Nutter Nero [Brac Pack 12] (7 page)

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Gunnar chuckled as he picked up his mate, setting him on his lap as they both enjoyed the hot drink. Gunnar licked the chocolate mustache from Nero’s upper lip, kissing him slowly. He tasted just like the chocolaty drink. Gunnar was never a huge fan of chocolate, but if he kept licking it off of his mate, he would soon become one.

“Nero, why do you use different names, like when you called me oyster?” Oliver asked as he drank his hot chocolate.

Nero shrugged as he turned toward the mate. “I have a hard time remembering names, especially in this house with so many. I use word association when I forget,” his mate stated as he took another drink.

“I guess that makes sense. I’ll leave you two alone. Thanks for the hot chocolate, Nero.” Oliver rinsed his mug out then put it into the dishwasher.

They weren’t alone ten minutes before George invaded their quiet moment. “Sorry, fellas, but I gotta get dinner ready.”

“My employee has to get back to work anyway, puddin’ pie.” Nero smiled up at the mate.

George raised a brow. Gunnar wasn’t sure if it was the comment about Gunnar being his employee or the puddin’ pie reference.

Gunnar chuckled as he rinsed their mugs out, setting them in the dishwasher as he walked out with his mate.

“So you like role playing?” Gunnar asked as they walked back down the hall.

Nero nodded his head as he walked beside him. “It was fun.”

“Good to know.” Gunnar would think of more roles they could play out. He stopped midstride when Hawk came out of the den.

Watching his mate for any signs of discomfort, Gunnar would let Nero dictate what happened next.

Hawk approached warily, getting on one knee in front of his mate.

Nero stiffened but stayed where he was, close to Gunnar’s side.

“I’m sorry for scaring you. Do you forgive me?”
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This was so not like his Commander. It seemed his mate had this effect on everyone in the house. They were patient and tolerant, as all warriors were with the shorter men. But something about Nero brought out the soft spot everyone held inside of them.

“It’s okay, Birdie. My employee made it all better.” Nero’s hand slid into Gunnar’s as he smiled at Hawk.

Hawk chuckled. “We’re good?”

“Okay, Birdie.” Nero looked up at Gunnar then back down at the extended hand. Gunnar saw him gulp then unsteadily reach out and shook the warrior’s hand. He smiled down at his mate proudly as Nero quickly removed his hand and shoved it in his pocket. At least his mate was trying, even though he still had the blue gloves on. It was a start.

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Chapter Five

“What’s manhunt?” Nero looked around at all the wolves’

boyfriends as they stood in the backyard. It was a little nippy out, but nothing a jacket wouldn’t cure.

“Easy,” Cecil explained. “I’m it, you men hide in the forest, and I come find you. If I touch you, then you’ll be it.” Nero scratched his head, wasn’t that hide-and-seek? Seemed these people were a little confused when it came to their reindeer games.

Everyone scattered, Nero taking off in the opposite direction as the rest of the boyfriends. He didn’t want to be touched, so he got as far away from everyone else as he could. He ducked around brush, hopped over fallen logs, and found himself at the side of a small hill.

Finding an opening to a cave, Nero pushed the vines back, sneaking inside to hide.

There were four passageways to choose from, but Nero stayed in the main chamber, not wanting to get lost. The quietness was a little discerning, but Nero didn’t want to be
it
.

He took a seat on the dirt floor as he thought about his Gunny and the rest of the men who lived there. They were different from the people Nero was used to dealing with.

They didn’t make fun of him, call him neurotic, or any of the names he had grown used to over the years. It was real nice. He wasn’t too sure about Melonee though. She was little, messy. Kids always had germs.

Nero sighed. What would it be like to live a normal life? Everyone in the house seemed to be normal. They probably didn’t know what it was like to be an outcast. He wished he was like them. Nero hated the
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fact that he feared germs and disorganization. Why did his parents have to instill this in him?

The killer part was that his parents had been slobs. They expected him, even at a young age, to make sure the house was spotless. Who did that to their child?

