Smirking at Gerard’s pissy tone, Thayer White slowly eye fucked him, stopping at the hard cock straining against Gerard’s zipper before continuing the journey downward. Savoring the sexy body, his cock twitched in anticipation, wondering if today would be the day Gerard finally gave into his lust and let Thayer into his tight ass. When it became apparent from Gerard’s curt tone of voice that he wasn’t going to get lucky, he sighed and shoved his hand into his pants to ease his hard cock. Then he asked, “I wonder if you’re going to attend the council meeting this afternoon.”
It was times like this Gerard hated his decision to appear to be a second tier magic user because it allowed more powerful warlocks like Thayer to act with impunity, knowing there’d never be consequences for their behavior. Of course, it didn’t help that his cock betrayed him every time Thayer was near. Grinding his back teeth together in frustration, he willed his cock to obey him, only to be met with failure. Finally deciding to ignore his disobedient hard-on, he replied, “No, why?”
“No reason,” Thayer murmured, closing the gap between them. Then, running a finger up the lapel of Gerard’s suit jacket, he heard his quick intake of air and watched as his eyes darkened. Smiling smugly, Thayer leaned forward, his lips nearly touching Gerard’s ear. “I’m not going either. Care to join me for some fun?”
Though his mind screamed yes, Gerard slowly lifted Thayer’s finger off his lapel before stepping back out of reach. “Sorry, I’ve a meeting I must attend…uhmm…family matters…you can understand.” And before Thayer could say another word, Gerard quickly opened his office door and slipped inside, locking it behind him. Finally giving into his lust, he reached inside his trousers, fisting his hard cock. Sighing in relief, he continued to stroke it, thankful his office was impenetrable to magic users.
Gerard’s escape maneuver happened so fast Logan couldn’t follow him into his office; his raven was left staring at Thayer who obviously was also surprised at the cagey move. As he waited to see what Thayer would do next, Logan replayed their conversation in his mind along with the one Gerard had with Zohar. No matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to believe it was the same person speaking. With Zohar, Logan felt the power radiating from Gerard but that power all but fizzled when Thayer confronted him.
Leaving the sexually frustrated warlock behind, Logan’s raven flew away, searching for the entrance into the central shaft. The information he’d gathered would help Dylon, but as his wolf agreed, there was more to Gerard than they knew. Whether the missing piece to that puzzle would be important to Remy and Carson remained unknown, but Logan was satisfied Dylon’s plan could proceed, since Gerard wouldn’t be an issue at the upcoming Council meeting.
~/~/~/~/~
Smokey was nearing the end of the trip down the mountain, and while Harte was still breathing, there were no other encouraging signs that his body was strong enough to shift. Cursing himself for the thousandth time for failing to reach Kevin’s parents in time to prevent the shooting, he was startled out of his misery when Elen touched his shoulder gently.
“It’s not your fault, Gabriel,” Elen murmured. “You didn’t know those men were near, so stop blaming yourself. Harte will make it…I know he will because he promised me and he always…”
“Keeps his promise,” Smokey smiled.
“You remember.”
“Of course I do…who do you think I learned it from?” asked Smokey.
“He was so proud when you decided to spend your life fighting the bad dudes as he always calls them,” Elen said, chuckling.
“I remember the going away party he threw for me. His ‘elixir of life’ nearly had me reporting drunk. Shit, that stuff was strong.”
“He’s improved it since then. According to Kevin, it will now grow hair on a man’s chest.”
“That so?” Smokey grinned. “Remind me to get some cuz I’d like to introduce Snow White and Ghost to its benefits.”
There hadn’t been a lot to smile about since her son disappeared, but trust Smokey to give her a reason to. Lightly slapping Smokey’s shoulder, Elen’s lips curved upwards before responding. “And here I thought those boys were important to you.”
“They are,” Smokey murmured, gently laying Harte down on the grassy bank of the river. Then glancing over at Elen, he continued, “That’s why I’m gonna get them so stinkin’ drunk they can forget all their troubles for one night.” After checking his patient, he looked up to the cloudless blue sky, searching for Hawkeye. Spotting him, he waved before turning back to Elen. “Stay with Harte…I’ll be right back.”
“Is everything all right?” Elen asked quickly, anxiety in her voice betraying her outwardly calm demeanor.
Laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Smokey replied, “Yeah…just need an update from my eyes in the sky.”
Acknowledging Smokey with a nod, Elen sank to her knees next to her mate before placing her hand over his heart. As long as she could feel it beating, the fear she felt before Smokey arrived was kept at bay and she was able to keep herself together, however tenuous that bond might be.
Once Smokey was satisfied the men with him would be properly guarding Harte and Elen, he made his way over to the small clearing he’d passed five minutes earlier. It was a matter of seconds before Hawkeye landed and shifted. Not wanting to waste any time, Smokey asked, “Who’s following us?”
“Six humans…dressed in body armor and carrying assault rifles.”
“What about Ivan and his men? Is anyone after them?”
“Nope, they made it down without any problem other than the fall I told you about.”
“So, they’re…”
“Safe…yes sir, Ghost has them.”
“Somethin’ ain’t right,” Smokey muttered. It was obvious Ghost’s guess about the men’s trackers being more than just location beacons was correct since the armed men had ignored the decoy and, instead, continued their mission to capture Kevin’s parents. “How much time do I have before they’re in range?”
“As of now, an hour…maybe a little more. They’re moving fast.”
“Shit!” Given the condition Harte was in, there wasn’t enough time for him to recover so he could shift. The only choice was to get Kevin’s parents away from the mountain, but he would be cutting it close. “Go ahead and keep following them while I take everyone to the van.”
