Leopard's Spots 2: Oscar (18 page)

“Nope.” Josiah took the salts from where they’d fallen on the floor. “Bath time for you. These might burn your shoulder, but not much, and only for a few minutes.”

A few minutes felt more like hours, Oscar thought, as he broke out in a sweat. Maybe they weren’t supposed to use the salts if there was an open wound involved.

“I’ve done it before,” Josiah muttered. “We can drain the water and start the bath over. It probably wouldn’t hurt anything, and maybe if I beg prettily enough, you’ll scooch down and let me in behind you.”

After they soaked in the tub for a while, they were both more drowsy than aroused, so they stumbled back into bed, not even bothering to towel off. Oscar marvelled at how safe and comfortable he felt in Josiah’s arms, how right after so short a time.

The next thing he knew they were under attack. “What the fuck!” Josiah yelped as someone leapt onto the bed.

Oscar was going to kill his brothers. “Get off, you idiots!” He pushed and shoved, and Josiah, bless him, roared and grabbed Orion and Drake by their hair.

“I said, what the fuck?” He shook them both before releasing them with a disgruntled look. “Can’t you two see we’re naked and we
were
sleeping!”

Orion gave Josiah the finger. “Next time you pull a stunt like grabbing my hair, I’m going to have to whip your ass, man.”

“Same goes.” Drake emphasised his statement by flipping Josiah off with both hands.

Oscar pushed Josiah back down. “I’ll handle this.” He got up and considered his brothers. “Have you two been hanging around with Clark, Devon and Chris?” They shook their heads. “Are you sure? ‘Cos you know they seem to be the sort who would do something stupid like pounce on two sleeping shifters who were already edgy and could have come up trying to do some serious damage. I have to wonder about both of you. Maybe Mom dropped you or something when you were babies.”

“Yeah, well, maybe we jumped in bed because Josiah is naked.” Drake looked Josiah up and down and Oscar wanted to slap him. “He’s not bad, if I swung that way, I think I’d like guys built like him.”

“But you don’t,” Oscar snapped. “Now, get out before I let Josiah fuck me. Or you can watch, whatever. You just can’t participate because ew, totally wrong.” He was talking to air as Drake and Orion ran out of the room. “That worked better than I thought.”

“Dad’s waiting to talk to you, ya perv!” Orion shouted.

“Or not.” Oscar stomped over to the dresser and pulled out a drawer—literally. The contents hit the floor and he yelped when the underside of the drawer whacked his knee. “Damn it!”

“I’ve got coffee made if it helps,” his dad call out from the kitchen.

“It doesn’t,” Oscar grumbled. He glared at Josiah, just in case he was considering laughing. Josiah’s expression was perfectly blank. “You’re laughing on the inside. I know you are.”

“No you don’t.” Josiah got up and touched his temple. “Still a little sore. You think your grandma will make me some more of that stuff?”

Oscar heard his grandmother’s voice, and his mom’s, and all the rest of the family, including cousin Tim. “Guh, we’ve been invaded, I tell you. And yeah, she probably already made it for you.”

Josiah sighed and looked resigned. “Well, I guess since I slept through most of yesterday I should be up to meeting the whole family.”

Oscar held everyone else off from bugging Josiah until his mate had had time to take care of his morning needs, but once Josiah stepped into the living room, he was fair game. And there were more people, too, because Oscar had forgotten about the Tavares brothers. They didn’t bother Josiah much, instead spending most of their time trying to talk to Lyndon, who looked like he’d rather be shovelling shit than dealing with them. Oscar wondered what that was all about. Although, he’d kind of thought the three brothers were on the obnoxious side himself.

Cheryl, Oscar’s mom, headed right over to Josiah. “So, I’ve heard a lot about you, Josiah. How’s your head feeling?”

 Josiah replied and had Cheryl won over in minutes and Grandma Marybeth leading him to a chair occupied by Clark.

“Get up, up, up,” Marybeth chided Clark. “Josiah has a head injury and needs to sit down so he can sip the drink I made him.”

Clark got up and Josiah took his vacated seat. Oscar started to move over and sit on the arm of the chair beside Josiah, but Lyndon caught him and pulled him off to the hallway.

“What?” Oscar whispered.

Lyndon hissed and leaned in to barely utter in his ear. “Those three idiots, my brothers. I think they’re up to something. If you happen to overhear anything, let me know, please? And Henry, of course.”

“Okay.” Oscar glanced pointedly back towards the living room. “Can I get back to my mate now?”

