Trouble Comes in Threes (24 page)

“But—”

“No. Let me finish, Tal. You guys have some deep-seated prejudices against humanity. While I understand why you consider humans a threat to paranormals, you guys are also guilty of acting in some of the same barbaric ways. Remember you asking me to hire shifters instead of humans, Tal? Then the day of the joining ceremony, two elders’ wives stopped by. One made careless comments to me. I
knew
she didn’t mean anything by it, but it hurt.”

Dolf narrowed his eyes at Kirk. “You never said—”

“That same day, there was this delivery guy who was a shifter. He had some, um… not-so-nice things to say.”

“Fuck,” Dolf griped. “All this has been going on since you got here? Why didn’t you say something?”

Kirk shoulders slumped. “You can’t change attitudes in a day. And frankly, I’m not sure how to handle this. The racism isn’t aimed at me because I’m gay, or because I have two lovers… it’s all about being human. Not something I’ve ever dealt with before, guys.”

“Then yesterday happened,” Tal added.

“Yesterday?” Monty grimaced. “What in the nine hells happened yesterday?”

Tal quickly told Monty of Kent’s reaction to Kirk and what was said.

Monty scrubbed his hands over his face. “Kirk, I am so sorry for the less-than-warm reception to the clowder. You should’ve been made to feel welcome, and you haven’t been. That will change, I promise you. Dolf is right. We, as a species, need an attitude adjustment. And by the goddess, it’s going to start with this clowder.”

“This has passed nasty attitudes and harsh words. Someone hurt their mate—maybe even tried to kill him. An example needs to be made, Alpha,” Remi said.

“I agree,” Monty said. “Now we need to just figure out who did this.”

Tal

T
AL
SAT
on the couch, fidgeting. The need to run, to jump on things and claw them, was driving him nuts. He knew it was his stress over Kirk and the things that were happening.

“What’s wrong, Tal?” Kirk wiggled his toes.

“Nothing. I’m just… restless.” Tal patted Kirk’s feet.

Dolf wasn’t quite as subtle. He paced from the kitchen to the living area.

“What’s up with you?” Kirk asked Dolf.

“Nothing besides one of my mates was attacked, we have no idea who did it, and Kent hasn’t come by like he said. That’s what’s up with me.”

“Oh, that’s all?” Kirk winked at Dolf. “So, what do you guys do when you get stressed?”

“Um, we shift,” Tal said.

Kirk raised an eyebrow. “Well? It’s not as if I haven’t seen it before. Go shift and do….” Kirk waved his hand. “Whatever. Guys, you’re cat shifters. Go be cat shifters.”

“We just, ah… we thought….” Tal’s face heated. “After what happened this afternoon, we didn’t want to….” Tal trailed off.

“You think seeing you as cats will upset me? Guys, I appreciate the thought, but come on. Your cat is part of you, right? I know you. I’ve seen you. I’m not going to freak out if you shift.”

“You’re sure?” Tal asked.

“Absolutely.”

Tal laughed as two sets of clothing flew. He and Dolf shifted and soon they were racing all over the house, running the log truss system. Tal loved letting his cat loose. Things were so different in this form. Smells were sharper, a piece of trash was a wonderful toy, and his body moved in ways he missed in his human form. Tal jumped from one ledge to another, Dolf close behind.

A fuzzy ball caught his attention, and he stalked toward it, moving slowly. Just feet away, butt wiggling, he pounced, batting the ball along the edge of the beam. Dolf meowed at him, and he looked over his shoulder. Dolf was looking down. Tal followed his gaze. Stretched out on the couch was Kirk, a grin on his face as he watched them.

“Meeeeow!” Tal called to Kirk.

A laugh floated up to him. That pleased him. After today, Kirk needed a reason to laugh. Tal’s whiskers twitched as he remembered what that wound on Kirk’s leg looked like. Goddess, the pain had to be awful.

“Meeer.” Dolf snuck behind Tal and gently swatted his behind.

Tal flicked his long tail in Dolf’s face for revenge.

More laugher came from below.

