Remus’s brows furrowed as he glance at Marco. It was almost like the man was too daft to understand the scent. God, was he going to have to spell it out for the guy? Maybe not. Remus’s eyes went catlike and then quickly went back to his normal irises.

  He had smelled Marco’s need.

  Now all he had to do was to get Remus to act on it. When the leopard took a seat across the room, Marco wanted to scream.

  “Well, you didn’t bust any stitches trying to get out of bed. My advice is that you rest until those bad boys come out.” The doctor left the room.

  That left Remus sitting across from him looking perplexed. Marco wanted to ask the guy if he was just as attracted to him as he was to Remus. But he was a big chickenshit. Rejection was not something he handled very well.

  With his luck, he would be left bawling on the bed as Remus left his heart shattered on the floor.

  “I need some air.”

  Marco watched in stunned disbelief as the leopard walked out of the room. If he wasn’t mistaken, right before Remus left, Marco had seen a deep scowl on the man’s face.

  Sighing, he lay back. It looked like he was being rejected. What puzzled him was the fact that Remus had gotten pissed that Marco was attracted to him. That didn’t seem like something his friend would do.

  Remus was more apt to say Marco was nuts and leave it at that.

  Why the scowl?

  With nothing to do, Marco glanced down at his legs and decided to take a peek. He reached down, pulling at the edge of one of the bandages, wanting to see what he was up against.

  As the gauze peeled away, Marco stared in horror at the six-inch ugly line that ran the top of his right thigh. He pressed the piece firmly into place and went for another one, this time on his left inner thigh.

  The cut was even longer. It looked like someone had tried to carve him into pieces. Marco replaced the bandage and then dropped his head to the pillow, throwing his arm over his eyes. The pain in his face only reminded him that he was scarred there, too.

  Maybe that was why Remus didn’t want him. He looked like a carved-up turkey. What man in his right mind would want a Frankenstein? All he needed were bolts in the side of his neck and the ensemble would be complete.

  Carefully, Marco turned over, pulling the cover up over his shoulder, and lay there wondering if anyone would ever want him.

  He was a freak.

  A scarred freak.

  A scarred gay freak.

  His father’s words rang in his head. He had said that Marco had some sort of mental disease. That was the only explanation for his son being gay. The man had called him a pervert and an abomination. He had said that Marco was going to hell.

  Marco had never told Remus this. He had been too embarrassed.

  His father had only spouted those hate-filled words when no one else was around. The man believed in having a blemish-free image.

  But Marco knew who he truly was.

  And maybe he was right. Now that he couldn’t shift to heal, he was going to carry the scars on his body for the rest of his life.

  And it seemed Remus didn’t want a scarred freak.

  Chapter Nine

  Remus moved them from the safe house the next day. He didn’t want to stay in one place for too long. Moving Marco was tricky considering his wounds, so Remus was as careful as he could be.

  He could see Marco staring at him curiously from the backseat as they drove to the next safe house just outside of Shelton. These houses had already been searched, and Remus hoped no one would be back anytime soon. His friend needed to rest, and Remus needed to think.

  He had let the doctor go as soon as they left the last safe house.

  Oddly enough, he had a feeling the human wasn’t going to turn them in for kidnapping him. The guy had worked around the clock to get Marco and Bryson better.

  Bryson had finally shifted into his werewolf form. He wasn’t sure what had taken the changeling so long, but whatever the reason, the guy was resting in the back of his truck, healing. That was more than he could say for Marco. His friend was still in human form with multiple bandages still covering his body.

  Seymour and his friends had left as well. Remus couldn’t say he was sad to see them go.

  “Okay, I can’t take it any longer. Why are you so damn quiet?” Marco asked. “And don’t give me any bullshit about needing to concentrate on driving. I’ve known you my whole life, Remus. Feed that crap to someone else.”

  “Did you think the doctor was cute?” He was trying his best to take the anger out of his tone. Marco was already suffering from his wounds. But Remus couldn’t stop the anger from reaching the surface.

