T.A. Chase - Understanding the Past.doc

139understanding the past - t.a. chasepart one-mason yawned, stretching and kneading the blankets as the morning sun warmed him. he froze for a moment when a hand stroked over his shoulder and down his back. opening his eyes, he squinted at the white wall in front of him. where was he?it didnt look like a hotel room. the pictures on the wall werent generic enough and the blankets didnt have that musty used-one-too-many-times smell. the mattress was firm enough to ensure his back didnt hurt, but not so hard as to think he was sleeping on a board. there were no bars blocking his vision, so he wasnt back in a cage.the mysterious touch caused sparks and shocks to race down his spine. he shifted as those sensations pooled in his groin. hed never had anyones touch affect him that way. lips pressed to the nape of his neck and he stilled.“mason?”frowning, he shook his entire body, ridding himself of the last vestiges of sleep. as his mind cleared and he woke up completely, mason realized where he was. he rolled over on his back and glanced to his left. henrich rose, propped up by an elbow, and met his gaze with a simple smile. his returning smile was tentative. even after six months, he still wasnt used to waking up beside anyone, especially someone he should hate with all his heart.“you forgot where you were, didnt you?” henrich ran a finger down the length of masons nose before rubbing it over his bottom lip.he nodded, managing not to flinch away from henrichs hand. six months had done nothing to cure him of his dislike of being touched, though he had done his best not to show it. yet there was something in henrichs that drew mason to him like a moth to a flame. no matter how many times mason told himself to be cautious, to not throw himself at henrich, his body didnt listen and he would find every excuse to rub against the man.maybe his decision to become henrichs lover had nothing to do with emotions. maybe it was simply chemistry. had henrichs father messed with masons chemistry to create this driving need for henrich? henrichs blue eyes darkened, causing mason to wonder if his lover knew what he was thinking. he licked his lips and caressed the finger resting against his mouth. the electric shock tore through him and he gasped, arching up from the bed as his cock stiffened into an almost painful erection.sucking on henrichs finger, mason rocked, trying to find something solid to press against. the energy swimming between them drove his need to come. he didnt jerk away when henrich nudged his thighs further apart and settled between them, grinding their groins together.henrich braced his hands on either side of masons head, not allowing only his hips to rest on mason, but it didnt give mason enough pressure. surging up, mason wrapped his arms around henrich and rolled them off, putting him on top where he could control every move they made.a soft moan escaped from henrich as mason slammed their bodies together. their matching erections rubbed on each other and mason hissed at the rough fabric keeping him from feeling henrichs velvet skin on his.rearing back on his knees, mason shoved his hands under the waist band of henrichs sleeping pants. he yanked them down, ignoring henrichs brief struggle, and flung them over his shoulder, not caring where they landed. mason didnt like wearing clothes to bed, too confining and restrictive, so he was already naked.sitting up and sliding closer to mason, henrich grasped both of their cocks in his hand. mason growled as the electricity living in henrichs body enveloped his shaft and spread down to his balls. he clenched his hands, rested them on his thighs and fought the urge to take over their loving.having a lover was new to mason. before henrich rescued him, mason had lived on the streets, avoiding humans and other shifters. sex to him was something to be done in a rush with whoever he could find willing to get him off. whether that person was male or female didnt matter, but he never considered them lovers.even though mason still wasnt sure what henrich would end up being in his life, he knew that henrich meant more to him than any other person ever had. staying at the ranch henrich founded for shifters was almost more of a commitment than mason could deal with. hed been fighting the voice in his head, telling him he needed to move on. staying in one place for so long only invited danger and trouble. henrich twisted his palm over the leaking heads of their cocks and mason snarled. his mind blanked and any worries he might have about someone finding him disappeared as his climax exploded through him.wet heat coated his thighs and stomach as henrichs come mingled with his. as the shockwaves eased, he collapsed to the side. henrich wiped his hand clean on one of the sheets before snuggling close to him. mason sniffed when henrich rested his head on his chest and the musky, slightly metallic scent of his lover drifted up to his nose. “i never noticed that you smell like lightning.”“huh?” henrich traced circles around masons nipples.“lightning smells hot with a metallic tang to it. thats what you smell like to me. must be all that electricity coursing through your body.”“mmm” there really wasnt any response to that and henrich seemed to be thinking about something else. “did you have a good run last night?”he thought about the run hed gone on last night with the other shifters. or at least the ones who could be counted on to change back when they got back to the ranch. the desert had been quiet, like the landscape was holding its breath, waiting for the unnatural creatures to leave its boundaries.“aside from zev stalking my every footstep, it was good. rashi, the new coyote shifter, almost got into a little trouble with the local pack, but it got straightened out without any injuries.”