Dolf chased Tal all the way to the floor, then through the living area. They ripped and romped, hissing and yowling at each other, until they were tired. Instead of shifting back, they crawled up on Kirk, got comfortable, and took a catnap. Fortunately, the remote to the TV was close to Kirk.

A
FTER
A
while, they moved off a sleeping Kirk and shifted back. Hungry, they dressed and headed for the kitchen. Dolf made them sandwiches while Tal fixed their drinks. They sat at the little breakfast nook and ate, talking softly.

“I find it odd that Kent didn’t show up after he said he would.”

Tal bit into his sandwich. “Something might have come up, for all we know. You haven’t checked your phone lately. He might have called while we were playing.”

“You’re right. I’ll check it after we eat.” Dolf attacked his chips. “There’s something else. Heller had duty this afternoon.”

Tal put his drink down. “Dolf, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying it would be very easy for him to see Kirk in the woods while he was patrolling the clowder’s perimeter.”

“And what about the lack of scent?” Tal asked. “How’d he manage that?”

“He lives right down the road. Wouldn’t take any time to swing by home, spray his body, then shift back and head here. Afterward he could run back home and take a ten-minute shower so his scent comes back. That would help any wound heal.”

“But you can’t prove any of that.”

“Heller has dark hair too,” Dolf said.

“So do 95 percent of the cat shifters here, including Kent, you, and our Alpha. That means nothing. Kirk couldn’t say for sure what color the attacker’s coat was.”

“But Heller was the one that said the only good human was a—” Dolf grimaced.

“I was there. I remember. He was also upset, but we don’t
know
he meant it.”

“No one else objected like Heller did to our mating a human.”

“That you know of. And that, Dolf, is the problem here. Know what I’ve found? We shifters are speciesist. Well, at least most of us. Some less than others, true. We don’t trust anyone who isn’t a paranormal, and some paranormals we like better than others. We’re just as afraid of anything different from us as the humans. Being secretive is one thing. Being racist is another. This is what Jews fought against, what African-American and GLBT people have been fighting for years. We’ve let this go too far.”

“The worst part is how some of us treat those we’ve changed. The humans have shifter blood, yet we treat them as….”

“Less,” Tal said. “Less than us because they can’t shift.”

“How, as a species, did we get so off track?”

“I’m more worried about the more immediate situation. Kirk has never told us he loves us. He’s been ill-treated by shifters, and now attacked. How have we offered him anything better than he had?”

“He has us.”

“And look at what we brought him. I’m surprised he hasn’t run back to the life he had before us.”

“He’s a fighter, Tal. He’s not going to run. No, our mate will fight to his last breath, and we’ll fight with him. It’s time we enlighten our species.”

Tal hoped Dolf was right. He was falling in love with Kirk.

They finished their snack, and Dolf checked his cell. “No missed calls. Kent still hasn’t called. I’m tempted to hunt him down and remind him how to treat the head beta’s mates.”

“Maybe we should check on Kirk instead?”

“Probably a better idea.” Dolf followed Tal to the living area.

Kirk was struggling to sit up on the couch, rubbing his eyes. “Hey, guys, I was just about to come looking for you.” Kirk yawned, then stretched. “Didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“Healing can take a lot out of you.” Dolf sat on the edge of the couch. “Think you could eat something?”

Kirk’s stomach growled in response.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Dolf stood. “Let me check that leg and your stomach.”

Kirk smirked. “You’ll use any excuse.”

Dolf cupped Kirk’s package as he made eye contact with the man on the couch. “I don’t make excuses. If I wanted to fuck you, I’d have your legs on my shoulders and my dick in your hole.”

“Jesus,” Kirk shuddered. “That’s exactly what I needed… a hard-on.”

Tal snickered as Kirk tried not to squirm while Dolf checked his wounds.

“The wound on your leg is closed now.” Dolf lifted Kirk’s T-shirt. “Your stomach looks good too. And….” Dolf let the shirt back down and stared at Kirk’s face. “This one is nothing but a pink line. Let’s get you fed. I bet that will make you feel even better. How does a hamburger sound?”

