Cia's Stories: May 2014

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Wednesday Briefs: Lost Inside Chapter 23

Today's flash is inspired by the prompt: You have to crawl before you walk. That's so apt in my story, too! I hope you guys really enjoy this week! There might be a twist. Maybe. Read on to find out!! LOL

Lost Inside Chapter 23

Yuri jerked up in bed, suppressing a hiss. His head throbbed, and flashes from his nightmare kept coming at him. Good thing Benny was sleeping on his stomach facing away. He mighta woken his mate up, and then Benny would make him talk about stuff.

He was tired of talking.

A drink. That's what he wanted. Yuri cautiously climbed off the bed. The lights from outside the bar shone in the window and lit up the room so he wouldn't bonk into anything. He slinked through the piles of clothes thrown all over the floor. No wonder the room smelled so strongly of his mate¾he never picked up his dirty clothes!

Then again, Cleara always nagged at him to pick up his stuff too.

Yuri rummaged around behind the bar. Ahh. Whiskey. He poured a couple of finger's worth and put the bottle back. He debated going in the kitchen for ice, but decided not to. He needed to figure out all the crap bubbling up in his head.

Not all of it made sense. He kept seeing things and people. Their names would flash in his head, and then go away again. People singing, people happy, and then people screaming. He saw Benny a lot, and he liked those dreams, but he missed the sparkle in his mate's eyes when he saw him for real. Benny was so different.

Sad. Angry.

He still loved Yuri though.

Yuri hugged one arm around his chest and sucked down a drink of whiskey. He stared at the pictures on the half-wall next to the bookshelves. They were just regular photos tacked up but he hadn't looked at them before.

Wow. Benny had been following him around for a long time. Yuri leaned in close to see one pictures of him in a tree.

"What're you doing?"

Yuri whirled and let out a startled eep. His heart raced.

"Uh. Okay." Benny flicked an ear and raised one eyebrow at him from the bedroom door.

"You scared me!" Yuri's face was hot. He tried to ignore the sound he'd made. "I almost spilled my drink!"

"Are you drinking soda? Or ginger ale? Is your stomach upset? Do you feel okay? Is it your head?" Benny hurried out of the bedroom and over to him.

"I'm fine."

Benny sniffed. "Is that… whiskey?"

Yuri took a big drink. "Yes."

His mate frowned. "Why are you drinking whiskey at four in the morning?"

"If I tell you, are you gonna freak out?"

"Why would I freak out?" Benny asked.

Oh, he hated that. "Don't answer a question with a question! It's rude, Cleara says." Yuri scowled.

"Sorry. I mean, I'll try not to."

That was probably the best he was going to get. Yuri wandered away from the picture wall over to the couch. How should he say it?

"I keep seeing things," he blurted out. He blew out the rest of his breath and slumped on the couch. "Holy shit! Cold!" He jumped back up.

Maybe he should've put some of those clothes on that were on the floor.

Benny didn't laugh at his goof. Yuri bit his lip.

"What do you mean, you keep seeing things?" Benny spoke slowly, like Yuri was stupid or something.

"Things. In my dreams. Like, memories and stuff. What, did you think I meant I saw dead people or something?" Yuri scoffed.

"I wasn't sure what you meant. Don't get snippy, just talk to me."

Yuri sighed. "I'm tired of talking."

Benny reached around him and grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch. He spread it out and then sat down. "I know." He gestured for Yuri to sit down too. "But if you don't talk to me about it, I don't know what's going on with you. If we don't tell the doctors, they can't help make you better."

"I'm tired of the tests and doctors, too." Yuri knew he was whining, but he didn't care. He drained the rest of the whiskey out of his glass. "I just wanna… I wanna…."

"What?"

"Why can't we just be normal? Why can't we be mates and do stuff, and live happily ever after too? Everything sucks." Yuri pushed at his temple where the throbbing was coming back.

Benny reached up and took the glass out of Yuri's hand and set it on the table. He grabbed Yuri's hand and tugged. Yuri let his mate pull him down onto the couch, nestling between Benny's legs and leaning against his chest.

