Timothy (17 page)

“Ahem.”

Otto was nicer than he was. Tim had wanted to clap his hands together as loudly as possible. Gansukh took his time ending the kiss, and the way Dane clung to him, the shaking in his hands as he held Gansukh’s shoulders, didn’t go unnoticed by Tim.

“I’d apologise, but damn,” Dane sighed and closed his eyes as he leaned against his—Tim wasn’t sure what Gansukh was to Dane.
A fuck buddy? A one night stand? Or was there something more than lust between the two?

“I think there might be more,”
Otto thought,
“but whether it will last remains to be seen.”

Dane mumbled and opened his eyes, zooming right in on Tim. “Anyway, Gansukh can bend me over and do whatever he wants, whether it’s kiss me or whatever, any time.”

Gansukh was beaming with pride and peering at Dane as if the sun revolved around him. Tim found himself really hoping this wasn’t a flash and burn relationship and the two men would find what they needed in one another.

“Me too,”
Otto agreed.
“Gansukh is a good guy with a big heart, and he’s been lonely for a long time. Kind of like I think Dane has been.”

Tim just caught himself in time to keep from nodding. “Congratulations,” he told Dane. “I won’t harass your boyfriend like you’ve done to Otto.” He winked and waved in the direction of the small living area. “Shall we sit?”

“I didn’t harass Otto, I was watching out for you,” Dane pointed out. “But now I think you two were made for each other. I can see you both here…” Some of the sparkle vanished from Dane’s eyes. “You’re going to end up living here, aren’t you?”

A tug of guilt in his gut and Tim thought of not just Dane, but his entire family. “I don’t know what we’re going to do, but it’ll be with Otto, for sure.” The raw truth was, he couldn’t be without Otto, not without being utterly miserable. Whether it was because they were mates or because they cared so strongly for each other, it didn’t matter. Tim wanted to stay with Otto, wanted Otto to stay with him.

“We’ll probably spend time in the US and here, divide it up so we see Tim’s family and friends plenty,” Otto offered.

Gansukh cleared his throat and when he spoke he kept his gaze on Dane. “You might end up wanting to do something like that, given time.”

Even in his stilted English, his message was clear, and Tim’s heart lightened knowing Dane had someone else to care about him. Dane deserved to be loved, and Tim thought Gansukh was capable of loving Dane for all his quirks, and for his loyal heart.

“Why don’t we go eat?” Otto asked when Dane and Gansukh continued to stare into one another’s eyes. “I’m starving, and I need to check in with the police and see if anyone has learned anything new.”

That got Gansukh’s attention. He twitched and pulled out his phone, but this time when he spoke Tim didn’t understand a damn word he said. Otto translated. “He’s sorry for switching to Khalkha but he’s tired and thinking in English is making his head hurt. He asked Sakund to let him know if he heard anything. Sakund has connections everywhere.”

Gansukh fiddled with his phone and it beeped. He shook his head and once again Otto translated when he spoke.

“No, nothing. He’ll ask around and get back to me if he has any information.” Otto reached out and patted Gansukh’s shoulder. “Thank you, my friend. I appreciate your help.”

Gansukh smiled, content in his happiness. Dane snuggled up to him and addressed Tim. “I think we’re going to skip getting food. We snacked earlier, and Gansukh mentioned taking me to his place.” Dane’s cheeks tinted pink and Tim had to bite his bottom lip to keep it from dropping open. He’d never seen Dane look bashful! “Unless you want us to go with you. Gansukh would be awesome protection.” Dane ran his hands down Gansukh’s thick arms and Tim could smell the desire rising between them.

“We can take care of ourselves,” Tim said, suddenly eager for their guests to leave before he sprouted wood from their pheromones. “Besides, we’ll probably go to Steve and Lona’s to eat, right?” He checked with Otto, who agreed. “I don’t think anyone, even Gansukh, could take on Lona and win.”

“No kidding,” Gansukh rumbled out. “She is like the mother snow leopards in the mountains, protecting her cubs.” Then he winked and Tim could only gawp at him like a fool as Gansukh and Dane left. He wasn’t even sure he’d responded to their goodbyes.

“I wonder,” Otto said, dragging Tim from his stupor. “I mean, that just seemed a weird comparison.”

“You have no idea,” Tim muttered. He’d just used the same one in his own head for Naran, hadn’t he? A fact he shoved at Otto, opening the thought to him.

