Chapter Five

Cosmo

Five visible, all looking grim. One at his back, at least two in the shadows, from all that he could smell. The odds were not the best and his cat was twitchy from being woken, the nightmare beforehand and the damned enforcer who hadn't allowed him to put on proper clothes.

Of course, he knew why they'd warned him not to take his eyes off Cosmo. He'd have armed himself a fair sight better than what he typically slept with strapped beneath his clothes.

The councilman, who glowered at him, stood with hard, glittering black eyes that appraised him shrewdly, even as he sneered. "You've become unreliable as of late. We don't appreciate when our operatives go into business for themselves. "

Cosmo narrowed his eyes, slipping into the cold, unfeeling demeanor they knew him for. "And what business would that be?"

"You were sent to do a job," the councilman began, only for Cosmo to cut him off.

"Which I completed," Cosmo reminded him.

"Nowhere in that job description was there anything about aiding the rhinos in retrieving those missing from their crash."

"Nothing in the job description said that I could not aid them, either!" Cosmo was quick to point out. "I got you the information you requested and dispatched of the threat. Anything else that came after that was on my time and for my own reasons and not subject to being governed by you."

"Everything you do is subject to our governing, but that is neither here nor there, at this point," the councilman declared.

"No, I don't suppose it is, considering why you've brought me here," Cosmo said. "So let's get on with it."

"Are you in that big of a hurry to die?" the councilman asked, clearly thrown by Cosmo's nonchalant demeanor.

Oh well. If they expected him to plead, or make promises he had no intention of keeping, then they'd have better luck sticking their heads in a bucket of water and hoping to grow gills.

Shrugging, Cosmo brushed an errant curl out of his face. "Fast, slow, does it really matter?"

"I believe slow will prove much more fun," Geeves remarked from behind him, leaving Cosmo to envision the smirking look on the man's face, as well as how much fun it would be to carve it off.

"Not for you," Cosmo hissed. "I can promise you that."

His words had the exact effect he'd hoped for. The big bastard grabbed him in a bearhug from behind and lifted him off the ground, putting him at the exact height for Cosmo to headbutt him in the face. The man's bellow was satisfying, as was the sickening crunch of his nose breaking upon impact. Cosmo didn't have time to enjoy it though, as he kicked both feet back, driving them into Geeves' knee and breaking that, too. He went down hollering, dropping Cosmo in the process, even as another enforcer came at him.

Cosmo hit the ground in a forward roll, drew a blade from an ankle sheath, and threw it with pinpoint accuracy before he was fully vertical, catching the incoming enforcer in the eye with it. Blood spurted from beneath the hand he slapped to his face as Cosmo whirled, seeking his next target. There were three of them, and he only had two blades left. Not great, but he'd make do as long as he wasn't forced to throw another. He did, however, consider shifting and using his wicked claws, but the big, booted assholes were more likely to trample on him. His nose curled up at the idea of being squished in that way.

Instinct and muscle memory kicked in the moment the first one swung, and he spun, blocking, slashing, a whirlwind at the center of a storm. For each blow they landed on him, he dealt back his own dose of damage. Slashing, stabbing, sound growing dim, sight ramping up, every bit of his focus narrowing as he sought to dwindle the numbers in the room.

A claw caught his leg, ripping through the fabric of his sleep pants and the skin beneath, shredding the sheath at his ankle, which was the only thing that protected the tendon there. Staggering, he fell backwards, away from the second strike, and slammed his feet into the belly of the wolf that tried to leap for his throat, sending it flipping over his head and away from him.

He wasn't so lucky with the second one, which took advantage of him being down to sink fangs into his arm and shake. Cosmo bit back a howl, barely keeping hold of the blade he held clutched in it. The one in his other hand, he drove into the side of the wolf's neck and ripped, seeking the juggler, the spray of blood that erupted from the jagged flesh blinding him to the other threats.

