Sometimes what we present to the world is an
illusion. That is until everything around you
comes crashing down and the real you is revealed.
Then, all you have is love to protect you.

After years of being raised by a strict, by-the-law
aunt, Kiplin is now free, and he’s ready to let his
Cougar out to party. That is until he finds out that
he has a brother that was one of the Lost Shifters
and the guy is as straitlaced as they come.

After finding out a troubling secret about his

own pack, Panther shifter Brody runs to his cousin
North for help. Not only does North give him
sanctuary, but he also finds him a place to work
within the new coalition in the IT department.
Then one day, Brody sees Kiplin, and there is an
instant connection between the two, which is
crazy, because the two of them couldn’t be more
different. Brody likes to play it safe, whereas
Kiplin likes to live things fast and crazy.

Will the two of them be able to overcome their

differences? Or are they too different to find true
love?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
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infringement, including infringement without
monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a
fine of $250,000.

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.

Kiplin’s Coming Out

ISBN: 978-1-77111-989-4

Cover art by Carmen Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or
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Kiplin’s Coming Out

Lost Shifter Series Book 31

Stephani Hecht

Chapter One

iplin was relaxing on his couch, watching his
favorite show, Steve Wilkos—not that

anybody needed to know that—when there was a
knock on his door. Kiplin let out an aggravated
sigh. Just when they were about to get to the lie
detector test results, too. Now, he was never going
to know who the baby’s daddy was or if either of
the guys had been cheating on his girlfriend.
Turning off the television, Kiplin growled in
frustration then went to the door.

Upon ripping it open, he found himself face to

face with one of Mitchell’s secretaries. Great!
Things just kept getting better and better. As usual,
the secretary looked Kiplin up and down before
giving a frown. Kiplin just rolled his eyes in
response. He’d long ago gotten used to the
disapproving stares. In fact, if a day went by
where he didn’t get a sideways glance from
somebody, Kiplin was surprised. Kiplin knew he
was the square penny in the coin collection, and
he wore it proudly.

Stephani Hecht

So what if Kiplin preferred not to wear his hair

in a crew cut like most of the other soldiers? He
preferred to style his blond hair in a faux-hawk.
As for the numerous piercings on Kiplin, they
weren’t hurting anybody but Kiplin. Plus, if Mr.-
Stick-Up-the-Ass really wanted a show, then
Kiplin would strip down and show him all of his
hardware. If there was a part of Kiplin that was
piercable, then Kiplin had pierced it. The poor stiff
would probably pass out from shock if he knew of
it all.

“Mitchell…wants…wants to see you,” the

uptight stiff stammered.

Shit! This cannot be good. Kiplin went through

his mind, trying to figure out what he could have
done to get him in the hot seat this time. He came
up with a ton of reasons. Most of which would
end up with him doing extra guard duty. In fact, if
Mitchell wanted to, he could sentence Kiplin to the
guard shack for the rest of Kiplin’s life.

Kiplin didn’t do well when he had nothing but

idle time to occupy him. The last time he was put
on guard duty, he ended up blowing up the shack
and killing two Mouse shifters in the process. But
the latter wasn’t really his fault. How was he to
know that they had built a nest under one of the
coalition buildings? As far as Kiplin knew, cats
and mice never got along, so they had no business
being there anyway.

Kiplin’s Day Out

As for blowing up the shack, Kiplin had been

amping up some fireworks for last year’s Fourth
of July. Things just happened to get away from
him, and he lost control of the situation.
Something that seemed to happen a lot with him.

Knowing that there was no way of putting off

the inevitable, Kiplin started out the door. Just for
shits and giggles, he made sure to get into the
secretary’s personal space. Kiplin might be
following orders, but he wasn’t about to make it
easy for anyone. The secretary backed up so fast it
was a wonder that he didn’t leave a crack in the
wall.

Kiplin paused and put on an exaggerated,

shocked expression. “You’re not afraid of me? Are
you?”

“Well, you have to admit, you have a bit of a

reputation.”

That was something that Kiplin couldn’t even

begin to argue with. Not only did he have a
penchant for pissing people off with his fuck-you
attitude, but he also was a bit of a dirty fighter.
Okay, he was a full-out dirty fighter. Whenever
his team went out on a mission, Kiplin would do
anything to take an enemy down—spit in their
face, head butt them, attack them from
behind…nothing was off limits as far as Kiplin
was concerned.

What confused him was why more of the

soldiers didn’t have his attitude. They were in a

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fucking war, and all they cared about was battle
etiquette? In the beginning, Kiplin felt for sure that
they would eventually see the writing on the wall
and come around to his way of thinking. But to his
surprise, they never did.

Kiplin gave a slight shake of his head as he

began to lead the way to Mitchell’s office. The
secretary tried to scurry ahead of Kiplin to lead
the way. That just made Kiplin laugh. “Don’t
worry. I know my way there. This isn’t my first
trip to the boss’ cave. In fact, you could say it’s a
weekly tradition. Which reminds me, he’s never
sent you to get me, so you must be new. What’s
your name?”

“Alman,” the secretary said in a low voice.
“How did you come to be at this coalition?”
The secretary was obviously a runt. He was so

small and thin that it looked as if Kiplin could
blow him over with one huff of his breath. He had
blond hair that was styled a la Richie Cunningham
style. Shit, the guy was even dressed like a dork;
he had a solid red button-up shirt with a pair of
dress pants. Dear God, the guy even wore loafers.

“I was one of the Lost Shifters. They just found

me when I transformed during school and freaked
everyone out,” Alman said.

“Let me guess, the class was accounting?”
Alman’s eyes grew wide. “How did you know

about that?”

Kiplin sighed. “Just a lucky guess.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

“Well, you should have heard all the other kids

in my class. One even called me the devil, while
my professor literally peed his pants. Then things
got worse.”

“Of course they did.”
“I couldn’t shift back. Mostly because I didn’t

know what in the heck was going on with me.”

Kiplin gave Alman a bored stare. “It’s okay to

say hell or fuck. We’re both big boys here.”

Alman waved his hand. “Whatever. Some

humans were coming in with some really big nets
when Carson and Keegan came and rescued me.
They brought me back here, and this is where I’ve
been for the last couple of months.”

Kiplin pointed at Alman. “Now that is one

harrowing tale.”

“I know!”
That answer made Kiplin want to pound his

head on the nearest wall. He should have known
that the sarcasm would fly right over Alman’s
head. The kid probably wouldn’t know a joke if it
came up and kicked him in the balls.

Kiplin didn’t even bother to converse during

the rest of walk to Mitchell’s. It was quite a trek.
Kiplin would have thought that they’d move him
to a room closer to Mitchell’s office, just so they
could save some time. But, then again, Jaguars
weren’t known for their common sense. They
were great leaders because they saw the bigger
picture, not because they noticed the little things.

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Finally, they reached the all-too-familiar door of

Mitchell’s office.

Alman did the honors of knocking on it. There

were a few moments of awkward silence until
Mitchell’s strong, commanding voice bade them to
come in.

Alman opened the door for Kiplin, but the

secretary didn’t enter.

Kiplin gave him a narrow-eyed stare as he

passed the man. The least Alman could do was
stay for some moral support. While they had only
just met, he was all Kiplin had.

Once Kiplin entered, the door slammed behind

him with an ominous thud. Kiplin then realized
that it wasn’t just him and Mitchell in the room.
There was Kyle, the coalition’s wallflower, and
Kyle’s new mate, who was doing his best
impersonation of GI Joe. Jesus, Mary, and Buddha,
the guy even had his hair in a crew cut and was
wearing the coalition’s uniform fatigues. Who in
the hell wears those things besides when they’re
training or out on duty? The only saving grace
Kiplin had was that they all wore the same all-
black coalition uniform. Even then, Kiplin ripped
them off as soon as he could at the end of the day.

But that wasn’t what Kiplin was there for. He

had fucked up in some way, and Mitchell was
about to rip him a new one. The fact that there
were going to be witnesses to said ass chewing
was a new one. Usually, Mitchell had more tact

Kiplin’s Day Out

than that, but hey, there was a first time for
everything.

“What did I do this time?” Kiplin asked before

releasing a huge sigh.

“I’m sure you’ve done a ton of things that you

deserve to be punished for, but believe it or not,
for once, that’s not why I called you down here,”
Mitchell said. He motioned to an empty chair that
was next to super soldier. “Have a seat.”

“Why do I have a feeling that I’m not going to

like this?” Kiplin asked as he fell into the chair.

“Oh, you’re going to love it. Or if you know

what’s good for you, you will,” Lawson snarled.

“Or what? You’re going to take me on in a

fight? You better think twice about that one,
buddy. Or maybe you don’t remember what
happened the last time we sparred.”

That earned Kiplin another snarl. Kiplin just

smiled in return. He was no Shane, but that didn’t
mean that he didn’t like stirring up the shit pot
once in a while. It always led to all kinds of fun
things.

“I would have beaten you if you hadn’t fought

dirty,” Lawson countered.

“In my world, there is no such thing as fighting

dirty.”

Mitchell slammed his hands on the desk. “This

isn’t what I called Kiplin down here for.”

“Then what is the reason?” Kiplin asked.

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He felt like he was on a damn roller coaster that

was never going to stop. Just when he thought
that they were going in the right direction, bam!
off they went in another. Kiplin had never been
one to like surprises. He wanted to know what
was going down and where he was going next.
That way he could be prepared. He’d had enough
bombshells in his life. The last thing he needed
was another one.

“As you know, Kyle came to the coalition only

a few months ago,” Mitchell started. “Whenever a
new shifter comes in, we take a sample of their
blood to see if they are related to any of the
shifters that are already in the coalition in the
hopes that we can reunite them.”

Okay, Kiplin was not liking the direction the

conversation was going already. Ever since his
nagging aunt had died a few years ago, Kiplin had
been pretty much free to do whatever he wanted.
He didn’t have to worry about any relatives telling
him what and what not to do. Plus, he could go
through life without having to worry about
somebody else or wonder if they are okay or not.

“We received Kyle’s DNA tests back, and it

shows that he’s your younger brother,” Mitchell
said.

He then smiled. Like it was the best thing in the

world. As if Kiplin had won the lottery or
something. But then again, Mitchell was huge on

Kiplin’s Day Out

the whole family thing, so he probably thought
that Kiplin had.

“Run the test again,” Kiplin replied in clipped

tones.

“What?” Kyle asked, his voice laced with hurt.
Kiplin pointed to his own chest then pointed at

the small, fragile figure sitting two seats away.
“There is no way in hell that I’m related to him.”

“How can you be so certain?” Mitchell asked.
“Well, for one thing, he’s wearing a light-blue

plaid shirt. I would never be caught dead in
something like that.”

“But if you look past the clothes, piercings,

ridiculous haircuts and size different, you have to
admit that you and Kyle do look a lot alike,”
Mitchell pointed out.

Kiplin leaned forward to make another

smartass comment when Lawson grabbed him by
the arm. It wasn’t a light hold either, but a
bruising one. Kiplin gave Lawson a droll stare.
“You’re going to have to do a lot more than that to
impress me. In case you haven’t heard, I’m one of
those sad stories that everybody seems to have.
My auntie didn’t love me enough, so she liked to
beat me. That makes me pretty intolerable to
pain.”

“We have an aunt?” Kyle asked.
“Trust me. You would not have wanted to meet

her. She was as mean as a Rattler on ‘roids, plus
she liked to throw her weight around, too. Which

Stephani Hecht

made things pretty bad since she was as big as a
professional wrestler. She wouldn’t have cared if
you were little or not, either. Your size would
have just made you a bigger target.”

“How was it that you managed to be saved, but

I was left behind for the Ravens?” Kyle asked.

Kiplin knew the answer to that one, but he

didn’t want to throw the kid for more of a loop
than he’d already had. After all, according to
Mitchell, the two of them were brothers, so that
meant that Kyle would be the only living relative
Kiplin had. Plaid shirt or not, Kiplin wasn’t about
to hurt Kyle, either. Besides, exactly how did one
tell somebody that their black-hearted aunt had
left Kyle behind to starve to death, because he was
the runt of the litter? Their aunt no doubt saw that
Kyle would be nothing but a waste of her time,
since he wouldn’t ever be big enough for a soldier.
It would have never entered her vicious brain that
she was leaving a baby behind to fend for itself.

“I don’t know. Our aunt must have missed you

in the rubble. I was told that things were really
chaotic at the time,” Kiplin semi-lied. After all,
things had been a huge cluster-fuck that day.

He glanced up and saw Mitchell’s eyes were

hard with anger. At first, Kiplin thought that the
rage was directed at him, but Kyle soon realized
that it was their aunt that he was mad at. Kiplin
almost wished that she hadn’t gone peacefully in
her sleep. It would have been better justice for her

Kiplin’s Day Out

to have to face Mitchell for all the sins she’d made.
Mitchell didn’t get vicious that often, but once he
did, everybody ran for cover.

