Mysteries, Menace, and Mates (Lions & Tigers & Bears #4)

Chapter One

ARIC WAS fast coming to the conclusion that hearing his mates’ thoughts was both a blessing and a curse.

Sure, he loved knowing they were safe, that they were thinking about him.

Who wouldn’t love that? And while it made keeping secrets more awkward, he could get around that with the mental lock boxes Horvan had told them about.

The last half hour, however, had been nothing less than torture.

Okay, so they were safe. The mission to liberate the Maine camp was over, and the inmates had all made it out alive.

Better than that—they were all on their way to someplace where they could be safe, and it wouldn’t be long before whoever was left got shipped out, heading back to Illinois or wherever Aelryn’s base was located.

What tortured Aric was one man.

Well, one monster.

Aric had sat in the sunshine, and despite its warmth, his blood had run cold every time Fielding opened his mouth, every time Jake revealed some new atrocity.

How could Seth stomach it?

In the camp, Aric had lost count of how many times he’d seen Seth all weak and wobbly after coming back from their goddamn tests, but still doing his best to care for Aric.

And how did they treat him once they’d separated us?

Once Seth was too far away for Aric to feel his distress, his exhaustion.

Even when he’d seen Seth in his dreams, Seth had hidden his fatigue.

And then there was Brick. He would have heard Fielding’s interrogation too. Aric had known countless nights when he’d lain beside Brick, conscious of the inner turmoil Brick couldn’t hide.

He’s already suffered so much. This is making it worse.

All Aric wanted was to hear Fielding’s fate.

Execution by firing squad sounded like a good solution, and Aric wouldn’t draw the line at aiming a rifle at the son of a bitch.

He was a crack shot—he’d grown up around guns on his dad’s farm—and having that bastard in his crosshairs might go some way to healing the pain.

Yeah, right. As if they’d let me.

And that right there was the problem. Aric felt useless as fuck.

I want to help my mates, to help them heal.

Except what could he do? I’m not a polar bear.

I’m not a big cat. I’m a freakin’ house cat, and that means I can’t overpower anyone, I can’t run fast, I can’t take down bigger animals…

. All Aric had going for him was his brains, and his recent attack on Fielding should have proved to everyone that underestimating him was a big mistake.

The base felt empty. Aelryn’s people were all but gone.

The medics had done their job and checked how all the prisoners were faring, so now they were heading out too.

Doc hadn’t left, though, not that Aric was surprised.

Right then he was with Jake, and Aric thought nothing short of an atom bomb would drive him from Jake’s side.

Jake seemed a little older than the last time Aric had seen him, before they’d sent him to Maine. Gods knew what the Gerans had subjected him and Seth to.

Fielding was part of that. Yet another reason to plant a bullet in his brain.

Aelryn, Horvan, and Saul were deep into planning… whatever they were planning. There’d been whispers, something about artifacts, a tomb; it all sounded a little surreal. Aric’s chest had swelled with pride to learn Seth had been a part of whatever it was they’d discovered.

Eve, Roadkill, and Hashtag had taken off in the C-17, along with the rest of Horvan’s team, and were on their way back to Illinois.

Aric longed to go there too but was torn between yearning to start his new life with Brick and Seth and needing closure.

He’d walked around the base’s perimeter three or four times, trying to calm the muddle of thoughts and fears that fogged his mind.

So far he’d had little success.

“Ready to get out of here?”

He jumped at the sound of Brick’s voice and turned. Brick and Seth strolled toward him, and he ran to them. Brick’s strong arms enfolded him, and Aric breathed him in. Seth’s hand was on Aric’s back, a welcome connection.

“Can we go now?” Aric asked .

“Soon,” Brick murmured. “We’re almost done here. We’re waiting on H and Saul. They’ve let Jake sleep a little longer. He was wrecked.”

Aric kept his cheek pressed to Brick’s chest. “So what happens to Fielding?” He managed to keep his tone nonchalant, except he knew that wouldn’t work around his mates.

Sure enough, Seth stroked Aric’s hair. “That hasn’t been decided yet.”

Aric stiffened. “They can’t just forget about him.”

He wouldn’t let them.

“Hey, no one’s said that will happen,” Brick said in a low voice. “But right now Aelryn and Horvan have a mission to plan, and they might need him.”

Aric pulled away from Brick. “I don’t think so. I think Jake and Seth got all they’re going to get out of him.”

Seth huffed. “You may be right.”

“And if we’re at war,” Aric continued, his heartbeat quickening, “that makes Fielding a war criminal.”

