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Hypnotic Ch. 01

By: Cia81



 Author Note: This story is the third in the Carthera series. You'll see old faces, meet some new ones and find answers to some of the questions the other stories haven't answered. I hope you enjoy Hypnotic! 

*

'Damn it!' I should have known better. It started with just a small warning ring. I wasn't drinking since I was the designated driver but the music was pounding so hard I wasn't paying much attention to anyone talking to me. Not until I noticed the lights begin to flash on the dance floor. My eyes watered and I groaned as I pressed the palm of my hand to my right eye. It couldn't have been more than a minute of the light show before it triggered. The guy who was trying to chat me up on my left stopped talking.

"Are you okay?" he shouted in my ear.

That was all it took for the pain to hit in full force.

I flinched and weakly shoved him away from me. I was panting as the stab settled into a steady throbbing. Damn it! This was going to be a bad one. I sat there with my eyes closed, my palm still covering the area that was spelling doom for my first night out in months. I fumbled at my pocket with my free hand and came up empty. 'Double damn!' I knew, I just knew that going to the club was a bad idea! I was such a sucker but Matthew had all but begged me to come with him so he could drink and dance. Even worse, my pills weren't in my pocket even though I remembered putting them there before we left the apartment.

I was going to have to do find him somehow; Matthew had downed a few shots and promptly abandoned me to this letch to shake his butt on the dance floor. I was going to need him to get me home somehow and fast. I cracked opened my eyes and carefully turned my whole body on my stool. With my right eye blind and halos around the lights it was impossible to see Matthew in the sea of gyrating bodies that filled the club.

I was horrified of the thought of going out there. The speakers blaring music ringed the dance floor and the smell of hot and sweaty people was likely to turn my stomach. The pain ramped up a notch and as my stomach roiled my eyes squeezed shut again. Definitely getting worse and I hadn't even stood up yet. I held onto the bar with one hand and took shallow breaths.

The letch leaned down toward me again and I caught a whiff of scotch barely covering the odor of onion on his breath. My stomach rebelled and I stiff armed him without even looking at him.

"What the hell is your problem?" he huffed.

I just pushed him a bit farther away, desperately trying to keep from puking right there. Everything was getting worse; the smells, the sounds. I had to get out of the club before I passed out, preferably after taking my meds. The pressure against my hand disappeared and I heard the obnoxious man move away, muttering about stuck up assholes under his breath.

I ignored it, he wasn't my type anyway. I couldn't ignore the way the pain was ramping up so quickly. I didn't want to head out on the dance floor where the music was bound to be louder and the laser lights were flashing over a happy crowd of sweaty bodies but I had to find Matthew. He was a lightweight and those shots he took before going on the dance floor probably had him feeling pretty good already. Besides, I doubted he had enough cash on him for a taxi ride home if I left, he always brought just enough cash to get comfortably hammered but not so much that he'd become a stumbling drunk.

Forcing my eyes open, I slid off my bar stool only to stumble as I was caught in a wave of dizziness. Keeping my balance with one of my eyes completely blind was impossible and I couldn't see anything on that side. Unable to catch myself, I stumbled into a solid body that protested vehemently at my clumsiness.

"Hey asshole, what is your problem?" the large man snarled as he looked down at the wet stain from his spilled drink on his red shirt. Shit, it looked like silk. I tried to step away and knocked over my stool as I apologized profusely.

Groaning, I stopped moving, standing hunched over and shaking as the agony of the pain spiking in my head consumed me. I could hear some yelling going on but I couldn't focus on it. Suddenly I felt a large hand close around my arm and haul me up straight, snapping my head back. The sudden movement sent a white hot bolt of agony through me; I was unable to stop the rebellion of my stomach. I puked all over the shoes of the person holding my arm in an iron grip.

"Son of a bitch! These are Italian!" the man exclaimed in disgust. He yelled at the bartender, "Why in the hell did you keep serving this guy Brad? He should have been cut off a long time ago!"

The bartender raised his hands in protest. "I didn't serve him anything, boss. He's been drinking straight soda or water all night. He was fine a few minutes ago. Maybe someone spiked him."

The man's grip loosened a bit but didn't let go as I recovered a little and tried to pull away. I was too weak and in too much pain to put up more than a token resistance. I stood there shivering, praying Matthew would see the scene I was making and come over. I knew there was no way I was even making it out of the bar by myself in my condition now.

"Are you okay? Do you know what's wrong with you?" the man asked me, bending down a little to peer at my eyes. I barely had them open but I was gazing over his shoulder, still looking for Matthew. Besides, the fireworks going off in my brain from the pain of vomiting weren't any better than enduring the flashing lights over the club's dance floor.

"No. I mean... yes. I know. Wasn't drugged," I managed to squeeze out. It was a struggle to think or speak clearly.

The man looked skeptical. "Your speech is slurred," he pointed out to me, "and you can't even stand up by yourself up right now."

He was right. I had sagged against his side and was shaking hard enough that if he was to let go I would probably fall right on the sticky floor right there. I knew better than to shake my head though.

"Migraine."

The guy's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "You have a headache?"

I closed my eyes; the halo was getting worse though it did interesting things to his face. "Uh huh."

"A headache, that's it? Are you sure?" His voice was too loud and I groaned.

"Need to go. Need Matthew," I slurred.

His body stiffened. "Is that your boyfriend? Where is he?"

I was beyond explaining at that moment but thankfully I heard a happy voice calling my name. I cracked my eyes open as Matthew came toward us. His eyes widened as he caught sight of my face and he rushed to me.

"Hey baby, what's the matter?"

"Migraine," I managed to get out, moaning as a rumbling bass beat from the speakers drew a large yell from the crowd.

"Oh shit!" Matthew began patting me down.

"No meds."

"Where the hell are they?"

He was still checking my pockets like he thought I was lying. Was it just me or was he swaying a little? His face was highlighted by a bright blue halo from the lights behind the bar and it made him look like a smurf. I giggled, and then shrugged one shoulder without thinking. The movement jostled my head and the world went black.

***

I had no idea where I was or how long I had been out when I woke up. I twitched when I felt a cold cloth being placed on my forehead and over my eyes. The too loud music and noise from the ground was gone. I was someplace quiet but I could hear men's voices whispering.

"Take the boyfriend and go search his car. See if you can find his meds."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Matthew protested quietly. Ahh, the guy talking must be cute for Matthew to make sure he knew he was single. I wanted to giggle but I was too lethargic.

"Just go with Benny and try to find something to help your 'not-boyfriend' then."

I wanted to smile at the sarcastic tone. I could just imagine the big eyes and slightly open lush lips routine Matthew was hitting this guy with as he made sure his single status was know. Odd, apparently the man either didn't care or wasn't buying it. Matthew had that twink body and blond hair thing going for him, most guys noticed.

I heard a door gently shutting and then hands were removing the cloth on my face and turning it so a fresh cold side was settled over my forehead. The blessed darkness and the lack of throbbing bass filled music was easing the worst of the migraine but I knew better than to move, even to bring a hand up to that welcome coolness.

"Where am I?" I whispered. I was still in blinding pain but I needed to know where I was. I really wanted my room with my soft pillows and my dark curtains sure to block out the light.

"You're at my place. Don't worry, no one else is here."

The smooth voice sounded familiar but it was too hard to think. "Who are you?" I asked. Talking hurt, thinking hurt. I whimpered.

"My name is Davis Retic. You can call me Dav." The washcloth lifted from my head but I resisted the temptation open my eyes to catch a glimpse of the man helping me. It was usually hours before my vision came back in my right eye and it was disturbing to lose half my sight when I had one of these migraines. I heard water running and then the washcloth was gently placed back over my forehead and eyes.

I moaned as the pain spiked again. The cold felt good against the fire in my head. I really wished I had my pills; nothing else worked. Once Matthew found them I would be able to sink into oblivion and when I woke up the pain would have faded. Without them I wasn't sure what would happen. The last migraine I had slept off had lasted seven hours. Seven hours of this awake would be sheer torture I wasn't sure I could stand.

I heard small rustling noises like pants swishing as someone walked around. The noise of knocking at the door made me wince which sent another stab of agony lancing through me. Oblivious to the conversation taking place I panted as I tried to ride the wave of pain and not throw up. The very thought of the pain that would explode in my head if I dared to get sick was enough to make me swallow repeatedly until it was under control.

The door clicked shut. "Sorry about that. My bouncer said they couldn't find your pills. Your friend volunteered to get more from your home and bring them back. He had a little bit too much to drink so I sent him with Benny in your car. They shouldn't be gone too long."

I whimpered. This was not good. "No more pills there. The pharmacy was closed. All I had left were the back up." I began to breathe faster and shake at the thought of not having my pills. I wouldn't be able to sleep with this amount of pain; I was going to have to go to the hospital. I hated going to the hospital, plus it would take forever to get through the emergency room on a Saturday night. I tried to take the washcloth off my face and roll over so I could sit up.

Strong hands and arms wrapped around me as the lightning exploded behind my eyes. I sagged into them as I retched helplessly again and again as tears ran down my cheeks. I fisted one hand in the silky shirt and held on as the pain filled me until I blacked out.

***

The second time I woke up I was still lying down again but I was somewhere new. There was a musky scent around me, strong but not overpowering. It should have made my migraine worse, most smells were much stronger when one hit and made me sick to my stomach, but it didn't. Once again, I had a cold cloth over my forehead but the second thing I noticed was the warm body around me and the fingers gently moving over my forehead and down into my hair.

"Where--" I winced as I spoke, my throat and stomach sore from my body's earlier attempt to vomit repeatedly.

"Shhh," the voice said, "you're still with me." Dav's hands never paused in their slow massage. "Try to relax. I'm told this will help since you clearly can't be moving around until your headache goes away."

"I don't want to trouble--"

He interrupted me again, "You could never be trouble. Just relax. Your friend is safely home and you are here with me. I'm not going anywhere so you don't need to worry about anything. We're in my bedroom and no one will disturb us."

"Lights."

"No lights either. I have very thick curtains. It's darker than a moonless night in here." Dav's hands kept up the slow massage and he began humming.

I was still groggy; the pain making everything seemed surreal. I was safe from anything that would make my headache worse. His scent covered any other smells that might make me nauseous, his voice blocked out any noise outside the room and he must have the same need to have a dark room when napping that I did. I let my eyes open in thin slits; there was no light in the room even though it must be close to dawn. It was strange how safe I felt in a stranger's arms but I was still in too much pain to dwell on it.

I carefully stretched one hand out, feeling the same silky soft shirt under my questing fingers. Wrapping them up in the edge, I sighed and felt my mind go blank. The tension in my face and shoulders eased as he let out a sibilant hum as he massaged my forehead, temples, and scalp in gentle swipes with his fingertips.

I can't say how long we lay there before I fell asleep but I do remember the feeling of the pain gradually fading away. Dav never once stopped up the slow stroking or quiet hum. I think I sensed him there as I slept, as if somehow his presence keeping the pain from coming back. I had never had a one night stand or slept in a stranger's bed before so it should have felt awkward but it didn't. I couldn't explain it, the feeling of rightness when I woke up and he was still beside me.

We had shifted in the night, turning until we were facing each other on our sides, sharing a pillow. One of his hands was wrapped around the back of my neck and I could feel each puff of his breath on my lips as he exhaled. I moved and he shifted as well, yawning. When I stiffened in surprise his fingers began massaging my neck even before his eyes snapped open and he studied my face. His lips widened as he smiled at me; I continued to stare at him silently until his smile faded.

Studying my face, he spoke quietly, "Are you feeling better?"

It was the same voice I remembered from the night before. Though its smooth tenor had underpinned all of my dreams; the reality was even better. I had to suppress a shiver at the thought of how that voice might sound making other noises. But... he was a Snake. I had seen his fangs when he yawned and the sight of the long white teeth had me frozen. The way he was watching me... I felt like prey.

Then his eyes changed. He looked sad and went to move away from me. I didn't even think about it; I just reached out and touched his cheek gently. His eyes met mine.

"Yes, I feel much better."

The vision had come back in my right eye and while my head was sore it was the difference between an ice pick digging into my skull and a tight ache behind my eyes. All because this man had taken care of me. So what if he was a Carthera, and a Snake at that? 

"It's not noon yet, are you hungry? I could order some breakfast." Dav smiled when my stomach growled. "Sounds like you're ready to eat something. I skipped dinner last night; I could swallow a whole ham I think."

I stared at him in shock, wondering if he could do that. Carthera had traits from their animal kinds; I had seen his fangs. Unhinging his jaw would just be freaky though it might help when... I felt my face grow hot as I blushed. Gods, I was becoming Matthew.

Dav laughed quietly. "You should see your face, Ellis," he said, his voice hissing a little.. "I can't eat a whole ham in a bite."

I turned my face into the pillow, hiding my face in embarrassment. His hand stroked my hair. I know people say whatever I think shows on my face but for him to have seen me thinking about sex with him? Maybe he didn't understand what the blush meant. If there was a god watching out for me, he wouldn't have figured out what I was thinking.

"Wait, how did you know my name? I didn't tell you." My head shot up. "Can you read my mind?"

Dav burst out laughing again. "Really? You think that's something a real person can do?"

"Oh god. I'm not usually this stupid." I groaned and buried my face back in the pillow.

"It's okay, you are probably still a bit fuzzy from yesterday, I won't hold it against you. Matthew told me last night."

I sighed; I did still feel a bit out of it. It was taking longer and longer to recover from my headaches. I needed to call Dr. Bakier again. I really didn't want to though. 

"So, does a full breakfast work for you? Juice, coffee, tea?"

I peeked at him with one eye to see if he was still smirking at me. "I don't like to eat too much in the mornings. Could I just have a muffin and orange juice?"

He smiled. "Sure, what kind?"

"Poppy seed."

Dav got up and went into the living room. I heard him on the phone as I sat up carefully. I was still a bit dizzy but the sugar in the food would help. My hands shook as I pushed back the light blankets. I gasped when I looked down and realized I didn't have any pants on. Dav rushed back into the room.

"What's wrong? Is your headache coming back?" His hands were on my shoulders and he pushed me back gently. "Lie back down."

He still had clothes on. Black lounge pants and a white tank top to be exact, so he'd changed sometime in the night. I shook my head slowly. "Where are my pants?" I asked faintly.

"Oh." Dav reached over and snagged my jeans off a chair where they had been neatly folded. "You kept mumbling about how uncomfortable you were and tugging on them. I figured you'd sleep better with them off. You should lie back down though, you're really pale."

He looked straight into my eyes and I was mesmerized by the yellow of his eyes and the slit pupil. He had snake eyes and when he looked at me like that I couldn't help but freeze. Maybe it was instinctual.

"Sorry," he said as he looked away. "I know it makes people uncomfortable when they see my eyes."

"No, I like them," I said, wanting to reassure him. "I think they're... fascinating."

His mouth dropped open in shock and I could see his fangs. Slender white points extended beyond his other teeth."Don't those hurt? How do you close your mouth?"

"They fold up, like a regular snake." He studied me, a quizzical look on his face. "Really, I doesn't freak you out?" The words held a hope in them that I didn't quite understand.

I shook my head. Sure, it had been a shock when I woke up and realized he was a Carthera and a Snake. They had really bad reputations since they were unlike the other clans in almost every way. They were also loners. The only species that didn't band into clans, I had only heard about them living outside clan lands. Dav seemed to be unique even among his unique kind.

"I've always had a thing for snakes. I think they're amazing creatures but they have a really bad reputation. I think that is part of why your kind is shunned by other Carthera and humans alike. It's only logical to fear a creature that has the power to kill you, I guess."

As soon as those words popped out of my mouth his eyes went cold. I clapped a hand over my mouth and wished I could take them back. I didn't mean it like that, not at all. I could understand how others could fear him; though I wasn't afraid, I was angry with myself for what I said, without meaning to. His lean face and high cheekbones somehow matched the icy chill in his eyes. I swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry. Really, really, sorry. You've been nothing but kind to me and I insulted you. I didn't mean to, I swear," I was whispering, unable to look away.

The anger in his voice was almost palpable. "We are not responsible for the perceptions of small minded and fearful people. A lion could kill you just as fast as a snake, there are fish as brightly colored and even more poisonous than the deadliest of venomous snakes and yet they are what people choose to fear. Then, because I have some of the same traits as my clan animal I am labeled as dangerous, deadly, someone to shun or drive away."


Hypnotic Ch. 01



My nausea was back; my stomach sent roiling by my anger at whoever had caused the pain that now out shone the anger in Dav's eyes. There was more beyond this than my careless words. I wanted to reach for him but he stepped back when I tried.

"No, don't touch me. I wouldn't want to scare you or let you sully your pure human hands touching something as horrible as one of my kind."

"I'm not like that!" I insisted. I stood up from the bed, reaching for him again. Unfortunately, I had misjudged my recovery and the dizziness left over from my migraine made me stumble. My outstretched arms flailed as I began to fall.

My arms were caught and I was pulled into that warm chest, the same one I had been held against as Dav comforted me all night. My face was against the bare skin of his shoulder and I could smell the dry, musky scent of his skin. I realized where I had smelled it before; in the reptile house at the zoo.

"Be careful Ellis! You're still not well," Dav said sharply. "I told you to lie back down." His angry tone was at odds with the careful way he sat me back down and then pushed until I lay back on the pillows. I reached up and captured one of his wrists when he tried to pull away.

"Don't go. I'm really not like those people I mentioned."

I reached up with my other hand and traced a single finger along the line of his jaw. Staring into his exotic eyes, my voice was husky as I spoke, "I don't mind your eyes or your fangs. I'm not afraid that you'll bite me or hurt me. You had your chance; if you were going to you would have last night." I let him go, too dizzy and weak to hold on for so long. I had to make sure he didn't think I thought he was a freak or anything.

Even if I wasn't so sure why I felt such an overpowering need to reassure him.

"I'm strongly... attracted to you. More than I have been to anyone before," I admitted. I just knew I was blushing. The thought of his fangs was actually a turn on for me, but I sure wasn't going to share that right off. I had to make him believe me that, while I didn't understand it, the feelings were there.

Dav's eyes widened.

"Oh shit!"

That was not the reaction I hoped for. "What's wrong?"

His eyes were round, the slits in his eyes narrowed to a tiny black line. He jerked a hand between us, the movement oddly fluid. "This... this thing between us. It has to be--"

A knock at the door interrupted him. I was desperate for him to finish what he was going to say but he just shook his head, his mouth folding into a thin line. He exhaled noisily.

"Give me a minute please."

I watched as he walked out of the room. It was as if every joint in his body was oiled; when he moved it was like he glided. His lounge pants were loose but his tank top molded to his body. I could see the muscles in his back and shoulders flexing as he moved. He wasn't bulky but had lean, corded muscle. I wasn't fooled, I knew how strong Carthera were.

I wasn't sure about Snakes though. I could hear their voices murmuring at door, Dav and whoever he had called for breakfast. There was a moment of raised voices and then the sound of the door shutting. The smell of bacon filled the air as Dav came back into the bedroom carrying a large tray.

"How does," he produced the bag with a flourish, "Temptations Bakery sound? I've been told their food is amazing. You can even eat in bed."

My stomach rumbled. "Sounds good." I shifted so that I was sitting up more against the pillows. Dav set my cup of juice down on the bedside table and then went around to the other side of the bed and set down his coffee. He crawled onto the bed and put the bag between us before he grabbed his coffee with a sigh of pleasure.

"Well, go ahead," he said, "eat."

I opened the bag as he sipped his coffee. There was a bagel, a danish of some sort and my muffin. I pulled it out and offered Dav the bag.

"Want one?"

He shook his head and swallowed, lowering his cup, holding up his own bag that had the bacon smell. "No, I don't eat as often as humans and I don't like a lot of carbs. I thought you might like something more than a muffin so I ordered a few things. This will be enough; I'm not so hungry that I can't wait for dinner since you didn't want to have a full breakfast." He cocked his head to one side, looking at me. "You seem to know a lot about my kind, more than most humans."

I waited for an actual question but apparently one wasn't going to be coming. I shrugged. "I guess I do."

I peeled the paper from one side of my muffin silently, taking a bite. It was moist and soft but there was a slight crunch from the almonds and the poppy seeds. I savored the bite.

"Mmm," I chewed slowly and then swallowed. "This has to be the best muffin I've ever tasted. I love Temptations." I took another bite, leaning my head back on the pillow to enjoy it. I didn't miss the heated look Dav shot me. 

"You're not going to tell me?"

I glanced over at Dav. "Tell you what?"

He sighed and ran a hand over his short dark hair. "I know you know what I mean."

I just grinned at him.

He shook his head. "I'd love to hear why you know so much about my kind. Tell me?"

"A lot of humans know about Carthera. Most of our generation has grown up with your kind, gone to school with them, work..." I trailed off with a small smile. Maybe he'd buy that.

Dav put down his cup and turned to face me. He folded his legs in some sort of contorted position that looked painful as he stared at me steadily. "You're avoiding my question. You know things that are real." He stressed the last word, drawing it out.

I raised my eyebrow at him, nibbling at the edge of my muffin. I met his stare, enjoying teasing him until he looked away.

"There!" he said, "stuff like that. There are so many bad rumors that swirl around Snake Carthera that even others of our own kind don't trust us. We are so 'vicious' that most won't even look me in the eye."

"Velaku trusts you," I pointed out. "He's the leader of all the clans, so obviously not everyone feels that way."

His mouth dropped open. "Wait. You know... Velaku?"

I nodded. "I do. I helped treat his mate, Natham, last year at the hospital. I think the big guy freaked out most of the nurses so I volunteered to work with him. I just knew he wouldn't hurt me. I put in a lot of hours over those days. I met Dr. Pannar then. He was so impressed with my comfort level with you guys that he offered me a job." I shrugged. "I've worked with a lot of different Carthera since then and I have access to all of the medical files with your species information."

"Our kind let a human treat them?"

I held out one hand, flipping it a little back and forth. "Sometimes. Sometimes they kick up a fuss but it's better to have me there for when Dr. Pannar needs help in the clinic than to have to go to a human hospital. I've only been hurt a few times."

That got a reaction. I felt my eyes widen as Dav's face darkened.

"They hurt you?" he hissed.

His hands balled up into fists.

I balanced my muffin on my leg and placed a hand over each of his. I could feel the tension running through his body. I just barely curled my fingers over his hands as I stared in his eyes, holding them lightly and breathing in and out to a count of five until he unconsciously began breathing with me. His fists loosened and he blinked slowly.

"What did you just do?" he asked.

"I noticed that some kinds of Carthera can almost sense mood through touch. Maybe you have more nerves in the skin or your other senses help once you focus, I don't know. Plus breathing like that helps calm everyone. It's something I've been doing to help calm down my patients, when they let me."

I let him go a little reluctantly, and then picked my muffin back up. "I know a bit about Snake Carthera, but mostly medical or physical information. I asked Dr. Pannar about your kind, it made me curious that his files were so lacking in information. I've always wanted to know more."

I had answered his question. Now I figured it was time for him to answer mine. I picked up my muffin and peeled back a bit more of the paper, taking a big bite. Washing it down with some juice I waited. When Dav just smirked at me, I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, are you going to tell me more about yourself or not?"

Dav picked his coffee back up and took a drink. I was pretty sure he was just trying to drive me crazy but I could have told him he didn't have to do anything for that. My skin still tingled on my palms. I wondered about the sentence that had been interrupted earlier when our food arrived. I knew about Carthera mates, how they had one destined for them, somehow, and it only took a touch to know that person. Sometimes Carthera even mated with humans. Snakes though... they seemed to defy most of the main characteristics the other clans shared. I couldn't be sure it wasn't just the fact that I found him to be sexy as hell based on my own personal fantasies and not something more.

"Well, my name is Davis Retic, you know that." He smirked.

"I'm thirty three; I think I was born sometime in late summer. Uhh... I'm a shade over six foot; I weigh a hundred and seventy five pounds. I own the club downstairs where you puked and ruined my favorite pair of Italian shoes last night."

I blushed when he said that and tried to apologize but he just kept talking over me.

"I don't like sweets or carbs much but I love meat and vegetables. My favorite dinner is roasted chicken breast with steamed asparagus. Coffee, of course," he lifted his cup, "but black, none of those froofy six dollar overpriced things. I don't drink alcohol at all, my favorite book is Dune, and I don't have much time for TV but I do like a good comedy or science fiction movie sometimes."

He paused, took a sip of his coffee and raised one eyebrow as he looked at me. "I do like hot, sweaty sex with men and women but mostly men. Do you want to know my favorite positions in bed too or would that too much information?"

I burst out laughing. It took forever to catch my breath and the room spun a little. I slumped back against the pillows. "Well, that wasn't what I was expecting you to tell me but I bet I know more about your likes and dislikes than anyone else now. I don't see you as the type to have many close friends."

"Is that what you want to be? Friends?"

I shrugged a little with one shoulder. "That would be nice." I looked up and bit my lip. His eyes were focused on where my teeth worried at my lower lip, making it bleed a little. He looked hungry but maybe it was just the smell of the blood. I remembered the soft feel of the skin on his face and my fingers tingled with the urge to touch him again. I wanted more than my hands on him. I really wanted to nibble my way from his lips along that angular jaw line to his neck. I wanted him to feel what I felt.

"What if I don't want a friend? What if I'm happy with the ones I have?"

My heart sank. I closed my eyes, the cup of juice in my hand shaking a bit. I couldn't let him know how much those words hurt. I had some pride. I raised the glass to my mouth and drained the cup, tipping my head to get the last bit. A little dribbled out of the corner of my mouth and I licked at it.

Dav leaned forward and I froze. Just inches from me he whispered, "What if what I want is a mate?"

"Uh..." Think, think!

"What if I think you're my mate, Ellis?" The hiss of my name from his lips sent a shudder down my spine.

"Uh..." Oh my god, I'm an idiot. I struggled to say something, do something. "You... You think..."

"I'm pretty sure," he said. His tongue shot out and licked my lip. "You missed a drop. Hmm... you taste good."

My breath caught. I stared at his mouth, his fangs peeking out.

"I ache to touch you. I want to bite you until your whole body goes limp and you cling to me as I take you," he said seductively.

My breath shot out of me in a groan. Too much of his venom could kill since it was a paralytic. A small amount would only make my body his for the taking. Rumor said it could stop the gag reflex too. The thought of being under him, helpless, trusting him not to hurt me as every nerve in my body lit up from the venom made me shudder and close my eyes. I waited for him to close those last inches and take my lips.

"Shit, I've scared you now." He sounded upset.

My eyes shot open. He was moving away and the desolate expression on his face was more than I could bear. My hands shot up and out and I grabbed his face, stopping him.

"I'm not scared Dav," I breathed, barely above a whisper, "I'm wondering when you're going to kiss me."

His pupils dilated, the slit widening as his nostrils flared. He leaned forward, watching my reaction closely.

My lips parted.

We met and it was like everything else faded. My world shrank down to the soft lips and mobile tongue that licked and sucked at my mouth. I opened wider, moaning as his long tongue stroked into my mouth, probing every inch until all I could taste was him. His fingers stroked my face as he pulled his tongue back into his mouth, curling around mine and drawing it out. I took my time caressing him back, stroking his fangs and scraping my tongue against the tips.

He groaned and I felt him pushing me back against the pillows. His chest lay against mine and I was sure he could feel the way my heart pounded, threatening to burst out of my chest. Nothing had ever felt as good as the way he touched me. It was better than anything else I'd ever done and all we had done so far was kiss.

His mouth left mine and I panted as he kissed my chin and down my neck. One hand stroked down my chest and stomach to lift the edge of my shirt. His fangs scraped my collarbone just as his hand reached my nipple. I whimpered and arched into his touch as my head fell back.

His head came up. "Like that, baby?" He pinched the sensitive tip and licked my ear, nibbling on the sensitive lobe.

I whimpered as he probed the inside of my ear with his hot tongue, shuddering as pleasure shot down my spine.

He pulled back as his hand slid out of my shirt. His lips ghosted over mine and I strained to reach him but his body held mine down.

"Please," I whimpered.

"Tell me." His tongue traced and licked at my lips.

"I like it when you scrape me with your fangs," I opened my eyes and pushed up, rubbing my chest against him "I like it a lot." I panted, my eyes caught in his as I begged him, "Touch me, please."

His smile was predatory and I couldn't breathe as his head lowered. The anticipation of what he was going to do had me on the brink of orgasm and we were both still mostly dressed. I felt the scrape of his fangs down my neck and my hands came up and locked into his shirt at his back, holding him close so he couldn't pull away again.

He paused where my neck and shoulder joined, pressing a hot kiss to the sensitive spot. I shook a little as the tension rose. I felt a faint trace of fear but it only made me hotter and hornier. I swallowed convulsively.

"Do it," I said as I turned my head to the side to give him more room. "Bite me."

I felt his mouth open and froze, waiting for the tantalizing pain as those needle sharp teeth pierced my skin. I closed my eyes, needing it. Needing him. I didn't know what to expect, not really, but I was sure about what I felt.

I really didn't expect the pounding on the door that interrupted us just as he was about to strike.



Hypnotic Ch. 02



He hissed. Honest to gods, hissed with his fangs bared as he glanced out the bedroom door toward the living room. Of course, the sight of his fangs made me harder. His head swung around toward the door and then his tongue flicked out and the end separated into two points; that really got my attention.

"What the...?"

His tongue flicked back into this mouth. "It's Benny."

I just stared at him. He looked down at me and frowned. "He knows I'm with you and he wouldn't interrupt without a good reason. I have to see what he needs."

"I... uhm... did your tongue just split on the end?" I ignored his comment about going to check the door, still focused on his mouth. I knew Snakes were different but that was just... wow.

He grinned. "Yeah. You like?" His smile faded as I failed to answer him. Honestly, I thought all the surprises were out of the way. "Baby?"

The hesitation in his voice pulled me out of my thoughts about Dav, his tongue, the rest of his very different body. His eyes searched my face. We both jumped when Benny pounded on the door again.

Dav looked away and backed off me to stand up. I could see how tense his muscles were. How did we go from seconds away from orgasm to this? Looking at him, I realized that I wasn't the only one unsure here. He turned away and his shoulders slumped as he left the bedroom.

"Dav!" I rushed off the bed after him. I caught him by the arm and pulled him to a stop in the living room.

"I need to answer the door," he said quietly, still facing away from me.

"I know." Dav seemed to be a man of action. I decided mine would speak louder than words and tugged him around. Pulling him close, I kissed him. I stroked at his mouth until his lips parted for my insistent tongue. Without hesitation, I twined our tongues together, urging him to kiss me back. I couldn't even feel a seam until he finally let his tongue separate under my prodding.

"Damn it Dav, I can hear you! Answer the door!" Benny's muffled shout came through the door as he pounded on it again.

Dav pulled back, breaking the kiss. I was panting; touching him seemed to take my breath away. The way both sides of his forked tongue had touched and stroked my tongue back had instantly flashed a picture in my mind of where else that would feel good. My length was back to achingly hard from the visual.

"You don't have to worry. Nothing you can show me is going to make me run away," I promised.

Dav swallowed hard and then smiled at me, his eyes shining. "Thank you," he said quietly. He looked at the door, frowning. "Why don't you hop in the shower while I deal with Benny? You can get some sweats out of the dresser and I'll take you home afterward. There are towels in my bathroom."

Home. I held my frown in and kept my face blank as I nodded. "Okay." I walked back into the bedroom to use the massive master bath. The walk in shower alone was big enough to easily hold three men with a little room to spare. I stood under the flow of hot water, the last of the dizziness and fog washing away and leaving my mind numb. My stomach was another story.

I braced a hand on the stone tile walls, the cool surface felt so good I leaned forward and let my face rest against it too. Dav's place, while about the same size, was much nicer than mine. That wasn't what made me feel ill though. What if Dav was going to just drop me off? This was ridiculous. I had just had to reassure him that I wasn't going to run away from him and now I was afraid he was going to do the same thing to me. It felt like we were on an emotional seesaw, up and down, my turn to freak out, his turn to freak out.

"Stupid!" I muttered, "Have some confidence." I grinned at my silliness, giving myself a pep talk while in the shower of a Snake Carthera who, for some unknown reason, thought I was his mate. Carthera were a different breed than humans. It wasn't love at first sight, it had to be some form of biology and pheromones but Dr. Pannar said once they met their mates they never cheated, never 'fell out of love' and changed their minds. When it was right, it was right.

"It's crazy," I muttered. It did explain the way I had been so ready to let him bite me though, beyond the fact that it was just kinky and hot as hell. Whatever this was would take trust on both our parts. I would just have to see what happened at my apartment.

I pushed upright and grabbed the soap, lathering up a washcloth and then scrubbing my body before I rinsed off and got out. I was a good six inches shorter than Dav but he wasn't a bulky man so I wasn't swimming too much in his sweats. They were soft and smelled like him, something that made me smile as I pulled them on. When I walked into the living room Benny was gone and Dav was on the phone.

"I'll see you later. Bye Mario." Dav hung up the phone, putting it in his pocket. "Hey baby, you look like you're feeling better; you're not nearly as pale."

"I do; thanks." I walked into his open arms and he kissed me. This time I was able to enjoy the way his tongue really caressed mine as it split and the two sides caressed either side of my tongue, bringing back the thought for a whole other use for them. "I think I'm going to love your tongue," I murmured against his lips.

"Hmm," Dav hummed as he nipped at my lips, "I'll make sure you do."

His affection reassured that bit of me still nervous about him wanting to take me home. Even if he planned to just drop me off, I didn't think he intended to forget about me. Not if we were mates. Usually I wasn't aggressive with the men I dated but something about Dav made me sure I would fight for him. I didn't believe in love at first sight but maybe this was more than just pheromones.

The bar was mostly quiet. The bouncer I'd seen with Dav the night before I passed out, Benny, was helping a guy behind the bar lug boxes that clinked as they set them down. Dav brought us to a stop when Benny shot him a look. He let go of my hand, sliding his up to squeeze the back of my neck.

"Hold on a minute Ellis, I'll be right back. You can sit here." I watched as they moved off, heads close together as they looked at something Benny pulled out of his pocket.

"Hey man."

I jumped and spun on the stool I had sat down on. The bartender behind me was opening the boxes and putting away bottles of liquor behind the bar.

"Want a drink?" he asked.

"Got some water?"

He nodded. "Sure thing." Grabbing a glass without looking he dug up some ice and then used the sprayer to fill it. Slipping a napkin under the glass that already had condensation forming on the outside of it; he slid my drink across the bar.

"Thanks. It's hot in here." The water was cold enough to make my teeth hurt but I drained half the glass anyway.

"Back door is open for the delivery. Since there isn't much going on in here during the day Dav keeps the a/c off. Plus the apartment is on the same heating system, I don't think he likes it to get too cold, but he is a weird guy." The bartender shrugged. 

"Snakes like it hot."

The guy's blue eyes filled with shock, probably at the casualness of my comment. His hands stilled, each gripping a bottle of vodka, as he studied my face. He wasn't running screaming but did he honestly not know?

"You do know you're working in a bar owned by a Carthera right? I didn't just spill the beans did I?"

He blinked and then put the bottles in the rack automatically, reaching for two more. "No. No, I knew. I just... you surprised me. Everyone's nervous around him, you know? Fear, wariness, or outright prejudice is what I normally see. Even other Carthera give him wide berth, most humans don't realize it but they avoid even touching him."

He looked to see if I understood what he was saying, with one eyebrow raised in a silent question.

"I'm not most humans."

***

The ride to my apartment was quiet. The radio was already on, a classic rock station I was a fan of too. I guided him to my apartment and we were lucky to get parking right in front of the building as Mr. Gundry drove away. I was glad the old man was out; he was a prejudiced bastard who harassed me for being gay. I could only imagine what kind of slurs he'd have for a gay Carthera. Then again... maybe Dav could bite him and get rid of my problem.

"What's that smile for?" Dav asked as he put the car in park. "You look almost... predatory."

"Oh, uh, just wondering how you feel about taking care of a bit of light work for me," I snickered.

"Huh?"

"My neighbor is a bit of an asshole. Just thought maybe if you bit him my life would be a lot easier."

Dav leered at me. "I'd rather bite you." He started to lean in.

"Not in the car!" I squeaked.

He pulled back and I swear, he pouted. I burst out laughing and he was silent for a minute and then joined in. When I finally stopped, I had to wipe tears from my cheeks.

"You're not nearly as scary as everyone says."

"Is that a complaint of some sort?"

I looked at the way his eyes sparkled and the smile on his face, so different from the shuttered look in the bar with his men. It was a look just for me.

"Not at all."

Before he could come at me again, when I could see in his eyes he wouldn't stop this time, I hopped out of the car and waited to see if Dav was going to get out. My heart pounded a little as I waited. When he opened his door I let out a breath of relief.

My little blue four door car was in my spot so Matthew must really have made it home. That eased a stress I didn't even know I was under. He would be knocking on my door later demanding to know everything about Dav.

"I have a ground floor apartment, thankfully. Moving in would have been impossible without one."

The entire walk to my front door Dav paced right behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, every nerve conscious of the tall, hot man behind me, his shadow cast across my body and the door.

"Well, home sweet home," I said as I led him inside. My apartment wasn't anything special but there was one feature that guaranteed I would stay when I first looked at moving to Matthew's building. The ground floor units had a breakfast nook area with big windows. In my apartment, a table didn't fill up the space but a piano did.

It was older and a bit dinged up, but I had rescued it when my brother went into the military. He said it was a calling, something he had to do. My parents threw a fit and said they'd disown him. When they followed through on their threat, I left too. Isiah was my twin, the more adventurous one, the more artistic one, the more... everything one. I think I shocked my parents when I left home, taking my stuff and Isiah's piano. He was already at basic when I overheard them calling someone to take it to the junkyard.

That had been just vindictive of them. We weren't trust fund rich, but my parents had quite a bit of money. They thought that meant we'd do whatever they wanted. The piano was more than just a piece of furniture and Isiah had been playing on it since he was four years old. He loved it. When I confronted my parents, a first for me, they tried to justify turning their backs on him. I knew then that I wanted nothing to do with such cold people. Isiah had always been there for me, and while I didn't understand being able to carry a gun and kill, I did know that if our positions were reversed Isiah wouldn't let me go. He'd stick by me and support me.

I had already been accepted into the nursing program at a local college, most of my prerequisites done through my private school's college fast track program. I'd begun taking classes during my junior year. I'd also tutored after school, putting away a lot of money rich parents threw at me to keep their sons from failing. With that, investment income from a portfolio my grandma left me, and a lot of budgeting, I'd been able to afford an apartment where the piano took up most of the living room and finish school.

Matthew had convinced me to move here after I got the job with Dr. Pannar. I'd just started at the hospital when I met Natham, only two months after graduation. I liked my job, my apartment was decent if not palatial, and I did it all without the help of my parents. I had even just bought a new couch that pulled out because Isiah told me he was getting leave in a month and wanted to come visit. I couldn't wait.

Dav plopped down on the couch and stared up at me. "Coming in?"

I stood leaning against the door, still, lost in my thoughts. I'd watched as Dav had prowled around my small apartment's living room and kitchen but my mind had been elsewhere. He jumped up and walked quickly over to me. Pushing my hair out of my face, he looked in my eyes.

"Is this when you freak out? Having me in your apartment, risking your friends coming over and seeing me here?"

"You mean, Davis Retic, owner of one of the most popular clubs in town and all around hot man? Or Dav, the man who took care of a perfect stranger overnight, one that had puked on his Italian leather shoes, and then ordered him breakfast?"

I smiled but Dav's serious look didn't crack.

"I mean the dangerous Snake Carthera who everyone just knows will rip your throat out at the slightest provocation."

That's it. I was sick of his attitude and belief that I had to afraid or ashamed to be seen with him. I balled up one fist and pulled it back before I punched Dav hard in the chest as hard as I could.

"Ow!" I said, shaking my hand.

Dav's eyes were huge and he grabbed my hand. "Ellis! Did you hurt yourself?" He manipulated my fingers and I grunted at the sharp pain in my knuckles.

I glared at him. "Hell yes. I just hit a stubborn jackass and he didn't even wince. He certainly didn't fly into a rage and kill me, or even hit me back. Oh no, the dangerous, unpredictable animal," I said the word as if it were filthy, "tries to make sure I didn't hurt myself. I am in real danger now."

I yanked my hand away from his gentle hold. "I'm trusting you here. I'm willing to consider we are mates, even though I'm not a Carthera and I'm not sure of the scientific validity of this whole thing. But I'm trying. You're throwing up walls that don't exist; like you're punishing me for something someone else did in your past."

Dav looked down, his hands clenched into fists. I could see how upset he was even if he wasn't saying a word. Maybe he wasn't ready to tell me yet but that didn't mean I was going to let him push me away and assume I would hurt him.

"I'm not that person; I wouldn't hurt you Dav. I think the least you could do is to give me an honest chance to prove that."

I watched as he struggled. Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as all the mated Carthera I'd talked to made it seem. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. 

"You're right," Dav said softly.

Of all the things I expected him to say, that was the last thing I thought I'd hear.

"I don't want to be. I don't like knowing someone hurt you." I reached out and grabbed his hand, tugging him back into the living room and down to sit on the couch.

"Talk to me." I turned sideways, tucking my feet up. I stared at Dav's profile, his eyes hooded as he stared at his hands.

"And say what? What do you want to hear?" Dav asked quietly.

"The truth."

He snorted. "According to who?"

My heart ached at the bitterness in his voice. His whole body screamed angry vulnerability. I looked at the man who just happened to be a Snake Carthera and saw just the man. Just Dav. Somehow I'd make him believe that it was possible and get him to see it too.

"You, Dav. Tell me what you're thinking, why you're feeling this way. I can't understand if you don't tell me."

Dav's head dropped back against the couch and his lip curled. "His name was Peter, he was a human. I thought he liked me but it turns out it was slum with a monster month."

I stayed silent, waiting for him to go on. It was the hardest thing I had ever done but I locked my jaws together so that I wouldn't speak up against his words. A monster. I closed my eyes for a moment, seeking calm. I knew if I interrupted him now he might never tell me.

"It comes down to the fact that I trusted him and the feelings I thought we shared. He wasn't my mate but he said he cared about me. He lied." Dav shut his eyes and shuddered. "All my life I was ostracized, rejected. Humans and other Carthera fear the Snake clan. Yet for some reason they keep saving some of us. I... I wish they had let me die when I was born."

I wasn't able to stop the anguished sound. His head turned suddenly and his eyes met mine; there was such pain in their depths. I reached out and put one finger over his mouth softly but he jerked his face away.

"No, you asked, you wanted to know."

"I did," I said as calmly as I could, " and I'll listen. Just don't say things like that. I know we just met but I know that I need you here, Dav, even if you don't believe me." I reached for his clenched fists but he jerked his hands away.

"Don't touch me," he warned me. "I don't think I can handle that right now."

I held in the sigh wanting to break out as I folded my hands in my lap and just watched him gather his words. The struggle was plain to see. His wide shoulders twitched and I could see the feelings flow over his features. I could practically hear the tension humming through his body. I was amazed he was still sitting under all that pressure. It was all I could do to stay in my seat.

"You know Snakes are different. All you have to do is look at one of us. The only thing we have in common with the other clans is that we have animal traits. We're not really Carthera in my opinion but I don't think the clans even really know that. We're different."

"I'm not sure I really know what you mean." I spoke quietly; he was talking to me now but I didn't want to push him too hard.

"We are born different, we don't fit in. Other Carthera don't change until they mate, they can pass for human. Our eyes, our fangs, and tongue are just the outside signs. We are more in tune with the animal side than most Carthera. We're unable to live in a group of our own kind so Snakes are almost always solitary until they mate. Even then, they abandon their children. My kind is rare because so few of us grow to adulthood. Sometimes a Snake is taken in by a clan but most of my kind are killed as infants by humans or other Carthera or exposure.

"At best, those of us who are allowed to grow up do so isolated." Dav shuddered. "Some are not so lucky. Their lives are such a living hell that they take their own life as soon as they are old enough and strong enough. Even when other Carthera were accepted into society we are reviled or considered freaks. Only the strongest survive on the fringes of society but we're never allowed to forget that we have no god to intercede for us, no one to pray to, no land of our own. We are outcast.

"I've had lovers," he said bitterly, "craving a dangerous fuck who would use me and then kick me from their beds as soon as they were done. I've never shared my bed with a man who wanted me for who I am and not the thrill I represent or the chance to brag to their friends about their time slumming it with an animal."

I growled, unable to stay silent any longer. My anger had been mounting as I heard what he had suffered and for him to let those assholes make him believe that was more than I could take. I'd had some callous partners and awkward one night stands but never anything like what he had gone through.

"You're not an animal. Never say that to me again!"

He bared his fangs at me and hissed, his pupils narrowing. "Yet look at me. I get angry and I hiss at you. I want to wrap my body around you, my hands around your throat and stop your words."

I refused to show fear. Dav would never hurt me and I doubt it was really me he wanted to shut up.

"You won't hurt me. I won't let you scare me off. I care about you, Dav. The you inside."




Hypnotic Ch. 02



"That's what Peter said too, until he finally convinced me to sleep with him. He promised many things, begged me to bite him, but once I did he said I was an animal, that I hurt him and took his choice away. He said I raped him!" he shouted.

He jerked off the couch and paced across my living room. I stared at him, stunned.

"I only did what he asked me to do," he muttered. 

"He wanted to feel the venom, wanted to have the fire in his veins as I took him. He never said no." Dav turned tortured eyes to me. "He never said no." He sank to the ground, his head lowered into his hands as he shuddered and fought the tears I had seen trying to break through his control.

I had to wipe angry tears out of my eyes. My stomach roiled as I listened to him, his voice trailing off in a broken whisper. I struggled to bring my anger under control, to think about what I was going to say and do. I had to do something, Dav hurt and even though I barely knew him, I knew he was not a rapist. A rapist wouldn't have taken care of me with such tenderness when I was sick with my migraine. A rapist would have used the situation to his advantage. Dav had held me and massaged my head, that was not the act of a vicious predator.

I slid off the couch and knelt in front of him. "I know you didn't rape him, Dav, you couldn't. I don't believe that you get off on that."

Dav's head shot up. "But it is! I wanted that. I wanted him helpless beneath me as I took him."

"He said he wanted that too, didn't he? You didn't just take him without him agreeing to be with you, did you?"

Dav shook his head. "It was still wrong."

"Tell me how is it wrong? Don't let him taint this. When two adults are together in a way they both want, in a way that makes them happy, it's not wrong, it's right. Don't let someone else make you feel bad for the things you want." I took a deep breath. "It's what I want," I told him.

He made a sound of denial in his throat.