“im sorry about zev. hes always been protective of me and i think he still doesnt believe you wont hurt me.” henrich sounded apologetic.cupping his hand around henrichs shoulder, mason nuzzled the blond hair under his chin. “there are still days when the past is alive and well for me. days when i dont remember where im at and all i can think about is escaping. your father created monsters when he engineered shifters without any regulations or safeguards.”henrich took a deep breath and mason knew he wanted to protest.“zev has every right to be worried. i wouldnt hurt you on purpose. how could i deliberately hurt the man i was created to be with? but my animal doesnt always recognize you and those are the times when it is dangerous to be around me.”“i know.” henrich sighed. “at least you can still find your human side. im worried about the ones would live in their animal form all the time. what happened to them that being an animal is easier for them than to function as a human?”mason shrugged. hed seen some of the abuse natural humans reigned down on shifters, but he couldnt bring himself to talk about that with henrich.a pounding on the door caused them to jump.“yes,” henrich called out as he slipped from the bed.“car coming up the driveway.” zevs low growl crashed through the door.“well be right out.”henrich shot mason a glance and the shifter knew what his lover was thinking. an unannounced visitor could only mean one thing. trouble had arrivedpart two-they dressed quickly. mason took one more kiss from henrich before they joined zev at the front of the house. henrich stepped out on the porch with mason standing at his right and zev at his left. the wolf shifter caught masons eyes and nodded toward henrich. their minds were on the same wavelength. if the car presented a threat to henrich, mason and zev would protect him with their lives.the suv traveled slowly up the driveway, giving them time to study it. mason didnt see anything out of the ordinary about it. but the vehicle itself wasnt the danger. it was the person-or persons-inside it that could cause the most harm.“where are the others?” he asked under his breath.zev didnt take his gaze off the approaching suv. “lisa and boris moved them to the far buildings. if this is an attack or a raid, shell let them all free into the hills. they all know the drill.”mason nodded, but his attention moved to henrich who stood in front of him, arms wrapped tight around his waist and tension in every muscle. reaching out, mason rested his hand on henrichs lower back, letting his touch soothe and absorb some of the energy building in his lover.“do you think someone has found us?”zev grunted in answer to henrichs question. “i dont know. that doesnt look like a government vehicle and if the marshals found us, theyd come in with guns blazing. they have no interest in taking any of us alive.”the cloud of dust rolled over them as the suv pulled to a stop in front of them. mason didnt blink or cough, not wanting to show any weakness to whoever had come to visit them. he and zev went on alert as the jeep door opened and a man climbed out.an in-drawn breath caught his attention and he glanced at henrich. the slender man stared intently at the man watching them. suddenly a grin broke over henrichs face and he raced from the porch toward the man.“shit.” zev growled as they followed the man.“paul? is that you?”the tall blond man held open his arms as, with a laugh, henrich leapt at him.paul? wasnt that the name of the head guard who help henrich escape the compound? mason flipped through the conversations he and henrich had had since hed arrived at the ranch.henrich had said that paul was a head guard, but that the man had freed the shifters and took henrich away the night before the marshals raided von mertzs compound. somehow the man knew that henrichs father was going to be arrested for his experiments, making mason think paul had connections in the government.“henrich, my friend. its good to see you.” paul embraced henrich, picking him up and swinging him around, happiness evident in his eyes. clenching his hands, mason fought the urge to rip henrich away from paul. zev rested a hand on his arm.“they are only friends.” zev informed him.“i know, but it doesnt keep my cat from wanting to tear the man apart for touching him.”jealousy was a strange emotion for mason to feel. hed never cared about anyone so much that he wanted to claim him in front of everyone. zev and mason came to a halt a few feet away from the reuniting couple. the wolf cleared his throat and pauls head shot up.henrich turned and masons heart skipped a beat at the pure joy in his lovers eyes. the only time hed ever seen that type of emotion was during their intimate encounters. he growled under his breath, but didnt allow any emotion, except curiosity, to show on his face.“mason, i want you to meet my savior.” henrich held out his hand to mason, causing a flare of odd smugness to swell through mason.not caring what zev or paul thought, mason took henrichs hand and tugged the shorter man to him, leaning down to brush a kiss over henrichs plump lips. electricity shot through him and henrichs soft gasp washed over his own lips.“i see that some things have changed since i left you here.”pauls amused statement broke them apart and mason met the mans cold gaze with his own flat stare. the man might have been henrichs protector years ago, but mason was there now and he would make sure nothing happened to his lover.