“Huh.” Otto opened the small refrigerator and took out two sodas. After opening them, he handed one to Tim. “Drink up. I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell need a caffeine kick.”

Tim chugged the drink in a couple of gulps. The carbonation made his eyes and throat burn, but the sugary sweetness quenched his thirst as only pop could at times. He chucked the can in the trash and propped a hand on his hip. “So, do you think Gansukh knows? And Naran? I swear she’s looking into my brain sometimes.”

“I know what you mean. She has this way of narrowing her eyes…” Otto mock-shivered. “Just damn. But I’ve got the feeling she knows something about us shifters. It’s possible. There’s always been rumours, legends and stories told about the mountain ghosts.”

Tim’s insides twisted at the idea of Dane knowing, mainly because if he found out from someone besides Tim, he was going to throw a hissy. And even if Tim did tell him, he’d throw a hissy because Tim had waited years to confide in him.

Otto took his hand and started walking them to the bedroom. “We need our phones and room keys,” he explained when Tim gave him a questioning look. “But back to Dane, since you were thinking about him. You never know, Dane might handle it better than you think, once he’s had time to understand the reasons why you didn’t blurt it out the first time you met.”

“You don’t know Dane.” Tim put his phone and key into his pockets, then he twined his fingers with Otto’s until the left the hotel room. Conscious of the more stringent society standards here, Tim tugged his hand free and settled for occasionally bumping shoulders as he and Otto walked. “You sure your folks are okay with us dropping in.”

“Yes,” Otto said unhesitatingly. “I’ve got nag-o-grams from both parents to stop in. Vendalie is supposed to be there. She’ll probably alternate between grilling you and drooling over you. And she’s going to love your hair.” Otto ran his hand down the thick braid before giving it a tug. “You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t take the band off and start playing with it.”

“I expect you to rescue me if she does.” Tim batted his lashes and got a laugh from Otto that warmed him to his toes. Outside, the night was cold and the wind was strong enough to make one stumble if they weren’t careful. Tim and Otto stopped and checked the area, using all of their senses. Tim got a distinct feeling of being watched, but couldn’t see anyone around. Even so, the hairs on the back of his neck and on his forearms felt as if they were vibrating with the awareness of being spied on.

“I feel it too.” Otto turned slowly, just as Tim did, using their enhanced vision to search out anyone who might be a threat. The wind didn’t carry the stench they associated with the poacher, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t nearby, only that he might be downwind. “Where could he be?” Otto murmured.

Tim wondered the same thing. It wasn’t like Dalanzadgad was a thriving metropolis, but there were buildings, and further away scattered dwellings. The place was growing, but it had yet to explode into the modern world. There were several places for someone to hide, maybe even out towards the mountains. If they had high quality night viewing binoculars or a telescope or some such thing, they could probably see for miles.

“He could be anywhere,” Tim pointed out, frustration making his temper kick in. “He’s probably sitting on his ass laughing at us right now. Come on, I’m tired of playing his fucking game. Let’s go have a nice meal with you family, relax for a while, then we will check in with Naran and call to see if there’s any leads about the fire.”

The drive to Steve and Lona’s gave Tim the time he needed to shake his irritation. He delighted in being able to simply hold Otto’s hand and have a regular conversation with him. Otto was whip-smart and handsome, and Tim knew he’d hit the mate jackpot with him. He just hoped Otto never felt like he got the short end of the deal.

Other than a car he hadn’t seen there before, nothing at Otto’s parent’s house was different. “My sister’s car,” Otto pointed out, when Tim guessed he’d tensed up.

“Oh.” Tim chuffed a laugh at himself. “I feel stupid. Like catching the bad guy would be so easy.”

“Not so easy if he was parked and inside my parents’ house with my family inside.” Otto shut off his truck.

Tim grimaced and smacked his forehead. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just…seeing if I could still stick my entire foot in my mouth.”

“Almost,” Otto said with a laugh. “Come on, Vendelia is already looking out of the curtains at us.”

Tim groaned, thinking of the way his own sister could torment him. “Tell me she will go gently with me.”

Otto draped an arm over his shoulders. “If you want me to lie…”

Just then the front door opened and a buxom, dark haired beauty stepped out onto the porch. Her scent was heavy on the air, suspicion and protectiveness evident in her stance.

“She looks loaded for bear,” Tim whispered, knowing she very likely heard him.

Otto stopped and frowned at him. “What does that mean?”

Tim returned the frown with a roll of his eyes. “It means she’s fully prepared for a confrontation.”