The floor was a concrete slab, gritty beneath the footfalls of his incoming attackers, and it forced him to rely on sound to lash out at them as they got close. The heavy wolf on top of him made it difficult, and he was kicked several times before the wolf's death gurgles reached his ears, the only signal he had that he'd won that particular battle.

Somehow, the shoes had stopped making contact with him and he was able to roll the wolf off of him and spring to his feet, seeking the next target as he swiped the blood from his eyes.

Only there was none.

Panting, vision flashing in and out, he took a shaky step, expecting the next attack to come from the shadows, only nothing came and the only two shapes left standing weren't closing in on him, not yet.

It was only a matter of time, though.

Wasn't it?

Focus was hard. The blood in his hair dripped into his eyes, stinging them, and keeping them from focusing properly. His hands shook, even with the slight weight of the blades, so he clenched them tighter, scanning from one to the next, the only scent in the air one of blood, blood, and more blood.

"Come on!" He hissed, shifting his weight onto his throbbing leg, poised to throw a spin kick the moment one was close enough. "You want me, come get me!"

And yet the shadows stayed where they stood, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

If they weren't coming at him, did that mean something bigger, something worse, was sneaking up on him, and the two shapes were simply there to draw his attention ?

He couldn't smell another threat. Couldn't hear one either. But that didn't mean there wasn't one coming.

Which left him with two choices: Attack the two shadow targets and hope they were the end of the threat or wait to see if something worse came along?

Nomad

If Nomad hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he'd never have believed that the sweet cherub with blond curls was dispatching all kinds of hell to those around him.

Grab that shithead councilman and find out why the fuck he's been sent to murder our mate!

Harley, in human form, was halfway across the room before Nomad had finished speaking to him. The man barely had time to register Harley's presence before being bodily lifted and shaken violently. Harley's growl was menacing, and Nomad returned his attention to the unexpected lethal dynamo, knowing Harley would be fine. The councilman that was debatable.

Refocusing, it was shocking to watch Cosmo when Nomad's last image was of a cutesy Little sucking his thumb, wearing a onesie.

Cosmo was nothing like that now, and Nomad watched in fascination. All of what Harley had said about their mate made sense. It was the contrast that kept Nomad from immediately jumping to Cosmo's defense. He suspected he wouldn't be welcome to interfere, unsure why, but when Cosmo sustained an injury, Nomad's fury took hold.

Adrenaline ran through him as he slinked behind the big baboon, who thought to sneak up on his mate. Nomad silently crept up and swiped, tearing out the fucker's throat. Kicking him in the nuts as he landed in a heap at his feet, he dodged out of the way of the spray of blood.

Backing away as Cosmo dispensed with his last assailant and blinked repeatedly, Nomad watched as the blood flicking off his eyelashes, dripping down Cosmo's face and off his curls. Soaked in blood, knives in both hands, he was a grizzly sight for sure. He was a fucking marvel—every tiny inch of him.

When he called out, Nomad registered Cosmo wasn't aware it was them.

He thinks we're going to attack him.

Look at him, he's covered in blood, and I'd say, running on pure adrenaline. "Cosmo, it's Harley… your mate. We followed the car that picked you up. We are here to help you."

Nomad held his breath when the knives remained poised to strike out. He witnessed the wince when Cosmo shifted his balance on to his injured leg. Nomad scented his mate's blood amongst that of those he'd killed. His fury returning at not being able to kill them all again and make them suffer this time.

"You're injured cutie, let us let take care of you." Harley coaxed.

"Show yourselves," Cosmo hissed, not sounding convinced. The light in his eyes was suspicious.

Naked, they both moved two steps closer. Cosmo wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, making blood smear over his pretty face. Nomad looked for something to offer his mate to help. The councilman had a handkerchief in his top pocket. His head was perpendicular to his body, which was bent, showing Harley had broken his neck.

He moved carefully, keeping Cosmo—who watched his every move—in his sight as he picked up the handkerchief. "Will you let me help you? "

"We swear we only want to help," Harley coaxed once more, taking a step closer.

Be careful, he's not lowering the knives.