"Yes it is. We were so close earlier. I was so ready for you to bite me, to make me your mate as you took me."

Dav was shaking his head, his hands digging into his knees. I pried them off his legs and they clenched so tight around my hands that I had to hide a wince. He wasn't pulling away and I wasn't going to give him a reason to.

"Don't judge me based on the men in your past. I don't deserve that. I know it's hard to trust me; I know that other men have hurt you. All I want to do is show you that you don't have to fear that with me. You're going to have trust me, give me a chance."

"I'm scared. I never thought I'd admit that to anyone, but you scare the shit out of me," Dav said.

"I'm a little afraid too."

"Of me?"

I shook my head and smiled at him. "I'm not afraid of you. Afraid of how fast this is happening? A little but it feels right. I want this and I want you. I hate the men who made you doubt yourself and put the fear in your mind about the type of man you are but we can make them better. Together."

"How?"

I squeezed his hands. "You trust me, trust yourself. Do what your instincts say you should. Has anyone ever been wrong about their mates before?"

Dav shook his head.

"Has anyone ever rejected their mate before?"

"Not that I know of," he whispered.

"Then what are you waiting for?" I asked softly.

"What if I hurt you?"

I shook my head. "Not possible."

"There are things you need to know. Things about me you might not be able to live with."

I pulled away. There was still one small part of my mind shouting at me, worried about how quickly I made up my mind and decided that Davis Retic was the one for me but mostly I was just overwhelmed by the intense emotions he had brought to my life in just the last twenty four hours. Normally I'd be worried that I was going to have a rebound migraine from the stress of everything but I didn't care. Dav would take care of me but first I had to take care of him. Words wouldn't work so I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I grabbed the bottom of the t-shirt I borrowed and pulled it up and over my head. I let it fall to the floor. When Dav didn't move I stood up, my fingers pushing inside the top of the sweats over my hips.

Dav's mouth dropped open, flashing his fangs. Shit, that was hot.

"What are you doing?"

"Making love to my mate. Once I get him naked that is. I figured I'd give him a little incentive."

I wiggled my hips as I pushed down my pants and stepped out of them. I wasn't fully erect but I felt a surge as I watched his breath go ragged, his eyes wide as he stared at me.

"There is a very comfy bed right through that door," I pointed at my bedroom, "or you can take me right here." I slid a hand down my stomach and caressed my filling flesh. "But if you don't get undressed soon I don't know that your clothes will survive."

His eyes dilated and his tongue flicked out, tasting the air. I wondered if he could actually taste my arousal, if he could smell it.

I slid my other hand up to my nipples and flicked one with a nail, groaning. His eyes flashed and suddenly he was standing, his body only inches from mine.

"Strip me," he suddenly ordered.

I moaned. There he was. There was my confident man back. I would always be there when he needed to let his vulnerable side show but nothing got me hotter than a dominant man who knew what he was doing. Dav might not realize it yet but he was taking the first steps toward trusting me. I wouldn't let him down.

My hands reached feverishly for his shirt, tugging at the fabric until it tore slightly.

"Careful. Slower. Make it sensual. Touch me."

I struggled with my breathing as his words cranked the heat I was feeling up higher. I gave him what he wanted; I let my gaze travel up his chest until we made eye contact as I slowly undid his pants. I sank to my knees as I pushed them down until I was on the floor just in front of him. He kicked them away and then spread his feet apart.

I licked my lips as I stared at his erection. His hands came up to cradle my head and he brought me closer. He nudged my lips with the head.

"Take me in. Let me feel you around me."

I swiped my tongue all over the head of his cock and then engulfed him. I wrapped my lips around him as I slid down his shaft. I bobbed a few times, his hands stroking my head as he let me go only as far as I was comfortable. I hummed around him.

He groaned. "Mmm... good, baby."

I flushed with pleasure and tried to take more in to make him groan again. I wasn't very experienced so I went too far and gagged.

"Enough." He pulled me to my feet and kissed my swollen lips. "I want to see this comfy bed."

I felt my excitement beginning to build and my erection jerked. I was so hard I ached when he shoved me down on the bed. He crawled on top of me, caging me in under him with his arms and legs. He leaned down and ran his tongue over my nipples. They stiffened and my head kicked back against the pillow. His tongue slid up my neck, leaving a hot wet trail behind as he latched onto my ear and sucked.

I cried out, my hips jerking when he nibbled on the lobe. "Please."

I grabbed the tube of lube I kept under the pillow and handed it to him. "Hurry. I want you."

He coated his erection and then used two slick fingers to thrust inside me. I hissed at the burn, then moaned as he pulled back, twisting and spreading his fingers. My hips jerked.

"Now."

"Bossy little man, aren't you?" he said, his eyes darkening as he thrust his fingers inside me.

"Yes. Need you now." One leg lifted to wrap around his hips. I pulled his head down and captured his lips in a searing kiss.

"You won't hurt me. I want you to bite me. I want to bite you. I want you to take me as your mate." I had no doubts now, felt only the need to make him mine as he made me his. I started to turn my head and he stopped me. He pulled back and stared into my eyes. I could still see that vulnerability and I knew I could make it disappear, lost in the heat and fire of the moment.

"Are you sure Ellis?"

"You're the first man ever in this bed and you'll be the last man I ever have in it," I promised him. "We're meant to be together, you can feel it. Even I can feel it. I have never felt this much for anyone before." I rocked my hips up, rubbing against him, our cocks sliding together. I felt empty without his fingers as he pulled them out, needing more than I ever had before.

I moaned.

"Shh... I've got you." Dav's fingers gripped my hips and he flipped me over and pulled me up onto my knees.

He pushed my legs apart and draped his torso over my back His hands caressed me, sliding all over my sides and chest. I felt like I was on fire, his cool skin made me shiver. Instead of pushing me into the bed, Dav's strong arms surrounded me, pulling me up to lean back against his chest. I caressed his arms and my head fell forward as I turned it to give him room. I felt his dick prodding at my entrance as his lips came down on my shoulder in a soft kiss. My breath shot out of me in a rush.

"Do it," I moaned.

I felt his fangs scrape against my skin and my eyes closed. His skin against mine, his scent surrounded me and I lost myself in the sounds of his pleasure as he touched me. I could barely breathe I wanted him so much. He drew out the moment until I thought I would scream and just as I opened my mouth to demand he stop torturing me his needle sharp teeth slid deep into my shoulder and his hips thrust up.

My scream filled the room. My hands clenched hard on his arms and I sank deep into the feelings of pain and pleasure. Almost immediately I felt his venom enter my veins, a heat that flowed through my body. I shivered and moaned.

"So good."

The feel of Dav's smooth chest against my back magnified tenfold. I could feel every millimeter of his fangs as he slowly pulled them out as his hips retreated. He cradled me with one arm as I leaned back against him, unable to stay upright on my own. His wrist came to my mouth.

"Bite, baby. Be my mate."

I didn't think, didn't hesitate, just opened my mouth and sank my teeth into him. I knew it had to hurt, I didn't have his fangs but I forgot my worry about that as he hissed and snapped his hips forward, driving into me. My mouth filled with his blood, the slightly bitter tang flowing across my tongue as I swallowed again and again as Dav filled my body.

I was limp in his arms as he took me, unable to move with him as he thrust into me, pounding his flesh into mine.

I felt it approaching, the orgasm we were speeding toward built and built until he slid his fangs back into me. The slight pricks and then the feel of him sucking, taking my blood into his body as I took him into mine sent us over the edge. My orgasm erupted from me covering my chest and stomach as Dav thrust one last time before his body stiffened. I cried out as I felt his dick pulsing inside me, his shout joining mine as the bond took hold.

Instantly I felt the change. I lost all control of my body as my mind seemed to explode.

'Dav!'

'Ellis!'

The time between that moment and our next heartbeats stretched on and on. In a rush I felt his memories, his thoughts and emotions filled me. I felt his wonder as mine flowed into him.

'What is this?' I marveled.

'This is what mates are. Two halves of one soul. You are the only one who knows who I truly am, the only one who will ever know.'

'It's so dark.' A tear slipped down my cheek and I gasped as my heart beat again. Dav pulled away but I didn't feel empty, not really. He was still inside me and now he would never leave.

"I'm sorry," Dav whispered. He lowered my limp body to one side and curled up behind me. "You're a healer; I can feel your reverence for life. You must feel so much pain from my memories. I'm sorry; I never wanted to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me. I hurt for you. That's very different." I twisted around and put my hands on his face, making him look down at me. Tears filled his eyes.

"I never wanted anyone to see that. My life... the things I do. They're evil, Ellis. You're better than that."

"You save lives too, Dav. You do things most people can't or won't, but only to prevent true evil. You hide in the darkness of your mind but I see the light even if you cannot.

"Your life has been filled with pain and darkness but I felt more than your memories, Dav. I know your soul and it is not dark. There is goodness and compassion inside you. I would gladly feel all the pain you have experienced if it means I get to feel that too."

I used my thumbs to wipe away the tears that slipped down his cheeks and kissed him gently. I nestled my head into his neck and breathed in the warm musk of his skin. He was warmer now, my body heat shared between us. My eyes began to drift shut; the afternoon light striping the bed hurt my eyes. I nuzzled in closer to Dav, twining our legs together.

"Stay with me?" I murmured.

His arms tightened around me. "As long as you want me."

"Good. Never gonna stop." 



Hypnotic Ch. 03



I woke up and stretched, craning my head to look at the clock. Five pm. We'd been asleep for quite a while but I always needed more rest after my migraines, they took a lot out of me. Dav had probably had a long night watching over me. I snuggled back my new mate and sighed. I was enjoying the warmth when my stomach growled and I heard a chuckle behind me.

Dav was cuddled up to me, holding my back to his chest. I rolled over in his arms and looked up at him, one hand stroking his warm chest.

"I didn't know you were awake, did you even sleep?"

"For a bit, I haven't been up very long."

I brushed my fingers against his face, amazed at how smooth his skin was. I hadn't shaved in more than a day so I knew my face had to be covered in prickly stubble, but not his. His cheeks were smooth and soft. I liked it. My fingers traced up to the lines on his forehead from his frown. I tried smoothing them out, rubbing gently.

"You look like you're thinking hard," I said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Just thinking about work." His eyes looked away and he shifted uncomfortably. I was silent for a minute as I considered letting him get away with what I could feel was a lie. It was weird, feeling his emotions. I shelved the thought that he would be able to read me just as well. I wasn't as comfortable with that realization but I had more important things to focus on.

There was no way thoughts of his work would bring out the feelings of shame I could feel in him. Keeping secrets in our relationship might be hard with this two way emotional mind tap we had going on but that might be a good thing. We barely knew each other in a lot of ways. Knowing how he felt, being able to feel the warmth of his love would make up for a lot. It wouldn't make up for him lying to me.

"Dav, I know that's not true. How are you ever going to learn to really trust me if you're not honest with me?" I asked him quietly. "Give me a chance to understand."

He rolled onto his back and covered his face with one arm. I snuggled up to his side and put my chin on his chest. My hand stroked his side softly as I watched Dav's facial expressions shift as he wrestled with what must have been some serious inner demons. I kept silent, knowing I had to wait and see if he would open up to me on his own. I couldn't make Dav trust me; he had to make that step on his own.

I barely heard him when he finally spoke. "I was weak Ellis. I've never broken down in front of anyone before, never admitted to having those moments. That you saw me like that--"

"But I'm your mate," I protested. "Everyone has moments when they need someone else to tell them it will be okay."

His arm came down and his eyes drilled into mine. "Never show weakness, Ellis. That is the only way I learned to survive as a child. I pushed away anything that made me feel, anything that could be used against me. If I hadn't. . . ." He shook his head, dropping it back to the pillow. "Anything less than total control was punished. If I scented of fear, I was weak enough to be challenged.

"I made it on my own because I never lost control; I never gave in. Strength is what earns you respect and creating fear in others keeps you safe. There is a reason why I am known as 'The Snake'. I have many enemies; any glimpse of weakness could get me killed," his breath caught, "could get you killed. I never want to put you at risk." He covered his eyes again. "I think it would be even worse would be to lose your respect."

Now I understood what I was feeling, even if it didn't make any sense. When I saw Dav, I saw a strong, sexy man, a successful business owner and a deadly warrior. I also saw a man who needed me. His iron will could only last for so long before he would lose whatever shred of humanity he had left. I had read about a few Carthera that had gone feral when they cut themselves off from their kind. Dav never had that support so he had no idea that breaking down in front of me was not a sign of weakness in my eyes. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I pulled his arm down. 

"Look at me." 

His eyes were filled with fear but he let me see it, feel it through the bond, without pulling back.

"Do you see me that way? As someone who is weak?" I asked him softly. "After all, we met because I couldn't even stand up on my own."

"No! Never. You can't help that I loved being able to hold and make you feel better. It made me feel good. But I am supposed to be strong. It is necessary; I need to be here for you." His arm went back over his face once again. "I worry that you will be ashamed of me as your mate."

"Gods, Dav. You have it so wrong. I could never feel ashamed that you let me see you when you need me the most. I didn't really understand just how much courage and strength it took for you to let me see you that way. That you turned to me and let me hold you," my voice broke and I had to take a deep breath, "I've never been with anyone who gave me so much of themselves as you have. It makes me feel needed to be here for you emotionally."

I reached up and tugged at the arm covering his face until he moved it away. I felt a tear sliding down my cheek as I stared deep into his eyes.

"I..." I paused, biting my lip but then I forced it out, ignoring the little voice that still wanted to scream 'too soon', "I love you."

Dav's eyes widened. We were frozen, locked into each other's eyes and emotions. Then he grabbed me and pulled me up to lie on his chest. I could feel his heart racing just as fast as mine. He pulled my head down and kissed me, his firm grip at odds with the gentle way his lips feathered across mine.

"I can feel it," he murmured against my lips. I opened my eyes and took his look of wonder. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted as he stared at me. His hands gripped my hair and pulled my head down into a kiss that consumed me. My entire world shrank down to the hands clenched in my hair and the tongue that danced wildly in my mouth. I was gasping when he finally let me pull back and breathe. It took me a few minutes to get my brain to remember what we had been talking about.

I peppered his face with small kisses, enjoying the warm, smooth skin. "What do you feel?"

"Love. You really do love me and I can feel it. It's an amazing feeling because," he marveled, "no one has ever said they loved me before. It makes me feel... warm inside."

My eyes filled with more tears and my heart hurt. I buried my face in his neck and just held on to him.

"Hey, what did I say? You feel sad now. Did I make you sad? I'm sorry," he said anxiously, his hand patting at my back.

I shook my head. "Not like that," I said, my voice thick with the tears I held in. "I'm just sad that you have lived this long without anyone loving you."

He shrugged under me uncomfortably. "I didn't know what it was before so I didn't know how it would feel. If I had to wait thirty three years to find you it was worth it Ellis." He lifted his head and kissed me harder than before, slipping his tongue in my mouth. The two sides split and he caressed my tongue with the twin points until I was moaning and squirming on top of him. I pulled away with a gasp, intending to push back the covers and show him how good my tongue could be when my stomach decided to let out an angry growl. I sat up on my knees with a groan.

"Sorry," I muttered in embarrassment.

Dav laughed softly, his hands squeezing my hips. "Let's get you something to eat!" He let go of me, and I rolled over on the bed, watching as he gracefully slipped out of bed and started getting dressed.

"Aren't you getting up?"

Dav turned to look at me when I didn't answer. He was leaning over me before I could blink. "What is it?"

'Your back," I whispered in shock. "It has scales on it. Those weren't there this morning."

Dav grinned and relaxed. "Bond marks. Snakes don't change much from their birth forms when they mate like other Carthera do but we all get the signs of our clans on our backs when we form that bond with a mate."

I scooted up in the bed and turned him so that his back was facing me fully. My hand reached down to where the scales disappeared into his unbuttoned jeans and then slowly slid up his back.

"They're so smooth. What clan are you? Your scales are all yellow, black, white and brown."

"Python."

"Wait," I said, "Python clan members don't have fangs with venom sacks."

"My mother was a cobra, my dad was a python. That is why I have traits of both."

"That's why you have this hood." My hands traced the flared sections that covered his shoulder blades. Large black and white spots on either side of his spine looked like eyes staring back at me. He shrugged.

I gasped. "Oh!"

"What?" Dav reached back and pulled one of my hands to his chest, holding it tight. "Ellis? What's wrong now?"

"They're rainbow colored." My free hand stroked the scaled pattern. "When you moved and the light hit them from the windows, they were shined blue, purple, and green colors. Sort of like how an oil slick shines on the pavement. I love it."

"I'm glad," he said as he met my eyes in the mirror in front of him, "because you have it too."

My mouth fell open. "No way!" I tried twisting around but I couldn't see my back. "How do you know?" How could something appear on my body and I not know about it? It was... maybe if I...

Dav turned and his hands landed on my shoulders, holding me to him. The grip stopped me from trying to twist around again in my panic. I let him hold me to his chest, breathing in his scent in quick breaths. 

"Calm down. Look in the mirror behind me, the two you have in here line up. I can see mine in the reflection so you can probably see yours too." His hands stroked my shoulders until I calmed down enough to look.

Holy hell!

I'd never had the courage to mark my body even a little, not even the tattoo Matthew dared me to get one drunken night but now... now I had scales. The vibrant markings started at the cleft of my ass and trailed up my spine to flare into a hood across my shoulders, identical to Dav's markings. His fingers were tracing the outer edges and I shivered.

I also couldn't stop staring.

"Am I going to change in other ways too? I asked nervously.

"I don't think so. These are bonding marks. If we were both Snakes, you would have my clan markings on your back and I would have yours."

"So, because I'm a human, we both carry yours?"

Dav nodded. "I guess so. I've never actually seen a human mated to Snake before."

I frowned up at him. "Really? So you have no idea what could happen to me? What if I get... fangs?"

Dav looked hurt and his hands dropped from my shoulders. He took a step back. "I thought you were okay with me, with my differences--"

"I am!" I stopped him from speaking further with a hand across his lips. I brought my other hand up and cupped his cheeks. I tugged him down until he went on his knees before me.

"You need to hear me, Dav, and really listen. I'm not scared that you're a Snake. I think your fangs are hot, your eyes are exotic and beautiful and I could stare into them for hours. I love that you claimed me as your mate, as insane as it was after just meeting each other.

"Sex with you was the most amazing thing I have ever felt. When we bonded... The way we opened up to each other and shared was just... words aren't enough." I stared into his eyes. "Do you believe me when I say that I wouldn't want to change you for anything?" I asked softly.

I pushed my emotions toward him, hoping he'd feel the absolute honesty of my words as well as hear them. His eyes dilated and he gasped a little.

Dav blinked slowly. "I believe you," he whispered.

"Good, because no matter how many times I have to say it, no matter how much you have to hear it, I won't ever stop letting you know that I want you." My grip tightened on his face and I leaned so that his eyes were all I could see. "If that means I have to do some changing, I'm okay with that. I just might need a little bit of time to get used to it. Okay?"

Dav's nod was all I needed. I closed the last few inches between us and kissed him. It was like the room was instantly filled with an electric heat. My heart began to pound as he let me thrust my tongue into his mouth over and over, sucking and caressing it with every push into his mouth. I grabbed his shoulders and lay back, pulling him onto the bed on top of me.

"I thought you were hungry," he said against my lips.

I thrust my hips against his, my bare skin chafed so perfectly by the rough fabric of his pants.

"Oh, I am."

***

"Hmm, this seems familiar," Dav said with a grin as he stood up to get dressed again. "Are you getting out of bed this time Ellis?"

"I will," I said with a grin, "I'm just enjoying the view first."

"Perv," he said as he pulled his jeans up. He reached over and lightly slapped my stomach. "Get up!

"Ugh." My muscles jumped as I flinched away from the blow. "Not nice! You could bring me food in bed again. I worked up quite the appetite."

"Don't be lazy, and that was a just love tap. I want to go eat, all this energy I'm expending around you is making me hungry."

I sighed dramatically. "But it's so much fun doing it." I grinned and rolled off the other side of the bed when he moved toward me with a calculating look on his face. "Alright, alright, I'm getting up!" I had no idea what he would do but I really didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I had the last hour.

My stomach rumbled as I rummaged around in my dresser and closet, pulling on some comfortable jeans and a long sleeve shirt. It was almost seven and if I had been hungry before, I was starving now. I picked up his sweats I had worn home.

"You want to take these home?"

Dav shook his head. "I don't mind leaving them here," he said without looking at me.

I dropped them on the bed and walked up to him, giving him a hug. "You could bring more over if you want, you know."

Dav shrugged, and then he laughed. "This is just weird. I've never done this before. Having a relationship where we combine our stuff."

"Me either."

"Really?" Dav seemed a tad skeptical.

It was my turn to shrug. "I'm twenty six. I've had boyfriends but no one I ever wanted to move his stuff in. Usually the idea alone made me uncomfortable. It's different with you though. I like the thought of your clothes mixed in with mine."

Dav's eyes were full of heat. "I like the idea of some of my stuff here too," he paused, "You could bring some stuff to my place too."

I laughed. "Sure, I have an extra toothbrush lying around."

I gave him a quick peck on the lips. This relationship stuff would work out. Sure, it was fast. Lightning fast really, but it felt good, like it was right. I was still sure of my decision to go with what we were doing and trusting the mate bond we now shared.

"Do you want to go out to eat or eat here?" I asked Dav in the kitchen.

"I'm not sure. What do you have? I'm not super hungry, but I could eat. I feel like steak right now actually, but I could have something else too."

"I've been working a lot lately, picking up a few extra shifts at the hospital. Not really sure what's here. I've either been eating with Charlie or at work."

Dav opened the fridge and looked inside. I moved over to the counter by the living room.

"I just need to check my messages and call my doctor." Dav's head popped up over the door with a concerned look on his face. "His office is open weekends and he should be able to get me some of my prescription until I can get to the pharmacy."

"That would be good. We need to talk about your headaches."

I shrugged. "Not much to talk about. About two or three years ago I started developing these awful migraines. They've grown steadily worse, and the pills my doctor has me taking are the only medicine that helps me when I get them."

Dav frowned. "They couldn't find a reason for them?"

"Some people just have migraines. It sucks, but I didn't respond to any sort of preventative treatment. I went in just last week actually since my pills were getting low. My doctor wanted to run some tests, see if he could find something that would work better for my type of migraine."

"There are different types of migraines?" Dav shut the fridge door, not even pretending to look anymore. I knew there wasn't really anything in there anyway; I really needed to go shopping.

"Sure. Mine is categorized as a vertebrobasilar migraine. That means it starts in the brain stem and I get what are called 'auras' or double vision when I get my headaches. Sometimes I just can't see at all and other times it's just that the pain is so severe I black out."

Dav's frown got deeper. "In your brain stem? That sounds dangerous."

I sighed and nodded. "It can be. It can lead to permanent blindness and other problems. Also, the migraines can damage the vessels in the brain and put me at risk for a stroke. My whole head feels like it will explode when I have them."

Dav moved over to me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him. "I don't like that. Why haven't they helped you more? Did you tell Dr. Pannar? Has he looked at you?" His arms tightened almost painfully as he shot questions at me.

I sighed and let Dav snuggle me as I breathed in his scent and the feel of his arms around me, even if it hurt a little. "He knows, yes. But Dav, there isn't anything anyone can do. I try to avoid situations that can trigger them, like flashing lights or loud music, any blows to the head, certain food or drinks like alcohol and anything with too much caffeine."

"We'll figure out something. In the meantime, let's see about getting you some more medication and then we can go get something to eat. What can you eat? Maybe we should pick up something from the store and take it back to my place. We can cook there."

I laughed. "There are a lot of things I can eat, jeez. Don't freak out. I have to avoid foods rich with nitrates like hot dogs and lunch meats. Also, stuff with tannin like chocolate," I made a pouty face at that; I did like dark chocolate, "and tea is bad for me. Nuts, hard cheeses... I said alcohol before. 

"It sounds like a lot but if I stick to nice lean meats, whole grains and fruits and vegetables my diet isn't too restricted. Plus ice cream. Cold stuff can trigger migraines for some people but I don't have any trouble with it, thankfully. Everyone around me would be in real trouble if I couldn't have my vanilla ice cream," I laughed.

"Vanilla ice cream huh?" Dav smirked. "I'll make sure to get some. I wouldn't want to be in trouble."

I laughed.

"Okay, okay, let me call and we can go. I know this great burger and steak joint between here and your club. We can go there and you can get yourself a nice raw-ish steak."

***

It turns out my doctor was swamped with patients but he had standing orders for the staff to fill an emergency prescription for me whenever I needed it. I popped in to the office and paid for the pills, grimacing when I handed over the correct amount for a ten day supply. My insurance was okay but not great on prescriptions. Paying for my tests and medicine was about all I could afford extra this month.

"Got what you need?"

I showed Dav the bottle.

"Good. Let's go feed you now."

Lunch was pretty good. I had a nice chicken sandwich and Dav ate a steak so bloody I had to swallow and look away when he first cut into it.

"I thought chicken was your favorite." I sat back in my chair, sipping my water and watched him now that he was done eating his steak. He was picking through the steamed vegetables, carefully pushing the cauliflower aside with his fork. "Don't like cauliflower?"

He shook his head. "Not really. The flavor is weird, and it has a funky texture cooked too," he ate a bit of a pepper, "and I do like chicken but sometimes I just feel like eating red meat. Not very often though."




Hypnotic Ch. 03



"Do you always eat so... daintily?" I smirked as I watched his eyes widen and then narrow as he glared at me.

"I do not eat 'daintily'," he said.

"Then how come you're still eating and I'm done?" I mimicked a prissy eater, pinky held carefully erect.

"I had more food than you. Plus, I told you I don't swallow my food whole. I'd hate for you to think I was a liar. Then again, think of how much fun it would be if I could swallow some things whole?" Dav took a big bite off his fork, nearly engulfing the utensil before he pulled it slowly back out of his mouth through his barely parted lips.

"Hmm, guess I'm actually pretty good at that," he said, licking the fork suggestively. I shuddered at the flash of lust I felt from him that shot straight to my dick. I squirmed in my seat.

"Gods, you are such an asshole!" I tried to shift and free my twisted erection that had risen in about two seconds flat without anyone else in the restaurant seeing.

He smirked. "Never said I wasn't. I am a Snake, after all. We have pretty nasty reputations."

I rolled my eyes.

It took a good ten minutes before we could leave without me embarrassing myself. Dav drove back to the club as we chatted about our work. He had to get permission from Velaku to open the club and pay a tithe on his profits but it was something that had never been done before. Snakes just didn't own property in clan land.

"Most lone Carthera are driven away," he said in answer to my question as to why it wasn't more common. "All Snakes, unless they are mated, are loners. It's sad too, not everyone who is cut off from their clan goes feral but we are all feared as if we could start killing at the drop of a hat."

He held the door of the club, letting me into the coat check area and then stopped.

"Damn! I forgot your bag. Go have a seat at the bar while I grab it, it should still be pretty quiet in there this early. You tell Brad to let you back in the storerooms if you feel a headache coming on though. He's the bartender you were talking to earlier today."

"Okay."

I walked into the bar only to feel a huge body slam me into the wall. A face shoved into my neck and I could hear my attacker sniffing as his whole body erupted with growls.

"Human scum!"

My heart was racing as I shoved against him but he was huge. His hands tightened on me and I felt sharp nails or claws puncture my arms. I cried out at the sharp pain.

"What did you do to Davis? I can smell him on you. Tell me before I kill you and I might just make it quick!"

"Nothing," I gasped in a faint voice, barely able to breathe.

"Liar," the Carthera snarled, as he tightened his hand, "I can smell his blood on you. Davis hasn't answered his phone, and he wasn't at your apartment where he said you would be. I don't know what you were thinking coming back here, but you'll live to regret it."

The claws dug in deeper. Tears streamed down my face and I whimpered. It felt like he was scraping the bone in my arms.

"Please stop." I didn't try to struggle, afraid that those punctures would tear and become even worse. Where was Dav? Why wasn't he stopping this? Why wasn't anyone else stopping the madman's attack?

"I'll stop when you tell me what I want to know, traitorous human!"

He pulled me toward him and then slammed my head against the wall. I saw starbursts as a vicious pounding began in my skull. Oh damn, not again.

I groaned.

"Talk or I'll start stripping the skin from your flesh before I start on the muscle."

My mouth opened and shut. My vision started to fade as the pounding took over and the pains began to run together, consuming me.

An enraged hiss reached through the pain, and I felt the Carthera's body ripped away from mine. Blood began to run down my arms as I slid down the wall to the floor. I sat there gasping and watched as Dav flat out mauled my attacker.

My ears were ringing, and I was lightheaded but I could hear him hissing as he took down the other man. His face was turned sideways, facing me as he rode the muscular body to the floor. I could see his mouth wide open, his fangs extended and dripping. He lifted the other man's face and neck closer to him, prepared to strike. That was when I saw my attacker's face for the first time.

Holy fuck, it was Benny!

That final shock was more than I could handle. I groaned as I lost the battle to stay sitting up and slumped to the floor. I gave up and let go, ignoring the sounds of yelling as I slipped into the darkness.

***

When I first started to realize I could hear things around me, I tried sinking back into sleep. Sleep would help the headache. I groaned in protest when a hand smacked my face.

"Ellis?"

I didn't answer. My head was pounding; why wouldn't they leave me alone?

The hand smacked at my cheeks again. I groaned again and batted at the person weakly before my arms fell limp to my sides.

"Thank god, Ellis. Now open your eyes babe, come on now," the voice coaxed me.

"No..." I said weakly, "need pills."

"Your pills aren't going to help you right now, Ellis. You don't have a headache, you hit your head; I need you to open up your eyes now."

I scrunched my eyes up when a hand touched my face but I wasn't slapped again. I felt my hair being brushed from my face and someone dropped a kiss on my forehead. Hot lips seemed to sear my skin and I recognized the smell of the man leaning over me.

That smell made me open my eyes.

"Dav?"

I could see him leaning over me and I realized that my head was resting on a pillow in his lap.

"Hey babe."

I tried to turn my head and winced.

"Where am I?"

"On the couch in my apartment. Hold still babe, you knocked your head pretty bad."

I gasped as I remembered the impact and pain. "Someone attacked me!"

Dav hissed. "Benny."

The bouncer? I struggled to remember what happened, but it was mostly a blur as my head throbbed. It was like trying to think while my mind was wrapped in a scratchy ball of wool.

"Why?" I whispered.

"Benny is," Dav hesitated before he finished the sentence, "loyal. We've been tracking a group of Carthera that are working with humans to create problems for the clans. The problem is they have someone local hiding their activities from us. I was investigating some smugglers that were bringing in Jaguar artifacts that carried a plague that nearly wiped out the local clan. Some escaped and ever since then he's been a little... paranoid."

"Paranoid?" I lifted my arm to see white bandages around my biceps. "Holy fuck Dav!" I winced at the way my voice seemed to echo in my head. Yeah, less volume. My mate should have told me about the other 'work' he had. Then again, we had only known each other for a few days and we'd been a little... busy.

"He is sorry, very sorry," Dav said darkly.

That nasty hiss in Dav's voice made its way through the throbbing in my head and the sleep that was trying to drag me back down.

My eyes shot to Dav's face. "What did you do to him?"

"He hurt you!"

"I know that!" I was the one slammed into the wall and told that I was going to be flayed alive, after all. I was pretty sure I remembered that part even considering how bad my head was throbbing. Everything after my head was bounced off the wall was a bit fuzzy though. "But he was trying to protect you. Even if he was totally wrong, he had your back." I reached Dav's hand resting on my chest, lacing our fingers together. I pulled them and kissed the back of his hand.

"You said you're essentially a mercenary for Velaku. You do dangerous things all the time. Can you tell me honestly that Benny isn't a big part of that? Someone who has watched your back and gained your trust?"

Dav sighed. "He is."

"I'm pissed he attacked me too. But I think I can maybe understand it. This has happened so fast and we really don't know much about each other, much less the other people in our lives. What if I was a spy or double agent or something? If you agree that, in his mind, he was protecting you by trying to kill me, then you shouldn't hold a grudge. Now tell me, what the hell did you do?"

I had been sensing Dav's anger through the bond we shared but it suddenly flooded with fear over the still pulsing rage. I shuddered at the feeling. "Okay, sharing the bad emotions isn't as much fun as sharing orgasms."

"If he had killed you he wouldn't have lived a minute after your death!" Dav said fiercely.

I winced at the mix of emotions coming from him. It felt like small bites all along my skin, making me shudder.

"Ow."

Suddenly the emotions shut down hard. Dav looked away from me. "Sorry, I should have better control. I had the bond wide open trying to sense you while you were unconscious. You really scared me, you know. Dr. Pannar should be here soon; I called him when I couldn't wake you."

"I don't need a doctor. Now stop trying to change the subject Dav! What the hell did you do to Benny?"

It was my turn to sigh when he avoided my eyes. "You won't like it," he muttered.

"I'm sure Benny really didn't like it. Tell me already."

"I b..." Dav mumbled the rest of the sentence.

My hand clenched into a fist in Dav's shirt and I jerked on it, wincing when my arm muscles moved. I could feel the punctures deep in my muscles, they didn't feel like serious injuries but the wounds still hurt.

"Oh, you're not kidding at how anger feels. That's... that's not nice." He tried stroking my hair to distract me and for a minute I let him. I could feel the soft touch lulling me into a calm state when I realized he was sending those emotions through the bond, flooding me in them.

I sat up suddenly, gripping my head at the lance of pain from the movement. I shrugged off Dav's hand on my shoulder, panting through the dizziness with my eyes shut. When I could open my eyes without the room spinning like a top I shot a glare in his direction, meeting his slightly blurry eyes. Damn concussion, it was making everything slightly doubled.

"I didn't know mates try to manipulate each other." I glanced away, hurt that Dav was trying to avoid my questions by using our bond. 

"It's not like that."

My voice was quiet when I looked back up at him and spoke again, "Then tell me right now what you did."

Silence.

Unbelievable. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared.

"Now Dav!"

Dav's face paled and I watched his adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard.

"I bit him," he said abruptly.

My hands fell into my lap. Bit him. He bit him. My mind flashed back to the marks still purple and red on my shoulder and the incredible sensations the bite had brought me.

"Why?" I asked carefully. There could be no room for misunderstandings. I might be slightly loopy and not remember the conversation later but right then I wanted to know, needed to know exactly, what that meant.

"He was threatening my mate. I could taste your blood in the air. It brought out... something in me." Dav was still avoiding my eyes.

"I tackled him, ripping him off you. When I had him locked down, I bit him. I couldn't think of anything else and I was so angry my fangs were already dripping venom. I couldn't have stopped it if I wanted to and I didn't. I wanted him to suffer as you had. His pain for your pain. I injected him with almost a full dose of my lethal venom."

Okay. Different kinds of venom. I had known that. "Did you kill him?" I asked quietly. The death of a Carthera usually meant a very pissed off clan coming after you.

Dav shook his head rapidly. "Of course not! I was able to control the poison." He looked away. My doubt must have been plain on my face. Part of last night were fuzzy but that moment when I saw his face with fangs bared as he took Benny down wasn't something I would ever forget.

"Barely," he admitted, his eyes closed. He shuddered.

"I also broke his arm," Dav's voice dropped to just a whisper.

I eyed my mate carefully. He had some blood on this clothes and his hair was standing up in places. His muscles kept spasming and his tongue flicked out several times as I watched him.

"Why do you keep doing that?" I asked him. Benny would be okay. I would be okay, in time. Now I needed to take care of Dav. I saw this in family members of patients all the time, the shock filling him. I had to get him out of it before he shut down or went postal.

"Huh?" He looked at me in confusion, his forehead wrinkled.

"Flick your tongue. Why do you do that?"

"Oh," Dav shrugged. "I'm tasting the air. Things have tastes that I cannot ignore. The air carries scents of food, chemicals, people, you."

"You can taste me in the air?"

Dav nodded. "Your scent. You smell like warm male and the breeze through the fall trees when the rain has just finished falling. Right now there is a bitter tang to it, from your pain."

"Wow, you can smell all that? Emotions and things like pain?"

Dav nodded and his tongue flicked out again. "Right now I can smell Benny on you." His eyes zeroed in on my neck where Benny had sniffed me. "It's on top of your scent."

I eyed him nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I don't like his scent covering yours. You're mine. You washed my marking scent off in the shower earlier and I can smell more of him on you than me." Dav tore his eyes away from my neck and up to meet my eyes. "It makes me want to bite you," he said honestly.

My eyes widened and darted down to his mouth. Sure enough, I could see the tips of his fangs peeking down in the gap between his lips. The throbbing in my head was still bothering me but...

I licked my lips and now Dav was watching my mouth.

"I don't know if I'm up for anything like that." It would distract him though.

Dav reached over and put his arms around me. "I would never hurt you babe." His touch was gentle as he stroked my back. I nestled into him, gingerly putting my arms around his waist. His muscles were taut against me, held rigid as he took a few shallow breaths.

He nuzzled my neck, his tongue flicking out to taste my skin and he groaned.

"Please babe. I won't hurt you. I'll be very gentle." A shiver wracked his body. "I can't take much more of him on you. I need to mark you, take you, and make you mine again so that everyone can smell it."

"Um... Can't I just take a shower? Then when I'm stronger we could--"

"It won't help. I still want to mark you, the urge is almost overwhelming. Besides, the venom will help you with the pain. I'll make you feel so good babe," Dav promised as he touched my face with one hand. He guided me to him, our lips coming together in a slow, sensual kiss. Heat flared in me despite my pain. I stroked his fangs with my tongue then scraped my tongue along the tips. I could taste the venom, the small bursts of slightly bitter liquid on my tongue made it tingle.

"Oh god Ellis," he said, panting, "I need you." He pressed our foreheads together.

Those words broke the last of my reluctance and I pulled back from him to meet his eyes, to show him my trust.

"Okay."

I felt Dav's spike of pleasure through our bond. He pressed closer, lowering me down to lay on the couch with my pillow behind my head. His hands caressed me even as he licked and sucked at my mouth with his amazing bifurcated tongue. He knelt between my legs, leaning over me as he kissed along my jaw. I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the pleasure that slid over the pain.

He got to my neck and I craned my head back, wincing a little as I pressed against the sore spot on the back of my skull. The feeling of the dual points of his tongue sliding down my neck to where it joined my shoulder distracted me from the throbbing in my head and making me moan as blood rushed into my dick.

He paused and hissed.

"Dav?" I whispered, my hands clutching at his shoulders. "Why did you stop?"

"I can taste him on your skin," he hissed again. "I hate that, Ellis. It makes me want to lose control." I could feel his struggle to keep a hold of his very real emotional need for me to carry his scent and be marked as his mate.

"Then mark me, make me yours again."

I didn't say anything else, just tilted my neck to the left and waited, knowing he would never hurt me.

"Oh my god!" The loud rip as he tore my shirt down the front startled me. Dav's hot, moist tongue bathed the thin skin over my collarbone as his hands traced over my stomach and up my chest to tweak my nipples.

"Please..." I whimpered. The pain was still there but I was soon lost in the pleasure of his touch.

"Gonna make you feel so good Ellis," Dav murmured. "Gonna make you mine again."

I was amazed he could talk. Hell, I was amazed I could understand him.

I ignored my sore arms to stroke my hands up his back and bury them in his silky hair.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked breathlessly as I brought his mouth to my neck.

Dav hissed and then struck. I gasped as I felt the twin needle sharp teeth enter me with a brief sting. Then the heat began to spread from the bite. I struggled briefly to pull Dav closer before a warm lassitude stole over me.

"God, Dav..." I groaned. My heart raced, sending the venom surging through my veins. I struggled to resist the way my muscles began to relax and I felt the air hiss out of Dav's mouth where his fangs were buried in my shoulder. He leaned closer, our chests barely brushing together and I felt a fresh burst of warmth spread from the bite as he injected me again before he pulled his fangs out and licked at the small punctures. The sensation of his tongue was exquisite.

My body was suddenly on fire and I arched up against him for one long moment of almost painful agony before the pleasure shot straight to my core. My balls drew up and I orgasmed. The release tore through me, taking me by surprise.

Dav's pupils dilated as his tongue flicked out. Trails of fire flew from his fingers as he slid them down my bare stomach. He opened my pants and pushed his hand inside my underwear to stroke at my still rigid erection, the sticky fluid easing the glide of his hand up and down.

"That was so hot Ellis," Dav whispered in my ear, "the way you just came from my bite alone."

I groaned.

"Don't worry, I'm going to make you do it again and again tonight," Dav said wickedly.

He pulled his hand out of my pants and sat back, slipping my pants and underwear down and off. He stood up beside the couch and stared down at me as he stripped off his clothes. I couldn't move so I watched him intently, my eyes stroking his lean body in place of my hands. 

My body was so heavy and so sensitive. I could feel the air being moved from the ceiling fan across my nipples, making them contract into hard points that ached to be touched.

I made a sound in the back of my throat when Dav leaned down and picked me up.

"Shhh, babe, I'm just taking you to bed. I want to kiss every inch of your body before I take you. I'm going to love you so many times you will carry my scent on your skin and in your body for days. Every male who comes near you will know who you belong to."

He laid me gently on the bed and stretched out beside me.

I whimpered as I fought the paralysis from the venom.

"Hurts."

"What hurts baby? Your head?"

I managed to shake my head a tiny bit side to side. My head and arms didn't hurt at all. I felt like my skin was paper thin, my nerves exposed and aching for his touch.

"Need you."

Dav's eyes slid half-shut as his hand slid back down my body to caress the source of my pain and pleasure. I needed him so much but the words were locked inside. I begged him with my eyes.

"You have me."

***

Dav kept his promise to me. I had never gone three times in one night before, and by the time the venom finally faded from my body I was exhausted. He curled around me and stroked my hair until I drifted off secure in his arms.

The next morning started with more banging on the front door of Dav's apartment. I groaned and buried my head under a pillow when Dav got up.




Hypnotic Ch. 03



I heard a drawer open and shut. I lifted the pillow a few inches.

"Does this happen every day?"

Dav chuckled. "No, not usually."

He came over and sat on the bed to pull on his pants. "It's Benny's little brother Jerret. I'm guessing that Benny is awake."

"How do you know that?"

Dav's tongue flicked out. "I can taste him. He's here in the bar, probably in my office down the hall."

"Oh." That was a little weird. Then again, most Carthera had heightened senses of one type or another.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked, rolling onto my side. I really didn't want to get up. Mornings weren't my favorite time of the day even when I hadn't been attacked and then loved to within an inch of my life the night before.

Dav leaned over and kissed me.

"No, stay here, sleep some more. I'll bring you some breakfast when I come back. This is going to be hard enough for Benny to face me. I know him, he is an honorable man and while I don't know the exact reason why he attacked you, I am sure he will tell me." Dav sat back up with a sigh.

"I need to arrange for some of my staff to make up a few shifts until his arm heals after I get done talking with him. I'll send him home with Jerret. Do you have to go to work soon?"

"No. I'm actually on vacation for this week. I can stay as long as you want me to."

"Good. You can stay forever."

I laughed, shaking my head. "We'll see after a week."

"I could always just bite you every day until you're lost in the venom. You'd never be able to leave." Dav smirked at me.

I shuddered at the thought of being kept needy for his touch, feeling every caress like a fire against my senses as he consumed me and took me over and over again until I was limp from the torturous pleasure. Every day. Over and over. Gods!

Dav smirked at the wave of lust and a little fear that surged through me and coursed down our bond. I could feel his answering passion but another knock at the door broke the moment. I rolled onto my stomach and covered my head again, a little embarrassed at my reaction.

"Go away, you evil snake man. I can't take any more of your pleasure right now."

Dav laughed and left the room.

I heard him open the front door and I listened in on his conversation shamelessly. After all, it was about the man who attacked and hurt me just for walking in the door of Dav's club without him.

"How is he, Jerret?"

"Awake and asking for you."

"Did Dr. Pannar see to him?"

I had totally forgotten that Dav said Dr. Pannar was supposed to come check me out last night. The thought of someone walking in on us last night, especially my boss, made me groan. I could feel the wave of a fiery blush rise from my chest and over my face.

"Yes. He came to check your mate as well but from the... sounds of things, he said he must have been fine."

Oh god. My boss heard me having sex last night. Not as bad as seeing it but... ughs! Carthera or not, that was just too damn embarrassing. Thank god I didn't have to face him for a few more days.



Hypnotic Ch. 04



"Wake up Ellis."

A hand was shaking me roughly. I recoiled away from the painful grip and sat up with a gasp. I was still in the bed, and Dav's face slowly drifted into focus. I rubbed my face, shaking a little.

"Jesus Dav, you scared the shit out of me!" I complained. "It's not like I wasn't attacked last night or anything. How about you take it easy on the wake up calls for a little while?"

"Yeah, not the worst of your problems right now. You need to get dressed right now." Dav turned around and left the room without saying anything else.

I stared out the empty bedroom door. What the hell? Maybe he hurt Benny more than he thought? I scrubbed at eyes, trying to wake up. What if Dr. Pannar needed my help to treat him? That thought got me out of bed quickly. I dug around in my bag and pulled out some jeans and a polo shirt. I slung the shirt over my shoulder and shoved my legs into the jeans. Socks, I needed socks.

I grabbed a pair and put them on. Pulling a shirt over my head as I walked, I went out in the living room.

"What's going on?"

"How could you do it Ellis?"

Dav was standing on the other side of the dining room table, his hands clenched around the top rung of a chair. He was breathing funny and his face was paler than I'd ever seen it before. Worse, the love I'd come to expect when he looked at me was missing.

I blinked. "Do what?" I felt for the bond between us, but Dav was an emotional blank. It was like he had severed the bond between us, but that wasn't possible, was it?

Dav hissed and narrowed his eyes. "Don't play stupid with me."

My temper started to stir as well. "If I was going to play with you, I guarantee you it wouldn't be something like this," I snapped. "Now, it was a very long night, I haven't had any breakfast. Hell, I haven't even had any coffee yet and that doesn't help my mood. How about you cut the shit and just tell me what the hell you are talking about?"

"You're one of the humans working with the Carthera who are trying to take over Velaku's territory. A traitor," he spat, "and I was totally taken in by you. Well done. Did you somehow know we were mates or is this some sort of trickery you people came up with to plant a fake mate in Velaku's circle? I was so grateful that my mate accepted me and returned my feelings, but this was a sham all along wasn't it?"

Dav hung his head and then looked up at me, pure devastation in his eyes. "Why?" he asked in an agonized voice.

My stomach started to hurt. A traitor? "I have no idea what you are talking about, Dav. What do you mean, fake mate? I AM your mate. You said so."

