Don't Drink the Holy Water (18 page)

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Southwestern Shifters: Retrograde

Bailey Bradford

Excerpt

Chapter One

The New Mexico sun beat down on Marcus Criswell as he led his guards in a fighting exercise. He’d been teaching them Krav Maga for a while now and was pleased at how quickly they were learning.

Beside him, his mate, Nathan Grant, executed every move perfectly. Marcus let him take over for a few minutes just because Nathan was a study in martial arts perfection, better at Krav Maga than Marcus would ever be. Nathan was lithe and limber, and he had the body of a gymnast. His long red hair fell into a braid down past the back of his knees. He looked like some kind of supernatural fairy-slash-assassin. Marcus wanted him, always.

Nathan whirled around, and his hair flew out like a whip.

“Put a couple of weights on the end of that braid of yours, and it’d make a deadly weapon,”
Marcus thought to his mate.

Nathan executed a deadly series of strikes and kicks. Marcus should have done the same, but he had to watch his mate. Marcus was entranced, as he often was, by the sheer masculine beauty of Nathan’s fighting form.

“You’d have been killed already,”
Nathan scolded, while shouting orders to the troops, “Pair off for groundwork and grappling!”

“Are you going to grapple with me?” Marcus teased.

Nathan shot him an arch look. “Love, I will take your ass
down
in a heartbeat.”

The guards were too busy pairing off and getting into position to pay attention to anything else. Marcus leered at Nathan and whispered, “I’ll hold you to that in about two hours.”

Nathan winked at him before they resumed instructing the troops.

Rather than train together, Marcus and Nathan sought out a guard each to work with. Marcus chose Athena, one of the newer members. She was tall and leanly muscled, and very quick with her strikes. “Don’t hold back because I’m the Alpha Anax. That won’t impress me at all.”

“Yes, sir,” Athena replied, bobbing her head. She narrowed her eyes right after she gave him a blinding smile. Had Marcus not been watching for tells, he wouldn’t have expected the kick or some type of offensive strike. Athena was every bit as quick with her grappling and groundwork as she was with her punches, and Marcus had to work to keep from being pinned or hurt.

In return for her honest attempts, Marcus only held back a little. He would have done some serious damage otherwise. Athena would have some bruises, but it would have been an insult to her had he refrained from making contact at all.

“Thank you, sir,” Athena said an hour later, panting as she bowed to him.

“You did very well, Athena. Your aunt is going to want to coddle you for those bruises and scrapes, though.” Marcus grinned as Athena groaned and straightened up.

“Oh, gods, she so
will
! Aunt Shania wants to baby me still, and I’m twenty-five!” Athena bounced on her toes and gave Marcus another brilliant smile. “She’ll probably make me some honey and pecan ice cream, though, so
score
!” She pumped a fist in the air then turned and ran off toward the rust-colored main building.

“She’s going to be fun to have in our troop,” Keegan said, shaking his head. “Smart, sarcastic and deadly. We could use more like Athena.”

“Keep on and I might get jealous,” Olin muttered, nudging Keegan’s side. “Well, if you swung that way. As is, I gotta agree. Athena was arm-wrestling some of the other guards last night, and she might be lean, but she was kicking ass. She’s a good one. Come on, Keeg. I want you to take apart the surveillance system in the eastern quadrant, then—”

“I know, I know,” Keegan huffed. “Put it back together again. I swear, Olin, I can probably do it with my eyes closed.”

Olin cupped Keegan’s elbow. “Yeah, well probably doesn’t cut it. Once you
can
, then we can move to the equipment in the western quadrant. Dana’s got the guards. You and me are going to work on the electricals.”

Marcus chuckled, listening to Keegan grumbling and arguing with Olin as they walked away. Olin had been a wise addition to their pack. All of the surveillance and alarms were top notch now, as was the security on the computers and everything else that needed to be secure. Olin was a technical genius.

There’d been several new editions to Marcus’ home pack over the past years. The compound was going to be insufficient to house them all soon.

Which brought to mind one of the bigger problems he and Nathan had been wrestling with—what to do about overcrowding in their pack. It was a problem that they might possibly decide to contribute to. The compound was fast approaching maximum capacity. Marcus looked at the place he’d called home with his mate and pack for years now. The adobe buildings were all interconnected, except, of course, for the outside storage sheds. He loved the rust color of the compound, the way it blended so well with the land and the colors the sun painted the sky with. He’d felt more at home here than anywhere else.