“Great. It sounds really great.” Kirk licked his lips. “Mouthwateringly great.”

Dolf patted Kirk’s knee, then stood. “Give me twenty minutes, and it’ll be ready. I’ll bring it to you. Let’s give that leg a little longer to heal.”

Kirk chowed down on a thick, juicy hamburger. After he ate, the three of them curled up on the couch and watched a movie. Kirk dozed.

“He’s asleep again. Maybe he would rest better in bed,” Tal said.

“Most likely. I’ll carry him up.”

“Okay.”

While Dolf carried Kirk upstairs, the doorbell rang. Tal opened the door to see Kent standing there and reason fled.

“You!” Tal snarled, yanking the shifter inside and shoving him against the wall, his hand wrapped around Kent’s throat.

Dolf returned back downstairs to raised voices. “Tal! Release him.”

Tal’s low, rolling growl increased.

Dolf spoke again, power surging through the room. “
Now
.”

Kent whined, his body trembling.

Tal hissed, eyes narrowed on the other shifter, but he released Kent. Stepping back, he glared at the male, his hands clenched at his side. Anger came off Tal in waves. His cat wanted out in the worst way.

“Tal, Kirk is asleep upstairs. Do you want to wake him while he’s recovering?”

Tal immediately backed down, the anger washing away. His fist unclenched and his body relaxed. The growling stopped, and another soft whimper came from Tal. He drew in a long breath and tilted his head, showing his throat. “I’m sorry, Dolf.”

“I understand, but next time, think before you react.”

Tal cringed. Even though he deserved a much harsher rebuke, the one Dolf delivered still stung. “Yes, Dolf. I will.”

Dolf nodded, then turned his attention to Kent. “Are you just now heading in to work? I thought you worked days.”

Kent rubbed his neck, shot a look at Tal, then edged a little farther away. “I do work days, but on the way to work, I must’ve run over a nail or something. I blew a tire and nearly wrecked the truck.”

“Seriously?” Tal huffed.

“Tal…,” Dolf warned. “So, you had a flat.”

“I don’t have a spare. I ended up calling for a tow since I have towing insurance. I wasn’t just stuck on the side of the road, but I did have to wait for a tow truck. And it took its sweet time getting there. You can check with A1 Garage. I’m sure it’s recorded what time I called in and everything.”

“I will.”

“They towed me to their garage, and I bought a new tire from there. That took more time.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” Dolf asked.

“I did call work. You can check with my boss. I didn’t call you because Tal said to come by before work.” Kent shrugged. “Since I wasn’t going in….”

“That’s one of the lamest excuses I’ve ever heard,” Tal complained. What he didn’t add was that, even though it was lame, it was probably the truth. There were too many verifiable sources to what happened. He also didn’t smell deception in Kent’s story.

Dolf folded his arms over his chest. “Indeed. You knew what I’d have to say to you. So, simply put, you put off facing me.”

Kent’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Yes.” Then Kent looked back up. “I was off base in how I spoke to your mate, and for that, I’m sorry.”

Tal wanted to slap the guy upside the head. “You were cruel to a mate. Our
mate
. And there was no reason for you to be. Yes, he was human. But you’re old enough to know how this works. He has our blood in him. Our goddess chose him for us. Do you think she doesn’t know what she’s doing?”

Kent paled. “I-I…. Holy cow. I didn’t think of it like that. All I saw was a human….” Kent hurried along when Tal opened his mouth again. “Yes, yes, he’s not fully human now. I didn’t stop to think about that. I just…. Oh goddess, I acted without thinking. I’m so sorry. Could I… speak to your mate?”

“His name is Kirk,” Dolf said. “Kent, you hurt my mate with your actions. But you also just took a huge step toward personal growth. I think you see now. So, yes, I accept your apology. Unfortunately, Kirk isn’t available right now.”

“Oh.” Kent’s face fell. “I understand.”

Tal sighed. “It’s not what you think. Kirk
is
asleep, because….” He glanced at Dolf, who nodded. “Kirk was attacked this afternoon by a shifter. He was hurt rather badly, but he’s doing better now.”