Hunter and the Hawk
Symbiotic Mates #1

Excerpt

Hunter centered his chin over the cue stick and concentrated on his aim. The game-winning ball sat just in front of his face, waiting to be dropped into the pocket. He studied it, imagining where the cue ball would need to hit in order to make his shot. Stick level, he took a few warm-up strokes.

Perfect. This wager is as good as won--

"Dogfight!"

Fuck! A perfectly aimed shot gone to hell.

Disgusted, he threw down his cue stick and made his way toward the bar where two men were arguing over a spilled beer. As he got closer, the hackles rose on the back of his neck. Only midnight and a fight brewing already?

One of the two wolves spotted him approaching and nudged the other. They both stood and moved off toward the exit, taking their argument outside.

Good enough. Why ruin the night by turning a simple beef into a real brawl? If the men were smart enough to settle things between themselves, Hunter wouldn't get involved.

The Wolf Den always drew a rough crowd on Saturday night. Rafe, the pack Alpha, encouraged the males to visit the bar, enticing them with drugs and alcohol.

"A lone wolf is a frustrated wolf and frustrated wolves cause trouble." Hunter wished he had a nickel for every time he heard Rafe utter those words; he'd be a rich man. He didn't always agree with their pack leader, but he gave him the respect he deserved and kept his mouth shut.

Their Alpha believed every wolf needed a mate. And if he didn't have a mate, then he needed a fuck buddy. With so few women available, the club had become a place where unmated Lycans could find a sex partner. Relationships had been forged in the Den, but for the most part the club remained a haven for one-night stands.

The shifters, full of randy animal spirits, behaved as well as could be expected. Dogs fight. It's the nature of the beast. Anything could trigger it--a bump in passing, jealousy over one man's attention to another, or jockeying for dominance in the pack. Prevention was always the best policy. Two or three pack enforcers, strategically stationed around the bar, usually managed to maintain a testosterone-friendly atmosphere, their mere presence a reminder that the Lycans were being scrutinized.

But tonight, the air seemed supercharged with tension. Utilizing extra enforcers had been a good call.

Hunter took one of the vacated seats at the bar and the bartender slid a bottle of mineral water in front of him. Tyler winked as he leaned over and rested his elbows on the bar. He smiled at Hunter seductively. "What are you doing later, sweetheart?"

Heat traveled up his spine. Maybe he was crazy to turn down a sexy wolf like Tyler. He knew the bartender didn't have a regular partner, preferring serial flings to monogamy. Relieving his sexual frustration with a man like Tyler wouldn't be a hardship. Coward. Are you going to hide behind your grief forever?

When he was just a pup, a few inexperienced encounters had convinced him he preferred males. Then Rafe had paired him with a female mate and he'd put those urges to bed. Hunter could have taken lovers on the side--many did--but he'd chosen to remain faithful. He hadn't been with a man in twenty years. Hell, he wouldn't know what to do with a man. Tyler would laugh him out of bed. Hunter reached for the bottle. "I'm on overtime."

The bartender sighed regretfully. "You know what they say about all work and no play."

"No. What do they say?"

"That it sucks." Tyler took his hand and turned it over. "You're starting to grow hair on your palms." He rubbed a thumb over Hunter's palm.

Hunter pulled his hand away and looked at it. It wouldn't surprise him.

Tyler broke up laughing. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

Tyler's trim ass held his attention as he walked away. Shit! Hunter washed a few aspirin down with a healthy swallow of water and held the cold bottle against his head. His temples throbbed along with the hot, pulsing beat of the electronic dance music. Colored lights around the dance floor winked in the mirror over the bar, intensifying the pain in his head. He'd rather be on patrol outside any day of the week.

A brawny wolf took the stool next to him and caught his eye in the mirror. The man flashed a toothy smile and leaned over to whisper in Hunter's ear. "Buy ya a beer?"

Hunter wrinkled his nose at the stench of unwashed dog and held up his bottle. "No, thanks." Doyle always struck him as a cruel bastard, a yobbo, not someone he wanted to get up close and personal with.

Persistent, the man laid a hairy paw on Hunter's upper thigh and squeezed. "How 'bout a dance? They're playing our song."

Hunter turned his head swiftly, his lip curling back in a low, threatening growl.

Doyle backed off and put his hands up in surrender. "Some other time."

Hunter ignored him. He was here to keep an eye out for trouble, not start it. Why prove the Alpha right? Rafe would just try harder to find him a new mate.

He and Rafe went way back, more like brothers than friends. Even though he knew the man had his best interests at heart, Hunter didn't want him choosing his mate again. Yeah, he was frustrated as hell, but this time he wanted to go slow and choose his own lover.

Although Rafe was older by five years, they'd always hung together as kids. Hunter had idolized him and the older boy had enjoyed being put on a pedestal. He'd been sixteen when Rafe challenged Ulric, the old bastard who ran the pack back then. Rafe had won easily and as the newly made leader, he'd been hot to show the pack what he could do. Even then, their numbers had been decreasing. Rafe swore he'd turn the tide and started conducting his own breeding studies.

