Chapter Five
VIC ZIPPED his bag, then unzipped it again for one last check. He’d gotten his packing down to a fine art after all these years, and he reasoned that if he forgot something, he’d simply buy it.
Which was why Saul teased him—frequently—about the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom, bulging with spare toiletries.
The magnitude of his mission probably accounted for his lack of sleep the previous night. So much was riding on its success. Aelryn had been correct: This wasn’t a goal that could be achieved with calls, Zoom meetings, and emails.
They need to know what we’re facing.
They need to understand that we have to work together on this.
No pressure, then.
Saul and Crank came into the bedroom. Saul peered at the bag. “All done? You’ve got everything?”
He chuckled. “Yes, Dad.”
Saul kissed his neck. “I still say ‘Yes, Daddy’ sounds better.” He tilted Vic’s chin to kiss him, and Crank moved behind him, sandwiching him between them.
Vic closed his eyes and lost himself in the warmth emanating from his mates—mental as well as physical. “I’m going to miss this.”
Saul brushed his fingers through Vic’s hair. “I know we won’t be able to hear you from across the US, but that doesn’t change the fact that we love you.”
“What he said,” Crank murmured.
Vic let out a sigh. “It was bad enough when I had to leave Saul. This?”
Crank kissed his shoulder. “I know. But think of it this way—you get twice the welcome when you come home.”
“What he said,” Saul added with a smile.
It was no good. Vic had to make a move or he’d stay all day in their arms. He wriggled free of their embrace. “I’ll call you tonight from San Francisco.”
“Don’t call too late, will you?” Crank admonished. “Time zones and beauty sleep, remember?”
Vic chuckled. “Neither of you need that.”
Crank gave him another kiss. “You know how to make a guy feel good, don’t you?”
Saul sat on the bed. “You’re gonna put in a lot of miles on this one. You know that, right?”
Vic knew all right. “Which is why I thought we’d spend more time together before I had to leave. Where were you two all day?”
“With Hashtag,” Crank told him. “We had something that needed doing.”
He arched his eyebrows. “Something more important than the three of us in bed?”
“Actually? Yes.” Saul reached into his jeans pocket and withdrew a USB drive. He held it out to Vic.
“What’s this?”
“We figured you needed an audio-visual aid for your meetings. Something to show those team leaders exactly what we’re facing.”
“So Saul and I, with Hashtag’s help, put this together.”
Saul snorted. “If that doesn’t convince them, nothing will.”
“It has to convince them,” Crank remonstrated. “Because if it doesn’t, then we’ve lost.”
As if Vic wasn’t already feeling the pressure.
He took the drive. “Thank you.”
“I think you’d better watch it first, before you show it to anyone.” Crank’s grave expression sent a frisson of disquiet trickling through him. “Not now—when you get to California.”
“Why? There are no surprises in here, are there?”
Saul hesitated before replying. “No, but….”
“I don’t think you wanna be watching this in a room full of military types, wiping fucking tears from your eyes, okay? Forewarned is forearmed.”
“At least if you know what to expect, you can keep a lid on your emotions,” Saul suggested.
Vic stared at the small piece of hardware. “You’ve got me curious, I must admit.”
“Put it away. Now.”
That note of steel in Saul’s voice sent a shiver sliding down Vic’s spine. Disconcertingly, his dick reacted too.
Crank sniffed, and Vic had to smile. “You may be human, but I swear, you’re developing shifter characteristics every day.”
Crank pulled Vic into his arms. “Video calls are gonna feature heavily while you’re away.”
Saul stood and joined them. “Yeah, you can jerk off while you watch me fuck Crank.” He paused. “You can also watch while he plays with my ass.”
Vic gaped, amused to see the same reaction from Crank. “What?”
Saul chuckled. “I said I wanted to try bottoming, didn’t I? So I figure Crank can show me what I’ve been missing.” He cupped Crank’s chin. “But you don’t get to fuck me until Vic comes home, okay?”
Crank’s eyes gleamed and his lower lip wobbled. “How long did you say you’d be away?”
Vic laughed. He slipped the drive into a zipped pocket inside his messenger bag, then glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “I’d better go.”
“I’ll take you to the airport,” Saul told him.
“ We’ll take him.” Crank grinned. “Think of the entertainment value when both of us give him a goodbye kiss before he goes through security.”
VIC DROPPED his bag onto the luggage rack before checking his room out. He sighed at the sight of a king-size bed.
How did that song go? Something about a bed being too big without you?