"We are mates, and we do… stuff. Is there something else you want to do?" He rubbed his fingers along the bridge of Yuri's nose, along his forehead, and drew circles back into his hair.

"I wanna get a job," Yuri murmured. What Benny was doing felt so good. "I want you to not have to take care of me like I'm a kid. I'm not."

"Oh, stuff like that." Benny kept massaging.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, if you talk to me and the doctors, then they might be able to make the other stuff happen, Yuri. You have to crawl before you walk, though. We need to know what's going on with you. I want to know, I promise."

Yuri sighed. "Like what?"

"What was your dream about? It must be bad, if it made you get up and drink on your own."

"You were sleeping too good to wake up."

His eyes slid shut.

"What did you dream, Yuri?"

"About my mom and dad. We were alone¾on our way to see the elders. I was mad, 'cause my dad was making me go meet someone about mating to cement an alliance between Clans. I didn't want to. My lip hurt, 'cause Dad hit it and hissed at me to shut up or he'd marry me off to some vicious Alpha, like Yuisi."

Benny paused in the middle of the massage. "Who's Yuisi?"

"My brother." Yuri wiggled his head on Benny's shoulder. "Don't stop," he whined. His head was just starting to stop hurting.

TBC

Duh, dun, dunnnn... Twist! LOL More next week. For now, go check out the Briefer's website or follow these links to check out the other great updates this week!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

eBook Review: It's Complicated by L.A. Witt

It's Complicated by L.A. Witt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay, so I had the hardest time rating this eBook. I thought 2.5 stars for the plot. It's annoying--basically. Passive aggressive relationship stories drive me bonkers. I thought we'd see more of them working through their problems, not have new ones dumped on top that ramped up the angst factor to "Seriously?" factors for me. Which this did. I don't want to spoil the story... but read the story blurb and it's pretty much already done for me. The marketing basically gives you the ENTIRE plot. The only thing you don't get to see is the ending. For me, that makes it even more annoying because it feels like every surprise we're suppose to learn along with the characters is info bombed before we even get there. It lessens the impact of the emotional climaxes along the plot arc, which divorced me from the characters in a BIG way.

Oh, we love each and want to make it work so we're starting over--Boom! Already know that. Great sex still works--Boom! Already know that. Ex that still works with main character gets pregnant--Boom! Already know that. Ex wants to bail from the business and the city, omg, what will he do--Boom! Already know that.

The only things we don't get to see beforehand are the way Brad's job contributes to the resolution (though it was obvious as soon as I figured out what he did) and the actual decisions made at the end on how to make things work. Which again, isn't any big thing--it becomes pretty much obvious.

This eBook went up to 3 stars because I did feel L.A. Witt's basic writing ability to craft sentences and flow is good. I also got a tad teary eyed during the climax emotional scene before the resolution and ending. Pulling me into the story to feel even that much for the characters when I felt divorced from the plot because I already knew it took some skill. Overall, though this type of plot isn't my favorite, I'd have enjoyed it--if it didn't feel like I'd already read the CliffsNotes version.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Wednesday Brief: Lost Inside Ch. 22

Welcome to another weekly flash update with the Wednesday Briefers. Today, my 1k flash (cause I can never keep it less than that it seems, lol) brings you a bit more of Benny and Yuri, of course. One of the prompts was to have a character see a doctor--but that was too easy. So I also worked in, "Well, come on, man, get naked." Eager to go read now? *winks*

Lost Inside Chapter 21

Yuri was exhausted after all of Dr. Vancould’s tests. The doctor tried to go over the results with Benny after Yuri complained of a headache. That was a mistake.

“Talk to me about me,” he insisted. He crossed his arms over his chest and flattened his ears.

“You said your head hurts.” Benny sighed when Yuri turned his glare on him. “Okay, okay. We can go over everything tomorrow. We’re cleared to leave, right?”

“He is,” Dr. Vancould said. He made a note in Yuri’s charts. “You still need to be released. I would suggest you both rest.”

Benny hated waiting, but it was several hours before he was released with orders to come back the next day to have his stitches removed. They had to go back to see Dr. Vancould anyway, so he readily agreed—thankful to escape the hospital’s constant barrage of scents and sounds.