"Are you? Really?"

I made a sound in my throat, part frustration and part pain. "Yes!" I took a step toward him.

"Don't come closer, I'm not sure I can control myself right now," Dav hissed. "Benny told me everything. He told me about the video surveillance of the warehouse where those scum were storing the contaminated artifacts. Did you know they kidnapped a Jaguar's family and held his mate and youngling as hostages there to get him to reveal his clan lands? That the whole Jaguar clan in this territory almost died? That the poor male they forced into the jungle died from a virulent plague that took his mate's life and left his baby daughter to be raised by the only family member she has left, a single Jaguar who escape the carnage the virus made of his clan years before? Did you have a hand in their deaths too?

"Did you?" Dav screamed.

I took two steps back, shaking. "I would never hurt another person, Dav. Never. I became a nurse to help people. Ask Dr. Pannar, ask my patients. I have never harmed a single Carthera. I even took care of Natham, Velaku's mate. He can vouch for me. How can you be my mate and think that I would hurt people, kill them?"

"You're on film, Ellis! Pictures and video. They have proof!"

"They're wrong! I didn't do this. I've never hurt anyone!" I felt hot tears coursing down my face. "That you would believe them over me. . . ." I wiped futilely at my wet cheeks but the pain was too much and I couldn't stop crying. "Do you have any idea of how much you're hurting me right now?"

Dav shook his head. "I can't believe you. I've only known you a few days; Benny has been by my side for years. You said it yourself; he is always trying to protect me. Turns out last night he was doing just that. I should have let him kill you before you could hurt anyone else."

A thousand daggers penetrating my heart would hurt less than this. I couldn't speak for the pain of Dav's betrayal. I couldn't believe that the man who said he was my mate actually wanted me dead. The faith I had given Dav was gone, destroyed in that moment. I stumbled backward, shaking my head.

"Get your shoes on," Dav snapped at me, "we're leaving."

My arms were limp at my sides. I walked numbly over to the couch and sat down to put on my shoes. My arms and neck ached but those pains were far distant to the agony I felt inside. My tears were gone and I think I was in shock.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked faintly.

"Velaku's. He has the evidence and he will judge your fate." Dav pointed at the door. "Walk straight to my car and don't try to run away. There is nowhere you could go that I could not find you."

"I'm not running away," I said. "I've nothing to run for. You'll see. I can't wait to see your face when you find out how wrong you really are. Then you'll have some idea of the pain you have inflicted on the one person who you should have trusted."

"You think this doesn't hurt me?" Dav shouted. "I loved you! I did trust you! But they have proof, Ellis!"

"Proof you haven't even seen and yet still condemn me with! On the word of another, someone who is not your mate! I loved and trusted you until you showed me what that really meant to you. I thought mates were special, that you would know me in your soul, know who I am and what I am capable of. Then again I never would have imagined you would hurt me this much, so I guess mates really aren't all that special, are they?"

His face was a mask of rage. Dav hissed and glared at me.

I shook my head. This was getting us nowhere. I could say nothing he would believe and I really didn't care to try anyway. Dav's actions were unforgivable and I wanted nothing more than to prove him wrong and go home to my silent apartment.

I walked out the door, already feeling more alone than I ever had before.

***

It was a long, silent car ride before we got to the eyrie of the Falcon clan. Still hollow inside, I submitted to a search at the door by Mishtar, the captain of the Falcons. Even with his wings folded behind him he was an imposing figure, his expression solemn and forbidding. I bit back a moan when his talons pressed hard against my sore arms as he searched me. Afterward, I walked into Velaku's study, still without speaking. I didn't care that all eyes were on me, I just stood there motionless and waited for it to begin, eyeing my accusers. Natham and Velaku sat side by side in chairs behind the desk. Dr. Pannar was in the room, as were a few other Falcons I had met before who helped advise Velaku. 

There were guards at the door. Their distrust of me filled the air.

Benny and Jerret were already there as well. Benny's arm was in a sling but he didn't seem to be in too much pain, a benefit of being a Carthera was rapid healing of most injuries. He'd probably be fully healed in a few days, rather than the weeks it would take a human. The puncture wounds he gave me on my arms would take at least that long to heal.

Mishtar closed the doors behind us and walked over to lean on one hip against the desk.

"Do you understand why you are here, Ellis?" Velaku asked. His white wings rustled behind him as he waited for my answer.

I nodded.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Velaku asked.

I shook my head. Why? Why even speak and try to protest my innocence? Not even my mate believed me, so why would they?

Dr. Pannar spoke up, "I still say this is ridiculous. I've worked with Ellis for nearly a year now. He has never shown any sign of wanting to hurt any of the Carthera he's treated." He glared at Velaku. "You even let him treat your mate when the other humans didn't want to!"

Natham nodded but spoke up. "Things have changed." His eyes were sad as he looked at me. I looked away.

"And what if that was for an ulterior motive for him getting close to us? You may not like it, but Ellis must answer the charges against him. The images are damning," Velaku said.

I hugged my arms around my chest. Like there was any point to that.

Dr. Pannar shook his head stubbornly. "Prove it."

"Fine." Velaku gestured, and Mishtar hit a button the edge of the desk. The room darkened as a small projector screen came down over the windows. He took a small computer and plugged it into the desk outlet by the projector. The screen cut the light out of the room and dimmed it enough the photographs were easily visible.

In each, standing by different people, human and Carthera alike, was a man with the same face I saw in the mirror every day. Everyone looked back and forth between me and the video, especially when Mishtar paused it and the image was static.

"Is that the smuggler you killed while investigating who was bringing in the plague artifacts, Davis?" he asked.

Dav nodded but was likewise silent. I still couldn't feel any part of our bond. I had felt so much pain since I woke that I didn't think I would recognize anyone else's but I felt his pierce my soul from the look on his face. There was such hate.

The video, complete with sound as the image of me helped arrange the delivery of the artifacts to a gallery warehouse was the final shock. At least, so I thought when it played. I couldn't look away from the screen as he helped a human unload a truck full of statues. Once that was done, the look alike stood to one side and waited as the Carthera helping turned on the driver viciously. Some form of cat, he used his claws to puncture the human's chest and leave him to die, gasping for air.

It the final nail in my coffin as far as my so called mate must have been concerned. Dav hissed as I signed some papers and gave them to the cat and then ordered the Carthera to clean up the mess right away. He turned and glared at me.

"Murderer!"

He reached for me, fingers curved and I stood froze. I had no desire to keep living if the man who professed to love me not twelve hours earlier was willing to kill me. I was shocked when Dr. Pannar shoved his way between us and knocked Dav away. I fell to my knees in the scuffle but that made me feel even more vulnerable among the dangerous Carthera that filled the room. I struggled to my feet, determined to die standing up like a man.

"Wait!"

Dav hissed and twisted around, his fangs down and ready. The guards jumped forward and grabbed him, separating him from Dr. Pannar who was already right up at the screen, ignoring the lethal Snake who was glaring at him now instead of me.

"Go back."

"What?" Natham was up and standing beside Velaku with his ears flat against his skull. He stood ready to protect his mate, his claws shining deadly white in the dim light. He checked that the guards were able to hold Dav before he twisted his head around and watched the screen, trying to see what Dr. Pannar saw.

Dav was still struggling against the guards, but they held his arms pinned to his sides and against the wall where he couldn't twist around them.

"Everyone, freeze! Now!" Velaku's order shot through the Carthera in the room and the only sound was the gasp I couldn't hold back.

My mate was going to attack me. Because he saw... it was... Velaku looked at me and then back at the doctor.

"Dr. Pannar, what did you see?"

"Look at when he signed those papers and when he checked the pulse on the dead man."

Velaku nodded at Mishtar who took the film backwards about a minute. Everyone in the room watched again as the me on the film callously went about his business as a man died; even helping wrap up the body after he made sure the driver was dead.

"Did you see?" Dr. Pannar's hand was hovering an inch off the screen, having made Mishtar back up the video again. "There, see. He used his left hand."

Velaku sighed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Dr. Pannar turned to him. "I have watched Ellis work since I hired him. He has assisted me on more cases than I can count and in all that time He. Has. Always. Been. Right. Handed."

"Maybe he faked it on the video? To throw us off?" Mishtar speculated.

"Why?" Natham asked slowly, "No one knew we had the warehouse under surveillance. Based on the evidence, they were building things in there. Bombs, electronics, weapons... We're not sure what the statues were for but it's clear they somehow hid what they were truly moving. I agree with Dr. Pannar, though. He's right; every time Ellis has been on screen he's been left-handed. When he took care of me, he always used his right hand."

Dav was swallowing convulsively as he stood rigid between the guards. "It's not there," he whispered.

He stared at the screen. The larger than life image of my face was hovering there, and Dav was staring at the eyes.

"What isn't there?" Velaku asked.

"Ellis has a small white scar that runs through his eyebrow and up about a quarter of an inch onto his forehead." Dav studied the face on the screen and then turned to look at me and then back at the screen.

"It's not him," he said breathily. "Oh gods, it's not Ellis."

I shook my head. "It's not me," I agreed.

"Then who--"

"It's my twin brother, Isiah."

***

I was watching Dav as he turned toward Benny, his eyes narrowed.

"You said it was him. That you smelled him before and that's what made you uneasy. You saw the video yesterday?"

"When I pulled you aside at the bar, it was for this. Velaku wanted you to see these videos, but you were too busy with your human and he didn't tell me what was in them before I got here. It's a human traitor, he deserved to die!"

"So you accused my mate!" snapped Dav.

"So did you! You believed him capable of it as well! How was I supposed to know your mate had an identical twin brother? Did you?"

"No. It. . ." Dav's voice was quiet, "it didn't come up."

"Did anything beyond what's in your pants?" Benny asked nastily, practically spitting the words out. "What do you actually know about your mate? If he likes the top or bottom?" He sneered at Dav.

I could not believe he just said that. Apparently Dav couldn't either as he hissed violently, lunging toward Benny. The guards were forced to grab him again and Benny's brother Jerret darted in front of him. He looked several years younger but he was just as big as Benny, perhaps even an inch or so taller. Benny kept trying to shove him out of the way but Jerret wouldn't let him.

The sounds the various Carthera were making along with Jerret and Benny's shouting hurt my ears.

"That's enough. I thought this was a meeting with the capable people I employed to investigate these Carthera and their human collaborators. I didn't realize that you were a pair of hormonal, uncontrolled younglings. Do I need to put you two in the corner to make you behave?" Velaku was standing, and even though he was the shortest man in the room, his presence was enough to quell the angry Carthera and silence everyone. He planted both hands on his desk and glared at Dav.

"You will control yourself, or I will have you tied to a chair. Do you understand me?"

Dav stopped trying to pull away from the guards and nodded once, his lips clamped shut. Benny stopped shoving at his brother. The angry males avoided looking at each other, but the guards didn't relax much.

I didn't know how much more of this I could take. The loss of the bond with Dav was hurting me. I don't know how he shut it down, but it felt like a huge hole in my chest. Add in the pain from Benny's attack the night before, a sex marathon, and the shock of seeing Isiah doing nothing as a man was murdered in front of him had pushed me to my limit.

Natham was watching me, but I avoided meeting his eyes. Cold sweat was trickling down my back as I began to tremble. Natham leaned down to whisper in Velaku's ear.

"Mishtar," Velaku gestured at me with one hand. The Falcon captain got a chair under me just before my knees collapsed.

"Ellis!"

Dr. Pannar rushed over to me and began running his hands over me, checking my eyes and pulse.

"Your skin is hot; I think you are running a fever. I wanted to check your wounds last night but you were... ah..." I winced and he coughed."Well, it doesn't matter. Let's take a look now."

The other Carthera in the room gathered around the desk when Velaku gestured them over, leaving the doctor and me alone. I was still avoiding really looking at anyone, but I couldn't miss the looks Dav was shooting at me. The pain on his face was different. I knew that he realized that I was innocent but what we had was over anyway. The fact that he killed our bond was a reality he had to face on his own. Whatever he did to it, I was glad I could no longer feel him. I didn't want to be that close to a man who actually wanted me dead so bad that he tried to kill me himself.

Muttering to himself, Dr. Pannar ran his hands over the bump on my head and I winced. "Well, that's sore but you seem to be fine for the most part. Pupils equal. Any other dizziness since you got up?"

I shook my head. Not from the head wound at least.

He began picking at the tape holding the bandages on my arm. "Let's take a look at these."

"I was going to check them this morning but..." I trailed off.

"Davis is quite adept at bandaging wounds but you're still a human. Mating a Carthera can cause interesting changes to your body, but you still don't have our healing. Brace yourself; I'm going to rip this last piece off."

I grunted at the painful tugging.

"Mmmm, well that doesn't look good."

I turned my head, peering at my bicep. "What?" I grimaced, "Oh god."

The puncture wounds were swollen, the skin red and raw around the cuts. Worse was the slightly yellow pus I could see come out when the doctor pressed around the wounds.

"I would guess this is the cause of the fever. You're going to need antibiotics, and these need to be disinfected."

"There are still supplies in our bathroom from before," Natham said, his nose twitching, I assumed from the smell of the wounds. His nose was very sensitive; I'd seen him track down Velaku just by smelling the air. I couldn't imagine having senses like that or like Dav's ability to taste.

I cut off that thought. I didn't need to think about him; I didn't want to anymore. He was nothing to me. Maybe if I kept telling myself that, I would actually begin to believe it.

"Can you spare Ellis from the meeting for a little while?" Dr. Pannar asked. "Seeing as we have established that he isn't the one doing those things he was accused of?"

Velaku nodded. "You can take a few minutes but I have questions for Ellis. Get him cleaned up as best you can and then I need him back here."

Velaku looked at me with pity in his eyes.

"I know this must be hard for you but we need to know more about your twin. Somehow he has become involved with my enemies."

I didn't understand it, but I knew Isiah was innocent too.

"Isiah is in the military, but I don't see how he could possibly do the things on that video. He's my twin, the one person in this life I can able to count on to always be there for me." Dav winced but I ignored him. "I don't know what is going on but he's not a bad guy, he couldn't be."

"I'm sure you know him very well but sometimes people can surprise you." Velaku was looking at me, but I could sense that his comment was not just for my benefit. I ignored his other meaning. 




Hypnotic Ch. 04



I shook my head. "I won't help you hurt him."

Nothing they could say or show me would make me believe that Isiah did those things. They had accused me and been wrong. I wouldn't believe that Isiah had changed that much, to be able to do things like that, without talking to him first. He'd have an explanation, I knew he would.

"I can understand why you feel that way, Ellis, but I can't promise anything until we know more. If he's responsible for helping our enemies attack the clans he will have to answer for that."

"Will you give him a chance to explain? If I could get him to a place where you could meet safely?"

Velaku sighed. "Let us talk about this for a little bit, Ellis. The knowledge we have gained from these videos goes beyond what you have seen so far. There is still much to discuss."

It was my turn to nod. I wanted answers too.

***

"This is going to sting." Dr. Pannar held my arm under the hot water and pushed open the cuts to let the water cleanse the pus. "I'd prefer to use sterile solution, but we just don't have it."

I clenched my teeth together and grunted. The alcohol he poured over the punctures was worse, burning so much that it felt like Benny's claws were back in my arms. I felt the sweat beading up on my forehead and I swallowed convulsively as my mouth watered and my stomach heaved. I managed to hold it down, but barely. I rested my head against the cool counter, not watching as the doctor worked.

"That's the worst of it. I'll just put some ointment on it and some fresh bandages."

My ragged breathing was slowly steadying. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Nothing more than should be done. It was one of my kind that did this to you and in anger no less. Attacking a human. . . that is dangerous even after all of these years."

I shook my head. "I would never report Benny to the cops or talk to the press. I believe that he made an honest mistake. Carthera are different from humans. Even before they transform their nature can make them dangerous. I understand that."

Dr. Pannar's hands were quick but gentle as he wound the bandages around my biceps. "Yet you didn't give your mate a second look as we left the room."

"He's not my mate," I muttered.

He stared at me in shock. "But he marked you." He pointed to where the twin wounds from Dav's fangs were still clearly visible on my neck. "Not to mention the scales on your back are a dead giveaway."

"Maybe so," I tried to push down the hurt, deep inside, "or maybe not. Somehow he broke our bond this morning. I can't feel him at all anymore." I couldn't believe how much that bond had come to mean to me in just the few days since Dav had first claimed me as his mate.

"That's not possible."       

"So you think. But obviously there is a lot about Snakes you don't know."

Dr. Pannar snorted. "Isn't that the truth. The ones that don't die are driven off as soon as they are mature enough to not die on the streets. The ones that don't live in the wilds are so volatile and angry that most clans won't risk them near their women and young anyway. Out of the few Snakes I've known, only Dav has ever really let me question him and he says precious little. Admitting weakness is not in the nature of most Carthera males but for a Snake it is often deadly."

"I know. I read the files you had. He was surprised that I knew as much as I did and that I wasn't afraid of him then."

Dr. Pannar's eyes jerked to mine. "Then?"

"He said he wished I was dead," I said in a strangled voice. "He even tried to kill me himself. I'd have to be a god damned idiot not to be afraid of him."

Dr. Pannar looked sympathetic. He sighed. "I don't blame you but I wish--"

"I wish many things; most of all to know what is really going on. But wishes are not reality, and nothing will change the fact that the man who supposedly loved me could believe that I would betray him and kill innocent people. He's been inside my head, inside my heart. Our 'bond' must not have made us as close as I thought it did. I thought I knew him, that I could trust him, but obviously I was wrong," I said viciously. "I don't have a mate. I wouldn't want him back now anyway."

I concentrated on the anger I felt, not the pain. Even so, I had to look away from the pity in Dr. Pannar's eyes.

"You sure that's fear you're feeling?" Dr. Pannar asked me in a strange voice.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. Are we done?" I shivered; it was cold without my shirt on.

"Not quite." Dr. Pannar pulled out an old-fashioned thermometer and I obediently stuck it under my tongue and held it there for a few minutes while he put away the bandages and leftover ointment.

He pulled it out and held it up, reading the numbers. "You're definitely running a fever. I don't feel comfortable with you going home alone when you leave here. I assume you won't be going to Dav's apartment."

"No," I said shortly.

"Then you'll come back to the clinic. You can stay with me until your temperature comes down."

I didn't really want to be around anyone, but I didn't really want to be alone either. I nodded wordlessly. The pain, my fever, and the thought of going back in the room were about all I could handle. Arguing about going home alone when I knew professionally that the doctor was right would be stupid.

Dr. Pannar helped me get my shirt on and we headed back to Velaku's office.

I wasn't looking forward to this at all.

"Come in," Velaku called when Dr. Pannar knocked on the door.

"Good timing, Doctor. We have some questions for you, Ellis, if you wouldn't mind."

I shook my head, making my way over the empty chair in front of the desk. I kept my eyes on Velaku and Natham and ignored the other men in the room.

"You want to know about Isiah," I said softly.

Velaku nodded. "He's your identical twin brother?"

"Yes, we're twins," I rubbed my hands on my thighs; the air moving around chilled me, "mirror twins actually. Opposites of each other. That's why he's left handed and I'm right handed."

"Can you think of any reason for your brother to be working with my enemies?"

"No! I don't know what was really going on in that video, but he wouldn't do that!"

Velaku sighed. "What you saw on the tapes wasn't the only time we saw your brother working with them. I know you; you're a good man Ellis, but this is serious. We need to know anything you know so that we can find out what's going on. Nothing makes sense anymore."

"I don't know. When we graduated high school he enlisted in the Army. Our parents . . .you might say. There wasn't much I could do beyond saving his piano when they disowned him. They were going to have it destroyed when I left for school. He'd always been the one who pushed, who defied their strict conventions. 

"Our parents are, to be perfectly honest, snobs. When they chose to disown my brother I severed ties with them too." I closed my eyes at the old pain that caused. My parents weren't exactly mother and father of the year material, but they were family. It hurt that they chose their reputation and lifestyle over their children. I focused and went on.

"Isiah hasn't been home that much. Once or twice since he graduated basic but that's about it. Last package of gifts I sent him went to an Army base in Texas. He's been there for a while, but I'm not sure what his job is exactly. We don't talk about what he does because he respects that my calling in life is to help people heal. He's trained to kill. I guess in that aspect we're mirror opposites as well." 

I'd never really thought of it that way before.

"If he's stationed at an Army base in Texas then what is he doing here in Oregon?"

"I don't know." I met Velaku's eyes. "I know you have few reasons to trust me, but I swear I don't know. I got a call from him a few weeks ago, he told me he had some leave coming and to expect him in about a month for a visit. He said he had someone he wanted me to meet coming with him."

"He's coming here?" Natham asked, speaking for the first time.

I nodded. "I'm supposed to pick him at the airport." I bit my lip. "If I tell you when, I'm afraid that you'll do something to hurt him. There's an explanation, I know there must be. I don't know what else you saw him doing but the Isiah I know is a good man who would never harm an innocent person."

Natham's eyes were twitching and his claws were visibly extending and retracting. A low growl seemed to rumble from his chest.

Velaku put a hand on him. "Calm down, my mate."

I winced at the words and heard rustling across the room where Velaku's guards stood next to Dav. I kept my eyes trained on the pair in front of me, refusing to look at him.

Velaku kept his hand on Natham's arm when he spoke again, his fingers massaging the rigid muscles. "Natham hadn't seen all the pictures earlier. Going through them, we realized that his brother is in one, standing right next to yours. They seemed. . .close. He might be the key to finding Natham's brother. We thought he was dead."

My mouth dropped open; no wonder why Natham got so upset. "His brother?"

I had access to Dr. Pannar's notes. I would never speak of what I read there, but the early file from when Natham was captured had information on his family. He'd been adopted by a dangerously unstable yet diabolically brilliant leopard Carthera who had used Natham to attack and kill Velaku's father. That had somehow initiated a blood bond between Velaku and Natham and bonded them as mates even though they had been at least fifty miles apart and had only met once. 

When Mishtar rescued Velaku and Natham after he had them kidnapped, his father lay dead, torn apart by Natham after he attacked and tried to eat Velaku.

"My brother was never found," Natham said bitterly, "not until now."

"Until Dav and his males found these humans and Carthera still working together to overthrow me and take over our territory," Velaku corrected him. "We thought it was suspicious that only the Jaguar clan in my territory was infected with the plague. When Dav tracked the smugglers some of them fought and some fled. We think there is someone else behind everything that has happened so far.

"Natham's father could not have been acting alone; he probably wasn't even the Carthera who come up with the plan on how to bond us in the first place. All the evidence we have points to someone who has great knowledge of our clans here being responsible."

"They got more than they bargained for when they bonded us. You're mine, and I will always protect you." Natham put one hand on Velaku's face and leaned down, kissing his mate tenderly.

That brought another spasm of pain to my chest and I instinctively tried to wrap my arms around myself. That was a mistake. I made a sound at the pain from moving my still sore arms.

His scent surrounded me just before his hand touched my shoulder. "I can't take it anymore. You're hurting."

I jerked away, jumping up and backing away from Dav until I hit the edge of the desk.

"Ellis?" He stood by my abandoned chair, one arm held out toward me.

"Don't touch me," I snarled.

"But..." He took a step closer and I took a step sideways around the desk corner and backed away from him. He stopped, his mouth working silently. His tongue flicked out and he scented the air.

"You... you're afraid of me?"

"Hell yes I'm afraid! You tried to kill me less than an hour ago!"

He flinched and looked away. "That was a mistake."

"Wrong."

His head whipped around. "What?"

My voice was icy and hard when I spoke again. "That was far beyond anything you could call a mistake. A mistake is something you can learn from, that you can recover from. There's no going back from what you did," I said flatly. "You tried to kill me! You think I trust you now? Why should I?

"You broke our bond. I don't know what you did or how you did it, but I don't care anymore. Don't touch me; don't come near me, because I don't want you. I don't want anyone who could think so little of me to believe that I would murder someone. You didn't even give me a chance; you just tried to kill me for something I didn't even do! A mate should have your back, always. You betrayed our bond."

I felt something akin to satisfaction as I watched something in his eyes wither as his pain grew. Whatever he was feeling now, he deserved it. I ignored the pain in my arms as I scrubbed at the tears of rage falling from my eyes.

"You're not my mate," I said.

That statement, said with grim finality, must have been more than he could take.

He turned and ran, and while most of me was relieved that he was gone, some small part of me was hurt. He didn't even try to apologize. My entire rant took less than two minutes, but it felt like hours passed while we were focused on the problem between us, ignoring the others in the room.

"I'm sorry," I said to Velaku. "I just can't do this right now."

"It's okay. I think it's been a very stressful week for you. We can put the rest of the meeting off for a few days until you are. . .better." Velaku's wings rustled as he stood up.

"He'll be going back to the clinic with me," Dr. Pannar said from beside me. I jumped, not realizing he'd gotten so close. Damn quiet Carthera. "You can reach him there if you have more questions."

"Let's plan on meeting back here in three days. We should all have had time to calm down and maybe with cooler heads we can figure out what the enemy is planning, because trust me gentlemen, they're planning something."

***

All I really wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and curl up in bed with my misery. Instead on the way to Dr. Pannar's the worst happened. The bright sunshine combined with the stress of the day triggered the last thing I wanted to deal with. Rings of color began to flow around the stoplights, and I whimpered.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Pannar asked from the driver's seat.

"I'm getting a migraine."

"Now? Do you have your medication?"

"No. Just one more thing to chalk up to this fucked up day." I groaned at the first spike of pain and closed my eyes.

"Just hold on Ellis. I don't have your medicine in the clinic, but I can put you out until the headache is over. It's not the safest after a head injury, but it's better than you facing a migraine without any pain medicine."

I stayed still and quiet, fighting the nausea the movement of the car made worse until we pulled into the parking lot of the large clinic. The sun stabbed at my eyes; it felt like spikes all the way to the back of my skull when I tried to get out of the car. I groaned, closing my eyes until they were barely open enough to see.

Dr. Pannar came rushing around the car to help me. He was slender enough I didn't want to lean too heavily on him, but he spread his dark wings a little and blocked the sun.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"You're welcome. Let's just get you inside."

The drugs Dr. Pannar pumped into me couldn't hit fast enough. I managed to puke in the garbage can, but the pain from the heaves blacked out my vision. I was barely hanging on to consciousness but the pain wouldn't let me go. It was like a giant knife impaling my head and the agony flooded me in waves. It felt like it would never end.

The transition from migraine to sleep took me unaware.

I woke up with a horrible taste in my mouth as I rolled over and sat up on the bottom bunk in the spare room of the clinic. My arm itched and I scratched at a small red spot. The small room smelled a bit bitter, like sweat. We kept it for family members who wouldn't leave their mates or young but needed to get some rest. The bed wasn't luxurious, but it was better than the gurneys.

No matter where I slept I knew I would have woken up feeling like I had been pummeled to within an inch of my life. I stumbled off in search of coffee in the office. I didn't usually drink it, but if ever a morning called for coffee, this one did. I stirred in a large amount of sugar and cream until the liquid was a pale brown.

The first sip made me grimace at the sweetness with the bitter undertone of dark roasted beans but I kept drinking.

"Hey Ellis, how are you feeling this morning?" Dr. Pannar said when he walked in. He went to the sink and washed his hands before coming over to me and checking me, peering into my eyes and checking my pulse after he felt my forehead. "Headache gone?"

"Yes, for the most part."

"You don't feel feverish anymore, but I'd like to check your arms. I figured while you were out of it I could do a course of IV antibiotics. That should have helped kill the infection."

That had been the source of the itchy spot on my forearm.

Pouring his own cup of coffee, Dr. Pannar gestured to the table. We went and sat down. "Do you feel like eating anything?"

The idea made my stomach cramp, so I shook my head.

"How long has it been since you ate last? If you go too long you could get a rebound headache, especially drinking coffee. Caffeine and an empty stomach aren't a good combination."

I tried to think back to the last meal. "I think it was lunch at the café right before Benny attacked me."

"That was almost two days ago. You have to eat, Ellis! Especially with your condition."

I sighed. "Alright." I left my cup on the table and went to put some bread in the toaster. Along with beds, we kept a fridge stocked with snacks and sandwich fixings. Aside from injured Carthera, hungry ones were the second most dangerous. I scraped a thin layer of butter over my toast when it popped up and sat back at the table to force it down.

When I was done, Dr. Pannar picked up our cups and put them in the sink.

"Okay, let's go look at those arms and put fresh bandages on them."

We walked into one of the clinic treatment rooms, and Dr. Pannar peeled off the tape holding the bandages on my arms. He unwound the gauze and the pad fell off. I looked at the skin of my biceps in amazement.

"Are you sure I only slept through one night?"

Dr. Pannar was running his hands over the pink marks on my arm, all that was left of the puncture wounds that had been red and infected the day before.

"Positive."

He shook his head, gathering up the clean bandage material and putting it back. "You're not going to need these anyway. Has this ever happened before?"

"No. I think I'd remember something like that." I was running the tips of my fingers over my left arm, marveling at the small pink spots.

"And you are sure that you're completely human?" he asked. "No Carthera mixed in with your bloodlines?"

I made a rude noise in my throat. "With my family's preoccupation with reputation and snobbery? Not freaking likely."

"It must be something to do with your bond with Davis then--"

I cut him off. "I told you, we have no bond anymore!"

Dr. Pannar gestured for me to put my shirt back on. "Look Ellis, like it or not, those markings on your back tell me you and Davis bonded and are mates. No matter what happened afterward, if he was somehow able to block that bond, it doesn't change the fact that you're connected."

I didn't want to think about that. If I did. . .that would mean that since I still couldn't feel him, he was still blocking me. If he was blocking me, then he clearly didn't want me to be his mate. I shook my head; it was moot anyway, the man tried to kill me.

I looked at the clock. "It's almost nine. I'm not feeling too bad all things considered, and I don't feel like going home to sit around brooding over everything that's been happening. How about I stay here and help out?"

"Only if you promise to take it easy."

I agreed quickly. I really needed to keep busy, and fortunately the clinic was bustling once office hours started. There were a lot of small injuries I could help with and a few major injuries that required Dr. Pannar's expert touch. Even though I sat down a lot and only helped Dr. Pannar a few times, I was exhausted by the time the clinic closed. I sat down in the chair behind the desk with an exaggerated sigh.




Hypnotic Ch. 04



"Now that doesn't sound like you were taking it very easy," he scolded me.

I shrugged. "I know, but I really wasn't too busy. I think I'm still a bit worn down from everything."

"Well go home and rest," he said. "But call me if you need anything, Ellis."

"I'll need to call a cab." He put his hand over the phone when I reached for it.

When I looked at him in surprise, he looked away, his wings rustled a little. It was a fidget I'd noticed in other bird Carthera that was a lot like humans wringing their hands together.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, Davis dropped off your car while you were sleeping off your migraine. So you don't need to call a cab."

I could feel my shoulders tightening and my mouth flattening in a thin line. "Did you let him in my room?" My heart was racing at the thought of Dav in a room with me while I was drugged and unconscious.

"Of course not!" Dr. Pannar looked up at me in indignation.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still just. . .upset with everything going on with him. Don't worry; I'll be back to normal soon."

Dr. Pannar's expression was nothing short of skeptical.

"I will!"

He shook his head and grabbed his jacket off the coat rack and grabbed his keys. He pulled my keys off their hook and tossed them to me.

"If you say so," he said.

The drive home didn't take long, but I was yawning when I walked in. I considered making something to eat, but I just wasn't that hungry. I'd eaten a bit of soup in the afternoon when Dr. Pannar threatened me bodily harm if I didn't, but he wasn't there now to force me to eat.

I dropped my keys on the counter. They'd been hanging on the hook in the break room at the office. I know Dav got them out of my stuff at his apartment and had to have picked up my car and dropped it off at the office for me. We'd ridden in his car to the bar the day before after we had lunch.

I didn't understand it. Not when he was still blocking our bond. Obviously he was trying to get on my good side.

Not happening.

Especially when I keyed in the code for my voicemail and there were ten messages all from him. I hadn't even turned my cell phone on. I deleted my entire inbox, not listening beyond his quiet, "Ellis, please listen."

Definitely not happening.

The next two days were long and tiring. I wasn't sleeping well, and I only ate when Dr. Pannar nagged at me to. The meeting Velaku arranged was getting closer and closer, and my stomach churned when I wasn't focused on my work if I thought about it. I was just finishing up some paperwork on Friday when my cell phone rang. I'd finally turned it back on, and there had been a huge volume of messages all from the same number. I'd erased them and then blocked it. I knew it had to be Dav.

I looked at my phone, ready to hit end, but the caller id popped up with Isiah's name. My heart started racing.

"Hello?"

"Hey little brother! How's it going?"

"You know you're only about two minutes older than me right?"

"Still older," he laughed.

I still felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest, and it was really hard not to blurt out questions about the video I'd seen but I knew Velaku was right. Answers had to come in person. I just had to make sure that they weren't going to hurt him.

"Anyway, little brother, I was wondering if I could change our plans a little."

"What do you mean by that?" My hand was clenched on the edge of the desk.

"Well, I have someone I really want you to meet, and I'm able to get away a few days early. I thought we'd fly out tonight; the airline will switch our tickets if you can pick us up. If you don't have room for both of us, we can stay in a hotel."

I thought fast. This changed things; this changed a lot of things. "Who is it?"

Isiah laughed. "Oh no, that'd be telling. I want it to be a surprise. Don't worry though, you'll love them. I do."

"Them. Not her? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Maybe." Isiah was quiet for a minute. "Well, sort of. I'll tell you about him when we get there."

I nibbled on my lip, considering the options. It wasn't that hard to make my decision. I took a deep breath.

"What time will your flight get in?"



Hypnotic Ch. 05



I looked in my mirrors frequently as I drove through the dark night, the lights of the airport guiding me off the freeway. No one would possibly know to follow me as I made my way outside the city to the airport, but I still felt anxious. Dr. Pannar had taken me in, and I considered Natham a friend even if I was a bit leery of his mate. Yet I didn't tell either of them where I was going either.

My brother deserved the benefit of the doubt I hadn't been given. A lifetime of being my other half meant that even though we'd been apart for a few years other than short visits here and there, I trusted him. I trusted him to know what was right and wrong and to never fall on the wrong side of that line. The law might or might not agree with that, but I wouldn't just hand him over without talking to him first.

"Little brother! Where are you at?"

I had my cell phone tucked to my ear with my shoulder as I paid for my parking. It had started to ring just as I finished and began walking into the busy airport. I grimaced at Isiah's greeting. "Cute. I'm just getting in from the parking garage, where are you?"

"We're just getting past the security area. Meet us down in baggage claim?"

I veered right of the escalators instead of heading upstairs. "Okay. See you in a few minutes."

I located their baggage carousel and stood around waiting. My mind instantly sank into the memory of the meeting in Velaku's office. The dingy warehouse, the Carthera next to my brother, and the dead man at their feet. What had Isiah gotten caught up in? What was he doing?

The arm wrapping around my shoulder startled me. "Hey little brother! Miss me?"

"Damn it Isiah, why do you always have to do that?" I growled. 

He laughed and pulled me into his arms for a hug. I squeezed him back, pulling in his scent. A growl came from behind me, making me pull out of Isiah's arms and turn slowly.

I knew that sound.

I blinked and froze in shock.

"You're a tiger."

The Carthera in front of me was different from what I expected from Velaku and Natham's story. Natham was a lynx, but he'd been adopted. I'd just assumed that the brother had been the natural son of the bastard that adopted Natham.

I couldn't be more wrong.

Isiah moved around me and stood beside the tiger. My brother and I weren't especially small men, but the Carthera dwarfed us. He was thick but not fat; and the parts of his body I could see were corded with muscle. He should look weird with the almost orange cast to his skin but the black stripes I could see peeking from his shirt like a tattoo and striping his arms kept him from looking like an at home tanning disaster.

Even more intimidating was the leashed potential I could sense in him. Without my really noticing it, my tongue flicked out and then back in my mouth. The tiger wasn't nearly as relaxed as he looked. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, and it increased the anxiety I had been feeling since I got Isiah's call.

"Ellis, I want you to meet Ahsran. He's my mate."

"It's nice to meet you finally." Ahsran held out his hand for me to shake.

I was lost for words. I stood there staring, my gaze going from Isiah to Ahsran. Ahsran's hand slowly lowered back to his side. I looked at my brother, but I couldn't see any sign of any change in him until he frowned and opened his mouth again.

"Ellis?"

"You have fangs." I bit my lip nervously and took a step back, locking my gaze on Ahsran and watching him. They weren't retractable fangs like Davis had but four short thick sharp ones that bracketed his front teeth. They altered the shape of his face a little, making it wider than a human's. My brother mated a Carthera too? It wasn't unheard of, but very unusual for Carthera to have human mates. Both of us mating? What did that mean?

Isiah cleared his throat, pulling my eyes from Ahsran. He was frowning. "I thought you'd be more accepting, little brother," he said sadly, "after all, you work with Carthera." He'd grabbed Ahsran's hand, their fingers laced together firmly.

That so wasn't the problem, but how was I going to explain that to him? I looked at the people standing around us and shook my head. This was not the place.

"I'm sorry," I said in a quiet voice, "it's not that. We need to talk but not here."

Isiah frowned, but his head jerked in a nod.

"I'll go get my car while you guys get your luggage. I'll meet you outside the doors down to the left, okay?"

Ahsran was already turning and watching the bags that were beginning to make their first round as they were unloaded from the plane.

"Fine," Isiah said. His tone was short and clipped. I knew he was unhappy with me.

"I promise I'll explain, okay? Just. . .trust me."

It was ironic really I was asking my brother for trust and had to wonder if I would get it when I was risking so much for him. He didn't know that, though, and I'd made a horrible first impression on his mate.

I popped the trunk, and then waited while they got in the car. Ahsran got in the backseat, and Isiah slid in with him. I'd expected him to take the front seat like always, and the change jarred me. I bit my lip, but said nothing as I pulled away from the curb. We'd entered the city before anything was said.

"Where are we going? This isn't the way to your apartment."

"I moved into an apartment over by Matthew's place," I said.

Isiah leaned forward and glanced at the street sign as we passed under another light. "This isn't the way to Matthew's apartment either." His arms crossed. "Damn it, Ellis, what in the hell is going on? Where are you taking us?"

I sighed, resisting the urge to rub the bridge of my nose while I drove. I was shaking so bad I needed both hands on the wheel to make sure I didn't swerve. "I don't really want to talk about this while I'm driving."

"If you don't tell me where we're going I'm going to make you pull over right now Ellis. I'm not joking." The flat, cold tone of his voice was one he'd never used with me before, one I didn't really think my brother could ever make actually. I heard it on the video, but never myself.

It was the voice of a killer.

I knew the voice didn't mean he was evil, but it still sent chills up my spine to hear it from Isiah. I'd heard it in many of the Carthera I knew: my mate, Natham, Velaku had all used it at one time or another. Maybe I didn't know Isiah as well as I thought I did. Maybe Velaku was right.

I looked in the rear view mirror to see Isiah's mate, Ahsran, staring at me with narrowed eyes.

"Velaku wants to talk to you," I admitted.

The snarl that came from Ahsran drowned out the cussing Isiah was doing. I couldn't help but jerk at the sound and my shoulders tightened and came up, trying to protect my neck from the angry tiger in the back seat. The car swerved, and I gasped.

Isiah jerked sideways in his seat and reached back to put a hand on his mate. I could practically feel it as the tiger glared at me, but I avoided looking at him in the mirrors. I glanced at Isiah, and he was glaring at me, his fangs exposed. I flinched.

"What the hell Ellis!" Isiah said angrily. There was a lot of hurt in his tone, as if I were the one betraying him. "How could you do this to me?"

I hit the brakes and swerved to the sidewalk. I turned toward Isiah so fast my seatbelt caught. I ripped it off and faced my brother with all the rage that had been building in me ever since Dav cut off our bond.

"Do this to you? To you? Do have any god damn idea what the FUCK I've been through the past few days? The things I saw and heard about you?" I was hissing at Isiah and he was staring at me, his eyes huge.

"My mate tried to kill me. My mate! Because of something you did." I emphasized you, thrusting one finger in Isiah's face.

"You have a mate too?" he asked quietly.

I hissed at him. "That is so far beyond the point right now, but no, I don't. He. . .broke it off. The whole trying to kill me thing sort of clued me in to that," I said sarcastically.

"Not possible."

I sneered at him. "I would have said watching you let someone be killed right in front of you was impossible, but I saw that with my own eyes too. Pretty sure that word doesn't mean much anymore."

A smart man wouldn't be having this conversation in a small car with a trained killer and a large, angry cat Carthera, but I'd had it. It was all too much. The stress and strain of the last week caught up to me, and I was beyond any sense of self-preservation.

"The last few days have been hell Isiah. I don't know what to do anymore."

"You can't take us to Velaku and Natham." Ahsran looked at Isiah and then back at me. "If you try I will harm you." His voice was a deep snarl.

"Ahsran," Isiah said in a sharp voice.

"No. You are my mate; I will not let your brother take us to them before everything is ready. It would ruin everything."

They fell to arguing, and I could just feel the headache waiting to hit. I made a sound of frustration in my throat. "Look, can we just put this on hold. I'm feeling a headache starting, and this whole damn issue is moot anyway. What I said was that Velaku and Natham want to see you, not that I was taking you to them.

"I'm taking you to a hotel that's not anywhere close to Velaku's eyrie or my apartment. It's not safe at either place."

"How can we trust that you are really going to do that?" Ahsran looked skeptical, his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's not like you have much of a choice, now do you? Besides, if I was really going to turn my brother and his mate in, don't you think they would have met you at the airport with a cadre of Falcons to take you out?"

Ahsran sank back into his seat. "There is that fact."

Isiah sent him a look. "But why can't we go back to your place?" he asked me.

"I'm pretty sure Davis has it watched. It'd be a disaster if Benny or Jerret saw you. They were both at the meeting with Velaku on Sunday." My hands clenched the wheel.

"Who is Davis? Your mate?"

"I told you, he's not my mate. He was, but he broke our bond. Look, I don't want to talk about that. You're just going to have to trust that I am not turning you in."

"You wouldn't do that." Isiah sounded so sure of that.

I wasn't.

Because, for just a little while, I had considered doing just that. Even after I met them at the airport. I didn't though, so now I had to figure out what was really going on and what I was going to do. I took a deep breath before putting the car back in gear and pulling back on to the road.

"It's been a long day already. Let's just talk when we get to the hotel."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, but I was no closer to figuring things out when I pulled into the hotel I'd reserved on the phone from my apartment. I wanted to be prepared no matter what I decided.

"Stay here while I check in."

I handed over my credit card, wincing at the idea of next month's bill. I waited for the clerk to print out the receipt, glancing out the window. Isiah and Ahsran were facing each other and I could see Ahsran gesturing wildly. At least he couldn't convince Isiah to drive off and leave me here, considering I'd grabbed the keys before I got out.

"Hey," the clerk said, pulling my attention back to him.

"Oh, sorry." I used the cheap pen on the counter to sign the check in form and then collected the keys the man slid over to me.

"Check out time is noon."

"Okay, thanks." The little bell on the door tinkled when I opened it, and I winced at the sound as it hurt my ears. I wasn't in full blown migraine mode, but I could feel it impending.

Isiah jerked around with his fists up when I opened his door. I took a quick step back.

"Sorry," he said, lowering his fists, but he didn't look sorry in the least.

I shook my head. "My fault. We're just over here in room eight."

I popped the trunk and grabbed the bag I'd packed after work, and then waited for Isiah and Ahsran to grab theirs. I led the way to the hotel room, uneasy with my brother at my back for the first time ever. The hotel room was fairly average, decorated in shades of brown and gray with two queen beds, a table and chairs set, and mini kitchen area.

I set my bag down and sat down on the bed. A long shift and the stress of Isiah's early visit on top of everything else meant I was exhausted. I kicked off my shoes and slid up to the headboard, piling both pillows behind my back.

This was going to be a long conversation.

Ahsran put his suitcase down by Isiah's in front of the closet. He looked between me and Isiah. "I'm going to take a shower."

I watched as he leaned over and capture Isiah's lips with a little growl. Their bodies swayed and they leaned into each, arms wrapping around and hands stroking. I shut my eyes, feeling a wave of pain that had nothing to do with the headache I felt threatening to erupt into a migraine. I'd had that, but just for a brief time. The reminder made the pain that filled my soul throb and spread throughout my body. It was like a weakness that filled my limbs and made my body feel heavier.

The click of the door shutting made me open my eyes. Isiah was sitting on the edge of the other bed, watching me.

"I've never heard of a Carthera that could break a bond with their mate," he said.

"Me either," my fists clenched in my lap, "but Davis did it. I haven't felt the slightest hint of our bond since it happened. I've still got the mating mark on my back though and I think I'm getting his ability to sense scents with my mouth. It's. . .weird."

"You have a mating mark on your back?"

I nodded. "A scale pattern just like Davis had. You know, we're not so identical anymore. I've got my mark and I saw you have fangs like Ahsran's."

"I guess we aren't. I have stripes on my body like he does too. It's been strange, being so close to someone else. It's almost like the bond we've always shared."

"Yeah, I think so too. I never thought we'd change like this. Humans mating Carthera, it's just weird. The emotions I felt from Davis, what I know his life before me, and the whole culture. It's been so overwhelming, and it's only been a week since we met."

I saw Isiah hesitate before he spoke, "You said you saw me let someone get killed. When did you see that?"

"On Sunday. Davis has been investigating the attacks on the clans for Velaku. Things like his mate bond to Natham, the plague that hit the Jaguar clan, the attacks and murders in the southern area of the territory Velaku's father claimed. Davis has a second in command, so to speak, called Benny. After the attack on the warehouse the smugglers were using to hold the contaminated statues, he's been relying on him to keep the investigation going while Davis works with Velaku and Natham."

"Big guy oozing muscles with a shaved head, dangerous eyes, and earring?" Isiah's description had been superficial but spot on.

"Yeah, that's him. Describes his little brother Jerret too, just not quite as big or oozing and he kept his hair cut short, but not completely bald.

"Anyway, they've been tracking the smugglers that got away. The video I saw was taken at a warehouse. You and a Carthera helped a delivery guy unload his truck and then you just stood there and let the man get slaughtered. Like it was nothing." My nails dug into the skin of my palms. The memory of that video and what Isiah did still bothered me a lot. I couldn't even look at Isiah when I said it.

"It's not what you think."

My head whipped around, and I glared at him. "Then tell me what it was! They said that wasn't the only video you were in, though I don't know what was on the other ones. They have pictures of you with Ahsran! Do you know what he did to Velaku? Do you?" My voice rose until I cut it off, not wanting to alarm any neighbors who might complain.

