Burning Bright (17 page)

Fuck. His body woke up, every nerve tingling. The empathy told him that Mitch meant it, that he wanted Sasha. “Mitch, please.”

Mitch’s mouth closed on his neck, under his ear, and he moaned into Sasha’s throat.

That
didn’t help at all. He pulled back enough to speak and Mitch kissed him.

Fuck, but the man could kiss. The moment stretched and his eyes fluttered closed. He kissed Mitch back, their tongues twining around each other. It ended finally, and Mitch pulled back.

“Mitch, I’m with Neal.” He kissed the Marine’s chin. “But if I wasn’t, fuck man. You
have
to know how hot you are. You can smell me, right?”

Mitch sighed, clearly disappointed. “You sure, Doc?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. I’m sorry. I really am. If things were different…”

Mitch studied him, eyes not quite brown now that they were inches away. They had flecks of gold in the center like shavings of mica.

Mitch stepped back, releasing him. “I had to try.”

Sasha smiled. “And?”

“And Neal’s lucky I’m his friend, or he’d have a serious contest on his hands.”

Sasha blushed. “Thanks.”

“Those them?”

Sasha looked down, momentarily confused. The sweatpants in his hands made him laugh. He handed them over. “Yeah.”

“I’ll change in the bathroom.” Mitch turned and disappeared.

Sasha sat on the bed, heart pounding.

What a fucking day.

Chapter Nineteen

Crossing Paths

Sasha led the way to the lake, Mitch pacing alongside him. “I like to loop south along the lake for a couple miles.”

“Sounds good.”

“You like to jog?”

“I’ll keep up, Doc. Don’t worry about me.”

Sasha smirked.
We’ll see about that.

He headed across the street and Mitch lagged back a little, then came up to him.

“Keep going,” Mitch murmured. “I want to see something.”

Sasha’s stomach clenched and he looked around. “What? What’s wrong?”

Mitch made a noise suspiciously like a growl. “Just jog, Doc. Don’t be so goddamn obvious.”

Sasha glared but did as he was told. Mitch separated at the next fork and took off toward the baseball diamond across the park. Sasha tried to see everything at once but got nothing.

An idea came to him. Slowing a bit, enough to concentrate, Sasha centered himself. He let his empathy spin out of him and “looked”.

He almost ran into a tree. Shit, there were a lot of animals in the park. He found all the usual vermin, squirrels and pigeons and geese, but a fair few dogs and even several cats.

And a bear.

He faltered. He quested for Mitch’s familiar energy and found him about a quarter mile behind him, his attention on something else. Idiot was backtracking it by mistake. Dammit. He wished to Pan he could send thoughts mind to mind.

Of course, mobile phones worked too…

He hit the button and dialed Mitch’s phone, grateful that TJ programmed all the numbers into it for him. “Yeah, Doc. What’s wrong?”

“There’s a bear here, in the park,” he panted. “I can’t see him, but he’s nearby.”

Mitch grunted. “Stay on the path.”

“Mitch, I’m—”

“Stay on the path. Focus.”

Sasha swallowed. “Do they have guns?”

Mitch snorted. “If you were a bear, would you need a gun? Look, treat it like a drill, Doc. You’ve done this in training, right? Played fox and hounds?”

“Of course. I used to drill in that all the time.”

“Good. You’re the fox. Keep heading south on the main path, don’t take any side paths and stay away from buildings. If you see something, hit the screamer on your phone.”

“Mitch…”

“Focus. It’s gonna be okay.”

Riiight. “Yeah.”

Sasha might have been more reassured if Mitch’s nervousness didn’t bleed through their link. He headed out again at regular speed, trying to keep his empathy open and focused on the bear. The second time he twisted his ankle, he pulled his mind back into his body and concentrated on running.

A mile went by, then another, but nothing happened. He started to get annoyed. He got all worked up over nothing, dammit. Where was this mysterious bear, anyway? He turned to look behind him. Mitch waved, about a quarter mile back, but no one else was nearby. Sasha slowed but didn’t stop or turn around.

Mitch came up to him, panting. “All better. See, Doc? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“What? Nothing happened.”

Mitch preened. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Sasha smacked him with his left hand. “I’m serious.”

“So am I,” Mitch shot back. “I’d be a pretty poor mole if I let you see what I did, wouldn’t I?”

Sasha slowed and then stopped. He stretched enough to keep his muscles from cramping on him, and then walked over to stand by a tree.

