Catch a Tiger by the Tail

By Charlie Cochet

Sequel to Against the Grain

THIRDS: Book Six

Calvin Summers and Ethan Hobbs have been best friends since childhood, but somewhere along the line, their friendship evolved into something more. With the Therian Youth Center bombing, Calvin realizes just how short life can be and no longer keeps his feelings for his best friend a secret. Unfortunately, change is difficult for Ethan; most days he does well to deal with his Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety. Calvin’s confession adds a new struggle for Ethan, one he fears might cost him the friendship that’s been his whole world for as long as he can remember.

As partners and Defense Agents at the THIRDS, being on Destructive Delta is tough at the best of times, but between call-outs and life-threatening situations, Calvin and Ethan not only face traversing the challenges of their job, but also working toward a future as more than friends.

A big thank-you to Dreamspinner Press for helping me make my dream a reality. To my family and friends for their amazing support. Thank you to all the THIRDS Nerds who’ve made this an amazing adventure, and to all the readers who pick my stories and ask for more. Thank you.

(You’ll find these cast members throughout the whole of the THIRDS series, some being introduced in different books. This list will continue to grow.)

DESTRUCTIVE DELTA

Sloane Brodie—Defense agent. Team leader. Jaguar Therian.

Dexter J. Daley “Dex”—Defense agent. Former homicide detective for the Human Police Force. Older brother to Cael Maddock. Adopted by Anthony “Tony” Maddock. Human.

Ash Keeler—Defense agent. Entry tactics and Close Quarter Combat expert. Lion Therian.

Julietta Guerrera “Letty”—Defense agent. Weapons expert. Human.

Calvin Summers—Defense agent. Sniper. Human.

Ethan Hobbs “Hobbs”—Defense agent. Demolitions expert and Public Safety Bomb Technician. Has two older brothers: Rafe and Sebastian Hobbs. Tabby Tiger Therian.

Cael Maddock—Recon agent. Tech expert. Dex’s younger brother. Adopted by Anthony Maddock. Cheetah Therian.

Rosa Santiago—Recon agent. Crisis negotiator and medic. Human.

COMMANDING OFFICERS

Lieutenant Sonya Sparks—Lieutenant for Unit Alpha. Cougar Therian. Undercover operative for TIN (Therian Intelligence Network)

Sergeant Anthony Maddock “Tony”—Sergeant for Destructive Delta. Dex and Cael’s adoptive father. Human.

MEDICAL EXAMINERS

Dr. Hudson Colbourn—Chief medical examiner for Destructive Delta. Wolf Therian.

Dr. Nina Bishop—Medical examiner for Destructive Delta. Human.

AGENTS FROM OTHER SQUADS

Ellis Taylor—Team leader for Beta Ambush. Leopard Therian.

Rafe Hobbs
—
Team Leader for Alpha Ambush. The oldest Hobbs brother. Tiger Therian.

Sebastian Hobbs
—
Team Leader for Theta Destructive. Was once on Destructive Delta but was transferred after his relationship to Hudson ended in a breach of protocol and civilian loss. Middle Hobbs brother. Tiger Therian.

Osmond Zachary “Zach”
—
Agent for Alpha Sleuth in Unit Beta. Has six brothers working for the THIRDS. Brown bear Therian.

OTHER IMPORTANT CAST MEMBERS

Gabe Pearce
—
Sloane’s ex-partner and ex-lover on Destructive Delta. Killed on duty by his brother Isaac. Human.

Isaac Pearce
—
Gabe’s older brother. Was a detective for the Human Police Force who became leader of the Order of Adrasteia. Killed by Destructive Delta during a hostage situation. Human.

Louis Huerta “Lou”
—
Dex’s ex-boyfriend. Human.

Bradley Darcy
—
Bartender and owner of Bar Dekatria. Jaguar Therian.

Austen Payne
—
Squadron Specialist Agent (SSA) for Destructive Delta. Cheetah Therian. Undercover freelance operative for TIN (Therian Intelligence Network).