“Marcus?”

Marcus gave himself a mental shake, and turned to face his mate. “Yes?”

Nathan bit his bottom lip, but didn’t look at him. Instead, Nathan appeared to be studying the mountains in the distance.

Marcus felt Nathan’s thoughts drifting, as they sometimes did, to the event almost two years in the past. At first Nathan had been plagued with nightmares, but those had eased until they were rare occurrences.

Nathan, for all that he could be fierce, had a tender heart. That was why, even two years after he’d killed Robert Butler, he was still haunted by his actions that day. Nathan had saved Marcus’ life at an expense that he still lived with—guilt, doubt, anger at having had no other option if he wanted Marcus to live. And Nathan had wanted that, enough to pull the trigger and blow another shifter’s brains out.

Marcus gently stroked Nathan’s cheek. “Honey, you saved my life.”

“I know, and I don’t regret it,” Nathan said. “And the fact that I don’t regret killing Butler still bothers me more than the fact that I did it, which makes me feel like a heartless bastard. But I’m not.”

“You most definitely aren’t. Conscience is a tricky thing to deal with.” Marcus kept touching Nathan, his rough fingers gliding over silky skin.

“I don’t ever want to be in that situation again.” Nathan turned to him. “That’s not even because of what I did, for the most part, but because I am so over people coming after you—us. I know there haven’t been many challenges since then—”

“Two,” Marcus stated. “And both were over practically before they began.”

“Right, with the challengers swearing fealty to you before you even landed a hit to them, but still.” Nathan shook his head. “We’ve got to figure out a better way. I keep saying that, and you keep agreeing, but we haven’t come up with a solution yet.”

“It’s difficult to change the old ways, especially when it comes to an alpha proving himself,” Marcus said. “Wolf shifters need that. They are coming around, but still, the majority will only respect a show of strength.”

“Well, they need to fucking evolve already!” Nathan scrubbed his hands over his face.

“Things will change, mate.”

Nathan looked up at him. “They need to change faster. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t lose me.” Marcus pulled Nathan into his arms and just held him for a moment. “Have faith in me to fix this.”

“I do. I just… I want it fixed faster,” Nathan reiterated. “I know, I know. We’ve had this discussion a dozen times, but it’s more important now than ever.”

“We’ll find a way to make certain we have more security and still be able to live our lives,” Marcus vowed. “I could still step down.”

“No, you can’t.” Nathan turned away. “That’s not the right thing to do. I don’t have the answers. I don’t regret saving you. I’d rather have seen Butler dead than you, and I’d do it again if I needed to. I won’t let you be killed, Marcus. I won’t lose you or myself.” He shuddered then shrugged as if ditching all his worries on the subject. “Enough with this self-pitying shit.”

When he didn’t speak again, however, Marcus prodded, “Nathan?”

Nathan grunted and turned his gaze to Marcus. “On to the next subject. Shania needs an answer from us, soon.”

If Nathan was done discussing the Butler incident, Marcus would drop it, too. It’d come back up again, as it tended to do, but Nathan was learning to deal with it. Slowly, granted, yet he
was
still processing it.

“We can’t keep her waiting,” Nathan added.

Despite the heat of the day, Marcus shivered. He glanced down at his bare feet, ignoring the burn of the sand beneath them. “I don’t know, Nathan. I just don’t know.” Though, if Nathan needed it to help him move on and heal more, Marcus couldn’t say no. Still, it was a huge thing to do.

“We need to figure it out.” Nathan sighed and fitted his hand in Marcus’. “Come on. Let’s put our monster-size tub to good use and take a bath. We can try to get an hour alone so we can make a decision.”

“An hour?” Marcus gulped. He was so afraid, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. He supposed it was a normal reaction to big life changes, even if they were only potential ones. “We have to make a decision that soon?” Oh gods, he sounded slightly whiny!

Nathan tugged and got them walking. “Yes, we do. Shania’s fertile period ends the day after tomorrow, she said. She only cycles once a year.”

Which was the case with some of the women. They took after their animal side more than the human side. Others had regular menses and could become pregnant from month to month.

