Chapter Fourteen

Burke

"Stop thinking with your dick and get your other head in the game," Maximus scolded me as he came back into the kitchen of the rhubarb house with Crimson. "This is serious."

I hung my head (the big one) and the little head sulked. But my pride leader was right. This was serious. The trouble had only arrived when we did. Now, two stalks had gotten attacked and one of our lions had lost his shit.

I wanted my mate's arms around me, but I didn't want him to think I was a needy bull who couldn't cope without him. Shit, maybe, just maybe, I was a needy bull.

Focus on something else…

What the hell had gotten into Apollo? One minute he was fine, when we were deep in conversation with Crimson, the next he'd shifted to his lion form and was behaving like a lioness in heat. That was the last thing we needed. Leonidas, Gordon and I had to sit on him until he calmed down, and that wasn't easy. Have you ever ridden a lion? We're all built on the small side, and Apollo was twice our size.

Apollo sat on the kitchen floor in his human form, naked, with his head in his hands. "What just happened?" He seemed out of it, but Leonidas, Gordon and I stood by, ready to sit on him again. His behavior was not what we were used to, I wasn't going to take any chances.

The rhubarb stalks huddled at one end of the kitchen, glowering suspiciously at Apollo. Was it his fault his lion scented something, making it crazy?

"Maybe he's one of them Jekyll and Hyde types you hear about on the news," an older stalk declared. She was on the stringy side with bright red hair that needed a redo.

Crimson huffed so impatiently, it made me wonder if she'd held back the eye roll. "Ma, he's not a secret serial killer."

"How do you know?" the older woman declared. "He can't remember a thing."

She had a point. Then I caught Apollo's betrayed expression and realized he'd caught my thought. I kneeled beside him. "I'm sorry. That was stupid of me. I don't believe for a second that you're responsible for the rhubarb snatching."

"But she's right," Apollo muttered, not looking at anyone. "I don't remember just losing it. I don't know why I did. One minute I was talking to Crimson and the next, I was waking up with you guys sitting on me."

Are you all right? I can feel you're upset. Ricky's soft voice was a welcome interaction.

I feel guilty. I said something really stupid and upset Apollo.

Do you need me?

I always need you.

It didn't seem so bad, making the confession to my mate.

I'll be there soon.

Maximus turned to Red. "Did you smell your kidnapper?"

Red nodded jerkily, still looking pale and shaky, although I wasn't sure what he looked like normally. Although I'd say it was a good guess it was from the ‘attack.' "He smelled like a lion." Red looked at Gordon, then back at Maximus, only for his attention to go back to Gordon, who I could see wasn't paying any attention to anyone. His small nose wrinkled, twitching in a way that said he was sniffing something out. He was a good pride member, trying to help Apollo like that.

"See! I told you," the old woman declared triumphantly.

"Hush, Ma," Crimson said. "Sniff Apollo, Red."

Not taking his wary gaze off Apollo, Red came closer, hesitating as he walked past Gordon, and then inched closer to Apollo. He looked to inhale, his shoulders slumping, then he shook his head. "He doesn't smell like the shifter who attacked me."

Thank the Great Rhu for that. It seemed Tim was rubbing off on me, or was it Ricky?

Come on, concentrate! At least Maximus's command wasn't said aloud to add to my embarrassment.

Crimson turned to Bart. "You too, old stalk."

Bart shuffled closer, staying behind Red. He sniffed too.

"What do you think, Bart? Is this the shifter who attacked you?"

He shook his head, and I think all of our pride released a collective breath. "No, he's not the one. Whoever it is, he's not part of this pride."

Red nodded in agreement. "We smell these guys around Valentine. The shifter who tried to kidnap me is a stranger."

The old woman huffed and folded her arms across her chest, clearly not convinced.

"We're getting distracted," Crimson said. "Apollo, we'll find out what happened to you soon, but first we need to deal with the danger to the town."

"I don't recognize the scent on Red," Maximus muttered, his brows tugging together. "But that doesn't mean to say this has nothing to do with us. We left trouble behind us when we left our pride, and it might be following us here."

All of this was above my pay grade. I sat in the corner with Drew and listened to the discussion and kept my thoughts to myself. Then Ricky bounced into the kitchen, ignored everyone else, and came straight to me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, tugged me close, and I relaxed against him, inhaling his sweet aroma. All my worries melted away, I was safe in his arms.

"Better now?" he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"Much, now you're here." I rubbed my head against his chest, wishing I could shift and beg him to scratch behind my ears.

"You needed me, my ballsy-bull. Of course I'd come here for you." Ricky glanced around the room, giving me the best hug. "Where's Glass?"

"Right here," said a large man with a mop of dark hair, who strolled in filling up the space with wide shoulders that nearly didn't fit through the door. "I got waylaid," he explained, his nose wrinkling. Then his eyes narrowed on the naked man sitting on the kitchen floor.

That's when the shit really hit the fan.

Apollo shifted and roared loud enough to burst my eardrums, and we were back to all hands on deck once more.

Could this day get any worse?