Chapter Eight

I've got everything I thought I knew about shifters completely freaking wrong. Pax was in shock. He did his best to keep his bewilderment to himself, but capital letters S-H-O-C-K. Every shifter he'd ever met, and admittedly most of them were in bars and clubs, but every shifter he'd come across was cock fixated and couldn't wait to leave him once they'd climaxed – usually in a spectacular fashion, because Pax didn't slack on the one thing he'd been told he was good at.

But wanting to keep Pax around, introduce him to anyone, or even take the time to share a drink with him, never happened. And yes, Pax admitted he'd made assumptions about shifters from those interactions, and the machete carrying bear didn't add anything positive to that impression.

But Storm hadn't said anything about having sex. He wants to introduce me to his friends. Storm's house was so sweet, with manly undertones. A comfortable two bedroom, two bathroom place, with a kitchen and a living area that were just slightly bigger than cozy. The dining area, where they had their breakfast, had lovely big windows. In comparison to Pax's minuscule studio apartment, it was glorious.

The wonder didn't stop when they stepped outside. Storm's house was in what Pax could only describe as a tiny village with cute but sturdy houses and a large wooden building. Just as Storm had indicated, there was a beautiful carved wooden sign hanging on the doors of the biggest building with the words "Assassin's Alley." Around the words were carved pictures including a couple of bears, a wolf, two huge bulls, a large snake, a demon, and taking pride of place in one corner, Storm's crocodile.

"You have got like a fantasy forest village here. It would look pretty in a storybook." Pax was going to get a neck ache, turning his head one way and the other, trying to take it all in. "My goodness, is the snake your friend?" He pointed to a long black snake curled up on a rock.

"That's Flint." Storm dropped his arm over Pax's shoulder, moving him closer. "I bet you're feeling smug because you got dibs on the rock today, Flint. This is my mate, Pax. You can chat with him later when you're on two legs." The snake's head reared up, his eyes bright as he nodded. "Flint worries I'll eat the strawberries in his greenhouse. Apparently they have to grow more."

"Aren't the smaller ones sweeter that way?" Pax jumped as a hiss sounded from the massive snake. "I won't touch your strawberries, I promise."

"It's the only thing Flint gets pissy about – you'll like him, and Flint, behave. Pax is not a shifter. He has to get used to our ways."

"You mean like wandering around in shifted form." Pax gulped as a huge bear ambled along, nodding before disappearing into the trees. "He doesn't have a machete, does he?"

"That's Devon, he's a sweetheart bear." Storm one-arm hugged him. "Another assassin, but no, you don't have to worry about him trying to give you a haircut with a machete. Did you want to have a look in the workshop?"

Pax looked around. "I'm not seeing the bakery. You said there was a bakery around here."

Storm chuckled. "It's about a five minute hike. Are you up for it?"

"It's for donuts!" Storm would understand in time. Pax's sweet tooth was almost an addiction, and he didn't care. He'd even go to meetings if they supplied more sweet stuff. He could be having the world's worst day and feel instantly better with a mouthful of sugary goodness.

"Cyrus, the shifter you heard earlier when you were pretending to sleep, owns all of this land and the Alley buildings," Storm explained as he led the way down a two-person wide path. "He lives with his mate, Python the demon, above the workshop, but they spend a lot of time in the Alley. We often have barbecues or just come together to listen to music and things like that when the evening weather allows it."

"That all sounds really lovely." Pax felt his heart drop. "You know, I'd be quite happy in the house, you know, when you visit with your friends."

"You'll be invited too, not that there's a lot of inviting going on." Storm shook his head. "We're like a rambunctious family that all live in separate houses, because there is no way we'd want to share a bathroom, but we look out for each other and help each other."

"I haven't had any good experiences with family." Pax tried to explain. "A lot of people think I'm a nuisance. I don't seem to fit in with people very well as I'm easily distracted."

"Sweetie, none of us who live on this land fit in with others. For years our previous handler believed we needed to live in a warded cul-de-sac, because he thought we weren't fit to move among humans unless we were on a job."

"But paranormals blend in with non-paras all the time." Pax felt stung on his mate's behalf. "That's just speciest and totally unfair."

"I know, but at the time we didn't really think much about it. It wasn't until Python met Cyrus and we realized they'd bugged our houses and the like… Well, you don't need to worry about any of that. We moved here after that, and Cyrus handles our workload. It's a lot more relaxed now. You and I might even have a chance to learn a hobby or something, if you feel like it."

