Epilogue
Laken
Two month later
“Tiny devil, this isn’t funny.” Okay, it kinda was. He’d nicknamed Isley’s animal because it was a tiny devil disguised in the cutest body. “We have a meeting in five minutes. Please?” he cajoled now he was sure the iPad hadn’t clouted the sugar glider after it fell post shift.
Laken had been proven wrong on an epic level as to how much control Isley had over his animal side when it got something into its head.
Isley had warned him, and Laken had laughed off his concern. What’s the worst he can do now? Yeah, a lot when he got into a devilish mood. He really was a tiny devil who could disappear so easily and cause mischief, like now. His head tilted as he strained to hear. Was that a squeak?
He got down on the carpet, looking under his desk.
It was bad enough when Isley’s animal had taken an instant dislike to a client from Hales, Edric, who got a little handsy with Laken—as in, he’d touched Laken’s arm three times—and Isley had to leave during a meeting because his animal tried to take control and shift.
Isley had been very apologetic, tearful even, when he’d explained what happened after the man had left. Laken got it now.
At the time, he’d been cross, not understanding exactly how Isley couldn’t control his animal side.
He’d gone and spoken to Dad who had laid it out in a way that made Laken feel like a heel.
Those with a pure animal side were in a constant state of working to find a balance between what it wanted and what the human half wanted.
What he took away most from the conversation was that the human half didn’t always win.
It truly explained what Isley’s animal side had done at the ranch all those months ago. It wanted something, and nothing was going to stop it. That time, Laken had gone and bought the biggest bunch of flowers to apologize.
Right now, his amusement at its antics warred with the need to have Isley, dressed and ready for their meeting.
If he thought talking to Isley’s sugar glider would change things, he’d been mistaken.
It had wanted some cuddles at the office right before a second meeting with Edric.
Isley hadn’t been able to stop it from taking charge, and the iPad hitting the floor had signalled the end of the discussion.
It left Laken in a cold sweat until he’d not found a squished glider under the iPad.
Except there was no sign of him and Laken worried.
“What the heck are you doing crawling around on the floor?” Jupiter asked, sailing into the office unannounced.
“Looking for Isley,” he grumbled. “Or more his sugar glider, who has taken the huff because I said he couldn’t have cuddles until after my meeting with Edric from Hales.”
Jupiter stayed where he was by the door, shoulders shaking with laughter when Laken sat back on his heels, looking unimpressed. “You should see yourself. How the mighty have fallen.”
Sticking up his middle finger, feeling heat spread up his neck, he rose as gracefully as he could and brushed the carpet fluff off his trousers. “What do you want?”
“Sugar glider cuddles of course,” Jupiter deadpanned.
“Not funny,” Laken snapped back, despite his lips quirking up at the edges. “But if you can find him, then you can have some.”
It irked a little that Isley’s animal side had taken to Jupiter, the same way Emmy had.
It liked to fly into Jupiter’s hand for fun when they went home for dinner, which had become a weekly thing in the last month.
Sometimes with Isley’s parents, who it turned out were friends with someone that Popi knew, and they’d met at one of the many fundraising events Popi supported.
Jupiter’s sharp gaze traveled the room with an eagerness that got Laken rolling his eyes. The first time Jupiter’s charmed smile had landed on the sugar glider, it had endeared it.
“He’d have won every game of hide and seek, wouldn’t he?” As he spoke, he crouched down, scanning under the desk and chairs. He stood, taking a couple of steps into the office, watching where he stepped, then craned to look up into the tops of the windows.
Charlotte appeared in the open door. “Hales’ representative has arrived. Do you want me to show him in?”
Resigned to having the meeting without Isley present—or not in human form—he nodded, hoping that Edric didn’t touch him and set off the sugar glider, causing it to do something silly.
Please behave, he sent out the silent plea as Edric came striding into the office.
He smiled politely at Jupiter, and that smile warmed when it landed on Laken.
Fuck. Fuck, no!
Isley was right, the man was interested in him. His total disregard for Jupiter, who was by far the more attractive between them, confirmed what Isley’s animal felt. Damnit all, he was going to have to apologize again.
He released a sigh and forced a smile. “Edric, nice to see you again.” He took the offered hand, shaking it firmly, and letting go fast.
“Same.” His voice was more husky than usual.
Double fuck!
