Sometimes when one is in the darkness and all
alone, that is when somebody special shows up
and guides them to the light and real love is
found.

Zaid’s one of the rarest of breeds of shifters, an
African Wild Dog. So, when he finds out that one
of the biggest hunters is in Wayne county intent
on killing him, he decides he’ll strike first. But to
do so, he must go down into the ancient tunnels.
For that, he needs the best set of eyes in the pack,
Kline.

Kline is afraid to go out on the mission, but he’s

been secretly attracted to Zaid for so long that he
knows he can’t refuse. Will they succeed? Or will
they die before they see the light again?

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Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the
author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events or locales or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

In Plain Sight

ISBN: 978-1-77111-727-2

Cover art by Angela Waters

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In Plain Sight

Wayne County Wolves 8

Stephani Hecht

Chapter One

here’s a bounty on your head, and
somebody is in town, and they’re

determined to collect it.”

Those are never words that somebody wants to

hear from his pack leader. Even somebody like
Zaid. Sure, as an African Wild Dog, he already
knew he had a bounty on his head. A huge one, in
fact. Due to overhunting, his breed was nearly
extinct, so they were highly sought after by
collectors and hunters alike. So that wasn’t the
part that bothered Zaid.

It was the fact that somebody had come to his

stomping grounds, the very same ones that held
his friends, the ones that he looked on as family,
that bothered him. His friends and pack had
become his family because his birth kin were all
dead. If anything were to happen to what he had
left, he would be alone in the world. He’d gone
through that before. He had no wish to repeat it.

“Do you know who it is?” Zaid asked, in a

surprisingly calm voice.

“T

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“Intel says it’s a Snake shifter that goes by the

name of Obsidian,”

Zaid curled his hands into fists and he fought

back a growl. Obsidian was one of the worst
hunters out there. He had been responsible for the
deaths of many of Zaid’s old pack. Zaid also knew
that Obsidian would stop at nothing before he had
Zaid’s head mounted to his wall. He wouldn’t
care if it was in human or animal form, either.
Obsidian was twisted that way.

Zaid must not have been as good at hiding his

emotions as he thought, because Chris cocked a
brow. “I take it that this is somebody you know?”

“Yeah, you could say that Obsidian has been

very vigorous in his attempts at making my
species extinct. For some reason, he has a huge
beef against us and he wants to see the world
wiped clean of all of us.”

“So, he tracked you down here and has come

looking just for you. It’s no accident that he’s
here?” Chris asked.

“No, and he won’t stop until I’m dead. He’ll

also kill anybody who gets in his way. So, that
means that there’s only one thing that I can do.”

“What’s that?”
“I have to twist the tables on him to become the

hunter and turn him into the prey,” Zaid said.

Zaid only hoped that Chris would see the

reason in his plan and go along with it. Maybe

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then, the leader would be willing to lend a few of
his men to go along with Zaid. Because Zaid was
praying to whoever was listening that he wouldn’t
be going on his little mission on his own. He
would have to have some serious backup if he
wanted any chance at defeating the Snake.

Zaid let out a pent up breath when Chris

nodded his head. “That sounds like a good plan to
me. I’ll lend you some of my men. Better yet, I’ll
let you use Kline.”

Kline? Why would Zaid need a guy who couldn’t

even go outside because his eyes were so sensitive to
light? “Sorry? Why would I need Kline?”

“Because, intel also says that Obsidian is hiding

out in the old Snake tunnels.”

Zaid still shook his head. “But, nobody has

used those for years. Not since the Snakes moved
more north of here.”

“Well, you can tell that to Obsidian when you

see him. Until then, you’re going to need Kline.
With his enhanced vision, you’re going to need
him down there.”

“We can just use night-vision goggles,” Zaid

argued.

Chris chuckled. “Trust me, Kline will put those

to shame. When it comes to searching for things in
dark places, he’s your best bet.”

Zaid thought about the Omega Wolf. With his

spiky blond hair, light blue eyes, thin build and

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full lips, he was more than cute enough, but to
take him on a mission? Especially one that was so
dangerous? Zaid just didn’t see it.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea? After all,

he’s an Omega,” Zaid said with all the respect he
could muster. After all, Chris was still his Alpha.

Chris gave him a knowing grin. “Trust me,

Kline can take care of himself. He’s a better fighter
than most of my Betas.”

Zaid thought back to how small and thin Kline

was and seriously doubted it, but he didn’t dare
say it aloud. He just gave an internal sigh. Great!
Now, not only did he have to kill Obsidian, which
was not going to be easy, but he was going to have
to babysit some Omega at the same time. His day
just kept getting better and better.

“Okay, thank you for the help. I’d like to gather

the team together as soon as possible and start
hunting down Obsidian right away. If we get a
jump on him right away, the less damage he can
do to the pack,” Zaid said.

“Agreed. I’ve heard that he’s already roughed

up a few shifters trying to get information on you.
I think by now he already knows that you’re with
this pack, but he hasn’t made a move yet because
the numbers aren’t in his favor. But that won’t
hold him back for long.”

“Okay, besides Kline, who do I get?” Zaid

asked, hoping that he wasn’t going to end up with

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a bunch of misfits. This mission depended on too
much for him to end up with a bunch of fuck ups.

“Don’t worry, I’m sending some of the best

with you. Might, Alek, Dalin, Angel, Bishop, Baily,
Desmond, Gareth, and Tad.”

Zaid let out a huff at the last three names.

“You’re sending the McCormick brothers? Why
don’t you do me a favor now and kill me to put
me out of my misery.”

“They’re not that bad,” Chris said in a tone that

wasn’t very convincing.

“Not that bad?” Zaid echoed. “They are a

menace, and that’s putting things nicely. It’s a
miracle they haven’t burned down the pack
dwelling to the ground by now. Lord knows
they’ve tried enough times in the past.”

“Okay, maybe they’re a little…rambunctious at

times. But, you have to admit that they’re damn
good soldiers, and they’ll come in handy when it
comes time to fight.”

Zaid ran a hand over his short buzz cut. As

much as he did hate to fess up to it, Chris did have
a point. The brothers may be major pains in the
necks, but they were kick ass warriors, and Zaid
was hard pressed to think of anybody else he’d
rather have by his side when things got sticky.

“Okay, I’ll go start getting things ready to leave

in the morning then. Do you want me to tell the
team or are you going to do it?” Zaid asked.

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“I’ll call them each in and tell them. That way I

can give the brothers a little warning to be good,”
Chris replied with a knowing smile.

In other words, he was going to caution the

brothers that they better behave or there would be
a world of hell to pay once they got home. Boy-oh-
boy, Zaid would love to be a fly on the wall for
that conversation. It was sure to be a doozy.

Zaid nodded respectfully to his Alpha then got

up and left. The first place he went to is the
dwelling he shared with his dwindling group of
misfit pack members. Or he should call them his
former pack, since they had all joined Chris’ fold
and were now officially members.

Before they had met Chris though, it had just

been them. A group of varied breeds of shifters
who had been abandoned for different reasons.
Zaid had found them one by one and taken them
in. They had grown close and formed their own
family of sorts.

That had all changed when the Rabbit shifter of

their group had found his mate in Chris’ pack.
They had all moved into the Chris’ dwelling after
that, and Zaid had stood by and watched as his
former charges had one-by-one found mates and
gone off to live their own lives. Now the only ones
who were left were him and Walsh, a Ferret
shifter. Even then, Zaid rarely saw Walsh and

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when he did, Walsh was usually stoned out of his
mind.

As always when Zaid thought of Walsh, a flash

a guilt went through him. He should have done
more, seen the signs quicker and known that
Walsh was in trouble. After all, when it boiled
down to it, Zaid was their leader and the
responsibility of the group rested on his
shoulders.

Zaid entered the dwelling and found Walsh

there. He was passed out on the couch. A part of
Zaid wanted to pick Walsh up by the back of his
collar and give him a good shaking and yell in his
face. But Zaid had learned the hard way, not too
long ago, that tactic didn’t work at all. When he’d
tried it, Walsh had stormed out and gone missing
for a week. Those seven days had been pure
torture on Zaid. The entire time all he thought
about was what kind of trouble Walsh could have
been getting into and how it would have been
Zaid’s fault for driving him away.

So, Zaid just left Walsh in peace and began to

make his way to his own room. He started to skirt
his way around his couch, but something, perhaps
guilt, made him stop and look down at his
roommate.

Walsh looked the worst Zaid had ever seen

him. While he’d always been on the thin side, he’d
allowed himself to go until he was to the point of

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near emaciation. His once dark auburn hair was
now dull and lifeless, the locks so dirty that it was
near impossible to tell what color it was anymore.
Dark circles lay under his eyes, making them look
almost bruised, and his skin was so pale that Zaid
could almost see the veins underlining it.

To say that Walsh looked like shit would have

been putting it mildly. He appeared to be two
steps and a skip away from death’s door. The grim
reaper had that door opened wide and the coffee
on, too. If Zaid didn’t do something drastic soon,
he was going to lose Walsh forever. Then he
would truly be without a family again.

Zaid leaned down and sniffed. Gah! Walsh

smelled even worse than he looked. He reeked as
if he hadn’t taken a bath in days if not weeks. It
would seem that personal hygiene had fallen low
on the Walsh list of priorities. He smelled like he’d
rolled around in the garbage for a while then
wallowed around in some sewage for good
measure.

What was worse was the scent that underlined

all the others—TAR. It was the only illegal street
drug that could be taken in small, affordable
quantities yet still give the shifter quick, easy
buzz. Too bad the side effects were a bitch. It
slowly ate away at the user’s body and brain until
nothing was left but a shell.

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A shell of what once used to be a vibrant,

funny, outgoing man. Walsh was now reduced to
this…thing. What was worse was that Zaid was
helpless to stop it. Or at least he didn’t know how
in the hell to halt it. He was sure there was some
cure out there, but he didn’t know what in the hell
it was and for that, he felt like the world’s biggest
failure.

He moved on and went into his room and

threw himself down on the bed, landing on his
back. Throwing an arm over his face he wondered
how in the hell he was going to take on somebody
as powerful as Obsidian?

Who was Zaid kidding? If all the greatest

warriors before him had failed to kill the powerful
Snake shifter, then why should he be any
different? Zaid would be lucky if he got within
fifteen feet of the Snake shifter, let alone in close
enough to get the kill. Even with all the help that
Chris was giving him. Zaid needed to face facts,
what they were going on was a suicide mission. It
was plain and simple, for him to think otherwise
was just plain wishful thinking.

On its own, his mind wandered over to Kline.

Zaid had to admit to himself that he was more
than a little attracted to the Wolf. With his
beautiful features and soft disposition, yet hint of
fire, Zaid couldn’t help but feel drawn to the
Omega. Which could be trouble when they were

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going on such a dangerous mission. The last thing
Zaid needed was any distractions and Kline was
one big distraction.

But, like it or not, Kline would be going, and

Zaid was going to have to figure out a way to
distance himself from the Wolf, while at the same
time utilize his skills as a tracker. Yeah, right! That
one would be easy. Piece of cake. Just a walk in
the park. Nothing to worry about. Easy peasy.

Zaid let out a groan. Suuuuure…..and maybe

unicorns were real and Skittles would start raining
from the sky. Just thinking of Kline, with his full,
kiss-me-now lips, his fuckable ass, and his pull-
me-while-you-do-me-from-behind hair had Zaid
hard and wanting.

Zaid palmed himself through his fatigue pants

as he wondered just what it would feel like to pin
down the Omega and claim him. To bite Kline’s
sweet flesh as Zaid was buried balls’ deep inside
his sweet ass. It would be pure heaven.

A heaven that Zaid would never be able to visit.

He had no doubt in his mind that he would die on
this mission. His goal was to make sure that
Obsidian perished as well. Now Zaid had a new
goal as well—to make sure that Kline made it out
alive. For Zaid would never forgive himself if the
Omega were to die on his account.

Zaid kicked off his boots and pulled the covers

over him. He would need his rest for the mission.

In Plain Sight

Now that Kline was going on it, the stakes were
higher than ever.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Two

line paced the floor of his dimly lit living
room as he waited for the time for him to go

out and meet the others for the mission. It was
early in the morning, but he’d already been up for
hours, too jacked up to sleep. He could scarcely
believe that he was really going out on his first
official mission for the pack.

He let out a deep breath, trying to steady his

frayed nerves. He could do this. Finn had
managed just fine. In fact, he was now going out
on missions on a regular basis. Shit, Finn was
considered an equal among the pack, a true
warrior. Kline, on the other hand, continued to
hide away in his living quarters. Tucked behind,
his big brother Tate’s back. Just like he had been
for the past twenty-two years.

It was time for Kline to step out into the real

world to become a contributing member of the
pack. Just like Finn was. Kline was plenty old
enough. Just because his gift was also his disability

In Plain Sight

didn’t make him a child. It just was a little speed
bump in his life that he needed to overcome. So
Kline needed to put on his big boy pants, man up,
and do it already. The time for hiding out had
come to an end.

The fact the one leading the mission was Zaid

did make things all the more appealing. Kline had
been harboring a secret crush on the African Wild
Dog ever since he’d first spotted the man working
out in the gym one day. It had been several
months ago, yet to Kline it was still as fresh in his
memory as it had been yesterday.

Zaid’s body, with its dark skin that was

stretched over a mass of muscles, had looked so
sleek and shiny under the gym lights. Even with
his sunglasses on to protect his overly sensitive
eyes, Kline had been able to make out every dip
and ridge. To see the droplets of sweat as they
traveled down the man’s skin. Kline had to stop
himself from running across the gym and licking
up the little beads of liquid. Although he was sure
that would have made a fan-fucking-tastic first
impression.

That wasn’t all there was to Zaid, though, that

was just the beginning. There were his deep
brown eyes that seemed to stare right into Kline’s
soul when Zaid turned to gaze in his direction. For
a moment, Kline had been frozen in place, like
some kind of dope. It was as if they were making

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direct eye contact, which was impossible given the
fact that Kline had on his glasses. Yet, Kline
couldn’t shake off the feeling that Zaid could see
through the dark lenses. It left Kline feeling
stripped and vulnerable, yet turned on at the same
time.

Tate walked into the room, snapping Kline out

of musings. His brother still wore his sleep pants
and his dark hair was mussed, but he looked
awake as ever. He also appeared as peeved as
ever. He had a frown on his face and there was a
glint in his brown eyes that only appeared when
he was angry or upset.

“I’m going and you can’t talk me out of it, so

don’t even try,” Kline snapped before Tate could
get a word out.

Tate held his hands out in a sign of surrender

although the look still remained in place on his
face. “Don’t worry about that. I learned my lesson
with Finn. You’re not going to get any nagging
from me.”

“Then you can stop giving me the stink eye.”
Tate ran his hands through his hair, messing it

up even further, before he let out a deep sigh. “I’m
trying here, Kline. I really, really am. It’s just the
thought of you going after a known killer and
tracking him down in those unstable tunnels no
less. It worries me.”

In Plain Sight

“If it wasn’t for the fact that they were going in

the tunnels they wouldn’t need me at all. After all,
the only reason they are using me is because of my
enhanced vision,” Kline pointed out in clipped
tones.

What he didn’t add was that it was the same

superior vision that cursed him to have to wear
sunglasses whenever he left the living quarters.
His eyes were so sensitive that even the slightest
bit of light made him wince. It was so bad that he
couldn’t even go outside during the day, or the
sunlight would fry his retinas. So, yeah, it sucked
to be him. But, he had gotten over it a long time
ago…for the most part.

