There was a vicious pounding in Kit Rutherford’s head and a feeling of numbness down his right leg. He pried open his eyes, a task that felt harder than it should, and blinked rapidly as the rain poured down on his face. “Oh, God,” he groaned. He was lying on the ground in what looked like a dirty alleyway with no memory of where he was or why he was there. His tongue was dry so he opened his mouth, catching some of the rain water as it fell and drinking it down greedily. Had he been drinking last night? He tried to rub his eyes but there was something weighing his arm down. “What the hell?” There was a briefcase attached to his wrist with a handcuff. “Okay. I either had a really bad night…or a really good one.” He managed to push himself to his feet, trying to remember what had happened. He stood and stumbled a bit as his numb leg struggled to remember its only function in life. A car horn sounded from behind him, prompting him to spin around. At the other end of the alley was a car with tinted windows. Still reeling from the effects of whatever had knocked him on his arse, Kit began to stumble toward the car. He didn’t make it far before his numb leg gave out and he fell to the ground. He heard the car door open and the sound of footsteps as whoever was driving approached. The person, a man, crouched down in front of him. He smelled like a wolf, and an alpha wolf at that. “Jesus, Kit, what the hell happened? You were supposed to meet me at the extraction point four hours ago and you weren’t responding to your comms,” the man said. He reached down and took something out of Kit’s ear and examined it. It was a clear silicon ear bud. Kit peered up through the rain at a face he knew, a face he loved. “Hey, I know you,” Kit said, as the man helped him stand. “I should hope so,” the man said. His name was on the tip of Kit’s tongue. He was incredibly handsome with chin length dark wavy hair and a jaw line Kit wanted to lick. “What the hell happened?” the man asked, “The last thing you said to me was, I’ll be right back. That was last night. I see you got the device at least.” Kit followed the man’s gaze to the briefcase. “Right. Here’s the thing, handsome, my brain’s a little foggy right now,” Kit told him, hearing the slur in his voice. The man rolled his eyes and opened Kit’s jacket to reveal several vials, a syringe, and a thin blade all held in place by pieces of elastic. “You got hit by one of your own drugs again, didn’t you?” the man said, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Okay, you have temporary paralysis and amnesia. It’s already wearing off though. God, you’re an idiot.” Piece by piece the events of last night started to come back to him. He had been on a mission, an undercover meeting with a woman who engineered a suped up type of EMP and was selling it on the black market. “I was supposed to buy the EMP, right?” Kit asked. “And then talk her into joining…the place where we work.” “C.L.A.W.” “C.L.A.W?” Kit asked. “No, that sounds made up.” The man laughed and shook his head before releasing a sigh of despair. “It’s the Covert Law and Order Shifter Division of MI6. What about Sophia Tunstal? Did you convince her to join us?” “Um,” he said, trying his hardest to remember. “Maybe?” Alexios let out another sigh and Kit stared at his gorgeous face. It was really mesmerising. “Wait. I remember now. You’re my…Alexios!” Alexios pulled a gun from the inside of his jacket. “I’m your mate.” “Really? But you’re so hot!” “Oh my God.” “Are you going to shoot me?” “No, idiot, I’m going to shoot the chain on the cuffs,” Alexios said. With one hand he held the briefcase out away from Kit and with the other he shot the chain. “If you weren’t so high you’d have been able to pick it.” “Are you really my mate?” Kit asked as they walked to the car. “You’re really good looking.” Alexios rolled his eyes and opened the car door. “We’ve got a long drive back to London, try and sleep it off.” Sleep sounded like a good idea, even though he had just woken up. He tried to remember how it was possible that the incredibly handsome man beside him was his mate but the harder he tried to chase the memory the further away it got. “Go to sleep,” Alexios told him as they both settled into the car. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Kit’s temple and with that Kit fell back to sleep.
