Authors: Julia Talbot
Because there would be a later. Yves looked a million times better already, and Reuben still needed to tear his ass up for scaring a year off Reuben’s life.
He hummed, then patted that tight, hard ass. “Clothes. Hold on.”
“What do you have for me?” Yves asked, eyes still so feline, glowing green.
“You’ll see.” He hoped Yves was excited and not -- whatever he’d been before they went to Silvia’s. Nutso crazy? Whatever. “Come on.” Reuben found a bag that had been delivered earlier.
Yves dressed quickly, his lover looking easy in his skin in cargo pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Hot as hell when he left his feet bare, too. Something about that look did it for Reuben.
He dragged one hand down Yves’ belly, stroking firmly, petting hard.
Yves arched like the big cat he was. “You said we had to go.”
“We do. I just want to make sure you’re focused.”
“Be good, puppy.”
“Can I bite you? A little.”
Yves laughed and pushed up into his space. “You’re fascinating.”
“Good.” He nipped at Yves’ jaw, then his throat, needing to mark, maybe rub his scent back into that fine skin.
His.
The thought was huge, near echoing in his skull and getting louder with each little bit. He held on, not wanting to let Yves go and look at the damned parchment now.
“We’re waiting for you two.” Deke sounded tickled to be interrupting them, which made sense.
“Mmm. Damn it.” He put an arm around Yves and steered him toward the door, baring his teeth at his packmate.
Deke chuckled, the sound grating on his ears. Asshole. He wanted to drag Yves back to his cave and cover him and keep everyone else away. Whoa. Weird.
That was... hugely unexpected.
“Stop,” Deke said. “It will pass. You just have to breathe.”
He looked to Deke, confused as hell, but grateful too, because goddamn.
Deke winked and mouthed, “I’ll explain.” Then he led the way back to Jonny’s fancy-assed lounge.
Luc was there, wrapped in a huge fluffy robe, and Kasey paced the floor, making fairly effective wolf growls. “Took you long enough,” he snarled.
Reuben just grinned. “Looks like it didn’t take you long at all, toothy.”
Kasey stuck his tongue out, a surprisingly comical maneuver. “Two minutes flat. You inspired us.”
Yves gave him a raised eyebrow and Reuben winked, went for the feint. “I found part of that scroll deal you were looking for.”
“Where? I need it.”
“It’s here. Kasey got your shit from the bus station.”
“I need to see what you’re doing, Yves.”
“I’m translating.” Reuben could see Yves vibrating.
“Translating what?” Kasey asked.
“A series of spells, I hope. I’m almost done.”
“Spells.” Jonny frowned. “Black magic never works as you would wish.”
“Don’t worry.” Yves growled.
“Don’t worry. You want to make a zombie, honey.” Reuben was worried.
“A zombie?” That was Kasey, but it was Luc who rowled.
“You can’t bring him back! He’s gone!”
“And it’s my fault! I have to try!” No one understood. Not even Luc.
“You can’t bring people back, Yves.” Jonny shook his head, frowning mightily, which made Reuben growl.
“Everyone chill the fuck out,” Deke said. “Reuben, stop rumbling at everyone. Jonny, sit. We need to know all the deets.”
Kasey scowled at Deke. “You just used the word deets.”
“I did! I’ve been following along with the newbies.” Deke looked so proud.
“Give me the rest of the parchment, pup? Please?” Yves was laser focused, eyes burning some.
“Soon, baby.” He hated the parchment all of a sudden, even though it had brought them together. Nothing should -- infect his kitty like this.
“Sit. Everyone.” Jonny’s voice was calm, but shot through with a steel thread that none of them -- not one -- could ignore. They all sat as a unit. “Much better.”
Even Yves didn’t fidget. They all simply waited for Jonny to take the lead.
“Now. I think we should start at the beginning, yes?” Jonny steepled his fingers and skewered first Luc, then Yves with his gaze. Luc had to feel that, even if he couldn’t see it. “Luc. Begin with the emeralds, if you please.”
“Uh. I stole them. A pair of perfect ones. I had a buyer. I delivered them on time.”
“And who was the buyer?” Jonny asked, the very picture of patience.
Luc’s eyes rolled and the twins were trying hard not to look at each other. “I was just supposed to leave them. The buyer was going to retrieve them at a later date.”
Did they think they were fooling anyone?
“So, one assumes Silvia was hiring you to steal something from me to kill two birds with one stone. He could sell the information he acquired, and have access to you, and thus the emeralds.” Jonny turned that shrewd, cold look on Yves. “Now, explain how the emeralds affect your activities.”
“There are four gemstones, all identical. They are a vital part of the ritual, apparently, something to do with payment.”
“Payment to a demon. You fail to see why I find this alarming, but I do.”
Dude, if it worried Jonny, then... Dude.
“It’s my brother. Our brother.”
“He’s dead!” Luc snapped. “Gone. There’s not even a body left.”
Kasey spoke up next. “So really? This is all to bring back a dead brother?” It sounded so... sordid in that clipped British accent.
Yves’ normally expressive face went totally still and he stood. “Reuben, where are my things?”
“They’re here, babe. Can you all excuse us?” Reuben stood and put a hand under Yves’ elbow. He could feel how done Yves was. How close he was to losing his shit.
“I just need the last pieces.” Yves met his eyes, sure. “I don’t think I can stop now. It’s all coming together.”
Why did that sound so ominous?
And why in the hell did Reuben want to go against all good sense and give Yves all those parchment pieces?
It didn’t make any sense.
None of this made sense.
