Chapter One
"You about done there?"
Wiping the cloth over the side of the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, Rusty Peruke rose from where he crouched. He turned and focused on his boss, Jethro. Tucking the cloth into his belt, he nodded.
"Yeah," Rusty confirmed, taking a step back to admire the motorcycle he'd just finished wiping down. "It's a very pretty bike. Who's picking it up again?"
"One of Kontra's new pack members," Jethro told him, referencing a grizzly bear shifter who led a semi-nomadic biker gang. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he focused on the bike, too. "And, yep, this is definitely one fine machine. Uh, a guy named Acheron." Jethro chuckled a little as his blue eyes twinkled. "They would have swung by yesterday, but they were still finishing up his identity paperwork."
Rusty cocked his head, processing that. It clicked. "Oh, Acheron is one of the men Kontra's people rescued, and he turned out to be"--he took a quick glance around to confirm they were still alone in the display showroom floor--"a scorpion shifter."
Jethro nodded. "Yeah. That's the one."
"Damn. Glad they got those men out of there."
Rusty had heard the stories. A crow shifter had run across a bunch of young men locked in a small storage room of a warehouse. He'd flown toward town in search of help and had run across Kontra and his gang at a trailhead parking lot. The group of shifters had rescued the kidnapped men, taking out most of the Diamondback biker gang in the process.
Unfortunately, the assholes who'd planned to buy the young men had come around. Jethro had told him that Kontra's people had lured the buyers out of town to deal with them. The repercussions were that the humans had learned of the paranormal world. At least a dirty deputy had been taken out, too.
Rusty was glad he didn't have to deal with that kind of crap. While some might think being a mechanic was boring, at least his steady, regular work allowed him to care for his brother, Korvyn, and send cash home to his parents. That was more than enough for him.
"Ah, this must be them."
Upon hearing Jethro's words, Rusty noticed the steadily increasing roar of a number of motorcycles. He peered out the window and spotted five motorcycles pulling into their lot... as well as one Can-am Spyder. Excitement flooded him as he saw the black and steel-gray three-wheeled vehicle being driven by Adam Kingston, a white tiger shifter.
"I didn't know Adam was bringing that today! Sweet!" Rusty strode swiftly toward the showroom's front door, grinning broadly. "Did you know?"
Jethro chuckled. "Surprise." He flanked him. "Yeah, I knew."
Rusty held the door open for his boss and friend, punching him in the shoulder as he passed, taking care to temper his shifter strength. Sharing his psyche with a serval cat, he was stronger and hardier than a human. It wasn't until recently that Rusty had been able to share that part of himself with Jethro, since shifters used anonymity and secrecy to keep themselves safe.
Just a few months before, Jethro had met a guy named Wilhelm. The slightly heavyset, gray-haired male was a shifter who shared his life with a pygmy hippopotamus. Jethro had been brought into the paranormal world, as well as come out of the closet, and was now a very happy human in a relationship with a loving husband.
There were times Rusty felt a little jealous, but only because he'd love to find his mate, not because he had any attraction to either Jethro or Wilhelm.
Rusty watched Kontra and his people choose a place to settle their bikes. Once they began lowering their kickstands, he started toward them. He recognized their leader, Kontra, and the man behind him on the bike, his mate, Tim--who happened to be a warlock.
The others in the group were Payson, a hyena shifter, who had his human mate, Land with him. Noah, Adam's moose shifter mate, was driving Adam's Harley. The final pair of bikes were driven by the mated pair Lamar, a peacock shifter, and his human mate, Rueben. Both men had people Rusty didn't recognize behind them.
A slender, grinning, black-skinned man swung off the bike from behind Rueben. A slightly pale Caucasian sat behind Lamar. From the looks of things, the peacock shifter was reassuring the young man.
Stopping beside Adam, who was easing off the Can-am, Rusty spread his arms as he swept his gaze appreciatively over the machine. "Wow, Jethro didn't tell me you were bringing this today. It's gorgeous."
Adam shoved his hands into his pockets as he grinned broadly at him. His green eyes twinkled. "Got a call from a buddy in a town four hours away yesterday evening. Had to drive all night, but I couldn't wait to get my hands on this baby." The tiger shifter swiped his palm over the dark gray fender covering the front wheel nearest him in obvious admiration. "I got two days to spend with her before I need to head home, so we'll see how much of the modification we can get done in that time."
Surprised by the offered help, Rusty gaped. "Wow, thanks, but aren't you supposed to be on vacation?"
"Oh, don't worry about that." Noah stopped next to his big lover, wrapping his arm around Adam's waist. "Working on this is a vacation to Adam."
Adam grinned as he turned his attention to Noah. He cradled the man's jaw and dipped his head, sealing his lips over them. When the kiss turned from a soft peck to something more carnal, Rusty returned his focus to the bike.
Jethro stopped next to him as they were joined by the others. "So, which one of those young men is Acheron?" he asked, glancing at the pair of short, slender males inspecting the bikes lined up along the sidewalk in front of the store.