“I just hate how they use you and Finn as their

own personal tracking dogs,” Tate said.

Kline bristled a bit. The worst cutdown one

could use towards a Wolf was to call them a dog,
yet his own damn brother had just gone there.
Tate must be more pissed off than he was letting
on. Either that, or he was asking for a good ass
kicking. One that Kline would be willing to give a
try at. For while Tate may have a good fifty
pounds of muscle on him, unlike most other
Omegas, Kline did know how to fight, and he
wasn’t shy about using those skills on Tate.

Of course since Tate had been the one who had

taught Kline all those skills in the first place, he
would probably mop the floor up with Kline. But

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damn if Kline wouldn’t be able to get in a few
good blows in first, and he would have a good
time doing so.

“I’m not some fucking dog, so don’t call me

one,” Kline said, curling up one lip to show off a
canine. “Are you deliberately trying to start a fight
to make me late or are you just being an asshole
on principle alone?”

“Remember who’s your elder, pup,” Tate

returned with a growl.

“And try to remember that I’m not a pup

anymore. I’m a grown man and you need to start
treating me like one. I thought you would have
learned your lesson with Finn on that one, but you
seem determined to repeat your mistakes.”

“It’s not the same. You’re more sensitive than

Finn. What if you get caught in the daylight or
something? You’ll be completely helpless. You
need to remember your weaknesses, Kline.”

Kline could feel his anger growing with each

word that Tate spoke. It also made Kline feel more
weak and unsure of himself, neither of which
made him happy. “I’m full aware of my
weaknesses, thank you very much. After all, I’m
the one who’s had to live with them all my life.
Don’t worry. I know exactly what I’m getting
myself into. Besides, I won’t be going in there
alone. I will have a whole team backing me up, all

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of them seasoned warriors. So, you don’t have to
worry about me.”

“The day I stop worrying about you is the day I

am dead.”

Kline rolled his eyes. “Now I think you’re being

a bit melodramatic and, on a guy who has as
many muscles and brawn as you do, it’s not a
good look. Trust me on this one.”

“That’s not fair. You know that after what

happened to Mom and Dad I worry about you and
Finn.”

“Which is why you taught us to fight better

than most Betas,” Kline pointed out in
exasperation. “Don’t worry. I’m more than
prepared for this mission.”

When Tate let out a pent up breath, Kline knew

he’d won the argument. It was all he could do to
refrain from doing a little happy dance. But
somehow he didn’t think that would win him
points in the maturity department. So, instead, he
just stood there and kept his best serious face on.

“Fine,” Tate said. “Did you make sure to pack

some extra blades on you?”

“I have every one that you’ve ever given me.”

Kline even turned around so Tate could see that
he had the pair of short blades that were strapped
to his back. “Plus, I’m sure the armory will give
me plenty of fire power. I won’t be going down
there defenseless. Besides, from what I’ve heard

Stephani Hecht

about Zaid, he’s not somebody that’s to be messed
with. I’ll have somebody good at my back.”

“I’ve never worked personally with Zaid, but

the rumor is he’s a damn good fighter. I will warn
you that he expects the best from those who serve
under him. So you may want to cut back on the
sarcastic comments when you’re around him,”
Tate warned, grimly.

A spike of worry went through Kline. Sarcasm

and he were best buds. One of them never went
anywhere without the other. It was going to be a
toughie for him to hold his tongue for the duration
for the mission.

He took a deep breath. He could do this. After

all, how long could the mission last? They just had
to go down, hunt one Snake, and kill it. He’d
heard of missions where the Wolves had taken on
dozens of Snakes, so offing a lone one should be a
piece of cake. Right?

“Well then, I best get going. The last thing I

want to do is make him mad by being late on the
first day of the mission,” Kline said.

He allowed Tate to give him a hug, although it

was an awkward one at best, since Kline was in
uniform and all weaponed up. Then, as they
separated, things got a bit awkward. If it was one
thing their family wasn’t great at, it was saying
goodbye. Even if it was for a little while.
Although, to be fair, Kline didn’t know how long

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he would be gone this time. Chris had told him
that once they went down in the tunnels, they
would not be going back up until the mission was
complete.

Or we were all dead, Kline thought to himself

grimly.

He shoved those thoughts aside. He had Zaid

by his side, plus a great team of Betas. There was
no way that they couldn’t succeed. It was just one
Snake that they were going after. Even if Obsidian
was as bad as they said he was, surely he couldn’t
defeat a group as big as theirs. There was no way
they could fail. Wolves were amongst the
strongest and fastest shifters out there. So the
Snake wouldn’t know what had hit him.

Kline gave a half-hearted wave that Tate

returned. Kline put on his sunglasses to guard his
eyes from the harsh lighting of the dwelling and
started to make his way to the meeting spot. As he
went throughout the building, he was well aware
of all the curious stares that were directed his way.
Both because he rarely left his dwelling and
because of his sunglasses. Thanks to Finn, and the
secret of how his gift of scent was a curse, word
had gotten out how Kline’s own gift could be a
hindrance as well.

It made Kline feel like a freak. Almost to the

point that he nearly turned tail and ran back to the
comfort of Tate and their dwelling. Then Kline’s

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own words came back to haunt him. The ones of
how Kline was now a man and how he needed to
stand on his own and become a contributing
member of the pack.

So Kline straightened his back, held his head a

little higher and carried on. If Finn could do this,
then by God, so could Kline. Besides, he was sure
that eventually the curiosity over him would die
down and the pack members would move on to
something else. After all, they were still at war
with another pack, so they had better things to
worry about than little old him.

He found Zaid waiting for him by the armory.

Kline took some satisfaction in knowing that he
was the first one to make it there. Then he worried
that by beating the others it would make him seem
too eager. He paused, as the last thing he wanted
to do was look like was some pup who was
bouncing around with excitement because this
was his first mission. That was the last impression
he wanted to give.

He grabbed onto a railing as he pondered.

What to do? What to do? Should he just march
forward and act like nothing was amiss? Or
should he wait until at least one other team mate
showed up? Damn it all, but Kline hated moments
like this. He and Finn had spent so much of their
lives sheltered by Tate that they were socially
awkward and often didn’t know how to act in

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public. Kline made a mental note to kick Tate in
the ass later on for putting him in this position.
While he knew that Tate had his best interests at
heart, he’d made Kline a social idiot.

Finally, Zaid turned and glared at Kline. It was

then that Kline realized that the Zaid had been
aware that Kline had been there all along. Talk
about being busted. Kline could feel a heat infuse
his cheeks, even as he felt himself squirming
under Zaid’s probing stare. Seriously, Kline didn’t
think there was a person alive who could win a
staring contest against that guy. Kline made it
only a few moments before he found himself
lowering his eyes to the floor in a show of
submission.

“Are you going to come over or do you plan on

lingering there all day?” Zaid asked.

“I was coming. I just didn’t want to be the first

one and come off as too eager,” Kline admitted.

“You don’t look too eager. You look prepared

and ready to follow orders. Two traits that I
happen to like. Now get over here so you can get
your weapons from the armory. Although,
looking at you, you already have enough blades to
slice and dice anything that comes within arm’s
reach of you.”

Kline looked up from under his lashes. Zaid

really was a big man. Kline was afraid that by the
time the mission was over, he was going to

Stephani Hecht

develop a serious kink in his neck. He didn’t know
what Zaid had been eating, but it must have some
serious protein in it, because he even put Tate to
shame.

“Yeah, but I would prefer that things didn’t get

close enough that I have to use my blades on
them. I’m much happier if I can take them out at a
distance with a gun,” Kline said.

A thrill went through Kline when Zaid gifted

him with a smile. Despite the warrior being so big,
it was so nice and soft that it reminded Kline of
warm maple syrup and left him feeling all gooey
inside. Maybe this mission would have an extra
silver lining after all.

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Chapter Three

s he waited for the others to join them, it was
all Zaid could do to keep his eyes off Kline.

Before that moment, he’d only seen the Omega
from far away and those glances had not done the
man justice at all.

Up close, even with those cursed sunglasses on,

Zaid could see that Kline’s feature were far more
delicate, yet masculine at the same time. He had a
beauty about him that so few males could manage
to pull off. His high cheekbones, slightly pouty
lips and pert nose went perfectly with his slim, yet
taut, body.

Zaid couldn’t help but wonder what it would

feel like to have that body under his. How it
would feel to pin down that Omega and claim
him. What Kline’s face would look like in the
moment of pure bliss, as his orgasm washed over
him. How his voice would sound as it yelled out
Zaid’s name in the height of passion.

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Zaid gave a slight shake of his head. He had no

right to even think such things. Especially when
he was leading Kline into such a dangerous
mission. If anything, he should be sending Kline
back home and telling him that he should sit this
one out. But Chris had been right. They did need
Kline and his eyes way too much for this
undertaking to be a success without him. Without
Kline and his tracking skills, they would fail for
sure. Zaid had though it over since he’d talked to
Chris and he’d realized his Alpha had been right,
that the key to finding Obsidian was Kline. There
was no two ways about it.

So why in the hell did that make Zaid feel so

guilty? In fact, it made him feel as if he were no
better than Obsidian himself. And Zaid had never
thought that he could get that low.

Then again, as Zaid glanced over and looked at

the well-assured way Kline took each gun,
checked it out, and how well he handled it, he had
to remind himself that this was no ordinary
Omega he was dealing with. Kline could handle
himself in a battle. Shit, it looked as if Kline was
more ready to do field work than most Betas. It
appeared as if he was ready to kick ass and then
some.

Yet it did little to assuage Zaid’s guilt. Any

more when the rest of the team showed up one-
by-one and began to get ready, too. With each

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arriving member, the weight of their upcoming
fates weighed heavily on Zaid’s shoulders.

While he kept reminding himself that Obsidian

was a threat to the pack and did need to be taken
out, Zaid also knew that this was personal to him
as well. So he felt that he was putting all these
soldiers on the line to settle it for him. If any of
them were to die in the process, and there were a
good chance that one or more of them would, Zaid
would forever carry that guilt.

Then Zaid reminded himself that if they didn’t

take out Obsidian now, it would only be a matter
of time before the Snake started going after
members of the pack. After all, not only was
Obsidian a murder, he had a vicious appetite. As
such, he would soon turn to the easiest and most
convenient food source, which just happened to be
the Wolf dwelling. He wouldn’t be picky over
who he killed either, young, old, infirmed…it
wouldn’t matter to him. To Obsidian, meat was
meat, and that as all that was important.

So yeah, they needed to take out the Snake, the

quicker the better. If Zaid just so happened to get
some personal vendetta out of the way in the
process, more the better. Plus, it’s not like
anybody could blame him. Not after all the hurt
that Obsidian had thrown Zaid’s way for so many
years. Fair was only fair, especially in the shifter
world.

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Once his team was assembled, they formed a

half circle around Zaid and looked expectantly at
him. Even the McCormick brothers were quiet,
which had to be a first since the dark, auburn trio
were usually yammering away or arguing with
each other. That was when they weren’t
exchanging blows and beating the snot out of each
other. Zaid let out a sigh. He just hoped that their
good behavior lasted, but he doubted it. Which
was sad, because he really needed everybody on
their A game for this mission if they were going to
have even the slighted chance of surviving.

“Is it true that we’ll be hunting a Snake?”

Desmond asked.

He was the eldest of the brothers and his

Scottish accent was so thick, it was hard for Zaid
to figure out what he was saying.

The youngest brother, Tad, rolled his sharp,

green eyes. He was a technically a Beta, but he
only had a few inches on Kline. Unlike his brother,
who had their uniforms in spotless condition, Tad
had ripped his sleeves off and had purple streaks
running through his hair. He also wore massive
ear plugs and had more ink on his body than Dave
Navarro.

“Of course we’re hunting a Snake. Didn’t you

listen during our briefing?” Tad asked, his voice
laced in irritation. He had an accent as well, but
his was less pronounced than his older brother’s.

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Desmond gave a shrug. “You know I always

sleep through those things. They’re such a bore.”

“Then how do you know what to do when it

comes time to fight?” Kline asked with a frown.

Desmond gave Kline a flirtatious smile that had

Zaid’s insides boiling. “I just follow the rest of the
group and shoot anything that tries to kill me. It’s
worked well this far, so I figure why mess with the
system now.”

The middle brother, Garett, spoke up. “You say

that now, but I had to save your ass twice during
the last battle because you didn’t know what was
going on. So you may want to start paying
attention.”

“The day I need you to watch over me is the

day I trade my guns for a rocking chair and a
walker,” Desmond growled.

“Have you ever considered saying thank you

instead of just being an ass about it?” Garett
snapped back as he took a step forward.

Before he knew it, Zaid watched as the brothers

got in each other’s faces and squared off for what
looked like the makings of a good brawl,
McCormick style. Zaid let out a groan. They
hadn’t even left the pack dwelling and he was
already having trouble with the trio. Boy, oh, boy!
He couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the
mission brought.

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Zaid put himself between the arguing brothers

and said in a loud and stern voice, “I know how
you guys usually handle things, but there isn’t
going to be any of that shit on this mission. You
may think that we’re going after a simple Snake
shifter, but you couldn’t be further from the truth.
Obsidian is hard core evil and has the muscle to
back it out. I’ve personally seen him wipe out an
entire village in one night.”

“And just what village was this?” Tad asked,

his voice heavy with skepticism.

“Mine. I was the only survivor and that was

because my mother managed to hide me away in
the crawl space of our house.”

Zaid fought hard to repress a shudder as he

recalled that night. While he hadn’t been witness
to the massacre, that still hadn’t stopped him from
hearing the sounds of the dying or smelling the
stench of burning flesh and blood. Those things
would forever be ingrained in his brain for the rest
of his life. Along with he sight that had greeted
him when he had finally found the courage to
leave his hiding place. While Obsidian had eaten
many of his kills, even his appetite had its
limitations. As such, he’d been forced to leave
many of the dead behind. Zaid still felt his
stomach roll as he recalled the image of so many
dead and broken dead bodies lying around. Just
like they had been discarded play things.

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They had been his friends, his family, his pack

members. It had filled Zaid with such a rage that
even though he had been young and at such a
tender age, he had made a vow. No matter how
long it took him, he would someday find Obsidian
and make him pay for what he’d done.

Now that the opportunity was there, Zaid could

almost taste it, and he was going to be damned if
he was going to let the McCormick brothers fuck
things up for him. So Zaid needed to get a handle
on them fast.

“If I catch you fucking up again I’ll save

Obsidian the trouble and personally kill you
myself,” Zaid promised.

At once, the brothers became a united front.

Desmond let out a little snarl. “And just what
make you think that you can do that, Dog.”

It was a slur, pure and simple. Yes, Zaid may be

an African Wild Dog, but the way Desmond said it
made it sound as if Zaid were nothing more than a
mutt from the local pound. It was intended to set
up Zaid’s hackles, but too bad for Desmond, Zaid
had been called a lot worse in his life and lived
through it. As a result, he’d developed a thick
hide. So, the Wolf would have to come up with a
lot worse to get under Zaid’s skin.

“Look, if you want, we can fight it out here and

now to see who has the bigger dick, but Chris has
put me in charge of this mission for a reason,”

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Zaid said. “I know Obsidian better than anyone
here and I can tell you one thing about him.”

“And what would that be?” Garrett asked.
“Right now that Snake is hunting—for food. He

has a wicked appetite and it won’t be satisfied
until half, if not all, of this pack is dead. He won’t
care if it includes innocent civilians or children
either.”