"Yes, I do," Isiah said calmly, "probably a lot better than you do."

The blank look on his face, the lack of emotion in his answer set me off. What had the military turned him into; a cold blooded killer that could shut off his emotions? What happened to the Isiah I knew? I seethed in anger.

"Then tell me!" I said explosively, jumping off the bed. My anger and frustration were so intense that I couldn't sit still anymore. I paced at the end of the beds in front of the TV. "They thought it was me on those tapes! My own mate tried to strangle me until Dr. Pannar realized that it was you."

I glared at him. "Turns out that scar you gave me when we were kids came in handy for more than just our parents and teachers being able to tell us apart. If not for that, and the fact that you're left handed they might have let Davis kill me."

Isiah ran a hand through his hair. The last time I saw him it had been a lot shorter but now his light brown hair was almost exactly the same length as mine. His lean face and brown eyes were still almost identical to what I saw every day in the mirror. How could someone who looked just like me, who shared my DNA, be so different on the inside?

"That man isn't dead. He's my partner, and the Carthera that attacked him just pretended to kill him. They're both working with me to investigate the same men that Velaku is. This is a lot bigger than a small patch of territory in the U.S. no matter how prominent Keserem and his father made it when they finally managed to integrate the clans with the humans. Velaku is a target, but just as a first step."

I'd stopped pacing, and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed facing Isiah. Our knees were only inches apart.

"I don't understand." I was so tired of everything going on, all the secrets and drama.

"This is all top secret information I'm sharing here, Ellis. You can't tell anyone."

I sighed. More secrets. But I knew if I wanted to get to the bottom of everything and clear Isiah's name I had to agree. "Fine. I promise I won't say anything unless you tell me I can."

"There is a small group of Carthera that are working with the government to try and stop these terrorists. They are headed up by a supremacist Carthera group that has been on the US government's watch list for years. They have always seemed minor players, but there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than we ever knew.

"That is, until Ahsran defected after he saw the torture their father inflicted on Natham. He tried to get Natham free, but he couldn't do it. By then he was working with my superiors to gather as much intelligence as possible about the attempted takeover of Keserem's territory."

That was easy for someone to say. I had no idea if what Ahsran told my brother was true or not. From Natham's reaction to seeing his picture, I didn't think he'd believe him at all.

"Is that how you met?" I asked him.

Isiah smiled. "Yeah. It's been the bright spot in an otherwise totally fucked up assignment. I wasn't on the case, my security clearance wasn't near high enough, but we bumped into each other as he came in to report one day. He latched onto my arm and refused to let me out of his sight. Shocked the hell out of my boss when he claimed he was my mate.

"Scared the shit out of me, to tell you the truth. Plus the higher ups were really unhappy. Then my boss hit on the idea of sending me in as his mate. Before I knew it I had a whole new background and I was set down in the middle of a huge undercover operation involving more alphabet government agencies than I knew existed."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "This is going to be impossible to explain if I can't tell anyone, Isiah. Velaku knows you were coming in at the end of the week."

The bathroom door opened. "Why the hell did you tell him that?" Ahsran bared his fangs. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, his wet hair was a dark brown color and I stared at the dark stripes that wrapped around his torso. He had an actual eight pack, muscles stacked on muscles in his chest and arms as he crossed them and glared down at me.




Hypnotic Ch. 05



"I didn't know anything beyond what I saw on that tape! I'd already told Dr. Pannar about Isiah's visit when he first called me three weeks ago. Do you think whoever they still have watching those people aren't reporting your movements? Both of yours?"

"He's right, Ahsran. I had no idea they'd found the new base, and I didn't catch anyone watching us. You know how difficult that must be for them to get surveillance." His fingers tapped on his thigh as he looked worriedly over at Ahsran.

"That doesn't change the fact that we don't have a lot of time before they expect us to be flying in. It doesn't give us much leeway to come up with a new plan." Ahsran dropped his towel by their suitcases, bending over and giving me an eyeful of his thick thighs and round ass as he grabbed clean clothes. I flushed in embarrassment and looked away quickly.

Isiah snickered. "Hey babe, put some clothes on. You're embarrassing my brother."

I felt my blush spread as my face heated up. I kicked Isiah, and he grunted. I kept my eyes down until Ahsran was dressed.

"Sorry." Ahsran sat down on the bed by Isiah, putting his hand on his leg, his claws going in and out as he stroked him. Isiah smiled and leaned into him. I looked up, taking in the sight of them so close together. My tongue flicked out, and I could almost taste how happy my twin was, like a flavor in the air.

"Carthera clans tend to be pretty casual about nudity," Ahsran explained. I knew that from my work with my patients, but it was different when it was my brother's mate.

"Not like men in the military are any better either. I was shocked the first week or two at basic at all the naked men changing around me before I got used to it." Isiah laughed at the memory.

"Look, I'm sorry I let myself believe that you could ever be involved in killings but--"

"That video had to be damning," Isiah interrupted.

I nodded once. "Not to mention I was in shock over how Davis was treating me. He shut down our bond and tried to kill me. I was already injured when Benny attacked me the night before and I had a head wound. None of that excuses it but. . ."

Isiah stood up and leaned over me, pulling me into his arms. "If you need it, I forgive you. You're my brother. You have been through a lot while I've been gone. I know life hasn't been easy for you, Ellis. I'm sorry that I couldn't be here, but I just feel like I need to be where I'm at and doing what I do."

I took a deep breath and squeezed Isiah back before he sat back down. I waved away his apology though. "Don't be sorry for doing what you think is right. I do understand that feeling, even if I can't understand what you do."

"Well what I am doing right now is trying to save the Carthera in the country that don't hate humans and want to subjugate our entire race. It's dangerous, but look what it got me too." Isiah looked up at Ahsran with sappy look on his face which of course led into an embrace.

The pain was back. I kept it to myself. "I'm happy for you, I really am."

Ahsran pulled back and yawned. "Sorry. We haven't had much sleep the last few days."

"No, no. It's been a long day for me too. We should get some rest."

"There was something you said earlier that I wanted to ask you about actually." Ahsran's shoulders were tensing back up.

I looked up at him in surprise, taking in his defensive posture. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. "Um, okay. Go ahead."

"You said that your apartment was being watched?"

I grimaced. "Yes. Davis has been trying to get in touch with me. I've seen him watching me at work, and I glimpsed Benny at least twice driving by my apartment late at night. I left him a nasty message with his bartender telling him to leave me alone though."

"This Davis," he paused, "he's your mate?"

I nodded.

"Is he by any chance Davis Retic, also known as 'The Snake'?"

He looked annoyed when I shrugged. I sighed and nodded.

"So, you have a Snake Carthera mate with a deadly reputation that even scared the crap out of my father and you're telling me that you told him to leave you alone and expect him to listen to you? You don't think that if your car stays gone overnight, he's not likely to try and track you down?"

"He's not like that with me, at least he wasn't." I could hear the bitterness creeping back into my voice. I thought I was different to Davis, that we had a real connection and trust building. He'd shown me a very different side of himself, one I knew that others must have never seen from his reputation. The jumble of memories I'd gotten when we bonded had shown me so much of him, but there was a lot I didn't know. I never would now.

"We can't really risk it. What if someone sees your car here? This isn't a big city."

I ran my hand through my hair.

"You're right. I'm going to have to go home." I didn't really feel up to it, but I wasn't willing to give away Isiah's and Ahsran's presence. Not just because I didn't want to go home and deal with the messages and attempts Davis wouldn't stop as he tried to get me back. My hand went to the bridge of my nose, pinching as I tried to ease the pressure I could feel building along with my stress level.

I knew my brother wasn't a killer now, but the situation was still precarious. We couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Not until we had a way to prove it.

"Can you drive, or is your head hurting too much?"

I shook my head. "No, I can drive."

Isiah hugged me really hard before I left and even Ahsran held out his hand for me to shake. I put my bag in the backseat and got behind the wheel. I took a deep breath and then turned the key in the ignition. I couldn't stand the silence in the car so I turned on the radio, letting the sad country music soothe my woe is me attitude.

I almost put the car in reverse when I pulled up in front of my apartment and saw Davis actually standing in front of my door. The pounding in my head was suddenly back as my stress level spiked.

Did he know?

I sat in my car and stared at Dav. My heart was pounding and the pain in my head spiked from the rush of adrenaline. The last week had been a dream come true at first, and then my worst nightmare. I didn't want to face the man who had broken my heart. I looked at my keys, seriously considering just starting the car back up and driving away.

There was tapping at my window before I could do it though. I jerked a bit, startled.

"Ellis? Why are you just sitting in your car? Are you okay?" Davis tried the handle, but I'd locked the door when I got in and he couldn't open it. "Unlock the door, Ellis."

"I'm fine, Davis. Go away."

"No."

My lips folded together and my nostrils flared. "Fine. I'm leaving until you get sick of waiting. I don't want to talk to you Davis, so just leave me alone."

"You can't drive around forever, and I'll just follow you." I could not believe he just said that. "We have to talk Ellis; you have to listen to me."

"By talking, you mean you tell me you're sorry you tried to kill me and just expect me to say okay and go back to before when I trusted you?" I glared through the glass at Davis. "Thanks to you I've got scales on my back and my senses are driving me nuts. I can taste scents now. It's annoying, especially at work. We're not even mates anymore!"

Davis' shoulders were bowed, and he looked sad. "Yes we are, Ellis. That's what I need to talk to you about. Please get out of the car and talk to me." His hand spread on the glass. "Please, I'll keep my distance," he said softly. "I won't hurt you, I promise."

My head hurt, and my pills were inside. I needed to get out of my car, take two and get in bed. But if I got out, would he smell my brother and Ahsran on me?

A circle of color began to ring my porch light. The headache was getting worse. I feathered my fingers over my forehead and into my hair, pushing it back. I would take my pills, listen to whatever excuse Dav thought would change my mind, and then collapse in bed after he left when I told him it was too little, too late.

"Fine. Back up," I told him.

I gripped the edge of the door when I stood up, the wave of dizziness hitting me just as I expected it too.

"What's wrong?" Dav said, stepping forward.

"Nothing." I let go of the door and shut it carefully. I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other all the way up to my front door. It was when I tried to put the key in the lock that the true extent of my headache made itself known. I couldn't even really see the hole, and I was too dizzy to bend over to look closer.

I braced a hand on the door and groaned quietly. This was getting bad fast.

"Damn it, Ellis, you've got a headache again, don't you? You have that same pinched look."

"It's nothing," I whispered, "just stress."

"You're stressed because of me. Give me those keys." Dav snatched the keys from me, though I wasn't resisting too much. 

I didn't enlighten him to the true cause of my stress either, but then again, it was sort of his fault.

He unlocked the door and then tried to grab my arm. I pulled it away, moving slowly but not letting him tow me in to my own apartment. I walked in by sheer force of will, going straight to the kitchen. My pills were on the breakfast counter. I shook the bottle. I'd had another headache over the week and I was running low on pills. I'd need to call my doctor in the morning. I was a little surprised he hadn't called me in to finish the tests he'd wanted to run.

Just one more thing to schedule into my already crazy life.

I popped the top on the bottle and shook two pills out into my hand. I knew it would be petty not to drink the water Davis slid across the counter, but I was tempted to get my own. The throbbing to the right of my eye convinced me moving around to get a glass would be stupid. I grunted and took the pill.

"Let's get you in bed." Dav was standing beside me.

"I don't want you back in my bed," I said mulishly.

He sighed. "I know, Ellis."

I could feel his heat right behind me as I stumbled to my room. My head felt like it was going to explode. I moved toward the window to pull the shades and the curtains.

"I'll get them. Get in bed."

"Stop being so bossy." I grumbled under my breath about his attitude, like he had the right to just walk into my apartment and tell me what to do. I wasn't doing it because he told me to, but it was the only thing I was actually capable of at the moment. The act of lying back in the bed sent a wave of dizziness through me.

Damn this one was bad.

I grabbed the edge of the bed, holding on tight in hopes that the room would stop swirling. The quiet swishing of the curtains stopped and I heard water running in the bathroom. A cool washcloth draped across my eyes and forehead. I sighed a little in relief, enjoying the feeling on my hot face.

My heating pad was draped across my feet, and I heard a small click as Dav turned it on. After that the room was filled with silence. Maybe he left. Hands on my face, turning the washcloth and stroking my hair startled me, making me hiss a little.

"Don't. You don't get to touch me just because I can't stop you."

"Oh Ellis," he whispered.

I ignored the pain in his voice from my words. It wasn't the same; it wasn't anything like what he put me through.

"Just go away Davis. I don't want you here." I twitched a little and groaned as my pain spiked. The pill couldn't kick in fast enough. I could feel the pain taking over and it even eclipsed the ache where my bond to Dav used to be.

"I'm not leaving you like this, Ellis. I just can't," his voice broke.

I made an annoyed sound and tried to push him away. Big mistake. If I had been able to eat earlier I would have thrown up right then. Instead I whimpered and panted as my stomach twisted and my mouth watered. The headache was in full swing, and the pain made me feel like someone was trying to pick their way out of my brain, steel claws as their tool.

I could sense Dav still in the room, but he wasn't touching me anymore, and I couldn't speak to tell him to leave. I kept waiting for the pill to kick in, but it wasn't helping. Usually the pain started to ease within fifteen minutes but it felt like the pain went on and on.

"Ellis? Are you okay?"

I was whimpering steadily, tears flowing from the corners of my eyes to soak into my pillow.

Why wouldn't it stop? My fingers dug into the bed.

"Ellis!" Dav's alarmed whisper sounded like a ringing shout.

His weight on the side of the bed made me shift a little. I tried to push at him to get him away from me. My hand fell weakly back to the bed when he didn't budge.

"Ellis, let me help you. I think my venom could make the pain go away."

All I heard was pain go away. I'd do anything; give anything for that right then.

"Can you talk to me? I don't want to bite you against your will, but I hate seeing you like this."

I didn't answer, I couldn't but I whimpered. I wanted him to bite me. I tapped at his leg with my finger.

"Are you trying to answer me? Tap twice Ellis if you want me to bite you."

I focused, pushing at the pain as hard as I could to lift and tap with my finger twice.

"Thank you Ellis." I could hear the relief in his voice. I didn't even feel him move before I felt his fangs sinking into my shoulder. The pain was minor compared to the explosions going off in my brain as my body arched in reaction to the venom that I could feel pumping into me.

It was more intense than before, like a flow of burning fire through my veins. My heart thundered, pumping the venom into my arms and legs and directly to my cock. His tongue swept across my neck and the twin points made me squirm as he licked around the bite wound.

Suddenly, it felt like my whole body was tingling, burning. The clothes I had on were too irritating and had to go. I was tugging at them when suddenly my shirt ripped away. I sighed in pleasure as my headache faded into the background as the air in the room slid across my sensitized skin. I could feel currents from Dav's breath swirling around my stomach.

I needed him. My cock hurt as it pulsed, trapped in an awkward twist in my underwear. I tried to get to my zipper, but my arm fell to my side.

"Dav," I moaned.

"It's just the venom, Ellis. Let go, let it take the pain."

My arms and legs began to feel heavy. "Dav, please."

"Ellis." Dav sounded so agonized, I imagined that I could even feel it a little bit but his sigh distracted me as it swirled around my face.

"You don't want me in your bed; you only let me help you to stop the pain."

I couldn't think. His words made no sense, and now I was in a new pain. My hips shifted restlessly, the only movement I could manage. It felt like I could feel every stitch in the sheet under my back.

I whimpered.

"I hope you don't hate me even more in the morning for this."

I felt him slide into the bed beside me. His hand stroked across my chest and then down into my underwear, shifting and pushing them down my thighs. His heat radiated into me, warming my cool skin. I not only wanted him to touch me; I desperately needed him to touch me.

He shifted on his back, pulling me partly onto his chest. His t-shirt felt butter soft, but the iron bar of his erection digging into my lower back was even more distracting. I would have jerked if I could when his hand closed over my dick, and he tugged upward in a long smooth stroke. My head fell back against his shoulder, and I heard a variety of sounds fill the room as he began to drive me crazy.

The agony of sensation was phenomenal, better than I had remembered. Going from pain worse than anything I'd ever experienced to a high like this sent my body into overdrive. Dav pulled me close, but I could feel the tremors running through my body; my chest heaved as I tried to suck in enough oxygen to keep from passing out.

Then Dav's hand changed its movement and he added a twist at the head of my erection, closing his fist and rubbing back and forth before sweeping down the to the base of my shaft and back up again. I'd never felt anything like it. I could feel my orgasm approaching as my balls drew up and I shouted when his mouth clamped onto the bite mark and his fangs sank in one more time.

The little slice of pain and the tight squeeze of his slick palm were too much. I shot over and over, shuddering and moaning. Dav held me through the aftermath, his fingers stroking my chest and kissing my shoulder as the venom kept me hard and needy until he coaxed me into a second and smaller orgasm, though no less intense.

I panted as he laid me down on the bed. He moved off the bed and left but I had my eyes closed, too sated to think, much less care if he was finally leaving. Though it startled me, I made a sound of appreciation when a warm washcloth swiped across my stomach and groin instead. The quilt was tugged out from under me and Dav covered me up and then slid on top of the blanket beside me.

He pushed my hair off my sweaty face. "Feel better?"

I hummed; talking would be too much effort. Warm, sated, a musky comforting scent around me, I was almost asleep.

"I love you, Ellis."

Then again, maybe I already was and this was all just a dream.

***

I woke up alone. I rolled onto my side, pulling the spare pillow to me. Tears filled my eyes and threatened to fall. I hated this feeling, the emptiness where Dav should be, where he was before everything went to shit.

I licked my lips, tasting salt. Damn it! I was really tired of crying. Then I paused. I caught a scent and flicked my tongue back out.

Dav.

He'd been here. He'd really been in my bed.

I slid out of bed and picked up my underwear. I slid then on and then walked out of my room. He was still there, sleeping on the couch. He rolled off the couch and to his feet as soon as I entered the room, blinking at me in the morning light.

"Oh god, Ellis, I'm sorry. Does your head still hurt?" He rushed over to shut the curtains.

I shook my head. "Leave them open. It doesn't hurt at all, like I didn't even have a migraine last night."

He stopped. "Oh. Well, good."

I turned away from him. I was still so angry with him; I wasn't ready to forgive him. I didn't know if I could.

I started some tea in the kitchen.

"Do you want me to go get you something for breakfast?" Dav asked.

"No." I grabbed a mug. "Tea is fine." I turned around and took a sip, glancing at him. Why was he still around?

I ignored the frown I could almost feel him direct at me. "You said you had to stick to a special diet for your migraines. Is that why last night's was worse than the others? Have you talked to your doctor? You should eat Ellis; I'll go get you something."

I turned around and put my mug on the counter, taking a moment to just breathe. I turned back to face Dav and crossed my arms over my chest, standing straight so I didn't have to look up too far to look him in the eye. Having this conversation in my underwear while Dav was completely dressed was not exactly ideal, but it was my own fault for not putting on any clothes.

He was standing in almost the exact position I was.

"You gave up the right to tell me what I should and shouldn't do when you thought I should stop breathing. I don't know why you were at my apartment last night, and while I'm grateful that you stopped the pain of my migraine, that doesn't give you any god damn say in my medical treatment."

"I know, I just--"

I interrupted him. "No, you don't just anything. In fact, why don't you just leave?"

Dav's face was completely shocked, his eyes wide and his mouth open so far that I could see the twin points of his tongue behind his straight white teeth. His arms fell to his sides.

"I thought that after last night you'd--"

"That I'd what? Fall into your arms because you gave me the best orgasm of my life and took the pain of my headache away? That's not enough Davis. Not nearly enough. The pain from what you did won't go away that easy. I don't know if it ever will."




Hypnotic Ch. 05



I took a deep breath to insist he leave, no matter how hurt he looked when my cell phone rang. It was sitting next to my keys on the breakfast counter. I rushed over to grab it before Dav could see the caller id. If it was Isiah. . . .

"Hello."

"Hey, br--"

"Hey. This isn't a good time. I have company."

"Shit!" Isiah said with feeling. "Are you okay?"

"Fine but I'll have to call you later."

"Are you sure? We can--"

I interrupted him again. "You can just wait for me to call, please. I'll be fine."

He growled. "Ellis. . . ."

"Promise. I'll call you soon." I hung up the phone before he could say anything else.

"Who the fuck was that?" Dav snapped. "I didn't recognize their voice."

"None of your business," I said in a sharp voice. "You're not my mate anymore; I don't owe you any answers."

"The hell I'm not! Our bond is still there, you're just blocking it! I knew I tasted a male on you. A Carthera cat clan male! Are you sleeping with some flea bitten cat?" His eyes glittered as he hissed in anger.

I glared at him, half angry and half afraid he'd figure it out and then try to kill me again. I backed away but didn't stop glaring even though my heart was racing. "I am not blocking anything! You did it somehow, when you came to get me that morning to take me to Velaku's. Don't try to put this fucked up situation on me!"

"I admit I did at first, but I stopped as soon as I realized that you weren't the one killing those Carthera like Benny said."

"Oh yeah, right after you tried to kill me, you asshole!" I threw that back at him again.

"It was an honest mistake. I said I was sorry." He took a step closer to me and I stepped back. "Stop doing that! You said you weren't afraid of me. I thought you didn't believe all the crap about Snakes."

My rage took over and drowned out my fear. "Sorry? You're sorry!" I shouted. "Sorry isn't enough. Sorry can't take away the fact that you broke my trust, tried to kill me, and made me fear you. You did it; no one else could with rumors about how deadly you are. I saw it first-hand remember? If Dr. Pannar hadn't been there, I'd be dead and you'd have killed your own mate over a 'mistake'," I spat the word out at him. "A mistake you think sorry can make better. As if that will take it all away."

"You weren't afraid of me last night when I was stroking your cock," he said. I could not believe he had the gall to point that out.

"You son of a bitch! I was in the worst pain of my life. You offered relief from that, and I took it because I felt like I was going to die. I couldn't control my reaction, and you know it. You took advantage of that in hopes that I'd forgive you."

Dav took a step back and the anger melted from his face. "I didn't think that."

I made a noise in my throat, and he shook his head and sighed. "I've really messed this up, haven't I? I slept on the couch so I wouldn't be tempted, Ellis. I know you're not ready to forgive me, and things aren't right between us. I'd not ruin whatever hope I have of getting you back by taking advantage of you."

His calm tone and lack of anger made mine drain away. I closed my eyes.

"It's all just been too much," I said finally. "I hurt inside, where you used to be."

"You need to unblock the bond between us, Ellis."

I shook my head, sinking down onto a chair at the counter. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You closed yourself off, away from me."

"If I did can you blame me Dav? You got my memories when we bonded too. Do you really think I could have hidden stuff like that from you?"

Dav leaned against the counter and sighed. "No. I acted in a way I never thought I would. If I could make you understand the way I felt, the betrayal, the rage. It was so strong; I never even though about the memories I'd gotten from you. We'd just mated; I let you in, and I'd never done that before, not really. I thought you were using me. You're a human. It's what they do."

"I get the feeling of betrayal," I said in a bitter undertone.

"I'll never stop saying sorry for that, either," Dav said, "even if it doesn't help, because I am. Losing you, it hurts me too. Like a hole in my chest that aches constantly where you used to be. Please stop blocking our bond. Let me back in."

"I told you, I don't know how I did it so how can I undo it, even if I want that with you again?"

"It's like a wall that you erected around that place where our bond is rooted inside us. You smothered it, closed it off. You have to let go and reach back out for me. I'll be here waiting for you, I won't ever shut our bond down again, I swear. I never want to live without your heart inside of me."

I saw the sincerity in his eyes and heard it in his voice. I think somewhere inside I'd known we were still mates, but I'd been so angry I didn't want to face it. Opening our bond back up meant opening back up to him though and his feelings. There was no guarantee that I could even forgive him. If we couldn't work things out, could I handle the bond between us?

"Please Ellis, I need you."

The simple plea and the single tear that was sliding across his cheekbone broke my resistance. I closed my eyes and focused inside, to the place where the pain was, the place he wasn't. I could feel it, the way I'd drawn tight and hard against that spot. I could almost see the walls I'd built. I pushed and nothing happened.

I stretched out my hand blindly. "Help me."

I felt his fingers close over mine. Their heat flooded me and his musky scent filled my nose. I didn't push this time, instead I pulled. I pulled at that place where Dav should be inside me until our bond flooded up and over the walls, pushing them over and into oblivion.

His pain flooded me first, then his joy at the bond being restored. He jerked as my feelings swamped him and he gasped. Our eyes locked together.

"Ellis--"

I stopped him. "Don't. Not right now, please. Just. . .no talking right now."

He nodded silently, my hand still across his mouth.

I went to stand up, still staring deep into his eyes. That's when the pain in my head hit with no warning. No aura, no nausea, nothing but a sharp stab that was followed with a wave of darkness. I groaned.

I dimly felt Dav catch me as I fell.

Then I was gone.



Hypnotic Ch. 06



Beep. Beep. Beep.

Okay, that was annoying. It was a sound I was familiar with though. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't work. I shifted, the hard mattress underneath me and the chemical smell that seemed to coat my tongue confirmed it. I was in the hospital.

"Ellis?"

Feelings of relief swamped me, and it took me a minute to realize they weren't mine and remember why. I'd been blocking our bond, and Dav had convinced me to pull down the walls I'd built between us without even knowing I'd created them. But then . . . I groaned, trying to put a hand to my head. I must have had another migraine.

A sharp sting and the tug of tape on the back of my hand made me wince.

I heard him move over me and an arm brushed my ear as he reached for something on my left. I shied away from the contact, my head throbbing. Hospital lights were bright; I didn't want to open my eyes, not if I'd had a migraine.

"Yes?" A tinny female voice came over a speaker by my head. I flinched from the sound so close to my ear. I knew I wasn't in the clinic.

"He's awake."

"The doctors will be right in."

Hands on my face startled me, and I embarrassed myself by whimpering. "Shh, it's just me. It's going to be okay, Ellis, I promise."

I heard a door open and turned my head toward the sound. "Hello, Ellis."

"Dr. Pannar. What are you doing here?"

Steps approached the bed, and I could hear more than one set. I tried to open my eyes again, but they still didn't move. I could move my head and arms though. I shifted restlessly in the bed, pulling at the sheet over me.

"Davis suggested that your doctor call me. Since you've mated a Carthera, you're not exactly human anymore Ellis."

"Dr. Pannar is here at my invitation. I needed his advice on some of the test results." My doctor was here too? I felt my stomach churn. What was so wrong with me that I needed two doctors?

"What tests, Dr. Bakier? I haven't been out that long have I?" My mind instantly went to Isiah. What would he do if he didn't hear from me? He could do something stupid, like infiltrate the eyrie to try to get answers. I hadn't exactly been able to give him much information when I spoke to him on the phone with Dav in the room.

"You've been out about eight hours."

Whew. Not too long, but long enough. I had to get out of the hospital fast and get some time alone to call him. Isiah was patient, but he would be on edge with everything going on.

"Well, I'm feeling much better now, so I'd like to get discharged." I just had to get them to agree.

"I'm sorry, Ellis, you're not going to be able to leave for a while." I could hear someone moving to my left and my head shot around when I felt tugging on my arm.

"Who is that? What are you doing?" I asked, pulling my arm away.

There was silence in the room. "Can't you see me?" Dr. Pannar asked.

I shook my head slowly. "No, I can't get my eyes to open."

I heard a breath catch next to me. "Babe, your eyes are open."

"What? No, they're not, I can't see anything. I'd still be able to see the machines if you just had the lights off so my eyes have to be closed. Otherwise . . . otherwise . . . ." Panic set in, and the beeping on the machine took off. I started shaking my head side to side in denial.

"No. No."

"Ellis, calm down. There is a lot going on, and we still have a lot of tests to run," Dr. Bakier said soothingly. I felt hands on my face and the click of a light.

"Calm down? I can't see!"

"Can you see this?" Dr. Pannar asked.

"No. I can't see anything. Everything is pitch black." I ignored the pull of the IV in my arm and put my hands on my face, sliding my fingers up to my eyes. I felt my lashes brush across the tips as I felt myself blink.

I saw nothing. My fingers dug into my face in panic.

"I'm blind!"

Hands wrapped around my fingers and drew them down. Thumbs caressed the backs and I knew the touch belonged to Dav. I could feel his anger, and sadness through our newly opened bond, but he smothered it with calm. "Shh, try to relax Ellis. I'm here. The doctors will find out what's wrong, and you'll be fine."

I shook my head and felt anger grow inside me. I knew all about my type of migraines. I knew the kind of damage they could do and what was likely to happen when I was already blind. It was a pretty short and fast trip downhill to the grave.

"Don't try to bullshit me," I said shortly. "I'm not stupid. I know the statistics." I was still shaking but I wouldn't become that patient, the one that held out false hope for miracles when I sure as hell knew better. What if Dav left me? He deplored weakness. Being blind was a hell of a big weakness.

Davis bent down and pressed his cheek to mine. "I won't let you go, not for anything." Shit, I'd forgotten he'd feel my emotions through the bond. Had he felt my concern about Isiah? I nibbled on my lip as I worried about that too. I almost snorted when I realized what I was doing. I'd been completely stressed since I woke up; there is no way Dav would be able to tell what it was about specifically.

My doctor spoke at the foot of the bed.

"Your blood work, and some of the initial scan results we took while you were unconscious showed a lot of changes from the ones I took a few weeks ago Ellis," he paused, "and Dr. Pannar and I are not really sure of what it all means. But I think your bond to your mate is having an effect on your condition. We're just not sure what the outcome is."

That caught my attention. "How can my bond to Dav have an effect my migraines?"

I heard a chair squeak as someone sat down. I could only assume it was my slightly round, older doctor. He often sat down and tented his fingers, speaking to me over the points when the news was something he wasn't quite happy with.

"Did you know that there have been studies done on the effective use of venom to treat sufferers of various migraine types?" he asked.

I frowned. "No. What does that have to do with anything?" My brain wasn't really up to speed, and I had no idea what his point was.

"Well, to our medical knowledge, no human and Snake have ever mated. It's not exactly common with other species, but it has happened enough that it's not a big deal. We know what tends to happen. Humans bond and develop some of their mate's characteristics outwardly, but inside they remain human. You're not like that. There is something about your DNA that is allowing for a greater mutation than normal."

"I'm what, some kind of freak?" I tightened my fingers around Dav's, and he grunted.

"No, you're not a freak. For some reason, not only are you changing externally with the mating mark in scales on your back and the growth of a vomeronasal organ, or Jacobson's organ, in the roof of your mouth, your blood shows a distinct chemical make-up we identified as Dav's venom," Dr. Bakier said.

I could feel the heat of my face and knew I was blushing. "Uh, um, that might be because he'd just bitten me a few hours before this happened."

Dr. Pannar cleared his throat. "We are aware of that," he said wryly, "but it's more concentrated than a single dose should be. And it's spreading."

"Like a disease?" Dav made a noise in protest and I shushed him. "I didn't mean it like that."

"We don't know. We do know that there is something strange going on with your brain activity, your blood work, and your vision now; everything is off. We need you to stay here so we can get some baseline tests started now that you are awake. This is important. Davis has already agreed to help us and had provided us with a venom sample."

I heard Dr. Bakier stand up and shifted my face toward him, straining, hoping that if I tried hard enough I would be able to see him. I couldn't. I slumped back against the pillows. This was all academically interesting to them, I'm sure, but this was my life.

And not just mine, but Isiah's. If something in my DNA was messing with my bonding with my mate, Isiah was probably experiencing something similar. He'd had fangs like Ahsran. Did normal human mates to cat Carthera get fangs, or was it just him?

I put all that aside. I hadn't researched much into mating and the effects on humans so I couldn't know for certain. I had bigger issues to worry about with Isiah. Like being in the hospital while my supposedly killer brother and his mate were hiding from Velaku for another two days while I was stuck in here, blind and helpless. Even if I got the doctors to let me leave I wouldn't be able to get to them.

Shit. Everything was falling apart.

"Ellis? You're awake!" I didn't have time to move before someone's body was thrown across mine and their arms wrapped around me. I grunted at the impact then smelled a familiar wave of mint and cologne.

"Matthew? What are you doing here?"

"You know I'll always be here if you need me, babe! I'm so glad you're awake. Davis called me after you were admitted, and I rushed right over. Didn't even take the time to change out of my sweats."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow, don't I feel special." The queen never went out without being fully primped and ready for action, just in case he ran into a hottie. Matthew was a great friend but he was still in that sleep with a new guy every weekend party mode.

"You know it," he said in a saucy voice, giving me a smacking kiss on the cheek. I heard Davis hiss.

"Stop that. Matthew's just being friendly." I felt him move back and climb off the bed. "You are sort of interrupting though."

"Oh! I didn't see your doctors in here; I just saw your pretty eyes open and rushed in. Sorry."

I winced, biting my lip when he said that. I heard people moving around and it was frustrating not to know who it was or what they were doing.

"Actually, at this point we don't have any answers for you. Dr. Bakier and I were just about to go. We're going to order some more blood tests and a few scans, take a peek at your brain. We'll figure out what's going on, Ellis, I promise." I heard the door shut.

"What's going on? What do you mean? Didn't you just have another migraine?"

I licked my lips. "No, not exactly. It's complicated."

I could hear the panic in Matthew's voice. "Complicated? What's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

I sighed and turned my head toward the spot Dav had been last. "Dav, do you think you could ask the doctors if I can have some juice and a snack? It's been a long time since I had anything to eat, and I don't feel very well."

"Ellis!" Matthew's voice was sharp.

"Just a minute, Matthew, and I'll explain everything. Dav?"

"Okay, babe. I'll be right back."

I sighed. I was really tired and could feel sleep trying to drag me back, and I wasn't really very hungry or thirsty. I just had to get a few minutes alone with Matthew.

"What is going on, Ellis?"

"A lot I haven't told you Matthew. Just listen, okay, and try not to interrupt me." I rushed through a simple explanation that Isiah was doing some work for the government but somehow Velaku had reason to think he and his mate were trying to help take over his territory. I didn't have to explain how dangerous for Isiah that could be, Matthew and I had grown up in a society where Carthera were no longer hidden. Velaku could wield a lot of power and once on Carthera lands, my brother would have little recourse if something were to happen to him.

I couldn't let that happen.

"I need you to go to the Lucky Star motel across town and find Isiah. He and his mate are in room eight. I told him I'd call him back this morning, but obviously things came up. I don't know when I'll be able to leave the hospital, or what's going to happen to me. I need you to tell him everything, and warn him to get out of town."

"What exactly is happening to you?"

"I don't know. Something is going wrong with my DNA and my migraines. Isiah might need to be checked out by doctors eventually if whatever is wrong with me is dangerous, but keeping him safely hidden is more important right now. This last migraine I had has affected my vision, Matthew." It was hard to breathe and it hurt to swallow past the lump in my throat. "I'm blind."

"Oh my god, Ellis. I . . . I'm sorry."

I could feel tears in my eyes, and I rubbed them away. "Everything is just so messed up. It feels like the last two weeks have been nothing but one major event or catastrophe after the other. I don't know how much more bad news I can take. I need your help, Matthew, please."

"Of course. I won't let you down."

"Tell him--" I stopped talking as soon as the door opened.

"Tell who what?" Dav asked as he walked in.

"Nothing. I was just asking Matthew to speak to the landlord about my apartment. Nothing important," I said quickly. "Gods," I yawned.

"You must be tired Ellis. I'm going to go, but I'll be back soon. Just run a few errands, talk to the landlord like you asked and then I'll be back." I could hear the worry in Matthew's voice.

I smiled gratefully at him, one major concern now lifted from my shoulders. "Thank you Matthew, but they're just going to be running tests. We probably won't know anything for a while. Go home, and get some rest. I promise Dav will call you if anything happens."

"Of course I will," Dav assured him.

I yawned again. "Sorry, I'm just so tired all of a sudden."

I smelled Dav as he leaned over me, smoothing my hair back. "Rest then. A snack will be sent up after the tech comes to take your blood, so you have time to take a nap."

"Okay."

Matthew leaned down and hugged me. "Don't worry," he whispered in my ear. I squeezed him hard, so thankful he was helping me. He was the best friend anyone could have.

***

After my nap I had needles stuck in me as people asked questions about my family history, my personal history; that included my very personal sexual history, and just about anything else you can imagine. I was a medical test dummy, and through it all Dav stayed with me.

I wasn't sure how I felt about us, yet. I knew I had feelings for him, but a relationship had to be built on trust. Not only had he shown that he didn't trust me; he'd damaged my ability to trust him. With those challenges in front of us, I wasn't sure if we could ever move past them.

Especially when I seemed to only be getting worse. When I'd gotten the diagnosis of vertebrobrasiliar migraines I'd done a lot of research. Blindness was common, and the headaches could often lead to death. I didn't want to stroke out in my early twenties. With all that on my mind, focusing on working things out with Dav was something I wasn't sure I could do.

Even with knowing Matthew had contacted Isiah, I had so many worries on my mind that I couldn't seem to focus on anything. I kept expecting Dav to pressure me to fall back into the same relationship we had before the incident at Velaku's, but he didn't.

"Why are you so quiet?" I finally asked. "Why aren't you bothering me about us?"

"You don't need more stress. Our bond is important, but we have to focus on getting you well so that we can have the rest of our lives to make it work. I can be patient; I'm a snake."

I wanted to roll my eyes. He didn't seem very patient to me. "Really?"

His lips feathered across mine. "I feel like I could lose you at any moment, Ellis. I'm afraid," he whispered. "I just want to be with you."

He crawled up into my bed, curling around my body. He was careful to avoid the wires and tubes but his hands were everywhere, touching me. "I can't be without you again. The past few days were the worst I've ever lived through. I was so wrong, and I can never make it up to you, I know that.

"When you fell and I caught you, you were so still. I've done nothing, but think about where I went wrong and why I didn't trust you. No excuses, you were right. Mates should support each other, no matter what. I saw your memories; I know what kind of man you are. I was just so scared that I'd exposed myself, been weak, to someone who meant harm to those I am sworn to protect.

"I just hope that the man you are is someone who will be willing to forgive me, in time."

"Oh Dav." I reached up and pushed my fingers into his hair, pulling his forehead to mine.

I could feel his hot tears fall on my cheeks, mingling with mine as we cried quietly together while our pain mingled just as surely through our bond. It was a release, a purging of the pain that filled us both.

I realized then that as angry and afraid as I had been, I needed Dav. We had things to work out but we could, somehow. I know how much pain I felt when I thought I'd lost him. He was going to face that reality very soon, and I couldn't let him go through that thinking I hated him.

Snakes were so unknown; he might even survive my death. That thought made me speak.

"I don't want to die but for as long as I have, I'm with you Davis," I said, "no matter what we have to work through. I need you." I drew him back down toward me to kiss me again. Our lips touched, my tongue slipping out to lick at the seam between his lips to open them. I slid my tongue into his mouth and moaned at the hot taste of him waiting for me. 

A shudder went through me and hit him. I could feel his shoulders shake beneath my hands.

We moaned. My hands slid up, and I buried them in his hair to tug him closer. He leaned against me, his body a warm pressure holding me to the bed as I held him to me.

The door banged open.

"We think we have it!"

I jerked, and Dav hissed when my hands pulled on his hair. I rubbed my fingers against his scalp to soothe the sting. I wanted to ask what they had, but my mouth was suddenly dry and my heart was pounding in my chest. Both my doctors were breathing hard, like they'd been running.

Dav pulled my hand down and tucked it under his chin. He rubbed it back and forth against my knuckles and asked the question I wanted to know but was too afraid to speak out loud. "Have what?"

"Well, it took a phone consultation with Dr. Pennelst. The man is truly brilliant when it comes to chemicals," Dr. Pannar said. "Dr. Waddel recommended him before, and I'm glad we had his number. His insights were instrumental."

I felt Dav's body tighten against mine. "You said you had 'it'. Tell us already," he hissed.

I ran my free hand down his spine, stroking him in return, trying to calm him down. I could feel his frustration through the bond. That much emotion meant he felt a lot more fear than I thought. He had to be hiding it from me, trying to be confident and keep me from thinking about the death I was facing.

"Well?" Dav said shortly when they didn't speak immediately.

I was distracted from that realization when Dr. Bakier spoke.

"We know what to do to help Ellis."

***

I blinked at the doctor's explanation. I tried to let go of Dav's hand, but he wouldn't let me, tightening his fingers until I stopped trying to pull away. He relaxed and caressed the back of my hand with his thumb, making me shiver.

Dav's voice was steady when he spoke, "So, you're saying that all I have to do is bite Ellis, and he'll get better?"

"That's what we think. Even with his type of migraine, his episodes were not severe enough to explain the damage to the vessels in his eyes."

"I have Carthera blood in me?" I asked in a faint voice. I was still reeling with that little tidbit.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Dav asked me, his hand tightening on mine. "After all, you took in some of my blood when we mated. Are you really that worried about being like me?"

I opened my mouth, but Dr. Pannar spoke before I could say anything.

"We don't really know what is in you, Ellis. Maybe that is worse. You seem to have some of the extra anomalies that Carthera have in their genetic make-up but we can't seem to determine any species it would originate from. It's almost like you have the genes to change like a Carthera would upon mating, but you don't have your own species traits before then."




Hypnotic Ch. 06



"So that's why I have the tasting smell thing like Dav has, right?" That could also be why Isiah had fangs. I really had to talk to him.

"A Jacobson's organ, yes, we think so. Those few humans who are bonded to a Carthera develop mating marks, but don't change physically beyond that. You're different, completely unique as far as we know." I bit my lip. 

As far as they knew. Right.

Dr. Bakier chimed in, "We think that is why your headaches have begun to worsen since you mated. The venom in your body is changing you and was affecting the vessels in your brain, preventing the constriction that causes your migraines. Venom has been studied for treatment of migraines before and this is a prime example of what it could do when we know more."

"Then why did I go blind? I don't really understand that part."

Dr. Pannar coughed. "Before last night, you hadn't seen Dav or been with him since you fought, correct?"

I twitched with embarrassment, glad I couldn't see anyone's faces for once. It was clear what the doctor meant. "No. We didn't 'see' each other."

"As I thought. Since you were not being," he cleared his throat, "intimate; the venom levels in your blood dropped suddenly. You began to experience an increased frequency in your migraines, correct?" Dr. Pannar asked. It wasn't really a question; Dr. Pannar had seen me leave work with several over the past few days.

I nodded.

"Your distance to Davis and the lack of venom in your system meant that the changes it had begun to make in your brain became unstable. The blood flow began to change and your vessels actually constricted more than previously due to the effects the venom already made on the vessel walls. Then you had a dose of venom and your blood flow and vessel integrity changed again. That resulted in the blown vessels that were infringing on your optic nerves. 

"When we checked again, those have healed but the pressure is still building, continuing the blindness. Long explanation short, Dav is right. You need more venom."

I felt my mouth drop open, thinking of what it did to me, the fire and the need. I shuddered. But without it . . . .

"Will his sight come back if we do this?" Dav asked. It was hard hearing the hope in his voice when I was trying so hard not to latch onto it myself. Living was a gift I hadn't expected to receive; my vision coming back was something I hadn't even considered.

"We cannot say with any certainty. It is a possibility."

I bit my lip. "So . . . can I go home then? If all I need is venom and not medicine, then I don't really need to be here do I?"

"Oh no, you can't go home. You have to stay here," my doctor said hastily. "If something goes wrong you would be too far away to get help. You're going to have to be monitored and watched closely."

I could feel a flush spread across my face, and heat prickled across my neck made me shudder. That was the first moment I was actually a little thankful I couldn't see anyone's face. "Watched?"

"I won't allow anyone to see Ellis that way!" Davis hissed. "No one sees my mate when he's been given my venom, no one!" There were subtle vibrations in his arm lying against mine. I could feel his anger, almost like a bitter taste, through our bond.

Dr. Pannar cleared his throat. "Oh, um, no. You're quite right. We would like the empirical data, but that would be going too far. We would monitor and observe Ellis' vital signs with machinery here in the hospital. You can lock the door, and we won't disturb you at all unless we see something dangerous happening."

"I don't know. Dav?" I wasn't able to say anything else; my heart was pounding in fear, hope, more fear.

"I think . . . ." Dav's hand tightened on mine and I could hear the strain in his voice. "This will work right?" His question came out quietly desperate.

"It's his best shot."

"Then let's do it."

***

It was incredibly awkward, getting set up to have sex with my mate in the hospital. I felt like my whole body was flushed bright red in embarrassment even though I knew all about clinical impassivity. I was a nurse, but it was a very different thing when you were the patient. The nurses came in and attached wireless leads to my head, shaving a patch at the base of my skull for one and placing two on my temples.

"What will those do?" Dav asked.

Dr. Bakier spoke from somewhere above my head. "These are wireless transmitters for a new type of TCD. That's a transcranial doppler. It's an ultrasound technique that will let us monitor the pressure in the vessels of his brain and eyes. They're state of the art; I got them as part of an experimental study I actually wanted to involve Ellis in anyway. This will be an ideal situation to test them." 

His voice was excited and Dav made a noise.

I hushed him."Looks like you got your wish, Doc," I joked.

"Yes, well," he cleared his throat, "I am just glad that with them we can monitor you and still give you the privacy you need. Let's just start this up and check the signal, and then we'll get out of your way."

My face flamed. This was even worse than the hazing the nurses gave me when I first went to work at the hospital. A few beeps and whirrs later and I could hear paper shuffling. Dr. Pannar and Dr. Bakier spoke quietly for a minute.

"I'll be right back; I have to check the other machine." I heard Dr. Bakier left the room for a minute before coming back and speaking again, "Okay, the monitor is receiving measurements at the nurse's desk and in here. If we see any dangerous changes in the pressure in Ellis' brain we'll alert you."

"Don't come barging in here," Dav warned them. "You don't get to see him like that."

"Dav!"

"We're doctors; there is nothing we haven't seen before. This is about Ellis' safety; I'm sure you can understand that."

I could hear the sound of Dav hissing faintly.

"Stop it. They won't come in unless I'm in danger. I don't want anyone, but you seeing me like that but this is my life we're talking about Dav. Stop making this more difficult."

I felt him bend over me, and then he kissed me on the forehead. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed, my tongue flicking against his neck. I felt a little of the tension leave him. "Okay, babe. I'm sorry; I'm just worried."

I took a deep breath and let it out. "I am too."

"We're going to step out now," Dr. Pannar said. "I understand wanting to protect your mate's privacy Davis. I promise I will make sure no one enters without a very good reason."

