Page 4 of Mane Full Of Stripes
“Until next time.” Lida came over and kissed Apollo’s cheek. “We need to keep an eye on them. The vote will only put whatever plans they have on hold.”
“The pride has been nothing but friendly towards us. You know I’ve had dealings with them. They approached me before moving here to make sure we would be fine, and we agreed then it was okay.”
“Except for the Helmers,” Arvo reminded Apollo. “They have always said the pride shouldn’t be here and have fought against any involvement with them. They will try to undermine your authority at some point.”
“Rumors first.” Lida opened the fridge and grabbed two cans of soda, passing one to Arvo. “Then, once they believe those rumors are having an impact on the dazzle, they’ll begin to make comments about your lack of leadership. Small things at first, then build on that.”
“Most of the dazzle won’t believe them. The Helmers are not well liked.” Arvo sipped his drink and sighed. “In all the years I’ve known them, they’ve always believed they should be in charge. When you were voted in, they were pissed off about it.”
“I know. I heard all about it then and since then all I’ve heard is how I’m doing a poor job and need to be replaced.”
“That’s because Brenner Helmer wants to run the dazzle, and if he can’t, then he wants someone he can control to run it.”
“Dad, we’re a small dazzle of five families. What does he think he’ll achieve by doing this?”
“He wants to merge with another dazzle.” Lida leaned against the counter and looked at Arvo, who nodded. “This is all hearsay, and we wouldn’t even mention it now if it wasn’t for the meeting. Brenner has a brother in a larger dazzle. He may—and I stress may—be mating the leader of that dazzle. If Brenner gains control of this dazzle, then he can merge them, and he’ll be placed in a position of power.”
“If his brother is mated and then runs the dazzle…” Apollo licked his lips. “He thinks he’ll control his brother?”
“His brother is younger, so yes, he could have power there.”
“Why not simply move there, then?” Apollo shook his head as he exhaled heavily. “If his brother is already potentially in a position of power, then why bring our dazzle into it? Move there instead.”
“Because the Helmers have a very profitable security company. They make a hell of a lot of money. The pack his brother is in is suffering financially.”
“And the Helmers money would be used to help them out of it,” Apollo hissed. “They would never agree to that. They earned their money through long hours of hard work. When we moved here, they offered to pay more subsidies, and I refused.” All the members paid a small subsidy to the dazzle for meetings and parties and in case of emergencies. When the Helmers had offered to pay more, Apollo had refused, but had thanked them for their offer.
“And that’s the reason why they’ll always stand by you.” Arvo stared at Apollo. “Watch your back, son. This isn’t over. They’ll try something. We might be a small dazzle, but we’re rich with the Helmers money and the Moons’ business picking up, which is happening due to your help. And don’t forget your side business as well. So yeah. Watch your back.”
Apollo nodded. “I will.” But first, he needed a night away. A night to dance and drink and maybe find someone to have a little fun with. Then he would return to reality.
Chapter Three
Theclubwasloudand chaotic, and Jost hated it the second he walked inside, but he’d asked to go, and so he was going to stick it out for as long as he could. He could already feel the stares of both men and women around him, and he tucked a strand of his curly blond hair behind his ear and made his way to the bar. He had to push to get past two men who both eyed him up like he was some piece of candy they wanted to suck on.
Grimacing, he ducked his head and followed Tam, reaching her as she waved to the swamped bartender. He nodded at her, and she grinned at Jost, then shouted in his ear, “We know each other.” Even with her shouting, Jost barely heard her. The pounding bass vibrated through his body, and he squeaked when a hand pinched his ass.
Tam waggled her eyebrows. “You’re new and you look like you. All blond and green eyed with those gorgeous freckles. You’re going to get a lot of attention here.”
“That’s great.” Jost glanced around and swallowed. Hard. No, he wanted to get out and live life and put his abusive ex behind, and this was a step in the right direction. Maybe. When a hand slid over his ass, he looked up into the dark eyes of a human and shook his head. The human grinned, then grabbed his ass again. Jost glared and knocked it away and shook his head again. The guy kept on smiling but disappeared into the crowd, then Tam took his arm and guided him away from the bar.
He took his drink and sniffed it, then sipped his beer. Nice and cold and just what he needed, but he’d only have one. He wanted to have his faculties about him in a place like this. As he had that thought, he caught sight of a man and a woman kissing, his hands sliding under her dress. Feeling his cheeks heat up, Jost looked away. Seeing them together didn’t bother him. He’d kissed plenty of women himself, but he’d settled with…
Not going there. That was in the past, and he’d made the decision to move forward with his life. Taking another sip of his beer, he followed Tam onto the dance floor and watched her laugh as she spun around on the spot, somehow not spilling a drop of her cocktail. Smiling at her obvious happiness, he danced with her, keeping a firm grip on his drink. He knew all about drinks being spiked and the consequences of it.
Sighing, Jost closed his eyes and let the music wash over him, dancing and laughing and drinking his beer, letting his fears slowly disappear. When he’d finished his drink, he pointed to the bar and Tam nodded, holding up her glass. Giving her a thumbs up, he pushed through the crowd, then stopped when he saw a man in the corner, smiling at something another man was saying.
Jost couldn’t look away. The man was beautiful. Tall with broad shoulders and a tapered waist that led to narrow hips, his black hair was long on top but cut short at the sides. His smile lit up his whole face and Jost was captured by him. Stepping closer, he neared the couple, needing something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. A smile, maybe?
When the man laughed, his eyes crinkled at the sides and Jost’s breath caught. He was more than beautiful. He was gorgeous, and Jost’s lion moved beneath his skin. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to get it under control, and when he looked back at the man, he was staring at him as he listened to whatever his friend or partner was saying.
Jost looked from his fantasy come to life to the other man, then back again and stepped away before turning and rushing through the crowd. Those eyes. They’d seen right through him. Green like his, but dark where Jost’s were light. He’d seen them even with the distance between them. They’d held him captive, made him want to do more than what he was ready for, and he pushed through the crowd, needing distance.
He reached the bar and waited, then placed their order. When his water arrived, he took several large mouthfuls, gulping it down. He needed a minute to center himself, to find his balance. How could that one look knock him off balance like that? One look from a stranger had Jost’s pulse racing, his heart beating hard, his body breaking out in a sweat. He wanted to turn around and go back to him, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t ready for him. He wasn’t—
“Get out of the way. I want to order.”
Jost jerked and grabbed his and Tam’s drinks and moved away from the bar to find an isolated corner. Well, not actually isolated, but less crowded than everywhere else. He glanced back to where he’d seen the man, then away, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He should leave. He wasn’t ready for this. It wasn’t even the hands that reached out to him. It was his reaction that scared him.