  Marco gave him a strange look. It almost looked like he was heartbroken. “Do you?”

  “Damn it, Marco, answer the question.”

  His friend shrugged. “He was a nice-looking man, for a human.”

  That answer only spiked Remus’s anger higher. All these years he had been friends with Marco, Remus had been too blind to see what was right in front of him. Now that he knew he wanted Marco as his, the little shit had gotten aroused when the damn doctor touched him.

  The scent nearly sent Remus over the edge. It had taken everything in him to stop his leopard from killing the doctor. Marco was his. “Do you want me to go back and get him?” he asked with bitter sarcasm.

  “For what?” Marco asked, and Remus could hear the disappointment in the man’s tone.

  Remus was confused. “I thought you liked him.” More like lusted after him. Remus once again was fighting not to let his leopard track the human down and take out the competition.

  “Other than saving my life, I have no interest in him.”

  “Then who—” Remus curled his lips in when the realization dawned on his ass. God, he was so slow on the uptake. There were only two people in the room when Marco became aroused. If he didn’t like the doctor…

  “Here we are,” Remus said to change the subject. He pulled down the long drive and to the back of the house, hiding his truck. “I’ll get you tucked in first and then come back for Bryson.”

  “What were you going to say?” Marco asked as Remus killed the motor.

  “Nothing.” Why his tongue was all of a sudden tied, Remus wasn’t sure. He should have been shouting for joy that Marco wasn’t attracted to the doctor, but all he could do was concentrate on the task at hand.

  The nervous jitters were hitting him hard. They had been friends since forever. Now he was considering taking things a step further.

  What if it fucked their friendship up? Remus cherished what he had with Marco. He knew a few guys who had tried to date their friends.

  Not only had it not worked out, but the friendship was gone.

  Remus couldn’t imagine his life without Marco in it.

  Once he had the smaller man settled into bed, he went for Bryson.

  The medic was finally awake and lying in the truck in human form.

  “What the hell happened to me?”

  “You got ran over by a horse and buggy,” Remus replied as he helped Bryson from the truck.

  “I can walk,” Bryson said. “Just help me get some clothes on.”

  Rummaging in the bags that were still stored in the back, Remus pulled a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt out. He helped Bryson dress, because the man was seriously unstable on his feet.

  By the time Bryson pulled the shirt over his head, he seemed to be feeling a lot better. It was more than Remus could say for Marco. The man couldn’t shift, so it was going to take him a long time to heal.

  Bryson turned to him, his honey-gold eyes piercing Remus. “Tell me what’s been going on.”

  Remus stood there and told the medic about the call he received from Sasha about rescuing Bryson. He also told him about the events until he finished with them pulling into this place and Remus taking Marco upstairs.

  “You kidnapped him?” Bryson asked.

  Remus nodded. “Damn right.” He had no regrets about kidnapping the human. It had saved Marco’s life. He would have kept the guy with him when he left the other safe house, but the human had done all he could do. There was no reason to bring him here or involve him deeper into the changeling life.

  “Then let me go take a look at Marco,” Bryson said as he closed the back of the truck. “I want to check his wounds and make sure he is healing.”

  It may be wrong, but Remus was glad it was a changeling taking care of Marco. Not that the doctor hadn’t done one hell of a job, but Bryson would understand the needs their species had better than a human.

  “I also need to call Rick,” Bryson was saying as he entered the back door of the house. He walked through the place as if he had been there before. There were no questioning steps as he climbed the stairs and headed toward the room Marco was in. “He’s going to need me once the final battle begins. I’m pretty sure there are going to be plenty of wounded needing treatment.”

  In all honesty, Remus had forgotten about that. He had only been concerned with Bryson and Marco pulling through. It hadn’t crossed his mind that Bryson would be needed. He was glad as hell Jayson hadn’t succeeded in killing the werewolf.

