Gilbert (20 page)

Jihu shifted. “What did you do, you evil…” Jihu couldn’t call her a bitch, he just couldn’t. “Hag!”

Hye ignored him and drew up another syringe as Seok held a vial.

“I don’t think so.” Jihu leapt over Bae and Oscar and landed almost on top of Seok. He slapped the vial aside and only his flexibility, and Hye’s old age, allowed him to bend backwards and avoid the needle she thrust at him. Jihu grabbed her wrist and slammed it against his knee. She howled and bones cracked, and he felt awful, but not as awful as he would have if Hye wasn’t filling his family up with God only knew what.

Seok tried to hit him, but Gilbert tackled him, pinning the old man under his big leopard body.

“What did you do to them?” Jihu asked as he kept his hold on Hye’s wrist. “Tell me.”

“No.” She gave him a toothless smile and spat in his face.

Jihu had never wanted to kill someone so badly in his life, but he wouldn’t give in to the impulse. He suspected Hye wanted him to, but she could just die on her own. Jihu thrust her away from him and grabbed the vial. At least it hadn’t broken. Bae would want to examine its contents. Jihu found Bae’s bag and he put the drug in it. He grabbed the shirt from there and returned to tie Hye’s hands and feet together.

“You can get off Seok now,” he told Gilbert. Once Jihu could get to them, he bound Seok’s wrists and ankles. “Shift, and help me with the others.”

Jihu applied his will to helping Gilbert shift, and once again, it seemed an easier process for him. They ransacked the cave until they found keys for all the cuffs. After freeing Bae and Oscar, Jihu began trying to wake them while Gilbert did the same to Josiah and Isaiah. They were still trying to rouse them when Bobby and the other four wolf shifters arrived.

“We need to get them to my shaman,” Bobby said after a cursory inspection. “We’ll have to carry them, I guess. Damn. Leave the old evil spiritless fuckers here. We won’t learn anything from the soulless bastards.”

Jihu tried to hide his confusion but it must have shown because Bobby sighed like he was beyond put out. “The old shits sitting there? They reek because they’re rotten to the core. Their shifter spirit abandoned them because of it. There’s no threats, no torture, nothing you can do that’s going to make them talk. Only jollies these fuckers get is tormenting people. So fuck ‘em. They can sit here and rot. Just, you know, grab their medicine bags and shit.”

“Leave them here?” Jihu blinked and looked at Hye and Seok. “Isn’t that cruel?”

Bobby rolled his eyes. “I know you ain’t a Boy Scout, Jihu. Lookie here. They are gonna die, because they are bad bad things. They aren’t human, they aren’t shifter. Their spirits are gone. They’re like, like fucking demons, Jihu. Do you see a soul in there?” Bobby pointed at them.

Jihu shook his head. “No, but leaving them to suffer—”

“They won’t suffer,” Bobby explained with more than a touch of impatience. “I’m trying to get your scrawny ass out of here so I can do what needs doing—” The rest of his sentence was cut off by Gilbert’s fist meeting the words on Bobby’s lips.

“Stop pissing me off, asshole,” Gilbert sniped as he drew his hand back. Bobby didn’t fall over, but it was a near thing, his legs wobbling for a second as he slapped a hand to the cave wall. “I told you.”

Bobby pressed his other hand to his lips and grinned. “So you did. Good one.”

“Jesus, what kind of weirdo are you?” Jihu asked.

“I’m the superhero kind of weirdo,” he clicked his tongue, “except instead of a Batcave I’ll be living in a wolf den. Think anyone will buy that series if I try to sell it?”

Jihu raised his chin. “I think you are unhinged. Seriously.”

“Probably,” Bobby said as he nodded. “Now leave, unless you want me to finish them in front of you.”

Jihu looked at Hye, then at Seok. He saw nothing in them, and the rancid smell of them seemed to prove Bobby’s claims. “Let’s start moving our family out of here,” Jihu said as he turned around.

Gilbert hesitated, glancing from Bobby to the old shamans before facing away from them. “Yeah, okay. I’ll grab Isaiah, you get Bae, and some of the wolf shifters can
shift
”—he raised his eyebrows at them—“and
help.
”

Bobby joined them not long after. Jihu couldn’t quite look at him. “We need to find Esau and Ye-sun.”

“We need to get these unconscious guys some help first,” Bobby pointed out. “Don’t know what that old cow gave ’em, but they ain’t waking up and that’s not good.”

No, it wasn’t. Jihu didn’t argue. They’d have to come back for Esau and Ye-sun.

