He’d been too busy nailing himself a… Well, he didn’t know exactly what the hell she was. Only that she was now his mate.
“Ye really know him?” Jocko asked, his tone insistent. “Yer sure? This is important.”
“Yeah.” He scrubbed his face with his free hand, final vestiges of sleep melting from his system. “Haven’t seen him since…” He thought about it. “Since after his family was killed. I went to the funeral. Helped him try to hunt the killers down. We were drinking buddies back in Brussels in the old days.”
“Okay. I need to know where the hell ye are. I need yer carcass back at the Maine compound yesterday. Hear me?”
He suppressed a laugh. “Um, no problem. We got here yesterday.”
“Eh?”
He glanced at Callie and stroked her arm, the smile on his face almost painful. “Me and my new mate. We got in late last night. We’re at my cousin’s house. Josh Favis.”
“Oh. Oh! That’s great! Congratulations, boyo. I know where Josh’s place is. I’ll be right over.”
Before Daniel could ask him why he was coming over, Jocko hung up.
With a sad sigh and knowing he was probably saying good-bye to his morning blow job, he gently roused Callie. “Honey, we need to get up and throw some clothes on. We’re getting a visitor in about five minutes.”
“Mefurcfe?” she mumbled into the pillow.
He gently rolled her over. “Try again, pet.”
“Before coffee, Sir?”
He leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll go start the coffee. Get dressed.” He threw in some tone just to make it interesting. “Now.”
Her eyes popped open. He smelled her getting wet at the Alpha tone of his voice. He was ready for her when she threw her arms around him in an attempt to molest him. Laughing, he peeled her off him, forced her out of bed, and delivered a sweetly stinging slap with his open palm to her deliciously curved backside. “Go.”
She smiled over her shoulder at him. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl.”
Fuck, now my cock’s hard. With a disappointed sigh, he pulled on a pair of jeans and carefully tucked everything in without catching himself in the zipper. Hopefully, he could get the conversation with Jocko done and over with soon and still get his morning blow job. Josh would be at work until at least six that night.
Plenty of time for fun.
Jocko arrived six minutes after the phone call. Without formalities, he blustered through the front door. “There ye are. Listen, we’ve got a serious problem.”
Callie, still looking half asleep, emerged from the bedroom. At least she’d managed to get clothes on. “Coffee, Sir?”
He smiled. Even half asleep she still remembered protocol. “Kitchen, sweetheart. Bring me one, too, please.”
“Yes, Sir.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
Jocko watched her walk out of the room, then he turned to Daniel with a sly smile on his face. “Good fer ye! How’d ye finally manage to find someone to put up with ye?”
He arched an eyebrow at Jocko. “She’s my mate. Now what’s this all about?”
“Cockatrice. I don’t have all the details, but somehow, Brodey Lyall and his brothers are now mixed up with the dragons. Cockatrice tried to kidnap one of their mates, who’s now their Seer, too. And their old Seer was murdered at the Gathering.”
“You asked me about Kael.”
He nodded. “Aye. He’s the one who recommended we find ye and bring ye in.” Jocko glanced at the kitchen and lowered his voice. “It’s about the tablet.”
Daniel frowned. “What tablet?”
“Don’t bullshit me, boyo. Ye know damn well which tablet.”
Daniel scrubbed his face with his hands. “When can we get together?”
“We’re all meeting tonight at Patrick’s restaurant. Seven o’clock. We’ll figure it all out then.”
Callie returned with their coffee. Daniel took his from her and gave her a kiss. “Thank you, pet. Callie, this is Jocko Connelly, one of the Pack elders.”
She shook hands with him. “Pleased to meet you.”
He grinned. “Pleased to meet ye, too.” He slapped Daniel on the arm. “I’ll leave ye alone, then. Tonight at seven, though. Both of ye.” He let himself out.
“He’s…charming,” Callie snarked. “Let me guess, he’s from New York?” she joked.
Daniel laughed. “A good chunk of us came here via Scotland. He was born and raised there and even though he’s been here for over a hundred years, he’s never lost his brogue.”
“So what do we do until seven?”
Daniel grinned. “Oh, I have some ideas.” He took her coffee cup from her and looked down at his zipper before looking back up at her.
She grinned and dropped to her knees. She had his cock out and in her mouth before he could set the coffee mugs down on the nearby table. “Christ!” he hissed. “You are too good at that!” He grabbed her head and held on, letting her set the pace but reminding her who was in charge. She knew how to flick her tongue perfectly along his glans before swallowing him to the root and sucking firmly.
He didn’t bother trying to hold back. He let his orgasm roll out of him from his balls down his cock until he rewarded her with a mouthful of cum.
She gave him a happy little mumbling noise in return as she swallowed every drop, laving his cock with her tongue to retrieve every last drop until he finally had to pry her off him with a laugh. “Enough, pet. You’re done.”
She pouted. “I want seconds, Sir.”
He pulled her to her feet by the arm and slapped her on the ass. “Then go get naked and wait for me on the bed.”
Like a shot, she was gone.
He grabbed his coffee mug and followed her.
Yep, he could keep himself busy aaalll day.
PART III
Chapter One
Walter Medved, known as Wally to his friends and family, sat in his car across the street and three houses down the block from his target, Lenny’s address. He’d anticipated taking another week off following his trip to Yellowstone, but this was more important. He’d grown up in the old country hearing nightmarish stories of the cockatrice and what they’d done to his kin, as well as kin of other shifter races.
No way in hell he wouldn’t help out, even if it’d been someone besides Brodey calling him for the favor.
After an hour, he was reasonably sure there was no one else in the house. He grabbed his clipboard holding fake political surveys and headed for the house. The tiny front yard wasn’t exactly a jungle, but large, unkempt bushes concealed the front windows and shielded a good chunk of the front porch from view of the street and sidewalk. The house had chipped and peeling grayish paint that looked like it might have once been a shade of pale green.
He knocked, loudly, and waited. Knocking again just to be on the safe side, he waited. Receiving no response, he pulled on a pair of gloves, slipped a lock pick set out of his jacket pocket, and let himself in.
The deadbolt wasn’t locked, just the knob. He found out why upon stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
“Holy shit,” he whispered. The place looked trashed. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t a robbery because a sixty-inch plasma TV was still firmly attached to the wall, as well as all the electronics were still there.
Everywhere he looked in the small house, drawers were pulled out, closets were emptied, and stuff was dumped on the floor. The searchers had even pulled apart heating vent grates to look inside for whatever it is they were after.