Team Building
Jack clutched the bag in his arms with all his might while he watched the landscape rushing past below them while Theo flew over the pine forest in his jet. The moon still shone so brightly that the shapes of the crowns of the trees were visible. Things were getting real, and after the excitement of the day, Jack would’ve expected himself to be pretty tired.
Only his eyes were wide open, and his mind was going around and around. His fingers itched to play with his cards, but somehow he thought that Theodore might not like that very much. Seriously, that alpha was so stiff and unpleasant that even Jack’s otherwise bubbly personality felt the need to fizzle out for a change.
Of course, he was only lying to himself because it was better than think about that kiss. Near-kiss. Whatever it had been. On the one hand, if Jack took his time to reflect on it, it had been almost nothing. A little peck on the cheek. Close to the mouth, though.
Theodore’s beautiful mouth. Jack pressed his knees together, although it didn’t help much. For good measure, he crossed his ankles. Was it because of what the cards had said that he felt so easily excited by the simple thought of touching the alpha of Whiteflame?
Funny how he had gotten the hang of this whole thing, too. He, Jack of little wit and much greed for sweets, had evolved from a back-alley fortuneteller to this.
Someone fated to mate with an alpha.
Ah, damn it, he really, but really needed to keep his hormones in check. Maybe it was Theo’s fault, after all. He smelled good, like an alpha, whatever that smell was. And that alone was enough to tickle Jack’s pickle.
“Are you uncomfortable?” Vince asked, taking his hand in his.
Jack grunted. He could tell Vince all about it, but Theodore had the hearing of a bat, which meant that he’d hear every little word they exchanged. And that, he wouldn’t be able to stomach. Even the cake he’d eaten earlier was getting squeezed really badly by the walls of his stomach right now.
“Jack,” Vince whispered, leaning closer, “what’s wrong? You didn’t strike me as someone with a fear of flying when we traveled to Pinemoor.”
“It’s not the fear of flying,” Jack whispered back. “It’s the fear of… something else,” he added quickly. “But I can’t talk about it with Theo so close by.”
“I see that you are trying to keep secrets from me,” Theodore’s sonorous voice boomed, making Jack squeal a short but heartfelt ‘eek’. “I will drive that idea out of you.”
“Really?” Jack asked. “And how do you plan on doing that?”
Theodore turned his head slightly. “I must train the two of you so you won’t end up fodder for whatever enemies we will encounter in our path.”
“Train?” Jack pondered for a moment. “Ah, are you planning some team building exercises?”
Theodore scoffed. “What I have in mind is not team building.”
“Hey, hey,” Jack warned, “I get you want to be the big boss and everything, but there is no ‘I’ in team, Theo.”
“No worries,” Theodore said in a light tone that made the solid ball in Jack’s stomach settle lower, “I will whip you two into shape. If I have to worry about you all the time, we will never get anywhere. And remember: no secrets. I am in the possession of many methods to extract the truth from you.”
Jack winced. “Do you plan on torturing me?”
“No, that would be barbaric,” Theodore said, using the same tone of voice that made Jack worry about a thousand different things at the same time.
“He is going to torture me,” Jack whispered to Vince out of the corner of his mouth, while struggling to not move the rest of it.
“For the umpteenth time,” Theodore said, sounding rightfully exasperated, “I can hear you loud and clear.”
“Too bad,” Jack commented. “Are you hearing this?” He mouthed the word ‘jerk’ and clamped his mouth shut tight when Theodore turned to give him a dirty look.
Jack chose to make himself as small as possible in his chair. By his side, Vince chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, indignantly pulling his hand free from Vince’s grip.
“You two. Oh, when you get around to doing the horizontal cha-cha, I bet it’s going to be glorious.”
“Vee!” Jack exclaimed.
“Such a horrible thing will never come to pass,” Theodore said, his voice all ice now.
“We’ll see,” Vince commented, seeming completely unimpressed by the others’ protests. “The cards don’t lie, right, Jack?”
Well, they usually didn’t, but if there was ever an exception to confirm the rule, this occasion would be great for proving the truth of that old adage.
Although Jack kind of wanted it. Or not, because of obvious logistical issues. Or yes, because damn, the attraction was real. No, because—
Vince hugged him close. “Get some sleep, Jack. Theodore is going to work us to the bone.”
“How do you know?” Jack asked. “Vee, are you starting to see things, too?”
“No, but it’s not hard to guess what team building means in Theodore’s book.”
“It is not team building,” the exasperated protest came again from the pilot’s cabin.
“Yes, it is,” Vince insisted, and Theodore shut up for once.
It was so good to have Vince around. Clearly, the cards and the future must have envisioned how difficult Theo would be, and how scared Jack would be, which meant they needed something to link them together. Vee was perfect for that.
***
As expected, once the sugar high was gone, the field mouse was fast asleep. Good, that meant he’d have some peace and quiet to reflect on what they should do next. Theodore meant it when he had said he’d decided to train his two companions during the short breaks he planned throughout their journey.