It gave the Falcons plenty of time to put guards on them too. This time Benny didn’t object.

“Can we just go to bed?” Yuri asked when they finally got to Dav’s bar.

“We can. Let’s pick up the food I ordered first, though.”

Yuri perked up. “You ordered more burgers? With bbq sauce and onion rings?” he asked hopefully.

Benny smiled. “Yep. I’m starving. No way was I going to touch the hospital breakfast when we could have your favorite.”

“Let’s go, let’s go.” Yuri hopped out of the car, then grabbed his head. Benny got out slower, careful of his back.

“You okay?”

“It’s too loud.”

They weren’t even inside yet. The bar had just opened for the lunch crowd, and the sound was loud to Benny. With Yuri’s headache, it was probably deafening. Benny leaned into the cab of his truck, wincing at the pull on his back. He rummaged around in the glove box and came out with a pair of ear plugs. “Here.”

Thankfully, their food was ready and Dav had ensured the apartments over the bar were soundproofed. Benny wanted the shirt off his back, pronto. “How about we eat in bed?”

“I dunno. I’m kinda messy.” Yuri frowned. “I could stain it.”

“We can always change the sheets if we have to.”

Yuri grinned and flicked his ears. “Good point.”

Benny left his jeans on, but Yuri stripped down completely. He looked up at Benny and frowned. “I thought we were going to bed.”

Benny coughed. “We are.” Jeez, blood was running south so fast he felt dizzy.

“Well, come on, man, get naked.” Yuri yanked back the blankets and climbed on the bed. “I’m hungry.” His nose twitched. “And I can smell the bbq sauce.”

It helped that Yuri was fixated on opening the box with his burger. Benny shimmied out of his pants and sighed in relief. The ones Dav and Ellis brought him were way too tight for an erection. Benny slid under the covers and grabbed his food off the nightstand.

He rolled onto his stomach and hissed.

“What?” Yuri asked with his mouth full.

“Nothing.” Benny began eating his fries first. He liked them hot. Yuri gobbled down his food by the time Benny was still halfway through his burger. The next bite he took sent bbq sauce squirting over his fingers. Benny dropped his burger back into the box and chuckled. “See, you didn’t make a mess, but I did.”

Yuri scooted next to him and grabbed his wrist before Benny could wipe his hand off with a napkin. “Let me.”

Each lick from Yuri’s slightly rough tongue sent a shiver through Benny. It made his back ache—and his balls too.

He moaned.

“I bet you have other stuff for me to lick up, too.” Yuri gave Benny a heated look. “Why don’t you stand up?”

Oh God. Yuri hadn’t been so assertive since… Benny didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to think about anything. His mate was licking and biting his fingers, and he gave Benny an order. It might’ve sounded like a question, but Benny knew what he was supposed to do.

Benny scooted over when Yuri let go of his hand and stood at the side of the bed. The first lick Yuri made from the base of his cock to the crown was nearly too much. Benny shouted.

“Nope, no touching.” Yuri batted Benny’s hands away when the sweet torture got to be too much. “You know better. Hands behind your back.”

He did, and he reveled in the fact Yuri remembered for a second, then Yuri rewarded Benny for listening by swallowing his cock to the root. Benny’s balls drew up and his mind blanked.

“Gonna come,” he said in a strangled voice.

The muscles in his legs quivered. Benny fought to hold on, to grab a few more seconds of pleasure in the hot, moist warmth of Yuri’s mouth, but then his mate swallowed.

Benny roared as his orgasm peaked, and his mate took every drop of his seed. He nearly fell when he pulled out of Yuri’s mouth. He held on to the edge of the bed, breathing hard. Yuri rolled over and stroked his cock.

“My turn,” he said.

Benny fell to his knees between Yuri’s legs. He nuzzled Yuri’s sac, then sucked one of his balls into his mouth. Yuri widened his legs. He worked both balls into his mouth and laved them with his tongue.

Yuri chuffed. Benny gently released him and looked up.

“Please.” The softly growled word wasn’t begging—not the way Yuri said it.

