Resilience (29 page)

“Yes, but all of them are responsible in some way for you being hurt, so, yeah, I agree there, but you and I love each other like I think the shifter mates do. It makes sense that we’re that protective of each other.”

“Yeah,” was as far as Adam got then because they turned into the living room and

chaos did not begin to describe it. Wolves were jumping and snarling and fighting and even Adam, plain ol’ human that he was, could feel the power in the room, the alpha-whatever it was that made one top wolf.

And he had no problem picking out Aidan, because he was a huge white beast, and he

was the one taking on an even bigger light grey wolf. And winning. Aidan had Maarten backed into a corner, dangerous positioning for sure, and Maarten was snarling, snapping, spit and blood flinging from his teeth.

A quick look and Adam found Gabe, his calico wolf fur distinctive, and whoever he

was going after was pinned down and whimpering. Mika was battling a couple of smaller wolves who looked terrified to Adam, not that he could really read wolf expressions, but still. Every time Mika lunged they both whimpered. Zane was fierce, biting and knocking wolves back. But no one interfered with Maarten and Aidan, and the two of them didn’t seem to be willing to call a truce.

“This is bad,” Adam whispered, aware of the increasing tension in the room, the vicious sounds emanating from Aidan and Maarten. “They won’t stop.”

“And Zane doesn’t want to live here,” Todd added, and Adam glared at him. Todd

hitched up a shoulder. “I wasn’t joking. I don’t know what to do. They’re all wolves and we…aren’t.”

“Is there a water hose we can use?” Adam asked, then shook his head. That was a

stupid idea. “One of them is going to kill the other, an,d if Aidan doesn’t survive, I think it will be shifter war. And if Maarten dies and Luuk is found…”

“Yeah.” Todd stepped further into the room and kicked when one wolf barrelled into

him. “Get back!” The wolf yelped and darted across the room. Todd looked at Adam then stuck his fingers in his mouth. Adam had just enough time to plug his ears, and, even then, the God-awful shrill whistle about made his ears bleed.

The wolves went nuts, yelping and barking, and Todd did it again. Aidan and Maarten

both dropped their heads and pawed at their ears. Todd inhaled quickly, and let out a higher-pitched whistle. Adam clapped his hands just once, because, damn it, he kept forgetting he was hurt.

“Stop it!” he shouted, pain fuelling anger and making him louder than he thought he could be. “God damn it, we’ve had enough of this stupidity! Why are y’all fighting? It isn’t over us, because we are standing right here! ” That got his friends’ attention, but it was Maarten who shifted and slid to the floor on his butt.

“Back,” he rasped out, keeping a wary eye on the white wolf still snarling at him.

Todd walked over to stand at Aidan’s side. “Aidan, cut it out. This isn’t helping anyone, and acting like animals instead of rational people is just asinine.”

“Well, fuck, of course you’d be the voice of reason,” Gabe muttered. “And Adam, too.”

Gabe sat but he kept a hand on the now-shifted form he’d been pinning down, which turned out to be Daan. “Seriously, we should talk first, then kick asses if need be.” Gabe leant forward and looked at Maarten. And snorted. “Well, it looks like someone already got their ass-whooping.”

“Gabriel,” Mika rumbled. Gabe rolled his eyes and muttered “Whatever.”

Aidan continued to give Maarten a menacing wolf-glare for several moments until

Zane, still in wolf form, joined him and rubbed against his side. Something was

communicated between them, Adam was sure of it, then Aidan snapped at the air between him and Maarten and turned his back on the man, flipping his tail up right in his face.

“Talk about showing your ass,” Adam mumbled. He didn’t really blame Aidan,

though. He truly thought the wolf demanded so much in the manner of respect and

authority.

Aidan loped over to him, Zane and Todd with him. As soon as Aidan and Zane shifted,

Adam’s anger and energy drained right out of him. If it wasn’t for Todd’s quick action, sliding his arm around Adam’s waist and holding him up more than hugging him, Adam

would have probably hit the floor.

“You’re hurt,” Aidan snapped, and Adam could feel the man’s irritation at that. “I want to know who hurt you and Todd.”

“Fuck. Now?” Adam wasn’t sure he could stay upright that long, or awake, even.

Hurting was exhausting.

“Come to our room, Gabe and Mika, y’all too.” Todd looked beyond them. “Maarten, you can join us when you’ve got your pack under control or whatever. Just give us a little time alone, okay?”

“All right,” Maarten replied, and Adam heard the pain in his raspy voice.