“What are you doing?” Mitch asked, a smirk on his face.

“Watch,” Sasha snapped.

“Why you all mad at me?” Mitch demanded.

He let his empathy fill him and before he could start to “look” for the bear, Mitch’s sense of indignation filled him. He opened his eyes and met the tiger’s gaze. “Look. I’m sorry. I’m just amped, okay?”

Mitch blinked. “Oh.” He cocked a hip against another tree. “That’s all right.”

Sasha resisted laughing by closing his eyes and centering. The now familiar dogs, cats, squirrels, geese… Tiger…

No bear. Anywhere.

His eyes popped open. “You didn’t kill him did you?”

Mitch studied him, for once not humorous. “What did you do?”

“I’m an animal empath, I told you. Where’s the bear?”

Mitch straightened. “I thought…”

“What?”

Mitch looked uncomfortable. “I thought that was…” He trailed off.

“Just bullshit, is that it?” Sasha spun away.

“You’re really worried I killed him?”

“Yes.”

Mitch cocked his head. “Thing is, you don’t seem worried that I could kill. You seem worried that he’d be dead, but not that I’m a murderer.”

“You’re not.”

“Even if I killed someone?”

“You’re a soldier, Mitch.”

“I didn’t kill him.”

Sasha sagged against the tree.

“You’re really relieved.”

“Yeah, why?”

“Come on Doc. Let’s get back. I need to tell Neal what happened.”

“What did happen?”

“I chased him to a car and he got the hell out of here,” Mitch told him calmly.

Sasha stared at him and then burst out laughing. “That’s all?”

Mitch shrugged. “Yeah. Actually we kinda had a stare down. He might’ve been heading for his car anyway.”

“It’s just anticlimactic.” He waved his arms around.

Mitch laughed. “You’re somethin’ else, Doc. Come on, I’ll race you.”

“I don’t know… Go!” Sasha took off toward home.

The tiger behind him growled and leaped after.

Best exercise he’d had all week.

Chapter Twenty

Da Bears

They arrived at his apartment and Sasha stretched downstairs, then led the way up. “I’m heading to the Factory, you want to go with me?”

Mitch eyed him. “Yeah, sure.”

Sasha packed his overnight bag and drank some water, then brought Mitch downstairs to his truck.

“This is yours?” Mitch demanded.

“Yeah, why?”

“I expected something like a Volkswagen Beetle, or something. Not a work truck.”

He shrugged and unlocked the door. “I own a dairy farm. A Beetle would be pretty fucking impractical.”

“A dairy farm?” Mitch echoed, clearly startled. “No shit.”

Sasha climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled into traffic. “Yeah. My dad sold most of the cows a few years ago, but I still have the farm.” He hesitated. “If I don’t find a job, I have to go back.”

“Where’s ‘back’? Madison and the farm?”

Sasha nodded, a heavy weight forming in his stomach.

Mitch grunted. “This thing with Neal, it’s not that serious?”

Sasha glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you have to go back, can’t be all that serious, right?”

Sasha’s stomach clenched and he turned back to the road. Fuck,
would
he have to leave?

“Shit, Doc.”

“What?” His voice came out unfriendly, even hostile.

“It really is serious, at least on your side.” Mitch sat back and watched the road. “I hope, for your sake, you get this job.”

“Madison’s not
that
far away…”

“You don’t want to commute. Your body don’t lie, Doc. I’m a tiger, I can smell it on you.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his face. “Don’t tell Neal, okay?”

Mitch laughed, but sobered when Sasha turned to glare at him. He held up his hands. “Relax. I’m not that much of a dick.”

Mitch’s arrival set off a minor storm and Sasha slipped out of Neal’s apartment to wander downstairs. He padded down the staircase to the main floor and paused. His empathy flared to life and made his throat tighten. “Hello?” It didn’t feel familiar, nor like a tiger… Gods, it was a bear.

A tall man stood about ten feet away, facing the restaurant tables. The Factory opened for business but no patrons occupied the tables yet. Sasha had a feeling this man wasn’t here to eat. He wore a long black wool trench coat that fell to his knees. Blond streaked his brown hair and caught in the lights.

“What do you want?” Sasha asked. He cursed himself for coming down in jogging clothes with nothing else, like a cell phone, or maybe a gun…

The man inhaled deeply, and then turned.

