Fully Fledged [Spirit of Sage 9] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 4

  “Did you hit her, too?” Freddy wanted to know since his stepmother had been the one to convince his father to have him sent away.

  “No, honey,” Aiden replied. “I showed her a video of the lab where you’d been kept, and all those little display jars holding body parts, and another tape I found of her accepting the payment as you were driven away, thanking Leonard for taking you off their hands. Selling children is still a felony, whatever your DNA. I let her digest that for a while and then got them both to sign papers emancipating you from them.”

  “Best thing you could have done,” Murphy commented. “I hope we never have to see them. It’s surprising, since money appears to be important to them, that they’ve never tried to stiff us for anything. I have to confess, I paid them a visit, as well.” Aiden shot his mate a dry look, arching a brow to indicate their breakdown in communication, since neither one appeared to have told the other about meeting Freddy’s “parents.”

  Freddy smirked at both men and felt an easing of the tension that had been nagging at his heels since he returned home two days ago. “Do we need to have that chat about sharing our feelings?” he said, with a return to his old, sassy-mouthed self.

  Aiden curled his lip and smirked right back. “No, sweetie. Murphy and I have found exciting new ways to get our point across,” he retorted with a salacious wink at the psychotherapist, rolling his eyes comically. “On this occasion, we were both dealing with our very new relationship and the adoption of a smart-aleck fourteen-year-old. It’s probably a good thing we didn’t communicate this back then, but chose to concentrate on welcoming you into a warm and loving home, letting you heal. Getting those papers signed went a long way to easing your fears about them coming to take you away.”

  Freddy nodded and sipped his chocolate again, taking a long draft and sighing with pleasure as it slid down his throat, sweet, and thick, and yummy. “I was terrified that they would, despite their lack of concern or caring.” He looked at Murphy. “Did you beat the crap out of either of them?”

  Murphy shook his head, his gaze darting to Aiden. “I arrived to find that your father had already been badly injured, and he claimed a feral dog had gotten loose and attacked him.” Aiden grinned at the comment and then laughed when Murphy kept him pinned down with a hard look.

  “Darling, I’ve never claimed to be anything else,” he chortled smugly. “Feral dog beats prissy pussy, hands down,” he added.

  Murphy snorted at that one. “I was not a prissy pussy,” he said, sounding offended. “The difference between me and you is that I don’t go off half-cocked and have a reasoned, well-thought-out plan of action.”

  “So, you punched my dad, too, then?” Freddy said dryly, laughing. Murphy was certainly not someone to mess with when it came to defending his family. Freddy had seen him take on the former President of the United States, Ed Houston, when Murphy found out that Houston had known about the labs and everything the cult had done for decades.

  Murphy grinned. “I nearly ripped the fucker’s head off,” he admitted finally. “He had a broken jaw, ribs, and a concussion. I found where he was in the hospital and went in after dark. When he woke, he saw me, leaning over him in full combat gear, showing some fang. He pissed himself. I told him that he needed to never contact you again, or I’d make sure the next time I paid him a visit, I’d put him in a coma.”

  Freddy laughed and shook his head. His two dads were a menace, but he hoped they never changed. It was reassuring to know that at least two people on the planet would always have his back. His laughter turned to a grimace of pain as his eaglet made its appearance again, shrieking imperiously. He cried out, clutching his belly, the mug falling from his hand and staining the sheets.

  “Focus, Freddy,” Aiden said calmly, stroking his hair. “Is it the eagle again?”

  Freddy nodded weakly, exhausted.

  “Don’t fight him,” Murphy advised. “He’ll be scared, and he obviously needs you to shift. Let him free, baby. Don’t be afraid. We’re here. Shift, honey.”

  Freddy heard the words and relaxed slightly, stopping his fight. Almost immediately the eagle stopped clawing and mantled his huge wings, flapping strongly. A few seconds later, Freddy squawked, huge talons clawing at the sheets, struggling to balance on two spindly legs topped with razor-sharp appendages.

  “Damn, Freddy,” Aiden said, staring at him in amazement. He reached out, gingerly stroking the downy feathers on Freddy’s chest. Freddy heard a light chittering chirp come from his throat and looked down at his yellow legs. He squawked again.