“We could wait until next year?” Marcus suggested, his heart slamming almost painfully. Even as he spoke, he was uncertain if waiting was what he wanted. He just didn’t know his own mind on the subject.

“That’s rude, after she’s offered us this,” Nathan said. “Think about it, Marcus. She’s offering to…to do something pretty selfless and amazing for us—for both of us. Telling her, eh, maybe next year? That’s not happening. We either agree or drop it. I mean… I guess we could hope we find someone else we’d trust to do it later on if we changed our minds.”

Marcus was the one chewing on his bottom lip as he and Nathan made their way to their rooms. He barely paid any attention to their surroundings. Usually he drew comfort from the familiarity, but not this time. His thoughts were racing. There was so much involved with becoming fathers, so many things to take into account, not the least of which was that Marcus could be killed in a challenge at just about any time.

That was if his challenger followed the law. If someone wanted Marcus’ position but didn’t want to be honorable about it? Well, assassination attempts happened from time to time. But if he
was
killed, Nathan would have a reason to go on and continue living.
Possibly.
The death of a destined mate could kill the surviving one, regardless of whether there were children to raise.

Nathan opened the door and waited for Marcus to enter before locking it again. “I’m going to tell Dana that we aren’t to be interrupted unless it’s a matter of life or death.”

“I’ll start the water.” Marcus wiped his sandy feet on the mat before stepping onto the cool tiled floor. The interior was decorated in a Southwestern theme, the walls a peachy-orange with pale green trim. The large Kiva fireplace was the center of attention in the living room. Worn wooden shelves held familiar knick-knacks and pottery, some of it antique, other bits kitschy, but all of it hand-picked by him and Nathan. This was their home, and Marcus knew they might soon have to change that whether they agreed to have children or not.

In the bathroom, he started the water and added some of the lavender oil Nathan loved. Well, Marcus liked it, too, but he preferred bath salts. Half the time, he ended up sliding on the slippery tub bottom when they used oil. Still, the scent was relaxing, and he stripped off his loose pants and tank top, anticipating the feel of the cool water on his heated skin.

The tub was set in the ground and large enough that it’d hold four people comfortably. Marcus swirled a finger through the water then picked up his clothes and put them in the hamper. He looked at himself in the mirror, noticing a few fading bruises from practice.

“You’re still a stud,” Nathan said from the doorway. He leaned against the frame and licked his lips. “Definitely still a stud.”

Marcus wiggled his butt and slapped one cheek. “You want a piece of me?” He was playful and silly when it was just him and Nathan sometimes, more now than ever. It was as if he had to be in order to free himself of the ever-increasing stress he was under.

“Always.” Nathan palmed his growing erection through his pants. “You could just bend over right there, grab the counter, and let me have some fun. And you, of course. You’d have fun, too. I’d make sure of it.”

Marcus was tempted, but he winked at Nathan and walked over to the tub. “I think you should work for it, at least a little. Wouldn’t want you to think I’m easy.”

Nathan arched an eyebrow. “Oh
really
?” he drawled.

“Really,” Marcus parroted, stepping into the water. It was just the right temperature. “Ah, that feels so fucking good.”

Nathan sauntered over, his hips moving in the sensuous manner that always had Marcus’ mouth watering. Nathan waited until Marcus was settled in the tub, then he leaned down and whispered in Marcus’ ear, “But I can make you feel
so
much fucking better than that.”

Marcus’ breath left on a moan. He knew Nathan was only speaking the truth. “Then get in here and prove it.” Which didn’t mean he wouldn’t goad Nathan. “Because this water is perfect, and it’s going to be some tough competition for what feels best.”

Nathan snorted and took hold of the hem of his shirt. “Music, please.”

Marcus’ cock twitched to full hardness. “I get a strip show?”

“Not if I don’t get music,” Nathan said.

“Uh.” Marcus’ mind blanked when he saw the thin strip of skin above Nathan’s waistband, then he began to hum what he hoped sounded like a good song to strip to. It mainly consisted of
bow chicka wow wows
and the odd word. He felt a little silly until Nathan began to dance, undulating his body like sex personified, his hips swaying, groin bulging enticingly, the smooth, carved muscles of his abs exposed one small inch at a time.