Chapter Two

Harley

"What was that all about?" Nomad grunted at Harley as the door to their new apartment slammed shut hard enough to make the two pictures on the wall rattle.

They'd locked the doors to the club themselves, going through the routine with Rocco to make sure they knew the place was secure. They couldn't be too careful, and it would not impress Gabai if, on their arrival, something happened to his club.

Harley dumped his pack on the floor, his gaze sweeping the room, not that he took much in. It wasn't possible with the tension riding him since they'd had the ‘Cosmo experience'.

What else could he call it? It was a damn experience to be… disregarded? Ignored?

"Is that a generalization you want me to take a stab at or are you meaning our mate giving that Daddy a fucking picture? A fucking picture!" he growled angrily, his usual calm demeanor having fled along with their mate. "Because if it's the latter, then I'm as fucking clueless as you." Harley got in Nomad's face, their noses nearly touching. "Now get your fucking cock out, because right now I need to blow off some steam."

Harley's body was on fire, his cock so hard it hurt to piss. He'd watched in fascination at first at what Cosmo was doing, which in the main was ignore them, while he'd colored and then curled up on a beanbag—when Harley had gotten brave enough to spy on Cosmo in the Littles daycare—to settle in to watch a kiddies movie.

The soft and cuddly cutie was adorable right until he left without a word. Not one fucking word. Unable to chase after him without being rude at best and getting fired at worst, Harley had held on tight to Nomad, making sure he didn't do anything stupid. Or maybe it was to stop himself from being stupid?

Whatever it was, they were alone in a new town in their apartment without their third. A third that looked like butter would melt in his mouth. One who was everything and more than Harley could have wished for. Yet, here they were alone . He was ready to bust a nut unless his mate helped him release some of the pent up sexual energy.

"No, we ain't doing that."

Harley's mouth dropped open in shock. "What?" He shoved a finger in his ear and wriggled it around. "Sorry, I don't think I heard you right! Are you refusing sex?"

For the first time since they'd met, Harley witnessed his mate blush.

"It don't feel right to have sex without him," he snarled, even as he reached to tug Harley into his arms and bury his face in his neck, inhaling shakily .

"You're kidding me! Please tell me you're joking?" The head nestled at his throat shook. "Damn it. I'm always the fucking sensible one."

His warm chuckle ghosted over the skin on Harley's neck before he nibbled, way too lightly, on the top part of his mate mark. Blood pumped through him, his body ready for something more than what was currently on offer. A shiver ran straight through Harley, making him pull back.

Nomad's strained stare came with grooves etched into the sides of his mouth that revealed he wasn't doing much better than Harley, even if the scent of his arousal wasn't filling Harley's nose.

"What are we gonna do?"

Nomad

That was the million dollar question, and one Nomad didn't know the fucking answer to. In all his life, he'd never felt so out of control. When he'd met Harley, though, it hadn't been simple in that they were both Dom's, they'd wanted each other.

Harley's prediction about their third hadn't come with a disclaimer that he wouldn't be interested in them. Hadn't he felt the mating pull?

He dragged Harley back into his body, needing the contact, despite his conviction that doing more without their third just didn't feel right. He once more nuzzled at his mate, inhaling his scent, letting it help with the jagged edges of his nerves. "We need to gather as much information about Cosmo. Figure out why he's not showing any interest in us. "

Harley nodded, albeit slowly. When his gaze met Nomad's, it continued to simmer with frustration and confusion. "We'll do what the council trained us to do."

Nomad wasn't sure the council—who used them to pull shifters' lives apart and find their weaknesses—would consider this a good use of their skills and time while they laid low until things had cooled off after their last job. To Nomad's way of thinking, this was the most important job of his career, because losing Cosmo wasn't an option. "Exactly. We'll dig, uncover all his secrets. Then we can form a plan of attack on the little cutie to get him into our lives and in the middle of our bed, right where he belongs."

A warm chuckle brushed his skin as Harley came forward and kissed him hard. "Always about the sex!"

"Weren't you the one who wanted me to take that hard-on in your pants and—"

A hand slapped over his mouth. "No. If you aren't gonna give me what I want. Then you don't get to tease me."

An image of Harley's bare ass, covered in red hand prints, filled his head, and Nomad groaned, his own arousal pulsing with need. "You don't play fair yourself!" he growled behind the hand still firmly placed against his lips.

"It's every cat for himself." Harley stepped back and went to where he'd dropped his pack. "Let's find the bedroom and get some sleep."

It was then Nomad noticed the lines of tiredness etched around his mate's eyes. They'd had little down time over the last few months while working to infiltrate a rogue pack of wolves that had been causing issues for the council. "Yep, maybe a shower, too."

Rich laughter came from Harley as he walked off toward the doors on the other side of the room. "You offering to scrub me?" The teasing quality to Harley's voice was back. "'Cause if you are, I've a loofa you can use."

"Fuck, you had to go there."

