Chapter Nine

Trike

Whatever had possessed me to show off my boy's talents pissed off my animal when Olowin hadn't come alone when he'd returned.

The wolves sat in the back of the motorhome enjoying the company of my mate, whereas I got stuck with the far to inquisitive Olowin.

Tala, didn't say much, I liked him for that, but Lovel and Harou were paying too much attention to Blu who chatted excitedly.

Why can't he come sit up here with us?

I told you, stop with the nagging. I'm trying to concentrate on recalling exactly where the exits are to get to my land.

Don't be pissy with me. I wasn't the one wanting to show off our cutie's talents.

I groaned, and out of the corner of my eyes I saw Olowin frown. I didn't bother to explain it wasn't him I was making noises about, because his questions were annoying.

When he continued to stare at me, I figured I'd missed something. "What was that?" I asked grumpily.

"When did your family die?"

I didn't snort though I wanted to at the notion I'd known my family. Evolution meant lots of assumptions, I'd had to deal with for a long time. "No idea."

I could feel his eyes boring into me, as if seeking out a lie. "How come?"

"My first recollection was of blood blinding me, roars of fury and being pressed into the ground hard enough that I couldn't move at all." It was hard to think back, there were so many memories crammed in my brain. But the first one remained. I had figured my mother or father had been defending me and had lost the fight. After that, I have no memories other than wandering alone, fighting, and eating for a long time.

He didn't press on that subject and changed to another like he'd been doing for the past hour. "When did you realize you could shift into human form?"

His genuine interest and that Blu had perked up at the question stopped me from snapping like I wanted to at Olowin and ask him to pipe down. I'd never been very ‘peopley' and adapting quickly wasn't my forestay. "Before they started adding numbers to the years. That's as close as I can give you. I woke one morning to find I wasn't in my animal form."

Olowin's laughter burst out of him. "I bet that was a shock."

"Understatement of the millennia." I scoffed, unable to actually convey just what a shock it was at discovering I had limbs and skin instead of claws and feathers. Unless they'd been in my position, I didn't think anyone would get it. "My freak out was epic. I hadn't seen a human, so I couldn't figure out what I was. Or how it had happened. My animal side went into hiding inside me, to the extent I believed I'd imagined I'd been a dinosaur. Not that I could have named myself back then. That happened when folks started digging up bones and putting names to what they'd found." I shrugged off the unease that could creep up, going back that far when I couldn't articulate what I was going through.

Fully twisted in his seat, facing me, I sighed at having to answer yet more questions before we arrived at our destination.

"Why did you stay hidden?"

It was a hard question to answer, as it had many facets and some I didn't want to explain. "In centuries, more than, I'd encountered no one like me. As I learned about all the different species in the world, I found it harder to relate. The times I gave in and revealed myself, it never always ended well. So I gave up, gathered up resources and built a world around me that meant I didn't need to involve myself in shit that just pissed me off. We have very little tolerance for bullshit ." I reiterated the last part, hoping that Olowin would get the picture and shut up.

"You don't say," Tala muttered from behind me. "I feel you."

"Brother, you didn't corner the market on that."

"I wouldn't want to. Just don't get why we need to be up in each others business. "

Olowin was now facing his brother. "If that's a dig, I'm sure that Trike is more than capable of telling me to mind my own business."

The stiff tone said that Tala had struck a chord. Seeing this was between them, I kept quiet, happy not to be the one talking.

"When did he get a fucking chance, you ain't shut up with the yabbering."

Tala didn't seem to care he was pissing off his brother when he snarled. "This pack's safety is vital to me and information is key to keeping it safe."

"You aren't implying my mate is a threat to the pack, are you?"

Blu's strident voice got my animal surging with a force, the motorhome juddered at the strength I had to use to keep us on the road and safe.

Olowin cursed. "Fuck! No, absolutely not. I wouldn't have invited you into the pack if I thought that." It was the truth, I could scent it and my dinosaur receded enough I could breathe a little easier.

I sensed everyone's unease, and it was hard to keep my hands steady as I turned the steering wheel when we came to the sign that read ‘ trespassers will be eaten' the dinosaur depicted me.

Everyone that we had caught coming onto the land and disregarded the warning hadn't left intact.

"Good one," Harou said through chuckles.

Silence followed inside the motorhome as I drove carefully down what passed as a road—but more of a rutted, overgrown path—in the middle of a forest. When we reached the clearing twenty minutes later, my ass was complaining from the number of deep ruts we'd jerked our way over. That would need fixing first!

The opening we arrived lead into an area of around a hundred acres of broken trees, rock infested, overgrown wilderness. I'd bought it on a whim… now I considered if Fate had a hand in this. However, that wasn't the only thing running through my mind when I calculated how many excavators it would take to clear the land.

Fuck!

Had I just set my boy up to fail?

I was new to this Daddy lifestyle, but I suspected this was a damn no-no for a Daddy and their boy.

"This is…" Olowin stared out the window, deep lines forming over his forehead, not finishing whatever he was thinking.

Blu was up and leaning against my shoulder, also looking out the window. Oh look, this will be fun.

Fun, I answered in alarm. Only I was talking to myself as Blu headed to the door, opening it to jump out.

"What's he excited about," Lovel asked as I came out of my seat to follow.

"He wants to show off his talents." I didn't wait to see Lovel's reaction to that when all I was feeling was alarm at the prospect of Blu hurting himself.

Outside, head flicking from side to side, searching for Blu, my heart rate skyrocketed. A flare of alarm so deep-seated rooted me to the spot at the pile of clothes sat by a huge rock twice the size of me. Blu, wait.. dear gods, wait for Daddy.

Why?

Why indeed? I looked at what was lying around, and both sides of me fretted. I don't want you to get hurt, cutie-sauras.

His giggle was pure mischief, not helping the situation going on in the middle of my chest where my heart had become a battering ram against my ribs. How had I thought him vibrating my body with his energy— which was impressive—would make him able to move a hundred acres of heavy shit?

I think it's best we—

Look Daddy, it's easy.

I felt more than initially witnessed the earth shifting, then, mouth hanging open, a mountain formed in the distance.

"Holy fuck, is Blu doing that?" Tala sounded utterly bewildered.

"Yes," I muttered distractedly, witnessing, and feeling just how happy my mate was playing in the dirt.

Although playing couldn't quite describe what the heck was happening. It was as if there was an underground volcano erupting, but doing it in a tidy fashion. Great mounds of rock were lifted on the earth, then the earth dropped away as it settled down beneath the pile. Same with the broken bits of tree, roots, and stumps. Blu piled them around the edges of the clearing like it wasn't any great shakes.

Time passed, and the silence lengthened as the men stood wide eyed at the marvel that was my tiny potato bulldozer.

"He's a fucking miracle worker," Harou said quietly. "You're so lucky he wanted you."