“So where does this leave us now?” Kyle asked.
“We’re brothers. So you’re stuck with me, like it

or not. I’ll warn you, I’m not exactly the most
popular guy here.”

“Don’t worry, neither are we,” Lawson replied.
Kiplin let out a sigh. He had yet to go to

breakfast, and his life had already done a one-
eighty. All he was waiting for was an anvil to fall
on his head. Then the picture would be complete.
Or perhaps, he could walk off a cliff, hang in
midair for a while as he felt for the ground but
found only empty space then fall. Just like in all
those old cartoons.

“No offense, but I’m not moving in with you

guys,” Kiplin said. The last thing he wanted to do
was give up what little bit of privacy he had.

“Don’t worry. That won’t hurt our feelings in

any way,” Lawson drawled.

“You can come anytime you want for dinner or

lunch, though,” Kyle piped up.

“How are we going to do that when we always

eat at the cafeteria?” Lawson asked.

“Well, he can come and sit down with us. That

way, we can form a brotherly bond.”

Kiplin wanted to tell Kyle exactly how he felt

about family bonding and getting all warm and
cozy because everybody loved everybody. But

Stephani Hecht

Kiplin didn’t have it in him. His crappy
upbringing had ruined Kiplin of ever being able to
function with anybody for more than five minutes.

But then, Kyle lifted his gaze up at him and

Kiplin saw how eager and needy Kyle was. Kiplin
knew that there was no way he could let the little
guy down. Kiplin would rather bite the inside of
his cheek and leave a lingering, bothersome sore,
than let his newly found brother down, which was
kind of funny since Kiplin hadn’t been lying to
himself earlier when he said he didn’t want to care
about anybody. Yet, he suddenly found that he
had a protective big brother thing going on.

Kiplin groaned. “Okay, I’ll sit with you.”
Kyle beamed at him. “That would be so

awesome.”

“I wouldn’t get too excited since Kiplin usually

eats by himself, because of his warming
personality,” Lawson said.

“Ouch! There’s no excuse to bring up my lack

of friends,” Kiplin protested.

“That’s okay, Kiplin, you’ll have a lot of friends

now that you’re my brother,” Kyle said excitedly.

Kiplin let out a moan. He had a feeling that his

life was never going to be the same again.

Kiplin’s Day Out

Chapter Two

rody looked up at the abandoned, beat-up
factory and tried his best not to let his doubts

get the better of him. His cousin, North, had
warned him that the coalition would look that
way on the outside, but things would look a whole
lot different on the inside. Although at that
moment, Brody was having trouble believing it.
Who was he kidding? Brody was having trouble
believing anybody at the moment, even his own
family members. After all, his own parents and
siblings had betrayed him in the worst way
possible.

Hiking up the backpack, which held all the

belongings that he owned, Brody made his way to
the small, white guard shack. It was the only way
to get past the fencing and barbed wire that
encompassed the building. As he got closer, his
eyes began to pick up on little things that a normal
person would miss. Like the little cameras that
were hidden behind the tall lights dotting the
parking lot. Or the fact that all the doors required

Stephani Hecht

a keypad plus a retinal scan to enter. He also
spotted the sharpshooters, who guarded from the
rooftops. Brody had no problem believing that if
he made one wrong move, he would be dead
before he even heard the crack of the rifle.

All right, maybe North had been right. There

was a lot more to this place than it originally
appeared. Nobody would have that many
safeguards on an old shithole of a factory unless
there was something very important inside.

Once Brody arrived at the shack, a head

popped out. Brody instantly scented the male as a
Jaguar. He had brown speckled hair, brown eyes
and was so tall and muscular that it was a miracle
he could even fit inside the small building.

“Who comes and disturbs our rest?” the Jaguar

demanded.

“Lay off it, will you? It’s noon and nobody is

resting anyway,” another voice said.

Brody peered in and saw that there was another

Jaguar inside. He looked like a mini-me of the
other Jaguar. Brody inhaled deeply and was able
to tell that they were brothers. They even looked
alike, despite the size difference.

“So what did you guys do to earn guard duty?”

Brody asked. Nobody got stuck with that job
unless they had pissed somebody off.

He’d always been too curious for his own good,

which is what had gotten him in his current
situation to begin with. But Brody still couldn’t

Kiplin’s Day Out

help himself. If there was a question to be asked,
he just had to pop out with it. It’d always been
that way, even as a child. He would often wander
off from his pack because he’d been so eager to see
what the world had to offer him. Too bad he’d
found out that there was more bad than good
there.

“Brent blew up Mitchell’s car,” the smaller

Jaguar said.

“Don’t believe a word Keegan has to say. We all

had a part of it. Even Andrew. The little brat just
managed to run faster than us, so he got away
with it,” Brent said, a sour look coming over his
face.

“Yeah, blab all you want, but I’m not used to

getting into trouble all the time, like you are,”
Keegan snapped.

“Only because you never leave Carson’s office.

I’m beginning to think that you’ve turned into a
Mole shifter.”

“If I had, I would have shifted and shit on your

bed a long time ago. Maybe, I’m in Carson’s office
all the time, but you know that we are desperately
in need of some good IT people. Most of them
were shot during the attack.”

A rush of fear went through Brody. North

hadn’t mentioned that little tidbit when they had
talked about Brody coming to the coalition. “You
were attacked, and they shot nearly all of your IT
people?”

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Brent gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

“That’s only because the IT department is in the
front of the building, so they were the first ones
the Ravens got to. That’s not going to happen
again.”

“How can you be so sure?” Brody asked.
“Because Mitchell really amped up security

after the last time,” Keegan informed him.

“Sorry, but if you two are the first line of

defense, color me less than impressed.”

Brent raised a gun, and Brody realized it had

been trained on him the entire time. If he had
made any wrong move, Brody had no doubt that
Brent would have shot him without thinking
twice. Brody swallowed hard. Okay, so maybe the
two Jaguars weren’t just a pair of knuckleheads
like they originally came off as.

“Lesson learned,” Brody said, his voice a few

octaves higher.

He was saved when he spotted North coming

their way. Like Brody, they shared the same Asian
features, although North’s hair was more styled
and cared for than Brody’s. It wasn’t just because
Brody had spent the past three days on the run
either. Brody’s hair always had that slightly
messed-up, don’t-give-a-care look. He had much
more important things to do than to worry about
what he looked like. Or rather, he used to. At that
moment, he didn’t know what the future held for
him. Right then, his biggest worry was finding a

Kiplin’s Day Out

new coalition to live in and praying that his
former pack never figured out where he was
hiding.

“Brody, it’s good to see you,” North said with a

warm, welcoming smile.

As always, just seeing North made Brody’s

stress level go down a couple of degrees. North
had that calming affect about him. Had they been
alone, Brody would have run up to his cousin and
given him a big hug. But Brody didn’t want to
make an ass out of himself in front of the Jaguar
brothers. The last thing he wanted was the
members of this coalition to think he was weak or
something.

“Hey!” Brent interrupted. “How is it that Brody

is a Panther, while North is a Fox? You claim to be
related, so you should be the same kind of
shifters.”

“My father’s a Panther, and I took after him,”

Brody explained.

Brent let out a low whistle. “That should have

made for some interesting family meals.”

“You have no idea,” North drawled.
North then put an arm around Brody and said,

“Come on. I’ll show you around the place.”

“Does Mitchell know about this?” Brent asked.
“Yes, I informed him of it earlier. He’s even

already been welcomed into the coalition. So you
can consider Brody to be one of us now.”

Stephani Hecht

“Heaven help him,” Keegan whispered, his

eyes growing sad with what looked to be
sympathy.

“I thought that there was somebody by the

name of Keegan who was related to the leader of
the coalition,” Brody said.

“Oh yeah, both of us are related; we’re

brothers,” Brent replied cheerfully.

“So then why would you consider it so bad that

I’m part of your group now?” Brody asked.

“As soon as you meet Shane and Carson, you’ll

realize exactly what we’re talking about,” Brent
warned him.

Keegan looked up at Brent. “I thought that you

were friends with Shane, and Carson is my mate,
in case you’ve forgotten.”

“That doesn’t make them any less cray-cray,”

Brent said.

“What did we talk about when it comes to

using that term,” North interrupted with a stern
tone.

“That it’s not nice, and I shouldn’t be using it,”

Brent recited in a tone that showed he’d said it a
million times already.

North turned to Brody. “Let’s get inside. I’ve

already exposed you to Brent enough as it is
already. If we stay any longer, you’re in danger of
having permanent brain damage.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Brent held out his arms. “And here I thought

you loved me all this time. You’re cutting me deep
here.”

North just turned his head and began to lead

Brody to the building. Personally, Brody was
almost sad to go. The entertainment that Brent,
Keegan and North were providing had actually
taken Brody’s mind off his own troubles for a
while.

“Now that you’re here, are you going to tell me

what made you run?” North asked.

How Brody wished he could. It would feel so

good to unload on somebody. Yet, Brody didn’t
have the last bit of proof he needed. Once he did,
though, he would rip down his past pack, because
they had betrayed all felines everywhere.

They reached the doors that would lead them

inside. Just as Brody had expected, there was a
keypad and a retinal scan. North had to do both
before the door would open for them. Once it did,
Brody walked into his version of Disneyland.

Brody was a huge IT geek, but he had never

touched half of the equipment that was in front on
him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the rest of the things
looked nice enough, but Brody could only focus
on the computers and the monitors. They were
state of the art, and Brody wanted to play with
them. It was like taking a kid to a candy shop and
telling him that he couldn’t have a taste.

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“Hey,” North finally called. By the volume he

used, Brody realized it wasn’t the first time his
cousin had tried to get his attention.

“Yeah?” Brody asked, his gaze never leaving

his wet dream come true.

“I talked to Mitchell, and he already assured me

that you can have a position in the IT department.
The two lunkheads out there weren’t lying when
they said we’re in desperate need of qualified
people, and I can’t think of anyone who fits that
bill more than you.”

“So I would be able to play around with all this

equipment? All day long?” Brody said.

North smiled at him. “Not quite. You’d

probably get stuck on the night shift for a while.”

Brody didn’t care. He’d work all three shifts if

that’s what it took. Brody had been away from a
computer for so long that his fingers where itching
to get on a keyboard so he could work his magic.

“I think I’m going to really like it here,” Brody

said.

“I believe you are, too. Come on, and I’ll

introduce you to Carson. He’s the head of that
department.”

They went back to a small, dark, cluttered

office. Carson had his back to them. Even so,
Brody could tell that he was different than most
shifters. Not only was Carson’s dark hair streaked
with red highlights, but he also had made so many
person modifications to the coalition’s uniform

Kiplin’s Day Out

that it was barely recognizable. He had a pair of
earbuds on and seemed lost in his work.

North knocked on the doorjamb. “Hey,

Carson.”

Carson jumped a couple of inches before he

pulled out the earbuds and turned around. Brody
wasn’t surprised to see that the shifter had
numerous piercings, liner on his eyes, and seemed
totally annoyed about being interrupted.

“What the hell? You scared the shit out of me.

Did I miss another appointment or something? If I
did, I want to talk to you about them. I’m pretty
sure that I’m all better now and don’t need any
more therapy appointments,” Carson said.

North let out a snort. “You are nowhere near

close to being done. I want to see your ass in my
office, tomorrow at six. If you don’t show up, I’ll
come to your place and have all of your brothers-
in-law drag you to my office.”

Carson scowled. “Sometimes, I think that you

do all this because you don’t like me.”

“Okay, time to change the subject. This is my

cousin Brody, and he’s just joined the coalition.
He’s really good at IT, and I thought that you
might have an opening for him.”

Carson narrowed his eyes. “Is he as uptight as

you?”

“No,” Brody cut in. “You could say that I’m the

black sheep of our family.”

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Carson gave a wicked grin. “Then you’ll fit in

perfectly.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Chapter Three

iplin woke with a start, his first realization
that he had a pounding headache. He sat up,

rubbing his temples, realizing that he’d slept in his
dirty uniform and he smelled like hell. Damn, but
he always hated starting out a day like this.

Although he knew he should get a shower then

change into a fresh uniform, he made his way to
the kitchen first. Coffee was screaming his name,
and Kiplin was not about to deny its call. He
placed a loving hand on his Keurig as it brewed
him a quick cup of brew that was so strong it
could have doubled as jet fuel. As soon as it was
finished, Kiplin grabbed the mug and took a huge
gulp, despite the fact that the coffee was streaming
hot.

