Burning Bright (16 page)

“They’re lycanthropes.”

They stared at each other. “What?”

“They’re weretigers.”

“You’re an animal empath.” Marty’s eyes widened. “What is that like? Humans who are animals?”

Sasha shrugged. “I can read them in a way I can’t other people. And we’re drawn to each other.”

“Wow.”

“I’ve never met a lycanthrope,” Vince put in.

“Neither had I,” Sasha said.

“Does Aunt Z know?” Marty asked.

“Huh-uh. I only just found out. TJ and Mitch are too. Dillon’s a lycanthrope, but a werefox. He’s the real thing, hereditary and everything. Neal and his men were attacked when they were in the Marines overseas. It happened during a fight in Afghanistan.”

“My God. The Taliban are using weretigers now?” Marty gasped.

Sasha shook his head. “No, they don’t think so. The guy was Russian.”

“Are you safe?” Vince asked. “Can you catch it?”

“No. I Googled it after they told me. You can’t catch lycanthropy from someone who isn’t genetically one. Even then, it’s really difficult to get; the shifter has to be in half-human, half-animal shape. Only really powerful ones can do it, and it’s really frowned upon in any of their cultures that I’ve studied. Granted, I’m not an expert…”

“What’s your aunt gonna say?” Marty wanted to know.

“I have no fucking clue,” Sasha grumbled. “I haven’t told anyone back home. I don’t know if this is going anywhere yet.”

“But you love him?”

Sasha stared at him. “Marty…”

“Do you?”

“I…”

“So, yeah.” Marty sighed. “Jesus, man. You never did take the easy way out.”

“Tell me about it.” He took a sip of coffee. “Can I eat something now without you grilling me?”

“I thought you liked it rough?” Marty shot back.

“Marty…”

Vince laughed. “You two sure fight like old women.”

Marty sighed. “I don’t understand how it happened this fast.”

“We did,” Vince pointed out.

Marty flushed and stared at him. Vince gazed back, a hint of steel in his eyes. Sasha wanted to laugh. Vince
seemed
quiet and passive, until you pushed too far. Then the alpha male came out.

Like now, say.

He wished he had a camera.

Marty rolled his eyes. “Weretigers? Fucking hell, man. Your aunt is gonna kill me if she finds out from me before you tell her. You’ve gotta tell her, man.”

Sasha grunted. “Good point.” He paused, chewing on his lip. “I’ll figure something out. But give me time. I don’t know how this whole thing is gonna play out, okay?”

Vince stood abruptly. “I’m done with talking. You guys wanna go for a run or something?”

“We just ate,” Sasha protested.

“The zoo, then.”

He blinked. “You’re serious?”

Vince shrugged. “You’re an animal empath. Wouldn’t the zoo be fun?”

Everybody always thought that.
Let’s go to the zoo, since you can talk to the animals
. Nevermind the fact they were stuck in cages, prevented from hunting or doing anything they were supposed to do…

“Vinnie, he’s an animal empath. Zoos are like jails to someone like him,” Marty said softly.

Vince flushed. “I’m sorry.”

“How about a matinee?” Sasha proposed. “Let’s see what’s out, we can take a walk and go to the movie. How’s that for a compromise?”

“Only if I get all the popcorn,” Vince shot back.

He laughed. “Fair enough. I’ll do dishes.”

“I’ll dry,” Marty offered.

They all got up and set about cleaning up after their breakfast. Sasha glanced at Marty several times, but his old lover and friend seemed bent on concentrating on the dishes.

Figured.

Chapter Eighteen

Along Came a Tiger

Vince dropped him off at his apartment without anything really being resolved. “Don’t get in over your head, Sasha.” He pulled the car up to the curb.

Sasha puffed a laugh through his nose. “Yeah.”

“He still loves you, you know,” Vince murmured.

“What?”

“He does. I’m not jealous. I know he and I have something special. But he still carries a torch for you.”

“Vince…”

“I thought you should know. I’m okay if you still want to play and all. But he’s probably jealous about Neal and stuff. Protective. You know?”

“Gods. I don’t know what to say to that.”

Vince shrugged. “Then don’t say anything. But keep it in mind.”

“I…”

“Go on, go home, ya bum.”

Sasha laughed and opened the car door. “Thanks, Vinnie.”

Vince smiled at him. “You’re welcome.”

He got out and waited while Vince drove away. The feeling of being watched grew and he looked around warily. Then he froze.

