Chapter Ten
Acheron knew that Rusty didn't like the plan. Neither did a couple of other shifters, since their mates were being placed in harms' way, too. Still, Acheron had confidence that it would work.
Of the eight original twinks that had been kidnapped and rescued, only four were part of the group being left at the trailhead. It was Deter, Louis, Elron, and himself. The other twinks were made up of Caleb, a chameleon shifter, Sam, a wolf shifter, and Yuma, a penguin shifter. The fourth man was Kontra's own mate, Tim, who was a warlock.
While all the men were on the smaller side, the fact that most of them were shifters gave them increased strength, speed, and agility. Not to mention Tim had magick, and Elron--being a fae--had talents of his own.
The mates of everyone drove, except for Louis, who was being driven by Adam.
"Everything will be fine," Acheron assured Rusty. Sitting behind him on his Goldwing, he rubbed his hands up and down his sides, trying to soothe him. "Kontra's people are in place, hiding in the trees and shit, waiting to capture the people that come to pick us up."
Over half a dozen of Kontra's people had already left the gang's rented cabin even before Acheron and Rusty had managed to arrive. That group was led by Beta Sam and included a second warlock who was also a vampire--Draven.
"I still don't like the idea of leaving my mate to be picked up by a group of human traffickers," Rusty grumbled.
"None of us do." Kontra's voice sounded through the microphone's helmet. "But this is the easiest way to find out where Korvyn is being held."
"The guy said he wouldn't be there and neither would Korvyn," Rusty pointed out. "How does it help us?"
"Draven isn't just a warlock," Adam explained. "He's a vampire. We need to capture all these assholes alive, and he can do some freaky mind control shit and make one of them tell us all about his boss's operation, where he's hiding, and what kind of force he has protecting them." The big, white tiger shifter chuckled coldly. "Then we go wipe them out."
The group again fell into silence.
Acheron prayed to whatever god that cared to listen that it would be that easy.
They pulled into the driveway, and the eight motorcycles rolled to a stop in the parking area. As soon as Acheron dismounted, Rusty followed suit. His lover wrapped his arms around him and pressed a kiss to his lips. Dipping his head, he nuzzled Acheron's temple, whispering, "We'll be together soon."
"Yes, we will." Acheron believed that with all his heart.
"If you get injured, I'm going to kick your ass," Rusty told him roughly.
Acheron chuckled as he peered into Rusty's amber-eyed gaze. "You could try, love." He pecked another kiss to Rusty's lips as he rubbed his palms up and down his sides underneath his leather jacket. He wished he could have felt his mate's skin rather than the fabric of his flannel shirt. "Be ready to go rescue your brother. Got it?"
Rusty nodded.
"Are the circles ready?"
Kontra's question drew Acheron's attention. He watched as the big bear shifter's mate nodded. "Yeah. We're all set up."
Glancing around, Acheron had no clue where said circles were. He did, however, know that they were referring to something magickal. He didn't bother trying to figure it out. Before meeting up with Kontra and his gang, he'd never had anything to do with a magick wielder and wasn't too worried about learning more.
Acheron heard Kontra order everyone, "Mount up."
Turning to his lover, Acheron watched Rusty obey. He stepped close and offered one more swift kiss, then he backed away. Joining the other seven men near a picnic table to the left of the trailhead information board, he sat on the grass. He preferred to be low to the ground if things went sideways.
"So, how long do you think we'll have to wait?" Louis asked, his arms wrapped around himself.
Yuma held the man, shrugging. "If they're watching, probably not long."
"Good," Caleb said on a growl. "I can't wait for them to get what's coming to them."
Sam nodded curtly, his brown lips curved into a feral smile.
"Don't worry, boys." Elron ran a slender-fingered hand through his long white hair as he smirked at them. "I'm sure they won't give their prizes time to run away."
As if on cue, as soon as the roar of the motorcycles had faded in the distance, footfalls crunching on leaves filled the air. Acheron lounged on his back as he turned his head. His excellent night vision helped him easily make out their guests.
"Wow, twelve men to take out us eight little twinks," Acheron jeered, sneering at the guy in the lead--a tall, wiry redhead. "Gotta say, that doesn't make us think much of you. Especially seein' as ya got guns and all."
Acheron knew by speaking, it drew the ringleader's attention to himself, and that was okay. Slowly, he rose to his feet and put himself in front of the others, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared defiantly at them.
"All of you, stand up and turn around," the redhead ordered, leveling his gun at Acheron's chest.