He then made his way to the bathroom to clean

up. It was the fastest shower of his life. Stupid him
had volunteered to work a day shift. The last thing
he wanted was for the siren to go off while he was
all naked and sudsy. Although he had the distinct
feeling that if he were to show up for battle in that

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condition, nobody would be too surprised. The
thought both amused him and made him a bit sad.

Kiplin wasn’t stupid. He knew he stood out

because of his crazy hair, shitty attitude and all-
dark attire. But he liked it that way. Then,
everybody stayed away from him, and he didn’t
take the risk of getting close to anybody. He’d
been burned plenty in the past, and he was not
about to let it happen again.

Once Kiplin was finished with his shower, he

walked back to his room and put on a clean
uniform. Well, he picked them all up from the
ground, did a sniff test and chose the one that
didn’t smell too bad. He let out a sigh as he began
to pull his clothes on. He knew it was way past
time for him to send his clothes down to the
laundry. He just hated to have to do it. The sick
bastards down there always insisted on sewing up
all the holes in Kiplin’s clothes. Then, he would
have to spend half the day ripping them back
open again.

Kiplin wasn’t a fool. He knew they did it on

purpose. It was just another way to stick it to the
oddball of the coalition. Kiplin knew that if he
went to Mitchell about it, his leader would put a
stop to it in a second. However, Kiplin was not the
tattletale kind of guy. So he just gritted his teeth
and put up with it.

Kiplin sat on the edge of his bed and put his

boots on. He took extra care with his boots,

Kiplin’s Day Out

making sure that there were no scruffs on them
and they shined. While Mitchell didn’t mind if
they made some alterations to their uniforms, the
leader was a stickler for their footwear. Why?
Kiplin had never been able to figure out, but it
was the one rule that he always followed. He’d
seen one soldier show up with scuffed boots, and
Mitchell had put the poor sap on guard duty for a
month. That was a chance that Kiplin was not
going to take.

He then gathered up his dirty clothes and, with

a heavy sigh, left his apartment then made his way
down to the laundry. He wished that he could
have put the task off until later, but he knew he’d
just keep stalling and dreading it all day. He might
as well rip off the Band-Aid and get it over with
now.

Kiplin finally reached the large laundry room,

aka, the Raccoon nest. Three years ago, the
Raccoons had been attacked. The survivors had
come to Mitchell, and nice guy that he was, of
course, he took them in. Mitchell even gave them a
job doing, guess what—washing all of the
coalition’s clothes.

The laundry room had a concrete floor with

evenly spaced drains. On one side were washing
machines, on the other were dryers. In between
was a long table that the Raccoons used for
folding and sorting. Some of them were in human

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form, some in animal, but they all looked at Kiplin
the second he entered the room.

One of the Raccoons, the one who was the

smallest but had the biggest mouth, gave Kiplin a
fake, exaggerated wave. “Kippy! We were just
talking the other day about how we haven’t seen
you lately. It’s way past time for your uniforms to
be cleaned by now. They must all stink to high
heaven.”

Two of bastards who were in Raccoon form

came over, sniffed his bag, made a squawking
noise before tottling around then falling to the
ground. They stayed there, acting as if the smell
had been so bad that it had either killed them or
knocked them unconscious.

“Ha. Ha,” Kiplin responded blandly. “If you

guys would stop messing with my shit every time
I bring it down here, then I may become a more
frequent visitor.”

“But we love having fun with you,” the short

Raccoon said.

“Then invite me down for a game of cards or

Jenga, until then, leave my shit the hell alone.”

Kiplin felt like pounding his head against the

wall. Why in the hell had Mitchell taken in those
damn Raccoons? Ever since those furry little
critters had shown their faces, they had made life a
living hell for Kiplin. It had started with them
calling him Kippy then moved on to the
unauthorized alterations of his clothes.

Kiplin’s Day Out

“Just, please, try to get them finished as fast as

you can. I’m all out of clothes and will have to
borrow something from Carson if you don’t get it
to me quick. I hate wearing his stuff. They always
reek of Keegan.”

It wasn’t that Keegan was a bad guy or

anything. It’s just that smelling Carson’s mate’s
scent all over the place served as another reminder
of how alone Kiplin was. Although, he’d die
before he’d admit it aloud.

The small Raccoon—Kiplin thought his name

was Davey—gave him an evil grin. “What will
you give me if I get them all done by today?”

“Do you promise not to sew up any of the holes

or fuck with them in any way?” Kiplin asked,
narrowing his eyes.

Davey made the cross-my-heart gesture. “A

Raccoon always keeps his word. That’s a known
fact about us. We never lie, and we never change
things once a deal has been set into place.”

“Okay,” Kiplin said, since he knew a Raccoon’s

biggest weakness. “I’ll bring you guys ten bags of
marshmallows.”

There were several gasps in the room, and one

of the Raccoon actually let out a squeal of delight.
Davey tried to play it cool, but Kiplin could smell
the excitement rolling from the other man.

“They better be the big ones. We don’t want to

those crappy little bite-sized ones,” Davey finally

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said. “And they need to be plain white. We hate
the colored shit.”

Of course they would have to be picky. But if it

got Kiplin his clothes before the day was out, he
was willing to do a little extra work. As it was, he
was on his last pair of clean underwear, and that
put him in a dire situation.

“Fine, you have yourself a deal,” Kiplin said.
He was just happy that marshmallows were

cheap, since he’d blown nearly all of his last
paycheck on a new gaming system. Sure, it meant
that he had to endure eating in the cafeteria until
he got paid again, which was something he
loathed doing. There was nothing worse than
sitting at a table by himself. It was like he had the
plague or something. With Kiplin, he wasn’t
fooled, he knew it was because he was the duck in
a pond full of swans. He knew he shouldn’t
complain too much since he’d brought the
situation down on himself, but that didn’t mean
that it hurt any less.

He gave Davey a wave of his hand then made

his way to the cafeteria. He was starved, so he
might as well get it over with. As soon as he
walked inside, he let out a groan—pizza day. He
was probably the only one who hated the stuff.
But ever since he’d been a kid and his aunt had
made him eat a whole pizza to the point where he
puked, Kiplin had never been able to stomach the
stuff again.

Kiplin’s Day Out

He put a plate that had a single slice on his tray.

Giving the offending food a glare, he then went
around putting as many sides as he could find to
make up for not having a decent main course. He
even went as far as to grab a cup of broccoli soup,
and that junk always fucked with his stomach.

Once he was finished, he headed to his usual

table. It wasn’t much, just a two-seater that was
tucked in the corner. It was even in the shadows,
so most people forgot that he was there. He didn’t
bother anybody, and they didn’t bug him, so it
was a perfect situation.

Kiplin picked up a piece of pizza, in hopes that

his hunger would override his distaste of the food.
For if he were to throw up in the middle of the
cafeteria, he would never live it down. As it was,
half of the coalition thought he was nothing more
than a great big joke.

When the chair opposite from him was pulled

out and somebody sat in it, Kiplin’s head jerked in
surprise. Who in their flipping mind would ever
want to sit with him? Glancing up, Kiplin’s heart
did a thud and then a double thud. Not to sound
all corny and shit, because that was the last thing
Kiplin was, but the dude was so gorgeous he
looked as if he had come from heaven. While he
looked as if he were related to Dr. North’s clan,
because they had a lot of the same facial features,
this guy looked way more laidback.

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For one thing, he slouched in his chair and

threw off a ton of fuck-you vibes. Plus, he was
dressed like a skateboarder, instead of always in
office style like the rest of his family. He even had
his hair stylishly messed up. Some of it fell into his
dark, intense eyes.

“Dr. North never mentioned that he was having

a relative visiting,” Kiplin said.

“What makes you think I’m related to Dr.

North?” the stranger asked with a raised brow.

“You have a lot of his features.”
“Is that your way of saying that all Asians look

the same?”

Horror filled Kiplin. The hottest guy that he’d

met in like…forever sits down next to him and it
only takes Kiplin two minutes to make an ass out
of himself. That had to be some sort of record,
even for him.

Then the stammering began. “I…I didn’t mean

it…what I was trying to…fuck…I’m such a
shit…sorry.”

Kiplin put his elbows on the table then put his

face in his hands. Damn, his stupid mouth. He just
needed to cram a sock down the thing and then
duct tape it closed. It would save him a ton of
trouble. That was for sure.

Brody gave a small chuckle. “Don’t worry, no

problems. I was just giving you a hard time. It’s
something I like to do whenever I meet somebody
new.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Kiplin looked up, his mouth agape in horror.

“Why would you do that?”

“It’s my way of weeding out the jerks. Had you

not reacted at all, yet denied it, I would have
known that what I accused you of was true.”

“What are you? Some shrink, like North?”
The last thing Kiplin wanted was some guy

digging around his noggin. Not only was it a scary
place to be, but Kiplin also had plenty of shit he
wanted to keep locked away for good. He was
almost happy now, and he wanted to stay that
way.

To Kiplin’s relief, Brody gave a shake of his

head. “No, I’m an IT guy. I’m not happy unless
I’m within fifteen feet of a computer. If I go more
than a day without touching one, then I get the
shakes. How about you?”

“I’m part of the military. I go out and fight with

the rest of the soldiers,” Kiplin said, waiting for
the look of shock on Brody’s face.

Surprisingly, it didn’t come. “So I take it that

you’ve learned alternate means of fighting?”

“Yeah, dirty. Nothing is off limits if you take

me on.”

Brody smiled, and it was so sensual that Kiplin

was glad the table was hiding his lap. Otherwise,
things could have gotten a bit awkward. There
was nothing worse than an accidental meet my little
friend.

Stephani Hecht

“How dirty did you get?” Brody asked, that

grin still in place.

“I would throw dirt in their faces.”
“What else?”
“I kick them in the nuts.”
“That is pretty crappy. What else did you do?”
Kiplin gave a shrug. “You name it, chokeholds,

poking in the eyes, calling their mothers
ugly…run-of-the-mill punk things.”

“In my opinion, it all sounds fair to me. After

all, you are at war, and you have to do whatever
you need to survive to your next battle.”

That was the last response that Kiplin expected.

“You really think that way?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, because most of the coalition looks down

on me for doing it?”

Brody made a snorting sound. “I call bullshit.

I’ll bet every one of those soldiers have done one
of more of those things in the heat of the battle.
They’re just too much of a coward to admit it.”

Kiplin had never thought of it that way, since

he was too busy deflecting the barbs coming his
way. It made Kiplin hurt and a little mad to know
that the other soldiers had been making him a
scapegoat all these years.

Brody gave Kiplin a huge smile. “Consider me

your newest friend. I have a feeling that you’ve
needed somebody like me in your life for a long
time.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Kiplin didn’t dare tell Brody that he didn’t have

any friends in his life. The thought of having one
sounded kind of nice. For all that Kiplin liked to
pretend that it didn’t matter that he was a lone cat,
it did suck a lot.

“Why would I need you?” Kiplin still asked.
“Because you need somebody to show you that

you are somebody who deserves to be treated
right.”

Kiplin sighed. He didn’t think that was

possible. Because after a lifetime of thinking he
was a nobody, it was going to take a miracle to
make him believe that he was worth a damn thing.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Four

s Brody made his way to the IT department
that night, all he could think about was

Kiplin. While the Cougar shifter was the last kind
of guy he would usually go for, Brody couldn’t
deny that there was an attraction. With Kiplin’s
spiked blond hair, that had blue highlights
through it, to the alternations that he’d made to
his uniform, it was obvious the feline was a rebel.
For Brody, that had always been a warning signal.
So why was it, with Kiplin, it made him so
desirable?

Brody shook his head. He hadn’t even seen

Kiplin since that first morning except for a glance,
and the guy had been carrying a bag of
marshmallows of all things. Brody shook his head.
If he and Kiplin ever did get closer, Brody had the
distinct feeling that Kiplin would always keep
Brody on his toes.

Brody pulled out his seat then sat down. He

glanced to his left and almost let out a groan. Of
course, they had him sitting next to Ayla. While

Kiplin’s Day Out

Brody was raised to always show the upmost
respect to women, Ayla wasn’t the typical,
everyday female. While she might be a Tiger, she
acted more like a Viper. She never had a kind
word to say and was so full of herself it was a
wonder that there was room for anybody else in
the coalition. While she could have been pretty,
she always chose to keep her long, raven hair back
in a severe bun, her lips were always pursed
tightly together, and she wore the ugliest shoes.
The worst part had to be that Brody was much
better at programming than her, and she despised
him for that fact.

“You’re five minutes late,” she snapped.
“Sorry, I’m still learning my way around this

place. Your coalition is large and I got lost.”

Brody decided an apology with a little bit of

honey on it never hurt. It would have worked on a
normal person, but on Ayla, it only seemed to
make her angrier. She got red patches on her
cheeks and pressed her lips so tight together that
they actually grew white from lack of blood.

“Are you trying to butter me up? You should

know that could never work on me,” she replied,
her voice quivering with rage.