Benny took Yuri’s cock in his mouth, sucking first on the head so he could run his tongue around the hard ridge and then sinking down until his nose was buried in Yuri’s pubes.

He’d missed this. He’d missed the scent, and feel of his mate, so much. Yuri placed his hands gently on Benny’s head and began moving him up and down, gently rocking his hips. Benny closed his eyes and relaxed for the first time in a long time.

TBC

Did you like that? LOL! Okay, go check out all the other great updates from the Briefers, either at the Briefer's Website, or through this list.

Johayan

Julie Lynn Hayes
Tali Spencer

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Love's Landscape Story Cover Reveal and Blurb!

Check out my cover, blurb, and another excerpt from my Love's Landscape story, Cataclysmic Evolution. This will come out randomly this summer, so I can't give you a release date. You can enjoy tons of free stories with the MM Romance group on Goodreads summer Don't Read in the Closet event though.

If you're not a member, you should be! They have a ton of great forums for MM authors and readers, plus there are tons of fun 'club's and events. Don't worry, when the time comes you guys will get notice that it's live. You'll be able to read and comment on Goodreads, (which is always good to help me expand to more readers)plus I'll have it on GA and eBooks available there and on ARe. Enjoy!!

Blurb:

Barron has a plan that includes college, a career, and a suitable partner who will keep his Dad off his back. He can't stop staring at the new guy... and hating what he represents. Real men wouldn't be caught dead in those clothes or have long, curly hair sweeping over their shoulders. Barron doesn't care for the dark looks Revi keeps tossing at him either.

But the plans Barron has go up in a flash of light. Mere seconds sent the world crumbling around them, and nothing will ever be the same. When Barron's hurt, his pride makes him lash out at everyone around him. Revi takes a chance to get a little payback... but it backfires on both of them.

Paradise was supposed to be their salvation, but things are almost never what they seem. With their only hope for survival dwindling before them, can Revi and Barron find enough common ground to get over their past and make a future?

Synopsis:

Barron liked it.

Too much.

“We’re here.” Barron let Revi reel them in with the level’s tow line. Mass and momentum still mattered.

The medical wing was quiet—even quieter than the levels holding the materials for the new habitats where Revi and Barron had worked.

“Can I help you?”

“He got hurt.”

“I can see that. You’re kinda accident prone, aren’t you, Barron?”

“Nolu?”

“Yeah. Guess you just had to come back and see us, didn’t you?”

“Well, I can’t have you forgetting about me. Out of sight, out of mind, right?”

Nolu chuckled. “Somehow I doubt you’re easily forgotten.”

Was the medic flirting with him? While Barron was standing there with a chunk of metal in his hand, and Revi shirtless next to him?

“Only crippled blind guy on board, huh?”

Revi dug his elbow into Barron’s ribs. “You’re more than that. You’re the crippled, blind smartass on board.”

“Ow. Shit, Revi. Really? Don’t I hurt enough with this thing in my hand?”

“Sorry,” Revi muttered. He rubbed Barron’s side. “There. All better.”

Barron swallowed. Hard.

Nolu chuckled. “All right. Let’s take a look?”

The examining bench the medic made Barron sit on was hard. He could hear squeaking and something rattling. “Rest your arm up here.” He guided Barron to slide his arm across a table in front of him. It shifted under his arm, and he froze.

“Ahh.” Sweat beaded up on Barron’s forehead.

“Let me get you something for that.” Cold metal clicked over his right wrist, and Barron lost feeling in his hand completely. He sighed and slumped in relief from the absence of pain. “There, that should be better.”

“It is.”

“Okay. Time to take a peek.” Barron couldn’t feel him doing anything. It was oddly surreal, having a body part unfeeling, like it was gone and his wrist ended in mid-air. “Nice bandage you made here.”

“We were working. It was cleaner than everything else.” Revi was right beside Barron.

“Swift thinking.”

“Actually”—Barron could hear Revi shuffle his feet against the textured floor—“Barron told me to get something to wrap up his hand with. I just stripped.”