Even as Acheron heard some shuffling behind him--he also heard whispered chanting--he barked a laugh, covering the noise. "Oh, come off it, dude. We know you won't shoot us. We're the merchandise." He lifted his fingers into air quotes as he glared at the man. "We're too valuable to damage like that."
The redhead glared at him. At the same time, seven other men holstered their side arms and closed the distance between them. The four other men spread out and kept their weapons trained on them.
"We might not get to shoot you," the redhead said, confirming Acheron's guess as he stalked toward him. His dark eyes glittered in the moonlight. After holstering his weapon, he cracked his knuckles. "But that don't mean we can't leave a few marks... as long as they're not on your pretty little faces."
Several of the other advancing men snickered.
Acheron lifted his hands, fisting them, as if ready to box the man. "Except now you're not facing a bunch of pliant, drugged men."
The redhead laughed again as he swept his gaze over him. "What a joke!"
"Naw," Acheron responded as he glanced around, seeing the position of the other men. He returned his focus to the would-be captor and winked. "I'm the distraction."
Tim followed that up by clapping his hands together and barking a word Acheron didn't recognize. Roaring flames burst up from the ground in two ovals. One surrounded the group of mates plus the redhead and one of the closer guards. The second one spread out wider, hopefully catching the rest of the men within its flaming walls.
"What the fuck?" the redhead cried.
Acheron laughed. "Yeah, you fucked with the wrong group this time." He sneered and waggled his brows. "How about you tell me where your boss is, where Korvyn is, and we'll think about going easy on ya?"
"I don't know how you're doing this, but stop it right now!" the second trapped guard cried, drawing his weapon.
Sam yanked off his t-shirt, shoved off his sweats, and began to shift. At the same time, both Caleb and Elron lunged toward the man. Yuma shoved Louis and Deter underneath the table.
Acheron leaped forward, grabbing the redhead's wrist before he could draw his weapon. The human tried to wrench away, so he jumped and used the momentum to swing around the man. Acheron wrapped his arms around the man's neck and initiated his shift.
As a small animal, Acheron didn't ever have to worry about shifting while clothed. He could easily crawl out of just about anything. Acheron also shifted damn fast.
After several heartbeats, the redhead began to look around, obviously trying to figure out where Acheron had gone. He must have noticed how the other guard was on his back. Sam's black wolf crouched and snarled over him, appearing almost feral in the firelight.
"Okay. Someone tell me what's going on," the redhead demanded. "Ernie! Where are you? Ted?"
Acheron realized he was calling to his men. Deciding it was time for lights out, Acheron sank his stinger into the redhead's neck. The redhead cried out and tried to slap at him. Skittering sideways, Acheron easily gripped the man's shirt and moved to the other side of his neck, then stung him again.
"Ow, fuck!" The redhead staggered, crying, "What?" then dropped.
Crawling away from the downed human, Acheron assessed the situation. He knew with a man that size and from two stings, he'd be out for a good hour. Acheron climbed up the table leg, spotting the humans under the table. Yuma stood beside Tim, who sat cross-legged on top of the table doing... something.
Yuma eyed him. "Acheron?"
Acheron couldn't very well answer or nod in his current form, so he clicked his pinchers. Then he pivoted, trying to make out movement beyond the ring of fire.
To Acheron's relief, he heard the howl and snarl of animals as well as the cry of people. He knew Kontra's men were out there and well able to take care of themselves. That meant his job was to keep those within their circle safe.
Sam barked a cry of alarm.
Turning, Acheron realized another would-be captor had leaped over the fire and into their circle. Elron and Caleb engaged him. While they probably wouldn't have trouble taking him, the downed human saw the opening for what it was.
The man slammed his fist into the distracted Sam's canine snout. Unfortunately, the wolf shifter was actually damn submissive and could only posture for so long. Between the pain and confusion, he yelped and backed off.
Acheron leaped from the table, hissing. His move drew the man's attention, who cried out in dismay and scrambled to pull his gun. Landing on the ground a few inches from the man's leg, Acheron swiftly crawled toward him.
When the human kicked, he barely missed Acheron. Using a pincher to snag the lace of the flailing man's boot, Acheron swung onto his jeans-clad leg. He used his second claw to slice through the thick fabric, giving him access to sink his stinger into the man's leg, then did it a second time, just to be on the safe side.
Due to the wounds' locations, his poison took longer to take hold. After an exceptionally vicious kick, Acheron flew through the air. He hit the ground and tumbled through the grass. Finding his feet, he tried to get his bearings.