He knew his mom loved him, tried her best to protect him from his abusive father, but he still held some resentment in him toward her. She could have made life easier for the both of them if she had just left him.

He’d never understand her and stopped trying years ago. They had a friendship now, and that’s what Nero focused on. She would never win mother of the year, but he did love her.

Nero brushed his bum off and began to look around. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. He was too busy trying to peek into the darkened caverns as his mind wandered to pay attention. He called out Gunny’s name into the tunnels, smiling when the echo bounced back. This was fun. He did it a few more times, loving how Gunny’s name sounded on his lips. Nero knew his mate’s name was Gunnar, but using Gunny made him feel special, like he was the only one with that privilege.

When he heard twigs snapping outside, Nero ventured closer to the entrance, pushing the vines aside to peer out. A wolf was sniffing the ground, following the same path Nero had taken.

Nero watched as the wolf cocked his head, listened for a moment, and then turned toward him and stared right at him.

“Is that you, Gunny?” Nero stepped out, dropping to his knees as the wolf approached him. A wet tongue licked the side of his face.

“Ew, Gunny. I’m going to need my big bottle of sanitizer now.” Nero teased. His wolf was amazing. In the messed up life he lived with constantly being ridiculed by people who didn’t understand him, Nero was quick to accept the love and attention his wolf gave him. So what if he could change into a creature on four legs. He loved Nero. In his book, that’s all that mattered.

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Gunny turned his head up, howling into the evening air. Nero watched as a few more wolves appeared, all surrounding him. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to reveal his hiding spot. He should have stayed in the cave.

Nero didn’t know these wolves, just Gunny, and he knew for sure the first wolf was his mate. After all, he had examined the wolf from snout to tip.

The wolf padded in front of him, lowering his upper half, bowing to him. Nero got the message as he stared at the huge wolf. He climbed onto his back, grabbing the fur at his neck as the rest of the wolves followed, staying close to him and Gunny. They surrounded him, as if in protection.

Nero felt like he was riding a horse. He didn’t know anything about wolves, but he was pretty sure they weren’t supposed to be this big. His gloved hand ran through the fur at the nape, dying to take that latex off and feel it with his bare hands. But he couldn’t, not only were they outside of their bedroom, he could fall, and then germs would be all over his body.

Once again, Nero hated his fears and wished he was brave enough to take the gloves off.

Grabbing the scruff of Gunny’s neck, Nero held on as they made their way back to the house.

* * * *

Maverick watched as the wolves sent to find Nero emerged from the forest, Nero on Gunnar’s back. He let out a relieved breath as Gunnar and the other wolves came to Maverick’s side. Nero stayed on his mate.

“I don’t have a problem with you mates hanging around in the backyard. I just need you to let the Sentries know so they can keep an eye on you. No more hide-and-seek unless you let someone know.” Maverick looked each mate in his eyes.

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“It wasn’t hide-and-seek, it was manhunt, and I didn’t expect Nero to get lost.” Cecil had the decency to look shamed.

“I wasn’t lost, just lost track of time. No, wasn’t lost, not lost at all.” The shortest of the mates sat up on Gunnar’s back, blinking up at Maverick.

Maverick’s face softened. “We still need to know, so we can protect you.”

“Cameras, fences, and dogs.” Nero recited.

Hawk knelt down by Nero. “How about cameras? Would that be good enough? As you can see, we don’t need dogs, and fences would hinder our patrol.”

Nero looked to be mulling it over. “Okay, Birdie. Good.

Compromise is good.”

* * * *

Gunny turned, walking slowly toward the forest. Nero was lying on his back with his arms wrapped around Gunny’s neck. The forest was beautiful in the evening when the crickets and frogs sang. It seemed like another world to Nero and he liked it. Gunny walked carefully, probably afraid Nero would lose his hold and fall.

Gunny walked for a while, Nero hugging his neck as they enjoyed the lush greenery surrounding them. Gunny began a slow climb up the side of a bluff, and when they reached the top Gunny stopped about five feet away from the ledge. Nero sat up, looking down at the sleeping town nestled in the surrounding forest. He could see farms off in the distance and little shops that looked mostly closed, but some still had their lights on, probably close to closing for the night.