I felt better hearing him say that, and I could feel even more of the stress swamping Dav fade as well. I nodded; swallowing was suddenly difficult when I heard the door shut.

"How come this seems more awkward than the first time we were together?" I tried to hide my nervousness behind a shaky laugh, but of course he wouldn't let me.

Dav pushed my hair away from my face. "There's a lot happening. But you don't need to do anything, just be here with me. I've got you." I felt his breath puff against my lips just before his mouth claimed mine. 

It started slow and soft, but it wasn't long before my hands were buried in his hair and I was pulling him closer so that I could thrust my tongue in his mouth.

I whimpered when he pulled back. I couldn't think when his taste filled my senses. I didn't want to think, to know what hinged on this act between us; not to mention what it could mean if it didn't work. 

Or what would happen if it did.

It was all just too much. Dav, mating, my body changing due to some weird blood anomaly, all while worrying about Isiah and his mate and Velaku's investigation. Tears slipped out of the corners of my eyes, and I bit my lip to hold back the sob threatening to burst out.

Of course Dav could feel exactly what I was feeling and his arms were tight around me as he slid fully onto the bed. It was small, and our bodies touched from head to toe, his heat almost radiating off his body. I turned into him, reaching for him and fisting his shirt in my hand so he couldn't move away.

"Shhh, shhh," he crooned to me as he pulled my face to his neck and held me close. "It's going to be okay, Ellis. I promise, no matter what, it's going to be okay." He let me cry until the helpless feeling began to fade. 

I finally drew in a shuddering breath and blew it out, my body and mind both stilling under his caresses. I felt a lot calmer, and I pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

I leaned back and I felt his thumbs brush my cheeks, wiping away a few stray tears.

"Better?"

I nodded. "It's just so much. There are things I can't tell you, things that I want to tell you, but I'm afraid of how you'll react. Then the doctor comes in with this," I waved my hand between him and me, "and it's all just so complicated."

Dav sighed. "I know you've been hiding something; I can feel it. I know it has something to do with Matthew, your emotions were all over the place when you spoke to him."

I licked my lips. "Well, not really, but yes, Matthew knows. He's the best friend I have."

Dav's breath caught, and I felt a twinge of jealousy quickly suppressed. "Tell you what," he said roughly, "first, let's take care of you. Then you can tell me whatever you need to and I promise that I will listen and not get mad. We're mates; I won't make the mistake of not putting my faith in you again, Ellis. I won't fail you again, not ever."

I knew that his promise would be tested beyond what he might be able to keep once he learned about Isiah, but I couldn't help but latch on to whatever hope he offered me. He couldn't prove that I could trust him if I didn't give him a chance. I bit my bottom lip and sucked it into my mouth. 

I chewed for a few moments, and then let it out with a small popping noise. I couldn't help but wonder if I really had the strength to let Dav back in. If he didn't live up to his promise . . .

He made a sound in his throat that I'd never heard before. "Dav?"

"You're killing me, mate. I thought I was going to lose you when you passed out. I'm still scared and my fear makes me need to hold you. I need to touch you, need to know that you're still here with me. Watching you is just torture."

"Watching me?" I raised my eyebrow and slowly sucked my lip in again. "Watching me do what?"

He hissed and then captured my mouth with almost bruising force. I moaned as he bit my bottom lip between his sharp teeth, holding it so carefully the sharp edges didn't break the skin, just created a sharp sensation at odds with the soft suction when he drew it into his mouth and suckled and tasted me.

His urgency shot across our bond and hit me. Suddenly all the emotions: the fear, anxiety, and caution disappeared. He wanted me, and I wanted him. He was right; we could talk later.

He had too many clothes on.

So did I.

My hands tugged on his shirt, yanking it out of his pants. His slid up my bare back to the single tie holding my hospital gown closed. I felt the knot come loose and the collar slid down my chest, baring my shoulders until it caught on my arms. I was impatiently trying to break the kiss so I could get Dav's shirt off but he wouldn't let go, biting down suddenly with his fangs, the tips just barely buried in my lip.

A tingling warmth filled it and I gasped, panting when he let go. He'd never used his fangs during foreplay, injecting just a tiny bit in one spot. It was different from the all over body flush and heat when he buried them in my neck.

"Just a taste of what I'm going to do to you." His voice was ragged, the slight hiss in his voice when he said the word taste made me shiver. He let me pull his shirt off, and he pushed the gown off my arms. 

His skin was smooth against mine as he leaned over me, hands caressing as he kissed along my jaw to my ear. A single fang punctured my lobe and my muscles tightened.

A sharp sound escaped me as he licked along the edge of my ear and then back down, his split tongue tracing along the inside and outside. 

Twin wet trails slid down my neck to my shoulder. The cool air of the room felt icy against the warm wetness. I shuddered and slid my hand down his back to grip his ass. I kneaded the muscles, irritated by the feeling of fabric under my fingers rather than the soft skin I wanted to touch and caress.

I tugged at his pants."Off," I said.

I heard his buckle come undone and then the sound of his zipper. He writhed against me, pressing against my hip, the narrow bed not giving him much room to get his pants off.

"Good thing I'm flexible," he said with a throaty chuckle.

Other images of what he could do with his ability flashed through my mind and I felt my erection jerk and drip against me.

"Dav!" I was beyond embarrassment, his urgency only making me even needier. 

My ear and lip were already throbbing, two of my sensitive spots on fire from his venom. I needed more. I needed to feel the sparks across my nerves, needed to feel my skin light up with his every touch.

He didn't say anything, didn't warn me or tease me. One moment he was lying beside me and the next he was on top of me, his erection sliding against mine as he struck. 

His fangs drove into my shoulder, the twin pricks a sharp pain that made me cry out, my call rising in pitch when the fire from his venom entered my body and my pounding heart sent it shooting everywhere.

He pulled out, his tongue licking and tickling the punctures, lapping up the blood I could now taste in the air as well as smell. He rocked back on his knees over me and latched on to a nipple, sucking on the small pink tip until it tightened, then drove a fang into it.

I gasped and writhed. 

His knees clamped around my hips and held me in place as my back arched when he bit and injected his venom into my left nipple too. I was whimpering, my body growing heavy even as it came alive in a way that I was fast becoming addicted to. I strained toward him, eager for his kiss as I enjoyed the way his tongue twined around mine until my hands fell away from his back and hit the bed.

"Please," I whimpered. "Please fuck me."

Dav only chuckled darkly. "Not yet. You're not ready yet."

My entire body was on fire and I wasn't ready? I felt my balls tighten just from the sinister promise in his voice.

His knees on my hips, holding me still, his hands playing with my rock hard nipples and the brush of his head against mine as he teased me was sending me hurtling toward completion faster than I expected. 

I didn't want to come without him in me.

"Please . . . I need you."

"You need my venom." His tongue began to trace my ear and I felt my hips buck a little, unable to participate much as the paralytic in his venom stilled my movements. Was he going to--?

"Yes!" His fang pierced my ear and he suckled the small drops of blood while I shuddered helplessly. I was whimpering constantly as he licked down my neck.

"You taste so good," he whispered, sucking on the spot he liked to bite just where my neck and shoulder met. 

"Salty and a little sweet. I could never get enough of this, never get enough of you. I won't let you go again. You're mine," he growled right before he struck, injecting more of his venom into me, filling me with more than I'd ever had before.

I gasped and then it was like I became a voiceless observer, unable to see or move. 

My body was completely out of my control as he dropped his hips and pressed against me, pushing my legs apart. I felt a hint of fear that heightened the helplessness and then he was in me, pressing forward and sliding his dick inside me without any preparation.

It should have hurt. 

I should have been screaming. 

Instead I was lost in the pleasure the pain brought me as he slid home. I'd been empty and aching and now I was full. I wanted to push against him, move my hips to let him know that he could move but he held motionless, his balls against my ass. My body was on fire and inside I was writhing, trying to get him to pull back and then thrust home. 

I sent him a wave of love and a blast of the overwhelming want filling me. 

He hissed and his hands buried in my hair, pulling my head back so that he could latch on to one of the bite marks at my neck. His hips began to pull back and push forward, just a few inches in and out as he teased me. I couldn't control the shudders wracking my body; consumed by the white hot feeling of him pressing against me, our bodies rubbing together.

I fought the hold of the venom, but it did no good; I was under his complete control. In that moment I was finally able to let go. I stopped fighting and I started accepting. I accepted the pleasure, more than I had ever felt before; I accepted the love and passion he was sending me. 

I quieted and it felt like I was both floating away and completely there in the moment.

Dav felt it through our bond, the strong surge of love that came with my surrender. I could hear him hissing and the scrape of his fangs against my neck. He pulled back, leaving my body and then he shoved back into me. I blinked, gasping for air as he took me fully over and over, the head of his cock thrusting against my prostate every time. 

The forceful thrusts pushed me closer to the peak I craved, my balls tightened and it felt like if I grew any harder my skin would split. 

I whimpered so quietly I could barely hear it over the rush of my blood as my heart raced; I was so close. Tears spilled from my eyes as his arms wrapped around my thighs and pressed them back, forcing a cry from me as he sank deeper.

The next thrust and grind against my ass brought us to completion at the same moment. I broke through the venom from the strength of my orgasm, my scream was so loud in the small room so that it hurt my ears. Dav's cry was deeper, almost a groan as he filled me. 

We clung to each other; fierce pleasure consuming us both as the bond between us grew stronger. His feelings spilled into me, his fear and pain, the pleasure and love combined and overwhelmed me. I couldn't help but respond, sending wave after wave of emotions back to him, shuddering as he claimed my mouth.

Pulling away, he panted as he slumped over me, one elbow locked so he didn't fall on top of me. Tears were streaming down my face and he caressed my cheek. His sides were heaving as he fought to catch his breath, sweat darkening the hair at his temples.

"Ellis?"

I still couldn't move, but I sucked in air and pushed it out as hard as I could. I blinked up at him, his face filling my eyes. I thought I'd lost that; thought I'd never see his beautiful eyes again.

"I see you."



Hypnotic Ch. 07



"So I can go home now?" I looked from the doctors watching me with pleased expressions to my mate. I couldn't get enough of looking at him. His yellow eyes with the black slit pupil that I thought were so sexy and the tips of his fangs dropping down when he smiled at me made me shiver. He hadn't left my sight since we realized I could see again.

He'd cleaned me up, and then held me for a little while as the effects of the venom wore off. When I could, I lifted my hand and caressed his face, tracing one eyebrow and then sliding my fingers down to cup his cheek. I was quietly euphoric; amazed at the simple pleasure I'd taken for granted as to see the soft skin I was touching as I'd traced his soft lips. His pupils had widened, and I'd felt his pleasure with an echo of our earlier need.

I'd called for the doctors as soon as he was ready; I'd wanted to get the sensors off and finish the tests the doctors were sure to run before they would let me leave. I was still full of the energy the venom pulsed through my body, a weird mix that made me feel as if I could run miles in an eye blink yet made my limbs almost too heavy to move. The tests had taken almost six more hours. Six hours of drinking in the sight of my mate was barely a taste of what I wanted, what I needed. I knew that life outside the hospital would have some serious complications before we could just relax, mainly having to do with my brother.

In order for me to tell Dav about Isiah, I needed some privacy. If he was going to freak out I didn't want him to do it where there were any witnesses. It felt like I was running out of time to tell him, which led me to bugging my doctors to release me every time they entered the room.

"We're going to need you to come to my office on Monday, Ellis," Dr. Bakier said. "We'll have some more results, and if you're going to be intimate again and involve more venom," he ignored Dav's snort, "we'll need to test the levels in your blood again. You aren't cured, and there are still a lot of questions about your own genetic make-up."

He consulted my chart and frowned. "You know, I don't think you have really spoken of him, but it says here you have a twin brother. Is that right?"

Dav hissed and Dr. Bakier jumped, his eyes widening as he stared at my mate with wide eyes.

I squeezed Dav's hand. "Stop that." Turning to the doctor, I gave him a shaky smile as I tried to hide the way my heart was racing. I hadn't expected him to bring up Isiah.

"I do."

"You know, he could be carrying these same genetic anomalies that you have. Perhaps you could convince him to come and have a few tests run himself."

I could see Dr. Pannar's slight shake of his head when I opened my mouth; Dav was rigid beside me. I shrugged. It wasn't like Isiah would be a good candidate to study against my changes anyway since he had made a few of his own after mating with Ahsran.

"He might come but," I kept my voice as non-committal voice as possible, "he can be tough to get in touch with."

Dr. Bakier sighed. "Well do what you can. That could be an invaluable resource to create a benchmark. You are identical twins, correct?"

"We were."

Shit! I caught that slip of the tongue as soon as I said it. Dav's head cranked around and he stared at me, his eyes narrowed. I thought fast.

"You said I seem to have changed so much that my tests were showing a strong presence of Snake characteristics. I hardly doubt we'd both be mated to Snakes no matter how many people go on and on about the supposed twin bond and how they have identical lives too."

I wasn't sure if I had convinced Dav with my comment or not, but he didn't say anything.

"Very true," Dr. Pannar agreed "We'll just have to do our best without him for now."

"But I can go home?"

Dr. Pannar nodded. "But no working. I'll do without you for a few days."

I smiled, happy and excited to get out of the hospital and back on familiar ground. Besides, to my new enhanced senses the hospital not only smelled bad; it tasted bad too.

"And we want you to have someone with you around the clock, just in case," Dr. Bakier added.

"That will be done anyway," Dav said. "I'm not going to let him out of my sight for more than a minute."

"Good," Dr. Pannar smiled. "Good."

"Can I get my release paperwork now and my clothes? If you're going to get me go, I don't want to waste any more of the day."

It was Thursday; I had only one more day until Velaku and everyone expected Isiah to get to town. I had to talk to Dav as soon as possible.

The trip out of the hospital was awful; everything had a strong smell and so many of them were disgusting enough to make me gag. I looked up at Dav and almost laughed at the grimace on his face. He smiled at me, and I sobered. Would this balance and harmony we had found disappear when I told him the secret I was keeping?

Dav kept glancing over at me on the drive home. I hadn't heard back from Matthew, but I was sure that if there had been a problem with him getting in touch with Isiah that he would have come back or at least called me at the hospital. I still wish I had been able to speak with him. All I had to do was break the news of my twin's innocence and his presence in town to my mate, and then track him down so we could figure out a plan on how to approach Velaku.

'That's all'. I snorted at that thought.

"What?" Dav asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing important," I sighed, "just glad to be out of there. And a little tired." I was still a bit lethargic from all the venom he'd pumped into me. It was like the peaceful heaviness after a great workout.

He reached over and took my hand, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. "I'll have you home so you can rest soon."

Rest.

Right. I tried to hide my anxiety, pushing it down so that Dav wouldn't sense it.

"Do you mind if we stop by the bar? I need to talk to Benny; he sent me a text before we left the hospital."

Immediately I felt my heart begin to race. I couldn't help but wonder what Benny wanted that was so important Dav had to speak with him in person. Did he know? Had someone seen Isiah or Ahsran? My hands started to shake, and I pulled away from Dav. Curling them into fists, I pressed them hard to my thighs to hide the tremors.

"Hey . . . hey," Dav's voice washed over me, penetrating the overwhelming panic, "What's the matter?"

I shook my head, my mouth too dry to say anything.

We stopped at a light and he turned his head to look at me. "I can feel your fear," he said. "Are you still afraid of Benny? He is sorry for hurting you."

I shrugged one shoulder and looked away from his intense stare. He sighed.

"How about you stay in the car? I really need to check in with Benny; he said that the liquor distributor is two days late with our delivery and our supplies of rum and tequila are getting low. I need to authorize a temporary purchase and he needs my signature before the new supplier will send over the cases. It won't take long, and if you're too afraid to come in to the bar you can wait in the car."

My breath left me in a whoosh. They didn't know. While I was still a little afraid of Benny, I knew that Dav wouldn't let him hurt me. But . . . if Dav thought I was too nervous to go into the bar that would give me some time to myself.

I could call Isiah.

"Thank you." My hands stopped shaking as I calmed, and I leaned my head back against the head rest. Closing my eyes, I wondered if my life with Dav would always be as stressful and crazy as the last few weeks. I shivered.

"Here." Dav turned up the heat and I felt a vent begin to blow warm air on me. It felt good, and while I didn't fall asleep, I could feel myself just basking quietly as the heat soaked into my body. I smiled when I realized exactly what I was doing.

"These little traits I'm picking up from you are interesting," I said in a lazy voice.

"Hmm?" Dav asked. The car stopped and I opened my eyes as I turned my head to look at him.

"Well, I was stressed. You turned up the heat, and I could almost feel the tension leaving my body as I relaxed. Just like a snake basking on a hot rock in the sun."

Dav tilted his head as he searched my eyes. "Does that bother you?"

I shook my head. "I told you before. I'm not going to get upset about becoming more like you. I've never had any bias against your kind, and I'm not about to start now that we've become mates." I smiled at him. "Frankly, I've always thought you were sexy with your fangs and your slit pupils. And we both know I'll never complain about your venom when you bite me." I shivered at the thought of him biting me again so soon.

I was half-hard just from the rubbing of my clothes and the leftover venom that hadn't burned off yet. If he bit me again. . .

Dav smirked when I shivered again and I knew he could feel the pleasure the thought brought me. He leaned over and kissed me, his forked tongue caressing the inside of my mouth, stroking my tongue and dancing along the roof. It tickled a little but in the best way, making me lean forward and deepen the kiss. Our tongues thrust back and forth, teasing each other until he pulled back with a moan.

One hand gripped his door handle. "Now I have to go in there with a hard on." He looked fierce, giving me a mock scowl.

I grinned at him. "Hey, you kissed me!"

"Can't help but want to do it again either." He leaned forward and gave me a brief kiss, sucking a little on my bottom lip. "Hmm . . . you taste good."

I nipped him in return and he jerked back. "So do you. But you need to go inside."

Dav sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I know. I'll be right back. Just stay here, okay?"

I nodded.

The door clicked softly as he shut it and the locks reengaged. I watched him as he walked away, my eyes zeroed in on his ass as he walked. His slacks cupped the curves of his body in a way that screamed custom tailoring. I never really thought about it but he was always so well dressed, so neat and tidy.

It made me want to muss him.

Preferably in bed.

I shook my head when the back door to the bar closed behind him. Clearly our bond was doing its' job. We were closer than ever and I couldn't imagine not having him in my life. I wanted him too much to deny the rightness of our being mates. Even with everything that had happened, I knew inside Dav was a good man and the right one for me.

Besides, that tongue of his could make a man forget a laundry list of his sins.

I waited another minute so I could be sure that he wasn't going to come back for something, and then pulled my phone out of my pocket. Turning it on, several messages dinged at me on the screen. I ignored them and dialed Isiah's number.

It went straight to voicemail.

There could be a lot of good reasons for that; I refused to panic, yet. I dialed Matthew's number. It rang several times, and then went to his voicemail too.

Damn it! Why wasn't anyone picking up? I tried Isiah's again.

"Come on, come on." This time the phone rang eight times, but he still didn't answer.

Not good, not good at all.

I stared at my phone, one foot tapping nervously as I chewed on my lip. I couldn't think of anyone else to call, I'd told them to check out of the hotel, so I couldn't call there and ask for a message to be sent to the room. I had no idea where my brother or my best friend were and no way to find out.

Then I remembered the messages. My hands trembled as I tapped the voicemail option, and then held the phone to my ear, listening to the automated voicemail spiel before my messages began. There were two of them. One was Matthew saying that he'd gotten my message to Isiah. The second was from a telemarketer, and I almost threw my phone in frustration.

I'd hoped there would be a message telling me where they were and why they weren't answering their phones. I hung up and then shoved my phone in my pocket. I brooded, staring out the window until I saw Dav come back out, a small brown bag over his shoulder. The car beeped as he unlocked the doors.

He opened up the back and slung his bag onto the seat before he got into the car. "I thought I'd grab some clothes. It's been a bit since I showered."

He'd been by my side every minute in the hospital. He was a bit pungent, but since it was his scent I actually enjoyed it. I wasn't much better; a wet washcloth wasn't that effective for a full body clean up and I just hadn't been able to stomach the idea of the hospital's soap on my body. It reeked.

"We can take one when we get home," I said with a yawn.

"Then you can eat something and take a nap," he said, looking both ways as he pulled out of the parking lot.

I just went along with his plans. I knew that we needed to talk, but maybe if I got him relaxed in a hot shower and he ate with me, we could talk in bed. I seriously doubted he would take what I had to say well, but I was willing to be a little sneaky if it would help keep him calm.

I looked at Matthew's apartment as we drove by and his car was there, but his curtains were closed. When he was home his curtains were always open. I wondered where he was, but the thought slipped my mind as Dav pulled into my guest space and turned off the car.

I sighed heavily.

Home. I didn't get out of the car immediately.

"Do you need some help?" Dav asked, already getting his bag out of the backseat.

I snorted and shook my head as I opened my door. "No. I went blind and could have died; I didn't become a cripple."

Dav hissed a little as his eyes narrowed. "Yeah, let's not talk about that, okay?" He took the small bag of stuff the hospital gave me out of my hand and followed me up the sidewalk.

I rolled my eyes but fell silent. My key slid easily into the lock and I turned the handle. My apartment was dark when I walked in; all the shades and curtains were closed. I frowned. I never closed the curtains, but maybe Dav did before he took me to the hospital. I headed for the hall.

I spun around when I heard scuffling at the door before it slammed shut.

"What the fuck," I yelled, lunging for the light switch in the hallway. I spun around just in time to see my twin's mate snarl at Dav and wrestle him to the floor so that my twin could slap a pair of cuffs around his wrists. I stared at them in shock as they continued to bind him, shoving his feet together and slipping a flex cuff around his ankles before drawing them up and linking the wrist and ankle cuffs together.

I rushed toward them when they slapped a tape gag over Dav's mouth. His rage flooded our bond.

I jerked back when Ahsran turned his head and snarled at me. My heart was racing and I sank to the floor at the hard look Isiah gave me when he stood up and turned around. He loomed over me, his thick fangs bared.

"What is going on? Why are you doing this?"

"Velaku's men tracked us at the hotel room," he said with snarl. "We barely got away. They were shooting at us, Ellis!"

"I didn't know!" I stammered. "I've been trying to call you since I left the hospital. I asked Matthew to get a message to you, to tell you what happened and to leave."

The disbelief on his face was like a blow.

"I'm supposed to just believe you?" The sneer on his face was too much. I snapped, everything catching up with me at once.

I jerked to my feet and got in his face. He was a bit bulkier than I was now, but we stood eye to eye as I stabbed my finger into his chest.

"Yes," I snapped, "like I believed you weren't a heartless murderer because you said so! Because I'm your brother, and I've never done anything but try to have your back no matter what you were off doing. I wasn't planning any attack on you; I was lying in a hospital bed for the last day, and I only left the hospital because of a small miracle. The doctors told me that I could die! The only reason why I didn't was because my mate," I stressed the word, "was willing to do whatever it took to save my life."

His mouth dropped open, but I didn't give him a moment to speak.

"I lay there in that bed right after my doctors told me there was something weird in my blood and that they had no cure. There was a chance Dav could keep me from dying, if I was lucky, but instead of worrying about me, I worried that something could happen to you because I wasn't here to help you. I sent my best friend away when I needed comfort from those I cared about most around me because I wanted you to be safe."

I stabbed my finger into his chest when my voice broke. "I needed you there. But you're caught up in some grand conspiracy; working undercover and doing gods know what while you leave me behind. Like always. I'm here to help fix your mistakes and cover your ass and god damn it the one time I needed you, really needed my family, I couldn't even call you!

"When are you going to grow the hell up and stop playing these games? I'm tired of being the good twin that's always stuck cleaning up the mess." I blinked back tears, my throat tight. "Now either untie my mate and talk to us, or get the hell out of my apartment and don't come back."

Isiah looked pained, glancing between me and where his mate still hovered over mine. I didn't look at Dav's face; I could feel several emotions roiling through our bond.

This was not how I wanted to break the news of Isiah's innocence to him. Fat chance he'd believe me now that he knew I had been keeping secrets from him.

Isiah bit at his lip, clearly undecided.

"I mean it Isiah," I said, my voice suddenly devoid of emotion. "Do it or leave. I'm not doing this anymore, and I won't let you tie up my mate because you fucked up and are afraid he's going to kick your ass."

Ahsran snarled. "You're mated to Davis Retic; he's The Snake. He wouldn't kick our ass; he'd kill us. I won't let you do it, Isiah. I won't let you put yourself at risk."

I sighed. "Dav, nod if you promise not to attack until you hear what we have to say. Isiah's innocent, and he can explain. I wanted to tell you but I couldn't, not at the hospital."

Dav practically vibrated as he fought his bonds, but he didn't nod. I pinched the bridge of my nose and groaned as the stress began to get to me. His eyes flicked to my face and I could hear his hiss from behind the gag, but he nodded. Grudgingly.

Ahsran snarled when Isiah nodded too.

"No!"

It was my twin's turn to talk sternly to his mate.

"Ellis is right, Ahsran. I never agreed with you that he was the one who sent Velaku's men to the hotel. That just made no sense; he could have had us ambushed when we first got there, or during the night. If we want them to trust us, we have to trust them."

I could see the Tiger's protective instincts practically screaming at him as he slowly began to undo the cuffs and bands holding Dav captive. Isiah stepped away from me and away from Dav, backing away toward the couch. I barely caught the keys Ahsran tossed at me before he went to stand protectively in front of Isiah; his knees bent a little as he prepared to tackle my mate if Dav attacked. His eyes were locked onto my mate as they both waited to see what he would do.

I shook my head as I bent over to unlock Dav's cuffs, but I understood his caution when Dav sort of rippled to his feet in the space of an eye blink, yanking the gag off his face as he glared at the large Tiger. He shifted until he stood partially in front of me.

I could sense his anger and could see his hands flexing and releasing at his sides as he let out a long hiss. I bent my head around his arm and looked at his face. The tip of his forked tongue was just visible and his pupils had expanded. He was still vibrating, and I could sense his need to strike.

I wrapped my hands around his arm and slipped underneath it, leaning into his side and shifting one foot between his. His entire body was practically vibrating and his muscles were rigid; this way he couldn't rush forward without tripping up with me. I concentrated on sending him waves of love; my only hope that I hadn't damaged the trust between us irrevocably was the bond still open between us.




Hypnotic Ch. 07



"Dav, calm down. Please, let's sit down. Ahsran is Isiah's mate. He was only trying to protect him, just like you'd protect me."

Dav glanced at me.

I knew there were tears in my eyes; I could feel the sting as I blinked trying to keep them from falling. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. But you . . . you tried to kill me. I couldn't risk that you would try to kill Isiah or call Velaku.

"You promised that you would trust me. I'm asking for you to keep that promise and listen to what they have to say."

My stomach twisted, and I felt my heart pounding as I waited to see what he would say. I struggled for calm, knowing a migraine would be the worst thing that could happen even as I could feel the pressure building from the stress.

Dav looked down at me, his yellow eyes almost glowing in the dim light.

"Please," I said brokenly.

"That's not fair!" Dav's voice was low, hissing as he spoke. Ahsran took a step forward, and Dav's head snapped up, glaring. "Don't even think about it!"

His fangs were flexed, the slender points gleaming deadly white in the light. I could hear the promise of violence in his voice and really hoped that Ahsran would heed Dav's warning; his anger was swamping our bond, and I knew he was on the edge.

"They won't hurt me or you," I said, "so please calm down. We need to figure this out once and for all." The stress was overwhelming me, and it was too soon after the hospital. I did the one thing guaranteed to take Dav's focus off the threat my brother and his mate posed.

"Shit, Ellis!" Isiah said as Dav caught me.

My head was swimming as he pulled me over to a chair. He sat down and pulled me into his lap. I didn't resist him, curling into his warmth easily. The six inches between us weren't that big of a difference but he was tall enough for me to snuggle comfortably against as he held me. I buried my face into his neck, my tongue flicking out to taste his skin. I was unable to control the urge; he smelled so good.

I didn't really want to anyway.

"Are you getting another headache?" Dav's anger disappeared under a surge of worry. He smoothed my hair back from my face. "I can call Dr. Pannar."

"No calling anyone," Ahsran said with a growl. He exposed his own thick set of canines when Dav hissed at him. "We don't have time for this."

"We will make time. You're not leaving, and if he's getting another headache I sure as hell will call, the last one blinded him and could have killed him. My mate's health is more important to me than your fucking wishes. I won't let him die."

Isiah's face paled and he went rigid on the couch. He then leaned forward.

"What the hell did you mean by that? Why would Ellis die?"

"I'm fine," I said before he could start freaking out. "You need to be checked out though. Dr. Pannar said they think some genetic anomaly has been causing my headaches. You might have trouble."

"I've never had migraines like you do though. And I'm not mated to a Snake," Isiah pointed out.

"You changed physically. More than a mating mark like most humans get. There is something different about us, something like maybe a Carthera ancestor. Being mated to Dav is what saved me. His venom actually has healing properties for me." I blushed. "My doctors think it might actually make my headaches go away forever."

Isiah's eyebrow rose, and he relaxed a little. "So . . . sex really can cure all your ills?"

I groaned. "That's a horrible pun." Isiah always had an irreverent sense of humor.

Ahsran growled. "None of this has anything to do with the attack on our lives. Damn it, we have to get out of here and stop this! We have to find out how they found out where we were, and if plans have already been set in motion."

Isiah put a hand on his arm. "I told you; Ellis wouldn't do that. I'm guessing Davis has been with him since his migraine so it wasn't him either. We need their help and Velaku's. He won't meet us any other way."

"There were Falcons, my mate, and they tried to kill you. Retic is Velaku's pet assassin, and you expect me to trust him to help us because he's your brother's mate? Your trust could get you killed, and I won't be able to do anything about it!" His voice was close to a roar.

I felt Davis tense when he said my mate was Velaku's pet assassin, but I tightened my arms around him, and he didn't say anything.

"The attack might not have been ordered by Velaku," Isiah said heatedly, "and we haven't had a chance to tell them yet! They don't know!"

They sounded like they were having an argument they'd had before. The tiger's ears were twitching as he took deep breaths.

"Tell us what?" Dav asked. His anger hadn't left him, but his hands began stroking my hair again when I tensed yet again. "If things are so damn bad, tell us so we can move."

"We found out who was behind all the attacks on Velaku's territory." An explosion of shock rippled through my bond as Isiah just dropped that little bomb right out there without any warning.

I gasped. "What? Who?"

Dav shushed me. "First tell us how you know this information? We mistook Ellis for you on a video where you killed a man along with a strange Carthera. Why should we trust you?"

"He's not dead. That's my partner. We were both undercover military intelligence, and while he did get a bit banged up, his death was staged."

Dav raised an eyebrow. "You expect us to just believe you based on your word? It was on video."

"Look," Isiah said with a growl, "I can't exactly whip James out and show you he's breathing, now can I? I'm shocked the Falcons haven't rushed in here after us yet. You can listen to what we have to say with an open mind, or you can go with the attitude that your mind is already made up that we're liars and killers."

"They're not," I said softly to Dav. "Listen to them, please. I told you I never thought Isiah could be capable of hurting people like it showed in the video. They might be able to help you guys figure out what is really going on. He told me some stuff before, and I believe him."

Dav sighed. "Fine. I'll try not to judge before I know everything."

I hugged him, nuzzling into his warmth. "Thank you."

Ahsran finally sat down next to Isiah on the couch, but he didn't relax, his back staying ramrod straight.

"You need to stop," Isiah said putting a hand on his arm. "Your aggression is affecting everyone in here. The Snake is not about to attack you while he holds my brother on his lap."

"Davis," my mate said a tad grudgingly. "You may call me Davis."

"Davis," Isiah repeated.

Isiah stared at Ahsran until the Tiger uncrossed his arms and leaned back on the couch. "Okay, okay. I just get--"

"Touchy, aggressive, paranoid?" Dav raised an eyebrow at the tiger.

I pinched his nipple, twisting it a little.

"OW!"

"You're not helping." I rolled my eyes when he rubbed his chest and gave me a reproachful look. "Talk Isiah. Tell us what you know."

Isiah took a deep breath. "Just before Velaku's men found us we got a call from my contact in the Supremacist group. He told me there is going to be an all-out offensive against Velaku, and I was to be ready."

"They know you're here?" Dav asked incredulously. "This is the group behind the smuggling and the plague that nearly killed all the kitlings in the Cavel's jaguar clan? The murder of Velaku's father?"

"Yes. Someone close to Velaku is leading them. We knew that; we just didn't know who. My cell in the supremacist group watched me constantly. I had to tell them something, some strategic reason for coming so close to the stronghold of the Falcons. I told them we were gathering intel, using my brother as an excuse, but we left days before they knew we were supposed to come. We changed our tickets at the airport, got a flight a few days earlier. It was a risk, but things had led us to believe that an all-out attack was coming soon."

"So you think Velaku found out where you were?"

Ahsran spoke up, "We don't know. We were at the hotel, waiting for Isiah and--"

That wasn't right. I interrupted him, "Didn't Matthew come to you? I asked him to go tell you to leave, and he said he would. He left me a message on my phone that he had talked to you and everything was fine."

Isiah shook his head. "Matthew never came to our hotel room."

"Shit!" I sat up on Dav's lap, cursing. "We have to go see if he's okay, if he's in his apartment or not. Dav, what if something happened to him?"

"You have to stay here. You can't go over there. I'll go. He lives a few doors down, right?"

"Yes, he lives in four fifteen."

He stood up and then turned, placing me in the chair. "Stay here, Ellis," he said sternly. "Don't get out of that chair, and I mean it." He looked at Isiah. "I am trusting you with my mate."

"I would not allow anything to harm my brother." His oval pupils gleamed as he stared at my mate. I knew Isiah would never hurt me. Dav didn't seem to be quite as sure, but I was reassured when he nodded once and then left.

I wanted to get up and pace, but I couldn't. I was still weak and knew too much physical activity wouldn't be helpful.

"So, nice mate you have there." Isiah raised an eyebrow at me.

"Stop that. It's no different than how your mate threatened me when I said Velaku wanted to talk to you."

Ahsran snarled. "Those men did not want to talk. They came in ready to kill."

"You weren't hurt were you?"

Ahsran shrugged. "Isiah already took care of it. He raided your medicine cabinet, said you always had a huge first aid kit."

"Mr. Nurse would of course." The words were sardonic, but I knew Isiah didn't mean anything by them. I'd always been the prepared one; the twin that planned and made sure everything was in place.

"Do you need me to look at it? Were you shot?" My tongue flicked out and I tasted the air, testing for blood. I could scent it, but just barely. I would have been able to sense it if he was bleeding through the bandage he showed me high on his shoulder. His left shoulder.

They'd been aiming for his heart.

"No, I heal quickly. It was just a flesh wound."

"You're sure the attackers were Velaku's Falcons?"

"Yes. But they were led by the man that my contact told me was in charge of the whole thing."

I was just about to ask who it was when Dav burst into the room. "There's been a struggle at Matthew's apartment. He's not there, but I could taste his blood in the air."

"Oh my god! What is going on? Why would someone hurt him?"

Isiah stood up. "It's Mishtar. He's behind this, all of this."

My jaw dropped. "What! Mishtar? He's the leader of the Falcons! He was Keserem's right hand man; he even killed the leopard that . . . ." I trailed off just then remembering that the leopard who had been responsible for killing Keserem, Velaku's father, and torturing his son in order to kill Velaku had been Ahsran's father as well.

"My father," Ahsran spit out bitterly.

"You hold a grudge for his death?" Dav's eyes were narrow as he practically pounced on Ahsran's comment.

The Tiger's eyes gleamed as he snarled, his muscles bunching as his hands curled into huge fists. "Fuck no. That man was a sadist and more than halfway to insane. Natham wasn't the only one growing up that got hurt. I tried to protect him, but I couldn't always do it. I had to pretend to go along with that bastard's schemes. I had already been approached by your government to spy on the Supremacist group he was a part of. I couldn't blow my cover."

"You were a teenager!" Isiah bit out. "It wasn't right; you should never have had to live like that."

Ahsran's hands uncurled, and he rubbed his mate's shaking back. It looked like my twin's mate had a childhood to rival Dav's for violence. I knew how Isiah felt; I felt the same urge, wanting to turn back time and erase the horrors they had faced, but we couldn't go back.

We had to go forward, figure out exactly what was going on, and stop it.

So we could all be happy.

"Mishtar led the Falcon's who stormed the hotel. That's why we were caught by surprise and Ahsran got shot. My contact called and said that I was finally in; the big takeover was coming sooner than I had known and the leader wanted to meet with me since we were in town. He told me it was Mishtar."

Dav began to pace, his lean muscles working as he wound around the furniture in the room in a sinuous pattern. "How reliable is your contact? Do you think your identities have been compromised? Either of yours?"

Ahsran just shrugged. Isiah tugged at his hair. "Shit. Fuck. I don't know unless changing our flight and coming here made them suspicious. I've been deep cover for over a year now, since just before Keserem was killed. Besides, why else would they attack us?"

I sighed. I hated it when he was away and I especially hated finding out why he sometimes couldn't contact me for months on end.

"It's why I haven't been around. I would have, if it had been safe, I swear."

"This is insane, Isiah. How can you like doing this? My best friend is hurt and missing, someone tried to kill you and your mate, and we're facing a disaster of epic proportions if Velaku is killed. You guys couldn't even warn him, they think you're killers."

"The government won't stand for Carthera trying to take over and rule humans," Isiah said simply. "If Velaku is killed and Mishtar's supremacist group has their way the bloodshed would explode exponentially. Fighting would break out, the military against the might of the Carthera clans, and it would happen right in the middle of a mass of innocent lives. I think that's one of the reasons they recruited me. You're close to Velaku's mate; they'll believe us once they see our proof. We just need you to get us a meeting."

I could see it in my mind, first the fighting and death of the rightful leader, and then Mishtar declaring war on the humans and the innocent people who could die. Dr. Bakiers, Mrs. Sheldy from the bookstore I loved that was just a block from the Carthera clinic, even cranky old Mr. Gundry.

"We have to stop this." I turned to Dav. "Can you get in touch with Velaku directly?"

He nodded.

"Good. Do that. Tell him to meet us somewhere. Not here."

"Leave that to me," Dav said. "We can go to the club for now. I have a safe room built in the basement."

Ahsran's claws came out. "We all go," he said with a rumbling growl.

"Agreed. I'll call from the car. Let's go."

Dav and Ahsran sandwiched Isiah and me between them as we walked out of my apartment. I couldn't help but look toward Matthew's apartment, and I swallowed hard. Whatever happened to him was my fault. I'd involved him, asked him to go to my brother. I'd given him information that someone obviously wanted.

"Matthew had to have been kidnapped so they could find out where you were. It's the only thing that makes any sense."

"When did he call you?"

I fumbled for my phone, yanking it out of my pocket and pulling up my caller list. "Uh, he called at eight this morning."

"When you were getting tested." Dav's tongue flicked out as he thought, his eyes constantly scanning the area as he hustled us over to his SUV. "When were you attacked?" he asked Ahsran.

"Close to noon."

"So, it's possible he was intercepted on his way to go see you. They took him on the chance that Ellis told him where you were, so they could get that information out of him."

He slid the key in the ignition as we all buckled in. He pushed a button and a small compartment between the seats opened up. "Slide that back," he said to Ahsran and Isiah. They pulled the panel and a hidden area in the floorboards of the car was exposed, filled with weapons.

"Holy hell," I said in a breathy voice, staring wide eyed at all the guns.

"Nice," Isiah said.

"Take what you need. Extra ammo is along the driver side of the compartment."

I watched as my twin and his mate both grabbed three guns each, loading them quickly. I shifted hard in my seat when Dav took an unexpected left turn, taking us away from his club.

"Where are you going?" I asked in confusion. My hands were clenched together.

"We've got a tail," he said.

"Where?" I began to turn and look out the windows.

"Stop it," Isiah hissed, "look straight ahead." I jerked around in my seat.

"Where?" Ahsran asked again, his hands busy stuffing bullets into his pockets.

"Above us. It's a Falcon. I just don't know whose, Mishtar's or Velaku's. Not that it really matters at this point; they both think you're the bad guys." Dav smoothly shifted over two lanes and made a right. "Do me a favor and load up the H&K, and get one of the rifles loaded and put it on the floor."

He pressed a button on the radio. "Call two, two, five, seven, eight, nine, nine."

"You have some cool toys," Isiah said as he handed Dav a pistol.

"They help out sometimes."

The ringing echoed through the car radio. "Who is this?"

"Davis. I need to speak to Velaku, now."

"Hold on."

"That was Natham," I whispered to Ahsran and Isiah. They nodded. I looked at Ahsran to see if hearing his younger brother's voice affected him, but his face was a mask.

"Davis? Why are you calling? Dr. Pannar informed us of your mate's situation; we figured you'd be taking care of him."

"I am, but I need to speak with you and your mate as well."

Another turn, a left this time.

"So come to the eyrie. Things are going crazy here. I just got a call from Cavel; he and his mate are here. They just landed, said they'd received a message that I'd summoned them. They're not the only alpha pair apparently coming either."

"Shit! It's already started," Isiah said.

"Who was that?" Velaku asked. "Was that Ellis?"

"I have information you need. I need you to redirect all the incoming alphas. Tell them to go to one oh four Piedmont. Do this yourself; don't tell anyone but Natham and your mother. Then get there yourself, now."

"Excuse me?" Velaku sounded enraged. "What in the hell is going on?"

"Your enemies are closer than you think, and I'm trying to save everyone here. I need you to trust me."

"Does this safe house have a computer?" Ahsran asked in a whisper.

Dav nodded his head.

"Good. Tell him we'll have proof when he gets there."

Isiah and Ahsran began whispering in the backseat. I kept looking between them and Davis. How could they enjoy this, want to do this kind of work? My stomach was churning, and my head hurt just trying to follow what was going on. My anxiety was spiking through the roof.

Dav reached out a hand and squeezed my shoulder, rubbing it. "We'll have proof for you when you get there."

Velaku's voice was strained. "I'm not very happy about your unwillingness to share information with me. This is a secure line."

Dav grimaced. "There might be someone listening who shouldn't be. This is something we must tell you in person."

"Fine. We'll see you within the hour." Velaku hung up the phone, ending the call. Dav looked over at me.

"It'll all be fine, Ellis. You'll be safe and we'll stop them. Mishtar won't get away with starting a war with the humans."

"If you were so worried about someone overhearing the conversation why did you tell them exactly where to meet us? If Mishtar had the line bugged he'll know exactly where to strike; everyone will be together!" Isiah said hotly. "You have to call Velaku back and we'll figure out another plan."

Dav shook his head, looking in his mirrors and making a sudden left turn that slammed me into my door.

I grunted.

"Sorry," he said to me. "As for the address, that was code. I have different safe houses. The one we are going to isn't at the address that I told Velaku; that just told him which one to look up to get the correct address. They're numbered."

My eyes widened. "You have over a hundred safe houses?"

"What if Mishtar knows about this code too? He is Velaku's right hand man and the leader of the Falcons."




Hypnotic Ch. 07



"Safe houses aren't very safe if everyone knows about them. Velaku knows exactly what kind of life I lived before I met your brother. You can never be too careful. He didn't tell Mishtar. I only allowed him to tell Natham because," Dav looked at me, "mates shouldn't keep secrets."

I blushed. "We all make mistakes."

It was his turn to blush. He nodded, repeatedly checking his mirrors. Suddenly he pulled into a parking structure for a local grocery and shopping center. He drove down a level underground then slid into an interior parking spot.

"Get out of the car," he ordered.

He reached under the blue van next to us and pulled out keys. "Grab the extra guns, just pull up the sides of the bag and yank them out."

Ahsran reached back into the vehicle and pulled out the bag of guns and ammo. He placed it under the first set of backseats in the van, and then climbed in after Isiah.

"Ellis, let's go before the Falcon finds us."

I hurried around the car and slid into the front passenger seat, buckling my seat belt with clumsy fingers. I had thought I knew what Dav did, how dangerous his job was, but I was realizing that my mate was extremely paranoid and had back-up plans for back-up plans. It was impressive and not just a little bit scary.

Even my brother and Ahsran seemed a little weirded out by what Dav seemed to consider normal. He really did too; the only time I felt any tension coming from him was when he looked at me and asked about my head.

Otherwise he was cool, completely in charge, and totally collected.

Those fuckers who raised him really did a number on him. My hands clenched in fists when I realized just how much for the first time. He had told me the way he was raised not to show any weakness; I was just coming to understand what that meant. Other than situations involving me, he seemed to have no strong emotions.

"Dav?" The strain in my voice had to be obvious to more than just him.

Dav gave me a smile. "Don't worry Ellis. I've dealt with trackers before. You need to stop stressing out, you're going to give yourself another migraine and that's the last thing we need."

I knew he was right, but I couldn't just shut myself down like that.

"Velaku didn't mention having a guard on us; he must be one of Mishtar's." Isiah reached up from his seat behind me and began kneading my shoulders. I tensed for a moment, then sighed and leaned into the seat, tilting my head back against the headrest.

His strong fingers felt so good rubbing the kinks out, knots I didn't even feel until his thumbs dug into them and rubbed them away. Between that and the reassurance and love Dav was giving me through our bond I couldn't help but sort of float away.

I listened to them talk about the tracker as Dav pulled in between a couple of cars pulling out the garage, but I didn't join in. He made sure to split apart from them quickly as the other two went different directions at the first light. He drove carefully, his eyes on the mirrors and the sky.

"So far so good," he said. "He must have followed one of the other cars."

"You've done this before." Ahsran's tone made it clear it wasn't a question, merely an observation.

"Yes." Dav didn't go into specifics; his secretive nature was natural given his clan. I could see him watching Isiah frequently, but he didn't say anything about my twin's massage.

The loss of our tracker and the comfort I was being bombarded with combined with the fatigue of all I had been going through the past two weeks. I fell asleep in the midst of their plans of what we would do once we got to the safe house and the alphas showed up.

*

Dav carried me into the house, rousing me briefly as he set me down on a soft couch at one side of a huge room. "Hey," I said sleepily. I reached out and grabbed his hand when he turned away, giving him a soft smile. I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. It was like sleep was pulling me back, not letting me wake up.

"Hey," he said softly. His eyes gleamed at me as he returned my smile. "You have only been asleep about fifteen minutes. They won't be here for at least another half hour. Get some more rest; you might need it."

I felt bad that they were preparing for this huge offensive and I wasn't helping. Dav must have caught part of my feelings. He sat down on the edge of the couch, pulling a thick, soft blanket off the back and laying it over me. His hands smoothed it over my chest.

