Kallen's Atonement (2 page)

“He’s probably trying to figure me out because I’m a Hyena or something. Maybe he hasn’t seen too many of my breed in his life,” Kallen said dismissively.

At the same time, he could practically feel Drake’s gaze burning into him. It made Kallen shiver a bit, and damned if his cock didn’t stand up and take notice too. Damn it! Just what he didn’t need, to develop an attraction to a feline. As if his life didn’t have enough complications as it was.

“That’s not the type of look he’s giving you. It’s more of I-wanna-jump-your-bones,” Ash oh-so-helpfully chimed in.

Kallen rolled his eyes. “I’m so sure a guy like Drake would ever be interested in a mangy Hyena.”

Baxley reached out and punched Kallen in the arm. “Don’t talk about yourself that way.”

Kallen rubbed his arm. For such a small fry Baxley really hit hard. “Why not? It’s true?”

“You’re only part Hyena, and there’s nothing mangy about you. Don’t forget you helped save Ash’s life. You almost died protecting him. That says a lot about your character. So stop cutting yourself down. You need to quit listening to the jerks around here. You’re a good person, and the sooner you see that, the better off you’ll be.”

Kallen sighed. If he could only see himself the way Baxley did, then maybe he would be happier. But whenever he looked in the mirror, all he saw was the Hyena that had been abused as a kid. The one that had lived on the streets doing anything to survive. The one that had almost betrayed the coalition. The one who
would
have had it not been for Gage’s intervention.

Without meaning to, Kallen gazed back at Drake. The Tiger was still staring at Kallen, much like a predator would stalk its prey. Kallen’s heart began to race, and he licked his lips as he found himself unable to look away.

“Ah, if you’re trying to dissuade him, you’re really not doing a good job,” Baxley advised.

“Really, dude, you’re looking at him like you want to be the third course of his dinner,” Ash added.

“I’m trying not to do it, but it’s hard,” Kallen admitted, still locking gazes with Drake.

Drake smiled, and damned if Kallen didn’t grin back. Shit, what was he going to do next, bat his eyelashes and giggle like some lovesick schoolgirl? Kallen really needed to get a grip on himself.

Drake was with a group of other soldiers. One of them said something to him. He looked away to reply, and Kallen felt a keen sense of disappointment over the loss of connection.

For a second, he thought about running away, but for some crazy reason, his legs refused to work. So instead, he just sat there and waited to see what would happen next.

Chapter Two

Lance was jabbering on and on, something about the last mission, but Drake wasn’t really listening. All his thoughts were on a certain little Hyena who was just a few feet away.

Drake wondered if Kallen realized just how damn good looking he appeared at the moment, silhouetted against the window. The sunlight showed off the highlights in his slightly long brown hair. Yet, at the same time, it accented the gold flecks in his auburn eyes. It also showed off every curve of the Hyena’s thin frame perfectly, his tight body looking ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble.

As always, whenever Drake looked at Kallen, he noted the hint of sadness that lingered in the younger man’s eyes. Drake would do anything to replace that with an expression of happiness. Or better yet, one of passion.

Drake glanced away, slightly ashamed of himself. With everything that Kallen had been through, the last thing he needed was somebody lusting over him. Yet Drake couldn’t help himself. The attraction he felt toward Kallen was too strong to deny.

Before he even realized it, his feet were moving in Kallen’s direction. Lance called out something to him, but Drake just ignored the fellow Tiger shifter. Drake was too intent on Kallen at the moment. An entire marching band could have come through the coalition’s main room, and Drake wouldn’t have noticed it. All that mattered to him was the little Hyena who was now staring at him with wide eyes.

As he got closer, Drake half expected Ash and Baxley to leave in order to give him and Kallen some privacy. Instead, the pair stayed put, a protective glare in both their eyes. While Drake appreciated the fact that they were looking out for Kallen, he would have liked to be allowed some alone time with the Hyena. But since that didn’t look like it would happen any time soon, he’d just have to deal with it.

“Hey, Kallen,” Drake said as he stopped right in front of the smaller shifter.

Kallen looked up from under the fringe of his long bangs, his auburn eyes full of distrust. “Hi.”