  Bryson opened the bedroom door, and Remus could see right away that Marco was up and looking bored. At least he could look bored. He was alive. Remus had to keep telling himself that over and over again. The haunting fear of the man lying there dead on the floor was still riding him strong.

  Without thought, Remus immediately went to Marco, sitting down beside him as Bryson made him lie back.

  “How many more times am I going to be looked at?” Marco asked as he glanced from Remus to Bryson. His dark-brown eyes held irritation. Remus could understand. Marco had been poked and prodded too many times over the past few days. “I’m starting to feel like a freak on exhibit.”

  Running his fingers gently through the man’s short black hair, Remus gave a low growl. “You are not a freak.”

  Marco sat perfectly still as Bryson examined him, not saying another word. Remus knew it wasn’t because the man was cooperating. Marco wasn’t the type to lie there and not ask a shitload of questions.

  No, Remus had a feeling that Marco truly believed he was a freak—which was utterly preposterous. Just because he had scars now didn’t make him any less attractive to Remus. To him, they were battle wounds. Marco should carry them proudly.

  Bryson sat back, a grin on his face. “Seems you kidnapped someone top-notch. When the stitches come out, I’m betting there will be very little scarring.”

  “Really?” Marco asked. “You’re not lying, are you?”

  “Do I smell like I’m lying?” Bryson asked as he stood.

  Remus couldn’t help playing in Marco’s hair. The strands were soft and he loved being able to inhale the man’s scent. It was helping his leopard as well. The longer he sat there next to Marco, the man’s aroma filling his lungs, the less agitated his leopard was—although his beast wanted to claim Marco, make the guy his, and reassure himself that the smaller man was truly all right.

  Images of how Marco looked lying in the back of the truck after being carried out of the lab still flashed in his mind. He could still feel the man’s cold body under his while Remus clung to his best friend, feeling as if he would never be happy again. Sitting next to Marco now was soothing to his soul.

  “I’m going to make some phone calls. Get some rest, champ.”

  Bryson closed the door on his way out and Remus was once again left alone in the room with Marco. But this time he wasn’t fuming mad because he thought Marco was attracted to the human doctor.

  Out of all the years of their friendship, this was the most awkward moment.

  “So,” Marco began as he smoothed his hands down the blanket.

  Remus could see the slight shake in them. “Are you going to kiss me or do I have to pass you a note that tells you to check the box if you like me?”

  Remus moved his hand away from Marco’s hair. “I’d love to kiss you. But what if this doesn’t work?” Remus waved a hand between them. “I’ve seen what can go wrong between friends when becoming lovers turns out to be a bad idea.”

  Marco cocked his head. “I just asked for a kiss. Who said anything about being lovers?”

  Remus was confused. If they kissed, wouldn’t that lead to more?

  He knew it would, so he wasn’t sure why he dipped his head as he cupped the man’s jaw, pressing his lips in a chaste kiss.

  But Marco had other plans.

  His best friend wrapped his arms around Remus’s neck and yanked, making Remus have to catch himself so he didn’t hurt Marco or his wounds. He wasn’t a lightweight guy. But the move brought them intimately closer.

  Marco may have been the one who initiated the deeper kiss, but Remus could tell the guy was clueless. There was no way Marco hadn’t kissed a guy before. The thought sent a spike of jealousy through Remus, but the lack of expertise in the way Marco kissed him was mystifying.

  So, Remus took over. He tipped Marco’s mouth up with one finger under the man’s chin to brush Marco’s lips with his. The light pants coming from Marco were encouraging. It was all he could do not to devour the man.

  He kissed Marco’s lips, his jaw, and his neck. His lips trailed over every exposed inch of flesh, his tongue drawing lazy circles until their lips met again. This time the kiss wasn’t so chaste. Marco began to writhe underneath him as Remus probed his tongue at Marco’s lips until the man opened for him.

  He swept his tongue in, and at the same time pressed his hands on either side of Marco’s prone body, trying his best to keep the weight off of the man. His lips were hard and searching as Marco fell apart right under him.

