Fight the Tide (11 page)

Hanson leaned in the open window and picked up the transmitter. “Copy that, hon. Over and out.” He grimaced. “My son’s affected by every tree and weed there is. Don’t know what we’ll do when the meds dry up. Guess we’ll have to figure out some natural hippie-type treatment.”

Despite himself, Parker’s curiosity got the better of him. “You patrol every day?”

“Yep.” He smiled ruefully. “Guess I don’t know what else to do. At first, we were waiting for the army to sweep in, but… Well, now I just try to keep the peace. Rounded up the bodies in the beginning, but it got to be too much.”

“Many people coming through?” Adam asked.

“Fewer and fewer.” He opened the car door. “I should get back to it. Stay safe, and God bless.”

They nodded and were soon back on their way. Outside the gas station, Adam listened intently before giving the all-clear. Inside, the dark fridges stood open and empty but for a few toppled bottles of soda. Glossy magazines littered the floor.

Lose weight the Hollywood way! Get a bikini bod in eight weeks! Taylor’s secret new romance revealed!

Parker kicked a few aside and moved deeper into the store, pleased to find the shelves were still partially full, as promised. “We still good for visitors?” he asked.

“Yep.” Adam turned in a slow circle. “Let’s load up.”

Parker was examining a slightly dented can of tomatoes when he realized Adam was standing stock still by the windows, a box of pasta clenched in his hand.

“Adam? What is it?” He took out his gun and crept up behind. Peering out the dirty glass, he could only see the abandoned gas pumps and the empty road beyond. On the other side of the road, a field appeared empty as well.

Adam breathed shallowly through parted lips, his eyes focused on something in the distance. Parker looked again and still couldn’t spot anything. He whispered, “What do you see?”

For a strange moment, it seemed like Adam might burst into tears. Then he blinked and spun away from the window. “Nothing. Let’s get back.” He strapped one of the backpacks to his chest.

“Wait. That wasn’t nothing.” Parker glanced out the window again. “Do you sense something?”

Cramming cans in the other pack, Adam said, “Yeah. Creepers nearby. We have to go.”

“Shit, really?” Parker grabbed the pack from him and swung it onto his back. “We should get gas, but I bet we can siphon from the cars at the marina. Pumps won’t work without electricity anyway.”

“Sounds good.” Adam was practically running outside to where they’d left Mariah by the door. He gunned the engine, and Parker was barely on when they zoomed back onto the road.

Worry tugged at Parker’s gut. Something had spooked Adam, but when he looked behind, no creepers appeared.

*

“This is delicious,
Parker.” Abby dipped her spoon back into her soup. “I love chickpeas.”

“Um, thanks. I just threw in a bunch of stuff with the carton of stock and the fish Adam caught. I bet you could make it way better.”

“Ha! Nope. I’ve always been rather challenged in that department.” Abby nudged Jacob beside her. “I’m sure Jacob can attest.”

“You cook fine,” he mumbled.

They sat around the table on
Bella
’s deck, near the wheel. It was spacious enough to fit six comfortably on the L-shaped padded benches, especially since Lilly was so slight. Trying to think of some small talk to make and coming up blank, Parker swallowed a mouthful of the soup he’d cobbled together. It wasn’t half bad, although he missed fresh vegetables more than he would have thought possible. A nice big salad would have been incredible. Maybe when they made it farther south.

They’d sailed some miles down the coast, until the wind had died down. Now they were anchored in a cove with the sun going down. Sunset was coming earlier and earlier as November wore on, and he didn’t like the idea of being out on open sea in the dark. They wanted to stick close to shore, but that came with the risk of shoals and damaging their hulls. It was easier to see markers in the daylight, and there was no sense in taking chances. As long as they made their way steadily south as winter came, they’d be okay.

Parker’s back was to the mouth of the cove, and he glanced over his shoulder. It was empty, and he knew Adam would hear or see anyone coming, but he still had to look. They hadn’t spotted any other sails that day, but that didn’t mean people weren’t out there.

When he turned back, Adam was watching him. Parker smiled, and Adam gave him a quick, distracted smile in return before his gaze went distant again.