* * * *
Kit jolted awake with a gasp beside Alexios, making the wolf shifter startle and jerk his hands on the steering wheel. “Jesus, Kit” Alexios said, righting the wheel. “Does everything have to be so dramatic with you?” “My mouth is so dry I think I’m going to die,” was the first thing Kit said, expertly proving Alexios’ point. Kit popped open the glove department and pulled out a bottle of water. The fact that he remembered the kept water in there was a good sign. “Other than that, how are you feeling?” Alexios asked. Kit squinted out the window at the road ahead. “Foggy, and embarrassed.” Alexios smirked at him. “This is becoming a habit for you, getting drugged with one of your own concoctions.” “Hey, the first time I just got knocked out,” Kit said. “And there were two of them.” “What happened? You were meeting with a fifty year old engineer,” Alexios pointed out. “When I told her who I work for she panicked, thinking I was going to arrest her,” Kit said. “So how did she get hold of one of your toxins?” Alexios asked. “Also, maybe it’s time we have a talk about you using a gun instead.” “Urgh, heathen,” Kit said. “Poison is an art form. Guns are like a fat child’s finger painting.” “And the first part of my question?” Kit blinked at him several times. “Oh right. By the time I convinced her we really did want her to work for us she’d already nicked me with my knife. I waited until she left to pass out. Didn’t want her to think we’re unprofessional or anything.” “I’ll call Clearwater and see if he can follow up with her,” Alexios said. “Did she seem receptive to the offer of joining C.L.A.W.?” Kit finished off the bottle of water before he answered. “I think so. I gave her the sales pitch…sign up to protect your country…make a difference to the world…blah blah blah.” Knowing Kit he actually said ‘blah blah blah’ at the end. “Good, then I can take you home and make sure you’re really all right,” Alexios said. “Aww, you love me.” “You’re an idiot…but you’re my idiot,” Alexios said. “You know, with sweet talking like that, it’s no wonder I chose you as my mate,” Kit said with a grin. “That and my body,” Alexios pointed out, remembering how the brazen cheetah shifter had reacted to him when they first met. Kit shamelessly looked him up and down. “How could I forget?” Considering Kit’s comm device had been destroyed Alexios called Clearwater on his phone so they could both hear what he had to say. “Did you find the idiot?” Was the first thing Clearwater asked. “Hey. Can people stop calling me that?” Kit said to his best friend. “I’ll take the as a yes,” Clearwater said. “I know you’re a cat shifter but you don’t actually have nine lives you know.” “I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Alexios said. “He must be on his seventh by now.” Kit rolled his eyes. “We did actually call you for a reason, you know.” “Yes, I assume you cocked it up and need me to fix it for you,” Clearwater guessed somewhat accurately. “I have the EMP but… I lost track of Sophia Tunstal.” Kit said. “I’ll hack into street cameras nearby and see if I can find her,” Clearwater said. “Good, and when you do, send someone else to bring her in,” Alexios said. “We’re on our way back to London with the package.” “Copy that.”
* * * *
The door to their flat slammed shut behind them, making Alexios wince. It was something Alexios had long since given up telling Kit not to do. “I need a drink,” Kit said, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the sofa. “Do we have any whiskey?” “No, but there’s vodka in the freezer,” Alexios said. He picked up Kit’s jacket and hung it up in the closet by the door, along with his own. When he walked through to the kitchen he saw that Kit had poured them both a shot and was in the process of taking off his clothes. “I need a shower,” Kit said. “My clothes are still damp from the rain.” He downed his shot and then poured himself another. “I’ll join you.” Alexios hadn’t been out in the rain as long as Kit had but there was still an uncomfortable clammy feeling on his skin. He should have know than even after the night Kit had the cheetah shifter would still get a glint in his eyes at the suggestion of them getting naked together. “Sounds good to me,” Kit said, placing his glass back on the counter and sauntering over to him. Alexios shook his head at his mate’s always willing libido. “I thought you were tired.” Kit wrapped his arms around Alexios’ waist and placed a kiss on his stubbled jaw. “I am, but think how well I’ll sleep after you fuck me up against the shower tiles.” Kit’s words made a beeline down to Alexios’ cock, as he was sure was the reason Kit said them. Alexios rubbed his cheek against Kit’s marking him with his scent. He felt Kit shiver against him. He loved how responsive his mate was, how Alexios had to do no more than look at him a certain way to make him react. He nipped lightly at Kit’s earlobe before kissing down his neck to his exposed shoulder. He felt Kit’s fingers unbuttoning his trousers and then a hand slipped inside, taking hold of his cock and giving it a gentle rub. Their lips found each other, almost like they were magnetised to seek each other out. Alexios growled against Kit’s mouth, causing the car shifter to purr low in his throat. As Alexios walked Kit backward, moving them toward the bathroom, they finished undressing each other, leaving a trail of clothes as they went. After they had taken each other as mates during a mission in Paris Kit had moved into Alexios’ flat after having spent most of his adult life moving around a lot, never staying in one place for very long. As a result he didn’t have a lot of stuff to move in and no furniture of his own. Since then Kit had purchased a few things, including a vase with howling wolves painted across the base that Alexios had to pretend he didn’t hate. As he flung his shirt he narrowly avoided knocking it over. One of the