“He’s hurt.”

“Not bad enough,” Aidan said. “He’s still breathing.”

“Stop it,” Adam tried to shout. It came out as more of a whimper. How embarrassing!

“Adam’s right, everyone needs to realise we’re all on the same side. Maarten.” Todd

nodded at him. “If you need help, I’ll do what I can for you. Adam’s a vet, and he brought some stuff in case…we needed it. If you can wait, let him rest a little bit then he’ll take care of you as much as he can. If you can’t wait, he—”

“I can wait,” Maarten interrupted. “Take care of him first.”

As much as Adam would have liked to protest that he could see to Maarten now, he

didn’t think he could. Plus, he needed to check his friends over first. There was bound to be more than one bite that needed tending. Hopefully he’d be able to do it, but, if not, Todd would help. He’d not want his friends to suffer, either.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass if he’s a saint, he’s still a dick!” Gabe slammed the bedroom door.

“You do realise that makes no sense,” Todd said, knowing well the reaction he’d get

from Gabe.

Gabe didn’t disappoint him, either, marching right up to get in his face. He planted one hand on his hip and shook his finger an inch from Todd’s nose. “Don’t even start or I’ll manscape you with the duct tape I have in my bag. You have to sleep sometime.” Gabe

grinned, looking for all the world like an evil elf. “Just think of all your pubes being ripped off, those short and curlies on your balls and behind—”

“Stop,” Todd squeaked. His groin was hot and he wasn’t entirely sure why. He was

afraid, wasn’t he? That effervescent feeling in his stomach wasn’t some twisted kind of arousal?

“The only person handling Todd’s goodies is me,” Adam snarked with almost enough

bite to convince Todd he wasn’t about to keel over. “I will put Nair in your shampoo bottle or something equally horrible if you even come at Todd with duct tape.”

Gabe opened his mouth, a thunderous expression on his face that, in a heartbeat,

morphed into amusement. He leaned around Todd to look at Adam sitting on the bed. “Hey, that’s pretty evil, I am impressed. Apparently being beaten and scared brings out your devious nature. We should chat.”

“No, y’all shouldn’t,” Mika interjected. “That’s the last thing we need, our mates

plotting together? Nope.”

“Spoilsport,” Gabe groused. “Adam doesn’t look so hot anyway.”

“Fuck you too,” Adam huffed. “Come over here and sit down so I can check you out.

Mika, you’re after Gabe, then Aidan and Zane and Maarten—”

“Spiegel can handle some of them,” Todd interrupted, thinking Gabe didn’t look very

damaged to him. “I thought you were bleeding…”

Gabe shrugged and sat on the bed. “Shifters heal fast, and, for some reason, I heal really fast. Maybe ‘cause I’m some freaky patchwork-coated wolf. Who knows. Besides, it was just scratches.” He raised his arms and allowed Mika to pull off his shirt. Someone had handed out sweats and T-shirts, thank God, because Todd sure didn’t want to keep seeing a shitload of naked shifters.

“This is amazing.” Adam murmured that and other variations expressing his awe. Todd

was just kind of struck silent, because, yeah, there were long, pink scratches on Gabe’s ribs that had been bloody gouges not very long ago.

“See? I’m speeesshulll,” Gabe sang. “Mika got bit on the ass, though.”

“Gabe,” Mika growled, then hissed between his teeth when Gabe poked at his butt

cheek. “Stop it, or so help me I’ll paddle your ass.”

Gabe went still, except for one eyebrow that he quirked up almost to his hairline. Then he poked.

“Not in our room!” Todd yelped when Mika, moving faster than a rattlesnake striking, jerked Gabe up and over his shoulder, landing a loud, hard smack on his ass. Gabe yelped then moaned and wiggled. “Out.” Todd pointed to the door. “Maarten said y’all can have the room across from us. Go do…whatever in there, but we need to talk.”

“Won’t take long, and Adam needs to check Aidan and Zane.” Gabe waved happily as

Mika trotted out of the door.

“Guess his ass wasn’t hurting that bad.” Adam rubbed at one eye. “Gabe’s will be,

though, and that knowledge is just another traumatic realisation now permanently scorched into my brain.”

Todd chuckled and sat on the bed beside Adam. He cupped Adam’s chin and tipped

his head up so he could study his husband. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and his normally tanned skin had a sallow cast to it. Fine lines feathered out into bare crow’s feet, and his lips had a pinched look that conveyed the fact he was hurting.