“Give the kid some slack. He just moved here,”

Kiplin said as he walked over and leaned against a
nearby wall.

“And why should I listen to some weirdo like

you?” Ayla all but snarled.

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“Because I outrank you.” Kiplin smirked.
“Maybe in theory, but I work in IT and you’re

nothing but a brainless soldier so it really doesn’t
count,” she drawled.

“Yes, it does count. But if it helps, the same

order comes from me,” Carson ordered harshly as
he walked up. “The next time I catch you being so
disrespectful to a higher-ranking soldier, I’ll have
you moved down to prison security faster than
you can say, oh fuck. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir,” Ayla replied, her face going several

shades lighter.

Brody almost felt sorry for her…almost. Then,

he remembered all the hell she’d been giving him
since he started working, and all his empathy for
her flew out the window. As far as Brody was
concerned, Ayla could use a few lessons in
workplace manners. Maybe Cindy could give her
some. Cindy sat on the other side of Brody, and
she had been nothing but kind to him. She even
brought him a latte from the shop down the street
every shift. She always refused to let him pay for
it.

“What are you doing here? Not that I’m

complaining about seeing you.” Brody asked
Kiplin.

“I was wondering if I could take you out to

breakfast tomorrow. There is this little mom-and-
pop place down the road that makes the best food
ever.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Brody had to work hard to keep a straight face.

At the same time, his body was humming with
excitement. Kiplin was actually asking him to go
out. Brody didn’t know if it counted as a date yet,
but still, he would get some alone time with
Kiplin. So Brody came out a winner either way.

Then all of a sudden, the panic began to set in.

If he were to leave the safety that Mitchell offered,
there was a chance that Brody’s old pack could
spot him. If that were to happen, they would kill
Kiplin on the spot.

Then, Brody looked up at Kiplin and his mind

was made up. The feline was more than worth the
risk. In fact, Brody would be a fool to pass up this
opportunity. Plus, what were the chances of Brody
seeing any of his pack members? They were miles
away. Most of them didn’t even know what Brody
looked like. He’d always had his face buried in a
computer, which had led to him getting into this
mess in the first place.

“Sure, sounds great. I get off at seven. Do you

think you can get up that early?” Brody asked.

“I volunteered to work the midnight shift, so I’ll

just be getting off myself. So things will work out
perfectly,” Kiplin replied.

“It seems as though it is fate,” Carson said with

a sigh.

Kiplin punched him the arm. “Do you always

have to be a smartass?”

Stephani Hecht

“Yes, and don’t be so harsh. You get that same

question thrown your way just as often as I do.”

Kiplin’s eyes went wide with false innocence. “I

just have a problem with telling the truth as I see
it. Take Ayla over there. Her ego is so big that I’m
surprised you don’t have to make a special chair
for it.”

Brody waited for Carson to reprimand in some

way, but Carson just sat there and said nothing.
Now, Ayla, on the other hand, had plenty to say.
She turned her chair around to face Kiplin then
glared at him.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she said,

“You are the biggest waste of space in this
coalition. The only reason why you probably came
here was your prior pack kicked you out because
you don’t know shit about computers.”

How Brody wished that were the truth. It

would make things so much easier. Of course,
then he would never have met Kiplin. Brody was
getting an inkling that Kiplin was going to become
an important part of his life. Be it that they just be
good friends or something more. Please, please, let
it be something more.

“Actually, his daily output is three times more

than yours,” Carson said in an even voice.

“That’s only because he just started, and he’s

trying to impress you. He’ll eventually slow
down,” Ayla argued.

Kiplin’s Day Out

“No, it’s just that he’s better than you, and you

need to accept it instead of being jealous of him.
You might want to take some time to learn from
him, instead of giving him shit,” Carson said, his
tone growing sharper. “There is nothing I hate
more than an employee who gets jealous and
snotty when they have to sit next to a tech who is
way better. You simply know that no matter how
hard you try, you’re never going to be able to
come close to his standards.”

“He’s not that good,” Ayla replied, but the

defeated look on her face said otherwise.

“Yes, he is, and you need to face that fact.

Otherwise, you’re never going to be happy. How
about I move you down to where Carlos used to
sit?”

Ayla sat up straighter. “That’s next to Rip.”
Carson gave her a knowing look. “Yes, it is. I

heard through the grapevine that he’s interested
in you, too.”

A huge grin spread over Ayla’s face. “Really?”
“Yes, and I heard that you like him, too.”
“I think I would like that. Who would you

move to my seat?”

“Steven.”
Brody had a sinking sensation when he heard

Kiplin cough to cover up the fact that he almost
burst out laughing. Even Ayla frowned and gave
Brody a sympathetic glance.

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“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” she

asked.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Carson retorted.
“Because Steven can’t even walk across the

room without tripping over his own feet. Plus, he
destroys at least one computer a week. I don’t
know why he’s even in the IT department,” Ayla
said.

Carson gave another half-shrug. It was a habit

that the Cheetah must have, Brody noted. “Yeah, I
know, but this was the area where he tested best.
Personally, I think that was because he was able to
find the on button on the computer. On all the
other tests, he couldn’t move past the first step.
The sad thing is I actually have a soft spot for the
poor kid. That’s why I’m putting him next to
Brody. I’m hoping that if he sits by the best,
maybe Steven will actually pick up a trick or two.”

Brody frowned. He hoped that didn’t mean he

had to teach Steven. Brody wasn’t exactly the best
instructor out there. Not only did he not possess
the best patience, but he also grew bored quickly
and just ended up doing his student’s work
himself.

“Brody, I just want you to be friendly to him,

nothing more,” Carson said. “Steven needs to
learn everything on his own. Otherwise, he’s
never going to have a chance to be proud of
himself.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Brody couldn’t agree more. A rush of relief

went through him as he realized that he wasn’t
going to have to waste part of his day walking
Steven through his projects. Brody could focus on
his own work and get lost in it. That’s when he
was at his happiest.

Kiplin leaned down and brushed a kiss across

Brody’s brow, leaving behind a tingling sensation.
“I’ve gotta go, or I’m going to be late. See you in
the morning.”

“Hey, that’s enough of that here,” Carson

butted in. “Either you give a full show or nothing
at all.”

“Fuck off, we only do that for paying

customers,” Kiplin retorted as he stood up.

Kiplin then turned around and left. Brody knew

it was a corny as hell, but he couldn’t stop
watching until the crowd swallowed up Kiplin.
Brody even let out a sigh when he couldn’t see
Kiplin again.

“Boy, you really have it bad, don’t you?” Ayla

asked.

She was already standing and packing her bag

with items from her desk. She didn’t seem like she
was about to wait one second to move to her new
station. Brody didn’t know whether to be offended
or relieved.

“Yes, I do,” Brody admitted.
He might as well go with the truth. Either way,

Ayla was still going to gossip about him. He might

Stephani Hecht

as well get that old mill going now, instead of
trying to put it off for later. He’d been told how
some of the shifters were at this coalition. By the
end of the day, they’d all but have him and Kiplin
mated. Not that the idea sounded terrible to
Brody, but he’d like to get to know the other man
first. His father had tried to put him in an
arranged marriage. That was until Brody had told
him he was gay. Brody had been shocked at how
well his father had taken it. He had just contacted
the bride’s family, explained the situation, and
that was that. Okay, maybe there had been a big
scandal, but his parents had stood behind Brody
the entire time.

How did Brody return their kindness and

loyalty? He ran away from the pack without a
word. Brody wished so hard that he could have
left them a letter or could at least call them. That
way he could explain why he did what he did.
That was impossible, though. The less his parents
knew, the better. While he loved them more than
anything, his absence was what was keeping them
safe…or at least he hoped so. Brody’s biggest fear
was that the pack was taking out his misdeeds on
his mother and father. Unlike Mitchell, the leader
of Brody’s old pack was a monster. Public
floggings were a regular thing. They didn’t have a
prison, instead keeping small cages scattered
around the common room. Most of them were

Kiplin’s Day Out

filled with pack members who had pissed off the
leader in some way or another.

The shifters in the cages were all malnourished,

bruised and beaten. To make matters worse, free
pack members would often poke at them with
sticks or throw stones at them. Making fun of
them and making the prisoner’s life all the worse.
The caged ones never were freed, either. Once
somebody was thrown in a cage, death was the
only way out. Brody couldn’t think of anybody
who had been set free by the pack leader.

Brody had no doubt that if he had stayed, he

would have been in one of those cages, too. He
knew too much about what the leader and his top
men were doing. Taking out contracts to kill
shifters was one thing, but when a pack took in
top dollar to assassinate humans…and not just
any humans but some of the most important
world leaders, that was another thing. As it was,
shifters were barely tolerated to begin with, but if
word of this leaked out, the humans would set out
to destroy all of them. Since Brody was the only
one who knew about this, it was up to him to
figure out a way to stop it.

He had almost opened up and told Mitchell

about it, but in the end, loyalty to his old pack—
crappy as it might be—had kept Brody from
speaking out. For while Brody might hate the
place, his father’s family had lived there for many
generations. Father might not agree with the new

Stephani Hecht

leader’s practices, but the elderly man hoped that
it was just a matter of time before another strong
feline challenged him for leadership. Then things
could go back to their old, peaceful ways.

Brody didn’t have the heart to tell his father

that there was nobody who had the power to take
on their current leader. Even if there was one,
chances were things would stay the same. The
money they were getting from their current
human source was in the millions. For a pack that
used to live in poverty, it was almost impossible
for any leader to pass up.

Letting out a huge sigh, Brody realized, not for

the first time, just how truly fucked he was.

Kiplin’s Day Out

Chapter Five

iplin knew the following shift was going to
take forever as he for waited it to end so he

could spend some real alone time with Brody. As
he made his way to the gym, he spotted his
brother, Kyle. Kiplin couldn’t help but feel a stab
of guilt. His brother didn’t look happy at all.

Kyle’s eyes had dark rings around them, as if

he hadn’t been sleeping well. His hair was a mess,
as if he didn’t give a shit about his looks anymore.
He wore a glum expression on his face, and he
was slouched against a wall, almost as if the brick
and mortar were the only thing keeping him on
his feet.

Kiplin stopped, took another look at his brother

then cursed under his breath. There was no way
he could leave his only living kin that way, even if
it was going to make Kiplin late for his shift.
Kiplin might be an asshole, but he wasn’t
heartless.

Kiplin changed his direction then began to walk

toward his brother. Kyle didn’t even realize Kiplin

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was walking toward him until Kiplin was
standing in front of him. Kyle jumped as if
startled. His eyes grew wide, and his mouth
opened and closed a few times, as if he wanted to
say something but couldn’t quite figure out what
it might be.

“I’m sorry,” Kiplin said.
“What?” Kyle’s brows furrowed in confusion.
God, this was going to be hard. Kiplin had been

a grade A asshole, and he knew it. Just like he
knew that he owed his brother a great big
apology. The thing was, Kiplin sucked the big one
when it came to I’m sorry’s, even though he was
an ace at doing the damage. It was just that he was
bad at owning up to it afterward. If Kiplin really
thought about it, that made him the biggest
coward of all, no matter how many kills he
accumulated out on the field.

Kiplin took a deep breath. “I treated you like

shit when I found out that we were related.
Instead of being elated, like I should have been, I
all but told you to fuck off and that wasn’t right.
In fact, it was a real dick move on my part.”

Kyle gave him a weak smile. “That’s okay. I’m

sure it just caught you off guard. That’s all.”

Kiplin shook his head. “I wish that was it, but

the truth of the matter is I was damned scared to
find out I had a family member who was actually
alive. All my life, I just had my aunt, and she was

Kiplin’s Day Out

a real bitch. You probably had it ten times better
than me, and I was a little jealous.”

“Don’t you mean our aunt?” Kyle corrected

gently.

“Trust me, kid. I wouldn’t be so fast to claim

her. She was the meanest bitch that I’ve ever come
across, and I’ve fought some doozies out in the
field.”

Somehow, Kyle’s eyes managed to grow

sadder. “What did she do to you?”

“Ah,” Kiplin made a no-big-deal gesture with

his hand. “It was a long time ago, and she’s dead.
There’s no use in dealing with old shit.”

“I want to know. We may have only just met,

but you’re still my brother and I care for you.”

Those words touched Kiplin deep. After

spending all his life without anybody giving a
damn about him, it was a new experience to have
somebody actually give a damn. Kiplin would be
lying if he said that it didn’t feel damn good.

Kiplin reached out and gave Kyle’s shoulder a

gentle punch. “Thanks. It’s nice to know that you
care about what happens to me. I think you’re the
first one who ever has.”

“Of course I do. You’re my brother. I’m always

going to be there for you. Well…except in battle,
but I’ll tell my mate to watch out for you. You’re
always going to have somebody by your side from
now on. You’re not alone now. No matter how
mean you get.”