Lyndon had the decency to appear embarrassed as he thumped Oscar on the back. “Yeah, sorry about that. I just feel like whatever they’re doing, it’s coming down soon, and they won’t tell me anything, just—oh never mind. Go on.”

Oscar left the hall and grunted to Levi, flipped off Orion and two for Drake then plopped down on the arm of the chair Josiah was sitting in. “Did Grandma make you the good stuff?” he asked as Josiah drank the steaming hot liquid.

“Yeah,” Josiah said once he swallowed. “It helps a lot. Your grandma’s bringing you a cup since your shoulder is sore.” He wiggled his eyebrows as Oscar blushed.

“I’m going to get you for that,” Oscar grumbled. He’d bet Marybeth knew exactly what parts of him were sore, which was fucking mortifying, but the woman was beyond sharp. Which reminded him, he needed to talk to her and Josiah about the whole guardian thing.

Tim came over to meet Josiah, and Oscar enjoyed talking to him. Tim was cool, and wicked smart, and probably the only person in the extended family who came close to resembling Oscar. He was thin and had long, dark blond hair, not auburn like everyone else in the family besides Oscar. His eyes, like Oscar’s, were a shade of blue. The similarities stopped there, especially since Tim was tall and Oscar just wasn’t.

“Men can keep growing into their twenties.”

Oscar gave Josiah an arch look.

“What? You were brooding about it, so I just wanted to point out that I read somewhere—”

“I know.” Oscar settled onto Josiah’s lap, since he was done drinking. “I don’t think I’ll get any taller. Is that going to bother you?”

“Nope.” Josiah nuzzled his head for a moment. “I like you just the way you are.”

“Good.”

“Breakfast is ready,” Henry hollered from the kitchen.

Oscar snorted as a small stampede ensued.

“Guess everyone’s hungry.” Josiah bounced Oscar on his lap. “I am too.”

“Fine, fine, I get the hint.” Oscar planted a wet kiss on Josiah’s lips then got up. They walked into the kitchen, which was way too small for so many people. “Well, hell.”

Grandma Marybeth seemed to appear out of thin air. “Oscar, don’t make me get your ear. And don’t think I didn’t see you give your brothers the finger—or fingers, rather—a little while ago!”

“But they started it!” Oscar protested. “They came into our bedroom and pounced when we were naked and they…” He realised everyone was looking at him. “They…flipped off Josiah,” he finished lamely.

Grandma Marybeth turned and zoomed in on Drake and Orion. “You two!”

Cheryl came over and handed him and Josiah a plate each, and Henry followed with two glasses of milk. “Quick, escape to the living room. Your mom and I will join you in a sec.”

Oscar decided not to bitch about being run out of his own kitchen. It was too crowded anyway. He and Josiah sat on the couch and put their plates and glasses on the coffee table. They hadn’t eaten much when his parents joined them.

“We want to welcome Josiah into the family,” Cheryl said. She bent and kissed Josiah’s cheek. “We’re glad to have you here, and glad you and Oscar found each other.”

“Thank you, that means a lot,” Josiah said.

Oscar bobbed his head. His parents were awesome.

“Go ahead and eat. We did before we came over this morning.” Henry sat across from them in the leather recliner. Cheryl sat beside Josiah as Henry kept talking. “We haven’t learned anything new, except that Cole Tavares isn’t in Mexico anymore. Got an e-mail from Jodiah Baker offering to help, and he has. There’s just not much to go on, I guess.”

Josiah lowered his forkful of pancakes. “Dad’ll do anything he can. He wants to come up here and meet y’all if he can take the time away from the pack. Depends on how everyone’s behaving. They can be jerks if their alpha is gone for long.”

Henry hummed and waited until Josiah had eaten some more. “Maybe Cheryl and I can take Mom down to Texas. She’s all gung-ho about meeting some guy in your pack.”

“That’d be good.” Josiah eyed his pancakes, or what was left of them. Oscar ogled them too since his were gone. Josiah cut a bite and brought them to Oscar’s lips. “Eat. I’m stuffed anyway. The medicine your grandma makes is rumbling around in my stomach, taking up space where pancakes could have landed.”

Henry and Cheryl laughed, and Oscar ate the pancakes Josiah fed to him. Grandma Marybeth joined them and started asking Josiah dozens of questions, and Josiah filled in what he could. He made it clear that he couldn’t vouch for snow leopard shifters, but he had no problem sharing any information with Marybeth.