His head hurt, his body beginning to ache as if he was coming down with something. “Let’s go sit and see what we have, okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.” Yves leaned against him, resting a little, body warm where it pressed to his.
“Cool. Sorry about the inquisition. They’re just trying to help. Seriously.”
“They don’t understand. I have to do this. I don’t have a choice.”
“Why not?” The urgency vibrating through Yves thrummed in Reuben’s body too.
Yves held his hands out. “I have to.”
“I don’t understand.” Reuben was up and moving, though, grabbing bags and boxes.
“I have to.”
God.
Stop this. Stop. Stop.
He couldn’t though. Before he could even count to ten, he had all the pieces of parchment together, laying them out on the bed in the room they’d taken over. He felt as if his hands didn’t belong to him.
“Good man.” The voice that came out of Yves wasn’t his kit’s. “Stand by the door, now. Bar it.”
“Yes.” Okay. He could do that. Reuben’s feet took him to the door.
“Excellent. Stay there and you’ll be rewarded. Now, we’ve waited long enough, haven’t we?”
Cold chills racked him, and Yves began reading aloud, putting pieces of parchment in order with jerky, automatic movements. Reuben kinda thought he would lose his lunch.
Something was wrong. Really. Really.
He heard Deke calling his name, the sound worried.
Yes. Yes, come on. Help me
. They were pack. Surely Deke would understand. Reuben couldn’t make his mouth move, his voice frozen.
Then Deke was hollering for Jonny and Reuben felt the jibbering in his brain easing.
Soon,
he thought as hard as he could at Deke.
Before it’s too late.
From the deep laugh echoing from Yves, he thought it was too late.
Chapter Five
Yves burned.
His eyes were flames, his hands nothing but blistered, rotting things. He stumbled through the weirdness of his brain, trying to escape it. Trapped. He was trapped and if he didn’t figure this out he would die and he would never get Girard back.
Keep working.
“I’m trying! You’re hurting me!”
Keep going. Don’t stop.
“Leave me alone.”
He swatted at the voice as if it were a fly or a bee. Buzz.
The words seemed to glow, to move across the parchment like fireflies in the night. He transcribed as quickly as he could, but some of the words escaped him. Gibberish.
Pay attention, then.
“I am!” he screamed. “Leave me alone!”
His head was going to split.
“Reuben! Someone help me!”
“Yves!” Reuben seemed so far away, separated from him by a fence of steel wool or something.
“Reuben! Help me!” Please.
Keep working
.
“I can’t.”
Burning claws dug into his temples.
Keep. Working.
“Yves! Come back to me!” Reuben’s barking growl almost snapped him out of the clutches of the -- spell? Whatever it was.
Then those claws pushed even deeper and he couldn’t bear it, could do nothing but scream and sink into darkness.
***
The door burst open, slamming Reuben in the back. He staggered forward, his paralysis broken. Oh, God. Yves.
“Yves!” He stumbled forward, stopping short at the white fire in his mate’s eyes. “Help me!”
“He’s bloody possessed or something.” Jonny pushed at him from behind, and Reuben was glad it wasn’t an attacker.
“What do I do?” Reuben shouted, sprinting for Yves.
Jonny grabbed a blanket, threw it over Yves and it immediately began to smoke.
“Holy shitballs.” That came from Deke, who skidded to a stop next to Reuben. “What the fuck?”
“Demon possession. Kasey? Have a bath drawn.”
Kasey speeded from the room, and Reuben turned on Jonny. “Demon possession? What do I do!”
“Your job. You may be the only one that can.” Jonny looked to Deke. “Are they bonded?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I think so.” Deke gave him a shove. “Take him to Kasey.”
“You got it.” He snatched Yves up and ran. His hands hurt with the heat radiating from Yves’ form. How could anyone survive this? “Kasey!”
“In here! Hurry!”
He rushed into the room Kasey indicated and dropped Yves into the deep tub. Yves arched, a deep guttural cry filling the air.
“Holy shit. This is going to kill him.”
“If it does, we couldn’t have saved him. What the hell were you thinking?”
“What? Me? I didn’t do anything.” Had he? Was this his fault?
“No. No, man. Yves. I have a necromancer that can come, tomorrow. Maybe help.”
“Oh. A necromancer?” He started splashing the water on those pale cheeks. “Yves. Mate. Come on.”
“Mate. Mate. Mate.” Yves’ voice was soft, low.
“There you are.” He vocalized a little, his wolf wanting out, but not taking over.
“That’s it, man. You have to keep him here.”
“I’ll try.” No, fuck that. He would. He would keep Yves away from whatever was trying to hurt him. He crawled into the tub, almost howling at the heat of the water.
“You’ll have to do more than try, Reuben. The mating bond is strong. Stronger than nearly everything.”
“Please be true.” He gathered Yves into his arms.
“Don’t doubt it. Don’t doubt him. Deke, I need your help in here!”
Deke burst in, the door slamming back on its hinges, they looked at one another, obviously communicating, then Deke knelt by the tub. “You can hear him, yeah? Feel him?”
“I don’t know.” He thought so.
“You know.” Deke smiled at him. “You felt it before, the ache.”
“Yves.”
Yves.
He echoed the call over and over in his head.
Reuben
.
Oh. Oh, there he was.
Yves, come back to me.
He kissed Yves’ neck.
Reuben.
Yves took a deep, deep breath, filling his lungs.
“There. You’re doing it.”
“Yves. I need you, love. Need you right here with me.” Reuben licked water off Yves’ skin, testing the heat there.
Reuben. Please. I’m scared. Don’t tell Luc.
Never, love. Never.
He nuzzled that skin, which cooled more every second.