"Hey now, what's with the guilt?"

"I'm not like you guys. I'm useless."

"Never say that." Dav was abrupt, his spine stiffening. I caught a hint of anger from him. "I never want you to be like me. Keeping you who you are, a healer, is my job. You are not a killer, Ellis, and I don't want you to be. The fates, or god, or random chance, whatever you want to call it, picked you for me. You are exactly who I need to keep me from losing myself completely; I've been waiting for you a long time.

"Let me do the bad things. You be my good thing to come back to, the one thing that tells me I'm better than those I have to fight. I wouldn't deserve you as a mate if I wasn't. I don't know if I could keep from losing myself in the hate if I didn't have you anymore." Dav's voice was fierce, his hands on my shoulders as he stared in my eyes.

I let out the breath I'd been holding in a sharp exhale. "Oh Dav . . . ." My hand came up to his cheek and I stroked his smooth skin. "You are a good man."

He shook his head. "No one thinks that but you."

"I know you better than anyone else. I'm right; they're wrong."

His eyes closed and he leaned down and kissed me. His lips pressed against mine and then his tongue stroked across them. I opened for him, letting the forks of his tongue tickle inside my mouth as he tasted me. He pulled back with a sigh.

"Thank you," he tucked the blanket around my shoulders a little tighter. "but you need to rest now. I'll wake you up before anything important is discussed."



Hypnotic Ch. 08



Dav didn't end up waking me up; a nasty yowl followed by a roar did that instead. I sat upright on the sofa, my heart instantly racing. My head swam from the sudden movement and I clutched at my head.

"Ow."

"Everybody needs to shut the fuck up. Keep him over there Velaku; I mean it. Ahsran, take your mate over to that corner before I kick his ass. He just woke his twin up, and I fucking swear that if any one of you gives him a migraine by stressing him out I will rip your god damn head off."

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Dav rushing over to me.

"Hey baby, you okay?" One of his hands went to the back of my neck while the other settled on my chest. My breathing slowed as I took in his scent, my tongue flicking out.

"What's going on?" I asked thickly, sleep still making me stupid.

"It's not posturing," Natham contested hotly to Velaku who was speaking quietly.

I looked around Dav to the lynx. He was standing against the wall with Velaku standing in front of him. The Falcon's body was much slighter than that of his mates but his white wings took up quite a bit of room. The bright red spots that looked like blood on each tip made him very intimidating in appearance. I'd met him though, and all the Carthera I'd spoken to thought he had been a very fair leader since he took over the clans the previous year.

I could hear the anger in Natham's voice and growling from across the room. I looked over to see Isiah standing behind Ahsran who was pushing him against the wall with his body.

I watched as Velaku reached out with one hand and tugged on the long braid Natham wore to keep his long dark hair out of the way. "Stop it. I'm just as upset as you are, but attacking someone is not the answer. No matter how much you want to." He cast a glare at Ahsran over his shoulder. "I remember you, don't think I don't. You told your father about us that day you saw us on the field; I know you did." 

He turned his attention to my brother and then looked at me. "And obviously we're looking at the mysterious twin that Mishtar caught on film murdering an innocent human. You weren't supposed to be flying in until tomorrow." His gaze shifted to stare at Dav's back.

"What exactly are these people doing with you in my territory, Retic? I want answers, now!"

"You'll have them, once everyone calms down." Dav pulled the blanket off me. "But Ellis is still in danger; stress is bad for him. I promised him no one else would get hurt. That means I will stop you from attacking each other. We have bigger problems."

Dav had an evil glare of his own, his strange snake eyes falling on each person in the room until they nodded in agreement. His strength was more than every single one of theirs in the room, and none of them would make an enemy by attacking The Snake. I leaned against Dav's hip, watching everyone cast glares at each other, though they didn't say anything.

"First off, sit down Velaku, Natham." He waved his hand at another arrangement of couches and chairs in a room to one side with a sunken floor. "The den is set up for a little video presentation of our own."

It wasn't until that moment that I caught sight of an older Falcon female shifting nervously just inside the front door. I pulled away from Dav and stood up. "I'm fine," I said in answer to his protest.

I walked over to her and offered her my hand. "It's nice to see you again, Elalera." The quiet female was Velaku's mother, and lately I'd sensed her pulling further and further away from us. She was fidgeting; looking at the door like being inside was painful. She looked at my offered hand but didn't take it. I let it fall to my side.

"Mother, come sit down," Velaku called to her softly. "I need you here."

I watched as she moved over to the blue couch, her brown wings drooping a little. Velaku gave her a hug. Her behavior hit me hard. Would I become like that if I lost Dav? I was human; at least I thought I was, so could I go feral? Would Isiah if he were to lose Ahsran?

I shook my head. I couldn't think like that, especially knowing that our mates would soon have to fight against the true enemy facing them. They had to stop Mishtar and someone who had hurt innocents the way he had would not be convinced with words not backed by violence.

I shuddered.

Dav held out his hand and I went to sit by him, nestling under his arm on the middle couch. Natham and Velaku sat on our right with Elalera while Isiah and Ahsran sat on the left. Natham's ears were flat to his skull as he watched Ahsran with narrowed eyes.

"You said you had proof. Show us." His voice was a deep snarl.

Isiah looked at Dav who nodded back at him. "We hooked up the laptop to the TV." He pressed a button on the computer and the blue screen changed to a series of documents. "Do you recognize this number?"

Velaku frowned. "Of course. It's Mishtar's cell phone. So what?"

I stared at the phone record, trying to figure out how this was proof that Mishtar was a traitor to Velaku's family.

Isiah pointed to another line. "Do you recognize this date and time?" Velaku's wings rustled as he shifted on the couch.

He looked over at Dav. "Isn't that the day you raided the warehouse and found Bashta's niece with the smugglers?"

Dav nodded. He kept stroking my back, seemingly at ease with the question. He had to have seen all this already while I was sleeping. He was too sure. "It was."

"Okay, I'm already tired of the twenty questions. Just explain what is going on to me, right now." Velaku's toned arms crossed over his chest, his vest exposing a deep triangle of remarkably defined flesh.

"This phone took a call from your home at eight twenty pm."

Velaku's foot began to tap on the floor. "I know. I called him after Davis called me and told me that he had destroyed the smugglers and was returning with an infant. I wanted him to arrange security to meet them at the airport and to contact the doctor for some of the serum they'd developed from Bashta's blood."

Isiah tapped another key on the computer and the phone records switched to a map. "My computer guy tracked the phone's gps. Where was Mishtar supposed to be when you called him?"

"At his home, of course. He told me he was reviewing the Falcon's latest Jintue battle exercise."

"Yet, if you look at this map you can see that the cell phone company towers triangulate his location to just a few miles from where Davis discovered the smugglers."

"This is your proof?" Natham asked with a sneer, looking between Ahsran and Isiah. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"No," Ahsran said shortly. "Show them Isiah."

A video montage began to play. Numerous clips of Mishtar committing acts that sickened me. I couldn't watch and buried my face in Dav's chest. The horrors were all committed in the name of power; it was a dangerously seductive force and one that corrupted those weak of will.

Long minutes passed in silence. I was thankful the videos didn't have sound.

I jumped when Natham snarled. "Enough. What is this supposed to prove? We have a video of you killing an innocent human. Though that was before you mated to this piece of offal." He glared at his brother; the disgust in his voice was clear as he refused to say Ahsran's name.

Ahsran made a sound, but he didn't respond to Natham's insult.

"That was my partner," Isiah said. "The whole delivery and attack was a set up. I won't say that he wasn't hurt because he was a little, but he didn't die. Not even close. We had to get me in with the inner circle of whoever the leader was. Nothing else was working but if I killed in the name of their cause I knew they'd feel like they could trust me. He was willing to make the sacrifice and take the risk."

"It worked too. I got a call telling me that I'd been picked for a special task by the group's leader. I got there early to scope it out and saw him when he showed up. It was Mishtar."

"What was the mission?" Dav asked.

Isiah took a deep breath before he spoke, "To kill you. Both of you."

"What the fuck!" Natham sprang to his feet with a roar. The second he was up Ahsran was on his feet as well. They both stood in front of their mates snarling at each other, their claws and sharp teeth exposed. I had to stop it before someone got hurt.

I leaned forward, but Dav's arm tightened around me to keep me sitting. I didn't fight him but I wasn't going to stand for this stupid male posturing any longer.

"Knock it the fuck off!" I shouted. That stopped the growling as everyone turned to stare at me with wide eyes.

"They haven't made a single move to kill either of you and they've been in town several days. If Isiah and Ahsran were here to harm the clans they would have done so. They had plenty of opportunities. They're here to help. I understand there is a lot of bad blood here, but you have to stop fighting and learn to work together and fast.

"Someone attacked Ahsran and Isiah at the hotel they were staying at. The only ones who knew they were there were me and my best friend Matthew. I asked Matthew to go talk to Isiah and tell him what was happening to me. He left me a message on my phone yesterday saying that he'd talked to Isiah and everything was fine.

"Now Matthew is missing. He's my best friend and I want to find him. I want to find out exactly what Mishtar's plan is and stop him." I turned to Velaku and Natham. "Ahsran hurt you Natham, but he told me he tried to protect you when he could. Your father hurt him too. My brother is not a bad man, and he's mated to your brother. He can help us.

"I know there are things you will need to discuss, personal things, but you have to put this aside for now and be as objective like the situation demands. We may not have much time, and the alphas will be showing up any minute."

I made eye contact with each person in the room. "If we don't work together people are going to die."

I leaned back into Dav's arms. He rubbed one hand on my shoulder. "Well said, baby."

He fixed his unnerving slit eyed stare on the two cats who were still standing in front of their mates. "Sit down," he ordered them.

Reluctantly they both sat, avoiding eye contact with everyone. I watched Velaku shift one wing to trail it down his mate's arm. Natham shivered. Isiah took Ahsran's hand, twining their fingers together.

"I think Ellis is right," Velaku said, "but so is Natham. How are we supposed to believe that these videos aren't edited or staged? You already admitted to staging the attack on the human."

Ahsran looked at Isiah, his shoulders slumping. Isiah spoke softly, "We have to show it to them. I know you didn't want to, but we have to. It's the only thing they can't deny the truth of."

Ahsran stood abruptly. "I can't watch this again."

My heart began to race as Ahsran left the room. I didn't really want to see whatever it was that drove him from the room, but if this was the final proof that would convince Natham and Velaku, we needed to see it. Dav took a deep breath and let it out in a sharp exhale.

"Play it, Isiah."

Did Dav already know what they were going to show us? I could feel his disgust and anger through our bond. He must have seen it while I was sleeping too. I gasped and grabbed his hand when the video began.

Chained to a table, Natham's naked body was held down at his neck, waist and legs by thick metal links that did nothing to hide his body. Standing at his head, Mishtar stared down at him with a sneer on his face. He looked toward a sound from one side of the room.

"About time you got here. He should be waking up soon."

"I wanted to make sure I was ready for him." A Snake Carthera walked into the room, his bare torso exposing his clan markings to the camera as he walked past it. His cobra markings shone in the bare light from the bulb dangling from the ceiling, and in one hand he held a short leather bullwhip.

"Did you shower?" Mishtar asked in an incredulous tone. He had one eyebrow raised as he stared at the Snake.

"Oh yes . . . I want our last time together to be perfect." The Snake sounded like he considered Natham a lover and was preparing for a romantic assignation.

I felt my stomach churn. I wasn't sure if I would get sick or not but if I had to watch him torture Natham, I knew I would.

"You are one sick fuck," Mishtar said laughing. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

The Snake just shrugged, his eyes sliding up and down Natham's captive body.

"Whatever. Just make sure he dies. I don't care how you do it as long as you've killed him within the next six hours. I can't stall the Falcons any longer than that. Once his mate is dead Velaku will go feral, and I can claim I had to put him down for his own good. It's the only way the clan will follow me. "

"I thought you were going to trap Ahsran and tell the clan he killed Velaku so you'd have a scapegoat."

Mishtar made a noise of disgust, "That useless leopard let him get away. I told him I thought the boy was a liability and he should be locked up, but he didn't believe me. You worry about killing this piece of trash; I'll worry about taking out the fledgling. He'll die just like his father did!"

Velaku shrieked, jumping to his feet. His wings flared as he stood rigid in the middle the floor, his whole body trembling in rage. Isiah had stopped the video the second he reacted. Dav's body was tensed and he pulled my arm off his stomach. Everyone stared at the leader of the clans as he faced the incontrovertible proof that not only did his second in command want to take over his clan but had actually ordered their torture and death. 

"I'm sorry," Isiah said quietly.

He wasn't speaking to Velaku though; his eyes were fixed on Natham. The lynx was somehow curled in on himself. His mouth was a flat line but it was his eyes that were the worst. The desolation and horror in them were more than I could take.

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks and I fled the room, escaping to the bathroom. I curled up in a corner by the tub, hugging my knees to my chest.

How could anyone be so evil? How could we all miss the cruelty and madness that twisted Mishtar into the monster that video revealed? What had happened to him to make him that way?

The questions spun in my mind but the answers eluded me.

***

I had known that Dav wouldn't let me hide very long. Our bond was too strong, and I could feel his concern over my distress. He knocked on the bathroom door about fifteen minutes later.

"Ellis? Can I come in?"

I got up and turned the lock, letting him in. I leaned up against the bathroom counter, wiping my cheeks with the heels of my hand.

"Hey baby." Dav pulled me into his arms and I sagged against him, leaning into his comforting strength. My head rested on his shoulder, and I just breathed his scent in. I gradually felt better; the comfort of my mate being with me made everything a little easier to handle.

I pulled back and gave him a small smile. "Thanks. I needed that." 

He leaned down and kissed me. "I'll always be here to give you what you need."

"I'm afraid you won't be," I whispered. "People are going to die. It's going to be a mess, isn't it?"

Dav sighed. "Yes."

His simple answer, so direct and exactly what I knew as the truth, didn't help my anxiety. I swallowed hard as tears filled my eyes again. I looked away. His finger lifted my chin until I met his eyes. Full of reassurance and love, he smiled at me.

"I'm not so easy to kill though. I'm not afraid for me; I just never want anything to happen to you. You are worth more to me than my own life. You are my mate, my soul. My death would hurt you, so I would never let anyone take me from you."

I tried to return his smile. I didn't really feel any better, but he was right. Dav had lived through many things. "You have been through worse than this, right?"

"Of course." I caught the lie through our bond instantly, but I didn't say anything. My mate was so strong. I had to be strong too.

"Are the others here?" I asked.

Dav nodded.

"I thought so, I could taste their scents on you," I said.

Dav's face got worried. "You could taste them? Your senses are getting that strong?"

I shrugged in answer.

"We really need to go see the doctors when this is all over. I want these changes you seem to be going through monitored."

"Okay Dav." In truth, becoming more like my mate was the least of my concerns, but I knew he would fret over it if I said I didn't want to go see the doctors. If I had my way Dav and I wouldn't leave my apartment for a week after this whole mess ended.

"Who is here?" I asked as I followed Dav out of the bathroom.

"Bashta and Cavel, Merrianne and Sorca, Benny, and Frisz and Eve."

"Where's Jerret and Calix?" I was surprised Dav hadn't mentioned them.

"I left them to lock down the bar. I wanted them there just in case Mishtar gets it into his head to look for us there. I don't need any of the humans who work or visit my bar to get hurt." 

Walking back into the living room was like running into a hard wall of tension. Ahsran had joined Isiah. Benny was staring at them. The similarity of their marks was striking, but they stood across the room from each other. Dav began introducing me to everyone else.

"This is Ellis, my mate. I'd like you to meet Cavel and Bashta," Dav said as he pointed out a pair of males standing by the TV. Cavel was tall and had wide shoulders; Bashta was smaller and much leaner, but they had identical markings and black hair though they wore it in different styles.

"Frisz and Sorca." He pointed out a big burly male with small eyes and a wide nose. His hair was even more striking than his enormous size, the long white strands hanging loose down his back aside from one thick braid by his right ear. The other man could have been easy to ignore, his slim form was almost eclipsed by the other male. Glasses hid his golden brown eyes and I could have discounted him if I hadn't been able to smell that he was a wolf. I could almost taste the aggression pouring off of him.

I desperately wanted to ask Dav if the moon was almost full. Wolves weren't like irrational animals like mythical werewolves but the phases of the moon did affect their mood. Carthera were more tied to nature than humans, and the Wolf clan I'd researched had many ceremonies for that night. It was also when they had their matings.

"Their mates, Eve and Merrianne." Both of the females were sitting on the couch. It looked like they were the same species as their mates. Eve was a polar bear like Frisz, her body a curvier version of his strong bulk. Even sitting, I could see she was almost as tall as Dav. Merrianne seemed delicate; she was fine boned and even shorter than I was. I couldn't help but stare at her; her eyes were an almost burnished gold set off by her reddish hair.

Sorca growled.

"Sorry," I said, blushing. "It's nice to meet you all, though I wish it were under happier circumstances."

Sorca settled down when I stopped staring at Merrianne. I looked from Frisz to Eve. "I didn't know there were polar bears in Velaku's territory. I thought you guys liked it better up north."

"My Eve needed some medical treatments she couldn't receive in Alaska. We moved here with Velaku's blessing until Dr. Pannar finished treating her. By then, she had fallen in love with this place." Frisz's voice was a deep rumble, just like a bear's. He shrugged one massive shoulder.

One of Eve's hands came up and she slapped at Frisz's hip where he leaned against the couch. "Right, I fell in love with this place all by myself. You don't like the weather or city here at all."

Her eye roll made me smile.

Introductions made, Dav sat down in an empty chair. He pulled me onto his lap and I went, only blushing a little. His arms came around my waist as he held me to him.

"Do you want to tell us exactly what is going on now that we are here?" Sorca asked impatiently.




Hypnotic Ch. 08



"First, did you all get rid of your cell phones like you were instructed?" Natham looked at each of the Carthera. They all nodded except for Frisz. His eyebrows drew down and he looked a little guilty.

"Frisz?"

"My beta's wife is in labor. I had to leave my clan in the hands of his brother. The man is competent, but he's young and we've been having some issues with some local hate groups."

Dav hissed, and I could feel his rage. "You brought a cell phone into my safe house? Are you fucking insane?"

"They can track you with your phone. Do you really think our enemies won't be trying to find out what is going on when none of the alphas can be found?" Velaku's anger filled the room. "Give it to Natham, now!"

Natham took the phone Frisz held out. He opened it up and pulled out the sim card, his claws puncturing it to destroy the dangerous object. He threw the phone back at the polar bear with a disgusted look.

Dav urged me to my feet and stood, motioning for me to sit back down. He moved swiftly to a cabinet set in the far wall of the living room and dialed in a number combination in a recessed lock I hadn't noticed. My jaw dropped and I gaped when he opened the doors.

"I'd hoped for time to plan, but I don't know if we're going to get it now," Dav said. "The bear's mistake means that they could be coming for us before the others can get here. Mishtar has to know something is going on by now."

"Mishtar? Why isn't he here?" Merrianne twisted in her seat. "Come to think of it, why aren't more of your guards here, Velaku? I thought you weren't leaving the eyrie unprotected after the way you and your mate were abducted last year."

Dav began to walk around the room passing out weapons. "My guards are not trustworthy at the moment," Velaku said quietly. "Mishtar is a traitor. We've known for some time that a Carthera was guiding these attacks against the clans, but we didn't know who it was. I've seen proof from Isiah and Ahsran that leads me to believe that he plans to kill me for the leadership of the clans."

"A challenge should be answered. No Alpha can claim to rule his clan if he will not face challenges," Frisz objected.

Isiah snorted. "Challenges? Fighting to rule? That's not even close to what Mishtar has planned. I've been working undercover with his group and his plan was revealed the day I came here. He has many Carthera that he's found exiled from their clans, criminals and ferals, just waiting to attack. He led several Falcons, a Hyena, and a Wolverine in an attack on my mate and me earlier today.

"He's not planning to formally challenge Velaku and fight fair. He plans a massacre. First your leader, then the alphas of each clan. Then he'll take over when the confusion is greatest. Once he has control ge will attack the humans until a great war will erupt. He sees Carthera as the victors, but I can tell you the government hasn't been ignoring the possibility of someone trying to do this. They will eradicate all Carthera if they feel the human race is at stake." 

Isiah glared at Frisz who couldn't meet his gaze. The bear looked away. "As the alphas of your clans, your lives are already forfeit in his mind. He will send assassins and killers after your mates and your children. Face reality, there is nothing honorable about what is going on here!" 

"What do we do?" Eve asked.

Velaku took a deep breath. "We stop him today. He has to be put down along with any followers he leads against us. If they are not standing besides us ready to fight, we have to assume they are part of the plot."

The guns and knives Dav handed out filled the air with a bitter tang. I could smell the powder in the bullets and the cleaning oil on the guns. I swallowed hard.

"I can't fight," I said softly when Dav tried to hand me a knife. I hoped he would understand I wasn't judging him. I just couldn't take that knife. "It's not in me."

"I know. You can help anyone who is injured. But I cannot leave you defenseless." Dav still held the knife out to me. "Please take it."

I shook my head, standing up and avoiding the knife. "Do you have a first aid kit or anything?" I asked.

"Bathroom. The black bag in the cupboard." 

I knew Dav wouldn't let this go, but I had to get out of the room. I could feel my muscles tightening.

I dug the bag out of the cupboard and opened it up. The bag was full of everything I could need to treat small injuries. That fact that it was so well stocked chilled me even more than the matter of fact way that Dav and Velaku assumed that Mishtar would be coming for them . . . and for the rest of us too.

Dav must have recognized my need for escape, but that didn't stop him from following me. I was leaning on the counter in the bathroom as I stared at the first aid kit, trying to take deep breaths and calm down when he knocked gently on the door. It was disconcerting that I knew my mate was the one behind the wooden door because I could taste him; his musky scent mixed with a spicy cologne layered with a hint of the hospital we had left only hours before.

This was not how I had expected to spend these hours. Meeting with strange alphas, plotting the death of a male I thought I knew . . . worrying that my mate might die.

He knocked again. "Ellis? I'd like to come in."

I turned on the water for a brief moment, swiping cold, wet hands over my face and slicking back my hair. The cool moisture felt good on the heated flesh of my face.

I turned the lock on the door.

Dav opened it and then shut it behind him. My eyes fixed on the knife he'd wanted me to take that was still in his grip. I bit my lip, tugging on it with my teeth as anxiety threatened to swamp me again.

"Ellis? What's wrong?"

"Are you sorry you mated me?" I asked him.

The look on his face was pure shock. Clearly he wasn't expecting me to ask him that. I don't think I had really expected to say it either.

"What?" he asked carefully. He set the knife down beside the first aid kit, and then cupped my face in his hands. "What's going on in that head of yours? I can feel anxiety, guilt, and anger; what I can't tell is why you are feeling those things."

I shrugged one shoulder, shifting back a little to put some distance between us, but he refused to let go of my face. He frowned; his gentle hold tightened just enough to hold me in place.

"Talk to me Ellis." It was a command.

I sighed. "I'm not a warrior. I'm not someone who can do what you do."

Dav raised an eyebrow. "What do I do?"

"Investigate things, kill bad guys, rescue little babies who have lost their parents. I heard all about Bashta's little niece a few months ago. I didn't know who you it was then, but you saved her, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. I don't want someone like me though." Dav pulled me closer to him. When he spoke our mouths were a bare inch apart and his breath puffed hot against my lips. "I want you."

His eyes stared straight into mine, the slit pupils widening a small fraction. "I love how steady you are in a crisis, and how you always want to help people. You're someone that others go to for support; they like you. You are exactly the type of male I want beside me as my mate."

He kissed me, and I melted into his body, falling against his chest. My hands slipped around his waist as I lost myself in his taste. This was exactly what I needed. His touch, especially his kisses, reminded me that we were mates and that through our bond we shared the truth of our emotions. My mate needed me just as much as I needed him.

My tongue followed his when it retreated. I traced the thin fangs that had descended in his mouth, scraping the sharp tips. I loved doing that, loved how I could taste the slight bitterness of his venom. I hummed, wishing we had time for him to bite me so I could feel it rushing through my veins, sensitizing my entire body until every touch and thrust set me on fire.

I moaned when Dav began to pull away. I captured his lower lip and sucked hard on it. I opened my eyes to stare into his eyes; his lust was shining in his hot gaze. "Not yet," I whispered as I brought my hands up to hold his head still. I surged forward, desperately seeking the warmth and unique taste that only belonged to my mate. If I lost him, I wanted every touch, every taste, now.

Dav's hands dug into my back, pulling me even closer. I rubbed against him, and his hands slid down to grip my hips almost painfully tight as he ground our erections together. His rough handling sent a tingle down my spine, and I arched and pressed harder against him. This time we both groaned when we separated. I licked my lips, feeling the tingle of his venom.

They felt swollen, hot, and so very sensitive.

"What I wouldn't give for a bed and some privacy," I said with a sigh. I pulled away a little before I made a mess. I was that close.

Dav agreed. "First thing I'm doing when this is all over is take you back to my bed and keep you there for days."

I leaned against him, my fingers rubbing his nipples through his shirt. "Is that so?"

He hissed as I dragged a nail across each one. He reached out with one hand and palmed my sensitive cock through my pants, forcing a gasp past my lips. My head fell back, and I fought to keep my knees from buckling from the aching pleasure that swamped me. I was going to . . . .

It suddenly stopped as he let me go. I couldn't help making a wordless sound of protest. I straightened and narrowed my eyes at him. I could sense that he enjoyed teasing me just a little too much.

"I might even tie you to my bed for a few days." He grinned down at me. "Then you won't be able to escape."

"Just for a few days?"

He shrugged and then raised one eyebrow. "Maybe more."

I couldn't help but smile back. "Promise?"

He nodded, one finger tracing my puffy lips until I shuddered. "The very first thing."

I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on his shoulder. "Okay." I felt him shifting, but I didn't move. I heard the unmistakable sound of velcro and then tugging at my waist. I opened my eyes, looking down. Dav's hands were busy attaching the sheath of the knife he'd brought onto my belt over my left hip.

I bit my still tingling lip. He pushed my face up until I looked at him.

"Please. Take it for me, so I know you have something to protect yourself with. I don't want you to join the fighting, but if something should happen I want you to use it if you have to. Then get away and hide."

I knew he was right. I wasn't a fighter or a killer. I'd only be a liability in a battle. I nodded reluctantly, but I didn't have to like it. "I have the first aid kit. I can help after if someone . . . " I swallowed hard, "if someone gets hurt. But I'm not going to jump into a fight with any Carthera." My erection wilted at the reminder of what we were facing.

Dav squeezed my hips. "Thank you for not arguing."

"Would it do me any good?" I asked. I already knew the answer to that question.

"No."

Exactly.

***

I hadn't known exactly how many clans made up Velaku's territory, but I had been a little surprised only four had come earlier. I realized when we went back to the living room that they had just been the first to arrive. I recognized several of the Carthera clan types including deer, lion, crocodile, owl and some type of small cat. One large man who looked almost fat was standing against the wall seemed to be alone. He was even bigger than the bears; I'd never seen a Carthera that looked like him with his black markings.

"Good, they're all here."

"Who is that?" I whispered to Dav.

He glanced at the man I indicated. "That's Bob."

I looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "Bob?"

"Yes. His name is Bob." Dav looked away from me, joining in the conversation and explaining the situation to the new arrivals. All of them had been smart enough to get rid of their phones, and I could see even the deer were armed. The females seemed to congregate together. There was a smaller male owl sitting on the couch. I debated going to sit with him but the large man was close to him, and I was wary of heading in his direction. I looked back at the women.

"He doesn't look like a Bob," I muttered as I stood next to Dav.

I jumped when a voice spoke from behind me.

"But I am one."

I turned and stared. Up close I could see the pigment of his skin was in a set pattern just like a . . . .

"Killer whale. And Bob is the name I go by," he stared back at me, "but you're right, Snake's mate. It's not my real name. You couldn't say my name with your throat actually."

He didn't seem that scary as he looked. His voice had a strange quality to it, sort of deep and echoing. "I didn't know ocean mammal Carthera existed," I said in a breathy voice. "Are there more of you? Different kinds? Do you live in the water? Do you have a mate here?"

He looked at me in amusement, but Dav hissed, "Not exactly a good time to ask him questions," he tugged me away from the whale shifter, "well, it never is, actually."

"Where are your warriors Bob?" Dav asked with a suspicious frown.

"Outside, helping keep watch."

Dav nodded once at the large, sleek man. "Thank you."

Bob shrugged one shoulder. "Velaku tells me that Mishtar threatens all of us. He is dangerous and needs to be put down. We'll help before we bring the females here."

He turned and walked away abruptly, going back to stand against the wall. Dav gave me a look, pulling me off to the side.

"Give Bob space. He is more dangerous than he looks," he said in an undertone. I opened my mouth, and he gave me a warning look. I frowned but nodded reluctantly. "Why don't you go sit with Wheril? You should rest while you can."

He pointed me toward the couch. I rolled my eyes but went to sit down.

"Hey, I'm Ellis." I held out my hand to the Owl sitting on the couch next to me.

"Wheril." I didn't want to stare at him, but he was striking. His skin was a rich golden brown, and he had dark rings around his eyes. His hair was strange, a sort of feathery brown that fell about his face in wisps.

"You are the Snake's mate?" he asked me. He gave me a shy smile.

I nodded, looking over at Dav. "I am."

"He scares me," he confided with a shrug. I just sort of looked at him, not sure what to say but I didn't have to. He spoke again, "I heard you are a nurse. You work with Dr. Pannar."

"I didn't know there was talk about me." I wasn't sure I liked that idea.

"You helped treat my little brother. He fell out of a tree and broke his arm."

"Oh, that's right." I had forgotten about treating a small owl. Come to think of it, he had the same eyes Wheril did, without the rings. "Wasn't his name Lestr?"

Whirl nodded with a quick grin. "That's right!"

A smile spread across my face. The owl seemed like a very happy man, even in these circumstances. "He was pretty brave for a young boy." Owls, most birds in fact, had lighter bones than normal and they were easily broken. Fortunately, as Carthera, they also healed fast.

"You gave him a lollipop; he was convinced you were an angel of mercy."

I laughed. "Sugar tends to have that effect on little boys."

He laughed with me. "It does."

We continued to chat for a bit; he invited me to visit their nest, which was what they called their home he explained, but it was an apartment, not an actual nest. I grew to like the quietly cheerful young man, but soon our words trailed off. Everyone was on edge as they planned for the attack. I kept glancing at the windows as I watched Dav and waited.

***

"Why the hell haven't they shown up yet?" Sorca complained as he paced the room. Some of the alphas were nervous like him and others sat stolidly, just waiting. I think I was somewhere in between. I'd moved over to sit with Isiah and Ahsran; I wanted to spend some time soaking up my twin's presence.

Unable to stand the crowd, Elalera had gone to lie down.

I looked at Dav.

He had been speaking with Velaku and Natham quietly on one side of the room. Bob had been included in the conversation.

"They are probably trying to draw us out," the crocodile Carthera said. He'd been one of the quiet ones, sitting on the floor motionless. I'd found it a little eerie and too reminiscent of the nature shows I'd seen. It was just how alligators in Florida waited under the water with just their eyes and nostrils out until the perfect prey happened by. Sometimes it was hard to ignore the more animalistic features of the Carthera I was around.

With so many strong alphas in the room the dangerous feeling many of the predator animal types couldn't help emit was stronger than I'd ever felt before. It made the skin on the back of my neck crawl a little, their auras were that strong. Add in the tension as we waited for Mishtar's attack, and it was a wonder a fight hadn't broken out yet.

Velaku turned to the group. "He may be doing exactly that, but we have a plan."

Dav produced a phone. Frisz bristled.

"How come you have a phone and yet you destroyed my mine?"

"Because this is a prepaid phone that I keep stashed here. It's never been used. There is no way for Mishtar to track it." His obvious disdain made the polar bear growl, but Dav ignored him.

Velaku took the phone, putting it on speaker phone before he dialed a number.

It rang only two times. Everyone in the room was silent as Mishtar answered.

"Who is this?" he snapped. His voice was tinny over the speaker.

Natham snarled explosively. "You son of a bitch. We're going to kill you, you traitor."

Mishtar laughed derisively into the phone. "Well if it isn't the little beast. Something got you all riled up, lynx?"

Velaku put a hand on Natham's arm to keep him from replying. The male didn't look happy, but he refrained from speaking. His whole body practically vibrated with the snarls he couldn't hold back. "Remember the plan," Velaku whispered.

"I would ask why you are doing this, Mishtar, but I think it is perfectly clear. You never were happy with leading the Falcons were you?"

"Why should I lead an army of males that never DO anything? No matter what insults the humans heap on us, your father was happy to take it and ask for more. He was reducing our kind to the status of trained pets for the humans. The only good thing your family did was unite the clans. Once you're dead too, I'm going to use that unity to wipe the humans out."

His laugh was nearly manic. "Once that happens, other Carthera will see how things should be and join in. Pretty soon we'll be in control, and we'll hunt down the humans until every single one is dead. We don't need them; we've evolved past their kind."

Velaku looked sick. Mishtar's smooth and calm tone I'd always heard him use was gone. He sounded insane; his volatile rant delivered in a wild voice that was brittle and sharp.

"We will stop you Mishtar. The humans know all about you and your little traitor friends," Velaku said. "They always have. You're going to die, and it will be by my hand. You never had a chance!"

Mishtar shrieked. "Lies! They know nothing; they're too stupid to ever find out my plans! I snatched the Snake mate's little friend. He told me that idiot was too scared to tell his mate what he knew. I knew Dav's watchers might see me take the little human, but it's too late to save him and find out what he knew. This is too big for you to stop. You're just trying to trick me into thinking you have human allies, but I won't fall for it!"

I smothered my gasp when Mishtar mentioned my missing friend and buried my face in Isiah's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me as I sobbed soundlessly. Mishtar had hurt Matthew, and probably killed him. I shook, misery filling me at being the cause of my friend's death. "No, this is truth. We're going to get you Mishtar."

The sudden quiet over the phone was disturbing. The sound of a gun action was loud through the speaker. "How exactly do you plan to do that locked into one of that freak's safe houses? My Carthera are going to wipe you out."




Hypnotic Ch. 08



Mishtar's words pierced my grief and I began to grow angry. He had caused so much pain. I knew it was only a matter of time before Dav killed him. I'd never relished the thought before, but I did now. Dav's eyes narrowed as he stood up to look out the windows, but he didn't say anything.

"Oh yeah look around. I know exactly where you are, Velaku, and you're the one who is dead."

A sudden report from a gun was followed by a sharp crack against the window directly behind Velaku. He dropped the phone, and Natham shoved him down.

"They can't shoot through the windows, they're bulletproof," Dav said, "but this place won't withstand a full out attack. They're coming, get ready everyone. Bob, your men outside need to be warned."

Everyone grabbed their weapons. The whale let out a long, loud bellow that I could hear being answered faintly. Other shots began to fire from outside the house. I clutched the first aid kit to my chest, my breath coming in short gasps as my heart began to race. Dav came over to me, grabbing my shoulders as he steered me to the bathroom where the women waited.

"Stay here. No matter what; you stay here. Am I understood?" I nodded. He leaned down and kissed me, our teeth and lips clashing together for too brief a time. He pulled away, and I could feel a fierce satisfaction through our bond. He wasn't about to take joy in the killing, but taking out a danger . . . he would do it and be glad for it. He wasn't afraid of the males coming; his only concern was for me.

"I'll be fine. Be careful," I whispered. I reached up to touch him, but a sudden loud roar startled me.

The front door burst open and several Carthera ran into the house. Gunshots followed them, then other Carthera rushed in. Several of them fell to the shots from the gunmen waiting inside, but then everyone was mixed together and it was too dangerous to keep the bathroom door open. I slammed it shut and locked it.

I looked over at Merrianne. She was snarling and held a gun in her hands. Her mate had insisted that she hide with those of us who couldn't fight, but she hadn't been happy about it. I could see her control was precarious. I moved over to stand next to the female wolf.

"It'll be okay," I said reassuringly.

I tried not to puke as I heard roaring and shrieks in the other room. People were being killed, possibly people I loved. One of the women in the room gasped and fell to her knees. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't try to rush out of the room. I tensed, waiting to see if she would go feral. Her mate might have died. A few of the other women surrounded her, pressing against her body to help comfort her with their closeness.

It seemed like we'd been in there forever, but we had no way to figure out what was happening from the flashes of emotion we got through our bonds that our mates couldn't suppress. The only way out of the room was the door, and there were so many sounds all mixed together, along with screams and shouts. It was not safe for us out there, so I couldn't check on our side and see if any needed me.

I hadn't felt anything but cold rage from Dav, but I didn't think he'd let me feel any of his pain if he was injured, not with other Carthera to see it. I shook slightly, wishing I knew where he was.

Dav had made me promise to wait until after the battle to leave the bathroom, no matter what.

A shot suddenly came through the door. We were all crouched down so it went over our heads, but one of the females screamed. The door burst open, and a male I'd never seen before filled it. He was short but wide, his absolutely massive shoulders touching each side of the frame.

In the second I saw his gun come down to point at us the fact that he must be Hyena clan floated absurdly through my mind. I moved, intending to cover the women next to me when Merrianne shot. She'd had her gun trained and pointed steady at the door. It trembled a little as the loud sound of the shot blasted in the room and made my ears ring, but she kept it pointed toward the door after the Hyena fell.

No one came toward the open space and the sounds had faded a bit; as if the battle had moved outside the house. I inched closer to the door, just intending to close it as best I could since the top hinge looked broken. When I got close an arm reached in, the hand tipped with sharp talons, and yanked me out of the bathroom into what looked like a battlefield in a gory movie.

I shouted in fear, trying to pull away. The talons tightened and dug into my arm, piercing the skin and sinking in to the muscle. I screamed at the burning agony of the feeling of one talon scraping bone.

"Well, well, look what I have here."

I gasped and stared through blurry vision brought on by tears of pain.

How Mishtar had survived the bloodshed so far was beyond me, but he had. The look of gloating hatred on his face made me shiver in fear.

I was so fucked.

His triumphant look sickened me. He had blood all over him; his clothes were nearly soaked in it. "I knew he'd have tucked you away somewhere safe," he said.

"Let me go!"

"No! You're my ticket to get out of here. Your sick fuck of a mate had this whole property booby trapped. Almost all my males are dead."

I sobbed. I'd looked around the room and there were several bodies of men I didn't know in plain sight. Their glassy eyes and motionless chests told me they were beyond help, but I could see Wheril under a body of a Falcon, his neck sliced open in gaping bloody furrows with blood dripping on the floor. I didn't know if he was dead, but he looked it.

Bob was still alive, lying on the floor next to the bathroom door, but I could see his intestines through a gaping wound in his stomach. He was groaning in a constant stream of sound, his round eyes barely open slits. I could tell that he'd tried to protect the bathroom door, and he would probably lose his life because of that.

The psychotic Falcon had killed innocent people, Carthera who only wanted to live in peace and lead their clans to do the same. They shouldn't have had to die.

"You bastard!" I screamed. I twisted in his grasp and struck out. A bright hand print on his cheek bloomed from my slap, but he just shrieked in laughter.

"Stupid human. You can't hurt me." A sound from the hall made him spin us, tugging me back against his chest. The warm, damp blood on his clothes made me shudder as I fought his strong hold.

I thought I'd see Dav or Velaku coming to save me. Instead I saw Elalera. Her eyes glowed red and her wings were up and flared the second she stepped into the room.

"You killed my mate!" she shrieked.

I screamed as she rushed toward us. Mishtar's body was almost completely covered by mine. Her talons raked out and caught both our shoulders as she tried to slice open his neck.

I screamed in pain. Mishtar let me go, and I collapsed. His hand came up, and then I saw the gun. I tried to tackle him around the legs, but he got a shot off before I could stop him. I watched in disbelief as a huge red wound opened in Elalera's chest. She fell backward, her body arching as her shriek trailed off with a gurgling sound. He'd shot her in the lung and possibly the heart.

Mishtar grabbed for me, flapping his wings and pulling us to our feet and toward the front door that was hanging off its hinges. I fought him as several Carthera rushed into the main room of the house, including Dav.

"Ellis!" Davis hissed and began to move forward. A murderous fury filled our bond.

"No, Davis!" Velaku shouted, "He is mine!"

"Stay back! Neither of you are going to hurt me, or I'm going to kill the little human just like I did Velaku's parents." Mishtar cackled. "I'm going to leave here and take the little bitch with me. If any of you try to stop me, I'll kill him."

Velaku's eyes fell on his mother's broken body, her wings bent under her and covered in the blood from her chest wound. His wings flared and his shriek hurt my ears. His eyes glowed red, and Natham had to grab him before he could attack us.

Dav's sudden sick fear made my stomach lurch as it began to bury the rage, and then a sense of fatalistic acceptance filled me. His emotions were swamping our bond and I couldn't even feel my own, just his.

No. I couldn't let this psycho take me out of the safe house.

I knew my life would be forfeit if I did and so did Dav. I knew he was going to try to kill the Falcon to save me, and I was right. He moved almost too fast for me to see.

Mishtar tried to raise his gun to shoot my mate and a rage, unlike any I'd ever felt, consumed the acceptance and calm inside me. We'd only had a short time together and I wouldn't lose him now. I wouldn't let Mishtar take my mate away from me.

"No!" I twisted to face Mishtar. His grip had loosened on me as he tried to watch the Carthera in the room. With both hands on his wrist with the gun, I pulled his arm in close to my body, jerking when something hot blazed across my stomach. I felt a sudden pain in my mouth, and I let instinct take over. I hissed, and clamped down on the slices in his neck Elalera had opened. Closing my eyes, I sank my teeth deeper into him.

He shrieked and tried to tear away. I bit down harder; my hands locked around his arm, and then pumped fluid from my new fangs into him. I had no idea what I was doing as my mouth worked to inject him with venom, but I didn't stop until he fell and gravity ripped his throat from my teeth.

His eyes were wide and disbelieving as he lay gurgling on the floor. I kicked at his hand and the gun went skittering across the floor to ricochet off the wall and then under a table. His body arched and his talons dug into the floor as he tried to fight the effects of the venom. He had no chance though; he was dying from the poison rushing through his veins.

My poison.

I hissed, swaying as I glared down at him. "I hope it hurts as much as you hurt others, you bastard. I hope you rot in hell. Die!"

His heels drummed on the floor and froth came out of his mouth. I started to turn, needing to make sure my mate was unhurt. His shock was rippling through our bond.

"Ellis." He caught me as I began to fall. He looked down at my stomach and blanched at the red stain blossoming against my shirt. He yanked it up and hissed. I was just barely able to raise my head and look down.

"Shit."

I was bleeding from a long furrow that crossed from one side to the other as well as the cuts from Elalera's claws across my shoulder and the wounds in my arm. I'd been shot, but it was just a graze that started right by the hilt of the knife Dav had given me to a spot next to my far ribs. The thought that I hadn't even remembered to use the knife Dav gave me to stab Mishtar hit me out of the blue. I began to shake as everything sank in.

I'd killed someone.

Not with a gun or a knife. No, I'd killed him by biting him and injecting him with venom. His blood was in my mouth, the copper taste making me gag. I hadn't known I had fangs before now. My tongue swept across the roof of my mouth and I could still barely feel them, now that I knew they were there. They ached, and my stomach hurt. I turned and began to vomit, bringing up sour bile.

Tears streamed from my eyes as I shuddered in my mate's arms. He held me close and rubbed my back.

"Dav," I moaned.

"Shh, Ellis. It'll be okay."

I wasn't sure if he was right this time. 



Hypnotic Ch. 09



I gasped, jerking up as my eyes shot open. My hand was clenched in Dav's shirt, and I was still in his arms. Dav's hand rested on my cheek, easing the slight sting from where he'd been hitting me. I vaguely recalled him calling my name.

"What?"

I looked around and brought one hand up to my mouth to soothe the burning pain. I pulled my fingers away and stared at the red stain. It hadn't been a nightmare. The smell was awful, and I could barely stand the taste in my mouth.

"I'm sorry, I know you're hurt too, but we need you. Bob is close to dying."

My head turned automatically toward the bathroom. I was shocked he wasn't already dead. Several of the males were moving bodies, but his wasn't on the floor by the door anymore.

"He's on the couch."

Velaku crouched down next to Dav, crouching over us. I flinched away from him; would he be angry that I killed Mishtar? He'd claimed that right and I'd taken it from him.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you; I know you don't owe the clans anything. But Bob is the Alpha of his clan, and all the Pacific water animal clans look to his leadership. Not all of them support our pact with the humans; they feel the loss of clean waters and beaches keenly. We need him to keep them in line."

I took a shaky breath and nodded, glad that Velaku didn't seem angry with me at all. I may not owe the clans anything but there had been enough death here. I couldn't let anyone suffer, even if all I wanted was for Dav to take me out of there. "I'll try."

My stomach burned like fire when they helped me up. I panted, trembling as they supported my weight. I look down and noticed that I had a bandage across my stomach. I'd passed out when Dav tightened a pressure bandage on my arm. I reached up and felt my neck, touching a bandage across my shoulder where Elalera had sliced me open.

"I'm so sorry Ellis; you were supposed to be safe," Velaku said. His wings were folded behind him, but drooped low. "My mother did that, didn't she?"

I looked him in the eyes, seeing his anger and pain. I wouldn't add to it. "You didn't make Mishtar act the way he did, and you don't need to apologize. I don't blame her. I just wish I could have saved her; if I'd known I had fangs and venom sooner . . . ."

I shuddered, swallowing hard.

Dav's hand tightened on my arm, and he looked at me with fear in his eyes. "Ellis--"

"He's not breathing!"

I ripped my good arm free of Dav's hold and stumbled over to the couch, ignoring the pain in my body. The group of men surrounding it parted for me. The large whale Carthera barely fit on the sofa, his feet hanging over one end. I put two fingers on his throat, feeling for a pulse. Unbelievably, he still had one. It was going super slow, though, and the blood was barely oozing out of the wide tears in his stomach.

But he still wasn't breathing.

Tilting his head back, I covered his nose and breathed in his mouth twice. I waited, then gave him another breath. Between them, I tried to assess his condition. A hand landed on my shoulder.

"Ellis, stop. He's too injured, too hurt. "

"No!" The fingers tightened, but I shrugged the hand off, giving Bob another breath.

"I can help him. He's healing, look!" I pointed at the marks on his stomach. I'd never seen a Carthera take that much damage and survive, but he was already healing. There was pink flesh and the raw edges of the wounds were smoothing. I just had to keep his heart and lungs going so that he could.