“He’ll never get past our guards,” Tad argued,

but there was a hint of doubt in his voice.

Zaid turned on him. “When are you going to

get it? This isn’t your ordinary Snake shifter. Not
only will Obsidian get past them, but he will
destroy them in the process. The sad bastards
won’t even see him coming. One moment, he’ll
just be there, and the next they’ll be dead. They
won’t even have time to raise the alarm.”

“I think you guys really need to listen to Zaid

and get your heads out of your asses,” Kline spoke
up.

They all turned and looked at Kline, who until

that moment had been silently standing back and
watching the conversation. He’d added some guns
to his various blades that were strapped to his
body and damn if it didn’t make him all the sexier.
Zaid could feel all of his anger leave his body as
bone-numbing desire took its place. It really
should be against the law for one man to look that
good.

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“And why should we listen to you?” Desmond

scoffed. “You can barely see when there’s any
light around.”

“I can see enough to know that you used navy

thread to fix the third button on your shirt instead
of black. Ted has on two different socks. They both
may be black but the brands are different because
the colors are off just by a little bit. The lace on
Garett’s right boot is frayed and he’s going to need
to replace it within two days, or it’s going to
break. Is that proof enough to you that I’m not
blind?” Kline asked in a bored tone.

“I’ll admit it’s a bit impressive. What else do

you have to tell us, Mr. I-see-it-all?” Desmond
demanded.

“You have some food stuck in between your

front teeth.”

Desmond turned a deep shade of red as he

quickly brought his hand up to his mouth. But at
least it shut him the hell up and it broke the
tension, too. In fact, Zaid had to bite the inside of
his cheek to keep from laughing. The others
weren’t so kind. They all broke out into a loud
burst of chortles.

Alek, a Beta who was thin yet vicious in the

field, pointed a finger at Desmond. “Not so easy to
be a badass when you have half your breakfast
still caught between your chompers. You may
want to invest in some floss there, buddy.”

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“Fuck you,” Desmond snarled.
“We already tried to go there once, but if you

want to give it another go, I’m game.” Alek
waggled his eyebrows in a goofy manner.

Zaid could see why Desmond would go for

someone like Alek. While he was a bit thin to be a
Beta, he made up for it in flexibility and pure born
battle instincts. Both of which were appealing
attributes in their world. Not only that, but Alek
was very good looking. His hair was darker than
most Wolf shifters and he wore it a bit longer so it
hung just below his collar. Another difference was
that he had deep blue eyes. They stood out stark
against his pale skin, adding a sense of exoticness
about him in a world where most people had
brown hair and eyes.

Of course, Zaid’s personal preference went

towards Omegas with blond hair and blue eyes.
On its own accord, his gaze drifted towards Kline.
Damn, what Zaid would give just to be able to
move those sunglasses long enough so he could
look into Kline’s eyes. It was something that Zaid
had always longed to do and something that had
always been denied to him.

Zaid gave a shake of his head. There was a time

and a place to get all soppy, and this wasn’t one of
them. He needed to keep his mind in focus so he
could track down Obsidian and kill the Snake

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once and for all. That wouldn’t happen if he let a
set of baby-blues distract him.

Zaid would just have to do everything in his

power to distance himself as much as possible
from Kline during the mission. After all, how hard
could it be? There were plenty of them there. Zaid
could just use the others as a buffer. Sure it may be
a coward’s move on his part. But Zaid wasn’t
above using it.

Then Kline turned his face into Zaid’s direction

and Zaid could swear that he could feel the
Omega’s gaze boring right into him. While it made
him feel uneasy, it also turned Zaid on like
nothing else had in his entire life.

Zaid let out a deep breath. This was going to be

the hardest mission in his life, and it wasn’t just
because he was hunting down Obsidian.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Four

s they loaded up in the van that would take
them to the tunnels, Kline couldn’t help stop

the butterflies that were having a battle of their
own in his stomach. While he wanted to tell
himself that he wasn’t nervous and that this was a
mission, he knew nothing could be further from
the truth.

Not only was this his first mission, but from the

way Zaid had described it, it was going to be a
damned dangerous one. One that Kline wasn’t so
sure that all of them were going to come back alive
from.

To occupy his time, he looked out the tinted

windows. Out of deference for him, they had left
early in the day, when the sun had yet to fully
come out. Even so, the weak sunlight was still
hard on his eyes. Tears began to form as his
retinas began to burn and he had to blink the
moisture away.

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That still didn’t stop him from enjoying the

sights though. It had been so long since he’d been
outside the pack dwelling that he drank up
everything. From the Tim Hortons coffee shop to
the huge Walmart store. While they may seem
mundane to anybody else, to Kline they were so
new and interesting. He only wished they had the
time to go inside so he could really explore them.
That would have been a dream come true. He
would have loved nothing more than to walk up
and down the aisles of the superstore and finger
up all the shiny items on the shelves.

But there would be no time for that. They had a

mean, nasty Snake to catch and kill. Kline glanced
over at Zaid. The man wore a grim yet determined
expression on his face. After what he’d shared
back at the dwelling, Kline now knew that this
was more than a mission for Zaid, it was personal.
The only question that remained was, would it be
so personal that it would hinder the progress of
the battle?

Would Zaid be able to keep his head in the

game? Or would he let his personal feelings rule
him? One of the things that Tate had pounded into
Kline and Finn’s heads was that they had to be
emotionless in a fight. Things like hate, anger, or
hurt could distract you and distractions could be
your undoing. The last thing Kline wanted was for
Zaid to end up hurt, or worse, dead.

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Kline wished he was close enough to Zaid to

talk to him about it. But they had barely
exchanged three words in the entire time that they
had known each other. So it wasn’t like Kline
could exactly sit down and have a deep, let’s-
share-our-feelings chat with the guy. For all Kline
knew, Zaid would tell him to fuck off and mind
his own business.

Kline could feel his head begin to pound. Both

from all the emotions swirling around in him and
from the sunlight. For as weak as it was and even
with the tinted windows and glasses, it was too
much for his eyes. Yet, Kline didn’t let on to the
others that he was bothered. He knew they
already considered him a hindrance, so he was
going to be damned if he was going to add fuel to
their let’s-all-hate-Kline fire.

He couldn’t believe it, but he couldn’t wait until

they got to the tunnels. At least there it would be
dark and his eyes could have a much needed rest.
He would even be able to take off the glasses. He
hated having to wear the things. Not only did they
bother him, but they were a constant reminder
that he was different—defective. For while many
may say that Kline’s heightened vision was a gift,
Kline would gladly return it just to be normal even
if it were for one day.

A tear worked its way loose from one of Kline’s

eyes and started to slide down his face. He quickly

In Plain Sight

wiped it away, but not before Zaid noticed it. The
warrior let out a frown as he studied Kline.

Kline closed his eyes as he prayed that Zaid

wouldn’t say anything about it—or worse, mock
him for it. Kline could take some ribbing from the
others, but for some reason, it would hurt ten
times worse if it came from Zaid. Why, Kline
didn’t know, he just was certain that it would feel
as if his heart were being ripped from his heart
and being stomped on. Which was dumb since he
hardly knew the guy.

But the seconds clicked by and Zaid remained

silent. Kline gradually realize that Zaid wasn’t
going to say anything. Relief swept through Kline.
He even managed to give Zaid a small smile of
gratitude.

When Zaid returned the grin, Kline felt a heat

building on his cheeks. He quickly ducked his
head so Zaid didn’t see it. Kline had already made
enough of fool out of himself as it was without
adding to it.

Thankfully, they arrived at the opening of the

cave. They all piled out and adjusted their
weapons while they waited for Zaid to give them
their first orders. They didn’t have to wait long.

“Okay, we’re going to go in, in a line of two

men wide. We shouldn’t need the night vision
goggles until we’re really deep in there because of
our heightened shifter vision,” Zaid said.

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“It’s just not as good as Kline’s here,” Tad said

with a nervous chuckle.

Zaid nodded. “True, we don’t have near the

skill of Kline. He’s never going to need the goggles
at all. He is literally going to be our eyes down
there.”

Okay, Kline wasn’t feeling any pressure or

anything. Nope, not at all. So if that was the case,
then why was he all of a sudden sweating bullets,
despite the fact that it was a perfectly chilly day
outside? So what if the whole mission depended
on him, despite the fact that he’d never been out in
the field before. Easy, peasy…piece of cake.

Oh, who was he kidding? He was well and

truly fucked, and he knew it. He may as well drop
dead on the spot and save them all the trouble of
right then and there of dealing with a defective
Omega. That way they wouldn’t have to waste the
time trying to protect him from the big, bad Snake.
For while Kline had boasted that he was as good a
fighter as any Beta, when it came right down to it,
he was just an Omega. A thin, scrawny Omega,
who didn’t have an ounce of muscle on him and
was so short he looked like a hobbit in the midst of
a group of orcs. Maybe for shits they could toss
him around some.

Kline was so lost in his musings that when a

hand clamped down on his shoulder, he jumped.
Looking up, he was shocked to see that it was

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Zaid. The leader was gazing down at him in
concern.

“The first mission is always the toughest and it

doesn’t help that we’re going on one that’s so
dangerous. So it’s okay to be afraid. In fact, I’d be
worried about you if you didn’t have some nerves
going in,” Zaid said to Kline.

Kline gave a weak smile. “Was I that obvious?”
“Only to me. The others are too busy ribbing

each other to pay attention to you.”

“But, you did?”
Zaid stared down at Kline. “I’ve always paid

attention to you, from the first moment I met you.
You’ve just never noticed it.”

Kline let out a gasp as shock, and a heady thrill,

went through him. He opened his mouth to ask
Zaid if he’d really meant that, but the warrior had
already turned away. So Kline was left standing
there like some kind of idiot, while Zaid joined the
others and began to bark out orders.

“We need to get in the tunnel now,” he said.
“Yeah, we don’t want to give the Snake a

chance to figure out that we’re here,” Garrett said.

Zaid gave him a grim look. “I hate to break it to

you, but if I know Obsidian, then I’d be willing to
bet my last dollar that he’s already aware that
we’re already here. The bastard is probably setting
up traps in the tunnel as we speak.”

Stephani Hecht

“Great!” Alek groused. “So not only do we

have to deal with the Snake, but we have to watch
out for his booby traps? This mission just keeps
getting better and better.”

“I’m afraid that you’re right,” Zaid said,

“What’s worse is those traps are going to be pretty
fucked up and gruesome, too. Obsidian has quite
the imagination.”

“We should have asked Toby and Shane to go

on this mission with us,” Desmond added.
“Nobody knows crazy better than those two.”

“I figured I had my hands full enough as it was

handling you three without adding those two to
the mix,” Zaid drawled. “Besides, everybody
knows they can’t spend more than ten minutes
around each other without one of them trying to
kill the other one.”

“It still would have been fun for the

entertainment factor,” Tad pointed out.

* * * *

Zaid hated to admit it, but the little shit did have a
point. It was always interesting to watch the
Leopard brothers interact. Since Zaid didn’t have
any family left, it struck him as odd that those two
couldn’t be in the same room for more than five
minutes without going to blows. But then again,
that’s Leopards for you. The breed had never been

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known to be the stable ones among shifters. There
was a reason why they made for the best
assassins. Leopards were cold-hearted and
emotionless. Which made it a miracle that both
Shane and Toby had managed to find and fall in
love with their mates. Something that was nearly
unheard of when it came to Leopards. Usually the
males and females just mated to keep the breed
going and then the couple would go their separate
ways and never see each other again.

Zaid shook his head. He could never imagine

his parents being that cold to each other. While
he’d still been young when they’d been alive, he
remembered how they had constantly touched
each other. The loving looks they had always
exchanged. It made Zaid yearn for the same thing
in his life.

On its own accord, Zaid’s gaze again drifted

towards Kline. Now that was somebody he would
love to settle down with. But the chances of that
ever happening were slim to none, and slim had
just walked out the door. Somebody as sweet and
innocent as Kline had no business being with the
likes of Zaid. If Kline were to ever find out some
of the things Zaid had been forced to do in order
to survive and to protect the rest of his ragtag
group before they had joined the Wolf pack… No,
Zaid didn’t even want to go there. He would be

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too ashamed to even speak to Kline again much
less look the other man in the eyes.

Zaid realized he’d been standing there for a

while, saying nothing while the others were just
staring at him, waiting for his next order. Zaid
cleared his throat and said, “Okay, let’s get
started. The sooner we get this mission finished,
the sooner we can get back to our pack.”

“Yeah, I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t

want to miss Thanksgiving,” Alek said.

“Is it that good?” Tad asked with a half smile

on his face.

They had only been with the pack for a half

year, having been exiled from their last pack when
the brothers had revealed that they were all gay.
They’d heard that Chris’ pack was more tolerant
and had come seeking sanctuary. The pack had
never been the same again.

Alek’s face lit up with delight, making him look

even younger than his twenty–one years. “Oh,
yeah. We have a huge feast. The turkey is to die
for and there is so much to eat that we stuff
ourselves until we can’t fit in another bite. Then
we all go into the media room and watch the
football game.”

“They don’t mean soccer, either,” Kline

drawled.

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“I know that,” Tad said, but there was

something about the tone of his voice that said he
was lying.

“If we don’t get going, none of us are going to

make it in time for Thanksgiving,” Zaid point out,
echoing Alek’s earlier concern.

He bit back a laugh when they all quickly got

into formation. Nothing like the fear of missing a
big meal to get a group of warriors into action.
Kline took his position next to Zaid.

Zaid breathed in deep, allowing himself one

last moment to bask in the pleasure of Kline’s
sweet scent. It reminded Zaid of apples and
cinnamon, and damn if Zaid didn’t want to have
himself a little nibble. Shaking off that thought, he
raised a hand and signaled to the men that it was
time to move forward.

All of them walked cautiously, so as not to

make too much noise. While Zaid appreciated the
effort, he wanted to tell them again he was pretty
sure Obsidian knew they were already there. As
such, they could have had a marching band
accompanying them in and it wouldn’t have made
a shit’s worth of difference.

But, since they were all trying so hard, and he

didn’t have the heart to dash their hopes, Zaid just
let them go. He would remind them later that
Obsidian knew they were there. Let them have

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their peace for a while longer. They would be in
fear plenty more, later on.

A big part of Zaid wanted to grab Kline, pick

him up, then toss him into the back of the van
where he would be safe. But Zaid knew that he
couldn’t do that. First, it would crush Kline’s pride
and that’s something Zaid would never do.
Second, they needed Kline too much for this
mission.

Like it or not, Kline was their secret weapon

and the only way they were going to be able to
defeat Obsidian. One of the ways the Snake had
been so successful in the past was the way that he
would sneak away, hide, and then strike when one
was least expecting it. With Kline’s great tracking
skills, Obsidian wouldn’t be able to do that. They
would be able to take Obsidian’s biggest
advantage away from him and take him down a
couple of pegs. Which may, just may, be able to
make it so they could destroy him.

One could have some hope, couldn’t he?
They breached the entrance of the cave and a

shiver ran down Zaid’s back as he wondered if
they would ever be coming back out. He
wondered if Kline was thinking the same thing,
because the Omega grew pale and he swallowed
hard. Even the McCormick brothers were quiet for
once, although one did mutter out a soft curse.