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Wednesday Brief: Lost Inside Chapter 21

Another week! I know you guys haven't had much from me lately, but I was working very hard on a 40k story for the Love's Landscape summer read event. The good news? It's done. Now I can work on other stuff. More of this, and other stories, will be coming soon, but make sure you come back tomorrow to check out the cover and blurb for my new upcoming story.

Okay, on to today's flash. This week my flash was inspired by 3 words, fingertips, skin, and relationship. You can see how those come into play in this week's update. I hope you enjoy!

Lost Inside Ch. 21

“Benny?”

He jerked out of the light doze—all he could manage in the busy hospital. “Hey.” Benny cleared his throat. “You’re awake.”

“What happened?” Yuri asked.

Benny’s heart sank. “We were attacked.” Was Yuri’s memory screwed up again? At least he was talking.

“Can I come over there?”

The beds were narrow, but Benny wasn’t going to turn down a chance to hold his mate. “I don’t think you should get up on your own, and the doctors want to check you out. Why don’t we call a nurse, first?”

“I’m okay.” Yuri swayed as he sat up. “Maybe not.” He slumped sideways against the pillow, grabbing for the railing. An alarm blared.

“Yuri? Yuri!”

Benny ignored the pain and shot out of bed. “Can you lay down?” He helped Yuri onto his back. His mate clutched at his head. “What hurts?”

“The alarm!”

A nurse came bustling into the room. “Here, now… what’s with waking the whole unit in the middle of the night?” She pushed some buttons on Yuri’s bed. “Good, you’re awake. Still, you could’ve used the call button.”

“Sorry.” Benny used one hand to push the hair out of Yuri’s face. His mate clung to his other hand.

“And you shouldn’t be out of bed either.” She clucked when she walked behind him. “You’ve popped your stitches! Would you get back in bed, please?”

Benny nudged Yuri. He began to scoot over.

“I meant in your own bed!” the nurse snapped when Benny climbed in next to his mate.

“No.” Benny sighed when he got comfortable on his stomach. His back stung, but he could smell Yuri, and feel him all along his side. His mate curled next to him.

“Your back...”

“It’s fine,” Benny grunted.

“It most certainly is not fine. You’re bleeding again.” The nurse bustled away, muttering under her breath. They ignored her.

“Everything’s fuzzy,” Yuri said.

“I’m not surprised.” Benny studied Yuri. His ears were slanted and his pupils were blown wide. “You either have a serious head injury, or they have you on the really good stuff. Maybe both. I let you get hurt again. I’m so sorry.”

Yuri shook his head, and then groaned. “You didn’t. You didn’t let anything happen to me. I remember some stuff, like not running away when you told me to. I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t leave you.” His voice started to slur, and he blinked.

“Hey, stay awake. The doctors will be here soon.”

The doctor came in after a few minutes. Benny refused to move, so his bandages and stitches on the mostly healing cuts on his back were removed while he held Yuri’s hand as his mate struggled to answer the doctor’s questions.

“We’d like to get some tests tomorrow, but as far as we can tell, there doesn’t appear to be more damage—other than to the shunt, which we had to take out.”

“So what’s the verdict?”

Yuri’s doctor set down his chart. He shook his head. “Your back will be fine soon. It’s healer faster than I’ve ever seen. Yuri’s recent procedure makes it hard to judge his mental status. What is due to the venom, versus complications from the blow to his head, is hard to tell. I’d like for you to stay so his primary doctor can test him in the morning.”

Benny sighed. He wanted to take Yuri out of the hospital. It stank, it was loud, and it didn’t help his mate.

But he had to be patient.

“Fine,” Yuri said. “We’ll wait. Can you go now?”

The doctor frowned, but Benny was smiling. Yuri sounded grumpier than he was. He really liked seeing him reacting—even if it was a pissy reaction. Plus it wasn’t aimed at him.

Finally, they were alone again. Benny watched Yuri, who stared back at him. “Was I really that bad?” he asked softly.

“What do you mean?”

“I remember being scared and screaming. There was a face. It’s a Tiger, but I can’t quite remember who he is. I think it’s a memory, but I couldn’t figure out what’s a memory and what’s real.”

“Why didn’t you tell the doctor that?”