The sight that greet him was the most gorgeous one he'd ever seen. A big-eared, long-limbed feline leaped through the flames. He landed on the human and bared long, deadly-looking canines.
The human gaped, then convulsed, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he lay still.
After sniffing at the man, the cat levered off of his torso. The feline turned and padded toward Acheron. The black spots on the orangish-red and cream base of fur reminded Acheron of a leopard, but the longer limbs and bigger ears betrayed the cat's true breed.
This is my mate, my Rusty, a serval cat.
Another thought struck.
Just what the fuck is he doing here?
In the next instant, the cat lowered his head and rubbed a furred cheek against his plated body. If Acheron could have smiled in animal form, he would have. Instead, he rubbed his closed pincher against Rusty's feline face, doing his best to pet him.
When Rusty licked a swipe over his backside and nearly caught his tongue on Acheron's stinger, he decided that was enough of that for now.
Acheron shifted, changing swiftly from scorpion to man. When he'd finished, he crouched before the cat, which sat beside him, tall and proud, a pleased expression on a feline face. Chuckling, Acheron threaded his finger through the fur on Rusty's cheeks and proceeded to pet and scratch his gorgeous mate.
"Come on, Rusty," Acheron urged after a few minutes of that. "Shift for me. Tell me what the fuck you're doing here." Scowling, he reminded, "You were supposed to be going after Korvyn."
At that moment, the fire diminished.
Acheron blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the sudden lack of brightness. When he could once again focus, it was just in time to watch the last of Rusty's shift. His naked lover lifted his head and met his gaze, then grinned.
"Hi."
Chuckling, Acheron held open his arms. "Hi."
Rusty lunged forward, closing the distance between them. As his mate wrapped his arms around him, Acheron did the same. He clutched his lover close as he rubbed his palms up and down his back.
Threading his fingers through Rusty's hair, Acheron urged his mate to tip his head down. He captured his man's mouth, thrusting between his lips. Lapping at his lover's tongue, mapping his mouth, Acheron took a few minutes to relish his unique, masculine flavor.
When breathing became necessary, he broke the kiss. He used his hold on Rusty's head so they could rest their temples together. Panting softly, he tried to get his suddenly scrambled thoughts in order.
Rusty's touch and taste was just that amazing.
Finally, the sound of people talking and moving around them registered.
Acheron sucked in a deep breath before glancing around. Shifters and their mates milled around the area. He spotted Kontra standing beside the table, his huge hand on Tim's shoulder. His people were carrying or leading away the humans that had been trying to capture them.
Meeting Rusty's gaze, Acheron asked, "What happened to the plan? To Korvyn?"
Rusty grinned. "As we drove away from you all, I scented my brother." His smile turned fierce. "I realized they were close, so we circled back around and took them out. Korvyn is already on his way to Kontra's. Adam is driving him." Waggling his brows, Rusty continued, "So, a few of us came through the woods to see if you guys needed any back-up."
"Damn." A surge of relief Acheron could hardly explain flooded him. "That's--" He grinned widely. "That's fantastic." Pulling Rusty close, he whispered into his ear, "I am so glad that not only are you well, but Korvyn is safe, too."
"Me, too," Rusty replied before nipping at Acheron's ear. He chuckled huskily as he added, "Better yet, Kontra's people have the leader of the slave ring in custody. They're teaming up with Deputy Marrakesh Anderson's soon-to-be ex-boss, and they're going to take Wayland's whole network down."
While Acheron appreciated that news, with Rusty in his arms and the assurance that Korvyn was safe, he could think of so many other things to discuss.
"That's wonderful." Acheron tugged lightly on Rusty's hair, getting him to meet his eyes. "Shall we go to Kontra's place to check in with Korvyn?"
To Acheron's pleasure, Rusty shook his head. "Nope. I already talked to him." His mate's eyes narrowed as he swept over Acheron's naked form. "We should go home. I want to go for a run, then enjoy the moonlight on your naked skin as you fuck me by the stream."
More than on board with that idea, Acheron pulled away and rose to his feet. He held out his hand, pleased when Rusty didn't hesitate to take it, allowing him to pull him to his feet. Rusty grinned down at him, his expression heated.
Saying something that had always seemed more like a dream than anything, Acheron urged, "Take me home, my mate."
Rusty growled and nodded. "Clothes, then home."
Laughing, Acheron agreed.