Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Kodiak

K odiak, I need you!

The fear that went through me when I heard Callie scream her need for me in my head is something I hope I never experience again. When the brothers saw me running out to my bike with shampoo still dripping from my hair and my clothes plastered to me, they followed, knowing something was up. But when Spike connected the call from Kong and I heard who was there, the rage that overcame me is something I knew I had to channel in order to keep my bike on the road.

Now that she’s here, in my arms, I can breathe again. “I see you and Kong bought out the store,” I say, trying to help calm her enough that she stops trembling. I know we’ll deal with Jeremy once we get back to the clubhouse, but my first priority right now is my mate.

She grins. It’s shaky and I can see her eyes are glassy, but she isn’t falling apart, which tells me just how strong she really is.

Our mate can talk to us, my bear says. We didn’t know if this would happen or not.

No, we didn’t because none of us know of any shifter and human matings. All of this is new to us, as much as it is for Callie. But there’s this feeling in my chest, a hint that almost feels like an omen of what’s to come. This isn’t all we’ll experience together. As our bond strengthens, we’ll connect in ways we never imagined. The hope that gives me for myself and my brothers fills my chest with warmth. They’ll have this too, my bear expresses with awe.

“Let’s get you back to the clubhouse,” I tell Callie, opening up the door and lifting her onto the seat. My bear is fighting to take over and the compromise is that I’m taking control, ensuring no other threats can get close to my mate. “It’s far too cold out and I think you need a hot cocoa.”

“I could’ve gotten in myself,” she says as I lean in and put her seatbelt on. I can see a bit of irritation in her gaze.

“I needed to be able to touch you,” I reply, leaning in and kissing her again. Her scent envelops me.

See? She smells different! my bear exclaims. There’s excitement there I can’t focus on.

I close the door and walk to where Kong is talking to the poor store clerks. They’re both looking a little bit shellshocked which is understandable seeing as they had a madman pointing a gun at a customer they were helping. “So, nothing was seen, right?” Kong questions, practically glowering at the two teenagers. His gruff tone is pretty clear on what he means.

“N-n-no, sir,” one of them says. “We didn’t see anything at all.”

He hands each of them a few Benjamins and says, “Appreciate the help loading up.”

“Uh, we’re not supposed to take tips,” the shorter one states.

“Take it, you helped us out today,” I state. “We’re not gonna say a word about it and neither are you.”

They head back into the store with the money and Kong opens the driver’s side door, slipping behind the wheel. I snag the spot beside Callie. I’m too keyed up to drive so I’m happy Kong took the lead without me having to ask. Spike will get my bike back to the clubhouse; right now, I need to be within touching distance of my mate.

Callie’s gaze meets mine. “So, about that hot chocolate.”

I grin. I can’t help it. My mate is tough as nails. She stood her ground. Refused to panic. And now she was handling any residual fear, anxiety, or trauma like a fucking champ. “Drive-thru or home?”

She smirks. “I want it from you.”

“Done, Babe.” My hand curls around hers and holds it, giving her my warmth as she leans against me. “As soon as we’re back, I’ve got you covered.”

True to my word, a half hour later Callie is sitting in front of a desk we’d cleared for her use, sipping from a large mug, and enjoying her hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.

“Got the room set up for you to wrap, Callie,” Spike says. “We brought all the bags and donations up as well and set up a few tables. We’ll use one of the other empty rooms to put the bikes together.”

“Thank you, Spike. I appreciate everything the club has done to help me and Cheryl make this a success for the kids.”

“It’s what we do for family. Kodiak? We have some things to take care of,” he says, giving me a look.

Nodding, I walk over to Callie and lean down to kiss her. It’s time for the Shifted Misfits to take out the trash.

“Have fun,” she says, grinning at me. I know she’s well aware that we’re not just going to talk to him and send him on his way.

She’s perfect for us.

Yes. Yes, she is.

“What I wanna know, motherfucker, is what you’re doing in Shifted Misfits territory,” Spike barks out, smoke billowing from his nostrils.

His dragon is right under the surface and I kind of hope that Jeremy fucks up so Spike can just incinerate him. Would be far less mess than what we’ve done in the past, which is let Chomp take them out to the deepest part of the lake, shift, then do his gator rolling shit.

Jeremy is a gorilla so it’s not like he doesn’t know what we’re capable of. While I sense a bit of fear, it’s not enough to convince me he’s not a threat to Callie if I let him live. My bear? He only wants him snuffed out. Gone. I have to admit it’s the most appealing option.

Jeremy is tied to a chair, at least for now, with his wrists and ankles bound. We don’t have to secure him further because if he’s stupid enough to fight us all at once, then he deserves the beating that will follow.

The stupid ape sneers at us. “Not gonna say shit.”

“Oh, I was hoping you’d say that,” Spike laughs. He ticks his chin at me. “Have at it.”

I crack my knuckles and move into his personal space, snarling as I’m inches from his face. “You touched what belongs to me.”