Otto eyed his sister. “Pretty much. Vendelia,” he hollered, “chill out.”

Vendelia flipped him off but her posture changed subtly, a relaxing of muscles that signified a change in attitude, Tim hoped. “Hurry up, dinner’s getting cold. Mom insisted we wait for your ass instead of eating at six.”

“Poor baby,” Otto crooned. “Did she let you have a snack?”

“Oh fuck you, bro.” Vendelia turned her sharp gaze on Tim. “So, you’re my brother’s mate. I guess I can’t be too hard on you since it’s destiny and all that.” She shuddered, and Tim wasn’t sure she was faking it. “God, I hope it never happens to me. The last thing I want is to eat the same crackers every day for the rest of my life.”

Tim blinked as his brain processed the metaphor. He was a cracker? Being with the same person for the rest of your life was like eating saltines each and every day? What kind of messed up view of monogamy was that?

Otto squeezed Tim’s shoulder and stopped them at the steps in front of Vendelia. “Only an idiot would settle for crackers. I know I have a prime steak to eat, every day, and I can spice it and season it any way I want to, and it will always taste like ambrosia.”

“Wow, you both suck with metaphors,” Tim griped. He tipped his chin at Vendelia. “But yours was worse. And anyways, like with Otto’s point, only an idiot would eat the same thing every day without even trying to add new flavours.”

Metaphors weren’t his thing, either.

Vendelia’s laughter had a husky, musical quality to it. She held out a hand and stepped back. “Oh, I think I’m going to like you, Tim Trujillo. My parents have been singing your praises for days now, and you are a very smart, very pretty thing. I can’t wait to play with your hair.”

“I’m not a thing,” Tim muttered, feeling very much like a piece of meat, or cake, or some such sumptuous food as Vendelia ogled him. “And you’d better not touch my hair.” He did shake her hand, unsurprised by her strong grip. Vendelia struck him as a strong woman, period. He suspected they’d be fast friends soon enough.

“I can tell you my secrets for beautiful, silky soft hair,” Vendelia offered by way of bribe.

Otto stepped in and rolled Tim’s braid around his fist. “He can probably tell you his secrets for it. I’ve hardly ever felt anything so soft.”

Vendelia reached out and Otto clucked his tongue at her. “Uh uh uh, no groping my mate. And you were mean to him, calling him a thing. If a man referred to you as a pretty thing you’d castrate him.”

“Well duh,” Vendelia said as she turned and held the door open. “Although in the name of equality, I guess I shouldn’t pick on you, Tim. I would indeed hurt you if you said I was a pretty thing, but I wouldn’t if you commented on my brains.”

He was betting on Vendelia having a sense of humour, but Tim still made sure he had Otto between them when he said, “I’ll let you know if I ever see proof of them.”

Vendelia sucked in a sharp breath and Tim thought he’d totally fucked up until she and Otto both burst out laughing.

“Oh Timmy,” Vendelia finally got out, making him cringe with the dreaded nickname, “I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”

Tim hoped so. Maybe then he could convince her to never call him Timmy again. It always made him feel like a six-year-old kid, and that made him feel insecure because he’d realised at such a young age how different he was in appearance from the rest of his family. Oscar hadn’t been born then, so Tim hadn’t had even him to compare himself to.

“Deep thoughts, sweetheart,” Otto rumbled in his ear. If his intention was to chase off the serious funk threatening Tim, it worked. Instead, arousal began to flutter in his groin, and Tim gave his mate a grateful smile.

“Any time,” Otto said, breathing the words against the sensitive skin of his neck. “I think I am going to love distracting you.”

Tim was pretty sure he was going to love it, too.

Chapter Fifteen

Otto wasn’t happy about not being able to stay by Tim’s side all day, but he was realistic. They were both capable of taking care of themselves, but he couldn’t shake the notion that the person they were hunting was something more, or knew enough about them to hurt them. It was unnerving, and frustrating, just like the way Naran was looking at him.

“What Naran?” Otto finally barked out, “Just say it already. I’m getting tired of the knowing smirks.”

Naran blanched but didn’t reply right away, instead glancing at the window to the hospital room where Ochir was sleeping. “You’ll scare him, acting like some macho ass. He’s been through too much. I don’t even know if I can help him, but I have to try. He’s my child, even if he wasn’t born from my body. I should have insisted, shouldn’t have been so afraid of being rejected. Every child needs a home, a family. I was too stupid…”