Epilogue

Bobby’s shaman was the opposite of the crazy ones Jihu had known. He was gentle, and friendly, and Jihu was still scared spitless of him. Still, Jihu worked up the nerve to ask a question. “How is Lyndon?”

The shaman patted his shoulder gently and smiled, his blue eyes almost getting lost in the deep wrinkles and heavy lids. “He will be fine. I will not be singing his spirit home any time soon.”

Jihu nodded and felt a little of his tension ease. “Is Chul…”

“Huhn.” The shaman grunted and seemed to be staring at something far off. Jihu wondered if he was on some sort of spiritual plane, because right then, the shaman seemed very otehrwordly to him. When he spoke, it startled Jihu enough that he jerked. “He is battling more than just his physical wounds. I think he will come back a stronger man, in the ways that truly matter, at least.”

He smiled at Jihu. “Go on, now. I have work to do here and need some space to do so.”

“Thank you,” Jihu said, “very much.” He touched the shaman’s hand then left the van.

Gilbert followed him. “Hey, let’s go to Esau’s RV. I’ll tell Bobby where we’ll be. The shaman wants some room to work, so we aren’t abandoning our family. And that includes Esau and Ye-sun. We’ll find them once we’ve had time to eat and sleep, and once Bae and the others wake up. I’m so glad the shaman thinks he can heal them.”

“Okay,” was all Jihu managed. He was worn out and worried and even though the shaman had tended his wounds, he still hurt. Maybe if he’d taken the drink he’d been told to, but Jihu just couldn’t do it.

“Come on, baby, before you collapse in the parking lot here.”

But instead of Esau’s RV, Gilbert led him into the restrooms. He held up a small bar of soap and two rags. “It’s not much, but I feel pretty nappy.”

“Me too.” Jihu reached for a cloth. They ignored the few men who came in to use the facilities and concentrated on scrubbing off the grime. It was time-consuming, but Jihu felt better than he had in a while, afterwards. “Thank you.”

Gilbert dropped a kiss on his cheek and he reached behind Jihu to cop a feel. “You’re welcome, but you can thank me properly in Esau’s trailer.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Jihu had visions of the whole RV bouncing. “Okay.” Apparently that was his new ‘it’ word.

They left the restrooms and Jihu was startled to find it was almost dark again. “God, it’s only been a day since we took off from here.”

“I know. Unreal, isn’t it?” Gilbert bumped his shoulder and winked at him. “Allow me.” He held open the door to the RV. “Esau never did believe in locking his shit up. Thank God.”

“Yeah.” Well, that wasn’t much better than ‘okay’. It was probably actually worse. “I’ve never seen the inside of one of these. It’s kind of neat.”

“It really is. You want to call and talk to Daniel?” Gilbert held up his phone. “I texted Grandma, and she said he’s awake for a feeding. We’re gonna have to steal him back from her.”

Jihu knew Gilbert was teasing but it still made his palms break out in sweat. “Yes, I want to know how he’s doing.”

Gilbert tapped a button and a small picture of Daniel in Marybeth’s arms came up. “Oh, he’s so…perfect,” Jihu breathed. “I love him so much.”

“Me too. I hope you don’t mind if I call him my son?”

Gilbert’s concern was touching, and Jihu’s jealousy was juvenile. “I don’t mind. I get to be Daddy/Dad and you can be Papi/Poppa, whichever.”

“I can live with that.” Gilbert was smiling fit to break his face. “Here, it’s dialling.”

Jihu took the phone, then he was talking to Grandma Marybeth. Getting lectured, too, so someone had already talked to her. Jihu glared at Gilbert.

“I only sent her a few texts saying everyone was alive! Bobby called her, they know each other, and she knows his shaman!”

Now was one of the times Jihu wished he cursed like Bobby.

By the time he got off the phone, he was properly chastised for taking foolish risks, reassured he was loved dearly, and he’d somehow agreed that yes, it’d be better for them and Daniel to live close to family. Like in a cabin on Marybeth’s property sort of close.

“Jesus, what’d I agree to?” he muttered.

“Come over here and I’ll make you forget all about it,” Gilbert called from the back of the RV.

Jihu looked up from where he’d been staring blankly at the carpet. Gilbert was naked and spread out like an offering on a bed in the back. Jihu suddenly couldn’t be bothered with worrying about the conversation with Marybeth. He had a gorgeous mate to make love to.

As soon as he was close enough, Jihu growled and leapt, landing half on Gilbert. He wanted to rub all over him, cover him with his scent, then Jihu wanted to fuck and fuck until—Jihu stilled, his nose to Gilbert’s neck.

“You hear what I’m thinking, Gil? I want to fuck you until neither of us can move. Can I?”

