tears over Evin’s concern.

“What’s going on?” Dillon’s sharp tone had Chester spinning around to face the lion.

Dillon’s narrow-eyed gaze sent chills down Chester’s spine. The lion shifter looked like he might rip Evin apart.

Instinct he didn’t understand had him stepping between the two men. The heat level rose in the room as Chester felt both of the men on either side of him. Their clothes rubbed his cock and ass and his body hardened at the proximity of so much sexy male. He took a deep breath and inhaled Dillon’s luscious scent. He might not survive this infiltration mission, but he wasn’t going to go down without being beneath the lion shifter at least once.

The feel of Evin’s jeans brushing against his bare ass made Chester nervously scoot closer to the lion shifter. Dillon wrapped an arm around Chester and swung him to the opposite side of him. Dillon shoved clothes at Chester. “Here, go and get dressed.”

Chester bit his lip. His gaze swung back and forth, judging the mood between the men.

“It will be fine.” Dillon stroked Chester’s hair and rubbed the back of his neck in a soothing manner.

“Okay.” Chester bobbed his head up and down.

Unwilling to leave the two men alone, he walked over by the wall and began to pull on the simple jeans and T-shirt that were the staple of any shifter’s closet. Almost every shifter house had extra clothes in a variety of sizes to accommodate visitors.

A pair of groans had him looking up. Two sets of eyes were focused on Chester. He gulped, feeling like prey to larger, more dangerous predators. He’d already experienced that once today but for some reason in human form it was much sexier. He wouldn’t mind being pounced on by the sexy men before him.
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“Um, thanks for the clothes.” He focused on Dillon, who unsettled him less than the owl shifter.

Dillon’s smile brightened the room. “You’re very welcome, kitten.”

Chester growled. “I’m not a kitten.”

Evin smiled. “You are almost more of a kitten in your human form.”

Dillon laughed.

Chester walked over and kicked Evin in the shins. It only made him grin. Chester scowled at the owl shifter.

“Eat your stew.” Dillon pointed back towards the bowl. “You look like you haven’t eaten in a while. I’ll get you some too, Evin.”

Returning to the fridge, Dillon put together another bowl of stew and popped it into the microwave. The kitchen remained quiet with nothing to be heard but the sounds of the microwave and the scrape of Chester’s spoon across the bottom of his bowl.

Chester didn’t argue with Dillon’s assessment of his hunger, but he also wasn’t going to explain his captivity and how he’d barely escaped with his life. His brother hadn’t been so lucky. He swallowed back the tears along with the stew. He couldn’t focus on Garfield now.

He needed to keep focused.

Dillon wrapped an arm around Chester and pulled him protectively into his arms. “Are you all right?”

Chester nodded but didn’t speak. He couldn’t talk through the lump in his throat. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had shown him any tenderness. His parents had died when he was young, and Garfield had been a good brother but was not a warm person.

The ding of the microwave saved him as Dillon felt the need to play host and fetch the food for Evin.

Chester put his bowl in the dishwasher as Evin polished off his food with lightning speed. Chester obviously wasn’t the only one who hadn’t eaten for a while.

“Don’t smother him,” Evin muttered after putting his own bowl in the dishwasher.

Dillon roared like the big-ass lion Chester suspected he was.