  “Daddy? Is that Freddy?” a little voice said from the doorway. “He’s so beautiful.”

  Honey, their seven-year-old daughter, was standing in her yellow nightdress, her green eyes like saucers as she stared. Freddy chirruped and gave a couple of tentative wing flaps. He began to lift off and nearly took Murphy’s head off with the strong primary feathers that edged his wing tips. They were designed to slice through the air currents, reducing drag. A bedroom was perhaps not the best place to practice preflight maneuvers.

  “Woah!” Mabel, one of his best friends from the labs and adopted at the same time as Freddy, gave him a thumbs-up, grinning widely at him as she peeked around the doorframe. “Dude, that’s pretty cool. Your bird is beautiful.”

  “Daddy, can we call him Big Bird now?” Honey asked with a grin, giggling.

  “Not when he has that huge beak out,” Murphy retorted dryly. “He’s already smacked me in the head with his wings.

  Freddy’s laugh came out as another squawk, and he tilted his head, blinking. His gaze swept the room, and he instinctively began to preen, lifting one wing to tend to his feathers, then the next, chittering in satisfaction.

  “Shall we take this outside?” Aiden asked, ducking as Freddy gave his wings a shake. “Perhaps our extra-large parrot here may like to have a bit more space.”

  Freddy snapped his beak warningly at the insult and hopped off the bed. His wings were huge, spanning the room, some twelve feet wide. His wingtips touched each wall, and he stood at least five feet high. The crowd in the doorway moved aside to let him pass as he hopped along, using his wings for balance, aiming for the back door. Mabel raced ahead and opened the door. Thanking her with a gentle nudge of his beak, he made his way out onto the back porch, hopped up onto the railing, and then spread his wings fully, flapping steadily. It was just getting light, dawn emerging over the trees, and as he rose higher and higher, a breeze ruffled his feathers, and his eagle let loose a loud, triumphant shriek.

  He cleared the tree line, gaining height rapidly, his body surprisingly light despite his immense size. Sunshine crept over the mountains, gilding his wings as he reveled in the rush of the wind through his feathers. The lazy air currents allowed him to glide effortlessly, swirling in huge circles over the ranch. With his superior vision, he could see for miles and miles. The town of Sage lay sleeping, and he swooped over it, watching from above as a familiar car parked behind Café Anglais. John had arrived for work in the sporty little Mustang that he used to commute. Within a few moments, Ethan was scurrying over to start the ovens to make fresh bread and pastries. Scotty, another baker, joined the trio, looking to the sky when Freddy tested his aerial skills and did a low dive along the street, pulling up just in time and then lifting back into the air. He chuckled at the shock on their faces. This was fun.

  Another figure came into view, someone who sent shivers down his spine. The man who gave him chills. A man who might be his mate, possibly. A man who gave Freddy hope that he was not completely broken. He had feared sex for a long time and hadn’t even considered that he was a shifter, let alone capable of being mated. The arrival of the big lion shifter with his circus troupe had Freddy reconsidering in a hurry. Evan was a guy who made Freddy want to gather his courage and find out what being mated was all about. He grinned to himself, cried out in delight, and swooped down again, claws extended. Evan looked up, his eyes widening as he saw the giant eagle, and then yelp
ed in surprise when he was scooped up gently in Freddy’s talons and carried out of Sage, back toward the ranch.

  “Freddy, I really hope that’s you,” Evan yelled, sounding terrified. “Even if it is, I am thinking that your delectable butt may need spanking for this.”

  Heading for a special, secluded spot at the ranch, Freddy swept down, flapping his wings hard as he slowed down and deposited Evan carefully in a snowy meadow a couple of miles from the ranch house. Landing next to the man he figured was his mate, Freddy chittered as the man brushed the snow off himself, having tumbled backward into a large drift once set on his feet.

  “You know, that was not exactly funny,” Evan scolded, hands on hips.

  Freddy chittered again and hopped closer, lowering his head for a scratch. “Of course. Now you want forgiveness?” Evan sounded less angry now and complied, stroking Freddy’s head softly. “Such a beautiful color, you are,” he said admiringly. “A deep golden bronze, glinting with fire. You are truly stunning.”