Isley, where the fuck are you when I need you? Can you sense where he is?
Asking his animal was always a last resort, but he was desperate with Jupiter smirking behind Edric’s back as Laken escorted him to the chair next to the pile of clothes. He cursed silently at not thinking about hiding them.
“Samples,” he muttered while Jupiter chuckled.
“I’ll leave you to it.” As Laken glanced at Jupiter’s retreating back, his eyes widened at the waving sugar glider hanging from the woollen vest like it didn’t have a care in the world. If it was possible, he was sure it was smirking!
Isley
I’m going to kill you for this. Seriously, you had to throw a strop and then wave at Laken like that from Jupiter’s back! I can’t even speak right now.
You’re doing a damn fine job of it. All you had to do was let me have some cuddles before that ass came so I could mark Laken good and proper.
He’s marked plenty. We’re mated, or have you forgotten?
How could his animal forget when it had only been last week that Laken had sunk his teeth into the back of Isley’s neck while…
Just making sure that everyone knows. Remember that idiot in Paris. I had my scent on Laken and it wasn’t enough of a deterrent. This time I’m not taking any chances.
Taking chances? Edric isn’t interested in Laken, just the contract. Did he sound convincing, when earlier he’d allowed his animal’s doubts to creep past just for a second. Look where that had gotten him!
He is. Three times he touched him. I counted. No one touches more than once and that's a handshake. I notice these things.
Well, if that is the case, then we’ve left our mate with handsy Edric and can now make sure of nothing, because we’re hanging off Jupiter and it looks like he’s leaving the building, which means I can’t shift as my clothes are in Laken’s office. This is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into.
A terrible thought occurred. Oh God, what if he’s going for a hook up?
It was late afternoon on a Friday.
We could be stuck in his clothes for days! Isley screeched in panic as they swung from the woollen thread his sugar glider clung to, trying to decide if it was worse being caught naked or being stuck while Jupiter did…
Erm… yes… okay, maybe not my best idea.
Best idea? It’s the worst ever.
Outside the building, the icy January winds lifted the fur on its tiny body as Jupiter picked up his pace.
Unable to see which direction they were going, Isley huffed in frustration.
You’re gonna have to climb higher up so we can see where we’re going.
You might be able to leap off near Laken’s car if Jupiter’s heading to his.
Good plan.
His animal sounded way more confident than Isley, but then what was new? They reached the top of Jupiter’s shoulder, tiny paws gripping tightly into the brown wool.
Yes, look, there is Laken’s car.
Isley prepared for his glider taking flight when a dark van screeched to a halt in front of them.
“What the fuck,” Jupiter muttered, jumping back to avoid his toes getting run over.
His glider chirped and barked its alarm at Jupiter as the doors opened and four masked hulking men jumped out, grabbing a frozen Jupiter and tossing them effortlessly into the back of the van.
Jupiter landed with a loud crack, his head bouncing off the metal side of the van, his body going floppy as the scent of blood rose. The sugar glider clung on when the men crowded back in, uncaring they were stepping on Jupiter’s booted feet.
“Did you have to throw him so fucking hard?” a gruff voice growled, making the fur on the sugar glider stand up.
“He wanted him, we got him. And out cold means no drugs, which means he’ll wake up far easier for when the fun begins.”
The man that spoke held such malice in his voice, if Isley had been in human form he would have peed his pants. He was almost thankful his terror was holding him in animal form.
“Think he’ll let us play with him when he’s finished? This one’s real fucking pretty.”
“Fuck knows, he’s had a hard on for this one for a while, far as I can tell. And I doubt he’ll be so pretty when the boss has finished with him.”
They all laughed at that, sending Isley’s blood pressure through the roof. Isley wasn’t sure which one was talking when they all sounded so scary, but none of it made sense except that Jupiter was in serious trouble.
Hold on. Don’t let go no matter what, Isley sobbed in terror. His little heart was beating so fast, his animal vibrated against Jupiter’s shoulder as it burrowed into the dark wool to camouflage itself.
We can’t let them hurt him.
Isley agreed with his animal. They loved Jupiter like he was their brother. Something haunted his eyes, and Isley had gotten more sense of that as his sugar glider made friends with Jupiter.
We’re going to have to figure it out alone for now. Laken knows we’re with Jupiter and he’ll come looking for us.
He just needed to keep Jupiter safe until then.