“paul, this is mason richardson. hesa very close friend of mine.”the slight hesitation in henrichs voice when he introduced mason told mason that henrich wasnt completely sure about what mason considered himself. they had never really discussed their relationship, talking only enough to know that they would try to see if there was something more than chemistry between them. did that make mason henrichs partner, boyfriend, or lover?mason didnt offer his hand for paul to shake, but he nodded at the man. “thank you for keeping henrich safe all those years.”the older man didnt seem to be offended about masons lack of manners. “it was my pleasure and duty to keep him safe. it wasnt his fault that von mertz was insane. i didnt want him to suffer anymore because of his father.”zev joined them, his yellow gaze sizing paul up, before offering his own hand. “im zev braidton, doctor gunthers head of security.”paul shook zevs hand. “im paul ortiz. its nice to see that henrich has people willing to protect him.”“we protect him because he offers us sanctuary in a world where we arent welcomed.” zev gestured toward the house. “we should move this inside.”mason kept a hold of henrich, needing the contact to establish his claim. his cat wanted to attack paul, feeling threatened by the mans presence. whether it was his relationship with henrich or his own life being threatened, mason didnt know, but every instinct he had screamed that pauls appearance wasnt a good thing for any of them.part three-henrichs heart raced. as happy as he was to see paul, there was a nagging feeling that his appearance didnt bode well for the shifters under henrichs protection. they entered the house and headed for the study. he held masons hand tight and the other man didnt try to pull away. was there something about paul that made mason nervous? was that why he didnt seem to want to move away from henrich?he wasnt complaining. it was the first time mason showed any signs of possessiveness toward him and it excited him. no one had ever cared enough about henrich to be jealous of any friend he might have.“zev, can you ask mrs. chatwell to bring us some refreshments?” he gestured for the others to sit.“sure.” zev strolled over to the phone on henrichs desk and dialed the kitchen.obviously zev didnt want to leave them alone with paul either. he shook his head. paul wouldnt hurt any of them. if he had been inclined to do that, he would have done it all those years ago instead of letting them escape.paul took one of the arm chairs while henrich and mason sat on the couch together. after asking mrs. chatwell for food, zev sat in the other chair. they stared at each other for a moment in silence and henrich could see that zev and mason were sizing paul up.“youre looking good, henrich. far better than you were when i left,” paul commented.blushing, henrich ducked his head and shot a quick glance at mason. “constant contact helps drain off the excess energy without using up my bodys resources.”his old friend chuckled. “i wonder if your father thought about that.”“he could have created mason with the right series of dna to nullify the effects. unlike most people, mason isnt as affected by my touch.” henrich lifted their entwined fingers as an example.paul nodded and his gaze danced from their hands to search the room, looking for exits and other things that henrich was sure he wouldnt have been able to spot.“are your security measures good?”the strange question caught henrich off-guard, but both mason and zev stiffened.“are you asking as a concerned friend or as a spy for the marshals?” mason growled.henrich winced, not wanting to think that paul would use their friendship to bring harm to any of the shifters here. he might have been sheltered in many ways, but henrich wasnt nave. he understood that people used each other all the time. his decision had been made that moment in von mertzs compound. if he had to choose between paul and the shifters, he would do whatever he had to do to keep the people his father had hurt safe.pauls smile was rueful. “im not supposed to tell you, but why not be honest from the start? im asking as both a concerned friend and as a marshal.”zev shot to his feet, reaching for paul and snarling. henrich started to protest, but it was mason who stood in front of paul and faced zev.placing a hand on the wolfs chest, mason shook his head. “as much as i would like to drag him out into the hills and bury him up there, we need to know what he knows. protecting our territory comes with the animal, but the human mind must prevail at the moment.”henrich watched as zev calmed down and nodded at mason before moving to one of the windows facing the back yard. the interaction between mason and zev fascinated henrich. he knew his lover and his friend would never be entirely accepting of each other. maybe it had to do with the feline and canine genes racing through their bodies. but they had reached a truce of sorts. they no longer tried to kill or aggravate each other and henrich was glad for that.mason turned back to paul. “explain that statement.”he crossed his arms over his chest and henrichs mouth watered. the t-shirt mason wore pulled tight over his biceps and pectorals. henrich knew masons well-defined chest and abs were lightly covered with hair. his fingers twitched to trail over the line heading over masons stomach to hide under the waist band of his jeans.pauls harsh laugh broke henrichs lust-filled ogling of mason.“did you really think the marshals didnt know this place existed?”henrichs stomach roiled and his hands started to tremble. had paul sold him out?“you told them when you left here.” mason frowned.paul shook his head and stood. “they knew because they paid for this place.”“no!” henrich jumped to his feet and clenched his hands, glaring at paul. “sorry, henrich, but its true. to be honest, though, it was only supposed to be a safe house for you. we didnt want your father to get a hold of you again. plus with you in one place, there werent as many opportunities for you to get into trouble or hurt someone else.”the one place he thought he could