“Now Craig is quite a gourmet.” Abby frowned. “Or is it gourmand?”

Craig said, “I have no idea, but thank you, my dear.” He and Abby beamed at each other while Jacob examined his soup and Lilly ate steadily, methodically dipping saltine crackers one by one into her bowl, crumbling them up, then eating the results.

“Adam, did you grow up fishing?” Abby asked.

It took a moment for Adam to focus on her. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Did you learn to fish when you were younger? You seem to have the knack.”

“Oh. No, I didn’t. Guess I’m just lucky.”

Craig said, “It’s all in the wrist, don’t you think?”

“I guess so.” Adam took a little spoonful of soup before gazing at the horizon again.

Craig and Abby shared a glance, and Parker jumped in as the silence became awkward. “There was this one time, out on the Cape? My brother caught a fish with teeth.”

Lilly gaped. “Like a piranha?”

“Kind of. It was a triggerfish. A tropical storm must have carried it up. I swear, it was the ugliest thing I ever saw.”

“Uglier than a snake?” Lilly asked.

“Oh yeah.
Way
uglier. It was wriggling around on the line like crazy, snapping away when Eric tried to get the hook out.”

Lilly squeaked. “Did it bite him?”

“Took his finger clean off,” Parker said gravely.

“
Really
?” Cheeks flushing, Jacob lowered his head and went back to pretending not to listen.

“Nah, it was just the tip. But it was super gross.”

Laughing delightedly, Lilly asked for another story, and Parker obliged. And as he spun a partially true tale about the time he spotted a great white shark—he’d actually been safe on his family’s huge sailboat, not in a sea kayak—warmth spread in his chest, and he accepted that despite his best efforts to close himself off, he
liked
these people. It was pointless to fight it.

Surely if Craig and Abby had been planning something, they would have attacked by now? They listened to his tall tale with avid attention, and ate his crappy soup as if Jamie Oliver had made it. They teased their children and held hands under the table.

“What was the craziest call you ever answered?” Craig asked Abby.

“Hmm. Well, the full moon and LSD are not a good combination, but how about the most cliché call? I actually had to get a kitten out of a tree. Honest to God! Someone actually called nine-one-one because their kitten was stuck in a tree. The thing was, it wasn’t actually a huge tree. It was just big enough to be nicely out of reach, but the branches were too thin for the firefighters. Since I was the lightest one, lucky me got to climb up.”

Lilly and Jacob listened avidly, and Parker thought of Jaden and Evie at the Pines. God, he hoped they were still alive. Jacob met his gaze suddenly and dropped his head. He stared sullenly at the remnants of his soup, and Parker wondered why the kid had a problem with him. He probably shouldn’t have cared, but found, annoyingly, that he did. Meanwhile, Adam was an island, staring into the distance and clearly not listening.

When dinner was over and the others had left in their dinghy, Parker cornered Adam in the kitchen. “What’s up with you?”

He didn’t look up from the pot he was washing. “Nothing.”

“Oh, come on. I’m playing nice with them like you wanted, and you’re being a total space cadet.”

Scrubbing, Adam shook his head. “It’s not them or you. I’m just tired.”

Parker took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm and not start yelling for answers. “Earlier, at the gas station. What did you hear?”

Adam continued scrubbing. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“Of course it matters!” He lowered his voice. “It was another wolf, wasn’t it?”

Adam finally met his gaze. He nodded.

“Okay. Were they…did they seem threatening?”

“No. I have no way of knowing for sure. But I could sense it, like…like a switch had been flipped. I felt…alive with it.”

“So why did you run?” Not that Parker was complaining; after Ramon, he wasn’t sure he wanted to meet any other werewolves. Especially if they were like that asshole and thought werewolves should stick to their own kind and procreate.

“Because that’s what I’ve always done.” Adam smiled humorlessly. “That’s what my parents drilled into us. We were so isolated, but they always said we didn’t need anyone else. We had each other. Our family. Our pack. Then I was alone, and I still ran.” His knuckles were white on the pot handle. “Today, part of me wanted to howl and run toward whoever it was out there. But I did what I’ve always done instead. And besides, I couldn’t—”

When Adam didn’t go on, Parker gently prompted, “What?”