Kontra chuckled. "The black guy there is your sure sale today, but I wouldn't call him a young man. He told me he's one hundred thirty-two." Winking, he added, "But don't worry. That's not what we put on his driver's license." Pointing at the blond man, Kontra added, "And that's Louis. Since his buddy Deter mated with Marrakesh, and they're going to be traveling with us, Louis decided he wants to join us. For now, I think he's just looking."
Nodding, Jethro headed their way. "Sounds good. Introduce me?"
Payson grinned widely, his gray eyes sparkling mischievously. "Yo, Acheron! Louis! Come over here a sec."
The blond spun, his blue eyes wide, clearly startled. Acheron wrapped one dark arm around his shoulders and guided him toward the group. Louis was clearly unsettled by the prospect of approaching so many big men, the acrid smell of his unease wafting on the breeze.
Rusty noticed another smell, too. It was earthy and masculine, yet still fresh, and reminded him of walking in a cool forest. It also caused his blood to heat and flow south. He swallowed hard as he glanced between the two men.
One of them is my mate!
When Acheron's black eyes widened and his nostrils flared, Rusty didn't need to be a genius to realize which one it was, either.
Acheron's full dark lips curved into a wide smile, and his eyelids slid to half-mast. "Oh, my," he murmured, his voice surprisingly deep for such a small man. Releasing his hold on Louis, the slender male stepped into Rusty's space. He rested his right hand on Rusty's chest and his left on his hip. Tipping his chin up, Acheron peered at him from beneath his lashes. "Hello, my pretty kitty."
Rusty sucked in a harsh breath as surprise filled him. Another burst of Acheron's heady scent filled his nostrils, too. Goose bumps broke out on his forearms, and his fingers twitched. Even his mouth watered for a taste of the shifter currently pressed against his side.
Lifting his hands, Rusty gave in to the urge to touch. He rested his hands on Acheron's hips. Then he slid his right one up his back, smoothing along his lean form.
Acheron hummed, his body undulating slightly as he rubbed against him. Peering at him with a hungry expression, he met Rusty's gaze fully. "Hmmm, are you shy?" he asked softly, sliding the fingertips of his right hand over Rusty's left nipple lightly. His smile turned hungry. "Cat got your tongue?"
His stomach clenching and sparks dancing across his skin, Rusty struggled to find his tongue. "H-Hi."
Gods, I sound like an idiot.
"Hi, yourself," Acheron murmured back, his voice husky. Teasing his fingertips over Rusty's name where it was stitched on his work shirt, then back to his nipple, he asked, "You work here? Is Rusty your real name?" He slid his left hand up Rusty's back, then scraped his nails back down again, caressing his spine. "Like fast bikes?"
"I do work here," Rusty confirmed. His voice sounded rough even to his own ears. He cleared his throat, then continued, "Yeah, my name's Rusty. I'm a mechanic." His mind was a bit sluggish, what with the petting stimulating his nerve endings. "No, fast bikes are a good way to get hurt. Can't help my family if I'm hurt."
"Helping family is admirable." Acheron cocked his head as he smiled up at him. "Knowing what to do with your cock is even more admirable." His expression turned hungry. "Do you?"
"What?"
Of course, Rusty had never considered himself an extremely eloquent man. He spoke to the machines he worked on more than people. Clearing his throat, he moved his left hand so he could grip Acheron's, stopping the teasing to his nipple that was causing his blood to fire in his veins. Rusty focused on the other shifter's dark eyes, seeing the merriment dancing within their depths.
"A mechanic means you're good with your hands, right?" Acheron waggled his brows as he growled softly. "Do you know what to do with this big shlong you're sporting for me, too?"
Unease slithered through Rusty.
"You are making fun of me," Rusty mumbled, frowning at Acheron. He moved his hands to Acheron's upper arms and took a step backward, separating them. "We are mates." Rusty paused just long enough to glance around and make certain there were still no others but his boss and Kontra's people. "And the first thing you do is... give me shit about whether or not I can use my dick?"
Acheron's eyes widened, and his lips parted. It was his mate's turn to feel shocked. When Acheron opened his mouth wider, probably to say something, Rusty lifted his hand, stalling him. He wasn't certain he wanted to hear an excuse, especially as another thought hit him.
"You're the one here for the Kawasaki. That's why you asked about fast bikes." Knowing it was a fact, that's how Rusty said the comment. "And I might be a shifter, but I do like to take my time." He lifted his hands and took another step backward. "How about I get your number off your purchase paperwork, and I'll call you? We can set up a date. Go to dinner." When his cat grumbled in his mind at the idea of getting a little space from his mate, Rusty mentally shushed the creature. "We'll get to know each other." Turning to Adam, he held out his hand. "Can I get the keys, Adam? Or would you like to drive it around back?"
While Adam's brows were furrowed, he slowly nodded. "I'll drive it around back." Noah glanced between them, but didn't comment when his mate cupped his jaw, pecked a kiss to his lips, and told him, "I'll be back out in a bit, babe."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Rusty forced a tentative smile at his clearly shell-shocked mate. "I look forward to getting to know you." Then he turned and walked back into the shop.
Rusty knew he was the center of attention, judging by the way the hairs on his neck stood on end, but he refused to look back.