Chapter Four

Cosmo

Warm. Every sensation here was pleasant, like being wrapped in fur and caressed by sunshine. His cat stretched and purred, arching beneath the fingertips that stroke down his spine.

Mate.

Mine.

The voices echoed, bringing with them the twin sensations of safety and contentment. He'd never known anything like this before, and now that he was in the throes of it, he never wanted it to end. Purring, he rubbed along the side of a much bigger cat, felt their tail press against him and hold him in place while they scent marked.

Someone was grooming him, their tongue like a gentle massage over his shoulder and down his legs. Bright eyes stared into his, intensely beautiful and laser focused, the velvet of their big, soft nose nuzzling his entire face. They dwarfed him and it was perfect, the cocoon of fur they formed one he didn't hesitate to sink into fully as he let them nudge him to the floor where he could curl between them.

They smelled of smoke and leather, wood and spice, warm, welcoming scents that screamed home.

Cosmo jerked awake with the phantom scent in his nose and his cell phone buzzing beneath his pillow. He wanted to ignore it and slip back into the dream where he could just be safe and cherished, soft like the small spirit animal inside of him.

Tears stung his eyes, and he pressed his palms against them to keep them from falling, a lump forming in his throat as he recalled that moment of near touch back at the club, when his cat had felt the strong presence of their mate and nearly pushed him to jump in the big man's arms.

That was exactly what he refused to let happen. Not until they understood he could never be a typical mate or share every part of himself with them. There were some secrets too dark, too brutal, and stark to ever expect others to look past. Those were the things he'd keep tucked away inside, an ever present barrier between them and him.

And he was coming to hate it.

This was not the thrilling chase he'd envisioned. This was empty and depressing, frustrating to not only his cat but the two whose whispers invaded his mind from time to time, alternately cursing and beseeching.

His phone buzzed again, the insistent sound fueling his fury and forcing a hiss from his throat. Reaching beneath the pillow, he grasped it and hurled it at the wall, enjoying the satisfying crack it made when it hit first plaster, and then floor .

He wasn't answering any summons today or attending any damned briefings. He'd eat eventually. The kitchen felt too far away and the effort it would take to get up and go there was too much for him to contemplate at the moment. Exhaustion left him weary, down to his very bones, so he yanked the pillow over his head and burrowed beneath the blankets, reducing himself to little more than a mound on the bed.

The warmth wasn't the same, nor was the feel of this manufactured fluff, but he'd take what he could get today and let his eyes slam shut as sleep claimed him again.

Everything smelled of blood.

He raised his arms to the sun, but the red haze dripping into his eyes blotted out the glow. He could taste it on his lips, thick, coppery, and carrying with it the scent of rot as it dried.

The weight of the blades in his hands felt extra heavy, his steps too slow and measured, his senses dulled by the single, overpowering aroma of death he couldn't escape from.

The threats pressed in from everywhere, growing every closer. For every knife he threw that felled an enemy, two more emerged, creeping like shadows with leering moonbeam grins. The silvery shimmer drew him in, blinding him to the dangers closing in. His fingers flexed, the knives hitting the ground, forgotten. Something slashed at him, but it wasn't pain he felt, only indifference and grateful acceptance.

It was over.

He was finally done.

He reached a hand out to touch the silky silver threads, smiling when they wrapped around his fingers.

Then the moment shattered…and there was nothing.

Yowling, Cosmo came awake to a pounding at the door that matched the way his heart was beating and the throbbing in his head. Flailing, he thrashed free of the bedding, blanket tangling around his foot as he scrambled from the bed. Only his cat's reflexes saved him from faceplanting, and still the knocking continued.

Cosmo muttered a long string of expletives as he kicked at the offending cloth until he was finally free of the damn thing.

He should have expected the sight that greeted him on the other side of the door, but for some reason it threw him for a loop today. Staring up at the hulking enforcer who'd come to collect him, all he saw was a hard, piercing gray gaze and a face that was all planes and angles.

"The council does not appreciate you ignoring their request to come in."

"If it was truly a request, then it wouldn't matter that I ignored it," Cosmo grumbled.

"Regardless, you're expected now."

"Lucky me. Can I at least get dressed?"

"You are suitably covered," the enforcer said, peering at Cosmo in sleep pants and an oversized t-shirt. "They instructed me not to let you out of my sight."

"Go figure," Cosmo said, pulling the door shut behind him.

At least the pavement was warm as he padded barefoot to the waiting gray SUV. Always with the damned gray. The damned enforcer even stood staring at Cosmo until he got into the furthest seat in the back and buckled in.

"Drive on, Geeves," Cosmo remarked as cheekily as he could manage, earning another scowl from the enforcer. If he was going to be dragged before the council, then at least he was going to amuse himself along the way .

Nomad

He watched the big gray SUV pull up outside Cosmo's quaint little home. The blue clapperboard house with white trim and cookie cutouts around the door and window frames was pretty. The garden had several flower beds full of flowers. Nomad had peeked through the partially open blinds as the sun had coated the sky in hues of pinks and oranges, to see the inside was as pretty as the outside.

