Page 6 of Shadows and Desire

"Yes," Kannan responded with a grin. "He's gorgeous, isn't he?"

“He is gorgeous, and he was damn lucky that you were close by last night.” His tone turned serious, and he took a seat on a chair by the window across from Kannan.

“What did you find out?”

"You were right about him being set up with the shifters." He began, and Kannan felt his anger tighten. "The one named Ron, the smaller of the two, arranged for the wolves to show your beloved Eric a good time. Apparently, he believed that Eric was too uptight and cautious and needed to let his hair down, so to speak."

"They fed him to those two beasts?" Kannan spat out the words, and Gage nodded.

“Michael told me that Ron has been a regular at the Ruby Light for several years and is friendly with a lot of the shifters.”

"Does he know they're shifters?" Kannan was surprised, and if he did, it put a much darker shadow on the entire situation.

"I don't know, but it is possible."

“What about the other one?”

"His name is Chester, and he's Eric's roommate and friend. They've known each other since high school. Ron is a new addition, and he started dating Chester a few months ago." Kannan's anger was growing with each new discovery. "I don't believe, based on the conversation I overheard, that Chester was a party to the setup. He seemed very uncomfortable with what Ron was doing."

“He didn’t bother to help him.” Kannan snapped.

"No, but he may not have known the level of danger that Cal and Rule presented." Gage tried to cut Chester some slack, but Kannan was not so inclined. Friends should look out for one another and not be a party to a setup.

“Did he bother to go look for him?”

"No, but he did make several calls trying to reach Eric." Just then, Eric's phone went off, and they both glanced over to the bedside table where it lay. Kannan picked it up and saw that it was Chester. He laid it back down.

"He deserves no peace." He said flatly. He turned his attention back to Gage.

"The wolves also frequent the Ruby Light for hookups. They don't usually choose humans, but they prefer the strength and resiliency of paranormals." Gage didn't elaborate further on that point, not wanting to upset Kannan any more than he already was, but it was too late for that. Kannan had plans for the wolves.

"I'll speak with Kristof and see what he knows about those two and their affiliations," Kannan stated, but Gage was shaking his head.

"You stay with your beloved, and I'll talk to Kristof. Eric needs you close, and I think you need to have him close. Don't let your anger over Ron and those two wolves overshadow the beauty of what is happening right before you." Gage indicated the sleeping man on the bed. "He is worth it all, Kannan. Make him comfortable and make your mark. He is yours . . . forever your Fated bond."

"Yes, thank you." Kannan knew he was right and that leaving his beloved now would be impossible and painful beyond measure. "Let me know what he has to say."

"I will, and I'll also follow up on that Ron character with Cole. He does some creative work in the research and backgrounds department, so maybe he can tell us more." Gage stood and squeezed Kannan's shoulder before making his way toward the door.

“Keep your focus on Eric, he needs you more than anyone.” He said as he left the apartment. It was good and sound advice, but Kannan would not forget those that harmed and betrayed his innocent beloved. Their time would come.

CHAPTER FOUR

Eric felt tired and heavy as if weighted down. He tried to move, but his arms and legs would not respond. He was lying down, and it felt like a bed, but he didn't remember going to bed. Actually, he didn’t remember much of anything after going to the Ruby Light. That thought sent a spark of anxiety through him as a few memories flashed across his mind.

Finally, after a considerable struggle, he cracked his eyes open, and slowly, his vision came into focus. He was on a bed, and it was a bedroom he did not recognize. The anxiety he felt before spiked higher, and his gut began to tense with fear. He then saw someone sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his hand. The person was watching him but not speaking.

Fear that he'd been drugged tore through him, and he began to thrash about trying to get off the bed. The man seated there held him and began to speak calmly and assuredly, and soon, he found himself settling down.

"Easy, Eric, you're safe. You were not drugged. You were attacked in the alley outside the Ruby Light." He listened, and some of his memories began to come back. "I found you in that alley, and you were a little out of it, so I brought you here to my apartment over at the Imperial Club." Eric was trying to follow, but visions of wolves kept flashing in his mind. It made no sense.

“We have an onsite doctor here and he has examined you. Nothing to be too concerned about just some cuts and bruises.” The man’s voice was so soothing, and his touch radiated warmth and security. Eric figured it was a reaction to his trauma but still it felt really good and it helped to drive the vicious wolves from his mind’s eye.

"Do I know you?" He asked and squinted up at the handsome man, trying to remember where he'd met him. "Have we met?" He was sure he had.

"Yes, we met at the Ruby Light. I was standing at the bar, and you came up, stood next to me, and ordered a beer. We spoke briefly. My name is Kannan Lieth." The man squeezed Eric's hand and looked at him with an expression of warmth and compassion, as well as something else that looked like affection, and it felt so sweet. It warmed Eric to his core, and he wanted the man to keep talking and looking at him. He was nearly lost in those dark eyes when a particularly harsh memory overtook him.

“I remember a man; I went to the bar to try and get rid of him, but he came too.” That memory was followed by the memory of that man jumping him in the alley. Eric began to panic and tried once again to get out of bed. “He attacked me . . . he was deformed . . . he was vicious like a rabid wolf.”

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