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The tunnels had a rounded, spiral feel to them

and the earth was packed so hard. On a lark, Zaid
reached out and touched it, only to find that it was
as hard as rock and cold. He had to give it to the
Snakes, they were good at building their
underground homes. There was no way these
babies were going to cave in. Not without the help
of a lot of explosives. It was a good thing Zaid and
the Wolves happened to have thought to bring a
lot of those with them.

After they had walked in a distance and the

light grew weak, Kline took off his sunglasses and
tucked them into one of his pockets. Zaid couldn’t
resist taking a peek at the man’s eyes. Even with
the shitty lighting, Zaid could tell that Kline didn’t
have just blue eyes. No, they had little flecks of
darker blue hues throughout them, making Kline
all the more unique.

But then again, everything about Kline was

special and it wasn’t just because of his special gift
either. Kline had a special way of being innocent
yet snarky at the same time, a balance that not
many others could manage. In fact, Zaid had yet
to meet another who had that quality about them.

“This place is creepy,” Kline whispered.
“Yeah, it’s not exactly home,” Zaid agreed.
“I can smell them. Which means him, which

means he can smell us, doesn’t it?”

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Zaid decided that he owed it to Kline to tell him

the truth. “Yeah, he knows we’re here.”

There were several curses from the men behind

him, who had obviously overheard the
conversation. Kline, for his part, remained calm,
he just thoughtfully cocked his head to the side
and said, “Then whey hasn’t he attacked us yet. If
he’s as powerful as you say he is, you would think
he would strike down anybody that got near his
stomping ground.”

Zaid felt his stomach clench in dread. “Because

he wants to play with us first. Like a cat toys with
its prey.”

Zaid didn’t know what reaction he expected

from Kline, perhaps some fear, or maybe some
tears or even a little bit of trembling. What he got
was the exact opposite. Kline pursed his lips
together in a thoughtful manner. “That would
make sense given what you’ve said about him. He
seems like somebody who would love to play
sadistic games like that. It probably turns him on.”

Zaid was amazed at how quickly Kline was

able to peg Obsidian. Usually, people didn’t figure
out how the Snake’s mind worked until it was too
late and their throat was already slit. They would
then be on their way to Obsidian’s dinner table, if
one could even call it that. Ugh!

Zaid did know one thing for sure, there was a

lot more to the Omega than he first thought. It was

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going to be interesting to find out what else Kline
had in store.

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Chapter Five

kay, it was official, Kline was freaked out. He
was doing his best to hide it, and so far he

thought he was doing a bang up job, but this
whole mission had him ready to jump out of his
skin. If somebody had come up behind him and
said, “Boo!” he probably would have wet himself
in fear.

To be fair to him, they were going after one

bad-ass Snake, and this was his first mission, but
Kline still felt like a wimp for being so scared.
Especially when Zaid seemed so cool, calm, and
collected. Hell, you probably could have set a
bomb off under the guy’s ass and he wouldn’t
give a reaction.

As they moved their way farther into the cave,

it grew darker. It was so soothing on Kline’s eyes
that he almost let out a sigh of relief. Or rather, it
would have been relaxing had he not seen all the
carcasses littering the floor.

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It would seem that Obsidian liked to let his

food sit around a while before he ate it, and he
wasn’t too particular on what his dinner was,
either. There was every kind of shifter down there,
feline, Wolf, Rat…hell, there was even a Hippo,
and those things were damn rare. There were also
dead humans and regular animals down there as
well, from the smallest dog to what looked to be a
lion that had been stolen from the nearby zoo.
Obsidian had been one busy little boy.

The smell was so rancid that Kline said a silent

prayer of thanks that Finn wasn’t there with them.
No doubt his twin would be bent over and
retching by this point. The cloying scent mixed
with the scent of Snake and Earth weren’t exactly
a great combo and it made Kline want to run in
the opposite direction, just so he could get away
from it and take a breath of fresh air.

But he moved on, because he had a job to do

and he was damned if he was going to let a little
stink make him fail his first mission. He wanted to
be a success, both to make Zaid proud of him and
to show Tate that he could do more than sit on the
couch and watch TV all day.

Kline swept his gaze across the ground, and

then he saw it. It was so thin that nobody but him
would have picked it up—a razor wire that went
across one side of the wall to the other. Letting out
a hiss of warning, Kline reached out and put a

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hand on Zaid’s chest to stop him from moving
forward.

“What is it?” Zaid asked, with a frown.
“There’s a wire in front of us. It’s a couple of

inches off the ground and one meter ahead of us.”

Tad squinted his eyes and tilted his head to the

side. “Where? I don’t see it.”

Desmond gave a solemn shake of his head.

“Don’t doubt Kline. I’ve heard about his gift and
how good it is. If he says the wire is there then it’s
there.”

Tad scoffed. “Come on. How good can his eyes

be? He’s a damn Omega. Everybody knows all
they’re good for is eye candy.”

Kline took in a deep breath as rage filled him.

Eye candy? Who in the hell did this dumb Beta
think he was talking to? Kline could probably take
Tad out in a fight. In fact, that sounded like a
splendid idea at that moment. Reaching back,
Kline began to pull out one of his short blades, but
Zaid reached out and grabbed Kline’s arm, staying
him.

“Don’t,” Zaid said, gently.
“Why not?” Kline bit out, still as angry as ever.
“Because we both know that you’ll shred him to

ribbons and, asshole or not, we’re going to need
him later on.”

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Tad let out a sound of outrage. “And just what

makes you think that he’ll beat me? I’m a Beta and
he’s nothing but a damn Omega.”

Never taking his gaze off Kline, Zaid said,

“Because nobody carries around blades that
deadly and beautiful unless they know how to use
them. Am I right, Kline?”

Kline couldn’t stop the cold smile from

spreading out over his face. “Yeah, you’re right.
After our parents died, our older brother made
sure that both me and my twin knew how to fight.
That way, if we were ever ambushed again, we
could get out alive.”

“It sounds like Tate is very protective of you.

How did he feel about you coming on this
mission?” Zaid asked.

Kline continued to gaze up at Zaid, finding it

impossible to look away from those brown eyes.
Sweet damn on a popsicle stick, but Kline could
stare at them all day long. They were so warm and
dark that they both comforted Kline and turned
him on at the same time.

Kline realized he really needed to get a grip on

himself and fast. He needed to be focusing on the
mission. They were going after one damn
dangerous Snake. Yet Kline couldn’t stop himself
from drooling after Zaid. It was all Kline could do
not to jump the man right on the spot, and
everybody knows you don’t get frisky during

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scary situations. That’s a sure way to get killed off.
Or at least that’s the way it always happens in the
movies.

“I still don’t see any wire,” Tad said,

interrupting the tender moment.

Desmond let out a put-upon-sigh before he

took a step forward and swept the ground in front
of him with his rifle. Kline could see the weapon
make contact with the wire. As soon as it did, two
sharp, thick, long blades came out from each side
of the wall. They came together with a loud clash,
meeting right where somebody’s head would be
had they been standing there.

There was a long stretch of stupefied silence as

they all looked at the blades in horror of what
could have been. Finally, Tad let out a low whistle.
“Okay, I get it. The Omega’s my new best friend
now.”

“The Omega has a name and it’s Kline,” Zaid

all but growled out.

It gave Kline a heady sense of satisfaction to

have Zaid come to his defense, even if it was over
something as small as a name. He ducked his head
so the others wouldn’t see that he was grinning
like some love-sick idiot who had a crush on the
big-bad jock. Because it wasn’t like that…honest.

Tad gave a slight rolling of his eyes but didn’t

go any further in any signs of disrespect. No
doubt because Zaid could easily eat him for

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breakfast. “Okay, Kline is my new best friend now.
Is that better, sir?”

Zaid looked over at Desmond. “Is your pup

always this bad?”

“No, usually he’s much worse. He’s just on his

best behavior because he’s scared of you,” Garett
interjected.

“And what about you? Are you afraid of me?”

Zaid challenged.

“Yes, but I respect you more,” Garett replied.
“As do I,” Desmond agreed.
Kline decided then that the brains of the family

had gone to the first two of the bunch. They must
have run out when it came time for Tad or
something. It was a good thing he was cute,
because that’s about all he had going for him. Poor
guy. Kline would have felt sorry for him had it not
been for all the Omega slurs.

“As much fun as this conversation has been,

let’s get moving. I want to be the one who finds
Obsidian, not the other way around,” Zaid said.

“Agreed,” Kline replied.
“Do you see any secondary trips or wires?”

Zaid asked.

Kline cautiously moved forward, looking over

the ground and walls carefully. When he saw
nothing amiss, he waved the others forward. They
all walked ahead, ducking under the blades that

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would have decapitated them had Kline not seen
that wire.

Kline put a shaking hand to his stomach. He

was just glad that he hadn’t missed it. If he had,
then it would have been him and Zaid who would
have bought it. Just the thought of Zaid dying
because of a mistake Kline made was enough to
make his stomach churn.

No, Kline couldn’t allow that to happen, he

wouldn’t. Like he said to Tad, he wasn’t just some
ordinary Omega. As such, Kline was going to use
every trick in his bag to make sure that Zaid made
it out of the tunnels alive.

Kline had seen the look in Zaid’s eyes. He was

out for retribution at any costs. Even if he had to
die in the process. So if Zaid wouldn’t look out for
himself, then Kline was just going to have to do it
for him.

He took up his position next to Zaid, all the

while very aware of the sexy vibes the other man
was giving off. Kline wondered if Zaid was even
aware that he did it, or if it just came naturally to
him. Kline was inclined to believe the latter. There
was no way that somebody as hot as Zaid would
be wasting their time on an Omega like Kline.
Especially somebody who had a vendetta on their
mind like Zaid did. Most likely Kline wasn’t even
a blip on Zaid’s radar…a road bump on his
path…a bit of turbulence in his flight.

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Kline let out a sigh. Leave it to him to get his

first crush on a guy that he had absolutely no
chance of ever getting. He couldn’t go the easy
route and fall for somebody more his level,
noooooooooo…..Kline had to go after the big
apple, the one that he could always want a bite of,
but never get a taste. If that wasn’t the story of his
sad, pathetic life.

He was so caught up in his self-pity party that

he almost missed the second wire. Luckily, he
caught it just in time. He once again put his hand
out, to stop Zaid. All the while, Kline tried his best
to ignore how nice the man’s arm felt, even under
the layers of his clothing. Wow, Zaid must work
out twenty hours a day. There was no other way
he could have that many muscles. It was all Kline
could do not to turn his hand over and run it up
and down Zaid’s limb, just so Kline could truly
cop a good feel. After all, who could blame him?
Not even the best saint would have been able to
resist such a temptation.

“What is it?” Zaid asked.
“There’s another wire up ahead,” Kline replied.
“Damn, your eyes are good. I don’t see a damn

thing.”

Kline gave a short laugh. “Well it’s nice to

know that I’m good for one thing.”

Zaid gave Kline a once-over, his gaze sending

shivers down Kline’s body, despite the fact that it

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was a bit warm in the tunnel. Kline was suddenly
happy that his pants were a bit loose, as he felt his
cock begin to get hard as desire shot through him.

“Why do I have a feeling that you’re good at

more than just one thing?” Zaid asked, a sly smile
coming over his face.

Kline froze, shocked and a bit unsure of what to

say. Was Zaid actually flirting with him or was
Kline just so desperate that he was imagining it?
Surely, he couldn’t be that dense. He may have
just gotten out into the real world, but he did
know some things.

“You’ll just have to wait and find that out for

yourself,” Kline finally replied.

When the McCormick brothers all bent over in

laughter, Kline knew he’d said the right thing.
Satisfied with himself, Kline smiled back at Zaid.

In Plain Sight

Chapter Six

aid liked things in his life to fit into nice little
square pegs. Right where they belonged, so he

could know how to deal with them. For example,
his former roommates/ragtag pack mates. Alger
had been the whimsical one. Caley, the more level-
headed one. Hale, the flighty one. Walsh, the
fuckup. While they may not have always been
easy to deal with, at least Zaid knew where he
stood. What he was up against.

With Kline, that was a whole different story.

Zaid didn’t know what to expect to when it came
to the Omega. Already, Zaid knew that that Kline
was like no other Omega he’d ever met before.
Not only was Kline gifted with incredible sight,
but he could fight, something most other Omegas
couldn’t even dream of. For some reason, that
turned Zaid on like nobody’s business, too.

Which was odd. Usually Zaid was attracted to

guys who were built like him. He never went for
the thin, short types. Yet it was all he could do not

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to reach out and run a hand down Kline’s back or
brush against Kline’s side as they walked by each
other. That was the last thing Zaid needed to be
thinking about, too, since he needed to keep
focused on the mission. Yet, try as he might, his
mind and gaze kept traveling back to Kline.

After twenty more minutes of walking, Zaid

finally held up a hand. “Let’s take a breather and
get some water in us. We don’t know how long
we’ll be walking.”

There were no complaints, only relieved nods.

It was then that Zaid realized just how fast and
hard he’d been pushing the group, yet not one had
uttered a word of complaint. Not even Tad.
Maybe Chris had been right in sending them with
Zaid after all, because they were all acting like true
soldiers. Even with the harsh conditions and hard
pace, outside of their initial reactions of horror
they had trudged on without compliant. Even
knowing what lay ahead of them. Zaid felt an
instant admiration for all the men, even the smart
ass Tad.

They only paused a moment before they began

to move on. By that point, it was getting so dark,
that even with their enhanced shifter vision, Zaid
and the others would soon be have to put on the
night vision goggles. Not Kline though, as he
continued to move around as freely as if it were as
lit up as day in there.

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They had only moved a few more meters before

Kline’s thin arm reached out and grabbed Zaid. By
then Zaid knew that meant to immediately stop.
He paused, waiting to hear what Kline had to say.
All the while, Zaid tried to ignore his body’s
reaction to Kline’s touch.

It was so hard, though. It had been so long since

anybody other than his roomies had touched him,
and he had never been interested in any of them in
any other way other than a friendly manner. What
he felt towards Kline was anything but friendly.
He wanted the man more than anything. No, it
was more primal than that, he wanted to take
Kline to the nearest flat surface, strip him bare and
claim him.

“Let me guess, another trap,” Zaid said.
When Kline nodded, Zaid turned to the others.

“Let’s have another water break before we work
our way around this one.”

They all found clean areas on the ground to sit

down and opened the water bottles. Zaid
watched, fascinated as Kline’s lips wrapped
around the lip of the bottle. As he watched, Kline’s
slender throat worked as he swallowed the liquid.
Just the sight of it put all kinds of decadent
thoughts into Zaid’s head.

He quickly looked away and focused on his

own bottle. He was glad for the darkness. Maybe

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then nobody would notice how much his fingers
were trembling as he worked to get the top off.

“Shane offered once to find the Ravens that

attacked my family. Do you think he could really
do it?” Kline said, suddenly.

The question was so unexpected that it took

Zaid a few moments to catch up. Once he did, he
gave a slight nod of his head. “Normally I would
say no, but with Shane, I’ve seen him do the
impossible. I’d be willing to bet that he could do
it.”

“If he did, would you go kill them for me?”
Now that was even more unexpected. Zaid

couldn’t keep the surprise from showing on his
face. “I would think that you would want Shane to
kill them for you. Why me?”

“Because I like and trust you,” Kline hedged.
Yeah, even though Zaid may wish that were

they case, he didn’t buy it for a single moment. He
didn’t need his enhanced sniffer to smell out that
lie. It was written as plain as day on Kline I’m-too-
innocent face. Moving in closer so there faces were
just mere inches apart, Zaid stared Kline down.

“You want to try answering that one again, and

this time I suggest you be truthful,” Zaid all but
snapped.

