Page 16 of Shadows and Desire

"I agree, but those are the laws." Kristof was sympathetic. "Let's find Cal and see what he tells us."

“Yes, sir.”

"Kannan, you can return to your beloved, and we'll let you know when we have Cal." Kannan planned to go to Eric's apartment and see if he needed help packing. He smiled at the thought. Being away from the little man was even harder than he anticipated, and he figured it would be hard.

"Say hi for me," Gage told him and gave him a quick wave.

Kannan made it downtown in record time and parked out front of the apartment complex. He was so eager to see his beloved that he ran through the front door and took the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. On his way up he started to experience a feeling of dread and panic which did not make sense unless those sensations were coming from Eric. With that thought exploding in his mind he raced to his apartment door which was partly open.

His heart was pounding when he swung it wide and saw Chester lying on the floor. He grabbed him and shook him awake while yelling for Eric. “What the hell happened here?” He demanded.

"Ron, it was Ron." That's all he needed to hear. He rushed from the apartment while calling Gage. He asked him to check on Chester and gave him the briefest of explanations before jumping into his car and taking off, tearing up the street.

Kannan focused on Eric, but it was hazy, and it became clear that he’d been drugged. The anger and the fear were dueling in his brain and turning into a righteous rage. He could sense the lowlands and could also feel the presence of wolves near his beloved. The Red Crescent Lounge flashed in his awareness, and he reached out again, channeling calm and strength to his beloved. Eric needed to stay in control because wolves love a good fight and a chase.

“Don’t give them what they want stay still and focus on me.” He pushed the words to Eric and felt Eric’s heart relax and his panic softened, he heard him. Kannan kept the beautiful image of his beloved in his mind and sped through the lowlands to the Red Crescent.

Eric felt himself hit the cold cement floor and groaned in pain as the impact dislocated his shoulder. The pain was excruciating, and his breath caught in his throat. "Stop, you're crying bitch. That's minor compared to the discomfort that lies ahead of you this evening." Ron was still talking shit and acting like he wasn't in any danger.

"They're not going to let you leave Ron. Two humans to play with is twice the pleasure and twice the fun." Eric was trying to regulate his breathing to lessen the agony radiating from his arm, but it was not working. The drugs had worn off, but he was on the edge of a blackout, and he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't be that vulnerable.

“These are the humans you brought me?” The voice was not familiar. It wasn't Cal. It was deeper and angrier. Eric tried to look around the room, but the pain in his arm prevented him from moving. Suddenly, he was grabbed and brought to his feet. "You're hurt." The guy was pissed, and he took Eric's arm and snapped it back into place. The pain was out of this world, and Eric felt himself leave consciousness for a moment.

He was then thrown across the room and landed again on the cement floor, but his arm felt better. “Prepare them.”

"No, I'm not part of the deal. I brought you Eric, and that's all I'm not included. Cal said bring Eric, and I'm free to go." Ron was figuring out that it was dangerous to trust wolves.

“Cal doesn’t run this pack, I do, and I say you’re staying Ron.” The wolf was shouting and making the room fill with dread. “Now strip because you have a long night ahead of you.” Eric attempted to sit up but was once again grabbed and pulled to his feet. The man holding him started tearing at Eric’s clothing. His shirt was torn off of him and there were hands at the waist band of his jeans and then everything stopped.

The man holding him dropped him abruptly, and Eric stumbled backward but did not fall. He looked around and saw all the men there, Cal was off to the side, and the big one was front and center. He assumed he was the one doing the yelling. They were all silent now and were all staring at him. Ron was nearly naked and was standing against the wall, trying to cover himself.

“I told you they wouldn’t let you leave.” He said to Ron needing to have the last word with him even in a dire situation like this one. Ron was scared out of his mind and looked to be having a breakdown. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy in Eric’s opinion. The wolves continued to stare at Eric, and it was becoming uncomfortable. He shifted from one foot to the other and then glanced at the exit door.

“You’re not leaving.” The big one growled.

"He wears a claiming scar." Another stated. "He's the beloved of a vampire, and you can smell it all over him."

"Who claimed you, boy?" The big one yelled. He reached out and grabbed him by the throat. "Who marked you?"

“He’s going to kill you.” Eric choked the words out of his constricted throat, and he found pleasure in the panic that flashed in the big one’s eyes.

“Who is he?”

"It doesn't matter who he is. He's one of Nik Hadden's men, and I, for one, am not putting myself on Hadden's hit list. I'm out of here." One of them stated, and Eric noticed several of them run from the room, leaving just the big one, Cal, and two others standing by the door.

“It’s only a problem if Hadden finds out.” Cal gave his opinion. “We kill the vampire when he shows, and we still have a good time with these two.”

"He's going to kill you," Eric repeated, and the big one finally dropped him. Eric got to his feet and took several steps back, weighing and measuring the room and his chances of escape.

“Call to him, call to your vampire.” The big one said with a sickening smile. “Bring him here to us.”

“No need, he’s already here.” Eric said as Kannan crashed through the door and killed the two wolves standing there in seconds flat. The big one shifted into his beast and moved on Kannan along with Cal they must have thought together they had a chance of surviving.

Feeling exposed, Eric grabbed what was left of his shirt and tried to put it on, but it was too torn. He stepped back and watched in awe as Kannan took them out swiftly and easily. How he thought he could stay away from that man was a mystery. He loved Kannan, every inch of him.

Kannan was all he ever wanted, and when this was over, he would tell him, and he wouldn't pretend otherwise. Kannan moved on these wolves with a skill and grace that fascinated and mesmerized.

He grabbed the big one by the throat and forced him onto his back onto the cold cement floor. He shifted back to being human and tried to fight, but Kannan kept tightening his grip until life was extinguished. Within minutes of entering the building, Kannan was stepping over the bodies of those animals and rushing to Eric's side. Eric wanted this man so badly that every cell in his body vibrated with that need.

---