Mitch waited across the street, leaning against a lamppost. He straightened when their eyes met and started across the street. Sasha backed up and Mitch slowed, but kept coming.

“Hey, Princess.”

He frowned. “Don’t call me that.”

Mitch smirked. “You never told me your name.”

He turned away and went to his door. “Go away.”

“Leaving so soon?”

“Just go.”

“Why?”

Something about the question made Sasha pause, and his empathy chose that moment to flair to life. He could feel Mitch and something else.

The weretiger was
lonely
.

Mitch, clearly unaware of the fact Sasha could read him, leaned against the wall next to the door. “Maybe I’m waiting for my turn.”

Sasha studied him. “Fine. Come on up.”

Mitch froze, staring at him. Sasha could feel his arousal through the empathy. “What?”

He leaned close, watching Mitch’s brown eyes dilate as he got close. “No sex, but come upstairs.”

The weretiger watched him, a mingle of hostility and hope on his face. Sasha said nothing, just unlocked the door and started upstairs. Before the door could shut, Mitch caught it and followed him.

He walked into his apartment, and Mitch closed the door and locked it. While Sasha set his keys on the table and sat down, Mitch moved through the small flat, checking the bedroom and bathroom and then looking out the window in the top half of the back door.

“Satisfied?” Sasha demanded.

Mitch shrugged. “I guess.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Russians.”

Adrenalin shot through him and he spun to stare out the window. “What?”

Mitch eyed him. “You really are naïve, you know that?”

That pissed him off. “Fuck you.”

“Any time.”

“Back off on the sex, dammit.” He surged to his feet and turned to his counter, then yanked the coffee pot off the burner and shoved it under the water. “You want some coffee?”

Mitch didn’t say anything.

He turned his head to find the Marine studying him with a confused expression on his face.

“You want some coffee?” he repeated, irritated.

“You’re serious?”

“Yeah, why?”

Mitch shrugged. “Yeah.” His tone came out a lot more reasonable-sounding than before.

Sasha set the coffee on to brew and then sat down again. After a moment, Mitch pulled a chair out and sat on it backward. “You confuse the shit outta me.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“About the no sex thing.”

Sasha started to retort angrily, and then studied the weretiger. Under the cockiness, his empathy sensed that loneliness again. “Yeah, I was serious. You can stay, but no sex.”

“All the best ones are taken.”

“My name is Sasha.”

Mitch blinked. “Neal calls you Doc.”

“That’s because I am.”

“What, a doc?”

“Yeah. I’m a vet. Trauma surgeon.”

“No shit.”

“Why did you hide from Neal?”

Mitch cocked his head. “Who says I’m hiding?”

“You disappeared from the
Troika
, and then popped up here out of nowhere.”

“I’m doing recon.”

Sasha laughed. “On what?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on the Russians.”

Sasha sat back. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I’m one of the best.”

“Modest too.”

“How’d you meet Neal?”

“At the club.”

“Who’s the hot guy who dropped you off? Neal know about him?”

“Yes, actually. He’s my ex-boyfriend’s partner.”

Mitch stared at him, shocked. “You’re fucking with me.”

“No, I wouldn’t do that.” The coffee puffed and perked, nearly finished. He got up to get out mugs and cocoa, milk and sugar. He set them on the table. “You hungry?”

“Yeah. Got any chicken or something?”

“Nope. I’m vegetarian.”

“Fuck.”

He smirked. “I can give you some lettuce.”

“Funny.”

“You want a quesadilla?”

Mitch blinked. “You’d cook for me?”

“Yeah, why not?”

Mitch seemed genuinely confused. “You don’t make any sense, Doc.”

“My friends call me Sasha.”

“Neal calls you Doc.”

Sasha leaned forward and Mitch froze, breath caught. “I’m not Neal’s friend, I’m his lover.”

“How about Princess?”

“How about I kick your ass again?” He stood and got out cheese and tortillas.

Mitch laughed. “You didn’t kick my ass the first time.”

“That’s ‘cause we got interrupted.”

“Anytime, Doc.”

He smirked. “Food first. I get cranky when I’m hungry.”

“Doc, you really do gotta be careful. The Russians want you dead for what you did to Alyosha.” He cocked his head. “Seriously. Where’d you learn to fight?”

“I’m a Guardian.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I’m from Madison.”