"You truly want to keep me, don't you? Even though you don't know what a nuisance I can be or really anything about me at all. Is that because you share your spirit with your crocodile?"

"My croc and I are one and the same, sweetie, and yes, we both want you to be around forever and ever, because that's what mates do." Storm pointed through the trees. "Cyrus's workshop is that building there, he usually always leaves the back door open so we can visit. The bakery is next door – run by a lovely human woman, Gwen, and her daughter, Pattie. Assume anyone you meet around here, apart from those in the Alley, will be human."

"I do know how to behave." Pax wasn't sure if Storm was warning him or not, but he felt the need to defend himself. "I can tell if a person is paranormal or not just by looking at them."

"That's an awesome skill to have." Pax couldn't be unhappy when Storm smiled at him. "I've not met a magic user yet who can do that, but then I knew you were special from when I met you."

"Was it the scream or being chained to the floor that gave you the clue." Pax giggled. "I truly felt like a heroine in one of those old time horror movies, screaming for my hero to come."

"And I did, just in the nick of time." Storm preened. "But enough about that now. Let me introduce you to the only important lady in my life – the one who doles out the bacon."

"And the donuts." Pax shook his head. "Bacon is savory."

"Not if it's honey cured." Storm held the door open for him, although he was frowning and looking down the road.

"Honey cured. Wow." Pax's mouth dropped open as the smells from the bakery hit him all at once. All Pax could hear was motorcycles. It sounded like there were a lot of them, but the sweet scent of sugary goodness was distracting him. "You're going to have to drag me out of here. This place is amazing."

"We'll get them soon, I promise. I need you to go over to the workshop, hon. Now. Fast. Find Cyrus and Python and stay with them until I get back."

"But…" Storm was serious and looked nothing like the charming man who'd teased him and introduced him to a snake. "Storm, what's happening?"

"Do it, mate. Run. Please. I'll buy every cake in the bakery when I get back but do it now. Run."

Pax ran. Flighty he might be, even without wings, but he wasn't silly. Besides, if Storm thought he was going to get out of his cake buying promise, his mate had a lot to learn. He glanced back once, seeing a large bike rumbling on the edge of the road. Storm was talking to the rider, and he didn't look happy. He's protecting me, Pax realized as he ducked into the workshop, trying to peek around the door without being seen by the guy on the bike.

"Hey there, little pixie. Are you playing hide and seek with Storm?"

Pax jumped as someone, that demon Storm called Python, snuck up behind him.

"Shh," he said quickly. "Storm said I had to run in here. What's happening? Is this place dangerous?"

"Hmm." Python was also looking around the door although he was a lot taller so maybe he could see farther. Pax didn't know or care. He had a horrible feeling in his belly.

"Is this because of me? Is someone…? Maybe that bear had friends or something?" Pax's mind was racing with possibilities. "Storm can't kill them on the side of the road. People will see."

"It's good to see you've got brains." Python sounded distracted. "But it's not a bear problem. Looks like a family issue, which is damn strange. I might just go on out there…and nope. He's got on the back of that bike and been driven off."

"Well, go after him." Pax pushed at Python's butt trying to hurry him out the door, but the demon wouldn't move.

"Storm told me not to follow."

"How did he tell you that? You haven't even got shifter ears." Pax was wondering if he was going to have to find a hero handbook so he could save Storm himself. "My mate's been abducted! We have to save him."

Pax found himself spun around, with two very firm hands on his shoulders. Python was a striking looking man for a demon, but Pax was already committed to the crocodile who promised him donuts and cakes.

"Storm used hand signals behind his back. That's why he told you to come in here, to alert one of us, who would understand what he was doing."

"Hand signals?" Tears filled his eyes. "Did he say when he was coming back?"

"He's protecting us – the people who live here. We wait. He'll get in touch if he needs us." Python glanced into the back of the workshop. "Cyrus is busy upstairs at the moment. We can go over to the bakery, and I'll introduce you to Gwen, if you like."

"I'll just sit here and wait, like Storm told me, too." Pax had a sinking feeling that Storm racing off was all his fault. "I won't be any trouble, I promise. You won't even know I'm here." Pushing aside a box of clean rags, Pax changed his mind and dragged them into the corner by the door and then sat on them. "He'd better not be long."

Python gave him a strange look but then headed up some wooden stairs. Probably to tell Cyrus that Storm's run out on his mate. Pax couldn't think of any other reason that his crocodile would just hop on the back of the first motorcycle that stopped by the side of the road.