There was only one way to deal with those.

Brick sighed, gazing at him with compassion. “We’re trying to stop this war before it even starts.”

“Brick? H wants you,” Crank hollered across the tarmac, beckoning him. “And Jake’s asking for Seth.”

Seth chuckled. “No rest for the wicked.” He kissed Aric’s forehead; then he and Brick strode to where Crank stood.

“Hey, Seth!” Aric shouted after him. When he turned, Aric smiled. “You don’t have a wicked bone in your body.”

Seth grinned. “Maybe, maybe not, but I get a wicked boner when I think about a certain kitty cat. And if we’re lucky, we’ll both have a wicked bone in our body when we’re alone with Brick.”

Aric could feel Brick getting hot at the thoughts Seth was sending out, not to mention the delicious thrill they sent through Aric, but he shoved his desire somewhere deep.

Right then he had to think clearly, and the last thing he needed were images of Brick’s dick taking up space in his head.

How big does that dick get?

He watched Brick and Seth until they were out of sight, then hurried over to the hangar where Brick had stowed his combat gear while they waited for whatever transport was going to take them out of there .

His heart pounded, and his mouth was dry as a bone at the thought of what was about to happen.

What he was about to do.

Aric made sure no one was around as he snuck into the hangar. Brick’s combat harness lay next to his duffel bag, and Aric saw the M17 handgun in its holster. His hands shook as he picked it up. The manual safety was on. Aric removed the magazine and checked the bullets.

Don’t think about it. Just do it.

He stuffed the weapon into the waistband of his combat pants, hidden below the baggy shirt they’d found for him to wear. Then he scanned his surroundings for the prop he needed.

There it is.

Aric grabbed the first aid box and headed out into the sunshine. He leaned against the hangar wall and assessed the situation. The guard hadn’t moved from his position in front of the building where Fielding was being kept, and there was no one else in sight.

Now all Aric had to do was make his move.

The sun was at its highest point when another soldier came out of the hangar, a tray in both hands, and walked toward the makeshift jail.

Perfect.

Aric ran across to him. “Hey.”

The soldier came to a halt midway between the hangar and Fielding’s temporary prison. “You need something?”

Aric pointed to the tray, which contained a plastic bowl covered in foil, a plastic spoon, tortillas, a snack-size packet of peanut butter, a bag of mixed fruit, and a bottle of water. “Is that for Fielding?”

“Yup.” The soldier grinned. “And no, you can’t spit in his cheese tortellini.”

Aric grimaced. “Oh my God, is this one of those ready-to-eat meals I’ve heard the guys talking about?”

He chuckled. “Sure is. Fielding should count himself lucky he isn’t getting the curry chicken I asked them to give him.

It was cruel and unusual punishment, they said, because he’d end up shitting through the eye of a needle.

” He gave Aric an inquiring glance. “Well? Did you want something, or are you delaying me so his food gets cold?” His eyes twinkled. “Because gee, that would be tragic.”

It appeared as if Aric wasn’t the only one who held Fielding in pretty low esteem.

Aric held up the first aid kit. “I was going to change his dressings. I might as well take him his food and save you the trip.” His heart hammered.

Say yes. Say yes.

The soldier chuckled once more. “Wait a sec. Weren’t you the one who gave him the wounds in the first place?”

He bowed his head, trying to look suitably ashamed. “Yeah, but I’m feeling bad about it now. The medics have all gone, Doc’s busy with Jake, so I said I’d do it. I do have a little first aid training.” That wasn’t a lie, but then again, he had no intention of delivering any aid.

The opposite, in fact.

“Well, okay, then. Knock yourself out.” The soldier handed him the tray. “I’m not about to argue with you, especially as you’ll save me from having to get too close to him again.” He shuddered. “That guy gives me the fucking creeps with the way he stares, like he’s seeing right into your head.”

Aric thanked him and waited for him to head back to the hangar before approaching the building.

The guard glanced at the tray, then Aric. “You been conscripted?” he said with a smirk.

“Just helping out—delivering his food and changing his dressings,” Aric replied, holding up the first aid kit again.

The guard nodded. “Okay. Knock when you’re ready to leave and I’ll untie him so he can eat.” His eyes gleamed. “But no shifting this time, okay? I thought you were murdering him last time. All that screaming…. How much damage can kitty claws inflict anyhow?”

Aric snorted. “He’s still alive, isn’t he? So not enough, obviously. And I won’t shift. You’ve got my promise.”

What Aric had in mind wouldn’t require shifting.