Sullivan (Leopard's Spots 7) (11 page)

Whoever hurt Mando is aware of it, I promise you. We all know pack law, and he’ll know I’m gonna come for him.”

Sully shook his head, trying to make sense of something senseless. “Why would anyone hurt Mando? He’s just a kid!”

Bobby sighed and finally looked away. “Some people are just fucked up, Sully. They get off on hurting someone weaker than themselves, or someone younger, or even someone stronger. It’s fine if that’s what both people, or all of the people involved want. But when it’s taking something that isn’t offered, when it’s rape or abuse, or…or nonconsensual
anything
, then that’s an evil that needs to be ended.”

“I thought that’s what I was doing to you,” Sully got out, knowing he sounded like a jabbering idiot but unable to hush himself. “Thought you were all into it and so I had to…to mark you, Bobby. You’re mine. I thought you wanted it, but you started fighting me.” Bobby edged closer, until his knees framed Sully’s. That stern look in his eyes made Sully go warm and quivery inside. “I did want it, and I was about to come in my pants when I finally got hold of my hormones because we needed to talk. The second you touched me, every lick of intelligence I had evaporated and I was nothing but horny on legs. Took a few for my brain to kick in gear, and I thought of Mando. That killed off every bit of desire, and I knew you’d feel like shit if I didn’t stop you before you found out what had happened.”

“I would have. No, I do anyways,” Sully admitted. “How do you know me so well?” Bobby rubbed a hand over his mouth and chin as he darted his glance around the room.

“Well, see, I can be a stubborn cuss, contrary just to be contrary and a fool who wants to fight destiny no matter how good she’s trying to be to me. I like picking my own way, you know, but that isn’t the way it is for me with the pack. I’m an alpha, and I’ll lead the pack and do it right, do it proudly, but it’s always irked me that I didn’t get to choose. Same thing…” Bobby took a deep breath, exhaled then returned his gaze to Sully’s. “Same thing with mates. I want you, I crave you, and it pissed me off. Pissed me off even more to know that if I had chosen on my own. I’d have picked someone like you. You flick every one of my switches, Sully.” Sully was gawking, his jaw was already aching from hanging open. He snapped his mouth shut then promptly opened it again. “We’re mates?” he squeaked. He hadn’t realised.

“I just thought I was obsessed because you were my first, and I mean, you’re fucking sexy as hell, too, but—mates?” Wow, he didn’t know if he should be ecstatic or angry at Bobby for running away when he knew what they were to each other.

“I’ve been so fucking confused,” he snarled, but his leopard was purring and rolling around inside him, and Sully’s anger couldn’t last under that assault. He was still hurt, though, and he guessed it showed because Bobby turned his head away.

“I am sorry,” Bobby murmured. “I’ll apologise better and often, I will, but for now, maybe we can go check on Remus and Mando—and I have an employee-pack member to fire and punish.”

Sully wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but Bobby’s pack rules or laws or whatever they were was something he was going to have to accept. He was stunned about the mates part, and he didn’t feel any mental link like he’d heard about mates having. Now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Mando was his foremost concern.

And finding the shifter who’d hurt him. Sully wasn’t going to sit back and be the passive mate. Mando was his responsibility first. He’d let the kid down, and now he’d carry the guilt from that for years to come.

“Mando will be integrated into our pack, if he is open to the suggestion,” Bobby said before they left the storage room. He peered over his shoulder at Sully. “Changing him into one of us would involve sex in some manner or another, it seems. Remus is gonna check to see if he can find another way in case…”

Bobby didn’t have to finish, Sully got it. In case Mando had been too damaged, physically or mentally, emotionally, or all three, and was never capable of having any kind of sexual relations. The thought made Sully’s tears start all over again. He didn’t want Mando to be hurt at all, had wanted to protect him, and look at the mess he’d made of that.

“Hey.”

Sully blinked and realised they were still standing at the door. Bobby sprang up onto his toes and closed the distance between their lips. The kiss was sweet and gentle, and it soothed Sully a little, but his heart ached for Mando.

“Come on, let’s see if Remus has anything to tell us.” Bobby opened the door and immediately the noise level ratcheted up. They didn’t converse on their way to check on Mando, and Sully really did wish they could speak telepathically. There was so much he wanted to ask now that he wasn’t in a stupor, and he knew he’d probably forget all over again once he had the chance to ask. He’d got through school and college by taking copious amounts of notes, which was the best method he had for learning and remembering things.