Harley, when he glanced over his shoulder from the doorway, had mischief dancing in his eyes. "Who said I had to make it easy on you?"

"Asshole," Nomad muttered, his lips twitching into a smile as he followed Harley.

"I can hear you," Harley called back from inside the room he'd disappeared into.

A grin formed then and remained as he stepped into the bedroom and stopped at finding it empty, with sounds of running water coming from the other side of an open door, which had to be the bathroom.

When his gaze swept the nice room, it was the vast bed that would easily fit three that held his attention. His nostrils flared and warmth heated his cheeks at how they'd all look curled around each other with the blond cherub between them.

We're comin' for you, Cosmo, whether you're ready or not.

Cosmo

Everything was twisted. His head, his stomach, the way the sidewalk lurched and rolled with every step he took. Just a few more and a cold shower awaited him. Receiving an assignment while at the club was bad enough, he hated having his time interrupted. Getting one as deep into his little space as he'd been had been positively jarring and he needed to get his shit together, arm himself, and get the job done before he was forced to explain the reason behind the delay.

His fingers skimmed over the wooden doorframe and the feel helped ground him enough that he could fish out his key, fit it in the lock and stumble inside. Getting the door closed behind him was fun, not. He slammed it on his hand and yelped, tears making his eyes sting as he clutched it to his chest and rocked side to side until the ache subsided.

He was much more careful the second time, making sure all appendages were out of the way before closing and locking the door behind him. His clothes he left in a trail across the floor of his cozy house as he made his way to the bathroom, turned the cold water all the way on and stepped beneath the spray.

It had the exact effect he'd hoped for. The icy spray was like being smacked in the face with a big, fat, trout. It woke up his kitty and sent his Little back to his corner to pout at the rudeness of it all. Cold slithered between his shoulder blades and left him shivering, teeth chattering as he remained beneath the freezing water until his skin ached.

His target was feline, species: tiger, status: rogue, and a cold-blooded bastard responsible for the disappearance of at least twenty half grown shifters and humans. Cosmo's jaw clenched as he recalled the information he'd been given regarding the tiger's hunting habits. He targeted the loners, the ones whose families would be slow to miss them and even slower about coming forward. Intel said he sold them to various brothels. Cosmo was to extract the location and names of the buyers from him before dispatching him.

Extracting information was a delicate business. Too little finesse and they bled out before they told you what you wanted to know, too much finesse and they didn't bleed enough, which led to a whole other host of problems. Then you had the masochists, the ones who wanted him to hurt them as much as possible, all while borderline flirting with him and spewing a litany of filth that they hoped he'd take them up on.

Naked and focused, Cosmo stepped from the shower, letting the water drip from his body while his skin airdried.

In the hall between the kitchen and his bedroom there was a small door barely large enough for him to fit through when he was human. This was where he headed now, back scraping the doorway a little as he entered the space that held his supplies. Every clothing item he chose was because of its ability to conceal his weapons. Every sheath especially made and fitted perfectly to his form. His blades were custom, razor sharp and as familiar to him as his own hands. Some were designed for piercing, some for slicing, while others were crafted for hurling through the air with deadly precision.

Slipping into the night, he was all grace and cunning. According to the information he'd been provided, his target was known to lurk around a gutted old textile factory that local teenagers frequently used to party in and get high. The grounds were filled with scents when he arrived, some older and lingering in the dirt and soil in the form of piss and vomit, while others were fresher and smelled of sweat and cum.

It was those scents he trailed, soon picking up a whiff of tiger that grew stronger the deeper he moved into the dark spaces around the factory. Someone was using opioids. Cosmo could smell it mingled with their sweat. It would make them an easy target for the tiger Cosmo was hunting.

Clinging to the shadows, Cosmo watched a young male stagger within several feet of him, shirt askew, pants held up by one hand as he stepped on an old bottle and almost fell. He reeked of weed and beer, so pungent it nearly masked the wolf scent that lingered beneath it. Cosmo waited until he'd shambled back towards the lantern light that spilled out of the factory before moving, the tiger scent growing thicker the closer he got to the opioid stench .

Watching that cat pluck the limp form of another young male off the ground left him bristling. Now was not the time to drift into memories of his recruitment and how a moment of vulnerability much like the one the young male was experiencing, had seen him trained to become what he was today.

Instead, he focused on his mission, selecting a blade from his wrist sheath, and slathering it in the contents of a vile he kept tucked in his vest. The venom it contained was from a blue coral snake, and it would render the tiger unable to do anything until Cosmo could secure him in a place where they wouldn't be interrupted.

With pinpoint accuracy, he let the blade fly, and watched it hit its mark before the tiger stumbled, dropping the young man he carried. The bigger feline staggered two steps before hitting the ground with a pleasant crunch.

"I'm gonna enjoy making you talk," Cosmo hissed as he dragged the tiger several feet before hefting him up over his shoulders. "Heavy bastard."

Awake, aware, but unable to do anything more but dangle, the tiger was reduced to silent cargo as Cosmo carried him away.