things Alexios had cared about most when he bought the flat was that it had good water pressure. When he had checked out the bathroom he hadn’t wondered of the shower was big enough for two as finding a partner just hadn’t been on his mind. Kit came as a surprise, a very persistent one that he wouldn’t change for the world. “It’s been a while since we did this,” Alexios said as they stepped under the hot spray. Instantly Kit started kissing his way down Alexios’ chest. “The first time we nearly smash the shower door,” Kit reminded him. “You mean you nearly smashed it,” Alexios said. “Hey, your mouth was around my cock,” Kit pointed out. “I wasn’t in control of how hard my head thrashed back. Speaking of.” He winked at Alexios before dropping to his knees. He placed his hands on Alexios’ arse, squeezing the muscular flesh, as he nuzzled and the soft join of skin between Alexios’ thigh and his crotch. Alexios carded his fingers through Kit’s hair. He looked like he belonged in a trendy boyband, which is probably why people underestimated him when they were in the field. Kit had a way of disarming people with his charm. The first flick of Kit’s talented tongue over the head of his cock made Alexios close his eyes in pleasure. The hot spray of water beating down on his skin felt good but it was nothing to the mouth kissing his cock. They were always good together when it came to sex, they had been from the start. When they had taken each other as mates sex was the only thing they were certain worked between them. Thankfully everything had worked out. Kit sucked his cock slowly, drawing pleasure from Alexios until he was fully hard. He didn’t stop, nor did he show and signs of stopping. “If you want me to fuck you, you’re going to have to stop,” Alexios warned him. “Your mouth feels too good.” Kit looked up at him through his eyelashes, the crystal water drops clinging to them and making Alexios want to kiss them all off. Kit pulled off, kissing the tip far more erotically than should be possible. “Maybe I changed my mind,” the cat shifter purred. “Maybe this is exactly what I want, to show you that no one can make you feel the way I do.” “Jesus, Kit,” Alexios said, his voice near hoarse with lust. “You think I don’t know that already?” He took hold of Kit’s arms and pulled him up so that they were facing each other. Alexios was only a bit taller than Kit but it was enough that he had to look down and Kit had to look up when they kissed. He backed his mate against the wall and devoured his mouth, pouring all the love he felt into it, and claiming him all over again. He reached down between them and took Kit’s cock in his hand. He was already hard and his skin was warm and slick from the shower. Alexios swallowed each moan as he moved his hand back and forth, grinding his own erection into Kit’s hip. “Tell me what you want,” Alexios asked against Kit’s lips. “I’ll give you anything.” Kit whined in the back of his throat at the offer. “This. Just this. Exactly like this.” With that he wound his arm around Alexios’ neck and pulled him back down for another kiss. Alexios moved so that he could grip both their lengths and stroke them together. “God, I love you,” Kit murmured against his lips. The words were nearly lost to the sound of the running water. Alexios growled low and impassioned, and ran his mouth down to Kit’s neck so he could graze it with his teeth in a way he knew drove his mate wild. Kit bucked in his hand, his cock sliding against Alexios’ own. “Fuck,” Alexios groaned as he tightened his grip and moved his hand faster. Kit’s blunt fingernails dug into Alexios’ flesh, deep enough to leave a mark. In retaliation, Alexios bit down, breaking the skin on Kit’s neck just enough to make the cheetah shifter cry out in exquisite torture. As they were both shifters their marks would be healed by morning, but the memory of them would linger. “God, I love you,” Kit said, thrusting into Alexios’ hand. Their mouths crashed together again, the warm water pouring down on them and the steam thick in the air. Kit hung onto him as Alexios pressed him harder against the wall. Their kiss was slow and deep, their tongues navigating each other’s mouths with the expertise that came from being together for a while. Alexios felt Kit shudder, it was subtle but he knew it signalled his mate was close. There was a sure fire way to push him over the edge that Alexios went for. Trailing his lips over to Kit’s ear and sucked the lobe hard and then bit down. Kit cried out and bucked violently, his fingers gripping onto Alexios’ shoulders as he came. The sight and smell of his mate in the throes of ecstasy was all it took for Alexios to join him. They clung to each other as the now cooling water washed away the evidence of their passion. “Feel better?” Alexios was the first to speak. “Mmmm.” Kit was very rarely lost for words save for the moments after sex. After they dried off and went through to the bedroom, Alexios checked his phone. “Clearwater sent a team to bring in the engineer,” Alexios told Kit as the cat shifter crawled naked into bed. “Did they find her?” “She’s on her way to HQ now.” “What are the chances we can leave my little…accident out of the mission report?” Kit asked. Alexios smirked. “You’re asking me to lie on an official government document?” Kit groaned and rolled onto his side, adjusting the pillow to just how he liked it. “We’re spies. We do it all the time.” “Don’t worry,” Alexios told him as he climbed into bed next to him and placed a kiss on his exposed shoulder. “I’ll be sure to tell everyone what a badass you are.” “Mmm, maybe add a few more people into the mix, so it doesn’t look like I got incapacitated by one little woman,” Kit said. “That’s sexist,” Alexios pointed out, wrapping his arms around Kit. “No, seriously, she’s five foot,” Kit said. Alexios buried his face in the back of Kit’s neck to stop himself from laughing.