That didn’t seem very helpful right now.

Bobby slowed as he entered a hallway. He twisted slightly and held out his hand. Sully, surprised by the offer and the vulnerable expression Bobby wore, took Bobby’s hand and felt stronger immediately. His confidence returned and he knew he could handle Bobby, and together they could handle just about anything.

They walked towards a door at the end of the hall. Bobby grew increasingly tense with each step. Sully relinquished his hand and instead pulled Bobby closer with an arm around his hips. Bobby snuggled in for a brief moment as they ceased walking, then he sighed and looped an arm around Sully’s waist before they resumed moving forward.

“I am sorry,” Bobby said, “I just get…I don’t know, I’m just obstinate and ornery. I can be incredibly stupid, and I don’t like people getting too close.” Sully only nodded, wanting to think everything Bobby said over before committing to any answers. They stopped in front of a door, and Sully put a hand to the frame as they heard Mando sob.

“I’ll kill whoever did it myself,” he said, barely giving sound to the words.

“My pack, my job,” Bobby told him. Sully glared but wasn’t about to argue right now.

They stood outside the office and listened as Remus soothed Mando, and slowly, the tragic tale of his assault came spilling out in halting words and crying spurts. Sully hurt, more than a physical pain, as he turned and slid down against the wall by the door, letting go of Bobby’s hips as he went. Bobby stood and glared as if he could see through the door, into Mando’s mind, maybe, searching for the attacker. If Bobby had such a power, it’d be scary and awesome all at once, but Sully knew he was just being fanciful. Bobby was furious, and it was a cold, deadly anger that was thrumming through him.

Someone in his pack was going to die, Sully didn’t doubt it. Sully hoped he was there to watch Bobby send the fucker to hell.

Bobby wanted to go in and comfort Mando, and demand answers from…someone.

Having to stay outside and listen to Mando, smell and sense his pain and fear, it was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, next to restraining himself from seeing Sully. Only knowing that Mando would be terrified if he went in kept Bobby outside of the room.

From what he heard, Mando had come in looking to pull a trick or two for some cash.

He’d been hungry, and angry, and he’d known who Bobby was, apparently. Whether he thought he could hit Bobby up for sex and money, Bobby didn’t know and Mando didn’t say.

What he did admit to was letting a guy who made him uncomfortable pay him twenty bucks for a blowjob. Mando hadn’t wanted to do it, but he’d needed the money. When he’d been led into the hallway, he claimed to have begged off, too unsettled by the man who wanted to buy him.

“Had to be a pretty strong wolf,” Bobby murmured, to himself and to Sully. “It sounds like he used some power to creep Mando out, play with him, the sick bastard. Got his kicks out of scaring him, I bet.” He listened to the rest of the recounting and his stomach twisted into knots. He hoped Mando could eventually heal enough to not be afraid of every man.

Bobby doubted he’d want to come live with the species his attacker had come from.

“My grandma would take him in, I know it, if Mando can’t handle being with y’all,” Sully offered.

Bobby looked at him and wondered if Sully could pick up on his thoughts.
Kiss me,
he thought, needing comfort. Sully didn’t even look his way. So much for their mental mate bond. Bobby supposed it would come in time, and he probably deserved the delay in its development after what a dick he’d been.

“If you don’t want me to ask her, I mean, if he says no to your shaman—” Sully began.

Bobby huffed and rolled his neck, trying to ease a sudden pinch there. “Nah, I don’t care if you ask her. I just want the kid taken care of. What happened between you two?” The conversation inside the room had turned to Remus performing his medical duties, and Bobby didn’t want to listen in on that. Neither did Sully, he’d bet.

Sully’s cheeks darkened and he fiddled with his fingers. “Well, I’d, I’d kind of given him this long lecture about waiting to have sex and having safe sex and all that. And I knew he had left us alone so, you know…” Sully peeked at him then went back to studying his twitchy fingers. “So I could lose my virginity.” That last word was said so softly even Bobby could barely hear it. He rolled his eyes over at Sully and waited until Sully gave in and looked at him. Bobby gave him a lecherous grin. “For what it’s worth, you fucked like a dream, and I’d never let anyone have my ass before then. My wolf wouldn’t stand for it, and I wasn’t interested in arguing with him about it. But he and I sure wanted to lay it out there for you. S’how I knew you were my mate, even if I was too chicken shit to say so. I really am sorry.” Sully had turned his upper body around until he was almost sitting facing Bobby’s side.

