Authors: Stormy Glenn Lynn Hagen
Giovanni closed his eyes as complete and utter exhaustion started making itself known. He was so tired. He felt like he hadn’t slept in ages even if he had gotten a little sleep earlier. When a soft rumbling noise started around him, Giovanni was too tired to care. The cupboard began vibrating, gently rocking Giovanni to sleep. He’d worry about escaping later.
* * * *
Blade walked into his quarters, pissed as hell that he had a burn mark in the sleeve of his best shirt. He may have only been grazed, but the shirt was ruined. This wasn’t turning out to be one of his better days.
They had gone down to the loading dock to scout the area out for a meeting with a potential client only to find out that it had been a setup. Fucking bastards.
Blade dropped his phaser on the table near the door then pulled the shirt over his head, tossing it into the maybe dirty pile before walking to his row of cupboards to grab another shirt. His footsteps faltered when he smelled something different in the air.
He inhaled deeply as his eyes scanned the room. One by one, he began to open the cupboards in front of him. His coyote senses told him something was out of place. He growled low in his throat as he walked down the line, the scent growing stronger with each step.
When his hand gripped the last cupboard, Blade knew whatever he smelled was inside. Blade backed away and walked back over to the door, grabbing his phaser from the table where he had dropped it when he walked into his quarters.
Whoever it was hiding was about to learn that it wasn’t polite to stow away onboard someone else’s ship. Blade crept quietly back over to the last cupboard, palming the weapon in one hand as his other reached for the handle. A smile played across his face. Maybe his day was getting better.
Curling his fingers around the handle, Blade jerked it open to find…a human? What the fuck? The guy was fast asleep with a bag clutched to his chest. Blade stared at him for a moment before closing the cupboard. His commander had to see this.
Blade holstered the weapon as he walked out of his quarters, going on the hunt for Remy. He hadn’t a clue what to do with the human. It’s wasn’t like he had a lot of experience with them, but he knew they were mostly harmless and fragile. At least the guy hiding in his cupboard looked like he couldn’t kick a rock’s ass, let alone the Elite Force’s.
“Hey, Remy. I need you in my quarters,” Blade called out when he spotted Remy coming up the stairs from the lower deck.
The commander turned his head to look in Blade’s direction. “Not even on a good day would I be that hard up.”
“Very funny,” Blade growled as he turned on his heel and headed back toward his quarters and the stowaway.
“Fine, I’ll bite. What is it?” Remy asked as he joined Blade.
“You have to see this,” he said as he stepped back into his quarters and pointed to the only cupboard that remained closed.
“Cool, now if you’ll follow me, I can show you what a neat and clean room looks like.” Remy chuckled as he began to leave.
“No, not my mess. The cupboard,” Blade whispered. He pointed toward the cupboard. “Go look.”
Remy didn’t look impressed, but he walked across the room and pulled it open. Blade jumped back in shock as his commander growled and suddenly shifted into his third form. He was at least a foot taller now, resembling a werewolf walking on two legs. His nails were long and black, his snout extended. Blade stared at the strange little ears on Remy’s head. He was amazed at the way they twitched as his commander sniffed the air. What in the hell was going on here?
Chapter 2
Remy growled as the sweetest scent imaginable filled his senses. He didn’t know what it was, but he wanted it. He wanted to roll in it, lick it up, and fill his senses with it. And then he wanted to fuck it.
“What the hell, man?”
Remington growled as he spun around and crouched in front of the small figure hidden away in the cupboard. He flicked his claws and bared his teeth, warning the threat away. He knew the man who stood before him with a stunned expression on his face was a friend, but right now, Blade represented a threat to Remy’s territory.
“Dude, you’ve lost your fucking mind!” Blade snapped as he backed away.
Remy tilted his head back and roared as loud as he could. He would warn this threat to what was his away one last time. If that didn’t work, friend or no friend, Blade would die. Every instinct in Remy’s body was telling him to protect the little man in the cupboard.
Remy frowned when Blade suddenly darted out of the room and the door slid closed with a soft whoosh. Logically, Remy knew what he was doing wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be threatening his friend.
But logic didn’t play a part in how Remy felt at that moment. He turned around and squatted down on the floor next to the cupboard doors. He tilted his head slightly as he tried to fathom why he felt such a need to care for and protect the man sleeping before him.
Remy’s clawed hand trembled as he slowly reached out to stroke the back of his knuckles along one pale cheek. Oh, so soft. Remy’s breath caught in his throat at how silky smooth the man’s skin felt. He had an urge to rub himself all over the little man.
Overwhelming need swamped Remy. His cock ached with the desire to sink into the man’s delicate body. The agony of denying himself bordered on painful. It almost stripped away the last of Remy’s control.
But taking the man meant waking him, and that just wouldn’t do. If the man was sleeping, he must need his sleep, and caring for the man came before caring for his own needs. The little angel’s needs must come first.
Remy grabbed a blanket from the pile in the corner. He sniffed it, wrinkling his nose when Blade’s scent filled his senses. Well, that wouldn’t do. Remy wasn’t going to let someone else’s scent cover the man. He tossed the blanket away.