Yuri shrugged. “They’ll think I’m nuts. I’m not nuts.”

“No, you’re not. You went through a lot, and Dr. Vancould said your brain activity was off the charts after you got the venom and Bashta chanted over you.” Benny kept his tone firm, so Yuri would know he was serious.

“Okay.”

Benny smiled. Yuri hadn’t changed that much. He was still so ready to trust, now that he’d come out of whatever they’d done to him with the venom. “I’m so glad you’re back,” Benny whispered.

“Me too.” Yuri ran his fingers up Benny’s arm. “You have so many muscles. And your skin is so soft back here.” It tickled when he stroked the back of Benny’s arm.

“I’ve been working out a lot.”

“I can tell.”

Yuri licked his lips. “I can touch you like this, right?”

“Yes. We’re mates. That means we’re in a relationship.” Benny watched in confusion as Yuri’s eyes got watery. “What? What is it?”

“Are you sure?”

Benny wiped away a tear trickling down Yuri’s cheek. “Yes. No matter what anyone else says, we’re mates. I’m yours, and your mine. You claimed me in front of our families, and we both changed.” Benny placed a hand on Yuri’s heart. “I can feel you, here. I know you’re my mate.”

“B-but I hurt you.”

“No.” Benny shook his head. “No. It wasn’t your fault. You never hurt me, not on purpose. Has that been bothering you?”

Yuri shrugged. “Mates can’t hurt each other. If we’re really mates, I couldn’t have done that.”

“That’s not really how it works. It’s not that you can’t physically hurt me. It’s that you don’t want to. Mates care about each other, and all your worry? That just proves how much you love me.”

TBC

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Johayan

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

eBook Review: Bonded by Rosalie Tarr

Bonded by Rosalie Tarr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because I did snicker quite a bit in the story. Delivery can only make up for the plot so far, though, and I felt that Bonded took the gay for you a bit far with 2 'straight' characters. I have to admit to having issues with fact that the insta-love element didn't just apply to the character's newly met relationship but to the sexual desire element as well.

There's a line there when it comes to attraction going from opposite to same gender that doesn't always need to be crossed. It's like telling a gay man he just needs to meet the right woman, and he'd be straight. Now, maybe in paranormal fiction that would work... but how loud would folks cry out against it, if it were true? I didn't really expect all that in the story, so it really colored my reading experience.

I did like the author paired both the romance with an underlying story. Without giving away anything, I enjoyed the arcs of the story... until the end. Like another reviewer said, it just felt too neat, too pat. Things are never perfect--especially when you deal with real people and real events. I'd have loved to see a better realistic ending.

Overall, I like the story. But... that's it; I just like it. I find that vampire fiction isn't as common anymore, so I was super excited to pick this up to read, but then fizzled. It just didn't quite live up to what I was looking for as far as the overall storyline.

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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Wednesday Briefs: Lost Inside Chapter 20

This week I was inspired by a prompt that really felt emotional to me. I hope you enjoy the update brought to you this week by, "How many times can you wish on a star before you give up?"

Lost Inside Chapter 20

The Tiger roared in challenge. He was big, bigger than Benny. It didn’t matter. He crouched with his truck at his back. Under his arms and in close was Benny’s best bet. It put him in danger, but it would also put the Tiger’s chest and neck in reach.

He’d have to risk getting his back sliced up. He focused his gaze on the neck, knowing he could take the other Tiger. He couldn’t think any other way and hope to win.

“No!”

Yuri streaked past and slammed into the Tiger just before he hit Benny. They grappled, falling sideways. Yuri snarled and rolled.

There was nothing Benny could do. He couldn’t get too close; Yuri had the attacker on the ground under him, and Benny couldn’t risk distracting him in a fight.

Benny was trapped in a very real nightmare. His mate was being attacked and fighting, and he couldn’t help.

“Help!” he screamed. Someone had to help them.

A gun. He needed a gun.

Someone stuck their head out of the bar. Benny didn’t care who it was. “Get Dav!” he screamed.

The Tiger must have heard him. He began writhing frantically, trying to roll Yuri off him. They slammed into the side of Benny’s truck, and Yuri hit his head against the bumper.