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Kiplin felt a lump build up in his throat as he

allowed himself to feel an emotion for the first
time—trust. At that point, he decided that he
would allow his shield down enough to let Kyle in
his life. Even if it meant that Kiplin got hurt as a
result. Kiplin might be kicking himself in the ass
and calling himself stupid later on, but he got the
feeling that Kyle was genuine.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Kiplin said, his voice a bit

raspy.

“I think I know what you’re saying. I just want

to make sure, so can you please clarify it for me?”
Kyle’s whole body was shaking with excitement.

“Let’s give this whole brother thing a chance

and see how it goes.”

Kiplin waited to see how Kyle reacted. His

brother had every right to stand up, give a classic
fuck you then walk away. After all, Kiplin hadn’t
exactly gone out of way to break out the welcome
wagon when he’d first met Kyle. In fact, Kiplin
had done everything a brother shouldn’t have
done upon meeting a long-lost relative. They
could write a book off him and teach a college
course focused on him, his reaction had sucked so
badly.

Instead, Kyle gave a huge smile. “I think that

would be a great idea.”

Kiplin was just starting to make the

arrangements when the battle alarm went off,
followed by an automated female voice calling for

Kiplin’s Day Out

all teams on duty to scramble. Kiplin let out a loud
curse.

“I have to go. Can we talk about this later?” he

asked.

“Sure. I’m used to this.” Kyle waved him off.
Even though Kiplin ran his ass off, he was still

the last one in line at the armory. Something that
his team leader, Frank, was quick to notice. Kiplin
let out a moan as he saw the Lion making a
beeline toward him. If it had been his usual boss,
Marcus, he might have let it slid, but Frank hated
Kiplin with a passion. There was no way in hell he
was going to let this opportunity to give him some
flack pass by.

“Do you realize that you’re five minutes late,

soldier,” Frank asked in a loud voice.

He always made sure to call out his reprimands

loud and clear, just to make sure that everybody
heard them. All the better to embarrass Kiplin. Ha!
As if that were even possible. Frank should know
that it was near impossible to humiliate Kiplin.
After all, he was the one who got drunk last New
Year’s and danced on the tabletop. One couldn’t
go much lower than that.

“Yes, I do, sir. I had some family issues that I

needed to take up. I am sorry,” Kiplin replied in a
respectful tone. Which was hard, damn it.

“You take care of your problems on your time,

not mine. Got it?” Frank poked his finger into
Kiplin’s chest.

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Kiplin looked down at the offending finger.

Every fiber of his being wanted to snap and bite
that stubby, dirty thing off then spit it back into
Frank’s face. Just seeing the look on the dickhole’s
face would be priceless. But Kiplin knew that
would also lead him into some serious time in the
military jail, and that was something that Kiplin
really didn’t want. Not only was it hot in there all
the time, but also all they served were bologna
sandwiches and Kiplin detested that kind of meat.

“I understand, sir,” Kiplin replied between

clenched teeth.

That still didn’t stop Kiplin from making a

snarky face at Frank’s face as he walked away.
Andrew, one of Mitchell’s many brothers, saw it
and smirked. It made Kiplin feel a little better to
know that he wasn’t the only one who hated
Frank. Kiplin knew that while Andrew didn’t
work as an Assassin, he was a trained killer.
Maybe Kiplin would get lucky one day and
Andrew would accidentally shoot in the wrong
direction and off the team leader.

Kiplin finally reached the armory window. He

was given the standard equipment that all soldiers
were required to wear into battle. As Kiplin
quickly put it all on, he realized yet again how
heavy it was. It had to be over a hundred pounds.
Yet they all managed to fight easily with it. They
had been doing it for so long. To Kiplin, it was like
he was putting on almost nothing anymore.

Kiplin’s Day Out

Once he was suited up, he started to make his

way to his team’s van. Along the way, he saw a
newbie struggling to put on his equipment. The
rookie was heavy and short. Kiplin moved closer
and was shocked to smell that he was a Pallas.
What. The. Fuck. That type of feline was so small,
they never fought in the military. Plus, they
moved so slow, they were like a waddling meal
for their enemies.

Kiplin began to help the Pallas with his

uniform. It was so tight that Kiplin had to fight
with the straps to get them to work. He finally had
to ask, “Why in the hell are you in the military?”

“Some Ravens came in and killed my entire

family. I have vowed that I will have my
vengeance on them at all costs.”

Kiplin couldn’t stop himself from rolling his

eyes. “It will be at all costs. Is this your first
mission?”

“Yes.”
“Well, it’s probably going to be your last. I

don’t mean to be harsh on you; I’m just giving it to
you real. I don’t know what we’re going out there
to face tonight, but if they’re calling out all the
teams, it’s got to be bad. Things can get real
wicked out there. I’m talking about more than
your everyday Ravens. We also fight Spiders,
Snakes, Scorpions, Coyotes and all kinds of other
uglies. They don’t play fair either.”

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The Pallas looked up at Kiplin with sad eyes. “I

know that I don’t stand a chance, but it’s still
something that I have to do. Don’t you
understand?”

“No, I don’t,” Kiplin replied with blunt

honesty. “Up until a few days ago, I thought all
my family was dead. I was happy about it, too.
My parents were killed in the mass attack, and my
one surviving aunt raised me. She was an abusive
bitch.”

“What happened a few days ago?”
“I found out I had a baby brother. The funny

thing is, even though we just met, I would kill
anybody who tried to hurt him,” Kiplin admitted,
realizing how true that was.

He really would. If anybody so much as

breathed on Kyle the wrong way, Kiplin would
tear the offender apart limb-by-limb. His brother
was so small and needed to have as much
protection as he could get. Kiplin was going to
make sure Kyle got it, too.

“What’s your name,” Kiplin asked the rookie.
“Promise you won’t laugh?”
“I’ll do my best. That’s all I can give you.”
“Chunks.”
It was so sad that Kiplin couldn’t laugh. If

anything, it tugged at his heartstrings. “That’s
your actual birth name?”

Chunks gave a small shrug as his face turned

bright red. “No, my mom began calling me that

Kiplin’s Day Out

when I was a baby. They kept calling me that, and
eventually Mom claimed that she forgot what my
real name was.”

“Didn’t your coalition keep birth records and

documentation?”

“My leader said he couldn’t find it. I believed

him. His office was always a huge mess of papers.
I don’t think he even owned a filing cabinet,”
Chunks admitted.

Horror and disgust filled Kiplin. Just thinking

about a leader being so sloppy and careless left
him feeling a bit nauseous. Good leaders don’t
make fun of their members; they protect them
from harm and punish those who attack the weak.
Leaders always make sure that every member is
accounted for. While some bullying went on in
Mitchell’s coalition, it was always because the one
who was offended didn’t go to their leader and
tell him what was going on. Be it out of pride or
fear of reprisal from the bullies. Which Kiplin
knew would never happen. Once Mitchell got his
hand on a bully, that shifter was always too afraid
to ever even think about offending again.

“Kiplin! Chunks! Get your ass moving and into

the van. We’re the last team to move!” Frank
yelled.

“I was just helping him get into his gear. It

seems that nobody ever taught him to do that,”
Kiplin replied.

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It was an insult, and everybody within earshot

knew it. As Chunks’s leading officer, it was
Frank’s sworn duty to make sure that all his men
were battle-ready in all ways. Especially if it was
something as basic as how to put on his gear. It
was painfully obvious that Frank knew that
Chunks wasn’t going to live that long, so he’d just
gone through the motions when it came to the
stocky feline.

Frank walked over until he was nose-to-nose

with Kiplin. “Are you accusing me of not doing
my duty, soldier?”

Kiplin didn’t feel threatened at all. If Frank

wanted to make things physical, Kiplin knew that
he would come out the winner without even
breaking a sweat. But he also knew that would do
nothing but earn him disciplinary action. So he
reined in his anger and forced himself to stand
still.

“I would never do that, sir,” Kiplin replied.
“Why not? I would,” Shane said as he walked

out of the shadows.

Kiplin almost lost it and laughed as he saw real

fear in Frank’s eyes. Hell, the guy jumped so high
and his eyes grew so wide, Kiplin almost looked
down to see if Frank had pissed himself. But to be
fair, that was the reaction most people had
whenever Shane walked up on them.

“Frank, you’re the worst leader this coalition

has ever had. The only reason I haven’t turned

Kiplin’s Day Out

you into Mitchell yet is because it’s been kind of
fun to see what fuck-up move you were going to
make next,” Shane said.

“If I’m so bad, then why did you request to be

on my team?” Frank demanded.

“I did it to make sure that you didn’t get

anybody killed. But it ends now. After this
mission, I’m going straight to Mitchell and telling
him everything,” Shane informed him with a
snide smile.

“What if I tell him that everything you’re

saying is a lie?”

“First off, Mitchell and I have a trust-you-trust-

me relationship that goes back years. Your
squirmy ass is not about to break that. Second, if
you to go to Mitchell and deny it, I’ll just go the
easy route and kill you instead. Now, which way
do you want to go, Frankie boy?”

Kiplin didn’t bother to hide the smile on his

face. It was pure bliss to see Frank finally being
taken down. As for Chunks—and Kiplin would be
changing that nickname ASAP—his mouth was
agape in shock, but there was no mistaking the
look of glee in his brown eyes.

Frankie sneered at Shane. “Okay, I’ll go with

you to Mitchell’s office after this battle, but you’ll
regret this.”

Shane let out an exaggerated sigh. “If I had a

nickel for every time I heard that, I could buy that
gold-plated bazooka I’ve been eyeing up.”

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He then turned to Chunks. “As for you, I want

you to stick to me like glue during this battle. I’ll
make sure you get home.”

“Promise?” Chunks asked in a shaky voice.
“Yes, and I never have broken a promise yet.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Chapter Six

iplin ended up wedged between Shane and
Chunks. While Kiplin was pretty sure that

Shane was on somebody else’s team, he didn’t
think that anybody was going to put up much of a
fuss that Shane was doing his own thing. The only
one who ever had the balls to stand up to Shane
was his brother, Toby, or Mitchell or Shane’s mate
Trevor. Otherwise, most gave Shane a pretty wide
birth.

Shane wasn’t even wearing the same uniform

as the rest of them. Instead, he had on the
Assassin’s garb. It, too, was all black, but it had
leather pieces that covered his vital parts. Over it,
he wore a long, black cloak that had a hood with
it. When Shane pulled it up, he looked very
menacing. There were countless shifters out there
whose last image in life had been the almost-
angelic face of Shane. For while he might look
innocent, inside he was a vicious killer. Kiplin sent
out a silent prayer of thanks that for some reason,
Shane had decided to put Kiplin on his friends list.

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Shane was talking in a low voice, giving

Chunks words of advice. No doubt he was telling
the scared rookie the same thing he’d told Kiplin
on his first mission. There was no such thing as
dirty fighting. Not only had Kiplin taken that
advice, he’d honed it into a fine craft. Kiplin had
seen many good men die on the battlefield, he’d
be damned if he was going to become another
statistic. Now that he had people who actually
gave a damn about him, who were waiting for
him back at the coalition, Kiplin was going to do
everything he could to get back to them. He
refused to let them down.

“Does anybody know what we’re supposed to

be fighting?” Kiplin asked.

“I heard a rumor, but it’s so crazy there’s no

way that it could be true,” a soldier in the back
called.

Shane frowned. “What was it?”
“They said that we’re going to be battling

giants.”

Kiplin frowned. He had to have heard wrong.

“Are you fucking with me? Everybody knows that
giants have been extinct for centuries.”

He felt Chunks begin to shake so hard that the

bench made a squeaky noise as the bolts that
attached it to the wall protested. Kiplin reached
back and gave the feline a reassuring pat on his
shoulder, but it didn’t seem to work.

“What do you think?” Kiplin asked Shane.

Kiplin’s Day Out

“I think some human scientists were fucking

around with some DNA, and they managed to
make themselves a new weapon. But lucky for us,
they didn’t know the biggest flaw of giants,”
Shane said with a huge smile.

“What’s that?” Kiplin demanded.
“Giants are dumb as shit. So much so, that they

literally can’t walk a straight line. Sure, they’ll be
bigger than us, but we’ll have no trouble at all
taking them out.”

“How do you know for sure? You’ve never

seen one, just like the rest of us,” one of the other
soldiers scoffed.

“Because, unlike you, when I was growing up, I

was forced to study battle basics, both ancient and
current. So I know about all the bad guys, be they
from now or from a while ago,” Shane replied.

When there were several shocked expressions

in the van, Shane rolled his eyes. “Yes, the
Assassin knows how to read. Now my big secret is
out. Go forth and spread it amongst the others.”