He would put the field mouse through the wringer, Theodore thought with a wicked grin. He was such a lightweight and obviously couldn’t hold his own in a fight, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get his fair share of training.
The human guardian was a different kettle of fish. Theodore actually wanted to test how strong he was, and how far he could push that muscular body he had glimpsed before, especially when Vince had lain on that rune rock, his clothes in tatters.
He caught himself just in time. The anticipation of the things he’d do to his human companions excited him more than he would allow. More than he should allow himself.
The human guardian had insisted on Theodore needing them to find the way to that place that must be hiding the enemies of his pack; the ones who had destroyed his pack. Unlike the field mouse, who believed the cards foretold the three of them creating some unholy bond, Theodore nurtured no such hopes.
Indeed, it was hard not to hope. But what the human guardian and the field mouse didn’t know was that Theodore had met plenty of charlatans in his life, men and women promising him ways to bring his pack back. Their empty words had never amounted to anything. Save for the weakening curse incense and the alpha-killing boomerang, he had discovered nothing of value in his arduous search.
Was he supposed to forget about his prior efforts, completely in vain, and start believing the wacky words coming out of this clairvoyant’s mouth?
A very pretty mouth. Theodore licked the corner of his lips where Jack had pressed his wet, soft mouth, chasing a sensation that was no longer there.
He shook his head. The more he reflected on what these two humans were doing to him, the more he risked losing his head.
As much as he wished to rush to that place that now called to him in a vague unintelligible voice, he had to make sure that his companions could at least fend off minor enemies, if not more. Vince had a chance. Theodore remembered how the human guardian had managed to hurt him by hurling that dangerous weapon at him. The surprise of actually being hit by a human had been overwhelming compared to the pain or actual damage. Ryder’s human mate was of a different order. His power was of the protection type; but was Vince that different? Designated to become a guardian from an early age had to mean something.
And then, there was Jack. The little scoundrel could very well compromise his mission. But maybe his cards didn’t lie all the time.
Jack was a problem. A strong wind could topple him over. Jack… toppled over, sprawled on the ground, his pretty lips parted, his hair in disarray… maybe without his glasses, so his eyes were unfocused…
No, no, this was wrong, Theodore decided, shaking his head hard. He might just as well skip any training for the two if his mind was going to drag him through the gutter like this.
They had no idea, but Theodore had just the place in mind for a short training break.
***
“This place is awesome!”
Vince let Jack rush toward the beautiful cabin that nestled in a secluded clearing, surrounding by tall pines. So Theodore was a man of means, so this wasn’t a surprise. Surprising, however, was stopping here when the alpha had been so adamant about wanting to get to their final destination as fast as they could go.
From up close, Vince could tell that the cabin had weathered many decades and mountain storms. Made from rough-hewn logs darkened by age, it was a solid construction. Could it be that it had been in Theodore’s family for generations? He’d have liked to ask, but Theodore’s face wore a grimace watching Jack prance around, thinking – poor innocent soul – that they were here on vacation.
Quietly, Vince continued to study their surroundings. The pile of chopped wood, protected by a heavy tarp, didn’t appear to have been here for longer than a couple of months, at least according to his limited knowledge of cabins in the woods and whatnot.
The place was obviously cared for, maybe even regularly, but Vince needed to see the interior to convince himself.
Theodore unlocked the front door and gestured curtly for them to follow. Jack expressed his excitement through a few ‘yays’ that quickly died down under Theodore’s heavy stare.
A giant stone hearth welcomed them, drawing Vince’s attention right away. While Jack threw himself down on the leather sofa and grabbed a woolen blanket to wrap himself up in it as if he’d just come in from the cold, Vince walked over to the hearth and let his fingers glide over the many nicks and marks on the stone arch. His earlier assumptions had to be right. This wasn’t some property the CEO of Pembroke Industries had bought on a whim.
“How long has your family had this place?” he asked.
Theodore grunted instead of replying.
“You are allowed breakfast,” he stated in his usual icy tone. “But in half an hour, meet me in the clearing. I will not repeat myself. If you’re not there in thirty minutes on the dot, I will come and drag you there by your feet.”
“Wow, he really plans on doing something dirty to us,” Jack commented, completely ignoring Theodore’s warning to hurry by curling up on the sofa like a cat.
“Let’s eat, Jack,” Vince said, watching Theodore’s retreating back. Did alphas never eat breakfast? One had to wonder.
“But I want to sleep some more,” Jack complained.
Vince sighed. “As much as I’d like to indulge you and even cuddle with you there, I think Theodore is right.”
Jack’s head appeared from under the woolen throw. “No way he’s right,” he said with a snort. “What sort of training can he give us in a day? Oh no, do you think we’re going to be stranded here for months? Like in one of those reality shows where you have to eat snakes, or bugs, or whatever?”
“I doubt that’s what Theodore has in mind. There’s just one way to find out. By listening to him for a change.”
Jack groaned but pushed himself up. “Okay, Vee, you have a point. Although I’m a lost cause. Seriously, I have no idea what he’s thinking if he believes, for one moment, that he can make a fighter out of me.”