“You never took it before then?” He gulped. “God, I wasn’t gentle either. I mean, I rammed—”

“Yeah, you did.” Bobby winked. “Wouldn’t have stood for anything less. Needed someone strong like you. Anyway, you still are a virgin in some ways. We can talk about that all later. I’m taking it Mando was very unhappy?”

“Yeah,” Sully said and he went back to sitting against the wall. “I don’t get it. He was all cheering me on, then he got back and lost it because he didn’t see condom wrappers and he said the room smelt like, uh, sex.”

Bobby could imagine. Shifter spunk could have a strong odour, and without ditching it in a condom, it’d be hard for even a human to miss the smell. “Could be he was jealous, too.

He might have had a little fantasy going about winning you over once he turned eighteen.” Sully shook his head. “Nuh-uh. I told him no and once we decided to move him in, I made sure he understood he’d always be a friend since he said he didn’t want a brother. His were mean to him. He had a bad family life.” Another heavy sigh as Sully hung his head.

“And a horrible after-family life. Fuck, I should have chased him down when he ran out of the bedroom.”

Bobby didn’t think Mando would give up a crush, if he’d had one, just on Sully’s word.

Mando had probably seen Sully as his white knight, and while in theory, he wanted Sully to enjoy sex and get laid, the reality had probably hurt, and Bobby and Sully had torn each other up. As if following Bobby’s train of thought, Sully spoke again.

“The blood scared him, too, I think. He saw the bite, the scratches, the blood on the sheets. At first”—Sully swallowed loudly, his Adam’s apple bobbing—“at first he thought you’d assaulted me. Took me some talking to convince him we both wanted it rough and messy.”

Bobby pressed a hand to his aching belly, then pressed harder still when he felt like he was going to be ill. “I think Mando’s a good kid who needs the comfort and protection of the pack. If he agrees to go with Remus and Lisa, he’ll be guarded rigorously. Maybe he’ll be able to describe his attacker since he’s coherent. I wouldn’t want him seeing him at a pack meeting and being terrified.” Then he’d probably witness Bobby killing the shifter who’d hurt Mando, too.

Inside the room, he heard Remus explaining to Mando about what they were. He knew Remus could use his shaman hoodoo voodoo to ensure Mando didn’t blab about them.

“Maybe he can even ease some of Mando’s fear,” he said quietly. “Remus is an excellent shaman.”

It didn’t surprise him much when Mando haltingly agreed to let the pack take him in.

Bobby bet the kid was scared, but he obviously trusted Remus and believed the pack would work to protect him, and that his attacker would be found and dealt with.

Bobby stood and helped Sully up. “We should probably not let Mando see us.” He bit his bottom lip and sent Sully an apologetic glance. “Sorry. I don’t know everything. He might be fine seeing you. I scared him, though, and I don’t want to do that again.” The kid had suffered more than anyone should already. Bobby didn’t want to add to it.

Sully hesitated then nodded. “I don’t want to risk it since he was so mad at me when he left. But if there’s some way to let him know I’m here if he needs me, I’d appreciate that.”

“Can do.” Bobby dug his cell phone from his pocket and texted Lisa. She messaged him right back and told him Jerry was still huddled behind the desk, and that he had cried silently throughout Mando’s recounting. Bobby showed the text to Sully. “Well, good for him. He’s still getting fired and the shit knocked out of him, either in the fighting circle in front of the pack, or in my office when I get in there.”

“Can’t you just fire him?” Sully asked.

Bobby pulled him into the storage room again a few minutes later then answered in the quieter room. “Jerry and several others of our pack only respect brute strength. He expects a physical punishment, and if he doesn’t get it, he’ll view me as weak, and a danger to our pack if I were to step in and lead it, which I will be doing. It’s wise to make sure he knows better now than later.”

“You’re going to have to explain this pack law to me. It sounds complicated.” Sully found a box to sit on and did so.

Bobby stood in front of him and cocked a hip as he canted his head, studying Sully.