He pulled his own shirt off over his head then carefully draped it over the small human. Once he was sufficiently covered, Remy sank down to the floor and leaned against the wall. He gently stroked his hand over the man’s sandy blond hair and waited for his angel to wake.
“Um, hey, Remy, is everything okay?”
Remy tensed, growling low in his throat when he heard someone speak from the doorway. He turned, baring his teeth at whoever dared to intrude. Crank quickly backed away, holding his hands up in a submissive gesture.
“Hey, calm down, Remy,” Crank said. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Blade is freaking out, yelling about some stowaway in his room and you losing your mind.”
“Mine!” Remy growled as he placed himself between the small human in the cupboard and his crew member standing in the doorway.
“That’s cool, man, whatever.”
Remy knew he was acting irrational. He just couldn’t seem to stop. The only thing that made sense in his fog-filled head was protecting the man hidden behind him. At least, it made sense to him—sort of.
Once Crank backed out of the room, Remy turned back to his angel. His features were delicate and serene as he slept. The human looked like he could use a few extra pounds and a hot bath. Something Remy would gladly take care of.
The little human yawned as his eyes fluttered open. He could see curiosity and then abject fear in the most beautiful golden eyes he’d ever seen. Remy waited with bated breath as the human pulled his bag to his chest and tried to push further back into the small cupboard.
Remy knew his third form must seem scary as hell to his little angel, so he made sure his moves were slow and purposeful. “My name is Remy,” he said softly, trying his best to keep the growl to a minimum.
The guy gave a nod of acknowledgement but still didn’t say a word. It was eating Remy up not to know the little man’s name. Raw lust slammed into him, making his body shake with want, but Remy forced it down.
“Would you like to come out of there?” he asked as he scooted back, trying to seem less intimidating. It was a tall order considering he had grown a few inches from his normal seven-foot-four height. He must seem like Goliath to this human.
“I won’t hurt you. I promise,” he spoke with patience he never knew he possessed. Remy was the commander of his own ship, the leader of four very lethal and savvy creatures. There wasn’t a tender or patient bone in his body—until now.
His ears twitched as the human slowly rolled over and let his legs hang from the cupboard. Remy was shocked to see how small the man truly was. At least, he hoped the little human was a man. If he wasn’t, Remy was in trouble.
His angel’s eyes watched him warily as he climbed out of the cupboard and stood there with that ratty-looking bag in his hands.
“Are you hungry?” Remy asked as he stood. He frowned when the man’s eyes widened. This wasn’t going well.
“No,” the small man answered, but Remy could hear the rumbling in his stomach. He wasn’t sure why the guy was lying to him, but he knew he had to eat. Remy was going to be the one to take care of all his needs, and wants.
“Tell me your name, angel.” Remy got down on one knee, trying his best to be at eye level.
“G–Giovanni Gallardo,” he finally answered.
“Such a big name for such a small man. How about I call you Gigi? Would you like that?” Remy asked as the endearment rumbled from his chest.
Once again lust hit him like a freight train, making his cock grow in size. He hoped the human wasn’t paying attention. Remy was trying to gain his trust, not scare him back into the cupboard.
The little human looked as though he was mulling over the idea before his gorgeous golden eyes sparkled. “I can live with that.”
Remy chuckled, the sound vibrating in his chest. Gigi’s eyes rounded again, and he clutched his bag tighter. “You’re safe here, Gigi. I promise. No one will hurt you.”
“O–okay.”
“Come, angel,” Remy said as he stood and held out his hand. “Let’s go get you something to eat.”
Gigi’s hand trembled as he hesitantly placed it in Remy’s. When Gigi flashed him a slight smile, Remy felt like the biggest man on the planet. He didn’t care that the smile wobbled a bit and that Gigi still seemed scared. His angel had smiled at him.
Remy kept a tight, but gentle, grip on Gigi’s hand as he led him out of Blade’s room and down the hallway to the mess hall. He ached to ask questions. He wanted to know everything about his little angel. He was just afraid of scaring him. He’d have to tread carefully.
“What do you like to eat, Gigi?”
“Anything,” Gigi whispered.
“What is your favorite thing to eat?” Remy tried again.
“Anything.”
Remy almost growled. He could see that Gigi was scared and nervous, but he needed something to work with. “Do you like steak?”
Gigi blinked. “Real steak? Like, from a cow kinda steak?”
Remy frowned. Was there any other kind of steak? “Yes.”
Gigi’s eyes widened even more. “You have real cow steak?”
“Yes.” Remy was very confused.
“Do you have cows? Real cows?”
“Well, not onboard the ship, but we can get you one if you want it.”
Remy didn’t think Gigi’s eyes could get any bigger than they already were. He was wrong. He was also a little shocked when the fear faded from Gigi’s eyes and the man started bouncing on his feet.
Pure lust streaked through Remy at the sudden knowledge that his mate was an energetic creature. Remy could only hope that Gigi’s current exuberance poured over into their sex life ’cause, damn! If Gigi got this excited over steak, Remy couldn’t wait to see how he’d react in bed.
“Do you have real dogs and cats and horses and—”