Kline jerked as if he’d been slapped. Zaid was

willing to bet that the little snot wasn’t used to
being yelled at much. Which kind of made sense,

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as he’d heard that Tate coddled the twins way too
much, to the point where he’d made them
recluses.

Kline’s mouth opened and closed several times,

as he no doubt tried to think of the proper words
to say. Finally, he blurted, “Because I want to be
there when the damn Ravens die. Is that so bad?”

“No,” Zaid replied, honestly, “there’s nothing

wrong with wanting a little a pay back. Just be
man enough to admit it.”

“No, you don’t get it. I want to see them suffer

before they die. I need to see them bleed. To hear
their cries of anguish. There’s nothing normal
about that,” Kline bit out, his voice shaking.

Before he even realized he was doing it, Zaid

reached over and cupped the back of Kline’s head.
Bringing Kline towards him until their foreheads
touched, Zaid said, “They took everything from
you. I understand that more than anybody. What
you’re feeling is perfectly normal. And I’ll do
everything I can to give it to you.”

Kline blinked at him, the surprise clear in those

beautiful blue eyes of his. “You would do that for
me? Why?”

“Because I do like you.”
With those final words Zaid got up and began

to gather his gear.

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They had been moving at a pretty decent clip

for the last hour. There hadn’t been any signs of
any trip wires or other traps. A normal person
would have been letting his guard down. After all,
they had gone through the three that Kline had
found at the first part of the cave. Most other
groups would either be all killed off or too scared
to move on. But then, those groups didn’t have a
secret weapon like Kline with them.

Man, the more Zaid saw of Kline, the more

impressed Zaid became. He’d heard that Kline’s
vision was amazing, but that didn’t even come
close to explaining the Wolf’s gift. In truth, it was
nothing short of amazing—so amazing that it was
almost scary at times.

So, when Kline put up a hand, Zaid didn’t even

pause a second before he came to a complete halt.
The others quickly following suit. Even Tad,
skidding on his heels. He’d seen enough of Kline’s
skills to know that they were to be taken seriously
and not to be messed with. Which said a lot. For a
while there, Zaid thought he was going to have to
take a brick to get through that Wolf’s thick skull.
The sad thing was, he didn’t think Tad was being
an ass on purpose. He just believed that Tad had a
pain from the past that was so strong that the Wolf
had built a wall so thick around himself that he
only now got glimpses of the outside of the world.

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So much so that he missed a lot of what went on
around him.

“What is it this time?” Zaid asked in a near

whisper in case the trap was voice activated.

“I’m not for sure yet. There are a lot of triggers

in the ground. It’s like land mines, only a lot
smaller. You guys might want to get your night
goggles on so you can see better for this one.”

“Why?”
“Because we’re going to have to walk it single

file, making sure to follow each other’s footsteps
exactly. That way one of us doesn’t accidentally go
off course and step on one of those fuckers,” Kline
said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that word

before.” Zaid smiled.

Kline wrinkled his nose. “What word is that?”
“Fucker. You’re kind of cute when you swear.”
Kline rolled his eyes, but there was no

mistaking the satisfied smile on his face. “Just a
clue. Omegas hate to be called cute.”

“Then I know of one certain Omega that better

stop being it,” Zaid dared to say, hoping he wasn’t
pushing things.

Kline pursed his lips together and shot off a

cocky look. “Just wait until you see me fight. I’ll
bet you never call me cute again.”

“I never said it was a bad trait to have.”

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“You do know that the others can probably

overhear every word we’re saying right now?”
Kline pointed out.

Zaid gave a shake of his head since, for

somebody with excellent vision, Kline could sure
be blind at times. “They’re all too busy watching
the McCormick brothers getting into a fight right
now.”

“Aren’t you going to break it up?” Kline asked

with a small chuckle.

“In a moment. Right now it’s providing for a

convenient distraction.”

Kline tilted his head to the side. “And what

might that be?”

“To get some alone time with you.”
“Why? Did I do something wrong? Am I not

doing my job well enough?” Kline asked, serious
all of a sudden.

Zaid moved in a couple of steps, so they were

even closer. “What makes you think that would be
the only reason that I would want to be alone with
you?”

“Well, have you looked lately?” Kline pointed

at himself. “I’m scrawny and an Omega and
you’re….you!”

Zaid took even more steps forward, until Kline

had no choice but to backtrack until he was flush
against the wall. Zaid had Kline nice and pinned
in, and a primal part of him just loved that.

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Without even thinking about it, Zaid leaned
forward and buried his nose in the nape of Kline’s
neck. What Zaid found there nearly made him lose
control. Not only was there the usual sweet smell
of Kline, but there was also the underlying scent of
desire. Kline may be trembling all right, but it
wasn’t from fear—far from it. He liked what was
going down. What’s more, Zaid was willing to bet
that his little Omega wanted some more.

“We really shouldn’t be doing this,” Kline

protested, even as his body went pliant against
Zaid.

Zaid let out a dark laugh, relishing in the way

that Kline’s thin form molded itself into Zaid’s
more muscular one. It was as if they had been
built for one another. In fact, a tiny, crazy part of
Zaid’s brain couldn’t help but wonder if they
were. Otherwise, why would he be taking time out
to play when he had Obsidian so close within his
grasp? That’s all he should be thinking about. Not
about if there was a more secluded spot where he
could be taking Kline so they could get really
frisky.

Zaid began to nuzzle the spot on Kline’s throat,

giving it little love bites and kisses. Had it been a
bit lighter, the others would have seen the marks
he’d left behind for sure, but since they were in the
dark, Zaid figured they were safe enough.

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Kline let out a muffled sound that may have

been a groan. Zaid couldn’t be for sure and, at that
point, he found that he really didn’t care. He was
too preoccupied by the feeling of Kline’s hard,
thick cock rubbing against his thigh.

God, what Zaid would have done at that

moment to reach down between them, unzip
Kline’s pants, reach in and wrap his fingers
around that dick. If it was half as big as it felt, then
Zaid knew he would be in for a treat.

Kline splayed his hands over Zaid’s chest and

that was all the invitation Zaid needed. He
transferred his mouth to Kline’s lips and crushed
them together in a heated kiss. Damn if it wasn’t
the best one that Zaid had ever experienced.

Kline had a lot of heat to him, but there was just

a touch of innocence that made Zaid want to roar
with delight. It let him know that Kline wasn’t that
experienced and that Zaid was probably one of the
first…if not the first to taste those tempting lips. In
fact, Kline was so inexperienced that Zaid had to
reach up and pull down on the Wolf’s chin to urge
him to open up his mouth. Once Kline did, Zaid
wasted no time, sliding his tongue inside to taste
the sweet nectar that lay within.

“Holy shit! Zaid is mauling the Omega and not

in a kill and destroy way, either,” Tad’s voice cut
in.

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Zaid let out a frustrated growl when he felt

Kline stiffed under him and began to try and pull
away. Tad was so going to pay for that. Zaid
didn’t know how, he didn’t know when, but he’d
find a way to get the Beta back for ruining what
had to be one of the best moments in Zaid’s life.

Zaid pulled away from Kline, to find the rest of

the group staring at them with wide looks. If he
hadn’t been so jacked up at the moment, Zaid
would have been tempted to ask them if they had
never seen two men kiss before.

“Okay, enough staring. Let’s get through this

latest trap. We still have some ground to cover
before we have to find some place to set up
camp,” Zaid said, glowering at the team.

At least he must have still looked intimidating

enough, because they all hurried to get into
formation. With Kline leading the way, they were
easily able to avoid the triggers. Except for Tad,
who was bringing up the rear.

He must have hit it with the back of his foot,

but he still triggered it. Their only warning was a
loud click. Alek reached out and pulled Tad close
to him right before a barrage of arrows came
flying out, right in the direction of where Tad had
been moments before.

Tad clung to Alek for a few moments before he

seemed to realize what he was doing. He shoved

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himself away and said, “Thanks for saving me, but
you didn’t need to grope me afterwards.”

Alek rolled his eyes. “You wish. The day I

willingly touch you in that kind of way is the day
that they should take me in to have my head
checked.”

As Alek stormed off, Zaid rubbed his hand over

his face. Just what he needed, another
complication. They hadn’t even finished the first
day of their mission and he was beginning to
wonder if they were going to kill each other off
before Obsidian even got the chance.

In Plain Sight

Chapter Seven

he next two days were a monotonous routine
for Kline. They kept trudging deeper into the

tunnels, he’d find another trap, lead the team
through it, and then they’d move on to the next
one.

Meanwhile, while they continued to see the

dead carcasses of Obsidian’s kills and the place
was rank with the smell of Snake, they had yet to
see one scale of their prey. Kline was beginning to
wonder if Obsidian was just leading them in
circles and they were just playing a game in which
the Snake was setting the rules. A thought which
was unsettling and terrifying.

The only relief that Kline had to break up the

bleakness was Zaid. While the leader hadn’t
kissed Kline or given him more one-on-one time,
there had been some hot smoldering looks
exchanged. Ones that had set Kline’s body on fire
and made him anxious to get the mission over.
That way they could back to the Wolf dwelling.

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There, he hoped that Zaid would be willing to
take things a little further once they were in
private.

There was just one little problem. While Kline

had only really known Zaid for a couple days, he
realized that if Zaid were to toss him aside after a
one-night fling it was going to hurt, bad. But,
Kline was so desperate for a taste of Zaid, that was
a risk he was willing to take. He wondered if that
made him a slut or not, but after a while, he
decided he didn’t care. After a life of being denied
so many pleasures, Kline was going to allow
himself this one little indulgence, consequences be
damned.

Kline was still in his sleeping bag. He could

hear the others rustling about as they woke.
Rolling over, Kline glanced over at Zaid. While the
leader didn’t exactly go so far as to cuddle up next
to Kline, he always made sure they were next to
each other.

As soon as Kline looked over, he found himself

locked in Zaid’s gaze. It was one of those
smoldering ones, too. Kline was already half-hard
just from thinking of Zaid and that stare sent him
to full-attention in less than a few seconds.

Kline licked his lips as he recalled the kiss the

two of them had shared. How he’d wished they
hadn’t been interrupted, yet a part of him had
been relieved, too. Seeing how Kline had been

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about two seconds from coming at the time, he
would have had to spend the rest of the day in
sticky pants. Talk about uncomfortable.

Finally, it was Zaid who broke contact as he sat

up and began to gather up his stuff. They all
shared a breakfast of granola bars washed down
by water before they got up and began to move
on.

Kline was getting ready for just another day of

traps and walking, but Zaid put a hand on his
shoulder and spun him around. Kline blinked up
at his leader in surprise, both pleased with the
contact and somewhat shocked that Zaid was
giving into some public touching again.

“What?” Kline asked, once he got his mouth to

work again.

“I want you to be on your toes today,” Zaid

replied.

Well, that kind of offended Kline. So far he

thought he’d done an outstanding job. “I have
been this entire time. You don’t think I’ve been
slacking off, have you?”

“No, of course not. You’ve been doing terrific

work.”

Now confused, Kline pressed, “Then what’s up

with this talk?”

“I have a hinky feeling that we’re going to see

some action today, and I don’t want to see you get
hurt,” Zaid said, his voice growing softer.

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Touched, but alarmed at the same time, Kline

asked, “What do you mean by a hinky feeling?”

“It’s another term for a gut feeling, and it’s

never let me down yet. So, I’ve learned to always
listen to it. If it says there’s going to be some action
today, then we’re going to see it. I just want you to
be ready.”

“I already told you. I’m not like other Omegas. I

can fight as well as any Beta. You don’t need to
worry about me, Zaid.”

Zaid shocked Kline by reaching out and

cupping his cheek. “But I do. More than I should,
probably. I just want to make sure that you make
it out of here alive.”

“Did you ever stop to consider that maybe I

want the same thing for you?”

The surprised look that passed over Zaid’s face

would have been comical in any other situation.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t try to fool me. I’ve seen the look in your

eyes when you talk about Obsidian. You’ll do
anything to bring him down, even if that means
dying yourself in the process.”

When Zaid opened his mouth to protest, Kline

put a finger over his lips to shush him. “You can’t
deny it to me. Remember, I see everything. You’ve
come to mean a lot to me, and I would be very
upset if something were to happen to you. If you

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won’t do it for you, then do it for me. Don’t die for
a vendetta. You’re worth more than that.”

Zaid gently moved Kline’s finger. “Up until

now, you were the only one who’s ever told me
that.”

That troubled Kline so much that it brought a

lump to his throat. “Your friends have never said
anything to you?”

Zaid gave a bitter smile. “I guess they never

thought I would find Obsidian. Or maybe they
didn’t look as deeply as you did.”

“Whatever the reason, I have to think that they

would want you to come back alive. I know they
all care about you, too.” But not in the way I do,
Kline silently added.

They put their gear on their backs and began to

walk. Much to Kline’s surprise, there weren’t any
more traps. He still kept sweeping the area ahead
of them, hoping that he wasn’t missing anything,
but try as he may, he didn’t pick up anything.

The longer they went along, and as time

stretched out, Kline began to get an uneasy feeling
in his stomach as well. Maybe Zaid’s hinky vibe
had been right all along. If they were going this
long without a trap, it could mean only mean one
thing, Obsidian was close by, and he was
comfortable enough to think that his traps would
have already taken care of any intruders. So when
he found out that he had a bunch of Wolves falling

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right into his lap, he was going to be one unhappy
Snake. Which did not bode well for Kline and the
rest of the team.

They had just turned a corner when Kline

caught the slightest bit of movement out of the
corner of his eye. It happened so fast that he
wasn’t even able to call out a warning. Before he
knew it, a big white Snake tail was wrapped
around Alek’s ankle and pulling him to the
ground.

“Is it Obsidian?” Garrett yelled.
“No, dummy! Obsidian is black, hence his

name,” Desmond called back.

Tad, on the other hand, went into action. He

pulled out a great sword and began to hack at the
tail. Blood began to spray everywhere, but the
thing continued to pull at Alek. Tad let out a loud
curse, but continued to swing away. Finally, after
what seemed like forever, he had the tail severed.

Tad instantly pulled Alek to his feet and held

him close to his chest. They stayed that way for
under a few moments before they seemed to
realize what they were doing. They then pushed
away from each other and began to awkwardly
shuffle their feet.

“I guess this makes us even then,” Alek said,

looking everywhere but at Tad.

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“It would seem so to me,” Tad replied, doing

the same thing. “Which is good because I don’t
like owing people.”

“I didn’t think that you would be the type that

would be.”

Tad narrowed his eyes. A bit of blood was

splattered on the cheek and it made him look all
the more menacing. “What’s that supposed to
mean?”

Alex let out a big sigh. “Nothing. Let’s just

leave it.”

He walked away, clearly favoring the foot that

had been attacked by the Snake. Kline let out a
sigh, before he followed. It only took him a few
moments to catch up.

“You really should let somebody take a look at

your injury,” Kline suggested softly.

“What does it matter? I’ve had a lot worse. Let’s

just get this damn mission over so I can get away
from that jerk,” Alek replied in clipped tones.

“So you like him that much?” Kline teased.
Alek turned on him. “If you think that we’re

going to start making puppy dog eyes at each
other like you and Zaid, I wouldn’t be holding my
breath. You’ll pass out before I give Tad so much
as a smile. I hate that guy.”