Vic scanned the QR code to see the in-room dining menu and selected a pizza. It was the safest bet. Then he unzipped his bag and removed his toiletries.
I’ll take a look at the drive after dinner.
He called Crank. “Okay, I’m here. Dinner’s on its way.” He huffed. “Pizza. It’ll do.”
“Good. Call us when you’ve eaten.” Crank cocked his head. “You haven’t watched it yet.”
“How did you…?” Vic frowned. “You’re worrying me.”
Saul’s head appeared in the frame. “We didn’t pull any punches. We thought long and hard about what to include, and Hashtag came up with a few more suggestions.”
“There’s too much riding on this to pussyfoot around.” Crank’s brow furrowed.
“We think this’ll have the desired impact.” Saul’s kind smile was a welcome easing of the tension creeping through Vic. “Call us when you’ve eaten. And enjoy the pizza.” He hung up.
The messenger bag on the desk seemed to call to Vic, and he set up the laptop. The temptation to boot it up was enormous.
What on earth have you put together, guys?
The knock at the door startled him. He dove off the bed and grabbed the bills he’d left on the nightstand. After tipping the server, he reinstalled himself, pillows stuffed behind his back as he ate and watched the news, trying not to peek at the laptop.
Fat chance.
Vic ate half the pizza, and that was about all he could manage. He grabbed the laptop, fired it up, stuck the drive into the slot, clicked on the single file on it, and sat back.
Ten minutes later, tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision as he reached for his phone.
Saul appeared, Crank joining him a moment later. Saul’s eyes were warm.
“You’ve watched it, haven’t you?”
Vic rolled his eyes. “You think I’d cry ugly tears over a disappointing pizza?” He swiped his fingers over his damp cheeks.
“It should have the desired effect,” Saul remarked.
“You were right,” Vic told him. “If that doesn’t convince them, nothing will.” He shook his head. “You pulled this off in less than a day? I’m impressed.”
“Hashtag deserves all the praise. I’d never tell him—his head is big enough—but I have to admit, he’s a fucking genius.” Crank stared at him. “You seem tired. When is your meeting tomorrow?”
“Ten.”
“Do you want to sleep? Because I can always come up with an alternative.” Saul’s eyes sparkled.
Vic laughed. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well, you’re wearing too many clothes for what I have planned.”
Vic shucked off his clothing in a heartbeat, his cock already rising at the sight of his mates, who undressed each other on the screen. He set the laptop on the mattress between his legs, settling back against the mountain of pillows, legs spread.
Crank knelt on the bed, knees wide, facing the camera, his hand on his shaft, leisurely working it. “Our boy is hard for us.”
“Always,” Vic told him, tugging on his dick.
Saul kissed Crank, a hard kiss that spoke of need. “How do you want me?”
Crank blinked. “That depends. Are we—”
“We are,” Saul confirmed.
Crank lurched toward the nightstand and grabbed the bottle of lube. “Then we’re gonna need this.”
Vic’s heartbeat quickened. “Make it a good show, guys.”
“No internal messages tonight. We want you to hear everything. Right?”
Saul nodded. “We want you to feel included in this.”
And Vic did, relishing every moan that tumbled from Saul’s lips as Crank slid slick fingers into his hole, every groan when Crank’s tongue teased his pucker. He loved the way Saul’s eyes rolled back when Crank fucked him with his fingers and sucked his cock. Vic pulled on his own dick in time with Crank, until his breathing was in synch with theirs.
Saul gaped at the small bright pink butt plug. “That’s not even gonna tickle,” he retorted.
“It’ll feel bigger than it looks,” Crank assured him. “And you should be grateful I’m working you up to my dick. First thing I took up the ass was your humongous cock.” Crank grinned. “I think you’re getting off lightly.”
Vic tugged harder as Crank eased the plug into Saul’s ass, his moan matching Saul’s as he got a front row seat. Crank brought his phone close enough that Vic could see Saul’s hole clinging to the silicone toy.
“Jesus, what did you just do?” Saul yelled.
Crank laughed. “I guarantee your prostate never felt that good during your physical. Want me to stop?”
Saul reared his head up from the bed. “Don’t you fucking dare.” Then he dropped onto his back, his hand working his shaft. “Keep going. I want Vic to see me come.”
Vic’s breathing grew labored as he watched Crank push Saul closer to the edge, and when Saul came with a cry, Vic shot hard.
Watching Crank kiss their mate was beautiful.