Would you? This was a fucking set up. That councilman said Cosmo had overstepped on more than one occasion and was no longer trustworthy. Fuckhead.

What they mean is that they couldn't fucking control him.

Cosmo limped forward and though there was still suspicion in his eyes, he moved one of the knifes so both were in one hand and reached out for the handkerchief.

"Please let… Daddy help you." Nomad tried again, using the same low tone Harley had used and considering what Cosmo was.

Cosmo's nose twitched and Nomad held his hand out so he could get a better whiff of him. With all the blood and scent of death in the room, he wasn't surprised that Cosmo hadn't scented them.

His lips formed into a miniscule smile, and his little shoulders sagged, knives dropping to the floor with a clatter. Nomad's cat like reflexes got put to the test as Cosmo's leg gave way and Nomad caught him before he landed on the floor.

His head lolled on his shoulder, blood crusting his skin as Cosmo made a small purring noise in the back of his throat. "Daddy," he murmured before passing out cold.

Harley

Harley held his fury, which matched Nomad's as they exited the building after he'd collected Cosmo's knives for him. A building the councilman had probably rented close to town, but not close enough for anyone to notice something amiss.

The tiny bundle in Nomad's arms looked so defenseless, even though he wasn't. He was out cold and bleeding. Clothes soaked with blood, thankfully not all his own, helped settled Harley's wayward pulse.

He read Nomad's thoughts easily. "Biting and fucking aren't going to work this time."

Nomad stopped at the side of the large gray SUV and grinned at Harley. "Are you sure ‘bout that?" He glanced at the SUV, ignoring Harley's head shake. "At least we have a ride to get us back to town." He lifted Cosmo closer, and Harley could see and feel Nomad's attachment growing by the second. He'd gotten the dose of happy at Cosmo calling him Daddy, despite that hadn't been something either was into…

Before… now I am.

Harley resisted grinning when he opened the passenger door to let Nomad take a seat, still clutching Cosmo to him.

The drive back they made in silence. Harley was still processing what he'd gleaned from the councilman before he'd broken the fool's neck for threatening to report them to the council.

Harley had met the fucker once before and knew they dispatched him when they wanted to rid themselves of a tricky shifter who'd overstepped in some way that worked for them.

Behind the bar, they parked alongside a big truck that would shield the car until they could get rid of it. They went up the back stairs to the apartment, avoiding going through the club. There was activity and Harley didn't want anyone asking questions as to why they were nude and had a blood covered, unconscious man with them. Harley was not sure what the other members of the club knew about their mate.

In their apartment, Nomad headed straight for the bathroom. He sat on the edge of the bath. "We need to check if his wounds are healing."

Harley gently ran his hands over the leg, and the sliced wound was already knitting together. "We need to strip him and get him clean. That will help with assessing the damage." Harley eyed the bath, then the walk-in shower that would hold them all.

"Shower it is, at least I don't have to undress you too, as I'm getting you aren't for letting cutie down." This time, Harley grinned at his fierce warrior of a mate.

"Get some scissors to cut off the clothes. They're ruined anyway. And if you keep giving me cheek, you'll be over my spanking bench."

Harley wiggled his buck naked ass at Nomad and laughed at the not so idle threat.

"Behave," he shouted after Harley.

Back in seconds, Cosmo remained out of it. He frowned. "Do you think we're missing something?"

Nomad hugged him a little tighter, flakes of blood fluttered to the ground around Nomad's bare feet. "We will figure it out. Keep him safe."

"I can look after myself, Daddy," mumbled the man in Nomad's arms, who made no effort to open his eyes.

A grin spread over Harley's face, making it ache and it matched Nomad's as their gazes connected. "We know cutie, but it's alright to let your Daddies' help, isn't it? Can you open your eyes for me?" Harley asked, making sure to point out he had two Daddy's, not one.

Cosmo's blood covered eyes opened and stared up at them sleepily .

Harley brushed a gentle finger over his cheek, dislodging a big flake of dried blood. "We need to get you out of these clothes and help you wash, okay?" Nomad asked softly.