Oscar eventually called a halt to the enquiries when he saw Josiah yawn. Marybeth saw it too, or else he’d probably have got his ear twisted. “Josiah needs to rest. We had a rude awakening by Tweedle Dipstick and Tweedle Doofus.”

“Bow chick-a wow-wow time,” Drake teased. He got his ear twisted.

Oscar looked pointedly at Clark, Chris and Devon. “Um, in case you three haven’t noticed, everyone else has left.”

Clark and Chris had the grace to blush, but Devon’s expression turned stubborn. “We want to talk to you, since you’re the one who killed Albert.”

“Get the fuck out,” Josiah snarled. “How dare you come into Oscar’s home and start shit!”

“We’re not!” Devon grabbed at Clark and Chris, both of whom seemed on the verge of taking a swing at Josiah.

Oscar stepped in front of his mate and glared at the Tavares brothers. “What did you mean? Tell me or your asses are gone—and I mean off the property gone, not just out of my house!”

Josiah was all for just kicking their asses, but no, Oscar had to give them a chance to explain. “Damned reasonable man.”

Oscar blew him a kiss. “I’m trying.” He gestured to the other three men. “Sit and calm the fuck down. My house, my rules.”

“Jeez, I feel like I’m back at our father’s house,” Devon muttered, but he went and sat down, dragging his brothers with him.

Oscar took Josiah’s hand and they walked back over to the chair, since the couch was occupied. He sat, and Oscar made himself at home on his lap.

“Talk,” Josiah snapped, ready to be alone with his mate. He expected Devon to speak, since he was the one who usually flapped his gums, but this time Chris spoke up.

“Look, we were afraid to tell your dad this, because he’s like, uber-dad, but we’re almost positive our father is going to try to have you killed, Oscar.”

Josiah went still and tried to keep his fury buried deep in his mind. No secrets was a wonderful idea, but when he was envisioning eviscerating Cole Tavares, he would rather not have Oscar see it too.

Oscar shifted on his lap. “He can try.”

Chris shook his head. “You don’t understand. He could have a sniper or some black ops killer or…or…we were supposed to.” The miserable expression on his face did nothing to stem Josiah’s anger.

“When?” he demanded. He stood, careful to set Oscar on his feet. “At the hotel? In the garage?
Here?
”

“Josiah, wait. They might have a good reason for not speaking up sooner.”

“No.” Josiah patted Oscar’s hand where he was gripping Josiah’s shoulder. “Step back, Oscar, because I know the answer.” The tension in the room increased, and Josiah pulled off his shirt, sure it was fixing to get ugly. “How many brothers are there involved in this plan? Five?”

He saw the moment Oscar understood, felt it, too. Oscar’s hands morphed into paws, which freaked the Tavares’ out. They almost toppled the couch trying to get back. Josiah let his shift begin, holding it at his hands as well.

“We told them not to!” Devon said, panic making his voice shrill. “We did! We said y’all were good people, and maybe if we trusted y’all and told what we knew, we could all be free of our father. He won’t stop until we’re all dead. All of us, I know it!” He slapped at Chris’ and Clark’s hands when they reached for him. “No! I heard him say so!
I heard him
!”

Josiah couldn’t find any sympathy for them, even though Devon had confirmed his earlier supposition. Oscar didn’t seem inclined to feel bad for them, either.

“Why doesn’t he just kill us all himself?” Chris demanded. “Why all this bullshit? Why’d he have us to begin with?”

“To prove his virility, like Josiah said a couple days ago,” Oscar said when no one answered. “My mate is brilliant, by the way. He also deduced that Cole Tavares would have the last kid standing killed. Josiah said Tavares probably worried one of his offspring would take him out because he’s rich, and because he’s a cunt, so he figured he’d make sure that didn’t happen.”

“Where are the two assholes that came after us?” Josiah wanted to know.

Clark shrugged. “We don’t know. When we told them to abort the plan, they told us to fuck off. And promised we’d be next.”

“But you didn’t tell anyone this, and you’ve put Oscar and his entire family in danger.” Josiah was furious, he could feel it coming from him, radiating out in waves of anger. “You could have killed Cole Tavares, could have put a stop to this before it ever got this far, because you’ve seen him.”

“We’re trying to make this right,” Devon interjected. “We are. Do you think we want to hurt anyone, much less each other? All Chris, Clark and I had growing up was each other. Our mothers weren’t around much if at all, and the three of us tried to protect each other from our father. Can you imagine what it was like? And it’s not just all about us. Some of our other siblings are just kids. How must they feel, if they’ve been told their own father desires their death?”