Mitch’s eyes widened. “The Gary Covens?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

Mitch shrugged. “It’s my job. Recon. You’re one of them?”

He nodded. “I’m an animal empath. My magic is part of it. We’ve all been trained in combat.”

“Any real combat?”

Sasha’s eyes widened and he stared at Mitch. “What, like the military?”

Mitch nodded.

He shook his head. “Nothing real.”

“Well, you do plenty good without it.”

He froze, not expecting that. He resumed cutting cheese for the quesadillas. “Why are you nice to me all of a sudden?”

Mitch shrugged. “Why are you?”

They stared at each other, and then the coffee started making its fizzing noises to announce the pot finished brewing. Sasha turned and poured mugs for both of them, and set one down for Mitch. He made two quesadillas and served them, then got some salsa and sat down. While Sasha ate, Mitch continued to watch him.

“You’re not what I expected, you know,” the Marine said then.

“Oh? You expect veterinarians to be old and boring?”

Mitch grinned. “No, I meant Neal’s boyfriend.”

He sat back. “You’re gay, right?”

Mitch’s jaw clenched and he glared at him. “So?”

“Relax, I didn’t mean anything by it.” He took a bite of quesadilla. “You’re not exactly stereotypical either, you know.”

Mitch glared at him and then took a drink of his coffee. “What the fuck, man? Neal and TJ. Fucking hell.”

Sasha frowned. “Huh?”

“Neal gets you, and Steve too from the smell of it. Carlos, even. And TJ. Fucking loser has
both
Craig and Dillon all over him and doesn’t fucking have a clue.”

“TJ? What are you talking about?”

“TJ’s got the hots for them, and they like him right back but he’s too fucking stupid to tell.”

“How do you know? You’re not even around.”

Mitch cocked his head. “Tell me I’m wrong, then.”

He blinked. “Um…”

Mitch laughed and finally took a bite of his quesadilla. “Fuck, man,” he blurted, mouth full.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. This is fucking amazing. What did you put in it?”

He smiled, pleased. “Thank you.”

Mitch sobered, watching him. “Seriously. About Neal? Is it serious?”

“Are you hitting on me?”

Mitch flushed, but held his gaze. “Yeah.”

“I’m really sorry, but yeah. I’m with Neal.”

“What the fuck about Steve and Carlos?”

“Neal and I played with them.” He took another bite. “I’m poly.”

“I’m not.”

“I kinda figured you for possessive.”

Mitch laughed. “You’re a cocky little fucker.”

“Yeah.” He finished his quesadilla and looked at Mitch’s empty plate. “You still hungry?”

“Nah. I ate breakfast a little while ago.”

“I was going to go for a run. You want to come?”

Mitch blinked. “A run.”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll go running.”

Sasha got up and set his plate in the sink. “Let me start some laundry first.”

“You sure are a neat freak.”

“Fuck you,” he shot back, laughing.

“You’d love ta,” Mitch drawled. “You should replace the locks on your foyer door downstairs.”

His stomach tightened. “What?”

“Your door locks are shit. The apartment too. The Russians find you, they’re no defense at all.”

“I have protection spells up. They’re not gonna find me.”

“Magic doesn’t do shit against a gun.”

“Yeah, and that doesn’t freak the shit outta me or anything.”

Mitch laughed. “I’m serious.”

“I am too.”

“Doc, come on. Magic fairy dust isn’t going to do squat against these guys!” Mitch seemed genuinely worried.

“The spells I have up are to hide me and the apartment.”

“Well, I found you.”

“Of course people have to find me, I’m job hunting. But no one with harmful intent can, unless they physically follow me. And I’m really careful.”

“Careful doesn’t stop squat, Doc. Stop being so naïve.”

Sasha sighed. He grew up with children who knew magic better than Mitch. It was obvious from the expression on the Marine’s face he wasn’t going to understand, no matter what Sasha said. “Let’s just go jogging.”

“You got some sweats?”

“Huh?”

“Sweats. For running.”

“Um…yeah. Yeah. Come with me.” He turned and went to the bedroom closet. He turned around to find Mitch right behind him. “Mitch?”

Mitch cupped his jaw in a very warm hand. “Doc.” His voice came out very soft.

Sasha’s heart started to pound. “Please…”

Mitch licked his jaw line, using a feather-light touch, and came close enough that his mouth touched Sasha’s ear. “Tell me no, that you want Neal, and I’ll stop.”