“I already knew,” Kiplin said with a sad shake

of his head. “I saw you reading a celebrity gossip
magazine in the main room one day. It was the
one that had the Kardashian girl on the cover.”

Shane gave a sigh. “Sadly, that doesn’t narrow

things down. Now, if you had told me it had
Brangelina on the cover, I may have something to
work with.”

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One of the soldiers gave them an are-you-

fucking-with-us look. “You guys are really wacky.
You know that. Right?”

Kiplin smiled. “Sure. It’s our way of keeping

everybody on their toes. That way, they never
know what to expect next.”

Chunks laughed. “I like it.”
The soldier gave him a droll stare. “You can

forget it. They’re both already taken. Shane has a
mate, and Kiplin is all but glued at the hip to the
new IT guy.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t make new

friends…or enemies,” Shane replied with a
dangerous glint in his eye.

Since the soldier wasn’t stupid, he looked down

at his feet and didn’t say another word the rest of
the drive. It wasn’t much longer, only around
fifteen minutes before they arrived on the site. It
was at one of those massive movie complexes,
which made Kiplin pissed as hell since that was
his favorite place to go. Stupid lunks, didn’t they
know that there were some great releases that
were due to come out?

The giants looked just like they did in the

storybooks. They were massive and stocky, with a
smattering of hair on top of their egg-shaped
heads. All of them had bare feet, and they were
hairy and dirty. Kiplin was willing to bet that they
didn’t smell like roses either.

Kiplin’s Day Out

They definitely weren’t much to look at in the

fashion area. While Kiplin knew he really wasn’t
one to talk since he went against the grain, these
guys were a total mess. They all wore what looked
like burlap versions of hospital gowns. Kiplin
couldn’t help but wonder where they found such
large bolts of burlap in the first place, because they
looked to be made from one piece instead of
smaller segments sewn together. Then, he shook
his head and wondered why he was thinking
about such stupid things when he was getting
ready to go out and confront the big-ass
motherfuckers.

Kiplin watched as humans ran out of the movie

theater. Usually, he would have called that a
dumb move. Inside would have been safer. They
could just find a safe, enclosed space to hunker
down until things were all clear.

This time, however, the giants were tearing at

the building. They ripped a piece of the roof off,
reached in, grabbed a human then ate him before
searching for more. Kiplin couldn’t help but cringe
in sympathy as he watched the people trapped in
the giant’s grip. The humans’ legs kicking as they
fought to get away. The entire time they screamed
and pleaded for their lives.

Part of Kiplin wanted to scoff at them. After all,

they did deserve it. The human community, as a
whole, had treated the shifters with nothing but
hatred and disdain. They considered shifters to be

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no better than animals and didn’t bother to hide
their feelings about that fact. One time, Kiplin had
gone to a restaurant and the waitress had refused
to give him any service. Even when the owners
had threatened to fire her. In the end, Kiplin just
stood up and left the place. It wasn’t worth the
hassle. Not when there was a nearby shifter-
owned bar that was more than happy to take his
money.

But as Kiplin stared at the humans being

attacked at the movie theater, he felt sorry for
them. They had been doing nothing but catching a
flick and then boom! They were in a middle of a
war that they really didn’t want any part of. Plus,
Kiplin saw children running around. Attacking
adults was one thing, but going after kids was
another. Kiplin felt his rage building as the van
came to a stop.

He was almost the first one out of the doors. He

wasn’t sure how he was going to kill a giant yet.
But he sure as hell was going to figure out a way.
He dodged a giant’s foot, but a male human
wasn’t so lucky. The giant slammed down his foot.
Kiplin winced as he heard a loud squishing,
crunching sound. Yuck! That had to be the
grossest way to go out. What were they going to
put on his tombstone? Death by way of giant. May he
RIP.

Kiplin looked up at the giant and then realized

something. He still had no fricking clue as to how

Kiplin’s Day Out

he was going to kill the thing. He turned to Frank,
hoping to get some advice from his leader,
because that’s what leaders were supposed to do.
But as usual, Frank was nothing more than one big
disappointment. The shifter was just standing
there, no weapon in his hands, a dumb look on his
face as he looked to be one moment away from
passing out.

Oooookay, it looked like Kiplin would have to

confer with Shane, and the two of them would
have to come up with a plan before they all
became the giants’ version of bubblegum stuck on
the bottom of somebody’s shoe.

“How do you think we should go about this?”

Kiplin asked.

Shane cocked a brow. “Find a bunch of female

giants and lure them away.”

“As fun as that sounds, I don’t think we have

time for that.”

“Hmmm….” Shane tapped his chin in a

thoughtful manner. “We need a way to get them
down to our level. That way, we can use our
weapons on them and beat the shit out of them.”

Kiplin thought for a few moments before the

perfect idea came to him. “The flame throwers.
Those fuckers shoot fire really high. It should be
enough to reach their faces.”

Shane gave an approving look. “I knew I liked

the way you thought. Grab your flamethrower,

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and you and Chunks get to work while I start
passing the word around to the other teams.”

“How sure are you that this is going to work?

We may just end up pissing them off,” Chunks
asked as he nipped at his bottom lip.

Kiplin nodded his head to the back of a nearby

restaurant. “If that happens, you just run as fast as
you can to that dumpster and dive in.”

“Like that’s going to help. They’re ripping open

the roof of the movie theater to get at people in
there.”

“Maybe they don’t like the taste of shifters. Or

maybe they won’t want you because you’re
covered in garbage.”

Chunks narrowed his eyes. “I don’t seriously

believe that either of those are true.”

“You’re probably right,” Kiplin conceded. “But

there are just some times in life where you have to
throw the shit and see where it lands.”

“I’ll do it, but only because I have a feeling that

no matter what happens you somehow manage to
land on your feet.”

“Of course I do. I’m a cat.”
Kiplin heard the thudding footsteps that

warned him a giant was coming their way. He
spun around, as did Chunks. As soon as the giant
was within shooting range, they let loose with the
flame. Kiplin let out a whoop of delight when he
realized that the flame did reach the giant’s face.

Kiplin’s Day Out

At first, Kiplin didn’t think it was going to

work. All the giant did was bat at the flames, like
they were an annoying fly hitting him in the face.
But the big creature made no move to attack
either, so Kiplin and Chunks kept up with the
flame. Just as Kiplin was about to give up, the
giant let out a hideous sounding shriek.

Encouraged by that response, Kiplin kept

shooting the fire. Chunks did too, and if Kiplin
wasn’t mistaken, there was a smile on his fellow
soldier’s face. Kiplin was willing to bet this was
the first time that Chunks experienced any
success. While this was his first mission on the
outside, Kiplin was willing to bet that Chunks’s
training had been a series of failure after failure. It
must have been hell on the poor guy.

One of the giant fell to his knees; he was still

taller than Kiplin. That didn’t stop him from going
after the giant. He used his rifle, blade and
machine gun mercilessly on his opponent. Chunks
joined in. While he showed no mercy, the rookie
did look a little green at all the bloodshed.

Around him, Kiplin could hear the shrieking of

the giants mixed in with the screams of the
humans. Most of the people had managed to get to
their cars and were driving away as fast as they
could. They didn’t pause long enough to lend a
hand or even bother with a thank you. Not that
Kiplin was expecting any of that. He’d helped
countless humans in the past, and never once had

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one expressed their gratitude. Unless he counted
the one who had spat on him. Maybe that was
some weird human custom that meant you’re the
best, but somehow, Kiplin didn’t think so.

Once he and Chunks finished off their giant,

they were both covered in blood. Kiplin glanced
around and saw that all the other soldiers were
the in the same condition—that was except for
Frank. His uniform was pristine, and he didn’t
even hold a weapon in his hands. As for all the
giants, they were now dead.

Horror and disgust filled Kiplin as he realized

his leader had hid out the entire battle. It was one
of the weakest and most cowardly acts that Kiplin
had ever seen, and he’d seen a bunch a sick crap in
his past.

Murmurs began to fill the area as soldiers from

all the teams quickly came to the same realization.
Soon, the air became thick with hostility, and
Kiplin knew that it was only going to be a matter
of minutes before the soldiers attacked Frank.

Shane must have sensed the same thing because

he quickly stood in front of Frank. “I know what
you’re all thinking, but we still need to take him to
Mitchell to face judgment. It’s not our right to dole
out Frank’s punishment.”

Kiplin walked forward and stood next to Shane.

“He’s right. Even though we think that Frank is
the scum from the swamp, he still deserves to
explain his actions to Mitchell.

Kiplin’s Day Out

Frank whispered, “Thank you.”
Kiplin didn’t know if Frank should be so

grateful. He knew he would never want to have to
face Mitchell’s wrath.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Seven

rody had a good view of the common room
so he could see all the mates and relatives of

the soldiers who were in battle. As for Brody, he
had a front-seat view as he monitored and
recorded the information that came in from the
soldiers’ helmet cams. The video wasn’t the best. It
was jerky, in black and white and full of static at
several points. That didn’t leave Brody less
horrified.

He watched in shock as the giants ate humans

like they were popcorn. The ones that weren’t
eaten were stomped upon like they were nothing
more than little bugs. Brody had a pair of
earphones on; while the sound was sporadic at
best, what came through was a piece of hell. The
screams sent shivers down his spine. Then, he
heard Kiplin’s voice. Brody stupidly reached out
toward his monitor. As if he could pluck the
shifter through his screen and bring him to safety.

Brody didn’t know who had it worst. He, who

was forced to watch as the battle progressed,

Kiplin’s Day Out

fearing the whole time that he would see Kiplin’s
death, or the families behind him, who didn’t have
a clue about what was going on. One thing Brody
was certain about. If Kiplin made it back, Brody
was going to embrace him so tight. He didn’t care
who was watching. All Brody wanted to do at that
moment was to inhale Kiplin’s scent, feel his hard
body and to hear his sarcastic voice. Only then
would Brody truly be happy.

There was a swinging view as one of the

soldiers turned his head. Brody let out a gasp
when he got a perfect view of Kiplin. He was
covered in blood. Brody prayed that it wasn’t
Kiplin’s own blood but rather belong to the giant
that Kiplin and some stocky soldier were currently
beating the shit out of.

Before Brody could figure it out, the battle

ended. When Kiplin walked away and didn’t
seem to be limping or favoring any body part,
Brody let out a sigh. He was okay. There seemed
to be some confrontation with one of the team
leaders, Frank. Good, Brody hated that jerk. He
was always invading the IT department and
ordering everybody around. It was getting so bad
that Brody was about ready to go to Carson about
it.

Brody wanted to go into the common room and

tell everybody that they’d won the battle, but he
couldn’t for two reasons. One, he could be giving
false hope to some of the families who had lost

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loved ones in the battle. Two, he’d be going
against direct orders that he was not to release any
information until the soldiers came home. It was
the leaders’ responsibility to give any bad news,
not his.

After Brody watched all the teams load up in

the vans and leave the site, he didn’t see any sign
of Kiplin. Brody watched as the other soldiers
returned to their families. There were many happy
reunions as they embraced one another. Some of
the mothers crying as they saw that their child had
made it back alive. Yet, there was still no sign of
Kiplin.

The common area eventually emptied out, and

soon, all that was left was Brody and his skeleton
crew. While Brody’s mind was whirling with all
kinds of possibilities of why Kiplin was a no-
show, maybe he didn’t care for Brody in that way,
maybe he had been hurt in battle after all and had
just been hiding it, or even worse, he could have
somebody else who had been waiting for him to
come home to him. That last thought cut the
deepest. A guy had played Brody before, and it
hurt so damn bad that he didn’t want a replay of
the whole situation. Uh-uh, not happening, no
thank you, ma’am.

Brody told himself not to read too much into

the situation and began monitoring the security
cameras. He knew that he could be working on
something more complicated. He had a ton of

Kiplin’s Day Out

assignments due, but his heart just wasn’t in it. On
Camera One, there was a Tiger pissing on one of
the parking lot poles. Camera Two showed two
Hawks fucking each other. Camera Three showed
Riley pacing back and forth, talking to himself.
Brody reported that one. Riley was bipolar, and
since human medication didn’t work on shifters,
Doc Featherstone and North were having a hard
time treating the Eagle shifter. That resulted in
Riley having a high number of relapses.

Brody was so worried about Riley that he

didn’t hear Kiplin walking up. So he didn’t know
until he felt a kiss on his cheek. Spinning around,
Brody grinned. Kiplin was wearing a clean
uniform and his hair was wet and slicked back,
showing he’d just taken a shower, which was a
good thing, because he’d looked pretty bloody on
the video.

“I’d about given up on seeing you,” Brody said.
“Sorry, I had to go to a meeting at Mitchell’s

office.”

“Can I ask what it was about? Or is it

classified?” Brody asked.