He cried out, and then went limp. The Tiger pulled him down and buried his face against Yuri’s neck.

Benny roared. His vision narrowed. He jumped over the pair and reached for the intruder’s head. He couldn’t pull Yuri away, or the Tiger might rip his neck out.

So he went for the eyes.

But the Tiger must have sensed him. He twisted and crouched over Yuri’s body, snarling up at Benny.

“Mine,” he said in a guttural voice.

“The hell he is!” Benny shouted. Yuri was Benny’s mate. He launched himself at the Tiger, desperate to make him let go.

Fire burned along Benny’s back as they clawed at each other, but he’d let go of Yuri. He dug his claws in under the Tiger’s collarbone, creating deep gouges. Benny used his thick leg muscles and pushed, shoving the Tiger away.

He heard shouting, but ignored it.

They tumbled head over feet, locked together in fury. The Tiger was too big to pin. Benny yowled as the claws in his back slid toward his spine, tearing through the muscle.

Time for the bastard to die.

He began digging his hand into the Tiger’s chest, looking for his heart. It was a lethal race to see who would reach their target first.

Benny spasmed, his legs going weak as he crouched over the Tiger. “Benny! Move!” The words finally penetrated.

Dav.

He fell sideways, letting go, trusting his friend to get the bastard before he could hurt Yuri again.

Shots rang out, but the Tiger, somehow still able to move, leapt around the truck. Benny struggled to not give in to the agony coursing through him with every breath as he lay on the dirty asphalt.

He tried dragging his body toward his mate, but Benny’s arms gave out when he tried to push his chest up.

Damn it. He struck the ground with a fist, tears burning in his eyes. He couldn’t touch his crumpled mate, and he desperately needing to know he was still alive.

“Stay still.” Ellis dropped to his knees beside Benny.

“No, go… check Yuri…” Benny panted.

“I will, just a minute.” Ellis touched the wounds on his back, and Benny screamed.

“Oh, shit! Davis, we need help here. Now!”

***

Benny scraped his face against his pillow. “Too bright,” he muttered.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.”

He blinked his eyes open. “Where am I?”

A woman in scrubs came over to his bed. She’d dimmed the lights, and he could open his eyes without feeling like he was being blinded.

“Yuri.” His mate lay in a bed next to the wall. A Falcon stood in the corner, watching the room and the door.

“You’ll both be fine, with a little more time to heal. Now that you’re awake, I’ll go get the doctor. A friend has been waiting to come in too.”

She bustled out and a minute later the door opened. Benny heard wings rustling. The Falcon had a hand at his waist where he had a gun secured at his hip.

“His reaction means the Tiger got away.” Benny looked up at Dav.

He nodded. “Yeah. Son of a bitch must have someone helping him because you did some serious damage to his chest and I know I at least winged him. We tracked his blood trail but then it cut off. He had to have gotten in a car, but no way was he in any condition to drive.”

“Damn it.” Benny wanted it over. He kept wishing for peace, for him and his mate, but maybe they’d never have it. “Did you find anything to discover who he might be?”

“No.” Dav didn’t look happy. The Snake rarely missed a target.

“What about in the alley? He came from that direction. He must have hidden next to the dumpster.”

“No one saw him but you two, so we didn’t think to check there. I’ll send someone over. Maybe he left a print or something we can use. Isiah has connections. I’m sure he can help us get them processed asap.”

“Still gonna take days,” Benny grunted.

“Well, you have them. Your back is not up to anything other than lying in bed, and Yuri—”

“Has he woken up? Is he okay?” The last thing his mate needed was another head injury.

“I don’t know exactly what they did. The doctors said he damaged the shunt. The nurse said you’d both be fine; I heard her. I know they’d be a lot more staff in here if you guys weren’t going to heal. You two will be okay; don’t lose faith now.”

Benny closed his eyes. “It’s not faith. It’s more like wishing in the dark, but… how many times can you wish on a star before you give up?”

TBC

Now go check out all the other Briefers. There are SO many this week! We just keep growing. Make sure you welcome the newbies, of course. :) Wednesday Briefers site

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Johayan