Somehow Kline didn’t quite believe that, but he

wasn’t about to call out Alek’s lie. The sparks
flying between the two men were too strong to be

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denied. The only ones who seemed oblivious to
them were Alek and Tad. Kline just wondered
how long it would go on before one or both of
them woke up and realized what was really going
on.

For the moment though, Kline decided to play

along. He held his hands up in a surrender
gesture. “Okay, my mistake. I must have misread
things. Why don’t we go back and rejoin the
others so we can get your ankle checked out, and
then we can get moving along and get the mission
over with. That white Snake was there probably as
a lookout or a guard, so it must mean that we’re
getting close to the target. Who knows, maybe
we’ll be home by tonight.”

Kline sure hoped so. While he liked all the time

he was getting to spend with Zaid, Kline was
dying for a hot shower and his soft bed. If he had
to sleep on the hard ground one more night, Kline
thought for sure his spine was going to break into
two. The other night, he’d even shifted into his
Wolf form and tried to sleep that way, but it
hadn’t been any more comfortable. Which just
went to show just how spoiled Kline really was.

A loud yelp sounded in the air, followed by a

string of howls. Both Kline and Alek tilted their
heads in the direction of the noise. At the same
time, the rancid stench of Snakes hit Kline’s nose.

Shit! This was not good—not at all.

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“We need to get back. The others are under

attack,” Alek said.

Kline almost followed that comment up with a

sarcastic Ya think? But, Alek was already running
in the opposite direction—or limp-running would
be a better term. Kline easily caught up, at the
same time, pulling the two short blades from the
holsters attached to his back. At the same time, he
ditched his excess gear so it wouldn’t hinder him
while he was fighting.

By the time they reached the others, Kline was

stunned to find their team was surrounded by
dozens of white Snakes. All of them were much
larger than their true animal counterparts. Some of
the creatures they were facing were easily fifty to
sixty feet long and so thick around that Kline
could have ridden them like a horse.

Had they been on the outside, they could have

used explosives to eliminate the Snakes. It was the
way the shifters always handled the situation. But
they couldn’t do that in these conditions. To do so
would risk bringing the tunnels down on all of
them. Kline didn’t know about the others, but that
didn’t sound like an especially fun way to die.

So they had to rely on flamethrowers, blades,

fangs, claws, and true grit. Thankfully, they had a
lot of that, especially the latter. They hadn’t gone
that far and gone through all those stupid traps
just to be beaten in the end by a bunch of minions.

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No, they were going to move on and get to their
big quarry and nothing was going to stop them.
And nobody…nobody wanted to mess with a
pack of determined and pissed off Wolves, not
even a passel of big ass Snakes.

Half of the team had shifted into Wolves while

the remainder stayed in their human forms. Kline
was one of those who stayed in his man state. He
was much better and stronger with his swords
then in his smaller Omega Wolf form. While it
may be a bitter pill to swallow, it was the truth,
and he’d come to terms with it a long time ago.

He swung his swords around with an efficiency

and skill that only could come from hours of
practice and training. While he used to curse Tate
for all those grueling hours of teaching and
discipline, now Kline found himself thanking his
brother.

Kline heard a hissing noise coming from his left

so he spun around just in time to catch a Snake’s
fangs with the width of his sword. They fought for
power for a few moments before Kline brought
down the other sword on top of the Snake’s nose,
leaving behind a deep gash. The thing reared
back, blood spraying everywhere, a good deal of it
getting on Kline. But Kline was too caught up in
the heat of the battle to give a damn. He just
continued his attack, slicing and dicing at the

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Snake’s face. After all, it was its most vulnerable
place.

Kline went for the eyes, first taking out one,

then soon stabbing out the other. Now fully blind,
the Snake began to panic. Kline couldn’t help but
give a feral smile. He had the creature just where
he wanted it. At his mercy and ready for the
killing blow.

Kline didn’t waste any time. He thrust out one

of his swords, right into the Snake’s throat. He
then pulled his sword out and took several steps
back as the thing collapsed to the ground. It let out
a few death rattles before it gave one last gasp,
then died.

Not bad for his first official kill. He’d have to

remember all the details so he could share them
with his brothers. But he didn’t have long to relish
in the victory before another Snake began to move
in on him. Kline got into a fighting stance and got
ready. Time for kill number two. Bring it on,
because he was more than ready.

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Chapter Eight

aid fought with all his might, all the while
trying to keep an eye on Kline to make sure

that his Omega was doing okay. Although one
glance at Kline told Zaid that the Wolf could hold
more than his own in battle.

Kline fought with a fluidity and a grace that

was almost beautiful had it not been so deadly. He
used his twin swords with an efficiency that
would have made any warrior drool with envy.
His movements were so smooth and easy that the
blades almost seemed like an extension of his
arms. Zaid couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.
There was no way that somebody could get that
way without a ton of practice and training. The
Omega had worked hard to get where he was
skills-wise. Nobody was born knowing that kind
of stuff. Not even the best Alpha.

Zaid made the mistake of letting himself get too

distracted and a Snake came up from behind and
took him down. Before he knew it, Zaid was

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tasting the dirt as the heavy weight of scales and
muscle pinned him down.

Oh, hell no. Things were not going to end this

way. Zaid was not about to be taken out by one of
Obsidian’s flunkies. Not when Zaid was close to
the big man himself.

A burst of adrenaline shot through Zaid’s body

as rage filled him. Somehow, he managed to twist
his body around so his was face to fang with the
Snake. Not even thinking twice, reacting purely on
instinct, Zaid pulled out a gun and rammed it in
the Snake’s mouth. The thing let out a shriek of
protest, but it was already too late. Zaid pulled the
trigger and shot the Snake’s brains out.

Pushing the dead body off him, Zaid began to

look around for his next victim. He found it easily
enough. Desmond was trying to take on two
Snakes on his own. Since Zaid didn’t think it was
fair that the Wolf have all the fun, he ran over to
take one of them off Desmond’s hands.

Zaid was just approaching when one of the

Snakes must have sensed him, because it turned
around and fixed its beady, red eyes on him. The
Snake let out a hissing sound before it began to
move in on Zaid.

“That’s it. Come and get me,” Zaid urged,

making a come-hither gesture with his hand.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Desmond protested. “I

was having fun.”

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“Too bad. You can’t hog all the kills.”
“Now you’re beginning to sound like Garett. At

this rate, he’s going to catch up to me and I
wanted to beat him this time for most casualties.”

The only reason Zaid didn’t roll his eyes was

because the Snake had begun to attack. It was a
pretty big one, too. How Desmond thought he
could take it on with yet another Snake seemed
just suicidal to Zaid, but that was a McCormick for
you. They were crazy with a dash of zany thrown
in for fun.

The Snake made a diving motion at Zaid. Zaid

dodged to the side, rolling on the ground, easily
avoiding the fangs. The Snake’s fangs
momentarily got stuck in the dirt, allowing Zaid
time to take out his sword and get in a few good
blows at the back of its neck.

Instead of slowing down the Snake, it just

seemed to piss it off though. It pulled its head free
and let out a roar before it went after Zaid again.
Zaid began to swing and slash at the thing with all
his might. Sweat began to pour down his face and
he’d never been happier for the night vision
goggles as they kept the sweat from dripping into
his eyes. Zaid needed every advantage he could
get on this one, because it was turning out to be
one tough mother fucker.

But, too bad for the Snake, Zaid was tougher

and he had more determination. Knowing

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Obsidian lay on the other side, Zaid was going to
be damned if he let that devil go free after all this
time waiting for his revenge.

So Zaid continued to strike and parry. Each one

of his blows bringing more blood. Even though it
seemed to take forever, the Snake’s movements
soon became sluggish.

By this point, Zaid’s muscles were burning and

screaming for relief. He ignored the hurt and
pressed on, more determined than ever. Nothing
short of death could have stopped him at that
moment.

Finally, the Snake made the mistake of exposing

its vulnerable throat to Zaid. Zaid didn’t hesitate a
second. He thrust his sword into the tender flesh,
not once, but five times, just to make sure he got
the job done right.

The Snake’s mouth opened, but the only sound

that came out were rattles. It then collapsed to the
ground and didn’t get back up. Zaid still went
over and gave the thing a good kick anyway, even
though he knew it was already dead. Nothing like
working out some aggression.

He glanced around and saw that the only Snake

left was in human form, and he was alive, yet
badly injured. Pointing at him, Zaid said, “Keep
him alive for now. We may need him later.”

Alek grabbed the Snake by the scruff of the

neck and said, “Where is Obsidian’s den.”

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The Snake let out a maniacal laugh and pointed

forward. “It’s right there, dude. Go see for
yourselves.”

There was something about the guy’s tone that

was setting off all kinds of alarm bells in Zaid’s
head, but he still nodded for the team to move
forward. They had no choice at this point. It
wasn’t like they could stay around all day
twiddling their thumbs and picking lint out of
their belly buttons.

They entered the main chamber and what Zaid

found there had him so full of rage that he
couldn’t hold back his roar. There was nothing but
an empty chair and more animal carcasses.
Nowhere was there a single sign of Obsidian. It
was then that Zaid realized that they had been
played for fools. Those minions hadn’t been there
to guard the Snake, they had only been a diversion
so their leader could make his escape.

Letting out a growl that sounded more

animalistic than human, Zaid went over to the
prisoner and gave him a good shake. “Where did
he go?”

The minion let out a sloppy sounding giggle.

“Why should I tell you shit, Dog?”

Kline brought up one of his blades and pressed

it to the Snake’s throat. The man’s eyes grew wide
with terror and he swallowed hard as a bead of
blood appeared on his skin.

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“You’ll talk if you want to live,” Kline said in a

deceptively calm voice. “Otherwise, you’re no
good to us, and I’ll just kill you on the spot and
leave you to rot with the rest of the bodies here.”

The Snake let out another laugh, but this one

sounded much weaker. “Like I’m afraid of an
Omega like you.”

“You better watch it.” Kline twisted the blade

just a bit. “This Omega has already killed two of
your friends today. I won’t hesitate to make it a
threepete. In fact, I’m feeling like I’m quite on a
roll right now.”

Zaid had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep

himself from smiling. While he was still cut deep
by having lost Obsidian, there was something
special about seeing Kline get all badass. It gave
Zaid’s deep, dark cloud a bit of a silver lining.

The minion held up his hands. “Okay, okay.

Shit, leave it to me to find the one tough Omega in
existence. That’s the story of my life. Damn. Fuck.
Damn.”

“Just tell me where Obsidian went, and I’ll call

him off you,” Zaid offered.

The captive let out a sigh. “Fine, Obsidian

mentioned something about joining forces with
some Wolf named Rand. I guess he has a beef with
your pack or something, and Obsidian thought
that they could work together. Obsidian would

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provide some extra muscle and Rand would give
him all the meat he wanted to eat in return.”

There were several gasps and curses that were

met at that announcement. A look of pure fury
passed over Kline’s face, and he still didn’t lower
his sword, if anything he dug the blade in deeper.

“Just let me kill this piece of garbage and then

we can find a way to send his body to Rand and
Obsidian as a warning,” Kline snarled.

Zaid reached out and gently lowered Kline’s

hand. “The only problem is we don’t even know
where Rand is at the moment, let alone Obsidian.
For all we know, this guy could be filling us a line
of bull to throw us off Obsidian’s track.”

“So, we’re just going to let this jerk live. Even

though he’s shown you nothing but disrespect?”
Kline’s body shook with fury.

While Zaid appreciated the fact that somebody

was standing up for him, this really wasn’t the
time or the place. He put a stern look on his face
and faced off against Kline. “Soldier, stand down.
Now.”

That finally seemed to get the message through

to Kline. He let out a deep breath and lowered his
sword then took a couple of steps back. “Yes, sir.”

As soon as that was over, Alek made quick

work of securing their prisoner better. The guy let
out a couple moans of pain as the bindings
stretched his wounds, but Zaid didn’t give a

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damn. Call him mean, but he wasn’t feeling real
forgiving at the moment. Not when he was still
too pissed over Obsidian giving them the slip.

They made their way out of the back of the

tunnels and then made the long trek back to their
vehicles. It was slow moving because they had to
basically carry their prisoner most of the time and
Kline was hindered by the sunlight, but the team
was determined, so they made it by nightfall.

After they loaded up, Zaid rested his head

against the seat. He did not look forward to going
back to Chris and telling him that the mission had
been a failure any more than he looked forward to
telling him that Obsidian had joined forces with
Rand. It was the worst possible outcome to this
mission that could have possibly happened, short
of them all dying.

Then Zaid glanced over at Kline. At least he

hadn’t lost the Omega, that was one good thing to
come out of all this mess. Because, like it or not,
Zaid had come to care for Kline, and he didn’t
know if he could have survived losing the Wolf.
Which scared the hell out of Zaid.

“So, let me get this straight,” Chris asked as he

leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on
the desk, “not only did you fail to kill Obsidian,
but the Snake of death is now aligned with Rand
and gunning for our pack?”

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“If what our captive says is true, then yes,”

Zaid admitted, each word leaving a bitter taste in
his mouth.

Part of him was so ashamed that he didn’t want

to meet his leader’s gaze, but Zaid was too proud
for that. So he kept his eyes up and stared at his
Alpha like a true Beta should. Or at least a Beta
who wasn’t ashamed of his failure. After all, Zaid
and his team had done their best, they had
nothing to apologize for.

“If you want, I’ll go out hunting every night for

Obsidian myself,” Zaid offered.

“You can go out hunting, but you won’t be by

yourself.”

Wary, Zaid cocked a brow. “What’s that

supposed to mean?”

“Your team got ahold of me before you could.”
Oh, boy. That couldn’t be good. Zaid could

only imagine the things that bunch must have
said. Zaid could hear his career crashing down
around him even as he sat there looking at Chris.

“Can I ask what they said?” Zaid dared to

query.

“They want Obsidian almost as bad as you do.

They’re requesting to stay assigned to you until
the Snake is found and dead.”

“So, you mean I’m stuck with them?”
While Zaid was perfectly happy to be lumped

with Kline, the rest of the guys were a whole

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different matter. Not that Zaid hated them or
anything, they had been together way too much
for that. But that didn’t mean that he wanted to
spend the next God knows for how long with
them either.

“Yup, they want blood just as much as you do,

and I’m not about to deny them. Not after
everything they’ve been through.”

Zaid let out a sigh. He didn’t see how he could

deny them either. They had fought by Zaid’s side,
bled for the cause. To tell them to back down
would be unfair and a grave injustice.

Zaid ran a head over his closely shorn hair.

“Fine, I’ll keep the team.”

“Somehow, I knew you would say that,” Chris

replied with a sardonic smile.

“You love torturing me, don’t you?”
“Not really, but it gives me something to do

while I’m waiting for Cassie to have the babies.”
Chris let out a sigh.

“That bad, huh?”
“It would be easier if the docs could give us an

exact due date, but it’s hard to tell with mixed
breed matings. It could be tomorrow or a month
from now. They just don’t know. In the meantime,
she gets grumpier with each passing day and I just
don’t know how to keep her happy.”

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“I wish I had an answer for you on that one, but

I can’t even seem to solve my own problems
anymore,” Zaid confessed.

“Yeah, so I guess it sucks to be both of us.”
“Tell me about it.”
They both were silent a moment, before Chris

said, “Well, you better get out there and tell your
guys that you’re still a team. I’m sure they’re out
there, chomping at the bit, waiting for an official
answer.”

Zaid could only imagine it. Chris was probably

right. And knowing Zaid’s guys, they were
probably making all kinds of trouble while they
were waiting. So, the sooner he got out there, the
better.

