Page 1 of Thayne
Thayne
My phone buzzedagainst my thigh inside the pocket of my pants; pulling it out, Colton’s name lit up my screen with a text message. My animal huffed out an annoyed breath, not that I could blame him. There were usually only two reasons he ever messaged me, he either needed me on an assignment or his mate was trying to set me up on another date with one of her friends. The last girl was cute, but there was no spark when I met her. I wanted that spark; I wanted to find my mate like Colton had.
She had an annoying voice, she smelled funny, and she was constantly thinking about other men. She was not our mate!Yes, I was aware she wasn’t our mate.
Thinking back to when Colton found me dumpster diving eight years ago, I was in a bad place. I’d just lost my parents and little sister to hunters. My leopard whined with sadness inside me. I was out with friends celebrating graduation when they came to our home and murdered them in their beds. Even now, I can’t help but think if I had been home they would still be alive. Colton helped me overcome my grief and get my feet back on solid ground again. I owed him everything I had; he is like a big brother to me.
When he started up the Rogue Enforcers, I knew I needed to be a part of it. The month of training was brutal and there were a few times I thought about quitting, but Colton never let me.You thought about quitting, I was strong enough to finish, get it right.All right asshole, who is telling this story, you or me? He huffed in response before curling up and glaring back at me. Even with my disability, he never once said I shouldn’t do it or I couldn’t do it. I’m an anomaly in the shifter world, I was born with a birth defect. My ear canals didn’t develop properly, which left me deaf. Then the universe decided they would try and balance that out by giving me the ability to read minds. Yeah, that ability isn’t always what it's cracked up to be. My phone buzzes again in my hand reminding me that Colton is not a patient man.
Colton: I need you on a job.
Colton: Thayne, where the fuck are you?
Colton: Do not make me fly over there!
Let him bring that dragon I’ll chop on his tail like I did last time.Yeah, just what he needs to do is fly his dragon ass over to my place and scare all the locals, again.
Pussy, you ruin all my fun.Quit being an asshole for once.
Me: Calm your tits old man I was taking a piss.
I wasn’t, but I enjoyed fucking with him. Okay so my leopard wasn’t the only asshole living in my body. My animal chuffed in response, of course he would think it was funny.
Colton: About fucking time. I have an assignment for you if you aren’t too busy shaking your pecker dry.
Oh, he’s funny, maybe I won’t try to chomp his tail the next time I see him.Great now you’re on his side. You are supposed to be my animal, you know, have my back.
Whatever.Shaking my head, I responded to Colton’s text.
Me: Okay, okay. Don’t get your panties in a twist. Tell me what you got for me.
Colton: We’ve gotten word that there is someone selling shifters in a black market auction in South Dakota. I will email you the file. Raiden is on standby if you need him once you get there. Any questions?
My animal released a feral growl as the grip on my phone turned my knuckles white. I needed to reign in my anger before I broke another phone, replacing them was getting kind of expensive. Just the thought of shifters being sold to the highest bidder made my stomach curdle.
Me: Just one. Is this a rescue mission or a destroy mission?
Colton: Both.
That single word brings a smile to both our faces. For once, me and my animal are on the same page.
Gonna chompy chomp some black marketeers. Nom. Nom. Nom.Yeah buddy you are!
Colton: Oh and Thayne once you’re done Katia says she has a friend she wants to introduce you to. LMAO
Nope not doing it, you better tell him fuck no.
Rolling my eyes, I groan aloud. Instead of telling him fuck no, I opt for the more mature response as I drop my phone on the table to go start packing.
Me: Middle Finger Emoji
Oh, that was a good one; you’re finally starting to take after me. About damn time.Yep, apparently your brand of asshole is bleeding over.
Loading my truck didn’t take long, I kept a go bag ready for missions. I sent out a quick text to my neighbor, Logan Jacobs, to let him know to keep an eye on my place while I was on assignment. Logan was a bear shifter who I was pretty sure was hiding or running from something in his past. I didn’t hold it against him though, he was a good guy even if he kept to himself mostly.
Me: Hey man, I got a mission up in SD. Watch the ranch for me?
Don’t want that fucking bear on our land again. He leaves his scent all over the place.My animal made a hacking sound like he was going to throw up. Ignoring his little tantrum, I thrummed my fingers against my thigh waiting for Logan’s reply. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long.