“I can tell you since you’ll probably be entering

all the details into that computer of yours. They
stripped Frank of all his duties and gave him a
dishonorable discharge.”

Brody couldn’t hide his shock. “No!”

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“Yeah, and the shit gets even crazier. Guess

who they named as the new team leader? Me!”
Kiplin pointed a finger at his own chest.

“Why should that surprise you any? I was

listening to the soldiers as they came in. They
were all saying that it was you that came up with
the idea of how to kill the giants. Nobody else had
a clue what to do.”

“I had a lot of help from Shane.”
“Stop doing that.”
Kiplin frowned. “Doing what?”
“Refusing to take a compliment. You need to

learn how to believe in yourself. How do you
expect others to love you if you don’t love yourself
first?”

“You’ve been watching way too much RuPaul.”
Brody laughed, knowing he’d been busted.

“Maybe that’s the truth. I do love my drag queens,
but you have to admit what Ru says is true.”

Kiplin reached out and grabbed one of Brody’s

hands. Swinging them between the two of them,
Kiplin said, “It’s hard to believe in myself when I
grew up being told that I was nothing more than a
little shit and that I was never going to amount to
anything.”

“She was a bitch, and the best way you can get

back at her is to prove her wrong. From the way
I’m seeing things, you’re on the right track to do
just that.”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Kiplin tilted his head to the side. “Aww…you

better watch it. You keep talking all nice to me like
that, and people will start thinking we’re a
couple.”

Brody’s heart skipped a beat. He licked his lips

then asked, “Would that bother you?”

“Not one little bit. How about you? I know I

can be a lot to take in.”

Brody smiled then ducked his head. At the

same time, he wanted to kick his own ass for
acting like some teen girl. If he got through this
conversation without Kiplin thinking he was some
kind of dork, it would be a miracle.

“I think I would like it a lot,” Brody admitted.
“Well then, it’s a good thing that I just got stuck

on the night shift. Now, we’ll be on the same
schedule, so we can spend all our spare time
together. I’ll leave you to your work for now. We
only have a couple more hours before our shift is
over, and then, we can go out for breakfast.”

A fluttering sensation went through Brody’s

stomach. “I can’t wait.”

Kiplin gave him another kiss on the cheek

before he turned and left.

Brody tried to act as natural as possible after

Brody left, but his new next-seat worker was
having none of that. Steven turned and gave
Brody a you-dirty-dog look.

“What?” Brody asked.

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“Who would have thought that a straitlaced

guy like you would have fallen for Kiplin?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Brody demanded a bit

sharply.

Steven held up his hands. “I’m not bashing

Kiplin or anything. It’s just that he’s your
complete opposite.”

“Frankly, I thought Brody’s behavior was

completely unprofessional,” Ayla sniffed.

“Nobody asked for your opinion, stiff,” another

female staff member called out. “This is the most
excitement this place has seen in forever. Don’t
wreck it with your stick-up-your-ass attitude. My
God, you have your pert nose so high in the air it’s
a miracle that you don’t pass out from lack of
oxygen.”

Brody smiled to himself. He hated to admit it,

but it was nice to know that he wasn’t the only
one who didn’t care for Ayla. She must have
bullied all of the IT staff at one point or another. It
felt good to see her on the receiving end for once.

Once things settled down, Brody switched off

his camera monitors and got to work on one of his
projects. When Carson walked over, Brody wasn’t
too surprised. The Cheetah usually showed up
pretty quickly after a battle to gather everybody’s
footage from the helmet cams. While Carson did
have copies in his office, he liked to have the
originals, too.

Kiplin’s Day Out

“You’ll never believe what Brody was doing,”

Anya called out as soon as Carson was within
earshot.

“Didn’t anybody ever tell you that snitches end

up with stitches?” Carson asked in a tired tone.

“But it was really bad,” she insisted.
“Was he sending coalition secrets to the

enemy?”

“No.”
“Was he attempting to crash our system?”
“Of course not.”
“Was he playing Angry Birds instead of doing

his job?”

“You know he wasn’t.”
“Was he doing naughty things like the two

Hawks were on the roof just a few minutes ago?”

“That’s disgusting.”
“Then tell me what horrible crime Brody

committed.” Carson threw his hands in the air.

“He was flirting and making small talk with

that Kiplin,” she said, her voice dripping with
disgust.

“I’d be real careful how you address Kiplin

from now on. He just received a promotion and
now outranks you so much that he could reassign
you to the garbage unit if he wanted to, and
nobody would question him about it,” Carson
warned her. “Plus, Brody almost never takes his
breaks, so he was due one. As for you, I’ve been
meaning to talk to you about all the breaks you’ve

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been taking. You get three a day, not five or six. I
don’t give a damn if your girlfriend doesn’t work
and wants you to sneak out for a little nookie. If it
doesn’t end, I’ll be the one who’ll be sending you
to garbage detail. I met a small feline shifter who
has no business being in the military today. I
know for a fact that he’ll be able to do your job ten
times better than you.”

“You couldn’t do that. I’ve been in this

department for ten years.” Ayla gasped.

“And yet you haven’t improved enough to

move from the midnight shift. Hell, you haven’t
even gotten good enough for me to promote you
up one single rank. It’s so pathetic that I stopped
laughing about it years ago,” Carson said.

Brody didn’t think it was possible, but he

actually felt bad for Ayla. His coworkers, on the
other hand, were all coughing to cover the fact
that they were laughing, which led Brody to
believe that maybe Carson was giving Ayla the
public dressing down as a last resort. Maybe this
was his way of letting her know that it really was
her last chance.

The next couple of hours went by swiftly as

Brody watched Ayla pouting from her situation.
Brody almost gave her a warning when she didn’t
seem to do an ounce of work. The last thing she
needed to do was piss Carson off even more.

Then, Brody realized that he couldn’t force

Ayla to change. Brody shouldn’t have to tell her

Kiplin’s Day Out

how to do her job. After all, from the sounds of it,
she had been at it a lot longer to Brody. Even
though Brody was considered one of the top
specialists in the country, she shouldn’t be that
behind him.

Still, Brody had hacked into her system, which

hadn’t been that hard since she used 1234kitties!
as her passcode. Brody was shocked the security
system had let her get away with such a piece of
shit password. It should have rejected it for being
too weak. Brody shook his head. He was willing to
bet that the overwhelmed Carson had no idea
what was going on. If he had, he would have
changed it a long time ago. Carson was a staunch
supporter of tight security, and if he knew there
was a breech in his own department, Carson
would tear the place apart, looking for any
mistakes.

Once the shift was over, Brody changed his

own password, something that he did every night.
He then shut off his computer, making sure to
wait until it had completely shut down before he
stood up. Brody stretched, working out the kinks
on his body. Even though he was a shifter and
they had a higher stamina, it still was hell on his
ass and back to sit in front of a computer all day. It
was so bad that when Brody stretched his back,
much like a feline would, he could feel some of the
bones cracking.

“Are you ready for breakfast?” Kiplin asked.

Stephani Hecht

Brody gazed blearily at the other shifter. “Sure,

I just hope that I’m in good spirits. I’m still
adjusting to this schedule. I haven’t had to work
the night shift in years.”

“I think you’re going to like it a lot better here.

This is the time where all the fun stuff goes down.
Some shifters can get really crazy at night.”

Shock jolted through Brody. “Are you telling

me that you guys can be crazier than you already
are?”

Kiplin laughed. “You’ve only seen the tip of the

iceberg when it comes to our cray-cray. Wait until
you see Agnes running around naked. I think
you’ll be scarred forever.”

Brody gave Kiplin a light punch on the arm.

“We should respect our elders, not make fun of
them.”

Kiplin grinned before turning to Brody. “My

apologies. If you like, I could use a nail gun and
seal her lips shut.”

Before Brody could respond, much less

comment on that last little nugget, they had
reached Kiplin’s car. Well, it was a car in the only
sense that it could drive and it had all four tires.
To put it kindly, the vehicle was a piece of shit.

“We have to make a quick stop by the store

first,” Kiplin said.

“What for?”
“I have to get the Raccoons some

marshmallows. My uniform was soaking with

Kiplin’s Day Out

blood, and they promised me that they would get
it all out if I bought them three bags the
disgusting, sticky things.”

“Why not give them four?”
“Then all hell would break out. For some

reason, they always want three bags. No more, no
less.”

Brody laughed. “You’re right. This place is

insane, but I’m liking it more and more as the days
go by. Right now, I couldn’t be any happier.”

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Eight

or the next several months, Brody felt like he
was on some giant rollercoaster. It was like

everything was hitting him in waves, good and
bad. Luckily for him, nearly all of it was good.
Well, at least it was once Brody had gotten over
his fears and self-loathing.

The best thing of all had to be that he and

Kiplin spent nearly every moment of their free
time together. They continued to go out for
breakfast on a daily basis. Sometimes Kiplin
would pay, while other times Brody would snag
the bill and demand it was his turn to pick up the
check.

There was just one thing that stood between

them. Brody’s secret. Brody had begun to love the
other man, so he had to get to the truth. Only then
would they actually be able to live happily
together.

Brody almost wished that he were at his old

pack. Then, he could get arrested and put himself
in the cage. That way, he could beat his head

Kiplin’s Day Out

against the metal bars a few moments to knock
some sense into himself. Maybe then that would
get his fried brains back in place.

Brody only had to wait a few moments before

Kiplin arrived. Even though Brody’s stomach was
so full of butterflies, because he was terrified over
how Kiplin would react when told the news,
Brody slapped a smile on his face and went over
to meet Kiplin halfway.

They shared a deep, wet kiss. As always, it was

just that. While they had made out or jerked one
another off countless numbers of times, they’d yet
to fuck. Brody wondered why that was. Did Kiplin
find Brody unattractive in some way? Or worse,
did Kiplin see Brody as nothing more than a
friend with benefits? If that was true, it only made
things all the more terrible. Not only would it put
Brody on the level of a prostitute, but also Kiplin
didn’t even want to take advantage of that free
offer. Talk about giving somebody a low blow.

Brody expected the kiss to go on for only a brief

moment, so he started to step back. Kiplin reached
out with a growl, grabbed Brody and brought him
in for some more. Not that Brody was fighting any
of it. In fact, his mind was whirling with
excitement and desire. When Kiplin fisted the
back of Brody’s head, forcing him to tilt his head
back so the kiss could go deeper, it was all over.
Brody let out a long, drawn-out moan as he
reached up to put his hands on Kiplin’s shoulders.

Stephani Hecht

They went on that way for a few moments

before Brody realized, to his horror, that he’d been
grinding on Kiplin’s thigh. Brody jumped back
and glanced around to see if anybody had been
around to see them. He released a sigh of relief
that they had picked a secluded enough corner,
which provided them with some privacy. Brody
made a note to himself that they were going to
have to remember this place for future make-out
sessions.

“Do you want to go right to breakfast? I just ate

some cereal, so I’m not that hungry yet,” Brody
hinted.

“I can wait. It was Shane’s birthday, and we

had a great big cake for him.”

“Was it a nice cake?”
“It was until Shane smashed it. I guess he’s not

too keen on the whole birthday thing. He did take
our gifts with him when he left. Brent said that
was a first, so it must mean we’re making some
progress, which is a good thing. Plus, he didn’t
punch anybody out. I think he may be calming
down a bit.”

“Are you serious? Do you know what he did at

the last battle?” Brody sputtered. “I do because I
monitored the video of the whole thing. And what
I saw was even worse than Kim’s sex tape.”

Kiplin’s brows drew down, and he almost

seemed to be scared to ask, “What did he do?”

Kiplin’s Day Out

“He beheaded one of the Coyotes that you were

fighting. Then, he put the head on a stick and
taunted the rest of the enemies with it.”

Kiplin scrunched his nose. “Is that why they all

ran away so quickly?”

“I’m guessing.”
Kiplin pouted a bit. Brody didn’t blame him.

He thought he’d had his first battle as a team
leader end as an extreme victory. Now, he was
finding out that it had been because of Shane and
not from anything that Kiplin had done. That had
to be a real ego blow.

Brody reached out his hand. “Come back to my

room and let me help you forget all about it.”

Kiplin only paused a moment before he lifted

his arm and interlaced his fingers with Brody.

Brody let out a deep breath. He’d never

imagined in his entire life that a simple touch from
another man could make him forget all the evil
that was in the world. Kiplin had done something
that nobody else in the world had ever been able
to do. He made Brody feel safe. Once they were
inside Brody’s place, Kilplin let loose with his
pain.

“How can I ever forget about this,” Kiplin said

with a moan. “I thought we’d won because of my
great leadership skills. Now I know it was all
because of Shane.”

“Shane was under your leadership at the time.

The first thing that leaders have to learn is that

Stephani Hecht

their men are an extension of themselves. If a
member does a courageous act, it reflects on the
leader. However, if a member does wrong, that
also reflects on the leader.”