The amount of vulnerability that came along with that one word made Drake want to lash out at everybody who had treated Kallen like dirt. Drake heard all the slurs that had been tossed Kallen’s way. While Kallen acted like it didn’t bother him, Drake knew better. He’d seen the way Kallen’s shoulders had often slumped in defeat. The way he took off and tried to hide from everybody else, even his own brother.

“I was wondering if you’d like to go out for a cup of coffee and get away from this place for a while,” Drake offered.

Kallen cocked his head to the side, much like a confused dog would do. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Yes, I am. Why does that surprise you so much?”

Kallen blinked up at Drake a few times, as if he thought the Tiger had lost his mind or something. “Well, because most people would rather lose a limb than be seen in public with a Hyena.”

“Well, most people are idiots.”

A look of hurt flickered over Kallen’s face, which was the last thing Drake had been expecting. “Did you lose a bet, or is this all just some kind of joke to you?”

Now it was Drake’s turn to be confused. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You acting like you’re attracted to me. I know it’s not for real, so what I want to know is what is your motive behind it?”

Drake moved in closer, so that Kallen would have no choice but to scent the desire that was rolling off him. “Does it smell like I’m faking it to you?”

Kallen took in a deep breath, and his eyes somehow managed to grow even wider. It was all Drake could do to keep from laughing.
Gotcha now. Try to explain that one away, my little Hyena.

Kallen shook his head. “I…I can’t go out with you. I have a shift that starts in an hour.”

Undaunted, Drake said, “Then how about tomorrow?”

“I work then, too.”

“When don’t you work?”

Kallen glanced up, panic in his eyes. “I work every day. We’re still really short-staffed at the infirmary. In fact, I may just go there early. They may need me now.”

Before Drake could argue with him, Kallen slid out of the window seat and bolted like he had a whole murder of Ravens on his ass. Drake was left standing there, open-mouthed with shock, wondering what in the hell had gone wrong.

“What just happened?” he asked Baxley and Ash.

“Ah…I’m going for a guess here, but I’m pretty certain that you scared the shit out of Kallen,” Ash snarked.

“All I did was ask him out for coffee. It’s not like I asked for his hand in marriage or anything.”

“Kallen’s a little shy,” Baxley offered in a small voice.

“
A little shy
?” Drake echoed. “He literally ran away from me. I’m no egomaniac, but I’ve never had a guy do that to me before.”

“But Kallen’s not just any guy. He’s been through a hell of a lot of shit, and he gets more thrown on him every day,” Ash pointed out. “So it’s hard for him to trust just anybody.”

“How am I supposed to earn his trust if he won’t let me get close to him?” Drake threw his arms up in frustration.

Ash shrugged. “That’s not for me to figure out. That’s all your problem, buddy. Unless, of course, you don’t think he’s worth the bother.”

Drake didn’t have to mull that over for a moment. Kallen was certainly worth the bother and then some. Ever since Drake first saw the medic in the infirmary, Drake had wanted him. Which said a lot, since Drake had been in a whole hell of a lot of pain at the time.

“He’s worth the bother,” Drake confirmed in a firm tone.

“Well, then you’ll just have to work hard to prove that to him,” Baxley said.

Drake ran a hand through his hair as his frustration began to build. “How do I do that when he won’t let me talk to him for more than two sentences?”

“You just don’t give up on him,” Ash interacted. “Fight for him.”

Okay, that was something Drake could relate to. Since he’d lost his parents to the Ravens and then later on his aunt, he’d spent his entire life fighting. He’d yet to lose a battle. So he was damned if this was going to be his first one, especially since it was the most important one in his life.

“Fine, I will. I’m not going to give up on him,” Drake said.

Ash grinned. “I was hoping you would say that. Kallen needs somebody special in his life. While we try our best, we’re not enough. He needs a person that he can really open up to and trust.”

“Why doesn’t he go to Gage?”

Baxley let out a deep breath. “He still thinks Gage holds a grudge against him for telling him that he’s a half-breed, too.”

Anger filled Drake. “Does Gage hate him for that? It’s not like it’s Kallen’s fault.”