I heard shuffling around behind me, and when I looked up, Dav was no longer behind me. I could feel his fear through our mate bond, but I focused past it. I couldn't let Bob die, not when he'd been trying to protect us. I filled my lungs, pressing the air into Bob's mouth yet again, and then I looked up.

The males of his clan surrounding Bob had pulled in close. They ringed the couch, their bodies pressed tight together in a wall of flesh. They all reached out in some way, touching Bob someplace on his body. I couldn't help but wonder if it was some sort of death ritual as my stare skipped from grim face to grim face.

Then they began humming; each had a different note that rose and fell and yet fit into one cohesive wave of sound. The sound swelled and dipped, reminding me of ocean.

The chant filled the room and drowned out the other sounds. I remained on my knees and kept breathing for Bob, focusing on him to the exclusion of everything else until I felt the bodies next to me shift. There was a tingle that danced across my skin as the legs of the whales on either side of me touched my body, closing the circle. I shuddered as the energy began to build in the room. I'd felt it a few times before when Carthera came to the clinic to be healed but never like this. Never this strong.

It swept through me, making me shake. I barely controlled my body, feeling like something was inside me and I had to do something, had to let it out. The next time I sent my breath into Bob's lungs it felt as if this tingling electricity poured from my mouth and into him. I was frozen over him for what felt like forever before the energy finally broke, and I sat up with a gasp. Unable to believe my eyes, I pulled back and stared in shock as his wounds began to seal, the flesh knitting together visibly as we watched. The humming sound grew louder and the tension in the room rose.

The next moment the silence was so profound, it was like it was a sound itself pressing against my ears. I tentatively reached out, touching Bob's chest with the flat of my palm. A hard jolt shook me.

Bob gasped, his back bowing upward into a hard arch.

His eyes opened as he fell back against the cough and his breath settled into harsh gasps. I looked at his wounds, but only faint pink marks remained. His head turned to me.

"You healed me," he said.

My whole body still tingled. I stumbled back, my eyes wide. "No way, I couldn't . . .." My voice stuttered to a halt.

I sought my mate in confusion; it was too much, the fangs, the poison, this . . . whatever just had happened. Dav pushed into the group of whale Carthera that had surrounded me, pulling me into his arms. "Ellis. Shhh . . .."

I mumbled against his chest, "That was impossible! Magic isn't real, not really real."

Cavel stood near the group of whales that were all watching me, his bloody mate in his arms. "I thought so too, until I met Bashta. I have met our god, been touched by him. The magic of the clans exists, for those who haven't lost the way of how to use it."

I just shuddered in Dav's arms, my mind still unable to really understand. But . . . there was more to life than understanding everything. It was enough that Bob would live.

As Bob sat up, his movement broke the tension and it felt things started up again, people moving and speaking quietly instead of staring at me. I couldn't help but watch Bob as one of his men helped him up. They stayed close to him, touching frequently and making a variety of sounds that were remarkably like whale noises I'd heard on a nature program.

"Thank you," Velaku said to me. I nodded at him, not really needing his thanks but understanding his appreciation.

"All the magic in our pod would have done nothing if there was no one to breathe it into me," said Bob, "and none of my men have the shaman's power." He stared in my eyes. "It would be my honor to offer my clan to you, as a pod brother."

I looked up at Dav, his face impassive even though I could feel his shock through our bond. I looked back at Bob. "I'm sorry; I don't know what that means."

"If you wish it, you can claim kinship to my clan and to my pod. If you or your mate ever need anything, call on me."

I nodded gravely, understanding the honor being shared with me at least. "Thank you." I took a deep breath and my knees began to sag. I grabbed at Dav with both arms. It wasn't until just then realizing that my arm with the puncture wounds no longer hurt. Neither did my stomach or my shoulder.

Dav's arms came around me. "I need to get you out of here; all this can't be good for you. The last thing you need is a migraine from all the stress."

I pulled the bandages off my bare stomach. "It's gone." My fingers traced across the pale white line, all that was left from the furrow the bullet had ripped in my skin. My pulled off the other bandages, my fingertips touching smooth skin unmarred any wound. "Amazing."

Dav's hands followed mine. I looked up in his eyes, seeing something there. I felt for our bond, trying to decipher the feeling. I shivered a little as his slender fingers traced the skin of my shoulder and neck.

I blinked, and then yawned. Velaku chuckled a little.

"Power always comes at a cost," Bob said. "You need to go rest."

Dav lifted me into his arms, and I let him. "My bar has a safe room that we are going to use, and Velaku has the addresses of several more in the area. In the kitchen drawer of each one you will find new phone, if you need it."

"Isiah? Ahsran?" I asked.

I looked around; just then remembering my brother was in the fight too. I felt like things were escaping me, as something else that I'd forgotten to think about hit me every few minutes. "I can't believe I forgot about them."

Isiah pushed away from the wall.

Dav turned me to face him, murmuring quietly, "That is the exhaustion and shock. You'll be just fine."

"We're okay, Ellis." Isiah moved toward us. "You go with your mate; you don't need to see this."

There he was, trying to protect me. That was my job, though this wasn't a mess I could clean up. He was bruised and I could see some tears in his shirt, but he looked okay. I didn't see Ahsran, but I knew Isiah wouldn't be standing there talking to me if his mate was hurt. I cranked my head around, searching anyway. I needed to know, to see with my own two eyes that my family was all there and relatively intact.

I think the surprise of seeing him with his arms wrapped around Natham was what did me in. I just sort of fuzzed out after that.

***

Waking up happened in a gradual process. I stretched on the soft surface I was laying on, feeling a warm arm close around me and pull me closer.

"I wondered how long you were going to sleep." Dav nuzzled the side of my neck.

"Mmm." I blinked slowly, frowning at the gray walls. I rolled on to my back. "Where are we?"

"Safe room under the club." It took a second, but I finally remembered him telling the others that we were coming here.

"Are we still in danger?" I'd thought that with Mishtar . . . dead . . . this would all be over. "Why do we still need to be in a safe room?"

"I'm not willing to risk it." Dav's hand rested on my bare chest. His fingers traced small patterns over my chest. "Velaku had Ahsran and Isiah contact their bosses. They are coordinating with local authorities and with the Falcons Velaku trusts to be loyal to track down anyone not yet killed or captured in Mishtar's Carthera supremacist group."

I nodded as I ran my tongue over my teeth; my mouth was really dry."How long have I been asleep?"

Dav rolled over, grabbing a bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap and then handed it to me. I took it, sitting up slowly to take a drink. The bed was small, just mattresses on a frame in the corner. I leaned against the brick wall, my back protesting.

"Sip it slowly. You've been sleeping for a full day and night."

I choked a little on the water. "I've what?"

"It is normal, Bob says. He came by to check on you before heading back to his clans. He did leave you something though, he said you'd need it if the power came back." It was a small carving, threaded onto a leather string. I looked at it, but didn't take it from Dav. I wasn't sure I wanted it, but the idea of some power coming back and taking over like it did last time scared me too. I'd have to think about it.

I shook my head. "When does this sort of thing end?" I took another drink of water, then screwed the cap back on. I fiddled with the label, biting my lip.

"This sort of thing?" He was just turning back from setting the charm out of sight.

I looked up, warned by Dav's careful tone and the feelings flowing through our bond.

"That's not what I meant. I didn't mean a Carthera type thing, I just mean the constant drama." I sighed, rolling over to put the bottle of water on the floor. I groaned a little, my muscles stiff. Dav's hands came down on my shoulders and began squeezing.

I moaned, sinking to the mattress. One arm hung off as Dav's strong hands dug into my muscles, moving and rolling them. I enjoyed it for a few minutes, the bliss of the knots loosening all I could focus on.

Long minutes passed as I soaked in his touch. Dav was rubbing my lower back, the sheet pushed down. His hand brushed the top of my ass, and I felt a wash of heat through the bond. I rolled over, ending up tight against Dav's stomach as we lay on our sides facing each other. The sheet was trapped between us, trailing over my hip.

"Thank you. Between my migraines, and the attacks, and injuries I've had it seems like you are always taking care of me."

Dav's hand came up to my face. "That's my job and besides," he stroked my cheek, "we're mates. I love doing it, taking care of you."

"But I'd like to not have to need it. We've been mates for about three weeks, and I feel like I barely know you. I want some time to get to know you better without all this craziness."

Dav's yellow eyes looked a little apprehensive. "Ellis, my life is never really quiet. I'm not just the owner of my club; I do dangerous things for Velaku. It is who I am." He took a deep breath and let it out. "I'll tell Velaku I can't do it anymore, though, if you don't want me to. I want to be a male you respect."

I smiled at him. "I know what you do is dangerous, and sometimes you have to do things you don't like, but I also know that you are really good at it."

"At killing." His voice was bitter and he wouldn't meet my eyes.

I sighed. "Yes, but that's just a part of it, Davis. You aren't a killer, even if you sometimes have to kill monsters. That's what they are, but you're not a monster. You also saved a little girl from smugglers and gave her a chance at a life with her uncle. Yesterday, without your safe houses and your preparations Mishtar probably would have taken everyone by surprise and then he would have taken over, killing people I care about. Sometimes you have to use violence to stop violence.

"I just don't think I'm really equipped to be a part of all that, fangs or not." I ran my tongue over the slender points that I could barely feel folded up in the roof of my mouth.

"I don't care about that; I just want you safe. I want you how you are, safe and well. Though, we need to get you to the doctor soon," Dav said. "I'm worried about how much you're changing."

I shrugged. "I feel okay. In fact," I arched my back, the front of my body brushing against his in a silken glide of bare skin on bare skin, "I feel really good now that you massaged away my stiff muscles."

"Oh? That's interesting because it seems like I didn't get all of them." The sibilant hiss in Dav's voice sent a shudder up my spine. One hand trailed up my back, tracing the scaled pattern of my mating mark. I arched again, squirming.

"Please." I looked at him with half lidded eyes.

"No venom," Dav said. "Not until after we see the doctors."

I rocked my hips forward. "Good thing we don't need it." Our erections met and ground together. I hissed when the flared head of my cock pressed into his ridged abdomen and our shafts rubbed together.

Dav's hand gripped my hip, keeping me from thrusting again. I twisted, rolling on to my back. I used my feet to push down the sheet, shivering as it brushed against my skin. I watched my mate lean over me and I brought my hands up, gliding them up his arms and enjoying the smooth skin over lean muscle. I toyed with the hair at the back of his head, pulling him down.

"Kiss me."

I leaned up, pressing my lips to his. I licked at his mouth, moaning at the unique flavor of my mate. My lips parted as I moaned and he took advantage, taking control and thrusting his tongue into my mouth.

My cock jerked as he let his tongue split and caress each side of mine. Using the thin and limber muscle, he tickled and teased me. There was something about the way he touched me, so unlike anything I had ever felt before, that made a simple kiss so much more. I shuddered, my hands falling to his shoulders to hold on. My arousal shot higher. The air felt hot as I gasped and arched, trying to get closer to him.

Dav's sharp fangs were down, and he nipped at my lip. I knew he had said no venom, and I was enjoying being able to touch and hold him as he began stroking my chest, but the slight sting and the taste of the drop of venom on my lips had my tongue tingling and my need for him flew even higher. He swung one leg over my hips, carefully avoiding touching my weeping erection. He leaned back, staring down at me.

I stroked his thighs, letting my fingers trail lightly up and down the defined muscles. Lean and beautiful, Dav's body was breathtaking as he hovered over me. I cried out, shouting his name when he unexpectedly tweaked both of my nipples, twisting them just hard enough to send a bolt of pleasurable pain to my groin.

It was not as intense as it was when Dav had pumped me full of his venom, the poison racing through my body, putting me at his mercy as every nerve ending came alight. But there were other advantages.

I lifted my hips, twisting as I caught Dav around his upper arms. My move toppled him over and let me climb over him. I grinned, enjoying the stunned expression on Dav's face as I looked down at him.

"Usually I can't even move when you take me." I had landed on top of him, straddling his stomach as I held his arms down above his head. I leaned down and kissed him, my tongue licking at his lips until he parted them. I toyed with him, dipping my tongue into his mouth in shallow thrusts, just barely tasting him until I felt him lift his head to get closer.

I thrust my tongue in deep then, pressing him down, my enjoyment immense as he groaned.

"I love when you take me." I let go of his arms, sitting back up. "But this time," I inched backward, "this time, I think I want something different."

"Ellis, I . . .." Dav's hands clenched into fists. Catching his apprehension through our bond, I hushed him.

"Don't worry, you'll like this too." I put two fingers on his mouth. "Suck them." Dav's eyes flared wide and I sent him a bolt of heat to drown the slight tinge of fear. His tongue caressed my fingers as he drew them in, getting them slick for me.

I knelt over him, pushing up on my knees. I pulled my fingers out of his mouth with a wet pop as Dav fought to keep them in. I stared into his eyes as I reached back.

"Gods," he whispered. I knew he was worried that I wanted to take him, but that had faded as his arousal grew. His eyes flared wide when he realized what I really wanted.

My head fell back and I moaned as I breached myself with my slick fingers, scissoring them back and forth. I wasn't going to let lack of lube stop me. I kept one hand on Dav's chest, the other stretching my body so I could take him.

"Shit, that's hot." Dav's voice was a soft hiss. "Need to be inside you soon before I cum."

"Not even," I grunted and shivered as I brushed my prostate, "started yet."

Dav licked his lips. "You better get started soon or I won't last." His hands caressed the inside of my thighs. "I want you."

I felt a blast of lust from him so strong I nearly lost it myself. I pulled my fingers out and then balanced myself over him. Unwilling to wait, I pushed back and sank down, not stopping until I was resting against his hips.

My breath left me in a sharp hiss, the pain of the deep thrust was the only thing that kept my orgasm at bay when the head of his cock stroked along my prostate. I froze, panting. His hands dug into my hips, leaving marks sure to be bruises later as we stared into each other's eyes and fought for control.




Hypnotic Ch. 09



I started with slight movements of my hips, just rocking forward and back. Dav's body began to move against mine as I slowly began lifting up and sliding back down. My muscles eased, and I moaned at the first full thrust, pressing down hard as Dav lifted his hips to meet me.

"Fuck!" Dav flicked out his forked tongue. The sight of it sent a shudder down my body and I let go, my hips moving freely as I took my pleasure and gave it back to him. My own fangs dropped and I felt the roof of my mouth ache.

I wanted to bite him. I leaned forward, resting my hands just below his shoulders. I ran my fangs along Dav's shoulder up to the vulnerable spot next to his neck where the skin was soft and smelled so good, my teeth marking the skin and leaving red streaks behind.

"No biting, Ellis." His voice was strained, ragged.

"I want it, I want to mark you." I hissed, my hands shaking as I held on to him. "I need to." I knew he could feel it through our bond. It filled me, just as he did, a fiery passion that I couldn't control. I rocked back hard, slamming on to him. "Need to mark you as mine so everyone can see." My fangs dimpled his skin, as I barely held back. "Please," I begged.

"Yes," Dav groaned. His willingness to be vulnerable, to trust me with his body and his heart floored me. Our bond was already strong; but in that moment he showed me just how strong it was. His head turned to the side, exposing the clean lines of his strong neck. That small motion sent instincts I didn't know I possessed into overdrive. I bit down, sending my fangs deep into Dav, the thin hollow teeth sinking in effortlessly as I felt the muscles in my mouth flex and send a shot of venom into him.

"Ellis!"

He arched against me and I put my hands on his chest, pressing my teeth in even deeper but not sending any more venom into him. My marks would be unmistakable to everyone who saw them, but I wasn't sure how much venom would be too much.

I pulled back, licking at the wounds. My venom slowed the bleeding, only a thin trickle coming out. I sat up, my arms still braced on the soft skin of Dav's chest, and I watched as his thin slit pupils widened, turning nearly oval.

He was so fucking hot, his perfect hair messed up, his eyes never leaving mine as he gave me his body, and his trust.

"Mine," I growled. The bliss through our bond swamped me.

I kept my hips still; I knew what he was feeling, the poison racing through his veins, turning his body so sensitive it was like one open nerve. I started with slow strokes across his pecs, then scraped my fingernails over his nipples. His throat was completely exposed as his head kicked back. His arms fell from my hips, and I knew he was feeling the full effect of my bite.

I began moving, rocking in the small movements, my need for him growing again now that the urge to claim him had been sated. I let it build as I began inching up and then down, watching his body shudder as he gasped, unable to move as I took him. I drove him, as he had driven me, sending him to the very heights of pleasure again and again.

I could see his need, feel it fill me as sweat dripped down my body, but I didn't want it to end. I wanted it to last forever, this closeness. If I could somehow join our bodies forever, I would. I needed Davis Retic, needed him like I needed air.

When I was gasping, my heart racing, unable to bear another second, I twined one of my hands with his. I used them to stroke myself, then squeezed the head of my cock. That sensation sent me over the edge. I slammed down onto my mate, my muscles rippling as I screamed from the first mind shattering pulse.

His cry echoed mine, and I felt his release fill me as I shot all over his chest. I jerked, unable to remain still, my head thrown back as I shuddered over and over as the waves of pleasure bounced from him to me through our bond. It was intense and overwhelming. Something about taking control and claiming my mate fulfilled a need I hadn't known was inside of me. I barely recognized the sounds that were coming out of our mouths as almost a full minute passed as we came together.

Finally, just when I was about to scream in earnest from the overwhelming sensation, it calmed.

I groaned as I fell against his chest, not even caring about the mess I'd made between us. Hot and sweaty, his scent filled me, a richy, spicy flavor. I flicked my tongue out and tasted his chest, making him groan.

"Not fair." He cleared his throat; the screaming earlier had given him a sexy rasp. Dav's arms slowly lifted and wrapped around me.

I snuggled into him. I didn't care about the rest of the world at that moment, just him. All I wanted, all I needed, was to feel his body against mine and the contentment we both shared filling the room.

"You're mine too," he said.

I nodded, unable to speak. I didn't need to; the bond between us was stronger than ever. I knew in my soul how much I meant to him, just as he knew how much he meant to me.

***

The sound of beeping disturbed my sleep. I was determined to ignore it, but Dav moved from under me. I protested when I landed on the cool sheets, reaching for him.

"That's the door alarm, Ellis. My cell phone won't work in here."

I blinked a few times, opening my eyes reluctantly as I rolled over onto my back. I realized I was still naked, so I pulled the sheet on the bed up to my waist. As much as I enjoyed watching the tight muscles in Dav's back flex, including his firm ass, I didn't want anyone else to see him that way. "Are you going to answer the door naked?"

He reached out and snagged a pair of pants on a chair. He reached up to a keypad below a screen by the door as he tugged them on. "Who is it?"

"Benny."

I tensed a little when I heard his voice over the speaker. I wasn't exactly afraid of Dav's second-in-command, but I didn't really want to be in the small room with him either.

Dav tapped a series of buttons and the screen flicked on showing Benny looking up. "It's just me, boss."

My mate pressed a button and then turned a set of levers on the door. I couldn't believe how thick the door was when he opened it, but it seemed to move easy enough.

"Stay here; I'll be right back," Dav said.

I frowned as the door shut behind him. I knew that he could feel my nervousness through our bond when I saw Benny, but it was strange that he shut the door behind him. Was he hiding something, and if so, what was it? I knew I shouldn't, but I was tempted to eavesdrop now that Dav had shown me how.

A surge of irritation through our bond decided me. I slid off the bed, wrapping the sheet around my waist and tucking it in. It still trailed on the floor but it kept me covered.

I walked over to the panel, studying it. I'd seen him press the buttons and it wasn't that difficult to remember the pattern. I pressed what I thought was the code, feeling a surge of triumph when the screen flicked on. I could see them talking, but not hear them. I looked at the panel and saw the button for the speaker, Benny's voice suddenly filling the room.

"-can't find them, but I was checking the security footage tonight after the club closed."

He handed two pictures to Dav, but I couldn't see the pictures, just the white backs. My mate hissed, his fangs dropping as he looked from one to the other.

"That's them." I could feel his anger through our bond. "They were here?"

Benny nodded. "I thought they were acting strange on the video and that caught my attention. This one," he pointed at the picture, "was walking all around the perimeter of the bar. It was subtle, but he was checking out every opening."

"Looking for us, do you think?"

"Word's out; your little mate pissed off the remaining members of Mishtar's little group, and some of them have escaped the Falcon's search. I wouldn't doubt they're gunning for revenge and they want to take out the man that took out their leader. These guys are real fanatics, they think that they are superior beings. Word getting out that a human took out their golden boy? Not something they're taking well. They'll kill him if they get the chance."

Dav's fists clenched, and he hissed again. "Not going to happen!"

"Normally I wouldn't worry, boss, but I pulled some files on these guys and they're hardcore. Mishtar wasn't playing around when he recruited them; they're straight up lethal."

"No one touches my mate; no one."

"You could keep him here, until they're found. Sooner or later they'll be back or we could set a trap for them. I don't understand how they know so much though; someone has to be helping them. They're not from this area yet they know where to go. It's not like we get a lot of Carthera coming here, so how did they know it was your club?"

"I don't know, but I can't keep Ellis here much longer. I've got to take him to his doctors. He's been changing, Benny, and we need to find out what's going on inside him. They need to run some tests; I almost lost him once before. I can't lose my mate."

I hadn't really thought about it with everything going on, but my migraines were a real danger. I didn't even know if I had any of my medication here. Though doctors had said that venom would be helpful. I shivered at the thought of my mate's venom pumping into my body.

Benny looked sad. "I understand, trust me."

Dav reached out and squeezed the tiger's shoulder. "Sorry, Benny, I know things have been rough for you lately."

He took a deep breath. "It's okay. I understand your concern. I'll talk with Velaku; I'm sure he'll loan you some Falcons. When do you want to set it up?"

"What time is it?"

"Just after two a.m."

I was surprised when I heard that, but without windows or anything to see outside, it was impossible to tell what time it was. I'd fallen asleep on Dav's chest earlier, but I hadn't realized we'd only been asleep for a few hours. I tried to keep my emotions calm; I didn't want Dav to find out that I was eavesdropping.

"Set it up for eleven."

"Dr. Pannar's clinic or the hospital?"

"I don't think the clinic is equipped to do the blood work and tests that they might need; we'll go to the hospital. Make sure the Falcons are discreet; I don't want Ellis worried. He doesn't need the stress."

I reached up and turned off the screen and speaker. I'd heard enough, and I didn't want Dav to know that I knew what he was keeping from me. My heart was pounding, but I made a conscious effort to calm down. I counted slowly as I took deep breaths. Dropping the sheet on the bed, I made my way into the small bathroom and the shower.

I was standing under the pounding stream, just letting it wash away all the soap when I heard Dav come into bathroom.

"Ellis, are you okay? I thought you'd be back asleep."

I turned when the plastic curtain opened and my mate stepped into the small shower stall. I wiped the water off my face. "Not without you. Everything okay with Benny?"

I knew he wouldn't tell me about the men looking for me in the bar, but I had to ask. Not asking would make him suspicious.

"Yeah. Just some bar business."

I could have been angry with him, but it wasn't the right moment to confront him, Dav was trying to protect me, and I was going to let him, for now. I reached for him, lacing our fingers together and tugging him closer to me.

He stepped forward, wrapping one arm around my waist. "Missed me, did you?"

His scent seemed stronger in the humid steam of the shower, surrounding me. It did a better job of calming me than all the counting in the world. "Yeah." I didn't want to go completely sappy and tell him any second apart was too much, but I thought it.

I leaned forward, resting my face against his cool shoulder as the water flowed over both of us. The silky feeling of his skin against mine made me shiver. I could feel answering lust through our bond, all his anxiety and anger suppressed or gone.

I rocked my hips forward, showing Dav exactly what he did to me. His eyes gleamed as he stared down at me.

"You done in here?" His voice was raspy as his hands slid down and fondled my ass.

I licked at a trickle of water running down his neck up to the edge of his jaw, nipping at his skin. I moved to his ear, tugging on the lobe with my lips. "Uh huh."

"Good. I think I have a promise to keep."

"Oh gods." I couldn't help myself, a shudder running down my spine.

He bent me backwards as he reached for the handle. I held on to his shoulders, trusting him to hold my weight as he turned off the water. Stepping out, he grabbed a towel and began rubbing the water off my body. I stood there and let him stroke me with the soft terrycloth, moaning a little when he took extra time on my balls.

He wiped his own body off quickly, wiping off most of the water, but he was still damp when we reached for each other. We stumbled out of the bathroom and over to the small bed. Dav smirked and then pushed me backward; I gasped as I bounced a little on the firm mattress. My legs hung over the edge as I stared up at him.

As much as I had enjoyed flipping our roles somewhat the evening before, I craved my mate over me and in me. I knew Dav could feel my desire and my need for him. He dropped to his knees between my legs. I expected him to tease me, to use that amazing tongue to tickle and torment me until I begged. My back arched when he swallowed me down to the base instead, burying his nose against my pubic bone.

I shouted, reaching for the blanket and fisting it in my hands. It felt so good when he hummed, the vibrations on my sensitive head pushed me closer to the edge. My heart began racing as he held my hips firmly to keep me from moving and bobbed his head up and down.

"God, Dav!"

I reached for him, holding his head and running my hands through his silky wet hair with one hand. I watched his cheeks hollow as he pulled up, sucking hard on the head of my erection. His tongue dipped into my slit, and I nearly lost it.

"I'm gonna cum if you don't stop!" My balls ached, but I wanted more. I needed his venom and his cock.

I didn't have to tell my mate what I needed, it seemed like he already knew. He pulled off with a pop and rose up over me. His hands ran from my hips, up my stomach to my chest; I shuddered as his nimble fingers flicked my nipples, enjoying the slight burn. I yanked him down for a kiss, our tongues tangling as I tasted my precum in his mouth. I loved the way our tastes combined.

I knew what was coming as he kissed down the line of my jaw. I turned my head to the side, ready for his bite, wanting the sharp pinch and the sensation of his venom running through my veins. His forked tongue caressed my skin, dragging from neck down to my sensitive collarbone. I couldn't stop the shudder as he hit a hot spot right where my neck joined my shoulder, my skin tingled as he focused right there, nipping and sucking.

"Please!" I wasn't above begging. I barely finished speaking when I felt the scrape and then the sharp pain of his fangs piercing my flesh. Thank god he'd changed his mind about biting me. 

My racing heart sent the venom shooting through my body. I reveled in the feelings, lost in the sensations. I had no idea how long Dav pressed his fangs into me, sending his venom into me, claiming me.

Dav licked at the punctures when he finally pulled back. I could feel it already affecting my body, lighting me up as my muscles went limp and pliant. "How . . . much did you . . . give me?" I knew it was way more than I'd given him.

My mate hovered over me. "Enough to keep you needing me for hours."

Pleasure filled me at the thought, even as my skin began to twitch. I thought I needed him before, but the intense craving I had for my mate began to overwhelm me. If he didn't touch me I'd go insane.

Dav pushed me up on the bed and knelt between my thighs. His hands spread my thighs wide for him until I was splayed open and vulnerable. The teasing began now that I was helpless to stop it, fiery chills shaking me as his fingers went from my knees up the inside of my thighs, barely brushing against my balls before sliding back down as he stroked me to fever pitch. I don't know how long he tortured me before his fingers slipped into the crack of my ass.

My neglected erection twitched and wept.

I whimpered as he pushed the tip of a single finger inside me. I wanted to press down, to get more of him inside me but I couldn't move, and being forced to take it at his pace intensified my need.

I moaned.

"Gonna make you cum from my finger alone," Dav whispered in my ear. He braced himself over me, one hand braced on the bed at my shoulder. He was so close I could feel the heat of his body radiating against me. I wanted his weight on me, holding me down and pinning me to the bed, but he stayed frustratingly just far enough away that his finger inside me was the only skin touching mine.

Just knowing that, feeling him so close, needing him so much, focused all my attention on that one spot. I stared up at him, at the dark erotic promise in his eyes, and I let go. I wanted this and needed it, just as much as I had needed riding him the night before.

He kept his promise, thrusting and pegging my gland with that one finger over and over. I could feel my cock throbbing and my balls tightening, but I hovered on the precipice. I whimpered, feeling like I was going to explode. I wanted to beg Dav to touch my cock, just one stroke, but I couldn't.

Then the rhythm of his thrusting changed. He buried his finger inside me hard. I could feel him rubbing small circles, the constant pressure against my gland drove me insane. That was all I needed to trip over the edge. A breath of a cry, all the sound I could make, escaped me as I shot over and over while his finger never stopped moving. I wanted to groan when I realized my cock didn't soften at all.

It was going to be a long night.

My mate spent over an hour playing with my body. I lost count of the number of times he took me to the edge with his mouth and his cock but after that first time he didn't let me orgasm again. Sweat was dripping off his forehead. His warm scent surrounded me as the venom began to wear off just enough for me to make small movements. He'd flipped me onto my stomach, my hips tilted up with a pillow, his chest hot and hard against my back.

"Dav." My voice was a hoarse whisper. Concentrating, I began to clench my muscles around him. I reveled in the moan that tore from him. His fingers tightened on my hips hard enough to bruise, and he slammed forward. I could barely keep up with him as he sped up. I knew we were barely holding on, needing that perfect moment but loving the pleasure of each thrust.

"Now!" Dav roared as he let loose and froze, buried deep inside me. My breath hitched and a thin cry filled the air as I shot all over the pillow under me. Our release was almost painful in its intensity as the rush of ecstasy met and joined with his through our bond. A minute, an hour could have passed and I wouldn't have known.

I shuddered as my mate rested against my back, his breath tickling the sensitive skin at the back of my neck. Not pulling out, Dav pulled us over onto our sides, pushing the soiled pillow away. We were both panting, our bodies locked together.

"I love you," he said as he nuzzled my neck.

I squeezed the arm draped over my stomach. My voice was hoarse as I replied, "Love you too." I didn't want to lose a second of this, but my eyes were so heavy.

"Sleep," Dav murmured.

***

"Fuck! What now?"

We'd been awake for a little while. Dav had coaxed me out of bed with the promise of a shower, which led to more fooling around as our soap slicked bodies rubbed against each other. This time Dav shot first, the sticky heat coating our fingers again when I came while he kissed me. Then we had to wash all over again. We were barely out of the shower when I heard the door beeping again.




Hypnotic Ch. 09



Dav wrapped a towel around his waist. "I asked Benny to bring some breakfast and some clean clothes for us. Wait here, and I'll bring you something to put on."

I rolled my eyes, knowing Dav just wanted to keep Benny from seeing me. I shrugged, turning to the mirror. There was a mark on my shoulder from Dav's bite, a faint bruise surrounding the small punctures that were just small, red marks in the center. I ran my finger over them, enjoying the tingly pleasure from stroking the sensitive skin. I leaned forward to get a closer look at the partially healed mark.

I was starting to heal really fast. Way faster than a human. A trip to see Dr. Bakier and Dr. Pannar was probably a good idea. Vertebrobasilar migraines were nothing to mess around with; I'd already gone blind once. Plus there was the whole freaky healing thing with Bob's clan.

The sound of the door opening distracted me, and I turned to face Dav. Even though I'd had several orgasms in the last twenty four hours I could feel my body reacting to how hot he was, even dressed. His clothes showed off his body perfectly, a pair of dark jeans and a button up shirt that hugged his shoulders and his trim waist. His eyes flicked down and then back up to my face, his smile turning into a bit of a leer. I could feel my cheeks heat up as I reached for the clothes in his hands.

Dav chuckled. "Benny brought some food from Temptations, including some of those muffins you liked so much last time."

"Sounds good." I pulled on the track pants Dav handed me. "These can't be your pants, I don't have to roll them up about five times."

"No, I had him go by your apartment to get some of your clothes too."

I pulled the green t-shirt over my head. Looking down, I saw the logo for my favorite band. I'd bought it when I went to a concert with Matthew. My stomach clenched, and I leaned against the counter as tears filled my eyes.

Matthew.

I still couldn't believe my friend was gone. He'd been my best friend for so long, ever since Isiah moved away.

"Ellis?" Dav stood behind me, pulling me to his chest. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "I can't believe I forgot about my best friend; how horrible is that? He died because of something I asked him to do, and I haven't done a thing about it."

Dav's arms tightened around me. "You stopped the man responsible from hurting anyone else. You might not have been able to save Matthew, but you kept Mishtar from hurting more humans in his plan to create a war."

I sighed. "Still, I feel responsible. Have they found his body?"

"I don't know," Dav said, "but we can ask Velaku later. I want to take you to the hospital after we eat; the doctors know we'll be coming."

I turned in his arms and met his lips in a soft kiss. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"You're my mate; I'll always take care of you."

My stomach rumbled; I smiled wryly when Dav grinned down at me. "Good thing you ordered breakfast."

***

The Falcons Velaku sent really were good. Even though I knew they had to be there, I couldn't see them. I couldn't exactly search the skies, but I looked in the mirrors whenever I could as Dav drove us to the hospital.

The tests were invasive, time consuming, and annoying as I was examined, poked, injected with fluids, and scanned. At least I didn't have to talk about my sex life with my boss since Dr. Pannar couldn't make it. Dr. Bakier was certainly excited when he found out about my fangs. It took me a little while to figure out how to drop them down, but finally figured it out when Dav helped me.

Of course his help also gave me a hard on I could do nothing about. I grimaced at the taste of the plastic film over the vial I had to bite to give the venom sample.

When the doctor found out that I'd bitten Dav, my mate was subjected to a blood draw as well.

"Now tell me about this ceremony you mentioned," Dr. Bakier said as he settled behind his desk. I'd finally been allowed to put my shirt back on and we were sitting in his office. "Do you mind if I record this? Dr. Pannar might have some insights and this way you won't have to retell the story."

I shook my head. "That's fine, I don't mind."

I fidgeted in the chair, not sure of how to describe what had happened. It seemed so farfetched even to me, and I was there. How did I explain the connection I felt to the circle of men or the bolt of electricity that shot from me to Bob without mentioning how it happened and the whole battle between the two groups?

"Just start at the beginning of the ritual," Dav suggested. He reached over and linked our hands together. 

Dr. Bakier's expression changed from polite interest to shock as I spoke about the feeling of power that had risen from the whale Carthera as they chanted and how it seemed to channel from the circle, through me, and into their Alpha to heal him. I could see him struggling to believe what I was saying, and I could tell when he didn't quite get there.

He leaned forward on the desk, tapping his fingers together. "You say you saw the flesh visibly knit?" I could hear the skepticism in his voice. I felt Dav's anger through our bond, clearly he could hear it too. He opened his mouth to snap at the doctor, but stopped when I squeezed his fingers.

"I did; it was amazing. Look Dr. Bakier, I know how strange it sounds but you're talking to a human male who is mated to a Carthera. I've got scales on my back and somehow grew a Jacobson's organ and a set of fangs complete with venom glands. There is more possible in this world than I ever dreamed of."

He sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. Not much is known about Carthera, not nearly as much as I wish we knew." He sat back in his chair, rubbing one hand on his chin.

"I don't know if there is much we could do to figure out what happened though. Any side effects might show up in the tests we ran today, but I frankly have no idea what they might be. Until we know more I'd avoid doing anything like that again if you can help it. You need rest, and as little stress as possible.

I barked out a bitter laugh. "I'm a nurse, not a miracle worker. I don't plan on going around offering instant healing services. I don't think I'll be working at the clinic anytime soon anyway."

"I know Dr. Pannar contacted your brother, but he hasn't come in yet," Dr. Bakier told me, "maybe you could talk to him. It would really help, though as I understand it, he is also mated to a Carthera?"

I nodded. "A tiger."

"Hmm, not sure how helpful it would be to test him, his baseline wouldn't really be human either, but it would be interesting to see if he is making as many drastic changes as well."

I shrugged. I had seen his fangs and stripes, but I wasn't sure. It wasn't like we'd had a lot of time just to chat. "I'll see what I can do when I talk to him. Things are . . . complicated, right now."

It was a little frustrating to walk out of the doctor's office not knowing anything, but I knew tests took time. It was my body changing and not knowing what else could happen was nerve wracking, to say the least.

I knew my doctor's final suggestion to stay away from any stress and relax until the test results were in was the excuse Dav would give me if I had pushed, but I didn't even try asking Dr. Bakier when he thought I could go back to work. I knew that my mate was going to keep me hidden until the last of Mishtar's men were found. Until then, I had savings enough to keep my bills paid, for a little while at least.

I wasn't sure I really minded anyway. I wouldn't turn down time alone with my mate and if he was with me he wasn't out hunting down the bad guys. Though I knew he was good at what he did, and I knew that it was selfish, I didn't want him to put himself at risk.

I considered saying something on the way over to Velaku's. I know Dav didn't want me worried, but how was he going to keep them from telling me about the men looking for me? I spent the drive over to the eyrie in silence, just trying to work out my own feelings about the situation. Things had been so crazy with Bob after the attack that I hadn't really thought much about what had happened at the safe house during the attack itself and the things I had done.

***

"Isiah?" My mouth dropped open. "What are you doing here?" I had half-expected for Elalera to answer the door, even though she was gone now.

My twin pulled me into a hug. "Did you really think I would leave without saying goodbye to you?" He looked a little disturbed when I shrugged. "I know I've been gone a lot, but I'd think that you'd know I would be here if you needed me to be."

I stepped out of the hug. "I know, I guess I just didn't expect to see you here. Where's Ahsran?"

"He's in the office, with Velaku and Natham."

I looked at my mate as he stepped into the house. He'd stopped to speak to the Falcon guards just outside Velaku's house. I'd never seen guards there before, the eyrie the Falcon clan lived in was very defensible, but some of the attackers had been bird Carthera.

Dav dropped a kiss on my head, holding his hand out to my twin. "Isiah."

"Davis."

Squeezing me tight for a minute, Dav let me go. "I'm going to go to the office. Would you mind getting me something to drink? I know Velaku always has good coffee." He turned to walk away.

My muscles tensed, and my earlier acceptance of the situation disappeared. I couldn't hold back an irritated hiss. The look on Dav's face would have been funny if I hadn't been so irritated with him. I knew he wanted to protect me, and I didn't want to be involved in hunting down the bad guys or hurting anyone, Mishtar's death weighed heavily on my conscience even if he was a murdering traitor, but I wasn't a child.

"You need to stop trying to manage me, Dav. I'm not some easily panicked weakling that needs to be shielded from all the bad things. I know there are Carthera looking for me. Don't you think that I deserve to know the whole situation? How am I supposed to stay safe if I don't know what is going on?"

"I'll keep you safe."

"Damn it Dav!" I exploded. "You can't be with me every second of every day for the rest of our lives! I may not like violence but unless you're going to give up your work for Velaku, there is always going to be something or someone that might be coming at us. You need to stop bullshitting yourself and trying to bullshit me. I've come to terms with the fact that being in your life means that things won't be easy, but I'm willing to stick it out.

"I may have to learn to carry and shoot a gun. I'm going to have to be wary of Carthera that might be angry with you, or want to control you by taking a shot at me. I fucking killed a man once already! If you haven't faced that reality yet, you damn well better start. Your life isn't peaceful and mine isn't anymore either! If I'm willing to accept that to be with you, then you need to accept that I'm your equal partner in this, and stop trying to hide things from me."

"Ellis . . .." Dav paused. I could feel his shock through the bond, but his face was closed off. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Think very carefully about what you're about to say to me, Davis," I warned. I couldn't help the tremble in my hands from the emotions surging through me so I clenched them into fists. Isiah glanced between me and Dav, his face carefully blank.

"I, ah, I'm gonna go make sure that coffee is fresh in the kitchen." He melted away, moving swiftly out of the hall and out of sight. I felt a moment of grim amusement, just because we were twins didn't mean we didn't fight over the years. I was harder to anger than Isiah, but once I was upset I stayed that way for a while.

I took a deep breath and faced my mate, meeting him stare for stare. "What's it going to be, Dav? Are you still going to try to hide things from me?"

"I was just trying to make sure you don't get stressed. You don't need to know about all this; you need to stay calm and relax as much as possible." His calm argument repeating my doctor's instructions did nothing to cool my temper.

"You think knowing my mate is hiding things from me will make me less stressed? You think knowing people are after me but not knowing who they are or what they are capable of is calming?"

Dav shook his head. "You wouldn't know those things if you hadn't eavesdropped. That's what you did, wasn't it?"

I refused to feel guilty for that. "You're damn right I did! I'm an adult; I've been on my own for years now and taken care of myself. I am not going to let you wrap me up and hide me away to keep me safe. I'm going to live my life normally."

"You're not normal, damn it!" Dav's voice rose. I could feel his anger stirring through our bond but mine was still stronger.

"No, and we both know why don't we?" I turned away, seething. I didn't know why I had gotten angry so fast but the look on my mate's face betrayed his shock when I said that. I shook my head, unwilling to say anything else. I didn't want to fight with Dav and I knew I would say more that I would end up regretting if I didn't stop. "I'm leaving."

I started to walk to the door and Dav grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back. "You can't go back to your apartment, Ellis, it's not safe."

I refused to turn around. "Fine, I'll go back to the bar and my little safe room where I can hide away like a good little weakling."

"I never said you were weak."

I shook my head. "No, you just treated me like I was." Somewhere in the last few days, it had settled in.

I'd killed someone. Not an accident but on purpose. I'd wanted him to die.

He would have killed more of my family and friends if I hadn't. It didn't make the sick feeling go away, but I realized that I could be strong; I could protect those I loved, I could protect my mate. The way Dav was treating me made it obvious that he didn't think I could. 

I wouldn't put up with it; I couldn't go back to the way I was before.

"Ellis--"

"No, Davis. I want to be alone. Just let me go." I could feel his pain, his anger, and his confusion through the bond, but I was too lost in my own to deal with anything else right then. We both needed some space.

I pulled away from him, opening the front door. There were two guards there. "Can one of you call someone to drive me back to the city?"

The one on the right looked behind me at my mate. I almost lost it again when they didn't call someone right away. Dav must have given them some signal that it was okay because the guard straightened and pulled out his phone.

***

The bar was open when I got back. Benny wasn't working the front door yet since the bar wasn't crowded, so I hoped I'd be able to avoid him and the other staff on my way down to the safe room. I headed toward the stairs up to Dav's apartment. I'd just go up and get a few things, then head down to the safe room. I knew Dav kept his fridge stocked, and as my anger waned, I realized that I was hungry. It had been a while since the muffins that morning.

I opened the door to Dav's apartment after keying in the code to the lock. I was halfway through the living room when a voice stopped me in my tracks.

"How convenient. Here I thought we were going to have a hard time finding you, but you just came waltzing right into our hands."





AN: I'm sorry for the long delay. I have been dealing with an asthma flair, and whooping cough, and a kid with bronchitis, and then spring break for both my kiddos... all back to back and mixed up. I'm feeling quite a bit better, though I have a few more weeks of whooping cough ahead. I hope you enjoyed this update, you shouldn't have to wait nearly as long for the next one; I'm finally back to writing! Thanks for your patience. 



Hypnotic Ch. 10



"Holy shit." I stared at Brad. "What the hell are you talking about? I was here all night."

"You cannot really be that stupid can you? Or maybe you think I'm stupid, that I don't know, but I do." Spit flew from his lips. "They told me what the Snake did, how he's turned you into one of him, how they figured out how to change humans to weak imitations of themselves. They're going to take away our humanity and force us to join their clans as slaves."

My mouth dropped wide open as I watched him waving a gun around, his pupils huge as he raved. That did sound stupid; I couldn't believe he fell for a story that moronic.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Brad. Who told you that?"

"Them." Brad waved the gun side to side, and I flinched. His finger was on the trigger; I didn't know much about guns, but I knew that was a bad idea. Even worse, when I opened my mouth and took a deep breath in, I knew exactly what he meant. I turned my head slowly to look behind me.

There were two Carthera flanking me, standing between me and the door. One was some sort of animal I didn't recognize. He had dark hair with silver stripes and his black eyes and claws seemed to shine as he sneered at me. The other one was a Falcon.

"You!" I stared at the Falcon; he'd been one of the two guards standing outside Velaku's door. I clenched my hands in fists as I glared at him; my teeth ached to remove the smirking grin from his face. Dav had been right. "Traitors!"

"Surprise."

I hissed at him, and he laughed.

"They're going to put a stop to this plot!"

I turned back to look at Brad. I wanted nothing more than to put a wall to my back; my skin was crawling not knowing what the two Carthera behind me were doing but I couldn't risk moving again, not with that shaking gun pointed in my direction.

"Brad, there is no plot to turn humans into Carthera. Dav didn't do this to me, there's something in my blood that has turned our mating bond into something more. It's not something he did; it's me. There is a plot to enslave the humans though, but your so called allies are the ones behind it. Mishtar believed that humans were worthless and Carthera should be in charge."

I talked fast, trying to convince Brad that he was on the wrong side. His head was shaking from side to side but the tip of the gun had drooped a little. Instead of pointing at my chest it was now aimed for my groin. I resisted the urge to cover my dick with my hands.

"Velaku is trying to stop them. I killed Mishtar and since he was paying off these two, they're mad that they're not going to get paid. They're just after revenge, and you're the one giving it to them."

Brad's brow was wrinkled.

"But . . . you've been going to the doctor, that bird one. He did this to you."

I shook my head and talked fast. "No. How long have you worked for Dav, Brad? How long have you known Benny and his brother? How can you even begin to think they would do the things you're accusing them of?"

I couldn't take my eyes off the gun. "You have to believe me, Brad, you have to--"

"He doesn't have to do anything." The strange Carthera snarled at me. "The stupid human has already done exactly what we needed him to do. He told us where the safe room was and got us in here. We were going to set a little trap for both you, but this is much better. With you as bait your mate will be distracted and easy to pick off, and we can watch him finally die."

Brad's arm dropped and he gaped at the males behind me. He started shaking and his eyes flicked back to me. I could see the shock register in his eyes as the realization of just how wrong he had been finally dawned on him. He stood frozen.

"I won't let you use me. Dav is a cold blooded killer; the only thing you're going to do is die."

Feathers rustled as the Falcon suddenly grabbed me. His talons dug into my arm and my neck; the pain was instant and sharp. I felt like I was being stabbed and it made me think of Mishtar's attack. I gasped but didn't move, afraid that the talons at my neck would puncture something vital. I knew that Dav had to feel my fear and anger through the bond and would know that something had gone wrong; I just had to stay alive until he could change the plan.

I hadn't expected to be confronted in Dav's room; I'd thought we'd have more time.

"You won't have any choice; your bond will do all the work for us." The metallic scent of blood filled my mouth as his talons dug in just a little deeper. "Your pain will call your mate and distract him."