Sasha jumped. The eyes that examined him were not human. He backed up a step and the man moved toward him. Sasha carefully circled around the stranger, edging toward the kitchen filled with people, including Mario and his favorite assault rifle.

“What are you?” the stranger asked in Russian.

“Speak English, dammit,” Sasha snapped.

The man smirked. “Why? You understand Russian. Why shouldn’t I speak it?” The stranger took another step toward him, inhaling again. “What are you?”

Should he tell him? Probably not… “I’m a veterinarian.” He stepped back but missed the swinging door to the kitchen and banged into the door jam.

The man moved then, too fast for Sasha to see, and ended up in front of him. His hand, big enough to palm his whole head, enclosed Sasha’s throat. Sasha pulled away and whacked his head against the wall.

“I am called Kiril,” the man growled, still in Russian but with the flavor of something deeper under the words, like a growl or something. “How are you called?”

“Let go of me.”

Kiril laughed. His eyeteeth were longer than a human’s and his breath smelled of meat. “Or what, little man?”

“I said, let go of me,” Sasha grated. He moved his hand sideways and tried to open the door to the kitchen, but Kiril’s hand closed on his wrist.

“Freeze.” The loud shout made Sasha jolt. The click of a gun cocking echoed in the sudden silence.

Kiril snarled, his teeth drawn back from his mouth. His hand tightened around Sasha’s throat.

“Let him go, dude. This is the last warning I’ll give you.” The tall form of TJ appeared behind the Russian, his eyes on the big man. His gaze flicked to Sasha’s and back, utterly cold.

Kiril moved sideways so he could see TJ but didn’t let go of Sasha. “I wish to speak with Neal.”

TJ laughed. “I’d let go of that one, if that’s what you want. He sees you choking him, he’ll fucking kill you.”

“Very well.” Kiril released him and Sasha stumbled away, rubbing his neck.

“Go back upstairs, Doc,” TJ ordered.

“What?”

“Now. You’re wearing sweats with no weapons. You’re in the way.”

He sucked in his breath, offended. “I can take care of myself.”

“You can tell Neal to get his ass down here,” TJ shot back.

“No need.” Neal stepped off the last stair, Steve behind him. “I’m Neal Harrison. What do you want?”

“I am called Kiril Vasilyevich. I am the leader of the
Plemya
.”

“It’s Russian for tribe,” Sasha told Neal. He walked over to stand next to the big Marine. “He’s a bear.” Sasha’s stomach tightened. Did Kiril follow them from the park? Then it hit him.
Kiril
spoke
Russian
. “The other totem?”

Neal’s bolt of fear spiked against Sasha’s empathy at the words, though nothing appeared on Neal’s face or body language. “Good guess.”

“I’ve been hired by Ivan Andreievich.” Kiril’s tongue made a weird sucking noise against his right eyetooth, and it reminded Sasha of a predator getting meat out from between his teeth.

“To do what?” Neal asked.

“I think you know,” Kiril said with a slight smirk. His eyes flicked to Sasha’s. “But you should send your loved ones away.” He inhaled again. “What
is
he? He’s not a tiger.”

“He’s not a lycanthrope,” Neal said.

“I’m an animal empath,” Sasha told him.

Kiril took a step forward and two things happened. Neal stepped in front of Sasha, and TJ brought up his hand again, aiming the heavy pistol at Kiril. The bear froze, staring at Sasha.

“I’d leave, if I were you,” TJ growled.

“Ivan will come with men in a week. You should have your answer ready by then. I have twelve men with me.” Kiril looked at Neal. “Be prepared.”

“Get out,” Neal grated. “And don’t look back.”

Kiril threw his head back and laughed, his teeth very white. The sound bounced around the restaurant. Kiril turned then and walked away, a steady strength to his steps that meant he was a fighter. He went out the front door without glancing back and Sasha exhaled, trying to relax.

Neal turned and met Sasha’s gaze. “Fuck. Are you all right?”

Sasha, very conscious of the other soldiers standing around, nodded and squared his shoulders. “I’m fine.”

“Okay…”

“Sarge, what the fuck?” TJ demanded.

“Go find out everything you can about him,” Neal ordered. “And his guys. Call Paul. I want him here as soon as possible.”

TJ nodded and disappeared downstairs, heading for the security console there.

“I can finish dinner,” Steve murmured. “I left the waffles in the oven to stay warm, but I still have half the batter to cook up.” He went over and hit the call button for the elevator.