  Freddy mantled his wings, flapping a couple of times, and then began to preen his flight feathers.

  “I believe that I will make my own way back to the ranch,” Evan said dryly, eyeing Freddy with a wary look. “I was in town to get some special treats for Mazy and her group. The greengrocer’s shop had some fruit they were going to donate to the monkey troupe, and John told me he had some goods for the animals, too.”

  Freddy ducked his head sheepishly.

  “I am truly glad that you have found your creature. And an eagle? So beautiful.” Evan nodded and scratched Freddy’s neck again. “Now, unless you plan on us freezing our balls off, right here in the middle of winter, I will shift and head back to get a lift back to town.” He placed a gentle kiss on Freddy’s beak. “Then we can discuss our relationship a little later, hmmm?”

  He shifted into his lion form, gave a rumbling purr, and then began padding back to the ranch. Freddy watched him go for a moment, then an imp of mischief welled up, and he took flight, silently. He saw Evan glance back and then upward, before he began running. Freddy swooped down again, claws at the ready, and scooped him once again off the ground.

  “Dammit, Freddy!” Evan said in exasperation, shifting back to human form, then chuckled. “Your dads told me you would be a handful. I understand what they meant, now.”

  Freddy smirked to himself, heading back to town. Within minutes, he was back on Main Street, and Evan had his bare feet firmly on the ground. As they landed, John ran out of his café, keeping a safe distance from Freddy’s sharp beak. “Freddy? Is that you?” he asked, moving closer.

  “I certainly hope it is Freddy,” Evan said, rolling his eyes. “Otherwise, I shall never live this down.”

  John grinned at the man, naked as a jaybird. “You won’t anyway,” he drawled, laughing. “The sight of your face when our feathered friend here grabbed you will stay with me, lighting up my life for years to come.”

  Evan snorted. “Hmmm. Just as the sight of your face when you saw Mazy in your café will stay with me,” he retorted. Freddy tilted his head, listening to the conversation. He had to meet Mazy. She sounded pretty cool.

  “I have the stuff you ordered,” John said, arching one brow as he studied Freddy. “Are you going to shift or just stand there all day, preening? There’s a hot chocolate in it for you, if you like.”

  Freddy hesitated, giving a questioning chirp. “Just focus on you again,” Evan said quietly, stroking a hand over Freddy’s breast feathers. “Look at your bird, say thank you, and you’ll begin to shift back.” He shot John a look. “Perhaps you have some spare trousers for me and my mate, to stop our dicks swinging in the breeze and getting frostbite?”

  John grinned. “Can’t let that happen,” he said and produced a pair of black jeans from behind his back. “I had a premonition,” he added, before turning around and heading for the café again to grab a second pair of trousers. He returned a few moments later, threw the other pair at Evan, then departed again, smirking and muttering something about frozen popsicles. Evan stepped into the trousers, feeling slightly warmer.

  Freddy tried to focus, concentrating on becoming his human self, and within seconds, he was standing on two human feet, shivering. Evan handed over the pants, his gaze running admiringly over Freddy’s cut frame. “My love, you are a delight.”

  Freddy blushed, zipped up the pants, and then found himself wrapped in Evan’s arms, the man’s soft lips fused to his, kissing his mate passionately, for all he was worth.

  “I look forward to our courtship,” Evan said huskily, when they parted, cupping Freddy’s butt, grinding against him erotically. “Now, let us go for that hot chocolate, before I skip all the steps and go straight to the finale.”

  Freddy shuddered, eyes closed and his pulse throbbing in time with his dick, which was swollen to twice the size. “I’m just trying to remember a few things right now, you go on without me and I’ll catch up.”

  Evan chuckled. “I am glad that my kisses have scorched your brain,” he said smugly. Grabbing Freddy’s hand in his, he tugged his mate along, toward the café before Freddy froze to the sidewalk.

  Freddy didn’t think frostbite was going to be a problem, since he’d practically melted on the spot.

  Chapter Four

  Evan eyed his passenger with a series of sideways glances, smiling as the man began to snore lightly. Freddy’s little jaunt across the sky had exhausted him. Early mornings certainly weren’t his forte.