The black and silver haired Carthera walked toward Brad. "We don't need this one now, do we? I'm feeling a little," he licked his lips, "snacky. The little blond from a few days ago isn't fresh anymore."

"Matthew," I whispered in shock. I couldn't believe he spoke so casually of eating my best friend. It was beyond animalistic, it was madness.

"Was that his name?" The Carthera shot me a glance, a smirk curving his lips. "Was he someone you knew? He was very tasty."

I felt fury flood me, drowning the fear as the male snickered. Brad made a choking sound and took a step back as he raised the gun back up and aimed it at the still advancing male.

I couldn't let this happen, even if Brad did betray us. I couldn't bring Matthew back, but I could make sure his killers died. "Shoot him!" I shouted.

The Carthera laughed. "Like we gave him a gun with actual bullets in it." He stared at Brad who was futilely pulling the trigger, the gun clicking harmlessly. The Carthera's body curved forward as he stalked the human with his thick black claws out and ready.

"I wasn't talking to him, you stupid fucker!" I was staring at a bright red dot on the Carthera's forehead.

He began to turn toward me but it didn't matter; he wasn't fast enough. The glass of the big front window shattered as the bullet sped through it and struck him in the back of the head. It snapped forward and then back as blood and brain matter exploded everywhere. His body collapsed, landing on the floor with a thud. A pool of blood and gray matter spread out along the hardwood as we all stared in shock.

Brad screamed, and I began to vomit. I could not only smell the gory explosion, I could taste it, and my reaction was instant. That distracted the Falcon holding me just long enough to weaken his grip. The door burst open, and I tore away as he tried to turn to face the new threat.

"Take it!" Dav's voice was cold, his eyes narrowed slits. He ignored the bird and within seconds I knew why. I heard a muffled pop pop and the Falcon's body was pierced by two shots; one to his head and one to his torso. He fell sideways to the floor.

I blinked up at my mate, my brother, and his mate. I ignored Brad; he was huddled against the wall in the corner holding his hands up. Isiah and Ahsran stood in the door with their guns now pointed at him, but Dav ignored all of that as pulled me up and wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm getting blood on you." I didn't want to get this . . . this . . . stuff, on Dav. I couldn't touch him, so I held my arms out so I wouldn't get anything on him.

He snorted. "Like I care." He held me tighter. "Are you okay?"

I leaned against him, burying my face in his shoulder. "It's not all mine."

"I'd hope not," he said. "I'm sorry, Ellis."

"Guys? Davis? Are we worried about the human?" Ahsran's snarl let me know his opinion. I didn't want to think, didn't want to do anything but let my mate hold me but while Brad had been misguided and stupid, he wasn't dangerous.

"He didn't know they were bad." I didn't lift my head so my voice was muffled but they heard me.

"He helped them, who knows what he said and who he said it to?" My twin's voice was cold and practical.

"Let Velaku decide what to do with him." I let it go. That was the best I could do for him.

I heard someone rush up the stairs and my head shot up as Benny ran into the room. "I smelled the blood." He looked at the room. "Shit! This place is a mess."

My muscles were locked tight and I began to tremble. "Easy, Ellis. You're safe. I'm sorry the plan didn't go like we thought it would. I didn't know that Brad knew my code; I thought they'd try to follow you down to the safe room once he called to tell them you were here alone."

I shook my head and my arms went around him, wincing from the pain. "You couldn't have known; you did the best you could. I'm surprised you even let me act as bait."

"Look what it got you," he snapped, "more wounds. I never should have listened to you and your brother. I should have been in here the first moment I heard Brad speaking."

I knew he would say that. "You couldn't have known they were in here until they spoke or you heard me say something. This was the best chance to flush them out and you know it. Once you recognized the guard at Velaku's from the pictures it was the only thing you could do. I stormed off before you could get us away from the door to tell us and make another plan. Making up a plan while I drove here over the phone wasn't exactly easy, but if you'd taken him out immediately the other two could have gotten away. There's no way you could have known they were in here from Brad's little rant.

"Thank you for trusting me to tell you when I needed help." I squeezed him; I knew how hard it had been for him to let me do this. "The snipers on all the exits were a good idea."

Dav's hands stroked my back. "I never want to see you in the arms of another male. I'm really sick of people trying to take you from me and hurting you."

"I don't like it much either. At least that guy didn't threaten to eat me. I think that freaked me out more than the Falcon's plan to slice me up. What was he anyway?" I shuddered as I looked at the bloody remains and wished I hadn't.

"Badger."

I looked at Dav. "They are actually badger Carthera?"

"There are more types of Carthera in the world than the humans know, many more."

I guess I should have known that, I'd met whales, bears, snakes, foxes, birds . . . but I was pretty sure I was going into shock. Not much was making sense anymore and the room was spinning. I thought my stomach was empty but I kept feeling twinges like I was going to vomit again.

"I'm going to take Ellis down to the safe room to clean up." He glanced at my twin and his mate. "Take him to Velaku and let him deal with getting more information. These two were the heavy hitters still on the loose, but there might be some conspirators left out there."

"What do you want me to do, boss?" Benny asked.

"Get someone to clean this shit up," Dav said. "We'll go to Ellis' apartment after I get him cleaned up; you can contact me there if you need me."

***

We used a back stairwell from Dav's apartment above the club to the hidden safe room. I didn't want to let him go but I had to on the stairs to walk safely. Dav kept a hold of my hand as he led me down as if he knew how unsteady I was. My teeth were chattering by the time he got me into the small shower under the hot spray. I groaned as the hot streams pelted my skin like a tiny massage all over my head and shoulders.

I shut my eyes as I leaned back and let the water stream down my face. I didn't want to see what tissue matter the water might wash away, or the way it turned red and pink swirled as it washed the blood away and went down the drain. My arms were limp at my sides; I couldn't bear the thought of touching myself.

I didn't jump when Dav stepped into the shower, but I refused to lean back against him. I needed the water; I needed to be clean.

"I'm dirt-ty," I said when he tried to urge me back. My hands clenched into fists. I wasn't cold, but I couldn't stop shivering, and my teeth were chattering so hard it was difficult to speak.

He sighed. "Well then let's get you clean." His hands spread spicy scented shampoo through my hair, his fingers scrubbing small circles on my scalp. I leaned my head into the water when he urged it back then let him maneuver me out of the flow. My shivers gradually eased as his hands stroked every inch of me with body wash.

He turned us again, and our chests and stomachs brushed up against each other as we moved. The water slid over me, the warm spray hitting my shoulders and back like a tiny massage.

Dav's hands gently wiped at my face, and then I felt his lips press against mine. "You can open your eyes now, everything's gone." All I could feel was the warm water, his soft skin, and the love we shared through our bond.

I opened my eyes slowly and blinked a few times. I stared up at Dav; he smiled at me. "See all clean."

It took me a minute to work up the courage to look, but he was right; I was clean and the water swirling down the drain was clear. Neither of us mentioned the fact that the puncture wounds on my neck and arm were healed to small pink marks just like the other wounds that had healed to faint scars after my experience with the whales. I sighed and leaned against Dav's wet chest.

'Thank you."

His arms wrapped around me. "You did really good today even though the plan was changed, but don't you think you've proved your bravery enough? I'm tired of seeing you being attacked and held hostage by psychos."

"Me too. I could go for some peace and quiet." Dav grunted, apparently in agreement, and let me go so he could duck his head under the water. "Though I still want you to teach me to shoot. Maybe next time I can kill them before they get close enough to grab me."

He spluttered a little, and then opened one eye to glare at me as he scrubbed the soap out. "I'd rather there wasn't a next time."

I grabbed the body wash and began stroking his chest with soapy hands. "Me too, but I want to be prepared just in case." My hands began to slide down toward his hips and Dav captured them and held them still.

"As good as it feels for you to touch me, if you do much more I'm going to want things we can't possibly do comfortably in here. Can we wait until we get to your place and you've gotten some rest?"

I hadn't really planned on getting him aroused; I'd just wanted to return the favor, but the sight of his cock rising send tendrils of arousal through my body.

"Maybe I should get out and let you finish."

Dav nodded, leaning down to give me a kiss before I stepped out. "I'll be done in a minute and then we can go."

I didn't see my bloody clothes anywhere when I stepped out of the shower and walked to the bedroom, so Dav must have gotten rid of them. I grabbed a pair of sweats and a shirt off the bed and got dressed. The heavy, warm fabric felt good, comforting and heavy.

Dav came out with his towel wrapped around his waist.

"Feeling a little shy?"

I smiled at him when he rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide his smile either. I was beginning to feel better now that I was clean and I'd had a little time to process what happened. I'd be okay, and I wanted to let Dav know that too.

"I thought I'd try to make it a little easier to be good."

"Mmm, you still have to drop the towel to get dressed." My smile grew when he pulled his pants up under the towel.

"Nope." I could feel his smug satisfaction through our bond and see it in his grin.

"But now I know you're going commando." It actually was a turn on for me, and I couldn't help it when my eyes roved over him. I licked my lips, taking in his spicy scent.

"Later." Dav's voice was firm.

I sighed but knew he was right. Just then my stomach picked that moment to growl.

"Hungry?"

"I went up to your place to get something to eat. I didn't see the Carthera in the bar and I thought that we'd need some extra time, so I planned to grab a sandwich or something while I waited for them to show up."

My mate reached for me and pulled me into his arms. "You did what you thought best. I hated letting you do it, but you're right, you deserve to face the risks that you choose. Just because I want to keep you safe doesn't mean I need to lock you away when danger threatens us."

I sighed and leaned into his embrace, my hands fisting into his shirt. "That's all I ask for, and I promise I will always listen to you when you try to tell me what needs to happen so we can both stay safe."

We stood there together for another minute before my stomach growled again and made Dav laugh. "We can stop for something to eat on the way to your place."

Dav led me down another hall and then up a set of stairs that let out of the building next to the club. "I thought this was just an empty retail space? I can't believe you have a whole other exit."

"It pays to have several options for retreat; you can never be too careful." We made our way across the room lit only by the light coming in from the street lamps on the sidewalk. "I might convert it into something one day though."

His hand brushed across my back as he unlocked the door, and I shivered as I arched into his hand.

"Food and maybe some rest, Ellis."

"I don't know why I'm so horny." My face felt hot, and I knew I had to be blushing. I had my theories about it being an adrenaline response, jus part of the whole held up by gun point and clawed by someone who intends to kill me thing. Might as well take the good with the bad I figured.

"Normally I'd be all for it, but I want to get you fed and in a nice bed first." Dav didn't say things he didn't mean so that was exactly what we would do. For the sake of speed we decided on a drive through meal. It was greasier than I liked but filled the hole in my middle. 

It felt strange to walk into my apartment. Normal somehow, but now normal seemed strange. I set my keys down on the breakfast bar and checked the phone.

"There's a message from Dr. Bakier." I kept listening. "He wants me to come back in; they've some results to share with us." I looked at the clock as I hung up the phone. It was getting late.

"I don't really feel like it today though."

Dav shrugged. "You don't seem to be at risk and we're just going to rest. If there was something wrong they would have told you it was urgent; it can wait for tomorrow."

"Just rest huh?" I reached into the fridge and pulled out a few water bottles.

"Let's just go to bed."

I laughed at Dav's expression but led the way to the bedroom. I sat down on the edge of the bed and toed off my shoes and socks. I held out the water bottles. "Put those on the nightstand, will you?"

By the time he turned back around I had my shirt and sweats off and was stretched out on the top of the bed.

Dav froze. "Ellis!"

"What? I'm resting!" My grin was stretched so wide my cheeks actually hurt.

"How in the hell did you get undressed that fast?" he asked. His hands reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.

"I was commando too."

I couldn't help but stare as Dav finished taking off his clothes, exposing his long, lean body. His cock was chubbing up slightly and I could feel my erection throb a little where it rested hard against my lower stomach. I ached and my shaft felt heavy; it had been half hard since the shower. Just the sight of his sinuous and elegant body, his long lean muscles sliding under his skin, made me want to touch and taste him.

"Come on, up to the head of the bed." He gestured for me to move up as he tugged at the blankets. I scooted over and let him climb into bed beside me.

"Are we really going to sleep?" I might have to stage a repeat of the night before if that was going to be the case.

Dav's finger traced my lips and then he dipped it into my mouth. I sucked on the tip and tasted the salt of his skin below the bite of the soap as I let him slide it gently in and out. "Maybe later."

***

The next morning came before I was ready. We'd wrapped ourselves together in a tangle of limbs after Dav wiped us off; I'd shot cum all over when he finally let me drop over the edge. My orgasm had been intense, and it hadn't taken me very long to fall asleep secure that Dav wouldn't let me go.




Hypnotic Ch. 10



I lifted up my head when the phone that kept ringing went off yet again. "Dav, your phone is going off."

My mate rolled over and sighed as he reached for his pants on the floor. Dragging the phone out, he answered it. "Yeah?"

I couldn't quite hear the other person, and Dav said all of four words before he hung up. 

"That call wasn't very long." I rested my cheek on my hand and looked at Dav's serious face. "Where are we going to be? Our little break from the insanity coming to an end already?"

"Velaku called a meeting. Hopefully this will be the last of them for a while." He rolled into me, pulling me toward him as he gave me a morning kiss; I ignored our morning breath and enjoyed the caress.

"Mmm, do we have time to shower?" I asked, my hips thrusting a little to rub our bodies together.

"Not together."

I flopped onto my back, and pushed the sheet down to expose my erection. "You go first then; I'm just going to take care of this." My hand slid up and down as my other hand tweaked my nipples, then slid up to my neck to finger his bite from the night before. My eyes closed at the blissful feeling.

"Oh, you're an evil little man, aren't you?"

I let one eye open in a thin slit. "Me? I'm not doing anything. You said one of us would have to wait for the shower. I'm just making sure I don't go back to sleep. You go shower; I'm happy to wait my turn."

Dav hissed a little. "I'm sure you would be, but I think I changed my mind."

Dav hauled me out of the bed and I laughed as we hit the shower together. I turned the knob to warm and then grabbed the body wash. "You going to help me out here?" I asked as I let a thin line drizzle on my aching flesh. I began to stroke my cock with the slippery fluid as I bit my lip and watched his pupils widen.

Dav turned me around out of the spray, taking the bottle from me. "Put your hands on the wall and don't move." His sibilant hiss sent a shudder down my spine, and I felt goose flesh break out on my arms.

His slick fingers wasted no time rubbing in my crack as he searched for what he wanted; I gasped as he thrust two inside at once. "Hmm, you're still stretched from last night," he said.

I heard the snap of the bottle closing and then Dav's chest pressed against my back. I pushed back against him, widening my legs. His cock slid between my ass cheeks and he hissed.

"Lift your leg." His hand tapped my left leg, and I picked it up and let it settle on the edge of the tub. "Perfect."

His first thrust inside was fast, pushing a cry from me. Dav grunted as he bottomed out, then froze. "Okay?"

I panted, and my head hung low as I struggled to accept his cock. I might have been stretched some from last night, but he was still a good size. His hands were hard on my hips as he squeezed and stroked my sides to help me loosen up. It didn't take long, though, before I relaxed into his warmth and began to enjoy the full feeling.

"I'm okay," I said as I cocked my hips back and wiggled to let him know he could start moving.

Dav's hands held my hips, pulling me against him each time he thrust in. I gave into the rhythm, letting the sensations push me closer and closer to my orgasm. I was panting and trying to push back.

"More, Dav, please. Touch me." I moaned as I begged; my chest was tight and it was hard to breathe poised on the brink. All it took was Dav's reaching around and gripping my cock in his hand; he stroked once up the length and then squeezed the head and I feel headlong into another amazing orgasm. I grunted and felt my balls lift as I painted the wall with my cum.

Dav thrust hard a few more times, moving through the pulsing spasms of my body. The last fierce push was so forceful my arms slipped and my chest slapped against the cold tile. My eyes closed as I felt his cock jerk inside me.

He leaned against me, his forehead against the wall of the shower by mine.

"Gods Ellis, that just gets better every time."

I nodded weakly. "I love you."

His kiss on my neck made me shiver. "I love you too."

***

"So do you think we can have a meeting with Velaku that doesn't contain mayhem?" I asked Dav on the drive over to the eyrie. We'd left after I called into Dr. Bakier's office and made an early afternoon appointment.

"I hope so. We've caught or killed everyone we knew was involved in the takeover attempt; what could happen?"

I laughed. "I don't think you should say that, seems like it's just inviting trouble."

Dav squeezed my thigh. "I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"Mmhmm," Ellis murmured. "Sure you can."

We parked outside the eyrie and walked along the cliff path to Velaku's door. I wasn't exactly surprised to see a new guard had taken the place of the one that had tried to kill me. This time Natham answered the door instead of my twin.

"Hey Davis, Ellis, come on in. Can I get you guys some coffee or anything?"

"Sure." Dav was always ready for coffee.

"Can I just have a glass of water?" I was used to avoiding caffeine with my headaches, so I'd never really acquired the taste for coffee.

"Of course. You guys head down to the office; everyone else is already here, and I'll bring the drinks."

Dav led the way down to Velaku's office. I had a flashback of the first time I'd been in there; many of the same people were there for this meeting as well. I could feel my body stiffen a little and then Dav's hand tightened on mine. He began to rub his thumb along my knuckles.

He pulled me close to him and kissed my temple, flicking his tongue against my skin. "Relax," he said quietly, "it's going to be okay."

I took a deep breath and let it out. "I know." Things were different now; Dav's love flowed through the bond and I met it with an answering wave. I squeezed his hand and let go.

"Hey brother." Isiah stood up from his chair and wrapped me in his arms.

"That is so weird, seeing the two of them hugging," Ahsran said.

"It is strange to see such a perfect copy of my mate."

Isiah whispered in my ear, and I nodded. Isiah bared his fangs at Dav and I hissed at Ahsran. "Not such a perfect copies anymore, are we?"

Ahsran snorted. "Guess not."

Isiah let me go. "I hear you caught the last of the bad guys. Should we give you a superhero sticker?"

I slugged him in the shoulder. "Shut up. Besides, I didn't really catch them; they caught me." Ahsran rumbled a little, but I was pretty sure he knew I wouldn't hurt my twin. Isiah rolled his eyes and plopped down in his mate's lap so I could have his chair.

"They were supposed to," Dav said.

"Even if it didn't go exactly to plan." Velaku spoke up. I gave him a polite nod; he was sitting behind the desk. His white wings were folded behind him and he looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him.

Dav shrugged as he turned to face him. "Things rarely do. The second Ellis realized he was being ambushed in my apartment instead of the safe room he called me and we were able to reposition. The rogue Carthera were caught, and the humans in the club didn't have a clue anything even happened. I count that as a job well done."

Natham came in the room with a tray of drinks. He set it down on Velaku's desk and everyone quietly picked up their drinks. I wasn't thirsty, but I found myself twisting the cap on my water bottle off and then putting it back on over and over again.

Velaku sipped his coffee as Natham leaned against the desk with his own cup. "I didn't hear the whole conversation, but I heard what Davis said," he paused, "and I agree with him. Ellis made sure the team had the information they needed to ensure the mercenaries were taken down. With those two out of the picture, the threat from Mishtar's supremacy group is pretty much gone."

It seemed a little anticlimactic. Just two shots and they were dead. After the big battle, it seemed like almost a casual event. It had been planned over the phone on the spur of the moment. It took me a second to realize that I was thinking of the deaths of two Carthera who planned to hurt me in order to lure my mate in and kill him as anticlimactic.

My life had sure changed.

I looked over at my twin and Ahsran and then at Benny, Jerret and his mate, Calix. "If there is no longer a threat to the clans, why did you call this meeting?"

"Brad still presents a problem. How he could work in your club, Davis, and be friends with your bouncers, and yet still believe the bullshit that we're trying to take over the human world by mutating them? Did he hide his bias from you somehow? Did you know and ignore the danger he represented?" 

Jerret growled and Calix put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from standing up.

Natham looked over at the tiger with a steady stare. Jerret pressed his lips together and looked away first. Natham's ears flicked once. "We know he's your friend, but he was working with these guys. Did you have any idea of what he was up to?"

Benny stiffened and pushed away from the corner he'd been standing in. His eyes were narrowed as his claws flexed in and out as his hands fisted."Of course not! We would never allow anyone to hurt humans, much less the clans."

Velaku raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Weren't you the one that attacked Ellis?"

"That was a big misunderstanding and you know it," Benny snarled. "I thought he was betraying Dav and was murdering people. Once we found out about Isiah I asked Ellis to forgive me."

He had, leaving me phone messages since I refused to see anyone after Dav tried to kill me. He'd asked for forgiveness in person once Dav and I made up.

"I hold no grudge against Ellis, and Dav is my friend. I'd never wish for him to lose his mate and go feral."

"And the human didn't say anything to you?" Natham asked Jerret.

Jerret's nostrils flared. "I would have told Benny or Dav immediately if he had. Brad is not a bad guy; he just believed the wrong people. Is the story those Carthera were spinning that much of a stretch to really believe? I mean," he waved a hand at me, "look at him."

All eyes turned to me. I clenched my hands on the water bottle and it crunched a little; I hated being stared at.

Jerret continued, "Brad met Ellis when he was a human, then he mated with Dav and suddenly he's not so human."

I frowned a little. "But I still look human. I've never understood that; Brad never saw my fangs or anything, and he never met Isiah. So how did he know I was changing?"

Velaku sat back in his chair. "That one is probably easy enough to understand if he saw Dav take you to the safe room after the battle with Mishtar. You looked really bad; we all did. If the mercenaries told him how you killed Mishtar and he saw all the blood on your clothes and face; he'd believe it. Your fangs were exposed too."

"Why don't we just ask him?"

I didn't exactly like the idea of coming face to face with the guy who held me at gunpoint the day before, but I knew the guards would keep a hold of him and he wouldn't have any weapons. Dav's tongue flicked in the air and then he sent me a wave of reassurance through our bond. "If he lies, I'll be able to taste it."

Velaku nodded and one of the guards by the door left. I turned to Dav. "I didn't know you could taste lies."

"Emotions cause the body to emit different pheromones; I'm sensitive enough to pick up on most of them. When people lie they experience anxiety and their heart rate increases. I've learned to distinguish the scents that usually accompany lies. I don't know if you could do it; you're not really a Snake."

He put his cup down on the desk. "I should probably stop drinking this though, if you're bringing him in for questioning." He looked at Velaku. "I'm surprised you didn't already."

"Well, he was a little hysterical once we got him here. Dr. Pannar thought it best just to sedate him. He was your employee for a long time; I didn't want to interrogate him, but we do need answers."

I didn't want to hear about questioning anyone; I wasn't looking forward to it at all. I didn't think they'd use violence, but Brad had tried to kill me. Dav wasn't likely to feel very generous toward him. I turned to Isiah while we waited. My twin was snuggled up on Ahsran's lap and the big tiger was nuzzling his shoulder with his cheek. "So how much longer are you going to be in town?" I asked him.

"I'm not leaving."

My jaw dropped. "What? But aren't you still part of the military? Won't you get in trouble?"

He smirked at Ahsran. "I wasn't exactly military after the government pulled me for undercover work. Ahsran had more than a little bit of pull with my bosses and he refused to give me up after we called in that the assignment was complete." He grinned and flashed his thick fangs. "Besides, I'm not exactly inconspicuous anymore, and Ahsran wants to get to know his brother now. They didn't argue for too long."

I leaned forward, my hands once again twisting my water bottle lid. "So you're staying? Here? In town?" I couldn't believe it.

"Well, not in town; we like a bit more space than what we'd find in an apartment. Natham found us a nice place not too far from here; it's a two bedroom house that borders some clan land. We can play in the woods and still be close to both of you."

I sat back in my chair with a big smile. "That's great. But what are you going to do for work?"

"For now, neither of us needs to work; we got some wicked hazard pay bonuses. When we do go back, Ahsran works for a coalition of the clans investigating Carthera problems and they're willing to use me as well. We might have to travel from time to time, but in the meantime, we'll be here."

I knew I couldn't change Isiah any more than I could change Dav. They were not men made to sit on the sidelines when there was trouble brewing; they had to be there to stop it. I didn't like to think of Isiah in danger and I knew I would worry about him just as much as I would for Dav, but I also knew Ahsran would be there to watch his back.

"So does this mean that you're finally going to get your piano out of my apartment?"

Isiah laughed. "Sure, bro. The house has a nice big living room and I already have a space planned for it.

"Perfect. Just so you know, I'm making you take it out of there. Do you have any idea of how difficult it was to get the damn thing into my apartment in the first place? It weighs a ton!"

"Drama queen! It doesn't weigh a ton; maybe half that." He laughed again. "Don't worry, though," he smacked Ahsran on the chest, "I'll get my brawny mate and his brother to help me."

Natham's head swiveled from his own conversation with Velaku and Dav. "Did I just hear you say you're going to make me help move a piano that probably weighs a thousand pounds just because your mate is my brother?"

Ahsran's grin showed off his fangs. "Isn't it great to have family?"

It was my turn to laugh. It was good to have family. Things kept changing so fast but I had my twin back and his mate had found peace with his own brother. I had my mate, a man who loved me more than anything and who deserved the best that I could offer him. It seemed like everything was falling into place, but we still had my doctor appointment that afternoon. I couldn't erase that niggling fear that somehow the venom that seemed to make me better was no longer working and I'd face blindness and death again. Having been there once, that made up the bulk of my nightmares lately.

Plus I'd long since learned that when it seemed like things were turning out good to watch out for the other shoe that would inevitably drop kick my ass.

The door opening brought me out of my thoughts. Two guards walked in, half carrying, half guiding Brad as he stumbled into the room. His eyes went wide as he saw everyone staring at him. I saw his stare bounce from my twin to me a few times before he settled on looking at his best friend.

"Jerret--"

Jerret growled. "Save it man." He looked away, his arms crossed over his chest.

Brad's lips were trembling and he was taking shallow breaths as he was pulled to a stop by the desk where we could all see him. He was just about two feet from Dav and I could see how nervous that made him. My mate was eyeing him and his fangs were clearly exposed through his partly open mouth.

Velaku's wings rustled and Brad's eyes jerked to him.

"We have some questions for you, and I suggest that you answer them honestly."

He swallowed hard but he nodded. I took a breath in through my mouth and almost gagged. I could immediately understand what Dav meant about tasting the pheromones in the air from emotions; fear was a noxious one. I looked at Velaku, and I had to concede that Brad had plenty of reasons to be afraid. Natham had moved to stand directly behind Velaku's chair and his dark eyes glittered. The Falcon was small, as were all his kind, but he had wicked looking talons that he was using to tap on the desk and his large white wings took up a lot of space even folded behind him, making him look much bigger than he was. Natham wasn't much better; the lynx's ears were back and his fangs exposed as he stared.

"We know what you told Ellis when you held him at gunpoint." Brad flinched and his eyes shot to me and then away, "but we don't know why you believed it. Ellis is Dav's mate, but why would you believe that we were using him as an experiment. Why did you think we would want to change humans into Carthera?"

Brad couldn't talk fast enough. "My dad was anti-Carthera and he used to say that he wished the good old days would come back when no one cared when your kind were hunted down like animals. I grew up with that, and even though I didn't agree with him, I knew exactly how most humans thought about Carthera and treated you for so long.

Then I saw Ellis' fangs that night and it freaked me out. I didn't think it was possible that a human and a Carthera could be mates naturally. It doesn't make much sense since we couldn't change like your kind do, you know? But then I saw him and kinda freaked out; I was out behind the club trying to figure out what the hell was going on and calm down when those two Carthera found me. They said he had been going to these doctors and stuff. They showed me pictures of him going in the offices and then they told me about what he did to Mishtar. How he," he swallowed hard, "how he bit him and poisoned him because he found out. That's some freaky shit, and I didn't want to be next!"

Velaku's eyes narrowed. "Did they tell you that Mishtar had just killed my mother during an attack on one of Dav's safe houses? That he had my father tortured to death and had my mate and me taken and tortured with plans to have me killed in an attempt to take over my territory?"

Brad's mouth dropped open. "No!"

"He did. Ellis was protecting his mate and himself when he bit him. Mishtar took him as a hostage and would have killed him without a second thought."

Brad shook. "I-I . . . didn't know." Dav gave Velaku a slight nod. "It just . . . it seemed so believable, and I was so scared. They told me that you could have already started changing me since I was around so many Carthera, and that you'd let anyone claim me as a mate, but I'd be like a slave."

I couldn't believe how they'd twisted the truth. Hearing Brad's story made me understand how he could believe it though. "I work for Dr. Pannar in the clinic," I said, "and I've been seeing my doctor for years for migraines. They're not experimenting on me at all. Mating isn't like that either. Dav didn't pick me and I didn't pick him, but we love each other." His hand tightened and I squeezed him. "We're meant to be together, two parts to a whole. I didn't really know what it was until we bonded, but I knew that I wanted him more than any man I'd ever met. Once we bonded . . . well, I can't describe it. Besides, unless they had a true bond with you, no Carthera would mate you. If they did, they'd never get to change into their fully mated forms. They certainly wouldn't want to enslave you or any other human."




Hypnotic Ch. 10



Brad turned to me. "I'm sorry, I really am." His eyes swung to Jerret and Benny, then over to Dav. "I was just so scared and the things they said were so convincing at the time. I didn't know what else to do."

Jerret's voice was harsh when he spoke up. "You should have come to me! We were friends. I wouldn't have ever hurt you, or let someone else hurt you either. You should have known that!"

Brad's shoulders slumped. "I know."

Velaku's talons tapped on the desk as he stared at Brad. "Davis?"

My mate spoke, "He's telling the truth, and he really is sorry."

His wings rustled as Velaku sat forward to stare at the human being held between the two Falcon guards. "If I let you go, what will you do?"

Brad gasped. "Nothing, I swear!"

Dav nodded again. "Truth. I won't have him around my mate, though, and I won't ever trust him again." He looked at Brad. "You know you're fired. I can't guarantee that I wouldn't take you down if you ever came near my mate again. I can't help but see you as a threat." 

Brad's lips trembled but he took a deep breath and nodded. "I don't blame you. I . . . I can move. My sister has been begging me to come live back home. I'll do that; I'll go away and not come back. I swear."

"Ellis?"

I looked away from Brad. I didn't want him killed, or held by the Carthera either. I nodded. 

Velaku looked up at his mate who nodded as well. "Okay then. We're in agreement. I don't have the power in the human world to enforce this but I think it is pretty clear that coming back here will mean serious consequences. You have five days to be out of my territory."

Brad's legs buckled until the guards were the only things keeping him up. "Thank you. Thank you for not killing me."

His abject thankfulness for his life made my stomach clench a little. This world I'd become a part of was harsher than I'd realized, but I wouldn't regret mating Dav for any reason. The office was quiet after the guards took Brad out of the room. Velaku sighed and leaned his head back against Natham's stomach.

"Hopefully now we can all get some peace and enjoy our matings as we get on with life."

I had turned to check the clock on the wall and saw Benny's flinch when Velaku spoke. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him and what little I knew about his mate. I sucked in a breath of air when I saw the pain in his eyes and winced at the bitter taste on my tongue. I rubbed my tongue against the roof of my mouth. Benny was in so much pain at the mention of mates; I couldn't help but feel an echo of it in my chest. If I lost Dav in the way he'd lost his mate I'd be devastated; I prayed that whatever the doctors said that I'd be okay so that my mate would never be forced to feel that pain either.

"Dav? My appointment is in an hour; we should probably get going."

My mate nodded.

"Appointment?" Isiah asked. "What appointment?"

"My doctor called and wanted to see me."

Isiah sat up. "I thought that you were better now."

"Dr. Bakier called and told me they had more results back from my blood tests. They are also wondering why I've changed so much; Dr. Pannar was supposed to have talked to you."

"He did, but I didn't want to go in while things were still so unsettled." Isiah searched my eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I don't know; they haven't been able to do much more than guess."

He didn't look any happier with that than I was. "You could come with us," I suggested.

Isiah looked at his mate. Ahsran's voice was deep and rumbled in his chest when he spoke. "If they will understand better what is going on with the changes you two are going through, then it is worth the time."

"Okay, we'll go."

We all stood up. Benny pushed away from the wall. Jerret and Calix had disappeared right after Brad had been taken away by the guards.

"Thank you for coming," Velaku said as he stood up and shook hands with all of us as we got ready to leave. "I hope you know how much I appreciate everything you have all done for the clans."

Once they got out to the cars, Benny split off from the group. His back was rigid and he answered Dav's goodbye with a wave.

Dav looked over at Isiah and Ahsran. "Do you want to ride with us?"

Ahsran shook his head. "I had my truck driven down here. We will follow you so we can head back to our hotel once we are done."

"Okay."

We were quiet on the ride to the hospital, but Dav held my hand the whole time. He pulled into the parking space and shut off the car and then turned to me.

"You know we'll be okay no matter what they say, right?"

I gave him a small smile. "I know."

***

We were all sitting in the waiting room looking at old magazines when Dr. Pannar swept into the room. "Ahh, there you are. Good to see you, Ellis."

He turned to Isiah. "I'm glad you could come today too. You should know what we found out too."

Isiah and I exchanged glances and I bit my lip.

"Ready?" Dr. Pannar asked me.

"Not really," I said, "but I need to know once and for all what has happened to me."

Dr. Bakier shook hands with everyone and then told Ahsran and Isiah to pull up the spare chairs that had been against the wall. Dr. Pannar stood; his wings didn't really fit for sitting in human chairs.

"Okay," Dr. Bakier tapped a thumb on the desk. "I'm not sure exactly what you do and don't know about how Carthera seem to change when they mate."

Ahsran answered in his deep rumble, "When two Carthera mate and create a blood bond, the magic changes them into their mated forms."

Dr. Pannar nodded. "That is partly true; there is a magic involved that can't completely be explained by science but we think we've found something important."

I tensed; my back was rigid and not even Dav's touch could help me relax. "Enough with the Q and A about mating. Just tell me, are my migraines coming back?"

"Oh no! No, that's something else. We've tested and checked your scans; there is no sign that you have ever suffered any migraines. I think Davis' venom may have cured that. We asked you to come here to discuss your physical changes."

I couldn't just let that go without an explanation. "Just like that? My migraines are cured?"

Dr. Pannar nodded. "As far as we can tell, though we cannot say for certain what corrected the damage."

"What about that strange healing ceremony? Could that have gotten rid of my migraines?"

Dr. Bakier shifted in his chair and frowned. "Well, I have no way to test that phenomenon to know for certain. What I do know is that there have been some studies made about the effects of venom on certain conditions. It has not been proven to be extremely beneficial for ordinary people with animal venom, but it is entirely possible that Davis' venom cured you."

Dr. Pannar spoke, "We might never know for certain what actually fixed the damage, though, and I won't discount the whale magic. There is much in our world that defies modern explanation."

I suddenly sank back into my seat, my relief so strong that I couldn't speak for a minute. I wouldn't go blind again; I wouldn't die. I had been living with the knowledge, and the fear, of when that could happen to me for so long that it felt like I could finally take a deep breath for the first time in years. I blinked back tears. Dav leaned over and pulled me into his arms and held me for a few minutes. I was grateful that everyone gave me some time to gather myself.

I pulled back out of Dav's arms once I was sure I wouldn't break down in tears. My mate rubbed his hand down my arm and then held my hand. I was glad; I didn't really want to let him go right now either.

"Sorry."

My doctor shook his head. "It is understandable, son. I don't usually get to give my patients a lot of good news; I'm just glad you're better."

"So, what was with the questions about mating then?"

Dr. Pannar's wings rustled as he shuffled some papers in a folder on the desk. "It is very rare for humans to mate with Carthera, as you know. Typically a human mate would get some sort of symbol of their mates but they don't go through physical changes like you two appear to have done."

"Like my fangs," Isiah said. "My eyes have changed too; I can see in the dark much better and lately I've noticed the shape of my pupil appears to be changing."

Dr. Pannar stepped forward. "Really?" He pulled a slim flashlight out of his pocket. "Do you mind?"

Isiah looked a little startled, but he shook his head. "Go ahead."

We all watched as Dr. Pannar shined the light in Isiah's eyes, asking him to look this way and that. "And now you," Dr. Pannar gestured at Ahsran who leaned forward and was treated to the same light test. "Fascinating," he murmured.

"I think Isiah is going through the same process Ellis did," Dr. Pannar said as he looked at Dr. Bakier, "but we will have to run more tests to be certain."

"Would someone please tell me what process you're talking about?" I felt my leg begin to bounce up and down as I fidgeted.

"Sorry, Ellis, this is just so amazing. Dr. Bakier, would you like to explain? You are the one who came up with the theory."

"Of course. He leaned his arms on his desk and looked at me. "As a nurse, I know you learned about cells in school. I'll try to explain this so everyone can understand it though."

He cleared his throat. "Basically it is very simple. When life begins, human or Carthera, it is as a single cell that begins to divide after insemination. The important thing about this first cell is that it something what we call a totipotent cell. It has the ability to divide and change into many different types of cells, which then become the different parts of the body. However, once that division occurs past a certain point the cells specialized and no longer considered totipotent cells. That happens very early in embryo development. By studying the basic cellular make up of our two species, we found was that Carthera and humans are almost identical. Almost. Carthera do have a certain type of cell that humans don't have.

"These specialized cells form in the areas of the body where the Carthera will change when they mate, but as with most cells, once they have divided to a certain point they become senescent. That means they can't divide any longer. That is why Carthera still look human before mating; the cells are not able to change and become the physical attributes that make up the different clans. However, we believe that a certain enzyme, called telomerase, is transferred between mates during the blood bond and then reactivates those cells, causing them to divide and change at an extremely rapid rate to create the changes you see during a mating."

I nodded. "Okay, though I've never seen cellular reproduction move so quickly; the changes some Carthera go through are almost instant. My changes haven't been."

Dr. Pannar cleared his throat. "That is part of the bonding that has never been really understood scientifically, either, but we know it happens, if not how."

Dr. Bakier looked at Dav, Isiah and Ahsran. "Are you guys getting this so far?"

They all nodded, so he continued.

"Okay, well as far as we can tell, humans don't have those cells. Ellis didn't either, at least at first. What I did find in your original blood samples were a quantity of totipotent cells, something I'd never seen in an adult before. These cells seem to have activated after you bonded with your mate and then began to change into the same type of senescent cells he has that create the physical changes a Carthera goes through. The extra step of the cells changing seems to be taking longer than a usual mating change would between two Carthera."

I frowned. "That makes sense . . . but how is that possible?"

Dr. Bakier shook his head. "We don't know. I've never seen it before, and it's never been proposed as a theory in any journal, study, or test that I could find."

"These cells . . . they could be very important, couldn't they?" I said slowly.

Dr. Pannar nodded. "We don't know if more people have them or not. Yours have been changing; you have far less totipotent cells in your blood samples now than you did when you first mated. I'm guessing that in the end, all your totipotent cells will become specialized cells and you will physically match your mate."

"However," my doctor said when Dr. Pannar paused, "for now, we don't know if this is more than a theory. We need to test Isiah for these totipotent cells, and then we'd like permission to contact your families and see if they would be willing to give blood as well."

"You think it might be hereditary?" Isiah asked.

"Well, you did grow fangs as well," Dr. Pannar's wings rustled as he gestured toward Isiah's eyes, "and it appears that you are developing eyes similar to a cat Carthera. It appears that your pupils are being controlled by two ciliary muscles on either side much like a tiger's, rather than a single circular one like human's have."

"What we don't know is if this change both of you went through is solely because you are identical twins and carry a unique genetic anomaly individual to you two, or if others in your family carry the same trait. If they do, we need to start some studies and see if this is something that is happening in the human population in general or not."

I could feel my mind racing as I came to the realization they had already come to. "If this is happening to more people, then that means we're some sort of new adaptation, some sort of specialized type of human. We're not Carthera, but we have the potential to become them, if we find a mate."

My mate stared at me with his eyes wide. His face suddenly fell blank, and I felt him pull away from out bond. I felt a burst of shock as he closed himself off from our bond again. Why was he doing that; did he think I was a freak? I didn't have a chance to demand he tell me what was going on before Dr. Bakier spoke again.

"Basically, that's exactly right. This could be huge in changing how humans and Carthera view each other. I've always thought that our two species had more in common than we had different; originally we had to come from the same ancestor. A link between the two evolutionary branches, when one didn't die out, was inevitable. You could be that link. We really need to start testing Isiah's blood and contact your family."

Isiah and I exchanged looks. "You might not find much luck there."

"Oh?" Dr. Bakier's eyebrows went up. "Why do you say that? You don't want us to test you Isiah?"

"No, I don't mind," he said, "but our family sort of disowned us. They're not exactly what you would call the most open minded of people. Calling them a link between people and those they think are animals is something that will gall our parents; they will not agree to any testing."

Dr. Bakier's face fell and Dr. Pannar's wings drooped. "Xenophobes, are they?"

"Extremely," I said in a dry voice.

"Maybe . . ." Isiah tapped his chin. I looked over at him. "Remember that one time Dad got that phone call and he exploded? He said not to call back because he didn't have a sister anymore." I nodded; I remembered that Christmas. We'd been young, but not so young that the memory hadn't stuck with us.

Dr. Pannar stood up straight. "You think you might have some other blood family out there?"

Isiah shrugged. "We might; I can try some of my government contacts and see if I can dig anything up."

Dr. Bakier's expression brightened and he began to rub his hands together. "Good, good."

Just then my stomach rumbled; the sound was loud in the quiet office. Dr. Pannar laughed and looked at the clock. "I think someone is hungry."

"We skipped lunch for a meeting with Velaku before Ellis' appointment," Dav said.

Dr. Bakier looked at Isiah. "Did you skip the meal as well?"

Isiah shook his head. "We were already there; Velaku made a great pasta casserole so we ate with them before the meeting." 

"You don't need us anymore, right?" I asked. I hoped the answer would be no; Dav had been acting weird since Dr. Bakier said that I was becoming like him. I was worried about what was going on in his mind and since he shut down our bond, I couldn't feel his emotions either.

We had to talk; I wouldn't allow him to shut himself off from me.

"No, but I would like you back every week for a follow up blood sample and cell test until we stop seeing changes."

I nodded. "I can do that, as long as Dr. Pannar doesn't mind me taking a morning off next week."

Dr. Pannar waved a hand in the air. "Please, my boy, the clinic is fine. You just mated and things have been very stressful of late; I think it is better if you take a few weeks off, with pay of course, to make sure these changes are safe for you. You're letting us study you; it's the least I can do. I can use temporary nurses from the service I used before I hired you."

I hugged Isiah and Ahsran before we left and we made plans to meet soon at my apartment so Isiah could get his piano. My mate was quiet as we walked through the halls and down to the parking lot. Once we started driving, I expected Dav to relax, but he didn't.

"Chinese sound good? I have the number on my cell; we could pick up a take-out order and then eat back at my place."

"Fine," Dav said. He kept his eyes on the road, never looking over at me and both hands stayed on the wheel.

I sighed but let it go so I could call in our order. The silence was not comfortable during the drive, but I hesitated to break it until we were somewhere private. He would tell me why he shut himself away from the bond, though. I led the way into my apartment, carrying the bag with our white take out boxes. I set them down on the table in the kitchen and then turned around.

My stomach was a bundle of knots but I thought he might be hungry too. I was suppressing my need to ask him what the hell was going on; he looked so tense. Even with everything going on, I couldn't help but admire the long, lean length of him of him.

"Do you want forks?" Dav was so graceful and elegant; watching him eat with chopsticks was arousing for me. Thankfully, I really liked Chinese food because I would be tempted to order it just to watch him eat even if I didn't.

"I'm not really hungry." Dav stood across the room from me, leaning against the breakfast bar. I sighed and put down the plates I'd grabbed so that I could walk over to him. I grabbed him by the hand and then pulled him over to the couch. He resisted but finally sat down next to me when I refused to stop tugging on his arm.

"Talk to me."

Dav's eyes roved around the room. I waited as he avoided looking at me, waited for him to speak. When the silence went unbroken I decided to play dirty.

"Are you disgusted by me now? Do you think I'm some sort of freak? Is that is why you pulled away from our bond and won't look at me?"

Dav's eyes snapped to my face. "What? No! Of course I don't think that."

I took a deep breath. "Then what is wrong? Talk to me. You promised that we would be okay, no matter what. Was that all a lie?" I refused to pull any punches; I would do whatever it took to keep Dav from trying to put distance between us.

I was just about to snap when he finally spoke. "You heard the doctor. I bit you; I made you my mate, and because of that you will become what I am."

I narrowed my eyes. That was why he rejected our bond and closed himself off from me? "What you are is fucking perfect to me!" I said. "Is this more of the whole, Snakes are dangerous and not to be trusted, issue?"

Dav pulled away from me and stood up, pacing back and forth across the living room floor angrily. His hand came down hard on the piano and the discordant notes made me wince.

"Of course it is! You don't know what it is like; how people treat you. I don't want that for you; I never would want you to face that sort of hatred. Being a Snake means being alone and cut off from everyone. It is dangerous."




Hypnotic Ch. 10



I stood up and went to him. I reached up and put my hands on his face, making him look at me. "But you're my mate; I'm not alone, I never will be."

He shook his head.

"I know your life growing up was bad, but don't you see that you aren't alone anymore? It's not just me; you have Benny and Jerret too. Don't forget that Velaku trusts you, and didn't those Jaguars offer for you to come visit and see that baby you rescued? Not everyone judges you because you are a Snake and treats you as if you're a dangerous criminal. You have friends, Davis, and people who love you."

I stroked his smooth cheeks with my thumbs. "I love you and I refuse to let you push me away. You're my mate, and I'm not ever going to let you go."

His eyes were shining but he wasn't crying, not really. Dav's lips trembled, and I waited. My mate was stubborn, but I was even more so. Then a single tear fell from his eye and trickled down his cheek.

"Don't. Don't ever let me go."

I gasped when our bond suddenly flared wide open and his lips came crashing down on mine. I could feel my fangs drop when his forked tongue slid into my mouth and split as it caressed the roof of my mouth.

I moaned and melted against his body. His hands wrapped around my back, one sliding up to cradle my head and the other pulling me closer to him. I moaned and returned the kiss, following his tongue's retreat and tasting his mouth, enjoying the bitter bite of venom I could barely taste along with the spicy flavor that was my mate.

We were both gasping when we finally had to stop kissing to breathe. Dav rested his forehead against mine.

"I love you too. I always will."

*

The End

AN: So, that's it for Hypnotic. That is NOT it for the Carthera world, however, and keep an eye out in the future for Benny's story. Thanks so much to my beta who catches most of my mistakes and pushes me to work harder, and to everyone else for reading. I hope you enjoyed the Carthera series.