He got up from his seat and left the office. As

soon as he opened the door, he found his team
piled up in the hallway, waiting for their answer.
They all looked up at him expectantly.

“So, are we still a group?” Alek finally asked.
“Yeah,” Zaid said with a sigh. “Now, let’s set

up a plan on how we’re going to catch this Snake.”

A bunch of hoots followed his announcement.

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Chapter Nine

ver the next few weeks, the team continued to
train during the day and then go out on nights

to hunt for Obsidian. It was a hard, grueling
schedule, but Kline never uttered a word of
compliant. He was just as determined as the others
to see the Snake dead. Although Kline was sure
that his motivations were a bit different, as not
only did he have his own personal investment, but
he wanted to make sure that Zaid was safe once
and for all. Only then would Kline be able to rest
easily.

He was in the kitchen, finishing his breakfast

when Tate walked in. Kline prepared himself for a
confrontation. He already knew from the looks his
brother had been shooting his way that he wasn’t
happy with all the hours Kline was putting in.

“Should I even bother making you dinner

today?” Tate said.

Well, that wasn’t a good start to the

conversation. In fact, it was just what Kline had

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been expecting, aggressive and hostile. Kline set
down his bowl of Lucky Charms and faced his
brother.

“Probably not. I’ll just get something with the

rest of the team in the cafeteria again before we go
out on patrol,” Kline said in the most dismissive
voice he could manage.

“I’m sure Zaid will just love that.”
Confused, Kline furrowed his brows. “What in

the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t seen

the way he’s been looking at you? Or the way
you’ve been mooning over him for that matter.
There’s been a couple of times where I’ve been
tempted to tell you two to go get a room it’s so
bad,” Tate shot back with disgust in his voice.

Kline blinked in surprise. He’d all but given up

on the Zaid front. Ever since they’d gotten back
from the mission, the leader had been nothing but
professional towards Kline. Not once had Zaid
made any kind of romantic gesture in Kline’s
direction. It’d gotten so bad that it’d begun to
affect Kline’s self-esteem, to the point that Kline
had begun to wonder if Zaid had decided that he
didn’t want to be with a defective Wolf with weird
eyesight.

Hiding his surprise, Kline shot back, “What’s

wrong with Zaid? Is it because he’s not a Wolf?
Because if that’s the case than that’s a fucked up

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reason. He’s every bit as good as you and me. In
fact, he’s a damn good warrior, and you should be
proud that he’s even giving somebody like me a
second look.”

“What do you mean somebody like you?”
Kline splayed out his hands. “Face it, I’m a

defect, a reject. Nobody would want a mate that
can’t even go out in the fucking sunlight. Why
should Zaid be any different?”

“That’s bullshit. With your battle skills and gift

any Wolf would be proud to be with you.”

Kline let out a bitter laugh. “A gift? Is that what

you call it? Because it’s been nothing but a curse to
me my entire damn life. It’s kept me a prisoner
most of my life, and it’s kept me from living a
normal existence and it’s made me a freak. What’s
so special about that?”

“Your gift saved a lot of lives on your last

mission,” Tate pointed out.

“Whoopie! It comes in handy one time. Let’s

call the local news. They may want to do a report
on this.”

“You know you and sarcasm were always best

friends,” Tate drawled.

“Well, right now we’re both late.” Kline put his

bowl in the sink and grabbed his bag of gear. “So,
I better get going.”

“See you tomorrow morning,” Tate called out.
“Now who’s being sarcastic?”

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“No, I’m just being truthful. There’s a

difference.”

“At least you can’t accuse me of being a

deadbeat.”

Kline put his sunglasses on, shut the door

behind him, then made his way towards the
training room. Halfway there, he bumped into
Alek. The Wolf looked just as tired as Kline felt,
but he seemed just as determined.

“You ready for another day of this?” Alek

asked with a yawn.

“Bring it on. Maybe tonight will be the day we

get our Snake.”

“I sure hope so. Then maybe I won’t have to

put up with Tad anymore.”

Kline rolled his eyes, even though it was futile

since the glasses hid the gesture. “When are you
two just going to fuck and get it over with?”

Alek gave Kline a droll stare. “The day I fuck

that Wolf is the day I cut off my own dick and
throw it out a window.”

“I think that’s a bit extreme.”
“It’s the truth though. I have no interest in Tad

in that way at all.”

“Okay, if you say so.”
“I don’t know why all you guys think that

there’s something going on between us. We can’t
stand one another,” Alek protested.

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“Has anybody ever told you that there is a thin,

thin line between love and hate?”

“If that’s the case, then Zaid must hate you a

whole hell of a lot.”

Kline pulled up short, shocked. “What is that

supposed to mean?”

Now it was Alek who rolled his eyes. “Come

on, you can’t tell me you don’t notice the way he
stares at you all the time. He wants you so bad I’m
surprised he hasn’t pounced on you again.”

“That’s just it. The entire time we’ve been back,

he hasn’t made one move on me. He’s had plenty
of opportunities, too,” Kline argued, even though
in his heart-of-hearts he wanted so badly to
believe what Alek was saying was true.

Alek gave a shrug. “He’s probably trying to

take the noble road or something because he’s
your commander. But I’m telling you, he wants
you—bad.”

“I don’t think so.” Kline shook his head. “He’s

probably decided that he doesn’t want to have to
deal with an Omega who’s half blind most of the
time.”

Alek grabbed Kline by the shoulder and spun

him around. “Don’t talk about yourself that way.
Do you have any idea how important to this team
you are?”

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Kline snorted. “Yeah, so important that you

have to do your hunting at night just so I can go
along.”

Alek shook his head. “We would have done it

then anyway. Everybody knows that’s when the
sleaziest informants come out of their hidey holes.
So it’s not just because of you.”

Kline paused. Could Alek really be telling him

the truth? Had Kline been making himself feel bad
all this time for nothing? And if Alek was right
about the hunting issue, did that mean he was
right about Zaid, too?

“Are you just saying that to make me feel

better?” Kline asked, his throat going dry from
emotion.

“I wouldn’t lie about something this important

to you. I consider you a friend, and I don’t bullshit
my buddies.”

All of the sudden it felt as if a huge weight had

been lifted from Kline’s shoulders. So, he hadn’t
been holding back the team after all. At least he
had that one worry off his mind. He let out a pent-
in breath.

“Thanks, you have no idea how much you

telling me that means,” Kline admitted.

“So what are you going to do about Zaid?”

Alek challenged.

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Kline shrugged. “What can I do? If he doesn’t

want to get involved with me, then I’m screwed
and not in the way I want to be.”

“You could always make the first move,” Alek

suggested with a wicked grin.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I have nada in

way of experience. I wouldn’t even have the first
clue as to how to make any kind of move, let alone
the first one.”

Alek threw his arm around Kline’s shoulders

and began to lead him down the hallway. “Lucky
for you, you have me. I can teach you so many
things.”

“Why do I get the feeling that I’m about to get

into a whole hell of a lot of trouble?”

“Because you are, but don’t worry. You’re

going to love every second of it. I can promise you
that.”

Somehow, Kline wasn’t so sure of that.

After the training session, both with Alek and

with Zaid was over, they went on patrol. The
entire time, Kline’s head was buzzing. Alek had
given him an idea of what to do that night after
they were off duty, but Kline didn’t know if he
had the guts to do it. If he actually went through
with it and Zaid turned him down flat, Kline
didn’t think he’d ever get over the humiliation.

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“Stop thinking so much,” Alek whispered into

Kline’s ear.

“What if he says no?” Kline whispered back.
“There’s no way he’ll say no. As soon as he sees

you at his door, willing and wanting, he won’t be
able to resist. Trust me.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Garett

demanded.

“About how ugly your boots are,” Alek replied,

without missing a beat.

Garett looked down at them. “What’s wrong

with them? They’re the same ones that everybody
else is wearing?”

“Oh, my mistake. It must just be your feet that

are ugly then.”

Tad let out a snort of laughter that he quickly

covered with a cough when Garett shot him a
murderous glare.

“You want to get your boyfriend in check

here?” Garett demanded.

Tad shot his own daggers at Garett. “He’s not

anything to me. How many times do I have to
keep telling you that?”

“Yeah, just keep on denying that. You may be

able to convince yourself, but nobody else is
buying it.”

Kline was ready for a real brawl to begin, but

Tad shockingly just shoved his hands in his
pockets and got a real sullen look on his face. He

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even gave Alek a stare which could have been
called longing. Now, that was real interesting.
Maybe Kline wasn’t the only one with relationship
issues.

After that little episode was over, they went to

every bar that they could think of. They tried to
sniff out every contact they could muster up. But,
like every other night, they got the same thing as
before, nada. Either they hadn’t heard about
Obsidian or they were flat out lying to Zaid’s
team.

Frankly, Kline wouldn’t be surprised if it were

the latter. While Zaid may look menacing enough,
he didn’t have the same notorious reputation as
say Shane and the other assassins. Kline was
willing to bet that they would get a lot more
information if they brought Shane and Toby with
them. He didn’t dare suggest it for fear of hurting
Zaid’s already wounded pride.

Finally, it was time to go back to the dwelling.

Kline both looked forward to it and dreaded it at
the same time. While he wanted to see if he could
get things moving forward with Zaid, a part of
Kline was still afraid of being rejected, despite all
of Alek’s reassurances to the otherwise.

As soon as they entered the dwelling and

handed in their guns, Kline took off for his living
quarters. Once there, he went to his room and

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100

quickly packed a bag full of stuff he would need
for a night of staying over.

Of course on his way out he had to run into

Tate. Tate held out a hand in the center of Kline’s
chest to halt his progress. “Where do you think
you’re going?”

“Hopefully, to have a sleepover at a friend’s

place. That is, if everything works out in my
favor.” Kline flashed his best casual smile,
knowing he didn’t come close to succeeding.

“You’re going to try to seduce him, aren’t you?”
Kline shrugged. “I don’t have the first clue as to

how to do that, but I’m going to try my best.”

He expected his brother to chew him out, but

instead Tate gave Kline’s shoulder an encouraging
squeeze. “Good luck. Hopefully, I won’t see you
until tomorrow morning, you little slut.”

Since Tate was smiling the entire time he said

that, Kline didn’t take offense to the statement.
Instead, he took off running. While he knew that
Zaid would have to give a debriefing to Chris
before he turned in for the night, there was no
telling how long that would take, and it was
imperative that Kline beat Zaid to his living
quarters in order for his plan to work.

It was a good thing Kline had rushed because

he’d only been there a moment before Zaid
rounded the corner. The other man’s eyes brown
eyed widened in surprise when he spotted Kline,

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101

but Zaid didn’t stop walking until he was just a
few feet in front of Kline.

“Is there something you wanted from me?”

Zaid asked.

Kline took a deep breath. It was now or never.

The time for tiptoeing around the subject had
come to an end. In the next few moments he
would have his answer—did Zaid want him or
not. Kline found himself both nervous and
terrified at the same time, yet that did not waver
his resolve. Alek had been right, Kline needed to
know one way or another where he stood with
Zaid and this was going to be the only way that he
was ever going to find out.

Taking in a shaky breath to steady his nerves,

Kline reached out and ran a finger down Zaid’s
chest. “Actually, I was waiting for you. I have
something important to talk to you about. I
thought you would be gone longer with Chris,
though.”

“He was already in another meeting. He said he

would call me when he was finished. So, you have
plenty of time to tell me what it is that you came
here to talk to me about,” Zaid answered.

Kline nibbled on his bottom lip. Zaid sure

wasn’t making this easy. Finally, mustering up all
his courage, Kline said, “I want you, Zaid.”

Zaid’s eyes grew dark, although Kline wasn’t

sure if it was from desire or anger. Kline was such

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102

a mess at the moment, there was no way he could
even begin to detect the moods of another.
Besides, that was more his twin’s game than his.

“It wouldn’t be right. I’m your superior

officer,” Zaid argued.

“You didn’t seem to mind about that when you

were mauling me back in the tunnels.”

Zaid shook his head. “That was momentary

lapse of control.”

“No, that was you showing your true feelings.

Face it, Zaid, we were made for each other. We
can’t continue to deny it, no matter how much we
want to.” Kline took a few steps forward and
pressed his body close to Zaid’s. “Now, are you
finally going to do the right thing and claim me or
not?”

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103

Chapter Ten

aid didn’t know if it was a gift or a curse that
he was being given, but damned if he was a

strong enough man to refuse the offer. Not when
Kline was asking in such a beseeching manner, his
face full of emotion. At that moment, Zaid would
have given anything…anything to see the
expression in Kline’s eyes, but those damned
glasses blocked his view.

“Are you sure that’s what you really want?”

Zaid asked. “Because once I claim you, I’m not
going to give you up. You’ll be stuck with me
forever.”

Kline tilted his head back, all but begging for a

kiss. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my
life. I want to be yours and yours alone. I wouldn’t
be here right now if that wasn’t the case.”

That comment was enough to shred the last bit

of Zaid’s self-control. Leaning down, he crushed
their lips together in a hard, commanding kiss.
Just like before, Kline instantly went pliant in

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104

Zaid’s arm, allowing Zaid to take complete
control. Ah, just like Zaid liked it. He loved being
in charge in and out of bed, which made Kline the
perfect mate for him. He let Zaid take control, but
not enough where Kline was a complete doormat,
either.

This time, Zaid didn’t have to urge Kline to

open his mouth, the Omega did it all on his own.
In fact, he seemed quite eager about it, almost as if
he couldn’t wait to get another taste of Zaid again.
Which was fine with Zaid, since he knew that he
was dying to get another sampling of his soon-to-
be mate.

Blindly reaching in front of him, Zaid opened

the door and pushed it open. Once the door
swung free, Zaid pushed Kline inside, then kicked
it shut, offering them privacy for the first time
ever.

For once, Zaid was happy to see that Walsh

wasn’t home. The last thing he needed was for his
one remaining roommate to make some smartass
remark. Still, since Walsh had left the living room
a mess, Zaid quickly led Kline through it and to
his bedroom.

One there, Zaid didn’t turn on the overhead

light. Instead, he flipped on his nightstand lamp
which was much dimmer. Kline smiled his thanks
as he finally took off his sunglasses, allowing Zaid
to have a gander at those beautiful blue eyes.

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105

“That feels much better. Thank you,” Kline

said.

“I want to be looking into your eyes when I

take you for the first time.”

Kline licked his lips, his pink tongue teasing

Zaid in so many different ways. “I like the sounds
of that. How should we start?”

“I think we should go with undressing each

other. How does that sound to you?” Zaid
suggested with a tiny grin.

A small blush appeared on Kline’s cheeks. “I

think that’s a great idea.”

The two men approached each other and began

to gently pull at each other’s clothing. At first,
Kline seemed to be nervous and in a rush, his
hands trembling and fumbling around. Zaid
gently grabbed them and said, “Shhh…babe, we
have all the time in the world. Let’s take our time
and enjoy this. After all, our first time is supposed
to be special, right?”

Kline blinked up at him and the nerves

suddenly appeared to evaporate from his body.
He even managed one of those dazzling smiles of
his. “I guess you do have a point there.”

He then slowed down, his smaller hands

working on Zaid’s clothing until both of them
were nude. Once that was complete, Zaid didn’t
waste any time in reaching out and pulling Kline
to him. He’d yearned for so long to feel the

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106

Omega’s naked flesh pressed against his that Zaid
couldn’t wait any more.

Zaid couldn’t help but let out a small groan.