“He might, who knows?” Vince teased, offering one hand to Jack to pull him toward the space he believed to be the kitchen. The place wasn’t exactly spacious, which intrigued Vince.
One glance upward confirmed something he had started to suspect since they’d entered the cabin. The loft-style space upstairs appeared to have just enough room for a single bed. An oversized one for sure, but only one.
Maybe Theodore planned to keep them here for the day and not one moment longer. Vince shrugged. He was the kind who took things as they came to him.
***
“Show me what you’ve got,” Theodore said, measuring Vince up and down with his eyes.
They had both removed their shirts, so now he had to opportunity to enjoy an unimpeded view of the human guardian’s naked chest. Theodore tore his eyes away from the sight. Vince was built like one of the characters humans enjoyed watching on the big screen in their superhero movies.
Regardless of how tall and muscular he was, the human guardian was no superhero, he concluded on his own. His strength and skills were limited in scope and performance, but the least Theodore could do was assess them and establish their value.
The field mouse was a lost cause. But he needed some toughening up, too. Therefore, Theodore had tasked him with bringing chopped wood in for the hearth. The nights here were outstandingly chilly. Jack had grumbled and begged for about two minutes, but once Theodore had thrown a harsh stare at him, he had scurried off to his task without another word.
“Are we sparring?” Vince asked, adjusting his stance into one that indicated he expected a fight. “Do you think we’re going to face a group of wrestlers on our way to the place the runes showed us?”
Theodore pursed his lips. “I thought the field mouse was the only slacker around here. It looks like I was mistaken.”
Vince grinned. He seemed relaxed, but when he moved fast Theodore hesitated a moment, he barely corrected by getting out of the way.
The human guardian, however, didn’t put all his force into his attack. Quite gracefully for a man of his size, he turned on one heel and caught Theodore from behind, locking his arms in place and lifting him off the ground.
Theodore had to use at least half of his strength to tense enough to break out of the hold. Vince’s wrist felt solid underneath his fingers as he grabbed it and executed a quick move that made Vince kneel.
It only lasted a moment. The human guardian had the power of a bear as he barreled into Theodore, making him fall on his back.
Theodore let a gasp escape from his lips as Vince pinned him down, grinning from above, obviously pleased with himself.
It would be easy to release himself and turn the tables, but Theodore found himself lost as he stared into the human guardian’s dark eyes.
Did he move first? Or was Vince not yet finished teasing him? His eyes fell to the human’s mouth, while his ears alerted him to the rapid heartbeat, the chanting of a pulse that drew him near, near, near…
Vince wasted no time. He had one hand wrapped in Theodore’s hair as their mouths smashed together. The kiss was furious. It was like no kiss Theodore had ever experienced in his life to date.
It tasted like something Theodore had never tasted before. Was it the human’s raw masculinity that gave their kiss this wonderful flavor? His fingers itched and moved slowly, of their own accord, along the curve of Vince’s shoulder.
When the guardian took the next step and began to nibble on Theodore’s tongue, he realized his mistake. He pulled away abruptly, his hand dropping away from the enticing body begging to be touched.
“So, are you done testing me?” Vince teased, although his eyes were shining, and his lips were wet.
“Not by far,” Theodore replied.
Vince smiled and leaned forward again. “Theodore,” he said softly, “I’m afraid I have to be the one to break it to you that you still have a lot to learn.”
Insults were unfathomable and should never be tolerated. With a grunt, Theodore bounced Vince off himself, ending up on top, now being the one to pin the other down.
“I’m afraid you are mistaken, human,” he growled, his lips a breath away from Vince’s mouth. “I can overpower you in the blink of an eye.”
“But I wasn’t talking about that,” Vince said, his tongue licking his lips for a moment. “You’re not that good at kissing, I’m afraid.”
Theodore pushed himself up with a huff. He did, however, offer Vince his hand to pull him up.
They were standing so close now, their chests were almost touching. Theodore felt an acute longing to rub himself against the other’s strong body.
But such desires had to be kept in check, not allowed the freedom to run amok.
“Some things are easy, Theodore,” Vince whispered, touching Theodore’s hair so gently his gesture seemed imagined, not real.
He wished they were. They were getting close again. This time, he didn’t know if he had the power to resist it. Or stop it.
“Hey,” a genuinely annoyed cry interrupted them.
They both turn their heads at the same time, bumping into each other. Theodore moved quickly away.
Jack was there, of course, throwing the chopped wood to the ground, like a fussy child.
“This team building,” Jack warned, just as Theodore went by him, “should have three people, Theo. Like in a threesome, do you get it?”
He did get it, but had to set his jaw hard to control himself before he ended doing something stupid. Like giving in to Jack’s insane idea of a threesome.
TBC
Thank you for reading!
@Derek - there will be a whole thing about Jack and his cards! It's related to his nature as a clairvoyant as it will be revealed at the right moment. I'll leave the mysteries hang in the air for now :)
@Mark Mortland - ha-ha, a wedding with wolf howls... now that's awesome. Thank you so much for being such a faithful reader!
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