Dr. Abraham Shultzon
—
Head doctor during the First Gen Recruitment Program who was personally responsible for the wellbeing of the THIRDS’ First Gen Recruits. He was also responsible for the tests that were run on the Therian children. Recently apprehended by TIN for creating an unsanctioned Therian mind control drug, and for kidnapping THIRDS Therian agents for unsanctioned project.

Arlo Keeler
—
Ash’s twin brother killed during the riots in the 1980s.

Beck Hogan—Leader of the Ikelos Coalition. Killed during confrontation with THIRDS agents. Tiger Therian.

Drew Collins—Beck Hogan’s second in command. Cougar Therian.

Felipe Bautista
—
Drew Collins’s boyfriend. Wolf Therian.

John Daley—Dexter J. Daley’s biological father. Anthony Maddock’s best friend, and partner at the HPF. Killed during a shootout in a movie theater during the riots. Human.

Gina Daley—Dexter J. Daley’s biological mother. Worked for the CDC in NYC. First to volunteer to work with Therians. Killed along with her husband during a shootout in a movie theater during the riots. Human.

Darla Summers—Calvin Summer’s mother. Human.

Thomas Hobbs—Ethan, Sebastian, and Rafe Hobbs’s father. Suffers from Therian Acheron Syndrome. Tiger Therian.

Julia Hobbs—Thomas Hobbs’s wife, and mother to Ethan, Sebastian, and Rafe Hobbs. Human.

Benedict Winters—THIRDS appointed psychologist.

Melanoe Virus—A virus released during the Vietnam War through the use of chemical warfare infecting millions worldwide and killing hundreds of thousands.

Eppione.8—A vaccine created using strains from animals immune to the virus. It awakened a dormant mutation within the virus, resulting in the altering of Human DNA, and giving birth to Therians.

Therians
—
Shifters brought about through the mutation of Human DNA as a result of the Eppione.8 vaccine.

Postshift Trauma Care (PSTC)
—
The effects of Therian Postshift Trauma are similar to the aftereffects of an epileptic seizure, only on a smaller scale, including muscle soreness, bruising, brief disorientation, and hunger. Eating after a shift is extremely important as not eating could lead to the Therian collapsing and a host of other health issues. PSTC is the care given to Therians after they shift back to Human form.

THIRDS (Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron)
—
An elite, military funded agency comprised of an equal number of Human and Therian agents and intended to uphold the law for all its citizens without prejudice.

Themis
—
A powerful, multimillion dollar government interface used by the THIRDS. It’s linked to numerous intelligence agencies across the globe and runs a series of highly advanced algorithms to scan surveillance submitted by agents.

First Gen
—
First Generation of purebred Therians born with a perfected version of the mutation.

Pre-First Gens—Any Therian born before First Gen Therians. Known to have unstable versions of the mutation resulting in any number of health issues.

BearCat
—
THIRDS tactical vehicle.

Human Police Force (HPF)
—
A branch of law enforcement consisting of Humans officials dealing only with crimes committed by Humans.

Sparta—Nickname for THIRDS agent training facility at the Manhattan THIRDS headquarters.

T.I.N—Therian Intelligence Network. Therian equivalent to the Human CIA.

TINMAN—T.I.N operative. Nicknamed after the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz as T.I.N operatives are rumored to have no heart.

Anti-Therianism—Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against Therians.

Therian Classification—Tattoo marking on a Therian’s neck displaying the Therians classification, including Family, Genus, and Species.

HE WAS
being hunted.

The shadows around him swirled and drifted as if he were underwater. If he wasn’t careful he’d drown all right, in his own blood.

Calvin kept a steady grip on his rifle. He breathed in slow through his nose and released it through his mouth, his breath coming up warm against his skin thanks to the face mask shielding him from the bitter cold. Thank God for THIRDS thermal uniforms. He would have frozen his ass off by now without it. Three degrees.
What the ever-loving fuck?
This was New York City, not Canada. Any day now it would drop below zero; he just knew it. These guys picked the wrong day to fuck up. Felid agents enjoyed a frolic in the snow as much as the next Therian, but not in the middle of the night, and sure as shit not when it was cold enough to freeze their whiskers off. Pissed-off Felids equaled epic hissy fits.

There was a faint cackle in the distance, and he turned with exceptional care, his boots sinking into the blankets of freshly fallen snow. His earpiece came to life, Dex’s quiet voice hushed on the other end.