  But Remus knew he had to back off. His brain wasn’t fully in charge, his body was, but he knew he couldn’t take this any further.

  Marco was still recovering.

  With regret, Remus pulled back, staring down into Marco’s dark pools. They were like molten lava as he gazed up at Remus.

  “Why’d you stop?”

  Remus had to clear his throat before he could even talk. That was how much the smaller man was affecting him. “Because, you’re still hurt.”

  “But, I’m not hurt enough to where I can’t kiss.”

  God, he really was an innocent fool. Didn’t Marco know how he was affecting Remus? He wanted to toss the covers aside, get naked, and shove his cock deep into Marco’s ass. If they kept kissing this way, Remus was going to do just that. “You are doing things to me that are dangerously close to putting you in a body cast.” Remus was teasing Marco, trying to lighten the mood.

  Marco’s brows furrowed for a moment, and then they arched high.

  “That good?”

  Remus was unable to resist. He nuzzled Marco’s neck and then laid a kiss on the man’s Adam’s apple. “That good.”

  Marco began to giggle as Remus licked the guy’s neck. He knew his friend was ticklish. They had had many tickle wars when they were younger. But now the game seemed a lot more interesting since it was turning sexual.

  “Uncle!” Marco shouted as he pushed at Remus’s chest.

  Remus’s grin was wide and made him feel light at heart. He had almost lost this. “Surrendering so quickly?”

  Once the giggles subsided, Remus saw a mixture of merriment and arousal in Marco’s eyes. “Yeah, because my dick is getting hard.”

  Jesus. Didn’t the man have a buffer? His blunt statement only made Remus’s cock stiffen to almost a painful arousal. If he didn’t leave Marco alone, he really was going to fuck the guy. “Hungry?”

  Damn, his voice was strained.

  “Starving,” Marco admitted before leaning up and giving Remus a quick kiss, which turned into another drugging session of Remus sticking his tongue all the way down Marco’s throat.

  Remus was so damn horny that he was ready to jack off right here in front of his best friend. This time when he pulled back, he moved all the way off of the bed.

  Staying any closer was just too damn tempting.

  “I’ll find you something to eat.”

  Marco lay there looking a debauched mess. The strands of hair on his head were sticking up in all different directions and his lips were swollen and wet. Remus’s cock pulsed at the image Marco made for him.

  “I’ll be back,” he said quickly as he hurried from the room. When Marco said just kissing, the guy knew how to turn the act into nothing short of having sex with their mouths.

  And here Remus thought the man innocent.

  That was far from the truth. Marco seemed determined to make Remus his and Remus didn’t have a problem with that. He just hoped they were doing the right thing and their friendship didn’t fall apart.

  Marco had no idea. If Remus had it his way, the small leopard would already be mated by now.

  Chapter Ten

  Rick and the group of men he was with pulled into a closed diner.

  He was hoping like hell there was electricity. If not, someone was going to find a way to bring power to the place. He was sick of eating out of cans and boxes. Rick was dying for a home-cooked meal.

  “Why are we stopping here?” Dorian asked from beside him.

  “Because I’m going to find someone who knows about electricity and get us a home-cooked meal.”

  “Really!” Dorian exclaimed excitedly. “I never thought I would miss hot food as much as I miss it now. I’ll never take it for granted again.”

  Neither would Rick. The other trucks pulled in beside them and the men starting getting out.

  “Any reason we are stopping here?” Clyde asked.

  “Tell me someone with you knows about electricity,” Rick said. “I’m dying for a cooked meal.”

  “Damn, that sounds pretty good right about now,” Clyde replied. “It seems we’re in luck. One of my clan members worked for the power company.”

  Yes! Rick damn near hugged the bear. He had to stop himself from doing a little happy dance. “Then let’s get what food we have inside and maybe you can persuade some of your men to go hunting for fresh meat.”