Jeremy doesn’t react which has me wondering if the only reason he’s here was tracking down Callie, or if there’s another nefarious reason. We have to find out because while I’m not amused at him coming after my mate, that’s an easy fix. We either beat the shit out of him then let Spike have some fun with fire, or we make him hurt then let Chomp go swimming. But, if there’s another purpose for the Lower East Primates to invade our sanctuary, it could hurt our town and that’s not acceptable either.

Let Kong and Peanut at him, my bear whispers. Hurt him for thinking he could touch our mate, but we need answers.

Sometimes, I hate when my bear makes more sense than I do.

“First mistake, thinking you can come into our territory. Second, going after my mate,” I growl out. It’s taking everything in me not to shift and rip this pissant to shreds.

Peanut and Kong, our enforcers circle around him and I see Jeremy’s facade crack just a little bit. Fear is now emanating from him.

“How’s it going, cuz?” Kong spits out, glowering at Jeremy.

“He’s your cousin?” Spike questions.

I shrug because most of us have our own stories of how or why we ended up in Yukon Bluff. Not everyone has shared why and while Spike may know, he doesn’t share those confidences, allowing the brothers to as they assimilate into our family.

“Yeah,” Kong replies. “I know I haven’t shared, but fuck, how the hell can I explain why my own father banished me from our troop? I was barely out of puberty, for fuck’s sake. And that fucker,” he sneers, “is the reason!”

All of us are now glaring at Jeremy and the scent of fear has ramped even higher at Kong’s words. I can hear the pain in my brother’s voice and know it goes bone deep. I dig deep into my memories and realize when Kong arrived at the club, he was severely underweight and malnourished. Hell, he’s probably five to ten years younger than me, which pisses me the fuck off. Puberty hits each of us shifters at different ages, and that means he was on his own shortly after he hit his thirteenth or fourteenth birthday. How the fuck did he survive?

“He needs you to come home,” Jeremy finally stammers out.

“Fuck that!” Kong exclaims. “I am home!” I can see his gorilla rippling behind his eyes and know things are hitting him hard. He’s going to lose his shit soon and I can’t blame him.

Peanut looks at me then at Kong and hauls off, his fist slamming into Jeremy’s face. “That’s for trying to get my brother’s mate.” Then he slugs him again, the power behind the punch nearly knocking the chair over. “And that’s for whatever the fuck you did to my brother, Kong. No one fucks with a Twisted Misfit brother.”

Spike stands back, smoke billowing around him. Combined with his dragon eyes, it’s an eerie effect that typically scares the shit outta anyone who’s down in our wet room. Not that we’ve had too many over the years, but there’s a reason the town and surrounding areas like us as much as they do; we’ve taken out a lot of trash. Oh, there’s no proof whatsoever thanks to Spike’s abilities, but the rumors about us abound and we don’t do anything to stop them since it serves a dual purpose.

Don’t fuck with the Shifted Misfits because if you do, we’re gonna fuck back harder until you’re in Hell.

“Why are you coming after my mate?” I ask. It’s the question I can’t seem to shake.

I’m doing my best to keep calm, but my bear is right under the surface, ready to unleash a world of hurt. Granted, Peanut’s punches are like being hit with a sledgehammer, so Jeremy’s face is already swollen, bloody, and bruised, but I want to rip the skin from his body in shreds. Just the thought that he ever touched her has me seething.

“What do you want to do, Kodiak?” Spike asks after pulling me off to the side behind a wall we know shifters can’t hear through. “Kong? You okay, brother?”

“We need to know more,” I reply. “Something’s kind of hinky with him showing up like he did. It’s just a bit too coincidental, but it’s important enough to warrant further investigation. We can keep him down here on ice, so to speak until we get Sly to find out more, can’t we?”

“Yeah, I like that idea,” Kong says. “Because I find it odd as hell that the father who kicked me out over a decade and a half ago now wants me back. He told me that day that my name would never be uttered again.”

“Then let’s get our guest settled in his temporary accommodations. We’ll make sure he eats, of course, but outside of that, no other amenities. We’ll get Sly to go through his phone as well. Also, I didn’t notice anyone outside of him, but we need to make sure there aren’t others lurking around.”

After a brief but intense discussion, we return to where Jeremy’s still sitting, now with a dark stain at his crotch which tells us all he pissed himself and gather around him in a semicircle. I consider myself a badass, but if I was tied to a chair and had the predators we are standing around me, I’d probably do the same.

“You’ve bought yourself some time, Jeremy,” Spike advises. “Unfortunately for you, our accommodations for guests isn’t all that fancy, but don’t worry, we’ll check on you frequently.”

The way he says it is so sinister sounding, especially with his arms showing his dragon scales that I have to hold back a shiver. There’s a reason Spike’s our president; he’s formidable and unstoppable, especially when the family he helped create is threatened.

“I’ve got him,” Peanut says. “You guys head on upstairs and I’ll be sure to get him a nice comfy spot.”

We’re all chuckling as we head back upstairs, content to let one of our two enforcers handle the task of putting Jeremy in a cell. Right now, I want to see my mate and make sure she’s still doing okay.