Saul appeared wiped out. “Oh my fucking God.” Then he rolled onto his front and glared at the camera. “You are in such trouble when you get your ass back here.”
“Me? What did I do? I’m two thousand miles away.”
“How come you never told me it felt this fucking good? Talk about missing out.”
“Maybe that’s why I’m here. Ever think of that?” Crank leaned over and kissed him. “By the way… your ass feels amazing. Can’t wait to slide my dick all the way home.”
“And you still have to wait until he’s all the way home.” Saul gazed at the camera. “Right, Vic?”
“Right.”
Vic hoped his mission wouldn’t be too long.
Home was Saul and Crank.
VIC WAITED as one by one, the team leaders walked into the hotel room he’d booked for the meeting. Watched as they helped themselves to coffee. Noted the lack of apprehension.
I’m about to light a fuse.
He hoped.
Vic had known what to expect. Aelryn had briefed him on each of the seven leaders. The last thing he’d said before signing off the video call had prepared Vic for the scene before him.
“They don’t believe the Gerans are a threat. They’re content to protect shifters, defend them…. But as for the idea that an army is being amassed? They believe it’s nothing but my overactive imagination.’” Aelryn had looked Vic in the eye. “You have to convince them.”
Vic scanned the faces of the five men and two women around the table. There was no hostility toward him, only an overwhelming feeling that he was wasting their time, that they had better places to be.
This is not going to be an easy ride.
Aelryn had indicated which of the leaders would be the hardest to convince, so it was no surprise that Torben Welland was the first to break the silence.
“Why are we here, Mr. Ryder? Not that I’m unimpressed. You’ve succeeded in bringing together every leader stationed in California, which is no mean feat.” His eyes glinted. “I couldn’t even manage to bring that off.”
Vic straightened in his chair. “You’re here because we’re going to mount an offensive that will involve every Fridan group, not only in the US, but all over the world. You are the first group to be informed.”
Stacey Miller frowned. “An offensive? To do what, exactly?”
Vic didn’t break eye contact. “To stop the Gerans.”
The shocked silence that followed his words was palpable.
Welland arched his eyebrows. “I think you’ve been listening to too many rumors. Heaven knows there are enough of those out there.”
“To stop the Gerans from doing what?” Kyle Danes stared at him. “Look, Aelryn might be a direct descendant of Ansfrid, but that doesn’t mean he knows everything. And right now he’s taking a couple of incidents and exaggerating their importance out of all proportion.”
Vic took a deep breath. “Exaggerating? It’s time you all opened your eyes and learned the truth.”
Welland’s gaze grew flinty. “You may be one of the few oral historians in existence, but that does not give you the right to—”
He lurched to his feet. “I’m going to show you what gives me the right.” He picked up the remote and aimed it at the ceiling-suspended projector. The white screen he’d had set up was filled with an image that made his stomach clench.
It was Saul in his hospital bed, the sheets drawn back to reveal his terrible wounds.
Judging by the gasps that filled the air, his guests found it as shocking.
Vic paused the video. “This is Saul Emory. Ex-Delta. A few months ago he was involved in a mission to liberate a shifter school in Boston. He was sent to infiltrate the staff to search for information but was captured by the enemy.”
“I wasn’t aware the Gerans were our enemy.” The quiet utterance came from Ben Simmons.
Then you’re in for a shock.
“What happened to him?” Rachel Yates was pale.
“I’ll let him tell you.” Vic clicked the remote, and the next frame revealed Saul sitting in a chair. The time stamp showed it had been filmed the previous day.
Saul stared directly into the camera. “I looked a mess, didn’t I? They wanted me to give them access to the shifter archives, which they assumed I could do, seeing as I was in a relationship with Vic Ryder.”
Vic’s stomach roiled.
“And did he?” Welland demanded.
Vic paused the video and rolled his eyes. “You think he’d have gotten into that state if he’d cooperated?” Then he reconsidered. “You need to understand something. These guys? They’re not nice, and they don’t play by the rules. Saul knew if he did give them the information, they’d have killed him outright.” He clicked to continue, not giving a shit if he’d riled Welland.
The guy needed a good shake-up. They all did.
“I didn’t give them what they wanted,” Saul said, “so they decided to torture me before they finished me off. I was rescued before they could achieve that particular goal. But the torture isn’t the shocking part.”
Vic’s heart pounded, and his hands were like ice.
“My wounds were inflicted by what appeared to be a ten-year-old boy—a shifter. Except I knew he couldn’t be more than one year old. The Gerans had engineered him to be a weapon. His hands became lethal claws that delivered a toxin in such concentrated amounts that I’m lucky to be here right now.”