The men weren't happy when he chose their mates, but they followed his orders for the good of the pack. Hunter had mated with Tena willingly. Maybe there were no bells and whistles but they had cared about each other.

In the twenty years they'd been together there'd been no whelps. Yeah, Tena had conceived, several times in fact. But she never carried the baby to term.

Rafe had suggested on more than one occasion back then that it was time for Hunter to mate with one of the other females. A proven breeder, he'd called him. Maybe he'd have better luck with one of the other she-wolves. The Alpha hadn't cared if he stayed with Tena as long as he spread his sperm around. Hunter had refused. Only on that point had he defied Rafe. He might be old school, but he believed in loyalty to one's mate.

With Tena gone six months, he knew Rafe wouldn't let him hold off much longer. Guilt sat heavy on his shoulders. He should be trying to help his people increase their numbers, but he didn't enjoy fucking around. What if he got someone else's mate pregnant? If he should be lucky enough to father a child, he wanted to be the one to raise it. And coming between a woman and a mate she loved didn't sit well with him. A complicated situation for sure.

He would never want Rafe's position. The Alpha had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and had to make some tough decisions. In the end, Hunter usually went along with whatever Rafe decided.

Suddenly, a frisson of unease radiated up from the base of his spine. Every hair on his body stood on end. He hadn't seen or smelled anything out of the ordinary, but his instincts were usually spot-on. Over the loud music, he heard a series of low threatening growls.

His head snapped around, nostrils flaring and amber eyes searching for the culprit. The wolves were gathering near the entrance and the crowd prevented him from seeing anything. Suppressing his own growl, he straightened to his full six feet, five inches and made his way toward the disturbance.

The men stepped aside as he passed. They knew he wasn't there just to shoot pool, and they respected his position as lead enforcer.

At the center of the mob, a ginger wolf circled a man he'd never seen before. A sweet, coppery scent wafted off the stranger. Underneath it, a dusky hint of feathers tickled his senses. Strangely enough, he didn't find the vampire's aura repulsive.

From the looks of things, more than a few punches had already been thrown. The black-haired stranger sported a bruise along his jaw and one eye was swollen shut. The right sleeve of his white silk shirt had been ripped off, revealing a hawk tattoo on his bicep. Despite this, he stood stock-still. You had to respect a man who took this kind of punishment without hitting back. His assailant, a wolf known as a bully and bigot, didn't have a mark on him.

This had to be stopped before the fight escalated. Right now, the other wolves were content to watch and enjoy a fight they knew their taller and heavier pack mate would win easily. But if the stranger decided to fight back, the other Lycans might feel compelled to help Toby. Then Hunter would have to deal with a bunch of dogs who wanted in on the fight.

"Toby! Back down."

"Fuck off, Hunter!" The ginger-haired man didn't even turn his head. "You gonna protect a bloody buzzard? Maybe the same one that killed your mate and plucked her eyes from their sockets?"

Hunter clenched his fists at his sides and tried to contain his rage. He didn't know who he wanted to hit more, the bloodsucker or Toby. He caught the vampire's eyes over Toby's shoulder and saw that they registered shock. Maybe a vampire-hawk had killed Tena, but it wasn't this one.

Talking wouldn't work. Not on Toby. Not on the others. The wolves smelled blood and they were in no state of mind to think about anything except a kill.

He considered his options. One or two men he could handle. And the other enforcers were standing by ready to keep the drugged-up crowd at bay.

He moved in behind Toby. The Lycan snarled but didn't acknowledge him. Hunter slid his right hand under Toby's arm and up behind his head, pushing forward. At the same time, he pulled Toby's left arm behind his back, trying not to dislocate the man's shoulder. "It's not worth it, man. Calm the fuck--"

A blur behind the vampire slammed into the black-haired man's back, knocking him to his hands and knees. An immense gray wolf locked massive jaws on his arm and pulled. Bones snapped like twigs, but the vampire went to his stomach without making a sound.

"You don't want to do this, Doyle!" Hunter fixed his eyes on the wolf. Everyone stilled. The gray wolf held tight to the man's arm. A twist and a roll, and those strong jaws would rip it off.

Tread carefully.

The stranger wasn't human and Hunter knew his injuries would heal, but no species he knew could re-grow a limb.

Toby spat at the man lying on the plank floor. "You're protecting a fucking bloodsucker?"

"One who has every right to be here."

"Says who? A fucking treaty that's older than both of us put together?"

Hunter exerted a little more pressure on Toby's neck. "That treaty is the only thing standing between us and a race war. Do you really want to be the one who breaks it?"

Toby tensed. "He started it."

"Doesn't mean you have to finish it. I don't think the Alpha is ready to do battle because you can't keep your temper under control."

Toby relaxed in his hold. "You can let me go. I won't touch him."

"Go get a drink." Hunter shoved him toward the bar, then looked around. "The rest of you follow him. Show's over."

The men grumbled but they dispersed, and after a few tense seconds the gray wolf backed down and released the vampire's arm. He rolled to his back and cradled his forearm to his chest.

The wolf shook its head from side to side and baptized the vampire with bloody saliva. Doyle's furious gaze held Hunter's and sent an unmistakable message.

Why did it feel like he'd just met his real enemy?