Nero slapped his hands over his ears when Gunny’s head fell back, giving a louder howl than when he had alerted the others that he was found. He stared over the bluff, wondering what Gunny was howling about. The shadows were too dark to see anything, and all looked well.

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Nero turned as five wolves raced up the bluff., all coming to stand beside Gunny. They looked over the edge for a moment, and a few growled. Nero had no clue what was going on. The five wolves took off at a fast speed, leaving him and Gunny alone.

Gunny lay down, signaling for Nero to slide off. As soon as Nero’s feet touched the dirt, Gunny shifted.

“I need to get you back to the house. Something’s going on down there. The other wolves are going to need my help.”

“Uh-huh.” Nero nodded but was focused on the naked man standing in front of him. He licked his lips at Gunny’s hardened cock.

It looked too big to do what Gunny did earlier. He would try though.

It felt good, and he wanted his mate to feel good.

“You’re killing me, nutter. I wish we could stay and play around.

Actually, I planned on it. I’m going to shift. Get back on me and hold on tight, okay?”

Nero nodded, still staring at the large length between Gunny’s legs.

“Killing me,” Gunny muttered before changing back to wolf form.

Nero climbed on when Gunny lowered himself, holding on tight as the wolf trotted instead of walked. They made it back to the house, Gunny walking them right up to their room before changing back.

Nero moaned, wanting to taste Gunny really, really bad.

“Promise me you’ll stay in our room.” Gunny quickly dressed, tying up his boots before kissing Nero on his lips. Nero was in a lust-filled daze. “Promise me, nutter.”

“I promise.”

“Good. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Gunny kissed him once more before racing down the steps and out to his truck.

* * * *

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Gunnar rammed the gear into park, leaping from his truck and shifting into his wolf form. Damn it, replacing his clothes was getting expensive.

Jumping onto a vampire’s back, Gunnar sank his teeth into its neck, getting it off of Cody’s wolf form, which was already fighting two of them as it was.

Chaos was all around them. Just what in the hell was going on here? It resembled an outbreak. Where did they all come from?

Gunnar made quick work of the vamp, running to help Storm, who seemed to be having a hard time with three attacking him. The warrior was holding his own, but Gunnar knew soon Storm would tire. Not gonna happen while he was here.

Gunnar and Storm fought side by side, slowly and painfully defeating the three. Maverick showed up, evening out the odds. His massive form plowed through the battle, ripping throats out, tearing skin from bone. It was a grisly sight. The Alpha was a force to be reckoned with and didn’t play around.

Three black cars with tinted windows pulled up. Prince Christian climbed out of the back, with other vampires joining him. “My coven has gold medallions around their necks. Do not harm them.” Christian shouted before joining the fight. Maverick must have called him.

With all the added support, the rogues were soon defeated. Prince Christian and Alpha Maverick stood by one of the black cars talking quietly. With superior hearing, Gunnar was able to listen in.

“What the fuck is going on, Christian?”

“I have no clue. Something here has set them off. I’ve never seen this many rogues gathered in one place before.”

“We need to find out what it is because I’m tired of the attacks on my town.”

“We will. I promise you that.”

The two nodded to one another before Maverick waved to his wolves to head home. Let Christian get rid of the bodies. It was his mess anyway. Gunnar shifted, getting into his truck naked as he drove
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away. He glanced into his rearview mirror, watching the vamps toss dead carcasses into large trunks.

* * * *

Nero glanced over at the window. Ricky had ushered him, along with the other boyfriends, into the library, leaving Caden to watch them.

“Do you see anything?”

“No, buddy, nothing so far.” Caden shook his head.

Nero paced around the room. He was feeling claustrophobic, needed Gunny. “You, Mark?”

Mark shook his head. “Nothing out of this window either.” They were not only watching for any signs of the warriors returning, they didn’t want to be attacked by rogue vampires. Puddin’

Pie already suffered because of his encounter.

He carried a water bottle around with him from the unrelenting thirst and ate his meat bloodier all because a vampire tried to kill him.