“I couldn’t leave you there alone.” He looked up then, his eyes soft. “Wouldn’t.”

“I don’t want to hold you back.”

“You don’t. You hold me together.”

Parker wished he knew the right thing to say, but he rarely did. So he eased the pot from Adam’s grip and wrapped him in a hug. Rubbing his back, he nuzzled Adam’s neck. After a long moment, Adam shuddered and squeezed Parker tightly. It was hard to breathe, but Parker just hung on.

Adam’s voice rumbled. “I can’t stop wondering why my parents were so insistent we keep away from other wolves. If I’m drawn to them so instinctively, why is that bad? I know it didn’t go well with Ramon. But surely there are others out there? Others like me? There have to be. Don’t there?”

He sounded so small despite the iron bands of his arms around Parker. “I’m sure there are. It’s okay. We’ll… We’ll find them one day.” The thought sent fingers of fear down his spine, but for Adam, he’d deal with it.

“I shouldn’t have run. Why did I run? Why do I always run?”

“Because your parents told you to.”

“If they’d known how lonely it was. How there’s still—” He shivered and clung to Parker.

“Still what? You can tell me.”

“Most of the time it’s okay, but then it’s like a cavern, endless. It’s so much better now that I’m with you. Tina tried to get me to stop running if I sensed another wolf, but I wouldn’t. Until you, I didn’t know how empty I really was.”

You have me. All of me. Aren’t I enough?
He mentally rolled his eyes at his own pathetic thoughts. It wasn’t about him. It was about Adam. “Like how you don’t realize how hungry you are sometimes until you start eating? And then you’re like Cookie Monster going to town?”

Adam’s shoulders shook with a soft laugh. “Exactly like that. God, I love you. I love you so much.” He squeezed Parker so tightly.

“I love you too.”

They kissed, sweet and soft at first, the warmth quickly sparking into more. Parker’s breath came faster, anticipation skating over his skin.

Adam took Parker’s mouth in a rough kiss. “Will you fuck me? Please. I need it. Need you.”

“Okay, okay. I’ve got you.” Parker tugged him over to their bed. He’d only stuck his dick in Adam once when they were at the Pines, and briefly at that. He loved being fucked, so it had never bothered him that Adam hadn’t seemed to want it.

But as they got naked and Adam crawled onto all fours on the mattress, excitement zinged through Parker’s veins. He fumbled for the lube in a little drawer in the sideboard, but Adam shook his head.

“Don’t need it. Just do it.”

“You sure? I don’t want to hurt you.” Parker licked his hand and jacked his cock, getting himself hard. Usually they preheated the oven before they stuck the turkey in, but Adam vibrated with need and tension.

“You won’t. Do it.” Adam’s balls hung heavy between his hairy thighs, his broad back flexing.

Spreading Adam’s ass, he spit on his hole. Adam was already reaching back, grasping for Parker’s thigh. Luckily, Parker could get hard in a stiff wind, so he was ready, and he knew that bone-deep need to be filled.

He lined up his cock and pushed into Adam’s ass, past the ring of muscle, groaning loudly at the incredible heat clamping down around him, his fingers digging into Adam’s hips.

“Jesus, you feel amazing. Fuck.” Parker’s breath already came in little gasps.

Adam moaned in response, and Parker pushed the rest of the way inside. Without lube, he was surprised at how easily he fit, his balls brushing Adam’s ass already. Sure, his cock wasn’t as thick, but it was a respectable size. He loved the sensation of Adam’s dick ready to break him into two, and he thrust in and out, trying to give Adam that same feeling.

The bed shook and rattled, and they panted as Parker fucked him as hard as he could, one hand fisted in Adam’s thick hair, leaning over his sweaty back. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Adam should have been tighter given that he didn’t usually bottom. Even though their skin was slick with sweat and they were both clearly trying, when he reached down for Adam’s dick, it was only half hard.