“Ribs?” Todd asked, caressing Adam’s cheek with his thumb. When Adam gave a bare

nod, Todd gently eased him back, always touching, comforting with his hands. “Rest. I imagine Aidan and Maarten are hammering out some kind of agreement. I know I said

Spiegel could help, but I don’t think Aidan or Zane will trust him.”

“Me either.” Adam sighed, his breath fluttering over Todd’s palm. “I’m so tired, but I don’t think I can sleep.”

“You need some pain medicine?” Todd spotted the bottles on the nightstand. A loud

moan reached them from across the hall. “Earplugs?”

Adam snorted then pressed a hand to his side. “God, don’t make me laugh. Yes to the

pain meds—two of the ones in the biggest bottle. And no to the earplugs, because, honestly, being voyeurs might be the highlight of our sex life for a few days.”

Well, that sucked but Todd understood. He didn’t feel so hot himself, but he wasn’t as badly off as Adam. The sound of flesh on flesh was undeniably loud and Adam’s eyes

sprang open just as Todd’s about popped out of his head. He felt flushed from thighs to ears.

“Mika’s really…” Adam gulped and propped up slowly on one elbow. “That was—”

Another loud slap, followed by Gabe’s voice breaking in an unmistakably sexual manner.

“Oh.”

Todd couldn’t even say that much as it sunk in that Gabe was indeed getting a very

hard, and much wanted and enjoyed, spanking.

“I kind of thought people just did that in pornos.”

Todd looked for any sort of arousal from Adam, almost terrified of finding it. As

someone who’d been beaten until he’d passed out on more than one occasion as a child, he couldn’t fathom wanting to be spanked. He didn’t blame, didn’t want to judge, but, hell, he couldn’t do something like that if Adam wanted to.

“I don’t get it either,” Adam said quietly. “I mean, I love it when you fuck me hard, when you mark me with your teeth and hold on so tight you leave finger bruises, but that’s about as wild as I ever want to get. And I surely don’t want to be doing that,” he darted his eyes at the other bedroom, “to you. I’d rather eat your ass than hit it.”

“Oh.” Gabe and Mika’s noises were blocked out by the rush of blood flowing south in a whoosh.

“In fact, I like it when you get kinda dominant, with that growling and stuff,” Adam said, fluttering his lashes. “Turns me all kinds of on. And makes me horny even though I’m hurting. Already I’m thinking about things we could do that wouldn’t jostle much, like you naked, straddling my face—” Adam stopped suddenly and his cheeks turned ruddy as he looked past Todd.

Todd was already blushing when he twisted around and saw Aidan and Zane looking

kind of glassy-eyed in the doorway.

“Sorry,” Zane scraped out, his voice cracking. It was then Todd noticed Zane had both arms around Aidan’s torso, as if holding him up, and Todd thought maybe their glassy-eyed look wasn’t from arousal. Indeed, a glance assured him neither man was even half hard.

Todd was up like a shot. “How bad?” He ignored his own aches and pains to help get

Aidan to the bed. Adam sat up and carefully gained his feet.

“Just the shoulder,” Aidan said, rolling with Zane’s help onto his stomach.

Todd’s stomach plummeted and threatened to send whatever was in it spurting back

up. The bite mark on Aidan’s shoulder was deep, and just gross, that was all there was to it.

“Shit, that looks bad.” Adam obviously wasn’t playing the part of professional, he was speaking as a concerned friend. “Todd, can you get my bag?”

“It’ll heal in a couple days,” Aidan grumbled, but Todd thought he’d seen something

that might have been bone. Then again, he didn’t know anything about the inside of a person’s body beyond the basic stuff. Plus, for all he knew, shifters were different. Well, more different than the whole shifting thing.

“Maybe so, but, unless you can generate several inches of skin, it’s gonna be ugly,

because this needs to be stitched.” Adam cursed as he looked closer. “And quickly, thanks to your shifter supersonic healing capabilities. They’re going to fuck you over with this if we don’t move now.”

The next hour tested Todd’s mettle. More than once he had to lock his muscles against being sick. Adam, even hurting as he was, stayed calm and kept at the stitches, even trimming away some skin when it proved to be too healed for his liking to graft together.

Aidan, for his part, kept a stoic expression in place. He refused to be numbed up, saying only it’d take more than Adam could spare, possibly more than he had. Todd accepted that he was never going to be that much of a badass. He’d have taken all the pain meds he could have got or, more likely, passed out and been done with it. But Aidan stayed conscious, his gaze locked with Zane’s almost the entire time.