Their mate liked things neat from what he could tell. The house sat in a quiet neighborhood, the type where everyone would potentially know your business. Seeing the big fucker, also dressed in gray, get out of the SUV, parked at the curb, sent all kinds of warnings through Nomad. He didn't need Harley's extra senses to smell the familiar scent of a council enforcer. From where he'd hidden himself after having sent Harley back to the club three hours ago to get some shuteye, he had a prime view of the house. They'd decided to take turns to watch their mate. This would ensure they also did their job at the club, too. The reason they were here in the first place could not be ignored, unfortunately. Neither Nomad nor Harley wanted to fuck that up when it kept them in a prime place to figure out what was going on with their mate.

When the door opened, Nomad's heart beat a hard tattoo against his ribs at the flushed man, scowling at the giant.

Harley, wake up.

There was a pause, and he felt Harley's brain engaging. Whatsup?

There's a council enforcer here.

Shit, this isn't to do with us, is it?

How the fuck can it be? They don't know we have a third or who it is. No one at the club has a clue we are undercover operatives for the council. Fuck, half the council members don't know we exist .

I'm on my way.

No, I'll follow if they go anywhere. My cat is faster than yours. When Cosmo gave a narrow-eyed stare at the enforcer before pulling the door shut behind him, Nomad eyed his mate's bare feet, sleep pants and baggy T-shirt, one where it exposed a slender shoulder.

A sense of dread came over him at the sight of Cosmo leaving his home dressed as he was. It was as if the enforcer was giving him no choice.

Are you listening to me? The snap to Harley's voice suggested Nomad had missed something.

The fucker is forcing Cosmo out, barefoot and dressed in sleep clothes.

I'm coming. Don't argue. Harley, in this mood, wasn't worth fighting with, and Nomad wasn't sure they wouldn't need both of them to get their mate away from the council.

I'll give you street names, so stay where you are. It's pointless coming here, they are leaving now.

Once he'd secured Harley's agreement, albeit a reluctant, Nomad took off, keeping out of the direct line of sight of the moving vehicle. The early hour of the morning benefiting him. He relayed which direction they were heading.

Several blocks over, it became clear that they were headed toward the club. Stay put, we'll be passing right by you.

Harley

Staying put was the hardest thing when Harley was a man of action. His shift was swift after he'd left a message for Rocco to open up the club if they weren't back .

His cat stalked around the club and found a position that kept him hidden while waiting for Nomad. They were a team and worked best together. Their mate connection had always been an asset, one the council depended upon when it got the job done. Possibly one of the largest BDSM clubs in the States was where things had gone array after they'd joined to find out what Murphy, the owner of the club, was up to, when someone reported he was selling shifters on the black market to the highest bidder.

The job hadn't all gone to plan when they'd rescued a female cat their mark had chained as his pet. Things had gone sideways at the reality the girl was barely legal. The BDSM club was a pit of hell and Murphy was an evil fuckwit who'd evaded them because they'd gotten the girl out.

His business they'd managed to shut down. His entire operation got dismantled by the council with their information. Something Murphy didn't know at the time though he did figure out through a snitch, was that they'd taken his pet.

The council members had been spitting mad at that which was why they were currently on sabbatical or—in other words—hiding out. Word on the street was Murphy was gunning for them. Harley wasn't worried, they were good at keeping off the radar. And being here in Gabai's sanctuary, one he'd created in Cookietown for shifters, was the most unlikely place anyone would look for them.

The sound of an engine drew his gaze. His cat picked up their blond mate's scent along with that of Nomad as he slinked towards them a moment later.

His panther rubbed his cheek against Harley's and rumbled as he scent marked him. Let's go.

They took one side of the street each and kept in time with the car, which, for Harley, thankfully, wasn't going that fast. Nomad was correct, his cat wasn't as fast, but Harley's other senses made up for that. He was picking up something from inside the car when he opened fully to his surroundings once he'd filtered out everything else. It could be overwhelming to open this way. All Harley cared about was keeping Cosmo safe, so the discomfort was nothing if it kept their mate out of harm's way.

I'm picking up some disquiet from Cosmo. He's more pissed that scared. The enforcer has some ideas about what he'd like to do to Cosmo, the fuckhead!

We'll deal with him.

The threat Nomad projected with such menace gave Harley a thrill. Just not in front of Cosmo, we don't want to frighten him.

Agreed.

Out of town, it was harder to keep up while contending with the open roads and lack of shrubbery that allowed them to keep out of sight. By the time they pulled up to a nondescript building in the middle of fucking nowhere, Harley's insides were on a rampage and screaming all kinds of warnings.

There's something really off.

Can you figure where the threat is coming from?

Nomad was on the opposite side of the building. Harley's sleek head came round the corner where the vehicle had parked next to several other SUV's that all looked the same. Their mate was inside, and Harley's cat wanted to get in there, too. It's inside. That's all I'm getting. My cat want's inside, like now.

Then let's go.