The entire time Brody had been talking, he’d

been slowly taking his and Kiplin’s clothes off.
They were both soon nude. Kiplin stalked Brody
until the backs of Brody’s knees were butting
against the mattress.

Brody reached over to his nightstand and

grabbed a vial of lube then handed it to Kiplin. “I
think this is all we need.”

“Yeah, and a nice long shower when we’re

done.”

Once he was lowered onto his back, Brody gave

Kiplin a snide look. “And who said that you got to
be top?”

Kiplin gave a shy smile. “Actually, I like it both

ways, and I was hoping you did, too. That way we
could take turns being on top.”

“I actually like the sounds of those plans.”
“Good,” Kiplin said as he slid his body over

Brody’s.

Brody let out a hiss at the skin-on-skin contact.

Brody loved that sound, and he, also, loved the
way that skin-on-skin contact felt. His body was
hard, just like one would expect a warrior to feel.
But there was also a certain tenderness about
Kiplin, too.

Kiplin’s Day Out

Kiplin seemed to be a freaking mind reader,

because he immediately honed in on all of Brody’s
sensual spots. Kiplin knew exactly how to work
his fingers on them, too. He would draw out
Brody’s pleasure, just to the point to where Brody
was ready to come, then Kiplin would move to
another spot and torture would begin anew.

Finally, Kiplin reached over and grabbed the

bottle of lube. Squirting some of it on his hands,
Kiplin slid one finger inside of Brody’s ass. It was
tight, but then Kiplin had always had a feeling
that Brody hadn’t slept around too much.

Kiplin began to work the finger in and out. At

the same time, he whispered soft words of
encouragement to Brody. Kiplin even went as far
as to rain kisses down Brody’s chest, which was a
first. Usually sex was a wham, bam, now hit the
door for Kiplin. Why yes, that is Pop-Tarts that you

see on the counter. Go ahead and take one on your way
out.

By the time Kiplin was up to three fingers,

Brody was thrusting up halfway to meet Kiplin’s
fingers. Kiplin was ready to burst, especially since
Brody had never looked better. His eyes were
even darker with passion, and his hair was
messed up more than ever.

Kiplin couldn’t wait any longer. He had to get

his dick inside of Brody now. Taking out his
fingers, he replaced them with the tip of his cock.
Kiplin slowly entered Brody, looking for any signs

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of discomfort. There wasn’t any. Not even when
Kiplin was fully seated.

Even so, Brody still waited for a moment for

Kiplin to become adjusted. It wasn’t until Brody
reached down and slapped Kiplin on the ass with
the harsh order of, “Move already. I’m ready to
die here.”

“Oh, shit. It looks like we have a bossy bottom

here,” Kiplin teased, even as he began to pound
into Brody.

“You better get used to it. I’ve always been that

way,” Brody replied, his words punctuated by
Kiplin’s thrusts.

“You never stop talking. Even when you’re

being fucked. You’ll probably still be yammering
away in your coffin at your own damn funeral.”

“Says pot to kettle. You’d never be able to sneak

up on the enemy bec—” At that point Brody came.
It was hard and intense, too. He let out large
streams of cum that covered both of their bellies.
At the exact same time, his hot ass clamped down
on Kiplin’s cock.

Kiplin tried to do his best to go a bit longer, but

his cock had other ideas. It shot off, filling Brody’s
ass.

They must have fallen asleep, because several

hours later, Brody woke up to a much darker
room. Letting out a curse that would have made
Shane impressed, Brody rolled out of bed and

Kiplin’s Day Out

made his way to the bathroom. Washing up and
doing his other morning, or rather afternoon,
rituals. He turned on the shower and went to the
bedroom to wake up Kiplin.

Once Brody arrived at the bedroom door, he

paused for a moment to watch Kiplin sleep. He
looked so much younger and relaxed in his
slumber. As if all his shields had slipped and
Brody was seeing the true Kiplin for the first time.
Kiplin’s lips made a smacking sound as he
snuggled deeper into his pillow. It made Brody
want to wrap his arms around Kiplin and tell him
that his life was getting better. That there was so
much waiting for him and not to give up on ever
finding happiness.

Instead, Brody gently shook Kiplin awake.
Kiplin opened his eyes and blinked a few times

before he seemed to finally realize that he was
with Brody.

Brody held his breath as he waited for what

Kiplin’s reaction would be. If Kiplin got up and
stormed off in disgust, it would tear Brody apart.
That had happened to Brody the last time he’d
spent the night with a guy. It had been over two
years since that terrible incident happened, and it
still made Brody doubt himself.

But, for once, luck was on Brody’s side. Kiplin

gave him a huge grin and said, “Good morning?”

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“Good evening would be more apt. We have

just enough time to grab a quick bite, and then, we
need to get out asses to work.”

They both jumped into the shower. While their

hands did wander a bit, they both knew that they
didn’t have time for any real fun. That would have
to wait until the next morning. It sucked, but
Brody knew that was their fault for not waking up
sooner.

As soon as they had their clothes on, they

rushed through the coalition and to the front
doors. Then, they practically ran to the restaurant.
Once there, they claimed their favorite booth and
ordered. They didn’t talk much during their meal.
They were too busy cramming food in their
mouths. Brody slapped some money on the table
then they left. They were taking a shortcut
through the back lot when Brody’s whole world
came crashing down on him.

“Well, well, well, look at what we got here. Our

would-be snitch.”

Brody would have recognized that voice

anywhere. It was Mel, one of the felines from his
old pack. He turned to confirm it, and sure
enough, the blond stood there. Or at least Brody
seemed to recall he had been blond. The feline
didn’t appear to have taken a bath in quite a
while. He had two other felines with him, one
with red-shaggy hair, another with an obvious
home-cut brown hair.

Kiplin’s Day Out

Brody began to shake so hard that it actually

hurt him. His heart beat so hard in his chest, he
was worried that it would seize up. Of course, that
would be better than having to go back to his old
pack and live in one of those cages all of his life.
Or even worse, having to admit to Mitchell that he
hadn’t told them the complete truth when he’d
come and asked to live with their coalition. The
part that Brody dreaded the most was having to
see the look of disgust on Kiplin’s face and having
Kiplin dump him. That one was going to burn the
most.

Kiplin put his body between Brody and the

three felines. “You have to go through me if you
even so much as want to say boo to him. I don’t
care what you think that Brody may or may not
have done, but you’re going to leave our turf and
never come back. If I ever even think that I see the
three of you again, I’ll kill you, and it won’t be in a
quick or easy way. I can promise you that.”

The redheaded feline curled his lips. “You

actually like Brody?”

“No, I love Brody, and he’s my mate. That

means what you do to him you might as well be
doing to me. Got it?”

They all looked Kiplin up and down. “Are we

supposed to be afraid of you?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”
Before Brody could call out a warning, the three

attacked Kiplin all at once. Moving so fast that he

Stephani Hecht

was a blur, Kiplin scooped up some dirt then
threw it in their faces. The felines all stopped,
covering their faces, as they couldn’t see. Before
they could recoup, Kiplin attacked, kicking each of
them in the nuts. All three of them fell to their
knees, letting out yelps of pain. Kiplin then
delivered the final blow with a kick to each of the
hostile felines’ noses.

Before somebody could say WTF, the battle was

over. Kiplin walked over to Brody, put an arm
around Brody’s shoulder, and they began to walk
away from the carnage.

“So, Brody, when are you really going to tell me

what pissed off your last pack so much?”

Kiplin’s Day Out

Chapter Nine

s soon as they arrived back at HQ. The first
thing Kiplin did was go with Brody to see

Mitchell. Not only did he know that Brody was
scared, but also as Brody’s mate, it was Kiplin’s
duty.

Ah yeah, they really did need to talk about that

whole mate idea and make sure that they were
both on the same page there. While Kiplin wanted
nothing more than to be Brody’s mate, he wanted
to make sure that Brody was really, really, really
serious about it. There was no such thing as
divorce in the shifter world. That meant once you
were mated, it was for good and there was no out
clause.

When they reached the door of Mitchell’s office,

they didn’t barge in but knocked respectfully and
waited to the leader to bade then to enter. Once he
had, Brody and Kiplin walked in. Brody grabbing
onto Kiplin’s hand so hard that it was a wonder he
didn’t break it.

Stephani Hecht

“Take a seat, gentlemen.” Mitchell motioned to

the two seats in front of his desk.

They both sat. By that point, Brody was so

nervous that he was shaking so hard that he was
actually making the chair move. Mitchell must
have picked on this, because he gave a slight
frown.

“You know you have nothing to be afraid of

when it concerns me. I won’t hurt you if you’ve
made a mistake or something.”

“It’s not that. I lied to you and that’s one of the

worst sins in the world,” Brody replied.

Mitchell leaned forward on his desk. “Now that

would depend on what you’re lying about and
why?”

“I still have family at my last coalition. They

refused to believe me, even when I showed them
the proof. When I ran, I begged them to go with
me, but they all refused. That’s why I kept silent
about it for so long. I was afraid that if I said
something that my coalition would kill or torture
them.”

“What did they refuse to believe you about?”

Mitchell asked.

“One day, I decided to see if I could hack into

the highly classified documents at my coalition.”

“Why would you do that?” Kiplin asked.
Brody shrugged. “I was bored and I was just

playing around.” Brody turned to Mitchell and
held up one palm. “That’s something that I’ll

Kiplin’s Day Out

never do again. I promise. I learned my lesson the
hard way the last time.”

“What did you find out about your last

coalition?” Mitchell pressed.

Brody took a deep breath. “That my coalition

has been working with the Raven’s for decades.
They’ve been feeding the Birds inside information.
That’s why the Raven’s know when to attack here
and at other coalitions.”

Kiplin could feel a hot rage fill him. How could

a shifter turn on their own like that?

“Why would they do that?” Mitchell asked.

“Everybody knows that your coalition is one of
the poorest in the state, so it sure can’t be for the
money.”

“From what I was able to dig up, there was

some land agreement.”

That made sense to Kiplin. The Ravens were

always bitching about the crappy land that they
were left with. They never stopped to think that it
may be their fault. Nobody wants to be neighbors
with a group of assholes.”

Mitchell was silent for several moments before

he finally spoke, “I don’t want you two to share
this information with anybody. The last thing we
need is a huge riot on our hands. I’ll quietly
inform the nearby coalition leaders about this new
danger. Until then, act like your usual crazy
selves.”

Stephani Hecht

“There is one other thing,” Brody spoke up. “I

would like to formally ask permission to have
Kiplin as my mate.”

“Why would you need my okay on that one?”

Mitchell inquired with a puzzled frown.

“That was the way it went with my other coal—

”

Mitchell waved a hand. “I am already sick of

hearing about that place. Here, we’re way more
laid back. You can pick whoever you want as a
mate. Although, I never in my life thought it
would be Kiplin of all people.”

“Hey!” Kiplin retorted, realizing that his leader

had just burned him.

“I’m just kidding you. I think you make a great

couple. You have my blessings and then some. In
fact, I’m damned proud of you, Kiplin.”

Kiplin pointed at his own chest. “Me? Why?”
“You’ve done a lot of growing these past

several months. Don’t think I haven’t noticed it. I
didn’t think you had it in you, but you managed
to prove me wrong. That doesn’t happen too
much,” Mitchell informed them. “Now, you both
better get to work. You’re already causing a
scandal as it is. There is not a day where Ayla
doesn’t come here with a list of complaints about
you two.”

“Are you kidding me?” Kiplin asked, his voice

raising a few octaves.

Kiplin’s Day Out

Mitchell ran a hand through his hair. “I wish I

were. Little does she know that I have a surprise
for her. She’s bitched herself into a new detail.
Now, she’ll be on garbage duty. I’m filling her
spot with Chunky…God, how I hate that name.
I’m going to make him change it, like it or not.”

“Just make sure it sounds badass. I think it will

be a morale boost for him,” Kiplin offered.

They got up and left the office, carefully

shutting the door behind them. Once they knew
they were alone, Kiplin picked up Brody and spun
him around in a circle.

“We did it!” Kiplin exclaimed.
“I know. Now there is nothing that can ever

come between us at all.”

“Well, that’s unless we go to the mall.

Something tells me that we don’t shop at the same
clothing stores.”

“That’s okay. I’ll be more than happy to hold

your purse and wait while you try stuff on,”
Brody teased.

“I love you so fucking much,” Kiplin declared.
“And I fucking love you back.”

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. You can
usually find her snuggled up to her laptop,
creating her next book.

Contact her at:
Email Address:archangelwriter@yahoo.com

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/StephaniHecht

FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=pr

ofil&id=1109353859

MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephanihecht

Blog:
http://stephanihechtauthor.blogspot.com

Document Outline

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author

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