Gilbert smiled lazily but want shone in his eyes. “I’m right here, baby, and I’ll do whatever you want. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Jihu lowered his head and nipped Gilbert. He kissed his firm, sexy lips, lapped into his moist, familiar mouth. Jihu laid claim to every bit of it as he buried his fingers in Gilbert’s hair. When Gilbert’s breaths were coming in pants and his cock, fat, veiny and dripping with pre-cum, Jihu began biting and nipping a path down Gilbert’s jaw. “Want you so bad,” he murmured against Gilbert’s pulse at the base of his neck.

“I know, oh fuck, please, Jihu, please fuck me!” Gilbert shivered and squirmed, his dick a hot, hard spike between them. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know I could need so bad, Ji. I haven’t ever—”

“I know.” Jihu sucked up a mark and made Gilbert whimper. He remembered clearly that Gilbert hadn’t ever, but he was going to just as soon as Jihu could get him ready. He sat up and raised himself out of the way. “Roll over. I want to see where I’ll be burying my dick shortly.”

Gilbert’s eyes flashed hot at him as he rolled over. “You know it fucking turns me on like crazy when you talk dirty.”

“That’s why I do it.” In truth, Jihu felt a little awkward at first, but as he got into it, and got hornier, he didn’t even think about it. He just gave his mate what he needed.

“This is so perfect,” Jihu said as he caressed Gilbert’s butt. The coating of hair tickled his palms. Gilbert flexed his cheeks and Jihu swatted one of them, guided by his mate’s not so hidden desire.

“Fuck!” Gilbert tensed his buttocks and arched his neck. “Jihu, damn it—”

Jihu slapped that taut mound again, then again and Gilbert gave a strangled shout as he rutted against the blanket.

“You could come from this, I bet.” Jihu traced a handprint then popped it in the exact same spot.

Gilbert whined and thrashed. “I c-can’t stop it!”

“I don’t want you to,” Jihu purred. He swatted Gilbert’s butt twice more and Gilbert groaned as he pumped his hips, his spunk scenting the air.

Gilbert’s muscular ass sported several handprints. Jihu stroked the hot skin with a sense of wonder as Gilbert came. “You like the pain?” he asked when Gilbert arched into the touch.

“Yes,” Gilbert admitted without any hint of shame. “It takes me out of my head. Makes me so horny I hurt. The pain in my ass is the good kind of hurting, before you even ask.”

Jihu grinned. “There was no need for me to ask. I can tell just how much you enjoyed it. I’m surprised how much I liked it. I want to beat off on your hot ass sometime. Spank you until you shoot, then coat your burning skin with my seed.”

Gilbert rolled over and his erection thumped his belly. “Fuck it, you got me hard all over again.”

“Good,” Jihu muttered, “Because I’m done talking.”

Gilbert hissed as he raised his legs to his chest. His ass was spanked raw, or at least it felt like it was. That, or maybe the blanket had turned to sandpaper under his butt. He pulled his knees up and apart so he could put himself on display for Jihu.

Jihu’s eyes became heavy-lidded and he dropped right down to bury his face in Gilbert’s balls. “Uhn. You smell so good.”

“You feel so good down there,” Gilbert retorted. Jihu lapped at his nuts and Gilbert tightened his grip on his legs. “Shit, I’m going to blow again if you spend too much time doing that.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I need inside you. Is there lube anywhere?” Jihu sucked one ball and Gilbert couldn’t think until he let it pop out of his mouth.

“Uhm, maybe. Esau’s gay, so the nightstand, or there’s probably oil in the pantry.” Gilbert would say just go with spit, but having never been fucked, he wasn’t quite that brave.

Jihu sucked on his sac some more then he rose up, his cock thick and glistening, veins prominent and promising a good ride. Gilbert couldn’t look away from that monster, or from the heavy balls hanging low between Jihu’s thighs. His ass hole contracted as he tried to picture Jihu’s rod penetrating him.

“I’ll send you the mentals as I do it. Bet that turns your crank.” Jihu crawled over him and started digging through the nightstand. “He’s got six different kinds of lube, Gil. You got a preference?” Jihu showed him the tubes.

Gilbert pointed at the fourth one. “That one. It’s worth the thirty dollar price tag. I have a bottle at my place for when me and my hand want to get close.”

Jihu snorted and popped the bottle open. He sniffed it. “Smells all right.”

“Feels like liquid silk, though.”

Gilbert watched Jihu pour some into his hand. His raised brows were evidence of his surprise. “It does. Man, no wonder you use this to jerk off with. I’m not going to have to compete with your hand and this lube, am I?”