“No, Gage loves him. Kallen is too self-conscious to realize it, though. You have to admit their parents weren’t exactly the most nurturing, so Kallen has trouble trusting any of his family. He’s just waiting for Gage to lash out at him like their mom and dad did at them.”

“But I know Gage, and he’d never do anything like that,” Drake argued.

“Like we said, Kallen has some real trust issues,” Ash pointed out. “I’m shocked he let his guard down enough to allow me and Baxley in.”

“Well, I’m glad he did. At least he has you two.”

Drake didn’t even want to think of how lonely Kallen’s life might be. Or how much it must hurt to have to deal with all the hate that was thrown his way on a daily basis. No wonder he had been so skittish. He’d probably really been afraid that Drake had been playing some kind of cruel joke on him.

“I should have approached him differently,” Drake said aloud.

“You could have been a little less aggressive, but then again, you didn’t know how wary Kallen is,” Baxley said gently.

“Maybe next time, just ask him for coffee in the cafeteria. If he knows that you’re willing to be seen with him in front of the coalition and cast, it may make a huge difference to him,” Ash suggested.

“How am I supposed to do that when he’s always working?” Drake asked.

“I happen to know his shift ends at seven in the morning. You could offer to meet him for breakfast in the coalition mess hall, and he just may say yes,” Ash said.

“You think that would actually work?” Drake asked doubtfully.

“It can’t hurt, and it’s not like you have anything to lose. From my perspective, you’re at point zero right now.”

Ouch! But Ash did have a point.

“Okay, I’ll be there when his shift ends. Then there is no way he can avoid me,” Drake said.

“He could still run away you,” Baxley pointed out.

That was true, but Drake was going to do everything he could to prevent it. Even if it meant chasing the brat down and throwing him over his shoulder, then dragging Kallen back until he stayed still long enough to have a decent conversation. Call him a caveman, but Drake was getting that desperate. It was either that or get injured again, so he ended up in the infirmary. Then Kallen would have no choice but to talk to him.

“Thanks for the help, guys,” Drake said before he turned to rejoin Lance.

As soon as he approached his friend, Drake got a sympathetic smile. “I take it things didn’t go too well.”

“Not unless you call him running away from me well,” Drake replied.

Lance punched Drake in the arm. “Give him time. I’m sure he’ll come around. Work your charm on him.”

Drake blinked at his friend. “I don’t have any charm. You tell me that all the time.”

“Oh, right. I forgot. In that case, you’re screwed.”

Drake gave him a playful shove. “Let’s go down and get disarmed.”

They went to the armory and turned in their weapons. The place was full of other soldiers, so it was pretty loud as they all joked and threw around cut downs.

“Hey, I can’t believe you were talking to that piece of shit Hyena,” a Lion shifter named James called to Drake.

Drake paused as a cold fury built up in his body. Slowly turning to face James, he asked, “What did you just say?”

“I can’t believe that you were talking to that piece of shit Hyena,” James said slowly, carefully enunciating each word.

“I’m only going to give you one warning. Never talk about Kallen like that again,” Drake warned in a low, menacing voice.

“Yeah,” Lance added. “Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining when he put your leg back in its socket last week. I think you even almost cried when you thanked him for putting you out of pain.”

A brief flash of anger came over James’ beefy face before he carefully schooled it. “You must have me confused with somebody else. There is no way I would ever thank that Hyena for anything. In fact, I don’t like the idea of him working in the infirmary in the first place. Just think of what kind of germs his kind must be carrying. Now he’s going to spread them on to us.”

That was all Drake needed to hear. He launched himself at James. James wasn’t ready for the attack, so Drake managed to get in the first punch. It hit James square in his flabby jaw, sending him reeling back to land on his ass.

One of James’ friends rushed forward to help, but Lance put a hand on his chest and said, “Don’t even think about it. You’ll have to get through me first.”

James jumped to his feet, but several soldiers got in his way and separated him and Drake.

Face red with fury and maybe a little shame, James yelled, “I don’t know why you’re standing up for a Hyena of all things.”

“Because, in case you missed it, that Hyena is part of our coalition now, so he should be treated as our equal,” Drake snarled back.

James gave a knowing smile, a trickle of blood coming down the side of his lip. “You want him, don’t you? You actually want a piece of that slimy Hyena ass.”