  “Wakey, wakey,” Evan called, reaching over to shake his mate. Freddy reacted with a muttered curse and tried to snuggle back against the door. “Er, no, my love,” Evan chided, shaking the man harder. “We have a large group of circus animals that need tending to. Sub-zero temperatures are not kind to reptiles, large African, hairless mammals, or exotic monkeys.”

  “Too early,” Freddy moaned, screwing his face up adorably.

  “What, did I suddenly acquire a teenager of twelve years old as a mate?” Evan said, frowning as he stopped the truck beside the large structure that housed his nonshifter animal friends.

  “Twelve? Eew!” Freddy grumbled, opening one eye to stare at Evan balefully. “That’s gross.”

  “Then quit behaving like a twelve-year-old trying to avoid chores,” Evan replied with a snort. He leaned in, capturing Freddy’s mouth and felt his pulse race as they kissed, the instant flare of passion something he’d never get used to. He never wanted to, either. “We have animals to feed, and you need to be introduced to my friends.”

  Freddy looked dazed, his lips all puffy and ripe like swollen berries. Evan went in for a second helping, groaning as he took a taste, savoring the flavor over several seconds of delicious, intense exploration. “We are mates, aren’t we?” Freddy said, blinking. “I felt a connection, but…”

  “We must be,” Evan said simply. “We are hot enough for each other that it cannot be any other way.”

  “You kiss like a dream,” Freddy murmured, somehow lying along the bench seat, with Evan situated between his legs, their cocks perfectly aligned as they rocked gently together.

  Evan stared down at his beautiful mate, seeing the helpless desire in those brown eyes, and smiled. “You are all that I have dreamed about,” he admitted. “When I saw you walk into the café, I felt as though all my birthdays had come at once.”

  Freddy smiled back, looking shy, a delicate flush tinting his cheeks. “You had a similar effect on me,” he said and laughed slightly. “I didn’t realize, after traveling the world for so long, that I would find everything I wanted right back here in Sage.”

  Evan dipped his head again, addicted to that smile, greedy for more. He slid his tongue alongside Freddy’s, playing tag for a while before sucking the succulent morsel into his mouth, feasting avidly. He felt Freddy writhe beneath him and shifted slightly, grinding harder against the hard ridge that pulsed against his cock. “Come for me, darling,” Evan growled, nipping at Freddy’s lower lip and then sucking on it.

 
Freddy let out a strangled moan, bucking beneath Evan, his arms tight around Evan’s neck. Panting, he moaned again, and the smell of spunk soon hit Evan’s nostrils. He soothed his mate with light kisses, inhaling the sexy aroma of his lover’s release. “I would taste you, but I fear we are behind schedule,” Evan said softly. He gave Freddy a final kiss, tender and loving, before easing back onto his haunches. For a few seconds, he studied his lover, seeing the flush of passion, the wanton sprawl, and the evidence of Freddy’s climax on the front of his borrowed pants. “We will continue this, yes?”

  Freddy nodded soundlessly, breathing hard. “I’ve never come like that before,” he said breathlessly.

  Evan smiled slowly. “The next time, you will come in my mouth,” he declared firmly, licking his lips for effect. He watched as lust flared in Freddy’s eyes. “But this must happen once we have fed the troops.” He sighed, reaching to open the door. Hopping out, he waved at his friends. “Daniel, please would you get some spare clothing for my mate?” he called out to one of the tiger shifters. “He shifted for the first time earlier, and it’s a little cold out here to be naked.”

  The shifter grinned and loped off toward two cottages on the far side of the barn. A few moments later, he returned with a pair of blue jeans, a sweat shirt, and a thick fleecy hoodie.

  “Here, boss. Wouldn’t want your beloved to lose his tackle.”

  “Let me be the one to keep my eye on that,” Evan retorted, seeing the wicked gleam in his friend’s eyes. He saw Daniel’s mates, Mikhail and Stan, laughing at him knowingly. He turned back and threw the clothing to Freddy. “That should help.”

  “Shoes?” Freddy asked hopefully, pulling his cum-soaked pants off and dragging the fresh pair on after cleaning himself off.