Vic stopped the video when Miller made a strangled noise. His heart went out to her. “I know,” he said quietly. “It’s unthinkable, isn’t it? That someone would tinker with RNA sequencing to do this. That someone would even consider doing this.” He pressed Play, and a new screen appeared. It was a video of Doc Tranter answering Hashtag’s questions about how the Gerans might have achieved such a heinous result.
“I know him,” Welland murmured. “Military medic, isn’t he? We’ve met a few times.” He met Vic’s gaze. “You just got my undivided attention.”
If seeing Saul hadn’t done that, then Welland was an ass.
Then the video moved on to show the huge hall at the Boston school, with hundreds of students sitting there, most of them wearing the same stunned expression.
“Who are they? And where is this?” Niall Coates leaned forward, his eyes wide. “Is that this school in Boston I’ve been hearing rumors about?”
Vic nodded, pausing the video. “Unfortunately it’s no rumor. These kids are all shifters. Their teachers taught them that humans were the lowest of the low, that shifters were born to dominate.” He glanced at the leaders. “And then they were abandoned, more than nine hundred of them. Most of their parents refused to take them back, as many of the kids had been adopted. And the scale of these adoptions is staggering. Enough children to fill twenty-five schools, all over the world.”
“What happened to them?” Danes asked, his voice quavering.
“Aelryn’s team stepped in and took over. As of now every child with nowhere to go has found a new home and is being cared for. Loved. And where did these children come from?” He clicked Play again, and there was Dellan, talking about his more than one year in incarceration, how they’d used a drug to force him to shift, to mate with other shifters, and how his company had been used—in his absence—to develop and manufacture that drug in vast quantities.
“What could the Gerans hope to achieve with this drug? Why would they force shifters to mate?” Welland sounded shell-shocked.
Before Vic could share his suspicions, Miller let out a low cry.
“Oh Gods. They’re breeding an army, aren’t they?”
Vic sighed. “That was our conclusion too.”
It seemed they were finally on the same page.
There were shots of the camp in Bozeman, the terrible conditions in which Horvan’s team had found those left there by the Gerans. Hashtag explained in a voice-over how he’d found the camp, and that it had been hidden by manipulating images.
The faces of the inmates told a story all on their own, but Hashtag had included headgear video footage from when Crank had questioned those soldiers who’d been captured. Their words left no doubt as to their beliefs.
Their utter disdain for humans.
Vic stopped the video and turned to face the table.
The silence was oppressive.
Yates choked back tears. “Oh my God. That was….”
“Horrific?” Vic suggested. “I’d agree with that analysis too. Saul Emory is my mate. Well, one of them.”
Welland froze. “Mates? I thought that was another rumor.”
“Aelryn has found one of his two mates.”
Danes’s breathing hitched. “Two?”
Vic nodded. “I have two mates—and they’re both human. The guy questioning the soldiers? He’s one of them. And before you ask, no, I have no idea how this works. I simply accept it.” He paused. “So… now you know what we’re up against. The kind of shifters we’re up against. That only leaves one question. Will you be a part of the coalition?”
One by one, the leaders gazed at Welland.
At last he spoke. “After seeing that? Of course.”
Vic wanted to sag with relief, until he realized it was only one meeting down and many more to go.
“You were right.” Yates’s voice was flat. “We needed to know this. I assume you’re meeting with leaders all over the world to share the same message.”
“That’s the plan.” One that daunted him, if Vic thought about it for too long.
“Then we’ll spread the word. Hopefully that will pave the way for you.” She flushed. “It might also eliminate the kind of reaction you got from us.”
Vic figured that was as close to an apology as he was going to get. He couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome, however, and he knew he had Saul, Crank, and Hashtag to thank for it.
Way to go, boys. He’d find a way to show his appreciation to his mates when he got home. He smiled to himself. That was a no-brainer. As for Hashtag? Maybe we should see about getting him laid.
Vic removed the drive. “Thank you for coming. And I’d say I was sorry for putting a dent in your day, but I’m not.”
“Dent or not, this has been a wake-up call.” Welland gestured to the USB drive. “Could I have a copy of that presentation?”
“Certainly.”
Welland shuddered. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need a drink after that. And I don’t care what time of day it is.”
Vic liked the idea, but he had a long way to go.
“I’ll pass on the drink. I’ve got a flight to catch.”
And two mates to thank.