Kline felt wonderful, soft, yet hard at the same
time. His thin body, tight in all the right places
with muscles. Unable to help himself, Zaid began
to trace all the ridges and dips, his finger mapping
out all of Kline’s body.

Kline began to sway, a moan slipping from his

body, but otherwise he kept still, letting Zaid have
his fill. Kline’s cock was hard and standing
straight out, its tip leaking pre-cum. Zaid gathered
some on his fingers and brought them to his lips,
savoring the sweet taste. Zaid was tempted to get
down in front of Kline and suck him off right then
and there so he could get a mouthful of the spunk.
But, Zaid held back. He didn’t want Kline to come
until Zaid was buried balls deep inside him.

“Get on the bed,” Zaid ordered.
“Where are you going?” Kline asked, as

innocent as ever.

Zaid let out a soft chuckle. “To get some lube.

Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”

Kline blushed deeper this time. “Oh yeah, I

guess we do need that, huh?”

“Yes, I want to make sure that my mate is taken

care of at all times. You’re going to enjoy this as
much as possible.”

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107

As soon as Kline climbed on the bed, Zaid

nearly swallowed his tongue. The decadent image
the Omega presented, his pale skin spread out
over the dark comforter, his legs spread slightly in
invitation, his cock so hard, was almost too much
for Zaid to deny.

No, Zaid had to do this right. He was a leader,

so he had enough power to control himself. He
wasn’t about to jump on his mate and take him the
first time and make it hurt because he didn’t want
to take the time out to grab a simple bottle of lube.
Zaid would never forgive himself if he made
Kline’s first time miserable in any way.

So, Zaid went to his dresser and opened the top

drawer. Grabbing the tube, he turned back to
Kline. “It’ll go easier if you get on your hands and
knees for this part.”

Confusion crossed Kline’s face. “But, I thought

you said you wanted to look in my eyes when you
finally claimed me.”

Zaid rushed to the bed and cupped Kline’s face.

“Don’t worry, I will be. I just meant while I
stretched you out, so you’re ready to take my
cock.”

“Oh. Okay, then. I think I understand.”
Snapping open the top of the cap, Zaid poured

a generous amount onto his hands. He knew he
was probably going a bit overboard with the stuff
and that he and Kline would probably end up

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108

getting covered in the junk, but it would be worth
it. Rubbing his hands together to warm up the
liquid, Zaid got on the bed and then began to
pepper kisses down Kline’s back.

“I’ll start with one finger at first. If it hurts too

much at any time, just tell me to stop, and I will.
Like I said, we don’t have to rush this. We have all
night,” Zaid assured Kline.

Kline gave a nervous smile. “I’m ready. I want

this so badly.”

“I want it, too.”
Zaid started out slow, just circling his finger

around the entrance of Kline’s hole a few times.
Once he was sure that Kline was really ready, Zaid
slowly thrust it inside, all the while watching
Kline’s body closely for any sign of discomfort.
Kline let out a small hiss, but it soon morphed into
a moan as his body relaxed and his back bowed in
what appeared to pleasure.

“You doing okay?” Zaid still asked.
“Yeah, it was kind of weird at first, but now it

feels good,” Kline answered, his voice filled with
awe.

“Just you wait. We’re only getting started. The

really good stuff is yet to come.”

Kline moaned. “Bring it on already.”
Zaid laughed at Kline’s excitement, then began

to work his finger in and out of Kline’s tight ass.

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109

Kline let out a gasp. “I see what you’re saying. Oh,
God.”

Zaid continued to finger-fuck Kline, at the same

time reaching around to stroke off the Omega’s
thick cock. For somebody who was so small in
stature, Kline did have one impressive sized dick.
While he wasn’t quite as big as Zaid, it was a close
call.

Finally, once Zaid thought it was time, he

added a second finger. Kline grunted, but when
Zaid started to pause, Kline shook his head. “Keep
going. It feels fabulous.”

So, Zaid did, he even added a third finger,

making sure to hit Kline’s sweet spot. When he
did, Kline nearly jumped off the bed. “Holy, hell!
What was that?”

“I told you that it got better, didn’t I?” Zaid

chuckled.

Once Zaid was finally sure that Kline was ready

to take his cock, he ordered, “Roll over on your
back.”

Kline did as instructed, his gaze meeting Zaid’s

just like he wanted. Zaid didn’t waste any time.
Grabbing one of Kline’s legs and looping it over
his shoulder, Zaid then lined up the tip of his
aching cock to Kline’s hole.

“Nice and slow,” Zaid said. “Just breathe

through it and let me know if you need a break.”

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110

Kline nodded, his eyes slightly wide. Zaid

began the tortuous process of carefully pushing
inside his mate, inch-by-inch. To his credit, Kline
took it like a trooper, never once uttering a word
of complaint, and he even let out a few moans and
groans. Finally, after what seemed like forever,
Zaid was fully seated.

Zaid still paused a moment to give Kline the

time to get used to the feeling of being filled. It
wasn’t until Kline gave him an impatient tap on
the arm that Zaid began to move in and out.

God, being inside of Kline was pure bliss. There

was no other way to describe it. He was so hot, so
tight, so perfect. Zaid was happy that they had
already decided to spend the rest of their days
together, because he knew then that no other
would ever begin to compare to Kline. Kline was
sheer perfection.

While Zaid wanted it to last forever, he soon

felt the tell-tale pull at his balls that let him know
he would be coming soon. Desperate to have Kline
come at the same time, Zaid began to furiously
stroke the Omega off.

Kline must have been even closer, because it

only took a few passes before he let out a cry and
his cock shot off thin ropes of spunk, most of it
covering Zaid’s hand.

Unable to resist the treat that was so willingly

offered to him, Zaid brought his hand to his

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111

mouth and began to lick it clean. As soon as the
sweet taste of Kline hit his tongue, Zaid went over
the edge. Letting out a roar, he came, too, his cock
filling Kline’s ass.

Even as Zaid climaxed, he continued to lick his

hand clean. It was only after he had every bit of
Kline off him that Zaid collapsed to the side of his
lover, both of them panting for breath.

“That was…just…whoa!” Kline declared.
Zaid ran a hand through Kline’s hair, which

was sticky from lube. Zaid had been right in his
prediction that they would make a mess. They had
gotten the junk all over each other and the
comforter. There was a shower in order for both of
them. Zaid was just about to suggest that they
both do just that when his phone rang.

Picking it up, Zaid let out a groan when he saw

it was Chris. In all the excitement, he’d forgotten
about the meeting he was supposed to have with
his Alpha. Now it looked like he’d have to leave
Kline’s side, for at least a few minutes.

Answering the phone, Zaid didn’t waste any

time. “Give me ten, and I’ll be to your office.”

“Sounds good to me.”
Chris then hung up on him. Zaid rolled over

and gave Kline a tender kiss. “I have to go to my
debriefing with Chris, but I’ll be right back. I’m
going to take a quick shower and run. You can
take a shower yourself while I’m gone and then

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112

wait for me in bed. I want another taste of you
tonight. That is if you’re up to it.”

Kline gave him the sweetest of smiles. “You

know I am. Don’t worry, I’ll be here when you get
back. I brought a bag along with stuff to stay
overnight.”

Zaid cocked a brow. “You must have been

feeling awfully sure of yourself,” he teased.

“More like hopeful.”
“Well, never feel that way again. I’ll always be

here for you.”

Zaid gave Kline one more kiss, then left to take

care of his meeting with Chris. The sooner he got
that over with, the sooner he could get back to
Kline. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of the
night with his mate wrapped up in his arms. If
Zaid had his way, it would be that way from now
on, but he knew that he and Kline still had a lot to
talk about when it came to future living situations
and such.

When Zaid arrived at Chris’s office, he was

surprised to see that Toby and Shane were there as
well. Which was shocking on its own since
everybody knew the brothers usually couldn’t
stand to be in the same room as one another for
more than five minutes without going at each
other’s throats. Yet, there they sat, pretty as they
pleased, acting like old buddies.

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113

“What’s going on?” Zaid asked as he walked in

and took the only available seat, which happened
to be in between the Leopard brothers. Lucky him.

Chris paused for a moment as if he were trying

to choose his words carefully. “When I tell you
this, I don’t want you to think that I doubt your
abilities as a leader or a soldier at all.
Understand?”

Okay, not the best way to start a conversation,

but Zaid could play along. “Okay.”

“You’re a great field soldier, but you don’t

know squat when it comes to gathering
information from the underbelly of the shifter
world. I know you haven’t been having much luck
getting anything out of contacts.”

Since there was no use in denying it, Zaid let

out sigh. “No, you’re right. We haven’t found out
a damn thing.”

“That’s why I called in Shane and Toby and had

them ask around a little bit.”

Okay, Zaid’s pride was a little bruised, but at

that moment he was just desperate enough to take
the help. “And were they able to find out
anything?”

“Plenty,” Shane answered, with a feral smile.

“It’s amazing how people will talk when you have
a blade pressed up against their cock.”

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about that,”

Toby drawled.

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114

“But it was so funny when you did it, how can I

not share?”

“Hale doesn’t like it when I poke people with

sharp things in tender places.”

Shane snorted. “Then he picked the wrong

mate. You’re real quick with the daggers.”

“Said pot to kettle.”
“Fuckhead.”
“Asshole.”
Chris gave a shrug. “Gotta love brotherly love.”
“I just want to know what they found out,”

Zaid said with a heavy dose of exasperation.

“Okay, Mr. Impatient,” Shane said with a slight

growl. “What we found out was that it was no
mistake that Obsidian showed up in the same
location you did. Seems like he’s had a boner for
you ever since you were the only survivor of the
attack that killed all your friends and family. He
considers you unfinished business, and he’s to
take care of it.”

“So, why join up with Rand then? Why not just

come for me?” Zaid asked.

“Try to think like a psychopath for a while, will

you?” Shane asked. “It’ll make things so much
easier for the rest of us.”

“Sorry, I’m not well versed in the subject,” Zaid

bit out.

“Hang around with Toby more. It’ll give you a

crash course of sorts.”

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115

Instead of getting miffed by the topic, Toby just

grinned like he was as proud as could be. Zaid just
shook his head in response. He would never get
the two of them, so why even bother trying.

“Obsidian lied about hooking up with Rand to

throw you off his path. His real intention is to
come after you. My guess, though, is he’s going to
want to make you suffer first. He’ll go after the
ones that you care about the most and kill them
first,” Shane advised.

Zaid’s heart clenched as he thought about all

his friends, about how Walsh was always going
out there alone and vulnerable, about how Hale
was too trusting. Then his mind settled on the one
person he cared the most about—the one that Zaid
had made the mistake of kissing right under
Obsidian’s nose in the tunnels.

“Kline!” Zaid declared, already jumping to his

feet.

He barreled down the hall to his living

quarters, the others on his heels. Zaid got to the
door and burst through it, rushing to the
bedroom. When he arrived there, his worst fears
were confirmed when he found the room empty
and in shambles, as if a great struggle had gone on
there.

Just as Zaid was about to give up all hope, Alek

came running into the room. “Obsidian is outside,

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116

and he has Kline with him. The Snake is
demanding to see you or else he’ll kill Kline.”

Zaid turned tail and started to run to the front

doors of the dwelling, and along the way he could
hear more and more footsteps joining in as other
pack members joined the group. It would seem
that Kline had plenty of supporters. Good, Zaid
had a feeling he was going to need all the help he
could get. All this time he’d thought that it was
going to have to be him and him alone that took
down Obsidian, but now he realized that wasn’t
the case anymore. He was part of a pack, and pack
always stayed together—no matter what.

Zaid rushed outside into the cold night and

found that Obsidian was in human form. He held
Kline to his chest, a knife at the Omega’s throat.
Kline wore only a pair of sleep pants, his hair was
wet from his shower, and there were several cuts
on his face, showing the fight he’d put up.

“Move one step closer, and the Omega gets it,”

Obsidian warned.

Zaid hated to admit it, but in his human form,

Obsidian didn’t look much like a threat. In fact,
one would even say he was on the small side.
With blond, greasy looking hair and pale blue
eyes, he wasn’t much of a looker, either. Zaid
could hardly believe that this was the man who
had haunted his nightmares for so many years.

In Plain Sight

117

Zaid gave Obsidian a scathing look. “Come on,

cut the bullshit. We know you plan on killing
Kline either way. So I may as well come and get
you now and try to save him.”

Zaid could feel the pack surrounding him.

Some of them beginning to shift into their Wolf
forms. That’s when he saw something click in
Kline’s eyes and then Zaid knew what Kline was
going to do. When he realized it, too, it was all
Zaid could do not to smile. God, his mate was
smart.

There was a slight shimmering in Obsidian’s

arm and then Kline was in his Wolf form. The
Snake was so shocked, he didn’t have time to
react. Kline took advantage of the situation and
attacked.

Unfortunately, Obsidian recovered quickly and

shifted into his Snake form. What he lacked for in
human size, he made for up in in his animal size.
He had to be the largest Snake Zaid had ever seen.
Which had been why he’d been able to take out
Zaid’s childhood pack so easily.

Too bad for Obsidian, this current pack was

three times larger, and Wolf shifters were stronger
and more limber. Before he knew it, he was
besieged by attackers, both in human form and
animal.

Zaid shifted, as he was the last representative of

his breed, so he wanted to be in that form when

Stephani Hecht

118

Obsidian finally faced the judgment he so greatly
deserved. Once he was in his African Wild Dog
form, Zaid wasted no time and attacked, his jaws
open wide.

He bit down, gagging on the taste Snake and

blood, but he pushed his revulsion aside and
continued on. Around him, the rest of the pack
were attacking just as hard. Obsidian was fighting
as hard as he could and shaking off the Wolves.
But for every one he would get off, there would be
two more to take its place.

The air became rank with the scent of blood.

While most of it came from the Snake, a few of the
pack were injured as well. Zaid’s heart went out to
them. They had come out for him. He hoped that
nobody died for his sake. While the Wolves had
all come out willingly, Zaid would still blame
himself.

The battle seemed to go on forever, the Wolves

never tiring or ceasing in their attack. Finally,
when Zaid thought it would never end, Obsidian
gave a shriek and fell to the ground. He was only
gravely wounded though, not dead.

The pack continued to attack. Blood saturated

the ground, making it a mucky mess and causing
many of the Wolves to slip and lose their footing.
But, finally, Obsidian gave a final death rattle and
went still, then ceased to breathe altogether.

In Plain Sight

119

Several of the Wolves let out howls of victory

before they shifted back into their human forms.
Zaid did the same thing before he ran over to
Kline. Kline had shifted back, too, and all his
injuries had healed.

Zaid gabbed Kline into his arms and held him

tight. He had come so close to losing him, and just
because Zaid had yet to get his head out of his ass.
All he had needed in the end was to realize that he
needed to count on his pack and doing so didn’t
make him weaker. If anything it made him
stronger.

“I love you so much,” Zaid told Kline.
“I love you, too. I never doubted that you

would come for me,” Kline replied.

“Like I said, I’ll always be there for you. That

will never change.”

After all, that’s what mates and packs were for.

Now that Zaid realized that, he was going to hold
on to both and he was never going to let go.

About the Author

Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of
two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all
things about the state, from the frigid winters to
the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings!
You can usually find her snuggled up to her
laptop, creating her next book.

Contact her at:

Email Address: stephani@stephanihecht.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephaniHecht

FaceBook:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php

?ref=profile&id=110935385

tumblr:http://rainbowsandmish-

mash.tumblr.com

Document Outline

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author

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