“Calvin, visuals?”

“Negative,” Calvin replied, continuing onward. It was eerily quiet. As if the city itself was slumbering and hiding from the unrelenting cold. The only sounds around him were the howling wind and the snow compressing underneath his boots. The wind picked up, and the snow fell in earnest. It made finding the gang of hyena Therians in Central Park’s North Woods even harder, especially with their own agents in their Therian forms out there hunting. Maybe his Human teammates were having better luck. He doubted it, considering how quiet his com was. Ethan had caught the scent of one of their suspects several minutes ago and disappeared into the woods. Calvin hadn’t heard from or seen his partner since, meaning Ethan was still stalking. Somewhere in the pitch-black night, Sloane and Ash were doing the same. Cael, the lucky bastard, got to sit in the warmth of their BearCat working surveillance.

A perimeter had been set up down E. Seventy-Ninth Street, cutting through Central Park, up Central Park West, across 110th Street, and down Fifth Avenue. If any of these assholes tried to make a break for the city, they’d be met with a shower of tranqs and Theta Destructive’s Therian agents in their Therian form. It was up to Destructive Delta to make sure they didn’t get that far.

There was another distinct cackle, closer this time. Calvin picked up his pace and spoke into his com. “I heard something. I’m gonna check it out.”

“What’s your position?” Dex asked, his tone void of its usual humor. Sparks had been kicking their asses in training for weeks since the whole mess with Shultzon and the facility went down, but no one was getting it as bad as Dex and Sloane. The two were being groomed. They all knew it. Hell, even Dex and Sloane knew it. They just didn’t know what for. In the meantime, his teammates went along with it. None of them were against strengthening or widening their skill set, especially Dex, who was still trying to figure out what his skill set was. In Calvin’s opinion, Dex was secretly enjoying the grueling regime. Eventually he’d get to the bottom of whatever Sparks was keeping from them. Dex always did.

“I’m coming up behind the Blockhouse.” Calvin slowed as he approached the old military fortification. It had been built in the 1800s to defend against the British. Now it was a deathtrap. Any number of Therians could be hiding in or around its stone walls.

“Watch your back,” Dex said.

“Affirmative.” Calvin crouched down by some dense shrubbery draped in layers of fluffy white and scanned the area. Half a dozen or so feral hyena Therians were hiding somewhere in here, all high as kites. THIRDS agents had been issued a warrant and sent to arrest the gang after receiving a tip-off to their location. Before the team could make the arrest, the gang managed to escape by blowing their meth lab into the next town. Luckily there were no casualties, but the group caused havoc through the city before teams from Unit Alpha cornered them in Central Park. That was over an hour ago.

Spotted hyena Therians were anything but the cowards many Humans pegged them to be. In their feral form they were lethal, skilled at hunting at night, had powerful jaws, moved in packs, and defended themselves fiercely. A low giggle met Calvin’s ear, and a shadow moved behind the Blockhouse. He readied his tranq rifle before moving in.

“THIRDS! Come out slowly!” Calvin held his rifle firm and took aim at the hyena growling at him from the shadows, its glowing eyes following his every move. Slowly it crept forward, the darkness following it as if it were some otherworldly spirit. It laughed, calling to its friends. The hairs on the back of Calvin’s neck stood on end, and he spun just as a hyena Therian lunged at him, knocking him off his feet. His body hit the snow, the Therian’s jaws clamping down on his rifle.
Shit!
Movement from his left caught his attention, and he swiped his backup tranq gun from his vest to fire at the approaching Therian. The tranq got him in the neck, and he yelped before scurrying off.

Calvin wrestled with the hyena Therian attempting to crunch his rifle like a tasty bone. Saliva dripped onto Calvin’s uniform, and he caught sight of a third hyena Therian circling him, looking for the right angle to pounce. All right, he’d had just about enough of this bullshit. Calvin fired his tranq gun at the Therian chewing on his rifle, and the asshat stumbled off him, the dart sticking out of his neck. He shook his head and laughed that creepy sound of theirs. Multiple sets of glowing eyes and dark shapes popped up in the woods around him. What the hell?